Hearts Of Men (Too Old To Die Book 2), page 21
Barty was right about one thing. The halls seemed to clear out. Drones made good time toward their destination… and their deaths. Whether or not they could depart before the whole place turned into a cinder was another matter entirely. But they had a long way to go and time was running out.
Chapter 14
Ethyl winced when she saw the Veldon shuttles putting down in the mining facility. Fortunately, they’d all landed, though she couldn’t believe they’d be so stupid. If their vessel had the firepower, they’d pick them off easily enough, ensuring the ground troops had nowhere to go.
Weapon fire lit up the enclosed space as humans tried to fend off the enemy. Ethyl had been on the wrong side of such an invasion before. She didn’t envy those people, even with their home turf advantage. Knowing the mining tunnels wouldn’t matter if they lacked proper defenses.
“Slow us down,” Alfred said. “I’m getting a good scan…”
“Are you insane?” Ethyl asked. “I feel like I’ve either thought that or asked that way too many times in the last few hours. Those assholes take off, and we’re in real trouble!”
“They don’t look like normal Veldon,” Alfred replied, “so I need to get a scan of their armor. Their weapons. Notice that the only lights you see are coming from the home team. Either the aliens aren’t shooting back or they’ve got something else going on. And I’m kind of fascinated. Aren’t you?”
“No! Of course I’m not. I don’t even want to be here! I’m swooping down over these trees so we can save some no name asshole for what? The promise of a reward we can’t even define? I think you forgot what we do. Because this… it’s all way too elaborate.” Ethyl frowned. “You haven’t turned patriot on me, have you?”
“What? What do you mean?”
“All this shit. Are you lying to get me to help you because you want to be some kind of hero to the cause?”
“If that were the case,” Alfred said, “I couldn’t tell you. It would ruin the whole point of lying. Anyway, take a look at this. The armor of those—”
“Shh!” Ethyl held up her hand. “One of those damn shuttles is taking off. Do you have a fix on this corporal lady? Cause we gotta leg it if we don’t want to end up in the same situation.” She hit the thrusters, taking them down into the trees. Branches cracked around them, slapping the cockpit window as they proceeded forward.
“I do! But are you sure this is wise?”
“Shields are up,” Ethyl said, “and they ain’t shootin’ so I’d say we’re in a good place.”
“You aren’t exactly a crack pilot!” Alfred hissed, turning his head away as they veered hard to the right. “You’ve got the coordinates for Tesh! Get us there in one piece!”
Scans lit up, showing two red dots moving in their general direction. I’m flattered. Those Veldon pricks scanned us and thought it might take two of them. Ethyl rolled her eyes. This is so stupid. We’re probably going to get the shit blown out of us. Unless she came up with a way to distract them.
“Got a shitty idea,” Ethyl said, “you’d better hope it works.” She flipped on the weapons, firing the forward maneuvering thrusters so the ship tilted downward.
“What the hell are you doing?” Alfred held fast to his seat. “Are you crazy?”
“Oh,” Ethyl replied. She pulled the trigger. “Now you know how it feels to be with a wild person.” She spun in a circle, tearing through the foliage. Combined with the thrusters, she built up a decent fire. She leveled out, continuing to shoot until the flames started seriously raging. “There.” They got underway again.
“There?” Alfred threw his hands up. “As if you’ve just done something that makes sense? What is going on? What’s that going to do?”
“The ships didn’t have a visual on us,” Ethyl said, “now they have to wonder what happened. Any delay will save our lives.” She gestured with her head off in the distance. “Seems like they’re blowing stuff up all over the place. Some kinda structure off to the south, something smaller nearby. I’m thinking they’ll want to see what happened here.”
“And if they don’t?”
“Then I caught a forest on fire that’s going to be useless soon anyway with these dumbasses running around.” Ethyl shrugged. “You’d better pray it helps though because I’m not above reminding you that this is your fault.”
“Trust me, I regret it!” Alfred gestured wildly at the scanner. “They’re still coming!”
“They haven’t even gotten to the part where I burned yet!” Ethyl shook her head. “How’d you become a damn pirate? You’re twitchy.”
“We don’t deal with Veldon!”
Ethyl sighed. I have a bad feeling he’s going to find a way to blame this on me. For Christ’s sake, this guy. If he hadn’t managed to get her through some tough times, she would’ve been plotting how to get out of his company. He might still be on to something. As long as we get away from the invaders.
A green light appeared on her scanner, just to the north a little ways. Ethyl cut that direction, going low again toward a clearing. “I’ll have to put down here so your friend better start moving this way. You got her on the comm? Of course you do. That woman needs to move. And when she’s aboard, put her on the turret.”
“What? Why? We have the other—”
“Because we’re going to be running!” Ethyl interrupted. “You know what, from now on I’m in charge when we’re flying and you can be the idea guy on how to make money. Do what I said. I’m not playing around anymore.” She kicked on the landing gear, veering around so the rear of the ship faced the direction of their potential passengers.
It also gave her a frontal view of the enemy ships should they decide to come after her. I wonder why they care about a couple refugees… or if we escape. Most of the galaxy had to know about their attack already. What did they have to hide? Doesn’t matter to me. That’s on Alfred. My only goal is to get us the hell out of here.
In a few minutes, she’d have her wish.
***
Tesh brought Erda with her as she hit the ground. A shuttle whizzed by, one of the Veldon vessels, she thought. It circled, then headed back toward the mining facility. She crawled to a boulder, pulling herself up to watch it land. Once it descended out of sight, she helped her companion stand.
“What was that?” Erda asked. “That hurt!”
“Sorry,” Tesh muttered, “did you not see the ship?”
“I did, but all the trees… and the foliage! What were they going to do?”
“Kill us.” Tesh looked at her computer. The screen had a crack in it. “Son of a bitch! These are supposed to be armored! This shouldn’t be able to happen! Wow!”
“Does it still work?”
Tesh tapped it. The screen flickered then came back on. “Yeah, mostly.” A green dot approached. Static burst from the speaker. Ambassador Chance’s voice broke through, saying something about a clearing. Afterward, a mark appeared a few hundred yards away. Waypoint? Shit, we have to run.
“Did you find something important? Is that helpful?”
“Kind of.” Tesh grabbed his arm. “We have to run now. Get through these trees to a rendezvous point.”
“What’re they going to do? Take us out of here?”
“That’s the plan.”
“But with those shuttles…” Erda gestured behind him. “Surely, they’ll chase down some ambassador’s ship and take it down! How are we going to get out of here safely?”
“Leave that to the pilot. Besides, we don’t have a choice either way. We go now, or we run around here until we die.” Tesh waved at him to hush. “Focus on running.” They picked up the pace, hopping over downed trees and boulders. Leaving cover didn’t feel like a good idea, even if the Veldon were busy.
Her device vibrated. A glance showed red dots on the move again. Heavy weapons discharged, competing with the sound of thrusters overhead. She glanced over her shoulder, watching as trees erupted into flames. They spread fast, moving toward the facility first, though the breeze would help consume the forest fast enough.
Erda shouted something, and didn’t stop despite the fact they were in a full-on sprint. She slowed down as they reached the edge of the woods, near the clearing marked on her map. Smoke fell over them, carried by the wind. Tesh pulled him into a crouch. His panting turned to coughing.
“Get down lower,” Tesh said, “try to take short breaths. Shallow.” The ambassador’s ship roared overhead, spinning around as it put down. The ramp dropped.
A woman shouted over a loudspeaker, “It’s now or never! Get your asses aboard! Fast!”
“That’s us,” Tesh said as she grabbed Erda, dragging him along. He struggled, stumbling after her as he hacked and wheezed. Orange particles swirled around them, stirred up from the engines. The Veldon ships came in their direction. They began a strafing run. “Jump!”
Tesh threw herself toward the ramp. She landed just inside. Erda collapsed beside her, rolling on his back. She grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt, dragging him the rest of the way into the cargo area. “Go!” she screamed, “we’re aboard!”
The ship took off while the ramp closed. They took the brunt of the attack run from at least one of the two Veldon vessels. The nose tiled up, sending Tesh and Erda to slam against the ramp. They were pressed there by g-force as the main thrusters engaged.
Holy shit! They’re going straight for orbit from this point? Must be worse than I thought. Tesh struggled to pull her companion to the edge of the bay. There, she tethered herself by one of the cargo straps then did the same for Erda. At least we won’t get tossed around too much. She clung to the rack, wrapping her arms around it.
This is going to be the worst ride since the escape pod. Hopefully, it wouldn’t end the same way. We won’t survive a crash this time. Not with those shuttles all over us. Come on, whoever you are. Be amazing.
***
Alfred couldn’t remember the last time he’d been pinned to his seat by g-force. His escapes tended to be sneaking out during a shift change where they had to be casual. Flying like a bat out of hell drew attention. It could even flag a vessel for its next destination, causing more problems.
Yet in this case, they had no choice. And his frame was not designed for the trauma of it. The pain started in his ribs. It felt like they might be crushed from the force, then his neck, which he couldn’t move at all. He managed to turn his head, struggling to shout over the rattling of metal all around him.
“Is… any of that… normal?” Much to his frustration, she seemed to be fine. Pressed into her seat, yes. But her expression didn’t show any sign of discomfort.
“Yep,” Ethyl replied. “All is normal.” The ship shook violently. “That wasn’t.”
“What happened?”
“We got shot,” Ethyl said. She widened her eyes, exaggerating her expression, “Oh my God, we’re gonna die! Shit, however will we make it with enemies shooting at us? Maybe someone shoulda thought of that before we went down to the planet crawling with alien bastards or somethin’.”
“You’re not remotely funny!” The force eased up. “Why am I more comfortable?”
“Artificial gravity can fend off some of the turbulence at this altitude.” Ethyl veered hard to the left then back to course, performing a barrel roll. “I can tell you this, our friends in the cargo bay ain’t happy right now. I hope they were smart enough to tether down or they’re done.”
“Then why the hell would you do it?”
“Because we’ve got two ships on us, and if I recall, I told you to get one of those people on the turret! Since you didn’t, I’ve gotta do all the work by fleeing.” Ethyl glanced at him. “But don’t feel too bad. The scans suggest our guns wouldn’t have done much to them anyway. Probably would’ve been a waste of power.”
Alfred shifted in his seat. He turned to the scanner, noting they were, indeed, still being pursued. The larger of the ships redirected as well though they were far enough away that they shouldn’t be a problem. Not if they left the region quickly. He waved at Ethyl without looking up from his screen.
“What?” Ethyl asked.
“Get us out of here!”
Ethyl scoffed. “Where am I going? Do you have coordinates? Any idea where we should be going?”
“Anywhere but here!”
“I know you’re freakin’ out,” Ethyl said, “but you remember it don’t work like that. You bring up a path.” She pulled the flight stick toward her, climbing abruptly. Despite the swiftness of the maneuver, it didn’t impact them. “I’d make it fast. Those two ships are state of the art. And yes, I’m gathering data on them.”
Footsteps came up from behind. A young woman entered the bridge. “That,” she said, “was not the most comfortable ascent.”
“Thought not,” Ethyl replied, “you should sit down. I’m Ethyl. That’s Alfred. And you must be Tesh. We’re glad to meet you. Right now, we’re working on getting the hell out of here though.”
“Send a message,” Tesh said, “or I can do it. I’ve got the encoding from the last one I sent. We can try to find someone to help us. Get some rendezvous coordinates or something. Anything so we’re not out here wondering what to do next. I’m sure it’ll work.”
“Why?” Ethyl asked.
“It has to?” Tesh shrugged.
“Oh.” Ethyl nodded. “Hope is good, I guess.”
“I’m on it,” Alfred announced. “Ethyl, you’ve got coordinates for the next destination. Get us out of here. That capital ship will be in firing range within two minutes at this rate. How are our shields?”
“Thirty percent,” Ethyl said, “and dropping.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Alfred shouted, “are you kidding? Have they been shooting at us this whole time?”
“Hell yeah, they have! Why would they stop? Be happy we upgraded the shields or you would’ve noticed every single hit!”
“Just get us out of here.” Alfred used the code Tesh gave him to send a quick message, blasting it out to the entire region. No coordinates. Just a method for them to get in touch with us. That should be enough. Maybe my plan will work after all. The lights overhead began to flash. Or not. “What’s that?”
“Shields are about to drop,” Ethyl said, “and the big ass ship is on the verge of shooting. But…” She flipped a switch then plunged the throttle forward. The ship rumbled… the FTL drive kicked in. “We’re gone. See y’all later, ya Veldon sons of bitches!” She clapped her hands. “Yes! See what I’m talkin’ about? I got us out of there.”
“Yeah, you did great.” Alfred scowled at her. He turned to Tesh. “Welcome aboard, young lady. Let’s get you and your friend some medical attention. You can clean up as well. We’ve got a lot to talk about and plenty of work to do. But you’re safe now.” He glanced at Ethyl. “As safe as possible, at least.”
“That’s something.” Tesh stood. “I appreciate the save. More than you’ll ever know. We thought we were going to die down there.”
This lady will sing our praises when we meet up with some other authority. Totally sell our story. Alfred smiled. “No need to think about that anymore. Let’s go. Ethyl, I’ll relieve you later. Right now, I’m going to make sure our guests are comfortable.” And continue to think we’re the best things to ever happen to them.
***
Harold received a report from Reggie. One of the colonies, Barton’s Venture, sent out a broad message stating they’d been invaded by the Veldon. But the message came directly from a Corporal Sarah Tesh. Personnel confirmed she belonged to the EDF, one of the security forces assigned to the space station there.
The warning was meant to give other colonies a chance to escape. Harold took it as grim news. The Veldon had barely managed to finish waylaying Earth. Now they were on to colonies. And Barton’s Venture happened to be fairly fringe. Definitely not within the inner confines of the EDF influence.
Harold brought the Admiral up on the comm. “I’ve got some news.” He sent over the message. “Looks like the Veldon are pushing.”
“Of course they are,” Thomas said. “I’m about to have a word with the Minister. I’m hoping we’ll have a plan to get some assistance soon. I don’t know how far he got with my assessment of people that I thought might be good for diplomacy. I’m praying he’s got some ideas already.”
“Begging your pardon,” Harold replied, “but shouldn’t we just send people out? Franklin could go back to Korla space. Without the Minister—”
“Stow that,” Thomas warned. “Come to my office if you want to discuss those kind of options. Otherwise, we’re following protocol as closely as we can. What do you make of the situation with Barton’s Venture? I’ve been there once. It’s too remote to have been a second stop for the Veldon.”
“No, they definitely hit multiple places at once. Which is troubling because now we know they had enough military force to destroy our defensive fleets at Earth and take down at least one colony. Possibly more.” Harold paused. “Who is this Sarah Tesh anyway? The name rings a bell.”
“You might be thinking of her father. Colonel Ansel Tesh. He died in an engagement on the Korlas border a few years back. She comes from a long line of military people. I’ve served with several of them. The fact she thought about duty first, that she sent the message, that’s the kind of woman I’d expect from her lineage. It’s a shame she probably didn’t make it.”
“You don’t think?”
Thomas sighed. “How could she? Even sending that message had to be like signaling the Veldon to blast her position. And if she didn’t die in that scenario, how far could she get? No, at full strength, a security detail from the space station won’t be a match for an invasion force. I’m afraid we’ve probably lost a good soldier.”
Reggie sent a text message to Harold’s station. They were picking up another signal from the FTL beacon. One from an ambassador’s ship requesting rendezvous coordinates. It had also been blasted out on a coded channel for any human vessels or outposts that might be able to help them.
