Operation Orion - Kevin Dockery [39]
The words were the typed transmission of text that had accompanied the original radio call. They slowly took shape, and Jackson’s hands clenched into fists as he read them.
“USSS Troy…tack…calling USSS Pegasus…emergency…Arcton…”
“That’s all we could get, sir,” the sailor noted. “There’s probably a source of interference near the Troy. Either that, or she could still be mostly over the horizon of that planet. It is huge, sir.”
“Thank you, Roberts,” Carstairs said. He looked at Lieutenant Commander Seghers and then at Jackson. “It seems our sister ship is in trouble.”
“I agree, sir,” the XO replied, and Jackson nodded.
“Helm,” the captain barked. “I want all engines full. XO, take the crew to general quarters. We’re going in with everything we have.” He glanced up as if suddenly remembering that the SEALS officer was present. “You’d better join your Team and stand by, Tom. I don’t know what’s at stake here, but we have to expect some action.”
“Right, sir. I’ll await your orders below. Request permission to keep an eye on things.”
“Granted,” Carstairs said. “But only after you get four hours of sleep. We’re at least six or seven hours out, so you’ll still have time to enjoy the show.”
“Very good, sir. And thank you.”
The captain nodded. “And when you get up, L Deck is a good place to watch from. I have two men there crewing that particle beam cannon. When we swing around, you all will get a firsthand look at wherever we’re going.”
Four hours later the SEALS still were strapped into their bunks, following their officers’ orders to get some rest. Jackson decided to let the men sleep for the time being. They were still several hours away from the target, and even if the Team went into action, they wouldn’t do anything until the frigate reached the scene. He knew they would respond immediately when it was time to go, so he’d give them an hour or so of warning. The LT himself, however, was refreshed and ready as he made his way to the ship’s stern.
There wasn’t much to see on L Deck because the ship was still accelerating toward Arcton II and thus her nose was pointed at the destination. The two sailors crewing the particle beam weapon sat in their seats and, after a polite greeting to the SEALS officer, continued to monitor their instruments.
The weapon itself had been salvaged from an Assarn ship at the end of the Batuun mission. In effect, it had been a gift to the SEALS and the navy from Captain Olin Parvik, a piratical Assarn pilot who had shared a great deal of harrowing adventure and a nail-bitingly narrow escape with the Team as they had fled the planet of the Eluoi slaver Tezlac Catal. Parvik’s own ship, the Starguard, had been destroyed while orbiting Batuun. In gratitude for the SEALS’ help, he had offered to help them salvage the undamaged weapon from his ship.
Now the particle beam cannon was mounted externally on the stern of the Pegasus. To Jackson it looked like something out of a Buck Rogers story: a wicked slender barrel surrounded by coils that glowed an eerie blue when the weapon was activated. Unlike a laser, the blast of the cannon could cut through gas and vapor barriers, striking a target like a superheated cutting torch. A concentrated blast could knock out a ship’s electronics, and a sweeping barrage could cut a hull in half.
The two men who operated the particle beam weapon were seated inside the hull. One aimed the device, and the other controlled the power output. While the weapon drew on the frigate’s own engines for its energy, careful control was needed because it was fully capable of draining the entire production of all three fusion engines. Now Jackson was glad that the device was a part of the U.S. Navy’s arsenal.
An hour later he heard the chirping