was when our attackers overrode both our signals, and took control of communications.
“League Scout Ship Truman . Is Dr. Cherijo Grey Veil on board?”
I wasn’t going to let them fire on my family again. “I’m here, you bastards.”
“You are ordered to stand down and prepare to be boarded.”
“By whose authority?” Reever asked.
“By the authority of—”
Suddenly the Sunlace was firing on the biggest ship, and I was pounding on the console. “Xonea! No!”
The mercenaries returned fire, and we had to sit there helplessly and watch as two more levels sustained heavy damage.
“ Truman . We will suspend the communications block for sixty seconds. You will advise your allies to stand down at once, or we will destroy all your vessels and the colony on the planet you orbit.”
My hands started to shake. There was no way the Meridae could defend themselves against that many ships. When I looked at Reever, he nodded. I pressed the console keypad again. “Xonea. Listen to me. We can’t fight them.” I relayed the mercenary’s threats, then added, “I invoke my Speaking.”
There was a brief silence, then Xonea acknowledged in a voice as cold as death, “As you wish, ClanSister.”
I shut down the signal, then opened one to the mercenaries. “This is Dr. Cherijo Torin. I surrender. Come and get me.” I shut down communications and turned to Reever. “Don’t look at me like that. Go down to the launch bay and take the shuttle back to the Sunlace.” I opened the storage compartment and took my disgruntled pet out. “Take Jenner with you.”
He only shook his head and did something that made the engines rumble.
I wasn’t going to lose him or Jenner. Not to mercenaries, not like this. “Duncan, don’t you dare.”
“They will pursue us. It will give Xonea time to transition.” He set coordinates, and powered up the engines.
“You really think they’re going to chase us if we run?”
“You are why they are here. Where you go, they will follow. Put your harness on.”
I put Jenner back in the compartment, which got me a couple of good scratches in the process, then pulled the rigging over my shoulders. “Don’t warn them. Just do it.”
“I will, as soon as we’re clear of the planet.”
For a few minutes Reever successfully dodged a continuous volley of pulse fire as he maneuvered the Truman out of orbit and away from the Sunlace and the Perpetua . As he predicted, the mercenaries followed us. I started digging my nails into my chair’s arm rests.
“When did you learn to fly like this?” I asked him as the ship went into yet another rolling maneuver.
“When I was on Terra.” He frowned as his fingers moved rapidly over the flight control panel. “I once entertained the idea of becoming a transport pilot.”
The mercenary ships were fanning out, trying to flank us on both sides. We were still too close to the planet to initiate the stardrive. “You never told me that.”
“You never asked.”
We both were jerked against our rigs as the flanking ships began firing at us from both sides. There was no way Reever could dodge the cross fire, so he did something completely unexpected. He cut the engines entirely, which made us drop back and under the pursuing ships.
“Good move,” I said, peering at the viewer. “Can you initiate the stardrive from here?” No answer. “Duncan?”
“I just tried to.” Reever sat back. “Cherijo, there is no stardrive on this vessel.”
“What the hell are you talking about? Of course there’s a stardrive. It’s a star vessel.”
“No, it’s not.” He calmly unfastened his rigging and stood up. “I believe the reason for that is about to present itself.”
The little drone I’d left down in Medical came through the helm door panel. “Simulation sequence complete. Dimensional grid shutdown in progress.”
I watched with wide eyes as the helm began to slowly dissolve. Equipment, consoles, even the view screen vanished. In a
“League Scout Ship Truman . Is Dr. Cherijo Grey Veil on board?”
I wasn’t going to let them fire on my family again. “I’m here, you bastards.”
“You are ordered to stand down and prepare to be boarded.”
“By whose authority?” Reever asked.
“By the authority of—”
Suddenly the Sunlace was firing on the biggest ship, and I was pounding on the console. “Xonea! No!”
The mercenaries returned fire, and we had to sit there helplessly and watch as two more levels sustained heavy damage.
“ Truman . We will suspend the communications block for sixty seconds. You will advise your allies to stand down at once, or we will destroy all your vessels and the colony on the planet you orbit.”
My hands started to shake. There was no way the Meridae could defend themselves against that many ships. When I looked at Reever, he nodded. I pressed the console keypad again. “Xonea. Listen to me. We can’t fight them.” I relayed the mercenary’s threats, then added, “I invoke my Speaking.”
There was a brief silence, then Xonea acknowledged in a voice as cold as death, “As you wish, ClanSister.”
I shut down the signal, then opened one to the mercenaries. “This is Dr. Cherijo Torin. I surrender. Come and get me.” I shut down communications and turned to Reever. “Don’t look at me like that. Go down to the launch bay and take the shuttle back to the Sunlace.” I opened the storage compartment and took my disgruntled pet out. “Take Jenner with you.”
He only shook his head and did something that made the engines rumble.
I wasn’t going to lose him or Jenner. Not to mercenaries, not like this. “Duncan, don’t you dare.”
“They will pursue us. It will give Xonea time to transition.” He set coordinates, and powered up the engines.
“You really think they’re going to chase us if we run?”
“You are why they are here. Where you go, they will follow. Put your harness on.”
I put Jenner back in the compartment, which got me a couple of good scratches in the process, then pulled the rigging over my shoulders. “Don’t warn them. Just do it.”
“I will, as soon as we’re clear of the planet.”
For a few minutes Reever successfully dodged a continuous volley of pulse fire as he maneuvered the Truman out of orbit and away from the Sunlace and the Perpetua . As he predicted, the mercenaries followed us. I started digging my nails into my chair’s arm rests.
“When did you learn to fly like this?” I asked him as the ship went into yet another rolling maneuver.
“When I was on Terra.” He frowned as his fingers moved rapidly over the flight control panel. “I once entertained the idea of becoming a transport pilot.”
The mercenary ships were fanning out, trying to flank us on both sides. We were still too close to the planet to initiate the stardrive. “You never told me that.”
“You never asked.”
We both were jerked against our rigs as the flanking ships began firing at us from both sides. There was no way Reever could dodge the cross fire, so he did something completely unexpected. He cut the engines entirely, which made us drop back and under the pursuing ships.
“Good move,” I said, peering at the viewer. “Can you initiate the stardrive from here?” No answer. “Duncan?”
“I just tried to.” Reever sat back. “Cherijo, there is no stardrive on this vessel.”
“What the hell are you talking about? Of course there’s a stardrive. It’s a star vessel.”
“No, it’s not.” He calmly unfastened his rigging and stood up. “I believe the reason for that is about to present itself.”
The little drone I’d left down in Medical came through the helm door panel. “Simulation sequence complete. Dimensional grid shutdown in progress.”
I watched with wide eyes as the helm began to slowly dissolve. Equipment, consoles, even the view screen vanished. In a
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