Starfire Read online

  “Don’t you know it, grease boy!” For a moment, he heard a glimpse of the carefree girl she should have been, then her hand pulled free of his. “I’m ready to go here. What about you?” She sobered in readiness to begin the mission, and her eyes cooled as she changed gears, the shimmering violet turning flat as she became all combat-pilot before him.

  “Yeah, I’m ready, and Chowd gave me the all-clear on the secondary checks. Let’s get him into place. Once we exit hyperspace, we’ll have only seconds to launch so that we’re using the disturbance from the gate to mask our movements.”

  “Right. Do you want me to page him, or will you?” Her words were cool and professional, and he marveled that a woman with so little experience in combat could be so professional already. He’d known many experienced pilots who could react like this, but very few new ones.

  “You do it. I have a couple of things I need to grab, and we’ll rendezvous back here in, say, fifteen minutes? That way our window is about twenty minutes to launch.”

  A quick nod and she withdrew from him and headed out of the shuttle to use the intra-ship communication point. He watched her go and turned back to finish his task.

  * * * *

  “Exiting beta hyperspace now. Shuttle, be ready to launch on my mark... Mark!” Duvall’s voice filtered through the communications system of the shuttle. Jemma eased the throttle forward as the craft lifted from the shuttle bay floor.

  “Ready for launch. Drop the shields around the cargo bay.” She spoke as her gaze darted around, checking and double-checking the surroundings. “Bogey check?”

  “All looks clear, no emissions or radar showing.” The voice filled the cockpit as she waited for the final confirmation of clearance. “Shields are down, and you’re good for go.”

  The words were hard, and she felt the excitement thrum through her system. Jemma punched the throttle, and they shot through the opening.

  “Chowd, get that blocker on line,” Jemma muttered, and frowned. “Raven, keep an eye out for any unfriendlies. I’ll need as much notice as possible to maneuver this craft. We should be out of here before they can scan for us, but we can’t afford to take anything for granted.” Her words were tight and controlled, just like her movements on the controls. “Elector, we’re going to silent mode now. We’ll catch you on the other side. Cardnew out.” She clicked off the communications system. “Right, we’re on our own now. Hang tight, I’m about to run the tight elliptical path, then we’re going to take the dive.”

  She hit the thrusters, and they whined as she started the tight turn, the forces involved pushing them back against their seats from side to side. She could feel the safety belt holding her in position, cutting into her skin as it fought against the centrifugal forces. Her heart pounded. Not two years ago she wouldn’t have felt the rush of pushing a shuttle beyond its design specs, yet now here she was, spearheading this part of their mission.

  “Jem? Still no bogies that we can see, but it seems too easy. How quickly can you change trajectory once we’re committed to entry?” Chowd’s voice broke through her thoughts.

  “Yeah, I was thinking something similar. Grab the helm while I try something on the simulator.”

  She moved awkwardly out of the pilot’s seat, moving aside to let Chowd in, waiting until he was settled, his long legs stowed in front, the straps raking over his shoulders and clicking into place. Then she gave the voice command to transfer all piloting systems to him.

  Weaving around Raven’s legs and making her way to the small workstation located at the back of the cabin, she strapped in and started running simulations, her head running calculations even as she started the system. Watching the proposed trajectory for entry on the small holo-screen, Jemma turned the simulation results this way and that, looking for viable alternatives.

  They had descend into the canyon, then fly through it. That was the biggest tactical advantage they had. It was perilous to traverse under any circumstances, more so at the pace they’d need to travel, but nothing better flashed into her mind—no entry spots that would give them the opportunity of stealth, except the entry point she’d located initially above the largest body of water on the southern continent.

  She shook her head and rolled her shoulders, releasing as much tension as she could. “There have to be alternatives,” she muttered under her breath, and her hands started to fly over the keypad once more.

  “Jemma? We have a problem. I think we have been visually scouted.” Chowd’s grim voice broke her concentration. She swung her head around to look at him. She had thought him beautiful in the past, but in full warrior mode, he was scary. His eyes narrowed as he swung his head back toward her.

  “Are you sure?” Her voice was steady, calm even. Her hands hovered over the keypad.

  “I have scout mobility on the radar. The blocker is online and working optimally, so they shouldn’t have seen us. That’s the only way they could have worked out we’re on the way.” He paused and looked at her, one eyebrow quirking. “Unless...” He stopped once more.

  “Yeah, unless Meredith is right and they knew we were on the way. In which case, the entry point will be immaterial. What will be more important now is just how quickly I can fly this bucket to the contact point.” She finished the thought, and her gaze swung to Raven. “How much harder can we push this shuttle, beyond what we’re doing now?”

  “I expected that and have worked on tweaking every system to run on minimal power, so I can reroute the excess to the thrusters. I also ramped up a few things, including the secondary generators, while we were working on it. I believe we can safely increase its speed by around thirty-seven percent and perhaps as much as forty-five, but that’s then going to affect its maneuverability and structural integrity.”

  “Okay, structural integrity is going to be the biggest issue then. Increase the shielding and speed as much as you can, safely. Drop everything down to boost it except the enviro. Maneuverability is my domain, just tell me what systems you bleed before you do it, so I can compensate. There are some systems I can manage without, but give me a heads-up first, right?”

  He nodded, then she let him go back to his calculations.

  “Chowd? I need my seat back, and make sure your weapons systems are primed in case they’re needed,” she said. “Any viable alternatives are pretty much gone now, so we follow the original entry plan. Just with a bit more speed.”

  She sucked in a deep breath and focused as she always had, but in the back of her mind was the refrain Do what you have to and remember you’re expendable. She pushed the thought away. Now wasn’t the time to dwell on self-destructive thoughts.

  Once Chowd vacated the pilot’s seat, she slipped in, pulled the belt over her shoulders, and engaged the safety locks, regaining control of the shuttle. Chowd and Raven both made alterations at lightning speed, giving her extra thrust as she worked to compensate and push the shuttle faster toward the planet. It loomed now large on her viewscreen and a moment of disquiet bloomed.

  “Jemma? You okay?”

  She gulped, realizing she’d somehow radiated her fear to Raven. “Yeah. I’m good.” Jemma checked the radar to see the blips of the scout ships closing in. “Boys, it looks like we have incoming. Chowd, you ready back there?”

  “When you are, Jem.” His words were grim, and she focused on the scout ships that headed toward them.

  “Time to rock and roll. Hold on tight!” She pulled the throttle stick to the side and rolled the craft as the first shots were released toward the heaving shuttle. “Get the bastard, Chowd!” she yelled, and pulled the craft back to level before tugging the nose sharply up. The exchange of fire was narrow in her focus, and she heaved and bullied the shuttle through a range of moves.

  Up. Down. Around. Faster and faster while Chowd used the weapons with great accuracy. The craft took a hit and shuddered. “Damage report, Raven?” Her stomach tightened, and her palms grew damp. Her fingers cramped on the throttle stick, but she held on, firmly waiti
ng for the information.

  “Minimal. Shields took a five-percent knock starboard, at sector seven-A.” His voice steadied her. She focused again. This time was harder; knowing that the ship was limited and already flying beyond its original design concerned her, but they were committed with a job to do.

  They’d already taken out four of the ships thanks to Raven and Chowd’s work, and she was quietly thankful they weren’t spooks. She knew they couldn’t take them out, no matter how well she and Chowd had altered the shuttle.

  A hiss sounded and she sucked in an unsteady breath; the debris was causing issues with the trajectory they had to travel. “Focus on the lead ship, Chowd. It seems to be spearheading the attack.”

  Chowd grunted in response as she checked the radar.

  “Fuck! This one’s being difficult and I can’t change course easily now. Get a lock on the bastard, Chowd.” She pulled the stick again, and the ship creaked as she twisted it.

  Chowd fired off again but missed the ship. “He’s moving around too much, Jemma, and the computer is struggling to lock on. Raven, can you get a manual lock using the radar?” Chowd’s voice was harsh and strained.

  “Yeah, working it now...got it! Sending it to you now.” She heard him muttering behind her as they worked to lock onto the scout ship.

  “Got it!” Chowd called as they watched the ship in front of them disintegrate.

  “Last one then,” Jemma called back, having finally gotten behind it. It moved up and down, left and right. “Got a lock yet?” she demanded once more.

  “Nearly...there...just...a little more! Yes!” Chowd fired, clipping the right wing of the scout ship. “Barsha! That should have taken him out. Going again. Jem, can you pull her starboard... now!”

  She pulled once more on the stick, and Chowd took the shot. For a second, she thought it had missed and prepared to pull to the port side, then a ripple moved through the ship as it lit up, jagged lights rippling along the hull as it ignited from within then splintered, pieces of craft spinning out into space.

  “Well, that was a brief and intense flurry of excitement. Raven, I need a full damage report. Chowd, how are the weapons going?”

  “I’m stabilizing the starboard shield at seven-A, and we had thirteen-percent damage to the rear shield. That I can possibly get to around six percent, but I would need to do a physical repair to get it up to full rate again.” Raven’s voice sounded tense, and she looked around briefly. He hunched over his console, hands moving fast as he made the necessary changes to the shield formats.

  She smiled for a moment. God, he looked cool as a cucumber still, unlike her. She pulled her flight suit under the combat jacket away from damp skin. During the brief skirmish she had sweated on each move the shuttle had made.

  “Weapons systems are good. The modified laser banks are running at optimum.”

  “Good. Raven, can you grab me a water tube from the cooler box?” She waited as he unstrapped and moved to the back of the cabin, watching the slow and unhurried movements. Once he had handed it to her, he gripped her shoulder momentarily, and she accepted the quick kiss on the forehead. “Thanks,” she mumbled.

  He squeezed once more then moved back to his console.

  Flipping the tab on the top of the bottle, she took a long pull of the water then slipped the bottle into the holder, wiped her face, and rechecked the computer. “Entry in ten minutes. Make sure you’re strapped in and ready to go. It’s likely going to be a bumpy ride.” With that, she once more grabbed the controls and corrected the path of the shuttle toward her projected entry point.

  The shuttle flew toward the atmosphere, and she checked and rechecked her speed. Minor adjustments kept her mind and hands busy as they edged closer, the planet looming before her red and somehow menacing.

  She held the throttle tightly, matching it in time to the movements of the shuttle, washing off the speed of the entry, each movement no more than the gentlest nudge. The glare of the heat waves washing over the shields was almost blinding in their shimmering intensity, and the shuttle shuddered with the speed of entry.

  “Come on, baby, this won’t take all that long if you cooperate,” she crooned to the ship as she started another small turn, each movement employed to slow the flight of the shuttle just enough to keep it from disintegrating as they entered the atmosphere.

  The gray-tinged clouds of the lower atmosphere peeked just beyond the mesosphere.

  “Raven, how wide is the mesosphere again?” Her voice was still cool, knowing that this was one of the easier aspects of the mission.

  “Two-hundred-seventy-five kilometers,” he answered, his voice strained as he kept altering the shields to allow for the external strains on the small craft.

  “Okay, so we don’t have a lot of time for re-entry this way. Chowd, I need you to start running those figures for fuel usage now. I need to know how much of a whiff will be left in this baby by the time we hit at the new speeds we factored. Don’t forget to compensate for changes to the shields. Raven, send him the current shield data now. We’re going to need it as soon as we clear into the tropopause.”

  “Sending the data now.” Raven’s voice sounded rough and it scratched at her mind like fingernails on a slateboard.

  Jemma turned her attention back to washing off the speed, knowing it would take a number of hypersonic split-S maneuvers to get them down safely. Sure, they could go faster, but given the damage the shuttle had already taken, it made more sense to get the shuttle down slowly with as little damage as possible, but still with enough speed that the Ru’Edan couldn’t easily follow them via trackers.

  Her stomach clenched; they still had to get through the canyon. She knew that would test her skills to the max. Her thoughts were interrupted as the shuttle shuddered violently, each movement magnified, and she kept watching the information scrolling over the datascreen.

  The longer they took, the more the chance of being located on radar, but the faster they traveled, the chance of more damage to the shuttle’s integrity. It had to be one or the other. Shield integrity came first, she reminded herself. She swiped at the beads of sweat that rose over her face.

  “Come on, baby, not too much longer,” she crooned once more, watching the altimeter showing the rate of descent. Her attention split between that and the data on the shields Raven kept sending her.

  Raven broke into her concentration. “Jem, about ten thousand meters to the upper stratosphere.”

  She once more began the zig-zag movements of the shuttle, and finally she entered the cloud banks.

  “Eight thousand and falling quickly.”

  She grabbed the bottle of water, took a quick pull to wet her dry mouth, and stashed it back into the holder.

  “Six thousand and falling quickly.” His voice grounded her, and she continued her movements over the keypad. “Shields and hull looking good.”

  “Okay, we’re about to enter the mesosphere. Hang on, as once we are in that, we’ll start preparations to pull into position to enter the canyons.” Her voice was breathless as beads of sweat pooled on her nose and chin. The gauges showed the speed of her descent, and she fought to pull up the nose of the shuttle. “We’ve entered the mesosphere! Right, boys, let’s get into position.”

  Suddenly, once more, the cabin was a hive of activity, with voices calling out their position, bogey checks, and shield diagnostics. Her hands moved fast as she altered the course of the craft with as much speed as she could while fighting the crafts natural shimmy.

  “We have to enter the canyon at the exact location we plotted.” Her words helped her to focus while centrifugal forces pushed them back into their seats.

  Suddenly they were through the clouds and the ground grew larger by the second. The shuttle bucked wildly as she pulled and pushed it through the air, the engines whining loudly and warning lights flashing. She ignored them, knowing there was only one chance to bring them out right where they needed to be. The crevasse loomed, growing larger and larger as th
ey hurtled toward the ground.

  Jemma pulled the throttle back, and the engines screamed in distress. Her heart thudded in her chest, beating a wild tattoo while her skin itched, prickling at the sweat that was pouring down her face.

  “Come on, just pull up a little bit.” Her voice was hoarse as if she had been screaming, her shoulders ached as she fought the shuttle into submission, each move feeling like pushing concrete blocks across sand.

  Their entry point to the canyon, no more than a fissure, rounded and weathered by nature, was just ahead. The rocky red chasm continued to rush toward them as she used every ounce of skill to keep them in the air. Closer the point loomed, getting larger, then finally she skewed the ship, shooting inside the rift then pulling up, fighting and pushing the craft to do exactly what she needed it to do.

  The canyon sides came close enough to the craft that the wings pushed the air onto the walls, causing rocks to fall behind them. An outcrop loomed before and Raven called out, “Clearance less than one meter wing side, Jem.”

  She felt her face move into a grim smile as she waited until the last second and tipped the craft slightly.

  “Barsha...” The word escaped from Chowd behind her, amazement coloring his tone.

  There was no time to respond, though, as they shot through the opening, her eyes on the altimeter and ahead to the once-more-narrowing canyon walls, striated reds and browns dotted here and there with jutting boulders.

  Below them, raging blue water crashed wildly, sending up plumes of spray that coated her forward screen. Once again, Jemma tilted the craft; this time a creak and groan sounded as she scraped the side of the walls. Her stomach dropped, but she didn’t let up the speed. She couldn’t.

  “I can’t bank too much, otherwise we run the risk of being located by their radar.” Her voice was tight, her grip on the ship’s stick sliding a little as Jemma struggled to control the ship. Their balance had been affected by the damage to the wing. “Chowd, how much further to our designated rendezvous point?” Her chest heaved with the exertion of pushing and pulling the craft, making it submit to her demands.