“Ellenton!” Thorne shouted, but the woman seemed undeterred. She continued straight toward the fighters. They’d be in firing range any second now and they were decidedly outgunned.
“Ellenton!” Thorne shouted again, louder this time.
“I got this,” she snapped back, then hit a button on the dash. The drone launchers that’d been fitted to the sides of the Borrelly clanked and clacked into motion. Through the window, Thorne saw several mechanical balls launch outward, then light up as their thrusters came online.
The drones were roughly spherical, but then they unfolded to reveal thrusters pointing in all directions, along with four Gatling guns mounted on their fronts. The drones hovered around the Borrelly in a tight formation, then reacted as one and opened fire on the approaching fighters.
Flashes of light were bursting from the wingtips and beneath the noses of the fighters now and Thorne realized they were firing back as the Borrelly’s shields sprang to life.
Front Shield Integrity: 90%
Front Shield Integrity: 83%
Front Shield Integrity: 71%
“We can’t take much more—” Thorne began to yell when Ellenton flipped a switch on the controls, decoupling the ship, and spun them hard to the side. They maintained their forward momentum but spun sideways. The shuttle’s front shields were saved from the barrage of fire as the comparatively fresh port-side shields absorbed the shots.
Port Shield Integrity: 90%
Port Shield Integrity: 86%
And then the fighters were past, zipping by so quickly Thorne could hardly see them. She whipped her head around, looking across the cabin and out the starboard windows to see them turning around for another pass.
Then all at once a barrage of laser fire cut through them from above. Most of the fighters detonated instantly. Those that didn’t tumbled out of control, trailing smoke and flame. A light cruiser blasted through the wreckage and pulled up behind them.
The Veritas II! Thorne recognized the ship.
There was a problem, though. All the fighters were gone, but as Thorne squinted, she could just make out five pinpoints of light blasting toward the Borrelly.
“Missiles!” she shouted. One of the fighters must have fired them before being shot down.
“Our drones will get them,” Ellenton said from up front. “Probably.”
They did, spinning as one and firing at the oncoming missiles. They went up in blasts of fire and smoke, none of them even getting close enough to threaten the shuttle.
“Man, my baby is even more ridiculously awesome now,” Ellenton said from up front. “We’d have been fine even without Acton butting in.”
As she said it, his voice come over the comms. “Escort the freighters, I know, I know,” he said. “Those were my orders. But those fighters looked troublesome. And if you lot go down, this whole endeavor goes belly up.” The turrets on the outside of the Veritas II were alive with blazing lasers, streaming in long lines after any targets that drew near.
“You can’t take a cruiser down into this anti-air fire,” Ellenton said back. “You’ll get shredded.”
“Takes their eyes off you though, no?”
“Acton!” Kaiden shouted, leaning forward in his jump seat. “You’re not allowed to get shot down on our account.” He paused. “But good thinking. The second we’re below the anti-air fire you get back out of their range.”
“Aye, sir.”
Ellenton corrected their orientation, getting the nose pointed back toward the landing zone Thorne had designated from orbit – as close as they could get to the gate without having all the landing shuttles and freighters torn apart by defensive fire. Some would still go down, but most would make it. Or that was the plan, at least.
The lights in the Borrelly were flashing red now, indicating hull integrity had taken some damage. Some of the hailstorm of lasers and ballistics flying around outside must have found their way through the already over-taxed shields. Ellenton seemed unconcerned though, hurling them toward the ground. Enemy vessels slid in front of her guns but she never fired.
Saving all power for the shields and engines. She’s getting us on the ground first and foremost, Thorne knew. Then she’s gonna tear a swath of wreckage and rubble through this sky.
Blue light flared behind them and Thorne turned to see the shields of the Veritas II working overtime.
The anti-air guns are targeting them.
The cruiser took a beating, but it did its job. Only a few pieces were blasted off in the process.
“Godspeed, Captains,” Acton said and Thorne could swear she saw him salute from the cockpit before the Veritas II turned hard and hit the afterburners. The anti-air fire followed it, but the ship’s rear shields were fresh and did a good job keeping it mostly together on the retreat. Most ships didn’t have separate health pools for each shield face – it was a top-tier upgrade. Thorne had made a considerable credit contribution to Acton and Ellenton, which they’d used to upgrade the Veritas II and the Borrelly with the best modifications on the market.
As the Veritas II shrunk away to nothing but the glowing light of engines, Thorne focused her attention back to their present situation inside the Borrelly.
There were a few sparks spitting from the ceiling and wall panels as Ellenton guided them below the firing arcs of the anti-air guns and slammed on the brakes. The retro-thrusters blasted to life outside the cockpit glass and Thorne felt her body doing its best to phase through her seat belt as the Borrelly went from stupidly fast to basically still in two seconds.
“Looks like this is your stop,” Ellenton said from the cockpit, but the rear ramp was whirring down and everyone was already in motion, ripping off seat belts and jumping to their feet. Thorne wormed out of her own harness, grabbed her hammer, and sprinted toward the ramp.
“Remember to give your driver a good rating!” Ellenton shouted after them.
Thorne paused for just a moment at the start of the ramp. The pock-marked, crater-filled surface of Custos was a pace away but she turned
