The Price of the Stars: Book One of Mageworlds (35 page)
Read The Price of the Stars: Book One of Mageworlds Online
Authors: Debra Doyle,James D. Macdonald
BOOK: The Price of the Stars: Book One of Mageworlds
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Ari looked unhappy. “Bee, you don’t have to—”
She ignored him. “All right. We’re going out the cargo door and heading for the ship. Ari, you’re in the middle with Llannat. Jessan, get out your blaster and bring up the rear.”
She undogged the door and slid it open. Then she pulled her knife. “The Rolny and I are going first, just to make a nice show and impress the dirtside troopies.” She twisted Nivome’s bound hands up behind him, and put the point of the knife at the juncture of his throat and jaw. “Walk, you.”
Nivome obeyed. Outside, she could see another troop carrier hovering not far from the first. Foot soldiers in blast armor had already formed up into a skirmish line outside the vehicles. At the sight of Nivome, they held their fire.
She pitched her voice to carry. “You know who I’ve got here. One funny move, and I start cutting pieces off of him. I want an armed spacecraft and safe conduct into hyperspace, and I want them now!”
She crossed the few yards of open ground between the grounded aircar and the trees with her dagger’s point nuzzling the Rolny’s throat every step of the way. She didn’t dare look back to see whether Ari and Jessan had followed her—not until she’d marched Nivome well into the woods, and passed with him through the area of visual distortion that marked the edge of the cloaking field.
Only after she’d confirmed that the ’
Hammer
and
Defiant
still waited for them unmolested did she let herself look around. Ari was there, holding Llannat and looking grim, and Jessan, reholstering his blaster. The Khesatan gave her an encouraging smile.
Hammer
and
Defiant
still waited for them unmolested did she let herself look around. Ari was there, holding Llannat and looking grim, and Jessan, reholstering his blaster. The Khesatan gave her an encouraging smile.
“You menaced them most convincingly, Captain.”
“It helps if you mean it,” she said. “If we’re lucky, they’ll waste some time trying to talk us into coming out of the woods with our hands up. Let’s get on board and lift ship.”
She watched as Jessan, the only member of the party with a free hand, punched the security codes into the
‘Hammer’s
entry panel. “I hate to leave
Defiant
for those bastards to take apart,” she said, “but it’s going to take all of us just to get the ’
Hammer
up and into hyper.”
‘Hammer’s
entry panel. “I hate to leave
Defiant
for those bastards to take apart,” she said, “but it’s going to take all of us just to get the ’
Hammer
up and into hyper.”
The ramp came down. She prodded Nivome up it with the tip of her knife.
“Everybody aboard. Ari, you strap Llannat down for lift-off and then start warming up the engines. I’ll be up to the cockpit as soon as Jessan and I get Dadda’s birthday present secured belowdecks.”
Ari headed forward, still carrying Llannat. Beka thumbed the ramp closed.
“Cover him,” she said to Jessan, and stepped away from Nivome to open one of the ’
Hammer’
s cargo holds. She gestured toward the opening with the point of her dagger. “You—Nivome—get in there.”
Hammer’
s cargo holds. She gestured toward the opening with the point of her dagger. “You—Nivome—get in there.”
The Rolny obeyed. She dogged the airtight hatch back into place and straightened up again. This time she couldn’t help the stifled noise she made as the hole in her side opened and bled afresh. Again, Jessan reached out a hand. She moved away.
“It’ll keep until we make hyper, I tell you,” she said, throwing the compartment’s external lock switch as she spoke. “Let’s get forward.”
In the cockpit, Ari was bending over the copilot’s couch and fastening the safety webbing across Llannat’s unconscious form. Beka checked the control panel (
Automatics well advanced on the lift sequence
) and the view outside the cockpit (
Still no troopers in the clearing)
before turning to her brother.
Automatics well advanced on the lift sequence
) and the view outside the cockpit (
Still no troopers in the clearing)
before turning to her brother.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“You know a better-cushioned place to strap someone in for lift-off?” He straightened, and gave her an appraising look. “You’d better take a gun and let me lift ship, Bee—you look like they forgot to bury you.”
She shook her head. “Like hell you’re flying my ship. You go shoot.”
“Bee, you’re hurt bad and you know it. If you pass out we’re all in trouble.”
She felt her temper rising, and held on to the back of the pilot’s seat with both hands.
Gently,
she told herself.
Gently
. “Listen to me, Ari. You’re hell on wings in atmospheric craft. I admit it. But I fly spaceships for a living, and you don’t.”
Gently,
she told herself.
Gently
. “Listen to me, Ari. You’re hell on wings in atmospheric craft. I admit it. But I fly spaceships for a living, and you don’t.”
“She’s right, Ari,” said Jessan.
“Damn it, Nyls,
look
at her!”
look
at her!”
“I know,” said the Khesatan. “I know. Just pass me the first-aid box. Now, Captain, if you’d let me take your coat … good … you sit there and finish running down the checklist, and I’ll see about doing a patch-and-go job that’ll hold you together until we make hyperspace.”
She took the pilot’s seat and started flipping switches, only half-aware of Jessan still murmuring to himself as he cut away the blood-stiffened fabric of her shirt and probed the blaster wound with skilled fingers.
“Looks like it missed all the major organs … but it
is
a nasty one, no two ways about that. Straight into the healing pod as soon as we get home, and no argument
is
a nasty one, no two ways about that. Straight into the healing pod as soon as we get home, and no argument
… lend me a hand here, Ari? … thanks. There. That pressure bandage ought to keep the bleeding under control—let me get you some fluids before we lift.”
She shook her head and pointed out the window. Darvelline troopers, several squads of them, burst into the clearing and started firing.
“No time,” she said. “Get to battle stations—I’m lifting in thirty seconds whether you’re in place or not.”
Jessan counted under his breath as he and Ari ran aft for the guns.
“ … twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two …” The captain had been generous with her estimate. On “twenty-three” he felt the
’Hammer’s
forward nullgravs tilting the ship’s nose upward, and on “twenty-five” the acceleration hit.
’Hammer’s
forward nullgravs tilting the ship’s nose upward, and on “twenty-five” the acceleration hit.
He made it the last few feet to the Number Two gun position in an uphill fight against gravity. He found the Arm switch after a moment’s panicky search, pushing it left-handed while his right hand worked the straps on the safety webbing.
Something exploded, down below. The white flash filled the gun bubble, and after the light faded he could see an angry red ball mushrooming upward toward them.
“What went off dirtside?” he called over the internal comm as he settled the headset into place.
He heard Beka’s unsteady laugh. “That was
Defiant
blowing herself to pieces. I guess the Professor didn’t want anybody else messing around with her, either.”
Defiant
blowing herself to pieces. I guess the Professor didn’t want anybody else messing around with her, either.”
Outside the gun bubble, the sky was going from blue to black. A few stars came out, and a brighter disk-shaped spot appeared against them.
Satellite
, Jessan thought. Over the headset, he heard Ari’s voice muttering something about gratuitous violence, and then Number One gun fired.
, Jessan thought. Over the headset, he heard Ari’s voice muttering something about gratuitous violence, and then Number One gun fired.
“Keep doing that and they’ll spot us as hostile for sure,” Jessan said.
“If they don’t already have us down as hostile,” came Ari’s reply, “then they never will.”
What the hell
, Jessan thought, and picked out a satellite of his own to shoot at.
I could use the practice
.
, Jessan thought, and picked out a satellite of his own to shoot at.
I could use the practice
.
A beam of energy streaked forward past the bridge from the dorsal gun bubble.
Trigger-happy lunatics
, thought Beka, as the
’Hammer
emerged from atmosphere.
They’re not going to hit a damned thing at that range
.
Trigger-happy lunatics
, thought Beka, as the
’Hammer
emerged from atmosphere.
They’re not going to hit a damned thing at that range
.
She brought the acceleration up as high as she dared—
Don’t want my gunners blacking out on me
—and divided the rest of her attention between the sensor readouts and the realspace vista out the cockpit windows. Neither view looked encouraging. On the control panel, the
’Hammer’s
sensors were showing multiple transmissions on frequencies usually used by fire control and homing mechanisms. And outside, the sky was full of tracking devices, most of them pointed straight at her.
Don’t want my gunners blacking out on me
—and divided the rest of her attention between the sensor readouts and the realspace vista out the cockpit windows. Neither view looked encouraging. On the control panel, the
’Hammer’s
sensors were showing multiple transmissions on frequencies usually used by fire control and homing mechanisms. And outside, the sky was full of tracking devices, most of them pointed straight at her.
Time for the jammers,
she thought, and flipped the newest addition to the array of switches on the control panel.
That’s one more thing I owe you, Professor.
she thought, and flipped the newest addition to the array of switches on the control panel.
That’s one more thing I owe you, Professor.
Another touch, and airtight doors throughout the ship sighed closed. She rotated the
’Hammer
about her axis once to look for a clear route out, found a line that had fewer ships along it than the rest, and set the navicomps to work checking for a jump point.
’Hammer
about her axis once to look for a clear route out, found a line that had fewer ships along it than the rest, and set the navicomps to work checking for a jump point.
“Don’t get picky on me now,” she muttered. “Just put me in the galaxy someplace. I can find my own way home.”
The guns hammered out a quick burst, and a flash of light erupted nearby. “Where the hell did he come from?” she demanded, as shrill pippings from the control panel warned of lock-on. She switched on the
’Hammer’s
range gate pull-off transmitter in an attempt to divert any missiles homing in, and checked the sensor readouts again.
’Hammer’s
range gate pull-off transmitter in an attempt to divert any missiles homing in, and checked the sensor readouts again.
“Damn,” she muttered. “Damn, damn, damn …” One of the satellites below was spinning, bringing its weapons to bear.
A bolt of fire streaked out, and within seconds the blackness of space around the
’Hammer
turned into a wire cage of crossing beams. She increased velocity and changed course again, gasping as the force tore at the wound in her side.
’Hammer
turned into a wire cage of crossing beams. She increased velocity and changed course again, gasping as the force tore at the wound in her side.
Another alarm shrilled in her ears: loss of internal pressure in the forward cargo hold.
The bulkheads can hold it.
She slapped the siren off.
The bulkheads can hold it.
She slapped the siren off.
A ship the size of a Space Force cruiser came into visual range behind and beneath her, dropping off one-man fighters as it came.
Look at the good side
, she told herself, increasing the velocity again.
You made it past the orbital stuff.
Look at the good side
, she told herself, increasing the velocity again.
You made it past the orbital stuff.
The cruiser was falling behind now, dwindling out of visual—the
’Hammer’s
outsized engines had done the trick again. “That’s a girl!” Beka crooned to her ship. “Fastest pair of legs in the galaxy … oh, damn!”
’Hammer’s
outsized engines had done the trick again. “That’s a girl!” Beka crooned to her ship. “Fastest pair of legs in the galaxy … oh, damn!”
The
’Hammer’s
guns beat out their staccato rhythms, and more silent explosions lit up the blackness. Another cruiser had left its picket duty to come up ahead of her.
’Hammer’s
guns beat out their staccato rhythms, and more silent explosions lit up the blackness. Another cruiser had left its picket duty to come up ahead of her.
She checked the navicomps. “Come on, come on! Give me a jump point, will you?”
But the “working” lights kept on flashing.
All this twisting and dodging keeps changing the equations. I need to get clear of these warships and take a straight run.
All this twisting and dodging keeps changing the equations. I need to get clear of these warships and take a straight run.
She cut hard left and spiraled again to get clear of the warship in front of her. Energy bolts traced across the
’Hammer’s
ventral surface as a fighter sped by. Fire from her own guns followed him as he ran.
’Hammer’s
ventral surface as a fighter sped by. Fire from her own guns followed him as he ran.
“You’re doing good,” she called over the internal comm to the gun bubbles. “Just keep them off me while I head for jump.”
Nyls Jessan slewed Number Two gun around to take aim at another incoming fighter.
“I hear you, Captain,” he said to Beka over the headset, and to himself,
Keep cool. Pretend it’s
a
simulation
. He fired, and the fighter blew up.
Keep cool. Pretend it’s
a
simulation
. He fired, and the fighter blew up.
“Not bad,” Ari said through the earphones.
Jessan fired again. A miss, this time. “I’ll have you know that I’m a graduate of the Space Force Gunnery Familiarization Program.”
He heard the sound of Number One firing, and then Ari’s voice again. “You mean the course that teaches medics how not to accidentally blow up the guys on their own side?”
“That’s the one.”
Something out there beyond the armor-glass exploded in a dazzle of white light. Jessan fired blind, letting the targeting computer swing the gun position around for him.
If it moves, it’s hostile. Simplifies things a lot.
He heard a noise like a thunderclap—Lor
ds of Life, that was close!—
and felt the
’Hammer
shudder. Over the headset, he caught Ari muttering something in the Forest Speech that the big Galcenian saved for serious cursing.
Something must have gone wrong.
ds of Life, that was close!—
and felt the
’Hammer
shudder. Over the headset, he caught Ari muttering something in the Forest Speech that the big Galcenian saved for serious cursing.
Something must have gone wrong.
A second later, he realized just how wrong.
The sound of the engines had stopped.
Now we’re really in trouble
, thought Beka. A hit aft from one of the fighters screaming by had prompted the engine-room damage-control systems to take over and cut power. The
’Hammer
kept on moving forward with her speed intact, but the readouts on the cockpit control panel showed that the ship was no longer accelerating.
, thought Beka. A hit aft from one of the fighters screaming by had prompted the engine-room damage-control systems to take over and cut power. The
’Hammer
kept on moving forward with her speed intact, but the readouts on the cockpit control panel showed that the ship was no longer accelerating.
Using the realspace engines now would mean a chance of burning them out. On most ships, DC systems couldn’t be reset until repairs were made, anyway.
But the
’Hammer
isn’t most ships
, thought Beka.
And we’ll never make it up to jump speed like this
.
But the
’Hammer
isn’t most ships
, thought Beka.
And we’ll never make it up to jump speed like this
.
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