To Clan and Conquer (Clan Beginnings) (24 page)

Degorsk said, “It’s like they were here simply to punch a hole in the Empire’s defensive boundaries and not looking to engage right away.  But four colonies and half a dozen defense stations scattered hours across … that’s a big fucking hole.  What are they hoping to send in?”

Lidon and Tranis stared at him.  Then Tranis spoke, his tone disbelieving.  “That can’t be.  Tragooms absolutely cannot band together well enough to attempt an invasion of that size and scope.”

He looked at Lidon, his face pale.  A shudder went through the Nobek, though he didn’t show it on the outside.  Tranis was right about the absurdity of a Tragoom invasion, of course.  But the Tragooms did have the numbers if the impossible was ever to happen.  And the signs were there.

Lidon said, “They aren’t taking spoils.  There were five ships before Piras took one out.  They weren’t fully manned, but they wouldn’t have to be to knock out as much of the perimeter as they have.  Instead of running now that they’ve been seen, they’re trying to take out the destroyer, perhaps hoping to silence it before it can alert anyone.”

Tranis looked ill and pissed off all at once.  “Only a small attack force to start with because a full-scale invasion would set off our sensors with plenty of time for our forces to mobilize.  Take out those sensors, and we have no idea what’s coming before it’s already deep into Empire space.”

“Leaving us scrambling to defend our territory.  With potentially catastrophic results.”

Degorsk scowled.  “We should take prisoners and interrogate them.”

Lidon gave him a vicious smile.  “Tragooms are thieves and liars.  They’ll tell us nothing of interest.  ‘Let those of nonexistent virtue be exiled for the preservation of the people.’  Or exterminated.”

The Imdiko sighed.  “I am so far out of my element when it comes to Tragooms.”

“Not at all.”  Lidon could have kissed the man right now and not just because Degorsk was his lifemate.  “You saw clearly what was staring us in the face all along.  The rest of us are blinded by our so-called ‘knowledge’ of Tragoom tactics.  Some chieftain of that misbegotten race has actually pulled enough of them together to challenge us.”

He was interrupted as the destroyer’s transmissions turned frantic.

“Direct hit!”

“Damage report.”

“All starboard engines offline.  Down to forty percent power.”

“Dantovonian vessel coming in.”

“All weapons stations, concentrate on Dantovonian vessel.  Fire at will.”

“Fighters, keep the other ships off us.”

More orders.  More reports of damage.  Lidon stood absolutely still, his fists clenched at his sides, able to do nothing but listen as the destroyer fought for its life.  Tranis was in a similar stance.  Degorsk’s eyes were wide with fear and he was chewing on his lower lip.

“Dantovonian ship hit.  All power systems offline.  It’s drifting, Captain.”

“Resume heading, as fast as you can go.”

Degorsk relaxed a little.  “That’s two Piras has taken out.  He’ll get decorated for sure if he survives this.”

On the heels of that, another transmission made the Imdiko tense again.  “Maximum speed is only forty percent, Captain.  What engines we’ve got left are full out.”

“Earther battlecruiser is catching up, sir.  We may not get to Wetor’s defensive shielding before it is within firing range.”

“Do your best.  It’s all we’ve got at this point.”  Piras’ voice never wavered for an instant.  “We’re still here, Commander Tranis.  ETA, ten clicks.”

Lidon and Tranis sat back down at the console.  Degorsk stood behind them, staring at the vids.

Tranis unmuted his com.  “We’re ready for you, Captain.  All you have to do is get behind the defensive system satellites, and you’re safe.”

“We hope,” Degorsk muttered just loud enough for Lidon to hear.

Lidon grinned in anticipation, his fingers already hovering over the shuttle’s controls.  “Bring them in, Captain.  We’ll make them curse the day their mothers’ wombs spat them out.”  He watched the vid eagerly, barely able to contain his impatience to catch the first glimpse of the enemy.

The three were silent as they watched the vid relay that was pointed where the fleeing destroyer would be coming in.  Continued monitoring told them the fast-flying fighter squadrons were all that kept the Tragooms from taking out Piras and their shipmates.  Lidon practiced deep breathing exercises to keep himself from shattering under the stress of anticipation.  It hurt to know a great battle was taking place and he was not part of it.  Soon, though.  If Piras could get here, if the destroyer wasn’t taken out by an unlucky shot from its pursuers, the Nobek would have his chance.

Finally, movement appeared.  Small flashes against the blackness of space alerted them to the oncoming ships.

“Here they come.”  Tranis was intent, with not a hint of uncertainty in his carriage.  Committed in full to the plan, no matter how unlikely its success.  Lidon’s mouth twitched in a smile.

He looked back at the equally avid Degorsk.  Good.  His Imdiko didn’t look afraid as he stood just behind them, watching the growing forms of the battling ships.

Lidon said, “Degorsk, you need to strap in.  I have no idea if we’ll suffer a backwash of power.  Plus, we might take a direct hit.”

Degorsk nodded, started to move, and winced.  “Shit.  I’m going to have to take a pain inhibitor after all if I’m going to sit down.”

“Do it,” Tranis said gently.  “I want you secured and not bouncing all over the place.”

Degorsk went back to the bench where he’d been so beautifully displayed before, reaching into the medical pouch on his belt as he went.  Lidon watched him to be sure he not only activated the field restraint but also the seat’s harness.

“Mother of All.  Lidon, look at that thing.”

Lidon turned his attention back to the vid at Tranis’ soft exclamation.  The destroyer was easily seen now, its oblong shape listing badly to one side, half its silvery metal surface blackened.  The small darting objects ranged around it were the one- and two-man fighters, harrying two clumsily pieced-together vessels.  One of the pursuers had the triangular main body of a Bi’isil hunter-killer with other parts cobbled on.  The second was a crazed mishmash of  mostly Yeknas technology with a few recognizable Adraf components and many unidentifiable others.  It looked like something a mentally deficient five-year-old with psychotic leanings would build.  Lidon had no doubt the bizarre contraption was a brutal adversary, however.  Tragooms were evil geniuses when it came to putting together a fighting craft.

But what held the Nobek’s attention was the massive hulk catching up to the rest of the ships.  It looked awkward as hell with a tube-like forward section followed by a fat cylindrical area.  At the rear was a rectangular cube.

Lidon didn’t let the clumsy-looking Earther ship fool him for a moment, especially when he brought up the 360 degree vid capture of the vessel.  Hatches to what had to be fighter bays circled the midsection of the battlecruiser.  Specs showed the monstrous vehicle should have a complement of five times what the destroyer could carry.  The telltale banks of plasma pulse launchers and battle-grade percussion blaster barrels covered the entire ship.  Two spoked laser cannon arrays with articulated barrels that would allow the battlecruiser to attack an enemy from any direction were the deadly icing on a very nasty cake.

The monstrously huge battlecruiser was a madman’s dream of destruction and death.  Earthers apparently loved weaponry with uncontained zeal.  Lidon wasn’t surprised to discover he was aroused.  He’d love to get on board that thing and play with its systems, outdated as they may be.

Behind them, Degorsk gasped.  “That Earther ship is huge.  I’ve never seen any ship that size before.”

“But it’s undermanned,” Lidon reminded him.

“You don’t know that for sure.”

Tranis peered at the diagnostic readouts he was receiving from the Kalquorian destroyer.  He growled.  “That’s a big hole in Piras’ defenses.”

Lidon agreed.  “The Tragooms must have got some good shots in.  I don’t think the destroyer can get behind the shielding before they hit him and finish the job.”

“Are they in our firing range yet?”

Their shuttle, like every one from Kalquor, had some weapons.  In fact, the shuttle, having been on the Bi’isil border, had more weaponry than such vessels typically carried.  It was still no match for any of the enemy ships bearing down on them.

Lidon told Tranis, “Just barely.  Not close enough to do more than negligible damage.  Commander, I must point out attracting the Tragooms’ attention might get Piras the time he needs to get behind the shielding, but a direct hit on us from all three enemy ships could wipe out all our the defenses.”

“I know, but we can’t hang our crew out to dry.”

Lidon considered their options and realized they had none.  “No, I guess we can’t.”

“When you’re ready, Weapons Commander.”

Lidon sighted on the Bi’isil-based craft.  It was the closest target and therefore the one he could put the greatest hurt on.  He opened fire.

As he’d thought, the shuttle’s defensive-grade pulse-fire barely harmed the enemy ship.  It certainly didn’t slow it one bit, but it broke off its attack on the destroyer to come straight at them.

“They know we’re here now,” he said, his tone dry.

Tranis barked,  “Commander Tranis to Captain Piras, you need to make that ship move as fast as it will.”

“We’re all out, Commander.”

The destroyer was still out of the shield’s range.  Meanwhile, the Tragooms were coming in fast.

Lidon said, “Incoming fire.”

Tranis’ fingers flew over his console.  “Arming the shield.  Let’s see if this works.”

“If it doesn’t, we’ll never know.”  They’d be dead.

A second later, the Tragooms’ percussion blast shivered the entire shuttle.  Degorsk made a yelping sound.  Lidon winced as the shield they’d constructed flared bright with power absorption, blinding him for an instant.  Then it coalesced in one spot just in front of the shuttle, the point where the shot had been aimed.  Lidon had a moment to recognize it had been a kill shot before it streamed away, heading back on the path it had come in from.  It hit the Tragoom ship head-on, knocking it back in a spinning arc.  As it hurtled past the destroyer, the Kalquorian ship fired a barrage at it.  A quarter of the enemy craft blew apart.  The rest continued to tumble off, all its systems dark.

“Shield back down,” Tranis said.  “Bring it in, Captain.”

The destroyer flew past them.  As it did so, the Yeknas-based attacker came at the shuttle, sighting on them to fire.

“Shield up again.”  Tranis sounded positively gleeful.

The Tragooms’ second ship fired, coming right at them as it did so.  The resulting fire-back from the shield took the attacker out, shattering it into its too-many component pieces.

That left the behemoth Earther ship.  As much as Lidon loved a fight in which he was the unquestioned underdog, he did feel relief as new readouts confirmed Tranis’ report:  “Battlecruiser is breaking off and running.”

Degorsk had been right.  The ‘cruiser could have demolished the shielding if it had leveled only half of its weaponry at them.  Apparently there were not enough men onboard it to man that many systems.

Piras’ voice, finally letting exhaustion creep in, spoke over the com.  “Chasing after it would be suicide.  A glorious way to go, but it won’t serve the Empire one bit.”

He was right.  Even without all its systems manned, the Earther vessel would still demolish the stricken destroyer in a fight.

“As the Book says, ‘all a hero’s bravery is meaningless in a pointless battle’.  Besides, we may get another chance at it.”  Lidon hoped so.  “Weapons Commander to Weapons Subcommander; set long-range tracking to that ship’s energy signature for later retrieval.”

“Acknowledged, sir.”

Piras spoke again.  “I’d like to keep that security barrier in place, so we’ll send a shuttle to fetch your crew, Commander Tranis.”  Then, with great respect he added, “Excellent work.”

Lidon exchanged a look with the other two.  Tranis raised an eyebrow and Degorsk grinned at him.  The next meeting with the captain was going to be interesting.

Chapter 11

Two days of frantic work commenced to repair the destroyer.  Everyone had their hands full.  Tranis’ duties included getting the colonists back to Wetor, bolstering the strength of their underground storage units in case they were needed for emergency shelter, and training them on how to operate the shuttle’s shielding mechanism in case the Tragooms came back for another round.  Artmak and the rest flatly refused to abandon their colony, so such measures were required.

Degorsk had quite a few casualties to deal with following the fight with the Tragooms.  He put in long hours with the rest of his staff, treating injuries and performing surgeries.  Despite all of Lidon’s duties, the Nobek kept an eye on the doctor to make sure he wasn’t emotionally overwhelmed.  Degorsk seemed to be handling everything in stride, cracking unending bad jokes and running his busy department with astounding ease.