Warren turned his ship toward the transports, tilting in a steeper descent. None of the other patrol units seemed to have changed their course. Eileen watched the buildings of the trade port rapidly approach.
They leveled out their ships fifty feet above the ground, just above the blocky supply ships. Green laser fire continued to shoot in all directions. They zoomed by too fast for Eileen to distinguish anything. Warren pulled them back up, regaining altitude.
"Those are... electroids," Oskar said. "Electroids armed with weapons."
Warren led their unit up and to the left, curving around until they had another view. Eileen saw dozens of electroids on the paved surface of the landing pad, steadily advancing. They were vaguely human-shaped except for the lack of a head, with a pair of legs and two primary arm appendages. They held rifles, shooting as they advanced. Shipyard guards returned fire, but the port's landing pads had little in the way of cover, and they quickly fell in the open.
"All units," Warren said, "there are hostiles at the trade port. I repeat, hostiles at the trade port." His voice changed. "Cara, Oskar, let's come around for a strafing run."
He put more distance between them and the electroids before turning back around. Other transport ships were opening their cargo doors, pouring more soldiers--both robotic and human, Eileen saw--onto the surface. The two guard towers at the shipyard entrance were now returning fire.
"Eileen," Oskar said on a channel just for her, "be my eyes while we begin the attack. I don't trust that they would attack without some sort of air support. Let me know if anything comes near us."
"Got it," she said, turning her gaze upward. Melis still hung above them, dark and foreboding. Other fighter units were specks against the planet, barely noticeable, black against black. There was laser fire among them, flashes here and there. More fighting.
She announced it over the radio.
"Let's focus on these electroids first," Cara said, ending her silence. "The fighting above doesn't look bad, yet."
"Agreed," said Warren. "Prepare strafing formation."
Their triangle grew as the ships spread out. Warren led the way as they dove, slowing down and tilting toward the surface. Eileen craned her neck in the cockpit, scanning all around, searching for other threats.
They dove on the electroids with shocking speed, and Eileen couldn't help but turn to watch. Warren's Riverhawk sprayed laser fire across the landing pad. Red flashed on either side of Eileen as Oskar followed suit, sending vibrations up her tailbone. Dust and rock and showers of sparks exploded into the air as their lasers hit electroid and pavement alike. Warren destroyed at least six, and she counted four for Oskar before they were past.
Warren pulled them back into the air, quickly gaining altitude as they turned back around. "Again. Let's hit the transport ship itself this time. If we can destroy them before they emerge, then all the better."
As they began to dive again, Cara said, "Enemy fighter inbound, heading two-oh-seven. Pulling off to cover."
Eileen looked in that direction. Beyond the landing pads was the short perimeter fence, with deserted Latean surface beyond. "I don't see anything," she said, "either on the surface or in the air."
"Open your eyes, girl," Cara spat, "it's there."
"Cover us Cara," Warren ordered, "Oskar and I will continue on the run." They began descending toward the landing pad.
Eileen squinted into the distance, scanning the open space between planet and moon. "Oskar, there's nothing out there," she said on their private channel. "I don't know what Cara sees."
Oskar looked over his shoulder. Eileen followed his gaze to where Cara's Riverhawk was drifting behind them. "Whatever she sees, keep your eyes peeled for it," he said before returning his eyes forward.
The surface grew fast. Eileen scanned the sky but the only ships she saw were in the distance. Their unit was clear in all directions.
Warren and Oskar fired on the electroids. More dust and debris blew off the surface around them as they made their pass. They exploded out the other end of the cloud, their vision returning.
A scream on their radio. Warren. "Main engine down!"
Smoke poured from the unit leader's Riverhawk. Oskar pulled his ship up but Warren's drifted across the landing pad, quickly losing altitude. Eileen saw the propulsion jets on the front and bottom of the ship puff white, desperate to slow the craft down, but it was in vain. The Riverhawk crashed on the landing pad, spinning and tumbling across the surface before coming to a stop at the perimeter fence.
Oskar wheeled the craft. "Cara, horn maneuver. I'll take the left, you take the right. Form up on the back-side and we'll look for the threat."
Instead of turning right, Eileen saw Cara's craft follow them to the left. She was right behind them. "Oskar, she's on our tail. Did we lose comms?"
Oskar cursed. "No. I think I know what's happening--"
Cara's ship flashed red.
Eileen was thrown to the side of the cockpit as Oskar evaded, the red lasers zooming past their cockpit. "Watch your fire!" she yelled, but Oskar had already changed their radio channel.
"That was no accident," he said, twisting the ship away from more laser fire, curving low to the ground. "I don't know what side she's on, but it's not ours."
Eileen watched as Cara's Riverhawk followed each of their turns, bearing down on them. She couldn't be sure, but it looked like the other woman was smiling.
Chapter 15
Oskar zoomed low over the Latean surface, the propulsion jets and engine kicking up dust behind them. The enemy Riverhawk followed, barely visible but for the red lasers that occasionally appeared from the cloud of dust, zooming dangerously close.
Eileen turned and watched the Chain in front of them, growing larger as they approached. The greater part of their Wing seemed to be gathering there, fighting what enemy ships they could identify.
Traitors. Children.
That was why Cara accosted her, believing her to be a shade. Whatever this attack was, they thought Eileen had been sent to the Gold to stop it. If I were a shade I would be able to help, she thought as she breathed heavily, attempting to contact someone, anyone over the radio. "Critical alert, critical alert. This is Riverhawk eight, approaching the Chain. Unit six is hostile, I repeat, unit six is hostile. Requesting assistance."
Oskar was silent, focused on his task. He lanced the grey surface with laser fire, kicking up even more debris to obfuscate their path. Red beams continued to fall randomly around them.
"This is Riverhawk eight, requesting assistance south of the Chain."
The grey moon's surface disappeared as he pulled the ship up in a loop, the dark planet rolling across their view. Eileen felt dizzy as she watched Cara's ship match the maneuver, turning and spiraling, following them only a heartbeat behind.
"Critical alert, all units--"
"I can't hear myself think," Oskar snapped. "Just keep spotting for me. Tell me what you see."
Eileen looked around. "More gunfire around the perimeter of the shipyard. One of the buildings is smoking. There's action at the base of the Olitau, I can't tell from so far away but I think--"
"Lift your eyes," Oskar growled. "I need friendly ships."
She twisted her head to scan above. "They're around the Chain. There's a battle--lots of shooting. They're too busy to come to us, I think."
"Then we'll just have to get to them. Stars help us."
There wasn't much for her to do. She watched, helplessly, as Cara's Riverhawk clung to them. The next laser burst struck their right wing, jostling them sideways. Oskar cursed under his breath and began zig-zagging, more erratic. He was becoming panicked. Eileen looked to the sky, desperate for help, but they were alone.
Cara was beginning to anticipate their movements. She turned more, aiming ahead of them, her shots missing long. She adjusted again. Oskar began a wide bow-loop, but he'd already used that trick against Cara, and this time she was ready. Her Riverhawk hooked inward, preparing to cut them
off. Eileen braced herself.
Suddenly, there was fire from below. Beams cut through Cara's ship, exploding out the cockpit, the white mist of released oxygen puffing in space. It tumbled end-over-end, falling back to the surface, exploding into a shipyard building in a billow of white and orange.
Another Riverhawk took its place behind them, the golden starbursts of the Commander painted on the wings. Jayce's voice was satisfied. "Unit eight, you okay?"
"Yes sir," said Oskar, "just superficial damage. We owe you a bottle of sweetwater, Commander. The expensive stuff. How'd you know to attack Cara and not us?"
Jayce accelerated, taking the lead. "I didn't. But if Pilot Eileen were a traitor, they sent a poor one." Eileen was too relieved to be insulted.
Oskar's tone turned grim. "What in the stars is going on, sir?"
Jayce guided them toward the Chain, where the fighting was still thick. "This is a coordinated attack, and you can bet they are responsible. Electroids on the ground, Children of Saria among the Gold. They even had spies aboard the Olitau, detonating explosives among the families at the ceremony."
Eileen could sense Oskar tensing in his seat. He had a wife and two boys on the flagship.
"We need to figure out who we can trust," Jayce said. "Use channel two-six-one to communicate."
They approached the other units circling the Chain. It was chaos among the Riverhawks, rolling and shooting at one-another with no method of determining friend from foe. Eileen switched their radio to channel two-six-one and the sounds of yelling invaded Eileen's helmet.
"What the fuck are you doing? Get off my tail Stevan!"
"Unit nineteen is behaving erratic, I repeat--"
"Jenny needs help, one of those bastards is on her ass."
After a moment Jayce said, "Moving to assist Jenny, on the east end of the Chain."
"Are you sure she's friendly?" Oskar asked.
"Nope. But I have to choose. May the stars have mercy if I'm wrong."
The long Chain spun across their view as they turned. Eileen could see Jenny's Riverhawk diving to the ground, trying to shake off another ship behind it. Jayce and Oskar accelerated, closing the gap toward the diving enemy.
Two bursts from Jayce and the ship chasing Jenny exploded.
"Thanks for not shooting me, Commander," Jenny said when they were within range. "I don't know what's going on, but I'm lucky to still be flying."
She fell into formation with them as they returned to the other clusters of ships. A few other traitors were quickly identified and eliminated, the pieces of their broken ships falling among the buildings of the Chain's base. When all was done, only nineteen of the Wing's thirty ships remained. The pilots eyed one-another from their cockpits, suspicious of who remained.
Jayce addressed them, firm and confident. "Gold Wing. We've lost the bridge on the Olitau, so we're on our own. Vice Admiral Drysane is with me, to coordinate our forces until we're joined by Admiral Acteon. I don't know what's going on, and I'm sure we'll find out later, but for now we have to assume the Emperor is still returning to the Chain. Our orders are to defend Him. We will do everything we can to make sure He reaches the Chain safely."
Eileen's navigation computer flashed.
"I've uploaded new patrol routes to your computers," he continued. "Head to your designated areas and guard it against any threat. We have no idea what to expect. The attack may already be over. Stars, His Luminance may already be dead." The thought sent a chill up Eileen's spine. "But if your God still lives, so long as you draw breath you will protect Him from His enemies. Is that understood?"
The radio filled with cries of affirmation, Eileen's voice lost among the others.
The Gold Wing split up, one group of seven and two groups of six. Oskar and Eileen found themselves in the group of seven with Jayce. He led the group in a V-spread formation back to the shipyard. There was intense fighting on the ground: the electroid army had destroyed the two guard towers by the landing pads, and had breached the perimeter fence to the shipyard. They were fifty feet from the base of the Olitau, where guards returned fire from behind the ship's landing struts, desperately holding them back. A few were unnaturally tall, with shimmering barriers spread from their outstretched arms. Shieldwardens! Eileen searched but could not see the Emperor.
They're programmed well, Eileen thought, watching the electroid's advance. Their strategy was obvious, even to her untrained eye. They were organized in small clusters. One group of electroids provided suppressing fire while another marched forward to new cover. Then they alternated roles. They leap-frogged like that across the shipyard pavement, some spreading out behind the Tortoise-Two and Tortoise-Three. The electroids would reach the Olitau within minutes.
Wordlessly, Jayce changed their course. The seven Riverhawks dove, attacking the robotic soldiers in a wide formation. When the Commander fired so did the rest, a hail of red that criss-crossed the surface. They pulled up fast, regaining altitude before coming back around.
The electroids were no longer advancing. They'd stopped, taking cover behind what crates and low structures were scattered across the shipyard pavement. They returned fire as the ships dove again, but the first pass had significantly weakened their numbers, and the resistance was meager. Once again the Riverhawks fired. One of the crates exploded, sending a fireball into the air. Most of everything else was simply ripped apart by the lasers.
The guards from the Olitau used the opportunity to flank around the side, pinning the electroids into place. There, unable to fire back, they were torn to pieces in Jayce's next two strafes.
When the fight was finished they circled low over the flagship. From their vantage overhead Eileen could see more tall guards exit the flagship, spreading all around. Then a small figure appeared, clothed in red and orange. Immediately the group began fleeing down the tunnel, the Shieldwardens on either side of the small figure.
Over the radio she heard mumbled prayers, words of deference. In the seat in front, Oskar made a religious sign with his hand. Hastily, Eileen copied him.
His Luminance. The Emperor.
It was real. All of it, the Gold Wing and their patrol, suddenly vivid and comprehensible. That man was God, the creator and judicator of the stars. The importance of their mission, the heaviness of their duty, overwhelmed her.
I'm a rookie. I don't belong here.
She never should have come. Oskar was too busy making plans with his family when they learned, but Eileen should have known immediately and requested a transfer. Guilt clung to her skin beneath her flight suit, like a greasy film. It should be a skilled pilot sitting behind Oskar.
Jayce's voice brought her back to alertness. "Units two, eight, and eleven. Lower your altitude to fifty feet. I want them to know they're covered."
She watched as Oskar obeyed, taking the forward point of the triangle formation. They fell to the desired height, mere feet above the tunnel. The clear ceiling showed its inhabitants; as the Riverhawks zoomed by Eileen could see the Shieldwardens and others running down the corridor. She hoped to catch a better glimpse of the Emperor, but all she saw was a blur of gold.
Then there were flashes of light, lasers inside the tunnel. Another group, at least twenty that Eileen could see, emerging from the base of the Olitau. They gave chase to the Emperor's group, stopping at tunnel wall segments to fire from behind cover. Their lasers bounced harmlessly off the Shieldwardens' electric barriers, but having to run backward while extending their arms protectively slowed them down.
"There's nothing we can do from up here," Oskar said when she commented on it. "We can only do our part and leave the rest up to His Luminance."
The tunnel stretched across the moon's surface toward the Chain, where the other two Wing groups patrolled, tiny specks from so far away. Everything seemed calm over there. Even the shipyard was now deserted, scattered with the remains of the electroids. The only fighting left was in the tunnel. "Do you think there are more inside the Olitau? Or are those the las
t of them?"
"I don't know," Oskar said. Their ship was tilted in a steep turn, and he pressed his helmet against the cockpit glass to watch the figures inside the tunnel. "The Children of Saria have never attacked like this. The disappearance of the Leviathan decades ago, maybe. But even that was stealthy, not an all-out battle. I don't know how many there are."
"I bet that's all," she said. "They'll focus all their strength on the Emperor. They wouldn't want him to get away. Maybe that means the Olitau isn't lost."
Oskar paused, and when he spoke his voice was thick with emotion. "I hope so."
His family. Her heart ached for her mentor, who still didn't know the status of his wife and boys. She unclipped her suit from its seat and leaned forward, resting a hand on his shoulder. "They're okay. I'm sure of it."
Oskar reached up, took her hand, and squeezed. " If His Luminance wills it, they will be."
One of the other pilots cried out on the radio. After a moment, when the flagship came into view, it was obvious why. The great behemoth engines on the Olitau's underside were firing, spraying moondust all around. As slow as a sunrise she raised off the ground, millions of tonnes of metal, impossibly huge. The landing struts, a dozen thick legs, began retracting into the hull.
To Eileen it was a thunderous victory. "I knew it!" she said to Oskar. "The flagship wasn't lost!" The Admiral must have retaken the ship.
Oskar made no reply, his eyes fixed on the flagship's ascent. Nobody else seemed to share her joy.
"Olitau," Commander Jayce asked softly, "this is the Gold Wing. What's your status?"
There was no response.
"Olitau, who's in command of the ship?"
The flagship continued to rise until it was above them, the behemoth engines pulsing, brilliant spheres of blue brighter than the sun. Soon it loomed over them, blocking most of their view of Melis.
"All patrols on alert," Jayce commanded. "Brynn, move your unit to an altitude of four thousand feet. Get above her and stay there. Jenny, remain with His Luminance along the tunnel." Eileen could see the figures moving down the tunnel to the Chain, one third of the way there.
Sword of Blue (Tales of a Dying Star Book 3) Page 15