Escape to Earth 3: Defending Holy Ground Read Online Free PDF

the planet. Move your pods into an outer layer as soon as we move into position.”
    “Yes Sir.”
    Chad looked at Audrey Allen, “Get orders out to move into defensive formation above the planet.”
    “Yes Sir.”
    Chad said, “Trio, play this recording on the main wall monitor.” The wall monitor flashed on and Chad leaned forward. A shiny silver warship came out of the void close to one of the attack pods and opened fire with a brilliant red energy beam. The pod glowed brightly and then exploded. “Trio, how was that pod configured?”
    “It only had one reactor powering the force field. It had the other three reactors powering the thrusters.”
    Chad pushed a button on his panel, “All pods, go to Alpha Energy Profile. I want all your rotary cannons disabled and disruptors powered by one reactor. Use the other three for your force field.” Chad ended the call and said, “Trio, that pod’s force field held up for a while?”
    “Yes it did. If the readings are correct, that beam wouldn’t have penetrated a two reactor force field.”
    Chad pressed his communicator again, “All battleships will use two reactors for thrusters and evenly divid the other two between force field and disruptors.” He ended the call and stared at the image on the wall monitor.
    Jason Goddard said, “Sir, we’re not going to use our Dark Matter Weapons?”
    “It appears that ship doesn’t have a magnetic field. The only way the DM weapons will work is if we can get extremely close to it and fire using our sights.” Chad looked at Audrey, “Did that ship leave a skip trail?”
    “It did, Sir.”
    Chad thought for a moment and said, “We aren’t going to follow it.”
    Jason looked up from his weapon’s panel, “Why not, Sir?”
    “Because technically, we are the invaders and I’m not going to run a risk of starting an all-out war with the locals. I think that ship may have left a skip trail to bait us into a trap. We’ll wait for them to show up again.”
    “And then what?”
    “Let them take another shot. We need to see their capabilities.” Chad looked at his panel, “Trio, have any void probes been put out?”
    “No, they haven’t.”
    Chad shook his head, “Audrey, contact Commodore Kay and tell him to get a line of probes out in the void.”
    “Yes Sir.”
    Chad glanced at his panel and saw fifty battleships break ranks and start moving toward the planet’s gravity well. A few moments later, they left normal space and skipped away. He leaned back in his command chair and waited for Julie’s fleet to arrive. He pressed his panel again and saw BG, “Commodore, I want five thousand of your pods detached. Assign a hundred of them to each of our colony ships. They will fly defensive cover for them from this moment forward.”
    “Yes Sir”
    Chad turned to his Electronics Officer, “Audrey, I want five hundred battleships moved from Commodore Adams group to assist with the defense of the colony ships.” Audrey turned to her console and began pressing buttons. Chad looked at the main tactical monitor and saw the thousands of glowing battleships moving into formation around the planet. Their disruptors were pulsating, powered up and ready to fire. He shook his head and pressed the general frequency again, “No one will fire their weapons without my approval. If you are attacked, you have free weapons, however, you will not fire unless your ship is being fired upon!” Chad thought for another moment and sighed. He pressed his panel and Commodore Graham appeared, “Admiral, how long have your ships been in orbit?”
    “Three days, Sir.”
    “Order half of them to go to Moon Base and take 24 hours to get some rest. When they return, send the other half. Tell those leaving for the moon that they are on active standby and to be prepared for an instant recall if we’re attacked.”
    “Yes Sir. And thank you, Sir.”
    Chad nodded and pressed the fleet general frequency, “Group A will go to the moon and take