CHAPTER 23

The morning of the seventh day there, Shelby picked up on some chatter from between apparent freighters, though to her it sounded strange. Derrick listened to it for a few moments and shouted to Shelby to have all the ships arm and apply their light shields. Quickly they all complied, Tempro now had light shield capabilities though only at 45%.

"Alright we're going to have company, we could jump away but I'm tired of dealing with these ass holes. Zan I want you and Conner at each end of the system, Lucy I want you to act as bait 'til it is too late, Shelby we are going to be here monitoring everything 'til we can intercede. Understand I want no destruction. I want these bastards to be grateful that they are alive thanks to us. I want them to know we could have destroyed them but didn't."

"Derrick," Shelby interrupted, "I am getting transmissions again it appears that they are close!"

"Alright places, remember no destruction if they start to run when they see us, disable the engines and weapons." Derrick ordered. "Let me hear them Shelby," Derrick told her.

<Rag a Muffin, this is Hand Out, found those bastard ships that everyone is looking for though I only see two, don't see what the fuss is about.>

<That's ok Hand out head back the entire clan is headed to your location, they might have gotten twenty ships before but this time the entire clan will be here, let them take out over 100 ha, ha, ha! They don't stand a chance!>

Derrick smiled, maybe after they took out this whole clan the other clans would quit, well one could only hope Derrick thought as he watched the other three ships get into position.

"I'm initiating a neural link. I will only correct it if you are off course or powered up too far. The information that we just received is that over 100 ships will be coming to attack us. They only think that Shelby and Lucy are here, therefore we have a tactful advantage." Derrick advised all the ships as they awaited the fleet of pirates that were heading their way.

They'd only had to wait a few hours when Zan reported that he had a large number of ships approaching. Nodding Derrick contacted Conner, "Have you detected any ships coming up on the system from your direction? Derrick asked.

"No Primary nothing not even a signal in this direction." Conner reported. Hmmm thought Derrick and here he thought they were military he was expecting a classic pincer move to try and box them in coming from two or three directions. Holy shit! These guys really are idiots and their overconfidence was about to be their undoing though it really hadn't mattered. They were as good as caught any way as he told the last clan leader it was stupid to go against a ship a hundred times more powerful than they were. Hell they thought there were two ships even with the whole clan Derrick thought the clan leader knew they didn't have a chance especially after what had happened to the last fifteen ships that they had met.

They had just started to enter the system when Derrick finally ordered Conner to join Zan.

"Thank you sir I thought you were punishing me by making me miss the action."

"No Conner I had to make sure they weren't going to attack on two or more fronts." Derrick told him.

"Ah I see! Again thank you sire." Conner said as he flashed out and was with Zan within moments.

"Let them all into the system, then I want you to start to disable them as fast as you can, Shelby and Lucy will start from the front, with luck we'll get them all."

A few minutes later the entire fleet was within the system, a minute later what can only describe as organized chaos ensued. Zan and Conner started to take five then ten ships at a time firing from several weapons at a time. Derrick was relieved to see that they weren't even using half power.

Then total chaos ensued as Shelby and Lucy started from the front. They'd gotten nearly all of them when suddenly ten ships went to hyper-space Shelby and the others jumped out, returning moments later two ships apiece in tow.

"Shelby, you still have a lock on them?" Derrick asked.

"Yes Derrick, I estimate it would take me 3 minutes 5 seconds to catch them." Shelby replied.

"Watch these ships, but stay as far from them as you can, Shelby and I will be right back." Derrick ordered then they flashed out. Millions of miles from the shipyard Shelby entered hyper-space easily catching both ships and disabling them. Dropping to normal space Derrick was surprised when the clan leader contacted him.

"To the crew of the strange ship, surely we can talk a deal. I have a vast amount of treasure I would be willing to split with you no muss no fuss." The clan leader said.

Shelby again distorted his voice as Derrick answered, "As I told the last clan leader you really ought to wise up, going against a ship far superior to all of your own, definitely shows a lack of practical experience. You guys are pirates? Please you guys are a joke, tell the other clan leader when you see him that I warned him when I took the first twenty ships. As I did you and the rest of the pirates." Derrick switched off as the clan leader started to scream and threaten.

Finally they were all together, hell Derrick had to laugh only one ship had opened fire and really that was pathetic. "Shelby calls the Rangers to inform them that an entire clan is here with well over a hundred ships, and tells them they're going to need a bigger prison." Derrick laughed at the joke, then withdrew all the ships well over 200 miles away behind a nearby moon. They had been there maybe an hour and a half when the space in front of the pirate fleet began to waver. Suddenly the area began to fill with first, second, and third class Ranger craft. Then a huge, almost like an ark appeared.

"Derrick, why are we still here? Shelby asked. "Aren't you afraid that we might be detected again?"

"Yes I am even with the distance but I am also relying on the gravity well of the moon to disrupt any scans that they might direct towards us." Derrick explained.

"Yes, your idea does have merit but I am still afraid that with as many ships as they have here we might have trouble." Shelby stated.

On board the Flagship Capt. Joseph Hartwell could only shake his head; he could see the way the entire fleet had been taken. This was a classic military move, though the pirates had obviously been far too stupid, that they were caught as soon as they entered the system. God he hated idiots when it came to battle, now Derrick O'Toma that had been a military mind, brilliant. The science officer, a friend of Mack Baron, noticed something odd, near a moon a little over 200 miles away. Walking up to the Capt., he gained his attention.

"Sir, I am picking up an anomaly near the closest moon, shall we investigate?" The young man backed up as the Captain' looked at the readings.

"No, we have been ordered to leave it alone, at least for now." The Capt. added.

Derrick was about to have them all leave the system when Shelby spoke up.

"Derrick," she called, "I am picking up a transmission I believe is intended for us."

"Let's hear it." Derrick said.

"To the ships that laid waste to this clan we wish a parley." Derrick heard Joseph's voice.

In a distorted voice Derrick answered, "I am afraid that isn't possible, neither is coming to the capital. That place we will never go near. This was a gift as were the others, leave us alone for now, and we will leave you alone. The pirates thought to attack and take us, their mistake. Please don't make your organization an enemy. I do not want to destroy the Rangers, but it will happen if they attack us again." With that they all flashed out.

Capt. Joseph Hartwell was sweating bullets damn they were serious, with the power they wielded he had no doubt they could destroy the entire Ranger force with ease.