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Chapter 20 - The Administrator[]
Cosworth 19 Station
Outer Winter Belts
Winter system
Lyran Commonwealth
3142
Cosworth 19 was an ice-mining rig, harnessing comets for water and rare earths. Periodically, the whole processing station had to be moved, and being valuable to the economy of the Winter Belts, when she moved, she needed protection.
Today, that protection came in the form of 3 Patrol, Squadron 12, 2nd Division Kowloon Coast Guard, supplementing 2 Patrol, 1st Squadron Winter System Division of the Winter Coast Guard.
Eight jump-capable ships, armed, with a selection of deployable small-craft and an even broader selection of fighters. Why? because Cosworth 19 was valuable. One hundred and twelve thousand, six hundred and forty one civilians valuable, since in addition to the water refinery, ore processing, smelting and hydrocarbon production and processing capabilities, it also provided food for millions of Rockjacks, Shippers, and Spacers.
A shadow moved on cold thrusters nearby. watching, stalking the facility as it ambled slowly toward a new orbit, observing the reflection from civilian vessels, the occasional thrust-light of tug-engines, and the movement of the escorting force.
Doors slid open on missile bays, and missiles silently slid outward, firing soft cold-nitrogen thrusters to orient, before the reactors sent the first pulses to the hunter's main drive.
Forty one, forty two...forty three..forty four missiles arranged themselves under tight-beam control along a pre-set pattern.
The targets, were the escort forces. The hunter drifted cold, engines on standby, ready to fire as soon as their prey were in range.
The first, primary wave was meant to sow discord and confusion among the defenders. The second, was intended to further sow that confusion-striking the refinery complex with its greenhouses & storage tanks, civilian facilities, and most importantly, communication hub.
Sensitive antennae on the hull were meant to serve the stealth systems of this warship-detecting 'opposite' EM and radio patterns in the cosmic noise, while broadcasting a pattern that matched them both in frequency and amplitude on the far side. This, combined with absorbing materials in the coatings, reduced her RCS to that of a small hummingbird-the small propeller plane commonly used by agro pilots throughout human space, not the member of the avian family.
Thus, it was with some surprise when those sensitive sensors picked up the EM pulse of an emergence wave on the port-side aft.