“Sir, we have a ship coming in,” announced a voice from the bridge over the intercom in the large darkened sitting room.
He stood and looked through the transparent section of outer hull to the rich planet of Pandem below. “This is a major port, that's bound to happen from time to time.”
“I know sir, but I thought you would like to be notified since this one is marked as a Freeground vessel. There is a notice here saying-”
“Thank you, you have followed my instructions perfectly. Capture them alive.”
“Yes sir.”
Crazy Pilot
“I don't understand, there's debris everywhere. Evidence of hundreds of collisions,” Ayan said as she looked through the combat scanner readout. She overlaid the transmission she was getting from Navnet. “Navnet says everything's fine, our trajectory is guiding us to a carrier in orbit on the other side of the planet.”
“What are it's markings?”
“They're blocked. Actually…” Ayan scanned through the port channels and shook her head. “Everything but Navnet is restricted. Thank God for this old comm equipment otherwise we would have missed it. Any modern gear would have just skipped over any channel marked as restricted or unavailable.”
Minh pitched the ship into the bulk of the debris and started turning off everything but basic manoeuvring thrusters.
Ayan braced herself. “What are you doing?”
“Going cold. There's a group of fighters coming around to meet us and a few tugs out there that are still moving,” he pointed at the combat hologram on his side of the cockpit. “I don't like being taken in by strange ships that block their transponders.”
“I agree. I don't think going in cold is the answer though, there's too much space between us and the planet.”
“We don't know if there's anywhere safe to land there, for all we know the anti-air batteries will kill us before we make it down.”
“It'll be easier to hide down there. Up here we're sitting ducks. I can't safely manoeuvre any faster anyway.”
Ayan looked through the cockpit window and at the dimmed combat scanners. Even using close range passive detection she could see that there was so much large debris, cargo carriers, passenger liners, military ships, pieces of the construction yard nearby drifting around that he was right. It was a near impossibility to pick one's way through the field in orbit at any greater speed. She watched silently as Minh expertly guided the bulky craft between much larger pieces of debris, just tapping thrusters to inch them around the remains.
“One of those tugs is following right behind us. They're using a repulsor field to push the smaller debris out of the way.”
“How far back are they?”
“At this pace they'll be on us in about fifteen seconds. Should I get into a turret?”
“Oh no, even I think they're death traps and I'm crazy.” He increased their speed a little using the cold rear thrusters and brought them around a large set of girders.
“Nine seconds.”
“I just need to get a clear look at the planet. When I activate the main engines, turn everything on and lock all three turrets backwards. I think we'll need to try and distract them a little.”
“You think maybe I should try and reinforce the shields?” Ayan said, getting ready to start turning systems on.
“Oh, yeah, shields would be good.”
“Do you know where we'll be landing?”
“One of those beaches might be nice. I've always liked surfer movies.”
“That would be a no then.”
“Hey, one crisis at a time.”
“That tug will have a clear line of sight on us in a couple seconds.”
Minh came around a large, jagged section of hull. The blue and green planet came into view and he activated the engines, closely followed by the afterburners.
“If you come in too steep we'll burn up!” Ayan shouted over the deafening roar of the solid fuel afterburners as she activated shields, weapons and supplemental inertial dampening systems.
“We won't come in too steep then!” Minh said as he struggled with the controls. The wreckage of a large carrier loomed in the cockpit view.
The turrets began firing backwards at the debris field, not specifically striking any target but causing the slowly milling mass behind to become agitated and start churning. “That's a distraction,” she turned to look at the tactical scanners and saw two groups of fighters closing on them. “We're about to come under fire, setting our shields for ventral and aft.”
“Starting atmospheric entry.” Minh said as the afterburners cut out. “Look, I'm right on course,” he pointed to his main navigational display. “No burning up.”
“I wasn't voicing a doubt, just a concern.”
“There's a difference?”
“And so we solve the mystery of why you're single. Women appreciate the subtle differences,” Ayan said as she checked the hull integrity.
“Bah, I'm saving myself for someone who really understands me,” Minh shot back with a grin as he maintained their course.
“It'll be a while,” Ayan chortled.
They cleared the upper atmosphere and the island dotted ocean below came into view. Minh flipped the ship right side up and began their descent. “How far back are those-” a sharp impact on the hull jarred the ship.
Ayan adjusted the shields and focused most of the energy on the dorsal side of the ship. “I think they followed through right behind us. They're fast.”
“Evading, we'll have to find somewhere to hide quick. Help me look,” they were past the point where they could relieve tension with jests and teasing. The pair were in trouble, serious trouble.
“I'm looking, but where I'm picking up life it's scant. The electromagnetic signatures are much thicker than normal. All the cities down there look like war zones and comms are jammed.”
“There's got to be something.”
The shield warning lights started blinking red and yellow. “We're down to nineteen percent overall shield power.”
“There's too many of them. I jink to avoid one and there's another firing right at us.”
“Shields are gone!” Ayan shouted as several enemy shots impacted the hull. “Losing integrity.”
“I'm pointing our rear at them, it'll take them more time to get through.”
“Damage to port engine, I'm re-routing,” Ayan's eyes went wide as something came up on their communications.
“Freeground ship, go to these coordinates, we'll cover you,” said the incoming voice.
“Can we trust them?” Minh asked as he turned quickly to the coordinates that were marked on his navigational system. He flipped the ship upside down and increased throttle, the deafening roar of the engines filled the cockpit.
“It's our only choice other than crashing, besides, they were transmitting using a laser link striking the hull.”
“Smart!” Minh exclaimed as the Warpig took several more hits along its upturned underside.
“We're losing power!”
“Just a couple thrusters left, maybe I should ditch in the ocean?” he searched the ground for any safe landing spot. “Wait! I see a hangar!” There was a yawning opening in the cliff side ahead.
A deafening explosion rang out from behind them and their engines went out. Minh activated the afterburners and the inertial dampeners nearly failed altogether. Both of them were pressed back into their seats so hard their vacsuits automatically sealed.
The hangar loomed larger and larger, and as the afterburners were about to run out of fuel he deactivated one a second before the other, spinning the ship so it was headed inside rear first and a little high.
As the second afterburner flamed out the near wreckage of the Warpig fell as much as collided right onto the front end of the large hangar back end first. The ship, barely recognizable, skidded with a scraping, grinding sound that could be heard for kilometres in all directions until it came to rest wedged in an open equipment bay.