It began to pulse in a wave.
“To the right, I think,” Sara said, stepping past Boon and following the pulsing light.
21
“Prepare to detach the yacht,” Grimms ordered, watching the countdown of the warp. They were twenty seconds away from arriving in a heavily populated Galvox system. The plan was to detach the yacht and jump away, leaving the yacht as bait. They needed to jump in close enough that the Galvox would send ships, but not so close that they could be detected as well. Cora was getting ready to cloak them, but it would take her a second to calibrate the engines, and they would not be able to change direction once she was manipulating the gravity field, so they would be exposed for the first thirty seconds or so of the operation.
“Hon, power weapons. Mezner, I want a pulse scan of the system as soon as we are out. Send it with some power behind it to grab the little bastards’ attention.”
“Aye, sir,” Mezner acknowledged, her hands hanging over her console in preparation.
Both Ambassador Foss and Dr. Hess were strapped into the visitors’ couch at the back of the bridge. Sir Reitus was standing beside Grimms at the holo projection table, held in place by powering small spellforms that were embedded into the table’s edges.
“The Galvox will try to swarm us. We will need to quickly put some distance between us and the Empori,” the prince’s guard said, his nervousness slipping through his hard demeanor.
“Don’t worry about that, Sir Reitus. I have a few tricks you haven’t seen before,” Cora said confidently. “Dropping warp in three, two, one.”
The view flashed blue, and several things happened at once. Mezner pulsed the system with an Aetheric blast that populated the holo projection in an instant. Connors detached the yacht with a shuddering thud that reverberated through the ship; he then engaged the gravitic drive, pushing them to starboard, away from the yacht.
But the thing that put everyone on edge was Hon yelling, “Contacts!”
Grimms saw that they had warped directly into a large formation of Galvox ships. The ships were all the same and on the smaller side, being less than two hundred meters in length. But there were at least twenty of them, and they bristled with weapons. The closest ship was less than fifty kilometers away; practically right on top of them in space terms.
“Open fire; we need to keep them from destroying the yacht before it can send the signal to the Teifen,” Grimms ordered, gripping the table’s edge with white knuckles.
There was a buzzing through the deck as all twenty-four PDCs opened up, auto-targeting the enemy ships. The gauss cannons fired in rapid succession, each turret aiming for a different ship.
“Evasive maneuvers, Connors. Keep us clear but close,” Grimms said, leaning in to study the rest of the system, and leaving the immediate battle to his people for the moment.
He barely noticed the four explosions, Galvox ships being incinerated by gauss rounds. He was watching the inner system for any sign of reaction, knowing they were going to need the rest of the Galvox to start heading their way, if they were going to do some damage to the dreadnought that was hot on their heels.
Another shoddily made Galvox ship was ripped apart by concentrated PDC fire. Then the Galvox seemed to catch up to the situation, as they scattered in haphazard fashion, making targeting difficult.
Difficult, but not impossible at the close range.
Another ship was disabled by the PDCs.
“Connors, activate the yacht’s preloaded course,” Grimms ordered calmly; just then, the Raven bucked from a hit to the armor plating. “Damage report,” he yelled.
“Glancing blow to the bow. Nanites are already en route,” Cora replied before Mezner could read the report coming up on her console. “Hull integrity is at seventy percent from the earlier Aether blast, so try to keep that side from exposure, Connors.”
“Aye, ma’am,” he answered, his finger flying across his controls, sending them in a spiraling dive away from incoming fire.
Another shudder told them they had been hit a second time, and Connors changed direction. He began shifting course quickly, not giving the agile Galvox more opportunities than was necessary. Despite the shoddy construction and haphazard design of their craft, the Galvox were quick, dodging and juking at a much faster rate than the Raven could hope to match.
Grimms noted the green icon of the yacht speeding away from the battle, juking left and right to avoid being targeted, and heading insystem at maximum acceleration. Luckily, it looked like the Galvox were ignoring it for the larger threat of the Raven.
Another Galvox ship was ripped open as Hon fired another volley of gauss rounds, but the three remaining turrets missed their targets.
The Raven was hit again, this time causing the lights to flicker.
“They got a lucky shot. Reactor three is damaged. Repairs are underway,” Cora said. “Firing Aether cannons.”
Two beams of brilliant blue appeared in the holo display, and another ship exploded, though the second beam missed its target. The remaining Galvox seemed to become frantic, and the space they occupied became filled with hyper-velocity slugs.
“Jump!” Grimms yelled, and the view on the main screen changed.
He saw that they had jumped a short distance of a few hundred thousand kilometers. The Galvox flew in circles for a beat, before turning their way and pouring on the speed. Grimms was surprised at the acceleration they could achieve; they were nearly as quick as the Raven.
“The Empori has just sent out the signal, Sir,” Mezner reported.
The Galvox let loose a volley of gauss rounds, but they were still a distance away, though closing fast.
“Jumping,” Cora said, and again they were a distance away from their original location. “Cloaking.”
The golden icon disappeared from the holo display, and Grimms watched the Galvox closely. They seemed unable to find them and, after a few seconds, changed course for the yacht.
“Contact. The Teifen fleet is emerging from warp,” Mezner said excitedly. “They’re right on top of the yacht.”
By now, several hundred Galvox ships were closing in on the yacht, and they immediately opened fire on the first Teifen ship, ripping through its unshielded hull. Then the next Teifen ship arrived, and was peppered with slugs and Aether bolts as the Galvox began using their Aether cannons. By the time the first two Teifen ships were expanding balls of fire and debris, the rest of the Teifen armada had arrived, including the monstrous dreadnought.
Grimms watched as it became all-out war between their enemies. Hundreds of fighters began to pour from the dreadnought and two carriers that had come late to the party. The dreadnought let loose with hundreds of cannons and PDCs, filling the area with a hail of fire that made Grimms shudder.
The Galvox were not backing down, however, and their quick movements kept most of the ships intact after the initial volley. They began taking heavy losses when the Teifen fighters entered range with the small Galvox warships, and began ship to ship battle. Soon, sections of the dreadnought were being blown apart, but the ship was so huge that Grimms was having trouble telling if the damage was serious, or superficial.
“Incredible, I’ve never see the Teifen take such a beating. They have already lost a dozen ships, and several more will not survive the minute,” Sir Reitus said with awe. He turned to Grimms. “We jumped position instantly in that battle. How is that possible?”
“I told you I had a few surprises up my sleeve,” Cora said—rather smugly, to Grimms’ ears.
“There is a lot happening, Sir Reitus. Humanity is returning to the galaxy, and we plan on making that fact a tough pill for our enemies to swallow.”
Sir Reitus turned back to the holo display, his face full of wonder. Grimms watched as two more Teifen cruisers were destroyed. The dreadnought was taking serious damage, but so were the Galvox. They were throwing everything they had at the dwindling armada, and Grimms hoped it would be enough—though, deep down, he feared it would not.<
br />
Still, this was a blow that would cripple the Teifen’s hold on this section of the galaxy.
“Let’s get out of here. Connors, warp point Beta,” Grimms said, watching another Teifen fall to the never-ending barrage of Galvox.
“Warp in three, two, one,” Cora counted.
The image on the holo projector froze with the last data from the battle. A large plume of flame was jetting from the fore of the dreadnought.
Grimms smiled.
22
Sara was getting frustrated. They had been following the light strip for over ten minutes, and had passed several closed doors. They had tried to open a few, but the entrances were locked and unresponsive. Sara decided they needed to stick to the light instead of getting sidetracked trying to access doors that could very well be supply closets. They’d been led through a number of turns, which would have left them lost, if not for the auto mapping feature of their armor.
“How big is this ship? We’ve walked far enough to make two trips up and down the Raven by now,” Boon commented.
Sara checked her HUD; sure enough, they had walked over a kilometer, and still had not seen anything but corridors. “I have no idea. But the light seems to be leading us somewhere. It disappears as we walk, so it knows where we are. Maybe it’s heading to the bridge.”
They turned a corner, and the light led to a large double door, like the ones that led to the cargo bays on the Raven. When they approached, the power indicator came to life, and the doors slid open. Stepping through, they entered a room so large that the lights on their suits couldn’t reach the other side, just fading after several hundred meters.
“Okay. This has got to be the largest ship ever built,” Sara said, tilting her head back, trying to see the ceiling.
“The light leads out toward the center. Should we follow it? There won’t be any cover out there,” Baxter warned, always thinking tactically.
Sara snorted a laugh. “Cover from what? If you haven’t noticed, the place is deserted.”
Baxter turned to her and put his hands on his hips. “So was the crashed ship we found Dr. Hess studying, but it still had active automated defenses.”
Sara was glad he couldn't see her flush of embarrassment. “Good point. I kind of forgot about that.”
“No worries, Captain. That’s what I’m here for.” She could hear the smile in his voice.
Sara rolled her eyes. “We’re still going out there. Unlike that derelict, this ship invited us in and is providing helpful directions,” she pointed out, holding her head high and walking past him.
She still had Alister prepare a shield, just in case, and she assumed Baxter was doing the same as he trailed behind Boon, who was in the middle.
They followed the line as it pulsed, happily leading them who knew where. The uniform deck plates gave way to mounds of dark material. The light continued down a path between the low mounds, and when Sara knelt to examine them, she realized it was dirt. Very dry dirt, as if grass used to grow from it but had dried up and left the cracked soil underneath.
Baxter knelt next to her, scooping up a handful of the stuff and crumbling it between his fingers.
“I think this was a park,” Sara said, standing and shining her light over the large patch of soil that stretched out into the darkness.
“I think you’re right. Why would there be a park on a spaceship?” Baxter asked.
“Well, if the ship is as large as I think, the occupants would need a place for leisure time. Plus, a taste of home would make long journeys more bearable,” Boon said, holding the shield bubble under her arm like a beach ball.
“I think she’s right,” Baxter said, nodding at Boon’s small armored figure. “By all accounts, the dreadnought was a city, with enough people on it to populate Earth after a few generations.”
“Come on. Let’s get to wherever this light is taking us so we can start searching for answers,” Sara said, stepping past Baxter and continuing deeper into the desecrated park.
After another five minutes’ walking, Sara could see that the light ended a few hundred meters ahead. She saw the outline of something like a pyramid with the top cut off, in an open area of deck, between patches of dirt. As they got closer, she saw that the structure had a control panel on the side, and a smaller print scanner, exactly like the core boxes. When they were a meter or two away, the light in the floor went out completely.
“Well, I guess I should turn it on?” Sara inferred, shrugging.
“Be careful, the air is not breathable. Don't leave your suit open for long,” Baxter reminded her, making her grin and shake her head.
“Yes, Mom. I’ll be careful,” she said.
She sent a command to her glove, and it opened with a hiss. She upped her air production to increase the pressure in the suit, keeping a positive airflow and filtering out any foreign bodies. Reaching out, she pressed her thumb to the scanner and waited. After a three count, the familiar green line rolled down the pad, scanning her thumb. She closed the glove and stood back, waiting for whatever was about to happen to happen.
The panel on the side of the podium came to life, obviously going through a boot sequence, then went blank. They stood there waiting, but nothing happened.
Sara turned to look at the others. Boon shrugged, while Baxter looked around in the dark for any threats.
“Maybe it doesn’t have enough power?” Boon asked.
“Maybe…” Sara began, but was cut off by a rumbling, deep within the ship.
A shield popped up around them. Baxter was holding out a hand, powering it, and watching for danger. Sara thought the sound was familiar somehow. Then the rumbling subsided to a hum that was more felt than heard, and it hit her.
“Those are reactors coming online,” Sara said, cocking her head to the side to hear better. “It’s what the simulation at the Academy sounded like when we practiced emergency shutdown and restart procedures.”
“Maybe, but how will we—” Baxter was cut off when the lights came on.
The room, if you could call it that, filled with light as panels in the ceiling came to life, projecting the image of a blue sky with white fluffy clouds. Sara stumbled back a few steps as she took it all in.
The space was easily a kilometer long, and half as wide and tall. The artificial sky made the dead and dried patches of dirt look ominous in their desolation. There were structures dotting the landscape that looked like facilities for the old park, along with depressions that were obviously dried up ponds and lakes.
“This is incredible,” she said, spinning around to see it all. “How can this ship be this big?”
“It was designed as a colony ship, and only later re-engineered as a warship,” a friendly male voice said.
Sara, Baxter, and Boon all spun at once, each throwing up shields, so that there was a barrier three shields thick between them and the podium. Standing in the center of the podium was a man wearing a battlesuit and an open, hooded robe; he had a small, large-eared, cat sitting regally next him.
“Alant?” Sara asked, confusion raising her voice an octave.
The figure took a bow. “At your service, War Mage.”
23
Grimms walked down the corridor, his face tight with concern. He had his hands clasped behind his back, and his shoulders were stiff as he mulled privately. Sir Reitus walked beside him, keeping quiet as Grimms swam through the muddy thoughts of his next action.
“Will the prince be amenable to answering questions?” Grimms asked the tall Elif suddenly, after a few minutes of walking in silence.
“Yes, he wants to help,” Sir Reitus said, then added, “but be aware that my prince is very young, despite his appearance. He is not yet twenty of your years old. In my people’s time, that is barely out of childhood.”
Grimms nodded. “Thank you for the warning. After the interview, I would like to talk with you again.”
“I am at your disposal, Colonel,” he said, bowing slightly as they walked.
/> Grimms had spoken with Cora earlier, in the ready room, once the Raven had escaped into warp. So far, they had not detected any Aether bursts to give away their location, or direction of travel. However, both he and Cora agreed that it was rather suspicious that the prince had been able to escape at all. The entire planet of Effrit, including the space above it, was crawling with Teifen at the time, and the yacht had no means of defense or evasion, beyond a few PDCs.
Cora decided she would not make her presence known to the prince, instead staying silent. That way she could monitor him and his guards to see if they let anything slip. Grimms planned on having Sir Reitus with him after the interview to be sure the prince stayed unaware of Cora’s monitoring.
They turned at the next corridor intersection, coming to the room they had set aside for the prince. Two Elif soldiers stood guard outside the door, both in battlesuits after having been told they must leave their Aetheric armor in the cargo bay. Grimms and Cora didn't want an armored force not under their control freely roaming their ship. Grimms had gone so far as to have a squad of his Marines, led by Specialist Gonders, fully kitted for battle and placed on standby, just in case.
The soldiers slapped their fists to their hearts, coming to attention. Sir Reitus saluted them back with a tap of his fist to his own heart. “We will see the prince. Stay out here and make sure we are not disturbed.”
“Yes, sir,” the one on the left said, his voice much more sing-song than Grimms would have guessed from his imposing stature.
The door slid open, revealing a small guest cabin, where the prince was pacing back and forth and vigorously tugging at his ear tip—a sure sign of nervousness. He spun to the door as Sir Reitus and Grimms stepped into the room.
The prince was short for an Elif, maybe only a few centimeters taller than Grimms’ stocky build. He had golden blonde hair that hung to his shoulders, and blue eyes that were red and puffy from crying. If Grimms were to guess, he would put the prince’s age at fifteen human years, though the white robes that hung open over a golden battlesuit made him look older.
Dreadnought: War Mage: Book Two (War Mage Cronicles 2) Page 13