The Chalice (39 page)

the equipment failed?”

“It means,” he snapped, his jaw working, “I can’t reach them .”

“Fucking great,” the black wom an screeched, hands on hips. “Just fucking

great! Does anybody besides me think this is a major piece of shit?”

Kara slashed her hand down, waving the woman to silence. “So what do we

do?”

His lips thinned, the brilliant eyes bleak. “We try again.”

“Hey…guys,” Goth Girl croaked, nose pressed to a portal. “Check outside.”

****

The ship bucked and shook, veering off course as it blasted from  the stricturesof hyper-space into norm al space. Gripping the arm rests, Tegan took a m oment tothank the Gods for arriving in one piece. He relaxed his clenched hands, flexingthem  to reestablish blood flow. Successful activation of hyper-space was only thebeginning of their problems and not the least treacherous. Their long tim e

nemesis waited. He stood up, joining Branos at the controls.

The younger m ale glanced up, eyes wide with alarm . “The Freedom’s lost all

maneuverability and their shields are failing. The Deg’Nara are dem anding they

surrender.”

“Never,” snarled Tegan, m emories of the dark tim es fracturing his brain. “Better they die quickly than to suffer what the destroyers have in store for them .” He moved to the front of the console. “Open a secure com  with Commander Kelos.” he demanded.

Kelos appeared on the large viewing screen. Scrapes and bruises discolored the Commander’s pale skin and crimson trickled from  a large gash above his lefteyebrow. The scene behind him  was one of m assive destruction. Equipm ent andrubble were strewn across the floor and several bodies lay where they’d fallen. Hecoughed, spitting blood.

“We can’t hold out m uch longer. Most of our weaponry is destroyed and we’ve lost m aneuverability.” Kelos paused, his face grim  and despairing. “We’ve lost a third of our breeders and at least that many of the Chalices.” Tears welled in his silver eyes. “I offer my hum ble apologies, Lord Tegan. I’ve failed you.”

“Save your apologies for another time,” he barked. “We have a battle to fight.”

“Lord Tegan,” a tech cried out. “The Deg’Nara battle cruiser has altered its

course and is speeding towards us. They’re on a collision trajectory.”

Rage surged in an all-consuming rush of pure hatred. He whirled, finding

Branos. “Open the sy-com .”

The tech nodded, waving a hand across the controls.

“Prepare to attack,” he shouted the words. “Weapon systems up.”

No m ore running and no more hiding. If this was the Chaigan-Se’s final end, sobe it. In a universe devastated by war and fraught with untold m isery, they’d

accom plished so m uch m ore than could be hoped, but now it was up to the Gods to decide their fate. His fiery gaze raked the command deck, heads nodding as he caught their attention. Each and every breeder, Artisan or Warrior, was a cherished and loyal friend. Brave and determined. They would not go down easily. Curse the Deg-Nara for their perfidy!

“Evasive maneuvers,” he snapped. In the wink of an eye, he assumed battle

mode, mentally strategizing and evaluating their lim ited assault tactics. Though severely restricted by outdated weaponry, they had no choice but to attack. Ten thousand revolutions of an honorable heritage would not allow the proud Warriors to hold otherwise. No more the defenders!

“Commander, we’ll bring the Deg’Nara to you and when we do, hit them  with everything you have left. We’ll do the same. Let’s not make it easy for the bastards.”

He switched off the com munication. “Navigator, bring us around and com e up

behind the Deg’Nara cruiser. Now!”

The deck tilted as the ship rolled hard left. Tegan staggered, catching hold ofthe railing near the viewing screen. The ship dove then angled right, thecentrifugal force wrenching loose objects towards the outer hull. His stomachlurched, roiling as the floor dropped beneath him . The navigator’s foolhardy butthat’s what I need!

The Deg’Nara ship anticipated their maneuver and turned, firing a volley of

plasma bursts. The ship jerked and rocked, battered by the barrage.

“Dam age control,” he snapped.

“Deck three suffered some m inor damage but the shields are holding.”

“Hold the course.”

“Should we com m ence firing?” Branos screamed the query.

“At my mark.”

The Deg’Nara cruiser raced towards them, weapons firing from  every port. Alldecks from  the highest level to the lowest were targeted. The intent was all tooclear. They were not out to take prisoners. This was an eradication.

He wiped sweat from  his forehead studying the battle cruiser’s configurations. It was fast, but there were few modifications from  the Deg’Nara ships of thebefore time. A point in our favor! He knew how to fight them .

“Ready the weapons. Short bursts to the starboard side. Now!”

Plasm a loads pulsed in a narrow spread, scoring the battle cruiser’s outer hull.

Several techs cheered at the small victory.

But the victory was short-lived. The cruiser flew towards them , the ship’sheavier weaponry pounding them  with powerful blasts of energy, ham mering theold ship with relentless force.

“Fire all weapons!”

The battle raged, both sides taking severe hits. Systems crashed. Debris fellfrom  overhead, littering the floor and control panels. A support beam  crasheddown, pinning a com  tech beneath it. Artisans rushed to free him  while otherscarried the injured to the med-deck.

The old ship groaned and cracked, the violence of the Deg’Nara’s assault taking

its staggering toll.

W e can’t take m uch more of this!

“Report,” he snapped.

A film  of dust covered Branos’ features. The silver blue eyes burned from  the

young tech’s face. “Weapons are down by half. The shields won’t hold much

longer.”

“Get me Kelos,” he growled.

The viewing screen flickered, popping as a blurred image formed and then

disappeared.

Branos adjusted the com, trying again, but the link wouldn’t hold. “The sy-com’s down, Lord,” he gasped. A m etal shard whizzed through the air andsmashed against the base of his skull. His eyes flared and then the tech dropped,

unmoving.

“Get him  to the m ed-deck.”

Tegan’s hands flew over the controls, adjusting and rerouting the dam agedsystems. The viewing screen shim mered and then took form . Com mander Kelos’face wavered, blurring and indistinct.

“We…finished,”   he   choked,   his   voice   fading   in   and   out.   “One   m ore bombardment…we’ll disintegrate. Our shields…gone and our life support’s… We don’t have any m ore…”

The screen sputtered and then went blank.

Chapter Twenty-Four

“W ho are they?” Kara hissed, sensitive to the moods of the two breeders. Tensed and wary, fury em anated from  them  in heated waves. Whoever it was, they weren’t happy.

A contingent of m ilitary type figures spewed from  a spacecraft docked nearby. Skin the color of old leather, troll-like and graceless, they were as different fromthe Chiagan-Se as night was to day. She counted at least twenty and they carriedwhat she could only guess were weapons.

“Deg’Nara,” Mordaq snarled, spitting with contem pt.

“How can you tell?” Anne asked, wringing her slender hands. She sat down,

creamy skin paling.

Shagal drew his Tar, the weapon hum ming as it melded with the artisan’senergy. “That’s a Deg’Nara transport and those things out there are definitely Deg’Nara.”

“Maybe they’re just curious,” Dread murm ured, studying the strangers. “We

haven’t done anything wrong.”

“We live,” Shagal caressed the Tar, his usually merry features hard and

uncompromising. “Mordaq and I are Chiagan-Se. They won’t allow us to exist.”

“Can’t we just leave?”

“We had to anchor the transport down,” he reminded her. “We can’t take off until the m oorings are loosened.” He slanted a look at Mordaq. “One of us will have to go out there.”

“W hat about me? I can do it.” Biker Chick pulled on her cloak. “And I’m

human. Maybe if they believe we’re not Chiagan-Se, they’ll let us leave.”

Kara studied the group outside, noting a lone figure standing off to the side. “Look over there,” she pointed. “The one dressed differently. Isn’t that the guywho got pissed off and left when we were eating? He—or it— has the sam e saggyskin and no lips.”

Shagal studied the odd appearing individual. He nodded, his lip curling. “Thevery same. A Deg’Nara inform ant. They leave watchers all over the universe,keeping an eye on the comings and goings in the void. These informants are paidwell to stay out here, gaining in wealth and position because the Deg’Nara backthem .”

“That’s just plain stupid.” Dread tossed her dark head. “Doesn’t this frickin’

planet have a real police officer or something…or even a dam n dog catcher?

Somebody we can contact for help?”

“If you mean a protector—no it does not. Fringe planets like this one exist because the inhabitants seek to escape the confines of civilization. A protector would not be welcomed nor would he survive out here.”

Kara hugged herself, braced against the burgeoning terror. Her heart rate sped

up, breath com ing in short pants. An anxiety attack in the m aking!

They were alone down here. Seven against twenty weren’t odds she feltcomfortable with and the Deg’Nara appeared very well equipped. They on theother hand only had a few weapons am ongst them . Tegan—where are you?

The strike force broke into sm all groups, assum ing attack positions around thetransport, weapons readied and aimed at the ship. It wasn’t hard to figure outwhat was next on the agenda.

“Can the hull withstand their weapons?” Her voice quavered, lips trembling.

Mordaq likewise unsheathed his Tar, examining the hilt. “The ones they carry?

Yes. Others…no.”

“So what do we do? Do we surrender?”

His glittering eyes blazed. “Do you prefer to die quickly or endure agonizing

torture for as long as they choose to let you suffer?”

Kara gulped, shaking in every lim b. “I…” she stam mered. “I…I would chose a

quick death,” she whispered, horrified by the im plications.

He nodded his approval. “As would we all.”

“Did you ask me?” Dread spat out. “I ain’t choosing either option. I choose to

live.”

Shagal laughed. He laughed! He gazed at the black woman, warmth radiatingfrom  the silvery–blue eyes. So different from  the looks he’d given her just a fewdays ago.

“Well said, Chalice,” he grinned. “I choose to live as well. But if that decision is

taken from  us, we’d best take the quick route to the stars.”

Dread gripped his forearm . “Kill me if you have to,” she ground out. “I’d rather

you did it than one of them .”

He dipped his chin, acknowledging her cursory demand. His hand touched hercheek. “As you wish.” His eyes flashed with humor. “Perhaps I can save you the

morbid anticipation and just do it now.”

Dread huffed, jerking back.

“You are so bad,” Kara gulped, the tightness in her chest easing just a little. At

least we’re together in this! “All kidding aside, what’s the plan?”

Shagal’s head tilted, his eyes narrowed. “We have to loose the moorings. There’s no other way around it and this Chalice,” he indicated Biker Chick, “is notcapable of doing so.”

“Eat shit,” Biker Chick growled.

“I’m  not disparaging you,” the artisan m urm ured. “The procedure is com plex and requires more force than you could m anage. But I will need you to accom pany me.”

Mordaq roared, an enraged beast. “I am  the one to go out.”

Shagal shook his head. “You’re needed here if I fail out there. The Chalice is

correct. If the Deg’Nara believe we’re humans, they m ight allow us passage.”

Kara winced, envisioning the hideous possible outcomes. “That might’s a pretty

long stretch of the word.”

He pulled on his cloak, the red locks disappearing beneath the large hood. “Iwill pretend to be an overly large human female again and the Chalice willaddress the Deg’Nara.”

“She won’t,” Anne objected, buttoning up her long coat. “I will.”

“Are you crazy?” No way she’d let Anne go out there. “Biker Chick’s right. She

should go. You’re not strong enough.”

“Maybe not,” she adm itted. “But my negotiation skills far surpass hers. Right now we need brains, not brawn, and if we need brawn, I’ll have Shagal to back me up.”

She positioned herself beside the door. “The sooner we do this, the sooner we