using maneuvering jets to get us closer.”
Sherri trembled, a reaction not missed by Arieel. “Are you okay?”
“I…I feel like I need to scratch my brain. You ever felt that? There’s definitely an itch inside there.”
“Lila?”
“Hell if I know. It’s quite annoying.”
“Please call out to her.”
“I am, if only to get this itch scratched.”
“There she is…the Pegasus !”
All four of the people on the bridge rushed to the nav screen. A signal was approaching the asteroid field, appearing as sporadic blips. Each appearance was a little closer, and the blips were coming more frequently. Then the ship steadied out, its full energy signature displayed on the screen, on a course directly for that of Syrus Jacs. The Najmah Fayd was closing fast, still in dark mode and using gas jets for propulsion.
Jacs and Panur were now only a few thousand miles apart and closing on each other at a leisurely pace.
“How do you intend to proceed?” Benefis asked Riyad.
“Not sure. I’m hoping Sherri and Arieel can contact Lila before we have to open a link to the ships. I think that would be less of a shock to both of them.”
“Lila!” Arieel cried out loud. “Please hear me.”
The itch in Sherri’s brain suddenly became a full-blown pain. She grasped her head by both hands. “Damn, what’s happening?”
The pain and the itch vanished and Sherri heard a clear yet soft voice in her mind. “Mother? I can hear you…and others. Sherri Valentine, the mind says. I detect a Gift! How can that be?”
“Lila, I’m here,” Arieel spoke again aloud.
“I hear you. You are close.”
“Yes, we can see you on our screen.”
“This is not right. Panur will be angry.”
********
Ranor stared at the screen with fire in his eyes. The data was streaming in from an inert drone within scanning range of the three alien ships. His small fleet was out of range and undetected.
“Arm the missiles. Fire in two…one…now!”
From the bellies of five Juirean Class-Fours, five oblong canisters shot out, using intensive gravity drives to propel them to incredible speeds in a fraction of a second. After the initial acceleration, the engines and all other internal electronics went dormant. A mechanical clock was counting down the time to contact, having been calculated from the data provided by the drone.
The deadly weapons streaked through space unseen. When only three seconds from their target, the electronics and engines reenergized and minute course corrections were made.
Even in that short interval from detection to contact, the occupants of the small starship were able to raise the shields. But it wasn’t enough. The first three missiles struck their energy fields and overloaded them. The two trailing missiles passed through undeterred and impacted the hull with devastating results.
The Pegasus II was pulverized. It split into a million pieces and debris streamed out into the asteroid field.
********
Sherri passed out as the incredible cry within her mind was too much to bear. Arieel cried out as well, as she too heard her daughter’s psychic scream.
Then there was silence.
Riyad was speechless, seeing the far distance flash of light…and then nothing. The contact on his screen disappeared, and within moments the individual remnants of the Pegasus II became too small to detect.
“Explain!” Benefis called out.
Riyad shook his head. “I don’t know. There was a spark right before the explosion, and then nothing.”
A beeping began to chime from the comm speakers. An incoming link.
Riyad rushed to the station and pressed the contact. An image appeared on the main screen between the two forward viewports, the face of a white-haired Juirean Overlord.
At first he didn’t speak, taking in the bridge of the Najmah Fayd and its four occupants. His gaze settled on Benefis.
“You are a Juirean…and an Overlord. Who are you?”
“I am former Overlord Benefis Na…my
Sherri trembled, a reaction not missed by Arieel. “Are you okay?”
“I…I feel like I need to scratch my brain. You ever felt that? There’s definitely an itch inside there.”
“Lila?”
“Hell if I know. It’s quite annoying.”
“Please call out to her.”
“I am, if only to get this itch scratched.”
“There she is…the Pegasus !”
All four of the people on the bridge rushed to the nav screen. A signal was approaching the asteroid field, appearing as sporadic blips. Each appearance was a little closer, and the blips were coming more frequently. Then the ship steadied out, its full energy signature displayed on the screen, on a course directly for that of Syrus Jacs. The Najmah Fayd was closing fast, still in dark mode and using gas jets for propulsion.
Jacs and Panur were now only a few thousand miles apart and closing on each other at a leisurely pace.
“How do you intend to proceed?” Benefis asked Riyad.
“Not sure. I’m hoping Sherri and Arieel can contact Lila before we have to open a link to the ships. I think that would be less of a shock to both of them.”
“Lila!” Arieel cried out loud. “Please hear me.”
The itch in Sherri’s brain suddenly became a full-blown pain. She grasped her head by both hands. “Damn, what’s happening?”
The pain and the itch vanished and Sherri heard a clear yet soft voice in her mind. “Mother? I can hear you…and others. Sherri Valentine, the mind says. I detect a Gift! How can that be?”
“Lila, I’m here,” Arieel spoke again aloud.
“I hear you. You are close.”
“Yes, we can see you on our screen.”
“This is not right. Panur will be angry.”
********
Ranor stared at the screen with fire in his eyes. The data was streaming in from an inert drone within scanning range of the three alien ships. His small fleet was out of range and undetected.
“Arm the missiles. Fire in two…one…now!”
From the bellies of five Juirean Class-Fours, five oblong canisters shot out, using intensive gravity drives to propel them to incredible speeds in a fraction of a second. After the initial acceleration, the engines and all other internal electronics went dormant. A mechanical clock was counting down the time to contact, having been calculated from the data provided by the drone.
The deadly weapons streaked through space unseen. When only three seconds from their target, the electronics and engines reenergized and minute course corrections were made.
Even in that short interval from detection to contact, the occupants of the small starship were able to raise the shields. But it wasn’t enough. The first three missiles struck their energy fields and overloaded them. The two trailing missiles passed through undeterred and impacted the hull with devastating results.
The Pegasus II was pulverized. It split into a million pieces and debris streamed out into the asteroid field.
********
Sherri passed out as the incredible cry within her mind was too much to bear. Arieel cried out as well, as she too heard her daughter’s psychic scream.
Then there was silence.
Riyad was speechless, seeing the far distance flash of light…and then nothing. The contact on his screen disappeared, and within moments the individual remnants of the Pegasus II became too small to detect.
“Explain!” Benefis called out.
Riyad shook his head. “I don’t know. There was a spark right before the explosion, and then nothing.”
A beeping began to chime from the comm speakers. An incoming link.
Riyad rushed to the station and pressed the contact. An image appeared on the main screen between the two forward viewports, the face of a white-haired Juirean Overlord.
At first he didn’t speak, taking in the bridge of the Najmah Fayd and its four occupants. His gaze settled on Benefis.
“You are a Juirean…and an Overlord. Who are you?”
“I am former Overlord Benefis Na…my
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