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Authors: Sean Williams, Shane Dix
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flicker-bombs.
An instant before the second wave arrived, the Ana Vereine surged forward. Roche was pressed back into her seat as the view through the main screen rushed at her. The single ship the Box had targeted reacted instantly, obviously believing that the Ana Vereine intended to ram; its E-shield formed a narrow cone pointed at the hurtling ship, hoping either to deflect it off course or to spear through its hull.
The Box’s intention was farther afield, however. The Ana Vereine changed course an instant before striking the shield. As the Armada ship flashed by, Roche began to guess where they were headed. At the same time, the two vessels they had left behind began to turn, accelerating in pursuit.
The sound of proximity mines being fired behind them rattled in her ears. Two caught the single ship by surprise, slipping through its weakened aft shields and impacting on its hull. Damage was minor, but significant. Cane focused more and more firepower on the injured ship until it was forced to turn away, leaving the chase to its more distant, but fitter, siblings.
Too late. There was no way now that any of the ships could intercept the Ami Vereine; its lead was too great, and its destination too close.
Roche watched numbly as the image of the point-source swelled in the main screen. Not even automatic compensators could dull its brilliance.
I hope you know what you’re doing, Box, she thought to herself.
Haid stared mutely up at the screen, his fingers working the disrupter controls automatically. Then a hand fell across his own.
“It’s all right,” Cane said. “The E-shields can manage from here.”
“No they can’t,” Roche said urgently, leaning forward. “We’ll need everything up front. Kajic, what’s the ambient temperature and composition of the region ahead?”
“Unknown,” was the ex-captain’s reply. “Our instruments are—”
“Prepare for imminent hyperspace translation,” the Box broke in.
“ What? ” On hearing the AI’s intentions, Roche instantly regretted giving it absolute control. “You can’t be serious! We’re too close—”
“Not close enough, actually,” returned the Box. “But we will be in ten seconds. Fasten your harnesses, everyone. This will be rough.”
Roche’s hands gripped her seat as the point-source ballooned to fill the entire main screen. She was dimly aware of the others around her—even Cane—doing the same, and of the stubborn thumping of the Armada guns on their aft shields, still harassing the Ana Vereine from behind. Part of her recalled the way the Box had threatened a collision course with COE Intelligence HQ under similar circumstances; she could only hope that its timing and intentions were as critical now as they had been then.
White fire consumed the screen. Sirens began to wail. The ship jerked once; she thought she heard Kajic call something to her. Then:
Space flowered open before them, unfolding in a series of crimson waves that quickly and violently enveloped the Ana Vereine. The ship shivered from nose to tail, shaken by forces Roche could only imagine. At the center of the vortex, several tiny specks of light flickered into being—only to disappear again as the main screen went black.
Then everything simply stopped.
2
INDAna Vereine
‘955.01.19 EN
0805
The main screen was empty.
Roche stared at it for a few moments, expecting it to suddenly clear and fill with... what ? She had no idea what she expected to see out there. She had no idea where the Box had even taken them.
When it became apparent that the screen wasn’t about to change, she swiveled around to check the others on the bridge. Cane had freed himself from his restraint harness and was assisting Maii back into her seat, their movements in the unnatural silence oddly loud and unreal. When he stepped away from her, Roche saw that the girl’s head was bleeding slightly from her fall. Haid, the hand of his new arm resting on a touch pad, was still
An instant before the second wave arrived, the Ana Vereine surged forward. Roche was pressed back into her seat as the view through the main screen rushed at her. The single ship the Box had targeted reacted instantly, obviously believing that the Ana Vereine intended to ram; its E-shield formed a narrow cone pointed at the hurtling ship, hoping either to deflect it off course or to spear through its hull.
The Box’s intention was farther afield, however. The Ana Vereine changed course an instant before striking the shield. As the Armada ship flashed by, Roche began to guess where they were headed. At the same time, the two vessels they had left behind began to turn, accelerating in pursuit.
The sound of proximity mines being fired behind them rattled in her ears. Two caught the single ship by surprise, slipping through its weakened aft shields and impacting on its hull. Damage was minor, but significant. Cane focused more and more firepower on the injured ship until it was forced to turn away, leaving the chase to its more distant, but fitter, siblings.
Too late. There was no way now that any of the ships could intercept the Ami Vereine; its lead was too great, and its destination too close.
Roche watched numbly as the image of the point-source swelled in the main screen. Not even automatic compensators could dull its brilliance.
I hope you know what you’re doing, Box, she thought to herself.
Haid stared mutely up at the screen, his fingers working the disrupter controls automatically. Then a hand fell across his own.
“It’s all right,” Cane said. “The E-shields can manage from here.”
“No they can’t,” Roche said urgently, leaning forward. “We’ll need everything up front. Kajic, what’s the ambient temperature and composition of the region ahead?”
“Unknown,” was the ex-captain’s reply. “Our instruments are—”
“Prepare for imminent hyperspace translation,” the Box broke in.
“ What? ” On hearing the AI’s intentions, Roche instantly regretted giving it absolute control. “You can’t be serious! We’re too close—”
“Not close enough, actually,” returned the Box. “But we will be in ten seconds. Fasten your harnesses, everyone. This will be rough.”
Roche’s hands gripped her seat as the point-source ballooned to fill the entire main screen. She was dimly aware of the others around her—even Cane—doing the same, and of the stubborn thumping of the Armada guns on their aft shields, still harassing the Ana Vereine from behind. Part of her recalled the way the Box had threatened a collision course with COE Intelligence HQ under similar circumstances; she could only hope that its timing and intentions were as critical now as they had been then.
White fire consumed the screen. Sirens began to wail. The ship jerked once; she thought she heard Kajic call something to her. Then:
Space flowered open before them, unfolding in a series of crimson waves that quickly and violently enveloped the Ana Vereine. The ship shivered from nose to tail, shaken by forces Roche could only imagine. At the center of the vortex, several tiny specks of light flickered into being—only to disappear again as the main screen went black.
Then everything simply stopped.
2
INDAna Vereine
‘955.01.19 EN
0805
The main screen was empty.
Roche stared at it for a few moments, expecting it to suddenly clear and fill with... what ? She had no idea what she expected to see out there. She had no idea where the Box had even taken them.
When it became apparent that the screen wasn’t about to change, she swiveled around to check the others on the bridge. Cane had freed himself from his restraint harness and was assisting Maii back into her seat, their movements in the unnatural silence oddly loud and unreal. When he stepped away from her, Roche saw that the girl’s head was bleeding slightly from her fall. Haid, the hand of his new arm resting on a touch pad, was still
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