Countdown, John Walker [online e book reader txt] 📗

“Docking clamp should be fine. We can hack those if need be. Then move to another section should he want to depart from a different part of the whole. I’ve done a couple jobs infiltrating them before. They’re not as bad as you’d think but it can be dangerous. Regardless, once that thing’s back online, we can find out what happened at Gallik.”

“You think the Gold Empire won?”

“I hope they did.” Borden set a proximity meter to know when they should begin sending a request for communications. “I just…”

“What is it?”

“I’m not exactly optimistic. More for the ground forces than anyone. That sweep we did showed how many pricks they sent down there. And I don’t know how tough the Gold Empire troops were. I know we’ve dealt with them in the past and they weren’t exactly the best of the best. Zem made them look like raw recruits.”

“But Zem’s scary,” Hayes pointed out. “I wouldn’t want to mess with him.”

“Yeah…” Borden sighed. “That’s true. All of them were. Rita was down there so I have to think they made it. Even if they had to run, I’m guessing they survived somewhere. Maybe we’ll even rendezvous with them eventually. Find ourselves fugitives from multiple governments. That’ll be… fun.”

“Or at least exciting.” Hayes turned away. “Looks like we’re in range to chat. You want me to start the process?”

“Yep. Hail the place. Time to make something happen… and determine whether or not our allies are dumbasses for sending us here.”

Chapter 3

Commander Sasha Duran wiped sweat from his brow. He ran the Gold Empire battleship Broken Light, an older vessel that had been in operation since the rebellion. Though it had been refitted three times since then, it was still considered an older ship of the line… one that wasn’t always the most reliable.

So they stuck us out here on the edge of our civilized space.

Commodore Alden had sent him and two destroyers to protect a particular system well away from any of their colonies. The order hadn’t made a lot of sense until he’d arrived. When he did, his briefing made it clear they were an early warning battle group.

One meant to act as a message to the rest of the fleet should the ervas attack.

Sasha had fought the ervas before. Three times, in fact. He’d come out on top in each of those engagements, earning himself a fair amount of glory in the process. The final conflict got him a promotion and command of the Broken Light. Alden tried to make it sound positive yet… when Sasha had boarded the old thing, he felt like he’d been relegated to a garbage trawler.

Many of the primary functions required repair. He spent a week in dry dock with his engineers fixing aged equipment, patching circuits, and turning it into a space worthy vehicle. By the time they were done, he had some more confidence that they wouldn’t all be killed the first time it entered hyperspace.

And since then, the Broken Light proved herself stubborn. She broke, yes, but the technicians knew her well. They could get systems back online faster than most ships of the fleet. Most of the parts proved to be somewhat simple; easier to address and alter. This meant customization—and the result of that was versatility.

Their opponents had no idea what to expect when facing her. Weapons were not standard nor were their defenses. They had an edge during the opening volleys. Even then, unless the enemy happened to have a seriously good tech officer, they’d have a hard time determining exactly what they were up against.

I only hope the ervas find it just as difficult.

Sasha suffered from nerves from a recent report. A large hyperspace signal appeared in the sector. He moved to intercept; to be ready to hit the enemy immediately upon their arrival. Daisy Grendon, his tech officer, prepared a message to send the moment they knew who they were facing.

Alden needed the information in the event it turned out to be the ervas and not another Gold Empire fleet… or even pirates out on the prowl for plunder. They’d dealt with enough of those in the last few weeks to make that a real possibility. Enough so that they’d already heard all the complaints about the clampdown.

We used to tolerate these bastards. I’m so glad we’re over that nonsense. Colonists don’t need to be victimized by them and taxed by us.

Marston Bailey acted as his pilot. He’d been with the ship for six months though he came highly recommended. He gave up the pirate side of things, opting to join a ship on the honest side of the military. Psych eval suggested he’d grown tired of the senselessness of his previous post.

Surprisingly, Parse let men like him go. Sasha always figured he’d have them killed or drummed out. Some considered them spies, which is why they were put through the wringer with the psychiatrists. Alden insisted on ensuring anyone in his division met strict standards. It took time, but Sasha trusted it.

“Sir,” Daisy said, “the ships will be emerging at any moment. The energy signature is not one that comes from any reactor we make. They are definitely ervas.”

“Can you be one hundred percent certain of that?” Sasha asked. “If we inform the Commodore and we’re wrong, there’ll be hell to pay.”

“I’m certain.”

Sasha rubbed his chin, continuing to stare at the screen. He didn’t have a lot of time before they’d be busy, perhaps even too busy to send the message. And if the enemy had a method of jamming a signal, it would be all over before it even began. The decision was made. Better to be safe than sorry.

“Send the message,” Sasha ordered, “get it out immediately. Let me know when you have confirmation our buoy sent it.”

The local