Dveyella had taken one of her attackers with her ship's rear cannon, turning on the other so savagely that it could not even evade. Aware that Velmeran was somewhere far below, she rose alone to meet the second wing of fighters. She strafed them freely, catching two before the others dispersed. She chose her prey quickly, a pair of fighters trying to circle around to the north, leaving the others for Velmeran to catch when they reached him.
She moved in from the side. But at the very last instant they turned as one and drove straight at her, almost as if they meant to ram. Too late to open fire, Dveyella tried to turn away. Her atmospheric shield pierced one fighter, ripping it apart. Its four underwing missiles exploded barely fifty meters ahead of her ship, and she had no choice but to follow straight through the core of that white-hot cloud.
Bits of metal, caught up in her shield, rang against the hull of her ship. An instant later it was through the debris, scorched but whole. Dveyella had not fared so well. Even through the mirrorized windows of her fighter, that flash had been brilliant.
"Was that you?" Velmeran asked over com.
"Did you see that?" she asked.
"It was a funny color for lightning."
"I will be flying blind for another minute. Can you watch for me?"
"There is one on your tail right now."
"I know it," she said. She could sense the Union fighters; her concern was for running into the ground. The fighter on her tail was closing cautiously, its pilot aware that something was wrong. She teased it in and deftly winged it with her rear cannon.
"We are finished here," Threl reported. "How is your vision?"
"Clearing fast," she reported.
"Then we are on our way out. Try not to shoot us as we pass."
"After that remark, you should worry!" Dveyella retorted. "Valthyrra, how is the traffic up there? I sense confusion overhead."
"Fighters and stingships are scattered far and wide," the ship replied. "But we have them on the run. Nothing big cleared the docks. Mind the stingships, though."
"Right. Velmeran, take the lead," she instructed. "Punch a hole in anything you meet, unless it is dressed in black. I will bring up the rear."
Velmeran fell in ahead of the transport, widening his lead to several kilometers as they accelerated straight up toward open space, while Dveyella moved in as close as she could behind the larger ship. The single remaining fighter gave chase but was quickly left behind. In a last, desperate move it fired all four of its missiles. The pilot, learning from past mistakes, kept them under the superior control of his fighter's on-board guidance system.
The path out was not as open as they would have liked. Three stingships in close formation were closing quickly, and help was still too far away to prevent it. The three wolf ships were still forcing their way clear of the upper atmosphere, and were fairly easy targets. Already the Union ships were bringing their long noses around to align their cannons.
"They are about to open fire," Velmeran warned.
"This old hulk has a few guns that should surprise them," Threl said. "Spread out so that we can all open up. Dveyella, we need your cannons up front just now."
"Make it quick," she replied. "There are missiles just ten seconds behind me."
The three ships moved slightly out of line, each one orienting on a different target. Both groups opened fire at almost the same instant, but the Starwolves had the advantage of deadlier aim and better shields. They opened the hole they needed and went through.
"So much for what lies ahead. What about those missiles?" Velmeran asked. The Kelvessan could not sense such missiles or any type of combustion engines, only the high-energy emissions of crystal drives and conversion generators.
"They fell away," Dveyella replied. "They do not have much range. If those things had real engines, they might almost be deadly."
"We are clear, then," Velmeran said. "Home?"
"Lead the way," she answered.
* * * *
Valthyrra Methryn directed the returning group into the upper left landing bay, one of the two abandoned upper bays that were only just being restored to service. The three ships shot into the bay like animals into a den. The transport went in first, coming in quickly to settle in the middle of the flight deck, and the smaller ships set down to either side of it only a moment later. Valthyrra brought in racks for the fighters immediately as spare bay personnel moved in swiftly to lock them down. Two pairs of overhead arms, normally used in transporting racks, were brought forward to pin the transport to the deck. The Methryn was at battle alert, and she could not have unsecured ships on her decks.
The small group waiting to one side approached as soon as the ships began to unseal. Any thoughts that Keth might have had of a triumphant return and warm welcome were quickly dashed. Mayelna and Valthyrra, in one of her usual remotes, went immediately around the front of the transport to Velmeran's fighters, followed by a small group of technicians and Dyenlerra, the chief medic. The younger members of his pack, dressed for battle, silentiy brought up the rear.
Velmeran had just finished unstrapping when he looked up to see this group descending upon him, not unlike wolf ships descending upon any unwary freighter. His first impulse was to seal the cockpit. Only Consherra was missing from this group of worried mothers; the first officer had been left in command of the bridge. He used the overhead bars to pull himself out of the cockpit and descended the steps of the boarding ladder to meet them.
"Hold up a moment," Mayelna ordered, and waved a technician ahead of her.
"He took a shot dead center of the control panel," the tech said as he inspected the damage. He carefully pried open the panel and pulled down the cracked mirror, only to have it come out in his hand. He slipped it into a pocket before he bent to inspect the controls. "Just a good, hard knock… must have kicked something loose. If the cooling is still in operation — which is obvious — then the shot could have done him no harm."
"I could have told you that," Velmeran said.
"Hypermetabolism," Dyenlerra offered by way of explanation. "It is not uncommon for our kind to go quite some time unaware of injuries we have received. Pilots fly entire battles, unaware that their suits are immobilizing broken bones."
Velmeran looked surprised. "Bones? Can our ships fly after impacts that could break our bones?"
The medic only shrugged. "I did not say that it happens often. Just take off that armor somewhere and tell me what you find underneath."
"A leading statement if I ever heard one," Valthyrra remarked.
"Just a moment," Mayelna said, holding him back as the others hurried to check upon the rest of the returning members. "Well, you seem to have come through that one all right."
"So I did," Velmeran agreed guardedly. "I am pleased with the results. Did Valthyrra accomplish what she set out to prove?"
Mayelna caught her breath so sharply that she choked. "What would you know of that? What do you believe Valthyrra's motive was in contriving this?"
Velmeran shrugged. "How should I know? I have only been given to wonder if she means to get rid of me."
"Do you mean… she thought… you might stay in special tactics?" she asked, visibly shaken by the thought. "But… why?"
"For being too popular," he replied. "A child prodigy among pack leaders, and a cause of dissension among the veterans. Political exile, you might say. Does that surprise you? I just might go, if Dveyella still wants me."
"Well, you are certainly free to go, if that is what you want," the Commander said sharply. "But I honestly doubt that Valthyrra has any such plans. And you certainly will not leave this ship without my having something to say about it!"
"I suppose that we will have to wait and see," Velmeran answered, although he was no longer certain what to think.