Succession War cruiser in the Heard's World system, and use these ships in a bold plan that had almost succeeded in capturing the Meridian Ambassador. Brimstone and his group had actually occupied the New Ceylon Orbital Station for several days before they were driven off by Oskar Kresge's ragtag group of "resistance" fighters.
Brimstone and company had several sets of very old but still very serviceable battle armor as well as an assortment of powerful hand weapons. These items ought to be worth something though Brimstone was pretty sure he would keep them for himself and his closest associates. What was more problematic was what do with his most powerful asset. Keep it or sell it? No doubt a buyer could be found and an exorbitant price negotiated but who do you sell a cruiser self-destruct device and the codes to activate it to?
In other words, how does one go about finding and selecting a buyer for a thermonuclear bomb?
***
"... Tunisian Imperial Navy Dagger Class Destroyer.
Length : 200 meters.
Mass : 5,600 metric tons.
Crew: 10 officers and 40 crew fully manned, 5 officers and 25 crew minimum.
Propulsion systems:
Reaction Drive: Foucault Cesium Ion Drive, Nominal thrust capability 1.5g, Maximum 5g, Emergency 8.5g.
Hyperdrive: Fourth Generation Pullman-Whitney Overdrive.
Armament:
Main: Two 2000 gigajoule Parkinson capacitor discharge pulse beam projectors (3 rd generation) in fore and aft single-mount, centerline turrets. Secondary: Eight 5.5 gigajoule Parkinson-Mitsubishi rapid-fire pulse beam projectors in 4 twin mount turrets. External hardpoints to accommodate four Keppler-Salaiz Vengence or Harrison Hellhound guided missiles (these mounts are also often used for transport of external cargo modules containing additional provisions for extended voyages).
This ship t ype was declared obsolete by the Meridian Imperial Navy after the Dagger class was superseded by the El-Nashar class in 2578. However, the durable and serviceable design was widely sought after by the navies of many secondary powers, particularly those of the Islamic Alliance...
... Mostly taken out of service by 2594, it is not uncommon to see these sturdy ships still providing service, even today, in some of the smaller navies. Built in the giant shipyards orbiting the industrial planet of Toledo near the center of the Santana Quadrant, destroyers of the Dagger class were manufactured in very large numbers with nearly ten thousand of them having left the yards before manufacturing finally ceased..."
Hartwell Wrist Comp reference note highlighted for further review by Tamara Carlisle. Excerpt is from "Janes Fight ing Ships" (2598 version).
On board the renegade destroyer formerly known as " NTW Mahdia ," recently rechristened "Skorpios" by her new owners, somewhere in the Heard's World Star System, December 1, 2598.
The stolen destroyer that approached Heard's World was far from a new design. Originally built for and commissioned by the Meridian Imperial Navy over forty years ago, this particular ship had been decommissioned by them, after long and faithful service, a little over ten years earlier. The Meridian Emporium had called her the MIS Kalib and her new owners, the Imperial government of New Tunisia, had renamed her NTW Mahdia . Her current, illegitimate owners did not have an official affiliation with any government as yet and they had seen fit to dub her Skorpios or "Scorpion" which was also the Sheik of Barsoom's family symbol.
"I know this is a change in plan, " explained the Sheik, "but we must inform the other ship Captains to rendezvous with us here in this system."
"I will send a coded message through our Stage II communicator, Sire."
"See that you do so, Utbah."
While the communications tech was carrying out his orders, the Sheik went over to the Astrogator's station to see the layout of the planetary system they had just jumped into.
"Which planet is Heard's World?"
"It is the fourth planet out from the
Brimstone and company had several sets of very old but still very serviceable battle armor as well as an assortment of powerful hand weapons. These items ought to be worth something though Brimstone was pretty sure he would keep them for himself and his closest associates. What was more problematic was what do with his most powerful asset. Keep it or sell it? No doubt a buyer could be found and an exorbitant price negotiated but who do you sell a cruiser self-destruct device and the codes to activate it to?
In other words, how does one go about finding and selecting a buyer for a thermonuclear bomb?
***
"... Tunisian Imperial Navy Dagger Class Destroyer.
Length : 200 meters.
Mass : 5,600 metric tons.
Crew: 10 officers and 40 crew fully manned, 5 officers and 25 crew minimum.
Propulsion systems:
Reaction Drive: Foucault Cesium Ion Drive, Nominal thrust capability 1.5g, Maximum 5g, Emergency 8.5g.
Hyperdrive: Fourth Generation Pullman-Whitney Overdrive.
Armament:
Main: Two 2000 gigajoule Parkinson capacitor discharge pulse beam projectors (3 rd generation) in fore and aft single-mount, centerline turrets. Secondary: Eight 5.5 gigajoule Parkinson-Mitsubishi rapid-fire pulse beam projectors in 4 twin mount turrets. External hardpoints to accommodate four Keppler-Salaiz Vengence or Harrison Hellhound guided missiles (these mounts are also often used for transport of external cargo modules containing additional provisions for extended voyages).
This ship t ype was declared obsolete by the Meridian Imperial Navy after the Dagger class was superseded by the El-Nashar class in 2578. However, the durable and serviceable design was widely sought after by the navies of many secondary powers, particularly those of the Islamic Alliance...
... Mostly taken out of service by 2594, it is not uncommon to see these sturdy ships still providing service, even today, in some of the smaller navies. Built in the giant shipyards orbiting the industrial planet of Toledo near the center of the Santana Quadrant, destroyers of the Dagger class were manufactured in very large numbers with nearly ten thousand of them having left the yards before manufacturing finally ceased..."
Hartwell Wrist Comp reference note highlighted for further review by Tamara Carlisle. Excerpt is from "Janes Fight ing Ships" (2598 version).
On board the renegade destroyer formerly known as " NTW Mahdia ," recently rechristened "Skorpios" by her new owners, somewhere in the Heard's World Star System, December 1, 2598.
The stolen destroyer that approached Heard's World was far from a new design. Originally built for and commissioned by the Meridian Imperial Navy over forty years ago, this particular ship had been decommissioned by them, after long and faithful service, a little over ten years earlier. The Meridian Emporium had called her the MIS Kalib and her new owners, the Imperial government of New Tunisia, had renamed her NTW Mahdia . Her current, illegitimate owners did not have an official affiliation with any government as yet and they had seen fit to dub her Skorpios or "Scorpion" which was also the Sheik of Barsoom's family symbol.
"I know this is a change in plan, " explained the Sheik, "but we must inform the other ship Captains to rendezvous with us here in this system."
"I will send a coded message through our Stage II communicator, Sire."
"See that you do so, Utbah."
While the communications tech was carrying out his orders, the Sheik went over to the Astrogator's station to see the layout of the planetary system they had just jumped into.
"Which planet is Heard's World?"
"It is the fourth planet out from the
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