by John Walker
“Thirty seconds to distance,” Authen announced, “weapons armed and targeted.”
“Maintain speed and course.” Griel clenched his fists. “Fire the second we’re in range then veer hard to the left. Make for what’s left of the Flotilla.” Using that as a distraction might buy them an advantage until the Triton arrived. He wanted Renz to worry about more than just fighting one-on-one.
They don’t seem to multitask all that well.
“I have Niva’s personal comm on scans,” Molush said, “it’s definitely on the surface.”
“Bring her on,” Griel replied, “we need to talk.”
“I… can’t say if she’s alive or dead.”
Griel sighed. “How’s that?”
“They’re pretty far away, sir. I’m working on it!”
“Opening fire!” Authen shouted.
The Brekka’s cannons discharged, sending blue beams searing the dark of space. They scored a direct hit on Renz’s bow. Their hexagonal shield patterns came to life for a brief moment before fading out. Authen performed the maneuver, taking them hard to the left while increasing speed.
Renz blasted away, knocking the Brekka on the port side. The hit made the ship rattle, but that was the extent of the reaction. Defenses held even with the power drain of moving at full speed. They put some distance between them and the Kahl vessel. Maybe he’ll think we’re here solely to save our people.
That might make Renz desperate enough to give chase.
“How many Kahl are on the surface?” Griel asked. “Do you have that information?”
“A lot,” Molush said. “Like… enough for this to be a colony. Though there are bizarre readings coming from the mountainous areas. Like… I can almost get a reading, but something is interfering. I don’t get it.”
“Natural?” Griel asked. An additional attack struck them from behind. This one nudged them enough to jostle him in his seat. “Or do you think they’re intentionally jamming us?”
“Maybe a little of both… a naturally occurring phenomena harnessed as a form of defense.”
“Well, aren’t they clever.” Griel winced as the ship tilted, narrowly avoiding a large chunk of space junk. “Authen… can you time that a little better?”
“Not when stuff’s flying around the way it is,” Authen replied, “and flying evasively at the same time. This is somewhat complex… sir.”
Beams flew past them. Renz pressing the attack. The shots came near continuously; turrets and main cannons alike. The Brekka barreled down on the Flotilla, blowing past the main structure. Authen brought them back around with a hard bank, one that brought out crushing g-force.
“Come on!” Griel complained. “I’m sure that wasn’t entirely necessary! The Kahl battleship can’t—”
“They can,” Molush interrupted, “and sir, we’ve got a shuttle heading down to the surface of the planet. Kahl make. Trajectory suggests it came from this area rather than where Renz happened to be.”
“Have you got Niva on comms yet?” Griel asked.
“No, sir.”
“Then we can’t warn her about the company.” The Brekka faced Renz’s ship, flying straight for it. “Can we target or are we moving too fast?”
Authen replied, “This is lucky shot speed, sir.” The cannons deployed again, striking the bow again. They passed the top of the Kahl vessel, taking a barrage from their smaller turrets. Shields held according to the tactical screen. “I’m dipping down then heading back toward the Flotilla, sir.”
Griel brought up a tactical map on his screen, looking for the best angle to attack from. None of it looked particularly great, but if they went to the lower part of the structure, it happened to be thinner there. We might use that to our advantage. I think we can fire around it from there.
He brought up the exact coordinates then sent them to Authen. “Get us to that location. See if you can’t lure our friends into chasing you. I’d rather them be on level with us if at all possible.”
“I’ll do what I can.” They turned again, dropping lower this time. The ship took another couple taps; more small weapons. The Kahl main cannons had yet to score a direct hit.
Small favors we have to hold on to. Griel clung to his chair. We’ll rely on skill when we have them where we want them. Which might be in only a few short moments.
Chapter 9
Andrews jumped when gunfire erupted above them. Quilla stood nearby, laying out their equipment, organizing the supplies so they’d do the most good. The soldiers lingered near the stairs. Alon, Tiller, and Vesper were each aiming at the entrance. He didn’t like the idea of holding the area from down below.
“Guys, don’t you think it would be better to have eyes up there?” Andrews gestured. “You know, to warn the rest of us in case something comes down?”
“I’m on it,” Tiller headed up, “gotta be ready if they need our help anyway.”
Andrews turned to speak with Vesper when his comm went crazy, buzzing noisily. He pulled the earpiece, hissing from the shock of pain. “What the hell? Did you guys have that happen too?” He looked around. None of them reacted the same way. “Crazy problem with the comm?”
“No…” Vesper replied. She stepped closer, taking it from him. “What happened? Just a weird noise?”
“Pretty much.”
Vesper ran a quick scan. “Whoa…” She smiled. “Andrews… that’s a friendly signal trying to break through the interference.”
“Say what?” Andrews shrugged. “What do you mean?”
“The Brekka’s here.” Vesper tossed the earpiece back to him. “You hear that, Alon? We’ve got some damn support!”
“That’ll be great,” Alon said, “when they’re sending down some soldiers to help us with this mess.”
Vesper tapped her computer. “Niva? Come in please.”
“I’m here,” Niva said, “we’re working on the door right now to get in but it’s kind of crazy up here. We could use a hand.”
“We’re on our way, but I’ve got great news. The Brekka’s arrived in the system!”
“Seriously?” Niva sighed. “Thank every divine thing in the galaxy. Right now, hurry up. We need you to relieve some of the pressure.”
“Alon, stay and guard this area. Tiller, you and I are on mop up duty.” She headed up, leaving the others behind.
“What’s the Brekka?” Quilla asked.
“Prytin battleship,” Andrews replied. “The ship Niva comes from.”
“Great… Prytin military. Just what I need.”
“Settle down there. You should be happy we have a way off this rock.”
“I wanted to go with Jok,” Quilla replied. “At least he’s not affiliated with the authorities. After everything I’ve done with you people the last thing I want is to go to prison.”
“Pretty sure you won’t,” Alon said. “You’re kind of a small fish, pal. No offense to your grand criminal record or anything. Anyway, the both of you should focus on whatever you’re doing. Maybe keep an ear on the door. If the enemy comes down here, you’ll have to do some shooting.”
“Great…” Andrews loosened his sidearm in its holster before turning to help Quilla. The comm booster needed a few minutes to charge up, but once it was operational, it had the range to reach out to the Brekka. Then we’ll get the aid we need. And get the hell out of here shortly after. That drove him on.
Finally, a little hope. It’s been long overdue.
***
The Triton dropped out of warp with a shudder. Decks rattled, chairs shook, panels seemed on the verge of popping off… then all at once, it stopped. The viewscreen went to static followed by a faded view of the area beyond. Energy blasts brightened the distortion, along with thrusters burning through the dark.
Titus squinted to see the action. The blurs on the screen were impossible to make out. All the flashes didn’t help. They were not in immediate danger, or at least they hadn’t been shot yet. This was one situation where they didn’t necessarily know w
hat they’d be hopping into. Violence was certainly a possibility.
“Violet,” Titus asked, “what’s going on? Why are we practically blind?”
“I’m compensating for high levels of radiation in that area,” Violet replied. “It’s muddying the scanners and causing ripples for the viewer.”
“Shields and weapons online,” Rhys added, “Sam, do you have friend or foe up?”
“Um…” Sam stared at his controls, finally shaking his head. “Not yet, sir. Still booting up. Give it… twenty seconds?”
“Let’s hope we have that long,” Titus replied. “Jane, move us toward the action while we’re waiting. Prioritize defenses. Violet, get me a full system scan as soon as possible. Rhys, get Huxley on the line. I’m guessing we have a new set of problems popping out of warp the way we did.”
The bridge lit up with activity. Titus turned his attention to his personal screen. A tactical map showed multiple vessels engaged in combat. The Brekka arrived early and they were definitely fighting with a Kahl battleship. That has to be Renz. He must’ve found a way to track the Flotilla.
Coms continued to act up. Even the internals were full of static. The viewscreen finally stabilized, confirming Titus’ suspicion concerning their opponent. Renz’s ship followed the Brekka around the Flotilla, then leveled out near the bottom. The two faced off at the narrowest point of the primary structure.
Then they started shooting, each pivoting so they kept the station as a barrier between them. It did hamper mobility but ultimately, they were back to the same sort of combat at the Rhulin colony. Slugging it out, tearing at one another without much in the way of evasive maneuvers.
The one with the better defenses wins.
“Scan complete,” Violet said, “we’re looking at a lot of Kahl on the surface. Our people must’ve made it off the station. I’ve got a handful of human contacts. I’m trying to reach out but as you can hear, comms are acting a little funny still. The Flotilla’s done in. Little power, few survivors on board.”
“Can you raise the Brekka?” Rhys asked.
Violet returned to her work. “Trying, sir.”
“What did Huxley say?” Titus checked their distance to the target. They had another two minutes before they’d be in range to take any shots.
“Warp’s offline,” Rhys said, “they think they can reboot and get it back online. Otherwise, minor shorts here and there. Primarily from systems they rushed to fix before we headed out here. Defenses and weapons are good to go.”
“Great.” Titus nodded. “You heard him, Sam. When we get close…” He stopped. Hold on. “Violet, you said there’s limited power on the Flotilla. How much? As in are we talking backup generators?”
“Yes, sir. The reactor seems to have gone offline. Somehow, it didn’t explode though. Considering the energy readings around here, I’m surprised. It must’ve just… shut down.”
“Interesting.” Titus hummed. “I need to speak with Griel before we jump in.”
“Online now, sir.”
“Welcome,” Griel said, “glad you could make it. As you can see, we’re getting reacquainted with my old friend Renz here. He didn’t even want to talk. The shooting started right away.”
“How’re you holding up?” Titus asked. “We’re almost in range.”
“So far so good.”
“You think about blowing some chunks off the Flotilla? Make some more obstacles?”
“No point right now,” Griel replied. “We’ve got him where we want him.”
“Exchanging blows around that thing?”
Griel chuckled. “You really don’t like this kind of fighting. Anyway, it’s to prevent him from charging us. He won’t fly right into the Flotilla, even at that point. But occasionally, these bastards will give us a good nudge to knock down shields or even penetrate armor. Anyway, jump in. Niva’s on the surface.”
“Yeah, we just got our people online as well. What’s the plan to get them out of there?”
“I’ve got a pilot over here ready to go. She also likes your guy Andrews, I guess. He was with the others, I believe?”
“Yes,” Titus said, “but you’re only sending one? Looks like the place is crawling with enemy contacts.”
“We’re thinking,” Griel replied, “they’re native. Like a colony, but it has to be an old one. They don’t have any of the trappings of a standard Kahl establishment. No satellites, no high-tech stuff on the surface per se… not that we’re picking up. So I’d have to go with forgotten group. Probably not friends of our enemy.”
“Still, I think we’ll put together a landing party to help.” Titus didn’t necessarily want to send people down, but they needed some soldiers to get down there. People to provide backup, security… a chance to survive whatever was going on. “I’ll have our pilot coordinate with yours.”
“Sounds great. They’ll need to really haul to avoid Renz. He might brake to blow up a shuttle. All depends on how much of a threat he thinks they are.” Griel grunted. “Gotta go. That was a hard hit. Authen will coordinate with your weapons guy. Together, we can wipe this idiot out and take our time with the rescue.”
“Rhys, get a crew together.” Titus touched the man’s arm, lowering his voice. “Only five or so. We’ll try to be nimble. Get them in and out. No real fighting, got it?”
“You really think we’ll get away with that?” Rhys asked. “This might be a real disaster down there.”
“Shuttles should provide some support to get them in a good spot for pickup. Find a solid LZ. The less people we risk out there, the better.” Titus turned his attention to the action at hand. Thirty seconds to a firing solution. He figured they had this part of the fight in the bag. Renz can’t stand up to both of us. This situation is over before it began.
In fact, why hasn’t he already fled? Titus had watched the coward leave his people behind before. Whatever he’s got up his sleeve, we need to know soon. But scans turned up nothing out of the ordinary. I’m sure it’ll reveal itself soon enough… at an inopportune moment. We really need to hurry.
***
Triss Nel Ulinas volunteered for pickup duty before they even arrived. She was prepared to land on the Flotilla, but instead she’d be heading straight for an uncharted planet. It seemed safer during the quick briefing, but then they got to the large number of Kahl troops and natives roaming around down there.
At least it’ll be an interesting trip. When the Brekka started trading blows with the enemy battleship, Molush gave her the go ahead to depart. She launched, immediately climbing to use the debris of the Flotilla as a screen. The hope was to avoid scans and stay out of the line of fire.
They have plenty of turrets to spare one on me as I fly by.
Patrol craft roamed the planet’s surface. They seemed to stick to flight paths near her destination, which presented a smaller problem than the battleship. She went alone to minimize her profile. A squadron of vessels might make a larger impact, something to check out, than only one.
And then there are tricks. When she reached the top of the Flotilla structure, she veered toward the planet, engaging the afterburners. The next two minutes promised to be insanely dangerous as she waited for an attack to come her way. Her HUD showed a climbing number representing her distance from aggressor.
As long as it stayed red, she was in range of their turrets. Even climbing, putting the station between them, the computer continued to believe she was in danger. The shuttle shook from the strain. She diverted power from defenses, dumping them into the engines. That gave her a little boost.
Come on! Triss winced at the g-force, keeping her eye on the proximity meter. Finally, it switched to yellow, meaning they’d have a hard time catching her, but it wasn’t beyond the realm of possibility. Engine thrust showed at a hundred twenty percent. An accompanying warning suggested the reactor was starting to overheat.
If it’s not one thing, Triss sighed, checking the reverse camera. The fight behind her looked nasty. Both ships tossin
g out their main cannons, hitting their defenses hard. She’d been outside during many such battles, ferrying troops around while battleships tore at one another.
The Brekka represented her fifth tour of duty. When she boarded, she thought it would be like any other assignment. After she met Griel, she knew otherwise. He had vision but not like any other commander she worked with. Discipline definitely slipped under his command, yet they proved far more successful than she anticipated.
I’m distracting myself. Triss shook her head, focusing dead ahead. The meter turned green, meaning she was out of range. Drawing back the thrust, she put herself under the one hundred percent mark. Shutting down the afterburners gave them time to recharge when she’d need them the most.
When any shuttle decides to give me trouble on the surface. Triss tapped the comms unit, reaching out to the surface. “This is Triss Nel Ulinas trying to reach Officer Andrews. Please respond, over.” The planet loomed ahead, easily close enough for a comm signal to reach the surface.
Only static greeted her though it appeared she made some connection. She tried again, tossing her greeting out while checking the scans of the area. Shuttles were moving about near her expected LZ but they were due south of the area. As if they were mustering. Dropping troops off. What have you gotten yourself into, Andrews?
A flash of light caught her attention, something off to the left. The Triton appeared in the system. Their engines engaged as they started toward the action with the Brekka. That’ll make short work of the battleship. This might be easier than I thought. Would that make the surface fighters leave the planet?
I seriously doubt it.
“Hello?” Andrews voice faded in through a mire of static. Triss adjusted her gain, tossing in a couple filters to clean up the signal. “Triss, can you hear me?”