“Easy, spaceboy,” said Yul. “There’s nothing you can do.”
“Screw that. I’m breaking away—”
Yul swore. But Miko was already gone.
“Fool!” Yul groaned. “He’s going to give us away.”
“Let him go, Yul.” Cloye gave a bitter laugh. “He’s on a death mission as it is. So is that flyboy Fenli of his. But the cocky bastard managed to get away as we should’ve.”
Yul shook his head, gritting his teeth. “Those two may end up being the only ones keeping us alive, Cloye. We’d better hope they survive. United we stand, divided we fall.”
“Fancy words.” But Cloye was not so hotheaded as to deny that he spoke truth.
Yul stared helplessly at the alien controls. Dire frustration smoked in his brain, directed at the squiggles, knobs, strange symbols. “Evidently our last mayday didn’t get through.”
He hissed into the com. “NOA, this is top priority, do you read?”
A prolonged silence passed as the carrier signal ping-ponged through the light tunnels.
“Over. Private Bjen Stone, NOA command control here. Who am I talking to?”
Yul rasped, “Zikri and Mentera forces are ready to move in on Quenrix. We’re three of us in spy ships, Mentera lightfighters in the middle of the attack fleet! Repeat. We’re in a three-ship convoy amid enemy vessels. The next target is likely a nearby world. Put every ship you have into sector 3.156DZ. Thwart this disaster before—”
“Who is this? We’ve confirmed you as an enemy Mentera lightfighter.”
“Yeah, I know that, Stone. Name’s Vrean, Yul Vrean.”
“What are your channels, your credentials? Who do you work for?”
Yul hesitated. Was this guy for real? He spoke in a low, angry voice, “I work for Cyber Corp. Contracted by Mathias.”
“Mathias? Man’s been missing for a month.”
“We know. And he’s likely dead. Forget Mathias. We came from The Dim Zone, planet Remus. Place is a shambles. Bugs and squids have taken over. And something else, some feral alien hellbringer. Mathias’s ex-researcher, Sigmund Hresh—his base, is toast, demolished. We made it to Kraetoria—”
“Kraetoria? What are you on? That’s a dead world, Vrean. Wait, Quenrix, you say? Reports are coming in from Quenrix’s defense grid now. Picking up large numbers of enemy craft. Okay…We’re on our way.”
* * *
Miko’s fingers played over the locust nav console. How he despised this prison of a ship, his throbbing brain scanning for options. Impulse drive was still operational, unlike the hyperdrive and his companions’ light drives. He watched as Yul floated down planetside cosseted with the locust swarm.
Miko looked over at Usk whose black-plated insectoid head bobbed in frustration. The locust’s red eyes gleamed. Hard enough to navigate this Mentera ship. Without Usk they’d be rat bait by now. Star gazed on in apathy at the holo view and its endless blips of enemies. A blank look hung on her face, not even the briefest strangled cry issued from her throat. What would it take to snap the woman out of her lethargy?
Miko’s heart thumped in his chest as a wild plan surfaced. Reaching past Usk’s pincer, he set the ship skimming over the line of aphids and mantises streaming like lemmings down to planetside. His lips curled in vindictive defiance.
“Usk! We’ll linger here as long as we can fake it...might be able to sabotage those ships, put a monkey wrench in their launch plans. There! Look, that Mentera slaver over there.” Usk’s eyes roved to where Miko pointed: a dark blue, balloon-like hull filled a portion of the viewscreen. “The ship lags behind. If we can sabotage it or drop bombs on its com towers…”
“How?” chittered Usk’s voice through the translator. “Those ships have defenses. Once we fire, they’ll think we turned traitor and neutralize us in short order.” Though Miko noticed he jerked his head up in a faint hope.
Miko gnawed at his knuckles. “I’m open to ideas, Usk. Think of something!”
“Don’t do it,” Yul hissed over the com, overhearing their conversation. “It’s suicide. Stay at the fringes of the Mentera fleet and watch your back and ours.”
Miko shook his head, a defiant gleam in his eyes. His hand fled to the impulse slider. They could dip and dodge at top speed, nuke as many as they could then make their break from the fleet…but his fingers held back.
The hesitation cost him. Miko’s ship was out of line with the others. The principal Mentera squad leader’s craft veered in while a barrage of locust talk crackled over their receiver, translated in real time:
“Mentera lightfighter Meijk! You are out of order. Report to mission control on the double. Interrogation crew and boarding party are on its way. Dock immediately.”
Miko hissed, his heart a lead weight. “Bastards. Now we’re in a pickle, Usk. Get this ship out of here! Draw the squad leader toward that nearby Zikri Orb. If we can raise some havoc over there, it’ll buy us some time. Damn it! I wish they hadn’t jammed up our light drive.”
“Don’t worry, Yul,” Miko hissed in response to Yul’s groan over the com. “We’ll distract them away from you, and Fenli. Oh, I forgot, he’s already gone.”
Star shook her head in defeat, at last roused from her daze. “Is this what I think this is?”
“Yes, and worse. Work the auxiliary weapons controls. Now!” he barked. “Target the Mentera slaver. We have no time for hysterics.”
She hurried to obey, her survival instinct returning.
The com chattered on with fresh new bug speak. Miko punched it off. Usk blinked at him. Miko worked the forward cannon and sprayed blasts upon the locust slaver, then he maxed the impulse toward one of the giant Orb flagships at the edge of the Zikri fleet, a craft with thick, bristling spikes and heavy cannons. A defiant snarl curled over his lips.
