“They’ll come back around shortly,” Andrews replied. “The idea was to buy some time, not shake them completely.” Though maybe we’ll get lucky and they’ll think we crashed in this mess. He figured that was too much to hope for. Then his scanner showed the two ships were on their way back.
So much for that. They’ll do a sweep and clear. Well… now’s our chance. Andrews jammed the throttle forward again, climbing up at a forty-five degree angle. We might not make it to orbit if we don’t go now. Figure it out, Triton. We’ll see you soon… for good or ill.
***
The Triton hurled away from the planet with their thrusters helping to give them a quick boost. Scans showed they were well out of range of their attackers, at least for a moment. Furthermore, they had enough obstruction to give them some hope of survival. Every second they claimed was a little more time for the shields to power up.
As they reached twelve percent, Titus felt confident getting out of there. Engineering wanted more, but he figured they were erring on the side of caution. Even if they weren’t, he had to take the risk. A few lives lost over the entire ship being destroyed was the crap decision he had to make.
“Warp status,” Titus called out. “Where’re we at?”
“They’re not quite done with the check,” Violet replied. “Another minute or two.”
Titus reached out to Andrews. “We need you up here ASAP.”
“Good thing I started my climb,” Andrews replied. “The enemy shuttles are in pursuit so I might need some turret cover fire.”
“We’ll try. No promises.” Titus set up the rendezvous coordinates. “Jane, alter course to meet up with the shuttle.” The elevator opened. Four medics came in. They checked Captain Barrington first before hurrying over to Ronin. They started working on him, securing themselves to his station as they administered aid.
I hope you make it, pal. Titus watched for only a moment. He had too much going on; too much on his mind. Scans showed the enemy ships closing on them rapidly. Those things are huge. What kind of systems do they have allowing them to move so quickly? Their crews must’ve been miserable… or were they? Had they advanced their antigravity technology to the point they could move at such a speed without moving into warp?
All TCN vessels relied on their shields to supplement the inertial dampening, to allow faster than light travel. There were still limits, especially when it came to traditional travel.
The warp drives themselves emitted protective measures so the crew had three layers of protection against the motion. So where’d they get these things? Violet had been gathering data on them, scanning both them and what they did to the colony. If we survive, we might have enough information to track down the manufacturer of these things. But to what end?
If they had more than two of the ships, if these weren’t mere prototypes, he doubted the entire fleet had the firepower to put them down. Their power output alone made them giants. They represented a total nightmare, the kind of enemy that should’ve been impossible to encounter. And yet…
“Andrews is nearly here,” Violet said. “I’ve got him on scans. Two ships are in hot pursuit.”
“Engineering,” Titus spoke into the microphone. “Can we go to warp yet? And let me remind you of how imperative it is that we’re ready ASAP.”
“I can’t promise we won’t blow up!” Huxley replied. “Give me another… two minutes!”
Titus sighed. “We may not have that long! Hurry. Cut corners, I don’t care, just get me minimum safety standards.” He checked the scans again. They’ll be in firing range shortly. He clenched his fists. “Jane, we may need to get back into evasive maneuvers. Once the shuttle lands, be ready to dance on my mark.”
“Yes, sir.” Jane nodded.
“Um…” Violet grunted. “Sir… I think… I think they might have reinforcements coming in.”
“What?” Titus turned to her. “What do you mean?”
“I’m picking up a bizarre energy reading… again, like nothing I’ve seen before. Incredibly powerful. Warping in fast.”
“I feel flattered.” Titus scowled. “Where?”
“They’re on a direct course for us,” Violet said. “No risk of collision, but… yeah, they’ll be here quick.”
“Fantastic.” Titus pinched the bridge of his nose. His mind raced through the different options of what they might do… or how they could proceed. What exactly can I do against a new threat? We can’t even hold off the one on our asses. And why the hell would these guys ask for anyone else? Unless they believed the Triton could escape.
“Andrews is docking now,” Jane said. “Give him… fifteen seconds to mag to the deck.”
“When he gives you the clear,” Titus said, “alter course to… sixteen degrees port. That should take us away from the newcomer as well.” He thought about hitting the Engineering deck again, harassing them for that final call. They beat him to it, reaching out a moment before he could tap the panel.
“Sir…” Huxley sounded exhausted, his voice strained. “Sir… this… I…”
“Spit it out,” Titus barked, “what’s going on?”
“The warp drive is down. The fire earlier… and the circuits… I…”
“How long?”
“Half an hour,” Huxley replied, “at the very least. We’re talking replacing delicate parts. It’s… it’s done.”
And so are we. Titus felt his shoulders slump. He looked at the others, first Jane then Violet. I can’t keep these enemies off of us for a half hour! We’ve got five minutes. Maybe. He struggled against the sense of defeat, a feeling they were about to die. I can’t do it. I have to think of something… anything!
“Violet,” Titus said, “open all comm channels.”
“Done,” Violet replied. “Your mic is hot.”
This is the only way.
Titus hated himself for what he had to say, for being in the position at all. “Attention, attacking
