Battlecruiser Alamo: Final Orbit by Tongue Richard

Author:Tongue, Richard [Tongue, Richard]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Publisher: Publisher
Published: 2016-12-18T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 14

 The buggy bounced over the rugged terrain, Cooper struggling with the unfamiliar controls. He glanced up at the sky, spotting the drones circling overhead, knowing that they were relaying every move they made to the enemy, and knowing that there was nothing they could do about it. Even if they shot them out of the air, they'd only be wasting precious ammunition. More drones would appear moments later, and the orbital satellite network was doubtless tracking them anyway.

 Safety lay in speed, and he gunned the engine as fast as he dared, the engine rumbling as he dodged around a boulder, following the trail of a gully to reduce the line of sight as much as possible. Behind him, Rhodes was still frowning at the controls of the plasma cannon, holding up his datapad in an attempt to translate the limited text. Thus far, he'd been able to rotate and raise it without much trouble, but the firing system's complexities had escaped him.

 “Think they're after us, sir?” Hunt asked.

 “Damn sure of it, Sergeant,” Cooper replied. “On foot, and in the air. They won't want to risk an aerial assault without some ground support, but that just means they'll end up walking the last few miles. We don't have the manpower to guard a large perimeter. I just hope they've picked a decent spot for our last stand.”

 “General Kelot knows his stuff, sir. I'm sure he'll have found somewhere defensible.”

 “Assuming he's still alive. Those mortar shells were dropping all over the place before we got away. I'm surprised all of the shuttles made it up.” His communicator crackled, and he reached into his pocket, passing it to Hunt. “Give it a try, Sergeant. You never know.”

 “I have a feeling I probably do,” he replied. “Hunt to any friendly station, any friendly station, come in, please.” He paused for the roar of static, and said, “I think there's something there, a voice. Too faint to hear, though. We're getting close enough that they might be able to override the jamming.” Shaking his head, he added, “Not that it's going to matter much anyway. In about ten minutes, you'll be able to talk to them, face-to-face.”

 “How are the wounded doing?” Cooper asked.

 The medic looked up from her charges, and replied, “Stable for the moment. Your wife should be fine, but she's not going to be doing much walking for a while. Doherty's a little worse, though. I'd be happier if we were on our way to a real medical facility.”

 “Let's hope we get the chance at some point in the near future,” Cooper replied.

 “Hunt to any station, any station, come in,” the veteran repeated. “Nothing, sir. That first contact might have been a fluke.” He looked up, and said, “Those drones are moving around a bit, aren't they? You think they might try and use those to launch an attack?”

 “Too high up for that,” Cooper replied. “What's the hurry, anyway? They don't need to take us on until they're ready for it. With Alamo heading in the wrong direction, we're not going to get off this rock, and they know it.

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