brought the nose of the fighter down gently, reducing speed, carefully inserting the dp of that reformed shield into the sea. There was no indication of contact except for a momentary loss of speed until the ship followed its shield under the waves. There was a smooth, rolling shock as the shield around the ship filled with water, and then it was completely under and leveled off perhaps thirty meters below the surface. He realized that he had succeeded, that the fighter was cruising at five hundred kilometers per hour underwater.
Dveyella had been right. Water was just another atmosphere, considerably denser, to a ship that flew tucked within layers of water at graduated speeds. The fighter was not trying to force its way through a heavy medium, but flying within a bubble of water that was moving at a speed equal to its own. There was still considerable drag transmitted to the fighter from the forward cone of the shield, so that it took a larger portion of the wolf ship's considerable power to maintain the same speed. Already he was traveling faster than most unshielded vessels could have gone.
But this speed was nearly as worthless to him as complete failure. Slowly he fed power to the engines, gradually building speed to just below the four-thousand-kilometers-per-hour speed limit the computer had projected. He could tell that the ship was indeed approaching its limit; it continued to hold smooth and steady, but responsiveness had deteriorated to a dangerous level. He tried not to think of the danger of hitting something in the water, since he could not use the debris shield; it would not have acted upon the molecules of water itself, but there was enough suspended silt and microscopic life that the drag from the shield would have been tike opening a large parachute. He trusted that the atmospheric shield would throw anything like a fish away from the approaching ship.
Satisfied that his plan could succeed, he reduced speed by half and brought the fighter back up into the sky, then applied speed again as he drove the ship straight up into the morning sky. The dream was still a very long way from being a reality, but now he knew that it could be done.
14
Velmeran made three practice runs before returning to the ship. The first order of business, he decided, was business, and that meant checking into the condition of his pack. He realized guiltily that he had not given his students a single thought since the attack. That was not exactly the truth, of course; he had thought of them often those last three days. Now was the time for him to be pack leader again.
Finding the members of his scattered pack was no small task, for they had hidden themselves throughout various parts of the ship. Four had retreated to their mothers' cabins, the only place they could find in a hurry. Kelvessan maintained loose ties with their parents and many, like himself, did not even know their father. He was surprised to find that Baressa was the mother of the twins Tregloran and Ferryn; that not only served to explain where they had acquired their quickly developing talents as pilots, but also reassured him that he was not the only Starwolf on this ship with a disagreeable dame. Few pilots were offspring of mothers who were themselves pilots, since the pilots had less time to devote to having children than other female members of the crew.
The other members of his pack had simply hidden themselves in holes of their own finding, and it took Valthyrra's special talents to locate them all. Velmeran had them in their suits and down to the landing bay before they were hardly aware of what was going on. He had begun to realize that his students were quickly becoming very accomplished pilots, but any pack that was going to fight with him needed to know a few special tricks. Returning to the same coastal region, they spent the rest of the morning, local time, practicing high-speed low-level runs over both land and water and stalking each other in mock combat.
It was later in the morning when he became aware of a ship coming into the system, and moments later he recognized it as a Starwolf carrier. That surprised him, although he realized that, if he had not been so involved with himself, he should have expected it. Leaving his students to play on their own, he returned immediately to the ship. The incoming carrier was approaching fast, dropping out of starflight at the very last moment, so that it was braking into orbit even as he climbed out of the atmosphere.
The strange carrier settled into orbit barely its own three kilometers' length behind the Methryn. Passing close beside her as he made his final approach, Velmeran looked her over as best he could. Since no Starwolf ship, from carrier to fighter, bore markings of any type, he still had no idea who it could be. He was somewhat annoyed with himself for not anticipating this. Even after such a disaster, the Methryn would not retire to such a place as this simply for a break. Warning the other carriers about the new weapon was a matter of priority, but she would have already sent word far and wide. There was only one reason why she would call other carriers to her here. A council of war was about to take place; the Starwolves were going to exact dire payment for Dveyella's death.
Just after he passed the second carrier, a single fighter shot out from beneath it to fall in line directly behind him. He wondered who would be in such a hurry; perhaps it was her Commander, coming to confer in person. Mayelna did not fly herself, mostly because it was too harsh of a reminder of what she had given up. But Commanders were always chosen among the pack leaders, and some kept their own fighters even if they did not fight. He knew that he would.
Since Valthyrra must have directed the pilot to follow him in, he landed just to one side of his usual position in the center of the deck, allowing the second fighter to set down beside his own. Their racks were brought in together. Although Velmeran did not lack assistance, he saw Benthoran go to the aid of the visitor. He did not think about it until he was on his way to the lift, passing in front of the two fighters. He saw Benthoran speaking with the pilot, a tall, thin and rather good-looking girl. Benthoran called him over with a wave of his hand, although Velmeran joined the pair with some reluctance.
'Captain, can you show our guest to Mayelna's cabin?' he asked.
'I was not aware of any difference in the design of our carriers,' Velmeran snapped, bad manners born of his preoccupation. Realizing that, he shrugged and attempted a smile. 'Actually, I was on my way to the bridge anyway.'
Leaving her helmet with her fighter, the pilot joined him quickly. But they did not speak until they entered the lift. As soon as the doors snapped shut, she placed a hand on her chestplate and bowed her head in polite greeting. 'Pack Leader Daelyn.'
'Pack Leader Velmeran,' he replied. She stared at him, first in surprise, then with a curious intentness. 'Pack Leader Velmeran? Your mother is Commander Mayelna?'
'Yes,' he replied uncertainly. Had he already acquired this kind of reputation? He thought it best to change the subject. 'I had wondered if you were the Commander coming over to talk business.'
She laughed easily, apparently satisfied with him. 'No, although I am Commander-designate of the Karvand.
This is only a social call, although we will certainly have enough business to discuss when the Delvon arrives.'
'Have you known Commander Mayelna long?' Velmeran asked. Now that he knew most of what he wanted, he wondered if there was still any point in going up to the bridge.
'Oh, yes. All my life, in fact,' Daelyn replied. 'I was born on this ship and lived here until thirty years ago.'
'You flew with Mayelna?'
'Quite some time!' she laughed, with a look of terror that told him that she had indeed known Mayelna very well.
The lift came to a stop and the two parted company, Velmeran hurrying on to the bridge to find Consherra. If Mayelna was in her cabin, he knew that he could get all the news he wanted from the helm or the ship herself. Daelyn took the side corridor to Mayelna's cabin. Mayelna was stationed, as always, behind a monitor; only Valthyrra knew what occupied so much of her time. This time, however, she had apparently been hard at work on some task of her own, for her desk was strewn with lists she had made and diagrams she had drawn up. Whatever it was, she abandoned it quickly enough when she saw who was calling.
'Daelyn!' she exclaimed, leaping up. 'Valthyrra warned that you were wanting to board, but I did not think that she meant so soon.'
'After all these years, I was not going to be slow about it. You do look well,' Daelyn said, although that was
