The Index -|-
“Once we launch the kerflk, we just have to wait,” said Zara.
Kpleeb scratched his hairy chin. “I’m not sure I understand.”
“The kerflk will have received its command, and once it hits the impulsors of the Xi ship, it will seep in and block the aji flows that run the engines within a few moments. Then we only have to board the ships and command the kerflk to pull away and cover the outside hull. The flows will resolve themselves once the blockage is removed.”
“All while they shoot at us?”
“Yes, maybe for a few moments, but the Hsstak can deflect the attacks for a little while because of the kerflk shell. Then we shoot a hole in their own hull and send in a team of Ganix to clean out the Xi and destroy their beacon.”
“You make it sound so easy,” Kpleeb said with a concerned smile. “What could possibly go wrong?”
“There will be times when things go wrong, Da, but we must have more ships. This is the only way we can disable the ships from a distance.”
Kpleeb nodded. “I know, I know.” He sunk into his thoughts. [An army without transportation is useless., and unless we can bring the fight to the Xi, we can never really hurt them. Unless we can spread our warriors to other orbs and continue to grow, we will always be vulnerable to attack and at risk of being exterminated.] He sighed. “We will need even more ships than we expect, and more fighters too.”
“We have the Ganix and almost all the Hkkli. Thousands at least. I’ve asked Kanta, but she has stated that her family simply could not fight without being altered first.”
“Who can blame her,” said Kpleeb. “I wouldn’t wish that on my family either. I do hope the warriors we have are enough.”
“Saeli is bringing in more Hkkli to fight, and I have trained Kanta and a few Ganix to fly the Hsstak and the Greki. We have four crews trained and more are in school. The Ikol has almost been repaired, and the Kssma is still waiting to be fixed. I need more Xi to help repair, and we certainly need more ships.”
Kpleeb nodded. “I’m satisfied with that, but I don’t know where you will find more Xi willing to turn against their own. If this kerflk weapon works like you say and we capture more Xi ships, we may finally be able to attack Juma. I am working on a battle plan with Xir and Hiro’s cousin, Nairo. He seems to have a good grasp of tactics in the void. We definitely need those ships.”
###
“Da, wake up.”
Kpleeb rolled over and looked up at the face of his only daughter. She was bright and awake, and he wondered when she ever slept.
“There is a Xi vessel approaching Jorqu. This is our chance to capture another ship!”
Kpleeb nodded and clambered to his feet slowly. “Alright, how far away are we now?”
“We should be able to intercept them in less than an hour.”
“If they’ve found our base here, they could also have notified the First Terminal.”
“We can’t know for sure unless we capture their ship and check the communication logs. I already gave the command for Ikol and Greki to cease all transmissions. We’ll run silent with the Hsstak and perhaps still have some element of surprise.”
“Smart girl,” said Kpleeb. “Let’s go.” He grabbed a small piece of green frond-bread from the table next to his sleeping mat. He had found the Hkkli bread to be bland, but surprisingly filling and readily available.
Within a few minutes, he stood in the command center with Zara, Xir, Tiirw, Kanta and Nairo. The sensor’s light-cloud clearly displayed the nearby vessel as it approached. “This one is of the XC configuration like the Kssma,” said Tiirw.
Zara nodded. “I’m glad we’ve seen one of these before now. Go ahead and set up for the attack. I want to watch.”
Kanta’s highly dexterous fins peppered the console, and a large holographic display replaced the data-cloud. The atmosphere became silent and tense as the Xih vessel appeared and finally became clear. Like the Kssma that rested in Jorqu’s orbit, the ship that approached them was much larger than the Hsstak. It was a ship that would certainly contain a Xih commander of some sort, one with a higher rank than even Iqw Okrat had been before Zara killed it. The ship would also host a larger contingent, perhaps as many as fifty Xi. The view changed, pulling out as the Hsstak approached.
“Weapon ready,” said Tiirw emotionlessly. “Nine deployed.”
The display showed no movement, which was not unexpected to Kpleeb. The kerflk deployments that Zara had tested on the Ikol had shown him that the chunks that were ejected were too small to display. He grasped the tether on Zara’s sling. “They’re attacking us, hold on!”
Nairo’s Hkkli face was unreadable to Kpleeb, but his small mouth twitched, and his short arm tightly clutched the edge of his sling in a grip that Kpleeb would only describe as a death grip.
A bolt of blueish fire appeared from a nodule on the back of the Xih vessel. The glowing spear twisted around an invisible center axis and rapidly approached the Hsstak.
“The kerflk has attached to the vessel.” Tiirw neck-slits fluttered rapidly.
The command center shook with the impact of the blue bolt. Kanta spoke up. “The kerflk shield has reduced the attack effectiveness by at least half.”
Kpleeb sensed surprise and relief from Nairo, but Kanta gave no indication that she was concerned.
Another two bolts ejected from the ship, followed by two more. “I think they expected to harm us more than they have,” said Zara with a smile. Her eyes had the far away look that told Kpleeb she was currently tuned into her view of the aji realm. “They must be noticing the beginning of engine shutdown. Prepare to fire on the breach location.”
Kanta prodded her console a few times and then tilted her head causing the water in her airo-walking helmet to slosh gently. “Locked on and ready.” After another moment. “Firing.”
Kpleeb saw the Hsstak’s own blue bolt cross the void. The Hsstak buckled under another blow followed by one more, and only Kpleeb’s grasp prevented him from being bashed against the chamber wall. A small puncture in the side of the Xih ship appeared as the Hsstak’s bolt hit home.
“The Hsstak is unable to take much more. There is minor damage to a few systems, and I have tuned the release mechanisms to shorten the energy ejection paths.” Tiirw looked at Zara. “The enemy ship has lost its ability to fight.”
“The kerflk is working” said Zara with a smile. “Approach and send the warriors.”
Xir nodded at Kpleeb and turned on his heel without saying a word.
Nairo spoke in his squeaky dialect and Zara’s device translated in a higher-pitched monotone. “Is that hole big enough?”
“It looks small, but it’s at least the width of four warriors.” Zara patted Nairo on his shoulder. “It’s just so far away right now.”
“Even the Hkkli?” Kpleeb eyed Nairo’s Hkkli bulk.
Zara ignored his comment and pointed at the Xih vessel that had grown considerably larger in the view. “The warriors are on their way.”
To Kpleeb’s eye, the warriors seemed tiny, but then the view changed and everything came close. “Thank you, Kanta.”
The hole in the side of the of the grey hull was jagged and appeared discolored around the edges, but the warriors entered in single file with plenty of room to spare. Kpleeb could see them reduce speed using the belts that Zara had designed for them. The last warrior to enter was a Hkkli.
[All we can do now is wait.]
###
Zara waited silently in her room. Her sling was still, and the ceiling above her glowed with a web of aji. With an irritated sigh, Zara jabbed at a tight bundle in the center of the web. The same thought that crossed her mind a hundred times broke the surface yet again.
[Did I imagine being rescued by Qon? Perhaps I was temporarily insane from the torture.]
Carefully, she prodded and poked at the web again. The aji was serene, bland even. With a renewed annoyance, she wrapped a thread of golden Qon around her fingers and used it to slice the other aji longways into even thinner strips. The threads squiggled, hanging loose from their siblings. Another swipe with Qon cut them crossways, and the rainbow of glowing strings became jumbled into a pile of similarity.
[Curious.] Zara made a shallow bowl with the Qon and used it to mash the shredded aji together. The colors had almost blended when the Qon pulsed once and lost its form.
