Space Odyssey: Spectre

Chapter 627: Miniature Copilot

"The best of just about anything I could hobble together. Although my resources were still limited." He told Gorund as the little girl’s grip tightened on his head.Gorund looked over like he was about to say something but stopped when he saw the little girl. "Good you found her." Gorund went to reach out for the child when she tightened her grip on Jace’s head and hid her head behind his.

Jace frowned as he could feel snot on the back of his neck. "She is fine. She will come up with me in the Hound’s tooth."

Gorund shrugged. "Okay. But if you took out the mortella warships. How large is the one you brought."

Jace shook his head. "It is only a cruiser."

Gorund looked shocked at that before his eyes narrowed. "Top of the line systems? What about the power source?"

"Top of the line and then some. We learned a bunch while in the Milky Way Galaxy and I also learned how to find the power source we were looking for. A sun or star engine. I have not really decided on a name." Jace explained.

Gorund sighed before shaking his head. "It should be called a sustained explosion engine."

"Too wordy." The child mumbled and Jace nearly burst out in laughter while Gorund rolled his eyes and his shoulders.

The Wyvern took off behind them with the first group. As they did, Jace’s wrist began beeping and he looked down at it before activating the communication unit that was inside. It seemed short range radio waves could be broadcast from the ship.

"The first group is coming aboard now but we have a problem. The other mortella ships are closing in on us quickly. By the time the second set gets to orbit we will be in combat." Valkyrie explained.

"Then leave us. You have all the children." Gorund declared quickly.

"No," Jace shook his head. "I will take care of it." He then looked at the girl that he was holding. She looked at him as well. "You want to stay safe or do you want to throw up whatever rations you ate and see me blow up some mortella for Death to collect?"

The girl was silent for a moment before smiling. "Throw up! The rations tasted like shit!"

"Woah!" Jace shook his head. "Language!"

"Okay, just remember to keep some cards hidden." Valkyrie told him.

Jace changed the inside of the cockpit as he moved forward. Switching it back to a two seater for the first time in a while. "Gorund. Do not try to sacrifice yourself. It is unnecessary." Jace told the dwarf as the canopy opened up and he dropped the little girl into the back seat and put the harness on her before grabbing a napkin and barf bag out of a side pocket. He used the napkin to wipe off the snot from the back of his neck while he handed her the barf bag.

"Throw up in this?" She asked.

"Please." Jace nodded his head as he jumped in the front seat and materialized his helmet back on. He reached up and reconnected the latches on his helmet. "I do not want to clean the cabin."

The canopy closed over them as he looked over his shoulder to make sure she was secure. As soon as his canopy was closed back up several targeting solutions began appearing.

"What are those?" The young girl asked from the back as Jace pulled the ship to an upward angle as he pushed power to the auxiliaries which would be enough to get to orbit in a few seconds.

"The enemies." Jace answered. He needed to remember to be careful about his maneuvering with her in the backseat. "We will be targeting them." The fighter picked up speed and he could hear an uncomfortable groan from the girl in the back seat. "You okay?" Jace asked as he chuckled.

"I feel like I want to puke." The girl declared as they broke through the atmosphere and past the clouds. Entering space where he could freely see the enemy space ships that were closing in on their position. He began charging the cannon as he increased the speed. Intending to do a bombing run on the closest Mortella craft before they could deploy.

The Hound’s Tooth cut through the space like a knife as he was reading the Wyvern was already heading back down to the planet. The closest mortella spacecraft put up the shielding just as he fired a pair of heavy lasers with varied firing times. Just so one would take out the shielding before the other could hit the actual warship.

"Those are big! How are you going to stop them?" The little girl asked as he closed the distance before firing the first shot. The blue laser slammed into the ship’s shielding. It flashed gold for a moment before a wave of gold shimmered along the ship’s armor. Signaling the failure of the ship’s shielding.

Jace took a moment to find a vulnerable spot on the mortella ship before firing toward an open port in the bottom of the ship. He then pulled the Hound’s Tooth away and he heard the little girl groan again. Then a moment later as the bottom part of the mortella ship exploded he heard the girl barf.

"Blaarghh!" Jace chuckled as he heard her toss up whatever rations she had eaten.

He directed the Hound’s Tooth toward the next closest ship when the sensors showed the rest were already maneuvering away from their original course. "Did you get it all in the bag?" Jace asked as he aimed for the next one while the readings showed the mortella ship he just hit was already listing toward the planet, caught in the planet’s gravity.

"Yes," The little girl answered from the back. "I am hungry."

Jace then burst into laughter as he keys up the comms. "West, can you get someone started on preparing food for the survivors?"

"It is already underway. Victor is guarding Catherine Hex at the Brig. Can we put her back in Cryo?" West asked.

"You can." Jace answered. "Make sure he runs a diagnostic first. Our comms system was fried, there is no telling if something else was fried as well."

He began charging the next set of heavy laser shots when the first enemy craft began leaving the nearest Mortella ship. They were probably hoping to use fighter craft now that they realized he could destroy large warships quickly.

Unfortunately for them, they were easily in his range and he had practice pressing the mortella’s buttons to get them to focus on him. The enemy fighters flew past him as he charged up another set of shots. His shielding flared as several lasers bounced off it. He glanced at the readings and whistled. "They are using plasma. Since when have the mortella used plasma based weapons?" He asked over the open communication channel the Lance of Thanatos had.

"It is one of the Mortella war fleets that specifically use it. How are you destroying the warship’s with a single shot?" Gorund asked.

"The air they keep in the ship is highly explosive when correctly electrified. So I am firing a solidified form of laser covered in electricity. The first one temporarily disables their shielding and the second one electrifies the air as the solid laser penetrates the outer armor and then sets the air inside on fire." Jace informed him.

"Those ships are shooting at us." The little girl pointed out as Jace slowly weaved out of the way of another ship.

"They are. But they are no match for me." He told her as he spun in a circle. Literally maneuvering around an enemy ship. He moved to a perpendicular position to the enemy warship before hitting the shielding and disabling it before sinking a second shot right into the hangar where fighters had come out of.

Jace pulled up and flew over the warship as his sensors showed a spike in radiation. He slammed the lever forward and the main engine’s exploded on, before launching them forward. He could hear the little girl make a noise before a ’konk’ noise. A quick glance over his shoulder revealed she was unconscious.

The amount of gravity was too much. She was not dead though, just unconscious. He pulled the Hound’s Tooth around and glanced upwards at the warship. Confirming his suspension as a blue fire shot outwards from the warship and covered some nearby enemy fighters that had followed him back to their home ship. Now they were caught in the field of plasma that was slowly engulfing the warship.

"I believe we have overstayed our welcome. Is the Wyvern back in the hangar?" Jace asked.

"It is." West answered.

"Okay, we are leaving." Jace announced as he could hear a rustling behind him. "Prepare to jump. I am using my armor to match up the warp wave rider jump."

"Understood. Moving into position." K announced as the Lance of Thanatos changed orientation. Jace changed the system and matched their orientation. Then they were away with barely a ripple. Heading to a random point between systems so they could regroup.