“Scope,” Acorna said, and the viewscreen suddenly zoomed so that the mantis-shaped Khieevi vessel was indeed readily identifiable, though still quite distant.
“So that’s what one of the little buggers looks like.” Becker said, quietly, as if afraid they would hear. Meanwhile the klickings and klackings continued. “We seem to have intercepted one of their transmissions. Anybody have any idea “what it’s all about?”
“Klickety-klack,” the Khieevi vessel’s message seemed to be tapping directly onto Maati’s spinal cord. She sat for a moment with her eyes squeezed shut.
“You don’t have to close your eyes and pretend they can’t see you,” Thariinye said, but not as scornfully as he might have. “We’re cloaked.”
“What does the noise mean?” she asked.
“I don’t know. I didn’t hear a lot of their language when we were up against them on Rushima. And I wasn’t alone. So far, nobody has gotten enough of a sample into the LAANYE for reliable translations. All our contacts with them have pretty much been at the wrong end of a ‘weapon. Maybe it’s Khieevi for ‘come out, come out, wherever you are.’ But don’t worry, youngling. We may not be coming out, but we’re moving out right now. I’m putting us into the nearest wormhole and-”
Maati’s eyes blinked open and she reached to intercept his hand on the controls. “But … my parents! They’re still on that planet! The Khieevi will get them.” A brief struggle ensued, which Thariinye won.
He gave her a pitying look and reached again for the navigation controls. “I’m sorry, Maati, but we don’t know for sure they’re still alive. If so … well, they’ve escaped the notice of the Khieevi so far. Perhaps they can continue to do it until we can find help. We-”
He never finished his sentence.
A heavy blow thudded against the Niikaavri, knocking both of them forward, straining the straps that held them into their chairs. At the same time, the lights on the control panel flared and two blinked out.
“Oh, no!” he cried, and punched frantically at the board again.
“Oh, no, what?” Maati asked.
“Somehow, in that little maneuver of yours, -we turned our camouflage off. They know our position now.”
“Put the cloaking device back on and move, then!”
“I’m trying to, but the ship is not responding!”
A bolt of light shot in front of the viewport and they were once more rocked by the force of some sort of energy weapon striking their starboard bow.
Suddenly the egg-like ship was spinning dizzily, and the blue planet grew larger and larger in their viewscreen.
Thariinye grabbed the corn unit and yelled, as if it could carry across space, “Mayday, Mayday, we are the Linyaari vessel Niikaavri and we are under attack from a Khieevi vessel.”
Maati thought he had lost his mind. Surely no one would hear them, but then she cried, “Tell them -who we are, Thariimye. In case my parents can hear us. Tell them it’s me, so they’ll know what happened. Tell them to hide!”
I am Ensign Thariinye of clan Renyilaaghe. My second in command is Maati of clan Nyaarya. We are under attack by a Kleevi vessel. Our coordinates are …”
Maati thought she was hearing things for a moment when the klickings and klackings and sound of failing systems were replaced suddenly by a familiar comforting voice.
“Thariinye, Maati, it’s Khornya. You’ve been badly hit. Use the escape pod. We’ll pick you up and get us all out of here.”
Another, harder thud and the ship was spinning dizzily, the blue planet looming larger with every revolution.
Maati floated up from her seat. “G force has been cut.”
“Khornya, the Khieevi! Save yourselves!” Thariinye bellowed into the corn unit. To Maati he said, “No time to deal with it, youngling. Unstrap. Climb into the pod!”
The pod was located behind the command chairs. Maati snapped her restraint open and did a handstand on the back of the chair, flipping herself down to the top of the pod and popping its catch.
“No sweat, sport,” Captain Becker’s voice was saying. “We got ‘em covered.”
“Thariinye, the escape pod,” Khornya said again.
Maati climbed inside the pod. She suppressed a nervous giggle. The zero G popped her up to the top.