Palagren sounded skeptical. There's not much movement down there. Are you sure they'll try it, without a working net? It'd be hard enough to steer there normally.
Legroeder nodded, scanning the surroundings. They were sinking into a level of the Flux that was comparatively sluggish. Ordinarily no one would choose to enter such slow-moving currents, but he had learned, with the raider fleets, that the underlayers made good hiding places at need. This is far enough, I think. Legroeder could still perceive the whirlpool shape of the region they had left; it looked ghostly now, on the verge of vanishing. For visual clarity, they viewed it as a cloud stretched overhead.
What now? asked Palagren.
Well—they're in serious trouble. And if their captain is anything like the ones I knew, they're going to try to slip into hiding while they make repairs. Even without their net, they can move into deeper layers by manipulating their flux reactor, just like a submarine flooding ballast tanks.
The usually stolid Voco sounded surprised. This is true? They would do that?
Oh yes, Legroeder said, scanning the ghostly region. It sounds primitive, and you need careful coordination between the flux reactor and the net sensors, or you can lose control and wind up so deep you'll never get out. But it works.
They had lost sight of the raider vessel. The turbulence in the levels "above" had not affected this layer at all. There was a slow, steady movement of current away from the point at which they had entered. Legroeder pointed ahead and to the left. If we take a looping path around, it'll bring us back to where we can intercept them when they drop to this level. The Narseil riggers agreed, and they took H'zzarrelik in a slow arc, searching out currents one by one until they had achieved the sweeping movement he wanted—almost an orbit around the place where he guessed the raider would come out.
So far so good. They hadn't heard back from the captain or anyone else on the bridge for a little while now. Legroeder assumed that Ho'Sung and the rest of the crew were busy with emergency repairs. They had taken a couple of good hits from the pirate ship, and some of it showed in the sluggishness of the rigger-net.
We're on the verge of losing maneuverability, Palagren warned, as they slipped unevenly through a transition layer.
All right, Legroeder said. Let's edge back upward a little. If we hug those clouds, we should still be in good position to spot them.
Stretching their arms out, they worked to nudge the ship upward. The clouds sparkled more brightly, and they felt the streams of the Flux stir around them with a little more force. Beneath them, the gloom of the deeper layers remained quiet, scarcely moving.
* * *
I'm concerned about what's happening on the bridge, Palagren muttered. No one's answering—
There he is! Legroeder interrupted. A small, grey shape had just dropped out of the clouds toward the darker underlayers.
Captain, we have the adversary in sight, Palagren reported.
There was still no answer from the bridge. Legroeder found this worrisome, but there was nothing they could do about it now. The riggers focused on carrying out their last orders, bringing the ship into position for an intercept. They climbed a bit more, for mobility and for greater cover in the light-and-dark lanes of the misty whirlpool. At the same time, they scanned for currents that could carry them to the enemy more quickly than the pirate could move away. Legroeder's plan was to approach with both speed and stealth.
Palagren continued calling to the captain. As they drew closer to the pirate ship, now from above rather than below, they could see that it was still tumbling slowly; its crew had not yet regained control. But that didn't mean it was harmless. If Legroeder and the Narseil were to attack successfully, to take out the enemy's remaining weapons, they would have to coordinate closely with H'zzarrelik's gunners. The moment they were in a position to strike, they would become a target, as well.
Palagren tried once more to raise the captain. Finally he said, Ker'sell, take a look outside the net. See if the com is down.
The keel rigger acknowledged, and vanished from the net.
In the instant he disappeared, there was a momentary outcry—from Ker'sell—followed by an alarming silence.
* * *
Popping the clamshell of his rigger-station, Ker'sell was surrounded by noise and smoke and chaos. Lights flared, and he heard the crackle of beam weapons. He cried out in alarm, and rolled forward out of the rigger-station—just as a laser beam slashed across the open clamshell. He started to shout to the captain, but someone grabbed his neck-sail, yanking him sideways and down, behind a bank of consoles. It was Agamem, the weapons officer. "Enemy boarders on the bridge!" Agamem hissed. "They got in through the airlock!"
"How is that possible?" Ker'sell protested. "I thought you hit them all."
"We did, too. But they were fast. They killed our guards at the airlock. We didn't know any had made it on board until they were halfway to the bridge." Agamem was cradling a neutraser, waiting for a target to appear. Across the bridge, a raider commando was firing from behind the cover of another console, keeping several of the Narseil pinned down. "There were two of them. I don't know where the other is. They disabled the door, so right now we're—"
The flash of an energy beam cut off his words.
Ker'sell whispered an oath. What a disaster. Leave it to these two-ringed humans to engage in such treachery. "What about ship's weapons?" he whispered to Agamem. "We're coming into attack position on the pirate right now. What does the captain want us to do?"
Agamem's eyes flashed. "The captain's dead. We're trying to keep the weapons panel protected here—but we can't possibly—"
A figure of rippling silver leaped overhead, sparkling with laser and neutraser-light. Agamem twisted to follow, firing his neutraser, but the commando was too fast, taking cover again behind the rigger-stations. There were shouts, Narseil voices, somewhere in the smoke-filled room.
Ker'sell glanced over at the rigger-stations, like boulders looming out of a fog. He was useless out here; he needed to get word to Palagren, if he could do it without being killed in the process. "Com to the net—is it down?" he hissed.
Agamem nodded.
"Then I must get back in the net, to warn the others."
"I'll cover. Be fast," Agamem said.
Ker'sell hummed his understanding and crouched to spring to his station. But before he could move, he saw in a tessa'chron blur another flash of silver as his station exploded in fire.
* * *
We'd better hear from someone soon, Palagren said to the others. H'zzarrelik had moved into a downwelling current that was taking them in an arc toward the raider ship. In a minute or two, they would be in a perfect position to fire.
Legroeder fretted at the shout they had heard from Ker'sell as he left the net. Clearly there was trouble on the bridge... and if they made a run on the raider without weapons, it would be suicide. Do you want me to take a quick look?
As he spoke, the raider ship below them was rolling its full flank to them, presenting a broadside target. Yes! Tell them to fire right now if they can!
Legroeder started to pull out of the net.
WAIT!
Palagren's shout brought him up short. He saw the reason at once: the pirate ship was glittering with neutraser fire—aimed at them.
Take the keel, Legroeder! Palagren was already twisting the net sharply, to bring them about. Into the clouds! Back up into the clouds!
The first neutraser beams burned through the Flux below them, lighting up the keel of the net just as Legroeder reached down. A searing pain flashed up his hands as he reached through the sparkling fire at the keel. He gritted his teeth and held on, warping the keel to help bring them around and into an upwelling. If they could get just a little higher, the boundary layers would block the enemy's weapons.
The next shots grazed the net, sending another flash of fire up his arms. They were nearly out of range now. The bottom layers of mist curled around, then closed under them. The n
eutraser shots glowed beneath them, dissipating in the clouds.
All right, Legroeder—take a look outside. But don't leave your station!
Legroeder took a deep breath and dropped out of the net. A wave of dizziness swept over him, and his eyes went dazzle-blind as he opened the clamshell. He heard a scream and leaned forward. "Sweet Jesus!" He rocked back as a laser beam flashed in front of his face. The bridge was full of smoke and ozone.
"Legroeder, get back in the net!" he heard. It was Ker'sell, shouting from somewhere in the smoke and confusion. "We have no weapons! My station's destroyed! Call off the attack!"
Before he could respond, there was a bright flash to his right, and a silver-suited raider commando spun in the air, firing everywhere. Something else made of silver was flying toward it...
Legroeder snapped the clamshell closed and dropped back into the net so abruptly that it buzzed like an electric cloud around him. Boarders on the bridge! he cried. No weapons! Abort the attack!
Palagren's voice was soft with dismay. Boarders! Rings alive—
They heeled the ship over in a slow curve through the clouds, trying to keep the raider located through breaks in the cloud, while keeping themselves out of sight. They were going to have to dance through the clouds, praying that the enemy was hurt more than they were. In fact, the raider ship seemed nearly helpless in the Flux. But though Legroeder and his companions held the flying advantage, he could not escape the thought that just outside the plastic shell that enclosed him, enemy soldiers were trying to kill him. For all of their power over the movement of the ship, he and Palagren and Voco were as helpless as babes in a crib.
* * *
Ker'sell, choking in the acrid smoke, saw the enemy figure whirl as a bright mesh sailed through the air toward it. The enemy fired at the mesh, but it might as well have been trying to shoot a fishnet. The mesh caught the raider and enveloped it, and there was a moment of struggle—and then a blinding flash. A sharp retort cracked the air, as the net discharged into the raider's suit. The raider fell to the deck.
"He's down! Get him out of here!"
"Get the fans going!" someone else shouted.
Soon the air began to clear, and it became possible to see what was going on. The raider was indeed down, his forcefield disabled, his hardsuit smoldering. He appeared dead, but two of the Narseil fighters, taking no chances, were dragging him away. Someone had gotten the doors to the bridge open, and a handful of Narseil soldiers rushed in. Was that raider the only one left on the bridge? Ker'sell hoped so.
He hissed with dismay as he rose, taking stock of the mayhem. Several Narseil were down, possibly dead. A lot of people were trilling and hissing. Who was in charge now?
"Ker'sell!" someone called behind him. "If you're free,
can you help me get this console turned back on?"
Ker'sell half turned, waving a negative reply. "I must know who is in command!" he shouted. "Can this ship fight?"
Several of the crew turned toward him. "Do you think we have not been fighting?" one of them asked, neck-sail fluttering as he bent over the still form of the captain.
"We're closing with the enemy ship!" Ker'sell shouted. "We need weapons, now!" He pushed his way to the weapons console, where several injured crewmembers were just getting to their feet. "And we need com to the net!"
One of those staggering to his feet was Mission Commander Fre'geel, aided by Cantha. Fre'geel was bleeding maroon blood; his neck-sail was half torn off. He looked as if he had been knocked across the bridge in the fight. "You heard Ker'sell," he rasped, struggling to stand. "Do we have weapons?"
Agamem was working at the weapons console. "Soon, I hope." He glanced at the front of the bridge. Only one short segment of the external monitor was working. In that narrow window, for just an instant, there was a glimpse of the raider ship, visible through swirling mists. "I need power restored to this console—"
A bright flare of light made everyone duck and turn. "Enemy on the bridge!" someone shouted, as a second raider commando was suddenly flushed out of hiding. The raider swung around to lob a grenade toward the rigger-stations. One of them was already smoking. Ker'sell's breath froze. There was another flash of silver in the air. Before the raider could complete his throw, someone had tossed a shock-web into the air, curling toward the raider. The grenade hit the web and detonated—and with a whump! the raider was knocked backward toward the exit. The explosion must have shielded the raider from direct contact with the web, because in an instant he was back on his feet. He fired one last shot, then fled from the bridge, pursued by two Narseil soldiers.
"Holy spirit of the mist!" Fre'geel gasped. Wincing with pain, he held up a hand to Ker'sell. "Report on the net! Are we maneuvering?"
"Yes—but com to the net is out! When I left, we were on an intercept course to the raider. We've got the advantage, if we can fight! If I could just get back in!" He gestured toward the shambles of his rigger-station, and suddenly realized that the next one was smoking, too.
Fre'geel hissed with alarm. "Damage teams—weapons console and net communication! We need them now! Is Ho'Sung alive?"
"He's dead. He was one of the first hit," someone reported from across the bridge.
"Then I have command. Get me an intruder report. I want that raider subdued, and I want to know if any others got in through the airlock." Fre'geel glared around, silently urging the crew back to their stations, regardless of their injuries.
Ker'sell wished desperately that he could get back to his. But his rigger-station was gone, and this one... there was a laser hole in it, venting smoke. He pressed the override release and opened the station. A cloud of noxious smoke billowed out. Ker'sell peered in—and wept at the lifeless form of Voco, burned through the head by the raider's last shot.
* * *
Voco! Palagren was shouting. Voco!
The stern-rigger had uttered a silent, wordless screech, then vanished abruptly from the net. Legroeder reeled from the wave of pain; it echoed like a death cry.
Voco's gone, Palagren said, stunned. You and I must do it now. I've lost sight of the raider. Do you have it?
No, Legroeder grunted. They were now in a dance of desperation. Two riggers down: Ker'sell unable to get back to the net and Voco—what? Dead? Sweet Christ, they'd had the raider ship; they could have ended it that instant. And now he and Palagren, straining like two oarsmen trying to steer a wallowing ship, were bringing H'zzarrelik around through a layer of mist, struggling to stay in concealment while keeping track of the enemy's position—and all the while frantic to know what was happening on the bridge. It seemed insane to think of engaging the pirate ship; but they had no order to retreat.
Legroeder saw something moving through the mists. There! he called. The raider was slipping along, just at the edge of sight. He and Palagren had climbed and circled, and now were overtaking the enemy again. Another minute or two and they would be in perfect position to drop and fire. If they had something to fire with.
Legroeder, keep a fix on it, said Palagren. I'm taking a fast look on the bridge.
Legroeder barely moved a muscle. Palagren glanced back, and their eyes met for an instant before the Narseil vanished from the net. Legroeder's hands were stretched out far into the Flux, serving as both keel and rudder. He just had to steer straight... straight and level... and pray that when the time was right to bank over and dive, like an old-time fighter plane, it would be more than just him in the net, waving empty-handed at their foe.
* * *
"Stay, Palagren! Wait!"
Ker'sell raised a hand to the lead rigger, who had just opened his station. "Voco's dead—com's still down—" Ker'sell turned his head back to Agamem, hissing in frustration at the weapons console. Suddenly Agamem made a shrill sound of satisfaction and slapped a hand on the console. Ker'sell glanced at Fre'geel, who made a click of approval.
Ker'sell shouted to Palagren, "We have weapons! We have monitors on keel and starboard bow only. If you can put us
where we can see the enemy, we'll fire when we can. Go!"
Palagren's station slammed shut.
* * *
Legroeder had started a banking turn to the right, but changed his mind when Palagren explained the situation. Keel and starboard bow? This won't work, Legroeder said, as Palagren returned to the lead-rigger position. We'll need a different angle of approach.
What's your recommendation? asked Palagren, peering around at Legroeder's refashioned image for the ship: an ancient, tiger-nosed fighter aircraft. An ancient fighter with extremely modern weapons.
Bring us a little to the left, and extend our run out ahead, Legroeder said.
We'll lose him.
No, we won't, Legroeder said, glancing down as the pirate ship disappeared beneath the mist. As long as their net's still down, he added silently. We'll be making our dive to the right. He was falling back on maneuvers he'd learned years ago in flight wargames.
He waited impatiently, watching their progress; then he called, Now!—and with Palagren's help, heeled the ship over into a steep, diving right turn.
They were now dropping not just vertically but also deeper through the dimensional layering of the Flux. He could feel his implants trying to help him coordinate the rush of data; but, afraid of the distraction, he kept them at the edges. His thoughts narrowed with concentration, as he let all of his instincts and experience flow to his fingertips. The plane/ship flew like a bird of prey, swooping down...
Eternity's End Page 22