The Catherine Kimbridge Omnibus Collection I by Andrew Beery

Author:Andrew Beery [Beery, Andrew]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-09-16T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven – Battle for the Heidman…

Ben accessed his cybernetic implants to inspect the surface of the quantum node he and Thais had just finished constructing. Once an entangled quantum pair was obtained the regenerative circuitry would keep the unit functioning. As best he could tell, this was a perfect replica of the communication nodes used by Rasta-Tckner’s people. Unfortunately it was useless as a means of establishing communication with the Hymenopterans without a properly entangled photon.

A portion of Ben’s hybrid cybernetic mind was simultaneously reviewing reconnaissance data from Commander Kirkland’s probes. If the decision was made to try and secure a working node, it was likely that this information was going to be critical.

* * *

Teek-Tra felt his small craft shutter. He directed his combat swarm deeper into the gravity well. As a single unit, something just shy of two thousand fighters separated from the primary defense ring orbiting the nest host. Their target was a pair of energy signatures on the planet surface. He estimated the swarm was about thirty-five minutes out from the target.

His race did not have and had never designed weapons per se. This meant their options for attacking were somewhat limited. The hive super-mind, however, had recently gained access to the enemy’s weapons’ design schematics. Weapon systems were even now being developed but they would not be available for deployment for many days. A part of him knew he would never live to see the deployment of such systems and he was strangely comforted by this knowledge.

Still, even without weapons he and his family would attack this enemy. In the past the hive would swarm the opponent and force them into the deadly embrace of the nest host’s gravity well. And although this had been attempted with this invader as well, somehow they had survived. That left precious few options for continuing the attack.

The hive super-mind was resourceful. In reviewing the information taken from the attacker’s mothership, the super-mind discovered that the enemy had described a means by which a submerged opponent could be attacked. Teek-Tra would employ such a technique against their opponent. There would be no survivors the second time.

* * *

Sassi finished connecting the last cable between the comm unit and the secondary AI’s I/O buffer. He was ready for Captain Jeffries as soon as he arrived with the high-speed quantum interlink. Once in place the primary AI on the other piece of the Heidman could establish a data link and bring the secondary AI in this segment back online.

He accessed the external sensor array to see how far out the captain’s shuttle was when he got the shock of his life. He screamed a warning out of both his low frequency and high frequency antennas before he realized no one currently on this ship could hear such a warning. He opened up his radio link and repeated his warning in a slightly calmer tone.

“Attention all stations, this is Ensign Sassi on the Heidman-1. I’m pretty sure we are about to come under attack.

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