“Which one?”
“Pick one. Just get out of the stars. We can find you on the ground easier.”
She opened her channel to all the pods. “I hope you all got that. Land. Get out of the stars. You can live on the ground, and I’ll find you.”
“Copy that,” Bianca said, her response crackling.
“We can do that,” Eleanor replied.
Where’s Caoimhe? She scanned the readings. “Caoimhe? Respond.”
The ships were spread out on her displays, and it was hard to find the escape pods among the mess of debris and vessels.
Blasts lit up all around her as the ships fired on each other.
“Wait…” she said and slid her fingers into the holographic display.
She started tracking the ships and their firing patterns.
The Rhimodian ships were going after the escape pods.
“Everyone, if you can hear me, instigate evasion program three.” She called as she watched the way the ships were moving.
“Copy,” came all the responses simultaneously.
One stood out, though. “Copy,” came the last, breathy one.
“Good to hear from you, Caoimhe.”
“Well, you know, I must change to battle wear before entering a combat situation,” she answered.
Veta smiled, glancing at her pod because they all were just large enough to house the person and not much else. “Yes, we must be properly dressed.”
Caoimhe started to speak, and her words cut out.
“Caoimhe?”
The reply was static.
A particular type of static. The ships were being jammed.
Veta recognized it immediately.
“Get to the surface,” Veta said. “Any surface.” She sent the transmission verbally, as well as a coded message. If the communication was being jammed, then the last text order to come through should be able to be stored in their systems.
The displays lit up as Terrans moved in on her position.
She sighed in relief.
They were coming, and everything would be—
She froze.
Her ship was being fired on.
Her ship.
The escape pod.
