The Cagliostro Chronicles II: Conflagration (26 page)

“No, but you are right
, Danny. Anything is possible with these people. I think that you should do a full scan on that ship when we get it, but do it outside the hangar deck. The last thing we need is for a ship that size blowing up inside the
Cagliostro
. It would destroy us.”

“How about we don’t take it in and instead send a boarding party after we scan it as much as possible from here?”

Mark nodded. “That works for me, Dan.”

“Good. I think that’s the safest way
we’re gonna go with this,” Dan agreed grimly.

“When we capture one, everyone who boards it wears a heavy armor suit
. I want this to happen as safely as possible,” Mark ordered.

“Sounds about right
, Mark,” Red acknowledged.

“Red, your best men on this, okay? Those ships are small
, smaller than the
Stargrazer
. They only hold one man.”

“Are you sure about that
, Boss?” Eddie asked.

Mark swiv
eled his seat toward his gunner. “Well you fought one up close and personal, Eddie. What do you think? I thought we were all decided that they were one man attack ships, based on the bodies’ configuration.”

Eddie shrugged.
“Yeah, sure, I think that you’re right, but what if they’re not? What if there’s different models of that style ship? Do you remember a few years back during the first battle with these lettuce headed freaks when we jammed sixty people into the
Stargrazer
? I mean, the one I fought sure seemed like a one man ship, but what if it was just one guy who was playin’ hero out there? Trying to take the ‘
Grazer
down?”

Mark nodded before answe
ring. “I see your point. But the bottom line is we’ll never know unless we get one to take apart.”

“Are we in the right place to do that though?” Red asked.

Mark swung around to face him. “Meaning?”

“Look, here’s a star chart that shows where we were whe
n we encountered those Predators a few days back.” Red pushed a few virtual buttons and a star chart blazed to life on the main view screen. “This is where we are now, and this is where we were when we fought those predators.”

He pointed out a kidney bean shaped pattern
on the main viewer, which a dotted line sprang up at his command and stood out clearly for all to see.

“This whole area in between is where the
predators could be. We’ve only seen Agalum activity in this area in the past, so I’m thinking we should concentrate our search there.” 

“What do you have against where we are now?” Ariel inquired.

“This could be too congested, too much of a bottle neck. It could work against us. There could be Agalum all over us in no time.”

“Well, that is a possibility. But we can’t just wander aimlessly through trillions of square miles of space looking for a sixty foot long spaceship.
At least here above Chakix we know there’s a good chance of us finding one,” Mark replied.

***

The
Cagliostro
sat in orbit above the planet they now referred to as Chakix for a day and a half, moving across it slowly from one pole to the other, from one position to another. Sweeping slowly and invisibly across the world, seeking one lone ‘predator’ ship.

“Mark, I’ve got something
,” Red announced.

“A ‘P
redator’?” Mark leaned forward in his seat and asked.

“Yeah.
It just dropped out of hyper-warp about fifty thousand miles out.”

Mark nodded, his eyes slits. “Okay. A
re they giving any indication that they see us?”

“No, nothing.
I think we’re free and clear right now.” Red spun his seat around and faced Mark. “How do you want to play this?”

“
I’d like to just snatch and grab it, but I know nothing’s ever going to go that easily. I’m thinking we block its communications if possible and then shoot out its engines as it’s entering the atmosphere.”

“Make it look like an engine malfunction?”

Mark nodded. “Yep that’s the idea, Red. Then we’ll tractor beam it into the shuttle deck, take out the crew and start taking the thing apart.”

“Once we make sure the thing
’s not gonna blow up on us,” Dan added.

M
ark agreed. “Right, Danny, once we make sure it’s safe.”

“Okay
, sounds good,” Red concurred.

“Mark,” Ariel interrupted, “t
hey’re trying to communicate with the base.”

“Good, let them. I’m in no rush.
When they start heading planetside, we go in behind them.”

“What about our heat signature when we start to pierce the atmosphere? You know it’s going to make us visible
,” Dan advised.

“Yes I do
, Mr. Sledge. At that point we’re going to jam their communications and take out their engines. Remember, we’re not so concerned with their propulsion. It’s their shield design and weapons we want a look at from that thing. We all know how fast and maneuverable the ‘predator’ is. This is a definite step up for the Agalum. We need to see one up close. I’m not going to say this is a game changer for them just yet, but it could be.”

“What about the base? Aren’t you concerned they’ll see our heat signature too?” Ariel asked.

“Once we take out their engines we’re going to get very tight with them, then pull them inside.”

“I think I liked the other idea where we boarded them and checked it out first better
,” Dan remarked.

“Here they go
,” Red announced.

“
Follow after them, Danny.”

Dan Sledge nodded.
“You got it, Boss.”

The
Cagliostro
dipped invisibly toward the planet’s surface, mirroring its prey’s movements under Dan Sledge’s steady hands.

“Status?”
Mark queried.

Dan answered, “Ship
’s systems are all working at one hundred percent efficiency, including the camouflage unit. They don’t know we’re back here.”

“All right
, we have to do this fast. Stay three thousand miles back of them until we begin to drop into the atmosphere, and at that point close quickly. I want to be on top of them before the atmospheric burn begins to show on our shields. Red, you and Ari block their transmissions beginning now. Eddie, as soon as they’re done you take out that ships engines.”

“You got it
, Mark,” Eddie acknowledged.

Red and Ariel looked at each other and he nodded. She smiled and touched a control on her virtual control panel
an instant after Red had adjusted one on his. Immediately the smaller ship before them was blacked out from communications.

“Take them now
,” Mark ordered.

The
Cagliostro
’s solar cannons flared to life emitting powerful blasts with pinpoint accuracy. Eddie’s aim was true. Solar blasts sprayed against the engine pods on either side of the hull on the Predator.

Explosions splashed brightly from both engines, lighting the sky up brightly.

But the Predator was not through yet. It swung around and looped overhead until it was facing the invisible
Cagliostro
.

“They’re trying to aim at our heat signature
,” Red announced.

Mark ordered, “Take out their engines, Eddie
.”

“Working on it, Boss
.”

Eddie fired the
Cagliostro
’s solar cannons repeatedly, pounding the smaller ship before it could really move in the hot, heavy atmosphere. Here, its unique wing design was working against it. While it was still nimble it was nowhere near as swift turning as it was in frictionless space.

“Their shields are crumbling
,” Red announced.

“Good
, finish off those engines, then get the magnetic tractor beam on it,” Mark replied.

“What about their weapons?” Eddie turned and asked.

“Do what you can. We don’t need them shooting up the inside of the landing deck, but I also want that thing at least somewhat intact.”

“Gotcha
, Boss,” Eddie nodded.

Tu
rning back to his firing reticle on his virtual viewer, Eddie fired the
Cag
’s solar cannons again and again with just enough power to do damage but not incinerate the Predator craft.

“Its port side engine is down
,” he announced.

“Good,” Mark
said. “Now the starboard. What about their guns?”

“
Starboard is just about done. “They are beginning to panic onboard that thing.”

“Let’s hope
, Eddie. Red prepare the tractor beam.”

“It’s been prepared
, Mark,” the big Security officer replied. “I’m just waiting on your word.”

“Its weapon
s, Eddie?”

“They’re firin’ sporadically. They’re panicked
.”

“Pinpoint fire control
, DiGenovese, take out its guns. Then Red will grab it.”

The
Cagliostro
rocked inexplicably. Eddie’s blasts went wide, missing their targets. Everyone looked around in surprise.

“Red?”
Mark asked, tension writ all over his face.

“We’re being attacked f
rom orbit. It’s one of those G’Kor class ships, the planet destroyers. It’s moved into position above us and is lobbing atmosphere mines at us.”

As if to punctuate Red’s last sentence the ship rocked again.

“Shields?”

“Ninety percent
,” Red growled.

“Eddie
, take those guns out before that thing crashes.”

The
Cagliostro
dove after the spiraling Predator while it streamed energy and flame from its damaged engine.

Again and again atmosphere mines were dropped atop the
Cag
, exploding viciously each time.

“This is getting’ old fast
,” Dan grumbled.

“Eddie…”

“I got it, Mark,” Eddie reiterated. This time his aim was true. With a puff of exploding debris and gasses the weapon pods on the Predator disintegrated.

“I snagged it
,” Red announced.

The Predator hung suspended in the air before the
Cagliostro
, and was drawn in slowly. All the while death in the form of the atmosphere mines dropped from above.

“Make sure that thing is not powering up to explode before we bring it onboard
,” Mark commanded.

“Everything is saying ‘no’ right now, Mark. I think we’re in the clear
,” Red confirmed. Then a moment later he added, “It’s onboard, let’s get outta here.” 

“Dan, punch it!”

“I couldn’t agree wit ya more, Boss,” Dan replied.

He slammed the
Cagliostro
’s throttles forward and the ship leapt away, arcing invisibly upward toward space.

Red stood a
nd headed toward a maglovator. “I’m going to the landing deck. I have a full security detail down there already, but I want to see…”

Mark cut him off.
“Go, don’t explain yourself.”

Red nodded with his usual grim demeanor and was gone.

Ariel touched a comm control. “Mr. Marek to the command deck.”

S
he turned and faced Mark with a slight smile, “I’m psychic, remember?”

“I know
, darlin’, I know.”

The maglovator door opened and Marek exited.

“Take the security console, Matt.”

“Yes
Sir,” Matt Marek replied.

The
Cagliostro
broke the planet’s atmosphere into the eternal darkness of space.

“Uh-oh
,” Matt almost shouted.

“I see them
,” Dan replied, tension coloring his voice.

“Evasive maneuvers
,” Mark ordered.

Before the
Cagliostro
were two G’Kor class planet destroyers and each was bearing down on the
Cag
’s position.

Dan stared at the view screen and shook his head
. “Out of the fryin’ pan…”

Energy blasts slammed into the
Cagliostro
’s shields, shaking the gleaming star cruiser mercilessly from both attacking G’Kor class ships.