TAZ20

==Chapter 20 - The Absolute Zero==
LCS Delphin FC-2218
LCN Cutter
Uncharted Star System
Republic of the Sphere
January, 3159 CE
"They're still chasing us, sir."  WO4 Lin noted.
Lieutenant Commander Chaim Nguyen nodded, "I can see that."  he was already doing the calculations for their next target.
Deep space, courtesy of a moonlit barely two kilometers across.
"They're gaining" reported Lin.
"I know. Gunnery, toss some fire at our pursuers if you please. Canned sunshine."
"Ayeh sah!"
"Fricke, how are we doing on that repair?"
"It's about done." reported Fricke
"Get everyone you can back inside the hull. We're going to hit a seven second point in about four minutes."
"Ayeh-shit, four minutes?"
He checked the orbital figures and his imagination filled in the curves.  "um, three minutes forty seconds."
"We're not going to make the airlock in three minutes!"
"Lock down and anchor then, we need to make this point!"
"Ayeh, sir!"
The clock ran down as the two missiles dropped back behind them, turned over, and fired at the pursuing warship.
"Ten...eight...five...now!!" he hit the override and the KF Drive core fired them into. 
dIsCoNtInUIty
"Take my baby!" she pleaded, holding out a child, "Take him to freedom!"
The chopper was overloaded, there wasn't room.
He jumped out onto the roof of the embassy, and lifted the civilian woman into the chopper with her child.  "GO!!!"
The Huey lifted away and Cham Nguyen gripped his M-1 carbine, "That's it! There are no more helicopters! Go!!!"
In the distance, the Communist tanks were crossing the bridge into Saigon...
"We've lost."
dIsCoNtInUIty
Blood droplets floated inside his helmet, as the ship's crew recovered.  "Holy...that was a bad one."  he groaned, "STATUS!! Fricke, you guys still with us?"
"Ja, ******  me...it went on forever out there. It ain't instant like they say!"
"Walk it off. you can't take your helmet off until you're in the hull with full press!" Nguyen ordered, "What about your guys?"
"Witt's semiconscious. Leeson just gave me a thumbs-up, he's okay."
"Get my Jump Sail untangled. we can hold position here in...nowhere, but not for too long. You know every wannabe sailor out there's read about Nikki Minh's infil of the Blake Protectorate. They're going to come looking."
"I know sir. working on it."
"Work faster. Do you need more hands?" asked Nguyen
"Would be a help, ja." answered Fricke
"On my way." he turned, "Becca, keep your eyes on the scopes. Watch for Neutrino bursts or thermal, it'll show before they're in radar range. Call if you see a signature."
"Ayuh, Sah."
There's run, there's run like you stole something. Then there's run because you got caught, your ass is on fire and your hair is catching.
Somehow, the base circling that guttering white dwarf star spotted them.  However, they got ****** good pictures before the base's reaction force was on them.
He hoped to god it was just bad luck but, they homed in his ship like it was broadcasting.
Nguyen made for the dorsal airlock, and climbed out.
"Shit...is that what the universe really looks like?"  Witt's voice over the comm said the kid was coming back to his mind.
"Yeah, Witt, get up. We've got to get this sail untangled. We don't carry enough fuel on one of these to hot-charge and still make it home."
"Ayeh sir..." answered Witt
Nguyen put hands to examples. Helping the three engineer's mates as they began cutting and re-splicing cables and bracing the jumpsail's struts so that the rig could extend as soon as they can find a hot star with nobody around.
"First Hull-Surf, Witt?" he asked.
"Ayeh sah, virst time seeink de hyperzpase." the kid's English was terrible but, half the crew didn't speak German worth a damn. It would take too long to teach them all Viet.
"No troubles, Kid.  I saw it the first time when I was your age-we were rendering aid to a merchant and one of the crew panicked because she was loaded with contraband. Longest 'instant' I've ever seen, didn't dream right for months." ever, but you'll find out.  "Did it sing to you?"
"Like a choir." the kid said.
"You enlisted for engineers. Let me suggest you put in an app for Navigation training. You'll be a natural..."
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