As we ran down the corridor, I saw that Dashel was trying to avoid the stares we were getting from the crew members. I knew I was putting him in a difficult spot, but I didn't care – after all, the position he'd put me in by bringing me aboard was far worse.
When we entered the command deck and Ranel saw us, his eyes practically bulged out of their sockets. “Captain, what is the meaning of this?! What's she doing here?!”
Another blast hit the ship, throwing us all to one side.
“No time for that now,” Dashel said, taking the captain's chair. “Situation report.”
“Three short-range vessels are attacking us,” Ranel said, still glaring at me. “Configuration unknown. We don't have anything in our database of Pax ships that matches them, but they're out-maneuvering us and shrugging off our blasters. Our shielding's been reduced to thirty percent.”
I stared at the viewscreen, unable to believe my eyes. Sure enough, three small ships were buzzing around us like flies. They were armored spheres with arrays of long, multi-jointed appendages branching out from their surfaces. The mechanical arms were firing sharply focused lasers, plus clusters of tiny bulbs that exploded on contact.
I'd seen them hundreds of times, but never in the air before.
“My God,” I whispered. “They're flying.”
“Yes, damn it, they're flying! They're flying right at us!” Ranel yelled. “Captain, are these the kinds of valuable insights you brought her on the command deck to provide?!”
“They're Digger units,” I explained quickly, trying to shake off my surprise. “Manned mining orbs, meant to dig, blast, and roll through dense layers of rock. Those clever bastards have rigged them with propulsion engines.”
“They still shouldn't have the life support capabilities for space travel,” Ranel grumbled.
“They don't need to make it to deep space,” Dashel mused. “Just to the upper atmosphere, so they can take us apart piece by piece. Natalie, now's your time to shine. What do we do?”
“You're trusting a human prisoner with this ship's defenses, just because she let you fuck her?!” Ranel balked, shaking his head. “Captain, by the authority of the Hielsrane fleet and in accordance with Code Nine-Four-One-One-Two, I deem you to be of unsound mind and hereby relieve you of your command, effective immediately.”
“We can discuss that later, commander.” Dashel turned to me expectantly. “Natalie? We're waiting?”
My mind raced as I went over everything I knew about the Digger units, and the personnel who manned them.
“Okay, they're each only able to carry six explosive charges,” I said. “Can you tell me how many each one has let off so far?”
The helmsman tapped the keys on his console quickly. “Two of them have let off three charges each. The third's been hanging back, relying on his lasers instead. They seem to be attacking in a rotation; two engage while one retreats, then they switch off.”
“Then we target the one that's still got all its charges,” I told Dashel. “Right now, he's the biggest threat, and he'll also make the biggest boom thanks to the bombs he's carrying. Can you magnify your image of him onscreen?”
The helmsman increased the magnification, and I studied the orb quickly. “That Digger is a Model Epsilon, which means it's got heavier armor plating on its top and sides in case of cave-ins, but lighter armor on its underside to balance it out. It's slower and bulkier, so it should be the easiest target. See that area where the plates are separated? Ranel, concentrate your fire on it. One solid blast ought to be enough to super-heat its insides and detonate the bombs.”
Ranel goggled at Dashel indignantly. “Dashel, you can't honestly expect me to take orders from—.”
Another blast. This time, one of the consoles erupted in a shower of sparks, sending a crew man to the floor with burns on his face.
“Do as she says,” Dashel said, still looking at the screen. “Now.”
Ranel blinked, then sighed and tapped the commands into his keypad.
A thick golden column of destructive solar energy – in essence, an artificial solar flare, shaped and directed by the ship's weapon systems – blasted forth from one of the tubes on its underside. It hit the Epsilon's vulnerable undercarriage, and the sphere glowed an angry crimson as its thick hull blistered with heat from the inside out. It spun off to the side, then erupted in a series of explosions, reduced to floating debris.
The other two Diggers hesitated in midair, as though taken aback by our sudden show of force. Then they started to close in again. One opened fire with its laser cannons, while the other hung back, as though taking shelter behind it.
“These two are Psi Models,” I pointed out. “They're lighter and faster, but they pack less of a punch as a result – they're built to withstand their own ordnance in case they find an unexpected vein of reflective metal and it gets bounced back at them.”
They both opened fire with their laser cannons, and the ship shuddered.
“They seem to pack plenty of punch to me,” Ranel snarled, checking his tactical console. “Shields are down to fifteen percent.”
One of the Psi orbs discharged its last three bombs at our starboard side in rapid succession.
“Move the ship so our remaining shield generators absorb the blast,” Ranel shouted to the helmsman.
“No! Belay that order!” I said.
Ranel looked like he'd been punched in the mouth. “Have you lost your fucking mind? They'll blow a hole in the hull!”
“Just the empty shuttle bays! Target that orb with your solar blasters!” I insisted. “Now, before it's too late!”
“Do it, Ranel!” Dashel snapped.
Ranel punched the buttons, his fangs bared. “Fine. Firing solar blasters. I wish I could say it's been nice serving under you, 'captain.'”
The bombardment struck the shuttle bays, and the ship groaned deep in its core, as though it might tear itself in half. The viewscreen
