A Light in the Dark by A. K. DuBoff

Author:A. K. DuBoff [DuBoff, A. K.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Space Fantasy, Space Opera, Teen & Young Adult, Magic, Aliens, Alien Invasion
Publisher: BDL Press
Published: 2018-08-08T23:00:00+00:00

14

“Commander! Additional alien craft inbound,” the helm officer announced as soon as Colren returned to the bridge with my team following close behind.

“It might not be inbound at all,” Colren muttered.

“Sir?”

He shook his head. “Set ship to combat-ready. Move into high-precision firing range of the anomaly.”

“Aye!” the helm officer acknowledged.

“This could totally backfire,” I whispered to Kaiden.

“If your idea is correct, then there aren’t a lot of other options. The longer that thing is active, the bigger the enemy fleet we’ll be up against.”

“What’s the ETA on our backup?” Colren barked.

“Jump logs indicate they should arrive in six minutes, sir,” the comm tech replied from one of the rear stations near where I was standing. She was the most composed of the support staff, but I could still plainly see the worry in her eyes.

“Ten kilometers to engagement range,” the helm officer announced.

“When you have a lock, fire a Class I barrage at the anomaly,” Colren ordered.

My hand found Kaiden’s, and we entwined our fingers. The warmth of his presence took the edge off my worry as we braced for combat.

“Target in range. Commencing Class I barrage,” the helmsman announced.

“May the stars be with us,” Colren murmured.

Twenty torpedoes launched from the bow of the Evangiel and streaked toward the anomaly. It still seemed too far away to fire on, but I had to remind myself that the physics of space battles are different than on a planet. In terms of this environment, we were practically breathing down the enemy’s neck.

Four excruciating seconds passed while we waited for impact. As the torpedoes neared their mark, the single alien craft that had fully emerged from the anomaly fired what looked like an inky cloud, visible only thanks to the visual overlays on the front viewport. The black cloud intercepted the torpedoes two kilometers short of the anomaly’s event horizon, and the twenty bombs vanished.

“Report!” Colren demanded.

“The torpedoes are gone, sir. No detonation,” the helmsman replied, a quaver in his voice.

Kaiden’s grip on my hand tightened. “They can command the Darkness,” he whispered.

“No. This can’t be happening!” My throat constricted as tears stung the corners of my eyes. We had been making progress, we had a plan. Now, all of those efforts seemed to be meaningless. How could we stop an enemy who makes weapons vanish?

Colren seemed equally at a loss.

“Sir?” the helmsman prompted when no further orders were given.

“Plasma cannons,” the commander instructed.

“That gets us too close,” Toran murmured.

“What do you mean?” Maris asked, drawing the four of us into a huddle.

“Plasma cannons are a short-range engagement weapon,” Toran clarified. “If we’re close enough to fire at the anomaly, we would be well within range of their Black Cloud of Death.”

“Yeah, I don’t want to go anywhere near a thing you’d give that nickname.” I glanced at Colren. “Should we say something?”

“He is no doubt aware of the risks already,” Toran said. “My guess is that this move is to determine which strategy will be best for the rest of the fleet to follow.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.