Children of the Void: Book One of the Aionian Saga (13 page)

She looked down at the two teenagers as they processed what was going on around them.

Takomi looked up at her mother. “The admiral wants us in a bird.”

“What? You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“Diana,” shouted Hiro from the corner of the room, where he was handing out suits. “Just give ‘em their suits.”

Diana didn’t look happy, but she pointed toward a rack of armor behind her. “You should be able to find some that fit over there. Just be careful.”

They hurried across the room and picked out the armor that would fit them, scrambling to put it on. They didn’t say goodbye as they rushed out of the room and down to the flight deck.

They paused when they reached the hangar that held the starfighters. The SF handler spotted them and waved them over.

“Pilot and gunner?” asked the handler as they bounded up to him.

They nodded.

“Good. Take SF9-6390. Should be warmed up for you. Hopefully you won’t need it.”

Gideon was hoping the same thing as he climbed the ladder and lowered himself into the gunner’s seat. As the SF powered up, Gideon’s visor filled with virtual controls and instruments. As he gripped the weapon’s controls, he felt the familiar shape in his hand, even though it was only being simulated by his ultrasonic gloves,. Seconds later the SF’s ready light came on, the engines warming up with a low hum. The lift lowered the ship into position.

He ran a quick diagnostic, punching virtual buttons as his AI gave him reports. They were in the same squadron with Connor Hallows and Padre Diego, with Commander Devereux as the squadron leader. Gideon noticed there were a lot more SF7s online than there were SF8s or 9s. The newer birds were far superior, but the SF7 had analog controls, and didn’t require Sentinel Armor to pilot it.

“Pauline,” he said, referring to the name his AI had been assigned years before, “show me the alien spacecraft.” A little hologram hovered in front of him, showing part of the
Leviathan
with the teardrop ship out in front of it. Since they had left the observation deck, the ship had moved over to face the
Leviathan
a few kilometers away.
 

The massive antimatter rockets that had towed the
Leviathan
through the Void had been detached some time ago and put into orbit around Valkyrie farther out, so the
Leviathan
had only impulse rockets to keep it in orbit. The antimatter rockets were really little more than tugs, and were ineffective at any kind of maneuvering other than going straight forward, so even if they were still attached, they would be of little use. In any case, there was no way the
Leviathan
was going to outmaneuver the enemy ship.

“Pauline, call Admiral Killdeer.”
 

Gideon’s AI confirmed the command, and he waited a moment before his father’s voice spoke in his ear.

“What is it, Gid?” said his father in an impatient tone.

“I just thought of something. You can detach the biosphere to increase maneuverability. Turn CENTCOM sideways and give them a smaller target.”

“Gideon, believe it or not, I know what I’m doing. Releasing the biosphere is permanent. I won’t do it until I know these guys mean business. I’m busy here, son. Stay off my com.” The signal went dead.

Frustrated, Gideon called Padre.

“What’s up, Gideon?”

Gideon told him his idea. “He says he won’t do it unless we’re attacked, but it’ll be too late by then.”

“Gideon,” said Padre, “your father is admiral for a reason. He’s the best military commander we have, and we need to trust him. He won’t sacrifice the biosphere unless he has to, but trust me when I say that if it comes to that, he won’t hesitate.”

Gideon protested, but stopped when his father’s voice came over the general band. “This is Admiral Killdeer speaking. As many of you know by now, we have been confronted by what appears to be an alien spacecraft. What I’m asking right now is that we keep our heads and do what we’ve been trained to do. We will not engage the craft unless we’re threatened in some way. However, believe me when I say we are prepared to defend ourselves. Please stand by for orders.”

“Do you think it will attack?” asked Takomi.

“Yes,” said Gideon. He was watching the hologram closely as the alien craft moved laterally to flank them. Even though it was impossible for the
Leviathan
to counter the maneuver, it actually worked in their favor. To the aliens, the
Leviathan
would look like a long straight cylinder, with no obvious way of determining vital areas. With any luck, their first shots would be directed at the empty biosphere. It would be an awful sacrifice, but his father could then release the biosphere and return fire from a diminished profile. At this range, the rail guns would be deadly accurate.

The alien ship moved laterally along the length of the biosphere like a carrion bird hovering over a carcass. It slowly moved all the way down to the stern, then started back up again until it paused over the middle of the
Leviathan
.

“Here it comes,” he whispered to Takomi.
 

Gideon held his breath as the vessel maintained its position. He dared to hope the aliens wouldn’t attack, but a second later, a violent impact rocked the ship. At the same time, the hologram showed a blast jetting out from the alien craft, striking the biosphere over and over along the hull.

Admiral Killdeer’s voice came over the general band. “Starfighters, engage and begin a flanking maneuver. We are releasing the biosphere in ten seconds. Weapons free.”

Takomi yanked down on the release lever, and the centrifugal force of the spinning ship flung their SF9 out from the
Leviathan
and into space. Gideon’s stomach lurched in a way that no simulator could duplicate as Takomi maneuvered into position. For the first time in his life, Gideon was outside of the ship, but he didn’t have time to think about it as Takomi spun the SF around, and the alien craft filled his vision. His helmet com crackled, and Devereux’s monotone voice filled his ear.

“Squadron 1, delta formation on my point. We’ll lead the attack around to the side. Aim for the spikes. It looks like that’s where their lightning weapon comes from.”

Takomi hesitated.

“Aren’t you going to follow Devereux?” asked Gideon.

“Your dad told us to escort the shuttles away from the aliens.”

“Do you see any shuttles?”

“Well, no, but I don’t think he meant for us to get in a firefight.”

“He said so himself, we’ve been trained for this. I say we stick with our squadron.”

“Okay,” said Takomi, firing her rockets to comply with Devereux’s order.
 

As they caught up to their squad, a massive volley from the
Leviathan’s
rail guns struck the alien ship in dozens of places. There were silent explosions from all over the enemy vessel as several spikes broke off and spun into space. Gideon and Takomi cheered as they watched the counter attack pummel the enemy. He expected the aliens to have some sort of defense against primitive kinetic weapons, but the rail guns seemed to tear the ship to pieces.
 

The enemy ship returned fire, concentrating on a single point on the biosphere’s hull. Its bolt of energy grew in intensity until the biosphere exploded like a burst fuel tank. Angry shouts came over the general band from dozens of starfighter pilots. Gideon shuddered as he watched the destruction of the only home he ever knew, hoping that everyone had escaped in time. Even if they did, the loss of plant and animal life was devastating. In only a few seconds, his world was gone. He gritted his teeth and focused his attention on the enemy ship.

As promised, CENTCOM had broken free of the biosphere before the explosion. Now it unleashed a furious volley as the first of the starfighters engaged the enemy. Takomi manipulated the controls with a precision that Gideon could only dream about and came into formation behind Devereux and Padre.

Gideon locked on and took his first shots at the enemy ship. The squadron banked hard around the back of the vessel, firing round after round, each one resulting in a satisfying explosion. Gideon looked up to see hundreds of starfighters coming in to strafe the ship. CENTCOM continued blasting the enemy with its massive rail guns, each round a two-ton titanium rod that shot out of an electromagnetic accelerator at over three thousand meters per second. With that kind of inertia, no chemical explosives were necessary.

Despite the devastation, the alien ship held together. It returned fire with deadly results, and starfighters that were too slow to avoid its energy weapon disintegrated in a flash of blue light. The aliens targeted CENTCOM’s rail guns and took them out one by one. It was a race to see which side could neutralize the other’s weapons systems first, then it would be over for the loser.

Takomi banked in close to the ship. “We’re in over our heads. This thing is ripping us apart.”

“You’re too close,” shouted Gideon. “I’m having a hard time targeting from this distance.”

“That goes both ways.”
 

Other starfighters picked up on Takomi’s tactic and followed her in a small delta formation. Connor’s voice came in over the intercom.

“Good thinking, Takomi. Let’s fan out so that we’re side by side and have our gunnies blast at the spikes behind us. That way we won’t need to dodge debris.”

“Sounds good,” said Takomi. “Gideon, you got that?”

“Got it.”
 

Gideon’s pod swiveled around so that he was upside-down and backwards. Without any starfighters behind them to worry about, he fired in rapid succession. With no moving parts, the rail guns fired off thousands of rounds per minute. Gideon kept it to short bursts to avoid overheating the conductors and to conserve ammunition.

Admiral Killdeer’s voice came in over the common band again.
 

“CENTCOM’s taken too much damage and can’t hold out much longer. I’ve ordered a full evacuation. I’ll need starfighters to protect the shuttles as best they can. Devereux, regroup and organize squadrons to draw enemy fire. I’ve reprogrammed the orbit of the antimatter rockets on a collision course with the enemy ship in T minus seven minutes. As soon as those shuttles are out of range, I want all starfighters to head for the surface as well.”

Shuttles emerged from CENTCOM even before Admiral Killdeer finished speaking. Devereux came online and assigned squadrons, giving them their orders.

Takomi had just changed course when a bolt of lightning leapt from the alien spacecraft and incinerated one of the shuttles. There was an outcry over the SF band as starfighters peeled away from their formations and took up position between the aliens and the remaining shuttles.
 

Gideon tried not to think about who might have been aboard as Takomi pulled back hard on the controls and rocketed away from the ship at a ninety-degree angle. Before Gideon could catch his breath, she changed trajectory again and pulled the SF9 into a path perpendicular to their previous route.
 

“Do you have a clear shot?” yelled Takomi, but the G forces were crushing Gideon’s chest, and he couldn’t speak. It felt like his eyes would be sucked out of their sockets. At any moment, he expected the bright flash that would mean they were dead.

Takomi let off the thrusters and Gideon could breathe again. His vision returned in time for him to see the SF behind them disintegrate in a silent flash of light.
 

“We’re exposed,” he managed to say. “Gotta keep moving.”
 

Takomi spun the SF around, taking evasive action. Gideon let loose on the enemy ship with his rail guns, heedless of his ammunition count.

The hologram of the battle showed that the tactic was working. The enemy was completely focused on the swarm of deadly fighters as the shuttles put more kilometers behind them. The lightning weapon blasted the SFs out of the sky with a methodic brutality, but it was better to lose two aionians at a time instead of thirty or forty inside one of the shuttles.

Takomi spun around for a diving attack, and Gideon glanced over at CENTCOM, now a fractured and charred hulk floating in space. It still had at least two rail guns firing at the ship.
 

“Takomi!”

“What is it?”

“Someone’s still onboard CENTCOM, and I’ll bet you anything it’s my dad.”

Takomi cursed. “The antimatter will vaporize him.”

Just then, Admiral Killdeer’s voice sounded over the common band. “Two minutes to impact,” he said. “Everyone get clear immediately and head for the surface.” He clicked off.

Gideon cursed and called his father.
 

“What is it, son?”

“What do you think you’re doing, Dad?”

Admiral Killdeer’s voice was as calm and steady as Gideon could ever remember hearing it. “They’re onto us. They figured out the rockets are coming and moved to avoid the collision. I won’t be able to hit them directly, but if I can get the rockets close and hit a fuel tank, then the buggers are fried anyway.”

“Along with CENTCOM and everyone onboard!” Gideon’s voice cracked as he yelled into his microphone. “Couldn’t you have the AI do it or something?”

“No time to program it. Don’t worry, Gid, I’m suited up for a halo jump. I’ll set up the rail gun and eject out of harm’s way, but you need to go now.”

“A halo jump?” said Gideon. His hands were shaking uncontrollably, and he had to release his grip on the controls. “It’s impossible, Dad. It won’t work.”

“Gideon, just get to the surface and regroup. I’ll see you there.”

“Dad!”

For a moment, Gideon thought the connection had died as he waited for his father to respond. When the admiral finally did speak, his voice was a husky whisper.

“Good luck, son.”

Gideon slammed his fist down on the bulkhead. “Dad, don’t do this! You can’t leave me too. Dad!”

The only response was static. Gideon tried several times but could not reestablish the connection. A tear slid down his cheek, and he felt stupid as his hand came up and thumped against his visor.
 

Takomi had the decency to say nothing as she banked hard and pointed the nose toward the shuttles. From their position, they could just make out the telltale glow of the superheated gas left behind in the shuttles’ wakes as they entered the atmosphere. A few moments later, the first wave of SFs followed.