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would have mandated the incredible conclusion that these raiders,
already here in the Tareil system, were somehow connected with the
conquerors of Seivra. No, Kaathgor couldn t openly bring it up
but his entire attitude fairly screamed it.
It appears, the chief of staff was concluding, that our cripples
were unable to inflict appreciable damage on the newcomers in the
brief time available to them.
Of course not, Grashkul replied testily. They were unprepared,
and most of them have damaged targeting systems& He let the
futile line of thought die a natural death. It is clear that these two
groups of inferior beings are acting in concert, he resumed,
watching Kaathgor closely for anything that even resembled
smugness. So we must defeat them in detail. We will overwhelm
the ones who attacked us before those from Seivra can overhaul us.
There is another possibility, Effectuator, Kaathgor said
diffidently. We could break off the engagement. The dynamics of
our present astronomical situation would permit us to retire on
Raehan if we commence the course change within&
Preposterous! Grashkul s eye bulged with astonished fury. What
are you suggesting? We could still defeat both these pathetic forces
together in a straightforward battle, if we had to! Open fire on the
ships we are pursuing as soon as we enter missile range!
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As you command, Effectuator.
Grashkul turned away without even formally dismissing Kaathgor
and studied the tactical display. Of course they would win. Of
course. If he had still had his full strength of battleships, there
would have been no doubt; he would have smothered those ships
ahead of him in an avalanche of long-range missiles. But
unfortunately, his losses had been heaviest in the missile-armed
behemoths the raiders must have specifically targeted them. So
the brunt of the first battle would fall on the battlecruisers, which
had been pulling steadily ahead and would come into energy-
weapon range of the enemy only minutes after the missile
engagement began. Of course, it would take them longer to close to
the short ranges where energy weaponry was really effective.
His eye glowered at those nine blips. Who were they? Their design
was pure Raehaniv, and he had been going on the working
assumption that they belonged to the Free (of necessity, he used the
Raehaniv word for the untranslatable concept) Raehaniv Fleet. But
their order of battle for that fleet included no such ships. And how
could they have gotten away from the carefully monitored asteroid
region to launch an attack that had clearly originated in the outer
reaches of the system, far from the ecliptic? (He would have words
for the Obtainer of Foreknowledge after this was over!) And how
could they be coordinating their actions with the mysterious
occupiers of Seivra?
If Grashkul had been human he would have shaken his head
ruefully. This newly incorporated region had yielded one surprise
after another of late. Through all the centuries in which the Unity
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had expanded in precisely the manner predicted by the Acceptable
Knowledge, nothing had ever surprised the Korvaasha.
Then the deck vibrated under him and he heard the rumble of the
first missile salvo. Soon it would all be academic.
* * *
Liberator s control room seemed to lurch as they absorbed another
hit. Aelanni rapped out a series of orders, then studied the status
readout.
They had given far better than they had gotten. Their defensive
lasers had been able to cope with the big missiles from the depleted
ranks of the Korvaash battleships. And their own missiles had taken
toll of the advancing Korvaash battlecruisers until they had given
out. But then the battlecruisers had drawn into energy-weapon
range, and their massed laser batteries (specialized armaments were
a feature of Korvaash ship designs) had begun to stab at her ships.
They had fought back, with weapons enjoying the advantages of
Raehaniv engineering. But the battlecruisers, in their ungainly
massiveness, could absorb a lot of punishment. And they could
mount a lot of weaponry even crude, inefficient Korvaash
weaponry. The brute mathematics of tonnage and firepower, which
did not recognize gallantly as a factor, were inexorably wearing her
force down.
Avenger had fallen out of formation early, and had by now ceased to
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communicate. Deliverer had blown up with a spectacular effulgence
of light. Other ships had suffered various degrees of damage.
Liberator had gotten off lightly but not for long. The Korvaasha
had now closed to plasma-weapon range, and the slugging match
that was commencing could have but one conclusion.
Her eyes met Naeriy s, and no words were necessary. Eric s ships
(Eric!) were still not even within missile range of the Korvaash
battleships. When they did pull into range, they would face the
Korvaasha alone.
Things would be different if we had deflector shields like the Terran
ships, she thought, oddly calm. But then we wouldn t have had the
drive modifications that enabled us to get here. It was a tradeoff we
freely accepted.
Her eyes went to the viewport. Yes, the Korvaash battlecruiser that
showed in all its hideousness on the screen was now visible, like a
child s model toy across a twilit lawn. She turned to Rosen and
knew that, in some ways, she mourned him more than anyone else.
For all the rest of them were Raehaniv, and could not have done
otherwise than be here. She felt she should say something. But then
he gave his gently ironic smile, and his voice told her not to worry.
We gave them a good run, didn t we?
She smiled back. Yes we did. Then she reached out and grasped
his hand, hard. (It would once have been unthinkable for a
Raehaniv. He was right; they had changed.) And she spoke a word
he had taught her. Shalom, Yakov.
Shalom, Aelanni.
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Suddenly, their faces were bathed with light from the screen. An
instant later, the tiny Korvaash battlecruiser in the viewport was
replaced by a little bit of sun a point of light which began to grow,
and then was all the sky there was. The armorplast darkened just in
time to save them from blindness, but spots continued to dance
before their eyes as the glare died away, revealing an expanding
halo of glowing plasma that had been a battlecruiser.
After a heartbeat, the dead silence in the control room was shattered
as the communicator squawked. Calling the unknown vessels!
Calling the unknown vessels! This is the Free Raehaniv Fleet.
Please acknowledge.
In one unbroken motion Aelanni was out of her crash couch, across
the control room, and at the comm console, elbowing the
communications officer out of the way. This is Aelanni
zho Morna, daughter of Varien hle Morna. Please make visual
contact.
At this range, neutrino-pulse communications were virtually
instantaneous. The comm screen awoke, revealing a man in a highly
non-reg version of the wartime Raehaniv fleet uniform.
Aelanni? His voice broke in an incredulous squeak. This is
Yarvann hle Taren. We ve been maintaining surveillance of the
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