Chapter 169 - Announcement

(Gap Science Enrichment Center, 2200 km East of Starborn, Star’s Reach)

“So, did you manage to get it?”

Raven looked over at me, and nodded. “Yes, Captain. Because this species uses the same interface connectors and protocols with the Gateways, I was able to access the device directly. Unfortunately, the device schematics were not present on the device. However, I was able to obtain the software code for the running of the device. Using that as a base, if we are able to reproduce the hardware elements, we should be able to recreate the device functionality. Powering it, on the other hand, will require being able to reproduce the power systems and charge ports.”

I shook my head. “From what you told me, that device’s power core had the same output as the Shadowdancer’s main reactors, if not more! What are the odds we’ll be able to recreate those power sources any time soon?”

Raven sighed, and said, “Unless we are able to convince CaROLINE to open up the manufacturing centers for our use, we will have to start reverse-engineering physics beyond our understanding, or have enough people go through the ‘Enrichment’ process until they can gather the scientific knowledge needed to progress. Assuming that the Enrichment Center has technological or scientific enrichment programs instead of just physical ones. Still, simply being able to study this facility will advance our knowledge by at least a century over the next ten years.”

I nodded. That was in line with what I expected, honestly. This was an excellent research project, but it wasn’t something we were going to be able to exploit and monetize immediately. However, given that we owned this planet and everything on it, time was on our side. Just had to stop anyone from getting access to the site without permission.

A couple days after we’d first entered the Enrichment Center, we had returned to see if there was any way we could start working on getting those portal guns without having to jump through CaROLINE’s hoops. Unfortunately, our science just wasn’t up to snuff at the moment. However, over the last two weeks, Raven was able to access more and more of the noncritical databases, so we were able to get a general idea of what we were working with. Unfortunately, anything important (like schematics and scientific data) were locked behind the AI.

As we stepped out of the Enrichment Center, I linked up with the fleet to determine what had been going on while we were out of contact inside the testing area. “Hmm. Looks like the pirates finally reached Nuevo Edo. They were… less than subtle in their approach, trying to jump directly into orbit, to keep the defenses from having time to respond before they got their hits in. Too bad for them that we knew they were coming. Scouts picked up their warp signatures three days out since we knew their approximate vector. Tarpit caught them in a very empty part of the system, and the Nuevo Edo Navy tore them to shreds.”

Cali laughed. “Well, that’ll show them for trying to think that you’d actually leave a juicy target undefended. So, were they all killed?”

“Oh, no. It looks like once the biggest ships got taken out, and the smaller ships realized they weren’t going to be escaping, they started surrendering. Well, only four ships survived to surrender. But that left the NEN with just shy of two hundred prisoners to deal with.”

Sheila giggled. “So, what did they do to them?”

I grinned. “Looks like they sentenced them to thirty years of physical labor in the breeding halls, to specifically serve ‘underserved’ members of the population.”

Sheila laughed. “Does that mean what I think it means?”

Raven nodded. “If you think that it means that they were turned into community whores to be used by the ugliest, fattest, and poorest women on Nuevo Edo, then yes, it does.”

I shuddered dramatically. “Some punishments are worse than death.” That got a laugh from everyone, since I wasn’t exactly known for my chaste behavior, but then I was able to get beauties, so I didn’t need to go to the bottom of the barrel.

“Any way, the Dungeon Town is set up and ready for business. Apparently, it has already been ‘unofficially’ named Star’s Vigil. The name works for me, so I’m making it official. Starborn and the orbital yards are both coming along nicely, so I think we’re almost ready to open Star’s Rest to the public.”

Raven chuckled. “You mean after we’ve already captured twenty-one ships trying to get a jump start on things using data taken from spies in Nuevo Edo on where our fleet jumped to?”

I shrugged, and said, “The materials were excellent scrap to feed the factory production, and the crews have already been added to the ‘voluntold’ labor force. They were trying to sneak in before everything had been locked down, and check and see if there was anything they could steal before we could lay claim to it.”

That subject brought up an idea I had forgotten about until now. I considered for a moment, and then said, “Raven, contact Major Khan. I want a BSMC training center and base centered on the Enrichment Center, with R&D buildings on top of and around the entrance to the Enrichment Center. The ‘civilian’ guards and administrators can take over Star’s Vigil, which will make adventurers happy, I guess. Keep the security protocols in place. Anyone who tries to go to Star’s Vigil that isn’t on a Black Star ship or having a Black Star ship escorting them gets blown to bits.”

Raven nodded, and said, “Message sent. If we are going to open up Star’s Reach to outside groups, where should we go first? We approached the Confederacy first last time, but if we do that again, we may be accused of favoritism.”

“No, not the Confederacy. The power players are still trying to ‘bring Black Star to heel’, even if they’re not going about it as aggressively as they used to be. Going to them first would imply that they needed the Confederacy since they couldn’t stand on their own feet. We’ll go with the Empire this time. That will keep the Confederate zealots in check, for a while. And it will make the Empress happy that we thought of her, and went to her first. Isn’t that right, Sheila?”

The former princess grinned, and said, “Oh, yeah, she was pouting like crazy when we announced Nuevo Edo to the Confederacy first. Sure, she didn’t say anything, since we were based in Dimiya orbit at the time, but she was a little put out that we didn’t come to her. Considering that it was her ‘payment’ for our services in the war that let us do this so quickly, we really ought to see her first this time.”

I chuckled. “Well, that settles it. Raven, contact the fleet, and have Shinokage, Shadowdancer, and Reliant prepped for travel. Hmm. Yeah, that should do it. Don’t want to bring too many ships over or it will cause trouble with optics. This, though? Bold enough to make a statement, but not so much that it will look like an invasion.”

“As you wish, Admiral.”

(Fleet Base Bagthera, Alpha Centauri System)

Admiral Cambridge was reviewing the readiness reports for the fleet stationed to defend the Gateway here. Thankfully, this fleet base was already nearing pre-war levels of war readiness. Morale had been mixed, however. The defeat here at Alpha Centauri had been humiliating for everyone stationed at the fleet base, especially as it was apparent that it was due to infiltrators, not fleet combat, that the battle was lost. When the body of the former Admiral was found in his cabin shortly after someone posing as him had issued surrender orders to the fleet, it became a humiliation that no one spotted the imposter as he walked into the command center and sabotaged the fleet from within.

Still, that humiliation had spared many of the ships that would otherwise have been destroyed in the attack, and most of those survivors had lived through the invasion of Sol System, leaving most of the fleet intact. That was something they were all keenly aware of. It took some of the edge off of being so badly outmaneuvered, but people were still upset.

So, Cambridge had done what any good fleet commander would do when morale was in the pits. She announced a series of fleet readiness drills with extra liberty going to some of the best performing crews. This gave the men something to fight for. A bit of competition against their fellow sailors would allow them to gain that most precious of all rewards between servicemembers: bragging rights.

As a result, both readiness and morale were steadily improving. In fact, it would only be a matter of – Alarms sounding jolted her to her feet as she looked to the screens. “Report!”

“Gateway activation! Unregistered address!”

“Defense fleet to alert stations.” Cambridge looked to her intelligence officer. “Do you have anything for me, Maximof?”

The officer consulted his terminal briefly, and then said, “There is a match to an unknown address that… observers in the Nuevo Edo system witnessed a portion of the Black Star Fleet, including their mobile shipyard, dialing a few weeks ago. Reports indicate that several ships have tried dialing the address since then, but none have returned.”

The Black Stars again. That group was far too resourceful and capable for her liking. Whenever something out of the ordinary happened, one could count on them to be somewhere in the mix. There had been rumors, since they had brought Nuevo Edo into the Known Universe, that the Nuevo Edoans had a complete index of Gateway addresses, but that the owner of the Black Stars had convinced them to hide the information and prevent anyone from reading it. The discovery of yet another new Gateway in such a short time certainly lent credence to those rumors.

“Admiral, we have a coded IFF being transmitted through the Gateway. Confirmed matches for BSN Shinokage, BSN Shadowdancer, BSN Reliant, and BSS Starlight Raven.”

The Starlight Raven? That was the personal ship of the owner of Black Star, the one that he’d rescued Princess Sheila in during the opening days of the civil war. Cambridge sighed, and said, “Stand down alert status. Allow them through the Gateway. Send a transmission to Naval Command, confirming the new address, and that the Black Stars are apparently in control of it.”

“At once, ma’am.”

The four ships exited the Gateway in single file, before spreading into a lose wedge formation, allowing the three warships to visibly protect the Starlight Raven. As if that ship needed protecting! From what she’d heard, it had apparently destroyed three Kul’tiran warships on its own, and had as much accumulated battle experience as any warship in that crazy Nomad’s fleet.

“Transmission from the Starlight Raven incoming.”

“Onscreen.” She looked at the main viewscreen as the cockpit of the infamous freighter appeared with the equally infamous captain. “This is Admiral Sarah Cambridge, commander of Fleet Base Bagthera. State your identity and business.”

“Greetings, Admiral. This is Captain Mollen of the Starlight Raven, CEO and Owner of the Black Star Company. On behalf of the Black Star Company, and the Black Star Navy, we’re requesting passage through Imperial space. We are en route to Sol System, where we would like to formally announce the founding of a new corporate colony, called Star’s Reach.”

A corporate colony? That meant that this Nomad had claimed an entire system for the Black Star Company, independent of any nation. The gal of the man! Well, if this colony were in another arm of the galaxy, like Nuevo Edo, then travelling to it the ‘slow way’ would be impossible, at least in a normal lifetime, leaving him in a fairly secure position if even only a couple of his ships were set to defend the Gateway itself.

“That is incredible news, Captain Mollen. If you had not come from a previously unregistered Gateway address, I would have said you were lying to me. You are approved for passage to Sol System, though the corvette INS Thornbush will escort you while you are in Imperial space, to prevent any… misunderstandings with a bunch of foreign registered warships passing through our space without an active mercenary contract with an Imperial government or company.”

“Thank you for the consideration, Admiral. We will proceed at sublight until the escort joins us. Starlight Raven, out.”

Admiral Cambridge frowned slightly as the transmission cut out. ‘Formally announce’? Hah. The bastard did that so that the rumor mill would spread the news from one side of the Empire to the other before he could reach Sol. Still, there wasn’t anything else for it. She looked at her people, and said, “Have the Thornbush join up with the Black Stars as an escort. And send another message to Naval Command, informing them of what happened. Copy both messages to Imperial Command, marked for the Empress’s attention. Include specifically that the Starlight Raven and escorts are heading to Sol.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

The Admiral smiled slightly, and said, “And you may all feel free to spread the rumors as you please, once you are off shift, and not before!”

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Frozen Soul series (Sci-Fi Supervillain story):
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Tales of the Void Traveler https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06ZZ52G37

Rules-Free VRMMO Life (Dark Fantasy GameLit):
Volume 1 - Tutorial
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Book I - Game Start https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071LT5WGL
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Omnibus 1 - Books 1-4 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FBPF6HR

The Kalipshae Affair (A First Contact Short Story): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0739V6R6T