hand
long enough to tap the weapons panel. Getting a two-handed grip on the
yoke again, he turned the Essenay into a tight right-hand
curve. "We've got two meteor-defense lasers and a short-range
particle-beam shredder. And four small missile launchers."
"Jack!" Uncle Virge protested. "The missiles are privileged
information, lad."
"What, you think he's not going to notice when we fire them?" Jack
retorted.
"Instruct me in its operation," the dragon said, the top of his
head rising up out of Jack's skin for a better look.
Jack shook his head. "No, that's all right," he said, risking a
quick look at the aft sensor display. Was that a small ship rising from
the forest near the wrecked freighter?
"Instruct me in its operation," Draycos insisted. "I am a warrior
of the K'da—"
"Yeah, yeah, I remember," Jack cut him off. No, it wasn't a small
ship coming up from the forest. It was two small ships.
Terrific. "No offense, but so far all I've seen you do is grab other
people's weapons. Any good pickpocket could do that."
"Have you ever engaged in combat?" Draycos countered. "Have you
ever flown this spacecraft in combat?"
"No, and no," Jack ground out. Already the two ships were gaining
on him. Fighter-sized, he could see now. Probably fighter-armed, too.
"Now shut up and let me fly. This is hard enough as it is."
In answer, his open shirt was suddenly shoved back off his left
shoulder, and a pair of golden legs sprouted from his skin there.
"Hey!" he snapped as the unexpected weight translated into a brief
wobble of the control yoke. "Watch it!"
"You cannot fly and defend together," Draycos said firmly, the
extended paws poised over the weapons panel. "You are not trained, and
these controls are not well laid out. Now instruct me."
Jack muttered a word that had once cost him a week of desserts. To
trust his life to someone else, and an alien newcomer at that . . .
But the dragon was right. Besides, he could hardly be any worse at
this than Jack was. "All right, fine," he said, trying to coax a little
more speed out of the engines. "The left section handles targeting. The
way you work it . . ."
The quick course took a minute and a half, about the same time it
took the two fighters to close to firing range. Jack could only hope
the dragon was a quick study.
"Interesting," Draycos commented as the fighters approached. "They
are using a classic chiv-nez maneuver."
"I guess word gets around," Jack said, squeezing the control yoke
hard as he studied the aft display. The fighters weren't going to wait
long before making their move, he knew. Probably deciding how best to
disable the Essenay without blowing it completely out of the
sky.
Unless, of course, Snake Voice had changed his mind about wanting
his prisoners undamaged. In that case, the fighters' job was going to
be a whole lot easier.
"You mistake my point," Draycos said. "I do not know whether they
borrowed the maneuver from the K'da or created it themselves. What I do
know is how to deal with it. At my command, make the tightest turn to
the left this ship is capable of."
Jack frowned. Turning left would put them directly into the path
of one of the fighters. "Uncle Virge?"
"Sorry, lad, but I can't see anything better to suggest," Uncle
Virge said. "We'll never make it out of the atmosphere before they
catch us. Let's see what tricks our K'da warrior can pull out of his
hat."
Jack took a deep breath. "Okay," he said. "Okay, I'm ready."
"Very well," Draycos said, his breath uncomfortably hot on Jack's
cheek. On the aft display the fighters had finished their study of the
situation and were starting to move in. "Prepare . . . now."
Jack twisted the yoke all the way to the left, leaning into the
turn as the Essenay skidded hard to the side. At the same time,
he heard the short spitting hiss of one of their missiles being
launched.
"Draycos!" Uncle Virge shouted. "Idiot—you fired too low!"
Draycos didn't reply. The Essenay started to buck inside
its own shock
long enough to tap the weapons panel. Getting a two-handed grip on the
yoke again, he turned the Essenay into a tight right-hand
curve. "We've got two meteor-defense lasers and a short-range
particle-beam shredder. And four small missile launchers."
"Jack!" Uncle Virge protested. "The missiles are privileged
information, lad."
"What, you think he's not going to notice when we fire them?" Jack
retorted.
"Instruct me in its operation," the dragon said, the top of his
head rising up out of Jack's skin for a better look.
Jack shook his head. "No, that's all right," he said, risking a
quick look at the aft sensor display. Was that a small ship rising from
the forest near the wrecked freighter?
"Instruct me in its operation," Draycos insisted. "I am a warrior
of the K'da—"
"Yeah, yeah, I remember," Jack cut him off. No, it wasn't a small
ship coming up from the forest. It was two small ships.
Terrific. "No offense, but so far all I've seen you do is grab other
people's weapons. Any good pickpocket could do that."
"Have you ever engaged in combat?" Draycos countered. "Have you
ever flown this spacecraft in combat?"
"No, and no," Jack ground out. Already the two ships were gaining
on him. Fighter-sized, he could see now. Probably fighter-armed, too.
"Now shut up and let me fly. This is hard enough as it is."
In answer, his open shirt was suddenly shoved back off his left
shoulder, and a pair of golden legs sprouted from his skin there.
"Hey!" he snapped as the unexpected weight translated into a brief
wobble of the control yoke. "Watch it!"
"You cannot fly and defend together," Draycos said firmly, the
extended paws poised over the weapons panel. "You are not trained, and
these controls are not well laid out. Now instruct me."
Jack muttered a word that had once cost him a week of desserts. To
trust his life to someone else, and an alien newcomer at that . . .
But the dragon was right. Besides, he could hardly be any worse at
this than Jack was. "All right, fine," he said, trying to coax a little
more speed out of the engines. "The left section handles targeting. The
way you work it . . ."
The quick course took a minute and a half, about the same time it
took the two fighters to close to firing range. Jack could only hope
the dragon was a quick study.
"Interesting," Draycos commented as the fighters approached. "They
are using a classic chiv-nez maneuver."
"I guess word gets around," Jack said, squeezing the control yoke
hard as he studied the aft display. The fighters weren't going to wait
long before making their move, he knew. Probably deciding how best to
disable the Essenay without blowing it completely out of the
sky.
Unless, of course, Snake Voice had changed his mind about wanting
his prisoners undamaged. In that case, the fighters' job was going to
be a whole lot easier.
"You mistake my point," Draycos said. "I do not know whether they
borrowed the maneuver from the K'da or created it themselves. What I do
know is how to deal with it. At my command, make the tightest turn to
the left this ship is capable of."
Jack frowned. Turning left would put them directly into the path
of one of the fighters. "Uncle Virge?"
"Sorry, lad, but I can't see anything better to suggest," Uncle
Virge said. "We'll never make it out of the atmosphere before they
catch us. Let's see what tricks our K'da warrior can pull out of his
hat."
Jack took a deep breath. "Okay," he said. "Okay, I'm ready."
"Very well," Draycos said, his breath uncomfortably hot on Jack's
cheek. On the aft display the fighters had finished their study of the
situation and were starting to move in. "Prepare . . . now."
Jack twisted the yoke all the way to the left, leaning into the
turn as the Essenay skidded hard to the side. At the same time,
he heard the short spitting hiss of one of their missiles being
launched.
"Draycos!" Uncle Virge shouted. "Idiot—you fired too low!"
Draycos didn't reply. The Essenay started to buck inside
its own shock
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