Earth Force (Relict Legacy Book 3) by Shemer Kuznits

Author:Shemer Kuznits [Kuznits, Shemer]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-03-30T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17: Bryne

Unity slowed down as she approached the armada.

Lana’s hands flew over her consoles. “I’m detecting thirty-five combat and twenty-five non-combat ships. Everyone has some sort of weapon, grade F for the support vessels and low to high E grade for the combat ones, except this.” The main viewscreen zoomed in on a large, sleek ship that seemed to be surrounded by a perpetual dark cloud of revolving particles. “This is the Thresher, Captain Orliv’s ship.”

“It kinda looks like a shark’s head,” Cattie observed. “What’s with that cloud thing?”

Lana consulted her sensors, then shook her head. “Some sort of a high-grade adaptive defense system, that’s all I’m getting.”

“Unity,” a detached voice spoke through their comms. “This is the Thresher’s AI in charge of the expedition coordination. Please assume your assigned position in the armada and await further orders. We will be departing in four hours and twelve minutes.”

“Acknowledged,” Nori spoke, following the provided flight path.

Two more ships joined their force, bringing their small fleet’s number to sixty-two.

“Please hold for the commander’s announcement,” the AI’s emotionless voice spoke again.

A moment later, the picture on the main viewscreen switched to the burly vowrock. “This is Captain Orliv, commander of this expedition to Bryne.” His tone was flat, his ears betraying no emotion. “You’ve all signed on willingly, so you know what’s at stake, but for the sake of the newcomers, I’ll go over the highlights. This is a three-day expedition. Our mission is to land on Bryne and mine it for organic crystals while attempting to avoid the larger concentration of warped. Conflict is unavoidable but not undesired. As you all know, the warped on Bryne have evolved to incorporate the precious crystal in their bodies, so harvesting their corpses is often more rewarding than mining. We have advanced scout vessels with sensors specifically adapted for the planet and a complement of support vessels to ensure we won’t bite off more than we can chew. But as with all expeditions, some casualties are unavoidable. This is a large force, and we estimate that we can take out up to level 20 warped with little trouble. Anything larger than that, we’ll try to avoid. I expect all ships to follow my orders to the letter, which, due to our numbers, will often be relayed by my ship’s AI. Any vessel with second thoughts about joining this venture has until we reach the planet to change their minds. Afterward, mining vessels may leave, pending paying their 20% participation fees for all crystals mined. Once we’re back in Bryte, I and all accompanying battleships will share the fees. Additionally, any Tec earned by slaying warped will be held in check by the Thresher, to be divided once the expedition is over.”

He paused, giving an impressive glare through the viewscreen. “I will repeat my warning; I expect all ships to follow my commands to the letter. Make no mistakes, Bryne is deadly and any error can cost lives. I’ll tolerate no insubordination or miscarry of commands on pain of death.

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