Knights of the Digital Sky
1
Danny Dolan looked around for other spacecraft as he steered his white star fighter through the sector he had been called to. This one area of his responsibility was a small solar system closed off from the rest of his domain.
It was supposed to be closed off.
Danny saw a glitter to his left. He banked toward it, ready for anything. The ten-year-old knew that raiders could be out there ready to attack when he got too close to the reflection drawing him on. It was his job to make sure that no one had been hurt, or was stranded.
Danny orbited the source of the glitter, frowning at what he saw.
A large, white polyhedron with a massive engine pushed in the back floated in a debris cloud. Smoke rolled into space from where a sheered away wing should be. Three other intact wings decorated the ship's sides. A hangar bay dropped from the belly of the thing. Patches of black marred the ship's skin, some going through to the inner decks.
Danny parked his fighter as close as he dared to the disabled behemoth. He closed his spacesuit's helmet before storing his air. Then he opened his canopy. One thumb press released his seatbelt buckles. He floated over to the wreck with a kick of his feet. An airlock came into view as he approached the other ship.
That was how he was going to get in.
Danny touched down on the hull of the wreck. His gauntlet opened the airlock with one touch. He stepped inside, and moved to the inner door. Hopefully it would open in the vacuum. Otherwise he would have to leave and circle back to one of the open wounds he had spotted on the flight over.
The lock filled with air in a few moments, then the inner door open on its own. The deck beyond still supported life, at least hadn't lost its integrity yet. The guardian stepped out, deciding that he should try to get to the operations center so that he could start looking for survivors from there.
Plus he would need to check any record of the attack if he could find one. That would give him some idea of what he was dealing with.
The Fox Cluster, this closed area, had fought several attempts by one creature to take the whole system over with armadas of spacecraft. While the system government could never wipe him completely out, they were able to confine him to his own planet for long stretches of time.
Unfortunately Aidan Simian used the blockade to lick his wounds and rebuild behind the walls of his stronghold.
Danny had violated Simian's fortress once earlier in his short career and almost been killed before he could make his escape. This ship was the one that had helped him to do that. He was sure of that.
Danny hoped the crew were still okay after the beating they had taken.
Danny found a ladder leading to the upper decks. He used that instead of the anti-gravity lift the system used for elevators. One power failure would be a disaster. The guardian climbed the three levels quickly, but carefully. A locked door balked him from proceeding to the command center for the time it took him to use his gauntlet to override the security codes.
Danny gestured for his zapper as he walked in the ruined bridge area. His suit slapped tight as the doors automatically closed to keep the remaining air from rushing out the large hole blown through the hull above the control areas. A bulky, humanoid robot lay on it's back. The boarders had used an EMP gun on it to shut it down before it could defend itself.
Danny let the zapper fade away as he examined the robot. Mr. Guide had shown him enough to let him open it up, and try to fix the problem. He looked around for a tool kit. There had to be one where the crew could carry it around if the robot left the command deck. He couldn't visualize toting deadweight down to engineering every time there was a small problem. A bag of metal instruments, with an adjustable wrench hanging from a strap, lay in the chaos from the hull puncture.
Danny opened the robot up with the tool kit. He checked everything with a scanner to see where the problem components were. Then he pulled them out as gently as he could. The memory core looked okay to him. He just needed to replace the damaged parts and his fix-it job was done. The guardian conducted a search for the spare parts. He couldn't find any. After a few moments of hacking, he had the central computer give him a map with the location of the robot's spares. Minutes later, he had them laid out around the mechanical man. Two more minutes of work led to the patient booting to operational status.
Danny checked his star fighter's position while he waited to see how well he had done.
"This is Ross SN reporting for duty," said the robot, sitting up. "I seem to be in disrepair."
"My name is Danny Dolan," Danny said. "Can you tell me what happened here? I fixed what I could, but I don't know how good a job I did."
Ross picked up the scanner. Satisfied, it closed up its chest cavity in two easy motions. Its round, flat-topped head spun completely around on its spindle neck as it surveyed the damage to the bridge.
"We responded to a distress call," Ross reported. "Several unknown ships appeared when we responded and attacked before the captain and crew could launch in their fighters. The Coyote was disabled and we were boarded. Then I was shot. That's the last thing on my memory until I reloaded. My internal clock was broken so I don't know how long ago that event happened."
"Your instruments seem to be still working," said Danny. "Maybe they can tell us where your crew was taken. Then we can see about rescuing them."
"I agree," said Ross.
Ross worked a minor miracle to get clear pictures of the assault on the Coyote. The mainframe could not identify the starcraft, or the type of armor the boarding party wore. Even the casual weapons were unknown in the Fox Cluster.
Danny knew them. He bit his lip as the force withdrew from the crippled ship and headed toward Aidan Simian's stronghold at the other end of the system. This looked bad for Ross's shipmates.
"I don't recognize those ships," Ross said. "I should be programmed with every spacecraft known."
"They shouldn't be here," said Danny. "Someone has brought in help from another system. It was bound to happen with all of the breaches lately."
"What can we do to rescue the crew?," Ross asked. "The Coyote isn't in fighting shape."
"I'll do what I can," said Danny. "You try to get the ship to a space dock for repairs. The Council should probably know about this as soon as you can tell them."
"I will get right on it," Ross said.
"I'll get right on my part too," Danny said.
The guardian made his way out of the command center, toward the elevator and ladder. He climbed down the ladder to the deck where he had entered the crippled transport. He cycled through the lock, kicking off for his own fighter still hovering nearby. He climbed into the cockpit, securing the canopy before filling the space with air.
Danny brought his ship back on line with a small amount of button pushing. The white fighter leaped after the trail of the kidnaped pilots. Crossing the Cluster to Simian's planet was the easy part. Getting in to save the abductees was going to be hard.
There was also the question of the Majestic starcraft and rain soldiers being present. Did Simian construct a gate and strike a deal with the Emperor? Did he copy the designs of that other system's spacecraft through some kind of viewer? Simian and the Emperor joining forces was a potential disaster for the free people of the Cluster.
Danny hoped Lord Corpus wasn't involved. He would expect the guardian to interfere in any scheme hatched to cross-pollinate the separate systems. The Majestic Galaxy should stay within its boundaries, and the Fox Cluster should not be spread and diluted across a bigger system. The things that made it unique would be lost in the civil war going on there.
2
Danny aimed his fighter for the bilious yellow orb at the far end of the solar system. He knew that a fleet of capital ships formed a defensive ring in orbit around Simian's base of operations. Hordes of fighter craft flew defensive screens from the stations that formed the command centers for the regions they protected from invasions by the Cluster's naval forces.
He would have to get through that net, land somewhere close to where he thought Ross's crew was being held, rescue them, and hopefully scuttle any Majestic operation that tried to unify their respective areas into one.
It was a tall order to fill.
Danny hoped that Ross could get some kind of backup to help him with part of the operation. On the other hand, he couldn't see a fleet being scrambled to assist four adventurers, no matter how famous they were as pilots.
Danny checked his fighter one last time as he hurtled toward his possible doom. He had a full magazine of missiles, full power shields, and his belly guns. He wished for a massive cannon as he let the throttle out to full power.
I still have three more lives, Danny told himself as he crossed the relatively small area of space. I can afford to at least try once even if it kills me.
Danny was not surprised to see an Imperial cruiser on station as he approached Simian's Poison. It was at the edge of the defensive forces that surrounded the planet. Majestic polyhedrons and Simian butterflies raced to meet the white star fighter as the guardian checked his weaponry one last time.
Danny fired his belly gun as he dove toward the fleet bearing down on him. Drops, ribbons, and spears flew across the empty space as the guardian raced toward the cruiser. The boy strafed the bridge, not surprised to see shields absorbing the damage as dozens of fighters chased after him like hounds. He executed a series of maneuvers to help him clear some working room as he looked for the one opening he needed to make a successful landing.
Getting out was going to be another problem.
Danny punched an opening so he could knock out guns firing on him from Simian's own forces. He used some missiles to clear a minefield as he danced ahead of his enemies. Occasionally he had to get behind a chaser and fire his cannon into the other fighter. His lone approach had stirred up a hornet's nest and it looked like he would be shot down long before he could get through the extensive defensive layers.
Suddenly two fighters crossed above Danny's fighter, lasers firing from guns in the noses of their craft. Rain fighters and butterflies blew apart as they cut some of the pursuit away with fiery shards of light.
"Star Guardian," said Danny's radio. "This is Captain Bill Bird. We're here to assist your mission."
"That's right, Tigger," said a female voice. "Let's show them what real pilots can do."
Danny smiled as he rolled his white fighter. Ross had gotten him some assistance. He didn't know how good they were, but anything was better than the nothing he had.
"Let's clear some working room and get down to business," Danny said.
Danny led the way in his white fighter. Captain Bird was on his right in the Crane fighter issued by the Fox Cluster navy. The other fighter, a modified racer, danced along on his left. The trio aimed for the center of the defensive net. They had to punch through to the other side if they had any hope of landing on the planet's surface.
Danny kept his eye on his instruments as he raked a capital ship's shields as he passed. He wanted to keep his missiles as a reserve, so he had to rely on the Guardian's belly gun as his primary weapon. He didn't know if the others were equipped with anything but light lasers. He could only hope that they could take care of themselves as they flew on his wings.
A squad of Majestic fighters flew in front of his sights. Reflexes pushed the trigger. Ribbons of light smashed the formation aside as the Star Guardian flew full speed ahead. Bird swept down on the survivors with green lightning. Fragments of metal and glass spread around as he fell in behind Danny's lead.
"Last line," said the wing woman. "Looks like a bunch of trouble trying to get in our way."
"Let's go around that station," said Bird. "No need to fight if we don't have to."
"I don't think we have that option," Danny said.
The station was a round disc with the face pointing away from the planet below. Huge tentacles emerged from the sides, as missiles fired from ports between the robotic arms. The projectiles headed for the fighters as the limbs reached out with claws to grip the fliers.
Danny fired a brace of missiles of his own as he tried to avoid the three grippers. The twin arrows smashed against the tentacle reaching for him, cutting it in half. The top end fell away as Danny avoided the ship killing missiles trying to knock him out of the air.
Danny fired at the center of the station as he veered away from its surface. His blaster fire sparkled against the surface skin without effect. The disc rotated to track his fighter, the front opening like the petals of a flower. A huge laser emerged from the center of craft, bubbles of light collecting around the muzzle as it turned to keep the guardian on target.
"Look out, Tigger," said Danny's wing woman. "It's firing."
A red yellow blaze of light leaped from the oversized barrel. It shook the nearby space as it tracked Danny's white fighter as he swerved, looped, and rolled to keep out of its way. He wasn't sure his shields could take a direct hit from that beam, and didn't want to find out.
The beam stopped, the station started closing around the center gun. Danny fired two more missiles, hoping to disable the station so that his group could disengage. The rockets slipped by the closing shields and exploded. The giant cannon swayed on its anchor posts, breaking along the base from the impact.
Danny circled the platform.
Danny sighed in relief as the cannon platform seemed to be silenced. Other fighters and ships were trying to pull away from the blockade in an effort to block him and his wing men. They would be engaging surface forces long before that happened.
Danny led the way through the yellow clouds to the pitted and rocky surface. As he looked for a place to land, the threat warning sounded. Simian's groundlings seemed to fill the sky like locusts at dinner time. The Majestic's fighters mixed in with the butterflies at irregular intervals. If they lost their fighters, capture and death would quickly follow.
Danny aimed the Star Guardian at a set of towers over an exhaust outlet. Lasers and missiles cleared the way in front of him as he fired without aiming at anything in particular. Enemy fighters were so thick that he was bound to hit something since they couldn't get out of his way fast enough. Twin beams on either side of white craft let him know that Captain Bird and the female were both on station. Exploding fighters answered their efforts as Danny led the way into the exhaust vent.
The three pilots found a place to hide their fighters and tucked them in beside each other. They dismounted, huddling at the noses of their ships. Bird's hound dog features were less than enthusiastic about having to hoof it to wherever the victims were. The other pilot, a lavender feline, seemed ready to take on the whole world without a second thought.
"Which way are we going, Tigger?," said the felinoid. "I want to get this over with as fast as possible."
"No argument here," Danny said. "Let's go toward the center. The prisoners have to be where Simian can torture them in comfort."
"Let's go," said Billy. "We don't want to be here if those stupid apes tracked where we landed and would like to talk to us."
Danny led the way, trying to remember if he had ever walked the monotonal halls he was in. One corridor looked like any other, except at the end of the corridor, numbers would light up to tell you where you were, and how to get in any conveyance.
Danny found an elevator that could take him down. It was so obviously a trap, but he hadn't seen any stairs to where he needed to go. They would have to take their chances and hope for the best.
3
Danny led his partners, zapper in hand. The place seemed to be empty. No one had responded to the elevator moving, or to the planetary alert that must have been sounded when the pilots had sliced through the blockade on station above.
Something was wrong with this whole picture.
Danny wondered what was going on.
He expected platoons of rain soldiers trying to keep him away from wherever the captured pilots had been taken. What was the point of taking them except as a lure for the guardian? Simian might have told the Majestic authority to keep away from the surface. The primate wasn't known for his open personality.
Danny saw a pair of gigantic open doors ahead after some more exploring. He felt his partners tense up, ready to finally have something to shoot at after the long trek down the boring corridors. Guards didn't guard those large open doors.
Danny eased forward, watching the closed portals for movement. He pushed on the right-hand door. It swung smoothly inward on the arm long hinges set in the frame. The guardian waved his companions to stay where they were while he continued on. If nothing happened, they could join him in the room beyond.
Danny found himself in a large control room on a circular platform over an open pit leading the rest of the way into the bowels of the planet. Lord Corpus stood in his dark suit on one side. The three missing pilots sat on the other, manacles holding them in place. A giant screen floated behind the four of them.
"I expected you here sooner, guardian," Lord Corpus said through his mask. "A decent flying display through the defenses, but otherwise very disappointing."
"The Fox Cluster is off limits to the Majestic Galaxy," said Danny, ready to use his zapper but not knowing how. The man in black could block any shot he got off with his sword. "Why are you here, and why are you interfering in this system?"
"The Emperor was offered an alliance with the owner of this planet," said Corpus. "He just didn't know that meant submitting to a higher authority. Imagine his surprise."
"Why this minor kidnaping in this dimension conquering scheme?," asked Danny.
"I needed bait to lure you to your doom," said Corpus.
Corpus gestured. Rain soldiers on floating platforms lifted into view. Their energy weapons leveled at the boy as he stood there. The vast room echoed the whine of their charging blasters.
Danny heard a noise at his back. He didn't bother turning around. He knew his comrades were being hustled into the room at gun point. The trap had sprung shut on him, and he was at a loss on how to proceed.
"What now?," Danny asked, holding up his hands.
"You will be disarmed and sent to the Emperor for interrogation," said Corpus. "All of your secrets will be stripped away, and put to use in merging the other systems with the Majestic Galaxy until the Realm has one unifying principle, one Authority."
"I don't think so," Danny said, concentrating the instant he needed to activate his pause button.
Everything stopped for Danny as he flickered out of the Realm's reality. He ran to the side of the platform and threw himself off before the time freeze wore off and Corpus stopped him with his mental training. Splattering inside an artificial mind was preferable to the torture he could look forward to if he were caught by the rain soldiers.
It did mean that Mr. Guide would have to load up a spare body for him to use when his life ended.
Danny spread his arms out, feeling a wind rush through the artificial area. He used that to glide, looking for anything to help him escape from his predicament. The pause ended above him. Shouted orders told him that he had to get clear as fast as he could. The flying platforms the soldiers rode would allow them to catch up to him as soon as they figured which direction he had gone. Experience had taught the guardian that the armored troops had a very stable piece of equipment to shoot from when they did catch up to him.
Danny spotted a large ventilation grill in the wall as he fell. He aimed for it, stretching out his gauntleted hand to fire at the metal cover with his zapper. He directed his fall toward the wall as best he could, hoping that he wouldn't miss. That might be his way behind the wainscot where no one could catch him while he tried to hatch a counter plan.
He was sure that Corpus would hold the five pilots as hostages until Danny was recaptured, or dead. The Imperial Commander might even threaten them, harm them slightly to draw the guardian out. He had to get his own scheme going before Corpus resorted to his ruthless bargaining style.
Danny stretched out as far as he could. He was able to catch the edge of the vent. Blood ran from where the metal had sliced through the circuitry and leather in the device. The boy pulled himself into the shaft. He ripped a piece of cloth from his sleeve and wrapped it around his hand as he ran from the entrance as fast as his legs could carry him.
At least it felt like he still had his fingers attached to his hand.
4
Danny Dolan wandered the vent system, a bandage wrapped around the wound in his hand. If he could reach the Dome, Mr. Guide could heal the hand in a matter of seconds. Getting off Simian's Stronghold pass Lord Corpus and his rain soldiers were going to be a major pain as far as the guardian could see.
Danny was grateful that the gauntlet still worked enough for him to carry out some kind of plan. He just had problems thinking of something that wouldn't get him killed when he tried it. He used the glove's mechanisms to penetrate a locked door. It was the first he had encountered in his search.
That needed investigating just so he could rule out some kind of threat from that quarter.
Danny opened the lock easily with his gauntlet. He stepped inside quickly, afraid of being trapped in a confined space by the searching rain soldiers. He didn't want a shoot out that he couldn't win. The guardian found himself inside a control room. All the lights were dead and covered by dust.
An auxiliary control for Simian's operation was the likely reason for its disuse.
It was also probably the reason it was locked up. This small station must predate Simian's existence as a living computer. He definitely wouldn't want anyone having access to this key pad while he was active.
Danny smiled at the train of thought running through his brain. Lord Corpus had seized the main programming station upstairs, possibly hardwiring a control system in place for the genius in a bottle. Maybe it was time to pull that cork out, and let Simian expel the enemy from his midst.
That might give Danny a chance to free the captive pilots and get away.
Danny used his glove to break the security on the console so that he could look into Simian's dormant mind. He fed in commands to reroute the lockdown the Majestic technicians had put in place. Then he loaded his own back door to use later. The brain would like to put him down at the earliest chance, and he needed an ace in the hole to get out of that particular fix.
Danny hit reboot, smiling, hoping he hadn't been too clever by half.
The auxiliary station lit as the mainframe that made up Adrian Simian's mind started a self diagnostic to see what kind of damage it had received since it was taken offline by the intruders that controlled its stronghold, its planet. Numerous data packets flickered across the screen joined to the console faster than Danny could read them.
This could be the worse idea I ever had, Danny told himself.
"I can't believe that I owe you for my revival," Adrian Simian said, the console speaker rendering his voice in cold, dripping tones. "I suppose you want to make a deal as a reward for this small piece of assistance."
"I think we can help each other if you are willing to deal," Danny said. "You don't want Corpus running your troops, and I don't want him in the Cluster. If we join forces, we might be able to force him to take his soldiers back to his home system. Otherwise, he runs the Cluster for his Emperor and you are stuck as a second fiddle."
"Do you have a plan?," Simian's image asked.
"I'm working on it," Danny said. "Right now the first step is to free the pilots he has captured. Then we can work on phase two."
"And what would phase two entail?," asked the sentient computer.
"Hopefully nothing major," said Danny. "The Emperor would probably bombard the planet to show how angry he was at any loss. We just want the troops to withdraw without a big fight on our hands."
"I am already forwarding orders to my fleet so the captains will stand by," said Simian. "Get on with what your plan requires."
Danny nodded, knowing that was all he could hope to get from the megalomaniac. Cooperation was something Simian forced on others, but not something he did for himself with altruism. Once the intruders from the Majestic Galaxy were gone, a double-cross of some kind was to be expected.
Danny left the room, locking it behind him. He had some things to do to get his plan in motion. He could only hope that Simian would see some kind of advantage when he made his move, and ordered his guerrillas into action against the rain soldiers.
Danny knew he was opening himself for betrayal by a mad thing in a box, but didn't see where he had a choice in the thing. He had to start on what little scrap of plan he could come up with before he was captured and mind controlled into selling out the rest of the systems that depended on him to do his duty as a guardian of the realm.
Danny headed back toward where he had left the captured pilots and Lord Corpus. His mind reviewed everything he knew as it tried to devise a plan.
He had an idea of where he was in the huge structure of Simian's headquarters. He knew that the captured pilots were above him, to the left, as well as he could remember. He knew that Simian's capital ships should keep the Majestic pilots busy when they attacked. The first thing was to make sure that the hostages were where he thought they were before he tried to escape with them.
5
Danny Dolan used the vents to return to the control room, trying to think of a plan as he crawled through the miles of duct work. He only had one shot, and if he missed, the game was over. Lord Corpus wouldn't let him escape a second time.
He was sure of that.
Danny reached the control room, smiling when he saw the pilots still tied up on the tongue that hovered below where Simian's computer image would activate when he was in control of the planet. They were still surrounded by guards, but Lord Corpus wasn't anywhere in sight. The guardian looked around for inspiration, aware that time was running out.
Danny noticed that one of the hover platforms that had forestalled his earlier efforts floated below the grill he was looking through. If he could get on that, and use it against the others, he might be able to shoot at least one of them down before he was sent back to the regeneration chamber in the Dome. He needed a better plan than just jumping on and hoping to shoot down five other lightly armored vehicles.
Danny gestured, frowning at the way his zapper blinked as it came alive. He took careful aim at the hover platform closest to his hiding place. The pilot and gunner were facing away from his vantage point. He hoped this worked.
Danny fired his zapper at the pilot, aiming for his back, but hitting the back of his helmet. Some of the force of the light bolts was deflected by the ceramic, but enough got through to make him slump over his controls. Instantly the hover platform took a nose dive.
Perfect.
Danny watched the other platforms break ranks as a couple of the pilots went after the wounded one, the other two shifting to keep an intersecting field of fire on the bound prisoners. That was all the guardian needed.
Danny kicked the vent grill off, swung down with his zapper ready. He fired a volley at the surprised troopers before they could shift their heavy guns to fire at him. A portion of his fire missed, but enough got through to cause the one on his left to hit the wall, and the other to spin out of control. He blasted at the gravity generators under the platform as the thing started to roll. Suddenly the thing dropped like a rock.
If he got lucky, it would fall on the other two already diving to recover their fallen comrades.
Danny swung back and forth until he thought he had enough momentum. As he started toward the bridge where the hostages were held, he let go. He flew through the stale air, trying to flip through the air to extend his flight time. If he missed, it was a long fall.
Danny's feet hit the tongue. He cut the first prisoner in line free as he headed for the control station. It was time for the real owner of this planet to get in on the act. He used his gauntlet on the control board, mixed emotions at war as the image of Adrian Simian's face took shape.
"What are you doing?," asked Kay Nine, the leader of the pilot group. "This is our chance to shut him down for good."
"We have a bigger problem than him right now," said Danny. "We have to get out of here as fast as possible if we want to force the Rain Soldiers back to Majestic."
"He's right, Kay," said a biped rabbit, strapping on a blaster pistol. "Let's clear air while we can."
Kay nodded his foxy head, glaring at the face of evil as it laughed at his hatred.
The hover platforms headed up to fire at the escaping prisoners with the crew mounted weapons they carried. Pistol fire rained down on the troopers before they could get level with the bridge. One, then the others, burst into flame and dropped into the well that housed Simian's brain. It was minor damage to the computer tyrant, but the best Danny could do at the moment.
"Let's go," Danny said, running for the exit.
Danny and the pilots fled from the control room. Sliding bulkheads behind them showed that Simian was still cooperating by cutting off pursuit by the rain soldiers. The guardian smiled when he saw the white shell of the Star Guardian. The other two fighters were close beside it.
"Check everything before we launch," said Danny, running to his craft. "They might have booby-trapped the fighters in case we got away."
"On it," said the toad, crawling under Captain Bird's ship first. He moved quickly from stem to stern, checking for anything out of place. Then he went over the top. Then he triggered the control panel to auto-initiate while the pilots waited. "This is the best I can do without instruments. If anything is rigged while we're flying, we're dead."
Danny's gauntlet gave him an all clear as he accessed the Star Guardian's defensive array. According to it, no one had come into the tunnel from either end until the group of pilots had arrived. It wasn't a full diagnostic, but it was the best he could do at the moment. He would have to give the white fighter a better search when he was clear of this situation.
Danny loaded up, taking on the rabbit as a passenger. Captain Bird had made room for Kay Nine, and the toad. Cat had the pilot that looked like a chicken by the hand, smiling at him.
"Name's Zipper Dee, kid," said the rabbit, cramming his big ears into a spare flight helmet.
"Danny Dolan," said Danny, going through his flight check as fast as possible.
"Good to meet you," said Zipper.
"Likewise," said Danny, as the Star Guardian started hovering above the tunnel floor. "Let's get out of here."
Danny waited for the two other pilots to change the direction their fighters were facing before slowly taking the lead. The tunnels were a maze, but they should be able to find the exit with Simian's help. Then it would be up to the fighters to somehow break the blockade over the planet.
The first order was to get away from this computerized hole as fast as possible. Then they could decide the best method of attack on how to force the Majestic ships out of the Cluster's space.
Danny whipped through the tunnels as fast as he dared. He could fly, but he knew that he wasn't a real ace. He was too cautious by half. He laughed at the sight of dusty daylight at the end of the tunnel. Now he just had to fight his way through the ring of ships in orbit.
Piece of cake.
Danny led his squadron up through the thin atmosphere above Simian's planet. The Star Guardian's scanners let him know that the capital ships in orbit were charging their weapons, as the fighters streaked toward the defensive ring. Even the computer mastermind's forces seemed to be getting ready to try and swat his impromptu team.
This could be bad.
"We're just flying through," Danny said. "Don't get involved in a fight. Take whatever shot looks good, but don't get involved trying to nail anything not shooting at you."
"We know what we're doing," said the large chicken. "You just carry out your end."
"Don't mind Egg," Zipper said. "He's just grumpy because he can't fly. Catya and he used to be lovers, but now they don't get along. Being a passenger just makes it worse for him."
"Right," said Danny. He didn't want to know anything else about it. Adults were strange beasts to him, even if they looked like chickens.
Especially when they looked like chickens.
Danny set the Guardian's autopilot to fly a straight course through the blockade. Then he plugged his gauntlet into the weapons systems. He noticed a lag, but knew that wasn't the fault of the internal computer. The glove's internal systems had taken a beating, and that was slowing down his link. Hopefully his skill would compensate for it.
Danny felt the engines go to full power, as he let the green crosshairs direct his laser fire against anything that flew into his path. The threat assessor in the Guardian's system threw him off as the fighter dodged away from anything trying to blast at him while trying to veer back on course. Zipper kept an eye on the operations screens, commenting on any potential problem he spotted as they roared away from Simian's home.
Simian's capital ships charged their weapons to fire as the squadron cut their way out of the gravity well. The batteries opened up, firing scarlet beams from their ridged muzzles. Their targets were the Majestic ships in orbit with them. The space stations oriented and fired bursts of energy from their flower-like centers. None seemed to be trying to hit Danny and his fellow pilots. On the other hand, none seemed to be trying to avoid hitting the smaller fighters.
The Majestic fighters swarmed everywhere, blowing holes in the hulls of Simian's capital ships as the battleships switched targets to deal with this traitorous ally. The moth fighters returned fire with abandon as they flapped after their opposite numbers. In the middle of this, Danny led the way out of danger. He disengaged from the gun controls, and took over piloting so that he could be in control while he watched who was going to give chase.
"Keep an eye out," Danny said, glad to be clear of the space battle. "But it looks like we're in the clear."
"You don't have to tell us how to do our jobs," said the chicken. Then in a more surprised voice, "Watch the hands!"
Danny saw Zipper shake his head in the reflection on his windshield.
Lights filled the view ahead as the Star Guardian's alarms sounded. The radio came alive, and Danny knew that the cavalry had arrived right on time. Captain Bird, and Kay Nine, relayed what happened to the commander of the Cluster's fleet as the kidnaped pilots' own mother ship loomed behind the brick-shaped carriers.
"The Coyote's back on line," said the toad. "Ross must have been able to do some repairs. We might be able to get our own fighters back in the air."
"Let's land and see what we can do," said Egg. "I want to get some payback."
Danny lined up the Star Guardian on the open hangar bay, glad that Ross forwarded landing instructions as soon as he had identified himself. He drifted into the open area, eyeing the half-completed ships in small bays as he glided to a place where he could land without hitting anything. Someone groaned over the radio, but he couldn't figure out who.
The sound matched his own feeling enough to be his own.
"Squad dismount," ordered Kay, over the radio. "We have to get our fighters repaired as soon as possible, and defend ourselves with the Coyote's guns until we do. We'll need an update, Ross."
"Everything is proceeding as well as can be expected," said the robot. "Now that you are here, I can concentrate on getting your wings back online."
Danny watched the rescued pilots move to their stations. He waved at Zipper as the rabbit looked over from the elevator. He powered up and headed down the launch tube, letting the Star Guardian absorb the radio traffic as he fell into open space.
Lord Corpus would be among the fighters in action, commanding his fleet from the front. A little rebellion from a computer wouldn't sway him from whatever had drawn him across the boundary to this other section of the realm. He would just battle on two fronts until he lost his fleet, or smashed Simian's and the Cluster's.
Danny would have to get to him first.
Danny gave his call sign to the Cluster fleet as he joined the groups of fighters heading for Simian's blockade. The Majestic ships and fighters were giving a good accounting of themselves against the doctor's forces. Wreckage formed clouds as the mutual pounding ripped the two fleets apart.
The Cluster's defenders surged forward, cannons firing as they closed on the invaders. Swan fighter ships roared from their tubes, taking the Rain Soldiers by surprise for the moment. Danny didn't know how long the tide would go against Corpus's forces before they regrouped. His eyes searched for the dark knight himself as the Star Guardian threaded its way through the conflict. His weapons only fired when one of the enemy tried to lock onto him.
Danny noticed that the Majestic fleet slowly retreated from the battle. They fired just as constantly, but seemed to be steadily retreating toward some spot over Simian's planet. Maybe they were clearing out before they lost the whole fleet. Danny waited quietly for his chance to interfere.
The guardian spotted Lord Corpus's private battleship at the center of where the Majestic fleet was gathering as it retreated from the Cluster's forces. There was some kind of space station there. The black spacecraft hovered over the round disc.
Seconds later, Danny knew why.
The station emitted a signal into the local space. A rip in reality rolled back from a projector at the top of its spinning body. The fleet became pinpricks as they crossed the threshold. Lord Corpus's ship reversed through the rip, pulling the station behind it with a blue tractor beam.
Danny readied the Star Guardian's weapons as he set course. None of the other forces involved were even close. He would have to destroy that station on his own.
The black flagship fired all of its guns on the much smaller craft as Danny closed on the station. The white star fighter bobbed from the near misses as the guardian concentrated on his target. If that station could open gates across systems, it mustn't remain in the Majestic imperial hands. The more primitive civilizations could be conquered in a few hours if Lord Corpus could move even one of his battleships to any one of those parts of the realms.
It was Danny's job to stop that from happening, and he was determined to do that.
Danny decided the best thing he could do was attack the tractor beam projectors from the battle ship. That would cancel out the blue grip on the gate station. Then he could turn all of his attention on the black disc. He only had one chance to succeed at what he planned to do.
Danny swept in, dancing between the laser fire, targeting the tractor beam projectors with the six missiles on board the Star Guardian. He let loose, knowing if the battle ship turned, they could use the projectors on the other side of the giant beast. Explosions and a weakening of the beam told him that some of the missiles had gotten through to their targets.
Danny veered through a volley of ship busting energy lances. His nose was lined up on the spinning station as he poured on the power. The cross hairs danced as he looked for a good shot with the Star Guardian's belly gun.
Red lances crossed Danny's path, making him pull up from his attack run. He glanced around, grimacing as Lord Corpus's personal fighter bore down on him with both cannons blasting at him.
Marvelous.
Danny couldn't allow the station to cross into the Majestic space. He couldn't defend himself as long as he tried to shoot at it while Lord Corpus was trying to shoot at him. He gritted his teeth as he banked the Star Guardian. He would have to try and shoot the expert pilot out of the sky and hope he had enough time to destroy the station before the battleship could grapple it again and finish towing it across the boundary.
Danny and Lord Corpus danced across the closed battlefield, trying to grab at any advantage in their duel. The guardian grew frustrated as he traded red energy with the Emperor's master pilot. Neither could get in a kill position, and the station was edging over the threshold. The battleship, on fire from the explosions, was slowly turning. Its fire power was concentrated on the battle beyond the two fliers.
Danny missed the appearance of new arrivals as he chased Lord Corpus. He couldn't divert his attention from the black decahedron trying to shoot him down. That's why he was surprised when Cluster style fighters roared onto the scene, firing on their enemies with abandon. The battleship suffered numerous hits along its shields from the insects buzzing around it.
"Destroy the station," Danny said into the intercom. "That's the target. The station can't cross over to the other system."
"Relax, kid," said the voice of Kay Nine, happy to be in his own element. "We got this in the bag."
Danny smiled at the announcement as he turned his attention back to Lord Corpus, who turned to try and shoot the Cluster squadron down. The three wingmen formed a screen, trying to lock onto his black fighter with the guardian's white Star Guardian trying to herd him into their fire and cut off a retreat. The foxy Nine was free and clear to fire blast after blast into the station until it came apart like a dead flower.
Lord Corpus turned from combat, blasting holes through his opponents as he changed course. He headed for the battleship, evading Danny as he sought his seat of power. The rest of the Majestic fleet fell into formation as they crossed the void to their own system. A cease fire ran through the combined fleets of the Cluster as they watched the enemy sail away.
Danny waited for another blast of light, an explosion, or another fighter ripping apart from missiles. Peace greeted his hurried scanning of the local space. Normal radio messages passed as the two fleets separated and Simian's lackeys retreated to orbit around his stronghold while the other ships sailed for their home port.
Despite the peace, Danny noticed both sides kept their weapons ready for use.
"It looks like the crisis is over," said Zipper, flying at Danny's left. "Thanks for the rescue."
"A couple of years ago, you guys rescued me," said Danny. "I was happy to return the favor."
The breach between the two systems closed as the Majestic fleet hovered on the other side, ready to continue the battle on home turf. The blue edge of the window snapped out at the end. The outside edge of the Cluster reappeared once the portal was gone.
"Thanks for the help, guys," said Danny, setting course away from the battlefield. "I'll see you around."
"Not if I see you first," said Egg.
epilogue
Danny checked the Star Guardian out as it floated in its bay on holders. Everything was in place, nothing out of the ordinary. Lord Corpus must not have had the time to tamper with it. Mr. Guide concurred with his findings.
Danny stored the Guardian away before heading up to his monitor room. He needed to check the systems under his care one more time before he turned in for the night. He hoped Simian had learned his lesson about tampering with forces outside the Cluster.
He didn't really think that the exile had learned that important lesson. He would have to keep an eye on that in the future. At least the danger had been averted for the moment.
Lord Corpus would think about another attack on the Cluster before he did it. If he had the plans for another breach station, he could move as many of the rain soldiers in to dominate the sparsely populated system as he needed. It would also provide material for the Majestic government's war against her dissidents.
Danny would have to look into that before too long. He couldn't let the Emperor have a weapon that could potentially devastate the whole realm. He would have to try and get to the capital world and hack their computers. That was the only way he could be sure that the threat was averted.
He needed help for something like that. The Revolution wouldn't be as useful as he would like. The Emperor regularly flushed their agents out with his powers. They wouldn't have anyone who could do what he needed to have done, or be of any help to do it.
Danny would have to get assistance from outside the Majestic Galaxy system.
He knew some people in the systems, but he didn't know if they would help him in such an undertaking. They didn't live in the Majestic Galaxy, and an invasion of their individual systems might not be important enough for them to want to get involved.
Never mind their systems would be next on the Emperor's list of things to take over if he succeeded in mastering portal technology.
No one ever thought their planet would be taken over and ripped apart at the whim of a mad man. Their homegrown menaces were bad enough in that regard.
Still he knew at least one who would jump at the chance to pay the MG home world a visit. The others would come in time.