`I feel like I need a good long soak to rid me of that awful reek,’ Flavia said, making another grimace of revulsion.
`Later, when our work is done, my dear, the Rowan said. `We will have time, however, for a drink to take the taste out of our mouths.’ `Something sharp, Grandmother, like orange juice.
`Does this ship have something like that?’ Thian `provided’ the juice in long cold glasses to Flavia’s obvious relief and his grandmother’s only marginally less fervent thanks.
`You were far enough away not to have felt any shock waves, Captain Osullivan said when they joined him on a bridge that was packed with officers and crew, and ringed with additional screens so that every view of the theatre of operations was accessed. `Ah, that’s our first casualty,’ Osullivan added, pointing to the screen which had just ceased broadcasting. `One of the probes Rojer hid in the flotsam.’ `The ships?’ Thian asked, rapidly checking the secondary screens.
`Reduced to the debris you see floating in a band around the planet,’ the captain said with quiet satisfaction. `What the bombs you placed, ma’am, didn’t fragment, the mines you sowed did. Mind you, there is a time lag between the event and our visuals of it .
`Do any monitors need replacement?’ the Rowan asked. `Now that we’ve completed Operation Snatch, we are at your disposal. Thian?
Flavia?’ The Rowan took the couch, Commander Metrios vacated his seat with alacrity to Flavia and another chair was brought for Thian.
`Well timed, ma’am,’ the captain said, pointing in turn to the three central screens which scanned the space field. `They may now retaliate.
`Indeed,’ said the Rowan with an almost primitive surge of adrenalin as she recognized the tapered prow of a Hive scout ship emerging from an underground hangar.
`Mrtgrts here, Osullivan,’ came the `Dini’s liaison officer’s unmistakable voice over the squadron link. `Is the second wave ready?’ `It is,’ the Rowan answered. thian, you will use the missiles on the KTTS as you’re more familiar with `Dini ships. Flavia, have you located the Arapahoc’s?
Good. It’s as easy for us to work from here as on the separate ships.’ She waited until she could feel the young Talents `reaching’ the missiles on the other ships, her eyes never leaving the screen as first one scout ship, then another, and a third became visible.
`Three. The normal complement of a Hive colonial ship. They’d be a much more interesting challenge if they changed their tactics,’ she added almost ruefully. thian, take the right hand one; Flavia, the one that’s just emerging, and I’ll dispose of the one that made it to the field. I believe it’s about to launch. At my count . three, two, ONE!’ Each Prime `ported the heavy torpedoes easily to the recommended range. Then, before the Hiver world’s warning systems could alert defences, launched them at the correct velocity for devastating strikes.
There was, as Captain Osullivan said, a time lag before the screens would register the result but all three Talents had followed the missiles to their targets and knew their strikes had been accurate.
Until visible proof appeared, Metrios toyed with a stylus, his eyes darting from one screen to the next. Though Captain Osullivan appeared completely at his ease, his fingers beat a tattoo on his arm rest.
Minutes later. the explosions were recorded.
In what appeared like a leisurely fashion, each of the three ships exploded, parts arcing up and then showering down on the trundling Hivers that had been massed on the space field. The debris fell almost gracefully to the now riddled surface and lay smoking and burning in a circle of destruction spread well beyond the perimeter of the space facility.
`Someone’s left the doors open, Thian remarked.
`In that case,’ the Rowan said with a shrug, `let us take advantage of such carelessness.
Even as additional missiles were armed and sent on their way by the three Talents, more hangar doors punched upward out of the debris on the field, revealing the squat forms of shuttle craft. These emerged at speed from the protection of the hangars but not swiftly enough.
`Fire as ready, the Rowan ordered Thian and Flavia and they lobbed missiles at the shuttles and then into any aperture that could be seen through the smoke and raging fires.