The radar in front of her beeped. New contacts were rising from the surface, coming up fast. The military must have realized the threat. They were responding with missile fire. Beth wasn’t sure if the weapons were targeting the fighters or their mother ships, but either way it was a welcome sight.
“Not so defenseless as you thought, you bastards,” she muttered.
“The Naga cruisers are powering up weapons,” Majel warned. “I’m moving us out of the line of fire.”
Bolts of blue light streaked across where the Satori had just been, each licking out to touch an incoming missile. All twenty of the projectiles vanished in bursts of flame.
“Shit,” she said. Their defensive fire was amazing. She’d never seen it in action before. The Satori didn’t have missiles, just her railguns and the wormhole generator.
More contacts were rising from the surface. At first Beth thought they were more missiles, but they were moving too slowly, organizing into flight groups. They were fighters, but not like anything she’d seen before. These were something new. They were climbing fast now, firing engines with enough force that it looked like they’d meet the Naga fighters in low Earth orbit - well outside the atmosphere.
“Didn’t they see what just happened to their missiles?” Beth asked. The fighters would be annihilated. Any moment now she expected the Naga ships to unleash more bolts of force, blasting the Earth fighters to bits.
But it didn’t happen. They kept ascending, and the anticipated explosions never came. Why were the Naga holding their fire? They ought to be able to blow the ships to bits.
“They’re testing our technology base,” Majel said. “They want to see how our fighters fare against theirs.”
“They’re just going to let them get up there into a dogfight?”
“It would seem so. Contact in thirty seconds. I’m taking us in to engage,” Majel said. “Hang on.”
Railgun fire licked out from the Earth fighters. Streaks of blue energy spat back at them from the Naga fighters. The space between the two groups become deadly, full of fire and iron shot. Several craft on each side exploded as they closed.
Then they were on top of each other, and the fight turned messy. Beth could barely track the fighters as they zipped around, trying to gain advantage over each other. They seemed evenly matched enough on a one to one basis. But the Naga ships had numerical supremacy, and that was giving them the field. Beth winced as another human fighter exploded. They needed to get in there!
“We’re in railgun range,” Majel said. “Fire at will.”
“With pleasure,” Beth replied.
She got an easy lock on the first Naga fighter. One squeeze of the controls, and a pair of railgun shots spat from the wing mounted guns. The Naga ship detonated into a satisfying cloud of debris. She went looking for another target. It was a rich environment. Beth locked a second one, fired, but missed.
“God damn it!” she shouted.
Majel corrected course and brought the ship back into alignment to take another shot at the fighter. She squeezed again. This time the shots were on target.
“Two down. Let’s go get some more,” Majel said.
Beth took down another enemy fighter, and then a fourth. It wasn’t enough, no matter how hard she tried. They were losing this fight. The engagement had gone on only a couple of minutes, and Earth had lost half of its fighters. The Naga still had about fifty in the air.
“More missiles coming up from the surface,” Majel said.
These shots were definitely headed into the fighter battle. They streaked right for it. The Naga fighters scattered, breaking away to allow their battle cruisers clear shots at the threat.
That gave the Earth ships just the moment they needed to get clear of the fight. They used the distraction to break contact, speeding back toward the surface. There were only eight left.
“Pull us clear. I don’t want us to be hit by the force bolts from those cruisers.”
“Already on it,” Majel said.
The cruisers blasted the missiles apart, firing rapid volleys of shots that struck with pinpoint precision. They didn’t stop with the missiles this time, though. After the primary threat was gone, they fired again, and one of the Earth fighters exploded into flames.
The others took evasive action, dodging and weaving to avoid the incoming fire. It was enough to save some of them, but three more fighters died. Only four were still flying once the Naga ceased fire.
“Oh look, targets of opportunity,” Majel said. The nose of the Satori swung around, and directly ahead of them were a trio of Naga fighters. The obvious threat gone, the Naga were flying on straight paths. They were easy marks.
Beth lit up the first one and fired. It exploded, and the other two scattered. Majel followed the one dodging to starboard, and Beth blasted it as well. More Naga fighters were zooming over to see what was going on, but the Satori was in her element - in space, she was damned near invisible. Beth took out two more fighters before they even knew what they were up against.
“Take that, bastards,” she said.
“They’ve figured out who we are,” Majel said. “They’re moving to englobe us. If they finish the globe…”
“They’ll all fire, and we go poof. Get us clear, Majel. We’ve done all we can for now,” Beth said. She would have thought she would feel elated at having done some damage to the enemy, but all she felt was tired and sad. So many lives lost already, and the Naga had barely been scratched. She knew they had to have a lot more fighters than they had deployed.
This entire operation had been a test of Earth’s strength. Beth had the feeling they hadn’t looked very impressive.
Twelve
Dan smiled up at the screen. He realized he was probably the only person in the room who was smiling as they watched the engagement. But he was also probably the only person who’d spotted what he had.
Off to the left, on one corner of the fight, he’d seen a Naga ship explode. It hadn’t been anywhere near one of the Earth fighters. He watched for any similar detonations, and saw one almost immediately.
“Good job,” he murmured quietly. He wasn’t sure who was up there in the ship, but someone had gotten away, at least.
John looked over at him sharply. He’d heard something of what he said, Dan figured. Dan simply nodded up at the screen. He didn’t want to say much more just yet. John could figure it out if he watched closely enough, and he wasn’t in the mood to tell the rest of these people anything they didn’t directly need to know until they needed to know it.
The fight went badly. He wasn’t shocked. He knew just how effective those fighters could be. He’d fought them, and he’d even flown one. They tore the Air Force wing to shreds. Finally Hereford ordered another wave of missiles skyward so that he could withdraw the remaining fighters. A few of them made it clear of the carnage that followed.
Dan wondered if Wheeler was one of the survivors. The odds weren’t good, and he felt a pang at that which surprised him. Harry was something of an asshole, but he was also a good man in a tight situation. They’d been through a lot over the years. He didn’t like being at odds with the other man.
As the Earth fighters pulled clear, two more Naga ships exploded. Then another. Then another. That got attention back on the radar really fast. People scrambled to see what was going on. It looked like the ships were just exploding in space for no reason at all.
John looked over at Dan and the two shared a grin. It was worth letting them stew for a few minutes while they figured it out. The Naga were trying to englobe something. Dan remembered that trick, and was betting Beth and Majel did as well. Sure enough, the fighters stopped blowing up, and the globe closed in on…nothing. The Satori had pulled away before they could trap her.
“What the hell is going on up there?” Hereford demanded.
John coughed, and Hereford whirled on him. Seeing John smiling didn’t do anything for Hereford’s temper.
“You have something to add, Cara
way?” the general demanded.
“That’s my ship,” John said.
“Where?” Hereford asked, glaring at the screen again.
“That’s what blew up the fighters,” John said.
“About eight of them, anyway,” Dan chimed in. “Didn’t you see the Naga trying to create a sphere around something?”
“But there was nothing on radar,” Hereford said. “Some sort of stealth tech? Our pilots didn’t report visual on another ship, either. You trying to tell me you have an invisible airplane?”
“That’s Beth up there, Dan,” John said.
“It’s a cloaking device,” Dan said. He couldn’t help it. Despite the gravity of the situation he couldn’t keep the smile from his face any more than John had. Beth was safe, free, and doing a better job defending the planet that the Air Force. “Don’t you read any science fiction?”
“No. I don’t,” Hereford said. He drummed his fingers on the table again for a moment. “Still, I can’t deny the evidence I’m seeing right in front of me. This ship… It’s obviously armed. Are there more?”
“Just the one, sadly,” John said.
It was time to get them all back aboard the Satori. Beth and Majel might be doing OK for now, but they would need backup. Having the entire team in place aboard the ship was the best shot any of them had. It was really the only strong defense Earth had at this point. With missiles useless, and the fighter wing decimated, he couldn’t think of much else they could do.
But how to convince the general to let them board? He flat out didn’t think Hereford would go for it. He knew the type. Hereford was a man who believed in his service, and would do just about anything to get the job done. Dan admired that, but it also lent a lack of flexibility which was a hell of a handicap at times.
“General, I have an idea. We can strike a deal,” Dan said. He needed to be careful with his words. Hereford would have to think he was the one doing the outsmarting.
“I’m listening,” Hereford said gruffly.
Dan knew he had the man. He and John had intelligence that Hereford needed badly. If he offering it willingly, that would be the hook. And then he would dangle the Satori as well. The bait would be irresistible.
“Let us go,” Dan said. “We’ll call the Satori in. We’ll board and go fight the Naga. We’ve done this before. We work well together. We can beat them again.”
Dan wasn’t sure just how they were going to win against three Naga warships, but he figured they’d cross that bridge once they got to it. Getting the full crew back onto the Satori was humanity’s best shot.
“That doesn’t sound like much of a deal for me,” Hereford said.
“We take down those Naga, and it’s a good deal for everyone. But to sweeten the pot: I’ve been aboard a Naga cruiser and flown one of their fighters. I’ll give you a full briefing on everything I know about their tactics and technology.”
“Maybe I should just ask him instead,” Hereford said, pointing at John.
“John knows business. I’ve been an Air Force officer. Which of us do you think will do a better job filling you in on what matters most to you?” Dan asked. “I won’t hold anything back on their tech, tactics, even what I know of them as a species. My word on it. There’s too much at stake to not share.”
“And then?” Hereford said.
“Then you put us back in space on our ship, where we can do the most good for everyone. Hell, worst case scenario all you’re out is a few prisoners,” Dan said. “Best case, we remove a major threat to the planet.”
Hereford rubbed his chin. He was thinking about it. Dan was pretty sure he had him. Which was damned good, because they were going to run out of time before too long.
“Deal. On one condition. Your ship comes here for the pickup. I can’t afford to send people haring off someplace else with prisoners right now, and I want some of my people to check out your ship before you go,” Hereford said. He smiled, showing all his teeth. “Just in case you all get blown to hell.”
John had been keeping a poker face during the whole conversation. Dan wasn’t sure if his friend knew what he was planning or not, but he was playing along for now, which was enough. Demanding the Satori come to them wasn’t a shock. Hereford wanted their ship. Dan was willing to bet he wanted the Satori in his hands more than just about anything else he could name. Drawing the ship into an underground hangar in a secret location was an awesome trap.
All Dan needed to do now was ensure the trap’s jaws couldn’t spring closed. That was going to take some doing. He hoped that Beth would understand the message he sent well enough. Hereford would never just let them go.
“Done,” Dan said. “Get me a radio. I’ll send in the codes to reach the ship.”
Thirteen
Beth leaned back in her seat as the ship glided over the coordinates Dan had given them. It was a patch of desert. There was nothing out here. The nearest town was miles away. Still, she was pretty sure this was where the space fighters had been based. Someplace in the general area, anyway. It was a good spot for a secret base. Far from anyone, no neighbors and no snooping eyes.
“There’s a tunnel ahead one hundred meters,” Majel said.
“That must be the spot. Dan said that it would be a tight squeeze, but that we could make it.”
Assuming it was really Dan, anyway. She was pretty sure it was. Almost certain. It had definitely sounded like him, and he’d made references to things only a member of their team would know about. But if he’d been made to spill information to his captors, they might have known some of that too.
“What do you suppose he meant when he said they could be trusted as much as the Cyanauts?” Beth asked.
“I would assume that he was saying they could not be trusted,” Majel replied. “The Cyanauts were divided, and some of them attacked us. I am scanning for threats as we approach. We can also turn back if you prefer?”
It almost sounded like Majel might prefer the latter idea. But if Dan was in there, Beth was going in after him. She’d break him out one way or another. “No, we go ahead. But keep your scans active.”
“Definitely.”
The tunnel Majel spotted was the spot. There was no two ways around it. Sure, the opening had been disguised to look like a cave. But the Satori’s scans showed the rebar-reinforced concrete supporting the walls and ceiling easily enough. There might once have been a natural cave in this spot, but it had been completely remodeled by the current tenants.
“There are steel doors set into the cave mouth,” Satori warned. “They can shut us in.”
“Noted,” Beth replied. “How’s the charge on the wormhole drive?”
“Full.”
The tunnel descended at almost a forty-five degree angle into the darkness below. Majel aimed the ship downward and took them in. The ship slid along into a tunnel which revealed more of its man-made nature the deeper they went. Stone gave way to poured concrete and steel support beams. After about a hundred feet the tunnel leveled out.
“There’s a large open space just ahead,” Majel said.
“That must be the hangar Dan talked about.”
The radio chat had been too damned short. She wanted to see him, to make sure he was all right. What she really wanted was to get all of them out of there. But even after she extracted the team, that was only the first difficulty they needed to overcome. The Naga were up there in space, waiting for them.
The Satori glided slowly out into the hangar. It was enormous, and Beth felt a little pang of envy. She’d have died to have a work space like this up on the moon. Most of the area was empty now. Four fighters were lined up on one side of the hangar. It looked like crews were working on them, trying to get them put back together to fight again.
She recognized the Naga fighter resting there as well. Proof positive these were the people who had raided John’s base. The damned Air Force? How had they learned about the Satori in the first place? Launching an attack on an American business had to have
been a huge political risk for them, even if the base was on the moon. If word of the attack leaked, they were going to take a pounding in the press.
At the far side of the room a small cluster of people milled around. She couldn’t make out faces at this distance, but she was pretty certain the one in the wheelchair was Dan. He was standing next to several others who had to be the rest of the crew. They weren’t alone, though. Armed men stood alongside them, along with an assortment of unarmed folks in military uniform.
“This is going to be complicated,” Beth said. “Majel, any ideas?”
“I can establish an uplink to the Naga ship. I’ve had enough experience dealing with their computer systems that I should be able to hack the simple one on the fighter,” the AI said.
“Might be useful. Do it. And bring us a little closer. I want to pop the cloak off when we’re almost on top of them.”
Majel brought the ship within a dozen feet of the party outside. Beth could see Dan, John, Andy, Linda, and Charline all clustered together. A dozen armed guards surrounded them. Most of the other people in the ground seemed to be tech crews or engineers, but there were a handful in dress uniforms with a lot of fancy rank on their shoulders. At least one general.
“Let them see us,” Beth said.
Majel dropped the cloak, and Beth laughed aloud at the reaction it got. The armed men were aiming weapons at the ship in half a heartbeat. Most of the others had hit the deck. Even the general had ducked like he was going for cover. Beth stifled another laugh and keyed the external speakers.
“This is the starship Satori, gentlemen. You have some of our crew down there. We’re here to re-acquire them,” Beth said.
The general got back to his feet and took two steps toward the ship. “Set down and open your doors, young lady. Your crew gets in while mine get a look around. That was the deal.”
It wasn’t much of a deal. If she opened the doors, the rifle toting soldiers would storm in, capture her, and it would all be over. She had no doubts that was what they had in mind. They weren’t really planning to release the crew. They just wanted the ship.
Adventures of the Starship Satori: Book 1-6 Complete Library Page 60