Scrapyard LEGACY (Star Watch Book 6) by McGinnis Mark Wayne

Author:McGinnis, Mark Wayne [McGinnis, Mark Wayne]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Tags: Science Fiction
Publisher: Avenstar Productions
Published: 2017-03-22T16:00:00+00:00

* * *

Twenty minutes had come and gone. Dira was a no-show. Orion paced the Jumelle’s bridge.

Army Ranger Sergeant Gail Stone, sitting with her feet propped up on the helm’s console, asked, “So what are we going to do? We going to blow this popsicle-stand, or stay and start a fight?”

Before Orion could answer Master Sergeant Blatt entered the bridge.

“Commander Orion…” he said, coming to a halt and quickly appraising the near-empty bridge.

“So the hull’s integrity is still holding up okay?” Orion asked him.

“Yes, ma’am. They’ve been at it nonstop for hours. They’ve gone from trying to drill through the hull to, more recently, using varied forms of small explosives.”

Orion thought about that. “You’re still able to watch them … through external ship optics?”

“That’s right.”

“Let me ask you this then, have you noticed any changes in personnel?”

Blatt looked off, as though searching his memory. “No … it’s still the same gang of fifteen to twenty workers.”

“After working so many hours, you’d think there’d be a shift change, wouldn’t you? A fresh team coming in to finish the job.”

“That would make sense,” Blatt replied.

She scanned her surroundings. Somehow the bridge seemed larger than normal. She’d dismissed the crew to return to their quarters ever since the Jumelle was berthed. But Stone had stuck around anyway. Orion said, “Damn … all this technology and we can’t even implement a simple close-range sensor scan. I want to know what we’re really up against out there.”

Blatt said, “Xavier Station 35 is nearly twice the size of our own Liberty Station, Commander. Liberty maintains close to a thousand active Marines at all times. I wouldn’t be surprised if a station like this provides a security force with twice that many. I’d put my one hundred Sharks up against any force in the sector, but up against two thousand …”

“But we’re only guessing, aren’t we, Master Sergeant?” Orion cut in. “We haven’t actually verified how many are on this station today.” Orion studied the wraparound display—past the station itself to distant space beyond. Glancing at the helm, she asked, “Stone … what do you see out there?”

“An ultra-modern, gleaming white, space station. This ugly planet, Thorian Banal, and more stars than I could count in twenty lifetimes.”

“What are you not seeing?” Orion asked, addressing both Stone and Blatt now.

The two looked out to space and for several moments neither one spoke.

Finally Stone responded, “Commerce … other spaceships, both coming and going.”

“Yeah, it’s almost freakishly motionless out there,” Orion said. “I’m so used to relying on my tactical board to supply me information that I forgot to use my own two eyes to check out the obvious.”

“We already know that the Sommis of Adriark has a substantial fleet of Vicksol warships. They are a well-armed adversary,” Blatt said.

“Yeah, but two years ago, who even heard of this place? The planet down there … it’s small, and even from here I can tell there are limited metropolitan areas. Compare it to Earth, which … at a similar distance to this one … is lit up like a Christmas tree.

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