“I’ve got something,” Magnum said. “Looks pretty far away, but it’s a heat signature.”
“Could it be a flock of birds?” Ike asked.
Both men leaned closer to the monitor built into the security officer’s console. They studied the image for a moment, then Magnum spoke.
“It’s a spy plane.”
“A what?” Ben asked.
“Surveillance aircraft,” Liachov said. “They do high-altitude patrols with powerful cameras that can record what you’re having for breakfast at over fifty thousand feet.”
“Think they can see us?” Ben asked.
“If there’s enough ambient light from the ground,” Liachov said.
“We should proceed as if they have spotted us,” Ben said. “Kim.”
“Increasing speed,” she said. “We’re almost in the mountains.”
“Is that thing getting any closer?” Ben asked.
“Hard to tell at this distance,” Magnum said.
“Contact!” Nance said.
Almost instantly the sky was lit with flashes of laser fire. The shots went wide of the Echo, but there was no doubt who was chasing them.
“How’d they scramble a fighter that fast,” Kim said as she pressed the throttle forward and sent the ship into a rocketing ascent.
“Must have already been in the air,” Liachov said.
“Can we lose them in the mountains?” Ben asked.
“It’s too dangerous,” Liachov said. “It’s possible to fly through them, but they’re tight. I wouldn’t recommend it with a fighter on our tail.”
“You’ve never been kite racing,” Kim said, pressing her joystick forward and sending the ship into a spiraling dive.
More laser fire lit the sky. The Imperium vessel was firing blind, it seemed, hoping to land a lucky shot.
“They don’t take kindly to unregistered ships,” Ben said. “Kim, you sure about this?”
“Don’t worry, sweetie,” Kim said in a comic voice. “I’ll shake that little Imperium bogey or die trying.”
“Is she joking?” Ike asked.
“Sort of,” Ben said.
They slewed back and forth in a race toward the mountains. Ben could see the tall peaks. The dense forest covered three-quarters of their surface, so they looked shaggy. The highest portions were bare, like jagged claws protruding from some hideous monster’s paw.
Kim whooped as the ship dove toward the first mountain. Laser fire flashed overhead and impacted the forested mountain. Blooms of bright fire blossomed on the terrain, and Ben looked at Magnum.
“Bring up the deflector shields,” Ben said.
“That hurts, honey,” Kim said. “You don’t have faith in me?”
“Just being careful,” Ben said.
Kim flipped the Kestrel class ship on its side and hugged the mountain as they whipped around it and in between another set of peaks so close that Ben held his breath.
“The fighter is breaking off,” Nance said.
“They won’t give up,” Liachov said. “They’re just changing tactics.”
“Where’s the base?” Kim said. “Tell me we’re close.”
“It’s about forty miles into the range,” Liachov said.
“Get on the coms,” Ben told her. “They need to know we’re coming.”
“And we need to know they’re still there,” Ike said.
“The fighter is coming back,” Nance said.
“It’s too high to attack,” Ben said.
“With lasers, but not missiles,” Magnum replied.
For a moment it seemed like maybe the fighter would just follow and wait for the Echo to leave the mountains for more favorable terrain. Then another heat signature appeared.
“That’s a missile,” Nance said.
“Shut down those deflector shields,” Kim said, her voice all business. “Give me all the power you can, Ben.”
“Roger that,” Ben said. “He was getting used to using just one hand on his controls and had spent time during the week on their island hideaway creating control shortcuts. He could reroute power from less critical systems to the ship’s main drive with the touch of a button.
“That’s everything but art grav,” Ben said.
Kim didn’t reply, but the ship surged ahead. She twisted through narrow gaps and hugged rugged cliffs. Ben opened the rear camera feed on his console monitors. The missile was doggedly following their trail, and Ben knew the odds of outflying the tiny warhead was minuscule. A hit on either wing engine would almost certainly result in a crash-landing. A hit on the main drive engine would destroy the entire ship and kill everyone on board.
“This isn’t working,” Kim snarled. “Give me lasers!”
Ben hit a button and directed the power from the auxiliary batteries to the lasers. It would only give her a half-dozen shots from each cannon on the wings of the ship, but it wouldn’t drain the power being used by the main drive, which would slow the ship down.
“Go,” Ben said.
Kim fired four blasts at a cliff face of solid rock. Smoke and dust billowed up as they flew straight toward the impact site.
“What’s she doing?” Liachov asked.
“Heating that rock,” Ben said as Kim twisted the joystick and turned away from the cliff face.
The missile came charging after them, but it stayed locked on the superheated rock from the laser blast and detonated on the mountain.
“It worked,” Ike said.
“This time,” Kim said. “We need to find a place to hide.”
“We’re almost to the base,” Liachov said.
“And if there are friendly forces there, they’d have to be crazy to let us in,” Ben said. “As long as the Imperium has eyes on us, we’re a threat.”
“What should we do?” Liachov said.
“Missile launch,” Nance announced.
“There’s only one thing we can do,” Ben said. “Once we deal with that missile, we have to crash the ship.”
Chapter 28
“Right down there,” Nance said. “There’s a clearing near the base of that mountain.
“This is insane,” Liachov said.
“The best plans usually are,” Kim said, bringing the ship to a hover eight thousand feet above the clearing.
“Here comes the missile,” Magnum said.
“Don’t miss,” Ben admonished Kim.
“Don’t worry, I never miss.”
“It only takes one time,” Liachov said.
“Shut that bitch up,” Kim snarled.
“Five hundred feet,” Nance said.
Kim cut the engines and the ship dropped. As they fell, she rotated the engines around and fired. Three blasts missed, but the fourth hit the missile which exploded almost directly above them. Kim rotated the engines straight down and pressed the throttle forward.
“Passing fifteen hundred feet,” Nance warned.
“Gotta make it look real,” Kim said.
“Eight hundred feet,” Nance said.
“What if they fire again?” Liachov asked.
“We take off and hope for enough time to get ahead of the missile,” Ben said.
“We should have taken that ship out,” Kim said.
“Two hundred feet,” Nance said.
“Don’t worry, we’re under control now,” Kim said. “I’ll set her down nice and easy.”
“Go, Magnum,” Ben said over the com-link.
The big man was down by the air lock with a small explosive. He cycled the lock and stepped to the outer door. The forest was in total darkness below. He tossed out the explosive, throwing it away from the ship, but not too far. As Kim settled the ship onto her landing gear, Magnum used a remote to detonate the explosive. They heard a boom, followed by the sound of soil and debris raining down on the ship.
Ben could see the smoke rising up into the air. It wasn’t a perfect deception. If the Imperium ship had good visual gear, it might see through the smoke and recognized the difference between
a crashed ship and one that had landed. Ben was counting on the darkness and the thick jungle around them to help conceal the true nature of what had happened. If the pilot was cocky, as most were in Ben’s opinion, he would probably believe that he’d single-handedly shot down the unregistered ship.
“Anything?” Kim asked. “The waiting is worse than being under fire.”
“Not yet,” Nance said. “He’s still up there, but he hasn’t fired again.”
“They’ll send ground forces to investigate,” Liachov said.
“True, but we’ve got some time,” Ben said. “Come on, take the bait.”
As if the pilot thousands of feet above could hear them, it turned and flew away. They watched from the bridge with a sense of disbelief.
“That’s it,” Kim said. “We did it.”
“Not exactly,” Liachov said. “By morning this entire valley will be crawling with Imperium troops.”
“All the more reason to get your people to safety,” Ben said. “Any word on the coms?”
“Nothing,” Liachov said. “They’ve gone radio silent.”
“Or they aren’t there,” Kim replied.
“How far are we?” Ben asked.
“Eight miles from the coordinates the lieutenant gave us,” Nance said.
“And that’s uphill, through thick jungle,” Ike said. “We’d be lucky to reach the base before daybreak on foot.”
“Who said anything about walking?” Kim asked. “We didn’t really crash, you know.”
“But the Imperium will be scanning the valley,” Ben said. “If the rebels have a hidden base here, we can’t take a chance that we might lead the soldiers to it.”
“You think we should hike in?” Liachov asked.
“It makes sense,” Ben replied. “We let you get a decent start, then we make a break for it. The Imperium might not even send soldiers into the valley if they think we escaped with our lives.”
“It would make a good diversion,” Ike admitted, before pointing at his squad of rebels watching from the atrium. “Besides, these dandies are getting soft. A good hike is just what we need to shake the rust off.”
“I don’t suppose you would consider staying,” Liachov said to Ben. “We could use you.”
“Oh hell no,” Kim said. “We did what you wanted, now we’re leaving.”
“There’s no need to get angry,” Ben said. “We delivered you and your cargo home.”
“Only because we forced your hand,” Liachov said.
Ben saw her hand drifting down toward the pistol on her hip. Suddenly he realized how tempting his ship was to the desperate lieutenant.
“Time is wasting, Lieutenant,” Ike said. “We should get moving just in case the Imperium sends troops to this location.”
Liachov’s eyes narrowed. Ben saw Magnum tensing for action. He wanted desperately to see what the other soldiers were doing. There was no doubt in Ben’s mind that Beck would shoot him down at the least provocation, and the others would probably follow suit. And this time, their weapons wouldn’t be set to stun.
“I’ve got a transmission,” Nance said, breaking the silence. “Code word: Issip Fair.”
“Reply, only in spring,” Liachov said.
Nance gave the reply, then a voice crackled over the speakers.
This is Captain Ortega. We have wounded. The base is overrun, and there is nowhere to go. I repeat, the base is overrun with Imperium soldiers.
Ben didn’t hesitate. His good hand hit the transmit button on his console.
“Captain Ortega, this is the Modulus Echo. What’s your position?”
We are just outside the clearing, perhaps a quarter mile. We need help.
“Tell him we’re coming,” Lieutenant Liachov said as she pulled out a remote detonator. “I’ve planted a device on the ship. If you take off without us, I’ll detonate it.”
“Snake!” Kim growled.
“Get moving, Sergeant,” Liachov said. “Get the rear hatch open and set a defensive perimeter.”
“Aye, Lieutenant,” the sergeant said. “You heard her, let’s move out!”
The rebels hurried down the metal staircase, and Ben felt a sense of frustration building inside him. Liachov might be desperate to help her people, but she was just as ruthless as the Imperium.
“Captain Ortega,” Ben said over the ship’s com channel. “What is your position?”
Southwest of the clearing. You should find a game trail. It will lead you right to us.
“Roger that,” Ben said. “Help is on the way.”
“What’s your plan?” Nance said.
“There’s plenty of room on your ship,” Liachov said.
“You want us to take on your wounded?” Kim said. “Where exactly are you thinking we’ll take them?”
“I don’t know, back to the Confederacy somewhere,” Liachov said. “Get ready to take off, but don’t you dare leave this clearing until I’m back on the ship. If you do, I’ll blow you all to hell.”
“Just go,” Ben said.
She walked backward to the stairs, not trusting that they wouldn’t shoot her in the back. Ben had no doubt that Kim would, and at that moment, if he could have saved his ship by attacking her, he would have done it himself. But there were a number of places she could have hidden the explosive. Ben thought the rebels had hidden most of the explosives with the other weapons they had stowed on the island. Magnum had managed to get his hands on a bit of the ordnance they had kept from the outlaws on KX21, and had made the bomb that completed their subterfuge before landing. But even if Liachov had only taken a small portion and hidden it in her cabin, she could blow a hole in their hull, making it impossible to leave the planet. Worse still, if the explosive was someplace more vital, they could all be killed in a fiery explosion.
“I know where they have our guns,” Magnum said.
“Good man,” Ben replied. “Kim, go with him.”
“What’s our plan?” Nance asked.
“Get off this rock as soon as they get back with their wounded,” Ben replied. “Do you still have a trajectory on those Imperium cruisers?”
Nance went to work on her computer, and soon Magnum was back. He helped Ben put on the gun belt, making sure the pistol was accessible with his good hand.
“Okay, listen,” Ben said. “When they get back, we’re talking off. And once we’re out of this system, we deal with Liachov. I have no problems working with the others, but she’s out of control. Anyone have a problem with that?”
“Only if I’m not the one who gets to put her in her place,” Kim said.
“We’re not going to hurt her. She still has to tell us what she’s done to the ship,” Ben said. “But she’s not welcome to have free run any longer.”
“And if her people disagree?” Magnum said.
“Then I pull the plug on the main drive,” Ben said. “Either she gets locked up in sick bay, or we don’t go anywhere.”
A moment later, laser blasts were heard. Magnum hurried down to the ramp, while Nance brought up the stern camera feed. With the night vision on, they could see people running. Ike went down with a laser blast to the back. Beck was carrying Liachov over one shoulder. From the tree line, a group of Imperium soldiers stepped into view. Magnum fired over the fleeing rebels’ heads, driving the soldiers back into the trees.
“Kim,” Ben said.
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Kim replied.
“We should raise the rear deflectors,” Nance said.
Ben looked at his console and saw that Nance had already done it. A barrage of laser fire came roaring from the trees just as Beck came limping up the ramp. She was the only survivor, unless Lieutenant Liachov, who was over Beck’s shoulder, was still alive. The lasers hit the deflector shields and flashed up into the night sky.
“We better go before they move around,” Ben said.
Magnum pulled the lever to close the rear hatch and then tapped his com-link.
“They’re in,” h
e said.
“I’ve got a trajectory,” Nance said.
“Go!” Ben shouted.
The engines roared, and the Echo shot straight up into the night sky.
Chapter 29
“Start plotting a jump,” Ben said.
“Already on it,” Nance said. “Do we risk radar?”
“They have to have radioed our position,” Ben said. “There’s no hiding now.”
“You want me to head north?” Kim asked, studying the plot Nance had punched in.
“Correct. We should have the best chance of escape at the northern pole,” Nance said. “We have three Imperium vessels moving this way.”
“It’s getting real,” Kim said angrily.
“Magnum,” Ben said. “Is the lieutenant alive?”
“Yes,” he said, his breathing slightly labored.
Ben glanced over his shoulder and saw the big man carrying Lieutenant Liachov up the stairs. Beck was following.
“Get her to the sick bay,” Ben said.
“How far out are those bogeys?” Kim asked, pressing the throttle to its stops.
“Twelve miles,” Nance said. “They are continuing to gain on us, but we’re out of range for now.”
“How high can they fly?” Kim asked. “I’m taking us up.”
“Just stay ahead of them,” Ben said. “We’ve only got one shot at getting off this world.”
“The distress call was a trap,” Magnum said, returning to his station.
“How bad are their injuries?” Ben asked.
“From what I could tell, the lieutenant was stunned. Beck twisted her ankle.”
“Jump point is locked in one hundred miles past orbit,” Nance said.
“We can’t get closer than that?” Ben asked.
“Too much gravity,” Nance replied.
“We’ll make it,” Kim said.
“I’ve radar pings,” Nance announced. “They’re trying to lock missiles onto us.”
“Alright, time to play dirty,” Kim said.
Ben watched as Kim through the ship into a wide, looping turn. Using the wing engines, she actually spun them around so that they were flying straight toward the Imperium ships.
“Magnum, switch the deflector shields to the front.”
Jump Point: Kestrel Class Saga Book 2 Page 19
