Ascension (United Star Systems Book 4) by J. Malcolm Patrick

Author:J. Malcolm Patrick [Malcolm Patrick, J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: UNKNOWN
Published: 2018-04-25T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter 14-Presience

“A big fleet is only one way to gain a tactical advantage” – Aaron Rayne

Exeter

Having been shuttled back aboard Exeter, Aaron burst through the lift doors.

“Status, Vee.”

“The ORA fleet is engaged with . . . something. They’re holding for now. Your father has reported they’re having better success than during previous engagements, all thanks to the sensor data we collected. What little we recorded with our dark-matter powered sensors was more than they’d been able to obtain in the past few months, he said.”

Aaron stood in the center of the bridge focused on the holo-projection of the battle. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. He had to do something.

Then he saw it.

“It’s there.”

“What is?” Vee asked.

“The carrier. It’s cloaked. Somehow we’re not detecting it this time. Probably because it came through a rapture at a different point and was already in this dimension.”

Lee swiveled to face him. “Dimension?”

Ignoring the question, Aaron asked, “Lee, how many havocs do we have left?”

“Twenty-five, Commander.”

“Commander,” Flaps said, “Repulse has opened a wormhole.”

“Incoming transmission from Repulse.”

“Aaron, take Exeter through the wormhole now. We’ll defend it until it closes.”

“Stand by, Dad.”

“Aaron?” Vee joined him at the center of the bridge.

“I can feel them, Vee.”

His friend stared back with empathy in his eyes.

“Do you trust me, Avery?”

“Beyond the darkness and back.”

“Station.”

Alvarez moved back to ops and Aaron sat in the command seat.

“Helm, come to course two-six-zero mark one-one. Engage flank speed.”

“Aye, Commander,” Flaps acknowledged. “Two-six-zero mark one-one, flank speed, engaging,” He punched in the commands and engaged the course.

Aaron swiped calculations to Lee’s station. “Lee, target all remaining havocs onto the following coordinates.”

“Confirmed, Commander, target coordinates locked.” If the lieutenant had doubts about targeting what looked like empty space, his tone didn’t reveal it.

“Sensors show nothing there, Commander,” Vee informed.

Aaron looked over his shoulder and smiled at his XO. “And yet . . . there is.” Returning his focus to the tactical readout, he gave the order. “Lee, fire everything. Ensign, bring us about, take us into the wormhole.”

Exeter unleashed her final volley of havoc misses which streaked just shy of light speed for their designated target coordinates. Where the missiles ought to have continued flight, they impacted—something—and the ensuing bright, albeit brief explosive force, silhouetted a sphere carrier on the tactical readout, similar to the one that had attacked Redemption.

“Coming about and heading straight for the event horizon, Commander,” Flaps said.

Rachael couldn’t contain her reaction. “The damn thing’s approximately eight kilometers in diameter!”

“Direct hit!” Lee bellowed.

Vee stared in awe at the holo-projection. “The ORA fleet is engaging the revealed target, Commander.”

A horrifying barrage of destructive energy unleashed by the ORA fleet ripped into the sphere carrier revealing more of its structural features. As imposing as it was, its death was even more spectacular. The ORA fleet continued to pour their combined weapons into it, even as it died.

It wasn’t that the ORA lacked the firepower to destroy the belligerents, it was that up to now, they couldn’t detect them.

Exeter’s sensors didn’t record the final destruction as she surged into the mouth of the wormhole.

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