TAZ23

==Chapter 23 - The Absolute Zero==
LCS Delphin FC-2218
Lyran Navy Cutter
Unknown Star System
Republic of the Sphere
February 3159 CE
[Off axis to anywhere...]
The Sail was repaired and Nguyen had the calculations worked out to put them into a known system. That was the good news.  The bad news, was a thermal bloom at 200,000 Kilometers with neutrino and tachyon spray indicating whatever was coming-whatever or whoever was dogging them was big.
"We're boned, aren't we?"
Nguyen shrugged as the point opened, "Gimme a minute."  Space is big, and the space between stars is big. "They're tracking us."  Nguyen said quietly, "They know where we are when we barely know where we are.  Lock down for jump."  he chose a different set of coordinates and input them.
Initiating! and the Delphin conducted it's Hyperjump.
dIsCoNtInUIty
The fever raged through him, the heat...
Not a fever.  The building was on fire.
Everything was on fire.  He stood at the broken windowpane and looked down.
Burn or go splat?  "Jump!"
His legs piston down and he fell through the air of the burning city. All the while streaks of orbital fire continued to rain down.
They left us to die. why did they leave us to die?
dIsCoNtInUIty
Nguyen was giving orders immediately.  "Spread Sail!!"
The K8VI star in the distance blazed.
"Where are we?" asks one of the cremembers.
"New Dallas."  Nguyen said, "We're not at one of the main stable points but, the calcs were a gamble this time."
"Jesus, sir, that's on everybody's maps now!"
"Kind of the point." Nguyen said, "It's on everyone's maps, nobody actually wants to try to live here. It's not where you'd put a secret base full of high-classified tech, not with half the scavengers in human space still coming here looking for another New Dallas Core...and there's them."
At 2,500,000 kilometers were the shapes of a group of Warships.
"Who?"
''
"Wolf Empire." Nguyen said, "New Dallas is in striking distance of the Republic's major worlds, and it didn't take 'em forever to get the charging stations back up.  We found a secret naval base, there. Right there is a naval base with no secret. Unlike our dinky little cutter coming in on an off-vector into the local asteroid fields. Our pursuers are going to make one hell of a racket coming through even if they can work out the jump points.  We've got time to charge the drive."
"What happens if the landholder notices us?"
"We give them our recon data and ask for help." Nguyen said, "I don't know about you but, fighting four up-gunned Mjolnirs Battlecruisers using a Star league era Battleship for formation anchor isn't a dance card I want to take on with a dinky cutter, six fighters, and two small boats."
"So it's not option one?"
"Hell no." Nguyen said, "Our orders were to get data.  We need to find how we're being tracked so ****** easily. We're running radio silent, and we keep running radio silent or until we're in home space...or one of those big bastards bothers to notice we're here.  Fricke, Witt, gather up the engineering crew and our bullet sponges, I want every millimeter of hull checked for listening devices. Arto, take systems down and do a virus sweep, start with disconnecting our interstellar communications. Keep an ear on the radio in case the locals decide we exist and want to demand explanations."
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