pound us to dust and we’ll have nothing to respond with.
She had to somehow lure them into trying to board, but the only way they’d do that was if she struck her colors, taking down the New London colors that lit the boat and surrendering. And once I do that I’ve surrendered and can’t fight them.
What could possibly make the Hanoverese lieutenant forget that the colors still flew and try to board anyway?
“Hearst?”
“Sir?”
“Do you suppose you could make this boat appear it’s being conned by a terrified, sixteen-year old girl?”
* * * * *
“New London boat, this is Leutnant Egenhauser of Hannover System Patrouille . Shut down your drive and strike colors or you will be fired upon. Respond.”
Is he playing a bloody recording? That’s all he’s said the last ten minutes.
She spared a quick glance to the cockpit’s hatchway. Nabb would have the lads well in hand, she knew. She’d briefed them on her plan, such as it was, and they knew they had only one chance to pull it off. She nodded to Hearst and the pilot grinned, gripping the boat’s controls. He began flinging the controls back and forth, sending the boat jerking and twisting through space. He spun the boat to port and down, so that the planet slid past the viewport, then twisted it in space and swung back up, as though trying to steer for the planet but over-correcting each time. He slammed the throttle into reverse and Alexis was flung forward against her seat straps as the maneuver actually exceeded the inertial compensator’s safety margins and allowed some of the inertia to bleed through. Then he slammed the throttle forward to full military power, pressing her into her seatback. Alexis looked at him with wide eyes, but he was paying her no attention, his gaze flicking from console to console and a manic grin on his face.
Well, I did ask for it.
“New London boat, this is Leutnant Egenhauser of Hannover System Patrouille . Shut down your drive — what are you doing? Stop that this instant! New London boat, strike colors and zero your drive or you will be fired upon!”
“Good luck hitting me, mate,” Hearst muttered.
“Be quiet, Hearst, I’m about to begin my part,” Alexis said. Hearst was right, the boat was too small and agile for the Hanoverese to target, but they couldn’t evade her forever. Even if they could, eventually a larger ship would enter the system and they’d be unable to evade that.
Sixteen or twenty guns fired near us would get a hit eventually. Her plan relied upon the Hanoverese believing she was alone in the cockpit. Alone and a scared little girl. Her mouth twisted at the thought. Bloody hell.
She keyed the communications to the passenger compartment. “Get ready, lads,” she said. “Nabb, have at the hatchway, please, and keep it up.” The hatchway to the cockpit began shaking and rattling, as though someone were trying to get in. There was an occasional loud thump as something heavy was slammed against it.
Alexis hunched over her half of the console, adjusting the communications pickup so that it was closer to her and would show mostly her face. She didn’t want the Hanoverese to be able to see that she wasn’t, in fact, piloting the boat, nor catch a glimpse of Hearst beside her. She composed her face in what she hoped was an appropriately terrified expression and poised her finger over the transmit button and began speaking, turning the transmitter on and off randomly, as though she had no idea what she was doing and was randomly pressing things in the search for the right one.
“Hello? Hello? Hello? Are you there? Hello? Oh, which is the right button? Hello? Can you hear me? Please don’t shoot! Hello?”
“New London boat, this is Leutnant Egenhauser of Hannover System Patrouille . Shut down your drive — what? Who is that? What are you doing? Stop that! Verdammt! Leave it alone! Idiot! ”
Alexis stopped her pressing of the transmit button, ensuring that it was
She had to somehow lure them into trying to board, but the only way they’d do that was if she struck her colors, taking down the New London colors that lit the boat and surrendering. And once I do that I’ve surrendered and can’t fight them.
What could possibly make the Hanoverese lieutenant forget that the colors still flew and try to board anyway?
“Hearst?”
“Sir?”
“Do you suppose you could make this boat appear it’s being conned by a terrified, sixteen-year old girl?”
* * * * *
“New London boat, this is Leutnant Egenhauser of Hannover System Patrouille . Shut down your drive and strike colors or you will be fired upon. Respond.”
Is he playing a bloody recording? That’s all he’s said the last ten minutes.
She spared a quick glance to the cockpit’s hatchway. Nabb would have the lads well in hand, she knew. She’d briefed them on her plan, such as it was, and they knew they had only one chance to pull it off. She nodded to Hearst and the pilot grinned, gripping the boat’s controls. He began flinging the controls back and forth, sending the boat jerking and twisting through space. He spun the boat to port and down, so that the planet slid past the viewport, then twisted it in space and swung back up, as though trying to steer for the planet but over-correcting each time. He slammed the throttle into reverse and Alexis was flung forward against her seat straps as the maneuver actually exceeded the inertial compensator’s safety margins and allowed some of the inertia to bleed through. Then he slammed the throttle forward to full military power, pressing her into her seatback. Alexis looked at him with wide eyes, but he was paying her no attention, his gaze flicking from console to console and a manic grin on his face.
Well, I did ask for it.
“New London boat, this is Leutnant Egenhauser of Hannover System Patrouille . Shut down your drive — what are you doing? Stop that this instant! New London boat, strike colors and zero your drive or you will be fired upon!”
“Good luck hitting me, mate,” Hearst muttered.
“Be quiet, Hearst, I’m about to begin my part,” Alexis said. Hearst was right, the boat was too small and agile for the Hanoverese to target, but they couldn’t evade her forever. Even if they could, eventually a larger ship would enter the system and they’d be unable to evade that.
Sixteen or twenty guns fired near us would get a hit eventually. Her plan relied upon the Hanoverese believing she was alone in the cockpit. Alone and a scared little girl. Her mouth twisted at the thought. Bloody hell.
She keyed the communications to the passenger compartment. “Get ready, lads,” she said. “Nabb, have at the hatchway, please, and keep it up.” The hatchway to the cockpit began shaking and rattling, as though someone were trying to get in. There was an occasional loud thump as something heavy was slammed against it.
Alexis hunched over her half of the console, adjusting the communications pickup so that it was closer to her and would show mostly her face. She didn’t want the Hanoverese to be able to see that she wasn’t, in fact, piloting the boat, nor catch a glimpse of Hearst beside her. She composed her face in what she hoped was an appropriately terrified expression and poised her finger over the transmit button and began speaking, turning the transmitter on and off randomly, as though she had no idea what she was doing and was randomly pressing things in the search for the right one.
“Hello? Hello? Hello? Are you there? Hello? Oh, which is the right button? Hello? Can you hear me? Please don’t shoot! Hello?”
“New London boat, this is Leutnant Egenhauser of Hannover System Patrouille . Shut down your drive — what? Who is that? What are you doing? Stop that! Verdammt! Leave it alone! Idiot! ”
Alexis stopped her pressing of the transmit button, ensuring that it was
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