On the Roster - Chapter 9

“Kiri. Now!” Marrick repeated.

Why didn’t it go?

The engine was still running. Varro had left it on.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Tallow coughed. “Kiri, now would be a good time.

It must still be in engines-idle. Her old Starridge bike had had a shifter on the side. Where was the shifter here?

Ensign Fetherwel walked up behind them. “Kiri, you said you could fly.”

“Sir, shut up sir.” She said. She would figure out how much trouble she was in later. First she needed to get them out of this.

After all, this was what she had wanted all along. The Emperor had a funny sense of humour.

Beep-beep. Beep-beep. Beep-beep.

“Throne,” Tallow said. “They’ve got a full lock. Even if we move, we probably can’t outrun this.”

There. A dial on the far side.

“Missile inbound,” Tallow said.

She flipped it to flight-active. A scratchy vox-chant of the Litany of Propulsion crackled from the console, half-machine, half-prayer. She ignored it and jammed the accelerator.

Vooooooooooooooom.

Kiri and Tallow were pushed back into their seats. Marrick lost his footing but had been holding onto the seat and managed to avoid being thrown.

Fetherwel was not so lucky. He went flying to the back of the lander and would have clanged into the closed ramp but Corvin reached out and caught him.

The edge of the courtyard was coming up fast, she leaned back and pulled on the flight sticks with all her might.

They almost missed the wall, but didn’t. It clipped the lander’s belly and sent them careening, VTOL engines spewing in every direction.

They heard a loud explosion through the walls. The concussive force buffeted the lander.

“The missile hit the courtyard wall!” Tallow cheered.

“I can do better than that,” she said through gritted teeth.

The lander shuddered and stopped its spin, leveling out as she raced it forward. The stink of ozone nearly choked her.

“Give me coordinates,” she said.

“Just get us out of here, Marrick said.

“Aye, sir.”

Beep-beep. Beep-beep. “Auspex showing another missile on our tail,” Tallow said. “… and maybe something else? By the Throne, I hope it’s just a flock of billfeathers.”

“No guessing. Figure it out Tallow,” Merrick said.

“Sir.”

Her fingers danced across the controls she’d seen Varro use just minutes ago.

There was a hab block ahead of them. Could she use that to stop the missile? No, there were people in there.

She increased the acceleration of both the forward and rear engines. The voidstalker sped up, but couldn’t quite pull free of the missile.

“It’s gaining, Tallow yelled.

“Throne take this.” She yelled.

Up ahead was a bastion. The adeptus arbites. There was no love lost between the Navy and the Arbites. Plus, the bastion had enough armour that the missile would mostly cause cosmetic damage.

She aimed for the thickest armour.

“Marrick, secure yourself. Fast. Tallow, do your harness. Everyone brace!!” She yelled. She hadn’t heard Fetherwel in a while and hoped he’d clipped in.

She briefly spared one hand to partially clip her own harness. It wasn’t perfect, but at least it would keep her in her seat.

At the last possible moment, Kiri tore into action. She pulled back on the flight sticks with all her might, at the same time slamming down the accelerator with her feet. “Tallow, she yelled, “hold this.” He leaned over and grabbed the nearest flight stick and she used her free hand to feather the wing brakes.

The G-Force was intense as the Voidstalker narrowly executed the turn, skimming the bastion’s armour so close sparks raked the belly plates. The missile struck the wall behind them, fire washing harmlessly across the Arbites’ bastion.

Kiri whooped. Excitement raced along her veins. This is what it meant to feel alive.

Beep-beep. Beep-beep. Beep-beep.

“Tallow?” she asked.

“There was another missile further back. It had enough space to turn and it’s following us. …”

It sounded like he was about to say something else. “Why do I get the feeling that’s not all?”

Tallow cleared his throat. “By He who sits on Terra - I’ve figured out what was on the auspex. There are two flyers behind that missile in pursuit.”