The Starwolves (17 page)

Now the fighters themselves dispersed and closed to attack. Two oriented on
each of the Starwolves, while the remaining three continued on toward the city.
Ignoring the fighters moving in on their tails, Dveyella and Velmeran dove
after the three strays, intent upon stopping them before they found the
transport. Velmeran nudged his ship on ahead, centering a heavy barrage on the
three fighters and destroying two before the third evaded and ran. He quickly
dived after it, while Dveyella obligingly shot a fighter off his own tail
before turning her attention to the pair following her.

Velmeran's remaining pursuer moved in close, trying to penetrate his shields
with its ineffective cannons. He ignored it for the moment, concentrating on
the fleeing fighter ahead. Its pilot, reckless with either determination or
fear, dove straight toward the rocky heights above the city. Velmeran clipped
its rear engines just short of that dubious safety, sending the little ship
spinning out of control. Velmeran skimmed the barren edge of a ridge, pulling
up abruptly as a towering peak rose suddenly out of the darkness. The fighter
behind tried to mimic that move, only to find that it could not match the
precise control. It deflected off a wall of rock to fall end over end into the
valley below.

Dveyella had taken one of her attackers with her ship's rear cannon, turning
on the other so savagely that it could not even evade. Aware that Velmeran was
somewhere far below, she rose alone to meet the second wing of fighters. She
strafed them freely, catching two before the others dispersed. She chose her
prey quickly, a pair of fighters trying to circle around to the north, leaving
the others for Velmeran to catch when they reached him.

She moved in from the side. But at the very last instant they turned as one
and drove straight at her, almost as if they meant to ram. Too late to open
fire, Dveyella tried to turn away. Her atmospheric shield pierced one fighter,
ripping it apart. Its four underwing missiles exploded barely fifty meters
ahead of her ship, and she had no choice but to follow straight through the
core of that white-hot cloud.

Bits of metal, caught up in her shield, rang against the hull of her ship.
An instant later it was through the debris, scorched but whole. Dveyella had
not fared so well. Even through the mirrorized windows of her fighter, that
flash had been brilliant.

"Was that you?" Velmeran asked over com.

"Did you see that?" she asked.

"It was a funny color for lightning."

"I will be flying blind for another minute. Can you watch for me?"

"There is one on your tail right now."

"I know it," she said. She could sense the Union fighters; her
concern was for running into the ground. The fighter on her tail was closing
cautiously, its pilot aware that something was wrong. She teased it in and
deftly winged it with her rear cannon.

"We are finished here," Threl reported. "How is your
vision?"

"Clearing fast," she reported.

"Then we are on our way out. Try not to shoot us as we pass."

"After that remark, you should worry!" Dveyella retorted.
"Valthyrra, how is the traffic up there? I sense confusion overhead."

"Fighters and stingships are scattered far and wide," the ship
replied. "But we have them on the run. Nothing big cleared the docks. Mind
the stingships, though."

"Right. Velmeran, take the lead," she instructed. "Punch a
hole in anything you meet, unless it is dressed in black. I will bring up the
rear."

Velmeran fell in ahead of the transport, widening his lead to several
kilometers as they accelerated straight up toward open space, while Dveyella
moved in as close as she could behind the larger ship. The single remaining
fighter gave chase but was quickly left behind. In a last, desperate move it
fired all four of its missiles. The pilot, learning from past mistakes, kept
them under the superior control of his fighter's on-board guidance system.

The path out was not as open as they would have liked. Three stingships in
close formation were closing quickly, and help was still too far away to
prevent it. The three wolf ships were still forcing their way clear of the
upper atmosphere, and were fairly easy targets. Already the Union ships were
bringing their long noses around to align their cannons.

"They are about to open fire," Velmeran warned.

"This old hulk has a few guns that should surprise them," Threl
said. "Spread out so that we can all open up. Dveyella, we need your
cannons up front just now."

"Make it quick," she replied. "There are missiles just ten
seconds behind me."

The three ships moved slightly out of line, each one orienting on a
different target. Both groups opened fire at almost the same instant, but the
Starwolves had the advantage of deadlier aim and better shields. They opened
the hole they needed and went through.

"So much for what lies ahead. What about those missiles?" Velmeran
asked. The Kelvessan could not sense such missiles or any type of combustion
engines, only the high-energy emissions of crystal drives and conversion
generators.

"They fell away," Dveyella replied. "They do not have much range.
If those things had real engines, they might almost be deadly."

"We are clear, then," Velmeran said. "Home?"

"Lead the way," she answered.

* * * *

Valthyrra Methryn directed the returning group into the upper left landing
bay, one of the two abandoned upper bays that were only just being restored to
service. The three ships shot into the bay like animals into a den. The
transport went in first, coming in quickly to settle in the middle of the
flight deck, and the smaller ships set down to either side of it only a moment
later. Valthyrra brought in racks for the fighters immediately as spare bay
personnel moved in swiftly to lock them down. Two pairs of overhead arms,
normally used in transporting racks, were brought forward to pin the transport
to the deck. The Methryn was at battle alert, and she could not have unsecured
ships on her decks.

The small group waiting to one side approached as soon as the ships began to
unseal. Any thoughts that Keth might have had of a triumphant return and warm
welcome were quickly dashed. Mayelna and Valthyrra, in one of her usual
remotes, went immediately around the front of the transport to Velmeran's
fighters, followed by a small group of technicians and Dyenlerra, the chief
medic. The younger members of his pack, dressed for battle, silentiy brought up
the rear.

Velmeran had just finished unstrapping when he looked up to see this group
descending upon him, not unlike wolf ships descending upon any unwary
freighter. His first impulse was to seal the cockpit. Only Consherra was
missing from this group of worried mothers; the first officer had been left in
command of the bridge. He used the overhead bars to pull himself out of the
cockpit and descended the steps of the boarding ladder to meet them.

"Hold up a moment," Mayelna ordered, and waved a technician ahead
of her.

"He took a shot dead center of the control panel," the tech said
as he inspected the damage. He carefully pried open the panel and pulled down
the cracked mirror, only to have it come out in his hand. He slipped it into a
pocket before he bent to inspect the controls. "Just a good, hard knock...
must have kicked something loose. If the cooling is still in operation –
which is obvious – then the shot could have done him no harm."

"I could have told you that," Velmeran said.

"Hypermetabolism," Dyenlerra offered by way of explanation.
"It is not uncommon for our kind to go quite some time unaware of injuries
we have received. Pilots fly entire battles, unaware that their suits are
immobilizing broken bones."

Velmeran looked surprised. "Bones? Can our ships fly after impacts that
could break our bones?"

The medic only shrugged. "I did not say that it happens often. Just
take off that armor somewhere and tell me what you find underneath."

"A leading statement if I ever heard one," Valthyrra remarked.

"Just a moment," Mayelna said, holding him back as the others
hurried to check upon the rest of the returning members. "Well, you seem
to have come through that one all right."

"So I did," Velmeran agreed guardedly. "I am pleased with the
results. Did Valthyrra accomplish what she set out to prove?"

Mayelna caught her breath so sharply that she choked. "What would you
know of that? What do you believe Valthyrra's motive was in contriving
this?"

Velmeran shrugged. "How should I know? I have only been given to wonder
if she means to get rid of me."

"Do you mean... she thought... you might stay in special tactics?"
she asked, visibly shaken by the thought. "But... why?"

"For being too popular," he replied. "A child prodigy among
pack leaders, and a cause of dissension among the veterans. Political exile,
you might say. Does that surprise you? I just might go, if Dveyella still wants
me."

"Well, you are certainly free to go, if that is what you want,"
the Commander said sharply. "But I honestly doubt that Valthyrra has any
such plans. And you certainly will not leave this ship without my having
something to say about it!"

"I suppose that we will have to wait and see," Velmeran answered,
although he was no longer certain what to think.

"I am going to take Keth aside as soon as I can," Mayelna
continued as they turned to join the others. "Do not say it! I do not want
to hear what you consider your duty. I am one of Keth's contemporaries, nearly
his own age. Meran, this means putting an end to a career that has spanned
three centuries. He will not want to hear it from a twenty-five-year-old kid
who has his whole career yet ahead of him. It would be too easy for him to
think that you could have no understanding or sympathy for him, an old wolf
being chased out of the pack by the cubs."

"I can see that, contrived analogies notwithstanding," Velmeran
agreed reluctantly. "You do it."

"Besides, I have come up with an alternative," Mayelna added.
"Do you think that Keth suffers from any failings that would make him an
untrustworthy teacher?"

"No, Keth's problem is in his bones, not in his head," Velmeran
replied thoughtfully. "In fact, that conceit of his always made the
students think that he is better than he ever was. That could be important, if
a retired pilot is to maintain the respect of his students."

As they passed in front of the transport, they found Dveyella standing a few
paces from the nose of her fighter, wearing a thoughtful expression as she
stared at the little ship. The cause of her concern was obvious; the fighter,
once matte black, was now a dusty black-gray. It was badly scorched from the
explosion it had passed through, and such damage was enough to retire this
ship. Too much of its machinery, particularly wiring and hoses near the
surface, would have been damaged by the heat. The quartz glass in the windows
and focusing lenses would have been weakened, as well as the seals around the
canopy and panels.

Valthyrra hovered nearby, the snakelike neck of her probe stretched to its
limit as she inspected the damage. "How long have you had this ship?"

"Three years now," Dveyella replied. "Our ships have a rather
limited life expectancy."

"So it would seem," Valthyrra agreed. "I can refit this one
as a trainer. But you will need a new one, for your line of work."

"And a very dangerous line of work it would seem," Mayelna added
as she walked up behind them. "It cost you a ship and Velmeran a suit of
armor."

"Ah, but this was an easy one!" Dveyella insisted. "We did
what we intended and returned safe. A good run indeed."

"Good?" Mayelna asked in disbelief.

"A bad one is when they shoot the fins off your ship, so that you
bounce through space like a ball," she said quietly, indicating Baress.
"Velmeran surprised me, if I may say so without embarrassing him greatly.
He thinks quicker than I do, and he will be better than I am in a very short
time. With a couple of years experience behind him, he will lead this pack. To
be frank, I want him."

Valthyrra's neck snapped around so fast that the hinges popped. "You
want him? Are you asking that I transfer him to you? Right now?"

"Not right now," Dveyella said, hiding a smile with effort.
"I have only just indicated that I would take him, and I would allow him
time to decide."

"It is his decision," Mayelna agreed.

"He is also my best pilot," Valthyrra said, glancing at the
Commander in a manner that indicated a fierce glare. "I have plans for
him, and I would not willingly part with him. I have no replacement for
him."

"It is, of course, his decision," Mayelna said again.

Velmeran, who had remained silent so far, watched in fascination and
amusement. Valthyrra Methryn was so agitated that he almost expected to see
smoke escaping from the cowling around her retractable neck.

"Yes, and he does not have to decide soon," Dveyella added.
"Several weeks may pass before we are requested somewhere else, and it is
customary that we remain where we are until then."

"That is true," Valthyrra agreed quickly, her camera pod lifting
hopefully. She turned to look at the larger group standing to one side of the
scorched fighter. Dyenlerra had moved in on Keth, and had already attached a
portable diagnostic unit to the leads inside the control panel of his suit.
"I want to thank you for returning our merchandise safely. Now let us see
if it has suffered from its rough handling."

The entire pack was gathered close, silent as they awaited the medic's
judgment. Keth himself bore a pained expression of barely restrained
impatience, obviously of a mind that all this was unnecessary. Dyenlerra
appeared equally exasperated with her patient's unwillingness to cooperate.