Thian, film not loud, listen harder. I’m in a pod. Vergoin had two yeomen stuffing me and my `Dinis in here as soon as we began closing with the Hivers. Rojer sounded far more indignant than scared.
Main screen’s magnified to show the blasts. Any damage?
Minor’s all I can tell. I’ve got the pod’s comunit on but I’m not catching all the … Wait a minute Rojer? ROJER?
Don’t bother me now, brother. I’ve work to do!
Thian kept bothering Rojer with constant demands for answers. In between those, he `pathed Clancy who was no more available to his requests for information than Rojer. Infliriated with a disobedience that amounted to downright mutiny, he charged on to the Washington’s bridge where the intense atmosphere reminded him that he might be intruding and he had half-turned to leave. Then he saw that the main screen of the bridge gave far larger, clearer details of the battle than the one above his couch. What he saw also made him realize exactly what essential work Rojer and Clancy were doing in deflecting a virtual onslaught of Hiver missiles. Definitely he could tell Earth Prime that this was self-defence: if the Revere took a mortal blow, the Hiver scouts could pick off the pods one by one before the evacuees could get out of range. Rojer had shown good sense with his deflection policy!
The main batteries of the sphere began to open up on the seven Alliance ships which had deployed themselves to prevent the Hiver scouts from escaping while the Nebula and the two Constellations were converging on the sphere. One advantage of the round design was that batteries could be fired in any direction. Thian knew from the Refugee just how much fire-power the Hiver had.
`Look, sir,’ Vandermeer said, `the Hiver’s wasting ammunition as usual. She isn’t within range of our ships.’ `The scouts are.’ `But her missiles are missing although – – . Sir, Ensign Upland is of the opinion that the detonation of those missiles could cause shockwaves almost as dangerous to scout-ship hulls as a direct hit.’ `My compliments to Ensign Upland, Ashiant said, nodding his head briefly in acknowledgement of the information. Then, under his breath, he muttered: `When I get those two Talents, I’ll skin `em, I’ll keelhaul them.’ Thian and the nearer bridge officers heard him.
`But they are managing to deflect incoming rockets.
Tikele, how soon before we are in range of the sphere?’ `Twenty-two minutes.
`Why doesn’t Spktm use the ones it’s got on the KLTS?’ `I believe the captain’s manoeuvring her into position now, sir,’ Tikele responded. `And two of our scouts are protecting her. She’s got to be on target, on those fuel tanks, and in range. . she’s. . she’s fired both, sir.
Unbelievably one of the Hiver’s scouts managed to get between the sphere and the missiles, which penetrated it, sticking out port and starboard.
`Like a scurrier skewered on arrows, Thian murmured.
Then the blast occurred, an orange-red eruption of force which hurtled the KLTS backward like a leaf in a storm. Somehow the flanking scouts had peeled away and, although they were scudded further from their original positions, they did not appear to have taken much damage. The KLTS patently had. As `Dini ships still did not carry pods, it was impossible to estimate how many of its crew survived.
ROJER! CLANCY! FOR THE LOVE OF HEAVEN, ANSWER ME, Thian roared, catching the gestalt of the Washington’s generators to reachhis targets.
I’m OK, Thian. But I had to bounce missiles. Just like Granddad did when the Hiver attacked Deneb.
Not the same at all, Rojer! CLANCY?
I can hear you, I can hear you. Over the ringing in my ears.
Were we ever lucky? Kloo’s a damned fine pilot.
`Thian?’ Ashiant called urgently. `Can you get in touch with either of your Talents and ask them to check the status of the KLTS?
The other destroyers must hold their positions to contain the sphere.’ `Yes, sir.’ Rojer, you’ve `Dinis. Ashiant’s ordering Veigoin and the You do the Clancy’s ship bette are moving in for the more That that was what the two doing was obvious while the three medium-sized missiles on the two remain scouts, all the time inching closer to the sphere. – `We’ve just reached the maximum range of the new missiles, Captain,’ Vandermeer announced.