Read Online Galactic Alliance 3: Honor Thy Enemy by Doug Farren - Free Book Online
Authors: Doug Farren
Tags: Science-Fiction
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order to be prepared for this event the ship will be placed at battle stations at the beginning of the next shift and will remain so until we are in Chroniech space and free of any threats. Until then, take this opportunity to get some rest.”
Six hours later, as the next watch rotation began, the ship performed an unusual evolution. Normally, when a warship went to battle stations, it was a quick event characterized by a frantic burst of activity initiated by a loud alarm klaxon. Instead, the Dragon went from a normal status to full battle readiness slowly and silently.
Weapon systems were powered up and prepared to deliver death to anything that threatened the ship. Armored, air-tight hatches were closed to segregate the ship into many independent compartments. The electrical system was realigned to provide reliable power even if a portion of the ship’s distribution grid was damaged. Sensitive detectors spread their feelers out into the depths of space. The crew donned spacesuits always keeping their helmets at arms length.
Ready for anything, the crew of the Komodo Dragon waited. With electronic patience the ship’s computer kept a watch on two key stars. Hour after hour crept by.
Ken was in the head when the computer detected the shift in the position of the two guide stars. An electronic command was flashed from the main computer to the ship’s drive system initiating a sequence of events. The Dragon’s matrix field sprang into existence providing a framework upon which the complex, interlaced, main drive fields were created. While the matrix field formed, the ship’s alarm klaxon sounded warning the crew of what was about to happen. Less than three seconds after detecting the star shift the ship vanished from normal space and raced toward the heart of the Chroniech empire.
An emergency transition to FTL drive was hard on equipment and people. Under normal conditions a ship would take six to eight seconds to make the transition causing only a slight feeling of twisting compression among the crew. Ken felt as if his insides had been first squeezed then quickly released and a wave a nausea and dizziness hit him.
“Damn it to hell!” he muttered to himself as he grabbed the urinal to keep his balance. He had wanted to be on the bridge when the transition occurred and had just left to use the head.
Luckily, the bridge had its own bathroom facility and Ken was only a single closed door away. He quickly finished and was opening the door as the helm made a ship-wide announcement, “All hands, the ship has automatically transited to FTL. We are entering Chroniech space.”
“Resound battle stations,” Sheppard ordered as Ken stepped away from the door and back onto the bridge. “Tactical, report all contacts.”
Ken settled into a corner of the bridge and watched as the ship seemed to come alive. Captain Sheppard activated the ship’s tactical display. The large viewscreen shifted from the standard forward-looking view of space to one more suitable for making combat decisions. The ship’s tactical computer continuously digested the vast amount of information being fed into it from the long-range sensors allowing it to show the location, course, speed, and estimated type of each and every ship detectable.
The instant the stars had shifted, the navigational computer’s star map had been reloaded with the Kyrra updated stellar data. The tactical display now showed the stars that had been revealed by the dropping of the Kyrra fold. The ships of the Alliance battle force appeared as green icons on the huge display. Three red icons suddenly appeared indicating the presence of Chroniech ships.
The data on the main viewscreen was presented in a two dimensional format. To get a better understanding of the tactical situation the Captain could use the three dimensional tactical globe. The consoles on the bridge were laid out in the shape of a large parabola with the Captain’s chair located at the focal point.
Six hours later, as the next watch rotation began, the ship performed an unusual evolution. Normally, when a warship went to battle stations, it was a quick event characterized by a frantic burst of activity initiated by a loud alarm klaxon. Instead, the Dragon went from a normal status to full battle readiness slowly and silently.
Weapon systems were powered up and prepared to deliver death to anything that threatened the ship. Armored, air-tight hatches were closed to segregate the ship into many independent compartments. The electrical system was realigned to provide reliable power even if a portion of the ship’s distribution grid was damaged. Sensitive detectors spread their feelers out into the depths of space. The crew donned spacesuits always keeping their helmets at arms length.
Ready for anything, the crew of the Komodo Dragon waited. With electronic patience the ship’s computer kept a watch on two key stars. Hour after hour crept by.
Ken was in the head when the computer detected the shift in the position of the two guide stars. An electronic command was flashed from the main computer to the ship’s drive system initiating a sequence of events. The Dragon’s matrix field sprang into existence providing a framework upon which the complex, interlaced, main drive fields were created. While the matrix field formed, the ship’s alarm klaxon sounded warning the crew of what was about to happen. Less than three seconds after detecting the star shift the ship vanished from normal space and raced toward the heart of the Chroniech empire.
An emergency transition to FTL drive was hard on equipment and people. Under normal conditions a ship would take six to eight seconds to make the transition causing only a slight feeling of twisting compression among the crew. Ken felt as if his insides had been first squeezed then quickly released and a wave a nausea and dizziness hit him.
“Damn it to hell!” he muttered to himself as he grabbed the urinal to keep his balance. He had wanted to be on the bridge when the transition occurred and had just left to use the head.
Luckily, the bridge had its own bathroom facility and Ken was only a single closed door away. He quickly finished and was opening the door as the helm made a ship-wide announcement, “All hands, the ship has automatically transited to FTL. We are entering Chroniech space.”
“Resound battle stations,” Sheppard ordered as Ken stepped away from the door and back onto the bridge. “Tactical, report all contacts.”
Ken settled into a corner of the bridge and watched as the ship seemed to come alive. Captain Sheppard activated the ship’s tactical display. The large viewscreen shifted from the standard forward-looking view of space to one more suitable for making combat decisions. The ship’s tactical computer continuously digested the vast amount of information being fed into it from the long-range sensors allowing it to show the location, course, speed, and estimated type of each and every ship detectable.
The instant the stars had shifted, the navigational computer’s star map had been reloaded with the Kyrra updated stellar data. The tactical display now showed the stars that had been revealed by the dropping of the Kyrra fold. The ships of the Alliance battle force appeared as green icons on the huge display. Three red icons suddenly appeared indicating the presence of Chroniech ships.
The data on the main viewscreen was presented in a two dimensional format. To get a better understanding of the tactical situation the Captain could use the three dimensional tactical globe. The consoles on the bridge were laid out in the shape of a large parabola with the Captain’s chair located at the focal point.
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