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About The Book:
Author: H.G. Ahedi
Pub. Date: November 12, 2022
Publisher: H.G. Ahedi
Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook
Pages: 338
Find it: Goodreads, https://books2read.com/u/3nDY8o
Read for FREE with a Kindle Unlimited Membership!
In the twenty-fourth century, a sophisticated security system called the
perimeter guards the outer rim of the solar system. Governed by Titan, a
powerful space station, the perimeter is almost impenetrable. Emmeline Augury,
an astrophysics cadet on Titan, believes in a family folklore about a mythical
device with unlimited power. Recognizing its scientific and military value, she
uses unorthodox methods to follow a trail of cleverly concealed clues. Her
search uncovers an ancient plaque, which reveals a star map of a secret network
of portals leading to the device, the key that opens the doors to the seven
realms. Suddenly, the key to absolute power is in her grasp, and everyone wants
a piece of it, especially the power-hungry Orias queen. What began as a
scientific adventure turns into a dangerous manhunt when an Orias fleet attacks
Titan. The queen threatens to slaughter everyone unless she is given the
device. When the fate of Titan and the seven realms hangs in the balance,
Emmeline must make a choice. Will she save her home or the device?
Chapter
1
The
Orias
SATURN
The silence
in space was always uncomfortable for Argon Keston. But today, he didn’t know
if it was the silence or the reason he was out here. For the third time, he
checked the
environmental
controls. The temperature was normal, but he still felt cold. He rubbed his
hands together and surveyed the beautiful view on the screen. He admired the
massive rings. It was an extraordinary sight, and yet he knew that within
seconds of opening the airlock, deadly gases would kill him.
Atlas was one of many squadron ships. The
semicircular spacecraft was ten feet wide and fifteen feet long. Her weapons
were located at the edges. The pilot’s cockpit was in the elongated section,
which emerged from the middle. Three other fighter ships just like her hid in
the vast outer rings of Saturn. Behind them was a sea of millions made up of
millions of rocks and asteroids of all sizes. Monitoring. Waiting.
Argon was a
young, slender man who was quiet and gentle with kind green eyes and thick
brown hair. He was amiable and innocent looking and preferred to keep a
well-trimmed beard, which made him look a bit more mature.
Today, for
the first time, he wore the uniform of the Imperial Command: a black
half-sleeve t-shirt with navy-blue trousers and a high-neck maroon jacket. All
his life he wanted to command his ship and fly into the unknown, but today he
was getting first-hand
experiences
of the dangers of space. Wearing this uniform, he actually felt the burden of
being a fighter, a leader, someone responsible.
Argon moved
back and forth, waiting for the signal. It had been six hours. Too much time
had passed.
It had all
begun two months ago on just another day on Titan. Lieutenant Adrian
Olson and his team had been conducting a routine survey of the perimeter.
Unexpectedly, they’d detected an unusual energy signature, and there it was: an
unidentified spacecraft.
Adrian had
hailed the ship immediately. But the alien ship had been beyond communication
range and had disappeared within minutes. Two weeks had passed, and the unknown
visitor had reappeared with two of its friends, this time closer to the
perimeter.
Their
arrival had sent a wave of excitement through the citizens of Titan.
They’d tried to contact the three ships, welcoming them to their home. But the
outsiders had remained silent. The ships had drifted close to the perimeter and
began scanning. Alarms had gone off, and Titan’s patrol ships had been
dispatched. The alien ships had quickly disappeared but had left a sense of
restlessness in their wake.
Argon wanted
to believe they were explorers, but he did not. These aliens frightened him. He
felt as if the cockpit of Atlas turned colder. He recalled the meeting
on Earth with the Imperial Command. Some believed invasion was inevitable,
while others sought more diplomatic methods.
He wondered
about their choices. Did they have any? Could today be the beginning of an
interstellar war that would change their lives forever? Would they survive?
Would he see his family again? No one he knew had experience with war. For
generations that had lived in peace, interstellar war was a frightening
concept. But leaving Titan or any other colonies undefended was not an
option.
Since their
first appearance, the crew of Titan had kept looking for signs of the
aliens, and the Imperial Fleet remained on standby. Days passed, and things
began to settle down. Everyone thought they would never come back. Argon wished
it too, but his wish was not granted. Twelve hours ago, Adrian had detected the
unusual energy signature again. Like it or not, it had begun.
Admiral
Jacob Donavan was in charge of the fleet, and his priority was to take a
diplomatic approach. He wanted to communicate with the aliens. Argon’s squadron
was a backup if things went south. Argon wasn’t sure the admiral’s plan was
going to work. In fact, no one knew if anything was going to work. They had
limited ships, resources, and fighters. The admiral had full confidence in the
fleet. But Argon didn’t think he was qualified for this mission.
Argon had
just finished training as a pilot, and before he could think about his future,
these aliens had appeared, and he’d been appointed as the squadron leader. He
was surprised; he thought Byron Thames, his best friend, would have been a
better choice. But the decision wasn’t his to make.
A large
asteroid drifted in front of his viewscreen. As if they were a family, three
small asteroids followed the larger one. The cloud of dust particles
surrounding the ship dispersed momentarily, and Argon saw the perimeter. A vast
security system built by his ancestors to protect Earth and other colonies like
Titan. At this distance, it looked like a glowing chain of stars.
He looked to
his left and saw a small yet powerful ship belonging to Byron Thames. Not too far
away from Byron’s ship was another craft. It appeared almost like a ghost,
flooded in the gases of the planet’s rings. Argon knew Micah Dew was out there,
waiting. He was surprised he had remained silent for so long. To his right was
the fourth ship. Its pilot, Clio Ranger, was a patient, quiet, intelligent
young girl.
Argon’s eyes
drifted toward the panels. Adrian hadn’t contacted them. Maybe it was a good
sign. But he knew they were out there. Suddenly, the silence was broken.
“They’re here. Be ready. The fleet is approaching the gates,” a voice crackled
on the radio. Straightening up in his chair, Argon was about to power up the
engines, but he stopped. The admiral had told them to power down their ships.
He thought this would help them remain undetected. Personally, Argon thought
the aliens wouldn’t care. He thought they were here for something, searching
for something. Their scans bothered him. One day, he would have his answers,
but today, he would settle for defending his home.
TITAN, DECK
1, BRIDGE
“Well?”
asked Commander Anastasia Waters. She stood in the middle of Titan’s bridge
with her legs apart and her arms folded. The perimeter glowed brighter than any
stars she could see. Her big black eyes remained glued to the viewscreen.
Anastasia was an athletic long-legged woman with thick, wavy hair tied up
neatly in a bun. She wore bellbottom trousers, a black body-fit sleeveless top,
and a navy-blue turtleneck jacket. She was the commander of Titan, one
of the most powerful space stations built by man. But at the moment, she felt
powerless. Imperial Command had ordered her to stand back, and not join the
fight. She was to wait and watch the fleet engage the enemy and she didn’t like
it.
Lieutenant
Commander Adrian Olson turned. He brushed his auburn hair with his left hand,
and his deep blue eyes dropped to the floor for a moment. “The energy signature
has reappeared. But this time, it’s stronger.”
Anastasia
knew he was worried. Adrian was of middle size, and an ordinary build. The
clean-shaven man was known for his sensitive nature, and his down-to-earth
attitude which had worked a lot in his favor. She knew her crew preferred
working with Adrian to the previous second in command of Titan.
Anastasia knew he would be an excellent commander, but for some reason he held
himself back.
“What do you
mean?” asked Anastasia.
“Their ships
emit a peculiar energy signature. When the first ship appeared two months ago,
the energy signature was detected because we were surveying that section of
space. Otherwise, we would never have known the ship even existed.”
“And this
time?”
“It’s the
same energy signature, only stronger.”
Anastasia
nodded.
The bridge
was a disc-shaped hall. Two doors opened into elevators that connected it to
the ten decks of the space station. The lights dimmed. An alarm went off.
Anastasia lowered herself into her chair and crossed her legs. Her eyes
remained fixed on the viewscreen. Waiting. Anticipating. Part of her wanted to
join the fight; another part told her to obey orders. She felt as if she were
fighting herself.
Lieutenant
Evan Weeds sat opposite Adrian and was busy monitoring communications and
operations. He was a stocky man of average height with a round face, a sharp
nose, and thin dark-brown hair.
To
Anastasia’s right, Titan’s tactical officer, Lieutenant Edward Ward,
stood with his arms crossed. He watched the movements of the fleet on the
screen like a hawk.
Anastasia
gently tapped her feet and swirled. The scientists were huddled together near
the science station. From experience, Anastasia knew that if Dr. Chris Kent had
found something, he would have told her already. He would have told the entire
quadrant. “Anything, Doctor?” she asked despite knowing the answer
already.
Chris
turned. “Nothing yet.”
Anastasia
raised her eyebrows, and without a word, she turned back to the
viewscreen.
“Commander,
the signal is gone, and a cloud has appeared,” Adrian announced in an edgy
tone.
All of
Anastasia’s breath left her. The viewscreen glowed. She leaned forward to see a
vast cloud of purple and blue raging through space.
“It looks
like a storm,” muttered someone.
“Lieutenant
Weeds, contact the Freedom,” Anastasia ordered. “Yes, Commander.”
“Can you see
the cloud?” Anastasia asked Admiral Donavan. “Yes,” Jacob’s calm voice echoed
on Titan’s bridge.
“I think we
should call for reinforcements.”
“Don’t
worry. We can handle this. Our priority is to make contact.” “We’ve tried that
before and failed,” said Anastasia.
“I know,”
Jacob replied. “But we should try again.”
“I insist
that we call reinforcements or let Titan . . .”
“No. We
cannot defy the orders of the Imperial Command.” “Fine,” Anastasia replied
reluctantly. “Good luck, Admiral.” “Thank you. You never know. We might make
some friends today.”
Or our
worst enemies,
thought Anastasia. The purple storm disappeared, and ten ships appeared beyond the
perimeter. The computer announced, “Spatial anomaly Orias detected. Alert.
Alert. Spatial anomaly Orias detected. All officers report to your stations.
All officers report to your stations. All civilians return to their quarters or
remain in secure locations.”
“Orias?”
asked Anastasia.
Adrian
turned to face her. “Well, we had to call them something. Since I detected them
first, I thought I could name them.” “What does Orias mean?” asked Evan.
“In
mythology, it means ‘noblemen of hell,’” Adrian replied calmly. The bridge
became silent, and all eyes fixed on him. Anastasia was fond of her crew’s
quirkiness, and often indulged them. Another time, Anastasia would have laughed
her heart out, but today was not that day.
“How many
times have I told you to stop reading those stupid books?” muttered Evan. His
eyes met Anastasia’s. She tried not to smile.
“Ahem. I-I
thought it would . . . be interesting and funny,” explained Adrian.
“It’s not,” Anastasia
told him.
“Commander,”
said Chris. “Our initial scans show no humanoids or any signs of life on those
ships.”
All heads
turned toward the doctor, but Anastasia couldn’t look away from the viewscreen.
“Drones?” she asked as ten Earth ships flew past Titan.
“The alien
ships have the same energy signature as the cloud but no engine or life signs
that we can detect. But something tells me they’re more than just
drones.”
Anastasia
twirled on her chair. “What do you mean?” “It’s a hunch. Since we’ve never
encountered these . . . Orias before, our technology may not be advanced enough
to detect them.”
“You mean
you don’t know,” said Adrian.
“Not at this
point.”
Anastasia
turned her attention back to the screen.
“Commander,
we’re ready,” said Cyr Storm, Titan’s engineer. “The shields are up and
at full power. All systems are ready to go. The weapons are fully powered, and
we have enough fuel in case we have to head back to Earth.”
Cyr’s words
gave Anastasia some comfort. “Excellent.” “Commander, the fleet is nearing the
gates of the perimeter,” announced Evan.
“When the
fleet is ready, open the gates,” Anastasia instructed. Never had Anastasia
thought she would be thankful to have the perimeter to guard their home. It had
been built before her time, and she’d always thought it was a pain. All her
life, she’d hated taking approval for what she loved to do: explore space. When
she’d been captain of Marion, she’d had to go through tedious procedures
involving long and detailed paperwork. It was frustrating when bureaucrats
tried to control the tiniest aspects of her projects. A female voice broke the
silence on the bridge. “Emmeline to Commander Waters. Emmeline to Commander
Waters. Are you there? Commander?” Emmeline was an enthusiastic astrophysicist
cadet who worked under Chris. Anastasia felt his eyes on her, but she ignored
him. She pushed the green button on the small screen on the hand rest of her
chair. “Yes, Emmeline.”
“Commander, has
the anomaly disappeared?”
“You mean
the cloud?”
“Yes.”
“Yes. It’s
gone. The alien ships are here.”
“Warn the
admiral not to engage the alien ships if the cloud appears again,” said
Emmeline. “I repeat do not engage the alien ships if the clouds return.
It’s—”
“Lieutenant
Weeds, relay the message at once,” Anastasia said. “Emmeline, explain?”
“It’s a
theory. I think the cloud is a gateway. My scans . . .” “A gateway?” asked
Anastasia. “To where?”
“I don’t
know!”
FREEDOM
Jacob sat
silently on the bridge of Freedom. He had received Emmeline’s message. That
girl knows her stuff, he thought. But she’s naïve and needs to learn a
lot.
His chair
was in the middle of the small bridge. His crew moved around the bridge
effortlessly, preparing for battle. The computer made announcements from time
to time. A continuous alarm echoed in the background.
The admiral
didn’t take his eyes off the viewscreen. He was a hefty man with black eyes and
short, curly hair that was beginning to turn gray. A snake tattoo ran down the
back of his neck and disappeared into his uniform. As the biggest member of his
family, he’d been nicknamed “the giant.” He lived by two rules: enforce the law
and stay in control.
Freedom, the ship he commanded, was just
like him, old and stern. It was a medium-sized craft, roughly fifty meters long
and twenty meters wide. Loaded with powerful phasers, torpedoes, and
multiphasic shields, it was one of the best ships in the fleet. The craft had
withstood the test of time. It had helped discover and study numerous nebulas
and explore uncharted planets and solar systems. It had also helped set up new
space stations and carry food and medicine. Most of all, Freedom had
been successful in finding three new homes just like Earth. Jacob had felt
dejected when they’d had to return to Earth report to the Imperial Command and
reassess their plans. Then the Orias had appeared, and everything had
changed.
For the last
decade, Jacob had used Freedom for exploration. The last time he
remembered using the phasers was to blast an asteroid. Today, he might use it
to begin or end a war.
Freedom was followed by a small group of
ships. Jupiter and Marion were fine ships, almost of the same
size, but they were more powerful than Freedom. The rest of the ships
were smaller and equipped with the latest technology and weapons.
Having nine
other Earth ships did not give Jacob any comfort. Most of them had been
standing in the space dock two weeks ago, and their commanders had never left
the solar system. His attempts
to gather
more ships with experienced commanders had failed. Prometheus was the
nearest ship and his greatest hope, but it was in a part of space affected by
an ion storm, which was likely to interfere with communications. Since he’d
never heard back, Jacob didn’t know if Captain Lockhart had received his
messages.
The
viewscreen of Freedom displayed the glowing perimeter ahead. In front of
them was a magnificent sparkling vertical web of white and blue color. It
reminded Jacob of a magical web in a children's story he’d read to his
granddaughter. The princess powered the web telepathically, and it had kept her
kingdom safe from monsters that lurked in the darkness beyond its borders.
Today, the perimeter that separated Jacob from the Orias appeared no
different.
With a heavy
heart, Jacob said, “Lieutenant Weeds, we’re ready. Open the gates.”
“Yes, sir,”
Evan replied.
The bright
light in front of them disappeared, and a huge spiral opening appeared. Jacob
turned to Eugene Walker, Freedom’s pilot. “Eugene, take us out.”
“Yes,
sir.”
Freedom, along with other Earth ships,
passed through the gateway. When they cleared the gates, it closed behind them.
Never had Jacob felt so vulnerable and alone, not even when he had taken Freedom
through uncharted space. He stared at the ten alien ships approaching the
perimeter. The Orias ships were long and cylindrical. They reminded the admiral
of missiles his ancestors had built in the twentieth century, though these were
longer, heavier, and had a slightly different design. The cylinders were curved
into spikes at the ends.
“Open a
channel,” Jacob told the communications officer. “Channel open, sir.”
“This is
Admiral Jacob Donavan of Freedom. We represent the Imperial Command,
which governs this section of space. We are a peaceful race eager to open
communications.”
A minute passed
in silence.
“Perhaps you
can start by identifying yourself,” Jacob added. The alien ships kept moving
forward.
“Alien
vessel, I advise do not enter this region of space without
authorization.”
The
outsiders remained silent.
Jacob
glanced at his tactical officer. Taking a long breath he said, “If you do not
respond, and attempt to cross our boarders we will retaliate.”
The bridge
was silent again.
He repeated
the message once more and waited. He glanced at his communications officer, who
shook his head. “Convert the message in all languages and dialects in the
digital library and broadcast it on all channels,” Jacob instructed.
The officer
nodded.
The bridge
was so quiet that for the first time, Jacob could hear the beeping of the
communications console.
“Sir, I’ve
scanned the ships. I can detect no power signatures or weapons. As far as I can
tell, there’s no one on those ships,” said the tactical officer, Lieutenant
Tessa Clark.
“Oh, they’re
there . . .” Jacob stopped mid-sentence. The Orias ships glowed red, and their
spikes burned like fire. “What the . . .?” A bright flash emitted from the lead
Orias ship and hit one of Earth’s ships, blowing it to pieces. Jacob grabbed
his seat as the bridge shook. A couple of gasps echoed on the bridge, and the
alarm blared.
“Fire!”
Freedom steered toward two Orias ships and
launched torpedoes. A huge ball of fire filled the viewscreen.
“Yes! We got
them!” said Eugene.
From within
the fireball, two alien ships reappeared and flew directly toward them.
“Fire at
will!” Jacob shouted.
Freedom glided through the debris and fired.
The Orias ships’ tails began glowing.
“Change
course. Move us away!” yelled Jacob.
A blaze was
emitted from the alien ship.
The next
moment, an explosion on the bridge threw the admiral to the floor. Darkness
engulfed him, and the air filled with smoke. He sat up and looked at his wrist.
It was bleeding. He got to his feet and
froze. The
two Orias ships had returned their attention to the perimeter. “I thought
they’d destroy us,” he muttered. “Report,” he ordered Tessa.
“Sir, we
were hit by an electromagnetic charge as powerful as five of our torpedoes. If
we hadn’t steered away . . .” “What about the Orias?” Jacob asked, taking a
seat, and spinning toward the viewscreen.
“My scans
show that there was minimal damage to the Orias ships. But the second torpedo
did more damage than the first.” The admiral eyed her. “Any theories?”
“I suppose
proximity to the alien ships might have more effect. But I suggest . . .”
Jacob turned
to Eugene. “What was our distance from that ship when the second torpedo hit
it?”
“Sir, our
second torpedo hit it at forty thousand kilometers.” “And damaged it?”
“It appears
so, but that Orias ship is still functioning. We need more da—”
The admiral cut
him off. “Open a channel,” he told the communications officer.
“Channel
open, sir.”
“Freedom to
the Imperial Fleet, do not engage the Orias upfront. Attempt to get less than
thirty thousand kilometers from them, then fire.”
A blast
blinded everyone. Turbulence hit Freedom.
“What
happened?” demanded Jacob.
“Sir. Jupiter.
Jupiter. I-It’s gone. They have . . .” cried out Eugene. “Engage
thrusters. Follow those ships! Do not let them reach the perimeter,” Jacob
ordered. He stood up from his chair and approached Eugene. “Continue to
maneuver, but don’t fire. Don’t draw any attention to us. Tell me when we’re
about twenty-five thousand kilometers away from the Orias ships.”
Eugene
nodded. Freedom glided forward.
Jacob
returned to his chair. “Chart the locations of all the alien ships and put them
on one side of the viewscreen.”
“Yes, sir.”
The view in
front of him changed. Jacob watched the Orias ships heading toward the
perimeter. They moved in a circular fashion as if connected by invisible
spokes. It looked like a giant wheel moving through space.
“Their
pattern is interesting. Four ships appear to be keeping us busy while these six
head toward the perimeter,” said Tessa. “Yes,” replied Jacob.
“Sir, the
fleet is taking heavy damage,” reported Eugene. “Patience.”
“They’re
ignoring the fleet,” said Tessa. “As if we were . . .” “Mosquitoes,” finished
Eugene.
“Mosquitoes
are extinct,” said Tessa.
Jacob jumped
to his feet and opened a channel. “Attention, everyone! Six Orias ships are
heading toward the perimeter. Focus on one ship. Just one. Destroy their pattern.
Fire now! Now!” “What are you suspecting?” asked Tessa.
“I think the
six ships will combine their energy and create a very powerful blast.”
“Sir! We’re
twenty-five thousand kilometers from the Orias wheel,” reported Eugene.
“Increase
speed. Pick one ship and fire. Give it everything we’ve got!”
Freedom’s
weapons blasted
through the hull of one of the alien ships, pushing it off course. Freedom fired
again, and the Orias ship blew into pieces.
“Yes!”
cheered Eugene.
Suddenly,
another horrific explosion filled the viewscreen. Jacob’s shoulders slumped and
holding his head he waited for the bad news. “Sir, it’s Marion,” said
Tessa. “It took out one of the Orias ships.” The admiral smiled.
Suddenly,
the alien ships broke their pattern and turned toward the Earth ships. Two of
them flew in the direction of Freedom. Torpedoes blasted through Freedom’s
tubes, disabling one of them, but the second spacecraft dodged the
torpedoes.
“Evade!
Evade!” shouted the admiral.
“Sir. I’m .
. .”
A bright
light blinded everyone. Freedom shook, throwing everyone off their
seats. Multiple blasts occurred simultaneously. Alarms blared. Smoke filled the
bridge.
When Jacob
opened his eyes, he saw a huge crack in the roof. He turned. The viewscreen was
fractured, and the Orias ship was powering up again. He scrambled to his feet
and rushed towards navigation. He entered the coordinates and engaged the
thrusters. “Come on! Come on!” he said, pressing the keys several times. But Freedom
moved slowly. “Tactical, tell me we have weapons!” he yelled over the top
of the screaming alarms.
The alien
ship’s tail turned red.
“Tactical?”
Jacob asked.
A blaze hit
the alien ship, and it turned to dust. Another tremor hit Freedom. Jacob
grabbed the console and saw Marion fly past them. “Whew, that was
close,” he muttered, making way for Eugene, who took control of the helm.
“Report.”
“Decks 5 and
6 have been heavily damaged. Six crew members have been injured. No fatalities
so far. We still have power, engines, and life support.”
“What about
the fleet?”
“They have
destroyed three Earth ships; two ships have taken heavy damage, but the rest of
the fleet is engaging the enemy. The Orias ships have turned their attention
back to the perimeter. Three ships are engaging us, and the other four have
formed the same wheel-like pattern. They’re heading for the perimeter.”
“Damn.”
“I think
it’s time to change strategies.” Tessa breathed heavily. The admiral eyed her.
“Do we have orders from Earth?” “No.”
He looked at
the screen. “Those four ships might be our last hope.”
SATURN
Argon
gritted his teeth. He didn’t like their odds. There was still no word from
Imperial Command, and Titan was silent as well. People were dying.
People he knew. He returned to his chair and opened a channel to Freedom.
“Admiral Donavan, this is Argon Keston. Permission to join the battle.”
“Negative.
Stay there.”
“Sir, if my
readings are correct, the fleet has taken heavy damage. We can help.”
“The fleet
was ordered to engage the enemy; the squadron ships are to remain as backup.
Those were our orders. We stick to them until the Imperial Command says
otherwise. Is that clear?” “Sir, with all due respect . . .”
“Argon. Stay
there. That’s an order!”
Argon banged
the console. He sat back and listened to the communications between the ships.
He almost jumped when he heard another blast. He got up and stood in the middle
of the cockpit. If he defied orders, he’d be thrown out of the fleet, and his
career would end before it had even started. But if he didn’t act, he risked
the lives of everyone he loved. What mattered most to him? He returned to his
chair and reached out to his squadron. “This is Argon. I’m going to defy orders
and join the fight. If you choose to stay back, I’ll understand.”
“Argon,”
said Micah in his husky, heavy voice. “How long have you known us?”
Byron said,
“If we don’t join the fight, everyone could die.” “Oh, that’s comforting,”
Argon muttered. He pushed the buttons, and the engine roared to life. The tail
of the small fighter glowed in the yellow mist. Atlas slowly glided
through the rings of the planet, leaving a long trail of dust behind it.
Another three ships followed. “Commander Waters to Cadet Argon,” Anastasia’s
voice crackled on the commlink.
“Yes,
Commander?”
“What are
you doing?”
“Commander,
I can’t just sit here,” Argon said. “They need our help!”
“I
understand, but we have our orders. Turn back.”
Argon
huffed. “With all due respect, I can’t sit here and watch people die!”
“Cadet,
you’re out of line!”
There was no
point in arguing. Argon ignored her messages and charged ahead. He felt as if a
sword loomed over him; he was damned if he did, he was damned if he didn’t. He
was a man of action, and every fiber in his body told him it was time to act.
As they
neared the battlefield, the size and shape of the Orias ships mesmerized him.
“Let’s begin with omega sequence,” he suggested. Pairing with Byron, Argon flew
closer to one of the alien ships. “Break the wheel?” asked Byron.
“I
agree.”
They got
nearer to the four ships.
“Distance
twenty thousand kilometers,” said Byron.
“Close
enough,” Argon replied and fired.
Two
torpedoes hit the alien ship, blasting through its hull. Atlas bounced
and dipped, but Argon quickly regained control and reduced speed.
“Did you see
that?” Byron shouted.
“Yeah! Too
easy. I thought we would need more torpedoes.” The Orias ships broke their
pattern and turned their attention to the smaller ships.
“Here they
come!” yelled Byron.
Argon swayed
Atlas away and pushed the engines. The Orias ships followed him. Byron
came from behind and fired. Atlas jolted moving away from the blast.
Argon turned around and pursued the two alien ships following Byron. Aiming for
the tail of the Orias ships, Argon called, “One, two, three, fire!”
The blast
from the two Orias ships was enormous. Hundreds of pieces of metal spread
through space. Atlas dipped and shuddered. A huge section of debris
headed straight for it.
“Whoa!” Argon
cried out, whirling the ship out of harm’s way. A piece of debris hit the wing
of Atlas. The spacecraft jolted. Alarms blared. Argon punched a few
buttons and brought the ship under control.
“Wow. How
did you do that?” Byron asked.
“I aimed for
the tails,” Argon replied and opened a channel to the fleet. “Attention,
everyone. This is Argon. We’ve discovered a flaw in
the enemy
ships’ design. To disable them, target the tails at close range. Just be
careful not to get too close.”
Argon was
about to contact Freedom when he noticed two of his squadron members
were on a collision course. “Clio and Micah, what are you doing?”
“You know what
we’re doing,” Micah replied.
Argon saw
two Orias ships pursuing them.
“They’re
going for the death maneuver,” said Byron with a hint of distaste in his
voice.
“It won’t
work. Abort. Now. Abort!” Argon yelled.
“How would
you know? We’ve never tried it before,” protested Micah.
“This is not
the time nor place,” Argon said.
“He will not
listen to you,” Byron said calmly.
Atlas steered past two Earth ships, chasing
an Orias ship. It maneuvered under Freedom and headed for Micah’s
location. Clio and Micah were heading straight for each other. The end of the
Orias ship following them began to glow.
“They’re
going to fire. Change course now!” Argon shouted. “Wait for it,” Micah
said.
“I’m coming
in.”
“Argon,
don’t. I can do this without firing a single shot.” “You’re going to get
killed.”
“Argon,
trust me.”
Argon shook
his head and reluctantly decreased speed. Clio and Micah were getting close.
Too close. The Orias ship was right on their tails. If they miscalculated, it
might cost them their lives. “Micah, they’re charging their weapons,” Byron
said. “You should act now.”
“One, two,”
Micah counted. “Now!”
Both
squadron ships turned away. The Orias ships fired. The massive beams missed the
small ships and hit each other. The blast was gigantic. It created a turbulence
wave so strong that every ship in the battlefield shook.
“Woo-hoo!”
shouted Micah.
“Yippee!”
yelled Clio.
Argon shook
his head in dismay.
“That was
uncalled for!” Admiral Donavan yelled over the communication system. Argon
ignored him. Then Anastasia’s voice echoed in the cockpit. “Commander Waters to
Cadet Argon. Commander Waters to Cadet Argon.”
“Yes,
Commander. We have them. Just three more to go.” “Argon, Emmeline detected
another ship,” said Anastasia. “It masked its signature. It’s heading for the
perimeter. I’m sending you the coordinates.”
This was
unbelievable. “Affirmative,” Argon said, feeling his heart rate rise. The
console beeped. He entered the coordinates. Atlas swayed along the
perimeter and headed away from the battlefield. Byron’s ship wasn’t far behind
it.
In a few
minutes, they saw a new Orias ship. Argon felt uncertain, and his heart leaped
to his throat. Why had this ship come in later? Why not join the battle? Did it
have a different purpose? Could he stop it?
“There it
is,” said Byron.
They fired
phasers to sway the alien ship away from the perimeter, but it kept moving.
They targeted the tail, but it was resilient.
“We need to
get closer,” said Argon. He pushed the small ship. When he thought he was close
enough, he pushed the button to fire the torpedoes. Nothing happened. “Oh no!
No!” he cried out and pushed the button again.
“Weapon’s
system malfunction,” announced the computer. “Byron, my ship is damaged. Tell
me you have torpedoes.” “I’m out!”
Byron fired
phasers. They did little damage, and the alien craft kept moving toward the
perimeter. “It’s not working!” he shouted. Byron ship’s gained speed, moving
closer to the Orias ship. Argon pushed Atlas and caught up with him. At
least he could fire phasers. They had to stop them, at any cost. They fired
again. The Orias ship jolted a bit but kept moving.
“This one is
different!” Byron called.
Argon banged
his console. “Tell me someone has torpedoes!” he shouted. “Hello! Anyone? We
need help!”
The ship’s
tail turned red.
Atlas’s proximity alert went off. Argon
turned to his scanner. There was a reading he couldn’t understand. “What the
hell?” he muttered. His eyes widened as realization dawned on him. “Byron, move
away. Move. Move now!” he shouted, hurriedly changing course.
Just behind Atlas,
Prometheus appeared. The hefty scorpion shaped spacecraft flew past the
small ships. Two torpedoes blasted through its tubes. The Orias ship turned to
dust.
“Yes!”
cheered Argon.
About H.G. Ahedi:
I am H.G.
Ahedi, writer of the award winning science fiction series Realm. I dabble a bit
with crime fiction too. I am the owner of the most vacant apartment in Sydney
(it has minimum furniture and more books). My plants do not survive (I have
buried four) and if you buy me a good cup of coffee - we are friends forever!
My dream is
to find a way into the fictional world, and write about it in real world. I
would love to have a cup of tea with Agatha Christie and solve a case with
Sherlock Holmes. And of course pick their brains for my books. I spend my
weekends with box of popcorn and TV series (mostly sci fi and mysteries). My
real life is a bit more sensible or rather boring. I have done a PhD (I don't
know what I was thinking) and right now I spend my day handling a database.
So what have
I written?
Stella is
free book is available on my website : https://harbeerahedi.com
Mysteries/thrillers
- Black Moon, Calculated Murder, Haunted, Shadow Pandemic and Shadow Fraction.
Science
Fiction - Transcendence, Realm 1: Fall of Titan, Realm 2: Poseidon, Realm 3:
Icarus
Do I do
social media? A little bit...
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub
Giveaway Details:
Win the entire
Realm Series!
Ends January
31st, midnight EST.
Giveaway Link: (scroll to the bottom
of the page)
https://harbeerahedi.wordpress.com/2022/12/20/win-3-action-packed-science-fiction-books/
Tour Schedule:
Week One:
|
1/10/2023 |
Excerpt/IG Post |
|
|
1/11/2023 |
Excerpt/IG Post |
|
|
1/12/2023 |
Excerpt/IG Post |
|
|
1/13/2023 |
Excerpt |
|
|
1/14/2023 |
Excerpt/IG Post |
Week Two:
|
1/15/2023 |
Excerpt/IG Post |
|
|
1/16/2023 |
Review |
|
|
1/17/2023 |
IG Review |
|
|
1/18/2023 |
Review/IG Post |
|
|
1/19/2023 |
IG Review/TikTok Post |
|
|
1/20/2023 |
IG Review/Facebook Post |
|
|
1/21/2023 |
Review/IG Post |
Week Three:
|
1/22/2023 |
IG Review |
|
|
1/23/2023 |
Review/IG Post |
|
|
1/24/2023 |
IG Review |
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