Under A Winter Sun by Johan Dahlgren (ink ebook reader txt) 📕

give Jagr a brief wave.

I glance around for shelter.

“We need to hide.”

There's a natural cave under a pile of giant rocks next to the cliff that looks big enough to fit us all. “Over there. Run.” I pull the priest from the ground and sprint for the cave.

We pile into the narrow space but Tyrus remains behind.

I wave him on. “Get in, arsehole.”

“Give me a minute.” He disappears.

Then a boulder comes crashing down, almost sealing the entrance. “That should help.”

I hate to give the guy credit, but that was clever. He jumps into the cave and aces the landing.

Then comes the blast.

The entire world goes white, and the suit screams at me. The ambient temperature shoots through the roof of the human comfort zone. It's at least a thousand degrees out there. Luckily, the Terrans make heavy-duty space suits, or we would all burn.

The visor dims in response to the light as the Naglfar rises like the sun, supernova bright.

We just stand there, looking at the monstrosity thundering into the yellow sky.

Shit. We lost.

“At least you're still alive.”

“That I am, Aeryn.”

It's a small comfort.

I sigh and turn to Jagr. “Now what?”

“There's only one thing we can do. The Shiloh is the only thing that can stop that ship now.”

“Call them,” Tyrus orders.

The Ghost Ship Naglfar

“Hey people, are you still alive down there?”

It's Braden. It's a poor connection, but I think there's music in the background.

“Still here,” Jagr confirms.

“Whew, you had me worried there for a bit.”

Hearing Braden's voice from orbit means we're not alone.

I smile. “Are you good up there, Braden?”

“You know I'm not, Mr P. I'm a bad kitty.”

She sounds stressed. What is she doing? “Everyone else OK down there?”

“We're all fine,” Jagr confirms.

“Good for you. What the fuck is that thing that launched from the surface?”

“That is the ghost ship Naglfar,” I answer, “carrying an army of the dead to conquer the universe.”

“Yup, that's what I thought. Do you guys want a lift out of there?”

“Fuck yeah,” I call. “Get your sweet ass planetside ASAP.”

“On my way, Mr P.”

“I love you, Braden. If you were here, I'd kiss you.”

“Hold that thought, Perez. Sundowner inbound in … Ten … Nine … Eight …”

A bright glare pierces the sulphur clouds above and the Sundowner comes riding four pillars of flame. Damn, that is a sight for sore eyes.

* * *

When we're aboard, Jagr calls to Braden.

“Braden, hail the Shiloh. Get me the star marshal.”

“Will do.”

“Good. We're out of here.”

We hurry to strap down in our acceleration couches.

“Everybody tucked in?” Braden doesn't wait for an answer before she hits the throttle and sends us screaming back into the sky.

It takes the star marshal a few seconds to reply.

It's not time delay because of distance. The Shiloh is much too close for that. I guess the marshal is busy figuring out what the fuck is heading towards him from Muspelheim.

His image pops up on a screen. “Crom here. Go ahead, Sundowner.”

“Star marshal, that ship must not be allowed to escape. You are authorised to use any means necessary to stop it.”

“Any means, milady?” Crom looks over his shoulder at something.

“Any means. Nuke the fucker, Travon.”

So, Jagr is on a first-name basis with a star marshal?

I like her more and more all the time.

“Understood.” Crom nods. “We will fire when ready.”

He turns to give orders to his crew.

“Good. We'll rendezvous with you in a few minutes.”

I hope nukes are effective against that thing. It looks like it would survive a ram strike.

Crom turns back to us. “Nukes armed and ready. We will fire on your command.”

“Fire already, Crom. Godfuck.”

The marshal ignores the expletives.

“Acknowledged.” He looks up and to the side. “Launching warhead.”

On another screen, a dot leaves the larger dot representing the Shiloh and tracks in an arc towards the Naglfar. There's a bright flash on the view-screens, and the smaller dot disappears. The Naglfar remains.

“Impact confirmed. Target remains operational,” Crom reports. If he's disappointed, he hides it well.

“Give it everything you've got, star marshal,” Jagr calls. “Blow that thing to hell.”

“Firing.” He points a finger at someone off-screen.

On the screen, a cluster of dots leave the bigger dot that is the Shiloh and accelerate towards their target. A matching cluster leaves the Naglfar in response, tracking for the Shiloh. Ten long seconds later, the dots are about to impact both ships. Crom stands tall, his back straight. His Adam's apple bobs as he swallows.

The EMP from the explosions override our radiation shields and all our screens go black.

“Crom, report,” Jagr calls. “Are you there?”

A few seconds later the screens turn back on. There's fire and screaming on the feed from the Shiloh. The star marshal himself is gone. The image is heavy with static from all the radioactive waste drifting through our neck of space.

Then Crom pulls himself into view. He's bleeding from a deep cut in his scalp. “Still here, milady. We lost part of the ship, but we're still flying.”

“Did we get them?” Jagr asks.

Crom looks at something off-screen. “No. The ship is still there. That was all our warheads.” I can tell from his face that he can't believe his eyes. And neither can I. How the hell did that thing survive a volley of gigaton nuclear warheads? One of those things would level a megacity.

“That's it.” There's genuine despair in Jagr's voice. “When that ship reaches Elysium, they will destroy us. And then they will set course for Earth. Humanity is fucked.”

Unless …

“Jagr,” I try.

She stares into nothing. She failed to save humanity from extinction. That must suck.

“Jagr,” I try a little louder. Still no response. “Jagr.” This time she looks my way.

“What?”

“We can still destroy that ship.”

“No, you heard the marshal. That was all we had.”

I hoped it would never come to this.

“There is a way.” I look her deep in the eye. “But the star marshal will not like it.”

“What?”

Then the realisation hits her. “Are you saying …?”

“Yes. The Shiloh has to ram it.”

Everyone stares at me in silence.

The energy of two starships colliding at thousands