— 4 —
"Okay, that's it. At that range, if we deploy the destroyer Golden State, how long has she got to catch up?"
The numbers are already being entered on the simulator. Lieutenant Dixon is on the console. "At full power, she has one hour forty-nine minutes to rendezvous, engage, and start back. The bogey is thirty-two minutes to contact, given destroyer launch in seven minutes. Sir, if you put one up, perhaps you might commit two more. I suggest an escort of the Windemere and the Charleston. They have commensurate gee ratings and they will triple firepower."
"Excellent, lieutenant." Emerald turns to the communications officer, and says, "Give the order, Commander. Give me the horn." She is patched in to the squad leader. "Captain. You have to maintain long-range radio silence on this one. After you leave the fleet you're on your own. Unless it is a senior citizens' pleasure cruiser, blow that bogey up. Cripple it if you're unsure. But in any case, you have one hour and forty-one minutes to get in, get it, and get out. Copy?"
He rogers her message.
"Sir, that was one hour, forty-nine minutes," Dixon corrects her.
"I lied." Emerald explains with a wicked grin.
While the command staff on the bridge of the Inverness sweats, Lieutenant Commander John Aburto, captain of the Golden State, moves out with his two escorts.
"Full gee, let her rip," he commands. Short-range communications are set up between his command ship and the two escorts, but after the initial launch they, too, keep radio silence, Whoever this joker is, there is no point in announcing their arrival.
The Golden State approaches target range in record time, its two escorts being two minutes behind. The captain orders deceleration and sings out to his communications officer, "Open a hailing channel to the boat."
The vessel appears to be an old tanker, but it is clearly armed. That in itself is not surprising, since anything worth stealing on this frontier is fair game, and there are no innocents out here.
"This is Captain Aburto of the USJ Golden State. State your name, registry, and business."
The two escorts have caught up and are fanning out in a flanking pattern.
The vessel rotates slightly, its course now directly toward the Charleston.
The captain bellows into the microphone, "Carlos, he's going to hit you. Move." But as he warns the Charleston, they can all see the blips of shells on the radar screen.
The enemy has fired first, with an Attack Strength of 8.
It fires using Chart C.
Use Chart C for the USJ ships' attack.
If the pirate destroys all three naval ships turn to section 6.
If the pirate is destroyed, but the USJ Navy takes any losses, turn to section 7.
If the pirate is destroyed without the loss of any USJ naval vessels, turn to section 9.