Read Online The Terminal War: A Space Opera Novel (A Carson Mach Adventure) by A. C. Hadfield - Free Book Online Page A

neutral expression. “Two lactern frigates deployed orbital bombers. We need a win, gentlemen. The Axis will continue to attack vestan interests until we show them we’re serious about the treaty.”
    “Count on me to lead our mission,” Steros said. “If they’re in the vicinity, I’ll flush ‘em out.”
    “Nobody leads,” Tralis replied. “I want you to work together. Captain Babcock has the advantage of experience, speed, and firepower. It’s to our benefit that he’s here to help, and we need to be a cohesive unit.”
    Steros forced a smile and inclined his head. “Yes, sir.”
    The junior captain clenched his fist.  
    Babcock didn’t completely blame Steros for appearing to have his nose put out of joint. Plenty of young guns wanted to make a reputation for themselves, and the Intrepid wasn’t an official part of the Fleet. In similar circumstances, a lifetime ago, he might have felt the same.
    “Any questions, Captain Babcock?” Tralis asked.  
    “No questions. My crew will coordinate a travel plan with Captain Steros’ and head straight there.”  
    “Excellent. Report any contact immediately, and good luck.”
    Tralis rose from his chair, and the laser arrays cut, ending the conference. Both holograms immediately vanished, returning the small room to its former plain white state.  
    Babcock made his way back along the corridor, thinking about the mission’s potential risks. The lactern frigates were an obvious one, but so was a man desperate to make an impression or stamp his authority at the wrong time. Babcock’s smart-screen lit up as he reached for the authentication pad to enter the bridge.  
    A message from Tralis:
    Kingsley: do not mind him. He’s an impetuous little sod, but he means well. Keep an eye on him, and you won’t have a problem.  
    Babcock fully intended to do just that.  
    He didn’t trust Steros to be a reliable partner in action, but a plan was already formulating in his mind.  

Chapter Seven

    Mach’s mind rang with internal dialogue praising the lord of all that is merciful! For now, the nightmares were over. They’d been the worst Mach had ever experienced in an L-jump. And they just had to be during a weeklong jump. He thought they’d never end.  
    “Anyone else lose their minds?” Mach asked the darkness before him. He could feel Beringer’s and Adira’s presences near him, tucked away in the stasis pods.
    The shuttle smelled of sweat and mildew, indicating the lids had opened—which also meant they were at their destination. Mach knew the shuttles would only open arrival to Vesta.
    A yawn sneaked up on him, making his jaw click with the violence of it. His body ached, desperately in need of movement and real air. Though he remembered they would not get that on Terminus and tried not to think about having to spend the entire mission breathing from a bottle.  
    A light the color of freshly cut grass and the size of a fist blinked somewhere off to his right. It gave the small shuttle a weird effect, as though he were trapped in some ancient sonar screen.  
    Over his head, the door to the shuttle hissed and popped, sliding back into the carcass of the craft. Light-gray smoke billowed out into the cold atmosphere outside. It caught in the back of Mach’s parched throat. He coughed and saw lights flash in front of his eyes.  
    Heaving himself up from his semi-prone position made the lights angry. They morphed into nebulous blobs of reds and purples that reminded him of the intestines of the ginnell shark—a prized delicacy back on Fides Prime.  
    The bright purple fish-offal did nothing for him, personally, except to make his guts feel like someone had routinely punched them for half his life—much like how they felt now.  
    The damned stasis muscle stimulator had clearly gotten carried away.  
    “Hey,” Mach shouted. “Anyone hear me?”  
    “Keep your voice down, will ya?” Adira said. “I’ve got a headache from hell.”
    “I’m