'I noticed that. I will speak to the Specter myself, Sir and try to piece it altogether.'
It vexed the green-robed man, 'Thank you for the offer, Tremon, but I will speak to the interrogator myself.'
'But, Sir, I was the one to capture this warrior. Have I not earned the right to follow this up?'
The robed figure laughed and continued, 'In normal circumstances, I would agree with you. However, we are losing this battle and the soldier, as he calls himself, is the only source of information we have.'
'I understand Sir, but I will include myself in this investigation. If we discover he is an ally of these Heridians, I'll dispose of him myself.'
'As you wish, Paladin Tremon. But know this; if you overstep the boundaries, I will see you punished. Do you understand?'
'I understand,' Tremon finished.
The robed figure turned and swiftly left the room. Tremon bowed his head and was careful not to make eye contact with his superior. As the door closed, he turned back to the window to see Draethus exiting the interrogation chamber, followed closely by Livant, the small servant lizard.
'The coming days will be of interest,' Tremon said to himself. 'If my race perishes here, at the hands of this menace, I will make sure you die with us.'
CHAPTER 03.
Skyward.
Raeson stirred from his trance of deep thought as the docking engineer aboard the Suns End spoke into his coms.
'Flight Commander Raeson, we are approaching waypoint and you are clear for release.'
'Confirmed,' Raeson replied. 'This is Reaper, all wing begin dock release.'
There was a unified Confirmed from the pilots of his squad and the five Widowmaker fighters de-clamped from their docking arms. Each craft fell away from the corvette as a tree would shed its leaves, drifting on the invisible currents of the void. Lights flickered into existence, a burning white fire followed by trails that ran across the night. Each point of light maneuvered together to form a five-pointed star that traversed as one.
Inside his cockpit, Raeson's holographic display shimmered and gave him a virtual direction that depicted a polar north and south. It was a form of spatial awareness the pirate fleet used to coordinate flight formations. His wingmen displayed as orange markers, it distinguished friend from foe. He activated a toggle switch and four faces appeared down the sides of his heads up display.
'Now you have all heard the brief. Hopefully that little stunt of yours, Tektar, hasn't cost us any time,' Raeson said. 'We will reach the south-east side of the planet in twenty minutes. On my command, we will disengage the thrusters and quietly drift in behind the asteroid field. The convoy will be a distraction and we'll engage the enemy once the Rids attack. Is that understood?'
Anger burned across Nash's face, 'Just give me one reason, Tek.'
The old man laughed and taunted Nash with a point of his finger. 'You've got a lot more to worry about than me, little girl. I don't think you are going to last long out here.'
'Enough,' interrupted Raeson to control the conversation. 'We all know what needs doing, so I suggest you make preparations and check over your fighters. Is there anything to add before we go into communication silence?'
'I'll mark the most kills!' replied Slin enthusiastically.
'Always the confident one, huh, Slin,' Nash said blowing him a kiss.
'Just stay out of my way, all of you,' was Napier's only response.
Slin smiled, 'You're always the serious one, Napier Stark.'
'Like I said, flyboy,' Stark replied. 'Just stay out of my way and you will be just fine.'
Slin gave him a grunt and disconnected from the communication.
The faces on Raeson's display disappeared as he dimmed the illumination in his cockpit. He flipped the safety cap covering a flip switch on his critical system's panel to cut the engines and his fighter glided silently through the emptiness of the void. The pirate flight commander could see the specks of asteroids in the distance as light glinted across dust that shined over the planet above.
What a sight, so calm and peaceful. It's hard to believe that at the end of this beautiful journey is a menace, filled with so much hatred and evil, Raeson thought as he relaxed into his seat. Thankfully, we hate the Rids more than they do us.
He silently browsed over his ship systems. He'd been flying Widowmakers for years and had been his dream ever since his father was the pilot of one, before he disappeared. No pilot ever forgets their first flight, a rookie at the controls of a dark bird that could just as easily kill its master. When you are a soldier within the pirates, you either excel at your position or face re-assignment, and something like waste duty could instill dread in any biped. Driven by redemption, Xain had a lot to prove and passed his training flights with ease. He even earned a small command early in his career, Reaper Wing. The shadow of his father never left him, however, and most other pirates never let him forget the betrayal. If it wasn't for his father, Raeson often wondered if he'd have commanded a capital ship by now. You can't change the past, he always told himself, only forget about it and move on; even learn from it if you have any sense.
If my father was still alive, where would he be right now? He thought.
Raeson often thought of such things.
Probably in some far distant exploration vessel, looking for the home world of the Heridians, Raeson mused. He always tried to convince people it existed. Not far to go now, the asteroid field is looking closer.
The Heridian ships appeared in visual range, the glow of their engines reached Raeson's eye followed by the menacing silhouettes like some ancient creature of abomination.
'Almost,' he whispered.
The wing of Widowmaker fighters approached quickly. Despite the craft's engines currently inactive, the group streaked through space like missiles approaching a target. Making minor adjustments to the controls, the fighter wing rolled inverted and skimmed past the first asteroid. Raeson could at last see the friendly convoy.
It was time.
'Attack,' Raeson ordered over his coms. 'All fighters engage. Stark, you're with me.'
The five Widowmakers split into two groups and targeted the nearest enemy craft. The micro reactors within the heart of each fighter burned to life and pumped energy into the systems. Weapons hidden within the hull primed and ran through automated diagnostics as each pilot locked targets.
Holographic displays flooded Raeson's vision as the dark enemy took shape. Before the menace could react, a barrage of missiles slammed into their hulls. They ripped apart the first enemy ship; it burst into a ball of red flame as its ammunition and oxygen exploded, debris collided into the nearby asteroids. The second enemy ship received a glancing hit but survived the initial attack. A trail of bright fire streaked across the darkness as the pilot ducked into a small cluster of rocks.
'He's mine!' Slin yelled as he engaged the throttle and burned after the wounded craft. His wingmen, Nash and Tek, did their best to keep up.
'Got your back, Slin,' the female voice reported.
'Copy that, Nash. I would rather have your back,' Slin replied, transfixed by the target in his sights.
Nash giggled and put her fighter into a full throttle dive, trying to mimic the maneuvers Slin had gracefully made. Slin expertly shifted out of his target's smoke trail and released a continuous burst from his main laser, trying to finish the job.
Meanwhile, Raeson and Stark repositioned and headed for the next target on the other side of the largest asteroid.
'The plan is working, Sir,' Stark said over the coms. 'Only half the Rids are approaching the convoy, we've divided their forces.'
'Time for some payback, I'm in!' Tek shouted, rolling his fighter madly. He broke off from behind Nash and headed off towards the enemy on his own.
'I'm on your wing, Tek,' Stark announced.
'Copy, Stark, just make sure you hit the Rids and not me, got it?'
Stark said nothing. It was easier for him to keep quiet most of the time, as getti
ng into heated discussions would help no situation. Raeson followed the two pilots but held back a distance to keep watch for any Heridians that might try to outflank them. As the three flew over the asteroid, they discovered something unexpected.
'That's a big one!' Stark yelled.
'It's not like you to make such outbursts, Stark.' Raeson commented.
Stark began an explanation, but his Flight Commander interrupted.
'Stay together and take on the enemy fighters, avoid the capital ship and stay out of its range.'
The Heridian vessel, which positioned itself in the middle of the fighters, was a frigate and much larger than the corvette Suns End, that was already on its way back to the pirate fleet. The enemy vessel was a dark maroon with spines that ran the length of its body and armed with a variety of weaponry. A predatory monster wasn't a target to be engaged by small fighters.
'Incoming on the right flank!' called Tek.
The three pirates banked sharply to avoid the incoming weapons fire from the Heridian fighters bearing down on their position. It was unavoidable; Reaper Wing split up and found their individual targets. Raeson positioned behind two enemies and with a quick launch of void-to-void or VTV missiles, destroyed both. Wreckage and debris exploded in multiple directions and before the explosion dissipated, he had already found another target.
An enemy was on Tek's tail, firing wildly but to no avail. The pirate madly rolled and throwing his fighter around the asteroid field he evaded the incoming damage. Most people thought Tek was mad anyway, some even said he would prefer to be the target rather than the pursuer.
Tek's cockpit shook as an enemy exploded beside his ship and caused him to shield his eyes from the brightness. Stark flew through the debris of the new wreckage and fired a missile at Tek's pursuer. The warhead streaked off into the darkness and hit nothing. Tek rolled his fighter and frantically tried to shake the enemy off his tail. Again the enemy fired its weapons; lasers skimmed past his cockpit and cut shards of metal from his fighter's armored plating.
Stark dove his Widowmaker down and pulled up on the flight stick, coming up from underneath the Rid, he fired a second missile, this time with success. The enemy on Tek's tail, his persistent pursuer, broke into three pieces and drifted off into the night.
Tek breathed in relief, 'I told you not to miss.'
'Be thankful that you're still here,' Stark replied in a flat tone. 'I'm sure you were having fun though.'
Tek laughed, 'Maybe. I felt let down by the lack of explosion.'
Before Stark could respond, they were in a rolling and diving fight once again with yet more enemy fighters.
The Heridian frigate, its engines now a flare of burning exhaust, moved through the asteroid field toward the ongoing mass of entwined fighters. Raeson glanced out of his cockpit display, whilst being careful not to collide with an oncoming rock and noticed enemy fighters docking, flying into large holes beneath the beast.
'The fighters are retreating,' he announced to his wingman, 'but the frigate is heading our way.'
'I say we take it on!' the old man shouted.
Raeson, although not one to retreat, knew when to pick his fights. 'Negative, Tek, we are ill-equipped to destroy the vessel, our weaponry won't penetrate that much armor.'
'Sir, if we…' Tek replied before being cut off by his Flight Commander.
'Go ahead, Stark,' Xain asked.
'I'm picking up Slin's ejection beacon nearby,' Stark said.
'Slin, the mighty ace of aces, Slin Naomoka, shot out of the dark skies!? Ha!' Tek laughed.
'Shut it, old man,' Raeson spat, his patience reaching an end. 'Lead the way, Stark. We need to get some distance between us and that frigate.'
The three pilots throttled forward, each dodging debris and rock alike. The enemy capital ship, although carefully navigating the asteroids, began disappearing in the distance.
'The pulse from the beacon is getting stronger, but I can't get a fix on his exact location,' Stark announced.
'Keep trying,' Xain asked, 'that frigate is not far away.'
His stomach felt sick with nerves, a sensation he was unaccustomed to. He altered his radar and hoped to receive the same signal that Stark was tracing before his coms crackled with static.
'Over there!' Stark yelled.
Rounding two chucks of rock that had just recently clashed, the three pirates found Nash's fighter clinging to an asteroid, anchored by reinforced titanium cables normally used to grapple enemy ships during boarding actions. Nash had left her ship, and attired in protective space armor, was investigating wreckage embedded into the rock.
'Nash, what's going on?' Raeson asked over the coms.
'They shot Slin down, Sir. His ejection pod jammed as his ship crashed into this damn rock, I can't get him out,' the woman exclaimed. 'Raeson, my system says he's alive, please help me, we can't abandon him.'
Stark's voice chimed in, 'The frigate is almost on us, Sir, and we have to go.'
'Nash, I'm ordering you to get back into your fighter. I'm going to have to blast him out.'
'What? But you might kill him,' she cried.
'Weapons armed.'
With the enemy closing, there was no other choice.
Nash hurried back to her fighter, sealed her canopy, and took off immediately. The flame from her engines exploded off the rock and she shot upward and away from her trapped lover. The hulking menace of the enemy frigate cast a shadow over the fighters and in a display of crackling electricity fired a massive beam that crashed into the asteroid, shattering it into large fragments.
'Break!' Raeson screamed into his coms, directed at the pilots under his command.
To his surprise that is exactly what the enemy frigate did, it broke, broke into thousands of tiny pieces as pulse cannons from behind ripped it apart. Fires, explosions and debris launched away from Reaper Wing as the resulting shock wave rippled outward.
'This is the Dying Nova to Reaper Wing,' said a voice over coms.
'We copy Dying Nova. Thank you for the warning,' Raeson replied sarcastically.
The Talon Commander of the vessel continued, 'I would have you show more gratitude, pilot. But then I guess you are the son of that…' He didn't finish his sentence.
'Just pure luck then, finding yourself on the rear end of that frigate,' Xain said.
The Dying Nova, whilst also being a frigate class capital vessel, was smaller than the frigate it had destroyed.
'We heard there was a capital involved,' said the Commander, 'and thought you made good bait. Dock your fighters; the mission is complete, we have killed a good amount of Rids today.'
'Confirmed,' Xain replied before slamming his fist against the cockpit and said, 'Reaper out.'
'Sir, Slin's life monitor is still active. He must be still out there,' Nash announced.
'It's probably just malfunctioning, Nashy,' Tek said in a rarely heard sympathetic voice.
'You three dock with the Dying Nova. I'll spend some time searching and if I find anything I will contact you. Just make sure you stay alert in case more enemy appear, understand?' Raeson ordered. He ran his eyes over the frigate that just saved him and his team and then said, 'Oh, and make sure that dust eater of a talon commander doesn't leave without me.'
The Flight Commander swiveled his fighter and accessed his ship's sensors. If Nash was correct and Slin was alive, his beacon would still be active and locatable.
I may have to upgrade my sensors with life sign statistics, he thought.
Raeson never used them in the past, as they always seemed redundant. His pilots were dead or flying. Why worry about the in between?
His heads up display, or HUD, chimed as it located the faint signal of an emergency beacon. It was a quiet notification in his ears and grew louder the further he maneuvered through the asteroid field. He jinked his fighter to avoid some debris and followed a wide arcing curve that lead to the night side of a medium-sized rock.
After a while his coms crackled, '
Raeson, I order you to dock with the Dying Nova, why have you not complied?'
'Copy that, I'm returning now… wait I can see Slin's ejection pod, it's damaged but intact.'
'Understood, Reaper,' the voice replied. 'Send us the co-ordinates and we will retrieve him.'
'Received and understood,' replied Xain. 'You are actually going to retrieve my pilot, aren't you?'
There was a pause over the channel before the voice replied, 'Of course, the retrieval team is on its way.'
Raeson felt a small amount of relief and turned his craft around. 'Docking now.'
Within minutes, a rescue craft had discovered Slin's emergency pod and taken it back to the frigate. Nash was waiting anxiously in the docking bay to see if he was still alive, surrounded by the medical team who rushed him away. With the mission complete, the Dying Nova translocated and headed for the main fleet.
*
As the doors opened, Draethus shielded his face from the glare and took a few moments to adjust his eyes. Hundreds of people were rushing in random directions carrying supplies, weapons and equipment. A small red lizard carrying a pile of paperwork bumped into his leg and fell onto its back with a squeak. It stood up angrily, was about to attack the obstruction until it saw the height of Draethus, and decided against the idea. The creature quickly cleared up the mess and ran off, muttering under its breath.
Draethus smiled and with a curious look said, 'Interesting place.'
'Yes, I agree. Is it the same where you are from, my friend?' the stranger from earlier asked.
'No, we are more disciplined. Strange, though, we have a few of these lizard servant creatures, but I've never liked them myself.'
'That is interesting. Come, my friend, follow.'
The hall they walked was enormous, with white curved walls arching towards a clear tall ceiling. Intricate patterns and grooves snaked their way through pillars that stretched the full height of the area. Draethus noticed the blue sky beyond and remembered his youth, staring up at clusters of clouds slowly drifting on the warm breeze. Even as a soldier, he took the time to appreciate the beauty of his surroundings.
A Dark Oceans Descent: (Heridian Saga, Book 1) Page 4
