Page 77 of Lhora
Every Beinight battleship and cruiser simultaneously blasted the area. The sky exploded into hues from bright blues to nearly florescent greens. The air around them shook from the concussions as the Tra’Mellian shields fought to hold, but the sudden barrage by so many vessels firing at them, it was only a matter of seconds before their shields fell.
His intuition had been correct. The Tra’Mell hadn’t raised their shields in order to cover their escape. They’d shielded themselves to wait out the Beinight fleet so they could strike again when it was least expected.
“Continue firing!” Duren cried out.
The blues and greens became burnt reds and vivid yellows as the weapons breached the hulls and reacted to the Tra’Mellians’ store of ammunition. Duren punched the hand-size button below the bubble’s rim, and the transparency took on an opalescent hue to protect their eyes from the bursts of brightness.
The deck leaped upward. The ship tilted nose-downward. Instinctively, Duren threw an arm over the balustrade, saving himself from being thrown forward at the last second.
“They’ve hit our rudder!” Fobi shouted. “We’ve lost all ability to steer!”
“Who’s they?”
Jorm stared pale-faced at the Sarpen. “The Coltrosstians. Our own people are firing at us!”
“Goddesses plug them! Open—”
“Communications open to the Coltrosstian ships!” Deppil yelled.
“To all Coltrosstian ships! This is your Sarpen! Cease fire!Cease fire,crob you!”
His order was answered with another direct strike that took out the mizzen mast and sails.
“They’re not going to comply,” Vadris Lon stated. “Their loyalties lie with the Sarpi.”
“They’re going to keep firing,” Pullid remarked.
“Seems we’ve become their primary target,” Lon added. “I’m betting they were hoping to take out our magazine, and let it destroy us for them.”
The man was right. “Evasive action!” Duren ordered. “Vadris, take us down as easy as possible.”
“Down?”
“Get us on Beinight soil. Now.”
From the corner of his eye he saw Lon frantically turning the big wheel as the man replied, “Sinking now.”
A sense of weightlessness overtook him as the ship dropped hard and fast toward the planet. Above their heads, he watched the bombardment continue as the Tra’Mellian armada was pounded into space dust. But Duren knew it wasn’t the entire Tra’Mellian fleet. Neither would he be surprised to learn that a few enemy ships managed to get away before the salvo began.
Keeping his grip on the railing, he looked down at the holo globe. More specifically, on the pulsing white dot that was theBeccanas it plummeted to the ground.
“Deppil, tell the Beinights to cease fire and return to planetside immediately. And tell our crew to brace for impact!”
35
Rescue
She thought she heard someone call out her name. Lhora peeled her eyes open to find herself still encased within the bubble suit. She was buried underneath something that kept her in darkness except for tiny glints of light that managed to break through in random spots. In addition, somewhere above and behind her, a tiny red light reflected off the wrapping. She breathed a sigh of relief knowing the homing beacon remained functional. Hopefully it wouldn’t be long before someone honed in on it and came to rescue her.
Disorientation made her head pound. She deduced it was because she was either upside-down, or tilted at such an angle that made the blood rush to her head. She tried to move an arm and a leg, without luck. She sniffed. Fortunately, the air continued to flow, but for how much longer? The tank had a definite lifespan, but it generally was long enough for them to be retrieved by another ship. Or, if the distance was short, until they reached land.
Lhora!
She jerked her head up. There it was again.
No. It wasn’t a sound. It was a sensation. A feeling.
Closing her eyes, she called out with her heart and her mind.Father!
