Free Black Fleet Trilogy 1: Warship by Joshua Dalzelle Page B
Authors: Joshua Dalzelle
whittled away at an increasing rate so CENTCOM bean counters can make their numbers look good to Haven. Don't let centuries of peace by lack of proximity fool you, Captain. We're all still very human and thus lustful of what our neighbors have."
"Okay, I'll play along. What would the AU gain by making a move on Haven? That's tantamount to declaring war on the Terran Confederacy. The other enclaves wouldn't stand for that."
"Not a war, a raid," Pike said. "What is on Haven?"
"The Confederate Senate, CENTCOM Operations Center, and Tsuyo corporate headquarters," Jackson said.
"You missed one," Pike said. "Tsuyo R&D is also on Haven. It's not something that's widely publicized, but it's there. A raid on that facility would garner the AU a technological edge that would be hard to surmount. Couple that with their superior population numbers and manufacturing base ... you see where I'm going with this."
"I suppose it's plausible," Jackson admitted, the words seeming to cause him physical pain to say. "But why attack a frontier drone and a freight hauler?"
"Obviously to keep a secret hidden," Pike said with a shrug. "Like I said ... that's one of the more popular theories. Not to mention the least exotic."
"Oh yeah?"
"Oh yeah," Pike confirmed. "It does sort of make sense in a way. Given Tsuyo's Japanese heritage from when the company was on Earth, the AU may feel they're entitled to it anyway. Other theories range from conspiracies to keep the new planets uninhabited all the way to attack from aliens."
"Aliens?" Jackson laughed. "Digging deep for that one, aren't they?"
"We've discovered at least one race of intelligent aliens," Pike said, holding up a finger.
"Yeah, a species of methane breathers on a world that would kill us within seconds," Jackson said. "We can't even communicate with them. Has anybody even been back to that planet in the last hundred years?"
"Just the occasional scientific expedition." Pike shook his head.
"So, I suppose I should thank you for the warning," Jackson said. "What happens next? Are you coming along?"
"No," Pike said. "I'm not much of a crew person myself. The Oscar Marks should be departing soon; we'll wait a bit after that and then we'll fly under normal power a short distance and then you'll drop me off. After that you're clear to warp to your first waypoint."
"So we just wait?" Jackson asked, not bothering to ask the operative what was waiting only a short distance away.
"Well, we could pass the time more quickly if you'd be so kind as to offer a weary traveler a drink out of that bottle in your lower left drawer," Pike said with a grin.
"I'm not even going to ask you how you know about that," Jackson said sourly, not bothering to deny the charge. He reached down, keyed the drawer open, and pulled out a still-sealed bottle of his precious Kentucky bourbon. "Grab some glasses from that shelf and lock the hatch."
Chapter 6
"The Oscar Marks is pulling away," Ensign Davis reported, giving Pike a long sideways glance as she did. His changed appearance and demeanor had caused a hush to fall on the bridge when he and Jackson had walked back in. For his part, Jackson didn't bother explaining the change to his crew.
"Not even so much as a tight beamed 'safe voyage,’" Pike remarked from the observer’s seat. "Asiri really is an arrogant ass." The last comment caused jaws to drop and stay open. Jackson just rolled his eyes, but said nothing.
"New coordinates?" he said instead.
"Here you go," Pike said, handing his comlink to the operator at Navigation.
"We're fifteen minutes away from there at half-thrust, Captain," she said after inputting the coordinates from the display.
"Also, I'll need you to transmit a standard Fleet hail on this frequency," Pike said, walking over to the Com station and bringing up another screen on his comlink. Jackson nodded to the ensign manning the station when he looked over for confirmation. The response to the hail was immediate.
"New
"Okay, I'll play along. What would the AU gain by making a move on Haven? That's tantamount to declaring war on the Terran Confederacy. The other enclaves wouldn't stand for that."
"Not a war, a raid," Pike said. "What is on Haven?"
"The Confederate Senate, CENTCOM Operations Center, and Tsuyo corporate headquarters," Jackson said.
"You missed one," Pike said. "Tsuyo R&D is also on Haven. It's not something that's widely publicized, but it's there. A raid on that facility would garner the AU a technological edge that would be hard to surmount. Couple that with their superior population numbers and manufacturing base ... you see where I'm going with this."
"I suppose it's plausible," Jackson admitted, the words seeming to cause him physical pain to say. "But why attack a frontier drone and a freight hauler?"
"Obviously to keep a secret hidden," Pike said with a shrug. "Like I said ... that's one of the more popular theories. Not to mention the least exotic."
"Oh yeah?"
"Oh yeah," Pike confirmed. "It does sort of make sense in a way. Given Tsuyo's Japanese heritage from when the company was on Earth, the AU may feel they're entitled to it anyway. Other theories range from conspiracies to keep the new planets uninhabited all the way to attack from aliens."
"Aliens?" Jackson laughed. "Digging deep for that one, aren't they?"
"We've discovered at least one race of intelligent aliens," Pike said, holding up a finger.
"Yeah, a species of methane breathers on a world that would kill us within seconds," Jackson said. "We can't even communicate with them. Has anybody even been back to that planet in the last hundred years?"
"Just the occasional scientific expedition." Pike shook his head.
"So, I suppose I should thank you for the warning," Jackson said. "What happens next? Are you coming along?"
"No," Pike said. "I'm not much of a crew person myself. The Oscar Marks should be departing soon; we'll wait a bit after that and then we'll fly under normal power a short distance and then you'll drop me off. After that you're clear to warp to your first waypoint."
"So we just wait?" Jackson asked, not bothering to ask the operative what was waiting only a short distance away.
"Well, we could pass the time more quickly if you'd be so kind as to offer a weary traveler a drink out of that bottle in your lower left drawer," Pike said with a grin.
"I'm not even going to ask you how you know about that," Jackson said sourly, not bothering to deny the charge. He reached down, keyed the drawer open, and pulled out a still-sealed bottle of his precious Kentucky bourbon. "Grab some glasses from that shelf and lock the hatch."
Chapter 6
"The Oscar Marks is pulling away," Ensign Davis reported, giving Pike a long sideways glance as she did. His changed appearance and demeanor had caused a hush to fall on the bridge when he and Jackson had walked back in. For his part, Jackson didn't bother explaining the change to his crew.
"Not even so much as a tight beamed 'safe voyage,’" Pike remarked from the observer’s seat. "Asiri really is an arrogant ass." The last comment caused jaws to drop and stay open. Jackson just rolled his eyes, but said nothing.
"New coordinates?" he said instead.
"Here you go," Pike said, handing his comlink to the operator at Navigation.
"We're fifteen minutes away from there at half-thrust, Captain," she said after inputting the coordinates from the display.
"Also, I'll need you to transmit a standard Fleet hail on this frequency," Pike said, walking over to the Com station and bringing up another screen on his comlink. Jackson nodded to the ensign manning the station when he looked over for confirmation. The response to the hail was immediate.
"New
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