Twenty-eight minutes later, the Darmstadt exploded. One of the nightmares controlled by the Seeker managed to hit the UMC cruiser with a missile, rupturing its Markov Drive and vaporizing half the ship.
Kira was in Control when it happened, but even there, she heard a loud “Fuck!” echoing up from the injured Marines in sickbay.
She stared with dismay at the holo of the system—at the blinking red dot that marked the last location of the Darmstadt. All those people, dead because of her. The sense of guilt was overwhelming.
Falconi must have seen something of it on her face, because he said, “There’s nothing we could have done.”
Perhaps not, but that didn’t make Kira feel any better.
Tschetter contacted them almost immediately. “Captain Falconi, the Jellies with me will continue to provide you with as much cover as possible. We can’t guarantee your safety, though, so I’d advise maintaining your current burn.”
“Roger that,” said Falconi. “What sort of shape are your ships in?” “Don’t worry about us, Captain. Just get back to the League in one piece.
We’ll take care of the rest. Over.”
In the holo, Kira saw the three friendly Jelly ships darting in and around the larger conflict. Only four of the hostile Jelly ships remained, and most of the nightmares’ had been disabled or destroyed, but those last few were still fighting, still dangerous.
“Gregorovich,” said Falconi. “Crank us up another quarter g.” “Captain,” said Hwa-jung in a warning tone. “The repairs may not hold.”
He looked at her with a steady gaze. “I trust you, Song. The repairs will hold.”
Gregorovich cleared his simulated throat, then, and said, “Increasing thrust, O Captain, my Captain.”
And Kira felt the weight of her limbs increase yet again. She sank into the nearest chair and sighed as the cushioning took some of the pressure off her bones. Even with the help of the Soft Blade, the extra thrust was far from pleasurable. Just breathing took noticeable effort.
“How much time does that save us?” Falconi asked. “Twenty minutes,” said Gregorovich.
Falconi grimaced. “It’ll have to do.” His shoulders were hunched under the force of the heavy burn, and the skin on his face sagged, making him look older than he was.
Then Nielsen, who was on the other side of the holo, said, “What are we going to do about the Marines?”
“Is there a problem?” Kira asked.
Falconi lay back in his own chair, allowing it to support him. “We don’t have enough cryo tubes for everyone. We’re four short. And we sure as hell don’t have the supplies to keep anyone awake and kicking all the way back to the League.”
Apprehension formed in Kira as she remembered her time without food on the Valkyrie. “So what then?”
An evil gleam appeared in Falconi’s eye. “We ask for volunteers, that’s what. If the Jelly could put Trig into stasis, then it can wrap up the Marines. Doesn’t seem to have hurt Tschetter.”
Kira exhaled forcefully. “Hawes and his men aren’t going to like that, not one bit.”
Falconi chuckled, but beneath it, he was still deadly serious. “Tough. Beats having to take a walk out an airlock. I’ll let you inform them, Audrey. Less of a chance they’ll punch a woman.”
“Gee, thanks,” said Nielsen with a wry expression. But she didn’t complain any further as she carefully pushed herself out of her seat and headed down to the hold.
“Now what?” Kira asked once the first officer was gone. “Now, we wait,” said Falconi.
