Black Legion: 05 - Sea of Fire Read Online Free PDF Page B

dismissive, but his hands slid over the panels as though he was touching an old horse or dog. He put both hands along the front of the wings and wiped away dust and grease from the edges.
    “The coolant system is charged and ready. Remember, it’s not about firepower or speed; this is all about sensors. The standard scans are for thermal spikes. If they pick up anything more than a residual signature, you can expect a world of pain. Stay slow, keep velocity changes to a minimum, and coast past them.”
    Another officer, this time a short crewman, moved to the side of the fighter and kicked the side of the craft. A panel flipped open, and four small steps dropped down to hit the ground.
    “Hey!” called out the mechanic.
    The shorter man looked back and extended his hands.
    “What? She’s ancient, so what?”
    The older man walked up to the craft and then smacked the shorter one hard across the face. It was a strike with the back of the hand and did no more than leave a bright red mark.
    “That bird has been around longer than you’ll probably live. She has holes in her from the Laconians, Atticans, and the Medes. You treat her with a little more respect.”
    The man walked off muttering.
    “He’s obviously no great fan of fighters,” said Xenophon.
    The mechanic nodded in bitter agreement.
    “For some of them it’s all about what’s new, and what’s the most advanced. This cruiser is not a heavy. We only carry one Seafox for emergencies, and putting the boot in her flank won’t get us home any quicker, will it?”
    Xenophon smiled at his simple but hard to fault logic.
    “I agree. What’s your name?”
    “Countermeasures Anticensor Pollux, Sir.”
    “Well, Anticensor, I thank you for keeping her ready. This one fighter might be all that will keep the entire fleet supplied and fed on our voyage through this wilderness. We will all have you to thank for that.”
    The man looked at Xenophon and then climbed the ladder. He looked inside and pulled on three levers. The navigator seat rose ten centimeters and then stopped with an abrupt click. At the same time, two more men pulled out a series of ribbed cables.
    “She’s ready for you.”
    Xenophon climbed past the man and lowered himself into the seat. It was a tiny affair, and at first he thought only a child would fit. Even as his body made contact, he could feel switches pushing into his body. Finally, he was in and began to relax just as the swarthy mechanic helped pull the straps tight around his chest. With a tug, it pulled so hard across his body that he could barely move.
    “There, that should work.”
    The man pointed to the control board in front of him.
    “She’s configured as a recon bird, so all the tech is for the onboard suite. The guns are nothing special, but they are armed and work. I checked the load myself. Just take it from me; if you run into trouble, you’ll want to use your power unit to get back here. Don’t try and fight back.”
    Xenophon began to answer, but the man was already pulling down on the canopy. It clamped down with a firm clunk, followed by a hiss as the system pressurized. It was only then that he realized he hadn’t seen his pilot. He tried to move his head, but the straps made it all but impossible. Then he felt a slight vibration and movement behind him, another clunk and more hissing.
    “Xenophon, I see you couldn’t leave me alone for thirty minutes? You do know I’ve got more important things to do? Since we’ve arrived I’ve checked on the combat drills for the gun hands, and when you called, I was helping the engineers on that bucket of bolts fix their coolant leaks?”
    There was something close to a groan before she continued.
    “Flying Seafoxes is a job for cadets. Is it wise to have us out there, with all this junk floating around?”
    “Roxana,” he said with quiet amusement, “you’re here for only one reason.”
    “Let me guess?” she answered with a sigh, “You needed the best Navy