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"Now! Fire!"
Alex's thumb hit the forbidden button while his other fingers became a blur on
the rest of the fire control panel.
The gunstar became a dervish of destructive energy, throwing off energy bolts
and heavy particles in all directions. It was as if a small sun had suddenly
gone nova in the midst of the incoming Ko-Dan ships.
That wash of unbelievable destruction swept them away as though they'd never
been, vaporizing all before they had a chance to escape.
Alex kept firing even though his screen was rendered useless by the quantity
of energy being dispersed around the gunstar, kept firing until the brief
period of usefulness ended. A warning buzzer sounded loud in the cockpit.
Lights dimmed, the ship resumed its standard fighting configuration, and space
was once again visible outside and on the screens.
The latter were blank save for a single steady green dot hanging lazily in the
centers.
"Engines down, power down," Grig announced, studying his readouts. "Except for
life support and communications, we're dead."
Exhausted, Alex pulled his arms out of the control sleeves, indulged in the
ultimate luxury of wiping his face and rubbing his eyes. He was utterly
drained, physically as well as emotionally.
"It doesn't matter, Grig. We did it. It's over, and we did it."
"Yes, we actually did, didn't we?" He continued to take readings of ship
functions. "I'll attempt to contact
Rylos control. They'll send something up to pick us up and recover the
gunstar." He started to spin his chair.
Near explosions suddenly rocked the ship, stopped as abruptly. Grig hastily
swerved back to battle position while Alex thrust his arms back into the fire
control sleeves.
"Now what?"
"I don't know. Did we miss any? I thought we got them all." He studied his
console.
The oversized image appeared simultaneously on both screens.
"The command ship!" Alex yelled. "But they've stopped firing at us. Why?"
"Maybe they can sense that our drive is dysfunctional. Maybe they're going to
put a tow beam on us and pull us in." He worked frantically at his
instruments. "Plenty of evidence of damage to their exterior. We hurt them bad
on our initial attack."
Indeed they had. Kril raged at his fire control officer.
"Why have you stopped firing? They are not even trying to evade. They must
have engine damage. Fire!"
The officer in charge turned to face Kril. "Commander, all our weapons systems
are down now. It will take time for damage control to repair even the least
damaged of them."
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Kril whirled back to face the main screen. It clearly showed the gunstar
drifting aimlessly above Galan.
"Sensors?"
"They have minimal power remaining, Commander," came the reply. "I would
imagine they retain life support since there is no visible sign of hull
damage. But all other energy readings are minimal at best."
"Could it be a deception?" wondered another officer. He was patched from where
he'd struck the deck hard during an earlier explosion.
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"Why bother?" Kril exclaimed. "They must know how badly we are hurt. If they
could mount the most minimal attack they would be coming straight for us. We
must therefore assume they are incapable of attack and cannot even manage
their own escape. Could we put a tow beam on them?"
Again the disheartening reply. "That system is also down, Commander."
Kril fumed silently. The opportunity was present to snatch victory from
defeat, and he was helpless!
Or was he?
He turned to navigation. "Plot an intercept course. Even at our mutually
reduced speeds the impact should be sufficient to reduce them to scrap. Clear
all forward compartments of crew and seal off the forward section of the
ship."
"Yes, Commander," came the replies from the appropriate stations.
Kril was able to regard the screen with satisfaction. This would be like the
ancient battles, when Ko-Dan warred against Ko-Dan on the surface of the
mother world for control of tribal territories. With the advanced weaponry of
both vessels crippled, he had the advantage. He had no intention of waiting
until his own weapons were fixed. The gunstar might regain the use of her
drive and escape, or worse, mount her own attack.
No, the final outcome of the battle for Rylos would be determined by raw
basics mass against mass. In that primitive equation, the Ko-Dan led.
Alex stared at his screen. "Grig, they're moving toward us."
"I know, Alex."
"What are they doing?"
"I think they are actually going to try and hit us with their own vessel. What
a remarkable notion."
"Remarkable, hell! Do something!"
"I am trying, Alex."
Hesitantly, Alex touched one of the fire controls. All his effort produced was
a red warning light on the readout and monitoring system. He tried another.
Two red lights glared angrily at him, fiery hostile eyes in the dim light of
the cabin.
"Grig, we need power. I've got nothing back here."
"All systems were drained by the use of the blossom, but I'm trying to
override the emergency safety system. It's not designed to be overridden,
Alex."
"Well, do something. Another minute and we'll be overridden!" The Ko-Dan
command ship was clearly visible on the screen, leaking glowing gases from the
gaping wounds inflicted earlier by the gunstar. It was moving at an
infinitesimal speed straight toward the gunstar.
Grig worked with quiet determination. Something behind Alex's seat vibrated
awkwardly, stopped.
"All we have left is a little stored power for communications and life support
maintenance."
"Switch it through to the drive and hold your breath!" [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]