There is? How? Jace asked her as another Omull started to pick at the door and the Cetixs filled the windows.
Metal Rain, Gehenna said.
What’s that?
Something that you can call down. But… she paused and said, Jace, this is going to hurt. Maybe even--
Kill me? His eyes went huge as he read that thought from her. But then he was shaking his head, even as the pain of the migraine sloshed around inside. The Omull started to throw itself at the door that suddenly let out a frightening crack! Doesn’t matter, Gehenna! We’re all going to die here if I don’t do something.
All right, Jace, she said sadly. Just like we practiced…
Metal Rain
The Hive shot out a dozen Thylacine-class fighters. They were U-shaped with lasers all along the front edge and two massive canons at the tips. Blue force-fields lit up the moment that they exited the Hive.
“Exarch! It appears that the Khul saw you coming and decided to send a welcoming party,” came a female Thaf’ell voice over his comms. “And here I thought I would be all alone in this fight.”
Her name, rank and accomplishments scrolled by in the corner of his eye. Her name was Flight-Commander Thammah Pyrrhus. Her ship was called the Kryptoria. And she was stationed on Earth not because she was a bad pilot, a coward or a fool, but because she was reckless, defied authority and followed her Xi.
Just like the humans do. She must like it here.
“Where are the other ships?” Khoth asked as he dove below the Khul’s fighters as electric green lasers cut through the space he had just been moments before.
“This is Earth, Commander Voor. We have one ship--well, now two--as you’ve been sent here to rot just like me,” Thammah responded dryly before coming up behind two of the Khul ships.
“But there is a Hive,” he was about to say, but then he remembered the reports and closed his mouth.
No Khul had been seen in this area in more than a century of human time. No Hive had ever come even close to here. And humans had not been granted Altaeth ships or designs yet to join the fight. So, of course, there had only been the one ship assigned to this quadrant. There was no reason to waste the firepower.
Until now.
“Most of the forces have been sent to the surface. This is likely all the fighters the Khul have,” Thammah told him.
“Even if it is, the Hive itself has defenses,” he reminded her.
“Oh, yes, we likely won’t be able to take the Hive out. But without its fighters it can’t send anymore fighters down to Earth so… I say we go out in a blaze of glory,” Thammah said.
Thammah’s Paladin-class ship then pivoted on its side as she sent four expertly aimed blasts at the Khul ships. Most of the force-field’s power was on the front of the Thylacine-class fighters, not the back. The first blast she sent was an overdrive blast. It took time to charge, which left the fighter vulnerable to attack, but Thammah made sure she was in none of the Khul’s sights. That weakened the already weak back force-field while the second blast hit the engines, which were directly behind the piloting pod. Normally it took two Paladin-class fighters to pull off this maneuver, but not only did Thammah do it herself. She took down two of the Khul fighters in quick succession. He was impressed despite himself.
She is clearly unorthodox, but her skills cannot be denied. Sending such a talented pilot here was a waste.
But as he stared at the Hive and the remaining Khul fighters, he had to admit that he was glad she was here.
“Are you going to join this fight, Commander Voor, or are you leaving all the fun for me?” Thammah chuckled.
He narrowed his eyes. “Fighting is about intellect, not fun.”
“You tell yourself that,” she laughed again. “But I know better! For I’ve heard about you Commander Khoth Voor and you’re much too good a pilot not to love it.”
“And I see why you were sent to Earth,” he responded dryly.
“Indeed. And I cannot wait to find out why you were,” she answered.
He felt his Xi begin to zing as he curled his fingers around the fire controls, belying his earlier words and making him a liar. He drew in a deep breath as he banked the Exarch to the right. The Khul followed after him.
“Have you not read the report on it?” he asked.
“I don’t read reports. Dry. Boring. Full of facts, but no truth,” she told him.
