Read Online Exploration by Andrew Beery - Free Book Online

"Captain, I would suggest evasive maneuvers until we jump.  The only reason I can think they would clear the dust cloud is because they plan on changing tactics."
     
    As if to emphasize her point the bridge shook violently. If Cat hadn't already been rolling the ship along its primary axis to protect the shields, the vessel would have been holed when three powerful laser beams raked across her hull. The beams themselves weren't responsible for the violent shaking on the Bluefin . As the energetic rays hit the shields, a fractional percentage of the energy got through and hit the hull. Small amounts of the hull plating vaporized. It was the superheated material of her hull, ejecting at tremendous velocity from where the lasers were striking her shielding, that was responsible for the Bluefin's shaking.
     
    Cat noted that both Ken and Ricky's remote sensors were showing a high-power burn of the Dreadnaughts reaction mass thrusters. They were attempting to close the gap and using a plasma beam, in addition to the nukes, to open a hole in the dust cloud for their massively powerful lasers to fire through.
     
    "Sassi, estimate how long until our shields fail?" the Captain asked.
     
    "Two minutes and fifteen seconds, Sir."
     
    "How long before we can jump?"
     
    "About two and a half minutes. We are in trouble unless..."
     
    "Unless what?"
     
    "Unless we turn the ship to expose our cargo bay. They'll chew it up pretty bad but there are no critical systems in the bay."
     
    Cat caught Captain Running Stream's eye. "It will buy us the fifteen seconds we need."
     
    "Keep rolling the ship as long as you can. When it looks like we are about to lose the lateral shields go ahead and position us to sacrifice the cargo bay."
     
    Running Stream toggled his ship-wide comm.
     
    "Attention crew of the Bluefin . We are moments from executing a jump that should grant us a reprieve from the relentless barrage we are suffering. Unfortunately our best estimates indicate our shields will fail before we can complete the jump. I need all personnel to evacuate decks six through eight and immediately forward of the aft promenade. Basically, anything near the cargo bay or its surrounding structures. Seal all airtight doors and prepare for fire suppression. You have..." He paused to look at Sassi.
     
    "A minute and a half, Sir... tops."
     
    "You have sixty seconds, so get a move on. Running Stream, out."
     
    ' Cat? '  Ken Kirkland's voice intruded gently in Cat's consciousness. Normally her Heshe encounter unit simply processed incoming communication data and provided an auditory or visual facsimile. It was, however, capable of much more. Ken did not want the Admiral to react visibly to his communication so he encoded his conversation to represent itself as a stream-of-consciousness thought.
     
    ' What is it? ' Cat thought back.
     
    ' I can extend my shields to protect the Bluefin . It would unfortunately give away my presence.'
     
    ' I've been thinking along those same lines and I may have a potential solution .'
     
    ' Let me guess' Ken thought. ' Detune my shields so that they are only partially effective. '
     
    ' The primary structural material seems to be a titanium ceramic alloy. Tune your shields to selectively block transmission frequencies that  have absorption bands near the danger zones. '
     
    ' That will leave my ship vulnerable... ' Ken started to say.
     
    ' Understood ' Cat thought back. ' Have Ricky microjump the Honey Dipper into a position to selectively shield the Esperance . '
     
    The gravity plating faltered before reengaging.
     
    "The shields are beginning to fail. How long before we can jump?" Running Stream yelled.
     
    Cat checked her board before answering. "Twelve seconds, Sir."
     
    "This is it," Running Stream yelled .“ Rotate ship to limit damage to the bays and prepare to jump!"
     
    "Rotating ship, Sir! Jumping in six, five, four, two, one... Jump!"
     
    The ship bucked wildly as Cat counted down the