Embers of War by Kevin McLaughlin

Author:Kevin McLaughlin [McLaughlin, Kevin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Role of the Hero Publishing
Published: 2017-11-12T07:00:00+00:00

Twenty

Alarms blared across the Satori's bridge. Beth didn't have to ask what was wrong. She could see it on the main screen, big as life. The alien dreadnought had opened a wormhole to their location. It slipped silently out of the wormhole, white and blue energy discharges flashing across the hull like heat lightning.

The thing was enormous, bigger than any aircraft carrier on Earth. As it cleared the wormhole, Beth scan console showed flashes of energy building up all along the dreadnought's starboard side. It was getting ready to fire its broadside. They'd barely survived the first one. She was pretty sure they couldn't get lucky twice.

"Majel, jump the ship!" Beth cried. No human was fast enough to get them out of there in time. Majel was the only being who might be able to save them. Beth heard the whine as their wormhole drive engaged, pouring a planet's worth of power into the space in front of the ship.

She wondered what had happened to the Naga vessel. Had they gotten away? Or had they been blown to bits by the enemy? No way to tell. Oddly Beth found herself wishing the best for the Naga. Frightening as they were, this strange new enemy was even more terrifying. Their wormhole was blossoming into life ahead of them. Another moment and they'd sail through. Hopefully to safety, at least for a little while.

"Massive energy wave approaching from the planet. Gravity and quantum fluctuations," Majel reported.

"What is it?" Beth asked.

"Unknown. Possibly the wave front of the Naga's hyperspace drive, but if so it's coming right at us," Majel said.

"Will it impact our jump?" Beth asked.

"Unknown."

Beth drummed her fingers on the console. The wormhole flashed into being in front of her. There wasn't any choice. They had to run. As if to emphasize that, the dreadnought opened fire on them. The path between the two ships was littered with debris and asteroids, which blocked most of the first volley, but the Satori shook hard enough to rattle her teeth as one blast got through. The dreadnought was veering around some of the larger chunks of rock, making for a spot where it would have a clear line of fire. They could play 'can't catch me' in the asteroids for a while - the Satori was the smaller ship and could evade them for a bit.

But Beth had no doubts how the fight would end if they stayed to engage this thing. There wasn't any choice. Not really.

"Jump," she said.

"Yes ma'am," Foster said. He touched a control, and the ship shot forward into the wormhole.

Immediately Beth knew something was wrong.

There was always the smallest sense of time passing by while transiting a wormhole. Even though the science said that was impossible, it was something every human traveler consistently reported. Near as they could tell from every possible measurement, there was no space in a wormhole. You entered and left in an instant transition from one place to another. Even if it didn't feel that way.

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