Fortunately, the Vehn lacked one critical advantage: It had no fighter squadron. The Vehn relied on brute force, guns, and cannons. Its goal would be to board the Pride as quickly as possible and gut the ship from the inside out, rather than engage in the fast-paced dogfights human combatants preferred.
“Commander,” Conrad said. “We see a Vehn ship at two o’clock, about a hundred kilometers away.”
“We’re on the opposite side of the Pride,” replied the commander. “Deploying to take on the other Vehn ship. You take care of that one and we’ll deal with this one.”
“Acknowledged,” said Conrad.
He assessed the situation with a soldier’s critical eye. The commander was throwing them at the first Vehn ship as a distraction. The likelihood that a Kestrel could take out a ship like the one looming in the distance was exceedingly low. But if they could keep this ship away from the Pride, they’d give the squadron a chance to take out the other Vehn ship.
He muted the comms and looked at Argus. “They’re trying to trap the Pride,” he observed aloud. “Pin her down from two sides.”
The Kazhad rumbled deep in his throat. “What’s the plan?”
“The usual. I fly, you shoot.”
Argus showed his teeth. Conrad put his hands on the yoke, feeling the faint tremors of the ship preparing for battle.
“Let’s go.”
The La Paz soared out of the protective layer of the Pride’s shields.
Conrad dropped the Kestrel fast and low relative to the massive transport ship. He craned his head up with only a passing glance at the sensor display.
Never put all your faith in controls, he remembered Garrity saying. There are things a man’s eye can see and a gut can feel that no tech can ever touch.
The Pride was still firing shots at the two Vehn ships, her cannons going hard and fast. But the transport ships of her age and class were never meant to go into battle alone. They were always surrounded by a convoy of smaller attack vessels.
The neutron blasts blazed toward the Vehn ships and splattered across their heavy armor.
No damage.
Argus grunted. “Old cannons,” he said. “Never meant for this kind of fight.”
“The captain’s going to keep firing,” Conrad predicted. “It’s all he’s got. At best he’ll blind ’em a bit.”
Argus adjusted his controls. Conrad heard the faint whirr of the La Paz’s own gunports opening. The ship had been stripped down for their mission, but the Corps had built in hidden weapons inside and outside of the ship, far beyond a Kestrel’s typical weapons system.
Didn’t think I’d have to burn through the entire stash this soon, mused Conrad. But there was no question of leaving the Pride to fend for herself.
“Have they seen us?” asked Argus.
“Doesn’t matter,” replied Conrad. “I’m going up fast—that Vehn ship can’t follow. Blast everything you’ve got when we’re close.”
He said a little prayer for the La Paz’s inertial dampers before accelerating toward the Vehn ship, as fast as the Kestrel could fly.
The ship seemed to vibrate with energy. Conrad could even feel the vibrations in his clenched jaw. The La Paz began to zigzag, the approach trajectory too random for the Vehn to anticipate.
The Vehn ship didn’t seem to move from Conrad’s vantage point; the La Paz was going too fast for the Vehn to easily attack.
The La Paz flew along the bottom of the Vehn ship, Argus firing the focused short range neutron guns along its belly. A streak of white-hot metal glowed for a millisecond and then faded as Conrad flew them back out.
No damage.
Conrad twisted the La Paz up and out of range of the Vehn’s guns.
“Again,” he heard Argus say.
He tipped the yoke and angled the La Paz back down again, diving toward the Vehn ship for another strafing run.
This time he heard the click of the torpedo bays coming online. He already knew what Argus was attempting.
“Faster,” growled Argus.
Conrad squinted at the Vehn ship. For the guns to penetrate plated armor that thick, the torpedo would have to hit first. He only had one chance to get it right.
He focused on a dark circular shape on the aft of the ship. Looks like a bull’s-eye, he thought to himself.
His hands tightened on the yoke as a sudden realization washed over him. An old memory from an Academy diagram.
It was a bull’s-eye—it was one of the ship’s airlocks. Based on its position, it had to be an entryway to the ship. The boarding apparatus would emerge from there, like the tentacle of a hideous monster.
It could be the one soft spot in the ship’s armor—or it could be a death trap.
“Argus,” he said, his hand moving quickly over the sensor display to zoom in on the dark circle. “Hit that target. There.”
“That’s nowhere near the guns—”
“Just hit the target!”
The La Paz shuddered as a glowing weaponized laser beam streaked toward them and nicked the Kestrel.
Conrad brought the ship under control. He could feel a tug on his body for the first time—the inertial damper was malfunctioning.
“Conrad!” Argus howled.
“Just hit the damn target!” Conrad shouted.
Another jolt went through him as a second blast hit the La Paz. He gritted his teeth and pushed on.
The ship dove again toward the Vehn.
“Now!” he roared.
Argus fired the torpedoes. They seemed to move sluggishly, as if they were going in slow motion.
If the Vehn could intercept it—
Four short beams shot past the torpedoes.
They missed!
The torpedoes landed. Conrad accelerated one last time, up and away from the Vehn ship. The La Paz’s guns blasted at the site of impact, seconds after the torpedoes hit, the explosion blinding Conrad.
He pulled the ship up, quick as a reflex. If they didn’t get out fast enough, the explosion would take them out as collateral damage.
He could feel the La Paz shaking. They had to have sustained some damage. The inertial dampers, the port and starboard stabilizers, the engines…
He heard howling. Argus. They must have made it out. They were still alive.
Conrad exhaled shakily.
He pulled up the sensor display. The Vehn ship was burning, the explosion from the torpedoes and guns spreading through the ship’s thick plates like a spider web of fire.
The sound of cheers filled the cockpit from comms. It was the Pride’s fighter squadron.
“One down, one to go,” he said, feeling the adrenaline surging through his veins.
“They got you,” he heard the commander say over the noise. The sound of the pilots died down. “Your stabilizers are damaged. Get out of there, corpsman,” the commander ordered.
“We’ve got heavy damage to the hull,” said Argus. “The inertial dampers—”
Conrad turned the sensors toward the Pride. He could see the other Vehn ship crawling toward the Pride. There were scorch marks across its brown hull. The squadron had landed a few hits, but it was closer than ever to the helpless transport ship.
They still don’t want to destroy the Pride. Conrad looked quickly at the hulking transport ship. No, they want her alive—for now.
“We’re coming for you, sir,” he said into the comms. “We’re not out of this yet.”
Chapter 9
The Pride’s squadron swarmed the remaining Vehn ship.
Conrad frowned as he studied the sensors. Why hadn’t the squadron made a dent in the second ship’s armor?
He trained all the sensors on the enemy ship. The ship they’d taken apart had armor—but the other Vehn ship’s plating was twice as thick. He swore softly under his breath.
Conrad stared at the Vehn vessel. “Even if we rammed it at top speed,” he said steadily, “would we even break through?”
“No,” said Argus. The Vehn ship had the t
hickest armor they’d ever seen. “It would take a ship with five times as much weaponry as we’re carrying to pierce those hulls,” he said.
Conrad cursed.
“How do we attack?” demanded Argus.
Conrad grinned grimly. Not should we or will we, but how. He pivoted the La Paz toward the Pride. “We’re in bad shape, aren’t we?” he asked.
Argus grunted.
“La Paz?” The commander’s voice was impatient.
“We got any more torpedoes, Argus?”
“Two left,” he said.
“One more time,” said Conrad. “We just need to do that one more time.”
“We could use some help, sir,” he said to the commander.
“We’ll be right on your tail,” came the response.
Conrad took a deep breath as he dove into the melee.
True to the commander’s word, the squadron did its part. The ships were a mixed lot—some were as old as the Pride, others were newer models that Conrad didn’t recognize. But they flew as one.
The fighters traveled in formation, staying between the Vehn and the Pride. As the Pride accelerated as fast as its bulk would allow, its fighter ships flew behind the transport ship as a flying barrier. They fired almost in unison, the scorch marks on the ship’s hull darkening.
Still, it wasn’t enough.
“Trying for one run,” announced Conrad. The squadron had seen what the La Paz had done to the first Vehn ship. “If you can,” he said, “take out their guns—keep ’em from firing at us so we can take a decent shot.”
“Acknowledged,” said the commander.
The fighters streamed toward the Vehn. The Vehn guns were slow—not as slow as the Pride’s cannons, but easy enough for the fighters to dodge.
They spread out suddenly. The Vehn’s targeting seemed to pause, then sprayed a fresh volley of shots at the fighters. One shot hit the Pride but dissipated across the transport ship’s shields. Accurately targeting twenty small fighters was nearly impossible.
“Nobody said they were smart,” Conrad muttered, as he watched the Vehn ship waste its ammunition.
The fighters closed in on the Vehn ship’s starboard gunports. The metal guns exploded.
“Commander, am I good to go?” he said, louder. The distraction had worked, and they were seconds away from being close enough to launch their torpedoes. Conrad narrowed his eyes, seeing the shadowy shape of the same soft spot in the Vehn ship’s armor.
“Go,” was the curt reply.
Conrad decelerated and yanked the La Paz up, the injured ship shuddering as Argus fired the torpedoes.
“The guns,” he shouted. “Argus—what’s wrong with the guns?”
He heard a furious roar. “Malfunction,” he heard Argus growl.
“Pull up,” the commander ordered. “Now!”
The La Paz soared up, the ship shaking and rattling. The display showed the fighters strafing the spot where the torpedoes had hit.
For a moment there was only light and glowing metal.
Conrad twisted the La Paz around to survey the damage.
The Vehn ship seemed to slow down for just a moment. The light died to reveal an intact hull.
Argus pounded his fist down on the console.
“Doesn’t matter,” Conrad snapped. “We’ve got their attention—that’s what matters.”
“La Paz,” said the commander over the comms. “You got anything left?”
Argus shook his head. “Negative,” he said.
Conrad watched as the Vehn ship changed course. He eyed the Vehn ship. It was still within striking distance of the Pride. He turned to the comms. “We’ll get the ship away from the Pride,” he said.
“The hell you will, in the shape you’re in,” came the commander’s gruff response.
“We’re wounded. That makes us the easy target. Get ’em to come after us. Let ’em think they can just come back for the Pride after they get us.”
“Corpsman… are you prepared to take that kind of risk?” There was a warning in the commander’s voice. He knew what Conrad was suggesting.
“Drive ’em toward us. And get the Pride as far away from here as fast as you can.” It would be a temporary reprieve, Conrad figured, but it was the ship’s best chance nonetheless.
As for what would happen to the La Paz… he pushed the gruesome possibilities out of his mind.
“Corpsman,” came the captain’s stern voice over the comms. “Take the Vehn to the portal.”
Argus lifted his shaggy head and looked at Conrad, the fur on the back of his neck rising.
“Where?” Conrad asked, his pulse pounding even faster. This had to be it—the fortified portal Hogarth had told them about. They’d been hours away from the drop when the Vehn first appeared.
“Transmitting the coordinates now,” the captain replied. “And the access codes to the portal.”
“Access codes?”
There was a slight pause. “A gift from Hogarth,” he said at last. “To be used only in emergencies. He—or one of his old, dead clones—hacked into the fortifications around the Xin Caledonia portal lifetimes ago. No one knows where it goes. It was meant to be a pressure valve, a last resort. No one’s ever had to use the codes before—but he meant for me to give them to you at the drop. Now seems to be as good a time as any.”
Argus hurriedly read the coordinates that appeared on his console. “Twenty-two minutes away at top speed,” he said, already inputting the information into the navigational system.
“One last warning from Hogarth,” said the captain. “No one can travel through a closed, fortified portal. If you open the portal and go through it, come back as fast as you can and close it. He told us to leave it open for you. But in the meantime… anything can come back through. Anything, do you understand me?”
“Yes sir,” Conrad replied.
“Corpsman,” he heard the commander say, “we’ll give you the best shot we can.”
“It’s been a pleasure, sir,” said Conrad. “Just get the Pride out of here.”
“It’s been an honor, corpsman,” the commander said, and logged off.
Conrad turned his head to Argus. “Ready?” he asked. The Kazhad nodded, a gleam in his eye. “We’re in for a hell of a chase.”
Chapter 10
The La Paz groaned.
Conrad could swear he felt the ship stretching and warping as he flew it toward the portal. They couldn’t see it yet—there was only the promise in the darkness.
As the Vehn ship chased the La Paz, the squadron pursued it, firing at its scorched hull, aiming at the burned but intact armor.
It wasn’t enough, Conrad knew. The squadron’s shots weren’t even slowing the Vehn ship down. The combined torpedo and gun attack had caused only the slightest bit of damage.
Their only hope was the portal.
A weaponized beam shot past the cockpit window.
He tilted the La Paz by reflex. The beam had grazed the port stabilizer, sending a spasm through the damaged ship.
“One more shot like that and we’ll be dead,” rumbled Argus.
“They’re not trying to kill us,” Conrad replied. “They still think there’s humans on board—and so long as they do, they’ll want us alive.”
He glanced down at the sensor display. The fighter ships were beginning to drop back, one by one. They had to preserve themselves, to protect the Pride when the Vehn ship came back.
It’s not coming back, he thought with grim determination. This is it. For them—and for us.
Another beam shot past the cockpit window, this time on the opposite side.
“They’re trying to disable us,” Conrad observed. “They think they can run us down till we’re out of fuel.”
“They might be right.” Argus ran a paw along the instrument panel above his head, checking the fuel indicators.
“Is it enough to get us to the portal?”
“Barely. Once we come out the other side we’ll be dead in space. If th
ey follow us through they’ll catch us. Assuming there is another side,” he added.
“We can’t even use the codes to re-fortify the portal behind us to keep them from following,” said Conrad, “they’d head straight back for the Pride.”
Argus growled.
“There are enough guns stowed under the deckplates for one hell of a fight,” Conrad said.
Argus refocused on his instrument panels. “They’re three hundred kilometers behind us,” he said.
Conrad dug his nails into the yoke. “C’mon,” he muttered. “Keep it together, old girl.”
A tremor went through the La Paz as Conrad spun the ship around, dodging a volley of beams aimed at its stabilizers.
As he found his focus one more time, he saw it—a familiar, dim disc in the darkness.
A circular wall of metal fifty kilometers thick stood between them and the portal.
It was ancient and weathered, but Conrad knew it had to be tougher than it looked. There was only one way to enter a portal—it was a rip, a soft spot in the fabric of space. If the access codes failed, they’d crash into the barrier without taking out the Vehn.
“Is it functioning?” he demanded. “Is it even receiving data?”
“No time to test,” said Argus.
“Then transmit,” said Conrad. “Now.”
Argus’s hands moved like lightning over his panel. Conrad stared at the barrier without blinking.
A thin black line appeared at the center of the wall. It began to widen.
“It’s working,” he said.
The ship suddenly seemed to shake and then buckle.
“Starboard stabilizer is gone,” said Argus.
“Well, I’ll just have to fly her in a straight line.”
Conrad could feel the ship jerking beneath him as he aimed the La Paz at the direct center of the portal.
“The Vehn are thirty kilometers away and gaining,” said Argus, urgently.
“Almost there,” Conrad breathed out. “Almost—”
The La Paz hit the portal at top speed.
Sanctuary's Soldier: The Darkspace Saga Book 1 Page 6
