by C H Gideon
It wasn’t remotely far enough to matter.
“Sitrep, Asya,” Reynolds called over the comm.
“These guys are still dodging us,” she reported back. “We were almost able to cut them off, but the damn ship is too fast for us to contain. It’s also swung around the planet and entered the asteroid field, which is hampering our ability to run it down.”
“We can hope it runs into a rock,” Jiya suggested.
“Hope isn’t a viable battle tactic,” XO growled.
“No, but I’m thinking it’s right up there with ‘jack’ and ‘shit’ right now,” Jiya countered.
“The Xzzt’s engines are back up,” Ria reported. “The superdreadnought is moving in our direction.”
“Anything, Takal?” Reynolds asked, searching his memories for an old trick to try anew; anything that might give them an edge.
“Negative,” the inventor replied.
Reynolds stared at the viewscreen, thinking and plotting. After a moment, he brought up a view of the asteroid field.
“Would we survive the asteroid field in our current condition?” the AI asked.
Jiya shook her head. “For about five minutes, before the last of our shields collapsed and we were turned to jelly.”
“I’ll take that as a yes,” Reynolds offered as his plan started to take shape. Would five minutes be enough?
He wanted to lighten the mood because he could feel the tension in the air aboard the bridge, even though he understood how dire their situation was.
Fortunately, Takal came up with something.
“I’ve found another hole in the code,” he announced, his voice giddy with excitement. “I’m reinforcing the shutdown commands on the weapon systems of the Xzzt.”
“Can’t you just shut the whole thing down?” Jiya asked.
The inventor shook his head. “Their people are actively working against me, in addition to the AI,” he said. “I have better access to the engines and the guns because of the existing modifications we’ve made, but even that is difficult to maintain because they are rooting the system to plug the holes.”
“What do you need?” Reynold asked.
“Time,” Takal answered.
Reynolds sighed. That was the one thing they didn’t have to spare. The enemy superdreadnought was closing on them.
“These bastards are good,” XO told Reynolds. “I feel we will eventually overwhelm them and break the code, but it won’t be soon enough to save us.”
“But we’re better. Never doubt that,” Reynolds replied confidently.
Tactical called, “Brace for impact!”
Ria effected immediate evasive maneuvers, and the Gulg superdreadnought hurtled past as it accelerated, strafing them from above.
It came so close to the SD Reynolds that it filled the viewscreen without magnification.
“Did they just try to ram us?” Jiya asked.
“They did,” Ria answered. “They’re coming back around for another try.”
“I’ve cut their engines,” Takal announced, “but that means they’ll gain ground getting back their weapon controls.”
“Should I fire on them?” Tactical asked.
Reynolds shrugged. “Not much point. Their shields are on full, and we’re scraping the bottom of the barrel when it comes to power.”
“The ESD is still ready, reserve power being shunted to the weapon in case we need it,” Tactical advised.
“And if it fails to annihilate the ship because of the damage we’ve taken, we will be destroyed,” Reynolds countered. “What are the odds we can get a clean hit with just one working engine?”
“Not good at all,” Maddox noted. “The odds are not in our favor.”
Reynolds looked back to the scanners to monitor Asya’s efforts. The radiation and the asteroid field were playing havoc with his controls, and he could barely make out the shuttle and Pods in the midst of the field.
They were no closer to catching the stolen Gulg shuttle than they had been before it entered the asteroid field.
“Can you have your people shut down the ship from inside?” Reynolds asked Xyxl.
“We have been trying, doing our best to provide access to allow for us to counter the control program, but they have had no success,” the alien replied.
“Can you destroy it?” He hated asking the question, but Reynolds felt he had little choice. Something had to be done.
Xyxl shook his head. “It appears the enemy has been systematically adjusting the support systems in the ship and forcing my crew out of sensitive areas, sealing them off once they are gone. They have been unable to regain access to any part of the ship that would offer the opportunity for substantive destruction.”
“Can they adjust to the atmosphere? Counter it with some kind of equipment?” Reynolds wondered as he ran through a variety of scenarios.
“They are working to do just that, but their options are limited. As you have undoubtedly noticed, my people are more an energy form than a physical one. Our needs are different from yours, and we have little use for tools since our ships are designed as an extension of our beings.”
“Which means what, exactly?” Jiya asked.
“That we are the tools used to operate and repair the ship,” Xyxl answered. “We do not rely on spare parts and extra pieces. We press our energy into the craft or that of the devium, and the ship heals. The shift in energy inside the craft is also affecting the strength of my crew, making the atmosphere toxic, but they will do what they must for as long as they are able.”
As if the enemy had overhead the conversation between Reynolds and Xyxl, it ejected the remaining Gulg into space. They tumbled and spun away from the craft like tiny stars being born.
“The Xzzt just ejected its crew,” Jiya reported.
“Damn it!” Reynolds swore. “Swing around and—”
“No need, Reynolds,” Xyxl assured the AI.
A heartbeat later, the surviving Gulg appeared on the bridge of the Reynolds, looking frazzled. Their energy was dim.
At least they are alive, Reynolds thought.
“Damn!” Tactical exclaimed. “These assholes are cutting us off at every corner.”
“I think we’re going to have to ready a Gate,” Reynolds admitted, although he hated to do it.
“Retreat?” Jiya asked.
Reynolds nodded. “We cannot fight this ship in our current condition, and it seems that Takal and the others will be unable to hack the cult’s code before they can get their systems fully online again.
“And even if they don’t get their weapons back, they’ve made it clear they’re willing to ram us if they have to in order to take us out. We only have one ship. They have as many as they need, and we have yet to run across the Pillar. If that showed up right now, it would be the end of us. Standing for Justice is important, but we have to survive. There is only one of us.”
“We can’t leave the Muultu to the whims of the cult,” Maddox said, playing devil’s advocate once again.
“I don’t want to,” Reynolds fired back, “but I’m not seeing much of a choice here. A tactical retreat would give us time to repair the ship and work on hacking the cult’s code, and allow us to come back stronger and more capable.”
“It also gives them more time to get ready for us, draw more ships to the system, and set up traps for when we return,” Maddox argued. “I’m sorry, offering problems without solutions is just whining. I don’t have any options for you, Captain.”
“Things have just gone from bad to worse, folks,” Asya announced.
“What’s going on?” Reynolds asked.
“We’ve got incoming.”
The viewscreen showed that a dozen small mining craft from Muultar were making their way toward the asteroid field. Each had the telltale gleam of the Gulg communication tether trailing behind them on the scanners.
“It’s about to get real damn crowded up here,” Asya muttered.
“Watch yourselves out there,”
he warned, knowing how unhelpful the comment was.
“ESD or bail?” Tactical asked.
“The Xzzt’s engines are coming back online,” Ria noted. “She’s on the move.”
“Takal?” Reynolds called out.
“They’re running us in circles,” the inventor complained. “I’ve still got the weapons in check, but we’re losing ground.”
Reynolds put his hands on his hips. “Options, people.”
Takal shook his head. “More time, like I said before. We need to sit down and come up with definitive counters to their moves and create some of our own. Right now we’re chasing them, unable to get ahead.”
Jiya cleared her throat and got everyone’s attention. The silence on the bridge was deafening.
“I have an idea,” she said.
Chapter Nineteen
The silence remained after Jiya briefed them on what she had in mind. No one had questions. No one offered a different option.
“They’re coming at us again,” Ria announced as she initiated evasive maneuvers to dodge the incoming Gulg superdreadnought again. She barely managed to feint and get out of its path. The ship hurtled by, its shields rattling Reynolds’ hull. “I don’t know how many more times I’ll be able to pull that off,” she stated, her voice tired.
The stress was wearing on her as on everyone.
“What do we have to lose, Reynolds?” XO asked.
“Damn it,” Reynolds grumbled; none of his calculations or processors could predict success. None of the options were good. If the ESD destroyed the Gulg ship but left them vulnerable, the Muultar mining ships could take the superdreadnought apart.
Jiya’s idea was crazy and relied on a number of factors that couldn’t be reliably controlled.
But wasn’t that what combat was about?
One could only make educated guesses about what the enemy might do next. The greater the risk, the greater the reward.
Or something like that. Win the battle and end the war or run and guarantee a perpetual fight?
Reynolds didn’t believe the cultists would see Jiya’s plan coming.
That alone gave it a solid chance of success, all things considered. Once Reynolds decided, he was all in.
“Let do this,” he commanded. “But I’m going to be the one transported across.”
“Oh, hell no!” Jiya shouted. “They need you on the bridge, Captain.”
“And you’re flesh and blood,” Reynolds countered. “If I go across and get vaporized, Takal just has to plug me into another body.”
“Uh,” Takal said, raising his hand, “that’s not exactly true.”
Reynolds spun on the man. “What do you mean?”
The inventor waved his hand, motioning from Reynolds’ head to his feet. “That isn’t just some shell you can pop in and out of easily. It’s not that hideous Jonny-Taxi android you wore.”
Takal went on, “The whole of what makes you you and separate from the other personalities aboard the ship is plugged into that body. I can’t guarantee that your experiences and the whole of your higher functions will come back to the ship intact.”
The inventor continued to talk, although he kept his eyes on the screen in front of him, continuing his hacking battle against the cult.
“Were you to be ripped out of that body suddenly without intensive preparation ahead of time to preserve your system’s integrity, as you would be if you died, it’s quite possible that many of your databases would become corrupted and unreadable.”
“So, you’re saying I might crash?” Reynolds asked.
Takal nodded. “There is a significant risk that a catastrophic termination of this body could reboot you to a point well before you assumed this or any of the other bodies.”
“Which means you’re in no better position to do this than I am,” Jiya crowed.
“I’m still the captain of the ship,” Reynolds argued. “If I decide it’s me who goes, it’s me; no argument.”
“Yes, sir.” Jiya nodded. “So, make a decision, Captain. Who’s it going to be?”
“Can’t we just send a bot?” the AI asked Xyxl.
The alien shook his head. “Our defense systems would shut down a bot the moment it arrived. Its programming is too simplistic to avoid deactivation.”
“Unlike mine.” Jiya laughed, tapping the side of her head.
“But all it takes is a big thump to your head to cause a reboot of your system with no guarantee you’ll come back,” Reynolds argued.
“The Xzzt’s weapons are powering up,” Takal warned.
“We’re out of time, Reynolds,” Jiya said. “You or me?”
“Me,” he answered. “I can’t risk losing you or any of the others. This is what it’s like to be in command.”
“It’s my plan,” she replied softly.
He shook his head, done arguing. “You have the conn, Jiya.”
She took her seat in the captain’s chair. “Good luck, Captain.”
“Get us into position, Ensign Alcott,” Reynolds ordered.
Ria did as she was told, bringing the ship about and aiming it toward the asteroid field.
The Muultu mining ships were entering the field ahead of them, closing on Asya and the two Pods Helm controlled.
“You know the drill?” Reynolds asked the pair of them over the comm.
“Yes, sir,” Asya fired back.
Helm muttered something under his breath that sounded vaguely affirmative.
That was good enough for Reynolds.
“Enemy SD approaching from behind,” XO noted.
“No pressure, Ensign Alcott,” Reynolds started, “but please don’t get us killed.”
“This would be a whole lot easier if we had all our engines,” she grumbled. “And maybe some time to practice.”
The Xzzt closed as the Reynolds limped toward the asteroid field. The mining ships, noticing the superdreadnoughts approaching, slowed and swung around as if to impede the Reynolds’ path into the field.
“Almost on us,” Tactical announced. “Ready when you are.”
“Not yet,” Ria muttered under her breath.
The enemy ship drew closer and closer, filling the viewscreen.
Too late to change tack. Reynolds hovered over the controls alongside Ria in case he needed to step in.
Realistically, he knew that if he did, it wouldn’t matter.
They would already be on their way to dead.
“Any time now,” Tactical pressed.
Ria remained silent as the Xzzt sped up, scraping the SD Reynolds’ stern. What remained of their shields flashed and shimmered when they collided.
Ria dropped the ship into a dive, shouting, “Now!”
Tactical unleashed everything he had into the face of the Gulg superdreadnought.
The viewscreen flared, adjusting to the sudden brightness, and the crew held their breaths as the Reynolds shuddered from the impact with the other ship and all the munitions.
And then it was over.
The Reynolds swooped down and around as the Xzzt pulled upward and away, the hulls of the two ships passing within two meters of each other.
Jiya pumped her fist. “Instinct wins every time,” she shouted.
“Don’t celebrate just yet,” Reynolds chided.
Ria brought the Reynolds about, killing power to the engine and letting momentum bring them up behind the much faster Gulg superdreadnought.
The Xzzt slowed and came about to avoid overshooting and ending up in the asteroid field. It turned its flank to the Reynolds as it dodged the flurry of asteroids and aimed to come back at the Reynolds and try yet again to ram the ship.
“Kill the systems,” Reynolds ordered.
The lights on the bridge flickered and died, emergency lighting kicking on and casting the bridge in a dull red haze. The shields dropped, not that there was much left of them, Reynolds thought, and the SD Reynolds floated like a derelict in space.
“Emitters charged,” Tactical announced. �
��Firing!”
“Get out of there!” Reynolds ordered Asya and Helm.
The trio of Pods responded immediately, darting deeper into the asteroid field and shooting out above it an instant later.
The Reynolds trembled as if it were ready to fall apart as the bulk of its firepower was focused on the asteroid field. Just like the human game of pool, it sent a veritable planet’s worth of rock into the Xzzt.
Ria kicked in the engine, having lured the enemy ship into thinking they were listing in space, and she steered the beam toward the fleeing spacecraft.
Its port side to them, the enemy superdreadnought did what was natural: held its course to avoid the asteroid field.
Jiya’s plan, however, was not simply to blast the superdreadnought with a stern barrage, since they suspected that wouldn’t be a final solution.
The weapons tore into the asteroid field, and the rocks were pulverized in their wake. Debris flew everywhere, aided by the chemical reaction of the devium present in the stone. Like supercharged electrons, pieces of asteroids scattered, setting off a chain reaction in the nearest asteroids, and then those beyond.
Within a moment, the asteroid field had become a debris field of tiny, meteors.
The Xzzt, while able to survive and outrun Reynolds’ weapons, could not outrun the frenzy of the asteroid field.
Asteroids knocked loose of the field crashed into the Xzzt’s shields like deadly hail. The shields flashed and fluttered as more and more asteroids collided with the massive ship, unable to avoid being pelted by the wreckage of the field they were skirting.
The SD Reynolds continued to come about, firing a second salvo of missiles.
The small mining ships joined the casualties of the asteroids, blasted to pieces. They joined the chaotic scramble of asteroids and ship pieces pelting the Gulg superdreadnought.
The last of the Reynolds’ offensive weapons were spent. The bridge crew watched silently as the rain of asteroids continued.
The devium-accelerated rock storm continued to batter the Xzzt as it veered away to escape the field and reengage the Reynolds. Its shield lit up like the Fourth of July, debris and wreckage pounding the ship with merciless intensity.
