Read Online The Green Knight (Space Lore Book 1) by Chris Dietzel - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Chris Dietzel
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elements, natural to the planet, from seeping up through the soil. By weakening the entire surface of that section of the planet, it was a matter of time until the containment field lost its integrity. As soon as even one tiny part of it broke, the entire force field would fail. Thousands—if not tens of thousands—of humans and aliens would go from living on a mild planet with regulated weather and air that everyone could breathe, to living amongst brutal lightning storms that would strike every spaceship, structure, and person within minutes. But no one would be alive that long because as soon as they took one breath of the toxic Zephyr air their lungs would shrivel up and they would die.
For a minute, however, nothing happened. General Agravan began to wonder if the projectiles they had fired were duds. Rather than ask, he was content to continue watching until something happened. Finally, it did.
The ground began to rumble and shake. The containment field flickered ever so slightly. That was the only indication the Vonnegan General needed to know that the cylinders hadn’t been duds. The containment field would collapse.
Moments later, the containment field flickered once, twice, three times. Then, section by section, it crumbled to nothing. As it did, there were no crashing sounds or explosions or destruction. There was only silence.
The Vonnegan fleet continued to drift about in orbit above the planet. Never once did they activate their cannons, send space fighters down to wreak havoc, or even land a brigade of troops. Destroying the containment field would cause a complete loss of life on the colony with much less effort. The Vonnegan fleet was willing to accept a quiet victory. Rather than the glory of explosions and rampage, they were content with saving their weapons for when they would actually need them.
The entire time, all of the rich and influential citizens of Zephyr must have watched the scene from their homes, wondering what the fleet of Athens Destroyers was doing, never suspecting they were in danger until it was too late.
From within the Captain’s deck of the lead Athens Destroyer, General Agravan looked out at the sight before him. The fancy skyscrapers and luxurious spaceships that few people could afford were immediately sparking with thousands of lighting strikes. Fires broke out everywhere. A few seconds later, after the fire and natural gases combined to burn up all of the oxygen and all that was left was the natural air of Zephyr, the fires all went right back out again. Nothing. Then fire. Then nothing. It was the chaos of the universe at its finest.
But even before the fires had extinguished themselves, Zephyr’s natural gravity level, also altered by the same containment field that created a livable environment, was immediately returned. Buildings that were made to withstand the standard regulated colony gravity level were quickly pulled down to the ground under the weight of sixty times stronger gravitational forces than before. Skyscrapers, hundreds of floors high, came crashing down. Starships that were hovering just above their space docks exploded onto the platforms below them.
Before General Agravan’s eyes, an entire colony of buildings, ships, and most important, lives, became a giant pile of rubble with millions of lightning bolts turning the civilization into debris. The debris into ash. The ash into nothing.
16
On their way to the Folliet-Bright spaceport, Vere and her friends passed the bodies of aliens lying in the street, unable to determine if they were living or dead. They passed a man sprinting down the alley, chased by a group of three Yon-Trons that snarled and hissed as they darted after him. Each time they passed something like this, Baldwin made sure he was as close to Traskk and Vere as possible.
“I traveled aboard a frigate to get here,” the physician said. “Do you mind if I go back with you?”
No one said yes, but they also didn’t say no. And
For a minute, however, nothing happened. General Agravan began to wonder if the projectiles they had fired were duds. Rather than ask, he was content to continue watching until something happened. Finally, it did.
The ground began to rumble and shake. The containment field flickered ever so slightly. That was the only indication the Vonnegan General needed to know that the cylinders hadn’t been duds. The containment field would collapse.
Moments later, the containment field flickered once, twice, three times. Then, section by section, it crumbled to nothing. As it did, there were no crashing sounds or explosions or destruction. There was only silence.
The Vonnegan fleet continued to drift about in orbit above the planet. Never once did they activate their cannons, send space fighters down to wreak havoc, or even land a brigade of troops. Destroying the containment field would cause a complete loss of life on the colony with much less effort. The Vonnegan fleet was willing to accept a quiet victory. Rather than the glory of explosions and rampage, they were content with saving their weapons for when they would actually need them.
The entire time, all of the rich and influential citizens of Zephyr must have watched the scene from their homes, wondering what the fleet of Athens Destroyers was doing, never suspecting they were in danger until it was too late.
From within the Captain’s deck of the lead Athens Destroyer, General Agravan looked out at the sight before him. The fancy skyscrapers and luxurious spaceships that few people could afford were immediately sparking with thousands of lighting strikes. Fires broke out everywhere. A few seconds later, after the fire and natural gases combined to burn up all of the oxygen and all that was left was the natural air of Zephyr, the fires all went right back out again. Nothing. Then fire. Then nothing. It was the chaos of the universe at its finest.
But even before the fires had extinguished themselves, Zephyr’s natural gravity level, also altered by the same containment field that created a livable environment, was immediately returned. Buildings that were made to withstand the standard regulated colony gravity level were quickly pulled down to the ground under the weight of sixty times stronger gravitational forces than before. Skyscrapers, hundreds of floors high, came crashing down. Starships that were hovering just above their space docks exploded onto the platforms below them.
Before General Agravan’s eyes, an entire colony of buildings, ships, and most important, lives, became a giant pile of rubble with millions of lightning bolts turning the civilization into debris. The debris into ash. The ash into nothing.
16
On their way to the Folliet-Bright spaceport, Vere and her friends passed the bodies of aliens lying in the street, unable to determine if they were living or dead. They passed a man sprinting down the alley, chased by a group of three Yon-Trons that snarled and hissed as they darted after him. Each time they passed something like this, Baldwin made sure he was as close to Traskk and Vere as possible.
“I traveled aboard a frigate to get here,” the physician said. “Do you mind if I go back with you?”
No one said yes, but they also didn’t say no. And
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