Read Online Six Bits by Laurence Dahners - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Laurence Dahners
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have back there?”
“Um, Sir, We didn’t have an observation port behind the moon sir.”
“Didn’t have an observation port!” Kinjie screeched, “What in the name of the Mother have you been doing ?!” A sensation like trickling ice water began to run up inside the Commander’s lower shell. “Did you think this was some kind of a pleasure cruise? Have you left out any other standard measures?”
Then the contents of the message popped up on the screens and both Kinjie’s and Quell’s cilia began writhing in fury.
Quell hissed, “They’ve snuck into your hindmost excretory orifice!”
“This is now a battle… get off my bridge!” Kinjie spun in his saddle, his head-hands extended to full height, “Duot, where the oiton is that cruiser? Is it behind that moon?”
“Just an antenna on line of sight sir!”
“I said, ‘ Wherethe hell is it?’”
“Sir, I don’t know.”
“Don’t cower! Find it!”
“Sir! Working, Sir!” Duot and several other junior officers’ head-hands swiveled back to their holocubes.
Cold ice settled in Kinjie’s gut. The Mother-be-damned humans must have jumped behind the moon. Why? They couldn’t possibly have known he was here could they? What kind of orbit were they in? Shouldn’t they already be out from behind the moon? Could they have already located his ship? No! Xajion was too stealthy, they couldn’t have found her in just 15 minutes, but they might find her soon and he had no damned idea where they were.
“Gueel! Locate a jump to the side of this damn planet opposite that moon, low orbit.”
“Nonise! Pull the Flickerships.”
“Fotayl! Message capsules to Zoaden and Yaitan, send our records and tell them we’re jumping out of the presumed line of sight of this damned humaniform cruiser.”
A thrumming sound like a god beating a huge barrel signaled the back-shifting of the flickerships into their berths.
Duot timidly turned his saddle and said weakly, “Commander, the local humans have been bathing us with microwave radiation. We may be pretty easy to find.”
Kinjie didn’t hear. “Gueel! As soon as you’ve located, jump us the hell out of here!”
BRIDGE—HUMANIFORM CRUISER EXCELTOR—COMETARY EARTH ORBIT
0935 EST
“Captain, they’re jumping!”
“Fire, Dammit!”
“Captain, we fired, on auto as ordered!”
“Did you get ‘em?”
“Looking sir.”
“Pray to your gods that you did!”
BRIDGE—KRANE FLAGSHIP—LIGHT CARRIER XAJION—EARTH ORBIT
0935 EST
Commander Kinjie heard the boom of opening, then the powerful thrumming of the shift-ring running the length of his ship.
But then the Mother struck Xajion a horrible blow. One that left her ringing like a massive bell. Blasting wind signaled decompression. Lights arced bright and went out.
Faint bangs signaled the closing of decompression doors in thinned atmosphere. A dim glow from the emergency lights brought back some visibility as the Xajion tumbled like a can kicked by a giant. Kinjie clung to his saddle with all six feet, cursing himself for a fool.
The humans had obviously cut his shift-ring during its passage along the ship. Thus, they’d cut his ship in half. The question was, how much was left in his half? He looked about in the dim glow noting with grim satisfaction that that damned diplomat Quell had been flung into a bulkhead and lay motionless. At least Kinjie wouldn’t have to listen to that blithering idiot saying “I told you so,” during his darkest hour.
BRIDGE—HUMANIFORM CRUISER EXCELTOR—COMETARY EARTH ORBIT
0938 EST
“Captain! Part of the krane carrier is still in its original orbit. Spinning badly! We must have cut their shift-ring mid-transit!”
“Sir,” Azimus called, “our observation ports on the other side of P3 picked up an incoming flash, presumably the jumped fragment.”
“All hands…” Leis said, “OK crew, we’ve hurt that carrier. Don’t know how badly. Good work, but there’s bound
“Um, Sir, We didn’t have an observation port behind the moon sir.”
“Didn’t have an observation port!” Kinjie screeched, “What in the name of the Mother have you been doing ?!” A sensation like trickling ice water began to run up inside the Commander’s lower shell. “Did you think this was some kind of a pleasure cruise? Have you left out any other standard measures?”
Then the contents of the message popped up on the screens and both Kinjie’s and Quell’s cilia began writhing in fury.
Quell hissed, “They’ve snuck into your hindmost excretory orifice!”
“This is now a battle… get off my bridge!” Kinjie spun in his saddle, his head-hands extended to full height, “Duot, where the oiton is that cruiser? Is it behind that moon?”
“Just an antenna on line of sight sir!”
“I said, ‘ Wherethe hell is it?’”
“Sir, I don’t know.”
“Don’t cower! Find it!”
“Sir! Working, Sir!” Duot and several other junior officers’ head-hands swiveled back to their holocubes.
Cold ice settled in Kinjie’s gut. The Mother-be-damned humans must have jumped behind the moon. Why? They couldn’t possibly have known he was here could they? What kind of orbit were they in? Shouldn’t they already be out from behind the moon? Could they have already located his ship? No! Xajion was too stealthy, they couldn’t have found her in just 15 minutes, but they might find her soon and he had no damned idea where they were.
“Gueel! Locate a jump to the side of this damn planet opposite that moon, low orbit.”
“Nonise! Pull the Flickerships.”
“Fotayl! Message capsules to Zoaden and Yaitan, send our records and tell them we’re jumping out of the presumed line of sight of this damned humaniform cruiser.”
A thrumming sound like a god beating a huge barrel signaled the back-shifting of the flickerships into their berths.
Duot timidly turned his saddle and said weakly, “Commander, the local humans have been bathing us with microwave radiation. We may be pretty easy to find.”
Kinjie didn’t hear. “Gueel! As soon as you’ve located, jump us the hell out of here!”
BRIDGE—HUMANIFORM CRUISER EXCELTOR—COMETARY EARTH ORBIT
0935 EST
“Captain, they’re jumping!”
“Fire, Dammit!”
“Captain, we fired, on auto as ordered!”
“Did you get ‘em?”
“Looking sir.”
“Pray to your gods that you did!”
BRIDGE—KRANE FLAGSHIP—LIGHT CARRIER XAJION—EARTH ORBIT
0935 EST
Commander Kinjie heard the boom of opening, then the powerful thrumming of the shift-ring running the length of his ship.
But then the Mother struck Xajion a horrible blow. One that left her ringing like a massive bell. Blasting wind signaled decompression. Lights arced bright and went out.
Faint bangs signaled the closing of decompression doors in thinned atmosphere. A dim glow from the emergency lights brought back some visibility as the Xajion tumbled like a can kicked by a giant. Kinjie clung to his saddle with all six feet, cursing himself for a fool.
The humans had obviously cut his shift-ring during its passage along the ship. Thus, they’d cut his ship in half. The question was, how much was left in his half? He looked about in the dim glow noting with grim satisfaction that that damned diplomat Quell had been flung into a bulkhead and lay motionless. At least Kinjie wouldn’t have to listen to that blithering idiot saying “I told you so,” during his darkest hour.
BRIDGE—HUMANIFORM CRUISER EXCELTOR—COMETARY EARTH ORBIT
0938 EST
“Captain! Part of the krane carrier is still in its original orbit. Spinning badly! We must have cut their shift-ring mid-transit!”
“Sir,” Azimus called, “our observation ports on the other side of P3 picked up an incoming flash, presumably the jumped fragment.”
“All hands…” Leis said, “OK crew, we’ve hurt that carrier. Don’t know how badly. Good work, but there’s bound
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