Space Battle 1

This is a scene I just wrote for the novel project.  I haven't inserted it into a chapter yet.

He (the Commandant of the space patrol) briefly dropped the handset of the telephone away from his face and looked at it.

Was the P.M. out of his bloody mind?

He returned the handset to the proper position and spoke again.

“Sir, we are unable to fire a warning shot in space.”

“Why not?”  The P.M. replied.

Wow, he thought, the elected moron actually asked a valid question.

“Sir, laser beams are not visible in the vacuum of space.”

“What?  How can that be?  It’s done all the time in the movies?”

The Commandant mentally reminded himself that he was speaking to an elected official.  Someone who was ignorant of anything outside of the realm of politics, such as the actual facts of nature.

“This is not the cinema, sir.  And in any case the Concord is already off the planet.  As such it is now subject to the laws and regulations of the Freyan Republic.  We have no valid grounds to board her at this time.”

The Prime Minister responded with anger.

“Do you want your immortal soul to go to Hell?  There is a child aboard that ship who is in the hands of unfit parents and who will never know the light of our lord Jesus Christ!”

The Commandant knew that to answer truthfully would result in his being fired by the P.M., but he had to do it.

“Prime Minister, the Concord is an Alissa Two class light merchant built and operated by the Freyaspace Corporation.  This vessel is built with two mounts for class two beam lasers rated at five hundred megawatts each.  Under Freyan law that vessel is authorized to be armed for self defense.  As she is carrying an executive of the corporation and his family I would fully expect her to be so.  And the attempt to seize a child passenger from her parents in open space is by interstellar law is clearly an act of piracy.  As Commandant of the Space Patrol I must follow only the laws of nations and of nature.  And you sir, can tell the Archbishop to go fuck himself.”

With that the Commandant hung up the phone.