Alon reminded himself over and over that it wasn’t a panel or any of the controls making the noise but just bits that weren’t part of the ship. They broke through the cloud coverage, looking out over a vast, dusty plain. Over the hills to the right, trees towered over the land, untouched by harvest, growing wild.
Sun just came up over that region, casting a brilliant glow over the region. Alon’s eyes watered. When he arrived at his previous colony, he sat in the cargo area. He didn’t get to see the descent. Since then, he’d seen the planet near the dry dock plenty of times but it lacked any sort of real splendor. It was just a desert.
For whatever reason, that didn’t impact him. Perhaps the stress of impending combat did the trick. Whatever the case, he couldn’t take his eyes off the way the sun hit the branches of trees. It seemed like they were glowing, as if they might be…
“Hey!” Gunny nudged him. “You okay?”
“Sir?”
“I was talking to you. Were you zoning out?”
“Just… taking in the scenery, sir. That’s all.”
“You think we’re here for a little sightseeing? We your cruise line, Sergeant?”
“No, sir. Sorry.” Once again, Alon thanked God for the helmet. He felt his cheeks burning. He cleared his throat. “What, uh… what was the problem?”
“I want you to take the newbies with you. You’re on search one. I’ll take search two. Hans get search three.”
“That a good idea? I mean, I barely know those people. I’m not sure what they’re capable of.”
“You’ll find out. You and Hans are the only two I trust to give them a real evaluation. Their records seem solid but make this count. We won’t be too far apart anyway.” Gunny tapped the terminal to his left. “Attention, this is TCN Gunnery Sergeant Stefan. Kyle Burgess. Lysa Vanden, please respond?”
Andrews let them know they’d put down in less than five minutes. Alon took one last look at the horizon before heading out to the others. The enemy ship would put down momentarily as well. Engagement would happen no matter what. One way or another, there would be a fight.
These corporals better hold their own. Alon didn’t like the idea of being in charge of them. He had nearly protested the rank he’d been given. Well, today I have to prove I should’ve… or that they made the right call. And just maybe, get a little payback for what happened to his friends back home.
Chapter 13
“Opening fire,” Ronin called.
Titus held his breath as the weapons discharged, the first real life test of their weapon systems. The beams lanced out from the cannons, quick flickers that made immediate contact with their target. Tension filled the bridge as he awaited the scan results. Did we hurt them this time? Did the upgrades work?
“Direct hit,” Violet announced. The brief pause made Titus clench his fist. “Enemy shields dropped by six percent!”
Titus sighed, clapping his hands. “Keep going, Ronin. Don’t let up. Jane, you’re on flight. Get us moving for evasive.”
“Soldiers are landing,” Rhys announced. “They’re reaching out to the archaeologists. However, they’re not going to be alone. The enemy sent some people too.”
The Kahl ship opened fire, beams tracing the darkness between them. The blow caught the Triton in the lower bow as they climbed in an effort to avoid the assault. Ronin returned the shot, blasting away with their turrets as well as the swivel cannons. They exchanged a quick array of over a dozen shots before passing one another.
We survived, Titus thought. That’s more than could be said for the destroyers in that first fight. “Report! Shield and weapon status!”
“Shields are holding at eighty percent,” Violet replied. “Weapons still at maximum, power sir. We’re seeing a slight decrease in engine capacity due to the drain from the assault. Engineering is reporting that’s not expected and are looking into it now. Scan of the enemy vessel puts them on par with our defenses.”
“Rear weapons have discharged,” Ronin added. “They seem to have limited effect on the target.”
“Sorry about that, sir,” Jane said. “I’m getting the hang of how to evade those things.”
“Don’t sweat that one,” Titus replied. “Bring us around for another pass with the main cannons.” That was the best test we could’ve hoped for. “Violet, if the enemy hails us, let me know right away. ETA for another attack run?”
“Thirty seconds,” Jane said.
Titus turned to Rhys. “Opinion?”
“The destructive power I’m seeing on my terminal…” Rhys shook his head. “I never would’ve thought it was possible for a ship to take so much let alone shields. That exchange… more than thirty blasts to each vessel… it would’ve annihilated most battleships. I don’t know what to say.”
“Now you know what we’ve been up to,” Titus replied, “and why it’s so important.” The ship came around, facing off with the Kahl again. “Give them everything, Ronin. Hammer away.” The direct assault may not have been the best option but part of it came down to posture. The first couple exchanges, he didn’t mind making direct.
Afterward… well, he had a plan for that.
The weapons fired again. This time the enemy ship attempted to dodge while shooting back. Titus smiled at the motion. When they started the brawl, the Kahls seemed to think they’d have an easy go at them. After taking a punch to the face, they learned it wouldn’t be so easy.
“Jane,” Titus said, “as we pass them by, pivot with full maneuvering thrusters. Ronin, tear into
