Star Traders: Fury of the Templars

[Brutus Aurelius]

This story is mine (Brutus Aurelius) but the context and setting belongs to Trese Brothers Software. Please comment in a different thread, if any comments are to be made. I want the story to flow and not be interrupted by comments.



The Quadrant

Cadar Prime, Palace

48.7 AE





Valance de Cadar sighed and drank a glass of water. A representative of the Steel Song had just left after discussing trade routes and agreements. The negotiations were going well, and would lead to a Trade Alliance soon, and if it went very well, an Alliance could form between the two Factions. IT was very taxing though. He nodded to one of his advisors, who went to fetch his next appointment. Valance pulled up the data on the next appointment. The Cadar agents around the planet had reported that the Juror-Class Vae Victus was being piloted by one Brutus Aurelius, son of the Cadar Pirate and military man Marcus Aurelius. Brutus’s father had done well for the Cadar, and hopefully his son would follow in his footsteps.



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Brutus walked into the ornate office. As a Faction leader, Valance de Cadar could afford one of the best workspaces in the Quadrant. Besides the bridge of a spacing ship, some would say. The trip through the megacity hadn't taken long. The Crew was loading fuel and getting high off of Spice. Brutus and the First Mate, named Jenner, was a veteran Spacer. Jenner had been born just after the Exodus ended. He had grown up Spacing with Brutus's father, and was a great help to the new Captain. The taxi had been quick and the driver quiet.



Brutus and Jenner entered the Palace's waiting area, and saw many people. Some were part of the Court, others were Cadar Military Officers. One of the Palace agents approached him.



"Captain Aurelius, I have permission from the esteemed Prince de Cadar to distribute Trade Permits, as is permitted by Shalun Law. I would require but a mere 1,221 Credits from your account."



Brutus looked at Jenner, who looked at the display of his compact datapad. It read 5,000 credits left, and we were to be paid 1,500 for delivering the message on a hidden datapad. He nodded. So I signed the datapad the agent held, then confirmed the credit transfer with an eyescan. The Central Database confirmed my identity and allowed the transfer. The agent thanked me and handed a stamped piece of paper. It was a formality, as everything was digitized, but it was still official.



A second agent waved me over, then told me to follow him to the office of Valance de Cadar.


Brutus and Jenner followed the well dressed agent of the Cadar Court down a hallway to the Prince’s office. The doors were solid wood, probably imported from an Independant world or a Cadar Fringe world. The doors were opened by two armed guards, neither shy about showing their rifles to remind any who might try to harm the Prince where they were. Brutus and Jenner were greeted with the smell of several native plants that were blooming, along with the smell of refined Spice. Brutus and Jenner bowed courteously while the court agent announced them. Valance looked up from the datascreen on the desk and spoke.



“Greetings Captain. I understand you have something for me.”



“I do, good Prince.”



Brutus pulled the secure datapad out of his jacket and handed it to Valance. Valance took it, tapped the screen a few times, and read the message. He frowned.



“Well, Captain, I am sorry to hear of your father’s passing. He was a good Military Officer. He did many good runs for us, and he will be missed. But the Void claims many, and the rest are claimed by the Maker. I also see here that you have no declared profession. Do you wish to declare one now?”



Brutus thought for a moment. “No sir, I wish to stay registered as a Star Trader.”



Valance tapped a few times on the datascreen on his desk. “By the Law of Shalun, you will be registered as a Spacing Captain and Star Trader. You understand what this entails?”



Brutus had gone over what he needed to say with Jenner beforehand, as it was a tradition for new Captains to gain the approval of their home Faction. “I swear by Shalun Law that I do.”



“Good. Then by Shalun Law I, Valance de Cadar, officially recognize you as a Star Trader of the Cadar Syndicate.”



The Prince pressed a few buttons on the datascreen and the recording of the oath was sent to the Central Database.



“Now Captain, how about your first Contract? We need a Spacer Captain to deliver a sealed package to Bellix-Thulun I within 47 weeks. Think you can do it? We’ll offer you 2,000 credits for a completed job.”



The agent handed Brutus a datapad with the Contract details. Brutus read it over carefully. Bellix-Thulun I was only a few sectors away. It was good pay for the job. Brutus thought about it for a moment, then signed it.



“Consider it done Prince.”

[Brutus Aurelius]

The Quadrant

Cadar Prime

48.7 AE





Brutus and Jenner were escorted out by the Court official, past the armed guards in their blue and yellow uniforms, under which one with a sharp eye could make out the shape of compact body armor. The short walk to the Court’s waiting area was accompanied by silence. The Court officer didn’t seem like a talkative one. Brutus was the first to break the silence.



“So, will the package be given to me here, or at the Stardock?”



The Officer looked at him, then spoke in a gruff, if somewhat annoyed voice. “You will be given the package at the Stardock, Captain.”



The group lapsed into silence again as they entered the loud, noisy waiting hall. People of all shapes and sizes were waiting for audience with the Prince. Brutus felt bad for the man, trapped in a small office all day with an insane number of daily appointments and politics. It made the fledgling Captain all the more grateful for the calm of the Void and the freedom a starship offered.



The Officer left them as soon as they were in the Hall, but agents of the Cadar could be seen everywhere in the Hall. Either persuading the grizzled Captains in the hall to buy Permits or Edicts or standing guard in the Cadari blue and yellow dress uniforms. Some Captains were young like him, others were old, scarred and showing cybernetics in various places. The oldest and most venerable Captains were instantly recognizable, with their distinct “space ghoul” look. The grey skin and foul breath was something all Captains and Crew hoped to have one day.



Brutus would have stayed and talked with some of them, but Jenner pulled him along.



“Boy, those Captains would as soon talk to you as leave the Quadrant on a Hive ship. You aren’t worth the attention in their eyes.”



The two walked out of the Palace and hailed a taxi service. While they were waiting, they could see the sprawling megacity that was Cadar Prime. There was so much air traffic, and so many people. Too many people. It was too chaotic, not like the calm of the Void. And the noise! By Shalun the noise! Brutus would be happy when they got out of the atmosphere.



The aircar arrived, a dirty red aircar. The sides were dented and rusty, and the driver shady looking.



“Take us to the Stardock please.”

“That’ll cost 50 shillings pal.”



Brutus typed in the PIN of his Central Exchange account to pay the driver, and he and Jenner climbed in the back seat. The windows were closed and the air filters were on. The airlanes were choked with smog, but the clouds weren’t low enough to be hazardous to the Gravs on the surface, according to Syndicate sponsored reports.



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The ride took about 30 minutes. Most of the time Brutus spent looking around. He had never been to Cadar Prime, and the route to the Stardock was over some of the oldest parts of the city. From his vantage point 1,000 meters above the surface, he could see the oldest Hives, teeming with the older residents of the city, and the giant Factories around them, belching pollution into the atmosphere. The oldest Spice Den and Exchange on the planet were there as well. The Stardock was on the horizon at this point, and the aircar dropped down lower to avoid incoming ships’ approach vectors. Ships of all shapes and sizes were landing and departing from the Stardock. Quite literally the lifeblood of the Quadrant flowing through this artery of trade and conflict. Below, the Docks where ships were locked in place and refueled and serviced. Many large vehicles, both land and air based, carried cargo to the holds of the ships. Everything from Spice to Weapons could be there. It was a beautiful sight for a Spacer. The Stardock's drop off was rapidly approaching, and Brutus and Jenner prepared to leave the aircar. Brutus approved the credit transaction from his account to the taxi company, and he and Jenner left the cab, which promptly left.



The Stardock was full of people, Gravs and Spacers alike. The hustle and bustle of Spacers coming and going from shore leave, and the Gravs who worked the docks. One of the crew lieutenants for the Vae Victus saw Brutus and Jenner and ran up to them.



"Sir, reporting the Vae Victus is fueled and ready. We can leave whenever you are ready."



"Well, let's get going then!"



The three of them headed through the twisting hallways of the Stardock for about 40 minutes before reaching the access door labled "20114". The place where the Vae Victus sat, waiting to sail the Void. Brutus, Jenner, and the Lieutenant walled through the narrow tunnel of metal leading to the main airlock of the Vae Victus. Brutus tapped the access panel next to the triple sealed door and after some hissing and whirring, the doors retracted, allowing the trio entry into the ship. The Crew-dogs saluted as their Captain passed. According to the Crew Chief, all 35 of them were present and accounted for.



Brutus sank into the Captain’s chair once he reached the Bridge. The Crewmen in charge of the Engines signaled the bridge that the Void Engine Cores were coming online and would soon be at full power.



“Captain, we are ready for atmospheric exit.”



Brutus pressed a button that signaled the workers in the one of the Stardock’s control towers to release the docking clamps that held the Vae Victus in place. The clamps retracted with a great hiss and clanging a moment later.



Brutus activated the Victus’s underside jets, which released enough thrust to lift the starship above the Dock. Brutus increased the thrust on the front set, elevating the nose of the ship. Then the main engines kicked in. The ship’s acceleration dampeners prevented the crew from feeling much of the powerful G-forces acting on the ship. Within moments, they were nearing the edge of the atmosphere. And then it was the Void beyond, filled with stars, danger, and adventure.

[Brutus Aurelius]

Deep Space
48.12 AE


It had been only 5 weeks, of the contract’s allotted 47. They had made good speed from the Syndicate Core Systems. The Vae Victus had accelerated easily with the solar winds at their backs. The solar radiation was a Spacer’s best friend and worst enemy. The Solar Sails allowed the energizing of their fuel before the engines consumed it, letting them traverse millions of miles in a week, yet at the same time, the radiation could kill them.

Only one more week to go, then they would land on Bellix-Thulun and deliver the package. Brutus smiled to himself. Everything seemed to be going well. Suddenly, one of the crewmen manning a console called out to him.

“Captain, we’ve detected a Void Engine signature! Scanning now.”

Brutus picked up a small microphone and activated it.

“All crew to battle stations! We have a possible hostile inbound, so get ready! Gunners and Torpedo crew to your posts! All others, prepare to defend the airlock.”

Brutus shut off the intercom

“Lerwitz, how is the scan coming along?”

“Sir, the ship is broadcasting on a Steel Song frequency. Scans show the ship is a standard Blade Class. Contact closing at 100,000 kilometers. Orders, sir?”

“Try evasive maneuvers. Let’s try and get away.”

The Vae Victus’s engines pulsed and the ship turned away from the incoming Bounty Hunter. The Song ship, having noticed them on its scanners, decided to pursue. It hailed them, while maintaining range. The holographic comm console flickered and showed the face of the enemy captain, a young man, not much older than Brutus himself.

“Juror Class ship, you are ordered to slow engines and submit to inspection! If you do not comply, you will be forcibly subdued! I repeat-”

Brutus cut off the transmission and activated the intercom again.

“All Crew, prepare for battle!”

Brutus cut off the intercom. The solar sails were still extended, giving an easy target to cripple the ship’s long range capabilities. He looked over at the Bridge’s crew stations.
“Sir, all battle stations are online and ready for action. We have long range lock on the enemy and 6 HK torps at the ready. Guns are online and standing by.”

“Wait for my command.”

There was a tense moment as the two ships faced off, each waiting for the other to make a move.

“Fire!”

At that moment, the first of 6 Torpedo Bays on the Vae Victus came alive. The Void Engines started increasing power output as the Torpedo was armed and Long Range Scanning Package came online, linking to the Ship’s targeting computer to get a fix on the Blade Class. The stasis field holding the torpedo in place deactivated, and the Void field emitted by the Engines rocketed the missile forward, but if anybody watched, nothing left the Victus. The torpedo was gone with flash of light and burst of particles. It had entered hyperspace. A moment later, Lerwitz’s counterpart, Crewman Zant, called out from his console.

“Direct hit sir! Scans show reduced Void field output. Enemy Engines are damaged, possibly some are offline!.”

A small cheer went up from the command crew. Then Jenner shushed them, looking to Brutus for more orders.

“Close in on them, and prepare the Barrage guns!”

The Void engines surged, pushing the Vae Victus closer to the Blade Class. They were only a few kilometers away within a few minutes. The Blade Class responded with a barrage of gunfire. The Victus was unprepared and caught most of the flak. Alarms blared on the bridge.

“Damage report!”

“Sir, our Hull is still at full strength, but our Armor is damaged and two Sails have been shredded. We are still full Engine output and we still have full crew.”

“Fire a barrage of our own! Now!”

The Barrage guns on the ship’s Hull swivelled to face the Blade Class, firing bright blasts of hot metal at the Song ship which was peppered by the blasts, which damaged armor and hull alike. The Song ship, apparently losing the will to fight further, sending a simple message of surrender to the Vae Victus.