Chapter Seven Arturo
Seven
Arturo
Scud. Scud. We hadn’t lost people like this since the war.
We weren’t even attacking this outpost, but there was no radio frequency I could call, no way to reach the pilots of these drones.
They might be on another planet, if their slugs had the codes to use their hypercomms inside the inhibitor.
I didn’t understand how they found us so fast or why they had ambushed us.
It was like it used to be in the days before we won the war, when the Krell ships pursued us relentlessly, trying to drive us underground and keep us there, when we never knew how many were coming or why they insisted on exterminating us.
“Flightleader,” Suki said, “I don’t mean to interrupt, but I wanted to inquire if you had a plan.”
Stars, did I have a plan? Both our scouts had just been cut out of the sky, and if we didn’t do something fast, we were all going to meet that same fate. Our most important job was to protect the diplomats. We’d clearly come unprepared, but none of our intelligence had warned of this onslaught.
“Skyward Flight,” I said. “Descend toward the planet. Take out the ships if you can, but if not, lose them. Once we reach the other side of the inhibited zone, Bob can request a hyperjump. Even if we can’t leave the planet, we need distance between us and them.
” Hide and regroup. It was the only way I could see out of this.
“Cover Orator. Orator, evasive maneuvers. We’ll do our best to keep them off you. ”
“Copy, Amphi,” Ferret said. He maneuvered Orator around the rock, with Sadie in position on one side and Alanik on the other. Gilaf took point, using destructor fire to keep the path ahead clear. I moved to join them at the rear, keeping an eye on our six.
“Amphi!” Alanik shouted. “Up top!”
Destructor fire shot down at me, barely missing my left wing, and I went into a dive.
A flock of birds skittered from the rock and joined me, mimicking my flight path as if I were one of them.
I did not want to gun them down, but I also couldn’t afford to spare their lives if they came between me and an enemy ship.
The ship dove after me, raining destructor fire around me.
I spun to the side, barely dodging a shot at my shields.
Alanik followed, firing on the ship and taking out some of the birds.
The remaining flock scattered as Alanik knocked out the enemy ship’s shields and then delivered a final, fatal blow.
“Amphi,” Nedd said, “another six ships are converging on our location.”
Stars, we had no way to know how many lurked in the debris between us and the edge of the inhibitor field.
Either these drones had seen us coming a long way off, or they’d already been stationed here.
It was almost as if the Superiority expected an attack.
These operatives must have means to communicate with their commanders at the Superiority, maybe by flying out through the debris to send messages outside the inhibitor field.
They must know the Superiority had fallen, and they’d been waiting for us to come for their outpost as well.
If the DDF had realized that, Jorgen would have sent a whole contingent of flights to subdue the remaining threat.
But he hadn’t known, so he’d only sent us.
Orator moved toward the planet, and I followed, watching the incoming enemy ships.
They didn’t seem any more focused on Orator than the rest of us—so this wasn’t a direct attack on our diplomats.
But that just meant they wanted to kill us all equally, and until we could escape the inhibitor, we were trapped here.
Three of the enemy ships broke off, skirting to head us off, while the other three flew straight for us. “Enemy, nine o’clock!” I said. “Sentry, Ghost, set course to intercept. Angel, hold your position. More ships dead ahead.”
I sped up, flying on Orator’s left wing, ready to peel off if the enemy targeted it.
But stars, that left two fighters to deal with the harrying forces and Alanik alone to fend off the three ships that waited for us ahead—assuming there weren’t more hiding in the debris like the one that had picked off Blaze.
“There aren’t enough of us,” I said, my headset turned off so only Naga could hear.
“Enough of us!” Naga said mournfully.
Sadie and Gilaf met the oncoming ships, destructors filling the air with death. Sadie took out one ship’s shields and Gilaf finished it off, sending the wreckage hurtling downward, toppling nose over tail. They focused on another ship, but the third broke away, heading straight toward Orator.
I positioned myself between Orator and that oncoming ship, providing covering fire for Sadie and Gilaf.
“Amphi!” Alanik shouted over the radio. “Those ships ahead circled around. They’re coming at Orator from three o’clock.”
Scud. Orator was unprotected from that side. There wasn’t much we could do about it, few in number as we were.
“I’m coming back,” Sadie said, using her light-lance to pivot around a piece of debris.
It was small enough that she destabilized its orbit in the process, and let go at the right moment to send it flying at the enemy ship just as Gilaf finished taking down its shield.
The resulting crash sent shards of rock and metal spiraling in all directions.
“Four more ships,” I said.
The third ship in Sadie and Gilaf’s group reached me, and I rolled away from its destructors. Instead of chasing me, it headed for Orator.
“Ferret, you’re surrounded!” I shouted. This wasn’t working. They were going to pick us off one by one until there was nothing left. Our only prayer was to hyperjump lower in the atmosphere. “Orator, full speed toward the planet. Once we break free of the inhibitor, we’ll request a hyperjump.”
I wasn’t completely sure we’d be able to—many things about this planet were not as they seemed—but trying was our best hope.
“Copy, Amphi,” Ferret said. He slammed on his boosters, weaving around debris. He couldn’t hit overburn without risking a large piece smashing through his shields, but at least he was making progress.
“Angel,” I said, “stay with Orator. We need Bob free of the field to request hyperjump.”
“On it,” Alanik said.
I turned my ship with an overwing twist and cut below Orator’s flight path, heading off the ships that Alanik had warned me about. I slammed on my destructors, not aiming at the ships specifically but laying down cover fire.
It worked. The two ships engaged with me, giving Orator and Alanik time to outpace us and hopefully clear the inhibitor field. They might not be able to leave the planet once they did, but at least they could gain some distance while we figured out what the hell was going on.
I kept firing on the enemy, chasing them back around a chunk of debris bigger than Platform Prime, with a beam of metal sticking out of the side that might once have been the corner of a large building.
The ships stuck with me, and I suffered a hit to my shields.
I used my light-lance to cut a quick ninety-degree turn, tearing a chunk of the building clean off.
My GravCaps mitigated the forces, then cut out abruptly and my body slammed to the side of my cockpit.
Naga squeaked in her sling beside my seat.
“Sorry, girl,” I said, throwing us into a barrel roll to avoid the fire of the two ships as they rocketed around the debris behind me, still hot on my tail.
“Amphi!” Alanik said. “More ships ahead!”
“Angel, dodge!” Gilaf shouted over the radio.
If I went to help Alanik protect Orator, I’d kite both drones with me. “Ghost, Sentry, can you back up Angel?”
“Not yet,” Sadie said. “Have to get this last—”
“I’m going,” Gilaf said.
I glanced at my monitors. Gilaf had some debris to weave around, but he was moving in Alanik’s direction. Sadie had a ship on her tail and seemed to be doing the same thing I was: trying not to lead it toward the others. We could only entertain so many enemy ships apiece before they’d overwhelm us.
I could see Alanik’s ship staunchly positioned directly in front of Orator, and imagined the diplomats inside the larger ship, powerless to protect themselves, relying on us to keep them safe.
One of the drones behind me cut to the side and sped up, no doubt ready to head me off and restrict my movement.
I went into a twin-scissor, avoiding their fire.
“Amphi!” Alanik shouted, “Orator’s hit!”
I couldn’t take it anymore. Yes, if I took off for Orator, I’d be leading these ships right to them, but if I stayed here, Alanik and Gilaf faced an unknown number of oncoming ships alone.
I checked my proximity monitors, studying the debris between me and Alanik.
I charted a straight shot, used my light-lance to pivot around one last piece of debris, and catapulted myself toward Orator and Alanik.
I hit overburn, leaving the two ships in my wake.
It wouldn’t take them long to change course and catch up, but I needed to reach Alanik before she was overwhelmed.
Alanik and Orator were pushing toward the planet, and I decelerated as I reached them but still overshot as I slowed, preparing for a dogfight.
I knew there were too many enemy ships to engage on my own, but the more I pulled toward me, the fewer would target Alanik and Orator while they raced for the edge of the inhibitor field.
There were six ships coming at us and another three behind, if Sadie hadn’t taken care of hers. Stars, she’d been quiet for a while. For once, I didn’t like her silence. “Sentry, sitrep?”
“Target down!” Sadie said. “On my way to you. You’ve got two tails, though. Want me to distract them?”
I didn’t want to leave her behind to get caught between the ships I’d left and the ones coming at us from the planet side. “Negative. All ships, fly toward the planet.” Our speed would be limited when we entered atmosphere, but it was the only place we might escape these drones.
“Copy, Amphi,” Sadie said. “Coming toward you.”