Blood War 1: Last Stand of the Legion: Rift Read Online Free PDF Page B

Now on my mark, we go to near light ," Dasan said.
    The ship that launched the raid had to leave a much larger electronic signature. They should be able to pick it up. They needed an electronic signature.  But what signature?  In what spectrum? What kinds of emissions? The other raids had been years before.  The intelligence from those raids was all but useless now, but Aijuba had been on those raids.
    "Aijuba," Dasan said on the command frequency.
    "Sir."
    "Aijuba , what do we look for? What is going to give us a clue?  You sniffed out the trail.  Got any bright ideas?"
    Aijuba hesitated.  "We never got close to one of their ships of the line.  But I would have a picket line of small vessels out protecting the approaches.  Maybe a long range patrol too.  Their fighters are much bigger.  Crewed. Not single seaters like us. So you put them out on station. They should show up like a beacon when we get close, so would the ir equivalent of our Swift Boats.  I think we ought to scan the frequencies that ships that size would produce with the ECM's long range."
    "Good.  Get it done Sergeant."
    What was he going to do if he did not overtake them before they reached the ship that had launched the attack?  He had no idea at this point.  But he knew he must overtake them before they reached their mother ship. They could never attack a ship of the line once the children were taken on board.

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    REFERENCE POINT 77.89.67 EASTINGS
    SOL STANDARD 11/10
    1330 HOURS
     
    Dasan drove himself. He felt the weight of the children constantly. Why would they take them? What were their motives?  Each time he would begin to falter he would remember the children and it would be the difference. 
    The rest of the platoon pushed themselves with no complaints. They were past what the book said was physically possible. His Legionnaires were doing things the book said could not be done. The men and women of the platoon were pushing past physical endurance with only the force of their wills and the Legion's brutal physical training keeping them going. Dasan, for the first time, really understood the value and reason for the daily hours long physical training sessions that pushed everyone to their physical limits. Without that training, the platoon would have broken down long ago physically under the stress. The training had produced an iron core in each of them, a knowledge that they were capable of pushing themselves beyond what they had thought possible
    Dasan and Aijuba did not have to remind the platoon to stay in formation.  They were flying as well as Dasan had ever seen them, in spite of the fatigue.  All were helping Liu with sensor readings, doing their own sweeps, coming up with their own suggestions.  The platoon was united in one purpose in a way Dasan had not experienced before.
    Physically, Dasan was unsure how much longer any of them could continue. Instead of a gentle bump when his radar detected an object, now it felt like a jab of a knife.  The tingly sensation he got when another sensor swept his craft, felt like someone touching a newly burned finger.  Each time he would think it was too much, Dasan would remember that there was no one else. He and the platoon were the only chance the children had to be rescued. It was their responsibility . The oath they had all taken suddenly took on new meaning. They were no longer just words - now they were actions that caused pain and suffering. They were actions that brought to mind words like tradition, honor and duty. Dasan now understood the mottos of Legion units were not just words but came from times like this. Danger is my pleasure. To the end. No other equals. Dasan and the platoon flew on as other Legionnaires before them had done. It was their duty and they were going to live up to their oath and the traditions of the Legion.
    The pain was becoming almost unbearable now. Instead of flying Dasan found himself focusing on the pain ;