Hunter Legacy 9: Hero at the Gates Read Online Free PDF

friend Slice?"
    "Maybe."
    Ten minutes passed.
    "Found it."
    "Which it is this?"
    "Planet, base, and shipyard it."
    The new information updated the nav map and
HUD. We'd fluked the approach of the Cruiser to the base, it being almost on a
direct course.
    Two hours passed as we waited for
Unapologizing to approach. The two ships were passing each other scan data, so
we could 'see' almost all the way into the system now.
    "They demanded a password," said
Jane. "We went to Plan B."
    Plan A had been built on a pirate ship
being able to dock without being challenged. Or at the least, some chitchat
between the station and the ship's captain, who Jane was impersonating.
    Plan B was to pretend battle damage, and
the top order of officers being all dead. In this we hoped to bypass the
password, because no junior officer would know it.
    "Docking approved," said Jane.
    Annabelle let her breathe out noisily.
    "They bought it," Jane went on.
"There are celebrations beginning on the station in honour of the
vanquishing of General Custer, and the capture of Hunter's team six. Seems they
think it’s a great victory over their most hated enemy."
    I held my hand up, and Annabelle and I high
fived.
    "Station defenses?" I asked.
    "Formidable," said Jane.
"Two Battleships, three Cruisers, five Destroyers, two Frigates, and four Corvettes.
They have two squadrons of Gladiators on CAP. How many more is unknown. Oh, and
look what else there is."
    "Is that what I think it is?"
    "Junk Heap Three. Identical to Junk
Heap Two as far as I can tell. In other words, pretty useless. But they might
be using it as a Carrier, to augment the station fighter capacity."
    "Ages?" asked Annabelle.
    "Middling to old," responded
Jane. "Or in Junk Heap Three's case, really old. But they're still a
threat."
    "Shielding?" I asked.
    "Hard to say. The shields showing now
would be normal for a station this size, if this was a normal station."
    "Explain."
    "The station is a sphere. There appears
to be docking slots dotted all around it, rather than a conventional
ring."
    "Is it armed?" asked Annabelle.
    "No, unless guns and launchers are
hidden somehow."
    "Computer?" I asked.
    "I think this is a mid-range AI, but
it's hard to tell without giving myself away."
    "Don’t do that."
    "Can you take it?" asked Dick.
    "If the security is lax, then an
unguarded data port will be all I need."
    "And if it's guarded?"
    "I'll need to do a brute force assault
from inside the computer room."
    She paused, as if listening to something.
    "Docking in progress."
    "Get us moving."
    "Confirmed."
    The plan was for us to come in range of
their sensors about the time the station realized it had a problem. But the
timing was fluid, since we didn’t know what would happen once the ship docked.
While it had taken hours for the Cruiser to make the distance, BigMother could
do it in around forty minutes without pushing it. But they would detect us
around twenty.
    "Docking complete."
    "What's happening with the crew?"
    "Security met the ship, and the
prisoners are being escorted off now. The crew seems free to do what they
like."
    "Good. Primary targets please."
    "Confirmed."
    I opened ship coms again.
    "Team six is in place. We have two
squadrons of Gladiators on CAP. How many are on station is unknown at this point.
Stand by for launch."
    "We launch on my order people,"
said Lacey, "and not before. Two squadrons is missile chaff, not target
practice, so we wait for the real party."
    There was a series of acknowledgements from
the squadron commanders, followed by George, Annette, and Jessie.
    George had his own orders, but if need be,
he was allowed to join in a dogfight.
    Another ten minutes passed, with our
approach still undetected.
    "Team six's cover is blown,"
announced Jane suddenly.
    "What happened?" asked Annabelle
before I could.
    "The detention block guards wanted to
remove their suit belts. Six had to go hot. They're on their way to the Control
Center now."
    "And team one?"
    "Just leaving the