HeartFast

by Linda Mooney

  The woman made a face. “I’ll see what I can do. No promises, though.” She reached over and placed a hand on Star’s forehead. Both women closed their eyes and concentrated.

  Magnetic. Pull. Force. Reaction. Pull. Withdrawal. Reaction. Pull. Evacuation.

  Reaction.

  Reaction.

  “Oh, damn!” Both women pulled back in surprise.

  “What, Star?” Deceiver asked.

  “It withdrew.”

  “What withdrew?” Hunter asked, leaning over the table.

  “The ship,” Seeker whispered. “The ship withdrew after Star had pulsed it.”

  “What are you talking about?” Condemner asked. “Are you telling us the Ombitra left Greater Biris because of Star?”

  “That’s exactly what we’re saying,” Star snapped. “That damn ship pulled away because I had pulsed it.”

  “That’s nonsense!” Blender exclaimed.

  Bending over, Deceiver asked, “How great a pulse?”

  How great? Star shrugged. “Not a whole lot. Four to six flexes. No more than six. I was only testing the hull to see how it responded.”

  “Yeah, but six flexes is enough to disrupt any minor magnetic field, if held long enough,” Commander noted. “The disrupter pulses at twenty flexes per burst.”

  “Yeah. Remind me again how that felt, Commander,” Star teased.

  Hunter broke in. “When you set the disrupter to stream, how great was the output?”

  Commander thought back. “At the least, forty, maybe fifty flexes. It could go higher, but I didn’t have a chance to find out how high.”

  Star shivered, and her reaction was noticed by everyone.

  “Surely you can put out more than fifty flexes,” Commander asked her.

  Nodding, Star told them, “Oh, yeah. I can generate up to a hundred and eighty flexes if I have to. More, if I have a nearby star to feed off of. But receiving them … it’s like punching someone. You may be able to dish it out, but it’s taking it in return that may do you in. The transport couldn’t protect me when you turned the disrupter on. I would literally have to be on the other side of a planet in order to stay out of range.”

  “That’s a moot issue anyway,” Deceiver reminded them. “You’re planetbound for the remainder of your pregnancy. That goes for flying, too.”

  “Oh, like I’m going to forget that small issue,” Star groused.

  Animator giggled, drawing their attention. “This is just too freaky, you know? I mean, a week ago, would anyone have thought we’d be discussing the Ombitra and Hunter and Star’s baby in the same breath?”

  A wave of laughter ran through the room, and Provoker restated the obvious to get them back on track. “All right, let’s assume the Ombitra left because Star had clung to the bottom of their craft. Are we going to assume from those few minutes that they were afraid of facing Star? Or … what do we need to assess from this information?”

  “Yeah, Deceiver,” Blender said. “It’ll be one o’clock in less than two hours. What’s going to happen then?”

  “You know what we don’t know?” Hunter spoke up quietly. When all eyes were on him, he continued. “We don’t know how big the Ombitran fleet is. With the exception of the mothership, every craft looks exactly like the one next to it. How many were there on Greater Biris?”

  Time Merchant shook his head. “We don’t know. We saw … what? Six? Seven?”

  “How many outside Barandi?”

  “Eight.”

  The information coalesced onto the grid.

  “Deceiver.” Corona waggled a finger at the chart. “What if there were eight on Biris?”

  Everyone stiffened, the same thought coming to them all simultaneously.

  “Eight ships? Plus the mothership?” Seeker murmured so all could hear.

  “Deceiver, how many ships did you battle four years ago?” Hunter asked.

  “I know exactly how many there were,” Disaster answered. “Eight. Eight big gorgeously beautiful but lethal monstrosities.”

  “But you brought one of them down, right?” asked Star.

  “We brought what we thought was the mothership down,” Condemner told her. “We found out later it was the flagship, but not the mothership.”

  “Hold it. You mean the mothership and the flagship were not the same?” Hunter inquired.

  Several Guardians shook their heads and said no. “But taking down the flagship stopped them,” Corona continued.

  “But not permanently,” Sender finished.

  Star looked at Deceiver. “What happened to the flagship?”

  “The occupants were dead inside,” Condemner told her. “It looked like they had died before we grounded them. The ship started to become unstable, so I trashed it before it could cause any damage.”

  “Are there any remains I can check?”

  “Star, even if there are, you’re not going anywhere near it,” Hunter suddenly ordered her. The warning expression on his face and in his tone brooked no argument.

  She glanced over to see the hardness in his eyes, and relented. He was right. No telling what she might find. It could be something immanently dangerous, and she had to start thinking of the baby first. “All right,” she nodded. “Forget I mentioned it.”

  Her sudden acceptance took the rest of them by surprise, and Provoker let out a slow whistle. “Damn, Star. You should’ve gotten pregnant sooner. Talk about mellowed out!”

  She tried to give the man one of her well-known dark scowls, but at the last second she started giggling and couldn’t stop. Before they knew it, they were all laughing, releasing the tension of the past few hours, and easing into a more relaxed frame of mind.

  Which lasted all of thirty seconds before the claxons went off.

  Immediately everyone was on their feet, waiting for instructions from Deceiver, who watched the man plugged into the communications console.

  Time Merchant raised a face waxy with fear. “It’s the Ombitra. Approaching the Tor Sigura system. They used the Galloping Nebula as cover to hide their advance.”

  “Everyone to Three!” Deceiver cried, then turned to Star. “Sorry, Star. You’ll have to man the boards while we take this one without you.”

  “Dammit, Deceiver!” she cried out in frustration as the rest rushed out, leaving her behind.

  The Guardian leader cast eyes at the man waiting for him to leave, nodded, and hurried out to where everyone was gathering in the transport bay.

  Hunter stared at where Star remained standing by her chair, her body shaking from anger. She raised her head to see him watching her, and launched herself into his arms. “Udo!”

  He held onto her tightly, feeling her shivering through her clothing. “We’ll be all right, my heart.”

  “I’m terrified something might happen.”

  “If it does, it does. We can’t control the future. But if something should occur…” He lifted her face until he could see into her violet eyes. “Know that I love you with a passion that will last long after we’re both gone. You are my life, Terrin. You have a part of me growing inside of you. Keep her safe, for me.”

  “You will return,” Star ordered him, her voice quivering as her arms gave him a little shake. “Promise me, Udo. Promise me, dammit!”

  He answered her with a tender kiss. “Now get over to communications. If I can’t have you beside me, at least I can have you with me that way.” Before she could respond, he stepped back from her and vanished.

  Letting out a little scream of anger and fear, Star took off running for Command Central. If she couldn’t be with them in body, she could be with them in voice and spirit. Either way, she would be with Hunter every moment he was apart from her.

  [Back to Table of Contents]

  Chapter 29

  Reunion

  “Where is Hunter?” Deceiver yelled. They were buckling themselves into their seats. Although no one questioned why the seat directly behind the captain’s chair remained empty, their thoughts were on
the fact that this would be the first time they would be without StarLight.

  The disrupter was secured in the back of the transport. Time Merchant was taking second. All they lacked was their pilot.

  “Right where he needs to be,” Hunter answered, popping into his seat and reaching for his harness. “Are we ready, Merchant?”

  “We’re a go.”

  “Course set in?”

  “Fed and digested. There will be some turbulence when we rise,” Time Merchant warned him.

  Hunter nodded as he lifted the ship from its cradle. Overhead the bay doors opened to a gathering storm cloud. “We’ll go into hyper light at the three mile marker,” Hunter told them, preparing them for the jump. “Command Central, how do you read?”

  In the overhead speakers, Star’s voice returned strong and clear. “You’re hitting on all thrusters.”

  “Copy that. How are we looking for time?”

  “Approximately twenty-four minutes, give or take fifteen seconds.” Time Merchant grinned.

  “I’ll give you those fifteen seconds.” Hunter smiled. “Going into hyper light in … five. Four. Three. Two. One. Go.”

  Their entry was as smooth as a breath of wind. Stars slid by on streams of liquid light as they tunneled through infinity toward their destination. During the short flight, talk was minimal. As they neared Tor Sigura, Hunter set the controls to bring them out of hyper light. A jiggle and a slight lurch was all that let them know they had reentered regular space. That, and the fact that the planets were once again stable objects suspended in the void.

  The Galloping Nebula loomed in the distance. Somewhere just beyond were eight Ombitra vessels, and one mothership that outstripped them all in size and power.

  “We have entered normal space,” Time Merchant called out. “How’s our connection, Star?”

  “Receiving you crystal clear,” she replied. “By the way, Hunter, your time was twenty-four minutes and three seconds.”

  “So I owe you twelve seconds. Put it on my bill.”

  “You can count on it.”

  Tapping Hunter on the shoulder, Deceiver pointed to an unusual darkness slowly fading from their starboard side. “What could it be?”

  “It’s not a wormhole,” Commander noted. “Not enough rotation.”

  “Yeah,” Challenger broke in from the next row over. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say it was the residue left from something going into hyper light.”

  “Uhh … Hunter?” Time Merchant looked up from his console.

  “Hey, everyone! We have company!” Corona shouted out, pointing out her viewport.

  There was silence for a nearly a full minute, when Deceiver asked, “What’s going on out there?”

  “Hold on. Transferring you over,” Time Merchant called into his headset. Glancing up at the Guardian leader, a big smile pasted over his face. “You’re going to love this! Okay, First Commander. It’s all yours!”

  “Hailing Guardian Transport Three!” boomed a deep voice through the overhead speakers. “This is First Commander Vosstien, of the Regimental Third Fleet, reporting in. Do you copy?”

  Everyone froze to hear the page, and all eyes locked on the man sitting in the pilot seat.

  “Hellllllooooo, Dad. Glad to see you finally made it,” Hunter calmly acknowledged.

  “Well, you made it awfully damn difficult to turn you down. How’s everybody doing onboard?”

  Glancing up at their reflections in the viewscreen, Hunter could see the other Guardians staring at him in mute surprise. “Guys, I would like you to meet my father, First Commander Vall Vosstien. Dad, remember your manners and say ‘hi’ to the rest of the gang.”

  “Hello, everyone! Oh, and, Udo, your mother sends her love.”

  “Copy that, First Commander.” Hunter grinned. “What did you bring for us to play with?”

  “A damn lot of squirts!” Provoker blurted out. Outside Three, space seemed littered with armed one-man battle craft.

  “We brought all we had,” Vosstien announced. “One hundred seventeen Dristoll winged Bats, each with doubled armament, and two hundred twenty-one Core Vapors, each bearing a full load of six magnetic heads, as you requested.”

  “Damn!” Time Merchant breathed.

  “Hey! Big brother! Bet you think you’re a big deal, driving that transport, don’t you?” a new voice called out.

  Hunter closed his eyes for a second and groaned aloud. “Oh, crap! Dallin! What in blazes are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be in flight school?”

  He was answered with a chuckle. “Well, some of us were just meant to go directly to the head of the class,” Dallin answered.

  “Dad?”

  “Don’t worry, Udo. He has strict orders to remain at the rear of the fourth guard. He’s only along for the ride to provide an extra load of weaponry. Besides, if you remember, you were about the same age when you began piloting your first Bat. Speaking of, my men need to know what to set the triggers for.”

  “What weaponry is he talking about?” Deceiver asked, now that he was able to grasp the fact that Hunter had called upon the renowned Squadron fleets from Abernath.

  “He needs to know how much pulse to give the heads of the magnetized vapor coils,” Hunter explained. “Dad, I’m going to let you speak to the expert about that. Star, are you still with us?”

  “Present and accounted for.”

  “Dad, I would like for you to meet your future daughter-in-law. Star, say ‘hello’ to my father.”

  There was a pause as Hunter gracefully lifted the ship over the outer banks of the Tor Sigura system. Around the cruiser, three hundred plus armed craft mimicked his movements.

  “Hello, First Commander Vosstien,” Star’s voice softly responded.

  “Well, it’s finally nice to get a voice to go with the name,” Vosstien teased gently. “So, I hear you’re going to make me a grandfather?”

  When no reply came over the speakers, Hunter chuckled. “She’s a bit shy at the moment, Dad.”

  “Star? Shy?” Animator spoke up, then made a rude noise.

  “I heard that!” Star shot back, to everyone’s amusement.

  “Dad, tell Mother it’s going to be a girl,” Hunter told his parent.

  “Hot damn! I’m going to be an uncle!” Dallin piped in.

  “So when are you going to make it official, Udo? Your mother’s getting rather anxious to make the trip.”

  “Uhh … Star and I haven’t discussed the details. Yet. Merchant, give me eight percent on the spoilers.”

  “Eight percent. Check.”

  “Aww, what a booster! I’m going to have a Guardian for a sister-in-law!” Dallin hooted.

  “What’s the big deal? Having a brother as a Guardian wasn’t good enough for you?” Hunter demanded, then chuckled.

  “Yeah, but now I can tell people StarLight’s part of the family, too!”

  Groaning loudly, Hunter burst into laughter. “Do you copy that, Star? My little brother is a fan of yours.”

  “Guess I have that effect on the Vosstien males,” Star purred, eliciting another round of laughter. “Uhh … Hunter?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Storm’s really picking up over here. How are you reading me?”

  “Loud and clear. Why?”

  “There’s a bit of static feeding in. Hold on, let me switch to another antenna.” A second later, she was back. “Speak to me.”

  “We’re approaching Tor Sigura. No sign of Ombitra.”

  “Damn. Still staticy. Oh, well…”

  “Hold a second, Udo. Switching channels,” Vosstien announced, then vanished.

  “Dallin?”

  “Yeah?”

  “You stay where Dad put you, understand me?”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Trust me. I want to sit back and watch the Guardians kick Ombitra butt.”

  “I don’t think the Ombitra have butts,” Deceiver chuckled.

  “Hey, is that Deceiver? Mega-great!”

 
“Wow. Who would have thought the Vosstien family would be our own private cheering section?” Animator dryly quipped.

  Hunter glanced up at her reflection and smiled.

  “What made you go out and enlist the Squadron?” Deceiver asked, bending over the cockpit to eye the system passing below them.

  “It was a joint offering,” Hunter explained. “The Squadron’s been itching to face the Ombitra for some time now, but just never had the opportunity. They’ve had the ability to equip their weaponry with magnetic heads for quite a few years. Plus I felt we could always use the extra help.” He turned his head to look at the Guardian leader. “This didn’t come about until I went home to let them know Star was expecting. I was going to fill you in, but everything happened quicker than I expected. Sorry, Deceiver.”

  “Not a problem.” He clapped Hunter on the shoulder. “It was a pleasant surprise. Star! You still with us?”

  “Trying to. Tell the fleet to arm the first round of heads at sixty flexes each. We’ll work up from there after we see what kind of impact they have,” she advised.

  “Copy that. Pass it along, Hunter.”

  “As soon as we reestablish contact.”

  Less than a minute later, Vosstien came back. “First Fleet Commander to Guardian Transport Three. We have a visual on the enemy.”

  “Copy that. Please let your men know to arm their first round of missiles at sixty flexes each. Once we see how much impact they have, we’ll arm the rest accordingly.”

  “Copy that. Watiss! Notify the other squad leaders.”

  “Copy!” an unfamiliar voice barked.

  “Udo, you have eight prime targets emerging from behind the nebula at point six two degrees mark.”

  Hunter immediately took the transport into a dive, putting the outer ring of a pockmarked planetoid between them and the Ombitra. “We have a magnetic disrupter onboard we’re going to use first. I’m going to park between the fifth and sixth moon so we can set it up on the outer hull.”

  “Copy that. We’ll pull in and watch.”

  “Negative, Dad. Take the fleet and withdraw back about two hundred spacial miles. This thing has a kick to it.”