Warrior One: Scout Ships

Prologue

Scout ships, there are two classes in the Federation inventory. One man and two man scout ships. The one-man scout ship currently has a range of approximately 3,000 light years. The two-man scout ship currently has a range of approximately 6,000 light years. Scout ships are sent out in front of the fleet to gather intel even further out. Scout ships have the latest and greatest sensor gear. Sensors able to reach out almost half a galaxy can be very handy when going up against a formidable enemy. One Man Scout Ships are armed with two 5 terawatt plasma cannon. The Two Man Scout Ships have four 5 terawatt plasma cannon and are also armed with a Type 47 torpedo tube with six torpedoes.

Figure 1 - One Man Scout Ship Mk 3 - Caster

Figure 2 - Two Man Scout Ship Mk 3 - Seeker

Figure 3 - Scara Mensa Shipyards

Chapter 1

The scout ship Explorer was tumbling, it's pilot hanging in the straps unconscious. The debris cloud from the explosion was spreading and would soon engulf the Explorer. The ships AI was desperately trying to regain control of the ship and to assess Anna Duff's condition. Lieutenant Anna Duff was Captain and Pilot of the Explorer. She had been lucky the name had come available when her ship was commissioned.

Lieutenant Duff had been ordered down galaxy to monitor the Gar as they withdrew from Federation space. She had been coasting in normal space when her proximity alarms all went off at the same time. Her hand made it to the shield button just as the explosion happened. The shields were up, but the inertial dampeners weren't. If she hadn't been in the habit of strapping in when in the pilot's seat, she would have been mashed all over the bulkhead.

Explorer was still trying to regain control when Anna woke up. Looking around through squinted eyes, Anna grabbed for the control yoke, pulling back hard, also pushing the sub-light throttle full forward. The ship lurched, up and away from the debris field.

What the hell was that? Anna shouted.

The explosion was typical of Gar munitions. A subspace mine I believe, the AI responded.

Mine? Why would they put mines way the hell out here and why haven't others run into them?

It would appear they are only activated when a ship is in normal space. My data show no ship has ever come through this sector in normal space.

All stop. Get us stopped. Dead in space, Anna shouted.

The AI halted the forward motion of the ship. Anna bent over her keyboard. Soon the screens showed the mines in her vicinity.

Holy shit! Anna croaked. Map the minefield, Dora.

Aye, aye Captain. Anna smiled every time Dora said that.

Her screens started to fill with small red dots. Mines. She was surrounded by them. They were in front of her, in back of her, below her and above her. She was trapped.

Three Gar ships have broken off and are headed back this way, Dora informed her.

What will happen if we drop into hyperspace? Anna asked.

Unknown.

Setup a jump straight up, half a light year.

Course laid in, Dora replied.

Jump.

Explorer was half a light year above the minefield. Anna could see the four mines that had been closest to her exploding. She could also see the three Gar ships increase speed toward the minefield. As they arrived, she watched them deactivate the mines.

How are they doing that? Anna asked idly.

They are using short bursts of a very high radio frequency. It appears to be fusing the triggers. Recording.

Thank you, Dora.

Anna remained in the area, watching. When the Gar turned and left, only then did she turn her ship and head back to the Donegal and repairs.

Chapter 2

As Anna and her ship Explorer sped back to Donegal, Gillian Saraid watched. She had observed the explosion when Explorer had triggered the first mine. She watched as the Gar had deactivated the rest. She now watched Explorer head to Donegal. Her sensors also tracked the Gar as they returned to their fleet. A fleet headed back to their side of the galaxy. Her sensors also tracked the Saxon fleet as it left Rigel for their arm of the galaxy.

Gillian settled comfortably into her pilot chair and relished the solitude of deep space. Having grown up in the wilds of the North American Directorate, she was used to being alone. Once she was old enough she had left home and headed into the wilderness to fend for herself. She knew she really had nothing to fear from her fellow residents out in the bush. They would neither hinder or help her to survive. It was all up to her to establish a stake and survive to claim it as her own.

Nor would the Directorate interfere. The government, what little there was of it, maintained a militia to secure its borders and that was about it. Inside the borders of the Directorate, it was every man or woman for themselves. Most residents lived their whole life in isolation. Usually, not seeing another person ever. For a few the lonely life was...tedious. Those who couldn't stand the solitude of the wilderness, clumped together in the few cities, more villages, around the Directorate.

Sometime during the last year of her second decade, a notice was sent out from the capital. In actuality, no citizen was really ever alone, if they didn't want to be. The Directorate was totally wired. Everyone connected to the Directorate network. The terminal in every cabin notified every citizen of current events and needs of the Directorate. The latest call was for volunteers for scout ship duty with the Federation fleet.

Gillian sealed up her cabin, put everything in standby and headed to the capital. She was going to try her hand at piloting a space ship. They were calling for one man and two man scout ship crews. She was interested in the one-man scout ship duty. She was so used to being alone, that's what she wanted now. Fleet school was nerve racking. She wasn't alone there. But she kept to herself, earning many a strange look from her classmates as they tried to engage her in conversation.

Now, though, after persevering through flight school, she was a Lieutenant in the Federation fleet and the proud pilot of her ship Caster. Together she felt they could overcome any adversity.

The two-man scout ship Seeker, with Lieutenant Commander Nolan Tóla and Lieutenant Patrick Egan, farther down galaxy, had just barely noticed the explosion up galaxy from their position. Their sensors had been looking down galaxy at the Gar. Then three Gar frigates hurried past them, headed toward the position of the explosion. Swinging his sensors toward the explosion, he fine-tuned his scanners, Nolan saw Explorer drifting in what looked like a mine field, then she was gone and four more mines exploded. The Gar ships increased speed. When they arrived at the edge of the minefield they moved around the mine field shooting bursts of high-frequency EM at the mines. They then turned and left. Nolan made a note the mines would have to be collected. No point in leaving a bunch of dead mines in a possible lane ships might use under sublight.

Turning his attention back to the Gar as the frigates zipped past his position once more, Nolan watched as the Gar fleet continued to accelerate away from him. He also watched the Saxons leave Federation space. As of now, the Federation was at peace. It hadn't been declared yet, but with no immediate enemies at the gate, they would, soon. Nolan knew most of his scout ship captains would not relish peace. They were all fighters. A couple of them from the wilds of North America like Gillian Saraid. Now there was a fighter and a damn good scout ship captain. Even though Nolan really didn't like anyone from the North American Directorate, he tolerated Gillian.

Nolan scanned out among the stars as far as he could. To his west was another arm of the galaxy about twenty thousand light-years away. Of course, his scans could only reach as far the edge, but a visual was slowly building up on his visible light monitor. To his east was the arm of the Galaxy the Saxon's hailed from. A little closer at a scant fifteen thousand light years. But, the farther you go down galaxy, the closer the arms get until they merge into the globule cluster in the center. His scans just barely reached the other side of the Saxon arm in his current scan. Further up the galaxy, the arms spread out to twenty-five thousand light year distance. That was just an estimate as his sensors couldn't see that far.

Seeker was slowly drifting down galaxy getting closer and closer to the established border of Federation space. Warships were prohibited from crossing, except by special permission, so Seeker would have to stop in about two decades at its current speed. Nolan laughed at that thought. Seeker was now close enough to scan deep into Gar space. The ship traffic was tremendous. The types of ships were hard to determine this far away, but the scans could see the movement of those ships. Most were away from the border with the Federation. Some were headed toward the border. Others just traveled hither and yon within Gar space.

Sir, contact, bearing 270 mark -25, it's going away from us, Pat said softly.

What are you doing looking over there?

I was watching the Saxon's and this blip appeared...

Yes, I see it. Hmmm...I wonder.

What sir?

Never mind, get ready to jump, Nolan ordered.

Jump where?

Toward that blip.

Really?

Really.

Aye aye, sir.

Lieutenant Egan typed the coordinates into his console. His finger poised over the jump button.

Jump, Nolan said.

They were now traveling to a point some 6,000 light years below the plane of the galaxy. There would still stars around them, but when they arrived the space below them would be dark.

Chapter 3

The flare on her sensors surprised Gillian. There had been two other flares, both from Explorer. Once getting out of the mine field, the second as she headed to the Donegal. Swinging her sensor around to the flare, she saw Seeker some distance away, heading below the plane of the galaxy. She also saw the blip farther down from Seeker.

Son of a bitch, Gillian muttered.

Her fingers tapped her keyboard and she pressed send. Her message flashed across subspace, just behind Seekers.

Cass, how far is that blip from us?

Working...

Gillian waited to type into her keyboard.

...approximately fifty thousand light years.

Fifty thousand...is it one ship or multiple ships?

Can't tell from this distance, Captain. Gillan smiled.

Do we have enough power for two long jumps to catch up with Seeker?

We do, but will need resupply before going on or returning to Donegal.

Damn! Gillian swore.

Shall I jump?

No, remain on station, Gillan told her computer, a note of disappointment in her voice.

Three days later, Seeker drifted in the dark void, surrounded by nothingness. There were still stars this far below the plane, but dim ones, far away. Both men waited for the scanners to resolve the distant ship or ships.

Seeker, do we have enough power to get home? Nolan asked his AI.

Yes, sir, just barely.

Damn, Nolan muttered under his breath.

Picture coming up, Pat Egan said.

On the screen in front of him, Nolan saw a blip. He swore to himself. He had been hoping to be able to see what kind of ship it was. It was big whatever it was. To have even detected it from their first position was a miracle.

Enhance, Nolan told his computer.

Working... the AI responded.

Do you really think it will get any better? Pat asked.

I don't know, but we'll see.

Done, the AI responded.

Both men looked at the display. The blip was only a tiny bit clearer. Still undiscernable as a ship.

On the bridge of Warrior One, Rear Admiral Ezra Nichols was casually watching his displays. The fleet was in stand down mode since the peace treaty with the Gar had been signed.

Captain, Comms, message from scout Caster, Ensign Flannery called out.

Route it to my display please, Ezra told him.

Looking down at his display he read the message from Lieutenant Saraid.

Captain, Comms, message from Admiral Cook, sir.

Give it to me.

Ezra read the Admirals message. It was from Seeker and was almost the exact same as Casters.

Commander Beckett, make ready to leave orbit. Comms, give me all ship.

All ship, yes sir.

All hands prepare to get underway.

All ship off, sir.

Comms, message to Caster, rendezvous with Seeker, Warrior One on the way. Will pick up both you and Seeker for transport and refueling. Second message to Seeker. Hold position for arrival of Warrior One and Caster. Sign both with my name.

Aye, aye, sir. Messages sent.

Commander, bearing 270 mark -25. Seeker should be on that approximate heading, verify and get underway. Notify Tór.

Aye, aye, sir, Commander Beckett replied. Helm, you heard the man, get us moving. 270 down 25. Comm, notify Tór.

Helm, aye.

Comm, aye.

The stars in the display started to move. The nose of the ship moved down. There were two blips far in the distance. Another blip down galaxy started to move and then jumped. That would be Caster on its way to Seeker.

Gillian was surprised by the message from Admiral Nichols but was glad to be included. She typed an affirmative response to Warrior One.

Cass, set up jumps to Seekers position.

Working...

How long to get there?

Course set. About three days at max speed.

Jump, Gillian said softly.

The sky blanked out as the shutters closed over the ports. Her display blurred for a minute while the sensors adjusted for their speed. She pushed the sublight throttles almost to the wall. The ship jumped under her. Her tanks would be almost dry when they arrived, but they should arrive before Warrior One. Her screens lit up once more and showed the flare of Warrior and another ship jumping away from Rigel.

Chapter 4

Caster popped out of hyperspace within a parsec of Seeker. She was still traveling at a fast clip as she flipped her ship and started to decelerate.

Welcome Caster, she heard Nolan Tóla's voice boom from the comms speaker.

She ignored him for the time being as she flew her ship. From her screens, she could see that Warrior and the ship with her were still two days out. She smiled. Scout ships were much faster in hyperspace than the big lumbering hulks like Warrior One.

Seeker, thanks, Gillian replied while pressing her voice comm button.

Silence fell once more. Nolan knew she wasn't a talker and he would limit his conversations to orders and welcomes. Gillian turned to her long range sensors trying to focus them on the blip farther below them. The best she could get, even with Cass' help, was a little larger blip. Turning to her console, she started to type. Caster had at its disposal a huge database of ships and flight plans. She knew the position of the ship and its heading. Twenty minutes later she had a list of several ships. Two she knew had been destroyed by the Gar. The last...the last was a myth. It didn't really exist. It couldn't be them.

Warrior One and