Xena's Arc

Chapter 10 of 13

The shuttle drifted with the man in the dark suit off their wing. Xena felt the hull through her boots and knew it would not hold another hit. The pilot said the patch was set but the plating was thin where the second craft had raked them. Seven of Nine stood at the sensor with one hand flat on the console. She said a third contact had appeared at the edge of scan, closing fast. Xena counted breaths and did not like the number. She looked at Seven of Nine and asked what the shuttle could take. Seven of Nine said, one more pass, if the pass is short. Xena said that was not enough. Seven of Nine did not answer at once. She closed her eyes and the small green implant at her temple caught the console light. When she opened her eyes she said, I can reroute the shield emitters through the deflector coil. It will not last. It will make the hull read as empty space and hold against one strike. She said the coil would burn out after. She said it flat, the way she said everything. Xena laid the sword across the deck plate to give her hands to the work. Seven of Nine knelt at the panel and pulled the cover with her fingers. She spoke to the pilot in short strings of numbers and the pilot keyed them without asking why. The lights dimmed. The hum under Xena's boots changed pitch. Outside, the shuttle went dark to the eye, the plating swallowing the moonlight until only the seam of the patched hatch showed. The third craft came in on the run Seven of Nine had called. It fired where the shuttle had been. The bolt struck the invisible hull and the shuttle shook once, hard, and held. Xena caught Seven of Nine by the shoulder before she went down. The panel behind them cracked and smoked. The pilot said the coil was gone. Seven of Nine said, adequate. The man in the dark suit moved off the wing and drove into the third craft and the third craft came apart. He turned and pointed at the shuttle's nose, meaning go. The pilot pushed the throttle. The Stargazer showed on the forward scope as a hard white point. Xena picked up the sword and stood at Seven of Nine's shoulder. Seven of Nine was breathing through her teeth and holding her wrist where the panel had burned her. She said, we will reach my ship. Xena said, yes. The shuttle ran for the white point and the coil smoked behind them and did not catch fire.