Cloye wasted not a moment. She grabbed the struggling man and hauled him into the nearby cargo bay of the mantis vessel. Hresh got the door closed just as Yul ducked in. The last image he saw was Fenli taking the other ship to the tunnels. Damn that cheeky bastard. Give him B for balls though. “Where you going, Fenli?” he mused.
“He’ll get shot down,” croaked Hresh.
“No, he’s heading for the tunnels, playing possum, like we should,” said Yul.
“Okay, we’ll do the same.”
Yul blinked. His eyes adjusted to the bright amber light. The layout of this ship was familiar, having crash-landed in a craft not dissimilar to this one hours ago. He raced to the bridge, and fiddling at the controls, cursed as his nerve-frayed fingers quivered. Soon the thrusters were aimed and the ship lifted off. Down the main tunnel they surged. It was suicide to soar out the dome and show their faces.
Grumbling and cursing, Cloye pulled Miko onto the bridge. Hresh was on his other side. The man’s face was still somewhat blue.
Yul turned. He stared at a man willowy as a scarecrow with brown hair and pale grey eyes. “Who the hell are you?”
“I’m Miko Almstran,” Miko choked, regaining some breath.
“Yeah, and who’s that?”
“First lieutenant—of NAVO core explorations, patrol officer. Who are you?”
“Yul Vrean. That’s Cloye over there, and Hresh beside her. NAVO? Did you say NAVO? They’ve been gone a long time, friend. Like a century or two. You trying to mess with me?”
“No—”
“Fenli said he knew this guy,” piped up Hresh.
“Fenli? He’s alive?” croaked the newcomer.
“Is this for real?” Cloye spat. “Some nut from a hundred years ago knows another one from some wrecked ship nearly gobbled up by aliens?” She snapped up her E1. “Too many coincidences. Let’s waste this fucker, Yul. The invisible man and his friend would have hijacked the only ride we had out of here and left us high and dry. Don’t trust either of them.”
“Easy, Cloye,” Yul cautioned. “You’ve always been a hothead. Let’s—wait, and sort out the facts.”
“What facts? Don’t patronize me, Yul.”
He shook his head and grimaced while Miko held up a hand. “Can I speak in my own defense?”
“Fast, flyboy,” snarled Cloye. “Or we blow your skull off. Too many traitors in this bitched up universe.”
“I understand you’re hair-triggered but—”
“You think?”
“Listen, I’ve got to find my companions,” Miko said. He hobbled over to the rack of bug suits hanging on the wall. “Their names are Star and Usk. Both are dying out there somewhere. Maybe already dead. I promised I’d come back for them.” He gusted a sigh of grief.
“You crazy or something? You don’t even have a working suit. How are you going to help them? Those bugs out there are going to come back and blast all of our asses.” Cloye waved her gun around in a wild arc.
Miko shook his head. “You don’t get it, miss. I’ll use one of these Mentera suits. They’re elasticized. Let me off, Yul, please! If you have any decency, you’ll help me find them.” He snatched down one of the locust suits hanging on the wall.
Yul growled a softer note. “Miko’s extra firepower did save our hides. I should have anticipated the extra guards.”
Cloye just laughed. “Your choice, Yul.” She turned and showed her teeth. “Our plan is to get the crap out of here.”
Yul frowned. “Cloye, calm down. We’ll help you, if we can, Miko.”
“How you plan to do that?” blustered Cloye.
“Shut up and let me think.” Yul slapped hard on the console. He tried to get the auxiliary impulse working. Cross tunnels and pale glimpses of tanks in a row whizzed by. They’d have to fly faster than this to escape pursuit.
He slapped a gloved hand to his faceplate. “Cloye, Hresh, get over there and man the weapons. I see we have company.”
He motioned to the holo view. Hresh’s and Cloye’s eyes darted to two bogies, red and yellow blips that had entered their safe zone. With a harsh laugh, Yul gunned the engines, sending them recklessly down the main tunnel, swaying from side to side as he maneuvered corners and narrowing spaces. He hoped to hell it didn’t narrow down to nothing.
Mentera in silver suits came out from cross-corridors blasting weapons at them. The green flares bounced harmlessly off their shields.
But the ships behind them were an entirely other matter.
Chapter 12
Yul gripped the nav stick and worked the controls with precision, his teeth clamped in an unpleasant grin. He ran his tongue over his lower lip. The ship careened through the grey tunnels, churning up dust, leaving a trail behind them. The shields took the brunt of the abuse, the mantis-wings grazing off the coarse rock, taking small chunks with it, their speed tempered by Yul’s newness at flying an alien ship.
“Shields holding, but won’t forever,” he warned. “We’ve got to lose these bugs or they’ll bury us. Bring the whole Mentera fleet down on our heads. Cloye, talk to me. What’s wrong? Can’t you figure out these bloody weapons?”
“Trying, Yul. Locusts must have locked something down. Everything’s different.”
“Hresh, get your ass over there!” Yul croaked. “You’re the tech wizard here. Do something!” Miko was still looking blue in the face and somewhat dazed as he zipped up his borrowed bug suit.
Hresh stumbled over, clumsy in his suit. His quaking fingers danced over the weapons controls. Fire spat out from an incoming bogy. Yul swore. The enemy ship clung to their stern like a vine, as the two ships careened down the narrowing corridors with barely feet to spare. Hresh tapped a holo pad. Rear fire lashed out. Cloye picked up his lead and pushed him aside with a grudging grunt. She made better aim and tagged the
