Read Online The Veritian Derelict (Junkyard Dogs) by Phillip Nolte - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Phillip Nolte
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deal of damage to a spaceship.
Another announcement went out to all of the ships near the mining station.
"This is Seamus O'Connell of the mining ship Donegal. There will be no surrendering today, whoever the hell you are. I happen to know that you no longer have any weapons. I suggest that you take your toothless prize and get your cowardly asses out of this system while you still can!"
" Your belligerence is ill-advised, Donegal," came the response. " We are sending a shuttle to board you now. Consider it as a lesson to all the others! "
The shuttle that had carried the new crew over to the destroyer from the Carpathia was loaded with another heavily armed boarding party set to reinforce those already on the mining station. With a slight change in plan due to the unexpected resistance from the mining ship, the shuttle turned towards the Donegal and began to accelerate gently in her direction.
"Bastards never learn , do they," said O'Connell, to no one in particular, "Tony, target that shuttle and trigger the beam. No screwing around, full power, if you please."
"Aye, aye, Captain," came the terse reply. "Shuttle targeted, firing now!"
A ravening beam of intense blue flashed out from the bow of the Donegal as the ship's mining laser was activated. The shuttle full of would-be boarders was caught like a deer in the headlights of an onrushing ground car. Nothing seemed to happen for perhaps half a second. Then the bow end of the small craft actually appeared to melt for a split second before the entire craft was engulfed from bow to stern in a bright yellow-orange fireball. Two seconds after being hit by the beam, all that remained of the shuttle was a rapidly dispersing ball of plasma and charred debris.
O'Connell then swiveled the bow of the Donegal towards the hijacked destroyer. At the almost the same time, the Glendaloch gently disengaged from the transfer berth and maneuvered to a position alongside her companion ship. Niall Patrick contacted his friend to make an announcement but made sure that all ships in the area could hear him.
" The Glendaloch's laser is at full power, Seamus ."
"I will repeat my warning, whoever the hell you are," said O'Connell. "You get take your ill-gotten prize and get out of here, now, or we both start firing."
Behind the defanged destroyer, two small freighters took advantage of the diversion and departed for the hyperlink point using as much thrust as they dared.
***
Yacht Capathia , Piedmont Mining Station, Catskill-Soroyan System, November 29, 2598.
On board his yacht, the Sheik, who had maintained overall command of the operation, was too stunned to be angry.
"Get the Carpathia out of here immediately," he ordered the Captain of his yacht.
"What about the men who are boarding the station, Sir?"
"They will have to get along on their own for a while. We have to leave; somehow that mining Captain knows we don't have weapons and those mining lasers are deadly at close range. Give the order to depart the system. Patch me through to those mining ships."
The communications tech routed the call.
"Very well, Captain O'Connell, we will depart but I assure you we will be back, probably within forty-eight hours. We shall see who has the upper hand then."
On board the yacht, the woman formerly known as "Tiffany" looked at the Sheik of Barsoom.
"What are your orders regarding this systems long-range communications, Sir e?" she asked.
" We must prevent them from calling for help. We still have need of the wealth stored on this station. It seems we have little choice. Destroy the communicators, Fahada."
The Sheik's top female operative triggered the remote detonator for the explosive charges she'd set earlier. The resultant explosion destroyed the Whitney communications console and heavily damaged almost everything else in the communications suite aboard the mining station that they were temporarily leaving behind.
***
Docking area outside Piedmont Mining Station,
Another announcement went out to all of the ships near the mining station.
"This is Seamus O'Connell of the mining ship Donegal. There will be no surrendering today, whoever the hell you are. I happen to know that you no longer have any weapons. I suggest that you take your toothless prize and get your cowardly asses out of this system while you still can!"
" Your belligerence is ill-advised, Donegal," came the response. " We are sending a shuttle to board you now. Consider it as a lesson to all the others! "
The shuttle that had carried the new crew over to the destroyer from the Carpathia was loaded with another heavily armed boarding party set to reinforce those already on the mining station. With a slight change in plan due to the unexpected resistance from the mining ship, the shuttle turned towards the Donegal and began to accelerate gently in her direction.
"Bastards never learn , do they," said O'Connell, to no one in particular, "Tony, target that shuttle and trigger the beam. No screwing around, full power, if you please."
"Aye, aye, Captain," came the terse reply. "Shuttle targeted, firing now!"
A ravening beam of intense blue flashed out from the bow of the Donegal as the ship's mining laser was activated. The shuttle full of would-be boarders was caught like a deer in the headlights of an onrushing ground car. Nothing seemed to happen for perhaps half a second. Then the bow end of the small craft actually appeared to melt for a split second before the entire craft was engulfed from bow to stern in a bright yellow-orange fireball. Two seconds after being hit by the beam, all that remained of the shuttle was a rapidly dispersing ball of plasma and charred debris.
O'Connell then swiveled the bow of the Donegal towards the hijacked destroyer. At the almost the same time, the Glendaloch gently disengaged from the transfer berth and maneuvered to a position alongside her companion ship. Niall Patrick contacted his friend to make an announcement but made sure that all ships in the area could hear him.
" The Glendaloch's laser is at full power, Seamus ."
"I will repeat my warning, whoever the hell you are," said O'Connell. "You get take your ill-gotten prize and get out of here, now, or we both start firing."
Behind the defanged destroyer, two small freighters took advantage of the diversion and departed for the hyperlink point using as much thrust as they dared.
***
Yacht Capathia , Piedmont Mining Station, Catskill-Soroyan System, November 29, 2598.
On board his yacht, the Sheik, who had maintained overall command of the operation, was too stunned to be angry.
"Get the Carpathia out of here immediately," he ordered the Captain of his yacht.
"What about the men who are boarding the station, Sir?"
"They will have to get along on their own for a while. We have to leave; somehow that mining Captain knows we don't have weapons and those mining lasers are deadly at close range. Give the order to depart the system. Patch me through to those mining ships."
The communications tech routed the call.
"Very well, Captain O'Connell, we will depart but I assure you we will be back, probably within forty-eight hours. We shall see who has the upper hand then."
On board the yacht, the woman formerly known as "Tiffany" looked at the Sheik of Barsoom.
"What are your orders regarding this systems long-range communications, Sir e?" she asked.
" We must prevent them from calling for help. We still have need of the wealth stored on this station. It seems we have little choice. Destroy the communicators, Fahada."
The Sheik's top female operative triggered the remote detonator for the explosive charges she'd set earlier. The resultant explosion destroyed the Whitney communications console and heavily damaged almost everything else in the communications suite aboard the mining station that they were temporarily leaving behind.
***
Docking area outside Piedmont Mining Station,
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