Read Online Hidden Empire by Kevin J. Anderson - Free Book Online
Authors: Kevin J. Anderson
Tags: FIC028000
Ads: Link
she preferred to take this risk, allowing
General Lanyan to use her
Voracious Curiosity
as a bit of provocation.
She wanted to make a profit, certainly, but she also wanted business to run smoothly. Most of all, she intended to see justice
done for her lost captain, Gabriel Mesta, and his crew.
Sitting in command aboard the giant Juggernaut, General Lanyan didn’t have such high-minded ideals or moral reasons. He just
wanted to kick some butt and teach these pirates a lesson.
Run by the Hansa, the EDF served as a combination police/security force, as well as a standing interstellar military. Unlike
the Ildiran Solar Navy, whose large and ornate ships were mainly for show, blustering about and doing humanitarian deeds,
Lanyan’s EDF was more realistic in its purpose. They knew there would always be plenty of trouble among the Hansa colonies.
Humans had never ceased to fight one another, finding religious or political reasons to squabble; when that justification
failed, they simply grabbed one another’s possessions or resources.
Stopping a rebel like Sorengaard, a man who had connections with the gypsylike Roamers—now
that
was a perfect mission for the EDF. Sorengaard’s pirates were also said to be Roamer exiles, all of which added to the Hansa’s
already prevalent suspicion against the gypsy people. Though the unruly nomads supplied most of the stardrive fuel used in
commerce, the Roamers obeyed no law but their own and generally avoided participating in the political or social activities
of other civilized humans.
“Picking up energy signatures, General,” said a tactical lieutenant at her station. “A dozen of them. Small ships, apparently
… but they seem to be carrying heavy weapons.”
“Battle stations,” Lanyan said. “And keep running silent until I give the order.”
Soldiers scrambled about and pilots raced to the launch decks to board their fast-attack Remoras. Rlinda clenched her fists
and drew deep breaths, thinking of BeBob. Her captain would be flying down toward Yreka, hoping to flush out the corsairs
so the EDF could stop the pirates’ depredations. Rlinda wanted to open a channel and shout a warning, but that would ruin
the ambush. She prayed BeBob would be safe.
She watched as the unsuspecting corsairs ignited their engines and moved in toward their prey. Smiling, Lanyan opened the
intercom channel to give orders to his soldiers. The General was too damned cocksure.
After the corsairs closed in on the
Voracious Curiosity
BeBob did his best to fly evasive maneuvers toward the safety net of Yreka stations, but the overloaded cargo ship was full
of material to make up for what had not been delivered during the last scheduled run. BeBob’s moves were sluggish.
Rlinda knew her captain must even now be panicked, sweating and swearing. Branson Roberts was not simply acting as bait; he
was genuinely trying to escape, but he had no chance against the corsairs. Her heart went out to him. “You’d better not blow
this, General, or I’ll have your balls.”
“Thank you for the vote of confidence, madam,” he said, then shouted into the intercom, “All Remoras, launch! Manta cruisers,
proceed forward. Engage the enemy.”
Even as the greedy corsairs surrounded the single merchant ship, the EDF battlefleet pounced upon them. The squadron of fast-attack
Remoras lunged in, targeting the pirates’ unshielded engines. The corsairs were brave enough to face the minimal defensive
capabilities of merchant ships, but they had no way of resisting the battle-ready Terran military force.
One of the small corsair ships broke away and tried to flee, accelerating so hard its white-hot engine cowlings began to vaporize
into plasma, causing the pirate to veer off in an unstable flight path. With several jazer blasts, two Remoras destroyed the
fleeing corsair before he could slip out of detector range.
Lanyan shouted into the ship-to-ship comm, “I want
General Lanyan to use her
Voracious Curiosity
as a bit of provocation.
She wanted to make a profit, certainly, but she also wanted business to run smoothly. Most of all, she intended to see justice
done for her lost captain, Gabriel Mesta, and his crew.
Sitting in command aboard the giant Juggernaut, General Lanyan didn’t have such high-minded ideals or moral reasons. He just
wanted to kick some butt and teach these pirates a lesson.
Run by the Hansa, the EDF served as a combination police/security force, as well as a standing interstellar military. Unlike
the Ildiran Solar Navy, whose large and ornate ships were mainly for show, blustering about and doing humanitarian deeds,
Lanyan’s EDF was more realistic in its purpose. They knew there would always be plenty of trouble among the Hansa colonies.
Humans had never ceased to fight one another, finding religious or political reasons to squabble; when that justification
failed, they simply grabbed one another’s possessions or resources.
Stopping a rebel like Sorengaard, a man who had connections with the gypsylike Roamers—now
that
was a perfect mission for the EDF. Sorengaard’s pirates were also said to be Roamer exiles, all of which added to the Hansa’s
already prevalent suspicion against the gypsy people. Though the unruly nomads supplied most of the stardrive fuel used in
commerce, the Roamers obeyed no law but their own and generally avoided participating in the political or social activities
of other civilized humans.
“Picking up energy signatures, General,” said a tactical lieutenant at her station. “A dozen of them. Small ships, apparently
… but they seem to be carrying heavy weapons.”
“Battle stations,” Lanyan said. “And keep running silent until I give the order.”
Soldiers scrambled about and pilots raced to the launch decks to board their fast-attack Remoras. Rlinda clenched her fists
and drew deep breaths, thinking of BeBob. Her captain would be flying down toward Yreka, hoping to flush out the corsairs
so the EDF could stop the pirates’ depredations. Rlinda wanted to open a channel and shout a warning, but that would ruin
the ambush. She prayed BeBob would be safe.
She watched as the unsuspecting corsairs ignited their engines and moved in toward their prey. Smiling, Lanyan opened the
intercom channel to give orders to his soldiers. The General was too damned cocksure.
After the corsairs closed in on the
Voracious Curiosity
BeBob did his best to fly evasive maneuvers toward the safety net of Yreka stations, but the overloaded cargo ship was full
of material to make up for what had not been delivered during the last scheduled run. BeBob’s moves were sluggish.
Rlinda knew her captain must even now be panicked, sweating and swearing. Branson Roberts was not simply acting as bait; he
was genuinely trying to escape, but he had no chance against the corsairs. Her heart went out to him. “You’d better not blow
this, General, or I’ll have your balls.”
“Thank you for the vote of confidence, madam,” he said, then shouted into the intercom, “All Remoras, launch! Manta cruisers,
proceed forward. Engage the enemy.”
Even as the greedy corsairs surrounded the single merchant ship, the EDF battlefleet pounced upon them. The squadron of fast-attack
Remoras lunged in, targeting the pirates’ unshielded engines. The corsairs were brave enough to face the minimal defensive
capabilities of merchant ships, but they had no way of resisting the battle-ready Terran military force.
One of the small corsair ships broke away and tried to flee, accelerating so hard its white-hot engine cowlings began to vaporize
into plasma, causing the pirate to veer off in an unstable flight path. With several jazer blasts, two Remoras destroyed the
fleeing corsair before he could slip out of detector range.
Lanyan shouted into the ship-to-ship comm, “I want
Similar Books
