Scenes From Space

Chapter Forty-Three: An Ending

"Ben?" I paused to shoot out another knee and ducked back behind my cover. "What the hell did you say about the ship earlier?"

Ben sounded out of breath as he responded. "Impenetrable hull. Kinetic Energy. Most advanced steering and operating systems."

"Okay, but how and why with the steering and operating systems?" I asked.

"Graham, do you remember anything from the report?" Ben asked.

"Uhhhh, something about the ship having really sensitive controls and some AI program built in for intuitive handling based on the pilots," Graham said. I glanced up to see him pull a loop maneuver in the sky

"Intuitive AI program like how?" I asked. "Like Pacific Rim, like Power Rangers, like Voltron?"

"None of us know your Earth pop-culture references!" Ben's voice was loud over the coms. I personally, didn't feel that there was a need for shouting currently.

"As far as I know, no Collective ships require their pilots to be drift compatible," Kuzzon huffed. Despite the battle, despite all my injuries, despite the impending capture or death, my face broke out in a gleeful smile.

"Guinevere, focus," Ben commanded.

I focused on shooting out a few more soldiers. The focus was brief. My brain tossed and turned.

If the ship's systems were so sensitive and advanced that we couldn't destroy the ship, maybe the ship could be destroyed by a little human error or er alien error. I pulled an exploding disk from my arm band, but didn't throw it. I held it up to the light and watched the disk catch the sun. I looked back at the ship.

I looked at the bodies strewn about bloody in the sand. I looked at Ben still tussling with Collective soldiers. I looked at Graham flying through the beams of blaster rounds coming off of the Collective vessel.

I looked at Kuzzon, who was panting heavily, taking cover behind a rock a couple yards away. I jolted over to him.

"Can one of your crew get back to your runner?" I asked. Kuzzon's eyebrows furrowed but he nodded.

"So, here's my plan, cause a pilot distraction, maybe throw the ship off course, and aid the ship's bad course by plowing into them with the runners," I summed up.

"Jein, get to the runner," Kuzzon commanded.

"Yes, Prince," Jein responded.

"I don't think there's any reason to risk both of the runners," Kuzzon said. "Jein can eject himself and your runner can still be active."

I glanced around the boulder and shot out another soldier before responding simply, "Okay."

Kuzzon and I took a few rounds of fire from behind the boulder. We returned a couple shots before Jein relayed his new position in the sky.

"Two pilots, right?" I asked. Kuzzon's eyebrows went in, but he nodded.

"Here," I said and handed him a disk. "Let's see if we can't throw the pilots off course with a simple reflection of light."

"Well," he sighed. "Jein, you ready for the count?"

We changed position so we were facing the rock and the ship. I held my disk up and angled the reflection. I set my tech eye to zoom so I could see the pilot's face.

"Same time, me starboard, you port," I suggested.

"On one," he said.

"Three," I counted. "Two, one." I flicked my wrist. The pilot flinched as the light bore directly into his eyes. The wheel jerked and the vessel turned slightly. Jein's runner hit the side and exploded. The ship turned fully on it's side. The hover pulses stopped with no ground to bounce off of and the ship collapsed down.