figure that out, then they will destroy the station. They’re defenseless!”
“I don’t see how we can stop them.”
Jesse stopped for a moment, his thoughts were focused on the station where his mother was, where Rick was.
“I know how, I need to speak with Roxanne.”
“Turn to channel three, but remember she is busy and frazzled now that she is in charge.”
“Well, this is a matter of life and death.”
“It’s your head.”
Jesse nodded and turned his radio to channel three.
“Chief Engineer Roxanne, this is Jesse Ownsman.”
“What is it Jesse?” Roxanne snapped.
“I have an idea to defeat the Confederates.”
“Tell me, quickly”
“Set an ambush.”
“We are the only New Order ship out here.”
“No were not, the Uriah is New Order. Let me contact Rick Walters on the Uriah and tell him what I’m thinking. We can lead the confederate ship into an ambush and take it out.”
“Fine, call Uriah, I’ve got fires to put out.”
Jesse changed the radio channel again.
“She sounds busy. I don’t think she was really listening to you, but she did give you permission to contact the Uriah station. So be quick about it.”
Jesse moved over to the communication desk which set behind the commander’s chair and sent out a line to the Uriah. Within moments, Jesse had been relayed to Rick and told him the situation and his plan. Rick was quiet for a few moments before answering.
“How much time do I have before you show up?”
“A little under two hours”
“That is not much”
“We’re playing cat and mouse with a larger confederate ship.”
“I see; we’ll be ready.”
“Thanks Rick”
Jesse disrupted the line before the confederate battleship could get a lock and triangulate their position. For the next two hours, Max piloted the ship in erratic movements getting ever closer to Uriah. Finally, the station was in sight ahead of them. At the same moment, a radar signature emerged behind them, the confederate battleship.
“Punch the thrusters; we have to get into the asteroid field on the other side of the space station.”
Max, for once, didn’t say anything. He just nodded and pushed the thrusters up. Jesse prayed that Rick was finished with his work. They hadn’t heard anything from Roxanne for the last two hours, but the sudden acceleration got her attention as she radioed to Max.
“What the hell are you doing?”
“We are approaching the Uriah and the Confederate battleship is closing in. They are not in weapons range though.”
“Shit, evade them Max.”
“Yes, ma’am; Jesse contacted the Uriah and gave them instructions on what to do.”
“The Uriah is defenseless, what are they going to do?”
“Jesse said it was some kind of ambush.”
“Jesse had better be right, or we are all dead.”
The Longleaf pushed ahead, towards Uriah with the battleship gaining with every minute. The confederate ship was already starting to fire ranging shots. Max kept the Longleaf on a course to bypass the space station, but kept jinxing out of the projected paths of the incoming fire. The minutes started to stretch as Jesse and Max unconsciously held their breath. They slid past the Uriah and into the asteroid field with the Confederate battleship nipping at their heels. Just when Max thought they were cooked, Jesse opened a line to Rick.
“Do it, do it now!”
Without the tempered glass of the command deck to shield them, the glare was temporarily blinding. They continued further into the asteroid field as their vision came back. Roxanne came on over the radio again.
“Status report”
Jesse answered, “Ma’am, Mr. Walters had the miners aboard the Uriah plant magnetic charges on the asteroids at the edge of the field. Using additional electromagnets, Rick was able to launch the magnetic charges from the asteroids to the Confederate ship where they attached themselves to the hull of the ship and detonated. Those charges are meant for mining and completely overwhelmed the hull of the confederate ship. It has been ripped apart.”
The line was silent before Roxanne spoke up again, “So you managed to lead a Confederate battleship into a trap and destroy it?”
“Yes ma’am, Max led it and Rick destroyed it.”
“Well done Mr. Ownsman, you have a very bright future in the New Order Navy.”
Thank you so much for reading this short story, I really hope that you enjoyed it as much as I did writing it. My plans are to make this the beginning of a series of short stories about Jesse Ownsman and his adventures. I have a Facebook page for all the books and short stories in the Other Worlds universe, so just search for it and “Like” it to keep a tab on my newest stuff.
Thank you,
Ronald Brandenburg
About the Author
Ronald Brandenburg III was born in the United States in Alabama and grew up on the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Growing up on a small farm meant having few neighbors and thus delved into the worlds of fantasy and science fiction. Major influences include Harold Coyle, J. R. R. Tolkien, Edgar Rice Burroughs, J. K. Rowling and many others.
Ronald studied mechanical engineering at the University of Alabama in Huntsville where he graduated with honors. Since finishing school, he is a Systems Engineer for a Fortune 500 company. Alongside table top strategy games and computer games, writing is a favorite hobby.
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