Kingdom of Stars (The Young Ancients: Timon Book Three)

by Power, P. S.

  "I don't have any weapons on this. Should we ram them?" He was joking of course, since doing that would probably send debris into the school dorms behind them. That or they'd trash one of the other buildings.

  That being the case he sighed, trying to act relaxed, and like he did things like this all the time.

  "Have a seat everyone, we need to draw them away from the area."

  From behind him there was a grunt, and when he turned again Petra, or at least someone, had seats appearing. Since her hand was on the wall of the craft, he figured it was her. She was good with magic, having been around a lot more than most people over the last few years. Having the friends that she did made that almost natural, really. She saw him looking and nodded.

  "Do it. Take us out over the ocean, but don't lose them. I want to see who they are."

  There was noise from the others, a lot of it scared sounding, but in that gruff, fighters way. It was hard to explain, but almost impossible to miss, once you heard it. A kind of dark muttering that sounded like threats, but if you listened to the words you understood that it was mainly about planning, or an attempt to work out what was going on, rather than anything else. It actually sounded pretty hard and warrior like, for all that there was really an undertone to it that spoke of terror. Tim felt that too. It wasn't as strong for him, he didn't think, but it was there anyway.

  He could be wrong on that one though. Maybe he felt what the rest of them did?

  A moment later he took the craft up, moving slowly, so that the other craft would be drawn along, if their goal was to do anything other than attack them. Or, more likely, him. Unless Petra or Mindy had made enemies with some Ancients while he wasn't looking? It was, he knew, just possible that Pet might have, though it wasn't likely. Mindy... Well, other than him, odds were the girl had never met another Immortal at all. The same was probably true for the others, but there was always the odd chance that this ship was after one of them.

  Or just sent to attack for no real reason. He hoped it wasn't that one, because it would mean a real attack was taking place, and likely be happening in more than one location. Timon winced, but didn't say all of that out loud, since it was probably the most likely scenario at the moment. No one would be after him in particular really, unless it was his grandmother, of course. She did not like him.

  The other craft chased them, traveling with enough noise that he could hear it through the air ports on the top of the craft. Otherwise the world outside was silent enough. He kept his speed down to about half the speed of sound, and had them over the ocean about five seconds after he started. Then, trying to line things up carefully, he stopped suddenly and let the other craft run into them. The whole thing shook and moved in space, since the inertial dampening function wasn't perfect on it, but the other ship stopped moving as well, some kind of energy flaring from it where they connected. It was hard to see and fast, but glowed a pale blue for an instant, Tim thought. Some sort of shield?

  It certainly didn't crash, which was what he'd been expecting. Instead the thing just turned and tried to fly off with good speed. That meant it was going nearly seven hundred miles an hour. It was fast, he had to admit. Not faster than they could go however. About half that, really.

  "I'm pursuing. I want to see where they head. That, or take them down." He felt tense and a bit of sweat tried to collect in his arm pits. He had an amulet to help with the heat, but it wasn't going to work perfectly at the moment, flying over open water like they were.

  Petra moved to sit next to him and watched the craft carefully out the front shield window. It tried to shift away, and even slow suddenly, to prevent him from following, but it didn't work too well. As large as it was, being nearly ten times bigger than the attacking vehicle at the moment at any rate, his craft was more agile. Faster too, unless the other one had more speed than it had shown. That was very possible. Noram didn't have any sort of lock on very fast flying craft after all.

  "Can you force them into the water?" This came from Petra, who sounded grim and dark, rather than her normal pleasant self. Then again, that was probably an act. After all she'd been through, it almost had to be.

  "Let's see? I doubt it though. They're quick."

  It was enough so that each time he tried to line things up in order to force them down they managed to slip to the side. It went on too long, it seemed, and the others were getting a bit antsy or something. It was Bethany that pointed out the obvious to them.

  "We need another craft, so they can't slide away like that. Sort of trap them..." Her big hands mimicked the move, and then she shook her head. "I could also use an ale, and a backrub to lower the tension." That got a laugh, if only a gentle one.

  Petra stood up and started slapping at her front. It looked a bit like some kind of insect was crawling inside her clothing, but she tapped Timon as soon as she was done, which showed that she had her shield on at least, and he noticed that she had an amulet in her left hand, as well as a flying rig on.

  It didn't take long to figure out what she was planning.

  "Get to the right side. I'll stop for a fifteen count. You have that long to get out, and set up. Make sure you have your communications device, so we can talk." Petra moved the instant he was done moving his mouth, and he yelled loudly. "Everyone hang on! I'm stopping again in three, two,-" He didn't say one, and the large dusky skinned woman was gone by the time he said five. Then he waited a bit, like he'd promised, because she needed to be out of the way. The others still seemed a bit baffled, but got the general idea by the time they were flying again.

  The attacking vessel rushed away, but now a small, sleek looking blue and pink rectangle flew after it, which everyone noticed. It was an old style Fast Craft, but that just meant not as big, as well as faster. Tim had to struggle to catch up.

  "Um, Mindy? In my side pocket, on my tunic, I have a communications device, we need it to talk to Pet."

  The girl didn't wait or stand on ceremony, just patting and tugging at his clothing until she had the half hand sized device made of focus stone out. She didn't know what to do with it, but Bethany, even if she was "only a Baronetta" clearly did, and took it from her, quickly searching for the right name.

  "Petra Ward?"

  After a second, trying to get lined up on the left side of the vehicle, Tim nodded.

  "Right. Just tap the-" The job was already done. They had to wait for Petra to talk to them, but a minute later she managed it, without crashing. That was a feat, since the woman wouldn't have a handy Mindy there to help her like he did.

  "Tim? You take that side and I'll hold this one. Try not to let it get away..."

  "Right."

  Then, with only fifteen or twenty tries, they managed to move the other craft, with bumps and nudges, slowly toward the water. Oddly enough the thing that really slowed them down wasn't the craft moving from side to side, but actually cutting speed. Probably because a collision with water at seven hundred miles an hour was a death sentence. Maybe not though, if their shield held.

  The ocean was a flat slate black, except for the green tinge to it on the rough looking surface. Timon half expected the other craft to try and move backwards, to keep them from capturing the thing, but it didn't, just settling into the water. It splashed a bit and threw up a white froth, but the other craft was in one piece when it stopped.

  It floated, which his ship would too, but he didn't trust that it had really given up. It might dive, or something.

  "This could be a trick." He said the words to Petra, but there was a grunt from behind him, as Karl pointed.

  "There's a little door there. See? It's opening. Near the back?" It was probably stating the obvious, and Tim had noticed it already, but he just nodded.

  "Got it. Petra?"

  "I see it. I'll go aboard and-"

  "No." Karl sounded pretty authoritarian just then, but didn't take the words back. "We only have two pilots. We'll form a boarding team and go in. Sentle, Rodale and I will go in first and then
..."

  Those three made sense, all being large and strong young men, but Timon waved for the man to shut up, which he did.

  "I have four shields on me, not including my own. Only two weapons and those are both just force lances. Well, and an air lance, but that isn't much use in a real fight. So we have two sets of gear and a few unarmed back-ups?" He didn't have to wait long for someone to say something about his half baked idea, since Petra cleared her throat and took charge again.

  "Good plan. Karl and Sentle can go in. Arm them. I take it you have backups?"

  There was no implied rebuke in him holding something back for himself, it was a real situation, but he was staying shielded and armed, just in case.

  "I do. A cutter and an implosion weapon."

  There was only a brief pause, but no demand that he turn those over as well. Petra wouldn't, unless it became really important. She knew too much about him for that.

  "Fine, Rodale, Tim and... Mindy, you'll be the second team. Select someone to try and fly the rest out in case you all die." She waited then, as Mindy worked her way to the front, her eyes narrowed. She looked to be freaking out, as far as he could tell.

  Her voice was a little harsh too, even as he handed over the various gear, including a nice shield, which went to her without comment.

  "Why... why did she pick me? I'm nothing special as a fighter. She had to see that earlier. She's too good not to have."

  The reason why was simple enough, Tim knew. Petra only knew three names so far. Mindy, Karl and his. Rodale and Sentle probably weren't even real people to her, just bodies that she didn't have faces for yet. That didn't make either Mindy or her sound good though, so he lied, keeping his voice calm.

  "Because you're steady enough for it. She wants people that will stand their post, not go running into danger, and that's us. The rest of these people are," looking around the white interior with its blue soft chairs he tried to judge the crowd. Most of them looked scared, but in that tough person sort of way that meant they'd still spend their lives, if they had to. "Well, they're all a bit too brave for an unknown situation. No one will blame you and I for running if it's needed. Rodale is stuck, of course, but he can guard us if it comes to that. While we flee." It was too hard to keep all the play from his voice, stressful situation or not, but the big and totally bald young man grunted and stepped forward.

  "Sounds about right. Who's the new pilot, for when the rest of us die?"

  "Bethany." It was just about the same reason that Petra had for picking Mindy. Timon knew her name. "I'll go over the controls." It didn't take long, since instruction amounted to using the hand control unit carefully. Pull up to go up, down took it down. The hard part was just in controlling things so you didn't go too fast for where you were.

  "So when in doubt, go up, and practice for a while first."

  The only other big problem, other than reforming the craft to lock with the strange vehicle below them, so that it couldn't easily escape, was communications. Petra needed to be in the loop, but so did the boarding crew. In the end Timon took the hand piece, since it was his, and made a ramp for the ones going to walk down.

  "Bethany, if something goes wrong, fix the floor and leave."

  "Okay. How? I mean, how do I fix the floor?" The tall woman didn't seem all that frightened, or stupid, but it was a bit annoying that she didn't already know how to do everything. Sensible, being that she'd never had a chance to learn how, but bothersome. It meant taking another two minutes to show her what to do and then have her try it. The whole time Timon expected someone to charge out of the other craft, given how they were connected. That or release a poison gas, or nano attack dust or whatever they had planned. Instead it was just a whole lot of nothing.

  Too much nothing by far.

  In the end Timon just stood there, imploder in hand, ready to fight and protect the ramp if he had to, while Karl and Sentle slowly went in. Mindy and Rodale had his back, since Timon was the well armed one, as it turned out. They were the wall, if it came to it. The sacrifice to allow the others time to escape.

  Suddenly, a minute later a faint voice called out.

  "Hey, there's no one home. Not that we can find." It was the other man, Sentle, who had a funny sounding voice that cracked a lot and was too deep for a real person. He wasn't even a full on giant, only being about seven feet tall. Muscular though, which might have had something to do with it.

  Tim relayed the information and then sighed.

  "I'm going to go in then and look around myself. Maybe I can sense something. Field reading." He didn't want to, since it was probably a trap, but he walked in anyway and motioned for Mindy and Rodale to move back up the ramp. It was a nice black thing, with texture to it, like stone, so that it wouldn't be slippery. Not even when washed with his blood.

  The inside of the craft was telling however. For one thing there were no windows. Not at all. Chairs or couches either. That meant the pilot either stood at the controls, or there wasn't one. Fortunately, that was a thing he'd heard of before. He'd even seen something like it, in Austra.

  A computer. It was an artificial mind. If it was the same thing at least, or something similar. The Ancients all used to use them however, so if that was the case, and they sent it, it made sense.

  "Computer... please respond." There was only the one room inside and it wasn't big at all, being just about big enough for seven of him to sit or stand comfortably, or him plus the two large men he didn't really know.

  Karl gave him a look that said he didn't know who that was, and then jumped when a soft sounding female voice responded.

  With a put upon sigh.

  "Fine. You got me. I admit it, it was all me, I throw myself on your mercy. Mea culpa and all that sort of stuff." It didn't sound bored, but wasn't worried either.

  The other men jumped and started splashing the walls with force lance spray. One of the beams hit Tim, but didn't do anything, thanks to his shield. The ship cleared her throat though.

  "Excuse me? I don't recall giving anyone a reason to hurt me. Did I offend you in some way?"

  Timon smiled and gestured to the others to stop it.

  "Sorry, we've just never... dealt with non-human people before. May I enquire as to your name?"

  "Oh, sure. I'm Kim." The voice was even a little flirtatious, he thought, from the sound of it.

  "Hello Kim, I'm Timon and the other two are Karl and Sentle. Not to be pushy here, but we couldn't help but notice that you sort of attacked us earlier, I don't suppose you know why?" It was a long shot, but asking couldn't hurt, even as Petra was breathing hard, sounding a bit panicked, clearly getting the idea and the others with him had gone very still, clearly not understanding at all.

  "Not really. I was given coordinates and sent out. I have a life signal signature to follow, for targeting, but that's all. Yours, by the way. I don't know who sent me or why, but I only woke up yesterday, so I wouldn't, would I?" It all sounded matter of fact, but then, how could he tell if she were lying at all? That probably meant she was. It wasn't like they could use Truth sensing amulets on a ship, was it?

  He smiled and tried to seem pleasant, since there was no reason not to.

  "That seems about right. Is there anything you do know? Like where you came from? That would help a lot. There are some bad people that might want to harm me and my friends, and if we could talk to them, that might help stop it from happening."

  "Or kill them?" The lady who was a machine sounded mildly curious, rather than enraged.

  "Possibly. I won't lie about it, that's a very likely thing, if we can pull it off."

  "Oh. That's too bad. I'm nearly certain that I can't help you then, since my programing makes it impossible for me to go against my makers. You don't seem all that bad, except for your pain weapons. What are those anyway? Cattle prods for the new age?"

  Timon had to think for a bit, before working it all out.

  "No, not for moving cows around, they're force lances. Basically..
. really powerful pushing devices. I take it you're from the past, given the way you said that and the fact that there are Ancients involved?"

  Karl made a face and then rolled his eyes.

  "Kid stories Timon. There's no such thing as Ancients. Those were just the bedtime stories that you were told as a boy so you'd know to do your part in protecting the world." He sounded as if he were explaining something to a tiny child, just for a second, until Petra snorted, which carried over the communications device that Timon had in his side tunic pocket.

  "Not... exactly Karl. They're real, if not exactly the way we were all told. We can go into that later. For right now, we need to know what to do with this craft, um, Kim, I mean. What would happen if we left you here?"

  There was a brief pause and then the ship spoke again, sounding young and a bit too innocent for someone that had tried to kill them all not too long before, or at least take out Timon.

  "I'd probably carry out the next attack. That or return home for my next orders. I don't know. I won't until they come up, most likely. It's to keep anyone from stealing my data too easily."

  It seemed about right to him, if a bit paranoid. After all, what were the odds of them really being able to take a craft like this down safely and questioning...

  "Oh." That got everyone to look at him. At least the ones with him. "All right, we need to leave, now. Kim, you can go home as soon as we're out of here and disconnected. Sorry about the inconvenience. Tell whoever sent you not to kill us, please." He hurried back up the ramp, and turned at the top to tell the other men to hurry up, but didn't have to, since they were both a good bit more perceptive than that.

  Timon didn't wait, making the ramp go away with a hard thought, not bothering to touch the floor or wall like most would have to do.

  "Petra, get out of here. Don't wait. Bethany, go, up and back toward the school. Now!" So, he had to admit, he sounded a bit scared and panicked, but he knew something, even without knowing how he did. They were all about to die. It was a feeling, but one so powerful it nearly rocked him, even as he barked orders.