They were running quietly, the ship's cloaking web on full active and the bioceramic armor shell encasing it.
[We approach Asikiwa craft. Get ready.], mind said Alida the Averie female, ruffling her feathers in nervousness.
Kela opened her hacker and its animation of a caterpillar to butterfly metamorphasis signifying its start up and accessing programs were running. She picked this animation because it was pretty, or at least the butterfly was. "We are almost in range, how do things look for you?"
[Good. The Asikiwa do not see or scan us.]
She checked the hacker as it detected the Asikiwa ship. The ship beeped as it crossed the 14km area around it. "Here we go, we have five minutes to do this." She cracked her knuckles and began to access the Asikiwa ship's master computer.
Bizarre characters scrolled across the screen but the hacker confidentally translated them.
Kela remembered that Teshin ships all had a central hub from which thier ships are controlled, a borrowed design from the Asikiwa.
There were 12 of them in this hub, which was sealed off from the rest of the ship by security doors.
This was too easy. Kela locked all the doors and opened all venting to the hub and spaced it by blowing the atmospheric shield.
Hard vacuum and cold flash froze and imploded the Asikiwa inside.
Kela went straight to the engines, releasing saftey limits and revving the power core to its highest output. With no thrust being vented, he pressure built up swiftly, shattering two engines and thier power core in a massive explosion.
A new voice spoke through a reopened channel. "CSC Command to Kela E. Big Boy Interstellar Missile has been launched, vacate the area to a minimum safe distance of 30 light-hours out."
She was suprised. How did they know so fast? She pulled out of the Asikiwa ship's system and closed her hacker. "Kel? Is it safe to wihdraw?"
The Altiki intelligence was silent for a moment. "Slowly," it said.
Kela had to get out of here. The five minutes was almost up. She engaged the engines, heading for the safe jump point 22 km ahead.
[We are detected.] Alida said.
Kela was startled by a panel that suddenly opened up under her right hand. It was the weapons control.
"The ship says to stutter fire the firebeam weapon," Kel said. "Aim for the fore section. Shoot, now."
Kela saw a wierd looking red holosight appear over a rear view of the ship. She moved it over the front of the Asikiwa ship with practised swiftness.
She pressed the fire key twice rapidly and two yellow/red shots of energy raced from the Skioran ship to the Asikiwa ship, impacting with tremendous force, blowing huge chunks out of the hull with explosive results.
The ship beeped as they were within safe jumping distance. She wasted no time in a microjump to 27 light-hours out. She then went to the use the bathroom. Nerves always did it to her.
********************************************************
Alida stopped Kela as she emerged from the lavatory. [Kela? This room, to whom does it belong? It smells...sweet]
Kela frowned. "Eladia, she's an Arci-te I met and befriended."
Alida made her version of a chuckle, a painful sounding quiet screeching. [I sense feelings here. Sex feelings. It's hard for me to understand]
Kela was not suprised. From what she had been reading on the subject, Eladia had to be having some wicked sex dreams. "You shouldn't try, they are different from all oher people like us."
Alida looked intently at the bed in Elida's room. She visibly shuddered. [I have never felt this before. It is an urge for sex but not for procreation.]
Kela nodded. "Yeah, they don't do it to have kids anymore. They go to a doctor for that."
Alida shuddered, ruffling her feathers. [The thought chills me that eggs could be made to come about by a doctor]
Kela nodded. "Yes. Me too. Let's go watch the show." She went to the pilot area and sat down.
The Asikiwa ship was reeling, unaware of the death streaking toward them. It had not moved since the attack.
Cellen appeared on the bioscreen. She wore a white bath robe and her hair was wet and pulled back. She smiled. "Did you do it?"
Kela nodded. "Yes. It's doomed." She wondered why Cellen had to bathe, it hadn't been that long since they last talked. "Um, aren't you going to get in trouble dressed like that?"
Cellen scoffed. "I have my own office in my own building. I could go naked if I wanted to."
Kela wondered if her mother ever was like that. "Um, what do we do now?"
"Watch it blow up. You did bring the holocamera, didn't ya?"
Kela reached over and picked it up. She showed it to Cellen. "See? How am I supposed to take a picture from this far away?"
Cellen smiled. "Use the ship's sensors to see and image that."
As if on cue, the navigation display switched from the distant point of light that was Riefan to an up close view of the crippled Asikiwa ship.
It seemed to be venting vapor to put out onboard fires.
Kela frowned at the image. "Are we to stay here?"
Cellen had turned her back to the comm system pickup and had her robe open, looking down at herself. "Ah, just a minute, Kela, I have a problem."
Kela, whose mother had and beat breast cancer, was worried about her. "Cellen? Um, what is it? I know some about..." She gasped in horror when Cellen turned around.
Her left breast was missing, replaced by a large blue bandage. The right was beautifully perfect. Cellen sniffed. "I, um, had an infection." She closed her robe. "I was bitten through my uniform and 3 layers of fabric by a reptile called an edeba. They were unknown in the Rintar District before. They removed it last night."
Kela didn't get it. She saw Cellen 2 nights ago in person. "You looked fine..."
"This happened day before yesterday." Cellen was obviously crushed.
"Um? Can't they fix it?," Kela asked.
Cellen scoffed. "Waiting list. I have to wait until next month. The lab is so backlogged."
Kela knew of some reconstructive places. She had to have her nose and feet repaired after her term in the Teshin prison. "I know a couple of places that can help."
A tiny, unfamiliar, almost childlike female came in wearing a white coat and whispered something to Cellen, who grinned.
"Um, Kela? I can get it fixed now. I want you to wait for an ACDF ship to get there before you leave. Go directly to Tiat Si. When you arrive at the Colony 3 border, display your ID and badge. They will let you in. I'll be along as soon as I can. Bye and be careful, Kela, I'll have a reward waiting for you." The channel ended.
Kela frowned. She looked at Alida. "Did you see that?"
She looked down. [Terrible. Mammals are beautiful. Except for Teshin.]
Kela nodded and sighed. "I guess we wait. You want to teach me the L'inha Song?"
Alida came over to her and sat down beside her. [Yes. This time, open you mouth and use your high voice.]
Kela smiled. "I'll try."
********************************************************
Kela was trying to sing an Averie song Alida taught her when the ship beeped. She snapped up the holocamera and got ready.
Alida came closer to the screen to get a better look.
There was a streak of light emerging from hyperspace which struck the Asikiwa ship in the center.
Kela filmed the next few seconds as the Asikiwa ship in the center mass. It sort of folded in on itself and was engulfed in a bright flash that caused the ship to use glare shielding.
The glare faded and bits of the ship were falling into Riefan's atmosphere, leaving pretty streaks of fire as they fell.
Kela was amazed that she pulled this off scant days after nearly freezing to death in a botched escape on Kalea.
********************************************************
Kela was perfecting her beautiful rendition of an Averie song when the comm system beeped. She answered it to see a male Laneran ACDF officer. She smiled. "Hello, sir."
He smiled back. "Hello, you may go on to Mrellkis now. We have begun a recovery effort. Good work."
The channel ended and Kela looked to see hundreds of ACDF ships descending upon Riefan.
She smiled and set course for Commonwealh Colony 3.
To be continued in a handwritten serial. I will try to post more if there is any demand for it.
�7 March 2004 Gregory Thompson