“Alright, I’m on my way.”
An hour passes by as Kat waits on the bridge. There wasn’t anything she could do to help Jack in medical bay anyway. So, she’s watching the monitors. The only thing interesting so far was the ship they blew up on the way in was caught in the in gravitational pull of the planet. It would be falling down to the ground in another few hours. She also tracked a few lifeboats that landed planet side, but nothing within walking distance. It was sunny when they landed, and now the suns are setting. It looks just like how she envisioned it, the only thing missing is her and Gravan sharing a swing on their back porch.
The door slides open behind her and she turns to see Gravan standing there. Kat looks at him, and there is relief on his face. He walks over next to her and sits in his chair.
He says, “That’s a nice view.”
“Yea it is. This is where the house would have gone.”
“Oh. Didn’t realize it when we landed. You picked a good place for it.”
“Thanks.” Kat fells the tears build behind her eyes and changes the subject. “So how’s our new passenger doing?”
“He’s doing alright. Whisper is still working on him, most of the cuts were easily healed. The burns though, they’re going to take a bit longer. The mage root still has about a day left, and we have more than enough to suppress it for that long. How’re things looking in here?”
“Good. Debris is falling everywhere, but won’t hit anywhere near us. There are a couple of ships that landed a hundred or so miles away. Other than that, I’ve just been watching the suns set.”
“We’ll get a place of our own. I promise. Once we get Hanna back, we’ll all pick a new place together.”
Kat really didn’t want to talk about it, but the words just left her mouth before her brain could stop them. “But I really wanted it to be here. This place. This planet. Now we have to go off to some prison to rescue someone that I barely know. All of which is getting me no closer to where I want us to be. Why does this keep happening?”
“Kitty Kat, it’s ok. This isn’t the only planet with a beautiful landscape and sunset. We’ll find some place to settle into. Just you watch.”
Fury interrupts the conversation, “Kat, Gravan, we’ve got incoming. Two warships just entered the solar system.”
Kat leans back into he chair. This was the worse thing that could happen to them besides a whole army showing up in response. There’s still time she thinks.
She says, “Anyone got any ideas?”
Gravan says, “We could go deeper into the Frontier, we got the supplies for it, and then make our way around.”
“We could, but Whisper said they got our ID, so it won’t matter which way we go. Other than avoiding a fight, which might be good to do.”
Whisper interrupts, “Jack’s awake.”
Kat says, “Great, make sure he’s secure and we can get out of here.”
“Wait, he’s asking for Gravan to get something from the store.”
Gravan says, “Tell him we don’t have time.”
Whisper says, “He’s insisting.”
“Fine I’ll go talk to him.”
Kat says confused, “What? Seriously?”
Gravan says, “Yea. Let me go talk to him and find out what it is. You get a plan together with Fury and Whisper to get us out of here alive while I do that.”
Kat, Whisper, and Fury talk about their options. Running was at the top of the list. Mainly because they didn’t know if there were more ships waiting out there. Then there was Hanna. She could be already be dead. Which was unlikely because they captured her instead of just outright killing her on the spot. So there should be some time, but who knows how much. Running would be safer for Kat and crew but it would take time they may not have away from Hanna. Something Kat wasn’t willing to give up. If she got captured, she would want Gravan to get to her in the shortest route possible.
That would mean somehow getting past two warships. They got past one, which was mostly an accident, but she didn’t want to destroy another two. She wasn’t even sure they could. Whisper was getting better, but controlling two ships at once might be a little much. So attacking was probably out. That would leave running past the two, which should be easier. Maybe.
Gravan walks back into the room. Kat goes through the plan with him that they came up with. He agrees it is the best of a bad situation.
He says, “Jack told me what he wanted us to wait for. There’s a box of spheres that Hanna has been collecting for years. He said it’s more important to her than her life, and he can’t leave the planet until it’s on this ship. I know where it is, and I’ll be back quick.”
Whisper says, “There are people getting close, and the warships have almost collected all of the lifeboats that are still in space. The next ones they are going to get are the ones planet side.”
“I hear you Whisper, I’ll be quick.”
Kat watches the camera’s as Gravan leaves. Notifications of search ships launching off both the warships stream in as they head for the planet. She wasn’t panicking. She was not going to panic. Breathing in and out a few times helps calm her nerves. They’ve been in tight situations before and this wasn’t too different. Gravan disappears out of sight of the cameras, and she feels her heart thumping louder in her chest. What is this box of spheres anyway, and why is it so valuable they need to risk their lives over it?
Gravan’s voice comes over the com. “Got the box Kat, I’m coming back.”
Kat says with relief in her voice, “Great. Please hurry, because I would really feel a lot better with you back inside the ship.”
“It won’t be much longer, and we can blast out of this place.”
Whisper shouts, “Incoming!”
The screen lights up red as blaster fire from one of the warships hits the ground near the hill causing an earthquake. Kat holds on tight to the controls to keep herself from rocking around. Then another comes down outside of the demolished town, and again behind the ship.
Whisper says, “They are trying to hit us, but their blasters can’t be calibrated to go though the atmosphere. It’s too thick, but it won’t be for long if they keep firing.”
Kat says, “Gravan hurry!”
He replies, “I know, almost in.”
On the monitors Gravan is carrying what looks like a pirate’s treasure chest over his shoulder, running toward the ship. It’s golden metal lining the wooden box shines as beams come down destroying the debris and surrounded plant life.
Whisper says, “Only one more shot before they can aim at us. I also can’t get into their systems. It seems they shut down all outside channels. The only way would be to get close and fire over a communication tether but I would suggest against that.”
Kat agrees, “Yes, lets not try that. Any other ideas?”
Fury says, “I know this might set a large area on fire, but we could jump to FTL travel from here.”
He was right. There wasn’t anyone close enough for that to matter, and the warships were already blasting everything around them to dust anyway. Initiating a jump within an atmosphere would light the oxygen in the air on fire, but there was no telling how far it would spread. It was illegal to do it, and there wasn’t much information on anyone that has tried it.
Kat asks, “Whisper, what do you think?”
“It could work, but it could also turn the planet into an uninhabitable fireball.”
“Is there anyone else on the planet other than us?”
“No way to know. It was supposed to be a mining and resource planet for the Guild. There is a chance that there are some people on this planet.”
If that was true, she couldn’t risk it. She wasn’t about to kill innocent people just so she can escape.
She says, “Hey Fury, how are the cannons?”
“Everything is optimal, shells are ready to be configured.”
“Can you make them into gravity shells, like the one Wrath used?”
“I don’t
see why not. It will take a few minutes to get configured though. They take both Whisper and I to make them.”
“Do it, and tell me when they’re ready.”
Gravan comes through the door and sits at his chair.
He says, “Jack is still in place, and the chest is secure. So you got a plan?”
Kat goes through her idea with him about the gravity shells. He agrees, and they lift off the ground. Kat pushes the thrusters to full as a beam melts through the hill they were just on, turning it into a molten blob. The sky had been full of clouds, but now looks like the eye of a hurricane with a clear view to the warship hovering in the space above the planet.
All of the monitors in the bridge have the warship in view. Red dots start lighting up along the side. Kat doesn’t hesitate, flying the ship away back into the cloud cover. Smaller red beams rain down around the ship. She flies straight, because there was no predicting where the shots would land.
Fury says, “Gravity bullets are chambered and ready to be fired.”
Kat says, “Great. Now we need to know where that other warship is, then we can get the hell out of here.”
Whisper says, “I have them both in pursuit. They both have weapons lock, and my sensors are picking up something weird. Some type of energy flux but I can’t pinpoint it.”
Kat replies sarcastically, “That’s just prefect. Hold on tight.”
She whips the ship around, pointing the nose of the ship between where the two warships should be.
She says, “Gravan take the secondary cannons, and Fury take the primaries. Aim each pair of them at a ship, and we’re going to fly past them.”
Gravan says, “I hope this works.”
The Felicity flies between them as large red lights on either side flare up. Kat waits for on a fraction of a second, wanting to get past a certain point before ordering the command.
Passing that point Kat says, “Fire!”
Gravan and Fury shoot the two pairs of cannons. Each shell colliding into the rear shields of each ship, exploding.
Whisper says, “Hits confirmed.”
Kat grins, “Hit the FTL drives.”
Felicity clears the two warships as their cannons still follow her. The four gravity balls pull the two warships into each other. These were different from the one she used on Gwen. The size of them alone made Kat shiver with the memory of Gwen’s body snapping and contorting around it. She watches on the screen, as the shields of the ships start to rub against the gravity wells, finally shattering. The outer hulls start to contort around them. Thats when she notices a purple glow surrounding each warship. It was faint at first, but as it grew more intense it flowed to a point between the two.
Whisper says, “Uhh… Kat, remember that energy flux I was talking about?”
Kat says, “Yes, why?”
“Its magic. A powerful incantation magic to be precise, preformed — by my best guess — at least two hundred highly skilled wizards.”
“I need to know this, why?”
“Because its aimed at us right now.”
Before Kat has time to say, what, a large purple beam fires from the sphere of light that grew between the ships. It roars over the Felicity. The ship shakes like in an earthquake. Sparks fly out of all the controls, and the power flickers.
Whisper says, “Shields down, and engine output down to twenty percent.”
Kat asks, “Can we still make the FTL jump?”
“Maybe, but we won’t be able to make it all the way back to Illusion.”
“That’s fine, just get us out of here so we live through this.”
“Course plotted, jump in five.”
Kat flips the cameras to where the two warships are, each still aglow in a purple haze. The light flows between the two again, quicker than she would have believed possible.
Kat asks, “Whisper… you might want to hurry!”
Whisper replies full of sarcasm, “Like I’m waiting to get hit by the magical purple death beam until you tell me to hurry. Stupid monkey. FTL jump ready, initiating.”
Purple light screams toward the Felicity as her FTL drives hum to full. Kat closes her eyes, not wanting to see what was about to happen. There was nothing else she could do.
Whisper says, “You can open your eyes now Kat. We’re out of harms way. For now.”
“We are? Thank God.”
“I didn’t know I had become a deity to you.”
“You know what I mean Whisper. Gravan are you ok?”
He says, “I think so. I got a couple of small burns. Nothing a quick trip to the medical bay won’t fix. You?”
“I’m ok. Whisper how’s our passenger?”
“He’s alive. Probably in agony, but from nothing we’ve done.”
“Guess that’s to be expected. How are you two and the Felicity doing?”
“Fury and I are fine but the ship’s engine is in need of a few repairs, the shield generator is busted again, and the whole outside of the ship is scorched. I don’t have sufficient knowledge to categorize that.”
“Bad would be the appropriate category.”
Gravan says, “Well, once I get done in the med bay, I will head over to the shields. Do you think you can handle the engines?”
Kat replies, “I think so. Whisper can tell me what to do.”
The next few hour Kat had spent in the engine room with Whisper. Wires and circuit boards were fried, which needed to be replaced. The alignment of the crystals inside of the housing needed to be put back into place. Which was an experience Kat hopes to never have to repeat. Then she had to drain and connect all of the breakaway hoses back into the right order. Which doesn’t sound all that bad, but the fluid filling the hoses was sticky pinkish syrup like liquid and smelled like a week old gym bag that was baking in the sun. She had to forcibly keep herself from throwing up multiple times.
Whisper explained how when the spell hit and overloaded the shields, the excess magic started to flow into the magi-tech reactor. If it would have continued, the engine would have exploded, which is why they have breakaway hoses. Something that wasn’t standard in Guild ships. That was the Earth Empire’s doing, because the Guild doesn’t attack its own in space. They like to be more personal.
With all of the work finished, and a long hot shower done, Kat goes into the common area. Gravan was cooking some kind of chicken dish. There was a hint of spicy sweetness in the air. That was one thing she never had to question, food. It was always being prepared around there. She likes to think his obsession with cooking lead to his obsession with sharp objects. Something she will have to ask him about later, when they don’t have people trying to kill them or someone who needs rescuing. Right now they need to talk about their next move.
Kat says, “Gravan, we need to figure out what we are going to do next.”
He nods not turning around, “I know. If Whisper was right…”
Whisper interjects, “I always am.”
“Yes, I know. So like I was saying, if she’s right, then they already sent the Felicity’s ID in as a bandit ship. So anywhere we go in Guild territory will be dicey.”
Kat runs her fingers through her hair, one of her many nervous tics. With Hanna in Guild territory, how were they going to get there. Knox would probably take them, but leaving the Felicity anywhere close to them could mean trouble for him and Gale. Something she wasn’t about to put them in the middle of. Again. Knox could always just reregister Felicity, but the last time he did that it took almost a month. Time they didn’t have.
Ragnarok was the planet that officer had said he took Hanna too. It’s in the center of Guild space, so there isn’t an easy way to just show up there unannounced. There is over a dozen different check points between the outer edge of Guild territory to get there. That has to be at least part of the reason it was there, now that she thinks about it. Hard to escape when in every direction you go people will be waiting for you. There had to be a solution where they can get to the planet, rescue Hanna and get o
ut. Alive preferably.
Kat looks up from the floor. Gravan is standing near the stove top, looking at her. He has a smile on his face, but she can tell its only for show. How could he be smiling at a moment like this? Every thought about making a plan seems to add more problems. She takes in a breath, letting it out slowly. This whole process was getting her worked up in worry, something she knew wouldn’t help the situation. She just stares at Gravan, trying to figure out where that goofy grin is coming from.
He breaks the silence first, saying, “I got a plan, but you’re not going to like it.”
Kat folds her arms across her chest in anticipation for whatever bad idea he just came up with. Of course at this point, anything was better than what she was coming up with.
She says, “Ok, what is it?”
“I’m already wanted by the Guild, so if I just fly there on a shuttle…”
Kat cuts him off, “No. Not happening.” This idea was worse, that’s what she gets for thinking a man could plan better than she could.
“You didn’t even hear the part…”
“I said no. I don’t want you captured. It’s bad enough that our little piece of paradise is destroyed and out of our reach. To have you incarcerated… No. I can’t handle that.”
“Whisper could pair to me and hide inside me, I could then use her to get Hanna and myself out.”
Kat stops herself from immediately saying no. The last part is actually a decent idea, and she had to give him at least that. Whisper will be overjoyed to be included in this, and Kat can’t wait to hear what objection she’s going to use this time.
Kat asks, “Well Whisper you heard him. Do you think its possible?”
There is a pause in the air before she answers, “No. I can’t be separated from Katrice. It would cause a catastrophic loss.”
7
Kat takes a moment before saying anything. What could Whisper be talking about.
She asks, “What do you mean by catastrophic loss?”
Whisper replies, “If I were to be separated from you there would be a reset initiated to some of my main systems. I haven’t found a good time to tell you this, but I unlocked a few more sealed files. If I change users, my personality will be tuned to the person who’s in possession of me.”
Nightmares & Dreams: A Science Fantasy Space Western: Eydulan Series Book 2 Page 6