“Copy, Captain Shepherd.”

  “Are you strapped in back there, Max?”

  “Confirmation. I am secured.”

  Nicholas clenched his stomach as tight as he could. Even so, this was going to hurt, and might push the other passengers into G-LOC. He hoped not.

  Counting to five, he cut the thrust completely, fingers drifting deftly over control to use the vectoring nozzles and anti-grav to flip the ship over, facing it the other direction. It had to hit more than ten Gs for the two seconds it took to make the maneuver, and even he felt a little lightheaded afterward. Pushing the throttle all the way open again, the Gs continued to pile up as Foresight Two came to a near standstill in the air.

  Most of the Relyeh ships darted right past him, immediately slowing to turn back. One of them didn’t turn tight enough, and Nicholas barely got the shields up in time to absorb the impact as it slammed into the bow of Foresight Two. The collision shook them violently, the AI fighting to stabilize them.

  “Nick, we just lost ten percent of our remaining power,” Yasmin said over the comms.

  “Couldn’t be helped,” he replied, glad to hear she hadn’t lost consciousness.

  Foresight One charged hard toward them, spines spread out and glowing, ready to fire.

  “Now, Jen! Fire!” Nicholas said.

  She triggered the spines before he finished talking, multiple beams of energy arcing around Foresight Two and into the enemy fighters behind him. The two Foresights passed within a few meters of one another, coming so close to each other the displaced air shook them up again.

  Nicholas looked again at the grid, seeing that ten more Relyeh craft had vanished from the sky.

  “We’re killing it!” Jennifer shouted, excited by the successful second run.

  “Correction,” Max said. “Kill or be killed. Hahaha. Hahahaha. Haha.”

  Nicholas didn’t understand the comment until he looked again at the grid. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” Another flight of enemy ships appeared on the sensors as they departed Koth’s ship, doubling the number of fighters he and Jennifer had just destroyed. “How many of those ships does he have?”

  “Information. They are called gulth. They are not ships. They are living organisms. Relyeh. Augmented with weaponry.”

  “You mean cyborgs?”

  “Confirmation. Koth has raised hundreds. Decision. We cannot defeat them here. We must evacuate.”

  “I agree,” Nicholas said. “But how are we going to get from this Foresight to that Foresight?”

  “Question. Did you not consider that before we took off? Hahaha. Hahaha. Ha.”

  “Yeah, I did. And I figured we were better off up here than down there. Stop laughing and help me figure this out.” He paused, glancing at the grid. “Jen, fall in behind me and take out those gulth on my tail. We need to make a run for it.”

  “Copy that. Where are we running to?”

  “Anywhere but here,” he told her, pushing Foresight Two through a series of maneuvers to avoid the flurry of plasma bolts coming at him from the six gulth sticking to his tail like magnets. One of their bolts would hit the hull every so often, weakening it just a little more. Then his rear camera showed Foresight One pulling in behind the bogeys, its spines charging to fire. He smiled as plasma bolts erupted from six different spines. Two made direct hits, blowing up those gulth. The other four took glancing hits and scattered.

  “Nice shooting.”

  “Thank you, Captain.”

  “Unfortunately, we’re still in a world of hurt.” Above them, gulth continued dropping from Koth’s mothership, nearly one hundred more turning to pursue them. “Max, I’m open to ideas. That’s why I called you up here.”

  “Information. You’re going in the wrong direction.”

  Foresight shuddered, taking a more solid hit from a plasma bolt.

  “What does that mean?” Nicholas hissed. “This isn’t the time for more obtuse answers.” He pulled up power levels on the HUD. All the maneuvering had brought them down nearly fifty percent. It was still enough to make orbit and use a single spine a few times if he had to, but that was about it. “I’d rather not die today.”

  “Recommendation,” Max said, leaning forward and stretching his dark hand out past Nicholas’ face to point at one of the forward feeds showing on the surround. Below the broken clouds was the planet’s deep blue ocean.

  “Max, this is a starship, not a submarine,” Nicholas said.

  “Consideration. What is the difference between the sea and space? The environments are similar. Foresight’s thrusters do not require oxygen to function. The interior is hermetically sealed. And—”

  “Plasma weapons don’t work very well in water,” Nicholas finished for him. “Jennifer, we’re going to take a bath.”

  Chapter 32

  “Do you mean what I think you mean, Captain Shepherd?” Jennifer asked anxiously.

  “Yes,” Nicholas replied. “Frank isn’t programmed to handle the environment, so you’ll have to handle Foresight manually. It’ll be fine. Once we’re underwater we’ll take it slow. I know you can do it.”

  “Okay,” Jennifer agreed. “I’ll follow your lead. But what about these gulth? Can they follow us in?”

  “They could, but their guns won’t work very well underwater. Ours will. I don’t think Koth is stupid enough to pursue. Make sure you ask Frank for a full navigation override and confirmation. That’ll prevent it from trying to stop you from putting the ship in the water.”

  Nicholas asked his AI for the same.

  “Override confirmed,” it replied stiffly.

  “It’s done,” Jennifer said. “Now what?”

  “Just follow me in.”

  “Copy that.”

  Nicholas glanced at the threat display. The gulth had fallen back some, following the two Foresights but wisely waiting for reinforcements before re-engaging. There was little reason for them to rush anything. Koth surely understood they couldn’t get past him to get off planet, while his massive supply of alien cyborg ships pretty much guaranteed victory.

  He wondered how the Relyeh Ancient would react when the two Foresights plunged into the ocean. Would he get frustrated by the lack of resolution? Would he be amused by the action, knowing they would have to come out some time? Would he try to find a way to send something in after them? The reaction would say a lot about Koth the Unspeakable. Judging by what Max had already told them, Nicholas guessed the second option would be most likely. For as long as the Ancient had already lived, he had probably become quite good at biding his time.

  Nicholas guided Foresight Two into a steep ascent, opening the throttle and again pushing everyone back in their seats again. He didn’t think Jennifer would understand the maneuver, but he knew she would follow it.

  Gaining altitude and speed seemed counterintuitive to what they wanted to do. The problem was that they couldn’t belly land on the surface like a seaplane. The ships would float, leaving them open to attack by the gulth. They also couldn’t afford to nose in slowly, lest the gulth pounce on them like hungry hyenas before they could even reach the water. It was less risky to climb toward the incoming armada and dive straight down to knife into the sea at higher speed.

  Both Foresights powered up through the clouds. On the grid, Nicholas noted the gulth reinforcements swarming down toward them, nearing firing range. He watched the power levels for Foresight Two continue to drop, the upward hard thrust quickly draining them. As long as they had enough juice to keep the life support going for an hour or two, they would be okay.

  “Jennifer, cut throttle on my mark, and use the vectoring thrusters to push your Foresight back over, then open the throttle again. We can’t afford to slow to a stall at the apex, we have to force the dive. Make your stomach extra tight; it’s a hard-G turn.”

  “Copy that, Captain Shepherd,” she replied. “I can do it.”

  “I know you can. On my mark. Five...four...three...two...one. Mark.”

  Foresight Two turned hard, nosing over toward the ocean. Behind him, Jennifer’s Foresight over-corrected slightly, sending the starship into a wobble, forcing her to use the opposite thrusters. For a moment, Nicholas thought she might lose control. But she steadied the ship as she hit the throttle. Both Foresights continued rising for a few seconds before the thrusters could entirely terminate the inertia produced by their climb.

  The gulth didn’t waste the opportunity, swooping in and opening fire. Nicholas activated the ship’s shields, catching multiple bolts before the dive commenced, thrusters pushing the ship toward the ocean below. Behind him, Foresight caught less fire from the enemy as they plunged together, one ship ahead of the other, dropping back through the clouds..

  “Nick,” Yasmin said, her voice barely above a breathless whisper. “We’re running out...of power.”

  Nicholas glanced at the HUD, immediately cutting the thrusters. Jennifer shot away from him, rocketing toward the ocean as he let gravity take over, only two percent remaining in the batteries. “Jen, cut your throttle all the way back.”

  She did as he said, the blue glow fading from the rear of the ship. They fell from the sky, two dark meteors plummeting downward, the gulth giving chase. Foresight shuddered again, taking another hit. A warning tone sounded, the HUD showing him the right thruster had been damaged.

  That was okay; he didn’t need it anymore.

  The two spaceships hadn’t been designed to dive into water, but their sleek almond shape made the attempt less dangerous than it would have been had they been shaped like the older Foresight Three, with its blockier lines.

  Nicholas pressed the comm button. “Brace for impact!”.

  Foresight hit first, plowing through the six-foot high swells at the surface and vanishing in the midst of a thirty-foot high geyser.

  Foresight Two shuddered and vibrated when it hit, the change of inertia throwing Nicholas forward into his restraints, the restraints digging so hard into his shoulders he was sure they would leave bruises. The forward display went dark, warning tones continuing to sound on the flight deck as they sank.

  The cameras switched filters, gathering sensor data and using it to stitch together a composite view of the watery world surrounding them. Light penetrated the first hundred feet, quickly giving way to a slightly darker view as the filters began compensating for the lack of illumination.

  Foresight was several hundred feet below them. The anti-gravity underbelly had slowed its descent, allowing Jennifer to level it out hundreds of feet above the sandy ocean floor.

  “Question,” Max said. “How far to the bottom? Twenty thousand leagues? Hahahaha. Hahaha. Haha.

  “You’re not funny, Max.”

  “Negation.”

  “Jen, do you copy?”

  “I copy, Captain Shepherd.”

  “Foresight Two is extremely low on power. I’m going to level out and let the ship sink to the seabed. You’ll need to maneuver down beside us with the thrusters so we can link the airlocks.”

  “Copy that. I’ll wait here for you to settle.”

  It took nearly twenty minutes for Foresight Two to sink to the ocean floor, finally coming to rest in the sand off a high shelf of continental rock. The system didn’t bother painting any creatures that might have been visible in the water, so Nicholas had no idea how teeming with life the area might be.

  As long as there were no aquatic Relyeh down here, it was good enough for him.

  He deactivated the safety system and climbed out of the pilot’s seat, his entire body sore from the hard maneuvers. Passing Max, he headed for the main compartment to check on the others. Briar looked back at him, her eyes bloodshot, her face pale, if a little green.

  Scott and Macey were both out cold, likely succumbing to the final maneuver, while Yasmin appeared strained but alert. Only Caleb seemed completely unfazed by the entire series of events, resting calmly in the final seat. Gills’ seat.

  “Nice work, Captain,” he said, smiling at Nicholas.

  “Well, we’re alive,” Nicholas replied. “But we aren’t out of this mess yet.”

  “I’m sure we’ll figure something out,” Yasmin said. “We didn’t make it this far just to sit here and drown.”

  “Elation. A perfect landing!” Max exclaimed, lifting his arms and spreading them wide like some kind of conquering hero as he emerged from the flight deck.

  Nicholas turned around, looking vacantly at the Intellect before emitting a long suffering sigh. “By any chance, do you have any medical capabilities?”

  “Affirmation. I can run simple diagnostics on Scott and Macey to ensure there is no lasting damage. I can also shock them awake. Hahaha. Haha.”

  “Normally I would say no to that, but in this case, be my guest.”

  “Confirmation.”

  “I’m going back to the airlock to help Jennifer line up the boarding sleeve. I just wanted to make sure everyone was okay back here.”

  “We’re just peachy,” Briar said, right before leaning over the arm of her seat and vomiting onto the deck. “Sorry, Captain,” she said, face still pale as she started to get up. “I’ll get it.”

  “Just leave it,” Nicholas said. “We aren’t staying long.” He turned to Max. “After we finish transferring to Foresight, I have more questions I need you to answer. A lot more.”

  Chapter 33

  The boarding sleeve had been designed for space, but it worked equally well underwater. A portion of the hull covered in black alloy slid aside, allowing a transparent telescoping tunnel—protected from the elements or attack by an extension of the shields—to expand from the airlock adjacent to the flight deck. The tunnel wasn’t completely rigid. Capable of expanding or contracting at the connecting end in order to fit different size openings, the lead outer ring was magnetized for an airtight seal to any metal surface. Of course, it fit perfectly against the matching hatch of the Foresight Two, creating a two meter, airtight passage between the two ships.

  “We’re locked tight,” Jennifer said from Foresight One. She had worked the interlock from her side, since there would be no way to retract it from the other ship once they had all evacuated. “Whenever you’re ready to cross over, Captain.”

  “We’re set over here,” Nicholas replied. “With about two hours of life support to spare. Yazz, open us up.”

  “Yes, sir,” she replied, hitting the airlock control. The outer door slid open, revealing the clear tube connecting the two ships. Underwater currents pushed against it, bending it slightly toward the middle, but it had more than enough strength to remain stable.

  “Jen, we’re crossing now.”

  “Copy that.”

  Foresight Two’s outer airlock door opened, a soft breath of air passing between the connected ships. The Knights were lined up in the main compartment, ready to cross. “Macey, Briar, you’re up,” Nicholas said.

  Macey had recovered from her loss of consciousness without any residual effect, save for a red mark on her neck where Max had shocked her. She subconsciously rubbed at it as she walked to the airlock and looked at the umbilical. “You’re sure this is safe, Cap’n?”

  “Completely,” Nicholas replied.

  She held her hand out to Briar. “I’ve never been a big fan of water any deeper than me old tub back home.” She shook her head. “Awful.”

  “We’ll be fine,” Briar said, taking her hand. She had recovered from her motion sickness, her buoyant energy resurfacing. “I don’t suppose we have outer lights we can turn on so we can see the ocean? I bet there’s a lot of cool stuff out there.”

  “Dag, go with them and use your headlamp to illuminate the exterior,” Nicholas said.

  The small bot entered the umbilical ahead of the two women, pausing in the center and activating his headlamp. Briar practically dragged Macey into the connector, her eyes wide as she looked out into the water. “So cool.”

  Nicholas allowed himself a smile. After the tense danger of their escape, it felt good to have a moment to appreciate their surroundings. At least as long as he managed to block out the truth of their situation.

  The truth about Luke.

  He couldn’t change what had already happened. He could only try to make right what hadn’t happened yet to the Lukes in all the other layers of the stack. Mourning was healing in its proper time and place. This wasn’t it. He wouldn’t be a good leader if he couldn’t show strength against adversity. And he couldn’t think of anything more adverse than the loss of his son.

  Glancing at Yasmin, he was certain she felt the same way. He could see the strain behind her eyes, even though she wore a serious and focused expression for the rest of the group. There was something else there too.

  Resolve. Complete resolve.

  She would see any Luke they encountered as her son, and she would do anything to help him. He decided then that he would do the same. They could both lament what they had lost when all of this was over.

  “Captain Shepherd, you have got to see this,” Briar said, standing in the center of the umbilical.

  “I will when I cross,” he replied. “Keep moving.” He turned to Yasmin. “You’re next.”

  She looked up at him, noticing the renewed determination in his eyes. “What is it?”

  “We’re going to win this fight.”

  She smiled. “I’m still not completely sure whose fight we’re trying to win. ”

  “Whatever it is, we will succeed.”

  She kissed him on the cheek and then headed out into the connector, stopping to look out into the water. “Nick, Briar’s right. This is amazing.”

  “Go ahead, Captain,” Caleb said, coming up behind Nicholas. “Scott and I will close up shop.” Nicholas opened his mouth to protest. “I know, the Captain should be the last one off. But you never know how many moments like this you might get. Go share it with them.”

  “Thank you,” Nicholas said. He passed through the airlock into the umbilical, moving out to Yasmin’s position. She took his hand and pointed into the water.