Some Assembly Required (New SCE Book Three) by Greg Brodeur

Author:Greg Brodeur [Brodeur, Greg]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780329324117
Publisher: Follett Library Resources
Published: 2003-04-01T04:00:00+00:00

“That’s all I get.” Christian sighed. He re-coded the frequency scanner, then did it again, and then one more time. Nothing.

“Replay it,” his wife offered, and she cocked her ear toward the nearest speaker.

With his now healed hand, Christian tabbed at the console and replayed the sketchy subspace message.

Static crackled as it spat from the speakers. “—is the—ship da Vinci —…—attack—”

“That’s all there is.” He frowned deeply and Maria touched him lightly on the shoulder. Sincere if futile reassurance. She was always his strength in times thick with misfortune.

“I think I heard the word attack,” she said finally.

He nodded. “Me too.” That was why the message was a frightening one. Was da Vinci under attack, or was there going to be an attack on Beta Argola? And more importantly, why? Beta Argola was a nice mining colony, but there were surely others that were nicer. Heck, the thing was only two thousand kilometers from one end to another, and half as thick. Gravity was artificial—meaning expensive. If not for it having the element the Horta needed, Christian and his team would have chosen any number of others.

Lingering her gaze on what Christian knew was a cheerless visage, Maria finally said, “Let’s try and reach the authorities.”

Again, he nodded somberly. “Starbase 413 or wide-band to Starfleet?” Should they risk sending out a wide-band transmission if someone was gunning for them after the da Vinci?

“Both.” She began keying in the messages. “We should reach anyone we can.”

He nodded agreement. “What about replying to the da Vinci?”

“I’ve tried,” Maria said with a sigh. “No response.”

Christian felt as if a sharp rock was jabbing his gut from the inside out—concern for himself, for his wife, and the thirteen others on the small colony. He inwardly chuckled at calling it a colony. It wasn’t as if it were a permanent settlement with a lasting infrastructure and shields. They were pretty defenseless. They had nonmilitary-issue hand phasers and a few phaser-rifles, sure, but it was numbers that counted, and those were few. They had a protective dome, but that could be ruptured easily by a ship with disruptors or phasers…he didn’t even want to think what a photon or quantum torpedo could do.

He let his gaze settle on his wife, then moved it to the rock and dirt floor at their feet. Antimatter blasting had cleared out their habitat caverns in a few weeks and since they moved from the cargo ship to the settlement, they’d made what felt like a home. While there was always a danger living in space, it was easy to become complacent.

But now? Now Christian was having a hard time not thinking they might die out here.

He rubbed the wish for sleep from his eyes. He was tired, very tired, and really didn’t want to think at all.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t the time to stop thinking.

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