The Ascendant Stars - Michael Cobley [157]
The Retributor had been put out of action. K’ang Lo’s brutal Roug weapon managed to account for perhaps two hundred Hegemony ships before enough missiles and interceptors finally broke through the shield and fire cordon provided by Ngassa’s heavy cruisers. Greg had only caught glimpses of the rockhab as it was enveloped in a wreath of detonating payloads and flaming energies just before the dome of the dragon’s breath exploded, a burst of light accompanied by sprays of sparks while pulverised fragments expanded outwards. Watching it was almost too much to bear.
Now the asteroid vessel looked powered-out, a darkened mass drifting with a slight axial spin, all external floods and signal lights dead. Just a few jets of escaping gas creating clouds of ice crystals in its slow wake.
Meanwhile, Vice-Admiral Ngassa’s flagship and a handful of battered vessels were being steadily corralled by the remaining hundreds of Hegemony ships. Complete defeat seemed to be staring them in the face.
Whatever happened to that Imisil fleet? Greg wondered. Did that black Vor ship we saw stop them in their tracks?
Ash was standing before the screens, arms crossed, face unreadable. The central panel had been tiled into a score or more of feed frames, each showing a separate scene from some part of the sprawling, world-encircling battlezone. Several audio channels were muttering in the background, the only sound in the sombre hush.
‘I found out why they opened fire while you were in mid-rebuttal,’ Ash unexpectedly said to Greg. ‘It appears that the Vashutkin message was made on a Sorik dataslate, which is a command-level piece of equipment aboard Tygran ships, and it was recorded nearly an hour before it was widecast. Best of all, there was a short message in Sendrukan encrypted into one of its layers, which said: “Operation Reclaim now commencing.” In other words, it was a signal.’
‘So Becker was involved,’ Greg said. ‘But if that was over an hour ago they could be getting up to any kind of deviltry – and we’ve no way of knowing what it is … unless … ’
Ash shook his head. ‘That damned interference is still blanketing the colony. Nothing but garbled static … ’
The face of the Imisil commander, First Proposer Canlyph, appeared at one side of the screen.
‘Lieutenant Ash, I have some unfortunate news – it appears that the remainder of the Imisil fleet has encountered a second wave of attackers in hyperspace. I’m afraid that the fleet’s High Initiator has decided to turn back and to see if an alternative route can be found. On a less regretful note, I can report that our probes have sent back an interesting morsel of information – relaying it to you now.’
Greg’s heart sank, appalled that his own inner speculations could turn out to be true.
Another frame popped up on the screen, showing the lush green curve of the forest moon, Nivyesta. The visual zoomed forward in stages, finally revealing the ship that was hanging there in stationary orbit on the other side of the moon, a massive and distinctive-looking ship, weapons jutting from stepped layers of decks.
‘It is the Hegemony flagship, the Dominion Of Light,’ said the First Proposer. ‘I believe that we should gather our strength and attack it. The Earthsphere captains have already agreed.’
Ash hesitated and Greg thought, even half-hoped that he’d decline what would almost certainly be a suicide mission. Then he gravely nodded.
‘Two-part assault?’ he said. ‘The Earthers and ourselves go in hot to draw off the escort while your ships stealth up close to the flagship’s stern, targeting the drives?’
‘Well deduced, Lieutenant. We shall move out in three and one-half minutes by your reckoning.’
The Imisil vanished and Ash rapped out a series of orders and course changes. Suddenly the air was electric.
‘Mr Cameron, as a civilian you have no formal rank or combat function aboard the Silverlance – I can put you off in an escape pod slotted for a touchdown on Nivyesta. If that is what you wish.’
Greg laughed. ‘Ye probably know that this assault is stupid, right? So basically