Star Runners: Mission Wraith (#3) (18 page)

“The
Sanctuary
will be arriving tomorrow,” she said, the hologram highlighting a rectangle away from the
Formidable
. “Protocol calls for them to curve in at ten-thousand MUs to avoid a collision. Frankly, under the circumstances, I would like it if we could break protocol.” The
Sanctuary
appeared on the screen. “Tarnex and Lobera will form a perimeter around the
Formidable
to provide a fighter umbrella for our carrier. Tizona has been charged with escorting the
Sanctuary
back to the
Ramelle
.”

The view shifted to the supply ship. “Now,” Ryker continued, “we will form a moving perimeter around the supply ship here. We will have three Tridents at the bow and stern of the ship, two above and below, and one at starboard and port. Once we are in position, we will proceed toward the
Ramelle
. The supply ship isn’t the quickest out there, but the entire operation should only take twenty minutes. Once the
Ramelle
docks with the
Sanctuary
, the resupply will commence. We will stay in position while the supplies are loaded. All right, here are the assignments.”
 

Images of Tridents appeared in position around the supply ship. Austin’s position downloaded to his tablet. Ryker had placed him directly in front of the
Sanctuary
with Reaper and Star on his flanks. The remainder of the flight ready Tizona Star Runners filled in the positions around the supply ship. As long as regulations would let them fly, they were going on this mission. Austin thought of Bear recovering in sickbay, knew he would want to be on this mission to exact a little revenge on the
Wraith
… if it showed up.
 

Austin stared at the hologram, saw the amount of Legion ships involved. The
Wraith
would show. Somehow, he knew it would.
 

Martin “Sketch” Bolin raised his hand. “Is the
Sanctuary
carrying Tridents?”

“Yes,” Ryker said with a nod. “They will be offloaded to serve on the
Ramelle
. But they are not combat ready. They do not have Star Runners on board. I’m told the replacement Star Runners will be arriving with whatever carrier is being sent here to relieve us.”

The entire room seemed to exhale at the same time. Austin didn’t realize it at first, but the thought of leaving this remote area of space provided a sense of relief. They had been here long enough.
 

“Any more questions?” Ryker surveyed the room, her eyes falling on Austin. “Be careful out there. All of you. Keep your eyes open. Call out any bogeys if you see them. Let’s get this over with. Dismissed.”

The Star Runners slapped their tablets shut, creating a pattering of pops like someone played with bubblewrap. The pilots began filing out of the room. Austin stood and stretched, the uneasy feeling in his gut intensifying. Although he had tried to battle back the looming negative voice in his head, it still boomed into his subconscious.
 

What if this is the last time I’m in this briefing room?

Gan died yesterday—what if I’m next? Did he have any idea it would all truly end when he climbed into the Trident for the final time?
 

He closed his eyes, exhaling slowly through his nose. Dr. Carpenter told him not to think too much. He tried to take in another deliberate breath. When he looked around the room again, he caught Ryker staring at him. She looked back to her tablet briefly before locking her gaze on him.

“Be careful,” she mouthed without speaking.
 

Austin’s stomach fluttered. He wondered if her concern was out of love or friendship. Austin was so tired thinking about it. He gave her a half smile and then looked away.

*****

“All right—here she is,” Ryker said over the gamma wave. “Move into your positions.”
 

The
Sanctuary
curved in ten-thousand MUs from the carrier. Austin pulled into standard escort formation. Reaper’s Trident settled in on his left, Star on his right. They moved quickly in close formation, heading directly for the space in front of the supply ship. A green rectangle appeared on his HUD, displaying his final escort destination. The other Tridents shot toward their positions, flying with precision. The supply ship rapidly approached, appearing as a massive cylinder with running lights along each side. The dark gray hull covered in scratches and dents showed the vessel’s age.
 

In the event the
Wraith
was planning to make an appearance, the
Formidable
had fired a system disruptor. The disruptor eliminated all sensors within the vicinity of the science station. It was the same tactic the Legion used to fool Earth into thinking a solar flare blinded their radars. If the
Wraith
were truly invisible, they would try to scramble its sensors in hopes they could level the playing field.
 

Austin swallowed, watching the MUs drop as he closed on his position at the front of the convoy. When he reached his escort position, he dropped his speed to zero and spun around to await the order to move out. Reaper and Star settled in on each side of him, their Tridents facing the
Ramelle
in the distance.
 

Alternating his focus from the sensors to the black of space out of habit, Austin cracked his knuckles and leaned forward in the cockpit. If the
Wraith
was watching, the most valuable target in the entire system just curved in and made itself known. He scanned the blackness, knowing he wouldn’t be able to react fast enough if the Zahlian stealth ship appeared.
 

His time in the sims without the use of sensors had not gone well. He found he could still dogfight—and even take down some of his classmates—but he was still struggling when a bandit got on his six. Of course, there had to be someone to tell him he had a bandit behind him. Otherwise, his simulation ended with an unwelcome flash.
 

“All Tridents in position,” Ryker announced. “Let’s move it Tizona. Rock, take the lead.”

“Roger.”

Austin glanced at Reaper, and then Star. He eased forward on the throttle, his eyes wide. The Trident escort moved forward at the best speed of the
Sanctuary
, the entire group moving slower than Austin would have liked. He felt like they had a target pasted on the back of their fighters.
 

A flash. His breathing increased.
 

“Keep your eyes on your left, Reaper,” Austin said on the short range gamma wave. “Thought I saw a flicker.”

“Copy, Rock,” Reaper grumbled. “Debris off my forward shields.”
 

“Roger.” Austin glanced to his right. “Star, report.”

“Nothing, Rock. Nothing but black space.”

Austin smirked. We’ll see about that.

Ten minutes into the flight—ten to go. A few Star Runners called out phantoms in the blackness, fears materializing from their minds. The science station filled his forward view. The tension in his chest eased. Perhaps they would be all right after all. The
Sanctuary
would dock and—

He didn’t see the laser fire, the explosion of yellow and orange fire filling the right side of his canopy. Star’s Trident vaporized, the fighter’s structure disintegrating before he could turn his head. The fighter’s nose, the only remnants of the Trident, spun up and out of sight. In the darkness, Austin saw something dark shoot over his canopy like a bat in the dark of night. He instinctively ducked, then yanked the stick to the left to pursue.
 

“I’m hit!” Reaper yelled.
 

Austin caught a glimpse of laser bolts splattering off of Reaper’s tail as he dove away from the group. Austin leveled out. He blinked and froze for what felt like an eternity. There, in front of him, a silhouette of a ship formed. The
Ramelle
emitted a halo of light behind it.
 

The
Wraith
.
 

Clenching his teeth, he pushed his throttle forward, bringing his crosshairs on the bandit. He squeezed off three bolts. The
Wraith
evaded, faster than anything Austin had seen before—faster than he could react. The fighter looped back, shot over Austin’s Trident, heading for the supply ship. Austin hit the reverse thrusters, pulled back and brought his fighter right on the
Wraith’s
tail.

Silently thanking his Trident, Austin pulled the trigger and spit laser fire into the rear of the
Wraith
. Austin couldn’t tell, but he thought two of the bolts hit. The
Wraith
fired two missiles into the front of the supply ship. The first eradicated the shields. The second smashed into the nose of the
Sanctuary
. A straight plume of fire shot like a geyser to the right of Austin’s wing as his Trident zipped past the damaged vessel.
 

“Eyes on enemy,” Austin managed to say, his voice straining. “Above our prize. Heading to the rear of our formation.”
 

He fired until his energy banks drained. The
Wraith
twisted and rolled across his view. It was like trying to catch a fish with your bare hands. A drop of sweat rolled down Austin’s cheek. He stayed on the
Wraith’s
tail. The other Tridents closed on the
Sanctuary
, apparently unable to see the enemy.
 

“Rock, Scorpion—where are you?”

“To the rear of the formation—he’s heading away.”

Austin needed to redirect all the power to his engines just to keep up with the
Wraith
. He smiled. He might not be able to defeat this guy, but he was driving him away from the supply ship.
 

Three-hundred MUs out from the supply ship. Five-hundred.
 

“Stay with the ship,” Austin said, negotiating a dive to keep on the
Wraith’s
tail. “Finish the mission.”
 

“Copy, Rock,” Scorpion said. “Cheetah, you and PowPow see if you can assist.”

“Copy, boss,” Skylar said.
 

Austin stayed on the
Wraith’s
tail, waiting for his laser banks to recharge. After a few minutes the banks were charged enough for one shot, he squinted as the burning blue circles of the
Wraith’s
engines shot in and out of his crosshairs.
 

Come on, come on.
 

There!

He fired, two bolts, unleashing murderous energy into the darkness. One bolt sizzled into the shields. The
Wraith
spun around on its axis and turned to face Austin.

Oh no.

Two missiles shot from beneath the
Wraith’s
wing.
 

Austin gasped, pulling back on the stick.
 

A cobalt shockwave erupted in the darkness, filling the space around him with electricity. Austin felt the stunner’s wave crash into the belly of his Trident, the controls igniting like a firecracker. His systems went dark. Stars spun. His helmet smashed into the side of his canopy hard enough his vision darkened.
 

He shook his head and looked at the dark control board, his vision still blurry. Using his maneuvering thrusters, Austin slowed his spin. He brought the Trident to a stop.
 

In the distance, laser bolts illuminated the darkness. He knew Skyler and Shelbi battled against the
Wraith
. He couldn’t see exactly where they were, but he saw the flashes of laser fire.
 

He smacked the side of his canopy with his fist. He shouldn’t have followed so closely, should have waited for backup. But if he had done that, he might have lost the
Wraith
. He took a deep breath, realizing for the first time how fortunate he had been. The
Wraith
could have fired something other than a stunner. That means he was probably saving his other missiles—if he had any—for the resupply ship.
 

Two minutes passed. Three. Four.
 

How long did he have without power before his life support would run out?
 

A flurry of laser fire appeared in the distance, much closer to the resupply ship. The laser bolts ignited the darkness like fireworks. The
Wraith
was attacking.
 

The control board flickered. Voices burst through his ears like an explosion of screams mixed with static.

“—out of there!” the gamma wave came to life. “He’s right behind you!”

“I can’t see him—he’s—”

“Sketch’s hit! He’s spinning off—”

“Can it! Bogey’s coming around,” Scorpion’s tension-laced voice cut through the barrage of Star Runner chatter. “Boiler, Fancy, cut away from your position—try and cut him off!”

“Roger, Scorpion!”

The Trident’s controls felt sluggish, but his fighter slowly came back to life. If the
Wraith
hadn’t used the primary missiles in an attempt to take out the resupply ship, Austin would be … he shook his head. Don’t think about it.
 

With the system disruptor still scrambling sensors in the area, Austin relied on what he could see in the distance. Laser fire surrounded the supply ship, flying off in different directions as the Star Runners tried to fight an enemy they could barely see. He coaxed the power back into his fighter, slowly increasing speed as he headed back into the fray.
 

“He’s breaking away, heading below and away from our position,” Scorpion said. “Break off the pursuit—let him leave. Stay with the
Sanctuary
. Tower, Scorpion. We need Kardas out here for rescue operations. Three Tridents down.”

Austin heard the relief in her voice. He tilted his fighter forward, hoping to get another shot at the
Wraith
. Two seconds later, the amber flash of a Zahlian Lutimite Drive firing two-thousand MUs below the
Sanctuary
signified the
Wraith
had fled the scene.
 

“Scorpion, Rock.”

There was a pause. “Rock?” Scorpion breathed. “Report in.”

“The
Wraith
has fled.”

“Copy. What’s your SITREP?”