A Trip to Signe Read online

  A Trip to Signe:

  Pirates of the Badlands —

  A Sidebar Story

  Sean Benjamin

  Copyright

  © 2019 by Sean Benjamin – All Rights Reserved

  No part of this book may be copied or reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages for review purposes.

  Dedication

  For Steve and Sharon Morris

  Goddamn unbelievable. No other word for it.

  Because the greatest part of the road trip isn’t arriving at your destination. It’s all the crazy stuff that happens along the way.

  —Tamed by Emma Chase

  ~ ~ ~

  I have found out that there ain’t no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.

  —Tom Sawyer Abroad by Mark Twain

  Table of Contents

  A Trip to Signe: Pirates of the Badlands — A Sidebar Story

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Table of Contents

  Author’s Note

  Introduction

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Epilog

  Glossary

  About the Author

  Author’s Note

  I tend to write down sentences, phrases, and paragraphs as I think of them. I have several pages with such fragments. Over time, I expand on them as relevant thoughts occur to me. I know I’m going to use them sometime, and I need to capture them as they come to me as they tend to fade if I wait to record them. I lose the essence that made them so appealing when they sprang to mind. That is how this story began. It started out as one scene on the bridge of Predator between the Queen and another ship’s captain. Then a conversation between the Queen and Raferty was put in. Then a conversation between Raferty and Admiral Levant was added. I intended to use this sequence in one of my future Pirates of the Badlands books.

  Seemed like a good idea at the time but then it didn’t. I had always envisioned the Pirates of the Badland series as nine books divided into three trilogies. There were Raferty Hawkins—pirate, Raferty Hawkins—peer of the realm, and Raferty Hawkins—Queen’s consort. So far, we are pretty much on track with that. I write this as book seven is coming out so not much book space left. The problem with this new episode is that it doesn’t fit into the story arc as it is currently laid out and I can’t see a way to get it in there without using a sledgehammer. Sledgehammers and words seldom, if ever, work well together. Hence this sidebar story. I originally was going to call it a short story, but it ain’t short. You can judge if that is good or bad.

  You might have a logical question as to where this episode fits chronologically within the book series. Well, I have an answer for that. I don’t know. For sure after book seven as this story takes place after the events of that book. Probably after book eight as that book takes up the narrative right where book seven ends. (I know you haven’t seen book 8 yet, so you have to take my word for that.) So, let’s say these events occur after book eight. If you think it should be wedged in somewhere else, you’re probably right.

  Another question is whether this tale advances the various storylines as established in the books. Nope. This sidebar is a standalone which focuses on Raferty Hawkins taking the Queen of the Aurora Empire—his wife—on a trip to the far-off planet of Signe in the Electra System. This is the same area the reader was introduced to in book 4, Echoes from Yesterday. The main characters are the crew of Predator and a few Royal Navy officers. No other main characters are in this and nothing happens that impacts the storylines of the series. The focus is on Raferty and Alexis and their new relationship as husband and wife. A nice secondary storyline is the Queen of the Aurora Empire interacting with the crew of Predator. Oh, and there is also a space fight because, well, that’s the law.

  Introduction

  Queen Alexis had been visiting Wanderlust, the main base for Home Fleet over the last three days. Home Fleet, under the command of High Admiral Lawton P. Barrett, had enjoyed much success of late. Enemy convoys have been taken or destroyed, military outposts laid to waste, and remote sensor lines knocked out. No enemy warships had been destroyed for the simple fact the OrCon navy avoided battle. They tracked the Zeke ships but would not attack unless the odds were overwhelmingly in their favor. The odds never were. The war was definitely shifting in the Aurora Empire’s favor. Alexis went to Wanderlust to congratulate Home Fleet on their successful sorties.

  Now the Queen was set to return to the home planet of Zelenka. At least that is what was in her published schedule. However, that was not what was going to happen.

  Chapter 1

  “Kilo Seven November, we have the cargo. Transfer is complete.”

  “Roger that, Sierra Two Alpha. Good luck.”

  With that transmission, the short rendezvous in a quiet sector of space in the middle of nowhere was complete. Kilo Seven November was the momentary call sign of the Wind class battlecruiser Cockeyed Bob. She and her four escorts would now proceed to the home planet of Zelenka. Once there, it would be reported by the media that the Queen was back in the palace after a visit to the Home Fleet at Wanderlust. Half that statement would be true. The Queen had indeed visited the troops at Wanderlust, but she was not back at home. She was aboard her consort’s ship, the pirate vessel Predator, as that lone destroyer assumed the job that “Bobby” and her escorts were doing. The mission now was to take the Queen to Signe in the Electra System for a visit there while she would also get some private time with her consort.

  After the uneventful transfer from “Bobby,” the Queen departed Predator’s shuttle bay in the company of her sister-in-law, Tactical. Her gear would be taken to the captain’s stateroom while she toured the ship. The Queen’s first task was always to meet everyone. This allowed the crew to see her again and know she was aboard. It ensured nobody felt slighted in that some people would meet her during routine operations while others would not as they didn’t work in the right areas. Everyone would meet her at the very start of her visit. This meant people would leave her alone since they had already met her, so they could now tell their friends and relatives how they sailed with the Queen of the Aurora Empire and even talked to her.

  While Alexis toured the ship, Raferty remained on the bridge. Alexis’ last stop would be the bridge, and the two would then retire to the captain’s stateroom and day cabin for an undetermined period of time. Husband and wife had set up this initial schedule as both knew that if protocol had been followed and the ship’s captain had greeted the Queen in the shuttle bay, there would have been no tour as the two would have immediately gone to Hawkins’ quarters and not been seen again for a long time. Nobody aboard Predator would have blamed them, but that was not how the Queen did business.

  Alexis visited every compartment. She lingered in engineering as she enjoyed Blondie’s company and had spent time in engineering during her own brief naval career so enjoyed visits to the engineering spaces. She also loitered in sickbay to converse with her favorite malcontent, Doc Windsor. He showed his high regard for Alexis by actually showering, shaving, and putting on clean clothes prior to her arrival and then not smoking in her presence. There were damn few people who could get that kind of a commitment from him. While in sickbay, Alexis was introduced to Holly, recently promoted head of logistics and the best prostitute in Flot 1. She was also Doc’s girlfriend when she had the time.

  The Que
en eventually made it to the bridge. When she entered, everyone but the helmsman rose. Alexis quickly made the rounds so people could sit down and get back to work. Her last stop was the captain’s chair. Raferty Hawkins stood beside the chair and bowed when she stopped before him.

  “Your Majesty,” he said with suitable deference.

  “Black Hallow,” she said softly. She extended her right hand, and he took it in his left. His thumb settled on the wedding ring she wore on her ring finger. They smiled at each other while everyone on the bridge watched out of the corners of their eyes. Both of them had wondered if the separation would do harm to their fragile relationship and if things would be different this time around. Now that they saw each other, they knew that would never happen. Despite time and distance, they were one.

  Mason Reed stepped forward from the operations station behind the captain’s chair. “I have the bridge,” he announced in a command voice.

  Rafe glanced at him and nodded. “XO has the bridge,” he agreed.

  The captain and his wife moved to the hatch to his day cabin and disappeared through it. Reed sat down in the chair as everyone broke out their smiles. Tactical moved beside the chair and Reed turned to her. “They must be made of titanium,” he stated. “I don’t think I could have waited that long while my wife observed the formalities.”

  Tactical smiled at him. “You don’t think you could have waited that long? I know for a cold stone fact you couldn’t have waited that long.”

  Reed smiled at her and then nodded. “You are absolutely correct.”

  Chapter 2

  The next morning Alexis, at her insistence, entered training as an Officer of the Deck. She wanted to stand watches and participate in running the ship. Everyone was for it. The more ODs there were, the fewer watches each would have to stand. Tactical wrote the watch bill, so she put Alexis on it twice a day for the next two days to accelerate her training. After the first day, it became apparent Alexis couldn’t stand enough watches to accommodate all the people who stood bridge watches and wanted to stand one with the Queen of the Aurora Empire. After her first watch, there were five personnel changes for her second watch of the day. Tactical had to approve all the changes, and she did for the second watch only because she heard money exchanged hands as people, for the first time ever, bought their way onto the watch bill. She saw this would be a continuous problem so issued a warning that all changes to the watch bill would require a credible reason for the change. She also let it be known that the only credible reason she could think of was the sudden death of the original watch stander thus requiring a replacement. She promised all bridge crew would get an opportunity to stand duty with the Queen. That served to calm the sudden turbulence over watch standing.

  When Alexis stood the four watches on two days, she was under instruction by Tactical, Baby Doll, Logan, and Mason Reed. Tactical did not schedule Hawkins or Blondie to instruct the Queen on OD duties aboard Predator. It was best to avoid the appearance of conflict of interest and ensure the training and evaluation were fairly done. Crewmembers wouldn’t comment but they would watch. Everyone knew the OD had the full authority of the captain and would be the person in charge of that ship if a sudden ship emergency or battle developed and the captain was not on the bridge. Predator was a battle-tested ship with a veteran crew. Like all veterans, they knew living or dying may well depend on a single decision made at the onset of a crisis. Often the OD made that decision. Crewmembers liked and respected the Queen, but they also liked living, so they always wanted the best ODs they could get.

  Alexis also knew this and had no problem with it. She knew that outer space, shipboard engineering casualties, and the OrCons didn’t give a damn that she was a queen, and she would get no slack from Providence or circumstances due to her title. She underwent instruction and oversaw a variety of ship casualty drills and combat simulations. She was an old destroyer officer and had been a qualified OD in Cobalt, so none of this was new to her. The training was fast and furious but Alexis withstood the assault. After four busy watches over two days, she was signed off as an OD by Mason Reed. Those crewmembers who had stood the watch with her reported to the remainder of the crew that she was indeed good to go.

  Alexis told Tactical she wanted a watch every day and Tactical obliged her. She was given a four-hour shift every twenty-four hours except for two days when she had a two-hour dog watch.

  Chapter 3

  The trip to Signe from the rendezvous point was scheduled for ten days as Predator was running at the speed of a freighter doing a long haul. The crew quickly settled into their regular routine for long voyages. They ate, worked out in the gym, read books, gambled, watched taped entertainment, stood their watches, and looked forward to base liberty on Signe.

  Rafe and Alexis spent as much time together in private as they could get away with. They continued their tradition of talking about whatever subject came to mind. There had been no courtship for the couple, and both knew they needed to have one even if it came after they were married. Any topic was fair game, and they covered as many of them as time and their interests allowed. They took meals in the officers’ mess and ate down on the mess decks with the crew twice. The crew liked to see the officers eat with them occasionally, as it showed they were interested, but not all the time. Then they would be intruding on the crew’s space.

  Predator’s crew grew used to their lone passenger. Standing a watch each day gave many crewmembers the chance to observe her close up. The bridge crew reported on her performance to the remainder of the crew. They rapidly grew tired of referring to her as “the Queen.” This, coupled with their conclusion she was one of Predator’s own, lead to her being given a nickname. Nobody knew how it started, but the crew began to refer to Alexis as “OD” as her OD duties seemed to be the source of all conversations about her. The nickname spread throughout the ship. Those officers closest to the Queen never indulged but with one exception the crew did. The only holdout was, surprisingly, Preacher, the assistant chief engineer. He took his cue from Blondie who would never endorse such behavior. Preacher never used “OD” but still referred to Alexis as “Your Queenship” or “Your Royalness” in conversations with the crew and with the Queen herself. Alexis didn’t mind so nobody bothered to correct the young man. They knew he meant well.

  Chapter 4

  Predator was one day from Signe. It had been a routine voyage so far. Predator had passed two remote sensor lines within the Electra System alerting Signe to their approach. The base confirmed their arrival time for the next day and an escort would meet them at the twelve-hour mark. All was well.

  It was just after 0300. The majority of the crew was asleep, and the bridge was quiet as the watch went about their duties. The sensor operator reported a single bogey. The OD, Queen Alexis, already had the long-range sensor screen up and saw the contact as soon as the sensor operator had. The lone ship was far off to starboard but moving in the same general direction as Predator, probably bound for Signe. Her speed was faster than a lone freighter would maintain. Looking at the sensor return, Alexis judged her to be a destroyer or light cruiser.

  Logan was manning the ops station. He said in a formal tone, “The bogey will move ahead of us if current converging courses and speeds are maintained. Nearest point of closure will be in two hours and thirty-one minutes with a distance of just under sixteen hundred klicks. After that, she should gradually pull away ahead of us.”

  Alexis nodded. She then brought up Predator’s ship information to check it one more time. Everything was good. The pirate ship was impersonating a freighter named Polaris. The name and appropriate IFF codes had been assigned by Naval Headquarters on Zelenka, and the fake Polaris had been added to all the appropriate schedules to show her trip to Signe to deliver specialized building supplies. The real Polaris was in a shipyard being overhauled, but few people knew that, and none of those people were out here. Predator was squawking the correct codes and maintaining a suitable speed for a freighter
on a long haul. The bogey would have to get extremely close to tell that the good ship Polaris was actually a Clan class destroyer made in the Edinburgh Systems.

  Predator was not close enough for the bogey’s IFF information to show up on the screens but would be in range shortly. That same information would show up on the bogey’s screen regarding Predator. Hopefully, this would be two ships that happened to be going the same way at the same time and would either ignore each other or exchange pleasant greetings and then ignore each other.

  It was not to be. “Altering course,” reported the sensor operator as Alexis saw the unknown contact turn toward them. She knew before the sensors told her that the contact had increased speed also.

  “Intercept in one hour forty-two minutes,” reported Logan just as Alexis was going to bring that data up on the screen. Logan was good.

  Alexis leaned back in her chair. She had time to let the situation develop before waking her husband or anyone else. She would wait. Since the bogey took an interest in Predator, Alexis assumed she was a Royal Navy ship or an OrCon raider. She was leaning toward Royal Navy ship as a lone OrCon raider would have to be brave indeed to be attacking ships inside of Signe’s outer defensive ring. Either way, Alexis would have an answer long before anyone got into missile range.

  As the ships converged, the bogey’s IFF information appeared on all screens. Alexis hit a virtual button, and the computer searched the current operations database as provided by Cockeyed Bob during the transfer. The computer informed the bridge crew that the IFF code was assigned to the Spinnaker class destroyer Jackline, currently a member of the Electra Fleet and homeported at Signe.