Chapter Twenty
Agrippa had set her cryo unit to wake her every three months, alternating with Anatu. Their ship travelled at three times the speed than that of the clones. That speed was due to the inventiveness of the humans. That way they could monitor the systems, make sure they were on track with all systems working. Most importantly, they could monitor the cloaking device.
It was the fifth time she came out of stasis that she frowned and checked their location and then did it again, but the data remained the same. She looked at Anatu who wasn’t preparing to go into stasis.
“You brought me out early? Is Amelagar all right. And everyone else.”
“Everyone is well. The situation has changed. Bring out the others while I explain.”
She started the sequence that would wake Amelagar. Would he kiss her again before they went back into stasis? Her ryhov went crazy at the thought of talking to him again. Touching him, having him touching her. Would he kiss her?
Amelagar opened his eyes and stepped out of the cryo chamber. “What’s our situation?”
“The clone ships—”
The proximity alarm blared. Amelagar turned back to the console and swore in a mixture of human and tunrian. “The clone ships are closer than they should be, Agrippa, wake the others,” he said tersely without looking at her. She knew with the cloaking device activated the clones couldn’t hear the alarm, but still.
“Anatu, keep your eyes on that cloak,” he ordered tersely.
Anatu didn’t take her eyes of her tablet. “Yes captain.”
Agrippa initiated the sequence to wake the others. They’d practiced coming out of stasis ready to defend the ship. They were slow from the effect of stasis on their human constitutions. But for the first time she appreciated their insistence on repeating and practicing everything. They worked together like a well-oiled machine and ever slowed down, they were dressed armed and in their seats on the bridge, ready for action. All of them were still too pale and still shaking with the after effects of cryo sleep.
She told them the situation as they woke and everyone sprang into action. Seeing them focus and going where they were needed, she had to admit that Sargeant Bjorn’s relentless drills were paying off.
“How did they get this close?”
Anatu shrugged. “They disappeared and when they reappeared, they were closer with two ships missing.” There was a tenseness in her voice that belied her casual stance.
“The cloaking device kept them from seeing us,” Amelagar said.
“I want to see my human again,” Anutu said. Her fingers flew over the controls. “Cloak working.”
“Focus, no unnecessary talk,” Amelagar said.
The clone ships had been in a war. Two was missing and the others looked the worse for wear. But they’d somehow managed to move much faster than had been calculated.
“What the … what happened to them,” Sargeant Bjorn asked.
“I want to see what is behind the clone ships.” Amelagar plotted a new course, tapping out the coordinates with sharp efficient motions of his fingers.
Anatu tapped on her second tablet. She had a separate tablet for the cloak. “I want to know how this happened. It was only half an hour from the moment they disappeared and reappeared almost on top of us.”
“Shit!” Colonel Farnham said after one look at the viewscreen.
“Fuck!” Sargeant Scott said. “Pardon my French ma‘am.”
All of them stared at the huge fleet flying right at them.
“They will pass beneath us. Anatu, keep that cloak going.”
“Yeah, without it we’re toast,” Sergeant Bjorn said.
“We’re done for anyway,” Scotty Scott muttered.
“How can we take on that?” Blackie asked no one in particular.
Agrippa stared at the ships and for once she wasn’t even aware of being confined in a very small ship. “We have no choice,” she whispered in Tunrian.
Amelagar stared at the ships. “How did they get here so fast?”
“I don’t know, but no matter how many we destroy, they will produce a new ship from the cloning temple. The new ship will have all the memories and knowledge of the war of the previous ship.”
“We’re fucked, pardon my french,” Scotty said.