Battlespace by Richard Tongue

Author:Richard Tongue [Tongue, Richard]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-10-05T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

“Watch out, Lieutenant!” Patel yelled. “Eruption imminent!”

“Moving,” Novak replied, firing her suit thrusters to kick her clear of the surface, her sensors running wild as they detected the growing seismic activity below her. Even with such a cool star, the comet grew far hotter as it closed on the heart of the system, reacting so violently that there was a real danger that it might tear itself to pieces.

To her right, the surface cracked, and a tower of ice and steam erupted, high into the sky, the fragments tossed clear with enough force to easily pass escape velocity. She pushed herself away, well clear of the site, then reached for her wrist control, working out the easiest path to the alternate site for bomb emplacement.

Captain Scott had called for volunteers to head out onto the surface of the comet, set the charges. A dozen technicians were needed to complete the mission, with a rescue shuttle on standby in case Leonidas had to escape in a hurry. She’d been the first to step forward, along with the rest of the survivors of Vanguard. Whether it was because they still felt that they had something to prove, especially compared to the seasoned veterans that made up the bulk of Leonidas’ crew, or whether they still sought revenge for their lost comrades, she couldn’t say.

As for herself, she couldn’t find a place. Assistant Weapons Officer was less a title, more a theoretical opportunity, and one that she frankly hoped would never amount to anything. Leonidas certainly didn’t need a Science Officer, the only relevant equipment dumped in a storage room, not even assembled. This was something she could do, something she knew.

“Rochford to Novak,” the soft voice said, echoing through her helmet. “You all right down there?”

“No injuries, no problems, Commander,” she replied. “We’re heading back for the surface now.”

“It’s getting pretty wild down in the core,” Rochford warned. “We might have less warning of a future eruption than we hoped.” He paused, then said, “We’ve revised some of our target sites. New coordinates are coming through to you now. Don’t worry about the charges you already placed, we took that into account. You’ve still got eight to go?”

“We do, sir, and don’t worry, we’ll have them all positioned before our friends arrive. What’s the status of the decoy?”

“Ivanov and Wilson are putting the final touches on it now. Hell, I’m almost convinced, and I know what they’re doing. It should put on a nice show when the enemy ship gets here. I just hope it works.” There was another brief pause, and he said, “Seismic activity back to normal.”

“We’re on our way back down. Put the coffee on, Commander. We won’t be long. Novak out.”

She fired her thrusters again, smoothly gliding back to the surface, her boots crunching on the frosty soil. Reaching for her hand scanner, she waved it around, tracking towards the new site relayed from Leonidas, nodding with approval as the geologic data seeped in. A nice deep fissure, going down a couple of hundred meters.

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