The Ascendant Stars - Michael Cobley [149]
‘ … gone, it’s … gone … ’ he whispered.
It was a panorama of ruin, of torn structures, of pulverised detritus. Some of the nearer, larger fragments were almost shocking in their familiarity – the decorative trim from the edge of one of the docking platforms, or a distinctive M-pointed archway from one of the underdock doorways …
‘So is our main thruster control,’ muttered Robert. ‘Disabled, so they want to keep us on a short leash … ’
Deeper into the zone of destruction were patches where the debris was denser, and a couple that were slightly foggy, hazy. And here and there were huge jagged sections around which small craft darted and hovered, spot beams stabbing and wavering, scenes of ongoing rescue attempts.
Agmedra’a’s residential population was nearly a quarter of a million, he thought, and the transient population could have been as high as 50,000. The death toll must be …
He shook his head but couldn’t tear his gaze away.
‘Still no communication,’ Robert said, studying the instruments. ‘That system-defence ship has moved off some distance. However, there is some odd activity going on down in that gas giant.’ He glanced up. ‘Aren’t the Roug supposed to have cities down there?’
‘So we are taught as children,’ Kao Chih said. ‘I worked down there, piloting a gravity tug, shifting ore cargos up to orbit and to … Agmedra’a. We heard tales of the Roug cities that drifted through the deep but I never saw one.’
‘That could be about to change,’ said Robert. ‘Going by these utterly inadequate sensors, something very big is ascending from the gas giant’s depths.’
The pilot console’s solitary monitor was focused on a segment of V’Hrant, a magnified square of the swirling face. The muddy haze resolved itself into swirls and undulations of rust red, mustard yellow and ash grey, coiling eddies of atmospheric air streams that now appeared threadlike. Then a white speck became visible amid a darker braid of flows and minute by minute grew steadily larger. After five minutes it was taking on a strange non-linear shape while the whiteness began to look more like pale grey.
After ten minutes the non-linearity of it seemed asymmetrical yet oddly suggestive of something. When it reached low orbit its nose angled upwards and as it turned Kao Chih finally understood what he was seeing. The Roug ship was shaped like a gigantic creature, a bizarre chimera with a wide torso, three clawed forelimbs and three back limbs, frozen in a pouncing motion. The head was broad, as were its parted jaws, and above fierce, blank eyes, halfway back between raised, pointed ears, there nestled a second, smaller head. Kao Chih was startled to realise that this was none other than the Roug ship Vyrk, the vessel from which he and Ajegil had carried out that hyperspace rescue.
‘Seeing something familiar, Kao Chih?’ said Robert.
He nodded and explained his voyage aboard the Vyrk. ‘But I knew nothing about this. It’s huge – it must be nearly a mile long
‘Nearly a mile and a half, actually,’ Robert said. ‘And it’s heading straight for us.’
Its course was undeviating. With the lateral manoeuvring jets Robert was able to turn the assault craft to face the oncoming leviathan. The Shyntanil vessel was soon dwarfed by the Roug ship’s immensity. As the grey curves of its beastlike exterior expanded to fill the viewport it slowed and a rectangular opening appeared in its chest. A slight jolt passed through the smaller craft and Robert looked up from the readouts.
‘Their grappler fields have us, pulling us into that bay.’
The docking bay entrance seemed small at first but quickly grew. Before long the assault craft passed into a docking area provided with all sizes of berths and cradles spread out over a huge interior space. Ambient sources cast a shadowless light into every corner, while crew members down on its deck looked minuscule.
A big pale yellow platform swung