STAY HERE. WILL RETURN FOR YOU, he told his
sleepy `Dinis as he closed the front fastening. Then
he `ported himself to his station on the bridge and
just missed colliding with Commander Metrios who
was lunging for his station.
Rojer opened his mind and found the captain’s.
The alert was not for danger to them but to the incoming `Dini which seemed to be under attack.
The previous day, Rojer had put several probes into geosynchronous orbits about the inhabited planet, high enough to avoid many Hive units, and about the moons which previous probing had shown to have weapon emplacements of some kind.
These planetary probes were showing unusual activity and the lunar ones indicated that long-range torpedoes were being aimed at the incoming vessel.
`Doesn’t have an updated security code, huh?’ Metrios remarked to their gunnery officer, a Lieutenant-Commander Yngocelen.
`Either that or they know that vessel’s coming in loaded with Queens and they don’t need more.
Bearing in mind,’ Yngocelen added, `what we know of their colonizing rationale and what seems to be happening on the planet.’ `Yes, but it’s their own species, isn’t it?’ the astrogator said, her voice puzzled.
`Like I said, maybe they don’t have today’s password. Wouldja look at that barrage! Damned glad we don’t have to run it!’ `They’re not hitting a thing. Look at the blasts!’ `Maybe a shot across the bows?’ suggested the exec.
`Their markmanship’s not great, Ynggie,’ Metrios said contemptuously. `And the incoming’s not in range, not by spatials!
Why’nt they wait?’ `Call for you, Captain,’ Doplas said, `signal from Captain Prtglm.’ `On screen.’ `This is how they fight, Captain Osulvan, Prtglm said. `Barrage will continue until ship is either destroyed or retires. Then it will be followed until it is dead.’ `But it’s their own ship, Captain.’ `The Queens do not like to share, Osulvan,’ Prtglm replied.
`Perhaps the incoming ship has not been able to identify itself as being a Hiver, or that it comes from the destruction of the homeworld.’ `That does not matter, Osulvan. Too many Queens!
The extra die!’ `At least we’re learning where their surface-to-space missiles are launched,’ Yngocelen said, his hands busy over his terminal. `I’m logging them in.’ Any chance they’d exhaust their supply so we’d have a clear run in?’ Metrios said.
`Not a valid theory, Commander,’ Prtglm said.
`Wooops!’ Doplas said and one of the probe screens suddenly went blank.
The loss of one probe did not mitigate the volume of destruction that could be followed.
`This is different,’ Prtglm said suddenly as the missiles which had begun to land on the surface of the incoming ship altered to miss.
`They can’t miss. They’re in range,’ cried Ynggie.
`How can they possibly miss? They’re bouncing missiles off the hull!’ A rasp of `Dini laughter caused all talk on the Genesee bridge to stop. They need the ship unharmed. They wish to force the Queens to leave it.
This is a new tactic. Very new. Very intringsic After a while, it didn’t seem so to Rojer who had to rub his eyes every now and then as the battle, millions of miles below, was relayed by the probes to the interested audience. Due to relay time, they didn’t realize exactly when it was over …
except there were less tiny sparks about the third planet.
`Watch, allies,’ Prtglm said, intoning in such a deep voice that everyone obeyed. `Observe that escape pods now leave ship.’ One probe was fortunately in the perfect position for such an observation.
`They’re bloody well sitting ducks, if those bugs have the range,’ Ynggie said.
He groaned as each of the sixteen pods leaving the safety of the Hive ship was blasted to bits, seconds into its escape trajectory.
`Now, how do they take over the ship?’ the exec asked. `No Queen minds to tell the ordinary ranks what to do… and they haven’t stopped firing, have they?’ `What to happen is not known. Observe. This is not usual pattern.’ What happened took far longer than forcing the Queens to abandon their ship. Rojer had, in fact, fallen asleep on his couch, weary of watching screens. The com officer roused him with a few gentle shakes to his shoulder.