Alliance by Bruce S Larson

Author:Bruce S Larson [Larson, Bruce S]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781945207228
Publisher: World Line One Press
Published: 2018-11-17T00:00:00+00:00

Buran’s mind drifted as his body sped inside the Sword Wing. He found victory held an odd scent. It was the aroma of sealants and bonded molecules. He inhaled those smells inside a speeding transit car. The network of ballistic trolleys moved technicians and engineers across the vast ship in rare times when problems required a hands-on presence. This car smelled free of any previous passengers. Obviously, Roelar had chosen an unused one for their trip. Buran wondered what smelled better: a new car still emitting fumes, or one well used and imbued with the scents of several riders. Perhaps Roelar knew the answer. However, it did not seem like a command level question, and Buran remained silent as the car sped through the dark transit shaft.

The car hardly seemed to slow before it stopped with a muffled bang. The hatch slid open in the same instant. Roelar flexed his arm to release his grip, but halted his egress. He differed to Buran to exit first and lead the way. Buran reached out with all four arms to leave the car. There was no field to mimic gravity in this section. Once they left the car, they moved more like mantis than humanoids to enter the shaft above them to the aft, outlook post.

The shaft sides were slightly rough. Inside it, they moved as fast as birds propelled by their second set of arms and kept their legs straight and their top set of arms folded. The thick, adhering pads of the secondary, climbing arms made handholds unnecessary. As with geckos on ancient Earth, almost any surface the Nemorosan's could touch, they could climb. This was true over the transparent, narrow rectangle placed to overlook the shuttle bay.

The aft shuttle bay was actually a socket for a large component. Until now, the shuttle served as a ferry, but its prime function was to land, take the power rod, and then connect it to the Sword Wing. Inside its bulkheads was a small area for crew, and a large machine built to integrate Physic information technology with Nemorosan systems. If it worked, the warship’s power increased well beyond its countless guns.

Buran and Roelar watched the delta-shaped shuttle descend to the external recess with the same outline. Beyond it, the raised, dorsal wing-section near the bay reflected the white light of the merging shuttle’s engines at its front, and the radiance of the main drive at the Sword Wing’s stern.

Automation now piloted the shuttle. As Buran anticipated, the specialized crewmembers who installed the rod died from exposure to its intense energy. The shuttle was now their tomb. Buran and Roelar were aware of the installation crew’s fate, but gaining the rod was a long-awaited triumph that the death of the unit did not lessen. Although it would feel alien to many, both commander and deputy felt relief and accomplishment despite the lives lost.

“Sever all binary links to the graviton projectors.” Buran ordered. “We cannot risk the power of the rod overwhelming the ship's main network.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.