Asteroid Belt Skirmish

In AD 2091, many people set up firms to exploit the mineral wealth of the Asteroid Belt between Mars and Jupiter. Some people became pirates who robbed the mining firms' ships of their valuable mineral loads.
When it became practical to mine other worlds, due to the development of nuclear fusion power plants for spacecraft, far-sighted officials of Earth's space agencies set up Insystem Security (ISS) to keep order, prevent and solve crimes in space.
Mikhail Arkangelsky and his brother Gabriel were sitting on their seats in their Space Guard patrol craft. Both were policemen of the Science Police, a subsidiary of ISS. Mikhail was a first class warrant officer, and Gabriel was a sergeant. They were in the region of asteroid Ceres.
Astronaut miners of Mars and Outer Planets Enterprise were mining for tin, iron and other minerals on Ceres. They were using laser drills and other high-technology equipment to do it. Their prospector ships were on the large asteroid, or in orbit around it.
The two policemen's aerodynamic spaceship revolved around Ceres. Four other ISS Space Guards supported it. Each was fifty-metre-long. They were armed with mass driver cannons (MDCs) and robot missiles.
All of the ships had launched data-gathering probes into the space around Ceres. These robot probes scanned the region for signs of pirate ships. They could relay information back to the patrol craft.
The main computer in Mikhail's ship monitored the mining activity in that part of space. Information in the form of text and schematics scrolled up the heads-up-display (HUD) of the view screen.
Mikhail glanced at the navigation computer screen and then took out a few sandwiches. He switched on the drink dispenser and said, "Gabriel, would you like to have a sandwich and some drink?"
"Umm. Thank you, sir."
"With the large amount of asteroids in this region, it would be difficult to spot approaching ships," Mikhail remarked. Then he gave Gabriel a sandwich and a cup of hot coffee.
"Yes, it is good that we have data-gathering probes out there," Gabriel said. "We're safe also because the asteroids are on average well over one million kilometres apart."
Suddenly, two strange-looking ships flew towards the far side of Ceres. The probe in that region detected them and identified them as pirates. At the same time, it sent the information to Mikhail's ship.
An indicator flashed on the HUD.
"Alert! Alert!" the data-retrieval system computer warned. "Two pirate ships heading for Ceres."
Information and some profiles of the pirate ships appeared on the HUD. The ships looked like giant sea urchins. They were spherical and bristled with several cannon barrels.
"Co-ordinates of their location?" Gabriel asked.
"Sector Tango, X7-D1-A49," the computer replied.
"Course and speed?"
"Vector Two. Twenty-five thousand kilometres per hour."
"Hailing Frequency," Mikhail said.
Gabriel switched on the ship to ship hailing frequency.
"Opened."
"Halt! You're under arrest!" Mikhail addressed the pirates.
A stream of projectiles streaked past the top of Mikhail's ship missing the dorsal MDC turret.
"Alert! Alert! We are under attack!" The main computer warned. The targeting system computer automatically turned on.
"All Space Guards take evasive actions!" Mikhail said.
Gabriel walked to the navigator's console and took control of it without being told. He fired the steering thrusters to evade the shots of the pirate ship. Mikhail rushed to the centre of the ship and climbed into the MDC turret.
"Isn't that first ship Lucifer's?" Gabriel asked.
Lucifer Gunstar was the most notorious pirate leader in the Asteroid Belt. He and his pirates had robbed and destroyed several prospector ships in the past.
"Yes," Mikhail answered. Then he switched on the intercom, which allowed him to talk with the police in the other four Space Guard patrol craft.
"All Space Guards engage the pirates at will."
The policemen in the other four Space Guards acknowledged the order. They flew their spaceships to strategic positions in Sector Tango to protect the miners. Space Guards One, Two and Three attacked Lucifer's ship. The remaining two patrol craft attacked the other pirate ship.
"Range?" Mikhail asked the targeting system computer.
"One point three kilometres."
Mikhail armed one Scorpion robot missile and switched off the MDCs. Then he moved the control stick of the turret. Lucifer's ship was centred in the computer-assisted gun sight. Mikhail pressed the fire button. One Scorpion robot missile flew straight at Lucifer's ship. It hit it and exploded. It listed to starboard and attempted to return fire. Lucifer fired a Hellfire missile at Space Guard One but missed. Space blossomed with dozens of spherical explosions characteristic of the microgravity environment.
The prospector ships had formed a convoy and were flying away from Ceres.
Mikhail armed the MDCs and held the handle to prepare to shoot. He turned the handle left and centred Lucifer's ship in the gun sight. Then he pressed the trigger. The MDCs stitched a line across the port of the ship.
"Eat lead! Suckers!" Mikhail yelled.
Mikhail pressed the trigger again and again while the two-metre-long MDCs tracked the trajectory of the enemy. As a result, it sustained many hits and exploded with the fury of a small supernova.
Out of the huge conflagration, flew an egg-shape spacecraft. It headed for the other pirate ship.
Lucifer appeared on the communications view screen of Space Guard One and said, "Impressive, Warrant Officer Arkangelsky, but I have not played my trump card yet!"
Two of the pirate's lackeys were standing at the background and laughing.
"Give up! Lucifer!" Mikhail seethed. "You won't get away from us."
Then he turned off the view screen.
Lucifer's escape pod slowed down as it approached the second pirate ship, and executed docking manoeuvres.
Both the pod and the ship gave one an impression of an egg-shape creature mating with a sea urchin. The port of the 'sea urchin' was burning after missile attacks by Space Guards Four and Five. The two ISS ships also peppered her with MDC rounds, but her faster speed saved her from being destroyed.
"Sensor scan indicates that the ship structure has been enhanced after the docking," Gabriel informed Mikhail. "It's now able to execute the 'Death Blossom Attack'."
Mikhail got out of the MDC turret and switched on the intercom channel.
"Hold your fire!" He ordered all the Space Guards. I've got to think of something fast! Ah-ha! Hyperspace! That's it!
Meanwhile, the enemy ship occupants began to prepare for the 'Death Blossom Attack'.
Lucifer ordered his first officer to run systems check and his lieutenant commander to start the firing countdown sequence. The other pirates took over her navigation system.
A moment later, the targeting system and weapons system computers of the ship locked onto the five ISS ships. Then ten of her spine-like cannons fired at them.
There were five double explosions where the Space Guards were. Then they were gone.
"Ha! Ha! Ha!" Lucifer laughed over the apparent annihilation of the policemen's ships. "Execute hyperspace jump!"
The ship seemed to shimmer; then it disappeared.
The five Space Guards appeared out of hyperspace unscathed by the 'Death Blossom Attack'.
Moments before Lucifer executed the tactical strike, Mikhail had come up with an idea of a special manoeuvre. It required all five ships under his command to jump into hyperspace just milliseconds before the cannon beams reached them. In this way, Mikhail and his people escaped unharmed while Lucifer thought he had destroyed them all.
There will be another place and another time, Mikhail thought.
"Continue to patrol this sector with us, Space Guard Two," Mikhail ordered. "Space Guards Three, Four and Five escort the mineral ship convoy to Mars."