Read Online Jesse's Starship 3: Joshua's Walls by Saxon Andrew - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Saxon Andrew
Tags: General Fiction
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happens then? Does the Queen start laying her eggs?”
Rumel shook his head, “There is no way they could launch a ship with a fertile Queen. The ship would explode from the number of eggs being laid in it before it lifted into space. No, a Weg Male is on the ship with the Queen and he will be consumed by her as soon as she finds a place suitable for laying her eggs. The Male cuts a pathway to the chosen site, digs a chamber, and that is when she will consume the male. Once she eats her mate, she will start laying her eggs.”
“I noticed in this video the Weg Ship hit a mountainous area.”
“That’s what makes this so impossible. The ship blasts through miles of hard rock and still survives. Our scientists believe that if the ship hit normal ground, it would penetrate through the planet’s bedrock and possibly enter into the planet’s molten mantle. By hitting a mountain, the Queen and her mate can move to an area above the molten mantle and carve out a chamber. The heat from the planet’s core will assist in hatching her eggs.”
“How long does it take them to hatch?”
Rumel shrugged, “We’re not completely certain but our best guess is somewhere between thirty and forty eight hours. Once they hatch, they begin eating the soil around them as they start cutting channels; they’ll be full size and deadly in less than a day later.”
Josh shook his head. He looked at Rumel, “Have they tried to land a ship here?”
Rumel looked out of the main viewport at the Gracken’s Capital planet below and nodded, “More than three hundred times. That’s why we keep so many ships in orbit above the planet. In more than a hundred of their attempts, the only way we stopped them was for a ship to deliberately move into the Weg’s path.”
“With what result?”
Rumel tilted his large head, “Our ship is destroyed but the Weg’s ship is slowed down enough for it to be targeted and destroyed.”
Josh nodded slowly and put his hand on his chin. He thought furiously and after a moment said, “I wonder how that ship would stand up to a Q ship’s beam.”
Rumel smiled, “That is something we are all looking forward to finding out. That beam could be a difference maker in this war.”
Josh nodded and wondered how long that would remain true if the Weg had enough time to develop a counter to it.
• • •
Colonel Jackie Yokawo stood on the hill and looked down as the First Brigade practiced using their jump boots as a unit. She shook her head and fought to keep her composure. Only sixty percent were airborne at the signal. The lift was ragged and many of those that were tardy hit warriors above them. She saw the recording of the Gracken jumping away from a Weg dig and they all jumped at the same moment. She chuckled, except for Cliff. He was slightly below them.
She thought about the difficulty her warriors were having at responding to the jump signal and decided that the Gracken must have better reflexes than humans. Something had to be done or humans would be little more than Weg food in their first land action. She knew her CO was off planet but she sent the recordings of the jump efforts to him with her comments. She expected him to contact her and replace her with someone who could make it happen, but…he didn’t.
• • •
Josh stood outside the Alliance’s Assembly Chamber and waited for the session to end. He had taken a shuttle to the main Governing Planet without permission and hoped Alex wouldn’t be angry. He waited for three hours before the Alliance Representative’s began filing out of the Chamber. Finally, Mike Sanders walked out talking with Hetzel. Mike saw Josh and smiled, “Josh, what a pleasant surprise. What brings you here?”
“Sir, I need your help.” Josh looked at Hetzel and said, “And yours as well.”
Mike saw Josh’s tension and looked at Hetzel, “Do we have a room?”
“I’ll go see if I can free one up.” Hetzel looked at Josh, “Should anyone else be
Rumel shook his head, “There is no way they could launch a ship with a fertile Queen. The ship would explode from the number of eggs being laid in it before it lifted into space. No, a Weg Male is on the ship with the Queen and he will be consumed by her as soon as she finds a place suitable for laying her eggs. The Male cuts a pathway to the chosen site, digs a chamber, and that is when she will consume the male. Once she eats her mate, she will start laying her eggs.”
“I noticed in this video the Weg Ship hit a mountainous area.”
“That’s what makes this so impossible. The ship blasts through miles of hard rock and still survives. Our scientists believe that if the ship hit normal ground, it would penetrate through the planet’s bedrock and possibly enter into the planet’s molten mantle. By hitting a mountain, the Queen and her mate can move to an area above the molten mantle and carve out a chamber. The heat from the planet’s core will assist in hatching her eggs.”
“How long does it take them to hatch?”
Rumel shrugged, “We’re not completely certain but our best guess is somewhere between thirty and forty eight hours. Once they hatch, they begin eating the soil around them as they start cutting channels; they’ll be full size and deadly in less than a day later.”
Josh shook his head. He looked at Rumel, “Have they tried to land a ship here?”
Rumel looked out of the main viewport at the Gracken’s Capital planet below and nodded, “More than three hundred times. That’s why we keep so many ships in orbit above the planet. In more than a hundred of their attempts, the only way we stopped them was for a ship to deliberately move into the Weg’s path.”
“With what result?”
Rumel tilted his large head, “Our ship is destroyed but the Weg’s ship is slowed down enough for it to be targeted and destroyed.”
Josh nodded slowly and put his hand on his chin. He thought furiously and after a moment said, “I wonder how that ship would stand up to a Q ship’s beam.”
Rumel smiled, “That is something we are all looking forward to finding out. That beam could be a difference maker in this war.”
Josh nodded and wondered how long that would remain true if the Weg had enough time to develop a counter to it.
• • •
Colonel Jackie Yokawo stood on the hill and looked down as the First Brigade practiced using their jump boots as a unit. She shook her head and fought to keep her composure. Only sixty percent were airborne at the signal. The lift was ragged and many of those that were tardy hit warriors above them. She saw the recording of the Gracken jumping away from a Weg dig and they all jumped at the same moment. She chuckled, except for Cliff. He was slightly below them.
She thought about the difficulty her warriors were having at responding to the jump signal and decided that the Gracken must have better reflexes than humans. Something had to be done or humans would be little more than Weg food in their first land action. She knew her CO was off planet but she sent the recordings of the jump efforts to him with her comments. She expected him to contact her and replace her with someone who could make it happen, but…he didn’t.
• • •
Josh stood outside the Alliance’s Assembly Chamber and waited for the session to end. He had taken a shuttle to the main Governing Planet without permission and hoped Alex wouldn’t be angry. He waited for three hours before the Alliance Representative’s began filing out of the Chamber. Finally, Mike Sanders walked out talking with Hetzel. Mike saw Josh and smiled, “Josh, what a pleasant surprise. What brings you here?”
“Sir, I need your help.” Josh looked at Hetzel and said, “And yours as well.”
Mike saw Josh’s tension and looked at Hetzel, “Do we have a room?”
“I’ll go see if I can free one up.” Hetzel looked at Josh, “Should anyone else be
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