Battleship Furiosa Read online

  "What is that?" he shouted.

  The Captain kept on running, much to Nate's amazement, but Valdis threw him a cursory glance.

  "It is the horn of our ancestors. I have heard it used only once. We must be through the Rift, and in battle."

  Nate ran so quickly through the next set of blast doors that he caught his elbow against the frame and nearly spun into the wall. Only the fact that Billy blocked his path stopped him from tumbling and hitting the ground like an infant. They steadied themselves and kept going. Nate felt his chest pounding and wanted more than anything to have a sit down. The panic of the gun battle had now vanished, and in its place the physical exertion of the dash through the ship. He pushed his body harder and just about caught up with those at the front.

  "So what? It's a battle station klaxon, right?"

  Valdis shook her head and tried to speak. Instead, she coughed and then panted a little. Nate actually felt relieved that it was not just him in physical trouble.

  "It means that the end times are near. All crew must fight to their last. It is an order given under the direst of circumstances."

  When she looked back at him, her eyes were bloodshot and enraged.

  "It means we are about to face death."

  They rounded the next bend and into a wide passageway. An open area led off to the left. Rectangular markings, like those at a rail terminal led outwards, stopping in front of large panels that looked like doors. All of them were sealed shut, blocking off access to whatever lay behind. A crackle of gunfire sent then in all directions. Nate rushed to the left and near the doors where Valdis and Billy had gone. The rest moved to the right as yet more shots struck nearby.

  "They've broken through!" said Captain Sobiex.

  A shot narrowly missed his head, and Cassandra pulled him back.

  "Stay down, you old fool."

  She leaned out to fire, and a shot struck her carbine, splitting it in half and causing her to cry out. Matilda fired twice and then ducked down.

  "We can't stay here," said Nate.

  Three more shots hit the ground near his feet, and splinters of metal glanced off, leaving streaks and sparks. Nate took aim, and then another of the powerful impacts shook the ship. So great was the impact that cracks appeared in the ceiling above him. As a consequence, the enemy fire missed by quite a margin. He took his time and then fired a long burst at the distant shadows. He couldn't tell if any had been hurt, but they certainly moved back.

  "We're trapped," said Valdis, "What now?"

  Nate looked around them and then pointed to the sealed sliding doors.

  "What's behind there?"

  "Torpedo bulges." Her eyes lit up unexpectedly, "and the cutters."

  Nate's expression changed in an instant.

  "When you say cutters, you mean what I think you mean, right?"

  Another fusillade of gunfire struck nearby, and this time a pair of the enemy jumped out from cover. Nate could see many more as they poured in from somewhere to the side of the ship. Billy fired, but his shots went wide. Though he managed to avoid hitting anybody, he did at least force them to scatter. Valdis checked her portable computer and let out an odd sound as it brought up a page.

  "The engineers have regained access to parts of the ship."

  She then gulped.

  "What is it?" asked Nate.

  A shot slammed into the door and glanced off, leaving a massive black mark. He aimed at the flashing lights and activated the high-power mode on the weapon. The capacitor charged up, and when he fired, all three barrels blasted their projectiles out at the same time. The effect was to hit the target with triple the mass in one go. Valdis bent down low and checked the schematic.

  "They have something jammed between the torpedo bulges and the starboard side of the command deck."

  Valdis looked up.

  "It's a prison transport shuttle, I think. They must have crashed it. According to the computer, it can carry..." She blinked twice before finishing, "Up to a hundred convicts."

  Nate shook his head in amazement.

  "A hundred. That's a problem. We can't handle them ourselves."

  As if to emphasise the point, four or five more slipped through the doorways and spread out into the compartment. More shots now struck around them, leaving few options.

  "What now?" asked the Captain.

  The others returned fire, but Nate couldn't take his eyes off the doors.

  "We go back, forward, or we take the cutter."

  "What?" said the Captain.

  Valdis looked to Nate and shook her head.

  "It's a small ship, Ensign. You'll need seventy or more people to crew her."

  Nate grinned.

  "You forget something. We've controlled Byotai customs duty cutters before."

  Valdis sighed, but the Captain heard him and leaned down. Billy pushed past, took aim, and fired two more shots. More flashed back and nearly deafened them all.

  "You can fly the cutter?"

  Valdis tried to interrupt the old officer, but Nate nodded rapidly.

  "Very well. To the cutter!"

  He took two steps and placed his hands on the flowing panel. It flashed once, and then the doors slid open to reveal a short umbilical. He was inside before Nate could even let his eyes adjust. Valdis was next, leaving Nate and Billy alone at the doors. Nate called out to his comrades on the other side of the compartment.

  "Over here, hurry!"

  Cassandra ran across the open space first, and Matilda soon followed. Ensign Fletcher was slower, though, and his bruised insides slowed him down enough that he was forced back by a concerted volley of gunfire.

  "Give him covering fire."

  Billy leaned out first, and Nate did the same. They held down the triggers and emptied the magazines in seconds. The muzzle flashes leapt forward, filling the space with the roar and flashing lights. Ensign Fletcher took the chance and staggered across the open space before crashing into the two of them. The group stumbled through the doors and into the five-metre long umbilical.

  "Hurry!" Cassandra yelled from inside the next set of doors.

  Billy and Nate manhandled the groaning shape of their friend inside, and the doors hissed shut behind them. First to close were the sliding doors, but the next actually rotated into place and then pushed out with a clunk. Now safe, Nate released his friend and stepped inside. A curved passage headed through the ship, and that was the exact direction being taken by the others. He followed them. Halfway along he found Valdis had stopped. The passage continued around to the other side of the ship, but there was also an open space to the right with ladders moving up and down.

  "Command crew there, and gunners up and down," he said in a gruff tone.

  Cassandra moved to the ladder and started climbing. Fletcher followed her and began to climb down. That left just the Captain, Valdis, Nate, and Billy alone on the deck.

  "Well, what are you waiting for?" Valdis asked.

  "Let's go," said Nate.

  He led them away from the centre of the ship and into the bridge. It was quite cramped, and there were seats for seven people in a crescent shape. They all pointed forward. In front of six of them were small computer panels. The middle seat was slightly further back than at the rest and raised several centimetres higher. It lacked any kind of computer system. The Captain pushed him towards it.

  "That's for the captain. Everybody else take your positions."

  Billy sat to his left, and Cassandra moved to his right. The two Byotai remained upright, waiting to the side expectantly. Nate looked around the inside of the ship with awe until his eye clamped on the two Byotai.

  "Huh?"

  Valdis sighed.

  "You said you've flown this class of ship before, didn't you?"

  Billy ran his hands over the unit in front of him, exclaiming with pleasure as he recognised many of the symbols.

  "I'll take the weapons," he said confidently.

  "Of course," said Nate.

  H
e thought back to the few times he'd handled such a craft and recalled the primary roles he needed to fill.

  "I need somebody on comms, helm...an engineer would be nice."

  Cassandra had already activated her panel and moved through several screens of data. Most of the text meant little to them, but the icons and rough design were something they'd come across on multiple occasions. Cassandra's face seemed much calmer than should have been the case as she slid her hand over the unit, and then looked to Nate.

  "I'll handle the helm."

  "Of course. Just like old times."

  Captain Sobiex turned to the wall and pressed several buttons. The internal systems on the ship powered up. Nate could have examined the lavish, but cramped interior for hours, perhaps days, but not today. Instead, he was focused on one thing, the large curved screen that had just activated. It was shaped like a ribbon and gave an unrestricted view of the bow and front flanks of the small cutter.

  "I am not a pilot, or a ship's captain, but I can control the systems better than anyone here."

  Nate nodded politely and then moved across to Valdis.

  "You are the linguist among us. Can you do that for me?"

  She bowed with a flourish.

  "There's nothing I like more than to talk."

  Nate smiled. "Excellent."

  As he turned away, Billy laughed and leaned closer.

  "That was sarcasm, I think."

  Nate's brow tightened, and when he looked back, he could tell Billy was right. He adjusted his position in the chair and then pointed to the screen.

  "Activate all systems, open up the torpedo bulge, and give me open space."

  Nate said the words with gusto, but he dreaded the moment one of them asked for help. He could remember the icons, and some of the specification of the cutters, but if pushed, he knew he'd fail. Incredibly, Captain Sobiex managed to get every system on-line, and when the side of the ship opened up, they were all granted a perfect view of space and the distant planet of Martos III.

  "What's that, Star Crusader?" Cassandra asked.

  Nate's eye narrowed, but it didn't take long for him to recognize the dots. He was so nervous that he hadn't even noticed she'd used his new nickname for the first time. It was clearly a joke, more of an insult really, yet his attention was focussed purely on the threat ahead.

  "Missiles."

  Billy could see it as well and called out, "Upper and lower turret assemblies are active. Main guns are charging up."

  Nate shook his head.

  "Cassandra, get us out of here, now!"

  The ship shuddered as she began to move them out of the massive layered bulge on the side of the ship. As they manoeuvred from the tight position, the first of the missiles came in. Nate's chest tightened as dozens of guns aboard Furiosa stabbed into the darkness. Then his new command shuddered, and pulses of light flashed from above and below the ship. Most of the missiles went to the left, and only a few breached the gunnery defences of the battleship. One did come directly ahead, though, and he tensed up as it exploded.

  "Good shooting!" Billy said.

  He looked to Nate.

  "Not bad for a first time on the turrets, huh?"

  Nate shook his head, only now realising that the missile had been downed by the combined efforts of Billy, Matilda, and Fletcher.

  "Outstanding, truly outstanding."

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Byotai Imperial Battleship 'Furiosa'

  Martos III, Tenth Quadrant

  24 December 2472

  Only twenty-four minutes had passed, but in that time Furiosa had absorbed more than two thousands projectiles and seventeen missile strikes. Her upper decks and outer hull plating had never before been subjected to such an attack. Twenty-eight ships in total had broken off from completing their destruction of Makos' fleet and now pummelled the four newly arrived ships without mercy. Half had already reached them. The rest moved in a long column, headed by the Grand Cruiser Raiukat.

  "Brace!"

  Commander Higgins had no idea who was speaking, but he still held onto the nearest grab rail as another volley of missiles struck the bow of Furiosa. The ship was a true ship of the line, but even he knew this could not continue indefinitely. He watched the disaster unfold with a mixture of dread and hopelessness on his face. He'd anticipated all manner of problems in this system, but not once had he expected to find the fleet of the Byotai shattered. They had been fighting a low-level conflict with various tribes in this sector for over a year, and in one fell swoop it seemed as though it was all over. He placed his head in his hands and closed his eyes, as the voice of the enemy broadcast loud and clear over the ship's speakers. The alien leader had already spoken in Byotai, and now for some reason was repeating the message in crystal clear English.

  It's over before it begins. We should never have come.

  "Martos III has fallen, and with it the entire Quadrant. Surrender your ships to my deputy and join my armada, or face utter extinction."

  It was a short message, but the fact that it came from the mouth of the Half-Blood leader carried great weight. The Princeps known as Tahkeome was a myth to many, yet here he was aboard his flagship, the lightning fast Grand Cruiser Raiukat. The Battle of Martos III was already a defeat, and the arrival of four Byotai ships could do nothing to change that. Squadrons of ships now fled in every direction while the ravenous crews of the Star Empire hunted them down mercilessly.

  "General," said Captain Krammer, "We've identified Makos' flagship."

  "Show me!" said the General.

  At that moment, the ship shuddered violently as four traitor ships moved down her flank and raked the hull with large-calibre cannons. Her own gun turrets responded, filling the gaps with debris.

  "There."

  The image on the central section enlarged to show the only formation still fighting in the field, the eight Cruiser Class ships of the Byotai loyalists and their flagship, Battleship Hellstorm, nominally commanded by General Makos. All of them were surrounded in flames as the vanguard of the Star Empire fleet hit them hard. Yet these seemed modest compared to the similar number now aiming to finish of Furiosa.

  "Narvhol is gone!"

  All eyes turned to the right as the majestic form of the Byotai destroyer finally broke apart. There was no great explosion, just a ripple of yellow as hundreds of smaller blasts ripped her apart from within. The port forward beam swung off into space, other chunks drifted like an iceberg breaking under its own weight.

  "Bring us around and target their flagship," said General Honorius.

  "Yes, General," said Captain Krammer.

  The Captain issued orders, but the mood had already shifted on the bridge. The battle still raged on board, but the number of enemy ships was simply too great. The battleship swung lazily around so that its forward facing weapons now pointed at the largest enemy vessel. Dozens more Star Empire ships circled the four Byotai ships and continued to hit them with an almost continuous bombardment. They refused to give up, though, and each returned a blistering counterattack, far greater than their number would suggest. Captain Krammer glanced back at the General.

  "Why will they not help us?"

  Commander Higgins answered for him.

  "Because they've lost faith. Their General is gone, and they can see us being torn apart. Why would they come back? To die?"

  "If that is to be their fate, then yes."

  Four more Byotai ships turned and fled, and this time the enemy let them go. Within seconds, five more did the same, and like that they melted away from the battle, leaving just the two flagships and their pitiful number of escorts. The voice of Princeps Tahkeome returned, and the glee was obvious. This time it was only in Byotai, and Commander Higgins had to wait for the translator.

  "Very well. You have chosen your fate. I leave you in the hands of my trusted triumvir, Legate Catecahassa. Die well, old ones. It is time to deal with your last Prince once and for all."

  Commander Higgins' eyes co
uld not have been wider as he listened.

  His arrogance. He leaves in the middle of the battle. Is he that cocky?

  He walked to the central display where General Honorius watched on.

  "He is leaving?"

  The General nodded.

  "Yes, and at the speed his forces are withdrawing, we will be unable to stop them. I've never seen such speed before."

  He looked at the Commander, his dark eyes burning into his soul.

  "Only your IAB has ships of that speed."

  "General," said Captain Krammer.

  He turned from Commander Higgins and shook his head.

  "What is it now?"

  The Captain simply pointed ahead as the Grand Cruiser Raiukat and her column of ships spread out directly in front.

  "Twenty-one ships, and they will pass right over us. As this speed, they will be at the Rift in three minutes."

  He shook his head as the streaks of lights rushed past the ships and behind them. No ship should be able to move that fast, not according to the laws of physics understood by Higgins or the others. Yet the evidence was here to see. Admiral Honorius stamped one foot with rage.

  "We have the number to match them now, maybe even more, and still they flee, the cowards!"

  Dozens of flashes marked yet another volley, and the impact followed a moment later. Explosions rippled along the hull, and a cry of pain and horror spread through the bridge as the second destroyer ripped apart. General Honorius cried out in a wild rage and then shouted his orders like a mad man.

  "Get Quorra behind us, now!"

  "Watch out!" shouted an officer.

  Commander Higgins ducked back and spotted the rebel Byotai cruiser appear on their starboard flank. It was little match for Furiosa, but either intentionally, or by accident, her captain had activated her cruise engines and was now heading towards them on a collision course.

  "Engines, all ahead full!" Captain Krammer cried.

  * * *

  Nate held onto the sides of the chair as the cutter rolled to the right. An enemy civilian ship lightly modified and bristling with weapons tried to hit them, but Cassandra rolled them around so fast that only a handful of shells struck their hull. With such a small vessel it shuddered with the impacts, but showed no immediate signs of damage. As they moved back into position, they found themselves behind the vessel.