Read Online The Dead Sun (Star Force Series) by B. V. Larson - Free Book Online
Authors: B. V. Larson
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flying their ships right into us!” Newcome objected. “Even if they don’t fire, they might well ram us. The kinetic force of even a glancing blow from a single ship would destroy our vessel!”
“A reasonable assumption, Admiral. But I don’t think it’s going to go down that way.”
“You’re gambling all our lives upon a hunch?” he asked incredulously.
“If I might interject, sirs,” Marvin said.
We both looked at him.
“Admiral,” Marvin said. “Colonel Riggs often bases command decisions upon criteria others do not comprehend at the time they’re made. Frequently, command personnel object, but their objections are virtually always overruled.”
“What the hell is your robot telling me? We have less than thirty seconds left!”
“Tell him, Jasmine,” I said.
She turned to Newcome. “He said Riggs often does crazy things, and you’d just better get used to it.”
I nodded my head slowly. “Exactly.”
When the final seconds ticked away, I could see Newcome squirm, wince and squint, but the Worms broke off before they rammed us, their trio of ships splitting apart and taking three separate spiraling paths.
“Sir?” Jasmine said, but I was too busy gloating to pay attention to her.
“See that?” I demanded, pointing at the twirling Worm ships. “They didn’t hit us. This was some kind of test, some kind of show of bravery. We did our part by not blinking first.”
“Blinking, sir?” asked Newcome. “I don’t understand.”
“Haven’t you ever played chicken with your friends—or your enemies—on a dark road at night?” I asked him.
“I most certainly have not!”
“Come on, not even when you were young and crazy?”
“I don’t think that description ever fit my station in life.”
I looked him over and sighed. “No, I don’t suppose it ever did. Well, anyway, the Worms were just having a little fun. Now—”
“Colonel Riggs?” Jasmine asked again, more insistently.
“Yes, what is it, Captain?”
“There is another contact closing on our position.”
Frowning, I looked down at the board, then up at the holotank. An orange contact flickered there. It was small, no more than a cluster of pixels.
“What the hell is that?” I asked.
“Unknown, sir,” she said. “The Worms released it as they made their final approach.”
“Released it?” demanded Newcome, perking up. “It must be a bomb or a mine of some kind. Please sir, allow me to maneuver out of its path or shoot it down.”
I frowned at the screen, uncertain. I’d understood we were involved in a show of bravery between our two species, two warriors meeting on an open plain and beating their chests before clasping arms—something like that. But why drop an object into our path?
“I don’t get this.”
Newcome sensed my uncertainty and grew braver.
“May I take action to protect my ship in that case, Colonel?”
I glanced up at him. It was a reasonable request. “All right. Don’t shoot it down, but you have the helm.”
He shouted a stream of orders. The navigational people all went into action, and we evaded the incoming object. It sailed past us at a rather sedate pace.
“If that was an attack, it was a pretty lame one,” I said.
“You can never be too careful, sir,” Newcome said.
I tossed him an annoyed glance. That was all I needed, another nervous officer on my bridge. I was already regretting bringing Newcome along.
“May I shoot it down now, Colonel?” Newcome asked.
“What? Certainly not. For all we know it’s a Worm fruit basket. There’s no need to—”
“Sir?” Jasmine said, speaking up again.
This time, I gave her my immediate attention.
“We’re being hailed, sir.”
“Ah, good. Finally, the Worms are going to explain their bizarre behavior. It’s about time.”
“Possibly, Colonel, but the transmission isn’t coming from the Worm ships or Helios. It’s coming from the object.”
My frown returned. “Well, pipe it through.”
She did,
“A reasonable assumption, Admiral. But I don’t think it’s going to go down that way.”
“You’re gambling all our lives upon a hunch?” he asked incredulously.
“If I might interject, sirs,” Marvin said.
We both looked at him.
“Admiral,” Marvin said. “Colonel Riggs often bases command decisions upon criteria others do not comprehend at the time they’re made. Frequently, command personnel object, but their objections are virtually always overruled.”
“What the hell is your robot telling me? We have less than thirty seconds left!”
“Tell him, Jasmine,” I said.
She turned to Newcome. “He said Riggs often does crazy things, and you’d just better get used to it.”
I nodded my head slowly. “Exactly.”
When the final seconds ticked away, I could see Newcome squirm, wince and squint, but the Worms broke off before they rammed us, their trio of ships splitting apart and taking three separate spiraling paths.
“Sir?” Jasmine said, but I was too busy gloating to pay attention to her.
“See that?” I demanded, pointing at the twirling Worm ships. “They didn’t hit us. This was some kind of test, some kind of show of bravery. We did our part by not blinking first.”
“Blinking, sir?” asked Newcome. “I don’t understand.”
“Haven’t you ever played chicken with your friends—or your enemies—on a dark road at night?” I asked him.
“I most certainly have not!”
“Come on, not even when you were young and crazy?”
“I don’t think that description ever fit my station in life.”
I looked him over and sighed. “No, I don’t suppose it ever did. Well, anyway, the Worms were just having a little fun. Now—”
“Colonel Riggs?” Jasmine asked again, more insistently.
“Yes, what is it, Captain?”
“There is another contact closing on our position.”
Frowning, I looked down at the board, then up at the holotank. An orange contact flickered there. It was small, no more than a cluster of pixels.
“What the hell is that?” I asked.
“Unknown, sir,” she said. “The Worms released it as they made their final approach.”
“Released it?” demanded Newcome, perking up. “It must be a bomb or a mine of some kind. Please sir, allow me to maneuver out of its path or shoot it down.”
I frowned at the screen, uncertain. I’d understood we were involved in a show of bravery between our two species, two warriors meeting on an open plain and beating their chests before clasping arms—something like that. But why drop an object into our path?
“I don’t get this.”
Newcome sensed my uncertainty and grew braver.
“May I take action to protect my ship in that case, Colonel?”
I glanced up at him. It was a reasonable request. “All right. Don’t shoot it down, but you have the helm.”
He shouted a stream of orders. The navigational people all went into action, and we evaded the incoming object. It sailed past us at a rather sedate pace.
“If that was an attack, it was a pretty lame one,” I said.
“You can never be too careful, sir,” Newcome said.
I tossed him an annoyed glance. That was all I needed, another nervous officer on my bridge. I was already regretting bringing Newcome along.
“May I shoot it down now, Colonel?” Newcome asked.
“What? Certainly not. For all we know it’s a Worm fruit basket. There’s no need to—”
“Sir?” Jasmine said, speaking up again.
This time, I gave her my immediate attention.
“We’re being hailed, sir.”
“Ah, good. Finally, the Worms are going to explain their bizarre behavior. It’s about time.”
“Possibly, Colonel, but the transmission isn’t coming from the Worm ships or Helios. It’s coming from the object.”
My frown returned. “Well, pipe it through.”
She did,
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