Read Online Tactical Error by Thorarinn Gunnarsson - Free Book Online Page B

carrier measured from the nose, since it had to have been
brought on board through one of the transport bays. Those were simple bits of
logical deduction, but by constructing a memory map of its turns and straight
runs as it moved through the ship, the drone was able to always have a fair
idea of where it was. Sonic data allowed it to guess when it was entering
inhabited regions, and visual references permitted it to guess whether it was
in a major corridor or a small, unimportant passage.
    By keeping to the shadows and jumping into any available cover at the
slightest sound, the spider drone was finally able to work its way to the core
of the ship between her broad, thick wings, and into the maze of main engineering.
Once there, its most difficult task began. The machinery it observed was beyond
its experience, both because of the complexity of Starwolf technology and the
tremendous size of these generators and power grids. But by a careful
comparison of what it saw with what it knew, it was finally able to trace the
main power linkages to the main switching core on the outside, a single piece
of metal pipe two meters wide by twelve meters long.
    The spider drone scrambled up the machinery and scurried along the main
switching core to its very center, then settled itself tight against the pipe
and held on firmly with all six legs. There it awaited its orders.
     
    Although Velmeran made a joke of pretending impatience and suspicion for his
summons back to Alkayja Base, he still believed that it must be important.
Starwolf carriers traditionally returned to Home Base only at need, perhaps
once every hundred years for overhaul. A direct summons was almost unknown,
although far less unusual than it had once been. As soon as the Free Trader Karabyn was safely away, he ordered the Methryn out of orbit as well.
    “I may have missed something,” Valthyrra remarked, her camera
pod watching the main viewscreen over Velmeran’s shoulder. “How are
we supposed to get Keflyn back?”
    Velmeran glanced at her. “Back? Who said anything about getting her
back? I was just hoping to get her off this ship before she realized the flaw
in her little plan.”
    The camera pod afforded him an impatient stare.
    “She has a small achronic transmitter in one of her bags,” he
explained.
    “If the mission had been less important, I might have believed
you.” The ship paused, and her camera pod shot up in a habitual gesture
of surprise or alarm. “Incoming ships. Three of the beggars, and by their
size they can only be Fortresses.”
    Velmeran’s first thought was that the Union had finally decided to
bring Kanis in line. The colony and its flaunted independence had been a very
sore point with the Union for centuries. But why Fortresses? The immense
warships now only traveled it groups of three, too tall a task for any one
Starwolf carrier even with the new missiles that cracked their quartzite armor.
The Fortresses were not especially useful in planetary invasions in themselves,
but they could keep a lone Starwolf carrier from breaking up an invasion.
    “Move to intercept,” Velmeran ordered. “Buzz past them
just out of range. We want to lure them away. How soon can the Vardon be
here?”
    “Five hours, even if they covered the entire distance in a series of
long jumps,” Valthyrra answered. “Is there any chance that we can
chase them away?”
    “The idea is to delay them for now,” he answered. “If we
can harass them in a series of hits and runs, we might be able to keep their
attention on us long enough for the Vardon to get here.”
    The Methryn rushed directly at the trio of Fortresses, still moving very
quickly into system at more than half of light speed, flying in very close
formation of barely fifty kilometers apart. Since the vast ships were
themselves twenty-five kilometers in length and wider than a Starwolf carrier
was long, they made a very impressive sight indeed. Only the development of the
energy-plasma missile