The Pi Effect Snippet 2

 Sitrep:

  The new video is slow going. Render time is averaging 7.5 minutes and I have spot checked and seen render times in other sequences as high as 18 minutes. (wince) The flashback sequences are faster since most are still shots... though some of the very complex animated ones are going to be fun to make let alone render. I haven't hit them yet but I'm getting close. 

   So, I'm averaging 50-60 frames a day if I am lucky. Hopefully I can get this done before... well, you'll see. :)

 Hopefully, though not soon. :)

  Anyway, I have no hot water, the tank died Saturday (that was a VERY COLD shower Saturday! and FAST! I found out the tank was busted the hard way!) lol so I'm dealing with that while also working on my R2, models I printed, the video project, and looking at entering that Daz3D contest as a last minute entry. (as if I don't have enough on my plate!)

Goodlifeguide said we should see the book back by Thursday. So, on to the snippet!

 

Chapter 2

 

Tortuga

 

Rear Admiral Pacito Suirez scowled as he read the latest report. Two more ships had gone missing, both privateers. So much for trusting them he thought acidly.

He controlled a half a dozen star systems around Tortuga. They supplied the base, and he had placed ships in orbit as an early warning system to alert him if trouble came in their direction. So far they had paid off in scaring off a handful of nosy Fed prowlers and tin cans that had been sent his way.

Commander Yuri Sin had gotten better at rebuilding ships, so much better that he'd gotten a few back into commission. That had allowed the heavy worlder admiral to decide to secure the space further out around Tortuga and set up additional pickets. But the ships that were on picket duty were not out looting and plundering. In other words, there was no profit in being a glorified guard. And with the Federation bearing down on them, it behooved them to be elsewhere.

Anywhere else.

It didn't help that their own side was spreading plagues. He shook his head. Talk about cutting their own throats. Who wanted to go down to a world that was riddled with death? They might be pirates but they were not stupid! Horath hadn't created any sort of vaccine system for them, and the threat of it getting up to infect a ship was just too big a risk for anyone.

He growled softly. Stupid. It was all stupid and all above his pay grade. But he was the one stuck holding the bag.

Well, he needed more insurance on loyalty. He put out an alert to the other commands to let them know about the missing ships in case they turned up. That would be passed on to the other two pirate bases in the sector on the next ship that went out.

In the meantime, he decided he needed to review the loyalties of the warships still under his control. He needed better insurance. He had some of their families here, but any pirate worth their salt would be willing to cut their own ties if it meant their survival or hell, profit.

He shook his head. Sometimes he wondered if his side was the real winning side or not. He snorted. Who was he kidding? He knew they were not on the side of angels. He'd known that for ages.

~~(O)~~

Commander Yuri Sin felt like he needed a shower after coming out of a meeting with Lieutenant Bung. The fat greasy bastard was sweating more and more; most likely because he felt the same thing that he did, that there was a noose slowly tightening around their necks.

Well, the fat bastard wasn't wrong. But the engineering commander was doing his level best to keep the noose from getting a grip. If the quartermaster could just see that and keep his sticky fingers to himself, they'd be better off.

Hell, if Bung didn't learn it soon he fully intended to teach him the hard way, he thought with a pang as he wandered back to his office.

He was surprised to find Captain Charice Rico there waiting for him. He raised an eyebrow in inquiry. She held up a memory chip and put it on his blotter.

"You could have had a courier drop that off," he said as he went to his cabinet, unlocked it with his thumbprint and pulled out an unmarked bottle. As an engineer, he knew about all of the stills in the base and on the ships. He was frequently bribed with tipple and knew who made the best. He kept some for relaxation or trade.

He poured her a drink. She smiled and took it as she sat down.

"If I send it by courier or through the net, you would forget it or you'd conveniently lose it. This way I know that you know you got it."

He sighed. "Okay, what is it going to cost me?" he asked as he swirled his drink.

"The usual, time and due dillegence," she said as she took a sip.

"Sounds expensive," he growled as he took a gulp. Liquid lava hit his larynx. He ignored the flash of pain. "Any more word on survivors?" he asked after a moment to make sure he wouldn't cough or anything.

She shook her head, face set in stone.

He sighed a little. "Thought not," he said, knocking the glass back and then pouring them each another.

All of the pirates were still grappling over the loss of Horath. It was especially hard on those who were from Horath like the admiral and a lot of the command staff.

Billions had died. The pirates had a list of survivors going around. It was updated occasionally when a courier came in from Sigma.

"I still don't understand why they did it," she said.

He nodded. They'd gotten past the numb stunned disbelief and worked through the various stages of grief. He had accepted the loss as well as the loss of any plans for an empire. That begged the question why he was still doing his job.

The answer was simple, there wasn't much else to do. Besides, he loved his job. Even if it meant the occasional repulsive visit with a certain fat leech of a quartermaster.

"Any change to the story?" he asked.

She shook her head.

"Thought not," he said, knocking the glass back again. The empress claimed the Federation had nova bombed Horath. They had picked up a different story. Admiral Suirez had ordered the story suppressed, which just made it more salacious and interesting for those who heard it. It was an open secret now that the Federation disputed the empress's version of events.

According to what the Federation had released to the planets in No-Man's Land between Tortuga and Port Royal when they'd made contact, the GSN and other news agencies stated that the empress had countered Irons' threat with her own and then followed through when they had invaded the planet.

They hadn't held back the punches, including the fact that over half of their Second Fleet had been lost as well as a good chunk of their best and brightest on the ground. That included many who were still listed as MIA. The occasional ship straggled in or was found even to this day five years later, but the odds of survival were getting vanishingly slim for anyone still left out in the cold.

"I don't know who to believe," the captain admitted.

"But, given the choice between the two?" Yuri asked, examining his glass.

"Well, let's see, lying bitch who schemed and killed her whole family to get into power? Versus the Federation?" She shook her head.

"Yeah, when you put it that way …," he shook his head. Funny how you could trust the other side to tell the truth over your own people. What did that say about their society?

He shied away from that thought.

She took a sip of her drink and stared into it. "I know."

"So, what do we do?" he finally asked. They were in a familiar discussion point. It was a rut, one they found themselves in at least once a week if not more. He was pretty sure a lot of people were asking the same question.

There were a few people who had gotten out. They had headed north to Devil's Anus and parts unknown. He wished them the best of luck. Deserters according to the admiral. They might be rats deserting a sinking ship, but they were the smart ones.

That said a lot about him, didn't it? he thought in amusement as he poured another glass.

Charice shook herself, regaining her composure. "Do? We do our damn jobs. It sucks, but this is the hand we've been dealt. The Feds won't give us a break. I'm not going to roll over and surrender so they can trot me out an airlock without the benefit of a suit."

"True. I agree. Why should we make it easier for them to kill us? Besides, if we can kill a few of them along the way?" He smirked. One thing that the Feds had done was get everyone off the stick. They were doing more than what had been done in centuries. They were accomplishing incredible things. A part of it had to do with the tech transfers that had come before and after Hawkwood's visit but not all.

He had been muddling around, not really pushing his job until the Feds had scouted Tortuga and they'd gotten reports of the same at the other bases. Funny that. What was the saying? Something about the prospect of a hanging concentrating a man's thoughts? Well, it worked. It had also brought some people together.

Of course the news that Horath had fallen and been destroyed had shattered some. But others had been grimly determined to get some sort of payback. It wasn't like they could find a job anywhere else after all.

He paused to wonder again if the Feds had deliberately released the information about Horath where they could pick it up in order to hurt their morale. It was possible. The empress bitch hadn't denied it either. She'd even pinned it on the Feds, which had confirmed it to those who had still been in denial.

"Glad you do. Let's get back to work then," she said, setting the glass down and nodding firmly to herself.

"It'd be nicer if we could just stick to the old code," he said, knocking the glass back and then putting the glasses and bottle away.

"Ah?" she asked. "Dare I ask?"

"Fight to run away," he said as he locked the cabinet. He knew any decent engineer could get into it without damaging the contents. Anyone else would probably try the crowbar route. If they did, they'd find little left by the time they got the thing open, but he was borrowing trouble thinking about that.

She wrinkled her nose. "Nice thought. I'd be careful running that one up the flagpole though. But I agree. We should have an exit strategy. Her highness might want us to 'hold the line' but you noticed she ran from Horath? And is hiding somewhere in Sigma? Her neck isn't on the line. Ours is. She hasn't done anything for us except cut orders."

She shook her head. The problem was Admiral Suirez had come up through the ranks as a battlefleet officer before a scandal twenty-five or so years ago had forced him to switch services to the Gather Fleet. He'd given up his dream of commanding fleets in favor of staying in a service and commanding a fleet base.

Tortuga in other words and since he was ranking officer in the sector, Pi was his to command. But a lot of his legitimacy went with his power base and with his ties to Horath. Horath was gone, but the empress was still there. Some still listened to her. She was the “port in the storm” for many to this day.

Many still insisted she was right and ignored any contrary opinions. More than one person had been killed in an agruement over that.

He grunted. "It's not up to either of us. But yeah, good idea. Getting certain people to set up a GOTH plan though?"

The captain grimaced. "True. I don't know what the admiral is thinking these days. He's playing his cards close to his vest," she admitted. That was never good, especially with her since she was his chief of staff. She was supposed to be his XO, his sounding board, and his confidant. He was shutting her out more and more with his glacial eyes and cold demeanor.

Yuri nodded with a grimace. "But I think it is only prudent to keep our exit strategies open and ready to implement if we need them."

Charice nodded once.

Yuri slapped his thighs with his hands. "Well, for the moment, we've got time. The Feds are content to stay in Port Royal."

"Yeah, but that begs the question, what are they doing there? I hate it when they are just sitting on their laurels like that. They are too quiet, which makes me nervous."

"Me too. They have to be doing something," he said and then hesitated.

"You think they are up to something?" Charice asked, cocking her head. She was curious about his unique viewpoint and what he might have to say.

"If we're not gathering intelligence, who is to know?" Yuri shook his head. Charice winced. "I think we need to find out before whatever they are doing comes and bites us in the ass."

The captain thought about that and nodded. She fully agreed with him and had tried to do that very thing. So far they hadn't gotten anywhere though. The only intelligence they got was picked up from planets in No Man's Land. Getting a ship in close to check though was tricky. No ship that had gotten close had come back. "True. You think they are assembling a fleet to come after us and bounce us out once and for all?"

"Possibly. I'd say probably myself," Yuri admitted.

"Eventually. They have to consolidate what they have and deal with the threat from the north with Dante's Playground," she reminded him.

"And the plagues. Yes, I know. I still don't trust them. Ignorance in this case is definitely not bliss," he growled. They both knew that the plagues were infuriating the population against them. But it was a distraction.

"If they got their fleet torn up in Horath, how could they come after us?" Charice asked carefully.

Yuri frowned thoughtfully. "That was five years ago. They can build more ships," he reminded her. She grimaced but nodded. "There were also a lot of wrecks in Port Royal. They could rebuild those."

She wrinkled her nose. "Yeah, but they were wrecks. The best stuff got sent here or is stuck at one of the other places or was sent on to Horath long ago. They'd also need people to crew them."

Commander Sin shrugged. "I don't know what to tell you other than to point to their history."

She blinked in confusion. "History?"

"Look at what this Admiral Irons did to get to this point. He salvaged ships in Pyrax to stop the task force sent there to take it. Then he salvaged more ships and built a navy that took on and beat Horath."

The captain scowled but nodded.

"Now whoever is in charge at Port Royal has all of those ships at their disposal. According to their own reports, they got hurt bad at Horath, and yeah, they probably threw a lot into chasing the empress down, but they can still send a few ships this way, especially if they want to cut off her retreat in this direction."

"True," the captain said slowly. She nodded. That made sense, a lot of sense actually.

"I can dredge up a list of ships there. See what they might have to work with. It would be a start."

She blinked and then nodded. "Better than what intel is throwing us. No news is good news," she said, throwing her hands up in disgust. Why the admiral went with them she had no idea.

"Seriously?" Yuri demanded, staring at her in surprise. "Aren't they tracking the Fed ships? Getting a location and number? Giving us an indication of where they are going and what they might target next? You know, intelligence things?"

The captain shook her head. "Obviously you haven't been to many of the meetings as of late," she said. It was a well known fact that Yuri used every excuse in the book to avoid meetings. Usually he was out somewhere in the yard “delayed” or off on a ship when one came up. The time lag made it impossible for him to attend except virtually or by sending a canned report of his department's activities.

He scowled and then began to curse.

She snorted. "Careful. You might get stuck in their job too."

"Pass," Yuri growled. "I like my gig thank you very much."

"Okay. Get me that list and then you have my permission to play with your spanners," she said, lips puckering in a slight smile as she stood up. "But only until dinner time and then you are to wash up," she teased, holding up a finger.

He rolled his eyes but smiled. "Yes, mom," he chuckled as they parted ways.

~~(O)~~