Organized Crime Chapters 1 and 2.

[Mauser Kar98K]

Chapter 1, Old Friends.

Three Worlds.
The Argon Colossus-Intrepid
Duty-Space Trials and Three Worlds Security.

“Coffee Sir??”
Captain Berdan looked up from his news reports to see Chief Mark with a mug of Argon joe, “you bet Chief! This mourning stuff still isn’t for me.”
“The way I look at it sir, there is no morning in space, just time, and space.”
“Your right, and that is why I made you Chief of the Boat,” said Berdan with a little sarcasm in his voice. “But every time I see, ‘0800 Sazuras,’ it just means that I could have slept in. Or in my old deployment around Ore Belt, I was sleeping. So what all happened last night? Rather hear it from you than read these stupid reports.”
“Not much sir. No engagements during the patrols, no pirate sightings, no accidents…umm, drills went fairly well last night with the night crew. They just need a little fine-tuning on targets.
“We did have a little problem with the bottom starboard. Blew a Quantum Tube, so we had to shut it down and repair. Took about a Sazura to fix, but the repair crew set a record on fixing.”
“What was the cause of the blown Quantum Tube?”
“Just a defect, factory problem? Replied Chief.
“How did our Lieutenant Junior Grade do? I know this was his first night out without my watchful eye.” Berdan had an eye patch over his right eye. He had the misfortune of running in to a swarm of space flies in Red Light with his shields down. The Discovery’s windshield shattered after the 5th fly slammed into the discovery flying at 450 klicks. If he hadn’t reacted as fast has his Discovery was going by tightening his belt and closing the helmet on his space suit, he would have been sucked out into space along with his eye.
“A couple of mistakes, but he learned from them. He has promise.”
“Good, Genus is a good kid, a little strict for my liking, but he is fresh out of the Argon Academy. How are the Squadrons doing?”
“Best in the Argon fleet, sir.”
“Nuff said.”
Berdan took a sip of his coffee and continued reading the news. He skimmed through and saw a report of low pirate activity throughout the Argon sectors.
“Hey Chief, what is the latest of the Pirate activity?”

“Ah, yes! Pirate activity has dropped down to 80%!”
“Any Reason why, what about intel?”
“Nothing from intel. My guess this new Carrier doing Space Trials in Three Worlds. I know Pirates hate being targets for practice on our GPPCs.”
“Presence is everything,” boasted Berdan.
“Sir, sensors picking up three Titans coming out of the Cloud Base jump ring,” said Ping, the radar operator.
“Hertz, patch me to the lead ship,” ordered Berdan.
“Aye sir, comm-link established. It’s Commander Shern of the Rolk’s Revenge.”
What was left of Berdan’s right eyebrow shifted up, producing a little smirk, “Hello Commander, what brings yall to the Argon vacation spot?”
“Re-supply and training Capt,” the comm-screen light up with a blond headed female, looking like she has seen better nights sleeping.
“Well, that’s nice. Good to have company out here in this boring work. You wouldn’t happen to have Quantum Tubes would you?”
“Why yes, Kit I would. Some ass of a J.G. who commanded the Intrepid made a fuss about it. Said he expect more from Argon Fabs.”
“I’ll talk to him.”
“You know I remember you as being hard, but not as hard as him. Why can’t we relive the squadron days?”
Berdan cleared his throat, “Because I can’t fly with one eye in a M3 ship, and I like having someone to take over if I get tired.
“Hertz, put me through a secure channel!”
Hertz pushed the security code and pressed transmit, “Sir, you are through.”
“Again, Berdan cleared his throat and lowered his voice, “so when can I see you again?”
“Hmm, let me think. You don’t have a transporter device do you? But I seem to have it, so you either: one; need to fly over here and get or two; I fly over there and give it to you.”
“I say you come here and I give you a tour of the Intrepid.”
“Oh, ya, I remember the last you gave me a tour to a ship. I’ll think about it. Revenge out! Stud!”

[Mauser Kar98K]

Down in the hangar of the Intrepid, pilots and crew of the Nova Cats’ squadron were awaiting for their squad leader’s dismissal for them to go sleep off the night before. Flight Leader Corpus,“Corps” as they affectingly call him, commanded four M3 Novas, including his own. He walked out of the Officer of the Days office with a small computer notebook.
“At ease, if you aren’t, slackers! Okay, overall, the O.D. likes it. After reviewing the flight data, the only thing that needs work, I rear turret target practice. Turret crews need to rely less on the automatic targeter and have more skill. Fighter drones do fly like a sapien mind.
“Speed is great! Keep it up…”
“Well sir, our beefed up Novas help,” perked up “Menace”
“That’s because we have M6 engines on ours you illiterate fool. Read more in our Captain’s manual on this beast will you? That goes for all of you. Make you fighter an extension of your mind. This fighter is Berdan’s idea remember.”
Berdan helped create a new Nova that is on Space Trials with the Intrepid. He requested Corvette engines with standard jump drive upgrade, expanded cargo bay, and a spot for an Ion Disrupter. The “new” Nova became a little bigger but went into production as a “Gunboat” based fighter. The prototype went 60 klicks faster than the original. The fighter is supposed to create a shock to the pirates as a faster M3 interceptor. Being that a fully upgraded Pirate freighter is faster than a stock Nova, Berdan felt an upgraded Nova was in order.
They crews on the Intrepid name the new Novas’ as the “Avenger.” There are only the Four, but more are being manufactured under tight secrecy.
Corps dismissed his squad and went to talk to the O.D. He walked back into the officer and put the notebook back on the desk, “so how are the other squads doing, LT?”
Lt. Minser looked up from his closing reports with a look of, “shut-up I’m busy.”
“Well, so far the Deltas are the ones falling behind,” said Minser. “But they are mostly new pilots. The “Double ‘D’s’ are the best out of the four squadrons of Deltas, and I would have the Double ‘D’s’ fight off the Xenon if our sole existence deepened on it.”


“Delta” is short for the Discovery M5 class ship. Four squads make up the Delta wing, Alpha to Delta. When cut short to the names on a command comm, it looks like this; “D-A-1,” Delta-Alpha one, and so on. The Double “D’s” is after Delta-Delta, or D-D-1. Hints forth, “The Double ‘D’s.’” The number represents the number of the ship.
All squads are packed with twenty fighters. The Prime Minster if the Argon Navy has ordered to train as many pilots as possible. With the Intrepid on Space Trails, better time to train.
“Other than that Corps, train, train, train. I guess the Xenon are due for an attack.”
“Ya, it looks that way.”
“Attention, incoming transport. Reception hands to their station.”
“Who’s coming, Minser?”
“Commander Shern. She is coming with supplies,” the heavy-set Lieutenant replied.
“Good I hope they include fighter drones and beer.”