Regent's Rise (Rim Jumper Book 9) by Tim Rangnow

Author:Tim Rangnow [Rangnow, Tim]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Vagabond Publishing
Published: 2023-09-07T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirty

Kole tugged on the restraints that crossed his chest for the third time in the last minute, making sure they were tight and wouldn’t let him go flying at the worst moment.

Neela had retreated to the entertainment room, which they’d wired up a few months back with secondary controls in the event the cockpit was ever compromised. It was a measure that would allow Rim Jumper to escape a hazardous situation, possibly allowing whoever was in the cockpit to be saved.

“I still think this is a stupid plan,” ShANN said grumpily.

“It’s probably the stupidest thing I’ve ever done,” Kole admitted. “But if it works, we’ll look like geniuses.”

“Unlike you, I am a genius.”

He snorted at the AI’s words and almost regretted that her face wasn’t visible so he could see the petulant expression that would have gone along with them.

The ship’s weapons were powered up, and the standard diagnostic finished with a happy ping that told him everything was green and ready for battle. His light laser cannons wouldn’t do much damage against a cruiser, and even the frigates were large enough to shrug off most hits, but those patrol ships could be decimated if he had plenty of time and shot straight.

“Sidewinder and Vipers are launching,” ShANN reported.

Kole glanced at the viewscreen to see Tanner’s silvery ship leading two squadrons of the elongated teardrop-shaped Ancient starfighters. Tanner hadn’t exactly liked his plan, but he’d admitted it might be the only thing that prevented Governor Parr’s forces from slowly grinding Titan down piece by piece.

“Eighty-seven seconds until the Hegemony fleet is in missile range.”

His fingers tightened into nervous fists, and Kole sucked in a deep breath to release it slowly. He used those vital moments to calm his nerves. The last thing he needed in the midst of a battle was to have the jitters, which might make him miss a shot at a critical moment.

Confident that he was as ready as he could be in the circumstances, Kole activated the series of commands he’d already keyed in. Rim Jumper twisted, veering off to starboard and directly toward the Hegemony fleet.

At the same moment, Tanner led his diminished forces into the thick of the enemy. Bright flashes of green plasma shot out, bursting against hull plates and leaving behind damage that would stack up quickly if they weren’t stopped.

“Docking bay doors are opening on the nearest cruiser,” ShANN said. “Are you sure this is what you want to do?”

“I’d rather be doing almost anything else, but that won’t stop us from following through.” Kole initiated the second set of commands, and he was pushed back against the chair as the main thrusters flared to shoot Rim Jumper into the thick of the Hegemony fleet. They were traveling too fast for him to do much more than loose off unaimed blasts from his laser cannons.

“Hornets are launching.”

He didn’t need ShANN’s words. Kole was watching the cruiser that grew on his screen, and he’d seen the first smudges of shadows beyond the shimmering blue energy field that kept the docking bay from venting atmosphere.

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