The Edge Page 24

coming to stand by Mak. The others jumped but Mak just turned to face him. After the shock, three members of the crew started forward. Suth held up his hand and they sat back down though Security hurried up from their positions.

  "Who are you?" Suth demanded.

  "For now, your only ally."

  Chou interrupted. "Gold Ghost members have shown up on the Bridges of seven ships."

  "We are only eight. Those ships can be protected. The others are lost."

  "Which ships?"

  "Four Hammers. Three Raptors."

  "Why not the other DreadNoughts?" Mak asked.

  "We feel only one of your Dimes could be saved."

  "How much time do we have?"

  Brenn cocked his head and smiled, sadly. "The S'reh'du group is already lost as you can see."

  Suth looked at Chou who nodded. The display said it all. The S'reh'du group was no longer transmitting and was moving towards the empty space.

  "The Warszawa group might be saved depending on your actions."

  "There are more than eight ships to this group," Suth said.

  "We had no more time to prepare. We chose eight as best as we could."

  "Recall the squads," Suth commanded. "Stat"

  "What constitutes a ship?" Mak asked quickly.

  "We can protect something of this size, the other ships are much smaller," Brenn said, puzzled.

  "Sir," Mak said. "Bunch the ships together."

  Brenn chuckled. "Very good. Yes, if they're in close enough proximity then we can protect more ships."

  "This is bullshit," Chou said, hotly. "How do we know you're not doing this?"

  "Your choice will determine the fate of the other ships, captain. This one and the seven others have been protected."

  Brahms suddenly shouted. "Got it! There are waves, beams, coming out of the empty space. They're sweeping the entire area. When a concentrated one hits a ship, it's lost."

  Brenn nodded appreciatively at the Science Officer. "Very good. Didn't think anybody would be able to find that so soon."

  "The other ships are asking for instructions about how to proceed with the Gold Ghost members," Chou said.

  "Leave them alone. Cluster the ships," Suth barked out. "Any ship that doesn't have a Gold Ghost pilot is to get on top of one that does."

  "There's a big wave turning," Brahms said. "It's targeting the Warszawa group."

  "Tar!" Suth shouted into the comm. "Get out of here. We've got protection. I hope."

  "It's increasing strength," Brahms shouted. "I've sent them how to detect the wave."

  "Warszawa Group is turning away."

  "They'd better hurry," Brenn said.

  "Emergency Jump!" Suth shouted. "Tar, Jump out of there! All ships. All weapons. Target the source of that wave and fire."

  The X's skin blistered and split revealing her array of armaments. The X and her escort unleashed thousands of missiles. But faster were the blasters shooting energy beams at the target. The wave didn't change. It swept over each ship of the Warszawa group. The Warszawa and four ships winked out before the wave hit them. The other ships simply started to drift.

  "Prepare for emergency Jump," Suth shouted. "All ships Jump when?"

  "Jump field inoperative," Chou interrupted.

  They looked at Brenn who said nothing and stood with his eyes closed.

  "All ships report unable to Jump."

  "Are they formed close enough?" Mak asked Brenn.

  "We'll know in a moment," he said.

  "That wave is sweeping this way. Impact in fifty-five seconds."

  "This is going to be interesting," Brenn said.

  "Don't you know what's going to happen?" Mak asked.

  "How would I?" he returned mildly. "This is something that hasn't been tried before."

  "Get those ships behind the X," Suth said. "See if we can shield them somehow."

  "Twenty seconds for impact."

  Mak grabbed onto a railing. He had no idea what it was going to feel like. And whether he'd be feeling anything afterwards. This wasn't like combat. He was helpless, under the protection of somebody he didn't know or trust against some thing which had no countermeasure. He'd rather die. The image of the soldiers from the troop transport? They'd been turned into zombies. Were they still themselves just sedated? Or had their brains been scooped out of their skulls leaving flesh bots? Did they remember or know what had happened? Just puppets with no free will happy to turn their guns on their friends and comrades or even themselves? His skin wanted to crawl, nausea threatened to overwhelm him. The others around him looked calm but fear thickened the air surrounding them. Everyone was afraid. And worst of all, so was Brenn.

  The countdown hit zero. He thought he could even hear it click over. His head started to throb like when they were in Jump Space. A few others seemed affected as well as some at the stations rubbed their eyes like he sorely wanted to do.

  He realized he wasn't the only one gripping the railing.

  Brenn was braced against it, his knuckles white with effort, his eyes clamped shut. He seemed to be in a storm, trying to keep it from tearing him apart. Brahms was also watching. He motioned the Bridge med team over. The senior paramedic scanned quickly.

  "Elevated blood pressure, increased heart rate, high adrenaline, respiration way up. Stress," she reported succinctly. "He's fighting something. What can we do for you, sir?"

  She looked with concern at her patient. "Sir? Is there anything we can do for you?"

  Mak liked the fact she asked Brenn. She'd been watching the whole time and knew only Brenn had the answer.

  But Brenn didn't answer. Perspiration cascaded down his face.

  "That beam," Brahms said. "It's increasing power."

  The paramedic looked at Brahms for instructions. "Leave him," he said. "I think I know what this thing is like."

  "Don't keep us in suspense, Brahms," Suth said eyeing Brenn.

  "It's like a Jump field, directed and very narrow. But low power. Brenn and the other Gold Ghost members are putting out a something like a canceling wave. That's why we can't Jump right now. It's negating the Jump engines."

  "Can we outrun it in normal space?"

  "No, it's the same strength from source to well past this system. Weapons are having an effect but very minimal."

  "Ram it," Mak said. "They won't expect it."

  "Seems I've heard that tactic before," Suth said thoughtfully. "Chou, we're going to ram whatever the hell is there. Best speed. Let's see if we can surprise these sons of a bitch."

  Chou spoke urgently into his comm, even moving to the navigation stations. He ran back. "Course plotted, Captain. Communicated to the rest of the ships. They're going to move off."

  "Do it."

  The X fired her massive engines and blasted forward.

  "Brahms, I want a way of seeing what's there."

  "Two minutes for beam source intersection," Chou called out.

  Something was vibrating the ship. Mak had at first thought it was just inside his head but then he felt it through the railing. The sound of the engines thrummed through the walls and ceilings and floors like a giant heartbeat.

  "We're getting reports through out the ship," Brahms called out. "Medic reports multiple crew members are collapsing. But they're still with us. Fainting and dizzy spells."

  "Move the Bridge to the middle of the ship," Suth ordered.

  "Think we're going to hit something?" Brahms yelled.

  "I sure as shit hope so."

  There was five seconds of flashing lights and sirens. Then the Bridge lurched as it moved towards the aft section of the big ship.

  "Evacuate the forward sections."

  "In progress, Captain."

  Brenn was on his knees hanging onto the railing. The paramedic was mopping the sweat from his face. Mak helped her lay him down on the deck.

  "God I wish I knew what I should do," she said grimly. "Maybe fluids. He's sweating like a son of a bitch."

  Mak cradled Bren
n's head while the paramedic turned away then returned with a needle and a bag. Mak and the paramedic stared at each other.

  "I guess you don't think a needle's such a good idea," she said.

  He shrugged. "I'd hate to break his concentration."

  They both stared at what Mak thought was a really large needle. "Alright, let's just try some water." She pulled out a bottle of water.

  "What's causing the damned vibrations?" Suth called out over the dull roar.

  "The beam is destabilizing. Our fire power may have taken a toll after all. We're hitting waves which are seeping into normal space."

  "All ships keep firing!" Suth ordered.

  There was another lurch as the Bridge came to a stop. Mak's head was splitting. It was hard to keep Brenn's head still while the paramedic tried to pour some water between his gritted teeth. The vibrations of the ship seemed to be shaking Mak's eyeballs out of his skull.

  The X bucked and jerked, trying to tear itself apart.

  One of the paramedics suddenly doubled over and vomited. He then curled up into a ball. Mak heard someone else screaming. Then another. Groans from the crew intermingled with the moans of the ship.

  "Twenty seconds to source impact!" Chou shouted over the increasing cacophony of shaking metal and shattering plastic.

  Alarms and lights flashed out: Collision Warning.

  Brenn's fists were clenched so tightly blood seeped between his fingers. Mak tried to sop it up with some gauze. The paramedic was tending to her fallen comrade. The other paramedics were overloaded. More crew were collapsing and some were stumbling around disoriented. Mak fought with the vertigo to keep himself conscious. The X was screeching like a banshee. She was shaking herself to pieces.

  "Ten seconds to intersection," Chou cried out, he was holding his head, blood flowed down his face, his voice was agony.

  Before Chou reached five, the X collided.

  Even deep in the