***
“Niva…” Griel grunted. “What’s going on?”
“The Triton is in a massive battle with a Kahl battleship,” Niva replied. “They’re exchanging some serious blows. We are… ten seconds from them.”
“Give me a reading on both ships.” Griel tapped his foot impatiently. “How are they doing?”
“I’ve got it,” Molush said, “looks like the Triton’s taken a pretty serious beating. A solid torpedo hit might do them in. On the other hand, the Kahl vessel’s in a bad way as well. They seem… oh my. Sir…”
“What?” Griel glared at him. “What is it?”
“This is the secret mission.” Molush pointed at the viewscreen. “That is Renz’s cruiser!”
“Oh… you sad pile of filth.” Griel smiled. “Today, you die. Get us in there.”
“Sir…” Niva stepped in. “If we’re going to save the Triton, we need to maneuver in such a way to take the next hit from the Kahl.”
No! Griel clenched his fists. The Brekka could handle a full spread of torpedoes if they had to. Retaliation would be the problem. The power drain to defenses would be enormous. Renz might have a chance to recharge his shields or worse. He might flee. You can’t get away. You can’t!
But he had a serious choice on his hands. Save his allies or sacrifice them for a victory against Renz.
“Gah!” Griel slapped the chair. “Get us in there. Protect the Triton. Reach out to them and have them withdraw to coordinates… six-seven-three by four-two-seven.” We might still take this bastard down if we work together. He looked around the bridge at the walls. Sorry about this, my dear. It’s going to hurt.
***
A flash of light made Renz blink just as they unleashed another barrage of torpedoes. Inda cried out, pointing at the viewscreen. She didn’t speak for a good twenty seconds, as if struggling to find her voice. “Out with it!” he barked. “What’s wrong with you? What was that?”
“Another ship!” Inda cried. “That’s a Prytin vessel! The… the Brekka!”
Griel.
Renz narrowed his eyes. “Did they take the torpedoes?”
“The full barrage! Their shields are at twenty percent but they’ve already rolled out of the way. The other vessel has fallen back as well.” Inda looked at him. “They’re regrouping.”
“I have more bad news,” Kivda said. “Our shuttle went down on the surface. It’s off the scanner. Certainly destroyed.”
“What in the name of all that’s holy has happened here?” Renz looked around at the bridge crew. “You have all failed me today. Every single one of you.” The ship shook from an attack, another blow to their side. He had no idea who threw it but it didn’t matter. “Report on ship status?”
“Main thrusters are down,” Inda replied, “power dropping on weapons. They’ve hit our primary generators. I can get them back up in a moment, but…”
“No.” Renz shook his head. “Emergency detachment. Break us away and engage warp.” He looked at Kivda. “Someone will pay for this failure. With their lives, I suspect.” He fell silent, scowling as the others worked to comply. “Detonate the reactor as we break free. Leave them with something to worry about.”
My father is going to lose his mind about this. Renz felt he had not been properly prepared for the opposition. He would bring it up when they returned home. And then I’m coming back for the Triton. And for you, Griel. Neither of you will live long to enjoy your little victory.
***
“Whoa!” Violet shouted. “Back up, Jane! Straight back, don’t deviate your course in any other direction!”
“What’s wrong?” Jane complied as she asked the question. The viewscreen burst to life, making Titus wince. A bright flash dimmed, revealing the Brekka. A full spread of torpedoes from Renz’s vessel slammed into it. “Oh my God. They just saved our lives, didn’t they? That would’ve…”
“Yeah,” Violet said, “that would’ve been enough to finish us off. Griel’s on comms, sir.”
“Put him through,” Titus said. “Hey, better late than never, huh?”
“Sorry about the tardiness,” Griel replied. “Shall we finish him off now?”
“With pleasure.” Titus gestured to Jane. “Get us into position and open fire.”
“Make it fast,” Griel said, “he’ll probably… no!”
“Massive energy build up,” Violet reported. “I think… that’s their reactor going critical.”
Rhys leaned forward. “And how bad is that?”
“Bad!” Griel replied. “Fall back! That sack of filthy son of a Teshian…” The rest of what he had to say faded as the engines engaged, pulling them away from the Kahl vessel.
Titus narrowed his eyes, watching as the front section seemed to detach from the whole. It moved a good twenty feet before engaging their warp, winking out of the system in a flash. That’s quite the escape. “Did you see that?” he asked Rhys. “I think they just up and left. That’s…”
“Yes,” Griel said, “that’s Renz for you. Got away again.” He rattled something off in his own language, an epithet Titus felt lucky he couldn’t translate.
The rest of the ship exploded, a bright red and blue flash that faded quickly. Seconds afterward, the Triton shook from a shockwave. I wonder how far that will go. Violet called out that their shields dropped. It would’ve been way worse if we hadn’t gotten away from it. He let out a deep breath.
“Rhys, get the shuttle home.” Titus stood. “Griel, that was some serious timing. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Griel appeared on the screen. “Why did they show up here? What’s going on? I thought this was some kind of distress call from some of your scientists.”
“The Kahl must be why they called for help.” Titus stepped forward. “As to why, I guess we’ll find out when they get here. For right now, do you think the Kahl will be back any time soon?”
“No. Those escape shuttles aren’t fast. It’ll take them the better part of a day to get any help let alone find someone
