The Six-Eyed Beast
Copyright© 2025 by BenLepp
Chapter 11: The Chase Is on
January 13th, 2279
Basil whistled to Nocks and Korolev and pointed at the screen.
- We might have a problem.
Nocks didn’t answer, instead doing the same as Basil had done before, looking up the ship’s reg. Just with dozens of scripts now sucking data from the grid. She was going through her finds. Korolev was configuring the sensors to get a better look at the ship, but Basil stopped her.
- Passive sensors only. I don’t want them to know yet we’re aware of this.
- Aye. Keeping the regular rotation on the dish.
All ships were used to receiving regular pings from other ship’s sensors in standard operation. Korolev calculated the real position and real incoming vector of the ship and adjusted the optical sensors, ready to pick up an image as soon as it closed into a range that made things discernable.
- Sir, the reg checks out. Went through all available data, this is supposedly just a skipper registered to a supplier of various goods from Lalande, nothing out of the ordinary.
Basil was disappointed his magic lieutenant was unable to find anything giving them a clue on the rapidly approaching mystery ship. Which was a reason to be on edge for him, since it meant that anyone with hostile intent had covered their tracks well. There was a slight chance these were just civilians wanting to have a look at them, but this could be easily determined.
- Skipper Kalinu, come in. I repeat...
- Kalinu here, Athan Frisk speaking, how may I help you?
- Why are you on an intercept course with us at high speed? Do you require assistance?
Basil gestured to Korolev to now turn every sensor onto the ship. It was now only 25 minutes from rendezvous and entering visual range.
- Ah, it might seem that way but I’ve just been told I have urgent business on E-40 to attend to.
Basil checked the supposed course; it was largely heading to 40 Eridani but not quite.
- You’re off course.
- Ah, yes, see I usually have a full crew taking care of things, but not today. I am a bit out of practice when it comes to navigation.
- You only have to input your destination.
Basil was checking the visual feed.
- Your ship looks pretty modern. I ask you again to give me a reason for your intercept.
24 minutes. Korolev disappeared into the freight compartment; Nocks was trying to get a positive ID on the type of vessel.
- I am telling you, that’s what the computer chose. There must be some disturbance it’s navigating me around or something. It often does that, very safe system.
- I am captain Anthony Basil of the Senatorial Fleet of the League of the Void. You are closing in on a League vessel undertaking a sensitive mission. I order you to change course away from us or cut your engines.
- You have no authority over me! I’ll have you know I am operating in the highest echelons of this sector, your fleet being one of my customers. I will report you!
- Feel free to do so, but change your heading or cut your engines.
- Or what? You’re the captain of a freight barge!
- I am not at liberty and in the mood to explain our business here. Change course or stop!
- And I am in no mood to talk to you, my good Sir.
The audio connection crackled and switched to static.
- Nocks, give me something!
- It’s a Type-255 skipper, built in the Hurtig Corp Epsilon yard two years ago. Top speed 2.1 TKH[1], acceleration factor six. Unarmed. Space for six people.
- There are some inconsistencies, though.
Korolev had re-entered the main cabin and Nock’s full attention.
- Check their course change. We didn’t have a direct view on it but we have a ping before their course change and a ping afterwards. We know their engine power but still, it took them way longer to do the swing, so the thing is much heavier than it should be - it’s sluggish. Also, their delta v should be higher.
Nocks wasn’t impressed by her colleague’s thesis.
- Could be cargo. A bad pilot. Space sickness, bad servicing, saving energy, anything.
- Look at the bow, it’s been reworked.
Korolev highlighted a section of the sleek, pear-shaped vessel’s bow that had a bulge and a panel – both of which not present on the blueprints from Hurtig. Basil wasn’t sure.
- Many add systems to their ships later.
21 Minutes.
- Sir, all I am saying is that this ship might have additional heavy components abord.
Both Nocks and Basil remained unconvinced, especially since they considered themselves way more experienced in such affairs than the young scientist. But she wasn’t done wearing Basil down.
- Why is that panel retractable?
- How do you know that?
- The bulge below, that’s where the panel goes. These two lines are the rails it pops up and slides down on. There’s even scratched paint where it moves.
Basil had no real answer; apart from retractable scanners ‒ which non-combat vessels didn’t need as they weren’t expected to be flashed ‒ there were only two types of common systems that needed a physical opening in a hull and he deemed it unlikely the old scrooge had strapped another engine to the front of his skipper to decelerate at a rate the inertia field could not keep up with to see how far his face would stretch.
- Alright then, let’s find out more.
Both lieutenants looked at each other as Basil took the helm and changed course, having to drop out the quantum entanglement slipstream and jump into another at a course 60 degrees off the skipper’s course, turning to run. This cost some time, the barge had to restart accelerating to its top speed far below the skipper’s top speed – which also accelerated faster after a turn. But it did result in the longest theoretical interception time, if the skipper changed course. If the skipper didn’t change course, all would be well. He still didn’t call for help – not wanting to risk the embarrassment of having called a Senatorial Fleet ship because of a confused rich man whose lackeys had the day off. All three of them watched the pings on the skipper’s hull every few seconds, waiting for the delay to pass.
And then it did change course. Korolev felt some pride in being right over her cocky superiors but soon accepted she wished she hadn’t been as they were now chased by a faster, more modern and most likely armed ship with unknown intentions.
But they were up at 28 minutes till interception again and Basil had achieved what he wanted, more time and a narrow angle of approach. Also, he now had confirmation of ill intent and sent out a coded message to Kappa 3, only to find out the skipper was jamming comms in that area, squarely in-between them and the general direction of Kappa 3. For a moment, he hoped this might have attracted other ships to the chase, but none of them were capable of reaching them in under 43 minutes, which was not a time he expected to survive against a more modern ship. Also, ships in the Fringe usually stayed out of engagements, only appearing to collect wreckage in the aftermath. He only knew of one ship nearby, but without a beacon there was no indication as to where Ton had gone roughly an hour earlier – since he was most likely using every trick in the book not to appear on long range. He originally had just disappeared right around the gas giant.
- Ton, come in.
- Ton! Get on comms.
The seconds ticked by until a crackle was heard over comms.
- Buyer’s remorse, Basil?
- This thing is popular. I’m being chased by a skipper.
- I have nothing to do with that.
- If you say so.
- No, really.
- Someone told them who we are and what we’re doing, so either you or someone in your crew screwed me over.
- Or someone in your fleet. Wouldn’t be the first time.
- Wanna prove your innocence?
- Nah, I can live with the accusation. Have a nice death.
- I am not joking.
- Me neither.
- Where are you?
- Ah, you know, got another thing to take care of.
- You realize if this thing catches me, you’ll never get the password? Just moved it to the dark corner of the chip. I can lock it down whenever.
There was a short delay until Ton answered, he had obviously cut his mic and given some orders to his crew.
- You owe me one.
- If I get this core to Kappa, I’ll be in a position to pay you back. How far out are you?
- ETA half an hour at vmax.
- Numbers, Ton.
- 32 minutes.
- I presume you’re hiding some weapons slapped onto that ship?
- I might be. This is my favorite freighter.
- Well, if I survive the five minutes before you drop in, feel free to start blasting. Even more so if I don’t.
- Don’t worry, I will avenge you.
- Keep comms open.
- Roger.
Basil took stock of what the old barge actually had onboard. There was obviously the D-9, but it was inert and basically a huge target sitting astern of the main cabin, outside in space. At least an inert core wasn’t likely to blow up when hit, but still, having it hit would defeat the purpose of the whole trip that got them into this mess.
- Korolev, get back there and hook up the D-9’s auxiliary generator to our power systems.
Korolev didn’t like that. She was used to being in a space suit for planetary surveys, which actually just meant taking off the uniform and connecting the endosuit beneath the uniform to a helmet, which was already smiling at her from the wall, fully available to her dismay. But she had just found out a D-9 had an auxiliary generator. Which made sense, something had to start the complex procedure of generating a quantum singularity, but she had always assumed the ship’s own aux systems were responsible for that. Strapping an FFR reactor to a core seemed like a bad idea, and activating the aux on an inert core outside of a ship seemed worse. Too much could go wrong.
Korolev’s hesitation didn’t go unnoticed. Nocks intervened.
- I can talk you through the whole thing. It’s easy. They often attach machinery to barges; we’ve got all the systems set up.
- Aye...
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