The Starwolves (16 page)

"Start down!" he ordered into his collar mike.

The platform started again. Velmeran watched the steps closely, waiting for
a white rectangular head to appear over the rail near the corner landings. He
did not know if the sentries could elevate their guns very high, although he
did remember that the cameras were inset and not able to rotate very far up. He
hoped that he could drop a heat charge on the machine before it saw him; he did
not care to get into another shooting contest with a sentry.

"Hello, and welcome to beautiful Bineck," Valthyrra's voice,
radiating the commercial enthusiasm of a tour guide, announced over their
corns. "The weather at your location is threatening, turning to openly
hostile at any given moment. I must also inform you that two wings of seven
fighters each are taking off from the main base. Your twenty minutes have just
begun."

"This will be cutting it close," Dveyella remarked.

"My packs will not be in time to intercept those fighters,"
Valthyrra continued. "They will have to be your problem. We will get
anything else."

Velmeran thought that he could see the bottom now, a square of pale gray
stone far below. Five levels were past and the sixth opened beside him, so he
was now halfway down. Then he saw an indistinct shape lean out over the railing
far below, more than halfway down from where he was.

"Something on the stairs," he warned. "Just passing the
second level, I would guess."

"A sentry?" Dveyella asked.

"It really did not look like a sentry's head," he replied. "I
believe that it was too small for a sentry, and there were no guns. Whatever it
was, I am going to put a bolt through it if I see it again."

"If it is something hidden with a gun, you should know that the two
larger, rounded things on your belt are explosives," she offered.

"They are?" Velmeran sounded surprised. "Then I will use one
of those if it tries to ambush us as we get nearer. It is dark under here, and
it might not see me until too late."

"Reverse ambush," Dveyella agreed. "But do not use the
explosive if you get too close, since you have no helmet. Try throwing it from
a fourth of a level up."

"I will thank you not to," a third voice said suddenly. "If
you two have come to collect me, I would prefer that it be alive."

Velmeran nearly fell out of his perch. "Keth? Is that you?"

"Of course it is."

"Stay at the third landing," Velmeran instructed. "We will
collect you there. Do you have a gun?"

"No, nothing. I have been listening to you since you landed. When that
first sentry attacked you, the one guarding my door took off at a run. Since he
was really the only thing keeping me in that room, I kicked open the door and
headed straight for the stairs."

"Why did you not tell us you were coming?"

"I have ho helmet," Keth replied. "And the echoes carry far
in these old halls. I was afraid that one of the beasts might hear me."

"You would hear it," Dveyella pointed out.

"Not if it was standing still."

"What does this do to our schedule?" Velmeran asked.

"Barring further incident, we might actually be out of here in another
ten minutes," Dveyella answered. "In realistic terms, we might just
be ready when those two wings of fighters descend upon us."

After another half a minute, Velmeran had Dveyella stop the platform a short
distance above the third level so that he could climb out. Keth looked up and
saw his pack leader hanging facedown from the framework beneath the platform,
his legs and free arm braced wide against parts of the structure, rather like
an ironclad spider in a tubular steel web. Keth was at first inclined to laugh,
but the expression his pack leader wore warned him against it. Velmeran
threw Keth a gun, then quickly lowered himself from the frame and swung out to
the landing stage. Dveyella quickly brought the lift down low enough for them
to step on, and immediately started back up. When Keth tried to return the gun,
Velmeran indicated for him to keep it and pointed up.

"Since you and I have no helmets, we are going to have to be on
guard," he said. "If any of those monsters pokes its head over the
railing, shoot it."

"Remember that the design of this type of sentry is such that it can
rotate its cameras straight down," Dveyella added. "And since its
smaller guns are mounted on the sides of the cameras, it can shoot what it
sees."

"Is that one?" Keth asked, pointing at the rectangular shape that
appeared over the edge of the railing a level up.

Velmeran nodded. "I believe so."

"Oh," Keth said, and began shooting. His aim was surprisingly
good, considering that he had seldom practiced with such a weapon. His second
and third shots caught the sentry under the chin before it had a chance to draw
back its head. "Did I hurt it?"

"I do not believe so," Velmeran said. "No parts feH off. Do
we stop?"

"No, we have to get closer," Dveyella answered. "Swat that
thing back every time it shows itself."

That did not work so well. The sentry had the advantage, and that advantage
increased as the lift platform rose toward it. A moment later it returned and
opened fire, and this time the three Starwolves were forced to leap off the
platform into the stairs for cover. Velmeran tried to return fire, but it could
see him clearly now and shot first.

"Now what?" he asked.

"We do not have the time to spare," Dveyella said as she pulled
off her helmet. "Levels are about forty to forty-five meters apart, or
three full revolutions of the stairs. If I can climb near enough, I can jump
diagonally up from below the sentry to its level."

"I believe I know what you have in mind," Velmeran said.
"Will it work?"

Dveyella shrugged. "If you cover me."

A moment later they were climbing the stairs as fast as they could, leaving
Keth behind to watch the lift. The climb became more dangerous as they drew
nearer to the sentry, since it was soon able to shoot beneath the overhanging
ledge that had protected them farther below. Still, they were able to climb to
the run directly below it. Then Velmeran climbed two more flights, keeping
behind the cover of the solid stone rail, until he was only two flights below
and directly across from the automaton.

The sentry knew that they were up to something. It bent its head down as far
as it could, trying to scan the shaft with infrared. Just then Velmeran fired
on it, shot after shot slamming into its head, blowing out one camera and the
gun beside it. The sentry retracted its head and staggered back. Dveyella
leaped as hard as she could against the stubborn pull of real gravity, seeming
almost to fly up the narrow shaft. Seven meters up she caught the railing where
Velmeran stood and flipped herself atop it. Velmeran shot again, driving the
sentry back a second time and blowing out its other camera in the process.
Dveyella launched herself directly at the blinded automaton, taking advantage
of its confusion.

Velmeran hurried to join her, leaping across the shaft as well, only to find
the sentry standing by itself as thick smoke poured from its vents. Dveyella
stood beside the doorway in the middle of the landing, cautiously peering down
the dimly lit corridor.

"Another coming fast," she said, panting in the poor air.
"Keth?"

"Already on my way up," the older pilot responded over com.

"The machinery beneath the lift is unprotected, and we are still only
halfway up," Velmeran said. "You are winded, so this one is mine.
Take the lift up four flights and wait for me."

"Do you have something in mind?" she asked.

"Nothing fancy. The sentry will think that we are on the way up, so
this should be easy."

"I could watch," she offered.

Velmeran quickly placed a hand over his collar mike. "I would prefer
that you watch Keth. I do not trust him alone with a gun. He might try
something that he would do well to leave alone."

Dveyella reluctantly agreed and joined Keth on the lift as it went by.
Velmeran positioned himself by the doorway, carefully out of sight. He did not
have long to wait. The sentry had been near enough to fire a quick volley of
bolts at the lift as it went by. It charged out onto the landing, slowing as it
came out of the passage and finally stopping beside its motionless companion.
The lift was ascending, still only two flights up, so it leaned out over the
rail and tilted its head back to shoot.

Velmeran had been behind the sentry since it had stepped out onto the
landing, unseen in its haste. Dveyella was correct in her guess that they were
blind to the rear; they apparently did not even see to the sides very well.
Careful to stay immediately behind it, Velmeran watched the sentry's movements
carefully. As it leaned out to look up the shaft, he simply crawled between its
long legs, lifted it up and heaved it over the rail. The machine fell heavily
straight down the center of the shaft, never once bouncing off the sides. He watched
until the automaton disappeared into the gloom, and a long moment later a sound
like a small explosion echoed back up the shaft. Pleased with his efficiency,
he hurried to join the others.

Dveyella peered cautiously around the edge of the doorway, and swiftly drew
back in alarm and surprise. "I find it hard to believe! There it is,
waiting for us, right in front of the door. They must be getting smarter."

"They are getting smarter," Velmeran agreed. "They have
learned too many lessons the hard way."

"We have to get that thing out of the way," she said.
"Valthyrra Methryn, how much time do we have?"

"Those two wings of fighters are just now beginning to descend,"
Valthyrra reported. "You have perhaps three minutes."

"Wonderful!" Dveyella muttered, pausing only a moment to think.
"Marlena, are you out there?"

"Ready and waiting."

"That machine is backed up to the outer door with its tail in the
crack, facing inward."

"Ah, I follow you. Half a moment."

A few moments passed and then one of the heavy doors began to open, slowly
and silently, and a single arm reached through to attach a heat charge to the
rear hull of the sentry that stood before it. The machine jumped away from the
door and spun around. But the heat charge was already glowing and the automaton's
legs locked up even as it turned, causing it to fall heavily on its side. The
three Starwolves were running for the door immediately.

"Not so smart after all," Velmeran commented as they slipped past
the smoking hulk.

He had expected to see violent clouds towering over the city, but the
leading edge of the storm had already passed. A seething mass of dark clouds
hid the sun, bringing dusk at midday and adding to his feeling that he had been
underground for a long time, not less than half an hour. Low clouds and fog
already concealed the ledge where they had landed. There was only a light wind
here in the valley, although the roiling clouds overhead suggested violent
winds within the storm itself.

Marlena and Baress waited just outside the door. Dveyella pushed Keth into
their care. "One last task. Pack in those boxes as fast as you can and get
out of here."

"Captain?" Keth asked, reluctant to be dragged away to the waiting
transport. Baress and Marlena seemed likely to carry him if he delayed any
longer.

"Go with them, Keth," Velmeran directed, trying to assume a calm,
authoritative voice. "They have your ride out."

Keth allowed himself to be led to the larger ship, although still somewhat
reluctantly, and Velmeran and Dveyella hurried to their fighters. Velmeran had
hoped that this incident would have cured Keth, that the older pilot would have
done enough soul-searching during the last few days to face the truth. Instead
it seemed that he had been waiting for rescue so that he could return to the
packs; he had apparently assumed that they would have brought a fighter for
him. Of course, his real problem had never been age but conceit.

Velmeran climbed into the cockpit of his fighter and sealed the canopy
against windblown dust and mist before he began to strap in. The transport
lifted immediately. It rose just high enough to pass over the fighters and
drifted toward the east, following the perimeter of the city to the landing
platform where the boxes containing the remains of the fighter were kept.

"Have you ever fought inside a storm before?" Dveyella asked over
ship's com; Velmeran's worthless helmet had gone with Keth.

"I have never fought inside an atmosphere before," he reminded
her.

"You will find it remarkably the same," she said. "The
greatly reduced speeds are offset by the greatly compressed distances. Union
fighters are more of a match for us here; you will find them about as quick and
tricky as stingships. But we still outclass this lot."

The two ships rose together into the threatening sky, heading southwest to
meet the approaching wings of Union fighters. They went slowly, waiting for
their attackers to come to them. Staying within the storm was to their
advantage; Starwolves fought by feel under any circumstances, so the lack of
visibility made no real difference to them. Blinded by the clouds, however, the
Union pilots had to depend entirely on their scanners.

But Velmeran did not forget his own disadvantages. He was used to sudden
speed changes of tens or even hundreds of thousands of kilometers per hour, and
velocities that were more easily discussed as percentages of light. He was
concerned that he might accidentally give his throttle the long throws that he
would use in open space. Trying to evade and chase within the confines of this
storm, with mountains only a few hundred meters below, would be like trying to
fight inside an airdock. There was not much room to run.

The first wing of Union fighters descended into the storm, driving directly
at the pair of Starwolf fighters rising to meet them. The wing widened and the
fighters launched missiles, four from under the short wings of each ship. And
that was a serious tactical error. Union missiles were not very smart –
they saw no point in investing much money in something that was going to explode
– and therefore they were too easily jammed, evaded or destroyed.
The missiles looked about and found nothing. The wolf ships, fully cloaked,
were invisible to their rudimentary scanners and heat sensors. As a group the
missiles continued on, searching the storm for their prey. Soon they saw the
ground approaching and arched back up. Now they saw fighters, but these were
their own, bearing warn-off devices. Deprived of legitimate prey, the missiles
took themselves straight up to safely self-destruct.