(eng) Jonathan Moeller - Silent Order 07 by Master Hand

Author:Master Hand [Hand, Master]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 5: Burnchain

“ETA to hyperspace terminus point,” announced Vigil, “five minutes, fourteen seconds.”

March grimaced. Once they reached that terminus point, the Tiger would emerge in system JQ9987H, and if November’s data had been accurate and the hyperspace calculation had been correct, they would arrive in normal space a few hundred thousand kilometers from Burnchain Station’s current location.

And then the real work would begin.

March reached over and hit the intercom switch. “We’re five minutes out from JQ9987H. Better come up to the flight cabin.”

He settled back in the pilot’s acceleration chair and watched the countdown. The door to the flight cabin hissed open, and November and Dr. Siegfried entered. Siegfried had warmed up to November, if only because she disliked Northridge and did not approve of the younger woman’s affair with Alan (she had seen them kissing in the gym). November seated himself in the co-pilot’s seat, and Siegfried took the tactical station. About a minute later Northridge entered and sat at the engineering station. Thirty seconds after that, Alan stepped into the cabin. There were no seats left, and no one stood to offer him one, so he settled for leaning against the door once it slid closed.

“It’s time?” said Alan.

“Yeah,” said March, not taking his eyes from his screens and holographic displays. November, Siegfried, and Northridge had taken the other acceleration chairs, but none of them actually knew anything about flying and operating a starship, so he had to focus on piloting. “We’ll see if our forged transponder signal and invitation work properly. If they do and Burnchain Station doesn’t shoot us down, we’ll land, and the hard part begins.”

He heard Northridge swallow. “They might…they might shoot us down?”

“Doubtful,” said November. “Our forgeries are of the highest quality.”

“Are you sure?” said Northridge. “Is there time to double-check?”

“Stay calm,” said March, reaching for the hyperdrive power levers. “Panicking won’t help anything. And we’ll find out just how good those forgeries are…right now.”

He yanked the hyperdrive power levers back, and the Tiger exited hyperspace and returned to normal space.

They had arrived in the outer reaches of system JQ9987H, in the three hundred-million-kilometer gap between two of the ice giants. This far out, the system’s white dwarf was only a harsh blue-white dot in the blackness of space. Data flooded in from the sensors, and March turned the radar, ladar, dark energy sensors, and gravitic detectors to their highest level. There was no point in trying to remain stealthy. Given their paranoia, the Masters had likely detected the Tiger as soon as it had exited hyperspace.

“And here we are,” said November, pointing at the visual display. “Burnchain Station.”

The huge red cylinder of the mobile station floated in the darkness. It gave off a tremendous amount of dark energy and electromagnetic radiation, partly to power its massive hyperdrives, and partly from its immense shields and defensive systems. Burnchain Station’s shielding was at least as strong as the shields around a major Calaskaran space station, and the sensors detected multiple banks of weaponry –

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