"Numbers one, four, and five are accelerating to pass us by!" Tsh't announced. The bridge was filled with chattering dolphin applause.
"What about the others?"
Tsh't's manipulator arm pointed to two dots in the holotank. "Decelerating and preparing for battle! We're picking up a beam-cast in Galactic Ten! It's a ritual challenge!"
Tsh't shook her head. "They do think we're Thennanin! But they want to stop and finish us off!"
"Who are they?"
"Brothers of the Night!"
The magnification screens showed the two approaching battlewagons, dark and deadly and growing nearer.
What to do? Gillian kept her face impassive. She knew the fen were watching her.
We can't outrun them, especially not while we're faking Thennanin engines or wearing this heavy Thennanin shell.
But only a fool would try to take them in a straight battle. A fighting fool like Tom, she thought ironically. Or Creideiki. If either of them were in command I'd be preparing condolence wreaths for the Brothers of the Night right now.
" Gillian?" Tsh't asked nervously.
Gillian shook herself. Now. Decide now!
She looked at the approaching death machines.
"Down their throats,' she said. "Head toward Kithrup."
119 ::: Galactics
"We shall leave half of our joint fleet above the planet. None of the others will dare return, now that we have consolidated. We shall also send squadrons to clean the moons of hiding enemies, and to investigate the happenings out beyond the gas giant."
The Tandu Stalker had only four legs now, instead of the former six. The Soro Krat, wondered what accident had befallen the leader of her unpleasant allies.
Not that it really mattered. Krat dreamt of the day when she could personally detach the Stalker's remaining limbs, and then all its head buds.
"Is it possible that that out-planet chaos may be caused by the quarry?" she asked.
The Tandu's expression was unreadable on the display screen. "All things are possible, even the impossible." It sounded like a Tandu truism. "But the quarry could not escape even the stragglers' small might. If they are captured by them, the remnants will fight over the spoils. When our task force arrives, we will take over. It is simple."
Krat nodded. It did sound elegant.
Soon, she told herself. Soon we will wring the information out of the Earthlings, or sift it out of their wreckage. And soon thereafter we will be before our ancestors themselves.
I must try to make certain some few of the humans and dolphins are left alive, after they tell us where the Progenitor Fleet is located. My clients do not appreciate it when I use them for entertainment. It would save trouble if I found amusements outside the family.
Wistfully, she longed for a scrappy male of her own species as a joint Tandu-Soro detachment of thirteen ships blasted at full thrust toward the gas-giant planet.
"Damage to the stasis flanges on the port ssside!" Wattaceti announced. "All missile slots in that sector are out!"
"Any harm to the inner hull?" Gillian asked anxiously.
The fin looked blank as he sounded out the damage control computer. "Nope. The Thennanin shell's taken it all, ssso far. But Suessi says the bracings are weakening!"
"They'll try to concentrate fire on the port side now that it'ss damaged," Tsh't said. "And they'll expect us to turn away. Starboard missile batteries! Fire mines at forty degrees azimuth by one hundred south! Slow thrust and lurk fuses!"
"But-t no one's there!"
"They will be! Fire! Helm, roll ship left two radians per minute, pitch up one per minute!"
Streaker shuddered and groaned as she turned slowly in space. Her screens flickered dangerously under powerful battle beams she could never hope to match. Not a blow had been struck on her opponents. They kept up easily with her lumbering attempts at evasion.
From Streaker's shadowed quarter six small missiles puffed lazily outward, then cut thrust. Streaker turned to try to protect her weakened side, a little more slowly than she was really capable of turning.
Sensing a fatal weakness, the enemy battleships followed the turn. Beams stabbed out to blast at Streaker's damaged side, at what the Brothers of the Night thought was their supine enemy's real hull.
Streaker shook as the beams penetrated her shields and struck the Thennanin armor. Stasis flickered, giving them all eerily vivid feelings of deja-vu. Even in the water-filled bridge the blasts nearly threw the crew from their stations. Damage control spotters screamed reports of smoke and fire, of melting armor and buckling walls.
The cruisers drifted confidently into the mined region, and the missiles exploded.
Gillian clutched a handrail whitely. On those sensors that had not been blasted to vapor, the enemy was hidden by a cloud of roiling gas.
"Hard thrussst, twenty degrees by two seventy!" Tsh't called. "Stop roll and pitch!"
The abused engines struggled. The bracings holding Streaker to her armored shell groaned as she accelerated in a new direction.
"Blessings on that damned Thennanin armor!" One of the fins sighed. "Those beams would've sliced Streaker like toasssst!"
Gillian peered into one of the few operational holotanks, straining to see through the space-smoke and debris. Finally, she saw the enemy.
"A hit! A palpable hit!" she exulted.
One of the battlewagons bore a gaping hole in its side, burning metal still curled away from the cavity, and secondary explosions shook the cruiser.
The other one appeared undamaged, but more wary than before.
Oh, keep hesitating, she urged them silently. Let us get a head start!
"Anybody else around?" she asked Tsh't. If these two ships were the only ones left, she'd be willing to turn the engines back on full power, and let even the devil know they were an Earth ship!
The lieutenant blinked. "Yes, Gillian. Six more. Approaching rapidly." Tsh't shook her head. "There's no way we'll get away from this new bunch. They're coming too fasst. Sorry, Gillian."
"The Brothers have made up their minds," Wattaceti announced. "They're coming after uss!"
Tsh't rolled her eyes. Gillian silently agreed. We won't fool them again.
"Suessi calls. He wants to know if if…"
Gillian sighed. "Tell Hannes there don't seem to be any more 'female tricks' forthcoming. I'm fresh out of ideas."
The two battleships drew nearer, chasing Streakers stern. They held their fire, saving it for a total assault.
Gillian thought about Tom. She couldn't help feeling that she had failed him.
It really was a good plan, hon. I only wish I'd executed it competently for you.
The enemy bore down on them, looming ominously.
Then Lucky Kaa shouted. "Vector change!" The pilot's tail thrashed. "They're veering offff! Fleeing like mullet-t!"
Gillian blinked in confusion. "But they had us!"
"It's the newcomers, Gillian! Those six oncoming shipsss!" Tsh't shouted joyfully.
"What? What about them?"
Tsh't grinned as broadly as a neo-fin could manage. "They're Thennanin! They're coming in blassting! And it'sss not us they're shooting at!"
The screens showed the pair of cruisers that had been chasing them, now in full flight, firing Parthian style at the approaching mini-flotilla.
Gillian laughed. "Wattaceti! Tell Suessi to shut down! Put everything on idle and pour out smoke. We want to play the gravely wounded soldier!"
After a moment came the engineer's reply.
"Suessi says that that-t will be no problem. No problem at all."
121 ::: Galactics