The big man nodded but didn’t speak. Ben’s mouth was dry. He couldn’t imagine what Kim was thinking. The three Imperium ships moved closer together to concentrate their firepower.
“We’ll be in range of their lasers in ten seconds,” Nance said.
“Perfect,” Kim replied. “They’re playing right into our hands. Rookies!”
Ben grabbed onto his console with his good hand. For the moment, the throbbing pain in his broken arm was gone, and all he could think about was if their deflector shields could stop the coming bombardment. He didn’t think so, and even though he wanted to say something, he couldn’t get his mouth to work.
“Five seconds,” Nance said.
“Magnum,” Kim called out.
“Ready,” the big man said.
They weren’t quite in laser range, but Kim fired anyway. Ben saw the yellow lasers streak forward, and he started to look down at how much power the lasers had taken. He almost missed the missile’s contrail as it shot forward with incredible speed.
“What are you doing?” Ben managed to say.
The Imperium fighters were surely laughing at them. Their deflector shields would have fended off their attack in all likelihood, even if they had been in range. But just like the pilots in orbit, the fighter pilots waited for the Echo’s shots to bounce harmlessly away before returning fire. It was a fatal mistake that caused them to miss the fact that the lasers were merely a distraction to keep them from seeing the missile that was streaking straight at them. Ben watched in awe as the missile struck the center ship head on. The vessel exploded violently, damaging both of the other ships. Kim was turning back toward the north pole as all three of the Imperium ships went down.
“Not bad,” Kim said.
“Unbelievable,” Ben replied. “You got all three.”
“Actually, it was Magnum that made the shot,” Kim said. “All I did was distract those wannabe pilots. How did they ever make it into the Academy?”
“The lieutenant was right about the Imperium forces being lazy,” Nance said. “The board is clear. They must have thought their three ships would be more than enough to take us out.”
“Let’s hope our luck holds when we break orbit,” Ben said. “We’re almost down to half a tank of Zexum.”
“Well, don’t hold back,” Kim said. “We’re bigger and slower than the Imperium fighters. And those in orbit are much better pilots than the three stooges we just shot down.”
“I never thought it would be like this,” Ben said. “Taking on the Imperium in a straight-up fight is lunacy.”
“You can blame Sleeping Beauty,” Kim said. “We never should have come here. I mean, really, what did we accomplish? They lost almost their entire squad, and for what? So they could bury some guns and ammo on a deserted island that no one will ever find.”
“She couldn’t know that’s what would happen,” Ben said.
“Just wait,” Kim said. “When she gets over being shot, she’ll blame us for what happened.”
Ben wanted to argue the point, but the truth was he agreed with Kim. Lieutenant Liachov had lost her way. Her unpredictability made her dangerous. Ben made a mental note to get the lieutenant and Corporal Beck’s weapons once they were out of the Briggs system safely. They wouldn’t want to give them up, but Ben wouldn’t feel safe as long as they had weapons on board his ship.
“Approaching one hundred thousand feet,” Nance said.
“Shut down the radar,” Ben said. “Maybe we’ll get lucky and they won’t find us.”
“Fat chance,” Kim said. “Better to run hard and fast to the jump point.”
“That’s what they’re expecting,” Ben said. “If we can slip out quietly, we might be able to stay off their radar.”
“Whatever,” Kim said.
The sky turned black and stars appeared. All four crew members were scanning the huge expanse of space for signs of the Imperium forces, but it looked clear.
“Go,” Ben said. “Let’s get out of here.”
“The gravity of this world is strong,” Kim said, pressing the throttle forward. “It may take a few minutes to break free.”
“We don’t have a few minutes,” Nance said. “Imperium cruiser on heading 3-1-5.”
“Dear God,” Ben said. “Are those fighters?”
From the Echo’s external cameras, they could see the big Imperium cruiser coming around the planet. It looked like a massive beetle, thick and wide, but even more frightening were what looked to be hundreds of fighters streaming from the ship like bees from a hive.
“They’re mustering everything they’ve got,” Kim said.
“We won’t make the jump point,” Nance said. “It’s straight toward the cruiser.”
“So get us another one,” Ben said.
“Fast,” Kim added.
Ben looked at the auxiliary batteries. They were down to a third of their charge. The deflector shields were too great a strain. And they were burning through Zexum faster than he thought possible just trying to break free of Brigton’s gravity.
“We’re sitting ducks,” Ben said.
“I’m at full throttle,” Kim said. “She won’t go any faster.”
“Those fighters will be in range in less than a minute,” Nance said.
“Should we dive back down?” Kim asked. “They can’t follow us in atmosphere.”
“No,” Ben said. “The ground forces will be ready for us this time.”
“We can pop back out somewhere the Imperium isn’t expecting,” Kim argued.
“They’ll have us on radar,” Ben said. “There’s no chance of hiding now. We have to get out of the system. Nance, where’s that jump point?”
“The nav computer is working on it, but it will take a few minutes.”
“We haven’t got that much time,” Ben said.
“So what do we do?” Kim asked.
“There’s only one thing we can do,” Ben said. “We have to jump blind.”
“Ben, that’s suicide,” Nance said.
“We don’t have a choice,” Ben argued. “Those fighters aren’t coming to capture us. We’ve embarrassed the Fleet and they’re out for blood.”
“You know, jumping blind, we could end up anywhere,” Kim said.
“I know,” Ben said, watching the Imperium fighters as they moved closer and closer with each passing second. “How long until they’re in range, Nance?”
“Thirty-three seconds,” Nance replied.
“How long until you can make the jump, Kim?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “They might be using gravity interdictors or something. It’s like trying to swim through mud.”
“Keep going,” Ben said calmly. “We’ll make it.”
“Never jumping blind is the first rule of hyperspace travel,” Kim said. “That much power and speed could slam us into anything. We’ll be dead before we know what happened.”
“Better than dying here,” Ben said. “At least the Imperium won’t have the satisfaction of knowing what happened to us.”
Ben looked over at Nance. She looked frightened. Magnum had left his station and was standing beside her, his big hands on her shoulders as if he was willing his sense of strength into her. Kim raised up from her pilot’s seat and looked over her shoulder.
“You’re sure?”
“Positive,” Ben said. “Give us two seconds in hyperspace, then pull us out. It should be enough to get us away from the Imperium so we can plot a new course.”
“If we aren’t dead,” Kim said.
“Come on, we’ve got this,” Ben said.
“Ten seconds until the fighters are in range,” Nance announced.
“Can we do it, Kim?”
“Oh, what the hell,” she replied. “Making the jump, in three, two, one...”
Time stretched. The Imperium vanished in a glowing cloud that swirled past the Echo’s external cameras. Ben took a deep breath. Kim hit the release that killed the hyperspace engines and time stretc
hed again. The external cameras showed nothing but empty space and distant stars.
“We did it,” Kim said. “We’re alive.”
“Running a navigational search,” Nance said. “I’ll have our position soon.”
“We aren’t near anything,” Ben said, feeling strange.
“Not even the Imperium Fleet,” Kim said. “But I’ll feel better when we make the next jump.”
“Why are we still moving?” Ben asked.
“Inertia,” Kim said.
“No, we’re moving backward,” Ben said, looking down at his console.
“That’s not right,” Kim replied.
“There’s nothing back there,” Nance said, bringing up the rear camera feeds.
“Show us infrared,” Ben said, his dread growing into full-blown fear. “Kim, get us moving forward.”
“Roger that,” Kim said.
“Black hole!” Nance declared.
The announcement wasn’t necessary. On the display screen was a huge swirl of red. With the infrared display, they could see space dust being captured and pulled down.
“How can there be a black hole this close to a star system?” Kim said loudly.
“We have no idea where we are,” Ben said. “It seems close, but we traveled dozens of light-years a second in hyperspace.”
“This can’t be happening,” Kim shouted. “I can’t break free. I’m holding our position, I think. But I’m at full power. Unless you’ve got some way to give us more, we’re dead.”
Ben looked at his console. Everything but the artificial gravity was rerouted to the engines. They were caught in the black hole’s gravitational well and there was no escaping it.
“Shut it down,” Ben said. “Thrusters only. Turn us around.”
Kim complied without speaking.
“Ben,” Nance said, her voice so calm and soft it was eerie. “Can I be dismissed from the bridge?”
She looked frightened, her body trembling. Ben nodded, and Magnum led her away. There was no need to see where they were going. They wanted to be together and Ben understood that. Black holes were the most dangerous phenomenon in space. Stars were deadly but predictable, not to mention easy to see and hence, easy to avoid. Black holes, on the other hand, were just as deadly, with incredibly strong gravity that could trap a ship just like the Echo and never let her go. Plus, they were practically invisible to the naked eye, making them much easier to stumble into.
“What is happening?” Lieutenant Liachov said in a groggy voice.
Ben looked over and saw Rena and Beck leaning on one another just outside the entrance to the sick bay. He could relate to how the lieutenant felt, since she had shot him with her laser pistol set on stun.
“We’re in trouble,” Ben said.
“Is that a black hole?” Rena asked.
“It’s not a resort,” Kim snapped.
“It is,” Ben said. “We had to make a blind jump to escape the Imperium forces surrounding Brigton. Now we’re caught in the black hole’s gravity well.”
“Then we’re dead,” Liachov said coldly. “It’s just as well.”
“Since we’re going to die anyway,” Kim said, getting up from her pilot’s chair. “I think I’m going to kick her ass.”
“No,” Ben said. “Sit down. There’s a chance we can survive this.”
“Survive a black hole?” Beck said, her voice dripping with condescension.
“That’s right,” Ben said calmly. “There’s a theory that black holes are natural hyperspace tunnels. Simply put, it’s where the folds of time and space accidentally touch.”
“Spare us the lecture and tell me what to do here, Ben,” Kim said.
“Look, there have been thousands of probes sent into black holes, but they never survive,” Ben said.
“That’s comforting,” Beck quipped.
“But many people believe that it’s because of the gravitational waves,” Ben continued, unfazed by the corporal’s sarcasm. “Look at how the space debris is swirling around. There’s a point in the center, like the eye of a hurricane, where the gravitational force isn’t as strong.”
“That’s just a theory,” Liachov said. “No one knows if it’s true. And no one knows if there is anything on the other side of the hole. It could be nothing at all.”
“Ben?” Kim said.
“I’m cutting off the artificial gravity,” Ben said. “I suggest you all strap in.”
He gave them a moment and warned Magnum of his intentions. Then with the press of a button, he shut down the ship’s artificial gravity. It felt like the ship was suddenly standing on its nose. Ben’s safety harness held him in his seat or he would have toppled over the engineering console and fallen across the bridge to crash into the ship’s main display screen.
“Okay, Kim, can you feel it?” Ben asked.
“Yeah,” Kim said, her voice tight.
“The biggest problem with probes is that they aren’t built to fly. They’re just pointed at their target and sent sailing on with no real maneuvering capabilities.”
“So they get caught in the stronger gravitational fluxes,” Liachov said.
“Exactly. It’s like navigating white water rapids,” Ben said. “We can’t fight the flow of the black hole’s gravity. Instead, we have to harness the momentum that gravity creates to avoid the fluctuations that would crush the ship.”
“How?” Beck said. “I don’t see anything?”
“You can’t see it,” Ben said.
“You have to feel it,” Kim added.
“That’s why you shut down the artificial gravity?” Liachov asked.
Ben nodded. “That, and trying to override the black hole’s gravity would have been too big a strain on the art grav genny.”
“What if we’re too big to fit through the hole?” Beck asked.
“This is one in a thousand,” Ben said. “Avoiding the stronger gravitational fields may be impossible. And we have no idea what is on the other side. For all we know, this black hole is feeding a star, the way our Zexum tanks feed the fusion reactor. But we don’t have a choice. We have to try.”
“Good luck, Kim,” Rena Liachov said.
“There’s no such thing as luck,” Kim said. “There’s only skill, knowledge, and experience.”
“We’re in good hands,” Ben said. “In my opinion, the very best.”
Chapter 30
Kim felt a surge of affection for Ben. He was dense sometimes, almost to the point that she wondered if he wasn’t just plain stupid. But there were other times when he spoke words that filled her completely, like the wind in the canyons of Torrent Four, which would fill the silk sails of her kite and send her flying. Ben’s words made her feel that way, even as she closed her eyes and shut out every other distraction.
There was nothing but the love in her heart and the feel of the ship. Ben was right about the black hole. Kim could feel the swirling forces. It was like a river in a lot of ways. There were channels where the current was stronger, and other places where it seemed to flow backward. She let the gravity pull the Echo down farther and farther into the black hole. She used the ship’s thrusters like paddles on a raft, not propelling the ship, just steering it. Letting the force of gravity act to propel them forward.
She was careful not to overreact to any force she felt. Flying in the canyons had taught her to harness the invisible wind, to work in conjunction with what it was naturally doing. The less skilled pilots often tried to force their will onto the wind, only to discover that it was an impossible task. Fighting the natural forces led to either a crash or catastrophic failure of the vessel itself.
As if to test her resolve, a strong current of gravity pulled the ship sideways. Her natural instinct was to fight the pull, which would have put incredible strain on the ship and, in all likelihood, caused her to overcorrect and slam into an even stronger current. Instead, she shifted her direction, letting the ship drift sideways. Then she gave the Echo a little bump with the thrusters, pus
hing it in the same direction of the gravity flow.
There was another tug by the gravity swell that turned the ship back toward the center of the black hole, then slid around, moving past the stronger fluctuation. It was like they were in a tunnel, or more accurately, a funnel, slowly moving toward the spout. All around them, the gravitational force was increasing, but it was pulling down, toward the bottom of the hole, and as long as Kim didn’t get caught in what she thought of as folds in the gravitational pull, the force wasn’t crushing.
Suddenly an alarm began to sound. Kim was worried something had gone wrong. Perhaps the gravitational force on the wings or in some other part of the ship was too strong. If one of the ship’s systems failed, or if the hull was somehow compromised, they would die. Kim’s heart seemed to freeze in her chest, until Ben spoke.
“Oh my God,” he said.
“What is it?” Liachov said.
“It’s the Fleet,” Ben replied. “I don’t know how they found us, but they did. It’s the cruiser from Brigton. Has to be.”
Kim wanted to look up, to see what was happening around them, but she knew if she didn’t continue to concentrate on everything she was feeling from the ship, they would lose control and get crushed.
“There,” Liachov said. “That’s a scout ship. They must have sent out dozens along our trajectory.”
“Then it jumped back and told the others where we were,” Beck said. “I hate those bastards.”
“They’re scrambling fighters,” Ben said. “Don’t they realize the danger they’re in?”
“You’re right,” Liachov said. “They don’t see the black hole. They’re getting caught in it and they don’t even know.”
Kim kept her mind on the eddies and currents of the gravity around them. The pull was getting stronger. In her mind’s eye, they were on a river, and the current was getting faster. But her goal hadn’t changed. She would keep them moving with the current. Keep them avoiding the worst of the rapids and staying in the center, in the eye of the gravity well, where the currents came together to form a tunnel of sorts. If she could keep them there, they might just survive.
“They figured it out,” Ben said. “Those fighters are turning around.”
Jump Point: Kestrel Class Saga Book 2 Page 20
