a few had strapped on extra packs filled with food, medical supplies, extra power cells and survival gear. The weeks, and in some cases months of simulations the crew had undergone had paid off. For most of them it looked like they were quickly running through the motions. Even the technicians they'd brought moved as though they knew exactly what steps had to take place in order to evacuate to the Clever Dream.
'Are you sure we have to leave her behind sir?' Stephanie asked as she was about to pass into the Clever Dream's airlock. 'She's a solid ship.'
'As long as we have the Triton, that's just a glorified longboat,' he answered flatly.
'Aye,' she nodded, moving on.
Ayan's group put the mismatched station staffers first, and they eyed Captain Valance as they passed.
Jake strode to meet Ayan half way, she held her rifle at the ready, walking backwards and looking towards the hall leading to the rest of the station. 'They came out requesting asylum. Most are carrying medical gear, no weapons,' she reported.
'They have friends coming after them?' Jake asked.
'There's a Forewoman here who wants to show she can control the station, I think they're undermining that.'
In a flash of light and sound gunfire erupted from the hallway at Alaka, who started walking backwards at an even pace. He fired several short streams of deadly energy from his beam cannon, cutting into the sides of the hallway and scorching bare cables tied against the walls.
Ayan, Victor and a few other soldiers stepped forward and laid down cover fire with their pulse rifles so Alaka could turn and run. The shooting from the hallway ceased, and the tall nafalli took the opportunity to make a run for the makeshift exit. They withdrew in seconds, closing the airlock behind them.
Jake hit the control panel's intercom button. 'Time to go Lewis, I'm on my way to the cockpit.'
'I call it a bridge, for future reference. It may be small, but it has all the features one would expect on a proper starship, which I happen to be,' Lewis replied over the speakers as Jake ran through the cargo area where the soldiers were settling in. Ayan was right behind him.
He arrived on the bridge as the Clever Dream skimmed along the hull of the massive station, weaving between the lattice work and docking arms. Lieutenant Garrison got out of the pilot's seat and invited Jake to sit down. 'Not like Lewis let me fly much anyway,' he said with a smile. 'I'll go help get the wounded into recovery chambers.'
'Good idea. You're trained?'
'Lewis insisted since this is my third time on his bridge.'
'All right, keep me informed on their condition.'
Ayan took the secondary control seat and brought up the tactical and copilot's screens.
'All right Lewis, get us clear of the station so we can communicate with the Triton,' Jake ordered mildly.
'As you wish. Would you like to take the controls?'
'Not right now, just keep us clear of danger. Have you managed to get your cloaking systems back on line?'
'There was no time to finish connecting the secondary field generator to my computer systems before I was called to this retrieval mission.'
'Could we do it right now?' Ayan asked.
'Hello Ayan. No, I'm afraid not. My shields would have to be down.'
'All right, I promise I'll get to it as soon as I can.'
'Personally? Well, I'm honoured.'
' Triton to Clever Dream,' addressed one of the communications officers through the communications systems.
'Clever Dream here. We have everyone. Ready to land,' Jake's breath caught in his throat as the Triton came up on his tactical display. The energy readings on their shields were dangerously low and they were open to space on the aft dorsal section, right below the gunnery deck. Several of the gunnery turrets were seized due to heat damage and their far port side had a through and through breach that effected six decks.
'Change of plans Captain. I'm laser linking rendezvous coordinates to you,' Oz said as the coordinates came up on the computer. 'We're taking too much damage to take you on, we'll meet you there.'
'This is Ronin. My squadron is following you, Clever Dream. We'll hitch through your wormhole. We're coming up on your six.'
Jake took the controls and nodded. 'You're going to have to play navigator Lewis,' he said.
His answer came like a shiver. The ship computer and Lewis connected to him through the link systems in his hands, a capability Jake hadn't used extensively since Pandem. In fact, he had made a point not to unless he was trying to access the biological regeneration abilities he'd discovered when Ayan had been shot. 'I'm sorry, I wasn't aware how surprising this sensation would be to you. I often shared this link with Alice.'
'I'm sorry she couldn't be here,' Jake replied aloud.
'She made a point to say goodbye before she left. I miss her, but don't worry, she'll live on in another form.' Lewis sent Jake a mental picture of a workable course that would lead them through the debris and enemy fighters.
Ayan watched as Jake worked the controls with easy precision. It looked like he was staring at something very far away. 'Are you all right Jacob?' she asked quietly.
'I'm fine. Work the weaponry controls.'
The console in front of her reconfigured, her seat slid into place, and she was surrounded by holographic images and targeting controls. Minh and the rest of his squad had moved in to a flanking position behind and fired at the single seat fighters that threatened to close in from their port side.
There was another group coming in to position, threatening to block their path with a line of deadly weapons' fire. To Ayan's amazement, the tactical controls were configured exactly the same as she'd find on any Freeground starship, and she got to work.
Her fingers twitched from one holographic representation to another, marking targets for the fighters behind and for the Clever Dream's missile banks. The weapons suite on the ship began to fire, sending cluster missiles that burst into searing high speed flack, other missiles that honed in on one target and accelerated through them at incredible speeds and firing the ship's main guns. The Clever Dream was a dangerous vessel, a long range gunship made to accommodate a boarding crew. Few mercenaries could afford one, however, so it was sometimes seen in the hangars of wealthy collectors. She never thought she'd have the opportunity to operate one in any respect, especially from the weapons console.
Even with her energy systems switched from high powered Xetima to a more dependable mass reactor system built across the ship, the Clever Dream was still capable of exerting incredible force.
The shields were taking several hits from the fighters, but bearing it well, especially since most of the fighters were distracted by Minh-Chu's squadron following behind. They remained in position, pivoting the bodies of their Uriel and Ramiel starfighters and unleashing the full force of their weaponry on anything that threatened to get in their way.
At long last they broke through the obscuring field into regular space.
Ayan breathed a sigh of relief as Minh's entire squadron made it through the field, and then gasped at what she saw on the secondary tactical display as it populated. There were three massive destroyers flanking another base ship. Each of the escorting ships were over nine hundred meters long, with a density reading that equalled the Triton. She overlaid the Triton’s last known course. 'The Triton will be caught off guard by that group of destroyers, we have to-'
'I see it, we're looping back inside,' Jake interrupted mechanically.
Ayan nodded and switched all available power to the forward shields. As an extra safety measure and a warning to the fighters emerging from the field she opened fire with all the Clever Dream's weapons, hoping that the burst would frighten vessels they couldn't detect out of their way.
Her hopes were partially fulfilled. One of the larger fighters glanced off their shields, sending the Clever Dream slightly off course. 'We're too late.' Jake said quietly. 'They're crossing through the field. We have to go and hope they meet us at the rendezvous,' Jake informed her.
It was true, they had come back just in time to see the Triton’s aft section cross through into normal space, her shields were already taking extreme damage from the beating they were taking from the other side. Ayan
