Battleship Furiosa (32 page)

Valdis tried to interrupt the old
officer, but Nate nodded rapidly.

"Very well. To the
cutter!"

He took two steps and placed his
hands on the flowing panel. It flashed once, and then the doors
slid open to reveal a short umbilical. He was inside before Nate
could even let his eyes adjust. Valdis was next, leaving Nate and
Billy alone at the doors. Nate called out to his comrades on the
other side of the compartment.

"Over here, hurry!"

Cassandra ran across the open
space first, and Matilda soon followed. Ensign Fletcher was slower,
though, and his bruised insides slowed him down enough that he was
forced back by a concerted volley of gunfire.

"Give him covering fire."

Billy leaned out first, and Nate
did the same. They held down the triggers and emptied the magazines
in seconds. The muzzle flashes leapt forward, filling the space
with the roar and flashing lights. Ensign Fletcher took the chance
and staggered across the open space before crashing into the two of
them. The group stumbled through the doors and into the five-metre
long umbilical.

"Hurry!"
Cassandra yelled from inside the next set of
doors.

Billy and Nate manhandled the
groaning shape of their friend inside, and the doors hissed shut
behind them. First to close were the sliding doors, but the next
actually rotated into place and then pushed out with a clunk. Now
safe, Nate released his friend and stepped inside. A curved passage
headed through the ship, and that was the exact direction being
taken by the others. He followed them. Halfway along he found
Valdis had stopped. The passage continued around to the other side
of the ship, but there was also an open space to the right with
ladders moving up and down.

"Command crew there, and gunners
up and down," he said in a gruff tone.

Cassandra moved to the ladder and
started climbing. Fletcher followed her and began to climb down.
That left just the Captain, Valdis, Nate, and Billy alone on the
deck.

"Well, what are you waiting for?"
Valdis asked.

"Let's go,
" said Nate.

He le
d
them away from the centre of the ship and into the bridge. It was
quite cramped, and there were seats for seven people in a crescent
shape. They all pointed forward. In front of six of them were small
computer panels. The middle seat was slightly further back than at
the rest and raised several centimetres higher. It lacked any kind
of computer system. The Captain pushed him towards it.

"That's for the captain.
E
verybody else take your
positions."

Billy sat to his left, and
Cassandra moved to his right. The two Byotai
remained upright, waiting to the side expectantly. Nate looked
around the inside of the ship with awe until his eye clamped on the
two Byotai.

"Huh?"

Valdis sighed.

"You said you've flown this class
of ship before, didn't you?"

Billy ran his hands over the unit
in front of him, exclaiming with pleasure as he recognised many of
the symbols.

"I'll take the
weapons,
" he said confidently.

"Of course,
" said Nate.

He thought back to the few times
he'd handled such a craft and recalled the primary roles he needed
to fill.

"I need somebody on comms,
helm...an engineer would be nice."

Cassandra had already activated her
panel and moved through several screens of data. Most of the text
meant little to them, but the icons and rough design were something
they'd come across on multiple occasions. Cassandra's face seemed
much calmer than should have been the case as she slid her hand
over the unit, and then looked to Nate.

"I'll handle the helm."

"Of course. Just like old times."

Captain Sobiex turned to the wall
and pressed several buttons. The internal systems on the ship
powered up. Nate could have examined the lavish, but cramped
interior for hours, perhaps days, but not today. Instead, he was
focused on one thing, the large curved screen that had just
activated. It was shaped like a ribbon and gave an unrestricted
view of the bow and front flanks of the small cutter.

"I am not a pilot, or a ship's
captain, but I can control the systems better than anyone
here."

Nate nodded politely and then
moved across to Valdis.

"You are the linguist among us. Can you
do that for me?"

She bowed with a flourish.

"There's nothing I like
more than to talk."

Nate smiled.
"Excellent."

As he turned away, Billy laughed and
leaned closer.

"That was sarcasm, I think."

Nate's brow tightened, and when
he looked back, he could tell Billy was right. He adjusted his
position in the chair and then pointed to the screen.

"Activate all systems, open up
the torpedo bulge, and give me open space."

Nate said the words with gusto,
but he dreaded the moment one of them asked for help. He could
remember the icons, and some of the specification of the cutters,
but if pushed, he knew he'd fail. Incredibly, Captain Sobiex
managed to get every system on-line, and when the side of the ship
opened up, they were all granted a perfect view of space and the
distant planet of Martos III.

"What's that, Star
Crusader?"
Cassandra asked.

Nate's eye narrowed, but it
didn't take long for him to recognize the dots. He was so nervous
that he hadn't even noticed she'd used his new nickname for the
first time. It was clearly a joke, more of an insult really, yet
his attention was focussed purely on the threat ahead.

"Missiles."

Billy could see it as well and
called out, "Upper and lower turret assemblies are active. Main
guns are charging up."

Nate shook his
head
.

"Cassandra, g
et us out of here, now!"

The ship shuddered as she began
to move them out of the massive layered bulge on the side of the
ship. As they manoeuvred from the tight position, the first of the
missiles came in. Nate's chest tightened as dozens of guns aboard
Furiosa stabbed into the darkness. Then his new command shuddered,
and pulses of light flashed from above and below the ship. Most of
the missiles went to the left, and only a few breached the gunnery
defences of the battleship. One did come directly ahead, though,
and he tensed up as it exploded.

"Good shooting!"
Billy said.

He looked to Nate.

"Not bad for a first time on the
turrets, huh?"

Nate shook his head, only now
realising that the missile had been downed by the combined efforts
of Billy, Matilda, and Fletcher.

"Outstanding, truly outstanding."

Byotai Imperial Battleship
'Furiosa'

Martos III, Tenth Quadrant

24 December 2472

Only twenty-four minutes had passed, but
in that time Furiosa had absorbed more than two thousands
projectiles and seventeen missile strikes. Her upper decks and
outer hull plating had never before been subjected to such an
attack. Twenty-eight ships in total had broken off from completing
their destruction of Makos' fleet and now pummelled the four newly
arrived ships without mercy. Half had already reached them. The
rest moved in a long column, headed by the Grand Cruiser
Raiukat.

"Brace!"

Commander Higgins
had no idea who was speaking, but he still held
onto the nearest grab rail as another volley of missiles struck the
bow of Furiosa. The ship was a true ship of the line, but even he
knew this could not continue indefinitely. He watched the disaster
unfold with a mixture of dread and hopelessness on his face. He'd
anticipated all manner of problems in this system, but not once had
he expected to find the fleet of the Byotai shattered. They had
been fighting a low-level conflict with various tribes in this
sector for over a year, and in one fell swoop it seemed as though
it was all over. He placed his head in his hands and closed his
eyes, as the voice of the enemy broadcast loud and clear over the
ship's speakers. The alien leader had already spoken in Byotai, and
now for some reason was repeating the message in crystal clear
English.

It's over before it
begins.
We should never have
come.

"Martos III has
fallen, and with it the entire Quadrant.
Surrender your ships to my deputy and join my armada, or face utter
extinction."

It was a short message, but the
fact that it came from the mouth of the Half-Blood leader carried
great weight. The Princeps known as Tahkeome was a myth to many,
yet here he was aboard his flagship, the lightning fast Grand
Cruiser Raiukat. The Battle of Martos III was already a defeat, and
the arrival of four Byotai ships could do nothing to change that.
Squadrons of ships now fled in every direction while the ravenous
crews of the Star Empire hunted them down mercilessly.

"General," said Captain
Krammer,
"We've identified Makos'
flagship."

"Show me!" said the General.

At that moment, the ship
shuddered violently as four traitor ships moved down her flank and
raked the hull with large-calibre cannons. Her own gun turrets
responded, filling the gaps with debris.

"There."

The image on the central section
enlarged to show the only formation still fighting in the field,
the eight Cruiser Class ships of the Byotai loyalists and their
flagship, Battleship Hellstorm, nominally commanded by General
Makos. All of them were surrounded in flames as the vanguard of the
Star Empire fleet hit them hard. Yet these seemed modest compared
to the similar number now aiming to finish of Furiosa.

"Narvhol is gone!"

All eyes turned to the right as
the majestic form of the Byotai destroyer finally broke apart.
There was no great explosion, just a ripple of yellow as hundreds
of smaller blasts ripped her apart from within. The port forward
beam swung off into space, other chunks drifted like an iceberg
breaking under its own weight.

"Bring us around and target their
flagship," said General Honorius.

"Yes, General," said Captain
Krammer.

The C
aptain issued orders, but the mood had already shifted on
the bridge. The battle still raged on board, but the number of
enemy ships was simply too great. The battleship swung lazily
around so that its forward facing weapons now pointed at the
largest enemy vessel. Dozens more Star Empire ships circled the
four Byotai ships and continued to hit them with an almost
continuous bombardment. They refused to give up, though, and each
returned a blistering counterattack, far greater than their number
would suggest. Captain Krammer glanced back at the
General.

"Why will they not help us?"

Commander Higgins answered for him.

"Because they've lost faith. Their
General is gone, and they can see us being torn apart. Why would
they come back? To die?"

"If that is to be their fate, then
yes."

Four more
Byotai ships turned and fled, and this time the enemy let
them go. Within seconds, five more did the same, and like that they
melted away from the battle, leaving just the two flagships and
their pitiful number of escorts. The voice of Princeps Tahkeome
returned, and the glee was obvious. This time it was only in
Byotai, and Commander Higgins had to wait for the
translator.

"Very well. You have chosen your
fate. I leave you in the hands of my trusted triumvir, Legate
Catecahassa. Die well, old ones. It is time to deal with your last
Prince once and for all."

Commander Higgins' eyes could not
have been wider as he listened.

His arrogance. He leaves in the middle
of the battle. Is he that cocky?

H
e
walked to the central display where General Honorius watched
on.

"He is leaving?"

The G
eneral nodded.

"Yes, and at the speed his forces are
withdrawing, we will be unable to stop them. I've never seen such
speed before."

He looked
at the Commander, his dark eyes burning into his
soul.

"Only your IAB has ships of that
speed."

"General,
" said Captain Krammer.

He turned from Commander Higgins and
shook his head.

"What is it now?"

The Captain simply pointed ahead
as the Grand Cruiser Raiukat and her column of ships spread out
directly in front.

"Twenty-one ships, and they will
pass right over us. As this speed, they will be at the Rift in
three minutes."

He shook his head as the streaks of
lights rushed past the ships and behind them. No ship should be
able to move that fast, not according to the laws of physics
understood by Higgins or the others. Yet the evidence was here to
see. Admiral Honorius stamped one foot with rage.

"We have the number to match them now,
maybe even more, and still they flee, the cowards!"

Dozens of flashes marked yet another
volley, and the impact followed a moment later. Explosions rippled
along the hull, and a cry of pain and horror spread through the
bridge as the second destroyer ripped apart. General Honorius cried
out in a wild rage and then shouted his orders like a mad man.