Chapter 49: Battleships, Battleships, Everywhere. Except There.
Mike landed back on Siberia and headed into the command room. The Empress was not present at the moment. She was likely asleep. "I hope Kalli makes it," he said. "Right now, we need to deal with that blockade."
"We received your message," Talia said. "What are we going to do about this? We don't have enough food to last here for more than a week or two without supplies from outside."
"There is no jump gate to the Burgundy system," Mike said. "But it's pretty damned remote out there. Still, someone could manage to go through Burgundy and through the fringe systems and get around to Balzac or somewhere again for supplies."
"Wait a minute," Talia said. "If nobody lives out there, there has to be a reason for it. The Primos spread wherever they reasonably can."
Mike brought up a map of the galaxy and zoomed in on that section. "Past Burgundy, it would require going through Gamma, Theta, and Epsilon to reach Balzac," he said, pointing to each one in turn. "They're only refered to by those designations because they were too dangerous for more than a brief survey team to go through."
"I knew there was a catch," Talia said.
"Nevertheless, under the circumstances, we still may be able to get a convoy through there safely," Mike said. "The radiation levels in the Gamma system should be minimal of we avoid the inner part of the system."
"Radiation," Talia said lightly. "What fun. What else is out there?"
Mike pointed at the next system. "Theta is pretty benign, but not particularly interesting. No planets, no useful resources, nothing." He pointed at the third one. "Epsilon, however, probably isn't the kind of place you want to hang around for very long. It's a neutron star."
"That should be fun, too," Talia commented.
"Yeah," Mike said. "But it's the only way to get to Balzac without going through any of the other four systems or going weeks out of the way, by which time it'd be too late."
"You're going to do this?" Talia asked.
Mike nodded. "However. I don't think a freighter would be able to get through there, especially through Epsilon. Of all our ships, I think only the Novas are tough enough to withstand the radiation and gravity pressures for an extended period of time."
"The Novas can't carry as much as the fighters, though," Talia said.
"And all things considered," added Anderos, "we do have the Novas, after all. Why can't we just destroy one of the battleships with them and get through that way?"
"I'd like to try to avoid that if at all possible," Mike said. "I'm not too keen on the idea of needlessly killing hundreds of thousands of people, even if they are Primos. Not to mention the residual radiation levels from a reactor breach the size of the ones on a battleship."
"Can we fit enough food on five or even ten Novas to sustain us until the biodomes are ready?" Talia asked.
"Bill," Mike said. "Do some calculations."
Bill nodded and pulled out a data pad, and crunched through some numbers. "Five Novas would not be enough," he concluded shortly. "Ten, maybe. You'd have to fill up the cockpit too to bring enough."
"Put everyone on half rations," Mike said. "We'll manage."
"Isn't there anywhere else we can get food from?" Anderos asked.
"Not really, no," Mike said. "We could go through Burgundy to Coventry, but that jump hole is probably guarded as well. They wouldn't expect us to go this way."
"Because it's insane?" Talia said.
"Exactly. And the only other stable jump holes out from Burgundy just lead further into uninhabited space. We could end up having to go even further around before reaching a system we could obtain food in."
"Fine," Talia said. "I'm going with you."
"Talia?" said Anderos.
"Someone needs to do it, and I'm going batty stuck in this system," Talia said.
"Your choice," Mike said. "Bill, get the Novas arranged in new shifts, covered by two pilots and trading off with the Supernova." Bill nodded.
"We also still have some scientists and a couple pilots stuck on planet Harris at Blake's old base," Anderos said.
"They'll manage," Mike said. "At least they've got access to the outside from there."
"And waht about Kalli?" Talia asked.
"She'll manage!" Mike sighed. "I damn well hope so."
He turned to head outside to the landing platform to spread the word about what he was planning on doing and recruiting eight more pilots. One person per ship would mean more room in the cockpit for supplies and half the food consumption on the way there and back. He had never actually been into these systems himself, but the map with the jump hole locations should be accurate as he's gotten it from a Death Dancer who had been out there. Not all Death Dancers led a life of combat, after all. Some of them prefered to explore uncharted and dangerous areas of space, bringing back stories and pictures of the experience.
"Well, are we ready to go yet?" said Jake.
"What, you're coming too?" Mike asked. "Not scared, are you?" He grinned faintly.
"Nah," Jake said. "I'm certain if you say it's safe, it must be perfectly safe. But anyway, I'm not much use here if I can't bring in supplies. Bloody battleships."
"Heh," Talia said, coming up beside them. "It'll be like old times."
"Which old times?" Jake asked. "You mean the time Mike almost got me killed? Wait, I remember several times Mike almost got me killed."
Mike snickered. "Come on, let's get going. We'll have plenty of time to chat on the way there."
They climbed into the Novas, Talia taking Kalli's Nova since she was the only one that knew the password for it, and departed from planet Siberia, the other seven ships not far behind them. They took a formation and headed straight for the jump hole to the Burgundy system. At least if they met anything hostile on the other side, there was more than enough firepower between them to take care of it.
"I suppose, though, if they get desparate for food, they can always start roasting each other with their blasters," Mike commented lightly.
"Don't remind me," Talia said. "That little incident almost made me want to be a vegetarian."
"Space rations can't really be classified as vegetable matter, though," Jake commented.
"Whatever."
