Deathstalker 08 - Deathstalker Coda

shields flared brightly, dissipating deadly energies as disrupter cannon fired in volleys, cascading brightly in the long night. Enough firepower opened up to scorch the life from a dozen worlds, and here and there ships exploded like novas as force shields overloaded and went down. Often the victorious ship had gone on to another engagement before it even saw the results of its attack.
    With the ships’ AIs down, concerted attacks were impossible. It was every ship for herself. Silence kept up an endless stream of orders, trying to enforce his combat strategies, but even he couldn’t keep up with the state of battle. Basic computer targeting could give best estimates of where a ship would go next, but it was up to human gunners to hit the fleeting targets, preferably without hitting one of their own ships in the process. Men and women on both sides fired their guns with wild eyes and manic smiles, half out of their minds on adrenaline and battle drugs, operating as much by instinct as training. Mistworld and Virimonde ships darted in and out of the chaos, running rings around the bigger ships, showing unexpected speed and deadly aim. The people of Mistworld and Virimonde had trained to be warriors all their lives, and for them combat was like coming home. Their shields couldn’t stand up to the occasional direct hit from starcruiser cannon, but they all fought and died with the Owen’s names on their lips, his Family name their battle cry.
    Deathstalker! Deathstalker!
    Lewis and Jesamine were running down a corridor to reinforce a besieged gunnery crew when one of the Havoc ’s shields shuddered and went down, and a direct hit blew a hole right through the bulkhead. Air blasted out through the huge jagged gap, and Lewis and Jesamine were swept off their feet in a moment. The lights flickered and the gravity fluctuated as alarm sirens sounded, almost drowned out by the rush of air shrieking out through the hole in the wall. Jesamine tumbled towards it, turning head over heels. Lewis cried out, his voice lost in the bedlam, and threw himself after her. Jesamine grabbed at the edge of the hole with one hand, and hung there, half in and half out. Lewis slammed against her, and grabbed one of her arms, only to cry out again as his side hit a viciously sharp steel prong. The metal shard sank deep into his side. Lewis held desperately onto Jesamine’s arm. She was already dangling out into the cold vacuum. Only the steel spike in Lewis’s side kept him from following her. He fought desperately to draw a breath from the air racing past him. He slowly pulled Jesamine back, inch by inch. And then the disrupter cannon fired again, the whole bulkhead blew apart, and the corridor opened up to space. Lewis and Jesamine were ripped free from their precarious holds, and flew out into the deadly vacuum of space.
    Lewis held on to Jesamine’s arm as they turned slowly end over end. The Havoc fell away behind them, rushing on to fight other ships. The battle raged silently around them, ships coming and going faster than the human eye could follow. Disrupter beams and flaring shields blazed brighter than the stars. It was cold and silent and very dark, and Lewis felt very small and unimportant. Just another piece of flotsam, floating in the night.
    After a while, he thought Why aren’t I dead? And then he thought, more specifically, Why isn’t my blood boiling in my veins? Why haven’t my lungs collapsed? And why don’t I feel any need to breathe? He reached down to the wound in his side, and found it had already healed. He felt quite good, actually. He would have liked to giggle hysterically, but that would have to wait until later. He pulled Jesamine in close to him, and checked that she was all right too. They grinned confusedly into each other’s faces. And Lewis thought This is great! I can survive in open space! No one’s been able to do that since Owen!
    Don’t start showing off, Jesamine’s voice said firmly in his head.
    Jes! I can hear you! Can you hear me?
    Yes! The Maze is just full of surprises, isn’t it?
    Telepathy too! We can do anything!
    I wouldn’t go that far, sweetie. When I reach a point where I can eat anything I like and still not put on any weight, then I’ll believe in miracles. But since we’re not dead after all, why don’t we see if we can do some damage to the bad guys. See that ship over there? Let’s pop over and ruin their day.
    Sounds like a plan to me, said Lewis.
    And all they