“I am,” the holoimage said, floating closer. Whispering, he added, “You have successfully commanded us before, Valerie. You can do it again.”
“I’m not worried about that,” she whispered back.
Galyan’s eyelids fluttered. “Oh. Yes. I realize that now. What are your orders?”
Valerie couldn’t believe it. Galyan knew she was scared, but he pretended that he believed her. The AI must be doing that to try to give her more confidence. That didn’t help. It made her doubt herself more.
“Valerie,” Galyan said. “I am monitoring the approaching Juggernauts. They have the same mass as the previous Rull vessel. However, I am detecting structural damage to each.”
“We can take them?” Valerie asked in a hopeful voice.
“I am not suggesting, how do you say, a toe-to-toe conflict. These Juggernauts have the same tough alloy hulls as the previous one. They are coming around the planet on opposite intercept courses. It is my belief that they are attempting a bracketing attack. They hope to catch Victory between the two of them.”
“I know what a bracketing attack is,” Valerie said.
Galyan said nothing.
“But I appreciate your data. You said the Juggernauts are structurally unsound. They’ve taken battle hits?”
“I am still analyzing. Yes. I give that a ninety-six percent probability—”
“How badly damaged are they?”
“We must retreat.”
“The Juggernauts still have weapons ports?”
“Affirmative.”
Valerie almost chewed on her knuckle again. She used her left hand to force the right onto her lap. She had to think. If she attacked one war-vessel hard—
“If we do not begin maneuvering for space, Valerie, the Juggernauts will bracket us no matter what we do.”
“Helm,” Valerie said crisply. “Take us out of orbit at a vector 24-0-6. We’re going to gain some distance from those bastards. I doubt the Juggernauts have long-ranged beams as powerful as our disrupter.”
“They do have excellent missiles, though,” Galyan said. “Wait. I must restate that. The other Juggernaut had excellent missiles. We do not yet know the full state of these two war-vessels.”
Valerie did some hard thinking as the starship built up velocity. On the main screen, the planet began to fall away. As it did, the two Juggernauts became visible. Their exhaust tails were long and easily spotted.
“Did the Rull attack the planet sometime in the past?” Valerie asked.
“We do not know,” Galyan said.
“I mean,” Valerie said. “How did the Vendels acquire two Rull war-vessels?”
“A fight between the Rull and the Vendels might explain the ship and the planetary damage. We do not know who presently controls the Juggernauts. I suggest we do not make any unwarranted assumptions.”
“Right,” Valerie said. She slammed a fist onto an armrest. “We don’t know enough. We—”
“Victory is the greatest Patrol vessel in Star Watch,” Galyan said. “That is one of the reasons we are in the Beyond. We are the best at explaining mysteries.”
“No,” Valerie said. “That would be Captain Maddox.”
“And me,” Galyan said. “I also have an excellent track record in that regard.”
“Of course,” Valerie said. “What’s that?” she asked, pointing at the main screen.
Before the sensor officer could answer, Galyan said, “Those are Rull missiles, three of them. They are accelerating quickly. What are your orders, Lieutenant?”
Valerie thought fast. “Last time, the Rull missile had a proximity fuse. The warhead ignited before we could destroy it. I’m thinking of launching two antimissiles at the forward projectile.”
“You do not wish to use the disrupter cannon?”
“The enemy doesn’t know we have it yet,” Valerie said. “This time, the Juggernauts didn’t catch us with our shields down. They haven’t scanned us, either.”
“They have tried,” Galyan said.
“Right,” Valerie said. She swiveled toward the lean and lanky weapons officer. “Launch two antimissiles at the lead projectile.”
“Launching,” the weapons officer said, stroking his sideburns with one hand as he tapped his board with the other.
“Increase speed,” Valerie said.
The helmsman manipulated his piloting board. Victory increased speed, pulling away faster from the Juggernauts and Pandora II.
On the main screen, the Rull missiles kept on target. It was clear that they were accelerating faster than the starship could flee. Meanwhile, two antimissiles zeroed-in on the lead projectile, quickly closing the gap.
“Warning,” Galyan said. “The enemy missile appears to have a proximity detonator.”
“Full power to the shield,” Valerie said.
The Star Watch antimissiles headed for a collision course with the lead Rull missile. Before they smashed, the enemy warhead ignited, creating a thermonuclear fireball, blast and EMP. The antimissiles shredded apart. So did the other two Rull missiles.
Soon, radiation, heat and an electromagnetic pulse struck the shield. It turned pink in a large area. Fortunately, the nuclear explosion had been too far away to heavily damage the shield.
“The Juggernauts are readying their lasers,” Galyan said. “I count fewer weapons ports than the previous ship.”
“Explain,” Valerie said.
“May I control the main screen?” Galyan said.
Valerie nodded.
Immediately, a close-up of the nearest Juggernaut showed a badly damaged spheroid. It was not a smooth war-vessel, but showed five jagged and rather large holes. One of the holes seemed to go deeper than the rest. Galyan zoomed in even more. On the screen, they saw automated machinery and dull lights deep inside the Juggernaut.
“Is the other ship as badly damaged?” Valerie asked.
“Affirmative,” Galyan said.
“Both Juggernauts have clearly taken a pounding.”
At that moment, two lasers from the nearest Rull vessel and three from the other beamed across the distance at Victory.
The five rays struck the shield.
“What’s their wattage?” Valerie asked.
“Much less than the previous Juggernaut,” Galyan said. “These Rull do not appear to focus their lasers as tightly as the previous one did. These rays dissipated badly even over a short distance. Wahhabi lasers would be more powerful.”
“Is the disrupter cannon ready?” Valerie asked the weapons officer.
“Ready and able,” the man replied.
“Target the ruptured area Galyan showed us,” Valerie said. “We’re going to ram the disrupter beam right down their throat.”
Seconds later, the antimatter engines thrummed. The annihilating disrupter beam flashed from Victory to the lead Juggernaut. The beam did not have to smash through the protective outer alloy, and drilled directly into the guts of the twenty-kilometer war-vessel.
“Should we add missiles?” Galyan asked.
“No,” Valerie said. “They have active PD cannons. We’re going to let the disrupter beam show them why Star Watch is superior to the Rull.”
The beam chewed through decking, smashed automated machines and dug deeper still. For ten seconds, it roasted the inner alloy armor around the interior engine compartment. Then, the beam burst through the cherry red armor. It struck the nuclear-powered engines, crushing and obliterating them. Then, it happened. The Juggernaut began its self-destruct sequence.
“Warning,” Galyan said. “I suggest you power the shields with everything.”
“Do it,” Valerie said.
The annihilating disrupter beam quit. The antimatter engines thrummed louder than before. More power went to the shields.
At that moment, the wounded Juggernaut exploded in a vast thermonuclear holocaust. It was more than one warhead igniting. It had the detonation power of a hundred warheads. One moment, the Juggernaut was flying through space. In
the next, a fiery nova explosion obliterated everything. The automated machinery, the engines, the auxiliary systems, the laser-generating machinery, the repair units, the biological engineering sections, the super alloys—they all vanished in a hellish blaze.
Some of that blast raced toward the planet. Some radiated at the other war-vessel. Some also came for Victory.
“Three, two, one…” Galyan said.
The shield buckled. The antimatter engines whined. The shield turned brown, then gray, then started to blacken all over. Gamma and x-ray radiation leaked through, striking the starship’s armor plating. Too much radiation could kill just as dead as heat and blast damage.
Valerie ground her molars and hunched her shoulders. She should have gained more distance before doing this. She should have—
Suddenly, the blackening seemed less dark. The great Adok antimatter engines continued to pour power into the shield, and now less radiation leaked through.
The first damage-control parties began to report. A grim dosage of gamma and x-rays had struck the decks nearest that area of the outer hull. If too much leaked past the armor—
The blackness of the shield lightened even more, changing to a deep gray color. The damage-control officer on the bridge reported. Radiation was no longer seeping past the shield.
The other bridge officers shouted, clapped and began to cheer. Most of the ship had survived the terrible blast. Only a handful of crewmembers had radiation burns. A few secondary systems would have to go offline for a time, but it wouldn’t affect the starship over the long haul.
“Valerie,” Galyan said. “The last war-vessel is veering away.”
“Put it on the screen,” Valerie said.
On the main screen, the remaining Juggernaut curved away from Victory. It left masses of debris behind it. The blast from its partner had damaged an already wounded war-vessel.
“Give me a damage report on the enemy,” Valerie said crisply.
“Two of its remaining laser ports are gone,” Galyan said. “A bank of PD cannons has vanished. Valerie, you could finish it.”
“Launch…five missiles. Stagger them. Let the Juggernaut run for now. We don’t want another mega-blast like that to reach the planet or us.”
“I do not understand,” Galyan said. “You are not going to destroy the enemy vessel while you have an opportunity for the kill?”
“Let it run for now. We both know Victory can destroy the Juggernaut, and it will surely act accordingly. We don’t need another blast of radiation right now. Besides, I have a greater task. It’s time to return to the South Pole and pick up the landing party.”
Unfortunately, it took time to slow the starship’s momentum and build up new momentum in the other direction. Valerie stared at Pandora II. She’d beaten the Juggernauts for now, killing the one. Was the landing party still alive?
What will I do if Captain Maddox is dead?
-32-
Keith felt faint as he piloted the raft through the subterranean darkness. The vast crater was behind them and around a great corner, although some illumination still reached this far.
It showed shattered underground structures and broken machines, and disgusting fungus growth everywhere else. This seemed like a poisoned realm, an underworld of the damned. None of them had any idea where the suited Vendels had come from.
Keith’s neck itched horribly. Meta had sprayed it with disinfectant and applied pseudo-skin onto the wound. It had been a scratch, she’d told him. It sure hadn’t bled or felt like a scratch.
Keith refrained from touching the pseudo-skin. He concentrated on flying the alien contraption. It was a good thing for the others that he wasn’t as badly off as Ludendorff. The Methuselah Man lay on his back, groaning as he held his shattered shoulder. Meta had been about to tip the raft-like craft before Keith had gotten to the controls.
“Can you hover in one place?” the captain asked.
Keith tested the controls. The raft wobbled once. He steadied it, although they lost one of the wounded Vendels; the humanoid slid off. Fortunately, the Methuselah Man had anchored himself with a rope. Ludendorff moaned piteously, though, as the rope tightened against his chest.
“Be careful,” Meta shouted. “You’ll get us all killed.”
“That I will not,” Keith said. He tapped the controls once more.
The flyer stopped, hovering in one place. He peered over an edge. They were one hundred meters up from the subterranean, fungus-covered floor. Keith estimated they had something like one hundred meters of space all around them. He’d put them almost perfectly in the center of the vast tunnel. Unfortunately, none of the others were as aware of the aerial situation as he was. That was one of the problems with being a great pilot. Others were often too unskilled to appreciate the full extent of one’s talent.
Too bad Valerie couldn’t see me now. She might understand me better if she could. Keith frowned as he thought about the lieutenant. She’d enjoyed the kiss at first. Why did she have to be so sensitive about things like that? Riker had suggested he give her time and space. Just how much time did the woman need, anyway? This was too long.
“Are you paying attention?” the captain asked.
“Yes, sir,” Keith said, snapping out of his daydreaming.
Maddox scrutinized him a little longer. The captain was freaky sometimes, as if he could read minds.
“Maintain our position,” the captain said, “and continue to watch for his kind.”
The captain pointed at the wounded Vendel. Meta moved behind the prisoner, holding his arms behind his head. Maddox then crouched beside the alien.
“It’s time we talked,” Maddox said.
The Vendel stared at the captain through his faceplate.
“Must I use a stimulant to loosen your tongue?” Maddox asked.
The Vendel shook his helmeted head. With his eyes, he indicated the bullhorn.
“Let go of one arm,” Maddox told Meta.
She seemed reluctant, but finally did so.
The Vendel flexed his gloved hand. He seemed to hesitate, as if considering a way to resist. Finally, he picked up the bullhorn, pushing the small end against his faceplate. He clicked it.
“You’ve destroyed me,” the Vendel said in English.
“I have done nothing of the kind,” the captain said.
“Your mate did it then, the one with the knife.”
“Do you refer to the tear in your suit?”
“It is more than a tear. Look at the blood. I have been cut. It is only a matter of time now before I mutate into an ock-tar, a beast.”
“There are toxins in the air?” Maddox asked.
The Vendel nodded.
“Who put the toxins there?”
Keith had been listening to the exchange. He now caught motion out of the corner of his eye. It came from ahead and to the left. He craned his neck and squinted. He saw more motion—
“Captain,” Keith said, as he tapped the controls. The raft slid backward. “I see more rafts, three of them, in fact. They’re headed our way.”
“You must surrender to them,” the Vendel said. “You are outnumbered.”
“Are they your people?” Maddox asked.
“Surrender,” the Vendel said. “I might still have enough time left. Your wounded people can also receive medical attention.”
“Where did you learn English?” Maddox asked.
Keith flew faster, heading back for the sunlight.
“Have you seen men like us before?” Maddox asked the Vendel.
“No,” the Vendel said.
“Sir,” Keith shouted. “It looks like the others have weapons, big weapons. They’re gaining on us, too.”
Maddox spun around, picked up his Khislack and knelt on one knee. He tucked the butt against his right shoulder, flicking on the targeting computer.
Before he could aim, a roiling ball of something tumbled through the air at them. It was bright orange and it churned as it sizzled faster.
&nb
sp; “That looks like plasma,” Meta shouted.
Maddox silently agreed with her assessment. A plasma-cannon would be the perfect weapon to use against a charging horde of eight-foot cannibals.
Keith tapped the controls. The raft dropped just in time. The plasma hissed overhead, with heat radiating from it.
Maddox swiveled the Khislack, aiming at the second raft. Vendels readied their portable plasma-cannon, a “flamer” in Star Watch parlance. The weapon had a tripod mount. Through the scope, Maddox saw the portable flash red. If it was like a Star Watch flamer, that meant it was ready for firing.
Maddox targeted the second raft because he was counting on the first raft needing time to recharge its plasma-energizer.
Maddox squeezed the trigger while trying for a perfect shot. The Khislack barked. The barrel lifted.
Like ancient flamethrowers, a flamer was devastating to the target, but also dangerous to its own side if someone broke it. Likely, the portable weapon had a thick and possibly double casing.
Keith cheered.
The high-velocity .370 scored a hit. Hot plasma gushed out of the bullet hole. Then, the portable exploded, hurling plasma everywhere.
Burning, suited Vendels jumped off the raft, with their limbs flailing. A second more powerful explosion erupted. Shrapnel flew everywhere. The remains of the raft abruptly nosedived. It picked up speed, and then it exploded again. Seconds later, the various chunks of raft plowed into masses of thick fungus. That started a smoky, foul-smelling blaze.
“The other rafts are veering wide,” Keith shouted.
Maddox did not respond.
“What now?” Meta asked the captain.
“We’re exposed to cruise missiles if we go topside,” Maddox said.
“We can’t stay down here,” Ludendorff groaned. “I need medical attention. The toxins must be poisoning me.”
Keith guided the raft into a corner of sunlight as the EMP blast from the destroyed Juggernaut reached the atmosphere, descending down to the planet. The EMP washed across the craft. Its hum quit abruptly as everything electrical died.
“I’ve lost power,” Keith said.
The raft continued forward because of momentum, but it also began to plunge toward the bottom of the crater.
The Lost Planet (Lost Starship Series Book 6) Page 17