Lacuna: The Sands of Karathi (28 page)

The man nodded and spoke into his headset. “Captain, Commander Sabeen reports their jump drive is
still
charging.”

Liao stared. “
What?”

“They only have one reactor–they used almost all of their juice just keeping up with us.”

“How long?”

Hsin spoke again into his headset, then nodded. “Captain, she says to give her five minutes and if they’re not ready, jump without them.”

Already the Toralii ranging shots were flying past their ship. Liao muttered a dark, bitter curse and nodded. “Tell her that there’ll be no waiting. Five minutes, then I’m leaving.”

Assuming I can.

Hsin began relaying her message, and Liao turned back to Jiang. “I’m sorry, did I say one minute? I meant two.” She screwed up her face. “I’ll take you to dinner in Paris if you can give me some good news.”

The groan of an opening hatchway heralded the arrival of Saara, and out of the corner of her eye Liao saw the Toralii woman move towards the Engineering console.

Jiang nodded. “I’m not big on French food, so if you make it Rome instead I think I can do that, Captain. Two minutes is a bit of a stretch, but with a bit of luck we shouldn’t lose any major systems. However, I’m more worried about the
Tehran
. They’re quite badly damaged, with sections exposed to space and a significantly reduced hull plating charge–I doubt they'll last even through the first barrage, let alone two minutes.”

Closing her eyes a moment, Liao gritted her teeth, leaning over her console. “Then
we’re
going to have to be their armour.” She straightened her back. “Mister Dao, I want you to reposition the ship between
the incoming Toralii vessels and the
Tehran
. I want anything going towards it to strike
us
first. Link up our navigation systems to theirs; I want our vessels moving synchronously. Any defensive maneuvers we use, I want them to copy us. We have to protect that ship until we’re all ready to jump.”

Jiang winced. “Captain, I didn’t count on having a third fewer targets, and protecting the
Tehran
is going to significantly affect our defensive posture.”

“You want to go to Rome or not? I’m pretty sure Summer would love to smear spaghetti sauce all over her face if you aren’t up to it.”

Jiang looked despondent for a moment, then she laughed. “Captain, you know I’ve never failed you. Now would be a bad time to start. I’ll see what I can do.”

Liao chuckled. “I’m giving up my delicious blanquette de veau to cater to your tastes, so you damn well better.”

She felt the ship shift and position itself in front of the
Tehran
, then the first shots started striking their forward hull.

“Captain, the Kel-Voran report that they have engaged the Toralii Alliance. Captain Garn was extremely
optimistic of their chances, although he appeared to be distinctly jealous that we’re absorbing the lion’s share of the Toralii weapons fire,” Hsin called.

“Tell him he can have it if he wants it,” she muttered, reading the hull temperature from her console. The Toralii had struck from farther out than anticipated, probably because the
Beijing
was less maneuverable when they were protecting the
Tehran
. That made their already precarious tactical situation even worse.

[“Captain,”] Saara called. [“Summer reports that the starboard half of the
Hirakan
has jettisoned their jump drive, and the
Paladin
is maneuvering it towards the underside of our hull. She also said some other things, but I did not feel the need to repeat them.”]

Summer, despite her obvious fear, was at least being herself. Liao expected nothing less than a foul-mouthed barrage from her.

“Thank you, Saara. Keep me informed about their progress. The sooner we can get that thing attached and functional, the sooner we all get to leave.”

[“Sooner would be better,”] Saara agreed, chuckling softly.

Hsin turned to Liao. “Captain? I have Captain Sabeen on the line for you.”

Liao touched the side of her headset. “
Tehran,
this is
Beijing
actual. Go ahead.”

From down the line the wailing of alarms and klaxons was heard, along with the shouting of voices. Farah’s voice was remarkably loud to try and compensate. “Our jump drive is functional, Captain. We’re good to give it a shot.”

“And not a minute too soon. Thank you for the good news,” Liao responded, nodding to Dao. “We’re going to continue to shield you as you make your way into the jump point. Some shots might get through. I suggest you fire whatever ordnance you have, overload whatever hull plating you have, then hold on tight and prepare for a wild ride.”

Farah gave a loud laugh. “We’re already dry, Captain. To be honest, I barely thought we could get this ship moving at all, let alone the jump drive. It’s a miracle the old girl’s still kicking.”

“People make their own miracles,” Liao said, feeling the barely perceptible shift as her ship dropped, protecting the
Tehran
as it descended towards the Lagrange point. She watched on her console as the ship grew closer and closer to their escape route. “Godspeed,
Tehran
.”

“Good hunting,
Beijing
. We’ll see you on the other side.”

Liao took off her headset and gestured to the Tactical console. “Mister Jiang, move us away to a safe distance and inform Rowe to hold onto something. Things are going to get rough on the underside.”

Liao returned her attention to the her console. The five Toralii ships bore down on them like rampaging elephants, their shots becoming more accurate the closer they got. The ship began to shake and shudder with the force of the impacts, despite the best efforts of Dao to twist and turn them away from the worst of it.

Ling caught Liao’s eye. “Captain, the
Tehran
has jumped away.”

A cheer went up from Operations, muffled slightly by the slowly increasing volume of the Toralii weapons pounding on their hull.

[“Captain, Summer reports–and once again, I am paraphrasing her–that the shockwave from the
Tehran’s
departure nearly knocked her into space, but that our loaned jump drive has been hooked up. Four more minutes and it’ll be ready to go.”]

Already the hull temperature was climbing at an alarming rate. Liao gestured to Hsin. “Four minutes, everyone! We’re getting out of here in four minutes. Mister Hsin, relay this information to the
Sydney
and clear the jump point for them. Mister Jiang, retrieve our strike craft and Broadswords–combat landings. Have point defense cannons protect the hangar
bay from weapons fire until they’re all aboard.”

“Aye aye, Captain–combat landings, all craft. Return to the
Beijing
and prepare to jump away.”

The shaking and pounding grew louder as the five Toralii ships decelerated, aligning themselves to appear just beyond the jump point. Liao gripped her rattling console. “I’m going to need Summer to work faster if we’re going to get out of here alive, Saara! Give me a time estimate!”

She watched the Toralii woman speak into her headset, marvelling at how collected the Toralii woman appeared. She was the epitome of calm, quiet professionalism, while everyone around her was shouting and getting carried away with the moment. Liao tried to draw upon her stoicism, forcing her voice to remain low and even.

[“Two minutes, Captain!”]

Liao nodded, glancing at Ling. “Is the
Sydney
moving towards the jump point?”

“Aye, Captain. Captain Knight reports that they are inside the Lagrange point and will be jumping in moments.” Ling spoke again after a brief pause. “The
Sydney
has jumped away, Captain!”

Another round of cheering. Liao gestured to Hsin. “Signal the Port side of the
Hirakan
–tell them to jump away while we protect them.”

Hsin relayed the message as instructed, then turned back to Liao. “Captain, it’s Garn again–he wants to talk to you directly!”

She didn’t have time for this. “Put him through!”

Liao tapped the talk key on her headset. “Garn, this isn’t a good time to argue about—”

[“Our port
side jump drive is offline, Captain!”]

Liao’s blood ran cold. “Say again,
Hirakan
?”

A loud, rambunctious laugh echoed down the line. [“Captain, I think thy ears art blocked. I know thou heardst me! Our jump drive is gone. It took a hit while we were separating the ship!”]

She bit her lip. “How quickly can you evacuate yourself and your crew to the
Beijing
?”

Another laugh. [“Melissa, Melissa! There art no forces in the universe that could drag me away from this battle! The shaking of my ship and the roar of her guns echoes the bellowing of the gods–I’ve not felt so alive in months. Besides, Captain, you and I know there’s no time for evacuations.”]

“There’s always time,” Liao said. “You
make
time! You make what you want happen, and you spit in the face of destiny. Garn, you don’t
have to die protecting some people you’ve barely met.”

Jiang’s voice cut into Liao’s conversation. “Captain, the Kel-Voranian ship has taken heavy damage. They’re venting atmosphere on most of the their decks and they’re not moving to the jump point!”

Liao pressed the talk key again. “Garn! Garn, listen to me–
listen!
I’ve already lost—” Her voice cracked and broke, thinking of how James had rammed the Toralii cruiser to save her. “I lost someone I cared about because they were defending me. I’m not going to lose anyone else! I’m ordering you to effect whatever repairs you can, then to move to the jump point and follow the
Tehran
to Earth.”

[“Thou art not my commander, Captain, and thy orders fall on deaf ears.”] There was a shout in the background, then Garn’s voice roaring once again. [“More power to the weapons! Continue firing!”]

“Garn—”

[“Captain, I am terminating this communication. May all your blades be bloodied!”]

There was a faint click as the signal ended. Liao tried to raise him again but heard only static.

Closing her eyes, Liao inhaled. “Saara, status on our jump drive?”

[“Captain, Summer reports work complete. She is moving back inside the ship in preparation for the jump.”]

Liao gave a low growl and nodded. “Get her up here as soon as possible.” Turning to Dao, she fought to keep the bitter edge out of her voice. “Mister Dao! Move us into the Lagrange point and prepare to jump the ship back to Earth.”

“Course laid in, Captain!”

Her headset crackled into her ear on the short range frequency. “Captain, this is Yanmei Cheung on the
Archangel
. Request permission to come to Operations to give my after action report.”

She slammed her finger against the talk key. “Can’t it wait?” she snapped.

“Negative, Captain.”

Rolling her eyes at Yanmei’s impatience, Liao squeezed the talk key so hard the plastic cracked. “Get up here, then—on the double. Meet Summer on the way up. I don’t care if she’s still half-naked and undressing from her little space walk, drag her up here by her hair if you have to. I want my Chief of Engineering.”

Yanmei’s voice crackled through the tiny radio. “Aye aye, Captain.”

Liao moved her hand on the black box and switched it off. She could afford no further distractions. Turning to Dao, she focused her eyes on the man. “How long before we are enough into the Lagrange point?”

“Thirty seconds, Captain.”

Liao nodded, a particularly heavy impact nearly causing her to lose her footing. “Good. The moment we’re inside, engage the jump drive and get us the fuck out of here!”

“Captain,” Jiang called, her tone charged with alarm, “The
Hirakan’s
reactors are overloading!”

Liao turned to her radar console, watching as the Toralii weapons fire came in streams like the drops of water from a hose–one fountain driving against the hull of the Kel-Voranian vessel and the other pounding at their own armour. There was a brilliant white flash as the reactors on their allies’ vessel cracked and broke, then a powerful shockwave rushed over them, throwing the crew of the
Beijing
to the deck.

When she clambered back to her feet, she could see that the spot where the
Hirakan
was moments ago was now nothing more than an expanding, white hot debris field surrounded by an equally large ball of spilled gasses and molten metal.

“They’re gone,” Jiang said, stating the obvious. A hush fell over Operations as the crew digested the news.

The
Beijing
glided into the jump point, and Kamal turned to Liao. “Captain, we’re in position to jump.”

Nodding, Liao reached into her chest pocket, withdrew the steel key, and moved to the jump console. Kamal moved around beside her, his key in his hand as well.

“Prepare for jump,” she called to the room. “Disengage artificial gravity in twenty seconds!”

Liao flipped back the protective plastic cover, staring down at the small keyhole. She fidgeted with the key in her hand, waiting for the gravity to be dialed down and for the familiar sensation of nausea to overtake her. In the background, there was a dull metallic groan as the hatchway to Operations opened. Liao looked up, seeing Summer push open the heavy door.

“Well, that was fun,” came Summer’s sarcastic, nasally voice as she moved towards her console, panting softly as though she’d been running, her voice laced with triumph. “Getting hung out on the arse end of a spaceship to get blown around by explosions and shot at by aliens.
Brilliant
.”

Liao purposefully looked back down at the jump console and bit back a biting retort. Summer’s attitude at this critical junction was aggravating, but she was who she was. Liao heard Yanmei’s voice from down the corridor and felt a somewhat unreasonable spike of anger. Yes, Summer was Summer, but for her head of Marines, Liao expected much better.

“You’re
late
, Lieutenant,” Liao snapped, jamming the key into the tiny keyhole, unable to keep her frustration from playing itself out on her face as she wiggled it into place.