RidOv Chpt-31

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==Ridiculously Overboard!! (A Captain Roberts Tale!!)Chapter 31 - Week 1; Devil's Breath system...==
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===Abandoned Prison World===
In Orbit of Devil's Breath - Outworlds Wastes, Periphery
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The imagery...
...showed an array of Kosygyn domes on a plateau, most were dark when the planet faced away from its sun, but a few had lighting.
"What does the naval data say about this planet's colony?" Larry asked.
Amanda shrugged, "CO2 reducing atmosphere, like pre-terraforming Mars, a few large frozen aquifers near the poles. Population was a few tens of thousands before twenty-seven-fifty or so. Star League had the site listed under Judiciary control."
"A prison?" Larry asked.
Captain Roberts shrugged. "Could be. It was on the rogues' list for some reason, and it's not anything valuable, or even particularly strategic when this ship was being prepped by the previous owners. Desmond just gives me a bare listing of chain-of-custody, the planet was garrisoned, but the SLDF units there were an MP company seconded to the judiciary branch of SLIC."
"A prison. Devil's Breath was a prison...now we have to look." Bedwyr said, "Don't we?"
"A Prison facility that's intact would be a good holding area for people snagged in slaving raids, hostages for blackmail, or anyone you're trying to hide, yeah." Larry asserted, "Captain??"
"We should look." Amanda nodded, "It's another twenty hours until the rest of the taskforce gets here...but we're here to look around. get everyone secured to stations, at two gees we can make it in three days, at three gees a day-and-a-half, but it'll beat the hell out of everyone on board. I wish we could afford a hot-charge on the drive, or had a battery system. We could cut the time to a few hours if we hit it on the L1."
"We could always hit the L1 on the way out, and just take the next few days going in." Larry suggested.
"That's a good idea, let's do that." she agreed, "meantime we can start prepping armor for the ground phase and making sure we can actually land...which means unshipping stuff from one of the shuttles. I kinda regret leaving the Mark VII at the base I found this ship at."
"I think we're all learning valuable lessons from this...'practice' run, Captain." Larry suggested. "Who's going to go down?"
She shrugged, "I'll do it, I need you to mind the ship while I'm away." she told him, "Maybe just take a four man team, that way we don't have to try and cram too much into the shuttle this time."
"Mister Seron, you will accompany the Captain as her aide." Larry was speaking in 'XO' mode, "Select three other people, that's how many can fit comfortably in a Lyonesse."
"Nobody is arguing the Captain should be on the SHIP?" Bedwyr scoffed, "I'm sorry Ma'am, but your job is up here giving orders-"
"Mister Nichols is a trained officer, and I'm a teenager with an imaginary friend." Amanda rebuffed, "I mean, yeah, normal, smart thing, is that the Captain stays with the ship and sends his or her XO, but..." she winced, and hesitated again. "I can crack any computer system down there, someone's down there, part of the facility is active, if they're using the Star League lockdown systems I can get a team in and it won't trip the failsafes."
"Okay, now that makes sense." Bedwyr's mein changed. "I think we can do better than spending three days under hard thrust. We should refuel the Aquarius, and load drop tanks on her along with the fighters, and do this right."
Amanda bit her lip, then..."uh-" her biological eye glazed, she shuddered, then, "-we do that, Mister Bedwyr."
"Desmond again?" Larry asked.
She nodded, "Have the Lyonesse escort on standby with the heavy fighters, and bring the ship on a course to the L1 point while I'm away, Mister Nichols." she said, "And yes, Mister Seron, along with Caffrey, Jones, and Adams, armored suits, standard infantry weapons and boarding cutlasses."
"The vibroblades?"
"Ayeh." she said, "They make good cutting tools if the electronic systems fail...and a draw of C-12 Blastex from the armory stores with a demo kit, and halligan tools. WE'LL do jump-off in eight hours, to make landing when the prison is on the nightside."
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