Contempt by Douglas Wayne & Luke Simms

Author:Douglas Wayne & Luke Simms [Wayne, Douglas & Simms, Luke]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-02-18T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirty-Two

Luton Sector

Bridge, Capelli Enterprises Ship Servitude

“Ma’am, you’ll want to see this.” Robert motioned her over to his console and slid the screen to the side as Zoe moved close.

“What am I looking at?” She leaned in and read the screen. On it was a report that came in from the Sheol sector. A report detailing a skirmish between a Klypton ship and a human fleet.

Information like this came through regularly. Her ship, and most of the rest of the Capelli fleet, was linked into the Mythrar mainframe. The mainframe was a computer system and data stream so fast as to allow the transfer of information across light years. Zoe knew this same system allowed the Mythrar to track their every movement and action as a way of coordinating their war efforts. She also suspected it allowed them to keep some of the more troubling aspects of their ragtag fleet in line. With so many of the ships being crewed by humans, it was the only way they had to ensure things went their way.

But this report was different. Normally, they detailed how they disabled or destroyed a smaller fleet and told how many new ships and bodies they’d brought into the fold, while telling the Mythrar how many fewer ships they’d face when they made their final push.

But instead of mentioning a victory, this one detailed a defeat. Not a total loss to the Mythrar, to note, but enough of a hit to make them suffer.

“Forty Klypton ships were lost in a raid against a combined NEC and EU fleet.” Robert turned to face her. “Guess we found out why they wanted us to get back to Britannia.”

Zoe glanced back at the report and noticed what direction the human fleet had come from. They were on a direct path from New Earth to Britannia. They hadn’t even bothered to account for the dozens of battles that dotted that path. Whoever was in charge of that fleet had only one thing in mind.

“What do you think this means for us?” Robert asked.

“This may be the opportunity we were looking for. If that fleet is even half the size the report says it is, we can move without being noticed. We might even be able to take a few shots at the Contempt as we do.”

“A fleet that size might shoot us first and ask questions later. I doubt they will watch whether or not we fire on them.”

Robert had a point. Making their move during a large-scale battle provided its own problems. But to her, those problems didn’t outweigh them staying in the fleet for a day longer than they should. Every moment they weren’t following Jasper’s orders to the tee, was a moment they risked being found out. While Zoe was fine with her being punished for her action, or inaction, she wasn’t about to risk her crew for the same.

No, this was the opportunity she had been looking for. She needed to capitalize on it.

“We’ll take our chances. Have your teams run simulations on a battle over Britannia.

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