He fell into the command chair, Gofal at his side.
‘Bara?’ he asked quietly.
‘On board. All of our soldiers have returned to the Vengeance.’
The flight deck shook as a new bombardment impacted the arkship.
‘The Gargan has resumed its attack.’ Gofal explained.
Wynn nodded, closing his eyes as the pain worsened. ‘Let’s get out of here. Gofal . . . can you . . . can . . .’ The exertion became too much.
‘I will assume command, with your permission?’
‘Granted.’ Wynn said feebly, unable to keep his eyes from closing.
‘Thank you,’ Gofal replied. He turned to the onlooking officers. ‘The Fenrir is in danger of a fallorite cascade. Full reverse.’
‘Engine deck answering full reverse.’
‘Very good,’ Gofal replied. ‘Put me through to the Caerleon.’
‘Channel open,’ the com officer called.
‘Ark Royal Caerleon: this is Gofal, speaking for Prince Halstead on board the Vengeance.’
A voice broke over the com. ‘This is Commander Watson. Who is this?’
‘I am Gofal, speaking for Prince Halstead on board the–’
‘Where is the Lord Chamberlain?’ Watson cut in.
‘Dead, I am afraid.’
Wynn cleared his throat. ‘Watson . . . listen to Gofal, please.’
‘Apologies, my prince. Continue, Gofal.’
‘Thank you. The Fenrir is dealing with a fallorite rod malfunction that could lead to a cascade overload–’
‘We are monitoring that from here.’
‘Then you will know the situation is unstable,’ Gofal said. ‘We will be moving away shortly, and I advise you to do likewise.’
‘We are defending the Tateishi-Maru,’ Watson said quickly. ‘We will stay here until you are ready to leave.’
The com channel went dead.
Gofal looked to Wynn. ‘I do not think she liked me.’
Wynn smiled, then winced in pain.
‘I will inform the Tateishi-Maru as well,’ Gofal added.
‘And the Draig arkships.’
Gofal stopped, staring at him. ‘You wish me to inform the enemy of the cascade potential?’
‘Yes. So that they can get clear.’
‘Wynn, do I need to remind you that they are the enemy?’
‘Orcades was my enemy, not the House of Draig. Orcades is dead. There’s no need for more death. This has to end.’
‘Very well,’ Gofal replied with a small nod.
RESOLUTION
Orcades Draig felt the cleansing heat of fire on his face. He let it wash over him, tightening his skin, eating at his clothes, washing away his sins.
‘You will not die here! I cannot allow it.’
He jolted upright. Who had spoken? He crawled away from the flames, finding relief in the coolness at the edge of the room. Where was he? Somewhere below the storage space . . . close to the engine deck, he realized.
He turned to find his way, and winced in pain. The wound. Blood. He felt dizzy, nauseous. His vision blurred, strobing hard points of light against crushing blacks. He fumbled his way forwards, feeling like he might pass out.
No! He had work to do. His fingers found his pocket. He touched the packet of tablets and released them from the foil. Into his mouth, too dry to swallow. There! He yearned for escape from his pain. But everything was happening so slowly. Then, the joyous comfort of gravel.
Clarity came back to his senses.
His heart slowed.
He could think again.
He was injured.
He had to treat it, if he was going to survive.
Orcades took off his jacket and shirt, using it to tie his wound together. Immediately, blood colored the material, soaking through, dripping onto the floor. The wound was deep.
The floor beneath him shifted. Why was that?
‘Because of the Vengeance, remember?’
He turned to see his mother, standing at a distance. ‘V . . . Vengeance?’
‘You never listen, do you, child!’ she scolded. ‘You have lost everything. The Vengeance is about to leave. The Prince lives! The House of Kenric will be victorious, while you . . .’ Sinnsro Draig’s eyes narrowed with contempt. ‘You will die here, alone, forgotten by history.’
‘No!’ Orcades screamed. ‘They will not leave.’
He staggered towards the engine deck, barely remembering his way. His face was burned, his hands ached, the blood fell from his chest. He knew he did not have long.
‘What can you hope to achieve now?’ Sinnsro asked, walking beside him. ‘You could have had everything; do you know that?’
‘Shut up, mother!’
He opened the door to the engine deck and stumbled across its sloping floor.
‘Valtais?’ someone said as he approached. An engineer?
‘Yes . . . What is our status?’ he managed, his voice weak.
‘Sir, we must get you seen to. You are wounded.’
He felt hands about him, holding him, stopping his progress. He struggled free. ‘Do not touch me!’
He blinked quickly, clearing his eyes. He stood in the center of a circle of his engineers. ‘Tell me what has happened?’
One of them stepped closer. ‘Fallorite rods are damaged. We’re holding back a cascade. We should have it under control in the next thirty minutes. We’re venting the heat buildup directly into space.’
‘You!’ Orcades pointed at the engineer. ‘Name?’
‘Klem,’ the man replied quickly.
‘Klem . . . take me to the vents.’ Orcades held up an arm, waiting.
The man hesitated, exchanging glances with his fellow engineers, then took Orcades’ arm, supporting him as they walked.
‘The rest of you . . .’ Orcades shouted. ‘The rest of you are dismissed. Clear the engine deck. Lock it . . . lock it down.’
‘Sir,’ Klem faltered. ‘They have work to do. Without them we can’t hope to–’
Orcades spat blood on to the deck floor. ‘You have your orders, Klem.’
‘Yes, Valtais.’
They stopped at a large console at the side of the engine deck. Orcades took a breath, only now seeing the devastation around him. It was in ruins.
‘These are the vent controls,’ Klem explained.
Orcades forced himself to focus. ‘Shut them down.’
Klem stared at his Valtais. ‘I can’t do that.’
‘Can’t?’
‘Sir, if I close the vents, the fallorite rods will overheat. Once they reach critical I won’t be able to stop a cascade. A cascade means–’
Orcades grabbed at the engineer, finding his throat. ‘I know what it means. Do you want the enemy to escape?’
Klem shook his head, his eyes full of terror.
‘I will not allow it! We will make them burn!’
‘But . . . but, Valtais. We will burn as well.’
‘Not me,’ Orcades said with a dark grin. ‘I’m immortal.’
NO-RETURN
Admiral Valine gazed out of the windows, watching her fleet of arkships engage with the enemy. In spite of her perilous situation, she found the view to be quite spectacular. Ahead of her was the ravaged hull of the Fenrir, intersecting with the Vengeance. About it, a cluster of debris orbited, forming a cloud that sparkled in the rising light of The Infinite. Further up, was the Gargan, its guns exchanging fire with the Vengeance. She could feel the distant thud of their impacts passing through the floor, each one lighting up the swirling dust cloud.
She turned her head to the right: the Ark Royal Caerleon was ablaze with islands of fire all along its length. The Melrakki and the Ormr hovered over it, pounding it with tiny lines of light. The Caerleon fought back and, as she watched, Valine saw a huge eruption on the front of the Ormr, pushing it into a downwards trajectory. Behind, protected by the Kenric flagship, was the Tateishi-Maru, launching its weapons on the Draig arkships. The cascade of color was hypnoti
c, a beautiful tapestry of death and destruction.
‘Admiral!’
Valine turned from the windows to acknowledge her engine officer. ‘What is it?’
‘Temperature just started to rise inside the fallorite rod enclosure.’
‘I thought you said it was contained?’
‘It . . . it was, Admiral,’ the officer replied, frustrated. ‘The core temperature just spiked. The vents appear to have been closed.’
‘So, open them again!’
‘It can’t be done remotely. The engine deck isn’t responding. We’re looking at a cascade failure.’
Valine felt her heart quicken with fear. She would not lose everything she had worked so hard to acquire. ‘You have to stop it!’
The officer reddened. ‘I’m telling you I can’t! It’s past the point of no-return.’
‘How long have we got?’
‘Ten . . . maybe fifteen minutes before it reaches critical. Once it does, the Fenrir will explode.’
Admiral Valine returned to the windows, savoring the view for another moment. She had everything she wanted, for less than an hour. As she watched the burning arkships, a smile broke across her mouth and she began to laugh. Given the situation, there was nothing else to do.
‘Admiral?’ the officer said.
‘Sound the evacuation order. Have my shuttle stand by.’
COLLATERAL DAMAGE
As Bara and Derward stumbled onto the flight deck of the Vengeance, she could hardly believe what she saw. The windows framed a vision of destruction as the Draig arkships tormented the Vengeance with their weapons.
‘Their onslaught has increased,’ Gofal said as they joined him by Wynn’s command seat. ‘I warned them about the Fenrir’s cascade and this is the thanks I get.’
Bara touched Wynn’s hand. He raised his head and opened his eyes. A blood-stained gauze hid a deep cut to his face, running from his forehead down to his chin. He tried to smile, but the injury wouldn’t allow it.
‘You shouldn’t be here,’ she said.
‘I’ll rest soon,’ Wynn promised.
The flight deck lurched, throwing Bara off-balance.
‘Apologies,’ Gofal said. ‘We are trying to break ourselves free. There is a fallorite cascade happening on board the Fenrir, and we really need to be far away from here very soon.’
‘That’s a good idea,’ Derward said dryly.
‘Maximum thrust,’ an officer called.
The arkship began to vibrate, getting stronger and stronger.
‘You’ll never get us away like this,’ Derward said. ‘We’re jammed up against the Fenrir.’
Gofal turned to look at him. ‘You have a suggestion?’
‘Target our weapons onto impact points between the Vengeance and the Fenrir.’
‘At this range?’
‘Low yield, nothing more. Evacuate those sections and destroy anything that’s snagged together.’
Gofal considered this. ‘It would mean substantial damage to the Vengeance.’
‘It might also mean we get out of here alive.’
Wynn straightened in his chair, clearing his throat. ‘He’s right, Gofal. Do what we need to do.’
‘Very well,’ Gofal replied. ‘Personnel officer: evacuate these locations.’ He manipulated the holograph to find his targets, touching each point.
‘Target one location clear,’ the Personnel officer shouted after a short delay. ‘Targets two and three are clear . . .’
‘Weapons officer: minimum yield, fire at the evaluated locations.’ Gofal said, then he turned to face the others. ‘The flight deck’s defense mechanism is offline. We will be in harm’s way.’
Bara braced herself as the first gun fired. They couldn’t see the impact from the windows, but they felt it cutting into the arkship, shaking the floor beneath them.
‘Target one destroyed,’ the weapons officer said. ‘Moving on to target two.’
The holograph showed the Vengeance, its maneuvering thrusters and engines working together to pull it free, yet still it did not move.
‘How long till the Fenrir explodes?’ Bara checked.
‘Hard to say with any accuracy,’ Gofal replied. ‘We may have minutes . . . or seconds.’
‘Target two destroyed. Heavy damage to the Vengeance as well.’
‘To be expected,’ Gofal said. ‘Continue to target three.’
This time the impact was much closer, and the Vengeance rocked violently. Bara saw the explosion out of the window. As it died away a shockwave of debris grew, expanding into space.
The Vengeance lurched again, grinding against the Fenrir.
‘We’re moving!’ Bara said.
‘Reverse trajectory,’ Gofal replied, checking the holograph. ‘Two meters per second. We are free.’
THE HALF MAN
Orcades stared at the console, watching as, one by one, the indicators turned red.
‘I can’t . . . I can’t stay,’ Klem muttered, close by. ‘I’ve got a family. I can’t do this.’ He started to retreat, still facing Orcades.
‘You will remain with your Valtais!’
Klem shook his head, his defiance bringing terror to his wide eyes. He bolted and ran away from Orcades, disappearing from the engine deck. The space was deserted now, just Orcades and the engines. He smiled to himself, certain in his triumph. The pain in his side had gone, yet the blood still dripped to the floor. It didn’t matter, he was immortal. Nothing could kill him. Not a sword to the side, not fire or electricity, certainly not the destruction of the Fenrir. Yet it would kill Prince Halstead and his followers. Orcades alone would prevail. He alone would be victorious!
‘Child! You sit in the ruins of my achievements.’
Orcades turned to see his mother looming over him.
‘Leave me,’ he said bitterly. ‘While you still can.’
‘I will not leave, not while I am needed.’
‘You are not needed, mother.’
Sinnsro walked towards the engines. ‘A magnificent machine. My father oversaw the installation of these engines. The old ones had become obsolete. He had the vision to replace them. The conversion took time and money, but he knew the benefits outweighed the inconvenience. He was a great man. A man of vision. He was a true Draig.’
‘I am Draig!’ Orcades shouted.
His mother laughed icily. ‘You are a half man, Orcades, the bastard child of a Kenric father. You are not worthy to call yourself Draig, I see that now. It was a mistake to expect you to rule in my place. You have brought the House of Draig to its knees.’
‘I have doubled our fleet of arkships. I have increased our influence across the entire Cluster. I have thrown off the interference of The Church. We stand above the other houses, we are respected and feared by all!’
Sinnsro shook her head. ‘Feared? Yes. But we have lost any respect we ever had. We are seen as parasites, hunters who pick off the weakest targets. You may have more arkships now, but they are husks. Their populations live in fear and hunger. You rule, but your subjects do not love you, Orcades, and an unloved ruler does not rule for very long.’
‘Lies!’
‘You know it to be true. It is good that you will be dead soon.’
Orcades couldn’t stand any longer. His legs buckled, and he fell to the floor.
‘Even your body betrays you now.’ Sinnsro stood over him, contempt on her stern features.
‘I cannot die . . . I will not die.’
His mother laughed at him. ‘Yes, you will die, very soon. But it does not have to be that way. You can still prevail. You can put right the wrongs you have committed. You can redeem yourself and become wholly Draig.’
Orcades hesitated. He glanced at the console, with its flashing lights and its insistent beeping, then his eyes returned to his mother. ‘How?’
‘It will not be easy, child. You are diseased, and you have surrounded yourself with sycophants and traitors.’
‘How? Tell me how?’
; ‘You will have to strip it all away, Orcades. You will have to let go of the hate and accept your inadequacies. Your body is addicted, your mind is filled with darkness. You must cleanse it all, burn away your sins in the fire of rebirth.’
‘How, mother?’
‘It will be the greatest challenge you have ever faced. Before it is over, you will beg for death. But you must do this alone. Not even I can follow you.’
The far end of the engine deck disappeared in an eruption of blue plasma, and everything it touched became dust. The eruption grew, racing towards Orcades.
‘You are not real, mother. You are just a ghost, haunting my imagination.’
Sinnsro moved closer, slapping his face. ‘You must choose, child. Are you strong enough? Are you willing?’
Shocked, Orcades looked into the heart of the destruction. ‘I am willing. Tell me what I must do.’
Sinnsro smiled. It was a smile of love, one he had not seen on her face for many years.
‘Take my hand,’ she said.
SHOCKWAVE
‘All support ships are back on board,’ Gofal said as he checked the holograph display. ‘Our speed is increasing. Twenty-eight meters per second.’
‘Heat spike on board the Fenrir!’ Bara said, pointing to the console. ‘Cascade’s happening.’
The Vengeance rattled as the Draig bombardment continued.
‘Why don’t they retreat?’ Derward wondered. ‘They must see it too.’
‘The Tateishi-Maru is clear of the battlefield. They are powering up for Cube transit. The Caerleon is providing cover until they’re away.’
‘This is going to be tight,’ Wynn said, feeling like death.
‘Powering up main engines,’ Gofal said. ‘The most optimum route of escape takes us over the Fenrir.’
Wynn felt the surge of power as the main engines fired. The view out of the windows shifted as the arkship curbed its backwards movement and began to thrust ahead. The damaged nose tilted up, guiding the Vengeance over the convulsing husk of the Fenrir. They skimmed over the fractured hull, watching as explosions clawed up to catch them.
Arkship Vengeance (The Arkship Saga Book 2) Page 18