Battlecruiser Alamo: Take and Hold (Battlecruiser Alamo Series Book 11) by Richard Tongue

Author:Richard Tongue [Tongue, Richard]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Published: 2015-03-23T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 15

 Marshall stood on the bridge, looking over Cunningham’s shoulder at the viewscreen, waiting for the flash that would announce their return to normal space and their arrival at Hades Station. The now-dead Espatier who had christened it had known better than he realized; the place felt cursed, and Marshall could not help but feel that they were stepping into a trap.

 “Emergence, sir,” the officer at the helm, a Sub-Lieutenant named Kelso, replied. Caine had commandeered the tactical station, running through a sequence of checks; the ship had been at battle stations for the last seven minutes, making the last-minute adjustments that could make the difference between life or death.

 “Full sensor sweep, Ronay,” Cunningham said to the duty sensor technician. “Tell us the news.”

 “Threat warning,” he replied within seconds, though with a surprisingly calm voice. “Picking up two ships, unknown classification, on intercept course with the flagship. Some shuttle traffic moving between the station and the planet.”

 “We never did get to the planet,” Marshall said, frowning. “No sign of any change from the Alamo records, Spaceman?”

 “No, sir,” he said. “Aside from ship traffic, everything is just as you left it. I’m even picking up some debris fields close to the hendecaspace point.”

 “The aftermath of our last battle in this system.”

 Cunningham looked back to the communications station, and asked, “Anything from the flagship?”

 “Nothing, sir,” she replied.

 Shaking his head, Marshall said, “Have the auxiliary squadron proceed according to Plan Alpha, at least for the moment. Keep the formation as tight as possible and hang back from the action. No point throwing ourselves into the middle of a war, not today, anyway.”

 “Sending now, Captain.”

 “Anything on those unidentified ships?” Cunningham asked.

 “I’ve gone through the warbook, sir, and I have a partial match with some civilian transports. These definitely have modifications, though, sir.”

 “Fleet auxiliaries,” Marshall replied. “We must have hurt them harder than I thought. They’re having to convert civilian ships to combat roles.”

 “Then we’re winning,” Kelso said.

 Shaking his head, Marshall said, “Don’t assume anything, Sub. This could easily just be a local commander displaying greater-than-usual initiative and making use of what he has.”

 “Trident is moving towards the incoming craft, Captain,” Ronay said. “So are the battlecruisers, at full tactical acceleration.”

 “What’s the damn hurry?” Caine asked. “They’re doing all the work, and we’ll still have a nice speed reserve. All he’s doing is reducing the combat window.”

 “Enemy vessels are still closing on the Trident, sir. Direct course, as if they are trying to ram her.”

 “Not at that range,” Marshall said. “Too obvious. They wouldn’t have bothered modifying their ships if that was all they were planning to do with them. Any sign of signal traffic?”

 “Everything cut off within thirty seconds of us entering the system,” the communications technician replied. “Just like someone threw a switch.”

 Her eyes widening, Caine said, “They’re expecting us, aren’t they.”

 “Walk into my parlor, said the spider to the fly,” Marshall replied.

 “Didn’t you say that the last time we came out here?”

 “I have a horrible feeling that it will prove to be just as true this time.

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