Alpha Centauri

Thirty-Seven - Julian

I wake to Nizami frantically shaking my shoulder.

"What? What's going on?"

"We are under attack." She sits back down in her seat and straps herself in.

The holographic radar is lit up like Times Square on Christmas Eve. Blinking lights indicate eight Scriosian ships on their way to obliterate us.

"I don't understand," Nizami says. "It's like we walked straight into their line of attack. They ambushed us."

Even better, just beyond the line of ships is a planet, a sphere seeming to glow brown and blue. It's Crenala. We're so close.

"We have to get out of here," I say, reaching for the thrust.

"No. They've surrounded us." She swallows. "We'll have to fight our way out."

"Well, shit." I drag my hands through my hair, trying to figure something out. "You do know how to fight them, right?"

"Yes. It's you I would be worried about." Nizami presses a button on the console and my chair slides forward, startling me. I strap myself in. "I hope you know how to operate the plasma ordnance."

I glance at the radar again. The blinking shapes have us surrounded. This tiny spacecraft shouldn't have artillery in the first place, let alone be able to take on eight enemy ships three times its size. The ships are closing the distance, just reaching firing range.

"Nizami, there's no way we can fight them all off."

"We don't need to fight them all. We just need to make an opening in their line of attack so we can get through." She doesn't seem so sure of herself.

I don't know who fires first, but I know it's not going to end well for us.

The first beam barely misses us. Nizami jerks the lever, and the ship lurches out of the way just in time. This seems to be the only remotely effective method. But we won't be able to dodge blasts coming from all directions.

My thumbs go crazy firing at the ships. I try to hit the front of the ships, where they're being operated from. I seem to hit a vital spot on one of the ships, and the side explodes. But another ship instantly takes the fallen one's place.

"Julian, I'm... I'm sorry," Nizami whispers. A loose strand of curly hair hangs in her delicately-featured face. "I... I should have checked the other end of the warp range."

"No, it's not over yet," I say as fiercely and bravely as I can.

Suddenly, the pod jerks and goes spiraling out of control. Nizami grabs the lever, but I have to help her bring the ship to a stop. We've been hit.

The ship's computer rambles off something in Crenalan, but I know what it's saying. Artificial gravity disabled.

I feel myself rise out of my seat, but the belt prevents me from getting very far. "We have to get out of here," I urge, firing at another ship.

"No. We'll just collide with one of their ships or get hit again." Nizami's braid is floating up beside her head.

I glance at one of the controls next to Nizami. "We have to warp," I declare, reaching for the switch beside her.

"Surely you're not serious! We'll end up in uncharted space, light-years away from Crenala. Besides, this ship can't take another warp."

"Can't you just readjust the warping range?" I ask. "We would only end up a short way past Crenala. It wouldn't be as rough on the ship."