The watch was changing on the flight deck. Up ahead
Brad saw three guards and two technicians entering
to take their posts; moments later an equal number
came out and disappeared down a companionway.
Ship's crew strolled the passageways and on
business in and out of maintenance shops, or
engrossed in discussions with companions about
Drummer's appeal.
Few noticed Brad or his companions; those who
did gave them a passing glance and moved on.
The ship was preparing for action, and armed,
suited-up crews were to be expected.
Brad signaled a pause. Adari, in flight gear as the
others were, joined them and stood with Kumiko
laughing and talking through open visi-plates.
Hodak, against a bulkhead, held a maintenance
manual, slowly flipping pages, apparently reading.
Brad and Drummer moved short distances along
the corridor, seemingly in thoughtful conversation.
The scene reflected routine.
The traffic thinned momentarily. Brad looked
quickly along the corridor and motioned. They
converged toward the companionway leading to
the flight deck.
Brad entered first, followed by Hodak, Adari,
Drummer and Kumiko. Inside, Kumiko swung the
hatch shut and dogged it.
Myra, pressed into a corner against the far
bulkhead by the Chief of the Flight Deck, smiled
up at him, eyes wide. Big and chunky, he talked
fast, trying to convince her of something that
he obviously believed was good for both of them.
Seeing Brad appear at the head of the companionway,
Myra pushed the hulk away with one hand and drew
her weapon with the other. Before he knew what was
happening, the fleshy man with the high hopes was
flat on the deck, out of it.
Stooping and pointing, Myra circled toward Brad.
"Two, there, rifles." In another direction. "One,
on the catwalk, rifle." Over her shoulder. "Two in
the control room, sidearms, but they may have
rifles stashed close by. Fighters on the cats,
ready to go but still on control room switches."
Brad snapped out orders.
"Hodak and Kumiko, control room. Switch the
fighters to self-launch. Adari, the guy on the
catwalk. Myra and Drummer, suit up and into
the first ship."
Hodak and Kumiko charged into the control room
before Brad finished speaking. Red and orange
flashes and a clatter erupted through the doorway,
followed by silence. Hodak and Kumiko tore out,
bent low, splitting to right and left. They carried
rifles raised into firing position.
Adari, eyes and gun elevated, skirted the fighters.
"What the hell's goin' on down there?" The shout
came from a guard on a balcony above. "Who're
you guys?"
That's all it took. Shots followed each other
closely. The guard fell slowly in the ship's light
pseudo-gravity.
Hodak ran to join Brad. Kumiko headed for the
fighters to switch the catapults' activators to
internal controls, arm and charge the guns, and
insert into each ship's computer the capsules
Adari had passed to her.
A guard darted by Brad and took cover behind
a line of massive consoles. A succession of rifle
blasts cracked through the air close above Brad.
Crouching, he raised his weapon and fired. The
guards would be difficult to get at.
"Down, Brad, flat."
Hodak's hoarse whisper carried from two meters
behind Brad. As he ducked a soft swishing sound
sliced above his head. Glints of light sparkled
from a curved, shiny object. Seconds later, the
boomerang returned, wetly red.
"Go, Brad."
Hodak wiped and collapsed the boomerang and slipped
it into a sheath along the thigh of his space suit.
Motioning Hodak forward to climb into the nearest
fighter, Brad followed. The others, already in
place, were racing through their checklists.
Brad began his preflight as he switched his comm
to 'on'.
"Myra, Drummer, do you read?"
"Loud and clear."
"Adari-Kumiko?"
"Right."
"Kumiko, did you fix our inter-ship comm the way
Zolan told you to?"
"Fixed. They'll have to search and analyze dozens
of scramble channels to find and fix on ours. We
have a private and moving channel."
"OK. Check suits. Batten down and seal up. Now
hear this."
Brad stroked control panel keys, switches and
levers as he talked.
"Call signs: Hodak and I are One; Adari and Kumiko,
you're Two, and Myra and Drummer, Three. The job is
to keep 'em confused and stumbling over each other
for as long as we can, and hope for the best. The
capsule Adari slipped into your computer has the
coordinates and formation we hope they've assumed.
By now they're well into the faked redeployment.
We're dealing in seconds, minutes if we're lucky.
"The deployment we triggered concentrates them in
three sectors: Alpha, Beta, Gamma. Hodak and I will
take Alpha, Adari and Kumiko, you've got Beta; Myra
and Drummer to Gamma. Your sector coordinates are
in the capsule; use standard locks to interface the
coordinates with your ship's flight controls. Go for
command decks, weapons control centers, thrusters
or other vitals where disabling is money. Try for
battle cruisers, but don't ignore other targets of
opportunity. Keep your explosive decompressors
and laser-quads at max. Talk as you work so we all
know what's happening. Go."
The signals from Brad's control panel had their
effect. The rushing sound of escaping air told them
the huge portal was opening. Within seconds the
battlefield stretched before them.
Brad hit the catapult release. The ship lunged
forward. As it cleared the flight deck, Brad maxed
the thrusters. Hodak glanced back over his shoulder.
"Two and Three are clear," he announced.
The three fighters skewed sharply toward their
assigned sectors.
"Two talking. Battle Cruiser Intruder coming up.
Range: 2500 K. Destroyer screen not tight enough.
Ex-decomp at max. Range: 2000 -- 1000 -- 400. Three
second burst. On target, but about 50 meters aft the
bridge. Gotta go around for another try, dammit.
"Back at 900 -- 500. Incoming laser-quads. 300.
Two second burst and breaking port. What do you
see, Adari?"
"Made it this time, kiddo. Bridge collapsed. But
move this baby's tail. I can almost feel their
heat."
"Three to One. Skip to Channel C for a sec and
you'll hear Scarf. They must have cleared the
Dragon's bridge. He's giving orders to the P-fleet
to line up for a hit at the Terminals. Looks like
he wants a kind word from his boss. I'm heading
back to the Dragon.
"Dragon coming up. Range: 1700 K. Spotted us.
Have incoming. You didn't down all their guns, Kumiko.
Lousy shooters, though. At 1400 -- 700 -- 300.
Decomp on sustained -- Five second burst. Passing
over. What's the word, Myra?"
"Their stern sucked a lemon. Totaled. Hold
it. Fighter catapulted off the flight deck. It's
closing with a Dragon screen destroyer. Get back
to 'Channel C', it may be Scarf talking."
He was.
"Major Scarf to Destroyer Viper. I'm coming aboard
and taking command of the Planet Pluto Assault
Force. Notify all Plutonian units to be ready to
attack the Terminals and inflict maximum damage.
Those orders come directly from President Narval.
I'll lay out the attack formation as soon as I'm
aboard."
"Two to One. Hear that? The fighter has matched
up and I see Scarf in transfer."
A momentary silence.
"Comin' round the bend and linin' up. They see
us and know we ain't their lovers. Destroyer had
to stabilize to bring Scarf aboard; now they're
hustlin'. I'll give 'em the nose decomps, as we
slip under. 500 kay -- 350 -- decomps on -- goin'
under."
"Blowout -- they're gone. Hey, Hodak, takes care
of your buddy."
"He was no buddy of mine. OK, Two. Move it, Brad."
Brad searched for the Windstorm, Yargoul's battle
cruiser, now the combined fleet's flagship. Two
and Three had scored hits in the tight field,
significantly diminishing the fleet's capabilities.
If the Windstorm could be taken out, or even
damaged, the enemy fleet's command-and-control
would be seriously degraded.
Two destroyers converged on Brad from 11 and 1
o'clock. Brad switched to their channel.
Brad reacted instinctively. His feet slammed
footpads as his arms and hands yanked and
twisted the other controls. The sensitive fighter
corkscrewed and hurtled away just as laser-quad
beams from both destroyers crossed where he
had been a fraction of a second before. Jiggling
reversers and thrusters, he space-skidded into a
tight half circle and dived under the closest ship.
Killer beams tracked him but the arc couldn't
catch up.
Passing under, Hodak cut loose with his
laser-quads, raking laterally across the
destroyer's underside. At the close range the
damage was devastating. The destroyer split
apart along the shock line with a silent, flaming
explosion.
Brad spun the ship about and fired the bow
explosive decompressor at the other destroyer. The
destroyer crumpled into a twisted mass of metal.
Veering off, Brad searched his instruments for
signs of battle cruisers. Hoping for a lead, he
flipped the switch to Channel C and caught the tail
end of a transmission: "...enemy formation is now
changing course to close with us. They are centered
on coordinates H010 and V210. Distance: 5 point
2 million kilometers, closing fast. Tracking, and
will report. This is Lieutenant Asto, Commander
of Titan Patroller Group. Out."
Brad felt a surge of elation. Drummer reached
across the intervening space and pounded his
shoulder. Was it possible? The next voice on
Channel C dispelled his doubts.
"This is Fleet Commander Yargoul to all Commanders
of the INOR Combined Fleet. UIPS battle fleet has
just emerged from behind a comm screen sunside
of Planet Pluto. The screen was erected to keep
the Logistics Depot and the Slingshot work site from
communicating with their government during this
operation. Unfortunately, it also kept us from
messages dispatched by our own headquarters.
The UIPS fleet is still out of range, but closing
fast. All INOR ships accelerate transition into battle
formations and stations. Point for convergence is
coordinate H010-V210. Attention: Commander of
Plutonian Destroyer Group Two. Have one of your
squadrons remain in this sector and to take out the
interceptors that have been harassing our fleet and
then catch up with us. Out."