Battle in the Belt (Stark Raven Voyages Book 3) by Jake Elwood

Author:Jake Elwood [Elwood, Jake]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Published: 2015-07-25T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter 5

Rhett kept the chase going for most of an hour. He had observed Liz's handling of the controls as she evaded pursuit and the murderous fire that came with it. He was able to calculate quick combinations of thrust that would send the Raven lurching in a variety of directions. To keep his maneuvers unpredictable, he modified the degree, direction, and duration of thrust using the output of a random number generating algorithm.

He didn't have enough hands to man the laser as well as the helm controls, but he was able to program the ship's computer to handle that chore. Each time the thrusters on the Raven fired, the laser fired as well. He did no critical damage, but he was able to disable a laser weapon on the Sword of the Saviour.

Still, despite all that could be done, the enemy fleet drew ever closer and closer. Eventually a lucky shot would disable or destroy the Raven. Rhett preferred to avoid that eventuality. He chose his moment of surrender using a complex calculation that factored in the damage accumulated by the ship and the steadily rising probability of a crippling hit. He put the Raven through a final maneuver, waited for most of two minutes until he judged that the chance of detection by radar was at fifty percent, and lifted a hand to open a radio channel to Wittenberg.

He was a moment too late. Six rapid clangs echoed through the ship in the space of two seconds as a rail gun found its mark. Every screen on the bridge went dark, the lights died, and the gravity cut out. A moment later the gravity was back at about thirty percent. The lights came back, and one screen lit up at the helm station. The other stations remained dark.

Rhett surveyed the screen. Only a few systems were available, but the radio was one of them. He opened a channel.

"This is Acting Captain Rhett of the Stark Raven. I surrender. There will be no further resistance or attempts to evade."

They caught the Raven with magnetic grapples and reeled her in until she was snugged up against the Golden Cross. Rhett had long since closed the ceiling hatch. Now he locked the helm station, rose, walked to the back of the bridge, and stood silently to await his fate.

It took some time for the larger ship to line up a docking ring, but at last the hatch in the ceiling swung open. The barrel of a laser rifle poked through and swivelled back and forth. The gun withdrew and a man in a black vac suit dropped through, a rifle in his hands. He stepped to one side, surveying the bridge as more men dropped into the Raven. Six commandos in all entered the ship. They ignored Rhett, gathering on both sides of the bridge door before one man palmed the door open. Five of the commandos swarmed into the corridor while the sixth man stayed behind, watching the corridor alertly and keeping Rhett in his peripheral vision.

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