Mike returned his attention to the cruiser. It hung far off in space, alone, its support ships scattered. Shields occasionally winked on and off as one ship attacked another, but most of the fighting appeared to be internal. Jake found the tactical frequency and listened in on intermittent, confused transmissions but mostly silence. It was an eerie feeling knowing that a powerful squadron had been reduced to impotency, the result of a few words.
Should they run? Ellie wanted to stay. She believed in her heart that her sailors would prevail. Mike and Otis were not so certain. Mike brought Resolve about and began the laborious process of setting up the longest jump he could compute this close to the primary star, a jump long enough to terminate with the emergency stop program to fool the tracker. A couple of hours passed.
The bridge of the cruiser suddenly appeared before them on the main communications screen, a young man with black eyes and disheveled black hair looking to the side as he issued orders to someone off-screen with the audio muted. Everyone withdrew from the net, jumping up from their stations to face the screen together. Otis came on the run. The face turned to them, the audio came on, and the figure knelt on one knee as he bowed deeply, saying. “Your Majesty.”
Ellie gasped. “Val? It’s you?”
The man’s head rose, and he nodded. He saw Mike and rose to his feet with his right fist across his chest. “Sire.”
>I can’t tell who he is, his uniform is too torn up. I think he’s an officer, though,< Jake informed him.
“Report, Sailor,” Mike commanded.
“Lieutenant Val, Bridge Control Officer of the heavy cruiser Beta IV, Sire. We have control of the bridge and have locked down all external weapons. The bridge is secure, but the rest of the ship . . . excuse me, Sire.” He placed a hand to the speaker in his ear, listened intently, then issued orders in a crisp, decisive manner before looking back to Mike. “Power is now secure, Sire. They still have Weapons Control, Fleet Plot, and Communications. We’re locking them down as quickly as we can.”
“Lieutenant, you say ‘we?’ Whose side are you on?” Mike demanded, trying not to let the strain show.
“Sire?” He looked at Ellie, then knelt again with bowed head. “I’ve been held prisoner for months after refusing to support the new regime. I’m yours to command, Your Majesty.”
“My family, Val,” she demanded with a stricken look. “What of my family? What news do you have from the Palace?”
Lieutenant Val hesitated, his young face aging before their very eyes. “You don’t know?” Pity filled his eyes. “I’m sorry, Your Majesty. They’re all gone.”
She turned to Mike with a look of horror. She let out an anguished cry, “Noooo!” as her fists beat into his chest. He collected her in his arms as Lieutenant Val, the fleet, the terrible fighting taking place within the squadron, though not forgotten, were placed to the side for a moment.
“Lieutenant Val,” he said when he returned his attention to the young officer, “Are you the senior officer aboard your ship?”
“No, Sire. I was just the first one to make it to the bridge. The cats took no prisoners here. I’m coordinating with Captain Jons who is attempting to secure the rest of the ship.”
“Are we in imminent danger from more disloyal ships appearing?”
“I can’t answer that yet, Sire. My counsel would be to assume the worst. They will come eventually and there might be little warning. We must get the Queen away from here as soon as possible, but I’ve been advised that a tracker was placed aboard your ship. You cannot hide from the fleet with a tracker.”
“Can you take us aboard?”
“The Queen?” A look of excitement crossed his face. He spoke briefly into his headset before replying. “Hangar Deck is not yet secure, Sire. I’ll see to it.” Then a calculating look filled his eyes. “We really must get the Queen to a safe place. Some of our smaller ships might be back under control before I am. Maybe we can get you aboard one of them. My communications are very limited. I’ll get back to you, Sire.”
“Lieutenant!” Mike shouted before the young man could cut him off. When Mike had his undivided attention, he added, “The Queen’s safety is your number one priority. If you cannot personally vouch for one of your ships, we’ll remain here.”
“Sire, I respectfully tell you that you cannot remain in that ship. I can’t protect you. All my weapons are locked down until I can ensure the loyalty of the crews operating them. I know fleet tactics, and I think I understand what’s happening here. Every military ship in this system is heading this way as we speak, and others might drop from hyper any moment. You’ll have little warning of attack with that tracker aboard. You’d be safer in a lifeboat. In fact, you might want to consider abandoning ship and deactivating the lifeboat’s beacon.”
His gaze shifted to Ellie who was still wrapped in Mike’s arms. “Sire, trust me. So long as I live, I will not leave the Queen stranded. We probably have one hour.” With that, the screen blanked.
Mike remained standing with his arms around Ellie. Looking over to Otis, he said, “Pretty sharp kid. Are all your officers that sharp?”
“He’s special, Sire, and well known to myself and the Queen. His presence here is to our benefit. He’s also right. If you’ll keep an eye on things here, I’ll see to deactivating a lifeboat beacon. An excellent suggestion. I’m surprised we didn’t think of it ourselves.”
“Should I head back? Can we count on him?”
“His loyalty is beyond reproach. Count on no one else at the moment. I recommend a return to the vicinity of the cruiser – it will be a temporary haven to us if Val prevails – but keep your options open. The decision is yours, Sire.”
“What if the tracker is in the lifeboat, Otis?”
Otis growled deep in his throat as he dove into the central shaft. He returned twenty minutes later with news that a lifeboat was ready, though there was no way to determine if a tracker was aboard, and he had been unable to disable the beacon. More hours passed, and Mike was just reaching for the transmitter switch when his screen lit up. Lieutenant Val was back.
“I just learned that a Priority message went out to Fleet Headquarters the moment you arrived, Sire. Other ships could arrive any time from hyper. We might be down to minutes. Hangar deck is not secure, but I’m taking you aboard anyway. When you exit Resolve, I’ll jettison her to get rid of the tracker. I’ve drawn every man I can from other fighting. We’ll provide all possible protection without losing the rest of the ship. Get ready, Sire.”
“We have a problem, Lieutenant. No one on my ship knows how to dock with you.”
“Sire? Just instruct the AI,” Val said with an impatient look. “I’ve activated the landing beacon.”
“Our AI is damaged.”
Val took a deep breath, then held his hand up to his ear as someone else sought his attention. He listened, then said, “No, sir. Communications can wait, so can Weapons Control. I’ve locked them down from here. I need those heavy weapons on the hangar deck and in Engineering. We absolutely have to retain our hold on Engineering. And I need a Guardian here on the bridge. I’m all by myself up here. Can you send one?”
“Very well, sir, and thanks.” He turned back to Mike. “Sorry, Sire. That was Captain Jons.”
“Is he on our side?”
“Yes, Sire. He was relieved by Admiral Shuge at the same time I was. We shared a cell.”
“So how am I going to get this ship aboard your cruiser, Lieutenant?”
Val thought for a moment. “No offense, Sire, but I don’t have time to talk you through it right now. Let me into your net, and I’ll give the instructions.”
“How do I let you in?”
Val blinked a couple of times, and Mike sensed his confusion. This all had to be pretty basic to a pilot, which Mike supposedly was, but Mike sensed that this man was prepared to deal with the unexpected.
“Open channel 6X17G and have your pilot go into the net, Sire. I’ll find him there.”
“S
tandby. I might need help setting the channel.”
He went internal. >Jake, can you do it?<
>I don’t know what he’s talking about.<
Everyone went into the net, and sure enough, the moment Jake found and selected the frequency, Val was there waiting. His composure slipped momentarily when he saw Ellie.
He bowed deeply. “Your Majesty.”
“Hello, Val. Welcome back to Resolve.”
“We’re in the net. How can you be in here?”
“We’ve had to make some adjustments. The crew is dead. So, too, is the AI.”
Mike sensed strong emotions between the two of them. He backed away to give them as much privacy as he could.
Val was in a hurry. He stared at her for a time, then turned to Mike. “You’re the Knight,” he said, bowing low.
“No. I’m First Knight.”
“Yes, Sire. Of course, Sire.” He turned to Jake with an unspoken question.
“I’m Jake, your First Knight’s Rider.”
Val bowed to Jake, then turned to Reba with the same question, though the question was muddled in suddenly strong emotion.
“I’m Reba. Pleased to meet you, Val.”
Mike almost felt Val tearing his gaze away from Reba. She had well and truly startled him in some way.
Then they heard another voice. “Val, Jons is in hangar bay. Resistance is minimal.”
“Okay. I’m going to get Resolve started in. Let him know, Artmis.” He turned his attention back to Mike. “I know this ship, Sire. Someone has to go with me to make the settings. I can’t do it from afar. You have to release the lock on channel 64A71. Once you’ve done that, I’m in.”
Mike sensed a mind that he immediately liked. This young man was in a hurry and he was very focused, but his focus was not only his ship. The Queen’s survival was at the very top of his awareness, and he clearly understood that if he lost the cruiser he might lose the Queen as well. He would hurry, but he would get the job done right.
“How long will it take? I don’t want to be gone from the bridge right now.” Mike asked.
“Sire, there’s little you can do from there, not with a tracker aboard.”
“Not true, Val. We have our methods, and they work.” He turned to Ellie. “Will you go with him?”
She nodded, and Mike and Jake disappeared. Val started to lead the way through the net, then stopped. “Where’s your net, Mother?”
“Well, we’ve been sort of holding it together by ourselves. Can you find your way?”
Val thought for a moment, then threw procedure aside. He wasn’t as versatile with the process as Ellie and Reba were, but he managed. They both followed him until he reached the right node, then Val backed off.
“Do you see the pad, Mother?” he asked.
“I do.”
“Enter this code.” He rattle off a series of numbers as Ellie touched the keys.
“I’m in,” he said. Ellie and Reba moved back to watch him work. Neither was certain what took place, but Resolve soon indicated it was happy with the commands. They were tracking a beam of some sort.
“I’ve got to go. You’re on automatic now.”
“Thank you, Val. We’ll see you soon. Set course for Centauri III when you can.”
“Centauri III, aye, Your Majesty.” Val stared at Reba for a moment, then he just disappeared.
Mike had Jake disable the channel Val had come in on – he didn’t want anyone else coming in uninvited. Everyone stayed in the net until they felt Resolve pass through the force field holding atmosphere inside the cruiser’s hangar deck. Shortly thereafter, they felt a solid bump. Resolve had landed. Their voyage was finally over.
Mike pulled Ellie along with him to her quarters and gathered up Mildred and Alexis, then they raced to the ramp where they met Reba and Otis. Otis distributed weapons, two holstered blasters and one rifle-like blaster for each. Otis operated the ramp controls, and the sounds and smells of heavy fighting greeted them.
Otis crawled down the ramp, returned fire from the left side of the ramp, then retreated back into Resolve. Blaster beams ricocheted wildly here and there. The hangar deck was definitely not secure.
“Not good,” he stated gruffly. “I thought you said hangar deck was secure?” he asked Mike.
“Lieutenant Val received a report that fighting was minimal.”
“Well, something’s changed. We’ll have to give his men more time to secure the deck. He motioned them to withdraw further into the ship, and he went to the ramp controls to close the ramp. The ramp was about half way up when they were thrown to the deck by a blast of light and heat. Resolve was under attack by a heavy weapon, and the ramp had stopped moving. Otis moved back from the controls dragging an injured leg, his fur smoking.
“Someone has fired-up a stinger. I can’t close the ramp, it’s damaged. Move back!”
“What’s a stinger?” Mike yelled.
“A scout vehicle. It packs a heavy weapon for ground fighting. Val had better hurry.”
Reba turned and left on a dead run. Mike and the Queen turned to follow, but Otis stopped them. “We have to hold the ramp. We cannot allow them into the ship or we’re lost. Val’s men and my brothers are not idle. They’ll be here soon.”
Ellie refused to leave Mike and Otis. After a brief, heated discussion, Mildred returned with Alexis to her quarters armed with her own blaster. Otis took one corridor leading from the ramp, and Mike and Ellie took another, huddling behind a corner as shot after shot pounded the ramp. Heat, light, and sound numbed their senses. The air soon filled with smoke – they were on fire somewhere. Resolve was tough, though. Mike didn’t think the stinger could blow them up, though he worried about a ricocheting shot finding its way down the corridor. The heavy fire did prevent ground troops from boarding, but it wouldn’t be long.
Without warning, a bright flash of light turned their world white. A powerful blast shook the hangar deck outside Resolve, then silence descended and the scene turned surreal. Smoke stung their eyes and obscured their view, and their hearing had been deadened by the explosion. Reba returned, skidding to a halt beside Mike and Ellie, out of breath.
“I got him!” she exclaimed.
“Got what?”
“I hope I didn’t damage the hangar deck too much. I took out the stinger with our bottom turret.”
“You shot our gun inside the cruiser?”
“Sure, why not? Just the laser. I didn’t activate the particle beam. We’d better move back. They’ll rush us soon.”
The area inside Resolve’s ramp was in shambles. Small fires burned lethargically and smoke filled the air. Two higher level corridors that had once been confined behind walls and floors lay exposed, the girders and structure wrenched out of place by the merciless pounding of the stinger. From the other side of the ramp, Otis got Reba’s attention, directing her with hand motions to station herself across the entrance from him. He directed Mike to take Ellie to a higher corridor where they would have more protection and a better field of fire looking down on the ramp.
Mike and Ellie raced through corridors and up shafts to find their way. He edged out to the end of an exposed corridor to look down on what had become a battle zone during their brief absence. Several enemy troops lay unmoving. Four others had spread out inside the ramp entrance, exchanging fire with Otis and Reba. Outside, a vehicle was maneuvering toward the entrance on a lift, something that had the look of a small tank.
Mike suddenly fell to the floor, his left leg a searing pain. He rolled over to discover Ellie on the floor writhing in pain as well. The sound of cicadas was back. Ellie had said that each attack seemed worse. Mike wanted to help her, but he knew the best help he could give her would be to stop the Chessori. The attacking Empire soldiers had succumbed to the Chessori psi weapon, as well. Otis, already wounded, struggled mightily to maintain control. Reba looked up at Mike with a questioning look and a shrug. All firing had stopped.
The cicada sounds continued, possibly s
tronger now. The stinger was lifted to the level of the floor, and it trundled into the ship looking for targets, driven by a Chessori enclosed inside a blister. Reba took careful aim with her rifle and two attending Chessori, both dressed in body armor, fell from the gun. Otis’ training was paying off. Her shots had been perfectly placed to penetrate weak spots in the armor. Other Chessori clambered aboard as the gun’s barrel rotated ominously toward Reba. She loosed several more shots, dropping one more Chessori, then retreated. It was up to Mike now.
Still unseen by those below, he pulled Ellie far back from the edge of the deck to keep her out of the line of fire. A short, thick barrel protruded from the stinger, turning this way and that as it searched for a target. Otis squirmed out of view behind a corner, then with a supreme effort, he rose and took careful aim. Mike’s blaster spoke first. He dropped three Chessori, Otis dropped another, then Reba skidded to a halt beside him and dropped to the floor, firing continuously. The cicada sound stopped suddenly as another Chessori fell to Reba’s blaster. The driver of the stinger looked around worriedly, knowing his backup help no longer existed, but he was well protected from their small arms by the blister canopy. The stubby barrel of the gun swung ominously toward Mike and Reba. They were out in the open with no protection at all.
Otis crawled out onto the floor and let out a scream that raised the hairs on the back of Mike’s head. Seeing a Protector, the gunner immediately changed targets to the more menacing threat, and a weak cicada sound started up again. Mike, out of ideas, set his rifle down and took a running leap off the end of the corridor, dropping a full level to slam onto the gunner’s blister. Stunned, his body lay splayed on the bubble of the turret, then he began sliding off. He scrabbled for anything to hold onto as he stared into the shocked eyes of the Chessori.
The Chessori managed a weak smile when he realized Mike had no means of reaching him through the armored blister, then the gun platform began trundling toward the corridor Otis had retreated into, the driver doing his best to see around Mike’s spread-eagled body as he maneuvered. A shot ricocheted off the blister near Mike. He looked up in surprise to discover several Chessori coming up the ramp. Reba opened fire from above, felling two immediately and wounding another. No more shots came Mike’s way.
Last of the Chosen (Spirit of Empire, Book One) Page 32