Forge the Path (Uplink Squadron Book 5) by J.N. Chaney & Chris Kennedy

Author:J.N. Chaney & Chris Kennedy [Chaney, J.N. & Kennedy, Chris]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Variant Publications
Published: 2022-12-04T05:00:00+00:00

17

COCKPIT, BLASTER THREE OH ONE, APPROACHING SWS FEARLESS HUNTER, SURRAPSIS SYSTEM

“Impressive,” Admiral Delgado said from the WSO seat.

Jimenez pulled herself back from the system enough to respond, “Yes, sir; it is.”

The Sontag carrier hung in space like a giant ball of death. Unlike the Terran and Kardon ships that tended to be longer and thinner, and somewhat “submarine” shaped, the Sontag ships were round and bristled with weapons systems. Even the carriers had a number of missile ports and laser emitters strewn across their surface, in addition to the hangar bay that yawned open in front of them.

“You got this?” Jimenez asked inside the system.

“I do,” Daiyu said. She sat back in her favorite chair with her eyes closed and a cup of tea in her hands. The Sontag carrier had been sending them approach commands digitally—something like what the Terran carriers used to guide in their fighters on final approach—but different enough that it required nearly all of her attention.

Jimenez kept part of hers in the cockpit, not only in case the admiral needed her for something, but also to watch out the canopy as they neared the massive carrier. Nearly three kilometers in diameter, it blocked her vision as she got in close.

Whatever Daiyu was doing worked, though, and the fighter eased into Hangar Bay 3 on the Fearless Hunter.

“I’ve got it,” Jimenez said as she picked up the ground crewman and began following his hand signals. The hangar was trapezoid-shaped, somewhat like a pizza slice with the pointy end cut off. Sontag fighters were staged around the periphery of the space, and Sontags moved throughout the bay. Unlike the Terrans carriers, where you could tell what job a ground crewman had by the color of their vest, the Sontags were dressed in brightly colored shipsuits which probably indicated the same thing. As it was a larger area, it helped them stand out more..

“Interesting,” Delgado muttered.

“What’s that, sir?” Jimenez asked as she touched down.

Delgado nodded toward the hangar. “I’ve seen pictures of the Sontags, but seeing them actually moving around is… surreal, I guess. We’ve had Kardons on the Independence, but they’re not really aliens. They’re just humans that were raised on different planets from us. The Sontags, though… they’re aliens. Not only do they look like aliens, but they move like aliens, too. It’s almost like watching the big cat exhibit at the zoo back home. They don’t walk or stride like people. They prowl or stalk. It’s more fluid somehow.” He unstrapped and stood. “And, unless I miss my guess, the gravity is a little heavier, too.”

“Daiyu says it’s just a little higher than Earth’s gravity, something like 1.05 times what we’re used to.” She nodded to the group of five Sontags gathering in front of the craft. Unlike the ground crew, these were dressed in military uniforms. “Looks like the welcoming party is here. Perhaps we should go meet them?”

“I think that would be a good idea.”

The two officers climbed down from the fighter, and they approached the Sontags.

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