Angels of Eternity: The Complete Novel by Timothy Mayer

Author:Timothy Mayer [Mayer, Timothy]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Kmark Publishing
Published: 2016-09-27T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

It happened quickly. One moment she was reaching out to the port, the next she was reduced to her component atoms. The surface of the corvette glowed where she stood in the aftermath and marked the place where Tara had almost reached the port.

A second later, the first ring of plasma destroyed the laser array on the surface of the wasp destroyer. Two seconds after the wasp ship lost its quark lasers; the Widowmaker scored a direct hit from Bravi’s guidance on the destroyer’s torpedo chambers, setting off three nuclear weapons at the same time. There was an intense flash of light from where the destroyer was located and then it too was broken down into the building blocks of matter.

“Tara?” Lashmi said to Shakti.

“Gone,” Shakti spoke. “She didn’t make it.”

Shakti prayed no one could see the tears in her eyes. They could. In freefall, tears would float inside the helmet.

“I don’t think Tara survived that one,” Durga commented from the disabled ship as she watched the laser make a final strike on the surface of the corvette. She could see from the magnification the glow of the hull where the laser struck the ship. In the emptiness of space, there were few particles to illuminate from the passage of the laser beam to the target. The surface of the Widowmaker heated up and popped where the laser hit it, but there was no coherent ray of light to show the passage of the energy to the corvette. Durga knew Tara was outside the ship and right near the place when it was lasered.

It was quick, she thought.

“You didn’t have to send us out after those destroyers!” Lashmi snapped at Shakti. “The dreadnaughts could have taken them and the damn prince would have his trophy. Now we’ve lost Tara.”

Shakti could feel the anger from Lashmi radiate. She turned and saw her brown eyes flare through the helmet. Nothing she could say right now would bring Tara back. She was gone and there wasn’t even a body they could use for a funeral. Shakti looked at the screen and watched the remainder of the final wasp destroyer expand and dissipate into the cosmos. The Bugkiller was far enough away from it and wouldn’t have to worry about suffering the effects of the plasma and radiation. The little pirate ship was useless, if what Durga told her was true. It served its purpose and kept the wasps busy. Now it was time to bring them back.

Shakti sent a transmission back out and regained contact with Durga. “Bring your ship back,” she told her. “We can dock it long enough to send you and the other women back to us. How are Chimata and Kamala?”

“Safe,” Durga responded. “Chimata has some ideas she wants to discuss about the wasps. Kamala busted her leg and her suit radio is out. Other than that, we’re fine. Did you lose Tara?”

“Yes,” Shakti admitted. This would not be easy.

She looked at the rest of the warbrides. Lashmi avoided her face, but Shakti knew how she felt.

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