Stephen Berry - The Battle for Terra Two

"You're going to keep your word to the gangers, Admiral," said John, guiding the other around a suspiciously dark patch of ice. "And for that, you have to be alive."

D'Trelna nodded at a thumbs up sign from K'Raoda. "Your shuttle's on the way, H'Nar," he said over the commlink.

"Acknowledged."

"Here it comes," said T'Ral, looking up at the main screen.

"Gods of my fathers," whispered D'Trelna, rising from his chair.

It was huge-a black sphere hundreds of miles in diameter, emerging slowly from the rippling obsidian of the portal. Not a single light shone from its darkness.

"Computer," said the commodore, finding his voice, "search all data sources for any record of a vessel similar to the one now approaching us.

"K'Lana, give me ship-to-ship, all bands. Gunnery, lock all but one missile battery on that monster. Target that one battery onV'Tran's Glory."

"Commodore," said computer through the chair speaker, "there is an archival reference to ships of this configuration."

"Summarize."

"The data is in the classified portion of the Imperial Archives on K'Ronar. Requests must be made through channels."

"That's it?"

"Yes."

"You have ship-to-ship, all bands, Commodore," said K'Lana.

D'Trelna opened the commlink. ' 'This is K'Ronarin Confederation cruiserImplacable. Halt and identify."

Something flashed from the black sphere, now half through the portal. Every screen on the bridge blanked as it exploded against the shield.

"The shield's gone," said T'Ral, incredulous. "Like something swatting a fly."

"N'Trol?" said D'Trelna.

"It somehow used our own shield to conduct a charge to the hullside shield relays. They're fused lumps." For once the engineer looked impressed. "It'll take months to repair."

"We may not have to worry about repairs," said D'Trelna.

"Switching to secondary scanners," said K'Raoda.

Their view of the outside came back.

"Burned out all exposed scanners," reported N'Trol, surveying the damage readout.

"Why doesn't it finish us?" said K'Raoda.

"Perhaps we're beneath its contempt," said D'Trelna. "Let's see if we can change that."

"Gunnery, open fire on the sphere-everything we've got."

"Move us in front of that portal, T'Lei."

It had saved itself, becoming flame even as the flames took it. And it had learned, taking the minds of the S'Cotar as they died. Integrating their memories, it saw what they'd attempted and understood their error.

It searched outImplacable and the portal. Finding them, it rose from its fiery creche.

They were halfway across the river when the top blew off Maximus, a sudden flash of emerald light sweeping away the dark.

Unbearably bright, a flaming green orb soared into the night and the storm, taking away the light and sending a shock wave crashing across the mountains.

"What…?" asked S'Til, rising from the ice, vision still blurred by dancing specks of green.

"The end of the Maximus Project, certainly," said Hochmeister, brushing off his jacket.

The weather was closing in again, the wind throwing the snow into their faces.

There was a sudden loud snap! then a series of groans and cracks beneath their feet.

"The ice is breaking up!" John flashed his light ahead of them. Ice and snow were being replaced by a widening stretch of black water.

"Back! The way we came!" shouted L'Wrona. "Quick-ly!"

"Forget it," said S'Til, flicking her light along the network of cracks spreading from the Maximus side.

"Upriver," ordered L'Wrona, turning left.

Behind them, the cracks were widening to fissures, triggering more faults that began snaking up and down river.

They'd covered perhaps a hundred yards, their race with the dark water almost lost, when a yellow halo appeared out of the storm, resolving into a shuttle that hovered on n-gravs just above the ice, access port cycling open as a ladder descended.

"What's that?" asked Hochmeister.

"The cavalry, Admiral," said John as they joined the rush for the ladder.

D'Trelna shook his head, disgusted. "Not even slowing it," he said, watching red fusion beams and silver missiles strike at the black ship. The beams were splashing harmlessly against it, the missiles drifting unexploded along the sphere's equator, engines dead. "Cease fire," he ordered.

It was almost through the portal, a featureless black mass that filled the screen, only the drifting silver needles ofImplacable'% missiles providing contrast.

"Message received on all bands," said K'Lana from the commstation.

That brought D'Trelna out of his chair, staring at her. "What?"

" 'Catch.' "

"Catch?" He turned back to the screen, just as all ofImplacable''% missiles came alive, coming home on tails of pale blue fire.

"Gunnery! Destruct those missiles!"

"Negative response, Commodore."

"Get us out of here, T'Lei."

"Never make it," said K'Raoda, slamming in full reverse engines.

"Humor me," said D'Trelna. Gripping the back of the command chair, he leaned forward, watching the screen.

The black sphere's image shrank as they retreated. The missiles drew closer, then turned as one, heading away from Terra Two and the cruiser, driving in toward the sun.

"Whatever else they are," said the commodore, "they're cruel.

"Get us back on station," he ordered, taking his chair. "Gunnery, he's almost here. DestroyV'Tran's Glory."

N'Trol began whistling a tune popular when they'd last put into Prime Base-"Upship and Home No More."

"Commodore! Wajt!" K'Raoda transferred a fresh pickup to the screen. A brilliant speck of green was rising from Earth's nightside, growing nearer as they watched.

"Gunnery. Countermand that destruct order.

"What is that, T'Lei?"

"The Maximus anomaly," said K'Raoda. He sent the targeting data flowing across the screen.

"Star plasma," said N'Trol. "Nothing else stays that hot."

"Headed right for us-and the portal," said D'Trelna. He studied the target projection. "Computer, assume us to be target of object approaching from planet. Give us standard audio count to impact.''

"Acknowledged."

"Is it after us or the portal?" said T'Ral. "Let's not find out," said D'Trelna. "Thirty to impact," said computer, voice filling the bridge.

"T'Lei, at five, jump us just outsystem-about where we'd put a skipcomm buoy."

K'Raoda was suddenly very busy. "Cycling to drive, Commodore."

"Twenty to impact."

"Drive cycled."

"All decks, stand by for jump," said D'Trelna. "Ten, nine, eight. .."

"Hazardous radiation!" reported T'Ral, shielding his eyes as blinding green light swept the bridge. "Five…"

The ball of green fire passed through whereImplacable had been. Missiles and beams flashed from the black ship as she cleared the portal. Green fire devoured them. Reaching the portal, the Maximus entity passed through layers of wondrously intricate defense screens, penetrating the hull.

The black sphere exploded, a fierce flash of primary colors sweeping out from the portal.

The gray beam from the destroyer winked off as the explosion touched it. Freed, V'Tran's Glory drifted slowly toward Terra Two.

Warsuited, blaster in hand, K'Raoda stood alone on the bridge ofV'Tran's Glory, talking toImplacable. "Bridge and Engineering are secure, H'Nar," he said. "S'Til's force is searching the rest of the ship-NTrol's checking drive and engines."

"And those alien machines?"

K'Raoda looked at the small piles of gray ash littering the deck. "They couldn't handle defeat-they appear to have self-destructed."

The captain shook his head. "If we reacted like that, T'Lei, we'd be a long time dead.

"Advise when the ship's secure. Volunteer crew is standing by."