Mikk keyed in a code and the wall slid away. Ellie followed the short pilot into a vast hangar filled with seemingly endless rows of small ships that looked no larger than hobby planes back on Earth.
“They are small, but they are fast and nearly indestructible,” Mikk said, correctly interpreting her expression, or perhaps reading her diodes. “The controls are no different than your flagship. We will take these two as communications are already paired.”
“Got it.” Ellie hopped into the cockpit of the indicated craft just as Mikk boarded its twin. Inside she found a comfortable seat and simple console design. She placed her hands automatically on the controls, allowing the ship to sense her intention. The active connection to the other ship came alive with Mikk’s instructions for a short hop launch sequence. Ellie readily followed and began familiarizing herself with the readouts.
The fifteen minute trip felt like an eternity. Ellie pulled her eyes from the screen and grabbed the phone that was still in her pocket, placing it in the cradle that appeared on the console, dialing Julian’s number as she did.
“Mikk and I are closing in with escort ships.”
For a too long moment, her declaration was met with nothing but static. Finally, Julian’s voice came through, faintly, but her ship helped to augment the transmission.
“The rangers have been notified of the change in plans,” he said at last. “But we have another problem.”
“I don’t like the sound of that.”
“The imperial ships are locked down. We can manipulate the guiding array, but we can’t get them to move.”
“Mikk, are you getting this?” Ellie asked over the ship’s com.
“I am. We’re going to have to try and tow them. Can you coordinate with the Eidyssic pilots? If you and I take the nose and two ships guide from the wings, we can bring them down.”
“Julian?”
“I heard everything and I agree, but we’re one ship short for that to work and I don’t think we have time for two trips.”
“You’re in shielders too?” Mikk asked.
“We have three of them, yes,” Julian replied.
“Good, we’ll do this in tandem. Bring one pilot to the front to guide with Lady El’iadrylline. Tell the other two to take the outside wings and I will guide center on both ships.”
A simulation appeared on the console. What Mikk was proposing was dangerous, but seemed to be the only way to land the ships safely.
“Okay, Julian, you and Dad get back to the ships.”
“There’s no time. Your father and I will stay on the guiding arrays.”
“What? You can’t enter the atmosphere on the outside of the ship,” Ellie protested.
“It won’t be pleasant, but yes we can. You two, however, will need to be mindful. The storms on Du are strong right now.”
As soon as he spoke, the console lit up with proximity warnings. Fortunately, her ship was following Mikk’s command and Ellie was impressed enough with the pilot’s skills to not worry. The biggest hurdle would be getting to the ships while avoiding the thin yet volatile atmosphere of the moon. Already they were bucking and she swung out, making a wide arc around Du, which brought the battleships into view. Two of the Eidyssic shielders were already in position and the third awaited instructions.
Ellie adjusted the communications array on her console as a loud burst of static and noise assaulted her ear. The auditory pick-up went to work filtering the transmissions that were now coming from the other ships.
“…the further we get… will reestablish in transit…”
She missed most of the message, but got the point. Normal communications would resume the further they were from the moon. She flew up and over the closest imperial ship, noting its size with some concern. Not just for their ability to land them safely, but for the number of lives that likely hung in the balance.
Ellie settled her craft on the narrow nose of the closest ship and waited while the couplers snaked out and made connections. The console erupted with discordant sound but this time the message was clear.
“…establish rear view…”
Ellie did as told and opened a small screen in the corner showing her a view of the battleship laid out behind her. Mikk’s craft sat dead center, looking like some kind of mechanical space spider as couplers stretched taught on each side. Splashed across the nose, emergency lights acted as communication diodes, relaying a message to standby for takeoff. Ellie let out a sigh of relief and activated her ship’s rear light display, signaling that she understood and awaited further information.
As soon as both imperial ships were secured and ready for flight, Mikk sent instructions to head directly toward the planet. They would make no attempt to reach the original refugee site until they were within the Sonnan atmosphere. Ellie’s ship strained. The light body craft was definitely not built to haul a damaged battleship through space. It felt like she was trying to haul a broken down semi with a motorbike, but at least they were moving. She only hoped they were moving fast enough.
They had only barely left the moon’s orbit when a barrage of alarms and warnings bathed the interior of her cockpit in a harsh red light. Seconds later, a small pinpoint of light appeared in the distance. Ellie watched in fascinated horror as it grew suddenly, filling the cockpit with blinding light and throwing the ship off balance.
“What the hell is that?” Ellie asked just as another blast hit the side of her ship, throwing her back into her seat. Despite the inertial dampeners, she still hit her head pretty hard on the headrest.
“The Alliance Army,” Mikk growled back. “They’re firing on us!”
Chapter 9
Ellie watched, stomach sinking in dread, as dozens of ships emblazoned with the symbol of the Ghowrn Alliance Army pulsed into view and took position.
“We’ve got to do something,” Yuraelli’s voice crackled over the newly restored com link. “They’re surrounding us.”
“Maybe they’re here to escort us,” Re’geya noted, but as he spoke, another round of missiles struck. “Or not,” he added dryly.
“We can’t evade them without uncoupling,” Mikk yelled over the com. “And I’m not leaving these ships unprotected.”
“Do they not understand peace signals?” Ellie growled in frustration, noting that every one of the shielders was lit up with what she thought was the universal signal for non-hostile ships among the Ghowrn planets.
“They should,” Mikk replied. “But if Gevandar told them to expect treachery, they may be ignoring us. Can you open a com link yet? Perhaps if they know you’re up here they may stop.”
“I can try,” Ellie shouted as another blast hit too close for comfort. She understood then why her little ship was called a shielder. They would have been vaporized by the force of the blast had it not been for the strong energy shield the small craft generated. Still, with countless ships firing on them, she had to wonder how long they would last.
“Ellie? What’s going on out there? Who’s attacking us?” Her father’s voice came over the console as connection within his armor was reestablished. Hearing his voice gave her a fleeting moment of relief before panic set in. Both he and Julian were vulnerable out there on the guiding arrays with nothing but shield armor as protection.
“Our own damned fleet!” she yelled back. “Gevandar wasn’t making an empty threat. That ass actually gave the command to destroy the imperial ships. I’m going to try and stop them from killing us all.”
She opened her com to broadcast on every frequency available.
“This is El’iadrylline of Korghetia, true master of the Kyroibi and pilot of one of the ships you’re firing on. There are allies up here, so please cease fire!”
Another explosion hit the side of the battleship, sending them all sideways and off course.
“Hey! I ordered you to stop this!” she shouted, but again, there was no reply. The console warned that they would soon be entering the Sonnan atmosphere. If they didn’t correct thei
r course, they would be hitting at a dangerous trajectory.
“Ellie, pull up!” Re’geya shouted.
“I’m trying!” she yelled back, panicking for a moment as another blast sent them tumbling. By divine intervention or pure luck, a second blast hit at just the right angle to put them back into the right position. But there was no time to breathe a sigh of relief as they skimmed the upper atmosphere. Not even the advanced shielding technology on her ship would save them if they hit their entry wrong.
“Whoever is calling the shots better hope I don’t survive this,” she heard Mikk mutter as another blast hit on their right.
“Hang on! We’re getting a response,” Ellie said with a sigh of relief, noting that the blasts were tapering off as the incoming transmission alert blinked. She slammed her hand on the console, opening the line of communication.
“Eidyn Master.” The Korghetian pilot who appeared on the monitor addressed her with a slight bow of his head. “I am Captain Arvanon of the Ghowrn Alliance Military. I must ask that you and your pilots please retreat from the enemy ships.”
“No, Captain,” Ellie replied, tight lipped. “The orders you received had misinformation. We are escorting these warships to the refuge on Sonna. From there, it will be determined who, if any of those aboard are loyal to the Empire.”
“With all due respect, Prince Gevandar himself gave the command.”
“Prince Gevandar lied to you,” Ellie said through gritted teeth. “See for yourself. Run a scan of the imperial warships. You’ll see that neither has working controls and the environment is failing as we speak.”
“I’m sorry, we were given direct orders and told to carry them out by any means necessary. Please retreat or I will tell my squadron to resume our attack.”
“He’s bluffing,” Re’geya said over the private channel. “You’re the true master.”
“You would endanger the lives of innocents rather than defy an order?” Ellie asked, growing angry.
Captain Arvanon appeared to consider her words, but after a moment, the hard look returned to his eyes.
“I’m sorry,” he said in a cold, detached voice. “I have my orders.”
The communications link went dead just as another round of missiles struck from all sides.
“Guess they weren’t bluffing,” Re’geya muttered as another blast hit too close for comfort.
“Something isn’t right,” Ellie muttered, shuddering at the way the captain’s expression suddenly went dead.
“You think?” Bethany’s influence on Re’geya was clear in his sarcastic reply.
“I’m serious. The abrupt change? He was about to do the right thing and then suddenly did an about face. I’m willing to bet a certain prince was listening in on a private channel and yelling orders.”
“Good to know the homicidal prince has the ear of the captain of the military.”
“Don’t matter,” Ellie growled. “If they won’t listen, I’ll force them to stop.”
But even as she spoke she had doubts. The Alliance ships were Eidyssic crafts. If she could get a lock on their com signatures, she could override control and force them to retreat. The only problem was trying to do that while simultaneously keeping the shields up and avoiding crashing into the atmosphere at a dangerous speed. It was a long shot, but she had to try.
On her dashboard, Ellie brought up the controls and placed her palm against the console, conveying her intent.
“What? That’s not right,” she gasped. The new display appeared, allowing her the ability to control multiple vessels, but the only ones that appeared were the four other shielders.
“What’s wrong?” Mikk asked. Despite the mechanical sound of the respirator the pilot wore, Ellie could hear notes of worry.
“I can’t see any of the Alliance ships.”
“Blast,” Mikk muttered. “Well it was worth a shot.”
“You’re too far to take control remotely.”
“Julian! Are you okay back there?”
The sound of his voice flooded her with temporary relief.
“For now,” he replied with barely any note of inflection, despite his dire situation. “You’re too far away to bring the fighters under control. You’ll need to get closer.”
“How? If we bring the ships closer we’ll all be destroyed.”
“You go,” Mikk cut in.
“You want me to detach?” Ellie asked. “But that’s going to leave a gap in the shield.”
“Not if I can help it.”
“Huh?” Ellie’s eyes went to her rear optical. “Julian, are you crazy? You’ll be killed!”
Julian stood just feet from the rear of her craft, balanced precariously on the nose of the warship.
“We’re all dead if we do nothing,” he shot back. “I can’t steer this thing, but my armor can generate a shield that will block the blasts. At least for a while. The sooner you go, the better our odds.”
“Right,” she said, her voice barely a whisper as she tamped down the internal alarms that were telling her this was a bad idea. With one last look back, she decoupled from the warship and pulsed away, out beyond the ring of Alliance vessels, hoping to draw their attention away from the others.
But as she sat out beyond the firefight, Ellie had a better idea. She placed her hand on the console. The ships in the distance began to display on her monitor and she located the one piloted by Captain Arvanon. Engaging the cloak, she slipped into their midst, knowing she would have to act fast. Cloaking wasn’t perfect and at that close range, she could have easily been detected.
Lucky for Ellie, the captain was too busy giving orders to kill innocents to notice as she skimmed the bottom of his ship, latching on with a smile as control was transferred automatically to her. One by one, she brought each ship under her control, overriding the weapons systems and giving a silent cheer as the bright blasts in the distance ceased.
Now get the hell out of here, she thought as she took command of the fleet, sending them back to Korghetia. All except the captain, who was desperately trying to regain control of his craft. Only once she was finished programming a specific flight path and instructions did she disengage, dropping back as the small vessel pulsed away, not to Korghetia, but down to the Sonnan refuge with orders not to release its pilot until the transcript of their conversation could be reviewed.
But as the Alliance ship disappeared, her relief was short lived. Red lights flashed on her console and the communication channel was a cacophony of shouts.
“I’m coming,” she shouted, pulsing back just in time to see the ship tilting dangerously into the Sonnan atmosphere. “Julian?” she asked in a panic, noticing the nose of the ship was empty.
“Back on the array. I’m safer here, but not for long.”
Ellie’s heart thudded with relief as she quickly made her way back into position, pulling up the nose just before it took them off course.
“Oh no…”
They managed to enter the atmosphere with minimal damage, but as soon as gravity returned, the disabled battleships became dead weight.
“This is not good,” Yuraelli muttered. “We can’t gain altitude without damage to our own ships.”
“We need to do something before we’re all dead on the ground,” Re’geya fired back.
“I’m trying my best,” Mikk yelled through gritted teeth. Ellie looked into her rearview and saw the couplers stretched tight as Mikk tried unsuccessfully to pull the imperial ship wings flat in hopes of catching an updraft.
A black shadow emerged from underneath and the sudden stability forced Ellie’s stomach up into her throat. Surrounding her on every side was some sort of tarp. Above her head, she saw at least a dozen ships working in unison to guide the battleship. As the communications channel opened again, Ellie just hoped they were on her side. A pale man with dark circles under his eyes appeared on the screen.
“This is ranger station Hohnamisi of the Sonnan refuge. Our rescue squad has the battleship and we are bri
nging it in, Your Highness. We need your squad to disengage. I’m sending coordinates for safe landing of your fleet.”
“Thank you,” Ellie said with some relief as she forwarded the coordinates to the others, who were already in the process of decoupling from the imperial vessels. She too disengaged and again felt her stomach drop as her ship overcompensated briefly for the sudden loss of the added weight.
She watched for a moment as the larger, slower, yet much more capable ships hauled the imperial vessels lower. The blue and green mottled coloring of them reminded her of camouflaged military vehicles on Earth and as she followed them over forests of the same hues, she realized camouflage was exactly right. After ensuring their safety on the ground, she allowed her own ship to follow the preset coordinates to the landing area, relieved to see several familiar ships in the distance.
Ellie landed, smiling as she saw a familiar face in the group crowded around the downed Alliance ship. She let herself savor the satisfaction of seeing a rather stern looking Ka’griannas speaking with a shaken Captain Arvanon, the latter of whom was flanked by two stone-faced rangers with stunners trained on him.
As curious as she was to hear his account of what happened, she had bigger worries. She needed to know whether they’d gotten the ships down in time to save the passengers. But more than that, she was concerned for the lives of the two passengers who didn’t have the luxury of being inside the ships as they landed.
Ellie’s feet met solid ground as she jumped from the cockpit and took off running, careful to first engage the pulse dampener she wore. With the amount of tension she’d built up, Ellie wouldn’t have been surprised if she pulsed halfway across the galaxy.
Rangers swarmed the nearest ship. As she got closer, her heart squeezed. Several people dressed in imperial uniforms walked on wobbling legs, but still more were being carried or transported on stretchers to the makeshift medical facilities. She scanned the scene, not wanting to interfere and hoping to find someone who could give her a status report. Instead, her eyes fell on the one person she definitely did not want to see right then.
The Princess Rebellion (The Kyroibi Trilogy Book 2) Page 8
