Collateral Effects (Drop Trooper Book 14) by Rick Partlow

Collateral Effects (Drop Trooper Book 14) by Rick Partlow

Author:Rick Partlow [Partlow, Rick]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Aethon Books
Published: 2023-12-11T16:00:00+00:00


16

Space combat is strange.

My idea of war was formed going toe to toe with Tahni battlesuits, shooting at enemies who were close enough to see with the naked eye because that was the range of our best weapon. Missiles that traveled too far could be spoofed, and a suit could only carry so many of them. The missile load lasted maybe two engagements, three at the most, but battles could drag on for hours, sometimes with no resupply. That meant we did most of our damage with the plasma guns, the one weapon that didn’t need reloading. And since most of our fights were in cities, we stayed below the rooflines to avoid being tracked by their missiles.

We found each other by accident, killed each other at arm’s length.

Space combat had no cover, no concealment, not unless you hid behind a moon or a planet, but even then the enemy could find you pretty quick. No, space war was a chess board with pieces millions of kilometers apart. You couldn’t strike until you were close, but getting close required foresight, expert moves conducted with perfect timing.

Unfortunately for the analogy I’d built up while sitting on the bridge, waiting for the show to kick off, if this was a chess board, we only had two pieces. Four, if you counted the two Intercepts. Brandano and Villanueva were hanging at stationkeeping off our right shoulder, though I wasn’t sure what good they thought they were going to do. Intercept pilots always whined about being cut loose, and it wouldn’t hurt anything keeping them out there since they could micro-Transition just as well as we could. And hopefully would.

“They’re still just sitting there,” Wojtera said, shaking his head. “You’d think they’d at least give us an ultimatum or something.”

“There’s no need,” Lilandreth said, her voice sounding as if she was seated just behind me instead of a few thousand kilometers away. “They’ve sent another part of their fleet around toward the incoming gate to cut us off. In their eyes, we have no choice but to surrender or fight them.”

“Are you ready?” I asked her, not asking how she knew about the movements of the Nova ships when our sensors hadn’t picked them up.

“I am.” She turned in the image on the screen. “Dr. Spinner, are you certain you wish to remain here?”

The camera view changed to the Grey scientist. He was smiling. There was something off about the smile, something vacant behind his dark eyes. I couldn’t put my finger on it, and when he spoke, he sounded normal.

“Quite certain. I’ve dreamed of being in a spaceship going at relativistic velocities, and I wouldn’t give up the opportunity for anything.”

“All right then.” I tightened my safety harness. I wished Vicky were up on the bridge, but she’d told me the Marines needed her back in the troop bay, and it would have been a long trip up to the bridge again anyway. Still, I felt very alone up here without her. “Captain Nance, are we ready to micro-Transition?”

“Ready as we’ll ever be.



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