The Veritian Derelict (Junkyard Dogs) (37 page)

"Is everybody ready
?" asked Harris.

"Ready in the power room," said Murdock.

"Ready in the turret," said Caleb.

"Number one starboard capacitor module switched in and ready," said
Steuben.

"Bring power plant to one hundred percent power," said Harris.

A deep, bone-vibrating growl permeated the old Cargo ship.

"Power at one hundred percent," said Murdock.

"Activating capacitor charging sequence in three...two...one...activated!" said Harris

Immediately, the lights all over the ship dimmed but, unlike the last few times they had tried to charge the weapon, the
lighting recovered to nearly full brightness after a couple of seconds and remained there.

"Capacitor
one at ninety percent...ninety-five...Switch in the number two capacitor!" said Harris. The now somewhat experienced gun crew threw the switches that brought the second capacitor online. "Number one capacitor at one hundred percent, switch out!" said Harris.

The crew performed their tasks flawlessly and the group repeated the process for the other two capacitors, bring the next
one in sequence on online just as the previous one was reaching full charge.

"Capacitor number four is at ninety percent...ninety-five...one hundred! Shut down the power plant Hawk!"

Hawkins did so.

"Good job, everyone!" said Kresge. "That seemed to work pretty well.
" He looked over the readouts on the fire control console up on the bridge. "Everything looks good up at this end. How about you folks down there in the power room? Are you ready to try this with the shields powered?"

"Be giving us a few minutes to be sure,
Commander," replied Hawkins. He and Murdock carefully checked the readings on the power plant and then performed a quick diagnostic. Assured that all was operating normally, he finally responded. "Everything be fine, here," he said. "We can be trying the next stage."

"It
still looks good here as well," said Harris.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" asked Kresge. "
Give it a try!"

"
Bring the power plant up to one hundred and eight percent," said Harris.

The growl and the vibration w
ere both noticeably even more intense than before.

"Power being at one hundred and eight percent," said Hawkins.

"Bring shields to full power," said Harris.

"Activating shields...Now!" said
Kresge.

The lights dimmed slightly and quickly recovered.

"Charge number one port side capacitor," said Harris.

The lights dimmed
, even more than they had just a few minutes earlier, and then recovered to only about eighty percent of their normal intensity but, somehow, everything continued to function. The crew continued the test until all four of the portside capacitors were charged before shutting everything down to normal operating levels.

"Report!" said
Kresge.

"
The power unit be overheated but nay so bad as she could be," replied Hawkins. "I don't know how long we can be doin' that for. We'd still be within safe operating parameters for..." he consulted the instruments on the power plant, and shrugged,"...maybe another ten minutes.

"The shields seemed to be holding up just fine," said
Murdock. "Of course, we didn't take any pulse beam hits while we were charging the weapon."

"Can we fight this ship in her current condition?" asked Kresge.

"I think so, Sir," said Harris. "We'll just have to make every shot count and maybe find a place to hide behind a big wreck or something while we recharge the weapons. Worst case, we may be able to use shields and charge weapons but I really don't know just how much margin we have before something shuts down or the ship suffers some damage."

"
It'll have to do," said Kresge, "Excellent work, everybody! Now get some more people up to speed on these weapons systems. We're awfully thin on experienced people!"

Chapter
51.

UTFN Reclamation Center, onboard Federation Auxiliary Vessel
Greyhound,
December 14, 2598.

The captains of the two
refugee mining ships reported to the
Greyhound
for a meeting with Commander Kresge and the rest of the Scrapyard command team to discuss the role of the miners in the defense of the Scrapyard. Because these men were strangers, Kelly and three of his marines were standing by near the main airlock as the two leaders came onboard. Both of the mining ship Captains sported an ornate Spacer tattoo on their left cheek. The four marines, Spacers themselves, exchanged nods with the miners.

"Welcome aboard the
Greyhound,
gentlemen. I'm Commander Oskar Kresge, in charge of this... mess."

"I'm Seamus O'Connell, Captain of the
Donegal
, and my companion is Niall Patrick, Captain of the
Glendaloch
."

"Pleased to meet you, gentlemen," said Kresge
, as he shook hands with each of them. "I must say that I'm glad to see you, though you may have come at a bad time. You're both aware that an attack on this system by a sizeable terrorist force could be imminent. As you can see, we have made some preparations to fight but I'm not totally sold on our chances. As a last resort, we're hoping that most of us can run if things get too bad. To be honest with you, you might be better off if you just kept moving."

"With the Santana Nexus under enemy control, we really don't have to
o many places to go," said O'Connell. "A man can only run for so long. We'd like to do what we can give you a hand here."

"
Do your mining ships have any fighting capabilities?" asked Kresge. "Any weapons?"

"
Yes...No...well, not exactly," replied O'Connell, "Each ship has a 10,000 gigajoule mining laser mounted in the nose. They weren't designed to be used as weapons, the focus is for very close up work, but if we get within a kilometer or so of a target I wouldn't want to have one of these lasers pointed at me! The ships are also pretty well armored, Commander, we encounter a lot of good sized rocks and other debris while we're in the business of mining. The ships can take some punishment. We'll help out any way that we can."

"
Welcome aboard," said Kresge. "Though I'll warn you that you could very easily get involved. If you look around you, you'll see that any fighting in this system is likely to take place at very close quarters. Either of you have any military experience?"

"Federation Marines,
served during in the Delpina Conflict back in seventy five," replied Captain Patrick.

"I did as well," added O'Connell.

At that moment, Harris and Carlisle came into the room. "Ah, my second in Command and my tactical officer. Captain O'Connell, Captain Patrick, this is Lieutenant Ryan Harris and this is Dr..."

Kresge was interrupted by the Captain of the Donegal. "
...Tamara Carlisle? Well, I'll be damned! Hello Tam..."

"You already know each other?" asked Kresge.

"Hello, Father," said Carlisle.

Kresge and Harris both looked dumbfounded. Carlisle wore a look that was hard to decipher.

Carlisle and O'Connell looked warily at one another from about two meters apart before Carlisle took two quick steps and embraced the older man. Once their relationship had been revealed, it was easy to see the resemblance. O'Connell was a little taller and his dark hair was shot with grey but his eyes were the same sea green color. It was easy to see where the Ensign had gotten her stature and coloring. Even their spacer tattoos were the same.

"Father...I'm sorry..." began Carlisle.

He interrupted her. "Hush, little one. None of that matters anymore. You did what you had to do."

Chapter 5
2.

"...When we trace our roots back to Old Earth, there are many traditions that have come down to us from across the centuries. One of these is the use of loyal and tenacious canines to guard collections of valuable artifacts. I am proud to say that this tradition is nowhere more alive and well than in our own little system. The references are simply too numerous to ignore; the resurrected Terrier, the Rover I, the Rover II, the Greyhound, the staff from Doebermann's. History will long remember the story of how the brave guardians of our famous Scrapyard came together with our own station security staff and other...concerned citizens... in our hour of need. In honor of all the tenacious canines gathered here to my right, I raise my glass. Ladies and Gentlemen: To the meanest Junkyard Dogs in the Galaxy!"

Hartwell Wristcomp reference note highlighted for further review by Amanda Steuben. Excerpt is from a speech delivered by New Ceylon Orbital Station Governor Charles "Chip" Larkin during the festivities associated with the signing of the Meridian-New Ceylon trade agreement.

UTFN Reclamation Center, onboard Federation
Auxiliary Vessel
, Greyhound,
December 15, 2598.

Kresge
, having finished a meeting on tactics with Helen Murdock and Tamara Carlisle just a few minutes earlier, looked up from his computer display on the bridge of the
Greyhound
and was surprised to see Faiza Saladin and Amanda Steuben waiting to talk to him.

"What can I do for you two?" he asked.

"We want to help with the defense of the Scrapyard, Sir," said Faiza. Next to her, Amanda nodded in assent.

"What exactly do you think you can do?"

"We can act as observers for Ensign Carlisle," said Amanda.

"Knowing you two, I suppose you have a plan?" Kresge looked at them expectantly.

"We've done some pretty extensive research, Commander," said Amanda. "We propose using the remote video camera network of the Scrapyard."

"That system was disabled when the facilities out here were destroyed," replied Kresge.

"We know, Commander," said Faiza, "But the camera network is mostly still in place and includes cameras placed in strategic locations throughout the Scrapyard. All of the camera emplacements are solar powered, and most of them appear to still be working."

"How do you know that," asked the Commander.

"We talked Chief Allen into pinging several of them and they responded immediately," said Amanda. "We think it's safe to assume that most of the camera emplacements are still operating, they just haven't received any requests to send the feed anywhere."

"
You two don't miss much, do you?" said Kresge. "Okay, what did you have in mind?"

"
We suggest reactivating the camera system and sending the feeds to one of the video suites of the
Istanbul,
" said Faiza. "There won't be much use for the diplomatic translation facilities in the small lecture room during a battle, so we thought maybe we could use it."

"And you would be doing...?"

"We could monitor the camera network from there and relay information on enemy movements to Dr. Carlisle, wherever she might be, using the cranial nets and the wrist computer network," said Amanda. "We could even use standard communications to provide information for anyone else who might need it."

"You do know that the
Istanbul
may not be safe for you, don't you?"

"Nowhere in this entire facility will be totally safe, Sir
," replied Faiza. "In fact, you could argue that by stationing us on the
Istanbul
and not leaving us to wait on board one or another of the other obvious targets, we would actually be safer, because the plan will be to disconnect the
Istanbul
from the gun emplacements and run if things get too bad. The
Istanbul
also has the heaviest shielding of any ship in our fleet."

Kresge had to smile
. His two apprentice cadets had made some good points.

"Do any of your parents know about your intentions?" he asked.

"No, Sir..." said Amanda, "...not specifically. But we did tell them that we wanted to help."

"I will most likely regret this," said Kresge, "but the mission I have planned for Carlisle and Harris in the coming conflict might go a lot better if they had the services of observers who could not be seen and whose communications could not be intercepted." He looked the two teenagers over carefully. "I can't guarantee anything
right now, obviously, but I will talk with your parents."

"So will we," said Amanda.
"There is one more thing, Commander..."

"I'm listening," replied Kresge.

"We need a name for our group of defenders, Sir," Amanda continued.

"I agree
. Such things help build morale and unity. Did you have something in mind?"

"Yes, I think so
, Sir. Do you remember the banquet we all went to on the orbital station after the trade agreement was signed?"

"Yes, of course," said Kresge.

"Well," replied Amanda, "Governor Larkin gave us the perfect name at the very end of his presentation. He called us 'the meanest Junkyard Dogs in the galaxy.' That's who we should be, Commander, the Junkyard Dogs!"

"Junkyard Dogs?" said Kresge tentatively. "It sure as hell fits! I like it! In fact it's brilliant! From this time forward we'll be known as the Junkyard Dogs
!"

***

Kresge looked around the expanse of the front cargo hold of the
Greyhound
. There were somewhere around sixty people looking back at him. All of the chairs were full and the walls were lined with people standing up. The noise level was surprisingly subdued for such a large group. The mood was somber, as though they all knew that something bad was coming. It came to him suddenly that many of them, especially those that had come out from the New Ceylon Orbital Station, had started out as business contacts but had become colleagues, fellow combatants and friends during the short time that they had known each other. These thoughts didn't make his next task any easier but waiting any longer to get the coming unpleasantness over with wouldn't help much either.

"Order, please!" His request, not shouted but only spoken loudly, was enough to quiet the room.
"I'm here to brief you all on what our latest intelligence is telling us. There will be time for questions later." He paused and, seeing only expectant looks and a few affirmative nods, he continued. "As far as we know, we are now the only appreciable Federation presence in this entire portion of the Quadrant. We also know that there is some pretty formidable opposition, an opposition led by a man calling himself the Sheik of Barsoom, and that his group has an unknown number of real warships at his disposal. Granted, one of them is an old Tunisian destroyer that they managed to hijack, but several of the others are totally modern units, all of which defected from one or another of the Navies in the Islamic Alliance. We believe that two or more of their destroyers and several support vessels, possibly armed but certainly carrying armed soldiers, are on their way to eliminate the Scrapyard as a threat. We expect them to arrive in the system within the next twelve to twenty-four hours and to attack us within five or six hours after they arrive in system. I'm sorry, but we don't have any better estimates than these."

He paused and looked the crowd over again before continuing. "To combat this threat, we have a very old freighter that has been armed with a moderately powerful weapon
, a Meridian Imperial Navy heavy cruiser that was converted to a diplomatic ship that we are using to power up two pulse beam turrets on the wreck of a cruiser, and two mining vessels equipped with excavation lasers. Interspersed here and there out in the Scrapyard are another four twin-mount pulse beam turrets that are charged but cannot be recharged. This means we will only be able to fire a single pulse from each of those projectors.

We also have a Federation Marine unit with two portable pulse beam units and about a dozen sets of battle armor.
Ambassador Saladin has a contingent of Meridian Imperial Marines, his personal guard force, who are equipped with battle armor and a full array of hand weapons as well as another portable assault beam unit and a smaller utility sled.

Th
is may not sound like much but remember we also have the entire Reclamation Center to utilize as we see fit for hiding out or for fighting but only on our own terms. We have dispersed a number of significant heat and light sources in various wrecks throughout the Scrapyard in an effort to distract the enemy from the real targets. These can be switched on or off remotely and we believe that they'll help to keep the enemy confused." Here the Commander stopped again and took a moment to scan the room.

"
But our most important asset," he continued, "is the incomparable group of people who are in this room." He glanced at Amanda Steuben before continuing. "A group that was described by Governor Larkin as 'the meanest Junkyard Dogs in the Galaxy.' I suggest that we embrace both the name and the attitude. We shall heretofore be known as 'The Junkyard Dogs!'"

"Hear
, Hear!" someone shouted and the entire room broke out into applause.

Kresge looked the group over and saw only approval
mirrored back at him.

"
We have prevailed against long odds before, and I am confident that we can do it again! I will be giving out assignments as soon as this briefing is over. Are there any questions?"

There were surprisingly few questions although most of the personnel in this group had
either been consulted directly or briefed fairly thoroughly about their responsibilities before they had come to the meeting. Kresge began handing out final assignments, answering a few questions along the way. After about an hour, the meeting was adjourned.

There were, however, two key personnel remaining who had not yet received their assignment
s.
As the others were filing out, Kresge said, "Carlisle, Harris? I need to talk to both of you before you leave."

The Commander
felt a sense of dread as he contemplated the orders he would be giving next. The two younger officers took seats in the front row. Kresge pulled a chair out of the row and set it down about a meter in front of them. He faced them, sitting backwards in the chair, his legs straddling the seat and his elbows braced across the top of the chair back. He looked his two officers over, collecting his thoughts, before he began their private briefing.

"
Lieutenant Harris, Ensign Carlisle. For you two I have a special assignment. It's no secret that this could be a really tough fight and...," he looked them over again, "...you two are the best people I have for what could be the toughest job that needs doing. It's no secret that you will be in grave danger but I don't know that I have any choice. Are both of you okay with that?"

T
he two younger officers looked at one another and back at Kresge before nodding in unison.

"
This was pretty much your idea, Ensign. I think you should tell Lieutenant Harris what we've come up with."

"You've decided to go ahead with my plan, Commander?"
asked Carlisle.

"With some minor modifications, yes."

"Okay, I suggested that we map out a series of routes through several clusters of wrecks that we can negotiate rapidly with the
Greyhound
. We do our best to get the
Greyhound
matched up with that old Tunisian destroyer and then lead them on a chase through the scrapyard that will take them into the line of fire of our charged weapons emplacements. Because of their previous history with the
Greyhound
, I'm thinking the Captain and crew of that destroyer will feel like they have a score to settle and will take the bait. Then we ambush them as they come past the charged weapons. That's the gist of it; have you changed anything, Commander?"

Kresge
shook his head and said, matter-of-factly, "No, I haven't. We don't know if it will work or not, but that's our plan."

He looked directly at Carlisle.

"I'm sure you've all but figured out what it is that I need, Ensign, since it was basically your idea. I need someone to man those two gun emplacements on the old
Lexington
and then be ready to provide backup for the gun crews on the two other wrecks that we charged the weapons on in that area of the Scrapyard, if needed. With your natural abilities, weightless combat training and that special suit, Ensign, you're about the only person I have that will be able to get from the bow to the stern of the ship quickly enough to man those guns if you should start to draw fire, which I'm afraid is almost certain.

I don't have to remind you that there
will be no shielding on any of those beam emplacements. As soon as you fire a single pulse beam, you will become a target. All of the enemy destroyers are packing plenty of punch with their 2000 gigajoule beams and with no shielding, a direct hit will probably destroy or severely damage any emplacement that takes a hit. Especially from the short distances any action is likely to involve. My suggestion is to aim the guns at the most opportune target, fire as quickly and as accurately as you can to inflict the most damage and then get the hell out of there. Especially with the second gun in the emplacement."