Read Online The Cagliostro Chronicles II: Conflagration by Ralph L. Angelo Jr. - Free Book Online
Authors: Ralph L. Angelo Jr.
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to that?” Red asked.
“Yeah, I do. We don’t know what’s out there. There could be a hundred ships massing behind the sun in this system. The Cagliostro is fast enough and tough enough to cut through anything and escape if need be. But the Stargrazer might get cut to ribbons out there. Sure its shields are first rate and cutting edge, but it doesn’t have the hull density of the Cagliostro . If we can’t get this girl off the ground anytime soon I’ll consider it, but not before.”
“Why not use the ‘ Grazer to go to that volcano and mine the ore you need?”
“For the same reasons that we just discussed. It’s our last ditch effort and our final card to be played. We hold it in reserve until we can’t do anything else, then we let it go and send it home.”
Red took another pu ll on his glass before speaking. “Yeah, but it may be too late by then.”
“I know. It’s a chance we’ll have to take. I do not want to give away our location if I don’t have to.”
Red nodded stoically. “Understood. What do you want me to do?”
“You’re leading the mission to the volcano. Take Eddie with you, and Lori Westin as well.”
“Anyone else?”
“There will be five others going with you from the geology lab. They'll be handling the ore mining. I want you to pick two more security officers as well to take along. Take as much weaponry as you think you’ll need, just in case.”
“These geo guys know what we’re looking for?”
“Yes they do. They’re the ones who pinpointed what we needed inside that volcano.”
“Is that thing live?”
“It’s bubbling, but it appears like it’s been that way for a very long time.”
“Great. I just gotta make sure I’m not setting it off .”
Mark smirked. “That would be a start, Red. Get in, get out, get back here. Get it done.”
Chapter 9
The shuttle bay of the Cagliostro opened slowly, and an instant later a small shuttlecraft flew out of it, turned in mid-air and zipped away. Almost immediately the skin of the ship seemed to shimmer and the small shuttle’s lines became blurred. An instant later the shuttle disappeared.
It was a small craft holding all eight of its crewmembers in tight confines. The shuttles were modular in nature. This allowed maintenance crews the ability to remove or add rows of seating. This compromised carrying capacity, but at times it could not be helped, such as now. The shuttles were just twenty feet long, with a seven foot ceiling. They held emergency rations only. These were not deep space faring vehicles, merely for use on short hops between the Cagliostro and a planet’s surface if the Cag could not land for one reason or another. They were also sub-light only vessels. Anti-grav disc powered, Mark’s precursor to the magno-disc. No exhaust trails were present with either design. Once started, they created their own energy and could run almost infinitely, the magno-discs more so than the anti-grav discs.
But none of this mattered to Red Robinski . The shuttle slid silently through the atmosphere, save for a slight hum at its passing.
“ETA to volcano?” Red growled.
“At present speed three minutes longer, Sir,” Lori Westin replied professionally.
“Good , Miss Westin. Are you picking up anything on your comm unit?” the large security chief grumbled.
“Nothing Sir, from the Cagliostro or from anywhere else.”
Red nodded silently.
Lori Westin was flying the small shuttle. Eddie sat next to Red at the next console in the shuttles nose. He spoke in a low tone in Red’s right ear. “You okay, Chief? You seem, I dunno, nervous or outta sorts.”
Red snorted then replied, “ Naahh, I’m good, Eddie. Just thinking things through. We’re in a pickle, if you know what I mean. Things are not great right now. We need to get whatever it is the scientist types need to repair the Cag and get outta here fast. I’m not liking this whole thing. Something just seems, I don’t know,
“Yeah, I do. We don’t know what’s out there. There could be a hundred ships massing behind the sun in this system. The Cagliostro is fast enough and tough enough to cut through anything and escape if need be. But the Stargrazer might get cut to ribbons out there. Sure its shields are first rate and cutting edge, but it doesn’t have the hull density of the Cagliostro . If we can’t get this girl off the ground anytime soon I’ll consider it, but not before.”
“Why not use the ‘ Grazer to go to that volcano and mine the ore you need?”
“For the same reasons that we just discussed. It’s our last ditch effort and our final card to be played. We hold it in reserve until we can’t do anything else, then we let it go and send it home.”
Red took another pu ll on his glass before speaking. “Yeah, but it may be too late by then.”
“I know. It’s a chance we’ll have to take. I do not want to give away our location if I don’t have to.”
Red nodded stoically. “Understood. What do you want me to do?”
“You’re leading the mission to the volcano. Take Eddie with you, and Lori Westin as well.”
“Anyone else?”
“There will be five others going with you from the geology lab. They'll be handling the ore mining. I want you to pick two more security officers as well to take along. Take as much weaponry as you think you’ll need, just in case.”
“These geo guys know what we’re looking for?”
“Yes they do. They’re the ones who pinpointed what we needed inside that volcano.”
“Is that thing live?”
“It’s bubbling, but it appears like it’s been that way for a very long time.”
“Great. I just gotta make sure I’m not setting it off .”
Mark smirked. “That would be a start, Red. Get in, get out, get back here. Get it done.”
Chapter 9
The shuttle bay of the Cagliostro opened slowly, and an instant later a small shuttlecraft flew out of it, turned in mid-air and zipped away. Almost immediately the skin of the ship seemed to shimmer and the small shuttle’s lines became blurred. An instant later the shuttle disappeared.
It was a small craft holding all eight of its crewmembers in tight confines. The shuttles were modular in nature. This allowed maintenance crews the ability to remove or add rows of seating. This compromised carrying capacity, but at times it could not be helped, such as now. The shuttles were just twenty feet long, with a seven foot ceiling. They held emergency rations only. These were not deep space faring vehicles, merely for use on short hops between the Cagliostro and a planet’s surface if the Cag could not land for one reason or another. They were also sub-light only vessels. Anti-grav disc powered, Mark’s precursor to the magno-disc. No exhaust trails were present with either design. Once started, they created their own energy and could run almost infinitely, the magno-discs more so than the anti-grav discs.
But none of this mattered to Red Robinski . The shuttle slid silently through the atmosphere, save for a slight hum at its passing.
“ETA to volcano?” Red growled.
“At present speed three minutes longer, Sir,” Lori Westin replied professionally.
“Good , Miss Westin. Are you picking up anything on your comm unit?” the large security chief grumbled.
“Nothing Sir, from the Cagliostro or from anywhere else.”
Red nodded silently.
Lori Westin was flying the small shuttle. Eddie sat next to Red at the next console in the shuttles nose. He spoke in a low tone in Red’s right ear. “You okay, Chief? You seem, I dunno, nervous or outta sorts.”
Red snorted then replied, “ Naahh, I’m good, Eddie. Just thinking things through. We’re in a pickle, if you know what I mean. Things are not great right now. We need to get whatever it is the scientist types need to repair the Cag and get outta here fast. I’m not liking this whole thing. Something just seems, I don’t know,
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