Read The Starwolves for Free Online

considerable trouble."
    Velmeran heard, and instantly knew that something was wrong. He moved free
of the battle to pace the fleet a short distance out. "I hear you, Keth.
What is it?"
    "I seem to be stuck inside one of the carriers," he explained.
"She turned in front of me. I tried to punch a hole through a main
corridor. But I did not quite make it, and now my generator is wrecked. I was
hoping that you would be able to disable this ship."
    "We will do what we can," Velmeran assured him. "Which
ship?"
    "I am in the lead carrier."
    "I hear you. Baressa?"
    "I am on it," Baressa responded immediately.
    "Right. Valthyrra, where are those other packs?"
    "I cannot get enough pilots to their ships to launch a pack from either
bay," Valthyrra responded. "The first two should be leaving in the
next two minutes. Can you hold out another five or so?"
    "No! You had better bring yourself in, so that you can deliver them to
the scene. And charge your cannons."
    "Coming!" Valthyrra replied, and she did not sound at all unhappy.
    By that time Velmeran, Baressa and a third ship were moving up on the lead
carrier, intent upon clipping all six of her main drive engines. An instant
later it seemed that every Union ship in the fleet was firing at them, so that
they were forced to break off their attack and move away. That was when
Velmeran realized just how much trouble they were in. The Union fleet had
captured a live Starwolf. Whatever else they had come to do was quickly
forgotten; their only goal now was to protect that carrier long enough for her
to escape.
    And they were quick to seize their chance. The lead carrier suddenly broke
free of the fleet, so abruptly that she left her escorts and tenders behind.
She reversed course almost a full half-turn and began to accelerate rapidly
back into the system, building swiftly to light speed. Three wolf fighters
broke from the fleet to chase her, but they were only just beginning to close
when she went into starflight.
    "She just jumped!" Velmeran warned. "Valthyrra, put a drone
on that ship."
    "On it!" Valthyrra promised. One of her smaller forward bays
began to open. A small machine shot through the bay doors as soon as they
opened enough to allow it to pass. The drone paused a moment as it oriented on
its target, then disappeared into starflight with a blinding flash of its
tiny engine.
    The drone was a fail-safe, for Velmeran did not intend for that carrier to
escape. The giant ship continued to accelerate into higher starflight
speeds, faster than he had thought Union ships could run. But she was mostly
bays, and those were empty. Nor was she retreating back to the main base, a
move that would not have kept her safe. She was running out of system.
    "Velmeran, she is casting something loose!" Baressa warned.
    She had been in a position to see the small bay door swing out. The three
fighters scattered, and a moment later a launch was ejected from its small bay.
Without acceleration dampers to drain off the energy of its tremendous
speed, the little ship was vaporized almost the instant it left the carrier, and
it radiated the energy of its acceleration in a tremendous destructive flash.
But the trick had failed, for the three fighters were back on the warship's
tail immediately.
    Velmeran was moving in for a shot at her star drive when he again sensed the
droning of many drives at low starflight speeds. He paused a moment, realizing
that the Union base had launched another fleet nearly the size of the first,
moving quickly to reenforce the remains of the first. It was a trick to make
him let go of that carrier, a trick he could not refuse. He could not leave two
packs to fight that without their pack leaders.
    "Valthyrra, are those packs out yet?" he demanded.
    "Just leaving," her reply came.
    "There is another fleet closing in."
    "So I see," Valthyrra agreed. "Three battleships and twelve
destroyers. And forty stingships."
    Velmeran cut his com link and swore every oath he had ever heard,