Legions of Orion (Star Crusades Nexus, Book 1) Read Online Free PDF

housed almost a thousand of the best technicians,
engineers and scientists. Well over a decade ago, it had been home
of trade and commerce in the sector. Little of that now remained
with its new role of custodian of the Prometheus Rift. The view
from the windows consisted first of the burning hot world of
Prometheus, of which they orbited. Even more technicians and
scientists were based there, but it was the orbiting station that
was responsible for managing and maintaining the vast construction
that floated in space next to it. Admiral Anderson pointed to the
components.
    “ As you can see, the
Prometheus Rift is complete and ready for its final test. We built
this rift to allow exploration of new star systems that are vast
distances away. In the past, we have used the peak of our
technology to travel distances of up to four light years. In the
case of here, it took over a generation for the fastest and
best-equipped colony ships to get here from Earth. This time we
plan on sending a ship over a thousand light years to the Orion
Nebula.”
    Unlike the orbs
constructed on the colonies, the rift equipment consisted of a
dozen small orbital platforms, each of which was self-contained and
connected via an array of thin cables to the station
itself.
    “ As you may know,
the power requirements to operate such a piece of technology are at
the limit of our understanding. Over eighty percent of this entire
station’s power capacity will be used to run each of the platforms
until the cycle is complete.”
    Even as they watched
the group of platforms, each looking much like an improvised space
station, they flickered and flashed as energy rippled across their
structures. The clouds of dust and gas around Prometheus gave the
streaks of energy odd hues and shades of colour as they glinted off
the dust and particles in space. At first, it was just the
occasional flash until a web of flashes and lines jumped back and
forth. Admiral Anderson looked over his Chief Engineer’s shoulder
to check his screen. The man looked back at him.
    “ All systems normal,
Sir. The grid is holding. Capacitors are charging, thirty
seconds...”
    Anderson nodded, and
although he gave the look of calm professionalism, he could feel
the beads of sweat on his forehead. It wasn’t just the money and
resources that had been spent. It was the hopes and dreams of so
many that had got them so far. The possibility of long-distance
travel and exploration was one of the great dreams of so many in
the Alliance. The opportunities and possibilities this technology
had created had thousands of companies, and hundreds of thousands
of people, waiting for the chance to make their names in the great
unknown. He knew a lot was riding on this mission. He wondered how
excited they would be if they realised where the exact coordinates
in Orion had come from. He tried to shake that out of his
head.
    Hyperion
is something for another day;
right now we create the doorway.
    The Chief Engineer nodded towards
him.
    “Sir, capacitors are fully
charged.”
    Here we go.
    “Activate the bridge!” he said
smartly.
    The last stage of
the process was the actual creation of the Rift itself. Anderson
had witnessed the activation of many rifts before, but without a
rift to connect to, there was a degree of uncertainty. Either way,
it didn’t matter now as the process was already firing up. The grid
flashed with power, and the space between the platforms flickered
one last time and then changed to a purple-blue glowing disc. He
watched and waited as the disc settled down until it faded out to
an almost transparent shape. He took in a deep breath, half
expecting the fields to collapse. Instead, each of the technicians
and engineers gave him an affirmative.
    “ Yes!” came a voice
from one of the systems, and he was quickly joined by dozens of
other technicians and engineers. Back in the middle of the room, a
large three-dimensional projected model showed the shape of the
rift entrance