A Titanic Ransom

[Alric Kuhn]

“Sir?”

Alric turned to the remaining Son on the bridge. The man knew what was about to happen. Knew that if the pirates boarded they would very likely overwhelm Titan's security forces in no time. Alric briefly wished that he had his army. Though they were droids, they would have come in handy here, especially since they carried quite a bit of firepower.

“Yes?” Alric answered almost with a hint of joy in his tone.

The Wyyrlok shook again, struck by a torpedo or a turbo-laser shot. His eyes shifted towards one of the viewscreens. He saw a flash, a bright light as one of the Pirate ships exploded into a thousand pieces. He blinked a few times then shifted on his feet.

Thirteen left.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

“Sir. We should evacuate.”

There was apprehension in the Sons voice. Clearly he would rather have stayed and fought the pirates.

“Inevitably there will be boarding action. We can't stand against as many ships as they have. It is better to lose the Wyyrlok than to get captured.”

The Sons spoke sense, and that was why Alric had already thought of the idea. He just needed to make sure that they could actually get away. There was no point in luring them in and leaving the ship if Alric's vessel was only captured by an errant tractor beam. That would make the whole endeavor pointless.

That, and he needed the plans.

This ship was after all not just another Wyyrlok. It was carrying the design plans for the Maladi-class, and he couldn't let those fall into the wrong hands, not when the ship was so advanced, not when it could turn the tide of the war against the Republic.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

“I agree.” He finally said. “But we can't leave yet. The Pirates have to board, I need those plans, and then we have to disable the tractor beams. We cannot get captured.”

That was all he said on the subject, but the Son seemed to understand. Unlike the ship captain, unlike the ensigns, the Sons of Titan were all intelligent. All of them carried the same physical and mental conditioning, all of them knew tactics and strategy, and all of them would lay down their lives for Alric Kuhn.

It was that simple to them.

“Yes sir.”

Compliant, intelligent, and loyal. Would that every being he encountered was a Son of Titan, it would certainly make things a lot simpler for him.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

Another bright flash on the viewscreen.

It really was impressive, just how strong the Wyyrlok actually was compared to other vessels of its size. The ship had more guns and armament than Alric could list off. Its weapons were powered by two reactors, and its contained more support ships than the Immortal. He liked this ship, it was one of the favorites that Titan Industries produced.

The sleek almost living design of the vessel was aesthetically pleasing, and its firepower made it more than worth keeping around.

It would be a shame when he had to destroy the ship, but he supposed in the end it would be worth it. Keeping the Wyyrlok out of the hands of pirates would be its own reward. With a rueful shake of his head Alric reached into his coat pocket, taking out a single Viper and placing it between his lips. “Locations?”

 

[Alric Kuhn]

“The largest of the ships are enclosing us sir. We've lost aft and prow batteries.”

So they were smart after all.

Instead of going directly for his ship they were taking out the gunbays first. It was an intelligent move, preventing any further losses of their ships before they boarded. It also meant that the Wyyrlok couldn't strike out while they were enacting boarding parameters.

It also told Alric one other thing.

They did not plan on boarding through the hangars. Instead they would come against the front of the ship and cut through the hull, destroying the beautiful sleek shell of his ship and moving from the front of the vessel to the back. They would clear the ship deck by deck until none of Alrics men remained. It really was clever, dangerously so.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

There were a few things that they could now do, and Alric began to weigh his options.

The boarding parties would probably be coming soon. With the front weapons of the Wyyrlok disabled it meant that the enemy ships could now get close enough to attach themselves. It also meant that there would be no more defense on that side of things. A frowned settled on his lips, and slowly Alric began to realize that this ship was doomed.

He heard foosteps behind himself.

The frown slowly went away, replaced by a slight smile. The Son standing next to him relaxed slightly as his brother returned, in his hand was a small datadisc, his ancient rifle having been holstered on his back along with the Titan Tomahawk.

The Skull mask on his face looked pensive, and odd expression for the Sons.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

“Sir. I deleted all other traces of the Maladi from the computers.”

Alric nodded.

“If the pirates search the system, they will find no trace of any schematics or designs.”

Good.

That was something at least. The Maladi would be one of the most powerful ships in the galaxy. Compared to other vessels of its size the Frigate was massively strong in terms of firepower. The vessel was much like a Pocket Star Destroyer, a cumulative effort of all the technological advances that Titan had made beginning with the Dark Blade and ending with The Immortals.

The Maladi would be a first, and probably last in its class.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

If Pirates got ahold of the design, if Pirates managed to build the ships, then the galaxy would see some very major problems. The Son extended the disc towards Alric, and for a moment the Titan hesitated in taking it.

He was no warrior, no fighter, in theory the disc would be better off with the other man. He could actually protect it in a fight, could actually make sure that no one got to it. Alric looked at it for a second more, then shook his head. Fingers wrapped around the disc, and he plucked it from the Sons hands. A smile crossed his face. He was no warrior, but he would do what needed to be done if it came to it.

A solid nod.

“Alright. Lets head to the hangar.” The two Sons gave him a nod, they could both tell what he was thinking. “Captain. Maintain an open comm-line, send the marines to the forward decks.”

His voice turned to a whisper. “And pray to the force.”

 

[Alric Kuhn]

Three men stepped off of the bridge.

Two Sons of Titan and their father. They moved almost in unison, the two Sons drawing their blaster rifles again and Alric walking with a firm confidence that denoted no fear. The datadisc had been slipped into his inner jacket pocket, his blaster rifle sat in his waistline and his hands were balled into tight fists at his side.

The ships shook, and in the back of his mind Alric knew that the boarding parties had already begun.

He had made note of this.

Alric knew that if the Pirates succeeded today they would only get bolder in the future. Their attacks would get more brash and their tactics would become sloppy. He would need to curb this here and now, show the Pirates that Titan Industries would not be prey, but only predator.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

“Is the self destruct ready?” Alric asked as they began to walk through the halls. A few marines passed them, men and women dressed in drab armor that resembled what the Stormtroopers of old wore. Alric followed them lazily with his eyes, reminding himself that he would need to update Titan Industries armor designs, though truthfully it would not matter in a few weeks.

“Yes sir. I prepared it while in the databanks.”

Alric nodded. “The captain?”

“Unaware.”

Good.

The man would likely object to what Alric was planning to do, and that objection was neither necessary nor wanted. This plan was to preserve the image of Titan Industries, to preserve the plans for the Maladi, and most important to preserve Alric Kuhns life.

A part of him cared about the people on this ship, a part of him knew that sacrificing them all would probably kill a part of himself. Yet his more cynical side didn't care. He had to get home to his wife, he had to get home to continue playing the game. It was that simple, and if he had to remove a few pawns to win this round, then that is what he would do.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

The ship was boarded next.

Alric could hear it. Even though the Wyyrlok Class Star Destroyer was nearly a mile long he knew that the boarding parties had begun. Blaster Shots, grenades, and explosive charges would ring throughout the vessel. Comm-reports and radio static would rise, and the Two Sons of Titan would stiffen.

It wasn't hard to tell what was going on, wasn't difficult to realize what had happened.

A frown settled on his face as one of the Sons shifted his grip. The man was named Simon, a young boy apparently, no older than nineteen. Alric didn't mind his age, if he had passed the Sons tests then he was more than adequate as a Soldier. No one who survived the Sons training was in anyway a determinant to have in a situation.

Especially a situation like this.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

The sound of boot steps approaching caused Alric to tense slightly, his eyes shifting beneath his glasses and his hand clenching at his side, reaching back towards the pistol that sat within his waistline.

Around the corner came a group of Titan Industries security Marines. They were men dressed in drab uniforms, each one carrying a small blaster rifle. They looked serious, stern, and far more at ease than they should have been. Alric shifted, eying the group. They were only ten meters away, their grips on their blasters were loose.

A shift in ones arm, a slight raising.

Alric didn't have time to say anything, he didn't even have time to blink. One of the Sons besides him, Simon, raised his DC-17 and pulled the trigger. There was no hesitation, no pause, he simply raised the blaster and fired. A hail of rapid blaster bolts soared from his rifle, quickly met with an equal rain from the other Sons identical blaster.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

Within seconds the group of Titan Security Troopers that had been coming towards them were not but smoldering corpses. Alric looked at the, his eyes having grown huge. He rounded on Simon, his face a contorted mixture of rage and confusion.

“What the hell was that!” Alric screamed at the top of his lungs.

“They were enemies sir.”

His voice was steady, but there was a bemused tone to it, as if he had expected this reaction, had wanted it. The skull mask shifted slightly, as if it knew something as if it was trying to say 'not my fault'. Alric looked at the man, then shifted his gaze towards the corpses.

On the pile of dead bodies was the other Son, Lan.

He was peeling back the sleeve of one of the dead bodies. On the mans arm was a large tattoo, the mark of what Alric could only assume to be the Pirate group currently attacking the fleet.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

“Well...” Alric said quietly. There wasn't really any arguing with the results of what had just happened, tough it did put a sour feeling in his stomach. Not because he had been wrong, not because he had screamed at Simon. Rather he felt a certain amount of bitterness at the fact that even his security forces had been infiltrated.

It posed questions, questions that he didn't like.

How deep did it go?

Was it this ship or others too?

How high up had the pirates gotten?

All questions that needed to be answered, all questions that would likely bring a new purge through Titan Industries. Purge. The word made him scowl. He would have to do background checks, interrogations, half a dozen other tactics to find out who was loyal, who was a regular employee, and who worked for the bloody pirates.

Steaming Alric walked over to one of the corpses and kicked it in the head.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

Alric looked down at the body, scowling, expression a mask of twisted rage.

That droid army from Hegemonic Automaton couldn't come soon enough. It would be able to fill his ships and his stations, defend his outposts and do everything else the Sons couldn't do. His scowl did not go away, but he looked at Simon.

“Simon.” The skull faced boy looked over to Alric. “I apologize. I should have trusted your judgment.”

The smaller Sons of Titan preened suddenly, looking proud as a Nexu who had caught his first meal. Alric knew that admitting when he was wrong went a long way with gaining the trust and adoration of his underlings. Truthfully it was not a difficult admission to make, the man had saved his life after all, and Alric was big enough to admit when he was wrong.

“Sir.”

A twist of his head saw a glance at Lan.

“We should keep moving. This means we don't know who else is compromised.”

Alric looked at the Chiss for a few seconds, then gave him a nod.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

The three men moved swiftly. The Wyyrlok was one of the larger vessels that Titan Industries had created, the only other ship larger than it being the famous Immortals. Normally its size was mitigated by a series of turbo-lifts running throughout the spine of the ship.

Unfortunately for Alric and his two companions, those turbo-lifts were shut down in cases like this.

“We have to assume that the security force is compromised.” His voice was stern but strained. It wasn't easy for him to admit it, but Alric had a terrible cardiovascular system. He maintained his thin appearance due to lack of eating and regular smoking, both a reaction to his workload and how busy he actually was.

The only exercise he ever got was in the underground fighting clubs, and that was less exercise and more senseless beatings. Though it did give his arms some definition.

“By now all security forces should be at the front of the ship.” He continued on. “If we encounter any near the Hangars, theyre no longer hours.”

 

[Alric Kuhn]

The two Sons of Titan had already guessed this of course. Their DC-17 Blaster Rifles were long ago rid of their safeties and both men walked with the purpose of killers. They had known the second they had seen those men approach. They had acted Faster than Alric had ordered them to and that had every likely saved the Titans life.

He trusted these men for a reason. They were the best of the best. Alric would have put the Sons up against any soldiers in the galaxy, physically enhanced or not. He knew that his men would eventually come out on top, through one way or another. He smiled slightly at that thought, but he didn't say anything else.

They moved with surprising vigor, almost running through the spine of the ship.

It wasn't long before they encountered another security team, then another, then another. Each time the Sons made swift work of them. Each time the false security squad would round the corner and before they could lift their rifles they were dead.

It was remarkably quick work.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

“Sir. The Hangar is just around the corner.”

Alric nodded.

He knew the layout of this ship well. It had practically been his home over the past few months after all. In fact, the hangar bay that they were approaching was the very same one where he had proposed to Silara. A small sentimental side of him would mourn the loss of this vessel, though the greater reasoning centers of his brain told him that such a thing was utterly ridiculous.

This was just a ship after all, there were many like it, and there would be many more made in the future.

“Lan.” Alric said grasping the mans shoulder. “What do you suggest?”

Lan was a tactician, perhaps the greatest in the Sons. He was a former Chiss Commodore, commander of his own fleet until an unfortunate run in with the Vagaari. If anyone could formulate a proper plan it would be him.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

The Chiss remained quiet for a few moments, clearly pondering the problems at hand. They did not have all the information they needed for a proper plan. Bits and pieces really. They knew that some security teams were compromised. They knew a fleet of nine ships remained, and they knew that more than a few of them had attached to the Wyyrlok and were undergoing boarding procedures.

They did not know the state of the Hangar bay, they did not know if the enemy ships had tractor beams, and they most certainly did not know if they could even get away.

“Sir.”

Lan spoke finally, his voice firm.

“I suggest we take the Hangar. Simon and I, you stay here. From there we board your shuttle and contact the Bridge, I can only presume that by now they have taken it.”

Alric nodded. The bridge was in the middle of the ship, contained within a bubble. If the Pirates had infiltrated Titan to this degree they would know that and the bridge would have been their first target.

“We strike a deal. Ask for our freedom in return for the ships access codes.”

 

[Alric Kuhn]

Alric bit is lip.

“Before our jump to hyperspace we blow the ship using the self destruct and a remote trigger.”

The Titan thought for a few moments. The tactic made sense, but there was always a chance that either the pirates wouldn't go for the deal, or the access codes had already been delivered. Not to mention with those codes in the hands of the Pirates they could use them to shut off the Self Destruct...if they noticed it anyway.

“Risky.” Was all the Tetan said along with a slight shake of his head.

“It's the only way, Sir.”

Lan spoke the truth, he always did. In the end, Alric conceded. He was no military strategist. Sure he played Dejarik, but in the end he knew nothing of tactics. He would bow to the Sons expertise in this matter, give his plan the benefit of the doubt. Alric simply nodded, giving the two men the go ahead.