Read Online Starship's Mage: Omnibus: (Starship's Mage Book 1) by Glynn Stewart - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Glynn Stewart
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wouldn’t cause too much damage.
“A lot,” the engineer told him. “The only thing on the ship more over-engineered than the heat exchanger is the main reactor core. You could fire one of the main engines at this baby and it would dump the heat to space. Whatever you’re thinking, this gear can take it.”
Damien nodded, eyeing the runes again. Whatever they did, it clearly wasn’t new – the runes had the permanently rubbed-in layer of dirt over them that came from being as old as the ship itself. The jump matrix was a standard set of runes, no one ever changed it. Whatever these runes were, they made sense to experts with a lot more experience than Damien.
But the pattern of energy to them… didn’t fit.
#
The strange matrices didn’t quite leave Damien’s mind over the next few days, but they weren’t the focus of his attention as the Blue Jay loaded its cargo for its journey to the Corinthian System. He’d helped arrange the loading of supplies onto the freighter for the crew, while keeping one eye on the overall loading process, and spending his spare time checking the rune matrix for any damage.
The last day before they left the station, he and Captain Rice spent three hours going over the calculations for the fifteen jumps it would take them to travel to the other system. They’d worked out a relatively sedate three jumps a day path that would deliver their massive cargo in just less than five days without straining Damien much on his first ever voyage. Including the two and a half days of maneuvering clear of the gravity wells at the beginning and end of the trip, it would be a ten day voyage to cross fifteen light years.
Finally, after three days of chaos, he waited in the simulacrum chamber as the Blue Jay began to slowly accelerate out of Sherwood Prime. The chamber had a small platform just ‘beneath’ the simulacrum in the acceleration-driven gravity, allowing him to keep a hand on the magical token, sensing the gentle rush of power as the freighter accelerated at one-twentieth of a gravity.
Around him, he watched the station rotate around the ship as they spun to face open space. On a part of the bubble of screens that surrounded him he had a video link open to the bridge. Jenna sat at the navigation console, her face composed as she fed the computer the series of maneuvers that would get them clear of the station.
On the screen of the PC strapped to his wrist, Damien reviewed the calculations for the jump. He kept one eye on the world around the ship though, and saw when they were finally clear, the last gantries falling behind them.
A few more minutes passed in silence, and then Rice spoke on the bridge link.
“Link to Sherwood Prime,” he ordered. A moment later, a triple click announced an open channel.
“Sherwood Prime to Blue Jay , our screens show you clear of the station safety zone,” a space controller’s voice informed them. “Please confirm.”
“Sherwood Prime, this is Blue Jay Actual,” Rice replied. “We show five kilometer separation, requesting permission to fire main engines at seven hundred thirty eight Olympus Mons time.”
“We confirm five kilometer separation and authorize main engine firing,” the controller informed him. “ Cair vie , Blue Jay .”
“ Na h-uile la gu math duit , Sherwood Prime,” Rice replied, the old Gaelic flowing smoothly off his tongue. The channel shut down and his next words were for the crew.
“All hands, hear this, all hands, hear this,” he said into the PA. “All ribs are secured, all cargo is secured, prepare for one gravity burn in two minutes.”
At seven thirty eight A.M. on the far-away clock of the mountain the Protectorate was ruled from, the Blue Jay ’s main engines burned to life, the tiny stars sending a surge of entirely non-magical power through the simulacrum under Damien’s hands.
Standing on the acceleration platform, Damien breathed deeply, standing against the firm acceleration and
“A lot,” the engineer told him. “The only thing on the ship more over-engineered than the heat exchanger is the main reactor core. You could fire one of the main engines at this baby and it would dump the heat to space. Whatever you’re thinking, this gear can take it.”
Damien nodded, eyeing the runes again. Whatever they did, it clearly wasn’t new – the runes had the permanently rubbed-in layer of dirt over them that came from being as old as the ship itself. The jump matrix was a standard set of runes, no one ever changed it. Whatever these runes were, they made sense to experts with a lot more experience than Damien.
But the pattern of energy to them… didn’t fit.
#
The strange matrices didn’t quite leave Damien’s mind over the next few days, but they weren’t the focus of his attention as the Blue Jay loaded its cargo for its journey to the Corinthian System. He’d helped arrange the loading of supplies onto the freighter for the crew, while keeping one eye on the overall loading process, and spending his spare time checking the rune matrix for any damage.
The last day before they left the station, he and Captain Rice spent three hours going over the calculations for the fifteen jumps it would take them to travel to the other system. They’d worked out a relatively sedate three jumps a day path that would deliver their massive cargo in just less than five days without straining Damien much on his first ever voyage. Including the two and a half days of maneuvering clear of the gravity wells at the beginning and end of the trip, it would be a ten day voyage to cross fifteen light years.
Finally, after three days of chaos, he waited in the simulacrum chamber as the Blue Jay began to slowly accelerate out of Sherwood Prime. The chamber had a small platform just ‘beneath’ the simulacrum in the acceleration-driven gravity, allowing him to keep a hand on the magical token, sensing the gentle rush of power as the freighter accelerated at one-twentieth of a gravity.
Around him, he watched the station rotate around the ship as they spun to face open space. On a part of the bubble of screens that surrounded him he had a video link open to the bridge. Jenna sat at the navigation console, her face composed as she fed the computer the series of maneuvers that would get them clear of the station.
On the screen of the PC strapped to his wrist, Damien reviewed the calculations for the jump. He kept one eye on the world around the ship though, and saw when they were finally clear, the last gantries falling behind them.
A few more minutes passed in silence, and then Rice spoke on the bridge link.
“Link to Sherwood Prime,” he ordered. A moment later, a triple click announced an open channel.
“Sherwood Prime to Blue Jay , our screens show you clear of the station safety zone,” a space controller’s voice informed them. “Please confirm.”
“Sherwood Prime, this is Blue Jay Actual,” Rice replied. “We show five kilometer separation, requesting permission to fire main engines at seven hundred thirty eight Olympus Mons time.”
“We confirm five kilometer separation and authorize main engine firing,” the controller informed him. “ Cair vie , Blue Jay .”
“ Na h-uile la gu math duit , Sherwood Prime,” Rice replied, the old Gaelic flowing smoothly off his tongue. The channel shut down and his next words were for the crew.
“All hands, hear this, all hands, hear this,” he said into the PA. “All ribs are secured, all cargo is secured, prepare for one gravity burn in two minutes.”
At seven thirty eight A.M. on the far-away clock of the mountain the Protectorate was ruled from, the Blue Jay ’s main engines burned to life, the tiny stars sending a surge of entirely non-magical power through the simulacrum under Damien’s hands.
Standing on the acceleration platform, Damien breathed deeply, standing against the firm acceleration and
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