The Ascendant Stars - Michael Cobley [187]
‘I’m definitely impressed,’ he said. ‘But if you’re away round the back of Darien how are you tracking me?’
‘Mini-probes, Mr Cameron – we seeded Darien’s near-space orbital shell with them soon after we arrived.’
‘And who’s “we”?’
‘Oh, the Roug, Mr Cameron! – I’m aboard a Roug combat vessel, the Vyrk-Zoshel. I can show you a live image once you are inside the foray-pod … ’
The slender Roug craft had few curved surfaces, its rectilinear sections running lengthwise, widening at the stern into an oval fairing. A dark triangular canopy amidships slid open, revealing a cockpit couch, blue-lit by the pilot console.
‘I can activate retrieval cables if you like, Mr Cameron.’
‘Aye, if you could – these suits aren’t fitted with anything as sensible as manoeuvring jets.’
A pair of silvery lines sprang out of the cockpit, snagged him by waist and leg and hauled him to within arm’s length. As he clambered in and strapped himself into the strangely elongated couch, some of the bulbous controls pulsed brightly. A small square display screen went from pastel blue to cold black, showing an expanse of interplanetary space dominated by an immense grey vessel. Astonishingly, it was shaped like a bizarre, six-legged chimeric creature with its fangs bared and claws extended. A couple of small craft similar to the foray-pod seemed to be flying escort and they were tiny in comparison. The ship had to be at least a kilometre long.
‘Are you watching the screen, Mr Cameron?’
‘Certainly am.’
‘The sizeable grey vessel is the Vyrk-Zoshel, the last great war-vaunt of the Roug – I am speaking to you from the prime tactical chamber where a number of Roug interguides coordinate the foray-pod squadrons.’
‘So how is the battle going?’ he said, almost reluctant to find out. ‘Last strategic estimate I saw put the Legion cyborgs at about 350,000 and still growing … ’
‘The Roug sensors report their numerical strength to be in excess of 600,000 units,’ Kao Chih said, his voice level and unperturbed. ‘Fighting continues fiercely all around the planet’s orbital shell with chases and running skirmishes occasionally moving out as far as the orbit of the forest moon. As the groups of Hegemony, Earthsphere and other resisting warships diminish, we will soon become the primary target for the Legion’s threat-response consensus – we expect to be drawn into a major engagement in less than five minutes.’
‘I’m surprised that the Roug could spare this nice wee boat just to rescue me.’
‘The sad truth, Mr Cameron, is that they have more attack craft than they do pilots. It was easy to persuade them to allow me to use the mini-probe net to search for you, after learning of your difficulties from Lieutenant Ash upon our arrival … ’
‘Ash is still alive, eh?’
‘According to the last update we had from his ship,’ said Kao Chih. ‘His situation, I regret to say, is looking somewhat bleak.’
Greg nodded. ‘So – what do you have in mind for me? Bringing me over to that splendid ship of yours, or sending me back down to Darien?’
The image of the Roug vessel disappeared, replaced by the familiar features of the Pyre emissary, Kao Chih.
‘Neither, I am afraid,’ he said. ‘A senior Hegemony official has managed to escape Darien aboard a stolen shuttle and our commander, High Mandator Azgemiron, insists that he be detained pending trial.’
Greg stared at the screen, silent for a moment. ‘It’s Utavess Kuros, isn’t it?’
‘The Hegemony ambassador, yes, Mr Cameron, and I realise how—’
‘I’ll do it – ye know, chase after the scumbucket and drag him back in chains or some such. Assuming that’s what you want me to do.’
On the display Kao Chih went from surprise to amusement in a couple of seconds.
‘That is correct, although I am sure that ordinary restraints will suffice. Your foray-pod is much faster than the shuttle, and faster than most of the Legion cyborgs. We are tracking the shuttle with an armed probe which has unfortunately exhausted its missile stores, but it will lead you to the quarry. Mr Cameron,