Slave Empire - The Crystal Ship Read Online Free PDF Page A

not want,
especially if Atlan did not join the fight. He was pretty sure they
would, but if he pre-empted them and saved the human girl before
they arrived, they might well remain neutral, which would leave him
to handle the Draycons’ reprisals alone. That would cost lives and
ships, neither of which he was willing to sacrifice, yet something
told him he should go after her.
    Why, he did
not know, and the foolish urge bothered him. Four ships,
discounting the scout, would be sufficient to quickly cripple
Norvar, but she was so close to Amranon that others would soon be
sent to help her. Provided they could rescue the girl and get away
before more Draycon ships arrived, casualties and damages should be
minimal. Again he wondered at the powerful urge to go to Rayne’s
aid; risking his people’s lives for the sake of one girl did not
make sense.
    He sighed.
“Scimarin, order the two cruisers and the battleship to go to
Shadowen’s aid. Have them stop Norvar and demand that they
surrender the girl, make it seem like a slave raid. They won’t, of
course, but it will confuse them and buy some time.
    “ If they try to continue to Amranon, engage them and try to
break their Net link so the force shield will collapse and Shadowen
can transfer her out. Signal the two cruisers with me to follow,
and go to Amranon. Then get me another five heavy ships and send
them after us. Shadowen, we’re on our way.”
     
     
    Tallyn frowned
at Marcon, who gazed back with flat, expressionless eyes. Vengeance
escorted a pair of slow ore freighters from the mining planetoid
Orifon Three, a tedious duty all commanders hated, and Tallyn was
no exception. The information Marcon had just imparted was a
welcome distraction, but also disturbing. Distress calls in space
were rare, and usually proved to be pirate attacks, which meant
that by the time help arrived, the culprits were long gone.
    “ What ship?”
    “ Says the ship’s name is Shadowen, but won’t give any other
form of identification.”
    “ What’s their problem?”
    “ They didn’t say.”
    Tallyn raised
his eyebrows. “Call them and ask for details.”
    Marcon placed
his hand on the sensor pad, closing his eyes as he spoke and
listened through his implant. When he opened them again, his
expression made the commander’s frown deepen.
    “ What is it?”
    “ It’s Rayne. The Draycons have her.”
    Tallyn said,
“Contact Atlan and tell them.” As Marcon replaced his hand on the
sensor pad, Tallyn addressed another officer. “Tell the convoy
we’re leaving. Order Sunray to follow us and set course for...” He
looked at Marcon as the lieutenant opened his eyes. “Where is
she?”
    “ On route to Amranon, aboard Norvar. Why didn’t we know her
ship’s name?”
    “ She never told us. I thought she went to Mansure with Rawn
and Mergan aboard Butef.”
    “ She did.”
    Tallyn leant
on the console. “How long to Mansure?”
    “ Five hours.”
    “ When can Atlan get ships there?”
    Marcon touched
a crystal and consulted a hologram. “The nearest ship is a cruiser
in the Porthus Belt, Hood, two hours from Mansure, but, if Norvar
is in flight, it won’t catch them before they reach Amranon.”
    “ Neither will we.” Tallyn straightened. “It’s pointless
threatening the Draycons with reprisals; they’ll be expecting it.
Better to have the element of surprise on our side, such as it is.
They’ll detect us long before we arrive, anyway, but they won’t
know why we’re there, although they’ll probably guess.”
    “ May I suggest that we assess the situation when we get there,
Commander?”
    Tallyn nodded.
“I want all the data you have on the current Draycon fleet, the
political situation on Amranon and the allegiances of the various
captains. Perhaps we can turn them against each other.”
     
     
    Norvar’s
captain hissed with annoyance as the communication crystal buzzed,
dragging his attention from the triumphant speech he was composing
for his return to