Star Crusader: Legends of Orion by Michael G. Thomas

Author:Michael G. Thomas [Thomas, Michael G.]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Swordworks
Published: 2017-02-25T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER EIGHT

Byotai Imperial Battleship ‘Hellstorm’

Martos II, Tenth Quadrant

The next day

Shots slammed into the stern of Hellstorm, with one entire volley tearing through the stern of the mighty ship. Explosions wracked the hull, yet not one crewmember panicked. Moments later the stern battery of light guns returned fire. It was a feeble response, but better than nothing. General Makos pointed at the screen and grunted as the shots glanced off the bow of the nearest enemy cruiser.

“They’re getting closer. And we don’t have the speed to escape them, or the firepower to repel them.”

“General. We can cut the engines for three of four minutes, rotate the ship, and…”

“No,” he snapped back, “If we’re going to reach the Admiral, we need more speed, not less.”

His eyes shifted to a clock on the wall showing how much time remained until they reached Anderson and the fleet. It was still too long, and if they didn’t continue racing ahead, they would find nothing but hulks around Helios Prime. Makos knew what he had to do, and it left an empty, sick feeling in his body. He valued every single ship in his fleet, and every crewmember was now a beloved part of his family. Yet Makos remembered something Anderson had told him in the war, it was something several of the Human generals had repeated much later.

To be a good commander, you must be willing to order the death of the thing you love.

The first time he’d heard the saying it had sent a shiver up his spine. The Humans were not like his own people. They were energetic, violent, and in many ways rather backwards. But in matters of war they excelled. They had done what his people had managed in the past with hundreds of years and hundreds of times the numbers.

They are right, and I love my people too much to lose them all. I will sacrifice what I must…for victory.

“For victory, Captain.”

Elin looked at him with obvious confusion in her eyes.

“What are your orders, General?”

Makos sniffed the air, took in a deep lungful, and then nodded towards the rear view on the screen. Shots continued to lash back and forth, but it was obvious that Hellstorm would come off worse in this engagement.

“Which of our escorts are the most heavily damaged?”

Captain Elin ran her finger down the list on the main display and tapped two of the crippled escorts. They were a pair of relatively new Viper Class destroyers. At two hundred metres long they were barely half the length of Hellstorm, even so both had performed well. Their long membrane wings were twisted and broken, and one continued to trail flames.

“The volunteers from the Serpentis Sector, Admiral. They are not going to make it to the Rift. They’re using their last reserves to stay with us as long as they can.”

“I understand. Put me on with them.”

“Yes, General.”

Seconds later the images of the two captains appeared. Both were injured, and it was obvious their ships were in a terrible state of repair.

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