The Siege of New Terra (Star Sojourner Book 7) (9 page)

“They're not about to get caught in another trap,” I said.

“It's more than that,” Joe replied. “It's a scorched earth policy. Swing around behind the closer ship. Stay in their trail of smoke.”

I nodded. "They won't see us, or hear our engines with all their vehicles crashing through the village, right?'

“That's the idea. We come in on their tail.”

“What about the other ship when they see that we hit this one?”

“We head for the clearing where you took off, land this baby, and taxi under trees.”

“Hope it works, Dad. Huff! Come forward and strap in.” I knew the straps would be tight for him, but this was his safest place.

He shuffled into the cabin. “It hurts my liver to wear the bands,” he said, “and the rest of me, too.”

“I know,” I said, “but it's safer. C'mon, bud, strap in!”

“I am hurrying my rear side into this seat behind you, cub, but these bands are crushing my candy bars.”

“I'll buy you more!” I closed on the starship's tail.

Joe took the gunner's controls. “No beam weapons,” he muttered. “That ship's mirror- coated.”

I heard the turbine kick in. A flash of ion particles from our forward-mounted cannons struck the starship's stern though roiling smoke, hopefully disabling its electronics and computer systems. If any of the crew knew how to repair the damage, they wouldn't have time here in a planet's grav well.

I banked Sojourner away from the ship and tore a hole in the sky. The merc starship's lights shut down and it began to drift.

Poor bastards,
I thought as I watched its bow pitch on the screen. The ship rolled to starboard and plunged into thick trees. We saw the explosion, but were well away from hurtling metal.

I smiled at Joe. “Nice work, boss.”

Sojourner was slammed to port by a hit. The deafening blast roared through the ship and rattled the controls. Damage lights flashed red. Alarms wailed, mixed with Huff's howls. I gripped the controls and tried to hold her on course. “The second starship!” I shouted.

“Head for space,” Joe ordered. “If you can.”

I pointed the ship's bow into the night sky and engaged the star engines. The whine rose to the keen of a bird of prey.

“They're right on our tail,” Joe said too softly.

“Christ and Buddha,” I mumbled.

Planet New Terra dropped away in our viewport. But the merc starship grew to fill the screen. I saw its name:
Sword of Terror.

“Holy shit!” I exclaimed as the controls went dead. “They hit us with a particle beam.” I turned on our auxiliary power. No response. “Dad, we're dead in space.”

“The lifeboat.” He unclamped his harness. “It's got its own power source.”

“Huff,” I shouted, “We're abandoning ship.”

Sojourner listed to port. The grav adjusters suddenly disengaged and we were floating.

“If the ship starts to spin,” I said, my breath rasping in my throat, “we'll never get the lifeboat launched.”

We pulled ourselves along by handholds, through the damaged main deck and to the airlock. I opened the hatch manually and we entered the bay where our lifeboat was tied down.

“Take the controls, Joe,” I yelled and closed the inner hatch. “I'll suit up and open the outer hatch manually.”

“Right,” he answered, “I'll purge the air in the lock.”

That was the only way I would be able to open the outer hatch. “Huff, throw me the BioSuit.”

He did and I pulled it on as Joe started the lifeboat's engines.

“Pick me up,” I told him, “if I get blown out into space.”

“I'll be right behind you.”

Huff fastened my helmet and touched it with his forehead. “My eyes are leaking for you, my Terran cub.”

“I'll be all right, buddy,” I said. “Get in the boat. Joe's going to purge the air.”

He nodded his snout and climbed inside.

I heard the hiss of escaping air and pulled myself along the wall to the outer hatch. I was breathing hard, using up too much precious air from my suit's tank as I tried to turn the airlock's wheel. “It's still tight,” I said into my helmet mic. “Uh oh.” I heard the clang as the merc starship
Sword
clamped onto Sojourner. “They've got us, Joe.”

“I know. Turn the wheel. I'm unclamping the lifeboat's tie downs.”

I yanked hard on the hatch wheel. It didn't budge. “There's still too much air pressure in the bay.”

“Working on it, kid.”

The pressure finally lessened enough for me to slowly crank the wheel. The hatch suddenly flew outward, taking me with it. I clung to the wheel but my gloved hands were slipping.

“I can't hold on, Joe!”

“Then let go,” he called through my helmet mic. “I'll pick you up.”

I looked out at the eerie blackness of space, spattered with the cold fire of stars, and I panicked. I was too alone in this vast silence. I stared at my hands clutching the wheel.

“Let go!” Joe shouted. “I can't get the boat past you.”

“I'm…I'm trying.” I've always been afraid of heights, and space was heights on steroids.

Joe steered the boat to the open hatch. “Grab on!”

I drew in deep, shuddering breaths and tried to release the wheel, but my hands were frozen to it by fear. Sweat beaded on my forehead. I saw the bow of
Sword
as it cruised around Sojourner's stern.

Spirit. Great Mind!

What would you have me do?
Spirit sent.
Just let go.

Can you cloak the lifeboat so they don't see us?

Cloak? How? Telepathically? Terran, you've been watching too many of your planet's sci-fi films. Just let go. Joseph of Earth will pick you up.

“I'm…I'm trying to,” I lied.

“It's all right, son,” Joe said soothingly in my helmet mic. “I'm right here. Don't look out. Just open your hands so I can get the lifeboat past you. That's all you have to do.”

But I couldn't. Sweat dripped down my temples. I studied my hands and willed them to open. They remained closed. I wondered if this was how my sister Ginny had felt as she clung to a boulder a hundred feet above the canyon floor, and felt her fingers slipping.

Don't think about that now,
Spirit sent.
Just let go.

OK!
I sent, but held on.
In a minute.

I felt Spirit probe deep into my mind.
Don't do it!
I mentally shouted.
Get out!

Just a short-term muscle relaxant,
a different entity sent. It had a gentle tone, comforting and reassuring.

Who are you?
I sent.

I am Silva, Spirit's cherished. Just relax, Jules. This won't hurt. We want you to sustain this lifebind.

OK.
I felt her deep probe into my mind.
No, wait,
I sent as my fingers began to loosen of their own accord.
Give me a minute, I–

My hands opened. “
No!”
I drifted out into space. I shut my eyes and wrapped my arms around myself. “Help,” I whispered.

Something nudged my leg.

“Grab on!” Joe called through the mic. “Dammit! Open your eyes and grab on.”

I snapped my eyes open and grabbed a vent on the lifeboat's wing. Joe had matched my speed as we cruised along Sojourner's starboard side.

The
Sword of Terror,
ponderous and slow as it swung around Sojourner, fired a burst from its beam ports that went wide.

I clung to the lifeboat and felt my magnetic belt clamp me to the hull.

Joe swung the boat down and around to Sojourner's port side and picked up speed slowly, so I wouldn't be wiped off the hull.

I inched my way to the boat's outer airlock, sprang the hatch, went through and locked it with trembling hands. Joe engaged the boat's Earth-class grav for the lock and I fell. I got unsteadily to my feet and waited for a full one atmosphere of class E air to fill the lock.

When the gauge showed that it had, Huff opened the inner hatch and shuffled to me. “Huff.” I fell into his arms.

“I have you, my Terran cub. I will not let go.” He guided me through the inner lock and to a back seat of the boat, behind Joe.

“They're coming around to port,” Joe said. “Hang on.”

“Huff, give me a hand with this suit.”

“I have paws. I will give you two paws.”

“Good enough.” When I was out of the suit, I slid into the co-pilot's seat.
Sword
had dropped below Sojourner to follow us around to port. We were a cheetah being chased by an elephant.

I wiped sweat from my face and gulped in deep breaths. Except this cheetah had a limited supply of air and was never meant for star battles.

“Joe,” I said, and strapped in, “give me the controls.”

He winked at me. “I was hoping you'd say that.”

I guided the lifeboat under
Sword's
belly and followed her as she searched for us around Sojourner.

“Uh oh,” Joe said.

“Uh oh? What uh oh?”

He pointed to a viewscreen that showed
Sword's
lifeboat Dagger being launched.

“On the other hand,” I said, “I'll bet they want Sojourner more than they want us or our lifeboat.”

Joe nodded. “The hull damage can be repaired. So can the electronics systems.”

“And Big Mack,” I added, “will have a replacement starship for the one we brought down.”

Huff leaned forward in his back seat with his snout between Joe and me. “It would be a better thing to keep Sojourner so some day in the time, we can all go home again.” He looked from me to Joe. “I pray to the Ten Gods that we all go home again.”

“Hope your prayers are answered, Huff,” I said, “but the mercs have all the blue checkers.”

“Blue chips?” Joe asked.

“Checkers,” I said. “It's Kresthaven's national pastime and sport, Joe. But they equate red with rage, murder, and death.” I winked at him. “Blue is the color of their ocean, and of life. Right, Huff?”

“Blue is true, my Terran cub.” He tousled my hair.

“Whatever.” Joe grinned. “How does it feel to be somebody's baby again?”

“Not too bad,” I said, “when you've got a good friend and a bodyguard all wrapped in fur.”

Joe shook his head. “Whatever.”

“Huff,” I said, “you're not strapped in, are you?”

“O and K. I am strapping now.” He grunted.

“Let's make these crotefuckers go fetch,” I told Joe and banked toward
Sword's
umbilical that towed Sojourner. “You want to man the beam gun, Joe, while I steer this boat?”

“Can do, kid.”

I checked the screens and a forward viewport. “Where the hell's Dagger?”

“Dammit!” Joe muttered. “Hiding. Could be between the two ships.”

“Could be. Let's cut the cord and get our tails out of here. I don't like the odds.”

“Get closer to the tow line, kid. The beam disperses pretty quickly.”

I did, and watched as Joe sliced through the tow line with a sweep of our mounted laser gun. “Let's go!” He said.

I raced along
Sword's
belly, away from her guns and ion cannons. “You don't have to tell me twice. We're out of here.”

Or so we thought.

Joe pointed to a rear-view screen. “Bogie on our tail.”

“What? What bogie?”

“The merc lifeboat. She must've been hiding in Sojourner's open bay.”

“Son of a crotefucking Hang on!”

“If you know any tricks on losing a tail,” Joe said, “now's the time to show them off. She's closing.”

I banked and headed back between the two ships. Dagger followed. “I know a few,” I said.

Sword
sent out a second tow line, with a motorized clamp that guided it toward Sojourner. I turned our lifeboat ninety degrees as
Sword
got closer to Sojourner and extended the clamp. Dagger was right on our tail. I knew they wouldn't fire here, in fear of hitting their own ship or Sojourner.

“Now,” I said to myself and headed between the advancing clamp and Sojourner with our stubby wings in a vertical position.

“Put the pedal to the metal, as they used to say.” Joe's voice was tight as the clamp drew closer to Sojourner and narrowed our path.

“Ten Gods of Kresthaven,” I heard Huff murmur, “deliver us from the crunching I see ahead. If we live beyond the clamp, I will do grateful things in your names.”

I gritted my teeth and raced for the closing space. “Christ and Buddha,” I mumbled as the clamp approached. “Christ and– You're cutting it a bit close.” Joe's voice was strained. “Aren't you, Jules?”

I concentrated on our diminishing path. “That's the idea.”

We tore between the clamp and Sojourner. I heard a screech of metal as the clamp grazed our belly. But we were through and racing into deep space.

“I will sacrifice two dire flappers in your names,” Huff said and sobbed.

An explosion behind us registered on our screens. “Poor bastards,” I said as Dagger hit the clamp, spun out of control and smashed into Sojourner. I banked and returned to the two starships.

“Nice driving, son…where the hell are we going now?”

“They've only got two clamps, right?”

He nodded. “And?”

“And I don't think we should give them Sojourner.”

“You're out of your fucking mind.” He took the beam gun controls. “Maybe I am too. Go for it.”

I flew below the two ships. Flying metal from Dagger pinged off our hull.

“You only get one chance at that tow line, Joe,” I said.

“That's all I need.”

I flew below the tow line and their guns and cannons while Joe aimed. He fired. The towline split in half.

“Good shot, Dad!”

“Can we get the fuck out of here now, or do you want to take on the
Sword of Terror
?”

“No. That's OK. We've had enough fun for one day.”

I threw up my mental shields as Dagger's crew departed into geth state, between lives. Their silent screams flooded my mind. I groaned.

“What's wrong?” Joe asked.

“Their kwaiis…their souls are…”

“Break the link with their kwaiis. Now! Before they take you with them!”

I nodded. I could have comforted them in their passage, but I knew from past experience that I could also be taken with them. It had happened on planet New Lithnia with my dying friend Priest. He was so terrified of geth he tried to drag me along. If it wasn't for Great Mind's touch, Priest might've succeeded.