By that time, the drones had grown large. These three were considerably bigger than the first one. Their sensors locked onto the starship. Red rays stabbed out of their nosecones, concentrating on the same section of Victory’s electromagnetic shield.
“This reminds me of the captain’s time against the three star cruisers out in the Beyond,” Keith told Riker. “He used the star drive to give himself a little magic back then.”
Keith’s nimble fingers played across his board. He brought up a star cruiser’s dimensions and compared it to one of the new Builder drones. The two proportions were identical.
“Sons of thunder,” Keith muttered. “That’s got to mean something.” He scratched his left cheek. Soon, he slapped the intercom on. “Say, mate, you got a death wish?”
“Speak to me, little man,” Villars said.
“We’re facing three star cruisers—”
“Don’t lie to me,” Villars snarled. “These are Builder drones.”
“I just checked the data banks,” Keith said. “These Builder drones are a match for star cruisers.”
“I’ll be damned,” Villars said. “I guess the professor was right about that, too.”
“He sure was,” Keith said. “That means if you want to live, you should warm up the disruptor cannon for all our sakes.”
Villars chuckled nastily. “Three drones can’t take down Victory.”
“I don’t understand why you want to make this a close run thing.”
“So I can get justice, boy. That’s an easy concept to understand.”
Keith’s board began to blare a warning. He cut the connection with Villars. At the same time, Lieutenant Noonan raced onto the bridge with her hair in disarray from sleep. She must have heard the red alert Keith had sent out earlier.
“Move it,” Valerie snapped at Riker.
The sergeant hurried out of her seat.
Valerie slid into it and began typing on her board. “You fool,” she told Keith. “The shield has become critical. How come you’re not bleeding it like you should?”
“No time to worry about that,” the ace said. “I’m trying to get into firing range.”
“You’re charging straight into their rays,” Valerie said. “Use the asteroids to slip-slide toward them.”
“That’s a good idea but I don’t have time. I’m trying to protect the professor’s asteroid. That means keeping the drones interested in us instead of him.”
“Do you hear yourself?” Valerie asked. “The drones can’t hurt the asteroid.”
“Why are they here now then?” Keith asked.
“To destroy our starship,” Valerie said.
“That’s one theory. I’ve got another, which is to kill the launch base so we can’t poke around in it.”
The shield where the beams struck had already turned a dark brown. Now, it was a touch lighter as Valerie adjusted, shield bleeding with concentrated skill.
“Your theory doesn’t make sense,” Valerie told Keith.
“You weren’t a strikefighter pilot, love. I know what I’m talking about when it comes to bases.”
“Second lieutenant,” Valerie said, “I’m ordering you to—”
“If you don’t believe me, look at this,” Keith said, as he manipulated his board. “Do you see their trajectories?” He indicated the main screen. Dotted lines superimposed on the screen showed where the drones headed. Each raced for Ludendorff’s asteroid.
“Why would the drones go there?” Valerie asked softly.
“I already told you: to stop the professor from getting what he thinks is so almighty important. I mean, why would Ludendorff risk his life, eh? Because the prize is worth it—at least, that’s what I think.”
Keith grinned then. A slap of a switch cleared the main screen of dotted lines. The three gleaming drones had become even larger than before. Their beams hammered Victory’s shield. A full half of the deflector area was dark brown. A few more minutes of this intensity would surely bring the shield down.
The ace from Glasgow stabbed a button. A purple neutron beam fired from its cannon, striking the leftmost drone’s shield.
***
Maddox and Meta raced through the starship’s corridors toward the disruptor cannon control room. The captain still couldn’t understand the professor’s choice. What had the Builders stored in their launch bases that caused the Methuselah Man to risk his life like that?
“Galyan,” Maddox shouted. “I’m calling in my marker.”
A moment later, the holoimage moved easily beside Maddox as the captain sprinted ahead of Meta.
“What do you mean, marker?” the AI asked.
“Do you remember I was the one who convinced you to trust us?” Maddox asked. “Because of me, you no longer have a Swarm virus.”
“This is true,” Galyan said.
“Instead of the Swarm virus, Ludendorff has put a bug in you.”
“I have heard you make this claim for some time,” Galyan said. “The professor tells me—”
“Who do you trust more, Galyan: the professor or me?”
“Normally, I would say you. In this instance—”
“The ship is under attack,” Maddox said, trying another avenue. “You need the disruptor cannon. Check your scanners if you don’t believe me.”
“I just did. You are correct. This is a troubling development.”
“Warm up the disruptor cannon.”
“I cannot. Villars—”
“Gas him,” Maddox said.
“I don’t have any gas at that location.”
“Then tell me where he’s hiding in the chamber,” Maddox said. “I’ll dig him out. Afterward, you warm up the cannon.”
“I cannot do that. The professor instructed me to obey Villars if the other recited a code sequence. The slarn hunter spoke the words. Now I am compelled to obey him.”
“Right,” Maddox said, thinking fast. “Did Villars order you not to tell me where he’s waiting?”
“He did not,” Galyan admitted.
“Well…?”
“The slarn hunter will kill you, Captain. My probability indicators give you almost zero chance of success if you simply charge into the chamber.”
“That still doesn’t give me his location,” Maddox said.
“He waits seven meters from the hatch with a rifle trained at the entrance. He will kill whoever enters the compartment. I am also to give him a warning when someone reaches seven meters from the hatch in the outer corridor.”
Maddox skidded to a halt. Seconds later, Meta stopped beside him, panting for air.
“We’re not going to get to Villars in time,” Maddox told her.
“So what do we do?” Meta asked.
Maddox slid down against a bulkhead, bending his head in thought. He was going to have to trust his crew to defeat the three drones with the neutron cannon while he took care of the situation here.
“Should I don a space marine suit?” Meta asked.
Maddox shook his head. If Villars had given Galyan the code sequence, the man had effective control of the starship. If they marched to the disruptor chamber in space marine armor, Villars might order Galyan to self-destruct the starship.
“We can’t just sit here,” Meta said.
Villars wasn’t Ludendorff. Maddox knew he had to key in on that. Then it struck him what he had to do. The captain climbed to his feet.
“Galyan,” the captain said, “tell Villars I’m coming.”
“Are you indeed?” the AI asked.
Maddox grabbed one of Meta’s hands, pulling her with him as he started walking toward the disruptor cannon. “I’m going to dig him out of there one way or another.”
“Villars will want to know that. Give me a moment.” Galyan vanished.
Maddox spun on Meta. “Listen carefully,” he whispered. “I’m going to keep Villars occupied. While I do, this is what I want you to do.” Maddox told her as quickly as he could. Then he sent Meta on her way, as he continued t
oward the disruptor cannon’s control chamber.
-16-
Victory’s neutron beam poured destructive force against a drone’s shield. The neutron cannon lacked the disruptor’s power, but it slowly battered the drone’s deflectors into the darker colors. Unfortunately, despite Valerie’s best efforts, the starship’s shield neared collapse.
“This is ridiculous,” the lieutenant said in frustration.
“I agree,” Keith said. “Hang on.”
“What?” Valerie asked.
“I don’t mean that literally,” the ace said. “It’s time to shove our ray down their throats.”
“You can’t rattle the enemy with a bold attack,” Valerie said. “They’re drones, with Builder AIs, I suppose.”
“Rattling them isn’t my intention. The closer we are to them, the stronger the neutron beam’s power becomes. Staying at this midrange is only helping them.”
“Their rays will break through our shield if you charge them,” Valerie said.
“That’s why we have collapsium armor, love.”
“No,” Valerie said. “Thanks to the magnetic storm, we lack a few armor plates. The drones are sure to aim where there’s no armor.”
Keith paused. “I hadn’t thought of that.”
“Let’s take a leaf from the New Men,” Valerie said. “Do you notice the bigger asteroid over there?” she asked, using a glow to highlight it on the main screen.
“Say no more,” Keith said. “I’m reading your mind.”
The mighty starship tilted hard as the gravity dampeners strained. Victory swerved for the asteroid as the red beams turned the vessel’s shield black.
“Thirty seconds until shield collapse,” Valerie said. “I can’t give you any longer than that.”
“I won’t need any more.” Keith fingers played upon the piloting board like a master pianist.
“Twenty seconds,” the lieutenant said.
“Come on,” Keith said between gritted teeth. He slapped a control. Gravity shoved him hard against his seat as he overstrained the dampeners. He was pushing the starship. He hoped everyone had strapped in.
“Ten seconds,” Valerie said.
“I’m reversing thrust,” the ace said. “This could get rough.”
It did. The gravity dampeners howled. The bridge shook with strain. With the grace of a ballerina, the huge starship slid behind an asteroid only a little larger than it was. The vessel came to a dead stop behind tens of thousands of tons of granite shielding. The drones no longer had a direct-line-sight on Victory. That allowed the lieutenant to begin an emergency shield-bleeding operation to bring the deflectors back from critical.
“I’m launching a probe,” Valerie said. They couldn’t see the drones anymore because the asteroid was in the way. Ten seconds passed. “I’m bringing the probe’s data onto the main screen.”
Keith looked up with interest. He expected to see the drones sneaking up on their asteroid. Instead, each of the drones aimed at the professor’s asteroid.
The ace swore, staring at Valerie.
“You were right about their wanting to attack the asteroid base,” the lieutenant said.
“I usually am,” Keith said, “although this time, I’d like to be wrong.”
Valerie concentrated on the shield, trying to speed the energy bleeding process. But after a certain point, it was simply a matter of enough elapsed time to bring the shield back.
“We have to attack the drones,” Keith said. “We can’t let them kill the professor.”
“I think you’re right,” the lieutenant said.
“If we had the disruptor cannon…” Keith said, his gaze falling on the sergeant.
Riker held the ace’s scrutiny without flinching. The sergeant wasn’t going to risk his life on a thirty percent chance of success to get Villars out of the disruptor control chamber.
“Well…” Keith said. “We don’t have the disruptor right now, do we?”
“We do have collapsium armor as you pointed out,” Valerie said.
“Armor with missing plates,” the ace said.
“Keep jigging as we attack. Try to throw off their aim at the exact soft points.”
“Aye,” Keith said. “I can’t think of anything better. Ready?”
“As I’m ever going to be,” Valerie said.
“Here we go,” Keith said.
Tapping the panel, the ace slid the vessel sideways just a little. He caused Victory to act like a sniper behind a bulwark. From the new location at the side of the asteroid, the neutron cannon could fire at one drone but not the others. That meant two enemy drones wouldn’t be able to hit Victory from their present location.
Keith laughed as he targeted the silver object. The neutron beam lanced across the distance, striking the shield of a previously un-hit drone.
Instead of maneuvering to fire back at its tormentor, the drone ignored the starship’s neutron ray. The other two also ignored Victory.
“This is perfect,” Valerie said. “I think we’re going to win this one.”
As soon as the words came out of her mouth, the targeted drone’s shield went from red to brown. At the same time, the drone accelerated. The thrust coming from its engine port lengthened a considerable degree.
“What’s it doing?” Riker asked.
“Looks to me as if the drone plans to ram the asteroid,” Keith said. He slapped the panel in frustration. “I need more power. I need the disruptor.”
The neutron beam darkened the enemy shield. Then the drone reached the professor’s asteroid, taking it out of the line-of-sight of its fellow attackers. As the drone smashed against the granite surface, it exploded in a nova-blinding flash. The drone became an atomic fireball then ceased to exist. The terrible force blew away granite, causing the rest of the rocky object to shake violently. Gigantic cracks appeared in the surface, showing an interior light. Amazingly, atmospheric vapor hissed up between the asteroid’s zigzag lines.
The remaining two drones had escaped the majority of the blast, although their shields absorbed what did reach them. They beamed between the cracks as if they could widen the openings.
“With one gone, the odds have turned in our favor,” Keith said.
Tapping the controls, the ace brought the starship out from behind its asteroid. Expelling masses of energy from the engine ports, the ace attempted to build up velocity fast. All the while, the neutron beam struck the next drone, trying to beat down its shield.
Unfortunately, the targeted drone did the same thing the first one had. As its shield reached critical, the drone drove into the professor’s asteroid, out of the line-of-sight of its fellow attacker, and exploded.
This time, Victory didn’t have the shielding meteor-mass to run interference for it. The force of the thermonuclear explosion reached the starship’s weakened shield and caused a collapse, with the rest of the radiation and heat washing against the collapsium armor.
Valerie’s board began to beep wildly.
Keith glanced at her.
“Parts of the ship are getting hit with radiation,” the lieutenant said. “Some of us will have to take treatments when this is over.”
“How long until you can bring the shield back up?”
“A half-hour if I’m lucky,” Valerie said.
Keith bared his teeth in frustration. The starship couldn’t take another of those explosions. He backed the vessel away from the remaining drone, heading for the safety of the shielding asteroid.
As Victory retreated, the last drone beamed Ludendorff’s asteroid. It was like a cat at a mouse hole, furiously determined to win its rodent. With relentless vehemence, the red ray stabbed into the widening cracks. It seemed as if the drone hunted for the professor.
***
Maddox stood in the corridor before the control room hatch. He gripped his long-barreled gun. On the other side of the door, Villars waited with a slarn rifle.
From time to time, the corridor shuddered. Once, motion caused Maddox t
o stumble forward. Then, a shock caused the captain to go to one knee. After regaining his balance, Maddox backed up, with his gun trained on the hatch.
Finally, Galyan appeared before him. “Why aren’t you entering the chamber?” the AI asked.
“I don’t want to die,” Maddox said.
Galyan stood motionless for a moment, finally saying, “Your answer meets the condition Villars gave me concerning you. I am to relay a message.”
“Go ahead.”
“He told me to tell you that he is better than you. There is no way you can defeat him in this kind of conflict.”
Maddox forced himself to laugh. “You tell him I’m going to use his own knife on him and skin his hide. The professor is gone, so now’s my chance.”
“You have become bloodthirsty,” Galyan noted.
“That’s right,” Maddox said. “Villars threatened my woman.”
Galyan disappeared, no doubt to report the exchange to the slarn hunter.
Is Meta ready? Maddox wondered. If not, none of this is going to work.
***
Meta flexed her power gloves. Beside her, Dana fitted the space marine helmet onto the exo-skeleton suit.
“Have you used one of these before?” Dana asked.
“A few times,” Meta said. “I don’t have a professional’s skill, but I should be able to walk down the halls in this without crashing into everything.”
Dana checked a chronometer. “We’re almost out of time.”
“Where’s the gyro switch?” Meta muttered to herself. “Oh, here it is. This must be a newer model than the one I used before.”
The Rouen Colony assassin wore one of the extra space marine suits Star Watch had put aboard Victory many months ago in the Oort cloud in the Solar System. This was Maddox’s off-the-cuff idea, and it was a good one.
With the suit’s motors purring, Meta clanked down the corridor. The trick was in idling just right. Otherwise, she might use the exo-power wrong and leap up against the ceiling.
Dana followed behind her with a specialty tool kit.
When Maddox had first explained the idea, Meta wondered why she wasn’t supposed to go to the disruptor control room and burst through, taking down the slarn hunter.
The Lost Destroyer (Lost Starship Series Book 3) Page 14
