Dremiks Read Online Free PDF

onto the metal plate floor below her. The storage bay was quiet and empty of people—only the emergency lighting lit the way through the stacks of crates. The bay was one hundred meters by one hundred fifty meters and filled to capacity. The winding maze created by the cargo was a perfect environment for a private run.
    The captain’s comment about her father rankled. Used to fighting the impression that she gained every promotion and appointment due to her father’s status as a fleet admiral and important political figure, O’Connell had let herself believe the captain recognized her hard work and skills for what they were. That he chose to remind her that her father could not bail her out of any immediate disciplinary situation crushed her hopes. Apparently, she’d have to work even harder and travel even further from Earth to escape the Admiral’s shadow.
    She flipped her hand palm–up and checked the time on the chip implanted at her wrist. 1015. She still had time to shower before her shift started. Arching her back, she stretched and walked briskly toward the vacuum tube. If she had more time she would have climbed the tube ladders located within the same cylinders as the vacuum mechanism. Intended as an emergency measure in case the tubes were not functioning, the ladders were a perfect upper body workout.
    In the bay, behind the door she’d just closed, a quiet figure moved from its hiding place. The commander never suspected she was being watched.
    Showered and in fresh flight suit, O’Connell arrived on the bridge. She was startled to see the captain sitting in his chair; he hadn’t mentioned wanting to be present for the run through the asteroid belt. They’d performed the maneuver twice during their shake-down cruise with no adverse effects. His supervision was not needed or appreciated given the commander’s current mood. He inclined his head and said “Commander.”
    Lieutenant Guttmann drew her attention. “Ma’am, as officer of the watch I report all systems functioning within parameters. Engines are idling, and all personnel are ready for the break from Mars orbit.”
    Neck craned back to accommodate the lieutenant’s height, the commander nodded to him. “Very well, Lieutenant. You will maintain watch officer status until 1200 hours. Chief Turner will relieve you at that time.”
    She walked past him and sat in the pilot’s chair. A quick glance told her that all was as Swede had reported—online and ready for commands. The ship’s clock clicked over to 1100 hours. O’Connell said, over her shoulder, “Time is 1100 hours, sir. Permission to proceed?”
    “Granted, Commander.” His words were clipped and precise.
    She expertly moved her fingers over the command keys and adjusted the power levels to the engines. The Hudson shuddered only slightly as she pulled away from Mars’ gravity. She switched her view to the 360 degree radar return field around the ship. A separate screen showed the return from the high-strength directional radar in the front of the ship. Her hand flexed on the control stick; the ship banked steadily to port and shot off at the prescribed angle for entry into the asteroid belt that lay between Mars and Jupiter.
    Flying through the asteroid belt was not the most difficult bit of flying that Maggie had ever done, but it required concentration and attention to detail. As a young flight student she’d watched one of her fellow trainees die when his small shuttle impacted at high speed with an errant asteroid. Flying instinctively through an asteroid belt was not highly recommended, and the fellow student, Gary, had always relied more on instincts that instruments. O’Connell tried to balance her natural aggressiveness with the caution urged by the sensors.
    Contrary to popular belief, the asteroid belt was not a constantly moving superhighway of evenly spaced, or persistently colliding, rocks. It was more of a series of traffic jams in set locations with large