TO SAIL ON SOLAR STORMS : The Star Raven Saga

An Exerpt,

                     A   Prologue

Time is a funny thing. Cyclic in nature. Almost as if the three wyrdling sisters really were busy weaving threads of destiny in patterns. Plaids of catastrophe, plaids of beauty, fate, destiny camouflaged in intricate patterns.

The Bronze age collapse brought in an era of Piracy. The sea peoples reigned the seas,  coasts of the Mediterranean world. Only those civilizations not dependent upon the sea routes  could withstand and repel them.

The late Migration Era saw another time of Dominate Pirate reigns. The Angles, Saxons, The Norse, The Viking era. On Land , the Goths, Hind, later, Mongols dominated.

This repeated again in the complexity of the Enlightenment, the end of the Renaissance. Piracy again played roles in the new empires, their wars, expansion, exploration, trade. The late Fifteen Hundred through the early Eighteen Hundreds was the Time of Drake, Grania, Black Beard, Lafitte.

Seemed piracy was part of the great pattern, woven into the plaid of time, destiny. Just about every four or five hundred years piracy became an important, intricate thing in the scheme of things.

The  late Twenty Second century witnessed this pattern. On a scale that no one could have imagined before.

The Sol System is a realm of such immense wonder.  Words cannot express. At least, not yet. Language will most likely evolve to describe, explain, encapsulate the experience. For now though, a pidgin of Mathematics, equation, numeric ratio, struggled to fill the gaps.

Humanity had finally broken free of the nest, Luna and Cruithne, had been first,

Then system wide Lagrange point stations. Mars, then the cloud cities of Venus, domes on Titan, Europa, and Ceres, Out posts, Colonies, Nations. The vast realms of space Humanities new frontier.

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Carlos Nickolae Carranza,  C-N-C to his men, a play on his initials, his command style and the age old military acronym for Command And Control, was well respected by everyone that served with him.

Moments after the "Fire in the hole" warning the team were secured into their descent harnesses. Commander Carranza spoke the override , and release commands. The Cargo hold blew the retention bolts and was detached from the transport.

Unfortunately for the Security team, that was exactly what the pirates had wanted.

As soon as the cargo module was clear of the solar sails of the transport, the waiting support craft of the pirates fired their grapples. In no time the Module was being winched into the cargo hold of the support shop.

Zero loss of life.  Absolute minimal damage to the target and zero damage for the pirates.  The raid could not have gone better.

There's always a fly in the ointment however.

The Cargo Module contained enough emergency supplies to keep the security team alive for Thirty days.  A guard was posted and the module secured, still buttoned up tight. No attempt was made to enter it. The pirates had it, it wasn't going anywhere other than where they wanted. The pirates merely stood watch to make sure no one could sneak out and about causing mischief.

Recall was transmitted. The pirates had given the crew and security detail the option of signing on with the pirates. Three of the crew did. All of the security detail opted to. The only reason the entire crew didn't sign on, was the fact of their wives, families back at the corporate station. Effective hostages ensuring obedient employees. The Security detail were, all, expendable resources. Un married, no families and facing death or the mines for having not stopped the pirates. None of them had been volunteers.

The Pirates resealed the holes they had cut and departed. Leaving the transport crew alive,  unharmed if stranded. There was enough air, water, and food for the crew for near  on to  six months onboard. 

The Pirates did cut away the solar sails, and com array,  setting them adrift and  dumped all of the Isotopic fuel into space. In a day or so System Command and Control  would be responding to see why the Transport transponder  was not broadcasting.

With the exception of Communication relay installations and an  unmanned observatory,  there was no traffic outside of the orbital plane. All destinations lay along the orbital plane, so there was no reason to travel above or below the orbital plane.

That is exactly why the pirates had chosen to base themselves above the orbital plane. There happened to be quite a few large asteroids and comets that orbited crossing the orbital plane.

From those positions, on the high ground so to speak. The Pirates had line of sight view of the entire System. They could see anything coming and monitor all ship traffic.  So far,  System patrol had been working under the assumption that piracy operated out of the asteroid belt.

A misunderstanding  that the pirates worked diligently to encourage.

The Five raider-assault craft docked and secured into their transport coves.

The Enterprise fired up , moving up out of the orbital plane at one and a half G acceleration. They would be dependent upon using their nuclear reaction engines, to attain travel velocity, then the Ion drives to maintain velocity. No Sails at all on this trip. The massive reflective area of solar sails were impossible to disguise. Being Easily spotted with an optical array.

The Trip home was uneventful. Thirty days at 1.5 G was a bit rough on the new crew. In time, they would adapt, or not. The security team in the cargo module was , miserable to put it lightly. Accustomed to slightly less than one  gravity on average and often less,  everything weighing half again as much left them struggling and exhausted at all times during the trip.

Once they returned to port , the new crew would be processed, sworn in, they would sign the accords, and med techs would over see their acclimation. Hormonal-Steroid treatments, RNA modifier therapy, diet and exercise would adapt them to the 1.5  G environment the pirates preferred. It made them stronger, faster, gave them greater endurance, than the non pirates. All advantages for raiding, fighting, outrunning the planers  as the Pirates had taken to referring to those in the Solar plane.

Five weeks after the raid, the  Enterprise,  spun on her axis and began the process of slowing down. Decelerating at one G,  took a week and a half. During that week, negotiation with the security detail was initiated. The security team was, bored, scared, hungry and thirsty. Four of them had chosen surrender.  Commander Carranza refused. That complicated things.

The O'Malley clan held tradition and honor very dearly. Utterly ruthless in battle, as a rule the clan was down right gracious in victory.  The Clan motto;  Grace, Fury, Honor. Named for the famed late Sixteenth century, early Seventeenth Century Irish Pirate Queen, Grania " Grace" O'Malley, the Clan drew inspiration from those roots. The founder of the Star Clan O'Malley, was an O'Malley, so She had claimed.  She had captained the first  Enterprise of the small, though potent O'Malley fleet. The First Enterprise had been a captured patrol, exploration frigate. Great things begin small.

The Current flag Ship, Enterprise, a custom built ship, could haul two frigates in her hold, plus a bakers dozen strike ships on her hull. The O'Malley clan now had Three such vessels,  Enterprise, Grainne and Retaliator, nine frigates and three destroyers. A potent fleet.

Their closest Allies,  Roberts Roughnecks, fielded Three destroyers. The Roger Young, The Galileo, and the Heinlein.

One other clan shared the largish Asteroid they called Home.  Ragnars Ravagers.  They fielded a Light Cruiser and Two Destroyers.

The Wotan, The Loki, and the Thor.

Those Three Clans dominated the Solar north .

The Solar South, was a hodge podge of disorganized Islamic raiders, and East asian origin pirates.  There were small single ship crews working the Belt .

The one thing all of them had in common was, a deep abiding hatred of the Corporate realms and the Collective.

The Northern Alliance, did not get along with the raiders of the Solar South at all. One main bone of contention was slavery. The Northern Alliance did not tolerate Slavery. 

After days of deliberation a compromise was reached.  The Clan champion would duel Commander Carranza , for the Liberty of his team.  This was the result of maintaining both, the Honor of Clan O'Malley and Commander Carranza.  Carranza was betting, that his public death, would prevent the Blackhawk Corporation from executing or enslaving his wife and daughter.

Arrangements were made. This was to be a public relations coup! Not only would Clan O'Malley be known for such a daring and deep raid, a serious P.R. blow for Blackhawk, but the duel and subsequent public freeing of the Transport crew, and security detail,  followed by them signing the Articles rather than return to the planers corporate realm, would serve as a public relations coup and recruiting tool.

Close Quarters Combat had made a major return in the Twenty Second century.  Materials tech had rendered man portable kinetic weapons effectively useless. The armor would stop any ballistic projectile short of ship mounted rail guns. The advanced  materials could shield from microwaves, sound, kinetics, just about any directed energy weapons than were man portable. The tech that would negate the armors effectiveness, was tech no one wanted to use inside a station or vessel.

Which brought back, boarding pikes, axes , blades.

The new hand weapons, while vaguely resembling the ancient Swords, axes and spears had a few twenty seconds century upgrades.

Monomolecular carbon fiber blade edges, composite Graphite blades, dense alloy wires woven through the blades. Creating Blades of extraordinary light weight that could cut through anything due to the monomolecular cutting edges. Plus, those alloy threads, when an electric charge was applied, heated the blade up literally hotter than the sun. Air around the blades burned, turned to plasma. These weapons did no collateral damage, were highly effective and defeated nearly any armor.

Commander Carranza carried a cup hilted Saber.

Donal, wielded a two handed Irish longsword. Both with the Carbon fiber blades. "Sun-Swords" they had come to be called due to the bright glow of the blades.

After the first exchange Donal was highly concerned. Carranza barely knew how to hold his sword. If this was to be any sort of show he would have to some how make Carranza look better. Unfortunately Carranza was not being cooperative.

His ineptitude was, embarrassing.

The man was brave. Just, completely unskilled with a blade.  Donal closed, slamming the pommel of his sword right between Carranza Eyes. Carranza was stunned. Donal continued, advancing , entangling Carranza. Donal dropped his sword, to wrench Carranza saber away and immediately strike, once again closing. This time striking Carranza in the jaw with the hilt of his saber ,Carranza dropped  to the polished concrete floor. Donal flourished the saber, retrieved his long sword and walked away. Carranza, lay battered, unconscious on the floor.

With any luck, they could edit the video, conceal the fact that Donal had not slain Carranza. He had not intended to to begin with though Carranza had not known that.

Hopefully Carranza Honor would be satisfied and his wife and daughter saved.

It would not be easy to sneak them out of Blackhawk 's facility, but Donal was betting it would be worth it. Carranza had proven to be a good leader, shrewd, respected, courageous and honorable. He could be an asset to Clann O'Malley if he could be convinced to sign. Not to mention the P.R. when it was revealed Carranza was alive and the O'Malley Clann had rescued his wife and daughter.

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Chapter One:

Gracie was pissed.

Highly pissed. Even so , she laughed.

Better to be pissed off than to be pissed on. Gracie was the one about to do the pissing.

She wasn’t going to be pissing vinegar. Oh no, she had moved right up to pissing fire.

Hell fire was about to rain down on this ” transport ” crew. These worthless goat whores were about to burn and beg.

Her assault team had rigged the breeching charge. Having made sure that the cargo was safely locked down in the cargo modules. Gracie had stationed the assault craft to secure the modules.

The Transport bridge and mess hall/rec hall were the target. Gracie gave the order to prepare for breech, ” Make damn sure your sensor rigs are recording. On 3, 2, Go!”

Breeching charges fired. The burned sections blew out, away from the breeching holes. Near hurricane force flows of escaping atmosphere from three assaults sprayed out. The armored assault teams entered rapidly.

Normally, such operations were done with great care to minimize damage and loss of life. Not this time. This was a corporate employee transport. A slaver. None of the transportees were there voluntarily. The Raiders took great care to protect the transportees. The crew, not so much.

The breeching teams dropped in , the crew was scrambling for pressure suits or to evacuate the bridge. All were unceremoniously efficiently cut down. The First mate, was stripped naked and shoved through the still hot breeching hole. Spaced Naked. Gracie made sure that a clear close up of the mates face was recorded as she shoved him through the hole. One of the team had secured the interior hatch, wedging it open.

They wanted to vent the atmosphere. The raiders were boarding to make sure none of the crew survived and each execution was recorded. There was no mercy for slavers. Fifteen raiders, eradicated the crew of Forty in very short order. All hatches were blown. The transport left open to space, exposed to vacuum.

All of this was done in under ten minutes. All the cargo modules secured and ejected for retrieval. Six hundred men and women had been rescued.

Gracie personally reprogrammed the auto pilot. The transport was set for full sails, and maximum burn , to be used as a message. A message for Earth. If the planers didn’t destroy the transport first, the transport should hit O’Neil station Five. Impacting at around seventy thousand KPH and still accelerating in a day and a half.

That should keep them distracted.

Next, would be the snatch and grab on Cruithne. Commander Carranza’s wife and daughter being the principles. Plus Any they could convince to join them in escaping the Blackhawk corporate shackles.

supplies dropped at remote locations , left for those in need.

Six months of preparation for this. The grand hooah, now fully underway.

Roll The Bones!”

Captain Grace, Gracie, O’Malley ordered. The Grainne opened up, switching from stealth mode. Lidar swept space around the battle carrier. Assault raiders emerged, single seat strike craft launched. A Frigate dropped free of the large central hull.

All of this accompanied by a hurricane flood of Kinetic energy fire. Banks of 100MM rail guns. Maser bursts. High Energy lasers. The hundreds of high performance missiles, were being reserved, saved In case the Star Corps or Earth managed any sort of ship response. striking predetermined targets on Cruithne. The Star Corps base was unprepared. Not to mention incapable of opposing such a strike.

“Gottem! Caught em cold! Goat whores never saw it coming! Hooooo-Fucken Hah”

Crew Chief Thompson cackled. Roberts Roughnecks Omega detachment, dropped towards Cruithne. The operational detachment would hit the surface twenty seconds after the last k.e.w. round impacted. Shock first and next came Awe.

Com net was filled with "Hooaah!", and "Mobile Infantry", And "Roughnecks! " Crew Chief Thompson cut into the net babble. " Aight you apes, pipe down. Sticks form up."  Six man teams, Sticks, maneuvered, arranging themselves, targeting pre planned objectives.

Their powered armor , was equipped with reaction jets, mini rail guns, grenade launchers and they carried sun blade boarding axes. The detachment had been dropped into orbit around Cruithne. Now the detachment was descending towards the Moonlet. Their mission, to secure landing zones for the follow on force. A Standard Twenty Second century Ranger task. 

One smart ass, with an ancient "Buzz Light-year" painted on his helmet, cut in to the com net with "To infinity and beyond".

Corporal Timothy Taylor happened to be obsessed with Twentieth Century animated entertainment. His personalized deep space rig, was decorated with a Marvin the Martian and Duck Rogers.

The Roughnecks were a bit, individualistic. Though, highly skilled and professional.

The surface of Cruithne now held a sort of atmosphere of fine dust from the bombardment. This concealed the Roughnecks. Surface objectives were rapidly achieved with no resistance or observation. Low power Maser beacons were set up. All was prepped for the main force.

Assault transports homed in on the master beacons. The Roughnecks had been unopposed on the surface. Taking up positions over looking the primary hold exterior loading dock hatches. Hacking teams were busily working on hacking into the systems to gain control and cycle open the hatches.

“ Hooaah Target Accessed” called out over the closed com net. The crew Chief relayed the control access to the grounded assault carrier modules.

Assault teams from the Grainne dismounted, seizing the initiative and began the sweep and clear phase of the operation. The cargo holds were secured in short order. All of the assault teams were now data linked into the facility net.

The first surprise was that there was no resistance. No security response whatsoever. The second surprise was that, there were only a hundred corporate managers on all of Cruithne. The third surprise, the remainder of personnel on the station were primarily women and children. The families of corporate “employees” held hostage, to ensure the employees obeyed the managers.

It was quickly determined how these guarantees were carried out.

When an employee refused orders or failed to meet scheduled requirements, their family would be placed into an airlock, then, the airlock would be depressurized. The process recorded, then shown to all corporate employees via corporate net.

Captain Gracie personally oversaw the corporate managers stripped naked, forced to run a gauntlet of detained family members, and thrown out of the main cargo hold onto the surface of Cruithne. This process was recorded, then broadcast system wide.

The Raid on Cruithne had originally been a snatch and grab for the family of Commander Carranza.

That mission was partially successful. The commanders family had been safely secured. However, funny how there is always an however.

The raiders now had full control of Cruithne, and over one hundred thousand former corporate hostages. A hundred thousand now totally dependent upon the raiders.

There was not enough room or supplies to transport the people aboard the Grainne. In fact, there wasn't enough space on Home itself. In one action, the total population of the Confederate Alliance, had more than doubled.

This was certainly not going according to plan. Over several hours, new, hastily laid plans emerged. Hashing those plans out with communication lag times was an annoying process. A process complicated because during initial staging, the raid itself had been broadcast live system wide.

The results of that were Blackhawk employees rebelling as soon as they became aware of the Confederate Alliance actions. Transport ships crews mutinied. Station crews, mine facilities rebelled. Within a few days the Only Black Hawk facilities not in open rebellion were on Earth itself. On Earth, corporate employees , went on strike.

Panic ensued. No other Star Corp was prepared for this previously unfathomable happening.

The Nation States of Earth were divided. Long kept weak via corporate treaties, none of the Earth nations could field a force that could threaten the Confederate Alliance. Only the combined assets of the Star corps could do so.

The problem for the Star Corps was, they were not a united force. They had all been actively competing among themselves. Openly hostile, fiercely protective of their markets and assets. None of their equipment was standardized. Each Star Corp had deliberately built their systems so that they were incompatible with the other star Corp equipment.

As the news and Shockwaves of the Cruithne raid resounded across the system. The O'Malley clan dispatched the principle remnant of their fleet to assist and support the Grainne. The Confederate Alliance itself had not been prepared for the current circumstances.

Two months later the Confederate Alliance was still debating. The Star Corps were wrangling amongst themselves and the O’Malley clan found themselves in defacto sole possession of Cruithne.

Across the system, Blackhawk facilities that had not come under direct C.A. protection were taken by various Star Corp forces.

Virtually the entire Blackhawk fleet of transport and patrol craft had joined the C.A. a coalition of European, and American interests had seized half the Blackhawk orbital and Lunar assets. The Asian Alliance seized the remainder of Blackhawks former near Earth facilities.

The Solar system found itself in a whole new state of affairs. Completely by accident, The Clann O'Malley, now commanded the largest, most extensive fleet in the system along with Cruithne and two Lagrange stations. A handful of Belt mines and manufacturing facilities had pledged themselves to the Clann O'Malley as well.

Roberts Roughnecks now held two Lagrange stations along with an additional twenty transports.

Ragnars Raiders gained One Lagrange station, twenty transports them selves.

Belt alliance holders, were wheeling and dealing amongst themselves.

For the time being, the System was not at open war. That was coming though. As soon as the current state of affairs was sorted out, reorganized. Conflict was the most likely event. On all sides all players scrambled to prepare.

Here and there skirmishes occurred.

Elements from South of the Solar ecliptic plane, raided as before, which further complicated matters.

It was an interesting time to live.

A system wide war had begun. Problem was no one was really sure who was on who’s side. They all bickered, postured and looked at each other funny. Only the Confederate Alliance had any sort of coherent situation.

The problem for the C.A. was that things had gone too well for them. They were completely unprepared for their overwhelming success.

Too much of a good thing created completely unpredictable problems.