“It’s taking too long,” Beth snapped. “It should already have come back online. There’s power…why is it not?”
“You tried kicking it yet?” Ayala asked.
Beth chuckled. “With the armor around this thing? I don’t think it would matter. Let me think…”
She leaned over the big metal box housing the alien components. They’d built the armored shell with numerous access panels so that they could reach inside. In a pinch they could disassemble the entire box. That would let them give it a good, swift kick, and Beth was almost desperate enough to try.
It wouldn’t work, though. The computer was based on some sort of advanced quantum system, one she didn’t begin to understand. The machine was just too complex. But that didn’t mean there was no way for them to affect it. Beth checked the seams along the sides. They’d built this armored shell very well. The seams matched perfectly. They ought to allow for virtually no leaking.
“We have backup thrusters made on Earth,” Beth mused aloud.
“Yes, and we’re working to get them to activate manually, but since the computer controls were all routed through here,” Green said, slapping a hand on the alien computer housing, “they’re not working right now either.”
“I don’t need to activate those thrusters, Lieutenant. I need their fuel,” Beth said. “Specifically their liquid hydrogen. How fast can we get a hundred gallons or so brought up here and dumped into the alien machine?”
Green gaped at her a moment, and then closed his mouth with a snap. He nodded slowly. “Cool the machine. Drop the quantum units of the computer down to a ground state - as close to zero energy as possible. Liquid helium would be better…” He tapped his fingers on his chin in thought.
“We don’t have any. We do have the hydrogen,” Beth said.
“It might be enough,” Green said. “I’ll get techs working on it right away.”
“Mind filling me in?” Ayala asked.
“Drop the quantum computer to a ground state, and it should reboot when the atoms heat back up after,” Beth said.
“If the ROM survives the experience,” Green warned. “Doing this might kill the computer entirely.”
“You have any better ideas?” Beth asked. No one suggested any brilliant solutions. “Then make it happen.”
A loud bang echoed through the ship, the impact sending them all tumbling a bit in the free-fall. Beth’s pulse sped up. She knew what that had to be. There was only one thing nearby that would be colliding with her ship. Or rather, several things - the Naga shuttles.
“We’ve got company,” Beth said. “Green, hurry this up. I think we’re about out of time.”
Twenty-Five
The mood on the bridge of the Independence was completely silent but for the occasional tap on a console keyboard or murmur from a machine. Ordinarily there would be a little quiet chatter between the six crew present. But as they closed on their hyperspace exit there was a cool quiet, underlined by sharp tension.
The Kkiktchikut hadn’t attacked again after their two cruisers were destroyed. Dan was grateful for it. How they’d detected the Independence while it was in hyperspace remained a mystery. How they’d knocked the ship out of hyperspace not once, but twice, was an even greater one. But all that had to wait. In another minute they would flash back into real space on the outskirts of the Naga home system. Dan was fairly sure all hell was going to break loose at that point.
The outer ranges of the system made the most sense. There was no point jumping in close. The Naga might see that as an attack, and if the Bugs - he found himself more and more mentally referring to the Kkiktchikut that way now - were attacking he could end up arriving in the middle of a firefight. No, jumping in at the outer edge made more sense, several AU away from their sun. That would give him time to turn the ship around and head for home if the Naga acted threatening toward the Independence.
“How long till exit?” Dan asked.
“Thirty seconds, sir,” Ensign Scott replied.
Dan set the timer on his console and watched it tick down. Just a handful of breaths and they’d be back in the thick of things again. They had to be ready for whatever the Naga or the Bugs might throw at them. He tapped his console to open a radio link to Captain Larsen.
“Fighters ready?” Dan asked.
“Alert team of four is in the bays ready to go on your signal, sir. I’ve got all fourteen ready to launch as rapidly as we can deploy them,” Larsen replied.
“Good enough. Stand by,” Dan said. He put the channel on standby. “De Toro, as soon as we exit, I want a full sensor scan. Active is fine. Ping everything moving out there, I want to know the situation.”
They were arriving high enough above the ecliptic - the plane that most of the objects in the system should be orbiting on - that there shouldn’t be much debris near their exit point. But Dan was more concerned with the warship threat than he was with space junk or asteroids.
“Will do, sir. At this range there will be some scan lag,” De Toro replied.
“Put the scans received on the main screen as they come in, updating as we get new information,” Dan said.
“Aye, sir.”
“Coming out of hyper in three, two,..” Scott counted down. “One.”
The ship blinked back into real space without even a shudder. The heavy rocking they’d been through when yanked out must have been a result of the weapon the Bugs had used to pull them from hyperspace. This time, the exit was smooth as glass.
“No near objects, sir,” De Toro said. “I’m seeing five major planets. Two rocky, three big gas balls. We’re right in the middle, near the orbit of the third world.”
“Signs of life?” Dan asked. The scan data flashed onto the big screen.
The Naga homeworld had to be the second planet. The one nearest the sun was half molten and looked tidally locked. A little like Mercury. The gas planets were too big and too far out to produce life like the Naga. The reptilian race had evolved on a planet similar to Earth.
That left the second planet, and it was clear the place was well built up. There was an extensive array of satellites around the world. Some of them were enormous. He’d bet money those were defensive stations. Or they could be hangars, shipyards… Until they had results back from their scan, he was left guessing based only on the light their cameras could receive.
A good number of moving objects flitted about near the planet as well. Those were ships. The computer was tracking and flagging each one, attempting to guess what class ship they were and identify whether they were threats or not. The good news was that they had yanked detailed ship information on every class of Naga vessel from the databases of the battlecruisers they’d captured. That meant the educated guesses made by the ship’s computer were likely pretty good. The bad news was, he was going to have to wait to get a real confirmation of those guesses, and the delay in information might be costly.
Dan tapped a code into his console. He’d locked the quantum communication device just in case the Naga somehow broke out while they were in transit. He didn’t want the enemy able to use it to send out a mayday. Only he and Colonel Martelle, the two senior ranks on the ship, had access to the code. Martelle hadn’t wanted the code. Dan had insisted. At least two people had to have it, and he was short an XO for the time being, so Martelle had to fill the shoes. Dan activated the link to call the Naga, switching on the translation software.
“This is Captain Wynn of the Independence. We have arrived to return the prisoners to you,” Dan said. He hesitated, then took a leap of faith. “We were attacked en route by ships we believe might be enemies of yours, as well. If we have mutual foes, I would like to discuss the possibility of working together against them.”
There, he’d said it. Dan held his breath, hoping for an affirmative answer. He didn’t precisely have the authority to do more than return the Naga to their home. That didn’t stop him from wanting to do more, though. Garul was right. With the tech advantage the Kkik
tchikut had, even working together might not be enough to stop them. If they fought alone, Dan had the sinking feeling that both the Naga and humanity might be doomed.
The speakers crackled to life, startling Dan from his thoughts despite his having anticipated a response. He looked down at the thing, hearing the snarling sounds of Naga words, the English translation coming a few seconds later as the computer turned that speech into something he could understand.
“We are coming. You will prepare to be boarded. We will take back the Naga you have captured, and we will be recovering possession of our ship as well. Any resistance will be met with deadly force. If you surrender, we may in time repatriate you to your pathetic mammal world.”
Dan sucked in a deep breath. That wasn’t at all the reaction he had been hoping for. He closed his eyes for a moment. Couldn’t they see? The Bugs were an existential threat to both their species. Damn their pride. If humans and Naga could work together, maybe they’d stand half a chance.
He’d been a Naga prisoner once. Dan had no intention of subjecting himself to their tender mercies a second time. But he didn’t want to cut and run just yet. If he fled back to Earth, the Naga ships might simply pursue, and his homeworld was ill-equipped to handle another invading fleet. Besides, if there was any chance of talking these beings around, he had to give it a shot.
But first he was going to need to demonstrate that he meant business.
“Ensign Scott, make for the orbit of that big gas giant,” Dan said.
“We’re staying, sir?” the young man replied. He didn’t sound frightened, which was both good and bad. It meant he had guts, and it also meant he probably didn’t understand just how bad the situation really was. He would, before all this was over.
“Yes, we’re staying. Time to show the Naga what a real crew can do with a battlecruiser. Maximum speed on the sub-light engines. I want us there yesterday,” Dan said.
It was going to require every trick he had up his sleeve to keep them alive through this next bit. But if he could win, then maybe - just maybe - the Naga would come to accept humans as their equals. And worthy of an alliance. If combat was the only way to demonstrate that, then by god he’d take his ship into battle.
Twenty-Six
Beth watched through the porthole as the second Naga shuttle changed its approach vector to match the Satori’s slow tumble and latched on. Four fighter ships stood guard over the shuttles, preventing her from putting any of her security forces outside on the hull. They’d be picked off immediately. No, this fight would have to take place within the ship. They’d need to defend the Satori deck by deck, and hope Green could get the drives operational in time to do any good.
“They’re cutting through the airlock,” Ayala said, his voice and face transmitted to the inside of her helmet via the tactical net. He led the team guarding the other side of the ship, where the Naga were making a second beachhead. “Won’t be long now.”
“Security teams in position?”
He just gave her a look. She flashed her second in command a smile in response.
“Just checking,” Beth said. Her mind was racing, trying to think of any preparations they could make which they hadn’t already done. Nothing came to mind. They’d passed out weapons to almost everyone on the ship. Even the colonists who’d stayed aboard were armed. They weren’t well trained, but they could hold and shoot a gun. Every bullet might make a difference.
Sparks flew into the hall. The Naga had brought their shuttles up against airlocks on either side of her ship. Beth had responded by blowing out the controls on the airlock doors, which locked them down pretty much permanently. Repairing the things was going to be a bitch, but that was the least of her worries right now. The Naga were cutting their way in anyway, breaching the Satori’s airlocks about mid-ship on both the port and starboard bulkheads. They’d already cut through the outer door. Now they were working on the inner door. Another minute or two and they’d be into the ship. Beth tapped her radio.
“Green, what’s our status on the engines?” she asked.
“We’ve got the siphon set up to pour the liquid hydrogen into the engine housing. About to start now. If you’re sure?” He seemed hesitant, and she could understand why.
If this worked, then once the engine warmed back up the computers controlling the flow of energy from the power source should boot back up again. They’d have Majel back. They’d have control of the ship back. With the wormhole engine live, they could get the hell out of this place. With railguns, they could defend the Satori against the Naga battlecruiser.
But the same freezing liquid which might save them could also permanently damage the quantum computer. There was no time to test the durability of the ancient device. If it failed, the procedure might destroy the thing for good.
What choice did they have? There were hundreds of Naga over on that cruiser. They could ferry over more troops using the shuttles, and even if the Satori’s crew put up a sterling fight, eventually they would be overwhelmed.
“Do it,” Beth said. She crossed her fingers, praying that she was making the right call.
The sparks entering the hall reached a fever pitch, pouring away from the metal in a rushing gout of fire. They’d cut through the bars locking the airlock door in place. There was no rush of air exiting the ship, so the Naga had something preventing decompression. All of her people were in light environmental suits anyway, with armor over the top. The suits weren’t as resilient as a full space suit, but they’d keep everyone alive if the ship did decompress. The magnetic boots which were a part of each suit would keep their feet on the floor, too, allowing them to fight more effectively.
Beth heard a grunting noise as the Naga pushed hard against the door. She couldn’t see what they were doing, but the door was designed to slide back into the wall. She’d blown out the motors controlling that mechanism, so the aliens were shoving it back through brute force. She grinned. They’d set up a few surprises for the invaders, and it was almost time to spring them.
“Wait until they have people in the hall,” Ayala advised through their radio.
This time it was Beth’s turn to give him a look. “Not my first rodeo.”
He grinned back at her. “I know.”
The Naga had the door open enough that they could pass through single file. The first one stepped out into the hall, and Beth darted back around the corner to keep herself hidden.
“All security, hold fire until the signal, then give them hell,” she said over the tactical channel.
Without power Beth had no access to the hall cameras, and she couldn’t very well peek around the corner. The Naga would spot her in an instant and gun her down. She’d already taken a couple of bullets over the past year. She was tired of being shot, stabbed, or otherwise beat up.
Which meant that she needed to guess when the best time to set off the mine would be.
She hesitated, hand gripping the clacker firmly. She could hear the booted feet of Naga as they poured into the hall. How many were there? How long did she have until they poured down the hall, either toward her team or the other one at the opposite side of the corridor? Wait too long, and the mine wouldn’t be effective. Hit it too early, and it wouldn’t take down enough enemy.
“All hands, stand by for decompression,” she said into the tactical net. She couldn’t wait any longer. There had to be at least several Naga in the hall. She squeezed the triggering device.
A roar came from the hall near the airlock. The mine was an anti-personnel device. A C-4 block in the back of the mine blasted several thousand small metal bearings outward in a fan-shaped dispersion. The little balls struck like bullets. They were designed to tear whatever they hit to shreds. At point blank range like this, they were a terrible weapon.
Wind whipped down the hall. At least some of the projectiles had pierced the ship’s hull. Air was pouring out through the holes they’d made. Without power, the systems which ordinarily would have cut off this part of the shi
p couldn’t function. No bulkhead doors came slamming down to cease the flow of air. They had manually closed hatches a short distance behind them, but this area was going to lose atmosphere fast.
Beth didn’t wait for more than a few heartbeats after the explosion went off. She rounded the corner, her rifle already on her shoulder. She had one of the Naga weapons. They only had a couple on the ship, but they were among the most effective tools in their arsenal. The three security guards with her lurched forward at the same time.
The hall was a mess. Any flames had already been put out by the rush of air evacuating the section. The mine had been placed on the wall directly across from the airlock. It had torn apart four of the six Naga who’d already boarded and done massive damage to the outer hull of the ship all around the airlock. With luck maybe she’d done some damage to the shuttle outside, too. Throw enough little iron balls at something, and if they’re moving fast enough they tend to punch lots of tiny holes all over the place.
Two Naga were still standing. Beth snapped off a shot at one and missed. The soldier next to her fired, his three-round burst striking sparks as the bullets slammed into the armor the Naga wore. They had spacesuits too, heavily armored things that made the Naga look like robot dinosaurs. Beth growled and fired again. This time her shot took the Naga in the chest. The alien rocked back as the small, fast energy pellet blew through his chest armor.
More rounds sailed down the hall from the rest of her security team, taking out the other invader in a hail of bullets.
Everything was silence. All Beth could hear was the sound of her own heavy breathing and the pounding of her heart. Then the ship seemed to jolt, and she knew Ayala had blown his mine. Hopefully his ambush had been as effective as hers. The success buoyed her spirits. Maybe they could hold this deck after all. No more Naga were pouring from the shuttle, and if they did her team could shoot them one by one as they passed through the narrow airlock.
Embers of War (Adventures of the Starship Satori Book 8) Page 12
