There wasn't any time for her to worry about that now. She could deal with that later.
She peered into the hallway, recognizing the floor to be the pilot's quarters. That meant she only needed to go one more level to be on the flight deck.
Using the handrails for support, she made the slow slog one more level to the flight deck. Pushing through the double doors, she was amazed to find the fighters still lined up in their regular positions, as if not being used. Not only that, there was a disturbing lack of people around. Normally there'd be dozens of people in the bay, the crew chiefs working on the birds and pilots watching the work being done.
Glancing to her left, the CAG's office was vacant.
Maybe I'm early, she thought. Might as well grab one of the spare suits from Thompson's office.
She made her way past the empty birds, reaching the office after what seemed like an eternity, though it had likely only been a few minutes. The pounding in her head combined with the growing dizziness made it difficult to keep track of time. Still, she knew she was close. Once she grabbed a helmet, she'd have all she needed to get out into the fight. She found one of those resting against the wall on the floor against the wall. She wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth considering she'd left her helmet back in her room.
Not in her room, she remembered. She'd given hers to Commander Vaughn. But why she'd done it was another matter entirely. Surely the man didn't intend to fly one of the fighters. She didn't know him well, but never once had he even shown any interest in the birds.
She shrugged off the thought and got dressed. The constant bouts of dizziness made suiting up difficult, but she managed after a struggle. Thankfully, the helmet was much easier; the device locked onto her head without half the fight.
Scanning the flight deck, she found her bird resting in its usual spot close to the open bay doors. Through the opening, she could see the constant streams of fire being traded by the two ships while another, much smaller ship, hovered between. It was odd watching the battle play out from the bay. She was used to watching the action from the seat of her bird where she belonged.
Tegan climbed up the ladder to the cockpit and into the seat. Since none of the technicians were around to lift the ladder off her bird, she hefted it over the side and threw it to the ground. The metal clanged as it slammed into the floor.
She sat in the seat, buckled herself in, and worked her preflight checklist. She took as much time as she dared to make sure everything was working well enough. Once she was convinced everything was fine, she tapped in the command to ignite the thrusters.
Someone dressed in a flight suit burst out of a nearby room. A room that wasn't supposed to be there, yet she remembered. Something about it being erected to allow Richards to work on a device. The man waved his arms frantically as if he were trying to get her attention, but it was too late. She'd already pressed the controls forward, jerking her back in her seat as her fighter soared out of the bay.
Chapter Sixty-Four
Terivar Sector
Bridge, Scavenger
Wellard ducked for cover behind an empty chair as the bridge erupted into a firefight. The steady staccato of blaster rounds echoed through the room as the marines and surviving humans struggled to do the same.
Down the hall dozens of Klyptons moved as a unit, supporting each other as they crept towards the bridge. This was the first time Wellard had seen the aliens use a strategy when they attacked. Normally, they resorted to getting in close to pummel them with their fists, or barring that fire at them from afar with one of their deadly weapons. These had to be some of the elites, trained and raised to protect key personnel.
"Fire everything you have down the main corridor. Nothing survives to get inside," Walker barked as he unleashed another burst of fire down the hall. The blast caught one of the advancing Klyptons in the chest. The alien dropped to the floor only to have two more replace it in their deadly push.
"Where the hell are they coming from?" Murphy said, pushing towards the opening. He dropped to a knee and fired a steady burst down the hall. The fire ripped into the torso of a Klypton, jerking his body back as he fell into the pack.
"You'll never kill them all," Landry mused. "For every one that falls, two will replace it until you are dead."
"I doubt that." Wellard sent a wave of fire into the hall. The shots missed wide but forced one of the orange skinned aliens to duck back, giving Walker a chance to reload.
During the momentary lull, a Klypton charged. His fist connected with the jaw of a marine while he tackled another, knocking his weapon free. The two rolled around on the floor, each trying to gain the advantage over the other. Against the strength of the alien, the marine was outmatched. Their tumble ended up with the Klypton on top, and with a single vicious blow, his fist impaled the marine's chest.
Smelling the blood seemed to invigorate the other Klyptons as the ones down the hall pushed harder. Blaster fire tore through the leaders, but while fatal to the unfortunate ones in front, it shielded the rest.
"Fall back," Walker said as he backed away from the hall while continuing to fire.
But there were too many, and they were too few. Without a miracle, this was a fight they would lose.
Fine. If we're going to die, I'll be damned if I don't take a few with me. "Starting with you."
Landry's smile faded in an instant as the round pierced his skull, painting the main viewport windows with bits of brain and gore. Then, as if a switch had been flipped the aliens dropped too. Not from injuries sustained in the fight, but from something else. Something tied to Landry.
"Holy hell," Walker said as he pulled Murphy out from under the corpses of two Klyptons. "If I'd known it would be that simple, I would've put a bullet in him myself."
"Me too." One of the humans, a young woman in her teens, said. Hands raised, she stood and faced the group. But the men didn't flinch though each kept a watchful eye on her.
"Are you OK?" Wellard said. He placed his portable blaster back in his holster and limped across the room.
"We're fine. They weren't after us. Only you."
Wellard nodded. "I'm Captain Vincent Wellard of the NECS Endeavor. Our purpose here was to investigate the technology on the ship. To figure out how it was able to jump. I have to admit, I never thought we'd find humans on the ship, but I'd like to offer our help."
"I've heard the master speak about you," she said. "About your ship. They've been after you for a few months."
"Looks like we've made a mark," Walker said, slapping Wellard on the back. "Enough to send the cavalry to hunt you down."
"Do you know why your master was at Gibraltar Station? What he was looking for?"
She nodded. "He was looking for you. He knew if they destroyed the base they would draw you out. It was your death they wanted. And your ship."
On the viewport, the image of the York floated into view with the Endeavor following close behind. The Endeavor's laser batteries tore into the York's armor, gouging the ship's starboard hull. The damage should've been enough to penetrate the ship, but the Endeavor was having problems keeping up with the York's steady pace.
In return, the York was pelting the Endeavor with its chasing weapons and was doing a number to its lower decks. What Wellard found odd was the lack of fighters in the fight. Surely Bremerton would've ordered the pilots into their birds, but why weren't they there? Had the damage from the York compromised the integrity of the lower decks, or was it something else?
"Normally I'd love to ask you why, but my friends need some help. Are you capable of controlling the ship without Landry?"
The girl nodded. "Of course. I assume you wish to return to the Endeavor?"
"Eventually yes. For now, I want to buy them some time. What kind of weapons does this ship have available?"
"Nothing currently. We lost the ability to use all weaponry when we encountered you back at Gibraltar Station."
"Fine," he relented. "Then tell me the thrus
ters work."
"They do, but might I ask what your intentions are?"
"You can ask, but I'm not sure you'll like it."
"I think the captain means to use the ship as a screen. Draw some of the fire away from the Endeavor long enough to give them a fighting chance."
She stood still for a moment, eyes studying Wellard's features. After a moment she nodded. "We will help under one condition. That we return with you when this is over. We don't wish to return to the masters."
Wellard smiled. "Then take us in."
Chapter Sixty-Five
Terivar Sector
Bridge, NECS Endeavor
"Weapons back online," Wilson said. "Resuming fire."
The battle was going poorly. Without the ability to coordinate attacks with the fire crews, the best they could hope for was overloading a single point on the York. But the captain of that ship was keeping the ship moving which was making the task that much more difficult. If they had full thrust and could match the York's speed, it may have been another story, but as it was they were relegated to scratching its hull.
Dozens of smaller eruptions pelted the Endeavor, rattling anything not bolted down. The bridge crew focused as well as they could on the battle, but Bremerton knew they were all thinking the same thing. This fight would be their last. Unless Vaughn could pull off a miracle and get communications back online, they didn't stand a chance.
As if an answer to his prayer, the comm burst to life in a flurry of activity as dozens, if not hundreds of transmissions fought for his attention. Bremerton smiled, even as he cut off all incoming traffic to the bridge to focus on the task at hand.
"Bridge to Vaughn. Good timing, old man. I was starting to wonder if you'd bitten off more than you could chew."
"Seems Richards and Gray secured the anomaly to the ship too well. Had to cut the damned wires off with a torch. As a bonus, you should have access to auxiliary thrusters and one of the mains. It isn't much, but it beats floating around listlessly."
"Agreed Commander, and good work. Things were looking grim for a while. Bremerton…"
"Sir, there's one more thing you need to know. One of the fighters flew out of the bay right as I finished cutting off the anomaly."
"Any idea who it was?"
Before Vaughn could answer, Ritter interrupted. "Sir, the transponder signal from the fighter belongs to Bobcat. I can't tell if she is the one behind the controls, but who else would it be?"
"Does anyone have confirmation on her whereabouts?"
"I left her with a pair of the pilots before I came down here. She was dealing with a bad case of radiation sickness. Last I heard they were bringing a medic down to take a look at her."
"It's not on you, Richards. Bradley is as stubborn as they come. If she was intent on getting out in the fight, there wasn't anything you could've done."
"Still, I wish I could've done something more."
"You've done enough," Bremerton replied. "Speaking of the flight deck. How long will it take before radiation levels return to normal?"
"Hard to say. Doubt it's in enough time to get the birds out there, if that's what you have in mind."
"It was. Good thing the York doesn't seem to have any birds of her own, otherwise this would've been a lot worse. In any case, keep up the good work. Bremerton, out." He thumbed off the station and glanced over at Wilson. "I assume weapons crews are taking over from here?"
Wilson nodded. "They've started taking the controls the last few seconds. So far everything seems to be going well."
"Good. I wasn't sure how much longer we could've dealt with the weapons the way they were."
"Sir, picking up a massive energy spike towards the front half of the York," Ritter interrupted.
"An anomaly?"
"Looks that way. Hard to tell without getting a visual on the location."
"Do we have confirmation on our mystery pilot?"
"No, sir. If you give me a few minutes, I could…"
"No need." Bremerton thumbed his comm. "Commander Bremerton to mystery fighter. Can you copy?"
"Copy you loud and clear, sir," Bobcat replied.
"Normally, I'd chastise you for putting yourself in danger like this, but it seems you are in the right place at the right time. It seems our friends on the York are trying to escape. Midshipman Ritter has picked up a massive energy spike towards the bow."
"Standard issue anomaly?" she asked as if the damned things were actually standard.
"As far as we can tell. Due to the ship's position, we can't get a visual, so you'll have to confirm it on your own."
"Roger. I take it you need me to surgically remove it from the York like the others?" The comm chatter made it difficult to tell, but it almost sounded if her words came out slurred.
"Is everything OK Lieutenant?"
"Just feeling under the weather," she replied. "Must've come down with the flu."
"Sir, she's dealing with radiation sickness. She was the one who retrieved her flight suit for Vaughn. Honestly, she didn't look too well when I last saw her."
"Lieutenant, is this true?"
"I'm…" she hesitated. "I'm not sure. I thought I took a nasty hit heading down to my bird. Figured I was late to the show."
"It's too late to second guess ourselves now. If you don't disable the anomaly none of this matters."
"I'll do what I can Commander. Bobcat, out."
"You think she can pull it off?" Wilson asked, concerned.
"She's our best shot. If she can't pull it off, nobody can. But that doesn't mean we can't help. Wilson, have our crews target the York's thrusters. If they want to show us their ass, let's make them pay for it."
"Directing fire teams now."
As expected, all ship-based weapons stopped firing on their current targets and switched to the York's enormous thrusters. Within moments dozens of miniature explosions erupted on the hull. One of the primary laser batteries bore into the York's main thruster causing it to burn red from the heat before exploding in a massive fireball. The force of the blast caused the York to lurch as it ripped a large hole in the back of the craft.
"Nice hit," Bremerton remarked. "Move onto the next."
"Sir, something is happening with the scavenger. They're moving towards the York." Ritter brought up the image of the smaller ship onscreen. It swerved well away from the Endeavor's line of fire in an arc that looked to be taking it in front of the York.
"Are they trying to intercept our fire again?"
"Negative, sir. I can't tell what they're doing."
Chapter Sixty-Six
Terivar Sector
Cockpit, X-71 Fighter
Tegan's stomach lurched as she sent her bird into a wide corkscrew to avoid the incoming fire from the York. Suddenly, it felt like jumping in her fighter hadn't been the smart thing to do. But it was too late to second guess herself now. The commander wanted to destroy the anomaly and due to a stroke of luck she was flying the only craft capable of getting a clean shot.
If the Endeavor's thrusters weren't a wreck, it might not have been the case. But things being what they were, she wasn't going to let Bremerton down.
Once the laser fire stopped, she leveled out her craft and punched the throttle to max. She needed to get out of the open if she was going to have a chance.
The only consolation she had was knowing each weapon concentrating on her was one less trained on the Endeavor. Seeing the ship from the outside, she knew it wouldn't hold up to much more. It had taken a beating over the last few days. Multiple holes and long scars pocked its sides from the battle with the scavengers. Not only that, at least twenty different spots were belching flame and debris into space from the battle against the York. Thankfully, the worst of the damage seemed relegated to the lower sections of the ship.
The York lashed out at her with three different beams as she closed in on the ship. She jerked back on the throttle while engaging the front thrusters, bringing her fighter to an immediate stop. On top of gi
ving her a bad case of whiplash, the move had the effect of forcing each one of the beams to miss her by nearly a kilometer to the front. As the beams adjusted to her new position, she pushed forward on the controls and to the right, spinning her craft well away from the beams before twisting around to bring her ship in line with the York.
"Bridge to Bobcat. Ignore the scavenger. Looks like Wellard is moving in to help."
"Copy that bridge. Guess I'll owe the captain a beer when this is all over." She flipped off her comm to focus on her task. The last thing she needed was a long drawn out conversation.
Flying against the underside of the York, she toggled her targeting computer on. Dozens of red lights pocked her screen from the various weapon embankments that would normally be her targets. While keeping an eye on her flight vector, she thumbed through the display hoping to find what she knew wouldn't be there.
So much for hoping, she thought as she flipped on the comm. "Looks like I'll have to target this the hard way."
"Copy that, Bobcat," Wilson replied. "Not to make the bad news any worse, but it looks like you only get one shot at the damned thing. The York's energy signature is through the roof."
"How long we talking, another minute? Two?"
"Thirty seconds tops."
"Shit." She pushed the throttle forward, flying past sensor towers and exposed gauss cannons at speeds that would terrify most people. If it weren't for the adrenaline coursing through her body, it would scare the shit out of her, but there was no time for fear. Only action. Fear could come later with a hot shower and a cold beer.
As she tilted towards the nose of the York, she noticed what she was looking for. Flying in from this angle, the rectangular protrusion stuck out against the backdrop of space. She didn't bother trying to lock her weapons and instead fired blind.
Infamy (The Mythrar War Book 2) Page 21
