Never In Vain (Lincoln's War Book 2) by Richard Tongue

Author:Richard Tongue [Tongue, Richard]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3, mobi
Publisher: Publisher
Published: 2018-04-22T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

 Forrest walked down the corridor, Singh by her side, scanning through a list of damage reports. Lincoln herself was almost intact, would be back to full combat readiness in a matter of hours, and while Komarov had suffered somewhat more damage, Major Volkov was convinced that she would be prepared for another battle in a similar amount of time. The Zemlyan destroyers were tough, built to take excessive damage, and that was showing its worth today.

 That was where the good news ended. Titov had been hit in the hyperdrive, a lucky shot by the enemy that was stranding her in-system until replacement components could be brought forward, and Santos-Dumont was in such perilous condition that Commander Garcia was uncertain that she could complete the passage to Lemuria in one piece. The fighters had been mauled just as badly, hardly a single one returning unscathed from battle, Chief Wong’s crews working at full stretch in a bid to restore at least a full squadron to combat effectiveness. That the Lemurian fighters were stranded on Lincoln was not helping matters, though they at least were able to manage a semi-effective orbital patrol.

 Singh looked at her, and said, “We got off lightly. You know that. The bombers worked a minor miracle, and if the enemy commander had decided to concentrate his forces rather than divide them into easily digestible chunks, I’m not sure we’d be here right now.”

 “Agreed.” Raising an eyebrow, she replied, “Why do you bring it up?”

 “Because I know what you are thinking. We’re in no shape for a continued offensive, Captain. Not right now. My advice is that we proceed as originally planned. Komarov returns to Zemlya, collects the tankers, and we escort the convoy to Lemuria for the party of a lifetime. Big ending, everyone’s happy. Then we put the pieces back together and prepare to go out again, hopefully with help.”

 “Maybe.”

 “Captain, this is everything we wanted when we left.”

 “We didn’t know that we were fighting PacFed back then,” she replied, pausing at the door to the brig. “The situation has changed.” She opened the door, a pair of guards standing inside, opposite the single occupied cell. The occupant sat implacably on his bed, wearing an unmarked penal jumpsuit. The guards snapped to attention as she walked inside, looking at the figure in the cell.

 “All his kit’s been taken for analysis, ma’am,” one of the guards said. “He’s shown no resistance yet. As though all the fight’s gone.”

 “I think it’s a trick,” his comrade replied. “He’s just trying to lull us into a false sense of security. I wouldn’t trust him, Captain, or anything he says.”

 “Don’t worry, Spaceman. I don’t intend to. Open it up.”

 The two guards glanced at each other, then turned to the wall, pressing their palms on the lock, the double-activation required to release the maximum security bolts. The door slid open, and Forrest stepped inside, Singh moving after her. She turned to him, shaking her head.

 “Just me.”

 “Captain, you shouldn’t be on your own in there.

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