TNE 02 To Dream of Chaos Page 15

  "So, Nik," Tom said to the lone occupanlof the bridge, a man with a soldering kit conducting repairs on an overhead panel, "any luck?"

  "Yeah, It'll hold together—at least until we take another hit."

  "Good enough. Why don't you go aft and help shore up the port gangway."

  "Aye, Sir."

  The young man then packed up his tools and left, leaving Tom alone with her guests.

  "So, I don't suppose you'd believe if sa coincidence that we're both here at Mexit," Tom said, after sitting In her pilot's chair and turning around to face Coeur and Drop Kick, whom she had sealed in the closest workstations astern.

  "Well, I don't think ifs any accident you're here," Coeur answered. "Space is too big for coincidences. And anyway, you said you came looking for Zero."

  "That's right Acouple of months back—after wedropped you two off—we pulled Into Kmakand ran into a rumor about him."

  "Let me guessj someone sold you a picture of him they got from the Network."

  "Something like that, yeah. I already knew Zero was a pretty scummy character—I knew he'd fired on Dawn League freighters when he thought he could get away with It—so I tigured it wouldn't hurt the Coalition much if I bushwhacked him and took the black globe for myself."

  "Did you actually get to Mewl?"

  "Well, sort of. I sent a team down to the surf ace and then came out here to refuel. That was when the Solee jumped us."

  "Those Solee must be pretty good," Drop Kick said, "If they got the Jump on you."

  'Thanks," Tom said, "but I think it was mostly bad luck. The Solee caught uscftmbirtg out of the gas giant, and we didn't have much chance to maneuver."

  "All right," Coeur asked, with earnest curiosity, "so why aren't you dead?"

  "Good question. Near as I can figure, the Solee captain isn't very good, because he opened up at very long range and then let us slip away by powering down and reducing our signature. I dropped a decoy drone and had if very conspicuously maneuver back down into the atmosphere."

  "It looks like they bought it," Coeur observed.

  "Like I said, they're not very good."

  Coeur chewed on that for a moment. "You said earlier you thought the Solee picked up the same tip about Zero that you did. Is it possible they actually tracked you here?"

  "I doubt it," Tom said, with a wry grimace, "given the skill of her skipper. The way I figure it, since Kmak's a j>relty popular watering hole for the Solee too, they must have picked up the same rumor that we did there, and it's just a coincidence we got here about the same time."

  "Do you know if the Solee put any men down on Mexit?"

  "Don't know. It's been a week since we were at the planet."

  "And you haven't contacted your ground party," Coeur surmised, "because of the Solee."

  "Right."

  "Whodid you send down?" Drop Kick asked "Anybody we'd remember?"

  "Oh yeah. Remember V-Max?"

  "Yeah, sure. Your navigator, right?"

  "Right. He's down in Soledad, the old starport city, with liie Ship's boat crew."

  "Kat/of and Cati?" Coeur asked, remembering the man and woman who were the youngest members of Tom's crew.

  "Right. We left them with the ship's boat and went off to scout the rest of the system That's the last we saw of them before we got jumped here at the giant."

  "I see. So V-Max might have some good intelligence on the planet."

  "Yeah, or he might be dead for all I know. As long as that cruiser's up there, I can't lift off to find out."

  "Well, we'll just have to fix that," Coeur said. "One way or another, we'll have to take him out."

  "Good luck," Tom said. "That's a 1200-ton crutsert"

  "Well, size isn't everything. We got a probe pretty close to him earlier, and the (act that he let you get away while you were in firing range suggests he's got pretty bad sensors. Either that or a greener crew than I'd take into space."

  Tom shook her head sympathetically.

  "I don't know, Red. If you tangle with him, we'll probably end up with two junked ships, even if the skipper Is a boob."

  "Tell me this," Coeur said, "ifl can get you off this rock, will you help us get in touch with V-Max?"

  "I don't see why not," Tom said. "With the jump drive shot, we can't leave the system anyway."

  That wosgood, Coeur thought, not so much/or Vi Et Armls, but for herself and what she was legally obligoted to point out.

  "There's also the matter of a Coalition warrant for your arrest," Coeur said. "If it's within my power. I have to take you in."

  Tom smiled, making the chagrined expression of a woman whose options were limited.

  "Tell me about This warrant. Red. Is it just for me, or all my crew?"

  "Strictly speaking, it's just for you."

  Tom was silent for a moment, apparently thinking. Then she let out her breath in a long sign, "All right, then," she said. "You help save my people, and I'll surrender myself when your mission is over."

  "Good enough," Coeur said. "Can you patch me through to my ship?"

  "Sure," Tom said, turning around to face her comm panel. "You got a plan?"

  "Maybe," Coeur said, picking up the nearest headset and putting it on. "Deep Six, put me through to Snapshot."

  Chapter Nine

  "Let me get this straight, sir. You want to takedown a colonial cruiser with six missiles?"

  "Yeah, I know. Snapper, it's a long shot. But just think about this—your probe got within 1000 kilometers of that cruiser—a helluva lot closer than a missile has to get to fire Its lasers."

  "True, they should've fiaggea it. But remember what you always used to say In class: Never,.."

  "...underestimate your opponent, yeah. But you shouldn't overestimate him either. Can ypu program a flight of our missiles so they'll detonate remotely and hit that cruiser?"

  "You mean use them like mines. Sure, but that assumes he'll maintain the same orbit. If he changes it at all, the missiles will go off on time, but they'll hit empty space. He'll know someone's here, and we won't get another chance."

  Coeur stood silent for a moment, weighing her options, "Or how about this," Snapshot offered. "We put the missiles up like you suggested, aimed at the spot we expect him to pass through, but instead of putting them on a timer, we watch through the drone. If he passes through on time, I bounce the fire command off the drone, and they fire as planned. If the drone shows a new orbit, we let the missiles lay low, and maneuver them later to try again."

  "Can you do that?"

  "I'll have to fiddle with the missiles to accept a simple go/no-go pulse, but that shouldn't be a problem. It's been done before. Except..."

  "Except what?"

  "There will be a lag, a fraction of a second, for the image of the cruiser to get from the drone tome, and for the fire command to get back to the missiles. If he suspects anything in that lag and thrusts even a little, it will be enough to miss him."

  Coeur slowly breathed in once, then out. "Yeah, but we'll take that chance. Cet Newton's help for that fiddling stuff."

  "Don't want me to flunk this exam, huh?"

  To be sure, it was a flat-out desperate gamble. Tom's combat experience with Royal Vengeance told her that the big ship had at least six functioning lasers—one for each missile. Under the direction of a competent sensor chief, that ought to be more than enough firepower to take down the flight of missiles.

  While Royal Vengeance was safely over Opaca I Vs horizon from Hornet's hiding place on moonlet lb, Snapshot carefully launched and maneuvered her formation of missiles into an orbit precisely opposite that of the cruiser, 15,OCO kilometers out from the gas giant. from then on, they had only to follow the Inescapable laws of physics to coast to their violent appointment.

  Meanwhile, Snapshot moved the sensor drone out to a point in direct line-of-sight of both Hornet and the ambush zone. There was nothing left to do Dut wail.

  When Deep Six's even voice came over her headset. Snapshot sta
rted, so intent was she on the telemetry from the sensor drone.

  "Target expected to break horizon in five, four, three, two, one, MARK."

  Snapshot looked for the telltale signs that the target was coming as expected.

  "Do you see him?" Coeur called to the missile gunner.

  "Not yel, but there's a lot of high-altitude crud that murks up contacts right on the hwl;on. Hello...I've got something. Yeah, it's him all right. On course and on time."

  "How long to intercept?"

  "About five minutes."

  Although the tension was acute while waiting to see If the cruiser would maneuver to a new orbit, the end was almost anticlimactic. Royal Vengeance appeared not to pick out the missiles as they popped above the horizon ahead. Its active sensors intent on probing the roiling cloud deck below.

  At JO,000 kilometers, when clear of The horizon, the missiles extended their faser-generaling rods and, each energized by a SOO-kiloton fusion explosion, generated bundles of high-energy x -rays that would sear through 70 centimeters of bonded super-dense armor.

  "Cot him." Snapshot exclaimed in her turret, watching her warheads flare like fusion blossoms in the image from the sensor drone. "I think they all went off."

  "Not intercepted?" Coeur asked, from Hornets bridge.

  "Negative. I register six explosions."

  "Maybe one is the cruiser exploding, "Gyro offered hopefully, from her laser turret.

  "Hard to say," Snapshot answered. "There's too much interference from the detonations."

  "Well, It's no use thinking about what we can't see," Coeur said. "Snapper, keep an eye on telemetry from that probe, and send me the first cfear picture you get. We're moving out to investigate."

  just on the off chance Newton was right—and Royol Vengeance had survived unscathed, Coeur transferred the Junior technarchs, Gaffer and the Infantry aboard the grounded V7 ef Armls, with orders to complete the Mexit mission themselves If necessary.

  "Sir," Snapshot said 20 minutes later, as Hornet crawled across the broad face of Opaca IV at cloud top level. "I've got a clear picture for you,"

  "Gooo," Coeur said, "send it up."

  Good Cod, Coeur thought a moment later, when the image appeared at her workstation. I think we got her.

  Though the still image was grainy and streaked through with static—Snapshot's probe had recorded it from 60,000 kilometers through afield of radioactive interference—Its effect was staggering. Royal Vengeance, once a fine-looking warship, now appeared a c rippled wreck, scorched all over her hull and trailing a long line of debris.

  "CaveAculem Is right," Gyro said, quoting Harriets new motto, "you stung her good. Snapper."

  "Yeah," the missile gunner agreed, "that ship's toast."

  "Well, let's not be hasty," Coeur said, "half a Kinuniti still more than a match for the Homer"

  "So," Deep Six said, "do you think we should refrain from moving closer?"

  "No," Coeur said, "I want you to plot an intercept course, so we can inspect her at close range "

  "Ballsy," Crowbar offered, listening in from the engine room.

  "Yeah, I know," Coeur agreed "Gyro, the minute we break the horizon, i'll want you to lock your MFD onto Vengeance. Snapper, go ahead and deploy your next two ready missiles."

  "Yes, sir," Snapper said.

  "I take it a silent approach Is out, then," Gyro said.

  "Yeah. I'm not going to monkey with passive sensors. If that ship so much as twitches, we'll blast her."

  "Yes, sir."

  Hornet streaked above the cloud deck, furiously burning reaction mass for a high-speed Intercept-

  "Uh-oh," Snapshot said, watching the cruiser via the high-orbiting probe. "Target's hot."

  "Clarify," Coeur said to Deep Six. "What's going on out there?"

  "If I'm interpreting these readings correctly," the Schalli said, "Vengeance is attempting to power up her maneuver drive. However, the ship is net moving appreciably."

  "Could be damage to her power plant," Gyro speculated. "She might not be able to run her HEPLAR at full power."

  Suddenly, an awful realization came Into Coeur's mind.

  As large as Royal Vengeance was, most of her power would normally go into running her maneuver drive—HEPLAR thrusters being notorious power guzzlers. If the cruiser's power plant were heavily damaged, then, she might not be able to get so much as 1G out of her maneuver drive, although there might well be enough power remaining to power secondary systems...

  Like season and weapons.

  "Skipper," Snapshot called, They're lighting up the drone."

  "Get It out of therel Take evasive actlonl"

  "Already doing that—whoa, they're opening fire on the drone I"

  "Damage?" Coeur asked.

  That was stupid, Coeur reminded herself, I'm staring of the drone's feed to my own station.

  "Nothing yet."

  "Well keep it moving."

  "Will do. They're firing again,..no hits, Man, they're serious about this."

  Then it hit Coeur. Of coursel They're idiotst "Snapshot, they think your drone is an enemy shipl They can't tell the difference! Release your ready missiles. Sixer, plot me a divergent course so we can approach the cruiser on a course perpendicular to those missiles we just dropped. Crowbar, prepare for maneuver burns."

  "On your display, sir," Deep Six informed her only moments later.

  "We're going to make them see at least three different threats. They'll have to divide iheir fire, which should give us a chance."

  We'll need it.

  Coeur threw Hornet around hard, spinning the ship so her thrust chambers could blast them onto a new course, adog-leg that would place them on a converging course with Snapshot's last missiles. A converging course that Intersected at Royal Vengeance.

  "We will break the horizon in two minutes, sir," Deep Six announced.

  "Roger. Gyro, fire as soon as you get a solution, and don't stop."

  "Aye aye. Sir."

  And don't miss.

  "How long until the missiles clear the horizon, Sixer?"

  "Assuming they are looking, they should spot them 20 seconds before we appear."

  That should be about light "How's the drone. Snapper?"

  "Still untouched. They're pretty bad shots, skipper. Either we fried them good, or they don't know what the/redolng. I can see our missiles coming up behind them now. They ought to spot them soon."

  "Stay focused on your missiles, Snapper. I'll have Deep Six take Over the drone feed."

  "Roger"

  "Captain," Deep Six announced In his calm voice, "the target appears to have picked up the missiles. They are maneuvering to bring more batteries to bear on them,"

  "Snapper, can you fire?"

  "Not yet. I need a clear snot through hard vacuum. These x-rays don't propagate well through the trace high atmosphere."

  I taught her that, Coeur thought with a brief surge of pride, but the thought was quickly brushed from her mind, 'Target In line-of-slght," Deep Six announced.

  Coeur spotted the signature on her display, low on the horizon, intermittently distorted by the Intervening doud tops.

  "Commencing tire," Gyro announced steadily.

  Remember to allow for diffraction and blooming, Coeur thought to her.

  "A hltl" shouted the normally calm Deep Six,

  Good girll Coeurcouldsee the cruiser beginning to maneuver to respond to this new threat.

  "How much longer, Snapper?"

  "Any second; compiling Final solution now."

  lust don't hit us.

  "Captain," Deep Six called, "I'm picking up a large power surge from the target."

  Huh?

  Coeur looxed at her tactical display and recognized the distinctive "unraveling" effect playing about the now Indistinct Signature of the Solee cruiser.

  They're jumping ouU My Cod, from only hall a diameter! And then, from somewhere deep Inside herself, Coeur felt the following words burst out; "Snapper, check fire, s
ave those missiles,"

  And suddenly, where there had been 12,000 tonnes of starship, there was nothing.

  Coeur sagged into her couch, spent. Oh, you poor, stupid bastards. You poor, stupid bastards.

  "No problem, skipper, I tost my track anyway. Too much interference from the jump gradient."

  "Any other targets, Sixer?" Coeur asked, weakly, "Negative. We look clear all the way around," Good.

  Coeur closed her eyes to see rapid images flash past. Alnitok. Carlyle VII. A flve-dlameter desperation jump. 40 surviving crew. A bank of low berths, of which only I 7 worked. Berth 16, In which she (aid down to steep, and berth 23, from which she rose up to live. And Darien, always Oarien, sleeping forever in dead berth 16.

  Please, Cod, let them make it. I was trying to kill them, but now, oh, please Cod, let them make it.

  Outside of Coeur's reverie, Hornet's intercom began tocrackle with relieved conversation, "Well that wasn't very sporting, was it?" Snapshot cracked. "Don't even joke about that," Gyro returned. "We ought to be dead."

  "Yeah, well, I t>et they won't be In any hurry to come back here." Coeur roused herself to respond. "Actually, I disagree. If they make it home, they'll be back, bui with the whole damn Solee fleet."

  As Coeur expected, no witty rejoinders met this remark, "Deep Six, how long should It take that ship to get back to Solee? Assume the possibility of a misjump, and give me a best case and worst case."

  The Schalfi bent over his navigation board. "Is best case our best case or their best case?"

  Coeur smiled. "Wake It theirs," she said, feeling a little more cheerful.

  "Absolute best case, one week. If they misjump directly to Solee. Absolute worst case, never."

  "Okay, throw out the high and low estimates. Give me a more likely best case,"

  "Likely best case assumes that they have not mlsjumped, retain jump-3 or better performance, and are able to repair their maneuver drive while In [umpspace. Three weeks at best to reach Solee Itself, However, several possible mlsjumps would allow them to return to Solee In two weeks,"

  "But the fleet would still take three weeks to get back, and we can probably allow a week to assemble the force. So," Coeur announced, "the soonest they can realistically be backls six weeks round trip,"