Read Online Morgan's Return by Greta van Der Rol - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Greta van Der Rol
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missile coming at the last moment, they would have been history. Idiot. Fool. How could you be so complacent? And another tiny voice whispered, how could you miss it? How could you not have seen it?
Fuck. Another one.
Davaskar's voice was calm, however he might feel. "Looks like a seeker. Run interference."
A cloud of ionized particles spread out in the missile's path. Morgan crossed mental fingers. Jirra was deploying the weapons systems, but they had been in lock down while at Iniciara's space station, and they would take a few moments of precious time to be combat-ready.
"Attacking craft to starboard, on a heading to cut us off," Jirra said. "Second missile still on track. Prepare for impact."
Morgan braced as the alarms shrilled. The force flung her sideways, smashing her hip against the seat arm. Something sizzled, filling the air with the stink of burnt wires. Lights blinked. Her hip hurt.
Ravindra's voice cut through the cacophony. "What's happening?"
She felt, rather than saw, him sit down in the command chair at the back of the bridge.
"Under fire from an unknown attacker, Srimana ," Jirra said without looking up.
"Damage report?"
"Sensors blown to starboard, systems report mild structural damage to the hull."
A blast from a beam weapon tore across the ship's bow.
'Shields critical' . The letters flashed a warning on every screen while a slow beep sounded a countdown.
The unknown assailant pivoted, ready for another run.
Fuck it . "I'm taking control. Strap in."
Morgan forced her physical body to relax, and concentrated every part of her being on her cyber consciousness. The data paths opened like laser beams as she melded with the ship. The sensor data poured in and with it space, starlight, the shimmer of the failing shields, and the fast-approaching attacker a point in front of an expanding cone of energy. Morgan fired a missile, then another. Now move. Rotate left, pivot down. One missile impacted on the mystery ship's shields, the second was destroyed in a breath-taking last-minute maneuver that allowed the ship's pilot to use lasers. Great shooting.
Curlew had taken a hit to the rear. The engines skipped ever so slightly. The systems worked to keep the ship even, but efficiency was reduced. Morgan would have to go down and check, but with the attacker out there, she couldn't.
Only one thing to do.
"Hang on, troops we're going to shift space. Now."
She jammed on the power, too fast. She'd programmed a micro-jump, difficult to do because of the forces on the shift drive, the rapid entry and exit not giving the systems time to settle. The external sensors automatically shut down in shift space; after all, there was nothing to see. This time, the sensors barely flickered, but when the view settled, the starscape had changed, and no attacker appeared on any of the screens.
Morgan concentrated again, forcing herself out of the simple machine state, and back into the swirling chaos of her human mind. Funny how calm she felt when she was in machine mode. Down here in the chair, her heart was galloping, her body bathed in sweat. In the cyber world there were no doubts, just yes or no, black or white, results on percentages of accuracy.
Ravindra knelt beside her, his hand on her arm. "Are you all right? You look terrible."
She sucked in a deep breath. "Yes. I've done a micro-jump to buy us some time." She closed her eyes, willing her heart to slow down. "I did what we call a Total Machine Meld, a TMM. You put all your mental power into the systems you're working with, and let the body fend for itself." She forced a laugh. "Only to be done in a life or death situation."
Holding her hand, Ravindra nodded, a spark of compassion showing even through the contact lenses. He knew; it was a warrior thing. "Were you in danger? From this TMM?"
"Could be. It's so easy being a machine, you see. No rights or wrongs, just make it work." Make it work beautifully, be the ship, see the stars, see further than any
Fuck. Another one.
Davaskar's voice was calm, however he might feel. "Looks like a seeker. Run interference."
A cloud of ionized particles spread out in the missile's path. Morgan crossed mental fingers. Jirra was deploying the weapons systems, but they had been in lock down while at Iniciara's space station, and they would take a few moments of precious time to be combat-ready.
"Attacking craft to starboard, on a heading to cut us off," Jirra said. "Second missile still on track. Prepare for impact."
Morgan braced as the alarms shrilled. The force flung her sideways, smashing her hip against the seat arm. Something sizzled, filling the air with the stink of burnt wires. Lights blinked. Her hip hurt.
Ravindra's voice cut through the cacophony. "What's happening?"
She felt, rather than saw, him sit down in the command chair at the back of the bridge.
"Under fire from an unknown attacker, Srimana ," Jirra said without looking up.
"Damage report?"
"Sensors blown to starboard, systems report mild structural damage to the hull."
A blast from a beam weapon tore across the ship's bow.
'Shields critical' . The letters flashed a warning on every screen while a slow beep sounded a countdown.
The unknown assailant pivoted, ready for another run.
Fuck it . "I'm taking control. Strap in."
Morgan forced her physical body to relax, and concentrated every part of her being on her cyber consciousness. The data paths opened like laser beams as she melded with the ship. The sensor data poured in and with it space, starlight, the shimmer of the failing shields, and the fast-approaching attacker a point in front of an expanding cone of energy. Morgan fired a missile, then another. Now move. Rotate left, pivot down. One missile impacted on the mystery ship's shields, the second was destroyed in a breath-taking last-minute maneuver that allowed the ship's pilot to use lasers. Great shooting.
Curlew had taken a hit to the rear. The engines skipped ever so slightly. The systems worked to keep the ship even, but efficiency was reduced. Morgan would have to go down and check, but with the attacker out there, she couldn't.
Only one thing to do.
"Hang on, troops we're going to shift space. Now."
She jammed on the power, too fast. She'd programmed a micro-jump, difficult to do because of the forces on the shift drive, the rapid entry and exit not giving the systems time to settle. The external sensors automatically shut down in shift space; after all, there was nothing to see. This time, the sensors barely flickered, but when the view settled, the starscape had changed, and no attacker appeared on any of the screens.
Morgan concentrated again, forcing herself out of the simple machine state, and back into the swirling chaos of her human mind. Funny how calm she felt when she was in machine mode. Down here in the chair, her heart was galloping, her body bathed in sweat. In the cyber world there were no doubts, just yes or no, black or white, results on percentages of accuracy.
Ravindra knelt beside her, his hand on her arm. "Are you all right? You look terrible."
She sucked in a deep breath. "Yes. I've done a micro-jump to buy us some time." She closed her eyes, willing her heart to slow down. "I did what we call a Total Machine Meld, a TMM. You put all your mental power into the systems you're working with, and let the body fend for itself." She forced a laugh. "Only to be done in a life or death situation."
Holding her hand, Ravindra nodded, a spark of compassion showing even through the contact lenses. He knew; it was a warrior thing. "Were you in danger? From this TMM?"
"Could be. It's so easy being a machine, you see. No rights or wrongs, just make it work." Make it work beautifully, be the ship, see the stars, see further than any
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