Eclipse blackout book 5, p.9
Eclipse (Blackout Book 5), page 9
The creature gave him another scornful sneer and completely ignored him. “If you do not mind, Captain, our people detest contact with aliens. I will transport you to the gulper and then we will leave. Consider it a token of our respect for you and your efforts that we take this step.”
“I understand. Please tell us what you’d like us to do.”
The Patera scanned down the line of survivors. “These craft are barely big enough to carry a single Grocit. We will carry one in each craft. You and your crewman can ride together.”
“How will you avoid contact with aliens with all these Grocit distributed between so many ships?” Roy persisted.
At last, the creature turned on him. “If you insist on knowing the details, we have programmed these vessels to a single navigation terminal on this craft.” It gestured toward the fighter from which it emerged. “I control them all from here. My people remained behind on the gulper. Once we deliver you, we will leave.”
Roy shot Jackson a grimace and rolled his eyes, but the Patera had already turned away. It returned to its vessel, did something on one of the lighted panels inside, and all the other captured Krakzid modules opened in unison.
“Let’s go, everybody!” Jackson called to the stragglers. “Get on board. We’re getting out of here.”
True to the Patera’s word, only one Grocit could ride in each fighter. The Gishki and the Kanz doubled up where they could fit. Jackson, Roy, and Benedict crammed into one, and the hatch closed behind them.
The instant they stepped inside, the vessel lit up with millions of instruments, readings, and communiques coming from somewhere.
“That was a stroke of genius you had—giving these ships to the Pateras,” Roy murmured when the module lifted off. “You saved our bacon.”
“The Pateras saved our bacon. They could have taken these craft and hit the highway. They didn’t have to come back for us.”
“Who do you think gave him orders to take us back to that Court thing he mentioned?”
Jackson snorted. “I think that’s just his polite way of saying he chooses to.”
Roy cast a wary glance toward the panels. They streamed with countless alien readings that meant nothing to either passenger. “I sure wish I knew where the hell he’s taking us.”
“He’s taking us to the gulper. Then the Pateras will split and we’ll see where we’re at. This navigation data will show us where the Krigol Court is, but after the Pateras leave, it will be up to us where we go or what we do…unless…”
Roy waited for him to say something. “Captain? Unless what?”
Jackson smacked his forehead and groaned. “Of course! It all makes sense.”
“What does? Enlighten a simple villager.”
“Woolzi.”
Roy frowned. “Woolzi? What about him?”
“The navigation data will take us to Woolzi. He programmed the gulper the same way he programmed that racer to take me away from the Midus. The Pateras were working with Quort and the rest of the fleet. That’s who he meant when he said he was under orders. He was under orders from Quort—or at least, Quort asked him to come and get us. It makes sense now.”
“Are you sure?” Roy shrugged. “Whatever.”
One of the panels changed. It showed a visual of the night sky studded with stars. The two men watched as one of the Vurlax freighters drifted into view. The gulper opened and swallowed all the Krakzid fighter craft at once.
11
The Anarchy rocked from side to side under constant concussions. Explosions hounded the ship downward on a death dive for the Forward Station. Liri’s arms ached from wrestling the helm to stay on course.
“Can’t you give me some breathing space?” she yelled over her shoulder.
“Skeeter 4 is at 50% fuel supply,” Aitera reported. “Whatever you’re going to do had better be pretty spectacular.”
“You’re the one gunning on this cart! Coming in fast. Fire all guns.”
The ports along the ejection block swiveled forward and locked on the runways beyond the Forward Station. A quick glance at her console showed Liri that the attacking Legion vessels were racing alongside the Anarchy, trying to cut her off.
She gritted her teeth and pinned the throttle all the way down, but the ship was already screaming at full speed. The ports erupted and blasts peppered the runways.
Ships detonated into the distance as the Anarchy hurtled overhead. At the same time, three Skeeters broke away from the defending fleet. They turned their noses toward the Forward Station and rocketed forward.
The Anarchy’s flight got the Legion’s attention. It got Arlyane’s attention, too. The Alliance and the Bayonet spun around and dropped in behind the Anarchy. All three ships hammered the Forward Station until they reduced the runways to ash.
A catastrophic crash vibrated the air as the three Skeeters collided with the megaplex. Two gargantuan explosions thumped the walls and the building imploded.
The third blast shattered the edifice to crumbs and dust. It boomed outward, and a massive shockwave swept all three ships off course.
“Woo-hoo!” Liri whooped. “Take that, you sons of bitches! How do you like the Votek movement now, Sally? Looking pretty good compared to the Legion, isn’t it?”
“Liri,” Aitera murmured.
Liri glanced at her friend and blanched when she checked the readings. Another swarm of Legion vessels rose out of the desert to the northeast. It streaked toward Lulin on an intercept course.
Liri ran a quick tactical review of their situation. Almost forty Legion ships blocked the three upstarts from rejoining their friends at the Guard Post. Mile upon mile of empty wilderness surrounded Lulin. Would Arlyane’s glorious assault end with the last three surviving rebels running away with their tails between their legs?
“Attack!” Arlyane bellowed. “Give ‘em everything we’ve got! Show ‘em what we’re made of.”
The Alliance gunned its engines and plowed into the Legion ships blocking their path. The Bayonet launched to join the battle and the Anarchy’s bombardment stack opened up, too.
Liri reacted a second behind the others. She whirled the Anarchy around and dove into the melee. She got all mixed up in the enemy, but her gaze kept migrating back to her console.
That other enemy contingent inched closer every second. Dozens of ships—what looked like hundreds of ships—advanced on the Forward Station.
As soon as they showed up, the battle would be over. They would flatten Arlyane’s fleet, and the Legion would make sure no one ever made any further use of their resources. The other Votek factions would fall and the movement would die, all because Liri didn’t fly well enough.
The three rebels pirouetted in a cloud of blasts. “Fuel at 40%,” Aitera murmured in Liri’s ear. “Both remaining Skeeters at 30%.”
Liri did her best to block those words out of her head. What difference did it make if the enemy shot her down over the streets of Lulin, or if she crashed and burned from lack of fuel? It amounted to the same thing in the end.
A sudden flash of inspiration hit her. “Bring the Skeeters around! Fly them into the center of the fleet. Converge on these coordinates.” She punched in a position at the very heart of the Legion horde.
Aitera actually took her eyes off the window. Her gaze met Liri’s. Liri didn’t have to explain. If they were going down, they might as well go down in a blaze of glory. Liri just might be able to save Arlyane to fight another day.
She raced around the Legion in a tight loop. Some enemy ships split off to follow her, but most tightened into a close formation. “Fuel at 25%.”
“Bring ‘em in!” Liri thundered. “Now!”
She peeled the Anarchy into the center and shot forward. The two Skeeters whizzed toward her from both sides. They would collide with the Anarchy, and the blast would wipe out all the remaining Legion craft.
Liri clenched her teeth and crushed the throttle with all her strength. The ship couldn’t fly any faster. The Skeeters charged from either side. The Legion didn’t notice their combined maneuver. The Legion ships positioned themselves so close together that they would never escape the blast.
The Anarchy pelted into the horde, and Liri braced for impact. Through the Legion lines, she spotted the new contingent racing into view. They covered miles in a second to reinforce their comrades. The forwardmost ship opened fire to destroy the upstarts.
At that moment, the righthand Skeeter whizzed across its path. The blast struck the Skeeter, and the craft blew. The shockwave jostled the Anarchy out of the way, and the other Skeeter missed its impact trajectory. It whistled past and left the Anarchy sitting there exposed to the full power of the enemy guns.
The fresh ships plummeted into the mix. The forwardmost vessel headed straight for the Anarchy, and all its ejection ports opened up…but it didn’t hit the Anarchy. The vessel skidded sideways and screeched to a halt right next to the Anarchy’s starboard wing.
Its ports sprayed in all directions, bombarding the enemy with devastating fire. The Legion staggered as more ships raced into view. The newcomers assaulted the Legion with countless blasts.
Liri couldn’t understand, until she checked her display. A signature blinked on the screen right next to her position. Rebel Blackout. Was it possible?
The newcomers all carried Keter Legion signatures. All the readings told the same story. These were legitimate Legion craft assaulting their own, and that meant one thing.
Uzud had fulfilled his side of the bargain.
A lump formed in Liri’s throat. Now she really wished Lana was with her to see this. The Blackout hung steady at the Anarchy’s side while dozens of vessels whizzed through the Lulin skies, cleaning up the last of the Keter Legion.
Four more contingents of Legion forces rose out of different corners. Some came from the desert north of town. Others rallied from bases farther afield. They all converged on Lulin, and they all fell to the Bedots.
Those desert nomads to whom Uzud belonged were behind this reversal. Uzud must have brought them in and manned these stolen ships with his tribesmen.
They maintained radio silence until Arlyane hailed them from the Alliance. “Rebel Blackout, report.”
Uzud’s unmistakable voice came over the speaker. “I believe you have something that belongs to me, Votek.”
Arlyane let out a rolling belly laugh. “You drive a hard bargain. Rendezvous at the usual spot and we’ll see what we can do. Radical Anarchy and Radical Bayonet, you’re with me.”
Arlyane turned the Alliance back to the east. He flew over firestorms raging on Legion flight zones down on the ground. A massive crater smoked and yawned out of the city where the Guard Post used to be.
The Alliance migrated back and forth across Lulin on a leisurely course, checking the insurgents’ operations. The Masquerade presided over a moonscape, with dozens of wrecked ships littering the parking lot.
Arlyane lowered the Alliance into its former parking spot. The Bayonet and the Masquerade landed, too. “Looks like we’re going down,” Aitera remarked. “What did Uzud mean about Arlyane having something that belongs to him?”
“I can only think of one thing.” Liri entered the landing sequence and set it to automatic. She got up from her seat. “If he lays a finger on Lana, I swear to Holy Christ I’ll cut him into pieces so small they’ll never find him.” She jerked her thumb behind her. “Get out of this and come with me. Get ready to fight.”
Liri stormed to the weapons storage stock and loaded herself with every weapon she could carry. She stuffed her pockets with handhelds and fuel cells. She draped three giant cannons across her torso. She even jammed a couple of daggers into her belt.
“What are you taking those for?” Aitera asked. “I thought you were loyal to Arlyane.”
“This has nothing to do with Arlyane. This is all about Lana. I’d cut Arlyane’s throat in a fraction of a second to protect Lana. She’s unconscious in his medical suite. If he thinks he can hand her over to Uzud, he’s got another thing coming.”
She slammed the cabinet extra hard and stormed off to the discharge ramp. Aitera raced after her, but Liri no longer even cared about her friend. She only cared about one thing—her sister.
She marched out of the Anarchy’s discharge ramp. Arlyane, Wicklow, and Bombie converged from their own ships, heading for the platform that would carry them back to Arlyane’s underground command center.
Liri headed for the platform, too. She had to intercept Arlyane before he made any shady deals with Uzud. He might have arranged for Uzud to bring the Bedot to help the insurgents defeat the Keter Legion, but that didn’t give him the right to play games with Lana’s life.
Liri swung one of her cannons forward. She kept it pointed down at her side, but she wrapped her fingers around the firing mechanism to be ready to shoot at a moment’s notice.
She and Aitera reached the platform first. The three men halted in front of her. Arlyane beamed at Liri. “Excellent work. We couldn’t have done it without you—both of you. You two make a good team. Remind me to put you two together at the helm more often.”
Bombie laughed. Liri didn’t see what was so funny. She narrowed her eyes at these men she’d considered comrades-in-arms just a few minutes ago.
Revulsion and hatred for Arlyane flooded her heart. She’d believed in him. She never would have thought he could do something as underhanded as handing over one of his people to a grisly fate.
The hum of engine noise drew everyone’s attention to the parking lot. The Blackout descended from the skies. Its engines swiveled downward to slow its landing.
While the party stood there waiting for Uzud to join them, the platform rose from downstairs. It purred upward, and stopped with a single passenger aboard.
Lana.
She smiled first at Liri and then at Arlyane. He smiled back at her. A crash startled Liri. A man in a turban and a long robe strode out of the Blackout’s discharge ramp. The engine wash whipped his robe into a billowing sail.
He started across the parking lot toward the waiting party. He wore no hood, and he squinted into the sun. His dark hair gave his translucent skin a slightly olive cast.
He’d made it halfway across the expanse when Lana let out a shriek. She blasted off the platform and charged onto the lot. She dashed past Arlyane, ran up to Uzud, and flung herself into his arms.
She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him in front of everyone. Liri’s jaw dropped as he crushed her around the waist, lifted her off her feet, and spun her around, laughing between passionate kisses.
Aitera blinked at the couple. “Is this the guy you want me to fight?”
Liri didn’t answer. She couldn’t stop staring at her sister. Uzud put Lana down. She was so petite that he had to bend over to kiss her. He laid his arm across her shoulders, and she wrapped her arm around his waist on their way back to the platform.
Uzud actually blushed when he came face to face with Arlyane. “Thank you for restoring her to me. I would be devastated if anything happened to her.”
“Seeing you two so happy together again makes it all worthwhile.”
Some of the delight drained from Uzud’s expression when he saw Liri loaded with so many weapons. “I suppose you want to take the Blackout away again. I wish I could convince you not to take my sweetheart with you, but I know better than to think you would leave her here with me.”
Liri looked back and forth between Uzud and her sister. Her brain refused to accept what she was seeing.
Lana’s cheeks shone with color. Her eyes sparkled, and she hugged Uzud extra close. Liri had never seen her sister act this way around anyone, especially not a man.
Lana laughed out loud like a lovestruck teenager when she saw Liri’s shock. “Sorry, Liri, but it turns out that I did marry him after all.”
“You…” Liri stammered. “You…married him?”
“We kept it a secret to aid Arlyane’s mission. We had to separate so Uzud could organize the Bedots and I could…you know…” Lana burst out laughing again. Her eyelids dipped.
Uzud planted a kiss on the top of Lana’s head. “And now you’ll fly off and leave me again.”
“It’s only for a little while.” She craned her head back and raised her lips to his. “We defeated the Legion. That’s something, isn’t it?”
“The Legion was only the first step,” Arlyane interrupted. “We still have to worry about the Krakzid. As soon as they find out that the Legion has been destroyed—if they haven’t already found out—they’ll be all over us. We have to consolidate our forces.”
“That’s exactly why we have to take the Blackout.” Lana took her arm down from Uzud’s waist. “We have to go back to Apra and find out what happened to Jackson and the rest of the offensive. If they need us, we can weaken the Krakzid on Apra before they have a chance to fall back to Keter.”
Uzud nodded. “My sweet darling. You’re always thinking one step ahead.”
They kissed again. “Keep Keter safe for us,” Lana told him. “With any luck, we’ll be back sooner than you think, and we’ll bring reinforcements of our own. If we’re successful, the Krakzid will be running scared by the time they come back here. They won’t have any additional resources to send against you.”
“Take more than one ship,” Arlyane urged. “Take the Masquerade and the Vigilant. You might need them.”
“We can’t do that,” Lana replied. “We might need them and we might not, but you definitely need them here to hold off the Krakzid. We can’t let you weaken your own position.”
“Besides,” Aitera interjected, “if things are going well on Apra, we won’t need them. The offensive was strong enough as it was.”
“And if things aren’t going well?” Uzud asked. “What then?”
“Then the Blackout, the Masquerade, and the Vigilant won’t make any difference. We might be coming back with smoke billowing out of our asses, or we might not come back at all. Either way, you need every ship on the ground.”
“Just make sure the Legion doesn’t reform,” Lana added. “You’ll have your hands full with the Krakzid. You don’t need a second enemy causing you grief.”
