Brim supposed that the sight of their exploding colleague might have taken much of the fight out of them.
It didn't take any fight out of Brim. He lit off after all three of them—annoyed with them and downright angry at himself.
Starfury was faster, especially so after they passed into Hyperspeeds. And the damaged Gorn-Hoff immediately began to fall behind, clearly experiencing Drive trouble. Remorselessly, Brim continued to close in until, at about five thousand c'lenyts distance, the laggard began stunting. It didn't do any good. Starfury easily stuck with him, just out of range, until Ulfilas Meesha's disruptor crews fired a burst directly into Gorn-Hoffs stern that blasted through her Drive tubes and directly into the power chambers.
There were no rescue globes before or after that explosion. The ship and everything associated with it passed directly to subatomic particles in a single hellish detonation.
Afterward, Brim sullenly headed for home to report that he had blundered into a trap and had come out of it with two victories. Starfury now had nineteen confirmed kills, but—to himself—he felt that the two Gorn-Hoffs should have counted at least double. And now the IVG would have to take out the fort whatever the costs might be. It had become a simple matter of survival. He resolved to take it up with Calhoun as soon as he made landfall. Then, as he readied the ship for reentry, a globular display on Brim's COMM unit winked into life with a three-chime priority signal.
"Incoming Precedence-One message for you, Captain," a KA'PPA rating announced, "from Polkovnik Ursis back at Varnholm."
"A KA'PPA message?" Brim demanded. "We're below LightSpeed."
"It's a KA'PPA, Captain," the rating said.
"Very well," Brim said with a frown. "Put it on the display." He glanced at Tissaurd. "What could be so important that he needs to tell us before we land—and by KA'PPA?"
The tiny officer shrugged. "Beats me, Skipper," she said, leaning across her left-hand console to watch the old-fashioned characters appear on Brim's KA'PPA screen.
BNO-987HO97BFD GROUP Z98V09 13/52011
[UNCLASSIFIED]
FROM: N. Y. URSIS, CAPTAIN, R.F.F. @VARNHOLM HALL, ORDU
TO: B. O. CALHOUN, COMMODORE, R.F.F. COMMANDER, VARNHOLM
HALL IVG DETACHMENT @ R.F.S. STARGLORY
COPIES:
W. A. BRIM, CMDR, R.F.F. @ R.F.S. STARFURY
F. L. MCKENZIE, CMDR, R.F.F. @ R.F.S. STARGLORY
T. D. MOULDING, CMDR, R.F.F. @ R.F.S. STARSOVEREIGN
<EAS0923YOIAVSK70W45OIUH>
IS OFFICIAL NOTIFICATION I.F.S. QUEEN EUDEAN ARRIVED VARNHOLM
HALL PRECISELY FIFTEEN CYCLES PAST. LOCAL ABSENCE LARGE
GRAVITY POOLS REQUIRES RETURN TO PARKING ORBIT
APPROXIMATELY 150 C'LENYTS ALTITUDE. NO OVERT ACTION
TOWARD VARNHOLM BASE IMPLIED, HOSTILE OR OTHERWISE. QUEEN
CARRIES [NOTE RANK] VICE ADMIRAL PUVIS AMHERST DEMANDING
IMMEDIATE MEETING UPON YOUR RETURN TO BASE. LEAGUE
PASSENGERS POSSIBLE.
WITH MOST CHEERFUL REGARDS
N. Y. URSIS, CAPTAIN, IVG
[END UNCLASSIFIED]
BNO-987HO97BFD GROUP Z98V09 13/52011
"Sweet thraggling Universe," Brim swore softly. "Puvis Amherst—scum of the Empire and a Vice Admiral to boot." He shook his head angrily and scowled at Tissaurd. "The CIGAs are sure up to something, sneaking a battleship to Varnholm—and I'll bet none of our people knew about it. We'd have been warned, otherwise. No wonder Nik KA'PPAed—and in the clear."
"Yeah," Tissaurd agreed with a nod, "everybody in the Universe who wants to pick up that message will read it."
Brim glowered as he scanned his instrument panels. "The Commodore's got trouble now," he growled. "Amherst might be a scoundrel, but he's quick as a whipsnake—and a thousand times more dangerous."
"I sort of got that idea," Tissaurd said, backing away from his obvious rage.
"That's what I like about you, Number One," Brim chuckled, focusing through the forward Hyperscreens as an altitude warning began to flash on his nav panel. "You catch on fast." He switched on his COMM and contacted the Varnholm traffic controller. "Fleet K5054 descending through two hundred c'lenyts," he said.
"Fleet K5054: fly heading two thirty-five," the base replied. "Orbital traffic, fifty c'lenyts ahead of you: Imperial battleship."
"Two thirty-five heading; orbital traffic in fifty," Brim acknowledged. He glanced at Tissaurd.
"Universe," he said, "the Queen herself. Amherst brought heavy support with him."
"Yeah," Tissaurd responded, squinting through the Hyperscreens. "I think I have her in sight."
"Fleet K5054," the controller broke in, "not to exceed forty-five hundred on the run-in; there's quite a bit of returning traffic right now; you'll probably have an eight-or nine-c'lenyt final it looks like."
Brim activated Starfury's powerful retarders and the ship began to slow. "OK, forty-five hundred on the speed, Fleet K5054," he replied, then peered ahead into the distance to a colossal, wedge-shaped form that was growing by the moment in the Hyperscreens as they approached. "Yeah,"
he said, "I see her. We'll pass within c'lenyts."
Tissaurd peered ahead as if she were mesmerized. "Sweet thraggling Universe, but she's beautiful. Skipper," she whispered aloud.
Brim nodded. The grand old ship had always been a symbol of everything worthwhile about the Empire she represented. "We'll have the salute. Number One," he said,
"Aye, Skipper," Tissaurd replied, touching a portion of her COMM console.
Overhead, KA'PPA rings shimmered out from Starfury's KA'PPA mast in the age-old Imperial salute; Brim had no need to check his console for the message, "may stars light all thy paths," nor the answer that shimmered forth from the battleship's lofty transmitter, "and thy paths, star travelers." As Starfury swept past no more than five or six c'lenyts from that majestic panorama of casemated turrets and wide-shouldered hull, the old warship looked powerful simply idling in orbit. He felt hairs tingle on the back of his neck. Queen Elidean and her four consorts were from another age—one that was dying even as the present war began. The future belonged to newer, smaller, more powerful breeds like Starfuries, and all too soon great ships like the Queen would fade into Universal darkness.
With the battleship receding in the distance, Brim's COMM panel came alive again: "Fleet K5054, check in with Varnholm Approach one one nine point four."
"One one nine point four, Fleet K5054," Brim acknowledged. Then he put the Queen from his mind. He had a starship to land, and afterward, it was very probable that he would have to help deal with Puvis Amherst. There was much to prepare....
As Brim swept over Varnholm Hall on final, he spotted a launch on one of the gravity pools that was bigger than anything Starfuries could carry. Clearly, Puvis Amherst had arrived. McKenzie's Starglory was nearby, already moored on her own gravity pool, so Calhoun was there as well. Brim took a deep breath to calm himself. He could imagine the conversations that were taking place.
Setting Starfury down with a minimum of runout, he hauled the big ship around in great cascades of spray, and taxied back to the pool area at high speed. Well-practiced docking crews quickly had the big cruiser secure on her pool, at which time Ursis arrived at the foot of the brow, shading his eyes and squinting up at the bridge. He beckoned emphatically when Brim waved.
"Take care of her, Number One," the Carescrian ordered, sliding out of his recliner and heading back through the bridge at a trot. He took the companionways two steps at a time and arrived at the entry chamber even while the hatch was sliding aside. Ursis met him on the other side.