CHAPTER 14
Plans and Plots.
INTERSTELLAR NEWS CHANNEL 9 NEWS FLASH
The new Federation Navy is reporting smashing victories against the Ick rebel forces, who are in total rout. The Ick home world has already been liberated and the rebels who had been plotting against the Federation and the Coffee Houses have mainly been captured or killed. The newly appointed Ick Emperor Brickcodee, cousin of the murdered Wickede, who had been taken prisoner just after his coronation, has praised the swift action that released him and is helping to bring justice to his cousin’s killers. The last of the Ick rebel leaders, Admiral Frederick and Snoodgrass, the treacherous advisor to the late Wickede, are now rallying their rebel forces for a final battle.
The Ick leaders sat in the makeshift war room, waiting on Snoodgrass. They knew why the meeting had been called; the Federation fleet was reported to be on the move. Snoodgrass entered with Admiral Frederick and walked to the head of the table. The Admiral had finally arrived the day before, and had been sat locked away with Snoodgrass since then. Around the table sat Alienbutt, the three Fo’c’sle commanders and four officers from the Ick Navy who would command the dreadnoughts and Ick fighter pilots. All had been briefed on the Federation battle cruisers’ weaknesses and had been training their commands to take advantage of this.
“I will make this as brief as possible,” stated Snoodgrass. “Admiral Frederick will take command of the Ick fleet, while Grommit commands the frigate squadrons. We have chosen the Dagnabbit System to make our stand and for the last few days we have been laying plasma mines in strategic locations to prevent our enemy flanking us. Our job is simple; we have to stop them here or everything is lost. There can be no retreat or second chances; we don’t have the luxury of a plan B. The Federation cannot throw their full force at us as they need to control everywhere else. Not all the Federation are happy with the turn of events, and until the new regime are secure in themselves, they need to use their new-found power to intimidate any elements that may cause problems. If we can stop them at Dagnabbit then we stand a good chance of others joining our cause. We have a few surprises, and if we can hit them hard and hurt them at the outset of the battle, then keep them off balance, we have a chance. Much will depend on how disciplined their force is. We have to hope they will freeze when they come face to face with true Ick resistance.”
He didn’t need to state what would happen if they lost, as they were all fully aware that the future of the Ick people depended on them at the very least holding out for a draw. Hundreds of thousands of Ick refugees had come to the Dagnabbit system hoping to find protection, and if the battle went badly they would be at the mercy of the Federation forces.
As the Ick leaders began to disperse after the briefing, Admiral Frederick came up to Alienbutt and took him to one side. “Alienbutt, have you ever heard of F.T.L.?”
Piestoff shook his head. “No. Should I have? What is it?”
“I was hoping you would tell me. We found a spy probe out near Crazy Robot. It seems it picked up a faint signal with Wickede’s call sign attached. It said to send Alienbutt, F.T.L. working.” Frederick tried to hide the disappointment he felt. He was hoping that Alienbutt would understand the message and somehow know what to do, as stated in his role in the Book of Ick.
“Sorry, no idea what it could mean, Admiral. Maybe Snoodgrass may have an idea.”
Frederick shrugged his shoulders. “Probably an old message drifting around. You sometimes get ghost messages out there, they echo around for decades.” Frederick may have been a convert to the Book, but he was also a practical person. It had been a faint hope at best but now he had other things to think about. about. Snoodgrass’s plan for the coming battle was dependent on far too much luck and things that might not happen, but they didn’t have another option open to them. After the battle he would ask Snoodgrass. For the moment they all had too much to worry about.
The bounty hunters set off from the space station the next day, there was over two hundred ships of various design, from small deep space frigates to larger war ships or converted trading vessels. It was a mismatched fleet of ships, flown in no order or formation but piloted by some of the best fighters in the universe. With them went a supporting fleet of thirty Federation battle cruisers moving in tight formation, looking much more deadly to the untrained eye. They headed for the border of Ick space where any fleeing Ick vessel would cross out of Ick space. Duke Ramboe had personally arrested twenty hunters at gunpoint who had refused to join the fleet heading out. Now he held them in custody awaiting transfer by prison ship. Amongst them was Captain Noble. The fleet would be in position within a day’s time and the Federation commander had informed Duke Ramboe that the first of the fleeing Ick ships was expected within forty eight hours as the final offensive against the remnants of the Ick began. Jack Lantern was appointed to relay orders from the Federation fleet to the bounty hunters, and picked up a local guide to help pinpoint the area of space most likely for the Ick to use for their escape route.
Jack Lantern stood in the office of the Federation flagship, the guide organising the plans for the operation stood with three officers.
“The Ick have heavily mined large areas of space along this frontier to prevent pirate raids on their outlying colonies, so there is only one real route they can take,” pointed out the guide, indicating a small area of space on the holo map. “The small ships of the bounty hunters can hide just inside the asteroid field and not be detected by the Ick sensor sweeps, but these great beasts,” he indicated the ship he stood on, “will have to hide further inside the field.”
“Where do you suggest? Remember we need to move fast when the Ick arrive,” asked one of the officers. He was a fresh-faced officer, probably on his first tour.
The guide typed some coordinates into the map control panel that highlighted an area before them on the map. “Here is a clear space within the Asteroids, only a short way in but your ships would be invisible. There is a clear channel through the floating rocks to there, so using your onboard computers you can fly in at speed and avoid being seen by anyone watching. There’s plenty of room in there for a fleet twice the size of this one.”
The Federation officers looked over the guide’s plans on the map screen, and then the most senior turned and spoke. “What of the pockets of dead space dotted around this area?"
The guide took a deep breath, clearly shocked at the officer’s knowledge of the area. “There are areas to both sides about four to five light years away, but that area is the product of the Ick mining in the asteroid field a thousand or so years ago. They needed a clear way in for those great big strip mining ships to get to the deposits. Now it’s the perfect place for you to hide in.”
The officer looked satisfied at the explanation and finally he nodded his approval.
He knew he was inexperienced to be leading such a large fleet, having only served as an inner system escort commander and never seen true active service, but the Federation was short of officers for its new navy. As a result he was going to be smart enough to follow the lead set down by the local experts so he would not end up looking stupid. Asking the odd question and knowing a little local knowledge would make him appear more experienced, he hoped.
“Return to your ship, Lantern, we set off at once. Ensure your hunters are in position and ready. I don’t want anyone spying our fleet and tipping off the Ick.”
Jack Lantern nodded. “Just ensure we get the rest of the credits promised as that’s all we’re interested in. This is your war, not ours.” With that he turned and left, the guide a step behind.
Neither said a word until they were aboard Jack’s ship. “I hope you know what you’re doing, Lantern. If this goes wrong we got thirty of those monsters on our back,” the guide said, clearly worried.
Jack gave a cold smile. “They’re inexperienced fools. You thought fast on your feet there with the Ick mining story. They will zoom in to where you said and be in the middle of dead space before they know it. Relax, Ruck, you worry too much. That officer was so green if you had told him to hit the self-destruct button he would have.”
They both watched as the battle cruisers sped away, heading for the area indicated by Ruck to enter the asteroid belt of Ashia Minor. When the last of the ships entered the asteroid belt Jack ordered one of the hunters, Neon Rogue, to follow them to ensure they ended up trapped in dead space. space. As he watched the small hunter’s ship head off to follow, he sent a message back to Duke Ramboe who should have set off from the space station with Captain Noble and the rest of the hunters. All being well, the Federation fleet should be stuck in dead space, and the next part of their plan could begin. In any event Neon Rogue would have reported back by the time Ramboe got here and revealed the next step of the plan to help the Ick.
To be continued.
Thanks for reading, all images are mine.