Terminus (Fringe Worlds #1) Read Online Free PDF

already in the process of closing. I dashed through the airlock and into the ship proper as fast as the doors would open, heading straight for the bridge. All the while, the ship was shaking like it was dead center in an earthquake, and I knew that we were getting battered by whatever weapon they had used on the shuttle.
    “When I got to the bridge, Wendren was just giving the order to go to hyperspace. We jumped. At that point, we all felt relief. Whoever – whatever – it was that had attacked us, we’d left them behind now.
    “We had about a second to pat ourselves on the backs, because a few moments after we appeared, the ship started getting battered again. It was the alien vessel; it had popped up next to us. They had followed us through hyperspace.
    “It took us a moment to collectively get over our shock. Outside of convoys with synced navigation systems, ships don’t usually jump with each other like that.
    “Captain Wendren recovered pretty quickly. He ordered another jump, and a second later we were gone. When we reappeared in normal space, it was another short reprieve. The alien ship had followed us again and continued its relentless attack.
    “We had been firing on them, but our weapons weren’t particularly effective. They had targeted our big guns – the cannons – when they first appeared, so we’d lost those early on. Basically, our offensive capabilities were limited, so we jumped a third time. Needless to say, they came out of hyperspace right next to us again.
    “At this point, our ship was practically a wreck. The aliens had punched holes through us like we were wet tissue. And then, they hit us with some kind of bioshock weapon. It was like a lightning bolt passed through the ship. It didn’t really appear to affect systems, only people – or rather, living organisms. We probably lost ninety percent of the crew right then and there. Those that didn’t die immediately were pretty much incapacitated…limbs scorched, skin fried to a crisp. They weren’t going to live long.”
    “How did you get through unscathed?” Dr. Chantrey asked.
    “Again, I was still in my armor,” Maker replied. “Their weapon scrambled my suits systems a little, but didn’t really cause any damage. But I was probably the only person on the ship still of sound body at that point, unless you count Erlen, who didn’t seem to have been affected.” He nodded towards the alien, which was resting in a corner of the room.
    “Wait,” Browing interjected. “Your pet was with you? On a classified mission?”
    Maker gave him a direct, almost furious stare. “I told you before, he’s not a pet. And yes, he was with us. Where I go, he goes.”
    Browing appeared to be on the verge of saying something else, but the general cut him off. “I don’t think Browing meant anything by his question. Please finish telling us the rest of your story.”
    Still glaring at Browing, Maker went on. “Wendren and the bridge crew were all either dead or completely out of commission at that point, like everyone else on the ship. The aliens stopped firing; I think they assumed that we had all succumbed, in one fashion or another. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that they were going to be boarding us shortly. I checked the navigation systems and power levels. We had enough juice for maybe one more jump, but it wasn’t going to do any good if they just followed us. I decided to take a gamble that would hopefully be too rich for their blood.”
    Maker paused for a second. Even though they were surely aware of what happened next, this is where his story got really crazy.
    “No need for the dramatic pause,” Browing said after a moment, clearly impatient. “What did you do?”
    Maker sighed. “I overrode the navigation system…altered the protocols, annulled the safeties, everything. Then I plotted a nine-point jump and sent the ship into hyperspace.”

 
    Chapter 2
     
    Compared to interviewers in the past, they’d