Scattered Suns - Kevin J. Anderson [239]
Shaken and subdued, his officers snapped off reports. “Most primary systems are back online, Adar. We are effecting repairs to our damaged systems. We can make it safely back to Hyrillka.”
Zan’nh stared for a long moment at the blue-white sun where the mad Designate had vanished, then nodded. “Yes. Take us back to the Mage-Imperator. This revolt is over now.”
Chapter 122—KOTTO OKIAH
Uncertainty was an unusual feeling for him. The possibility of his own folly turned Kotto’s insides to ice water. But as the group of Roamer ships plunged toward the diamond warglobes above Theroc, he knew he would never get a better chance. It was good to test a concept in actual practice.
Seven Roamer ships from Osquivel flew like sparrows into a hurricane, ready for a direct fight against the hydrogues. Beside him, his freckled pilot—Jared Huff—wore a cocky, half-mad grin. “Here we go, Kotto. Looks like the drogues are just waiting for us!” Huff had worked with Kotto in the ring shipyards, swiftly putting together stacks of the simple devices. “I hope those doorbells of yours work.”
“We have verified all the calculations,” KR said. “There is little logical reason for an error.” Kotto had insisted on taking the two technical compies with him, rather than leaving them back at the hydrogue derelict.
“We must prove the concept by testing the doorbells in a realistic environment,” GU added.
“A 'realistic environment' could get us all killed,” said Jared.
“We’ll see in a minute.” Kotto was intimidated by the amount of faith the Roamers had put in his single idea. They believed in him. “Of course they’ll work.” He squeezed his eyes shut as Huff accelerated.
He had performed the calculations over and over, but innovative concepts always carried a certain degree of risk and uncertainty. He’d experienced enough setbacks in his career to know that reality didn’t always conform to engineering projections.
A dozen enemy spheres swooped through the high atmosphere of Theroc, diving down to spew icewaves or crackling blue lightning over the scarred worldforest. The warglobes were so intent on exterminating the verdani that they paid no attention to the insignificant Roamer vessels.
Kotto transmitted to the other six ships. “Um, is everybody ready?”
The warglobes were coming up fast. Kotto had a hard time grasping the sheer size of those incredible spheres. By quick estimate, he calculated they were over a hundred times larger than the small derelict he had explored. What if they did not operate on the same principle? His whole plan could fall apart—
“Kotto, you seem to be wool-gathering again,” GU said.
“Kotto, if we don’t release your thingies soon, we’re going to smash right into those drogues. That would be embarrassing, and not too effective.”
“Right! Everyone deploy doorbells. Launch the membranes now.”
Before the hydrogues took notice of the newcomer ships, the cargo doors opened and thousands of thin mats scattered out like giant confetti. Each about two meters square, the rectangular sheets fluttered down and moved toward their targets like gnats following the smell of sweat. After dumping their loads, the Roamer ships sped away as the alien vessels plunged toward the giant trees.
Like high-tech flying carpets with adhesive backing, the blizzard of membranes spread out. Kotto had given them only simple propulsion systems, assuming that hitting the side of an enormous warglobe should not be difficult. Though most drifted uselessly away, some of the mats hit their targets and clung to three of the diamond spheres.
“Ding-dong! Anybody home?” Kotto’s eyes burned because he was afraid to blink even for an instant.
As soon as they adhered, the membranes began cycling slowly through acoustic modes, increasing amplitude, thumping and vibrating. One of the resonance mats finally hit upon the warglobe’s correct vibrational frequency, and