Ebullience Gate

Chapter One: Second Captain
YS North Star shot quickly and quietly. Unseen by any observer, hidden in the deepest shadows of the interstellar void. Its forward sensors and scanners all fixed on and around the star-cycler, as the cycler continued its own path from one star system to the next over voyages of decades. The cycler housed a working population of millions and a massive cargo of organics such as oxygen, food, and water from the inner systems, enough to feed a trillion inhabitants for a millennia. The North Star watched knowing that the Core nYaucto systems created and enforced a bottleneck of such resources over it's colonies in order to produce a dependent empire of hundreds of systems. Also knowing that if cyclers such as this one continual failed to restock the colonial systems, they would soon die off. The Gaukzlu elected to capture such precious resources. To use as leverage over systems both loyal to the nYaucto cause or sympathetic to their own.

It was for such a reason that the North Star patrolled such routes. As an interstellar, core grade, superior battlecruiser. It would be tasked to identify and isolate such agents that would continually harass the route or to itself harass the Gaukzlu's own supply lines. The North Star was commanded by the rough and ready hand of the ever serious 2nd Captain Auctau. Also serving a junior vice president of Nortyer Inc. The crew of nearly eighty now served on the ship's first mission to the edges of the empire.

"2nd Captain", The Deck Keeper, responsible for overseeing the primary command deck and effectively serving as the executive officer on board the ship now addressed the captain who had been sitting, in what he perceived as a stoic manner. Upright in his chair, legs straight, eyes forward, chin up, smile down. The sudden noise of the deck keeper startled him and his reply came staggered as he both, came back to reality and tried to remember the name of his deck keeper. "Deck Keep.. Yoll " replied 2nd Captain Auctau before he remembered he did not have to use the name at all, because like himself, Yoll was the only member on board occupying that rank. "Scanners alert us to the presence of possible corsair movements, approximately 1 AU 30-30 and 60 degrees off of the cycler" Yoll continued not noticing the 2nd Captains breech of etiquette.

"Nod and Bob, Deck Keep Yo.. You should keep me posted" Auctau caught himself a little late, but thought he recovered quite nicely. Yoll didn't think so. "Nod and Bob, 2nd Captain" Yoll replied, evenly and in monotone. The captain waited a moment before adding "Deck Keep, careen a course towards the star cycler". "Captain" Yoll replied nodding. He then made an abrupt turn and began calling to the crew. "Engine Yauc!" Yoll boomed, "Deck Keep" came Yauc's reply after a second "Engine Zeyjh!" Yoll cried again, pausing again. "Deck Keep!". "Set Careening course towards the cycler!" Yoll ordered. "Captain!" the crewmen affirmed and carried out the order.

The North Star slowly began to alter it's trajectory, but at a slow rate of only millimeters per second, instead of it's maximum dozens of G-forces. The idea was for the enemy fleet to take as little notice of the craft as possible. The light emitted from the careening engines could also be mostly blocked by large concave fins, if unwanted observers were expected to be in only one direction, such as was the case. Auctau had Yoll make several adjustments as the craft continued to approach the cycler.

"2nd Captain" Yoll called. "Deck Keep" Auctau responded, "The corsairs have begun climbing in speed on trajectory with the cycler". Auctau's eyes grinned "They've fully committed!" Auctau remarked. "Maybe it is a faint to draw craft, such as ourselves, out" 2nd Lieutenant Conraek or Reyk countered speaking for the first time in some hours. Auctau glanced at Reyk for a moment, then made eye contact with Yoll before rolling said eyes a little. Yoll met his gaze with professionalism. Auctau was now forced to reply. "If you wish, 2nd Proxy.. to risk the star cycler based on an assumption that these corsairs have a core grade, superior battlecruiser, killer" Auctau stated laying stress on the words "proxy" and "superior". "Nod and Bob, I just wanted to consider the possible variables" Reyk responded. "Well thank you, 2nd Proxy" Auctau said second handedly before continuing to Yoll. "Deck Keep!" Auctau faced Yoll and said it in such a manner as to give no second thoughts as to who he may be addressing. "2nd Captain" Yoll replied shortly. "Tell gunners to set targets, then set an intercepting trajectory in four minutes if the corsairs.. of the Gaukzlu maintain their course, hide burn for ten minutes" Auctau ordered, without break he face Conraek and continued "Until the light reaches the co.. Gaukzlu"

The corsairs had rather limited reserves of fuel and would drift silently through space at quarter or fifth speeds and would go to full burn up almost exclusively on their return trips. Once they were truly committed their course could hardly be altered. The North Star detected craft of frigate level luminosity headed in a well coordinated maneuver against the cycler. Four of the frigates turned in a battle formation half facing the oncoming North Star as it entered full burn. At this acceleration the crews minds were cybernetically connected to the ship whilst their bodies were protected by an intricate biomechanical armor and infused organic padding. Then the scanners detected a new Cruiser level luminosity erupt from the void behind the frigates, much to Auctau's disgust "There is your frigate-hunter hunter, 2nd Proxy, though a rather small one". Conraek knew this sarcastic remark was still a cover and he smiled in spite of the subtle insult.

After four hours and some minutes change, when the North Star capped out, the ships were all within under half an AU of each other when a second cruiser erupted out of the darkness from where the frigates were initially gathered. This sudden change to expectation made Auctau a little nervous, the odds were winnable but not comfortable. He knew if he could easily take the first four the others might well surrender but if not, his ship, his crew, and more importantly his dignity, would all be on the line.

As it was four of the frigates were all relatively close within 5,000 kilometers of each other, the other four were some 30,000 kilometers beyond and the first cruiser 100,000 beyond both groups and heading towards the first. The second cruiser would not get within under 10,000,000 kilometers by the time the Gaukzlu fleet met either the North Star or the Blue Merry star cycler. North Star set its course against the first group.

At D -30 minutes, the four frigates dove towards each other while backing towards the cruiser, closing the gap slowly but steadily and with the other six ships opened fire on the slow moving Blue Merry. The star cycler was able to answer the barrage of missiles but could do little against the fierce laser patterns aimed at any exposed sensory equipment, so a game of whacka-mole ensued as the eyes of the Blue Merry would open and close to detect the armor piercing missiles while the lasers swept in patterns in an attempt to create a weak spot. Despite the fact that the Blue Merry was much more heavily armed than the corsairs, it never could know where to aim at this range while the smaller vessels simply had to pour down fire at the crawling, large, spherical, cycler.

The corsairs did not fully engaged the Blue Merry, threatened by the rapid approach of the North Star, turning to face the peril a minute before the exchange. The North Star cruised at a speed of 4,400 kilometers per second, adjusting course every half second in a random direction by 500 meters per second. The frigates and cruiser were doing the same as they prepared to cross paths perpendicularly with the North Star at varying speeds from 800-1,200 kilometers per second and adjusting speeds at 200 meters per second.

As the North Star came within 40,000 kilometers from the group, it began exchanging pop shots along various laser spectrums and patterns with the cruiser. Two seconds later, at 30,000 kilometers, the cruiser ejected half a million bird sized drones at hundreds of G-forces along the projected courses that the North Star could take. The drones would continue to fire at the North Star for nearly half a second after it had left viable range of the corsair fleet. At 20,000 kilometers, slightly over 5 seconds into the battle the pop shots between the larger vessels progressively increased and were joined by solid projectiles pushed to significant fractions of light speed, some of these missiles would shatter into thousands of pieces of relativistic debris others would fire off secondary shots or laser bursts or explode near perceived impact. The cruiser began firing tracer rounds to aid the frigates. At 10,000 kilometers both sides began to go all out setting up counter measures for the following two seconds. The weapons engines on all vessels became luminous bulbs projecting lasers, missiles, missile killers, missile clearers, shielding atomic blasts, warheads, drones, radio interference, plasma charges, and plasma fields. The crews of all crafts were effectively blinded as time slowed down during the final jiffies at ranges of that less than the Earth's diameter. The second set of frigates began making pop shots at the Superior battlecruiser as it exited the fray. The North Star fired off several atomic explosions hoping to catch any nearby drones as it continued to fire pop shots back at the passing vessels. But soon looked forwarded as it prepared for its second duel. Again arsenals from all sides emptied in a brief yet deadly and terrorizing display of fire power, though at longer distances this time never coming closer than 15,000 kilometers. Again guns boomed, this time the exiting North Star slammed on the brakes and dared to detail the surrounding space.

When the smoke cleared three of the first four frigates had been destroyed and one of the second four frigates had been mortally injured. The North Star had sustained damages to several of the sensors and the drones had damaged some of the minor engines and weapon systems, but for a superior battlecruiser, especially a core grade, such losses were completely negligible. The cruiser once again was seen making pop shots and the North Star did the same until several more planetary distances had elapsed, but these were for little more than show. Though, at first glance, it may appear an overwhelming victory, the Blue Merry was still very much in danger. The Gaukzlu did not have the resources to raid it, but would still be able to severely damage or even destroy the lumbering craft with the remaining six vessels, two of which were cruisers. "We should have gone for a slower pass." Reyk said soberly.

But to the surprise of the whole crew, and presumably the corsairs, as they looked, the cruiser exploded from unseen damages. Auctau then virtually turned towards Conraek and calmly said "Watch and learn, 2nd Proxy, watch and learn", Secretly Auctau heaved an inward sigh of relief. The North Star watched as four of the frigates first decelerated from then accelerated towards their parent star at 200 meters second squared well outside the reach of the cycler, though they could out maneuver it they hardly outmatched it in fire power. And the fifth crippled frigate continued to be hurled outward into space, one engine flailing hopelessly to alter its trajectory towards that of a star as outlying cruiser rendezvoused with the four frigates.

The captain of the battlecruiser set his own course towards the star cycler to refuel at port Blue Merry. After six hours the Ship returned to normal acceleration and the crew was released from their cybernetic beings. Captain Auctau walked uneasily for a few moments before vomiting. It was always unpleasant diffusing from the high acceleration armor and the 2nd Captain noticed that after several hours he always had nose bleeds and a fitful nights sleep. Which, he thought, was very unbecoming of a commanding officer.

Chapter 10: Harrowing Straits
Captain Auctau's head sagged into the toilet bowl, the sickening noise splashing and choking was accompanied by the captain's odd statement of nonsensical hatred towards the convulsions that came over him. His only consolation, the knowledge that lieutenant Conreak was enjoying the same activity. The YS North Star was accompanied by the YS Radial Beacon and two Apyey Attack Briggs "AC Alpaca 6" and " ACAlpaca 7" as they were propelled up to speed by the port-carrier to begin flanking the Plyorri Armada.