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HEAVEN’S CALL
BOOK THREE OF THE LUMINA SERIES
by
I G HULME
CHAPTER ONE
A DESCENT FROM HEAVEN
They gathered around the Defiance’s projection table in a stunned disbelief: Ryann, Angelique, Grayell, and Mellarnne. For what seemed like an age, none of them spoke, they just stared at the scanners in horror. All around the Defiance clustered a thousand bright points of light, hanging in space like a scattering of stars. But every star was in fact a Luminal battleship, each one a million tons of armour and weaponry.
“What should we do?” croaked Mellarnne at last. It appeared hopeless; every direction on the three-dimensional scanner was the same; the fleet surrounded them and there seemed no chance of escape. Even as they watched, other lights appeared as more Luminal ships dropped out of hyperspace.
“There’s an asteroid belt — Vandamme’s Claim, it’s about seventy minutes away — we might be able to hide in there, evade them for a while,” breathed Mellarnne, but his voice was laden with resignation. They had fought so hard to save the refugees from New Eden; they had escaped that monolithic Luminal ship, only to have it all snatched away from them.
“Grayell? Shall I give the order to make a run for the asteroid belt?”
“No.”
The word was uttered in such a quiet breath that Ryann barely caught it. His father just stared at the scanner projection unblinking, as though he were willing the scene to change.
“Grayell, we can’t take them on!” exclaimed Mellarnne, reaching for the navigation controls.
“I said no!” snapped Grayell and his eyes burned with rage. “If we make a move we’re dead.”
“So, what are you saying? We do nothing?” Ryann stepped forwards, studying the charts. “Dad, Mellarnne’s right, the Luminal fleet’s numbers are thinnest around that asteroid belt. If we can lose them in there, we might be able to —”
“This isn’t some damn planet-surfer we’re flying!” spat Grayell, and Ryann was taken aback by the ferocity of his words. “We’ve got well over two thousand people aboard the Defiance! A vessel that’s packed with enough molecular explosive to take out half the star system! I’m not going to start joyriding her through a damn asteroid field!”
Ryann felt his cheeks burning in embarrassment as his father’s words hit him. He glanced across to Angelique but she turned her face away.
There was a strained silence for a moment before Mellarnne spoke once more, trying delicately to diffuse the tension.
“Okay, you’re right Grayell, but what are you proposing?”
Ryann’s father’s gaze didn’t move from the scanners.
“They’re moving — all of them,” he whispered at last. “Some towards us, but look, these ones are heading away. It’s not us they’re after. It looks like they’re all converging on a point, somewhere over here. Where is that? There, it looks familiar.” He pointed into the display projection, towards the greatest concentration of ships.
“You’re right,” muttered Mellarnne, squinting at the readouts. “It’s the Ophid way-station, the intersection of the old trade-lanes that link the Inner Quadrant to the outer systems. There used to be that huge jump-station there — practically as big as the Mars station back in Earthspace.
“But I don’t understand, the Lumina overran this sector over six months ago. The frontline should be about four or five systems from us. Why so many ships?”
“It looks like an invasion fleet,” breathed Ryann.
“Set a course for it, follow the direction of the others.”
Grayell’s words were distant and softly spoken, but throughout the entire bridge one could have heard a pin drop.
Mellarnne just stared at his old friend in horror.
“Do it! Do it now!” called out Grayell, his voice harsh against the silence. “Set a course to match the speed of the nearest ships — same vectors.”
“Grayell, this is madness,” pleaded Mellarnne in a hushed voice so as not to be overheard.
“We’re surrounded by a fleet of enemy ships that we can’t hope to fight,” hissed Grayell. “They haven’t made a move on us, so we can only pray that they think we’re one of their own. Let’s not give them cause to suspect any different.”
Mellarnne shook his head wearily and gave the order to the helmsman. They felt the Defiance shudder as her drives engaged, following the hundreds of other battleships in a slow procession.
For the next ten minutes not a soul on the bridge spoke. All was shrouded in a strained silence as each of them waited for the faintest inkling of a deviation in course from any of the thousand Luminal ships. But eventually it became clear that Grayell had been right — their identity hadn’t been discovered, and the fleet was travelling with some other, unknown purpose.
Mellarnne was the first to speak, and his voice came as a surprise after such an overbearing stillness. “Well, it looks as though we’re safe. All Luminal ships are proceeding on a course for the Ophid way-station, no deviation.”
“Safe.” Grayell’s quiet word was no more than a whisper. “For the time-being at least. Let’s hope our luck holds for a while.” He studied the scanners, lost in his own thoughts. “Mellarnne, the course towards the way-station, does it take us closer to that asteroid field or further away?”
“Further away,” replied Mellarnne. “But we do pass another planetary cluster along our projected route.”
“Good. How long will it take us to reach the way-station at our present velocity?”
“About ten hours to the way-station, but we’ll be closest to those planets in a
