The Valhalla Call by Evan Currie

Author:Evan Currie [Currie, Evan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2013-06-17T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter X

USV Terra

The battle was over by the time Master of Ships Parath carefully eyed the two lines of Lucians arrayed before him as he stepped down lightly onto the uneven deck of the captured starship.

So this is what the enemy ships look like inside.

Pedestrian, surprisingly, for machines capable of such destruction. They were aligned differently than he’d expected after examining them from the outside. From what he could see of their design, externally, he had expected them to have aligned around the inner core rather than the bow of the ship.

Gravity was really just a matter of perspective in space, so there was little advantage to the decision they’d made, but he had seen odder choices in the past and likely would find stranger ones in the future. At least they’d picked a consistent alignment, he supposed; it made them easier to understand than the Ross, if nothing else.

The re-solidified molten metal from their hull did little to add to the impressiveness of the interior, and neither did the blast marks and bodily fluids spattered over the decks.

“Hard fought?” he observed more than asked as his group walked.

“Yes, Master. We lost several dozen Lucians in the assault, most in the dirty fighting along the ship’s internal structures.”

Parath winced, that was a significant loss.

“Prisoners?”

“Isolated toward the lower decks of the ship, where there were larger areas to keep them in. We don’t have the guards or facilities to house them apart from one another.”

“Yes, that’s fine. What of those in authority?”

“Still working out which ones those were, exactly, but we have several candidate groups that we’ve kept apart from the rest.”

Parath nodded. “Excellent.”

“We’ve secured the ship and disarmed the crew, Master, but it’s still an unwarranted risk for you to be here…”

“Shortly the Master of Fleets will be in this system with the main bulk of our forces,” Parath said grimly. “When he arrives, I will have to explain how it is that we have been stopped dead in our courses by two enemy ships who did not even have to fire a shot at us to do so.”

Parath sneered, not at his officers, but at the situation itself.

“I would prefer to have answers available for him at that time,” Parath said. “Wouldn’t you?”

“Yes, Master.”

“Good. I want interrogation teams brought on board. Focus on the ones we believe to be non-officers first. I want language information, vocabulary, structure, idioms. When we begin on the Master of Ships for this vessel, I want nothing to be missed. Am I clear?”

“Yes, Master. Teams are already onboard. I will issue your commands to them directly.”

“Good, now, where is the Lucian in charge?”

“This way, Master. Sentinel Prime Kris is the Lucian in charge. He awaits you in the next section.”

Parath gestured ahead of them. “Then let us be on our way.”

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