Her next step turned out to be beyond her capability.
John dashed over to catch her before she hit the floor. “I told you.”
Bethany Anne blinked back the dark spots in her vision and pushed John away. “I'm fine.”
Her knees buckled a second time as the darkness crashed down.
Kurtherian Space, QBS ArchAngel, Ready Room
Dan had his chair scooted back against the wall in order to get a better view of the ships in play and the damage they were doing to the Kurtherian factory in the center of the battle zone.
Part of his attention was on the small screen embedded in his desk, where John was giving him a rundown of Bethany Anne’s condition.
“It was transferring the Collectives that caused her to collapse. That and her refusal to stop and let TOM heal her completely before she took on rescuing everyone else.”
“But she’s going to be okay, right?” Dan asked, his eyebrows meeting in worry.
“Yeah, she’s in the Pod-doc,” John told him. “Sayomi has the helm while we wait for her to heal. How are the prisoners doing?”
“As well as can be expected,” Dan replied with a sigh. “Natalia and Darryl have a team working with them to take care of them until we can take them somewhere safer.”
“Got you.” John nodded stoically. “Good luck out there.”
“Same to you, my friend.” Dan closed the video link and immersed himself in the battle. His concentration was on ArchAngel’s projection of the system in miniature. Planning a battle in the three dimensions of space was no easy feat.
ArchAngel flitted from screen to screen, spooling endless data to Dan as she set the fleet’s positions in relation to the satellite stations around the factory platform.
Dan switched the projection view so that their ships became green markers of varying shapes and sizes, and the Kurtherian drones and satellites were transformed into red triangles. He found the traditional layout easier to keep track of than the scaled-down versions of each ship ArchAngel had given him to work with.
ArchAngel was able to process, predict, and therefore react so much faster than Dan could even think that it was she who was running the fleet, not him. All Dan had to do was allow her access to his inner observations via his neural chip while he took care of his part.
This was their way of working. In the years they had been patrolling the forgotten reaches of space, they had built a trust with each other that allowed them to operate together to produce the best results. His long experience as a tactician gave him a perspective that would be near-impossible to duplicate, even for an AI. He believed it was his human touch, combined with her speed, precision, and accuracy, that made them the formidable team they’d become.
They lost three Skaine ships to an unexpected complement of drones that came bursting out from the underside of the factory. Dan cursed vehemently at the loss, but ArchAngel had already instructed Meredith to take the drones out before they had the chance to strike again.
Dan had no time to reflect. He remained the physical contact for the fleet captains, keeping them informed of their orders while ArchAngel did what she could through the digital entities aboard the Skaine ships. Messages flew thick and fast between the ArchAngel and the fleet as he instructed them as to where ArchAngel wanted them.
The difference between this experience and other recent battles Dan had lived through was that the Skaines did not allow their digital entities to control their ships. Consequently, the outcome of the battle depended on the Skaines’ ability to keep up with the steady stream of commands he and ArchAngel were sending.
Dan had already given up trying to keep up with the conversation between ArchAngel, Sayomi, and Meredith, but then, they were all veterans of war with the Ookens.
The three ships moved in complete synchronicity, which made up for the lag caused by communicating with the weapons and navigation systems on the Skaine ships via their organic operators. This version of Meredith was no surprise, beyond the quirks she’d developed from prolonged contact with Nickie. He had been wary of Sayomi until the recalcitrant AI had bowed to the experience of ArchAngel, making the three ships more comparable to three parts of a whole.
The Kurtherian defenses were in full swing, giving Dan the opportunity to test the ArchAngel’s newfound durability when it came to attacks. While they lacked anything like a BYPS, they had the numbers game down to an art. The projection showed many multiples of red Kurtherian assets compared to the relatively small number of green ships on the board.
The main point of concern for Dan had been whether the sheer number of Kurtherian drones would be a factor when it came to their efforts to penetrate the shields. However, ArchAngel kept the shield phasing tight enough to ensure that no drone got through. Even so, Dan noted she had just over two thousand armed bots stationed on the hull, each one programmed to be ready to destroy anything that managed to make it past them.
“I’m not going to get bitten in the ass twice,” ArchAngel assured Dan, pulling him from his introspection.
“I can’t imagine you would,” Dan told her distractedly. “We need to take out the satellites.”
“Already on it,” ArchAngel replied. “The Skaines are taking care of them.”
They received a distress call from another of the Skaine ships. This one looked to have gotten caught between a thick swarm of drones and the platform.
Dan frowned. “What are they doing out of position?”
“They’re right where they’re supposed to be,” ArchAngel answered. “That distress call is fake. I’m using the Skaine ship as bait to draw out the ship I know is guarding that platform.”
Just when it appeared that the Skaine ship was going to be destroyed, two ships decloaked. One was the Sayomi. The other was the Kurtherian ship ArchAngel had predicted.
“Only one?” Dan asked.
“Just wait,” ArchAngel told him with a serene smile.
The Sayomi destroyed the drones in a burst of flame, then vanished again as the Skaine ship shot out of there.
Dan found himself on the edge of his seat as the Kurtherian ship came around to the Sayomi’s last location. Explosions peppered the void as the Penitent Granddaughter released a number of guided missiles that homed on the Kurtherian ship while the Skaines she was covering took out the satellite stations and put a stop to their ability to replace the drones.
The Kurtherian ship responded by sending out a tidal wave of small pods.
“Ookens,” ArchAngel told Dan offhand. “They can’t beat us with technology. It’s almost comical that they’d try this way.”
“You mean, target practice,” Dan replied, typing furiously to warn the Skaines to take the pods out before they reached them. “If they get aboard any of our ships, we can consider them lost. These are unenhanced Skaines, not Guardians.”
“Ah. Yes.” ArchAngel appeared to be dancing, but Dan knew better than to assume that. “I can do something about it.”
Each movement of her hands preceded the release of a round of pucks from her stores. Dan was grateful his crew were so dedicated to their duty. He could almost see them down in the belly of the ship, working in unison to keep the supply coming.
ArchAngel’s intervention saved the Skaines from imminent destruction—but it also drew the attention of the Kurtherian ship,
The ship turned its weapons on the ArchAngel. Bright blue light filled the void between them as the Kurtherian ship loosed its plasma weapons plus a spread of missiles in their direction.
The plasma licked harmlessly at the shields. However, the ArchAngel shook as the missiles impacted along her flank.
“Damage report,” Dan called.
“No damage,” ArchAngel told him. “Shields are still at optimal performance levels. What you felt was me moving the ship with the impacts to reduce stress on the shields.”
“Pretty expensive light show if you ask me,” Dan commented as he watched ArchAngel’s return fire speed toward the Kurtherian ship.
“Good call.”
ArchAngel’s Etheric-enabled missiles raked the Kurtherian ship. The unstable energy stored within them caused a burst of explosions when she scored a hit on weak points in their defenses.
“My show is worth the ticket price,” ArchAngel told Dan with a smile.
Dan waited for the large explosions to follow, but the ship’s shielding held. It came about again, putting the damaged flank out of reach for the moment. A large number of pods detached from the top of the ship. These did not spread out like the first wave but rather clustered around certain points of the ship.
“I don’t think there’s a Kurtherian aboard that ship,” Dan ventured. “They’re reacting too predictably.”
“I have a plan for them either way,” ArchAngel replied. “See how the Ookens have been placed? They might believe that will give them an extra layer of protection when I strike again, but they are wrong. Now I know where to press to make my point. It would be wise for the Skaines to withdraw to a safe distance. You know I’ve been dying to test some of the Dukes weapons that were included in my refit.”
Dan felt his mouth turn up despite the seriousness of the situation they were in. The video he’d seen of the ADAM-created, Dukes-modified missiles being tested had taken his breath away with their potential for utter destruction. “Take it away. I’m as excited as you are to see what those suckers can do now they’ve had the kinks worked out.”
ArchAngel conferred with Meredith and Sayomi while Dan instructed the Skaines to return to the Gate and prepare to exit the system.
The Skaine overseer requested a video link.
Dan put him up on the desk screen. “What’s the problem?” he asked curtly. “You have your orders.”
Slater scowled in response. “No problem. But we’re not going to run away. This is our fight as much as it is yours.”
Dan lost his friendly look. “You can get out of the way, or you can get fried along with the Kurtherians. I have an AI who is extremely focused on removing the threat, and she won’t wait to coddle your hurt feelings about not being needed at this point.”
Slater paled when ArchAngel appeared on his viewscreen.
“That ship is filled with Ookens,” ArchAngel stated. She folded her arms and fixed Slater with a look that brooked no protest. “So get out of my way. What I’m about to unleash will take out any ship in range, whether it belongs to friend or foe. I don’t want your people to die, but neither do I want there to be any survivors on the enemy side.”
Slater took into consideration ArchAngel’s continued assault on the drones the entire time they’d been fighting, and that she’d already used technology beyond anything he had available to him. “What do you expect us to do?” he demanded.
Dan recognized that the Skaine’s defiance had nothing to do with being difficult and everything to do with his desire to get some payback for what had been done to his people. “I expect you to keep your people alive long enough to enjoy their reunion with the people Bethany Anne rescued.” He gave Slater an understanding look. “You should work on keeping the Gate clear. Once ArchAngel lets loose, they’re likely going to try to take out your home as revenge.”
Slater’s face hardened. “Over my dead body!” he exclaimed.
“Then do not make that your reality,” ArchAngel told him. “Protect your people. I will take care of the rest.”
Slater relented at last. “Make sure you don’t leave a single one of them alive,” he told her in a grim tone.
ArchAngel inclined her head a fraction. “That is my plan.”
The Penitent Granddaughter provided the Skaines with cover while the Sayomi took care of what drones still remained. The last remaining barrier to destroying the factory platform was the Kurtherian ship blocking them with everything it had.
Missiles, plasma, and plain old kinetics streaked across the void at the three ships under ArchAngel’s command.
The ArchAngel bore the attack with little strain. Her shields lit up with every impact, but she remained unscathed. The Penitent Granddaughter fared much the same. As for the Sayomi? Well, they couldn’t hit what they couldn’t see.
Dan held his breath as ArchAngel launched one of ADAM’s gifts from each ship. He waited for the telltale streak to show the progress of the missiles. “What happened?” he moaned when the missiles did not appear on his projection.
“You cannot see them,” ArchAngel informed Dan. “These weapons travel through the Etheric, guided by the programming I gave them prior to launch.”
“How will we know if they worked?” Dan asked with some confusion. “The video I saw had them travel partly in our dimension.”
A huge explosion lit the projection. Then another. Then a third.
“That’s how you know,” ArchAngel replied. “Going off your supposition that the ship was unmanned, I calculated its most likely course and had the missiles exit the Etheric inside the ship.”
Dan couldn’t argue the effectiveness of ArchAngel’s tactics. Neither could any of the Ookens since they had been obliterated when their ship exploded in a rain of molten metal. “Any losses on our side?” he asked.
“No,” ArchAngel informed him. “The Skaines made it to the Gate and are clearing up a group of drones that followed them. Otherwise, all the Kurtherian assets have been destroyed except the factory itself.”
Dan slapped the desk with both hands. “That’s music to my ears. Let me get John or Tabitha onscreen. I want to know if Bethany Anne has made it out of the Pod-doc yet. I don’t want her to miss this if she can help it.”
It was Tabitha who appeared on the desk screen. “Nice work with the missiles,” she told him as greeting. “Shame Bethany Anne wasn’t awake to see it.”
Dan’s face crumpled in concern. “She’s still in the Pod-doc?”
Tabitha shook her head, the light accentuating the heavy luggage she was carrying under her eyes. “She’s out, but she’s not awake yet.”
Dan’s frown deepened. “Why not? It healed her, right?”
“Yeah,” Tabitha confirmed. “But she pushed herself so far beyond her limit, it’s going to take a while for her to fully recover. TOM thinks she’ll probably be out for another few hours at least.”
Dan sucked in a breath, wondering just how close Bethany Anne had been to pushing herself completely over the edge. “Shit. Well, I guess we’d best get this wrapped up without her.”
“Sounds good to me,” Tabitha replied, stifling a yawn. “You don’t need us for this part, right?”
Dan smiled softly. “No. You get some shuteye. ArchAngel and I will take care of the factory.”
Tabitha let out a hollow laugh. “The chance would be a fine thing. We’re gonna escort the Skaines back to the colony, and make sure none of the drones snuck through while our backs were turned.”
Dan nodded. “Just make sure you take care of yourselves as well as everyone else. You might be superhuman, but it doesn’t preclude you from needing to sleep.”
Tabitha snickered. “Doesn’t my tired ass know it. It’s been a hell of a long day.”
She dropped the link, leaving Dan and ArchAngel alone in the ready room.
“Shall we?” ArchAngel noted Dan’s tight shoulders as she sent instructions for her full complement of ADAM’s missiles to be loaded. “You appear to be tense. We will be done here soon, and then we can get back to what we do best. Are you ready?”
Dan nodded. “Almost. Let everyone else get through the Gate before you take out the factory.” He stretched, feeling the strain in the small of his back from being seated for so long. “Then we can get the hell out of this system and destroy that damned Gate.”
ArchAngel tracked the exodus of the fleet through the Gate. She released Sayomi and Meredith as the last of the Skaine ships returned to their own system. “That’s everyone,” she informed Dan.
Dan lifted a hand and waved it in a circle. “Then have at ‘em, ArchAngel.” He got to his feet and sighed, glad to be done with the whole mess.
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ArchAngel zoomed the viewscreen in on the factory, returning the projection to the realistic representation she had originally displayed at the same time. “It would be my pleasure. The payload has been delivered.”
A few moments later, there were a series of explosions all over the factory platform.
The shattered crystal was flung violently outward in a microfine spray.
Dan’s eyes remained fixed on the screen until the ring of dust slowed and was pulled apart by the gravitational influences of the other bodies in the system. A smile touched his lips as the majority was pulled unerringly toward the star. “You know,” he murmured, partly to ArchAngel, mostly to himself, “we’re going to be seeing more of these places.”
ArchAngel returned his distracted smile with a raised eyebrow. “You bet your ass we will. Especially when I get my way and Bethany Anne gives us the green light to search them out.” She looked off to the side and raised her eyebrows. “Oh. Well, that changes things.”
Dan knew ArchAngel didn’t get surprised often. “What is it?”
ArchAngel’s mouth turned up at the corner. “ADAM has the location of every one of the Kurtherian factories. We can skip the searching and go straight to the destruction.”
Dan liked the sound of that. “What are you waiting for?” he asked. “The sooner we take out that Gate and get our passengers to Devon, the sooner we can get started.”
“About that,” ADAM cut in over the speaker system. “Bethany Anne has another task in mind for you two. Report to the Baba Yaga once you’ve handed over the rescued prisoners.”
25
The Interdiction, Open Space, QBS Sayomi
Tabitha was at Bethany Anne’s side when she opened her eyes again. “Hey, Sleeping Beauty. I was starting to think you were gonna sleep the rest of the century away.”
Bethany Anne put a hand to her throbbing head, not quite daring to sit up in her bed. “Guess I went down good, huh?” She licked her lips but found her tongue had all the usefulness of sandpaper in the desert. “Where are we?”
The Valkyrie Returns (The Kurtherian Endgame Book 7) Page 25