sidebar image
Chapter 10 Chapter 12

To Bell the Belle - Chapter 11

Time: Day 12
Location: Andromeda Ascendant - Winnipeg Drift

"Captain," said Rommie. "We're being challenged by approaching vessels. They're identifying themselves as members of something called the Korgar Military Assistance Corporation and are demanding that we identify ourselves and state the reason for our presence. Their transponders identify themselves as an Altair class cruiser and two Consuming Fury class destroyers. Analysis of their engine ignition signatures corroborates their transponder signatures. Given the time delay between our emergence into normal space from slipstream and my detection of their engine light offs they must have launched from Winnipeg Drift almost immediately upon detecting our emergence from slipstream. Assuming that they have continued to approach us at their maximum speed they should currently be two point three light hours from us."

A little more than eight hours earlier the battered Guild flotilla escorted by Andromeda had entered Winnipeg Drift's system. All of the Guild vessels had been damaged in the battle with the pirates. As Rommie had feared the Willow's crew had not survived the engagement the medic and one of the engineers had been alive when the ship had been boarded by the Salvagers, but both crew members had died shortly afterwards despite the best efforts of Trance who had taken charge of the medical relief efforts. The Hakucho was the most badly damaged the surviving vessels. One of the pirates 'missiles that had not been decoyed into the mine field had scored a direct hit to its engineering section. The ship had had to be totally powered down and brought aboard the Andromeda, though that damage was minimal compared to the loss of the three crewmen who had been in he engineering section when the missile had hit. The remaining four vessels were all operating under their own power but limping along at .1c, each one towing a damaged vessel behind it.

"Consuming Fury and Altair class vessels," mused Dylan. "They must be remnants of a Home Guard unit. I remember when your class and the Righteous Fist of Heaven class were introduced to the fleet. The High Guard declared the Consuming Fury and Altair classes obsolescent and gave them to Home Guard units."

"If they're obsolescent then you shouldn't have any trouble handling them should you?" asked Harper.

"That would depend on how well they're manned and maintained," said Andromeda's core self. "I could handle any one of them easily. Two would be more problematic but I would probably win. Three ...." She let the sentence trail off.

"If they're K-MAC ships you can bet they're well maintained and the crews know what they're doing," said Beka. " K-MAC is the best merc outfit around. Hell, they're bigger and better equipped than most planetary forces."

"Andromeda," said Dylan. "Inform them that we are representing the New Systems Commonwealth and that we are providing escort for a Salvagers' Guild anti piracy unit that has captured Bellamy's Belle and that Richard Bellamy was been killed in battle, and we have his body aboard you along with survivors from the pirate ships. Then let them know that we'll continue further communications when we've closed to within three light minutes of their position."

Nearly five hours after the initial communication with the K-MAC force a lander, not too different from the ones the Guild had fought earlier, arrived in Andromeda's hanger squeezing in between the Hakucho and the Maru. This time Dylan insisted that he was there to greet the new arrivals. When the crew of the lander disembarked three things were immediately apparent to Dylan. One the K-MAC forces acted very much like they knew what they were doing and had done this sort of thing before, two their uniforms very strongly resembled High Guard Lancer uniforms, and three their commanding officer was a woman. As she saluted Dylan noticed one more thing. She was a Nietzschean.

"Major Lawford of the Korgar Military Assistance Corporation. I have with me a K-MAC forensic team. We are here to verify your claim that you have the body of Richard Bellamy aboard and that you have captured his vessel."

"Welcome aboard, Major," said Dylan as he returned the salute. He wondered about the Major's un-Nietzschean surname but decided this wasn't the time to ask about it. "I'll have my medical officer escort you to the med deck so your forensic team can get to work. The Belle was badly damaged in the battle and is currently under tow by the Salvagers' Guild vessel Enchantress. Would you like to send an inspection team over at this time or do you want to wait until your forensics team reports their results?"

"The Enchantress?" asked the Major. " We have that vessel on our list of Bellamy family ships."

"I can assure you, Major that the Enchantress is not a pirate vessel. It was Patrick Bellamy that led us to his father and the Enchantress took considerable damage in the battle."

The major nodded her acceptance. "We can let the powers that be decide about that later," she said. She turned towards her command. "Wazorski, take your team and go with the medical officer to check out the body they say is Bellamy. Ang, take the lander over to the Belle run a full ID check on her Take Sikes with you, she can get a DNA sample of the other Bellamy. We'll compare the body's DNA with his son's to corroborate Wazorski's tests."

The major turned her attention back towards Dylan. "From our earlier communications, you stated that some of the Guild vessels had sustained causalities in the battle with the pirates. K-MAC ships all have extensive medical facilities aboard them. We would be happy to take them aboard and treat their injuries."

Dylan couldn't help but smile at the obvious attempt to take prisoners. "Nice try, Major but Andromeda's medical facilities are at least as good as those on your vessels. They can be treated perfectly well here."

The major shrugged her shoulders but didn't look particularly disappointed. "It was worth a try," she said. "I understand that your weapons officer is Nietzschean. Is he on duty? I'd like to talk to him."

"I'm sorry Major, answered Dylan. "He's not aboard. I sent him to Mobius to report that we had captured the Belle."

This time the major did look disappointed.

Chapter 10 Chapter 12