Page 21 of Blightfall

“If they’re hiding along the edge of the debris field, we want to let them come to us,” Nedd said. “We don’t know how many reinforcements they have lurking out there, and we don’t want to get overwhelmed.”

“We’re on our way back,” Blaze said. “Scud!”

Another barrage of destructor fire flew through the debris toward us. Nedd’s suggestion was a good one, but I couldn’t hang back while my scouts got shot out of the sky. Their guns were weaker than ours. It was our job to protect them.

“My shield is down!” Underscore shouted.

“Sentry, Ghost, advance on those ships,” I ordered.

Sadie shot ahead, and Gilaf chased after her. But scud, we hadn’t brought a contingent big enough to take on a mass of enemy fighters and protect Orator. This was supposed to be a peaceful planet, not an ambush. If it hadn’t been for the inhibitor, I would have ordered a hyperjump and pulled us all out of there, but the nearest location from which we could hyperjump home was hours back through the debris field. The Krell ships would pick us off from behind as we fled.

I knew I should stay with Orator. The diplomatic carrier had solid shields but no weapons, so they were even more at risk than the scouts. If I flew off to chase the enemy, I’d leave them exposed. As my wingmate, Alanik would normally stay behind too, but that left two fighters to take on an unknown number of Krell.

“Amphi?” Alanik asked over the radio. She hung back, waiting for my lead.

“Protect Orator,” I said. “Those are our orders.” I positioned myself in front of Orator, ready to defend them if the enemy approached. But scud, it killed me to wait while my teammates flew into the heat of battle.

The birds had scattered, spooked by the destructor fire, taking refuge on the nearby rocks. I could see the drones now, weaving between chunks of debris. While our ships were sleek and aerodynamic, theirs were bulbous and rounded, with wires trailing behind their tails. Our cockpits were covered with transparent canopies, but their uncrewed ships were black and opaque. Two of them sped after Underscore and Blaze as the scouts escaped toward us. Scud, they were leading the drones right to our diplomatic ship, but if they didn’t come back so we could help, they’d be outnumbered and outgunned.

“Ferret,” I said, “put some debris between you and those ships. If you have a rock at your back, Alanik and I will have an easier time covering you.”

“Copy,” Ferret said, and he propelled Orator toward a chunk of icy rock about forty meters tall and almost as wide. Alanik and I took up positions near the rock, facing the oncoming ships. I watched the monitor to make sure no ships were approaching at our backs, but they all seemed to be coming from the direction of the planet.

“Nedder,” I said, “how many enemy ships are there?”

Normally that would be a question for the scouts with their long-range monitors, but Blaze and Underscore were clearly occupied. Underscore would have to cut power to his boosters to reignite his shield, which he couldn’t do with the enemy so hot on his tail.

“Unknown,” Nedd said. “Hard to tell how many ships are hiding in the debris, especially when some of the moving objects are probably birds. But I’m counting a dozen at least, most a few minutes out.”

Stars. A dozen Krell. And we were only four fighters, two scouts, and a carrier we needed to protect at all costs. At least if the enemy arrived in waves, we could take the first ships out before they outnumbered us.

“Scud, Underscore, low and closing!” Blaze shouted as destructor fire tore a path toward Underscore’s ship from beneath.

Both Sadie and Gilaf showered the enemy ship with their own fire, but it was too late. Without a shield, Underscore’s ship was cut to ribbons, shards of metal spiraling out into the dust.

“Ghost, cover me!” Sadie called, diving toward the enemy ship and hitting her IMP, an electromagnetic pulse that took out shields but only worked at close range. Behind her, Gilaf got a bead on the drone and took it down.

The remains of Underscore’s ship glittered in the sunlight. I tore my eyes away. I wanted to check on Blaze, ask if she was all right. Her ship was still intact, flipping a twin-scissor to evade her tails.

But of course she wasn’t all right. She and Underscore had flown together for years. He was just there, over the radio, and now he was gone.

And it happened on my watch. Stars, if I didn’t do something, he wouldn’t be the only one.

“More ships incoming,” Blaze said. Her voice sounded shaky, but resolute.

“Ghost, help Blaze,” I ordered. “Sentry, fall back to my position.” Sadie needed to pause flight and conserve energy to reignite her shields, but not in the open with so many ships converging on our position.

Blaze reached Gilaf’s position and shot a nearby piece of debris with her light-lance, anchoring her ship to it and using the tether to spin her ship around the rock in a tight circle to face the enemy. Two more ships bore down on her immediately, and she sprayed them with destructor fire. Gilaf swooped in with the Dulo to cover her while she performed a barrel roll, deftly evading the oncoming ships.

Sadie’s ship circled the rock where Orator hid. She stopped near us and hesitated, her shield drawing power from her booster and propulsion systems as it came back online. She’d managed to escape the skirmish without any tails, but a third ship arrived, joining the two enemy fighters engaged with Gilaf and Blaze.

“I’m going to help them,” I said. “Sentry, help Angel cover Orator.” I hit my boosters and sped toward the fight without waiting for a response. More ships were on their way, but Sadie should have enough time to get her shield back up before they arrived.

I dodged around a piece of debris and shot past Gilaf and Blaze to meet the third ship head-on. I slammed on my destructors, showering it with fire, and the ship turned to the side, peeling off toward the rock where Orator hid.

Scud. I hadn’t intended to redirect the ship in that direction. “Angel, Sentry, you have a ship headed your way. Ghost, Blaze, have you got this?”

“Blaze is in trouble,” Nedd said.