The Dugesian Saga Part One: A Broken Peace Page 3
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Early the next day, Barak awoke to find his crew finishing up the preparations.
"All crew report!" ordered Captain Barak.
"Ship fully loaded sir," responded Old Ironsides. "We got the thrusters fixed sure, and the cannons calibrated."
"I managed to get us four high explosive missiles Captain," added Weas. "As well as an update to the targeting computer."
"Ship fully fuelled and ready to depart Captain," reported Joel.
"Excellent," responded Barak. "Any word from Boiler Room?"
"Boiler Room reports engines have been flushed and are now operating at one hundred percent efficiency again Captain," said Old Ironsides.
"Good," confirmed Barak. "Undock and make for these coordinates at top speed. Alert me before we arrive, pilot."
Barak went back to his private quarters and pulled an old trunk out from beneath his bunk. As he opened the trunk, he remembered his days as an officer back in the Old Empire. Those days will be mine again, Barak resolved to himself as he laid eyes on his old uniform. Barak shed his old garb and began suiting up for battle.
An hour or so later, there came a knock on Barak's door. He was ready. This had better be for real. Barak stepped out and was greeted by Old Ironsides.
"Captain," he said with a mad grin eyeing Barak's uniform. "We're coming up on the coordinates."
Old Ironsides was obviously excited and felt young again.
"Let's get to the battle deck," replied Barak.
Entering the battle deck, the men took their seats. Barak checked his instruments. The asteroid field was dead ahead. He was picking up a swarm of countless other ships entering the field as well. There was no sign of the battleship, just large tracks on his screens that must have been the asteroids. Then Barak heard Joel gasp. The crew looked out the window and before them was a sight so magnificent it brought a tear to Old Ironsides' eye. A gargantuan vessel, over a hundred metres wide, and about five times as long, comprised of about fifty decks or so. The ship was armed with two huge cannons, the like of which Barak had never seen nor heard tell of before. Its thick dark hull bristled with smaller cannons and lasers. My God, Barak thought to himself, its beautiful.
"Hail them," Barak ordered.
The pilot shuddered in both fear and awe of the mighty vessel: "Th... this is the battle frigate Black Seagull to the battleship Vorticon. Requesting instructions, over."
A voice answered: "Black Seagull, welcome to the new Baccan Armada. Form up on our aft and follow to the jump point. Upon arrival in the enemy sector focus on the smaller ships. Leave the enemy defenses to us. When all threats have been eliminated, you may commence boarding procedures. You keep what you catch. Further instructions issued as necessary."
"You heard them," Barak said. "Form up with the rest."
The Black Seagull flew past the Vorticon. Though small and old, Barak's ship still had teeth. The hull was shaped like a long hollow pentagon, with two wings extending upwards from the top two sides of the ship. Along each of these wings were mounted two rail gun cannons. In the ventral section of the ship was the missile launcher. They would put the old girl through her paces soon. They watched as the Vorticon suddenly began rising out of the asteroid belt, her huge engines flickering bright red as they powered up. Within a few minutes, the Vorticon broadcast a message with the target coordinates to the fleet.
"What's our destination?" asked Joel.
Barak scanned the document and replied: "The Alcarax system. Make the ship ready for jump."
The crew looked to port and starboard. There were hundreds of ships of various sizes and designs in their new fleet, though none came close to the awesome might of the Vorticon. Just then the Vorticon's engines flashed brightly and she disappeared, followed closely by a multitude of other flashes among the fleet.
"Take us in Joel," ordered Barak. "Here we go."
There was a burst of light, and the Black Seagull disappeared.