Family Law 2: The Long Voyage of the Little Fleet (43 page)

"Dear sweet gods, you have the same horrid sort of stories?"

"Yes, it's amazing how much we are alike," she repeated. "We call a class of stories like that a genre and Romances are a
big
, seller. I tried reading a few, but I didn't grow up properly socialized. I don't think I have the right responses programmed in me to appreciate them. I never was able to
finish
one."

"My cousin is perfectly suited to writing them. I fear she has never experienced a real relationship with a male, so she couldn't write the implied scenes if she had to. She is a stereo-typical long unmarried female. Do you have a term for those too?"

"Yes, we call them old maids, but it is an old slur held to be very offensive now. Things have changed and unmarried females are not to be pitied. Nor told they are wrong to choose that life."

"Indeed, there is a fruit, tu-tir-id is the sound of the word, and we call such old maids green tutirids because the fruit is very sour unripened."

"I'll be careful how I use that then," Lee agreed.

"I'm a bad influence I'm afraid." Talker said the words but seemed unrepentant.

"What are some other Badger jabs and insults then?" Lee asked.

Talker looked over his shoulders to see who might be lurking about, and he got dimples again on his snout. "Well the Bill's customs practically
invite
jokes. A Bill, a Badger, and a Cat went into a bar..." He started, leaning forward.

* * *

"Sir. The Biters in pursuit have spread a little. I'm not sure if they are anticipating their jump or some other reason," Einstein on the
Sharp Claws
informed his captain and Chance.

"I'm not certain either," Chance said, looking at the data feed off
Sharp Claw's
better sensors.

"Commander, unless you have some objection, I'm going to battle stations early."

"You are responsible for your vessel, Captain Frost. Do what you think prudent. I have no problem with going weapons manned and hot right now."

"I have a gut feeling. When I don't understand things it makes me nervous."

"As well it should.
Dart,
I'm putting
Roadrunner
crew in suits and secure conditions for maneuvering. I suggest you do the same."

"We are securing nonessential operations and putting off duty crew in their bunks secured. I'm also suiting up and prepositioning damage control," Captain Fussy agreed readily.

"Good. I had an itch I couldn't scratch too," Fat Ortega admitted.

"I
order
you to advise me anytime you have a non-specific unease," Chance told Fat. "As much command experience as you have I value any such uncomfortable feelings. Sometimes these things fester in our hind brains and we don't become fully conscious  of why in time to act on them. If it turns out it was just a bit of indigestion this time we are still well served to pay attention to them."

"Aye, sir."

"Acceleration change on the Biters," Einstein called out. "They uh, hang on a second, this doesn't make any sense. I have conflicting... Ah! One jumped his boost up to three point two G. The other dropped his off to point eight-seven."

"One is pushing to engage us. If he doesn't succeed and isn't destroyed himself he will end up insystem from us on jump as I hoped. The other will not engage us in this system but will follow us into the next. They could end up bracketing us in the next system. I have to admire their strategy," Chance allowed. "It's more difficult to deal with than having both one in front and one behind."

"The bastard is going to force us to use a missile on him," Chance complained. "We can't use the Greaser to the rear without cutting acceleration and turning the
Sharp Claws
sideways to him up close and right before jump. I won't risk it. But I..."

"Entry radiation!" Einstein called out. "Six light minutes ahead and not five degrees off our course. Another! A bit further off beam and overtaking. He's got to be really big! Or a group. That was a bright entry burst."

"Ping them both, but not at levels to damage them," Chance ordered.

We will have confirmation if it is a known Biter hull shape in three minutes," Einstein said.

"Greaser hot to track first vessel to enter and fire on my word," Frost ordered. "I'll try not to use those missiles up," Frost promised Chance. They had four left, but it was a long way back for more.

"The Biter in hot pursuit of us has dropped back to their original acceleration," Einstein noted.

"So he has no idea what is happening either. I was starting to wonder if they somehow got ahead of us to lay an ambush, but I couldn't see them having time to get word out and move ships," Chance said.

"We are illuminated," Einstein informed them. "Biter radar and now the other ship. The second ship is radiating at much higher power density than the first.

"
That's
not a Biter," Fat said with conviction.

"Voice transmission following radar from second vessel," Einstein said.

"Play it on the open channel," Chance ordered.

The sound wasn't anything they expected. It shrieked, it gobbled, it moaned and wailed a horrible lament that sent chills down their spines then dopplered away to nothing.

"No further transmission," Einstein said.

"That is nothing from any of our species," Fussy assured them.

"Could that possibly be
speech
?" Fat Ortega wondered.

"Why transmit it otherwise?" Frost asked.

"Sudden thermal emissions on first vessel, and I have an image. First vessel is a match for Biter hulls. The thermal emissions are a match for previous Biter missile launches. Radar now confirms Biter missile launch targets us. Closing is more from our relative velocities than its acceleration. Time to impact nineteen minutes."

"We can jump to system 67 before that," Frost said.

"Another Biter launch," Einstein said.

"He must be able to see with that crappy radar that he has multiple targets," Frost guessed.

"Second vessel shows over seven hundred meters long with eighty by fifty meter cross section," Einstein reported, but he made it sound like a question.

"Greaser crew is weapons free to fire on Biter vessel," Frost ordered. "I don't care if we can jump out before they arrive. You don't fire on us with impunity."

"The large vessel has thermal emissions indicating a missile launch. It appears to be three missiles. Targets indeterminate for a few seconds." Einstein was showing a little stress in his voice. "The large vessel is not braking. They appear to be on an intercept vector with the Biter. Radar clarifies unknown large vessel is targeting us with their fire. Their missiles have much higher acceleration. They may arrive before jump. Especially if they are standoff weapons."

"Program the two missiles in our tubes on the large vessel," Frost ordered. "Full evasive programs and ECM active on the X-heads. Hold fire. Repeat, hold them hot but do not fire. If his weapons get through our close defense we'll send him a little message from the grave," Frost vowed.

"Hit! Radar shows Biter vessel breaking up from Greaser fire. We didn't just hole him, we must have hit something that generated secondary effects. Greaser is working on Biter missiles now. We have...wow."

"Einstein, 'wow' is not...OK, I'm seeing it on my own display. Wow indeed," Chance agreed.

"Large unknown vessel has altered course upon destruction of the Biter vessel. It now appears to be on a course to stop along the track of our hindmost follower. I can only assume he intends to reverse course and intercept him. It is decelerating at fourteen point six G," Einstein reported, awed.

"Why not just shoot in passing?" Fussy asked.

"He doesn't..."

"Detonations! All three missiles targeted on us detonated simultaneously," Einstein reported. They were nukes, but surprisingly small yield. The spectra were weird."

"Remove missile targeting on large vessel," Frost ordered. "Return to untargeted ready condition ."

"You don't need full power when you send a self destruct command. Just enough to vaporize the missile," Chance explained. "They decided anybody shooting Biters was off their target list. But they are probably still pissed at us for shooting him."

"Why?" Fussy asked, still not getting it.

"They never intended to fire on him. They jumped in on his tail intent on intercepting and capturing him," Chance told the Badger with a smile. "Now they are going for the rear fellow on our tail. Even at fourteen G he'd never double back and catch our near follower before jump. He'll still be ours to deal with in the next system."

"The spectra... I think they were pure fusion weapons," Einstein said, remembering to mute the feed to Fussy this time.

"Well, we already knew anybody who could build
that
are ahead of us in tech," Chance said, and made a subtle switch flicking gesture to Einstein before Fussy noticed too much dead airtime.

"Shit. Who did the Biters piss off who make spaceships damn near a kilometer long that have that sort of legs?" Fat Ortega asked.

"I don't know. They thought
we
were a problem," he said amused. "May they have the joy of whatever their arrogance has bought them. Einstein, quickly prepare a video mosaic of Humans, Hinth and Derf to transmit to the new fellow before we jump. Fussy, your call to make, do you want cameos of your races added to the mosaic?
Less
the Biters of course."

"You want to reveal that much to a complete unknown?" Fussy asked. "It also implies we are closer associates than has happened yet, though I expect it will."

"They told me enough about their character when they destroyed their missiles in flight. These folks have weapons similar to ours. You could do worse than imply we are friends under the circumstances."

Fussy blinked once. "Do it," he agreed. Probably with all sorts of reservations there was simply no time to express. Possibly exceeding his legal authority too.

"Brief mosaic of our images sent," Einstein reported. "It was head and shoulder shots and I doubt it will win any awards for video composition and directing."

"I'd
love
to see how they capture the Biters," Chance told them. "Unfortunately we would need to engage the Biters in stern chase of us here and jump very late into the known jump parameters to see it."

"That's why I agreed to associate us in the video," Fussy informed Chase.

"I'm not sure what you mean."

"We are jumping out and the new species, new race, will be
alone
here with the Biters. I can't imagine the Biters surrendering graciously at all. They will resist and try to fire on them and probably make them cut their way in their hull and drag them out," Fussy predicted. "I can easily imagine them either claiming an association as allies with us in their usual bluster, or worse, claiming ownership of us as what you called client races. Neither of which the new fellows are as likely to believe now after they figure out the format and see us all in that video, sans the Biters."

"Our
shooting
the Biter they pursued should remove all doubt," Chase said.

"Jump in three minutes," Chance announced. "On the even minute by our clock at 17:12. No time to spread out. Let's show the new fellow we have some style leaving."

At 17:120000000000001 they were gone to system 82. Their fleet was one more jump.

Chapter 21

"I'd really like to visit your planet," Lee told Talker. "I imagine it's quite different from your station. Every planet I've been to had something worth seeing."

"I thought you'd had your fill of planets after Earth," Talker said.

"I don't want to be stuck on one it's true. But they can be beautiful and interesting. I especially liked the time we spent on Derfhome walking in the deep forest and meeting Gordon's people."

"So you had a pretty good visit on Derfhome?"

"It wasn't without it's negatives. The first Mother wasn't too pleased to have me as a guest. We managed to resolve that without bloodshed."

Talker got that rippled look to his muzzle Lee was learning was puzzlement or doubt, quite distinct from amusement or surprise. "That's always a plus," he allowed.

Lee ignored the wry remark.

"I'll have to ask permission from the planetary authorities. We have quite distinct areas of responsibility. They have not been thrilled at all our activities up here. Worried it will bring trouble to them below. I'd note they were once asked to allow Biters on the planetary surface and refused. When the Biters asked again in less polite terms the planetary officials plainly said they would consider it an invasion and kill them. That they were issuing and dispersing weapons to the general population to act as a militia with instruction to resist even if there was no central directing authority."

"Are you trying to prepare me not to be shocked if they feel the same about us?" Lee asked.

"No. They are aware of the deals we are making and the potential benefits to all our worlds. The Biters never had any real benefit to offer. They'll pay for something begrudgedly if they can't steal it. They've seen images of you and I doubt they'll feel threatened by one small Human female."

Talker could tell from the frown and glare that he'd offended her, but couldn't figure out why.

* * *

"Clean sky," Einstein reported after they emerged in the next system, number 82, and there was no close traffic.

"You may stand down from battle stations and damage alerts if it pleases you," Chance offered. Fussy and Frost both issued such orders, to the relief of their crews.

There was a system traffic history scan being transmitted. There was mining activity but not a living world. Not even much mining activity on the one dead world that supported it. Most of it was in space.

The system scan showed a sped up replay of the Biter ship they'd killed before jump entering this system almost opposite and making an easy change of vector without shedding much velocity. They were well along their crossing when the huge stranger ship entered from an entirely different quadrant. It made a violent right angle burn to chase them. The Biter ship had accelerated hard for jump not attempting to reply to the brief Banshee wail the stranger transmitted once. The scan was so recent the end of the chase and both ships' jump hadn't propagated to the central scan and back to be incorporated in the latest broadcast. However the wave front of that event was long gone since they entered near where it happened. It would take most of their transit before system scan caught up and retransmitted the two ships leaving where they were coming in.