By the time they reached the Observation Deck, Faith had her emotions back under control. Tristan opened the door for her and she stepped inside, her eyes going immediately to the huge viewport that covered the entire outside wall of the room from floor to ceiling.
“Oh, crappola,” she said, stopping so suddenly that Tristan nearly plowed into her.
“What is it?” he asked, Jon and Gray crowding in behind them.
“Xanti ships,” she said, her mouth dry. “Two of them. Right out there. There’s a Door between them.”
“It’s all right, Faith,” Tristan said, sensing her fear. “You can see them, but they don’t know that. That gives us the advantage.”
“It’s not much of an advantage when I can’t even tell you exactly where they are,” Faith said, frustration nearly overwhelming her.
“That’s taken care of,” Jon said. “Come on, I have something to show you.”
He led her to one of three new vid terminals that had been installed in front of the viewport. Faith barely noticed that there were also several new panels of electronics in the room, taking the place of the table that had been there the night before.
“Won’t they be able to see us through the window?” she asked, trying hard not to panic.
“Absolutely not,” Jon replied calmly, feeling her tension rise. “The outside of the viewport is coated so that we can see out, but no one can see in. You’re perfectly safe.”
Faith took another series of deep breaths. “Okay, what do I do.”
Jon picked up a strange looking object that was vaguely familiar. She’d seen similar objects in the museum she’d worked in, but it took her a moment to dredge the name up from the recesses of her memory. Binoculars, she thought. Once used to see long distances.
“I did some research and found a couple of instruments that are outdated, but that I thought would work if combined in the right way. I sent the specs to the tele-fabricators in Badia and they made this up for us.” He handed the strange binoculars to her and she studied them for a moment. They were heavy, maybe five pounds, with lots of little dials on them.”
“These have been calibrated with the ship’s computer,” Jon said. “When you look through them you’ll see several little lines and a center dot. Go ahead and try it.”
Faith raised the binoculars to her eyes and looked through them, seeing the little lines and dots he mentioned. “Okay, what next?”
“First, align the center dot with the center of one of the ships you see,” Jon said. “When you have it where you want it, tell me.”
Faith raised the binoculars again and lined the center dot up with what she guessed was the center of the nearest ship. “Now,” she said.
She heard Jon press a button on his console. “Good. Now, see the line across the top?”
“Yes,” Faith murmured.
“Keep the center dot in the same place, and watch the top line. I’m going to move it. Let me know when it hits the top edge of the object you see.”
“Now,” Faith said a few moments later. They repeated the procedure with the bottom line, then Faith had to lower the binoculars. “I’m sorry,” she said. “They’re just too heavy to hold that long. I need a minute.”
“I’m sorry, Faith,” Jon said, angry with himself. He got up and went to the far side of the room, picked something up and came back. “This is a tripod. I should have set it up, I just got carried away.”
“Oh, that’s great,” Faith said with relief. A few seconds later the tripod was up and Faith was able to look through the binoculars without holding them. They made a few adjustments to the marks they’d already made since the location of the binoculars had changed slightly, then quickly finished the rest.
“All right, now come on over here.” Faith stepped back beside Jon and looked at the screen in front of him, which held a dozen or so images of Xanti ships. “Do any of these match what you see out the viewport?”
Faith studied the images carefully, then shook her head. “Sorry, no,” she said.
“That’s all right,” Jon said. “There are more.” A moment later the screen held another dozen images, including a match for the two she saw.
“Good,” Jon said when she pointed to the right one. Now, let’s see if this works the way I hope.” He typed a few commands into the terminal, then they all waited breathlessly to see what would happen.
“That’s it!” Faith gasped as a three dimensional image of the Xanti ship and the Eyrie appeared on the screen in the same position and relative size as what she saw.
“Excellent,” Tristan said, clapping Jon on the shoulder. “We know exactly what it is, where it is, and how big it is. Let’s do the second one.”
A few short minutes later they had the second Xanti ship plotted as well. “Now we have to decide what to do about this,” Tristan said. “Since we’re in Shearan space, we can’t fire on another ship without their approval. At the same time, this is a good chance for the Gryphons and the Katres to experiment.”
“Experiment?” Faith asked, her eyebrows raised in surprise. But Tristan just smiled.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “It’s a new weaponless method of taking out ships.”
“Okay,” Faith said, lowering herself into a chair.
She watched as Tristan contacted someone on Sheara 3 and began speaking rapidly into his vox. At the same time, Gray’s fingers were flying over a keyboard, sending a message to Jasan, she guessed. Or maybe the other ships in the task force. Jon was busy at his terminal too. She didn’t know what he was doing exactly, and had no intention of interrupting him to find out. Instead, she kept a close eye on the Xanti ships, just in case they decided to do something. Like move.
Lonim Katre tapped his vox and turned to face Maxim, Ran, and Summer. “The Eyrie requests that the Vyand jump as soon as can be managed. Unblind has spotted two Xanti cruisers in Shearan space, cloaked with Blind Sight. The Shearans have officially requested that the Eyrie neutralize them, but Admiral Tristan believes that such an attack would be dangerous for Sheara 3.”
“He’s right,” Maxim said. “Jasan is at war with the Xanti, but it we can’t drag Sheara 3 into it, then leave them unprotected. Has the Ala-Lahoi jumped yet?”
“Yes, they went about two hours ago,” Loni replied.
“Order the remainder of the task force to remain here until further notice,” Maxim said. “Too many more ships popping in may cause the Xanti to behave defensively even though they can’t know we are aware of them.”
“Admiral Tristan has already so ordered,” Loni said.
“Good,” Maxim said. He turned to Summer. “Are you well enough to do this?”
“Of course,” Summer said, smiling brightly. “I’m perfectly fine.”
“You weren’t fine a few minutes ago,” Ran said. “You were quite sick.”
“Just a little nausea,” Summer said. “It’s not a big deal.”
“It is for Clan Jasani,” Maxim said.
Summer nearly cursed out loud. She hadn’t even thought of that! Jeez. “Well, whatever it was, its gone now. Let’s get to the bridge so we can do our thing when the jump is complete.”
***
Aboard the new Clan Gryphon ship, the Ala-Lahoi, Rand Gryphon tapped his vox to disconnect and eyed Aisling carefully. “We are to attempt to disable one of the Xanti ships identified by Unblind immediately after the Vyand arrives.”
“Are you sure this will not be too much for you?” Olaf asked Aisling. She narrowed her eyes at her Rami.
“Knock it off,” she said through gritted teeth. “I’m pregnant, not sick, so stop treating me like an invalid. Besides, all I have to do is stand there. I think I can manage that without straining myself too much.”
“Stand there and channel enormous amounts of magic,” Rudy corrected.
Aisling decided to change tactics and try logic. “We’ve been practicing for weeks. There’s no reason this will be any different.”
“Yes, there is,” Olaf
argued. “We will be very far from Jasan when we complete this jump. We don’t know how difficult it will be for you to be so far from the source of our magic.”
“Princess Lariah has said that proximity is of no consequence,” Aisling reminded them. “Why can’t you guys believe her? She hasn’t been wrong about any of the rest of this.”
Olaf grimaced. He had to be careful here or he risked criticizing their Princess, which would not be wise. The Dracons doubted, but they were her Rami, and the Royal Princes of Jasan, so they could get away with it. He could not.
“We are only concerned for you,” he said finally, taking the easy way out.
Aisling grinned. “Let’s get to the viewing deck. What are you guys going to use? Fire or Earth?”
“It would be wisest to use Fire as that is our greatest strength,” Olaf said.
“Yes, but fire also increases the possibility that you’ll end up destroying the ship, and you don’t want to do that, right?” Aisling asked
“That’s correct,” Olaf conceded. “What do you have in mind?”
Rand’s vox beeped and he reached up to tap it. “Damn!” he swore, then disconnected.
The Xanti have just opened fire on two of our cruisers,” he said. “They’re still cloaked and Unblind reports they are shifting position after firing.”
“Our plans have changed,” Olaf said. He swung Aisling up into his arms and stepped sideways. Two seconds later they were standing before a large viewport.
“Start a fire in the ship,” Aisling said after Olaf set her back on her feet. “Somewhere that isn’t filled with a lot of Xanti. The cargo hold, something like that. Then spread it fast through the electrical system, ducts, wherever it would be most difficult for them to find and get to. That’ll take their attention off of firing on our ships, and give you time to find and blow the fuel cells.”
“Brilliant,” Rudy said. A thin blue line appeared within the thick transparent material of the viewport, and they all watched intently as it quickly outlined the current locations of both Xanti ships.
“The near one is ours,” Rand said.
Aisling closed her eyes and relaxed, then reached for the flow of magic that she sensed emanating from Jasan. It took just a little longer than usual for her to feel it begin to flow through her body.
She opened her eyes, turned her head and smiled smugly at Olaf. He grinned back, relieved that Princess Lariah had been correct. He reached for the deep pool of magic centered within their Arima, feeling Rand and Rudy do the same, all of them in perfect sync with each other. The three of them had always been close, but since their soul-linking they were truly as one at times like this.
Their power combined and strengthened through Aisling, Olaf reached for the Xanti ship that could not be seen or detected by any instrument or eye they possessed. However, knowing exactly where it was, thanks to the mysterious person known only as Unblind, allowed him to use Earth magic to locate the metal of the ship’s hull. He traced that to the interior of the ship, following it as it led to a maze of structural supports, pipes, feeds, and engines. It took only a moment to find what he was looking for. He started to search for a cargo hold, but realized they didn’t need it. Instead, he started a fire deep within the bowels of the ship’s electrical system. He built it up carefully, then began to spread it upward through the ship. After a moment he felt Rudy split off, taking the fire aft, while Rand split the other direction. Olaf continued upward, using Earth magic to sense the metal in the wires, and Fire magic to set them ablaze.
He sensed fire retardants being used in an attempt to smother the fire, and smiled faintly. This was no natural fire. It needed neither fuel nor air to burn, and nothing the Xanti could do would snuff it out. He pulled back after a few minutes, gauging the fire’s strength and size. It was enough, he thought. He was just beginning to search for the fuel cells when suddenly the ship exploded in a blinding flare of bright, white light.
“Sorry about that,” Rand said sheepishly.
“What happened?” Olaf asked as he blinked rapidly, trying to dispel the effect the bright flash had on his eyes.
“I was following the electrical system and hit the fuel cell compartment before I realized it,” he said.
“No matter, I was about to do the same thing anyway,” Olaf said.
“Aren’t you guys even a little bit excited?” Aisling asked. “We did it. We destroyed a Xanti ship without firing a single weapon, or giving ourselves away.”
“Of course we’re excited,” Rudy said.
“You are not excited,” Aisling said. “I can feel you, remember? You guys are relieved, pleased even, but not excited.”
“We are as excited as we can be while knowing that we have taken our Arima into battle with us,” Olaf said.
Aisling hadn’t expected that. She spun around, her temper flaring faster than the Xanti ship had. “We’ve been through this,” she said. “Several times. In fact, I see no reason to rehash things you already know. Instead, I will tell you something you haven’t yet heard from me.”
“What is that?” Olaf asked.
“The Nine made it abundantly clear that one of the biggest mistakes your ancestors made was hiding their women away and treating them as little more than pampered pets,” Aisling said. She felt their tempers rising at that but was too angry to care. “If you Clan Jasani males really want to survive the coming conflicts, you must accept that we women have to be part of it. If we aren’t, you will lose. We will all lose. So get over it already.”
She stepped around Olaf and stormed out of the room, leaving her men watching after her.
“She’s right,” Rand said. “We have to stop treating her as though she’s made of Carlasian spider-spun crystal.”
“How can we do that when she is the most precious person in our lives?” Rudy asked. “We protect her for her own good. She needs to understand that.”
“How would you feel if she suddenly began treating you as though you were something you aren’t?” Rand asked.
Rudy shook his head, frowning in confusion.
“What if she began talking to you with small words,” Rand said. “Explaining the most basic things to you as though you had no knowledge in your head above what might be expected from a two year old?”
“I wouldn’t much care for that,” Rudy said, beginning to understand.
“No, you wouldn’t,” Rand said. “None of us would. But let’s take it a step further. What if you kept telling her, over and over, that you did not need to be spoken to in that way, that your knowledge and intelligence were greater than she gave you credit for. And her response was to tell you that it was for your own good, and continued doing it anyway.”
“This is different,” Olaf said.
“No, it’s not,” Rudy said. “What makes this worse is that until she told us of the pregnancy, we did treat her as the warrior we know her to be.”
“But she is pregnant,” Olaf argued. “That’s what makes it different.”
“How so?” Rand asked. “As she keeps trying to tell us, being pregnant does not change the person she is.”
“It is not that simple,” Olaf said.
“Yes, brother, it is,” Rand said. “Or it should be.”
“Why should it be?” Olaf demanded.
“Because we are supposed to be putting her needs before our own,” Rand said. “We aren’t. We are putting our needs, and our fears, first.”
Olaf’s shoulders slumped as he realized that Rand was right. They owed their Arima an apology. For starters.
Rand’s vox beeped again and he tapped it. After a moment he spun around to face the viewing window that they’d all forgotten during their conversation.
***
As soon as the Vyand completed its jump, Summer Katre reached for the Xanti ship that the targeting plot on the bridge viewport indicated was there, but the ship was too far away for her to do much more than sense the computers and electronics. She turned to Maxim and shook her head.
“I’m sorry, I can’t feel it clearly enough to do anything,” she said just as a Xanti missile exploded against the shields of a nearby cruiser.
“We need to hurry,” Maxim said. Summer nodded, then reached for the magic, allowing herself to become a conduit. It took a few seconds longer than she was used to, but once she touched it she knew that the distance had not weakened it, just as Lariah had promised.
After a moment Maxim smiled. “Yes, we can feel it. Now, how best to take it out?”
“Rip the hull open,” Summer suggested. “It’s the fastest. Start at one end, work your way to the other.”
Maxim took a slow breath to calm himself and focus. They had practiced hard and long to do this, but this was not practice. This was for real.
He reached for the ship, found it, then sent his senses along the hull while Loni and Ran did the same, each of them exploring different areas. Never could they have managed such a remarkable task without being linked. They hadn’t even considered such a thing possible until they’d stumbled on it accidently while practicing.
Maxim found what he was looking for. A long seam bisecting the ship’s hull vertically from bow to stern. Loni found one end of it a moment later, and after a few more moments, Ran found the center. The molecular welds holding the two halves of the ship together along the seam were many times stronger than the metal itself, so it took some effort to alter the molecules themselves to, in effect, reverse the welds. It would have been easier to peel the metal back on either side of the welds, but that would not look like an accident caused by poor workmanship.
A few minutes later there were several large gaps in the seam. Then they turned their attention to enlarging them. Before long the entire hull was compromised from one end to the other. Far too much damage for atmosphere containment and structural integrity fields to contain. They withdrew from the Xanti ship and waited. It didn’t take very long.
The Falcoran’s Faith Page 17
