Pray for the Prey Read Online Free PDF

ships. The Commander of the vast fleet had issued orders that if anything broke into normal space every ship within a thousand miles would immediately initiate an attack on the intruder. The fleet waited and knew that the destroyed fleet would be investigated. He also had ships in No-Space watching for any trails that appeared from the direction of the Giant Galaxy. It was one of those scouts that issued the first warning.
    “I have trails appearing at the following coordinates.”
    The Fleet Commander fed the location into the fleet’s system and thousands of ships began moving into the area of the expected break out. The ten Violet Battleships appeared in normal space and were immediately barraged by the incoming Blue Giants.
    Eight of the ten were blown apart but two of the Violet Ships jumped back into No-Space to escape. One of them was hit by a scout and pushed back into normal space where three hundred ships blasted it into rubble. The other Violet Ship barely missed being nudged by a scout and managed to escape. The Fleet Commander knew that getting every ship was next to impossible, but felt his consternation at missing the last one. “Return to your places and stay alert; there may be more coming.”
    The giant fleet moved back into formation and waited as the Blue Giants began a massive evacuation of Andromeda.
    • • •
    The Wing Controller felt his two hearts beating rapidly. That was close! He had managed to make a quick scan before he jumped away but knew he had been lucky to have survived. His drive Controller’s quick acceleration away in normal space had allowed his ship to be missed by the scouts waiting for his entry into Green Space. He looked at his Sensor Controller, “What did you manage to see?”
    “There is a vast debris field at the last location of our Attack Fleet. There is enough mass there to account for the entire fleet. It appears every ship in the fleet has been destroyed.”
    “What did you learn about those ships that attacked us?”
    “If we could have linked our force fields, I doubt they could have killed us. Their beams are strong, but not strong enough to have broken through before we started firing our pulses. They were waiting for our appearance and moved in too quickly for us to link ships.”
    “If those ships aren’t strong enough to destroy us with linked fields, how was our fleet, that we know was linked, destroyed?”
    The Sensor Controller raised his wings and said, “I have no idea, but before I go back to take a closer look, I would suggest we have more ships with us.”
    “How many more?”
    “At least a thousand.”
    The Wing Controller thought a moment and said, “Is it possible they didn’t use their most powerful weapons to bait a trap for us to fall into?”
    “If that’s the case, then that must be what happened to our Attack Fleet. I suggest we allow our Fleet Controllers to make the call on our next attempt to scan this galaxy.”
    The Wing Controller thought about what had just happened and said, “Send the scan to the Hive Control. Let them decide what to do.”
    • • •
    The Seven Leaders watched the attack on the Violet Ships and the First said, “If they’re coming back they will be coming in force.”
    The Seventh said, “I don’t think they will be coming quickly.”
    “Why not?”
    “Remember, the ships they sent here were surplus ships available because of their victory over the Yellow Ships they’re fighting. Those surplus ships have been destroyed and in order to send a force large enough, they will have to weaken their lines facing their enemy. I don’t think they will do that.”
    “I hope you’re right. Continue the evacuation.”
    “I will do so; however, may I send a copy of what happened to the White Ship Leaders.”
    The First looked at the others and saw their agreement, “You may do so.”
    • • •
    George and Meisa were greeted at the Command Center and everyone was happy to see them again. Dolly was