Eternity's End (27 page)

Not really,
said Palagren, his head turning from side to side as he scanned the edges of the tunnel.
I've never been able to hold such a structured image so long before. I'd guess that the hard-edged form will end of its own accord before much longer. It must be associated with a dense nebula or some such thing
.

The ship slipped downward over a sharper step, then another.
Pinga-ping
. There was another faint sound—like a distant, clanging buoy. The current seemed to be speeding up. Legroeder felt a sudden chill of fear, as he imagined a submarine shadowing them through this labyrinth, torpedoes ready to fire.

Don't let your imagination run away with you, he cautioned himself. Still...
Was that our own echo I just heard?

Voco answered from the stern,
I heard it, too. I think it was our own, yes
.

And I think,
said Palagren,
that I see the end of this tunnel
.

Legroeder peered ahead, past the Narseil, where he glimpsed a shifting of light. Yes, now he could see the labyrinth opening.
What's that up ahead?
he murmured. Before anyone could answer, the ship picked up speed and shot out of the tunnel like a bird out of a chute.

The undersea image evaporated, and the ship sprouted long, slender wings as it flew into a cloud-filled sky. Legroeder could feel the craftsmanship of Palagren and the others at work on the image, but really they were just refining what was here: a skyscape of great, sculpted clouds, and currents slipping among them like dancing breezes. The clouds looked like top-heavy savanna trees leaning with the wind; sunlight glowed on their tops, and great caverns of open air yawned in their shadows, where complex and convoluted Flux currents wound among the cloud bases.

While the Narseil riggers conferred on a direction, Legroeder stretched his arms out in the net and felt the wind whisper through his fingers. He rocked the wings a bit. Off to the left, and a little behind, he glimpsed a flicker of lightning among the clouds.

What is it, Legroeder? Anything wrong?
asked Palagren.

I guess not—just a flash of something back there. Just some weather, probably
.

The other riggers seemed puzzled.

Didn't you see it?

No, I didn't—
began Palagren, but was interrupted by a distant rumble of thunder. The sound seemed to echo among the clouds for a few moments, then faded away.

You may be right about the weather,
Voco said from the stern.
I see a thunderhead moving off to the port side. We'd better keep a watch on it
.

Palagren began a wide turn away from it.
Wait,
Legroeder said.
Do you mind if I do this for a moment?
he asked, nudging them back toward the left.

I sense a difficult passage in that direction,
Palagren said cautiously.

I just want to check something,
Legroeder said, banking the ship a little more sharply. He thought he saw something dark among the shadows under the clouds; something darker than the shadows...
I'm not sure... hold on a sec'
...

What is it?

Legroeder thought he heard a faint booming sound. Maybe it was just a reverberation of thunder, but he felt a little shiver of apprehension; he wasn't sure why. But the view had changed now and he saw nothing. Shrugging, he returned the ship to the right bank that Palagren had initiated, and gave control back to the Narseil.

He remained unsatisfied, though. Closing his eyes, he searched back in his memory, analyzing the sound and feel of the thunder. His stirring of apprehension turned into genuine fear as some connection clicked into place, some pattern in the sound. Opening his eyes, he said softly,
Don't be alarmed, but we need to change the image and see if we can get a clearer view under those clouds
. He hesitated.
Palagren, I think you should inform the captain and the commander
.

The ship became rounded, a domed flying saucer, with all-around visibility. The clouds began to change in color and density as they shifted the image through different combinations of filters.
Inform them of what?
Palagren asked.

To ready their defenses
.

He felt Palagren's surprise, then heard the soft mutter of the Narseil passing his words on to Ho'Sung and Fre'geel. And the captain's voice:
What exactly have you seen, riggers?

Legroeder answered,
Nothing I can explain easily. But it's the lightning and thunder. Somehow I have a sense—

Before he could finish, there was another flash, like heat lightning in the clouds ahead of them. As he listened to the rumble of thunder, he felt that there was something not quite natural in the sound. He felt the recognition as a tightness in his chest. To the left and astern, he saw a fleck of darkness moving against the underside of a cloud. His stomach dropped.
Mother of stars
...

Legroeder,
Palagren said,
what are you sensing? It does not seem—

Legroeder interrupted.
It's behind us, port side and thirty degrees above! Prepare for attack. This is it!

He felt Palagren's puzzlement as he sent the message on to the captain. The Narseil didn't feel his certainty; but then, they had never rigged with pirates.
Expect a lot of light, and a lot of—

I hear it. Coming now—!
Palagren called.

A second later:
B-D-DOOM-M-M! B-D-DOOM-M-M!

The sound crashed through the net with a dissonant rumble, as if reverberating from all directions at once, a hundred echoes arriving out of synch with each other. The Narseil riggers looked jarred and confused—too many inputs funneling through the tessa'chron. Legroeder called,
This is the beginning of an attack! Don't let it shake you!

Palagren, recovering, called back,
I'm all right. Captain, we are under attack!

Audio attack only, so far,
Legroeder added.
No sign of weapons fire yet
.

Very well,
came Ho'Sung's voice.
Let's act like victims, until we determine their intentions
. His voice became more distant, probably directed elsewhere on the bridge.
Let's have that hail ready
.

Act confused but don't
be
confused, Legroeder thought.

B-D-DOOM-M-M! B-D-DOOM-M-M! B-D-DOOM-M-M-M!

The reverberations shook the net, making it harder to steer a level course. They were hitting turbulence, as waves of sound crashed over them like a pounding surf. The fleck of darkness that Legroeder had spotted was gone. It was impossible now to localize the direction of the sounds.

The pattern was familiar enough to Legroeder—did all raider bands use similar tactics?—but it also felt different enough to reassure him that this pirate ship was from an outpost other than DeNoble. It was not his former captors.

The captain's voice rang through the net:
All weapons and stations are on full alert. Is the attacking vessel in sight?

Palagren answered,
Not yet. Legroeder—do you see it?

Negative
. He'd lost it in the clouds. The pirates could make their approach from any of a dozen directions. The terrain of the Flux was so convoluted here, the number of places to lurk almost limitless.

Sending our hail now,
Ho'Sung said.

A moment later, a recorded voice echoed into the Flux.
THIS IS NARSEIL STARLINER H'ZZARRELIK. PLEASE IDENTIFY YOURSELVES. REPEAT, PLEASE IDENTIFY YOURSELVES
. The message repeated, in five different languages.

Legroeder waited, holding his breath.

B-D-DOOM-M-M! B-D-DOOM-M-M!

The sounds were growing louder and more frightening. Legroeder shut his eyes, trying to suppress the memories of countless raids that were welling up in his mind. He felt himself begin to shake. He thought of all those weapons hidden within
H'zzarrelik
's structure and imagined them coming to life. He thought of the weapons carried by the pirate ship, and began to shake harder. He had never gotten used to combat, and his stomach was knotted. (Calm... calm... ) he whispered to himself.

// Use an image to quiet yourself,//
one of the implants suggested, vibrating to life. It offered an image of waves lapping on a shore.

He seized on it gratefully; even as more thunder shook the net, he felt his trembling abate slightly. He scanned the shifting mists of cloud.
There it is!
he shouted, spotting a flicker of light ahead of them and off to the left.

Moving this way,
said Palagren.

The object turned toward them with a flare, and accelerated toward the Narseil ship with remarkable speed—either riding a powerful sideways draft of turbulence, or using internal fusors to drive it across the streams of the Flux. As it flew toward them, a great curtain of red fire lit up the clouds behind it. The fire grew into an enormous canopy of flame spreading outward and forward like great outstretched wings. In the space of half a minute, it curled around
H'zzarrelik
as though to engulf them. It seemed to shout a warning:
Fire... death... destruction
...

Steady,
Legroeder murmured.
It's just an effect. Slow and steady as we wait
. His heart was pounding, and he had to remind himself that the effects were not nearly as powerful as they seemed. Their greatest power was to frighten.

The thunder was now an incessant din...
DOOM-M-M... DOOM-M-M!
... making it hard to think or communicate. The Narseil crew and Legroeder kept
H'zzarrelik
on a steady course, turning neither to flee nor to attack. Steady, steady, like an unarmed ship...

With a blast of static, the net suddenly came alive with a yammering of voices, crying in a cacophony:
SURRENDER! SURRENDER! THERE IS NO ESCAPE! THERE IS ONLY
DOOM-M-M... DOOM-M-M... DOOM-M-M!
From the clouds there came an enormous, rumbling thunder like the sound of a tornado passing; and the nose of the oncoming ship spat half a dozen bursts of neutraser fire, which lit up the clouds on all sides of
H'zzarrelik
with dazzling green light.

Multiple thunderclaps followed each of the firebursts. The net of the Narseil ship shook and sizzled with energy. Legroeder gritted his teeth. If one of those bursts had truly connected with
H'zzarrelik
, they might all be gone now in a blaze of energy. But the pirates didn't come out to destroy; they were here to capture, to pillage.

Legroeder, what's your assessment?
Ho'Sung asked quietly through the net.

Legroeder drew a harsh breath.
Captain, I don't think they're out here to
talk.
They're trying to frighten us into submission. This is a standard attack pattern
. And damned effective, even against those who knew the strategy for what it was.

You don't believe this is a pretense?
Ho'Sung asked.

Hell no, I—

Protect yourselves!
cried Palagren.

Their words were cut off by the flare and crackle of a fresh neutraser burst, directly in front of
H'zzarrelik
's bow. Fire blazed through the net. Legroeder cried out in pain. It felt as if they had passed through a wall of fire. The Narseil net was sputtering and crackling with energy. It took several seconds for the energy to dissipate, leaving the net tight and sluggish. That was more than a warning shot; it was intended to disable.

The pirate ship was coming into full view now. It was a menacing-looking frigate—not the largest Legroeder had ever seen, but powerful enough to challenge even a naval cruiser. Ripples of fire danced through her net, outlining the ship, and flashing at node points that probably represented the positions of her riggers. Legroeder imagined the crew of
H'zzarrelik
targeting those rigger-stations with their concealed weapons, and for an instant, he felt a pang. Those riggers who were attacking him—how many of them were captives as he had been? He drew a sharp breath and forced the thought away.

A powerful drum beat was growing in the Flux now, booming through the net like the rumble of kettle drums. Then a braying voice:

HEAVE TO! HEAVE TO OR BE DESTROYED! NO DELAY! THERE WILL BE NO SECOND WARNING!

To punctuate the words, two more bursts of neutraser fire flared off the bow of the Narseil ship.

Ho'Sung's voice reverberated in reply:
THIS IS THE NARSEIL H'ZZARRELIK. WE ARE SETTING OUR STABILIZERS AND PULLING IN OUR NET! WE REQUEST A PARLAY. REPEAT, WE REQUEST A PARLAY
. Then he ordered in a more muted voice,
Riggers, shut down and withdraw!

The net rocked with laughter, broadcast from the other ship. The three Narseil and Legroeder pulled the net close around the ship, set the autostabilizers, and withdrew. The last words Legroeder heard in the net were:
THIS IS FLECHETTE. STAND BY FOR BOARDING
...

Legroeder emerged from his clamshell to a scene of deadly calm on the bridge of the Narseil ship. The captain and commander were each at com posts, murmuring instructions. The weapons control panels were alight. The Narseil weapons crew, led by Agamem, were stone faced, motionless, awaiting orders.

Ho'Sung conferred in a low, hissing voice with mission commander Fre'geel, then turned back. His manner was intense, but he seemed very calm. "Riggers, stand by to return to your stations on my order!" He spoke into the ship-to-ship com. "
Flechette
, our net is down. We have unarmed civilians aboard—"

One, anyway, Legroeder thought.

"—please do not shoot again! What are your orders?"

The answer was a staticky shout:
YOU WILL OPEN YOURSELVES TO BOARDING, OR WE WILL BLOW YOU OUT OF THE FLUX!

Ho'Sung stood silent for a moment, then looked at Legroeder. "You're the expert in human behavior. They're not responding to the prearranged signal. Do you see any reason not to regard this as a hostile contact?"

Legroeder shook his head, swallowing. "I think we have a fight on our hands."