The Optimum Project

chapter 8

A spacial stand off

I tapped the radar, looking at my dad, "we've got trouble."
He glanced at the radar and I noticed a frown start to tug at the corners of his mouth, "I'll hail them."
I nodded as he moved over to the radio and turned it on, setting it on a channel that would notify them they were being hailed, "this is the civilian ship Selena, we have a shipment for the alliance, over."

We waited but got nothing but static, my dad turned and gestured toward the door, mouthing the word 'turret'. I nodded and jogged out the door and down the hall to a side door, opening it up I faced a ladder leading into the turrets main control system. I climbed up and strapped my self in, flipping switches in their correct sequences to start the turret, after activation I turned on the targeting computer and oriented the turret and with it, me, into position. I checked the condenser chambers and calibrated the targeting. Turrets work like automatic machine guns, the condenser chamber took energy and created a field around each bullet fired, allowing them to inflict more damage and drain shields faster thus saving bullets.

I charged the first two bullets, allowing energy to encompass them and aimed at the first oncoming fighter, I held my fingers over the triggers but held my fire, the basic rules my father had implemented were that I would only fire if fired upon or if he gave the command to attack. I waited, and waited... Watching as they approached, quiet and well controlled, their movements weren't jerky like most pirate ships, but rather smooth, fluid like flowing water, I shifted in my seat as both sides became within firing range, but neither did so. The ships stopped about 50 yards away, turning off their engines and lights, you wouldn't have known they were there unless you had seen them stop. I frowned and switched the computer to use electrostatic imaging, allowing myself to see the ships as if they were made of static on a black tv screen, I adjusted the turret to aim at the lead ship but still waited, and waited.

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We sat there for hours, my father had told me over the intercoms that the commanding pirate had warned us that if we moved our ship any farther or contacted the allience, they would open fire, at this distance they would destroy us in half a minute at most, and so we waited for them to make their move. My dad had made me a sandwich and tossed it up to me from the bottom of the ladder, "you ok?" he asked while taking a bite of his sandwich. I tilted my head to the side as if in thought but I couldn't keep the grin off my face, "yes dad I feel perfectly safe in a virtually defensless carrier and surrounded by pirates." he laughed and turned to go, "dad!" he turned and I said simply,"I love you." he smilled, "I love you too son."

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I jerked awake at the sound of cannon fire and cursed myself for falling asleep, Turning toward the targeting computer I moved the sight towards the cluster of pirate fighters and was surprised to see a much sleeker and clearly faster ship flying circles around them and blowing them to pieces, as the rest turned and flew away at a surprising pace the ship drifted around and pulled up next to us, I made sure that the turret was pointed at it the whole way. I sat and waited, then the com went off, "Noah?"

I turned and spoke up towards the speaker "what's up?"

I heard my dad smiling even through the intercoms " the ship next to us is alliance, they sent it out to try and find us, good thing we were so close ya?"

I Heaved a sigh of relief, "ok, I'm turning off the turret now."

I turned and switched off the turret and it's targeting computer, sliding down the rings of the ladder and heading back towards the cockpit.

When I swung open the door and walked in, my dad deep in conversation with I assumed was the pilot in the other ship, I glanced at it through the windows and raised my eyebrows, it was too small to be a piloted fighter, which meant it was a drone. I frowned as I thought about what that meant, my dad was NOT talking to the pilot of that ship, I looked back towards my dad as he looked over at me and wrote something down on a pad of paper, passing it to me. I looked at it, "go into that cargo container, the only thing We need in there is a small metal tube, bring it to me."
I looked up and was surprised he was still looking at me, I nodded and walked out heading towards the cargo bay.