Mellasuâtar

3.   Mellasuâtar Sector - 118:16
 
 Kapitänleutnant Asura Scindia monitored the shifting tactical display and raised an eyebrow.
 "What the hell does she think she is doing, No.1?"
 Oberleutnant Fedor Golovin updated his captain's tactical readout and showed the merchant vessel's predicted course.
 "She's following our suggested profile, Captain, but keeping her D-Drives hot. Either her engineering crew still think they are in the final approach pattern for the capital or they fondly imagine they can run for the next D-Gang."
 "Keep her steady, No.1."
 There was no way in which a lumbering bulk merchant could match the acceleration of an Imperial Light Cruiser but there were always a few people who thought that the laws of physics were negotiable. Scindia turned to his shields/scanner officer, Hao Zhichun.
 "Any unusual readings, Leutnant?"
 "Forty eight bulk containers, four of which are shielded, Captain. The manifest that Western Fleet Intelligence (Macedon) provided suggests the usual spread of construction materials and industrial supplies - I can't detect any useful readings from the two containers they say might be concealing illicit weapons."
 "Are they shielded?"
 "No, sir. The containers are the standard 100,000 ton displacement - there are plenty of ways to use other cargo to mask the readings."
 "What about internal scanners?"
 "Those readings appear normal, but ScanSec is highlighting a number of anomalies that might prove useful start points for the marine search teams."
 ILC Z-565 moved into a parallel course as the vast merchant vessel moved out of the final approach queue - 'cutting her out of the herd' as the instructors at IFD Titan always liked to describe the manoeuvre. The merchant ship, a long spinal frame upon which rib-like mounts for quartets of containers were arranged in twelve links, dwarfed her escort. The predatory Z-565 was one of the latest pursuit light cruisers and her one hundred and twenty crew included marines trained in boarding and search missions. To the dozens of other vessels in the queue it looked as if a wasp was escorting a bull, but few recognised it as anything other than a routine customs inspection.
 "Maintain standard distance from the convoy, Helm."
 "5000k and steady, sir. Course confirmed by the Kalmora's nav computer."
 "Tell our guest to head for the usual table, McLynn.”
 The 'usual table' was well away from the main entry and exit routes to the D-Gang and forced the merchant ship to bring itself into a position that made escape almost impossible.
Harry McLynn grinned across at Karen Miles, who was assisting at tactical and was trying to look deadly serious. Fähnrich (ensigns) were not normally trusted with anything genuinely difficult and pestering merchant vessels made a change from endless training exercises. At the moment nothing exciting was likely to happen, Kalmora was following 'the book' closely and McLynn chatted amiably with the merchant ship's signals officer as the vast ship came round into the position the Captain wanted.
 "Their Captain wants a word, Sir."
 "Put him on the speaker, Mr McLynn."
 The captain of the Kalmora appeared on the main screen and gave Kapitänleutnant Scindia a beatific smile.
 "How may I assist the Imperium, Captain?"
 "This is a standard manifest inspection, as described in the 118:06 Navigation Act."
 "Are you sure this is necessary?"
 "It's a routine matter, Captain. I'm sure you'll be on your way in a couple of hours and as I'm sure you are aware, searched and cleared vessels get transit priority."
 "Is there nothing I can say to dissuade you, Captain?"
 "I'm afraid not..."
 Leutnant Hao Zhichun stared in horror as her ScanSec display went red.
 "Captain. I'm getting a power spike in the engineering module!"
 The Kalmora's captain sneered and cut transmission.
 "Damn! Rig for collision! Bring her round, Mr Mkobana!"
 Z-565 turned slowly as the first explosion ripped through the bridge module of the Kalmora.
 "Take out her vertebrae, Guns!"
 Oberfähnrich Karen Miles whitened, but unhesitatingly punched in the target sequence. The crew of the Kalmora were going to die but Captain Scindia had just ordered her to accelerate the process to prevent the entire merchant vessel from destroying itself.
 Missiles and cannon fire poured from Z-565, shattering the control nodes for the central vertebrae and splitting the Kalmora into three blazing segments.
 The shuddering caused by the full broadside ended just as the first containers and their burning cargo spun into Z-565's reconfigured shields. Leutnant Hao Zhichun knew that the kinetic impact was only the first of her problems and frantically remodulated the shield for the inevitable shockwave, as one of the Kalmora's frontal F/M nodes detonated. She prayed that Mkobana would succeed in pulling her over the largest chunk of debris so the nearest cargo pod would take most of the impact.
 Golovin glanced at the ScanTac screen and noted the increasing spike in engineering.
 "Sir, they kept their D-Drives running so they would be easier to detonate!"
 "Engines please, Guns!"
 Oberfähnrich Miles's display showed the full schematic for the engine room and she quickly realised that the only way to stop the drive reactor from destroying both ships was to force the failsafes to activate. At this range, Z-565's two medium cannons could tear straight through the Kalmora's hull and she only waited a few precious seconds to get a clear shot before sending two bolts of molten retribution through the merchant ship's engineering control station.

 ~~~~~~
 
 Kapitänleutnant Asura Scindia opened his eyes and shook his head. The emergency lighting had activated and the room was full of acrid smoke and the stench of burned flesh.
 "Damage report?"
 Golovin staggered over to Scindia's chair.
 "Four dead and twenty two wounded. One F/M node is down and we have hull breaches in three sections."
 "Any wounded on the bridge?"
 "McLynn is badly burned and I think my arm may be broken but we got off lightly thanks to Karen, Hao & Nyathi."
 "Our position?"
 Leutnant Nyathi Mkobana stopped coughing for a few seconds to answer.
 "We stopped spinning after 40 Mk, Captain. We'll be in our original position in six minutes."
 "Scanners?"
 "ScanSec is ok, Captain.   ScanNav and ScanTac are damaged but functional."
 "Readings?"
 "The Kalmora is in three sections, sir. Her engine module didn't explode but all six of her F/M nodes went off in a controlled sequence."
 "The containers?"
 "One has exploded. The other is still attached to the central section."
 "Good shooting, Guns!"
 Karen Miles was still shaking but managed a thin smile.
 "Any sign of the weapons mentioned in the intelligence reports?"
 Leutnant Zhichun nodded.
 "I'm looking at a cloud of about fifty thousand small arms and a few million rounds of ammunition just corewards of the wreck."
 "Bloody hell.   Signal IBC III Strasbourg: 'Have located and engaged MS Kalmora. Evidence secured. Casualties. Request backup and medical support'. Let's round up some of this stuff before some of the larger pieces scatter too widely..."
  

~~~~~~~~

Kapitän Dõna Teresa de Vela reviewed the scan records and walked across to the viewing deck.

“Is it Tarja or Erikki?”

“If the manifest is correct then I’d put my money on Tarja.”

“Damn…”

Asura Scindia raised a quizzical eyebrow.

“Timo Nielsson is dying, Kapitänleutnant. According to the latest reports he has weeks to live.”

“The Wolf of Mellasuâtar – I thought he’d last forever.”

“If anyone could beat death it would be Nielsson.   They don’t make many like him any more.   The problem is that there is a nice little succession dispute brewing.”

“Between Tarjo, Erikki & Joro…”

“Tarjo was our preferred successor. Marshal Viehrs met with her only a month ago to discuss new investment in the region and the Office of the Imperial Territories was confident that there would be a smooth transition.”

“What’s gone wrong?”

“The Admiral & I have reviewed the options and we can’t understand what could have caused Tarja to prepare for a full scale civil war. All I can say is that this situation will have to resolved by the Council because we can’t afford to let Mellasuâtar slide into anarchy…”

~~~~~~~~
 
Kapitänleutnant Asura Scindia - Commander ILC Z-565
 Oberleutnant Fedor Golovin - No.1 & Tactical ILC Z-565
 Leutnant Hao Zhichun - Scan/Shields ILC Z-565
 Leutnant Nyathi Mkobana - Helm ILC Z-565
 Oberfähnrich Karen Miles - Assistant Tac Officer (Guns) ILC Z-565
 Nachtrichfähnrich Harry McLynn - Assistant Signals Officer ILC Z-565
 Kommodore Osman Köprülü - Macedon Patrol Squadron - IBC III Strasbourg
 Kapitän Dõna Teresa de Vela - Flag Captain IBC III Strasbourg

Timo Nielsson – The Wolf of Mellasuâtar – an Imperial Field Marshal with decades of loyal and effective service… CCC & Pour Le Merite… Ruler (monarchical) of Mellasuâtar…

Tarjo Nielsson – Granddaughter of Timo… Ruthless, efficient and dedicated… Despised the old regime and assumed to be loyal…

Joro Nielsson – Grandson of Timo… Dissolute dilettante… Often visits the fleshpots of the Republic…

Erikki Nielsson - Son of Timo… Sullen thug… Right hand to Timo… Internal security specialist…

Kaisa Haatainen

Tuula Aikas

Onkalo Station

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