Ahead, was Bara and Gofal coming out of Lexica, navigating the shifting deck. He ran to meet them, relieved. ‘Looks like we’re home,’ he said.
‘For what it’s worth,’ Bara replied, her face tense.
‘Don’t move!’
Derward turned around to see a division of soldiers running towards them, their weapons pointed at him. ‘It’s okay, we’re on your side.’
‘You are Derward Tarkkail?’ one of the soldiers asked.
‘Yes, we need to see–’
The soldier grabbed Derward’s arm and restrained him. ‘You are under arrest for treason against the House of Kenric.’
PERSUASION
Admiral Valine coughed, trying to see. She couldn’t move, something was holding her down, pressing her to the floor of the Fenrir’s flight deck. It was a body. She pushed at it, sliding out from under its weight, and assessed the damage. The flight deck was in partial darkness, just a few emergency lights picking out one or two consoles. Some of her officers crawled to their stations, but many did not move. Out of the smoke a shape approached her, helping her to stand.
‘You are alive. Good,’ Orcades Draig said. ‘The Vengeance is here. This is a great day.’
Valine activated the holograph, relieved to see it was still working. A flickering representation of the two arkships appeared. The Vengeance was like a spear, slicing into the heart of the Fenrir. Next to the holograph a list of statistics and system reports appeared. ‘Valtais . . . main drive is down. They have pierced the engine stack. Fallorite rods are showing a heat buildup. We should sound an evacuation order before it’s–’
‘No! We will not leave.’ Orcades seethed.
‘But it could explode!’
His hand grabbed her throat, his hold painfully tight. ‘This is the Fenrir! The flagship of the House of Draig. It will not explode.’
Orcades released her, and his anger became a smile. ‘This is a great day. The Vengeance has come to us. We will board it and take control of the House of Kenric. You will order our troops to cross the breach.’
Valine considered arguing with Orcades, but she knew better than to try. This was not the moment. Besides, a ground assault might prove advantageous to her ambition. She smiled, gazing at him with manufactured wonder. ‘With you as their glorious Valtais, personally leading them into battle. A truly great day!’
She saw the look on his face, a child-like wonder at the notion. Then he smiled, a broad, wicked smile. ‘Yes, of course. I will take the fight to Prince Halstead. I alone will kill him.’
‘Very good, Valtais. I will make the arrangements,’ she replied.
BATTLE PLAN
Wynn hit the release button for his harness and he fell out of his chair, coughing as the dark smoke filled his lungs.
‘Life support?’ It was Tanis, his voice close by. ‘Is anyone at station?’
‘Yes, sir. System rebooting now.’ The response seemed far away, echoing through the large space.
The usual noise of the flight deck had been silenced. The air pumps idled, the consoles were quiet, but the sickly twisting of metal against metal reverberated through the floor. Here and there were voices, some crying out in pain, others coughing, calling out orders to each other.
He tried to stand, just as the floor tilted again. He grabbed his chair, holding himself upright. In the hazy half-light he could see Tanis, at work by the holograph.
‘How bad is it?’ Wynn asked.
Tanis looked up. ‘I’ll give you this, your coordinates were spot on.’
‘A little too spot on.’
‘We can tick the hull strength test off our list,’ Tanis replied with a dry chuckle. ‘I’d call that a pass. We have a few hull ruptures, minimal casualties, but the Fenrir has been split open.’
‘What about the other arkships?’
Tanis checked the holograph. ‘The Tateishi-Maru has sustained heavy damage, but they’re hanging in there. Then there’s the Draig fleet: six arkships. The Caerleon is trying to draw their fire, and they don’t seem too keen on hitting us with the Fenrir being so close, but we can’t sit here for long.’
‘The Vengeance has more firepower than three Draig arkships.’
‘If we hadn’t just rammed the Fenrir and lost half of our systems, I’d agree. But we’re not in the best shape right now.’
The air pumps roared back into life, and the dark smoke began to clear. Overhead, the lights sputtered into life, and Wynn could finally see the rest of the flight deck. Reader Mallory was close by, looking dazed. She staggered towards him, and Wynn noticed the blossoming bruise on her jaw.
‘Is it bad?’ he asked.
‘Argument with the wall,’ she said dryly, testing her face with her hand. ‘Nothing serious.’
Behind him, the elevator doors opened, and a troupe of soldiers walked onto the flight deck. As they stepped aside, Wynn saw more people coming out of the elevator. His eyes widened, and an involuntary smile broke over his face.
‘Bara!’ He ran from his seat and took her in his arms. The rest of the flight deck faded away. She was all that mattered.
She kissed his cheek, her eyes glistening. ‘Miss me?’
‘A little,’ he whispered. ‘You’re okay?’
Bara nodded. ‘You?’
‘I am now.’ The voices and visions were finally quiet. His mind was clear again. He glanced behind Bara and saw Gofal coming towards him. Wynn laughed. ‘It’s good to see you.’
‘And you,’ Gofal said, ‘although your piloting skills appear to need some work.’
Wynn let go of Bara, aware of a soldier waiting to speak to him.
‘Your majesty,’ the solider said. ‘We have the prisoner.’
‘Prisoner?’ Wyn glanced past him and saw a familiar-looking man, blood-stained and disheveled, a bandage covering part of his face. ‘Derward?’
‘Wynn, can you tell this grunt to let me go?’ Derward replied, offering up his hands, cuffed at the wrists.
‘You . . . betrayed us. You sold us out to Draig.’
Derward sighed, an impatient expression on his face. ‘No, I didn’t. I went there to find out what was happening on the Fenrir. Their people are living in poverty, Wynn. They barely have food and water while Orcades uses up all of his resources on waging war. I’m not a traitor.’
‘But the information we had, it came through you.’
Derward glanced past Wynn, at Reader Mallory. ‘Yes, I’m sure that’s how it looks. You’re right, Wynn, there is a traitor here, but it’s not me. It’s someone I trusted with my life, someone I’ve known for a very long time.’ Tears formed in his eyes as he stared at Mallory. ‘Why, Keres? After everything I did for you?’
Reader Mallory gazed at him, an expression of confusion on her face. ‘This is ridiculous! I have been interrogated by the prince’s guard. I am innocent. Why are you–’
‘Those simulations didn’t come from the Church, did they? I’ve had time to think it over, in between being tortured on the Fenrir. You manipulated me, Keres, you’ve been doing it from the start. The data on the Fenrir’s movements; it doesn’t match with the Church’s records, I checked. You changed the data, made it look like the Fenrir would be alone and vulnerable. You were the only one who had access to the data, other than me. I never thought to question it, until now. You used me, and I led us into a trap.’
‘You have no evidence!’ Mallory said, her eyes wide. ‘How can we trust your word over-’
‘Do not deny it!’ Derward shouted, his emotion erupting. Wynn had never seen him like this before. ‘I rescued you from a life of slavery. I risked everything to get you out. And I paid the price for that. You were like a daughter to me. Keres, why?’
Mallory’s face changed. Her composed expression began to crumble, and anger replaced her serenity. ‘You think you saved me? You gave me to the Church! You left me there to rot! I was just a girl! But I was Draig before you found me. Now, I am Draig again.’
She pulled at the nearest sold
ier’s gun, and began to fire. Bara ducked for cover, pulling Wynn down with her. Mallory fought her way to the elevators, avoiding Gofal’s attempts to restrain her, and disappeared behind the closing doors.
Three soldiers lay dead on the floor.
Tanis got to his feet, breathing hard, and pulled one of the shocked soldiers towards him. ‘I want her found and brought to me. No one leaves the Vengeance without my permission. Understand?’
The soldier stared at his fallen comrades and nodded, leaving the flight deck to carry out his orders.
Derward knelt at the dead soldiers, a broken look in his eyes. ‘I didn’t know . . .’
Wynn went to him, touching him on the shoulder. ‘I’m sorry.’ He glanced at Bara, and he saw in that moment how blind he had been. His desire for revenge had brought them to this.
‘Tanis, how soon can we remove ourselves from the Fenrir?’ Wynn asked.
‘We are leaving?’ Tanis checked.
‘I was wrong. Revenge isn’t the answer. The price is too high.’ He stared into Bara’s eyes. He didn’t want to lose her again. ‘We will retreat, we’ll heal our family.’
‘You can’t,’ Derward replied. ‘Those people need your help.’
‘What people?’
‘Those suffering on the Fenrir. The Tateishi-Maru.’
Wynn shook his head. ‘We have our own people to worry about.’
‘Orcades Draig has to be stopped!’
Bara stood by Wynn’s side, a sad expression in her eyes. ‘Derward’s right. We can’t go now. I’ve tried running away; it doesn’t work, Wynn. We have to end this, today.’
‘If we stay, more people will die.’
She shook her head. ‘If we leave, we’re condemning the Tateishi-Maru to death. And you know Orcades will keep going. Tomorrow it’ll be another arkship, then another, all while his own people are suffering.’
Wynn turned to stare out of the windows. The wreck of the Fenrir blocked most of the view, but beyond he could see the enigmatic light of The Infinite.
‘Tanis, prepare a boarding party. I’m going onto the Fenrir. I’m going to find Orcades Draig.’ Wynn said.
‘Yes, my prince.’ Tanis replied.
‘Derward, I want you to lead a team into the Fenrir to free those people who need our help.’
‘It is the least I can do,’ Derward said.
Tanis erupted. ‘You can’t allow Draig citizens onto the Vengeance!’
‘If they will accept our help then we can house them in the aft cargo bay until we find a long-term solution to their problem. They will be well guarded, with no access to any part of the arkship or its systems.’
‘It’s madness!’
Wynn smiled. ‘It is the right thing to do.’
Tanis faltered, then nodded his obedience.
Bara took Wynn’s hand. ‘I’ll go with Derward.’
Wynn hesitated. He wanted to protect her. He could order her to stay, he was the prince after all. But, no. Bara was his equal, their relationship had started on those terms, and that was how he wanted it to continue. ‘I can’t persuade you to stay here, can I?’
‘No, you can’t. You’d be wasting time.’
He sighed, conceding. ‘Someone free Derward. And contact the Tateishi-Maru, tell them we stand ready to assist them. The Caerleon will defend them as long as it can. All Vengeance gun batteries will target the other Draig arkships.’ He took in the flight deck, looking into the faces of his friends and comrades: Derward, Gofal, Tanis and Bara. He felt a surge of pride and optimism.
‘We have come this far. Together, we can finish this.’
INTERFERENCE
Gofal inched forward, testing the line that led from the Vengeance into the torn innards of the Fenrir. A protective membrane sealed the gap between the two arkships, a flimsy material that kept the void of space at bay. It adjusted with the movement of the two arkships, keeping the seal closed as sparks rained down where metal ground into metal. As he descended, Gofal listened to the official com channels of the Vengeance. The guards had lost sight of Reader Mallory. She had disappeared into the depths of the arkship, no doubt taking full advantage of the confusion of battle. He did not know her well, but it seemed she had fooled even those who had known her for years. He thought of Derward and wondered how he must be feeling right now.
Water poured from a broken pipe, pooling on the floor beneath him. He looked down into the reflection as his feet broke the image into fine lines, enjoying the interference patterns that emerged as the ripples fought against each other for domination. At the same time, he scanned the area, looking for signs of life.
‘All clear,’ he shouted up to the watching soldiers.
One by one they slid down the line, the spotlights on their environment helmets dancing over the dark structure. They landed silently and formed a defensive perimeter around Gofal. Finally, Wynn and Tanis descended, landing inside their battalion of guards.
‘Which way towards their flight deck?’ Wynn checked
‘We have entered on the lower decks. This rupture takes us up towards their engine deck. That links to the main conduit that runs the length of the arkship. From there we can navigate up to the flight deck. Follow me,’ Gofal said as he led the way. As he walked, the soldiers moved around him, pointing their guns through empty doorways. They had already released a fleet of drone hunters to map and explore the damaged ship. That information was being automatically fed back to Gofal and the troops. And they were not alone down here: other troupes of Kenric soldiers advanced through the broken superstructure of the Fenrir. They were just one of dozens of battalions, most of which were ahead of the prince’s guard. None had reported contact with the enemy yet. They knew that this part of the arkship was deserted. There was no need for such nervousness, not yet. Still, it was a human response to danger, one that Gofal did not share.
Behind him, Tanis and Wynn discussed strategy, how best to deal with Orcades Draig, and what to do with the Draig refugees. The discussion seemed to help calm their nerves.
‘I have lost contact with our drones,’ Gofal said, detecting the termination of their signal. ‘The enemy has no doubt discovered our advance. We must be cautious.’
‘Regiment Five reporting contact with the enemy,’ a soldier announced, tapping the side of his helmet.
Ahead, Gofal sensed movement, and he gave the signal for them to hold. Advancing alone, he counted eight armed individuals walking towards them. Gofal relayed the information to the soldiers, analyzed the best course of action, and engaged the enemy.
Gofal was built for combat, he had trained in numerous techniques. He was fast, efficient and ruthless, but he never relished the opportunity to fight. The notion of taking a life had always been one he had struggled to reconcile. History had taught him that war was, ultimately, pointless. Wars ended with dialogue, not weapons, although he had to concede that guns could often speed up or delay the desire to talk. As the last of his attackers fell to the floor, he hoped that their deaths had been as painless as possible.
‘Clear to proceed,’ he told the others.
They continued without discussion, advancing deeper into the Fenrir, moving up through the broken levels, on towards the engine deck.
‘Resistance is minimal,’ Gofal said to Wynn.
‘I think they’re preoccupied with the damage to their arkship.’
As they entered what appeared to be a large storage space, Gofal’s sensors lit up. ‘I think you spoke too soon. Multiple contacts, coming this way.’
The soldiers moved quickly, finding vantage points where they could see the entrances, waiting for signs of life.
The room fell silent.
‘I hope you’ve come here to talk . . .’
The voice echoed around the walls, but Gofal could pinpoint its location easily. Just beyond the far wall he identified thirty-six heat signatures. Thirty-six armed men and women, waiting to attack.
A piece of cloth appeared round the edge of a door, a whit
e rag tied to a length of pipe.
‘Hold your fire,’ Tanis told his soldiers.
The flag waved up and down, then it began to move from the doorway, and a hand emerged. Out of the darkness a man appeared, walking confidently towards them, a devilish smile on his face.
‘. . . Because I’m in the mood for talking,’ Orcades Draig said.
THE CORRIDOR
It felt strange to be back on board the Fenrir so soon. Derward moved through the corridors and open spaces, working from memory as he led Bara and a group of soldiers towards the lower decks. Already there were signs of despair and neglect. The corridors were littered with refuse and waste materials, and the people they saw seemed to have no fight left in them. Even so, as he walked further, he couldn’t help but feel a growing sense of dread. No matter how hungry they were, these people were still Draig, and that made them dangerous.
‘How many do you think there are down here?’ Bara asked nervously.
‘I saw dozens – maybe hundreds – when I was here.’
Bara inhaled sharply. ‘I hope you know what you’re doing.’
‘So do I.’
The floor tilted as they walked, rocking and shifting as the gravity lines strained to compensate for the movement of the ship. The arkship groaned, as if it was dying.
‘Whatever we do, we should make this quick,’ Derward said.
‘No argument here,’ Bara replied.
They heard voices up ahead. There was an air of panic as they approached a doorway, its opening blocked by a barricade of boxes and junk. As the soldiers began to break it down, a shot rang out, and Bara and Derward ducked.
‘Don’t shoot!’ Derward warned. The soldiers waited, their sights trained on the door.
He turned to Bara, whispering. ‘They’re scared, that’s all.’
Arkship Vengeance (The Arkship Saga Book 2) Page 16