“Aw hell! They’ve spotted us!” cursed Grayell. “Bring it up on-screen!”
Sure enough, one of the Luminal ships was banking over, sweeping around towards them. Electricity played over its hull and it left a bright trail of ionising plasma in its wake.
“How long until they’re in weapons range?” croaked Grayell, his voice barely audible over the cacophony of alarms.
“Two minutes tops,” replied Mellarnne.
“Any of the other ships deviating from their course?”
“Not yet, they’re all still converging upon the lone ship — they should be in range of it by now. Should I increase our speed, try and outrun them?”
But Grayell didn’t reply. He looked as though he had seen a ghost. He just stared transfixed at the Luminal ship as it bore down upon them.
“My god, it’s the Defiance,” breathed Ryann in disbelief.
Sure enough, the shape of the vessel, right down to the markings upon the hull, was identical in every way to their own ship.
“It’s the Luminal ship that we based the Defiance upon,” croaked Mellarnne in horror. “Grayell, should we increase our speed?”
And still Grayell couldn’t reply; it was as though he was paralysed at the sight of the other vessel.
Ryann turned to his father.
“Dad, that’s the ship isn’t it?” he said in a leaden voice. “That’s the ship from Station City-7 on Islanotis — it’s the one that destroyed our homeworld.”
CHAPTER SIX
NEMESIS
Grayell didn’t speak for a moment. All he could do was stare at the markings on the Luminal battleship, the ship that had destroyed his homeworld of Islanotis and left him believing for so many years that his son had been lost.
“Grayell! They’re almost in weapons range!” pleaded Mellarnne. “Should we increase our speed?”
“This is our chance to get that ship Dad.”
Ryann’s voice was full of hatred. He felt all the memories rising up inside him like a great wave. “We can destroy it — we may never get the chance again!”
But still Grayell didn’t respond. He just stared on in horror.
“Dammit Grayell!” shouted Mellarnne. “Helm! Full speed! Maintain our present course!”
“No! Cancel that order!” roared Grayell in blind fury. Mellarnne stared at his old friend aghast.
“We can’t fight that ship!”
“Keep us steady,” murmured Grayell.
“They’re in range,” croaked Mellarnne. “At least power up the damn shields!”
“No, don’t do anything to make them more suspicious. They don’t know what we are! Keep our shields down, do you hear me!” Grayell’s voice was rising and there was a crazed look in his eyes. He clung to the scanner table whilst the Defiance shook in the electrical storm.
All about the system, Ryann could make out the same arcs of plasma shooting out across the void in a breathtaking display.
“They’re right upon us!” called out Mellarnne, and indeed the battleship almost filled the view screen now, like some dark bird of prey hanging amid the light-storm.
Ryann was transported back to that moment on Islanotis Station City-7, when he had faced that very same ship. He felt the familiar tension rising within him as when he had waited, his Raven sheltering in the mouth of the station’s launch-tunnel while the battleship prepared to annihilate him.
“What are they doing?” asked Mellarnne, his words barely audible above the low booms and tortured creaking of the hull. Behind the Luminal, Ryann could see the great sphere of the gas giant steadily filling the view screen. They were close enough now to see the broken moon, three-quarters of a sphere floating serenely within a great field of debris. It seemed tantalisingly close, but blocking the way was that Luminal ship.
Another wave of plasma rolled over the Defiance’s hull, shaking the control centre.
“Energy surge from the Luminal ship!” called out an officer. “I think they’re trying to hail us!”
“Put it over the speaker — and shut those damn alarms off!” replied Mellarnne.
Instantly, the room fell silent. Only the creaking of the superstructure could be heard as the electrical storm continued to play out all around them.
Ryann strained his ears as a stream of static came over the speakers. And then, a sudden alien roar split the air. It sounded like some great bellowing of trumpets that echoed all throughout the ship. Low moans and rumbles shook the hull like some monstrous whale song, but Ryann thought that he could make out words drifting in and out. It was a deeply unnerving sound that seemed to resonate from within him as much as through the comms system. It sounded to Ryann like a thousand voices all crying out in unison, but just for a moment he caught one above all the others, a woman’s voice calling out:
“This is first officer… …the Battleship Oak… Please… He’s here! He’s always here! You have to —”
A great blast rocked the Defiance and the lights dimmed for a second before being replaced with the red glow of the emergency lighting.
Ryann stumbled and felt his father grab his arm to steady him. He glanced up but Grayell was staring transfixed at the view-screen. Ryann followed his gaze and could scarcely believe what he was seeing.
The Luminal ship was suddenly obscured, lost in the shadow of some gargantuan shape that dwarfed even this behemoth. Swirls of dark clouds formed, and arcs of plasma streaked out across the void. It was as though space itself was being torn open, as a ship bigger than anything Ryann could comprehend dragged itself ponderously into being.
“Proximity alert!” called Mellarnne as the chaos of alarms erupted once again. “Full reverse engines! Hard to starboard! Mark one-seventy!”
The Defiance shuddered and her drives groaned under the strain as a monstrous dreadnought broke out of hyperspace directly in their path.
“Shields! Get our shields up!” cried Grayell as the control centre bucked and heaved.
Even as the great vessel was tearing itself free from the boiling hyperspace cloud, Ryann saw a hundred beams of light released from rows of turrets all along its sheer sides. The shots flew across the void in silent streaks, and there was
