Page 45 of Lhora
Intercepted
“This is the Coltrosstian warshipUripihailing the Coltrosstian frigateBeccan!By the order of the Sarpen, dismiss your cannons! Acknowledge! Dismiss your cannons!”
“The plug I will!” Lon snarled. “The moment I do, the Tra’Mell could wipe us out of the skies! Open frequency to theUripi!”
Deppil reached for the switch when the ship lurched hard to port. No one needed a second guess what had happened.
“Tra’Mell have attached boarding tubes to our hull!” Fobi cried out.
“Fire cannons!”
“Firing cannons!” Fobi responded.
TheBeccanshuddered from the simultaneous discharge. Although Lhora couldn’t see the results of the impact herself, the Vadris viewed the ship’s destruction through the protective bubble above the bridge. He threw out a hand. “Hold fire!”
“Vadris, theUripiis hailing us again!”
“Open frequency.Uripi!This is Vadris Lon helming the Coltrosstian frigateBeccan!”
“Vadris Lon, this is Sarpen Duren. Dismiss your cannons immediately!You are under arrest and your ship is now under my jurisdiction!” Duren coldly announced. “You ha—”
“Vadris, we’re under attack! The Tra’Mell are boarding us!”
“All hands! Defense positions!”
Lhora bolted from her seat to take the ladders down to the lower hold where the Tra’Mell were pouring into the ship. She heard the metallic clang of swords and the screams of men long before she reached the deck where the gun ports were located.
She drew both her sword and dagger before jumping down into the fray. A Tra’Mellian immediately appeared and tried to mow her down with a swipe of his armored claws. She blocked the appendages, then turned and lunged upward. Her sword’s honed edge found the rim where one plate overlapped another in its armor. It smoothly slid between them, and she felt the satisfying jar as she sliced into the thing’s upper leg. The Tra’Mellian gave an ear-piercing shriek and swung with its other claw. This time, because her shurr sword had tasted the enemy’s flesh, she felt it angle slightly as she brought it up and around again. The sword found a chink between the metal sections and buried itself deep into the muscle.
The creature screamed. With both claws disengaged, it gave her a look she took as disbelief before she rotated around, bringing the sword sideways at an angle. With one practiced move, she dropped the dagger to her belt and grasped the shurr’s hilt with both hands. The Tra’Mellian attempted to back away, but its way was blocked by others. At the last moment it tried to duck, and Lhora felt the sword sink into its neck. The weapon sliced into flesh and cartilage, and proceeded to shear through the thing’s bony exoskeleton, finally exiting partway down its body.
Gasping for breath, she reared back, her sword dripping as she watched the thing writhe in pain. The blade hummed, sending its vibrations up her arm and throughout her body. It was ready to take on the enemy in full-throated attack mode. With great difficulty, she managed to tamp down the sword’s demand. She couldn’t release it now, and definitely not here in this cramped space. The weapon’s effect would endanger all of them, and not just the enemy.
“Lhora!”
The sound of her name jerked her attention away from the dying alien just as a claw managed to snag her ankle. She lifted the sword to cut herself free, when the Tra’Mell raised its limb, lifting her off the ground. Lhora found herself hanging upside-down and twirling around as the creature reached for her with two more arms.
From the corner of her eye she spotted a figure coming toward her, but she had to keep her attention on the alien preparing to snip her into pieces. Lifting her sword, she also grabbed the edge of her shirt and wrapped it around her hand. Taking hold of the shurr’s tip with her wrapped hand, she swung it behind her head, then brought it forward in chopping motion as she simultaneously bent upward to apply more thrust. Because the shurr had already tasted the creature’s outer shell, it had no trouble biting between the metal plates, then slicing through fabric and bone to burrow into the alien’s meaty musculature.
The thing threw her aside as it tried to deal with the damage she’d done to it. Lhora hit the bulkhead just as a figure stepped in front of her and shielded her from view. Duren cast her a cursory glance to see how badly injured she was. She shook her head to let him know she was all right, and scrambled to her feet.
She paused to take in the scene as she prepared herself to go after the next Tra’Mellian to cross her path, but the brief fight was already winding down. With their ship destroyed, or disabled to the point where it was no longer space-worthy, and much of its crew killed or incapacitated, the Tra’Mell were no longer a threat. Not at the moment.
“Vadris to bridge!” Lon shouted from the other side of the deck. Like her, the man dripped dark brown ichor from the aliens, but she also spotted a reddish stain going down one arm.
“Bridge!”
“On my order, head for Beinight!”
“Belay that order!” Duren yelled. “Vadris Lon, you’re under arrest—” He suddenly stiffened, his face going slack before he collapsed onto the deck.
Lon looked up to see Lhora standing behind the man, her sword still raised from where she’d coldcocked the Sarpen on the back on the head with her hilt. Noticing the man’s surprised expression, she yelled, “Seal those tubes and let’s get the plug out of here!”
Lon nodded and gestured to his men. “Seal the tubes!”
“What about the Coltrosstian ships?” someone called out.
“Plug ‘em! Memfri! Those tubes!” Lon ordered.
