Her first instinct was to be offended. After all, this guy didn’t know her at all. But then she realized she was likely one of the most recognizable people in the system with her unusual heritage, so yes, he likely knew who she was and though not technically fair, he likely judged her as both a foreigner and a royal.
At last, Mikk must have convinced him Ellie was trustworthy because he stepped out from behind the counter and punched a code into the security panel on the door and held it open. Mikk motioned for Ellie to follow and she did, giving the man a polite smile and nod as she passed into the hangar.
“Wow…” Ellie let the word hang as she looked out over the collection of ships laid out, row after row, in front of them. There were many sizes with the largest being roughly the size of the commercial shuttle they’d just taken and the smallest being nearly as tiny as a compact car.
“SiFa hoppers,” Mikk said with a conspiratorial wink.
“Hydro-prop?” Ellie asked, more than a little nervous.
“You said you wanted to pilot, didn’t you? The way I see it, if a pulse-prop is going to automatically come under your command, I cannot teach you much of anything.”
“Yeah, but I don’t know if we have time to start from the very beginning. I don’t know anything about flying.”
“Nonsense,” Mikk dismissed, selecting a small ship. It wasn’t the smallest, but it wasn’t much larger than a full sized SUV. “You know the basics. Your Kyroibi should know the rest. All I am going to do is show you what can’t be taught by learning.”
“That didn’t make any sense,” Ellie protested, but Mikk just laughed and tossed her a flight helmet.
“It will.”
The helmet was equipped with a respirator, which seemed to mold to her face when she strapped it on. The ship was equipped with a pressurized cockpit and an onboard air filtration system, so the need for the respirator was not immediately obvious. Not until she strapped in and Mikk showed her how to start the engine did Ellie understand that they were in for a very shaky ride.
“Okay,” Mikk said as they taxied out of the hangar and onto the launch platform that blinked with the same numeric sequence that was currently lighting up the screen in the middle of the console. “I’m going to take us through the launch sequence, so watch carefully.”
Ellie did as instructed, marveling at how primitive the hydro-propulsion ship seemed compared to the Eidyssic vessels she’d piloted, despite being far in advance of the fuel based rockets of Earth. As Mikk spoke, Ellie listened, but she also allowed the Kyroibi to draw upon what was known of the process. Surprisingly, Mikk was right. Despite never having piloted a hydro-prop ship before, she felt as if she knew exactly what to do when she took over the controls a few minutes later.
“You’re doing great, Ellie,” Mikk said as they went through a simulation that was programmed into the ship’s computers. “Let’s try navigating an asteroid field next.”
“Do you think that’s something I’ll need?” Ellie asked. As far as she knew, there was no such obstacles in the Ghowrn system.
“Eventually, perhaps,” Mikk replied. Though her own respirator concealed most of her face and obscured her voice, there was something curious in the way she spoke. But before Ellie could question, she continued. “Perhaps it would make more sense for us to try some inner atmosphere obstacles. Shall I radio the rangers and see if we can use one of their facilities?”
“That’s probably a good idea,” Ellie agreed. “Just as long as we can set aside some time to practice coming and going from the atmosphere. Things were a little dicey there with the imperial ships.”
“Well, we are not likely to have to try and haul a ship with a shielder again, but you’re right. Entering the planet’s atmosphere is one of the most dangerous parts of flying.”
Mikk flipped open the communications portal and hailed the ranger station. Ellie was surprised when Pendren himself answered the call.
“We’ll be happy to provide any additional training you require, Eidyn Master,” he said over the surprisingly clear radio channel. “I’m sending the order now and...You are cleared for practice facility seven, Lady Meioak. Good day to you both.”
“Thank you, Refuge Organizer,” Mikk replied. Switching the radio off, she turned to Ellie. “It’s on the opposite side of the planet and we can’t pulse, so I apologize. Pendren must have assumed I wanted to be near the SiFa refuge.”
“Makes sense,” Ellie shrugged. “What with your brother there. If you want to stop in and check on him I completely understand.”
“No, it’s not that,” Mikk said with a look of uncertainty. “Sozoak is actually convalescing at a facility on Cald. I was going to check on him after we were finished. It’s more of a… cultural thing, I guess. We’re not loners, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
Ellie turned a questioning glance to Mikk. “I wasn’t thinking that at all, but, you know, I’m from Earth. We have whole countries full of groups that separate themselves from others, so who am I to judge?”
“Our governance was similar. Wrn prefectures are very much like your countries and that was something the rest of the Federation did not comprehend. That we had our own system of government independent of the Federation was always seen as strange. Primitive, even.” She slid Ellie a sly glance. “Maybe that’s why I’ve an affinity for Earthlings.”
“I thought each of the planets had their own leadership independent of the Federations?”
“Each had a delegate who represented their interests, but for the most part, they followed a general set of governance set up by the Federation. Only our microsystem had sovereign nations who self-governed. Well, I suppose so do the Eidyssic, but they weren’t federation members. That the majority of our refugees chose Cald reflects that we still see ourselves as outsiders. The Alliance speaks highly of equality, but I think the word they mean is conformity.”
Ellie didn’t miss the sudden darkening of Mikk’s tone.
“Gevandar doesn’t represent the mindset of the typical SiFa citizen, does he?”
“Yes and no,” Mikk replied in a cautious tone. “He is a patriarchal oaf and I’m afraid there are many who share that particular character flaw, however, he would sell his own people for the leadership role you have just denied him.”
Ellie said nothing, but inside, she seethed because even without knowing much about the SiFa people, she knew Mikk was right. Not once in any of their meetings had he even mentioned the fate of his own people. People, she realized, that made up the bulk majority of the Ghowrn population. Yes, Ellie could certainly see why Mikk had an affinity for Earthlings.
“Fhasmyr is a curious planet,” Mikk went on with a slightly prideful smile. “Small, dangerous, sparsely populated, and full of some of the last unexplored terrain in the system. To me, it is easy to see why the Huptsovians are using it as a prison. What is not easy for me to see is why the Alliance, with or without Gevandar at the helm, will not take this into consideration when determining where to put their efforts.”
Ellie was taken aback. “Gri told me they’re trying to take back Helsyn, but surely they aren’t ignoring the other planets.”
“Bah! Helsyn is an immeasurable waste of time and resources,” Mikk said with obvious bitterness. “I do understand Helsyn is prized as the main industrial planet of the system. I even understand that, obviously, the Empire is using that to their advantage. But that’s the thing. The Empire knows the value of Helsyn. The people of Helsyn and Huptsov have always been close. Closer even than the Sintarian and Fhasmyrric. We won’t take Helsyn until we topple the Empire. Fhasmyr would be far and away an easier target for emancipation.”
“You really think so?” Ellie asked, suddenly quite curious. “You said it’s a prison. Wouldn’t that make it heavily guarded as well?”
“Yes and no. You see, even amongst the Fhasmyrric, few ventured off the city islands. When I said we had dangerous and unexplored terrain, I was not speaking lightly. Take all of the exaggerati
ons about your island of Australia and multiply them many times. Then you will have but a fraction of the necessary understanding of Fhasmyrric nature. As such, Huptsovia only posts guards at the space ports. There is no habitable moon, but a number of asteroids surround the planet, so even then, there are not many who even leave port unless absolutely necessary.”
Ellie followed along, but frowned. “Sure, especially for a skilled pilot, but if the terrain is actively trying to kill people, it certainly doesn’t sound easy.”
“For most, no, but for the Paisreatta, and perhaps some… how shall I say…? Thrill-seekers. Yes, for those who enjoy a challenge in life, the waterways and jungles of Fhasmyr are our advantage. Besides, there are… well, let me just say that the Empire knows less than they think. Getting a battalion through would not be easy, but once we were established, we would be able to lead a strike from the ground. The Huptsovians would never see us coming.”
“You’re serious,” Ellie asked, gaping at Mikk and the casual way she spoke.
“Of course I am,” she said indignantly. “And I myself went to the Alliance and proposed as much not long after we were overtaken. I was met with resistance. After Gevandar became leader, I knew I had no option but to return to Oravaschaeal. If my government wouldn’t help, then perhaps I would have a chance with those they marginalized.”
“And that’s what you were doing out there when you found us?”
Meioak started to nod, but it turned into an awkward gesture. “Well, it had been. Not many out there in the cluster shared my desire to free those they’d considered their oppressors. You saw how few returned with us. Not that I can blame them, but neither could I do nothing. So I made a vow. One way or another, with the help of the Alliance or not, I will free my people.”
The determination in her expression told Ellie that Mikk was not speaking hypothetically.
“You have a plan, don’t you?”
“I have… Well, let me just say I have spoken to strategists, including Commander Vonsse, who feel my proposal is not impossible.”
“Okay, seriously, Mikk, when you say Fhasmyr is dangerous, what exactly are you saying?” Whether Mikk’s determination was contagious, or Ellie was caught up in the idea of making the change the Alliance was currently dragging their feet on, she didn’t know, but the idea of gaining not just a territory, but freeing the largest number of captives in the process was one she could get on board with.
“Fhasmyr is largely wild. Most of our uninhabited islands are so for a good reason. It is not just the plants and animals. The very soil is toxic to living things and in some parts of the jungle, the swamp gas is deadly.”
“Okay, you’re not giving me a lot of confidence right now.”
“Perhaps the Commander is better at expl—” Mikk began, but cut off when the warning system began flashing. “Hang on, Ellie, I’m taking over controls. Let’s find out what this is.”
“Looks like an attack,” Ellie said, blanching as the coordinates displayed in front of her. An imperial star class fighter appeared not far from where they had just been practicing. In fact, if they hadn’t been on their way back to Cald, they would have been destroyed by the impact.
“Another ship of lambs to the slaughter?”
“Uh, not exactly,” Ellie said, her blood running cold. “But it looks like they found the stable. Mikk, they’ve just fired a missile. Headed for Cald.”
Chapter 16
“They know,” Mikk said, staring panic stricken for a moment at the readout on their console. “There’s no way. Unless… That gresch!” With a scream, she brought the nose of the ship up and out of the Sonnan atmosphere. There was a sudden shift in pressure as they broke free.
“An interception team is on the way,” Ellie said, pointing to the newest readout on the console.
“They’re headed for the warship,” Mikk corrected. “They won’t make it to the missile. It’s going to kill people if we don’t do something.”
“Can we even do anything in this?” Ellie asked, not caring that her voice was panicked.
“Yeah,” Mikk grunted, flipping switches and pulling levers so fast Ellie couldn’t keep up. “But it’s dangerous and we’re about to become missile bait.”
“Um, okay…”
“Hold on, Ellie.”
Mikk grabbed the control with both hands, yanking hard on the lever, which brought the nose down until it was pointing directly at the moon. Almost immediately, the console lit up as every system warning Ellie had ever heard of and some she hadn’t began blaring.
“Uh, Mikk?”
“Sorry,” she said through gritted teeth. “I’m a little busy here. Keep an eye on the shields.”
“But we’re about to be incinerated.”
If the temperature warning wasn’t enough to cause Ellie alarm, the uncomfortable feeling, as if the ship had been placed in an oven, along with the red haze that suddenly surrounded them was more than panic inducing. Worse, the rear sensors showed the missile that had been headed for the spaceport at Cald was now dangerously close to turning them into little more than ash.
“Not if the shields hold,” Mikk spit through gritted teeth as she skimmed a little too close to the moon’s atmosphere, causing them to propel out into open space at speeds that couldn’t possibly be safe.
“Shields are holding, somehow,” Ellie replied, though her eyes still went to the temperature readout, which was steadily climbing.
“Hold onto something and put your visor down,” Mikk shouted as she cut the thrusters and threw all of their power into the shield. The force from the sudden deceleration slammed Ellie forward, despite the inertial dampeners, but that was the least of her worries. Mikk’s plan was suddenly crystal clear, though it didn’t matter, there was no time to protest as the missile slammed into the rear shield, filling the cockpit with a brief, yet blinding flash of light on impact.
Just as suddenly as she was thrown forward, Ellie was pushed back into her chair as the ship tumbled through space. A sharp hiss brought her focus to the dashboard, where a warning light indicated they were losing pressure inside the cabin.
“It’s your side. Gum it up,” Mikk shouted, eyes quickly darting to the seam over Ellie’s head as she tried to bring their trajectory back under control.
“Right,” Ellie muttered, taking the emergency repair kit from under her seat with only a shadow of an idea as to what she was doing. Luckily, the seam breech was miniscule and the patch kit had simplistic and easy to follow instructions. She tore open a patch, peeled off the backing, and placed it over the seam just as Mikk brought them back on course. As they both sat back and took their first full breath, they locked eyes and collapsed into a fit of spent adrenaline giggles.
“You did it,” Ellie gasped. “Holy crap, Mikk. You actually did it.”
By raising the ship’s external temperature, Mikk lured the heat guided missile away from the heavily populated spaceport it was sent to destroy. As long as the rangers were able to intercept the ship and bring it down before it could launch another missile, they had saved the day.
But there was no time to celebrate their victory as a whole new round of warning klaxons and alarms began flashing and sounding. Ellie opened the rear port in an attempt to vent some of the built up heat while Mikk sent them in a high arc well outside the Sonnan orbit so they could jettison the steam that was threatening to blow them clear across the system.
“We’re going to have to make an emergency landing on Sonna,” Mikk said, pointing out that they were now on the far side of the planet from the moon as she radioed back to the ranger station.
“Continue at your current bearing,” Pendren’s voice crackled through the damaged speaker. “I’m sending an interceptor to bring you both to the refuge. I’ll have the hopper repaired and returned.”
“Copy that, Refuge Organizer,” Mikk said, glancing over at Ellie as she switched off the radio. “We’re nowhere near the refuge right now,” she noted. “If Pendren’s bringing
us in, either he knows something or hopes we do.”
“I hope he does,” Ellie muttered, watching the black speck in the distance grow into a ranger recovery ship that was headed right at them. “Though I gather you don’t think this is a random attack any more than I do.”
“Oh, this was not random,” Mikk growled. “Though how they found out my brother was at Cald is a mystery. Gevandar was purposefully led to believe the refugees were being housed at what is currently an empty refugee camp.”
“I thought Gevandar was not told of Sozoak’s rescue?”
“He wasn’t, but I had suspicions that he already knew.”
“You think he’s working with the Empire?” Ellie asked, her heart plummeting as she too had similar suspicions.
“That is one way to say it,” Mikk replied, but that was all she could say before they were hailed by the interceptor and she relinquished control of the ship. Moments later, they were pulsed to the refuge landing site.
“Gah! This is going to be a nightmare for the technicians,” Mikk groaned as they stepped away from the hobbled wreckage that was their hopper.
“Don’t worry, I’ll put my best mechanics to work immediately, your highness,” the pilot of the interceptor said as she hopped down from the cockpit and saluted Mikk.
Ellie raised her eyebrows at the recognition, but said nothing. The pilot was also Fhasmyrric, so perhaps Mikk’s identity was known to some.
“I think that was the proof that I’m going to need a lot more flight training,” she instead said to Mikk as the pilot began shouting directions to the techs that were arriving. “Though I’ll admit, I’m not too keen on attempting anything that crazy.”
“The truth is, that was crazy even for me,” Mikk replied, wincing as a large outer panel fell away when the techs hoisted the hopper onto a towing platform. “After that, I do not think it wise to strand ourselves in a hopper. Pulse props only. I am sorry if this means I cannot teach you the finer nuances of piloting.”
The Princess Rebellion (The Kyroibi Trilogy Book 2) Page 14
