Hammer and Crucible by Cameron Cooper (easy books to read txt) 📗

“More of Wedekind’s brilliance, perhaps,” I said. I turned back to examine Sh’Klea Sine. “The docks are internal. We can’t see who is there.”

The view was overlaid by a bulleted list that scrolled slowly. “The current list of registrations of ships berthed at Sh’Klea Sine,” Lyth said.

“You are still working on finding Chang and Moroder, aren’t you?” I asked him.

“Absolutely,” he assured me. Then he added, “You’ve noticed the Imperial registrations in the list, yes?”

I turned back to the list of ship names hanging in the air in front of us, over the twinkling city. “None of them are familiar to me, but it’s been a while. Pick them out for me and tell me their classifications.”

Four names were highlighted. “They’re all falcon class,” Lyth said.

“Dreadnoughts,” Juliyana concluded, with a heavy sigh. “Waiting for us?”

“Sh’Klea Sine is the financial and banking capital of the empire. It’s unlikely four dreadnoughts would pull up beside it for shore leave, not all at once,” I said. “They don’t know we can see ahead to our exit,” I added.

“They’re waiting for us,” Juliyana said.

“Lyth,” I said. “What regiment do the dreadnoughts belong to?”

“The seventh.”

Law enforcement. “It’s a good bet they’re there for us,” I said. “Only how they know we’re coming…” That was another impossible problem for another time. “We can’t linger when we arrive,” I added. “No matter how much Dalton wants us to. We’re going to have to turn on a molecule and dive right back into another hole.”

“Dalton can’t handle that sort of flying,” Lyth said. “Not yet.”

“Then we pack him in a shell until we’re back in the hole.”

“He won’t like that,” Juliyana said.

“He won’t like not being in a shell more,” I replied. “I’ll break it to him,” I added.

16

We were both right. Dalton complained and bellyached even when he was in the shell Lyth had prepared for him on the bridge. It wasn’t the captain’s shell in front of the windows, but one just off to the side. Combat shells let the soldier remain upright and on their feet until gravity itself pushed them into the shell and cushioned the force. Most of the time, I had forgotten that the cushioned wall at my back was actually an inertia shell, ready to take over and shield me when needed. In all my years of active ship duties, I had never once had to use the shell. The crush juice had been up to the task.

“Sixty seconds,” Lythion warned from overhead as Lyth set the controls on the shell.

“At the most, you’ll feel ten percent above one gee,” Lyth told Dalton. “The shell won’t automatically render you unconscious.”

“Thank the fuck for that,” Dalton said heavily and relaxed into the shell.

I thought I understood his frustration. He’d been relying on his own resources for a long time. Now he had to let go and let us get him out of trouble.

“Don’t fuss, Dalton,” I told him, keeping my voice airy and unconcerned. “This is a basic maneuver. We’ll be back in the hole so fast, you won’t have time to take a breath.”

“Actually, it will take forty-seven seconds to—”

“Not now.”

“Yes, Captain.”

Dalton scowled even harder.

“Emerging,” Lyth warned.

I rested my shoulders against the cushion behind me, bracing myself. From the corner of my eye, I could see Juliyana settling against the shell by the console I had designated as the weapons console.

The blank nothingness of the hole was replaced by a starfield and a blinding white sun, before the screen polarized and the sun become an orange disk. Dazzled, I blinked my eyes. “Around and back in, Lyth. As tight as you can.”

The reaction engines made the ship vibrate under my feet. With the full navigation grid online, the ship was shivering with eagerness to move. The sun slid to our left, moving out of sight, as the ship turned in a tight arc.

I could feel my body trying to move to the left, too. I braced my feet and ignored it.

Sine III came into view, a bright jewel of a planet with a deadly atmosphere. Sh’Klea Sine hung above it.

“Any movement from the landing bays?” I called.

“All four bay doors are on alert,” Lyth said. He stood next to Dalton’s shell, his gaze ahead. Then he snapped upright.

“Incoming traffic!” Lythion said, his tone urgent.

“Hold on!” Lyth added.

Incoming meant a ship was emerging from the gate behind us. Normally it wouldn’t be an issue. Normal ships emerged, then raced at best speed toward the city. We had looped around, though, and were very nearly facing back the way we’d come. In a few seconds, we would see the gate we had just emerged from…which put us directly in the path of the ship which had just emerged.

“Swing under it!” I shouted. “Then up into the gate behind it! Move it!”

The twin noses of the ship dipped—I saw brighter stars rise above them. The Lythion maintained the hard circle, even as it dipped.

Three seconds later, the ship we were dodging came into view, the massive gate behind it. Matte black, sleek and deadly.

“It’s a carrier!” Dalton shouted.

“Their cannon is adjusting,” Juliyana added, her tone calm. She slid her fingers over the console, preparing.

“Do not fire,” I said urgently. “Do not provoke them.” We could still slide under them. We were so close we had the element of surprise on our side. The carrier would think we were attacking, right until we ducked under them. It was too large to turn as fast and tight as we were. We’d be back in the hole before they figured out what we were doing.

“Ten seconds until we pass under them,” Lyth warned.

The cannon was pointing directly at us now, a black, deadly snout. Nothing showed in the black throat, yet.

Even to me, it seemed as though we would ram the carrier. My breath caught and held. I griped the edge of my shell, wondering if Lyth had miscalculated. At the very last second, we grazed under the carrier. If we had