Read Online Legend of Oria 1: Initial Contact by James Campbell - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: James Campbell
Tags: Speculative Fiction
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starship. The much smaller starfighters were more fun to fly ; particularly when you could fly them near a planet’s surface.
Oria performed the normal pre-flight check out. All systems appeared normal. He fired up the ship’s engines and radioed the control center. Oria requested permission to depart the ship.
Oria engaged the starfighter’s engines and placed the starfighter into a hover position over the bay's platform. He gently increased power to move the starfighter closer to the ship’s bay doors. The control center opened the doors and cleared Oria for flight. Oria guided the starfighter outside of the Hercules and headed towards Earth and the coast of Florida. As Oria departed the Hercules, he immediately turned on the fighter’s stealth systems.
Oria approached Earth and could make out the outline of Florida’s coast through his cockpit window. His HUD, (Head-Up Display which appears in the front center of the cockpit and combines information from the navigational system and fire control into an integrated display), contained a series of steer point markers that would direct him towards the drug boat. One of his displays contained a horizontal map highlighting each steer point and a bull’s eye indicating the current location of the drug boat. The starfighter's computer was in constant contact with the Hercules and continuously updated on changes in the drug boat's location.
Oria flew through each of the steer points and soon had the drug boat in sight. He flew the starfighter approximately 20’ above the ocean at about 600 knots. At this speed, a slight twitch in Oria's hand controlling the flight controls could easily drive the starfighter into the ocean leaving a clear splash easily seen by anyone above the ocean's surface. The starfighter closed in on the drug boat and matched its speed.
Meanwhile, Borella sent out an anonymous tip to the Coast Guard cutter patrolling the general area of the drug boat. He informed them that a speedboat had been seen coming from a larger merchant ship further out in the ocean. The Coast Guard immediately changed course and set a course to intercept the drug boat.
Oria watched as the Coast Guard cutter came into view of the drug boat. The speedboat switched course slightly hoping to out run the cutter. The change in course prompted the cutter to launch one of its helicopters. When the helicopter started to close in on the boat, both Oria and the helicopter pilot observed a man on the drug boat tossing a small package overboard.
After about 30 minutes, the Coast Guard cutter caught up with the drug boat and ordered them to stop. The drug boat allowed the cutter to pull up alongside and several men boarded the drug boat. Oria saw several heated exchanges between the two parties and listened in on the conversations using sonic sensors on board the starfighter. In the end, the cutter took the drug boat undertow and the men on the drug boat handcuffed and transferred to the cutter.
Once the two boats had cleared the area, Oria used the starfighter’s sensors to locate the package and beam it onboard his ship. Oria chuckled when he saw the package. It would have been easy to retrieve even without the starfighter’s advanced technology. The package was a briefcase with a passive sonar device that could activate flotation devices and a radio beacon. When the drug dealers returned, they would be out of luck this time.
Oria enjoyed his flight back to the Hercules. He watched the Florida shoreline disappear quickly behind him. As the starfighter approached the Hercules, the ship’s large bay doors opened in front of him. Oria slowly steered the starfighter into the bay and turned on the auto docking system. Once docked, Oria executed the normal shut down procedures and turned all the starfighter's systems offline. With a quick glance around the ship, he grabbed the briefcase and exited the ship.
Oria
Oria performed the normal pre-flight check out. All systems appeared normal. He fired up the ship’s engines and radioed the control center. Oria requested permission to depart the ship.
Oria engaged the starfighter’s engines and placed the starfighter into a hover position over the bay's platform. He gently increased power to move the starfighter closer to the ship’s bay doors. The control center opened the doors and cleared Oria for flight. Oria guided the starfighter outside of the Hercules and headed towards Earth and the coast of Florida. As Oria departed the Hercules, he immediately turned on the fighter’s stealth systems.
Oria approached Earth and could make out the outline of Florida’s coast through his cockpit window. His HUD, (Head-Up Display which appears in the front center of the cockpit and combines information from the navigational system and fire control into an integrated display), contained a series of steer point markers that would direct him towards the drug boat. One of his displays contained a horizontal map highlighting each steer point and a bull’s eye indicating the current location of the drug boat. The starfighter's computer was in constant contact with the Hercules and continuously updated on changes in the drug boat's location.
Oria flew through each of the steer points and soon had the drug boat in sight. He flew the starfighter approximately 20’ above the ocean at about 600 knots. At this speed, a slight twitch in Oria's hand controlling the flight controls could easily drive the starfighter into the ocean leaving a clear splash easily seen by anyone above the ocean's surface. The starfighter closed in on the drug boat and matched its speed.
Meanwhile, Borella sent out an anonymous tip to the Coast Guard cutter patrolling the general area of the drug boat. He informed them that a speedboat had been seen coming from a larger merchant ship further out in the ocean. The Coast Guard immediately changed course and set a course to intercept the drug boat.
Oria watched as the Coast Guard cutter came into view of the drug boat. The speedboat switched course slightly hoping to out run the cutter. The change in course prompted the cutter to launch one of its helicopters. When the helicopter started to close in on the boat, both Oria and the helicopter pilot observed a man on the drug boat tossing a small package overboard.
After about 30 minutes, the Coast Guard cutter caught up with the drug boat and ordered them to stop. The drug boat allowed the cutter to pull up alongside and several men boarded the drug boat. Oria saw several heated exchanges between the two parties and listened in on the conversations using sonic sensors on board the starfighter. In the end, the cutter took the drug boat undertow and the men on the drug boat handcuffed and transferred to the cutter.
Once the two boats had cleared the area, Oria used the starfighter’s sensors to locate the package and beam it onboard his ship. Oria chuckled when he saw the package. It would have been easy to retrieve even without the starfighter’s advanced technology. The package was a briefcase with a passive sonar device that could activate flotation devices and a radio beacon. When the drug dealers returned, they would be out of luck this time.
Oria enjoyed his flight back to the Hercules. He watched the Florida shoreline disappear quickly behind him. As the starfighter approached the Hercules, the ship’s large bay doors opened in front of him. Oria slowly steered the starfighter into the bay and turned on the auto docking system. Once docked, Oria executed the normal shut down procedures and turned all the starfighter's systems offline. With a quick glance around the ship, he grabbed the briefcase and exited the ship.
Oria
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