price. His men would pay it, he just wished there was another way. Bei opened the WA to all the ships in the fleet. His people had a right to choose their fate. Which ships have the fastest engines ?
“Aside from us?” The captain opened the repair terminal under the armor covering Bei’s forearm. He pulled out three red biometric strands. “The Oppenheims, but they’re the ones with the best chance of stopping and the last ones that will attach.”
Pain blazed through Bei’s synapses as the recycled filaments replaced the burned out ones in his motor nodule. They also carry enough Helium-three to create an impressive explosion. At a dead end, it might blow the entire wad in our direction .
Dread thickened the air as the ramifications drifted around the Starfarer’s bridge officers. With Bei’s cerebral software rebooting, the ships would have to be piloted to the end and the engines manually overloaded.
Time counted down. Six minutes remained until their mission would come to a rather dramatic end. The knowledge filtered through the WA. The wireless com system crackled with fear and turmoil before quieting into steely resolve. The Syn-En knew their duty. Maybe a little too well . Bei allowed the traitorous thought for a moment before banishing it.
“Seven ships attached, next wave moving into position.” Shang’hai picked at her thumbnail, lifting and shutting the access port underneath. “Recalculating stopping distance.”
Commander Keyes’s breath came in short bursts as she slid the stowed metal seat in and out of its slot next to the com station. “Oppenheims report all non-essential personnel aboard pods, command staff awaiting orders and mission status of Operation Blowback.”
“Pods ejecting.” Shang’hai inset the Stargazer’s aft visual sensors on her LCD.
The tiny capsules scattered in their wake like spilled pills on luminescent paper.
The commander shook out her hands before setting them on the LCD. “Orion, Beagel and Nebula ships launching life pods… now. Captains report all hands away. They’re moving into position on the Starfarer’s hull.”
Bei’s heart drummed inside his chest. Syn-En captains wouldn’t abandon ship, neither would their command staff. Over three hundred soldiers would be stuck to his ship like flies in ointment and he literally couldn’t lift a finger to help. Yet. His internal clock hit the five minute mark. Where are those damn calculations ?
Captain Penig placed a hand on Bei’s chest. “Rebooting motor nodule in three… two… one.”
Despite the restraining hand, Bei slid out of the chair as his armor unlocked. His head bobbed uncontrollably down the seat back and cushion. The captain thrust his knee between Bei’s legs preventing the momentum from cracking open the admiral’s skull against the floor’s metal plating. The maneuver might have hurt if Bei could feel anything.
Shang’hai straightened, her pink hair seemed to bristle in agitation. “Calculations coming in now. Operation Blowback has a five percent chance of success with damage to barnacle ships projected at sixty-three percent.”
The commander set her tan hand on the other woman’s shoulder. “How many ships will it take?”
“Ten.” Both women turned toward Bei. Hope, resignation and sadness hummed along the WA. Shang’hai squeezed her eyes closed for a moment. “They’ll all have to reach critical mass within zero point five nanoseconds of each other while allowing for not more than one degree deviation in their formation.”
Side by side, Bei’s entire complement of Oppenheims would meet their deaths. The spacecraft were the only means the Syn-Ens had to reach the surface of Terra Dos. Yet without their sacrifice no one would arrive at their destination. If they could still reach it. Bei shook off his doubts. They would reach it. There had to be a way out of the wormhole. Earth had shown the world pictures of the planet sent back from their probes. Send the
“Aside from us?” The captain opened the repair terminal under the armor covering Bei’s forearm. He pulled out three red biometric strands. “The Oppenheims, but they’re the ones with the best chance of stopping and the last ones that will attach.”
Pain blazed through Bei’s synapses as the recycled filaments replaced the burned out ones in his motor nodule. They also carry enough Helium-three to create an impressive explosion. At a dead end, it might blow the entire wad in our direction .
Dread thickened the air as the ramifications drifted around the Starfarer’s bridge officers. With Bei’s cerebral software rebooting, the ships would have to be piloted to the end and the engines manually overloaded.
Time counted down. Six minutes remained until their mission would come to a rather dramatic end. The knowledge filtered through the WA. The wireless com system crackled with fear and turmoil before quieting into steely resolve. The Syn-En knew their duty. Maybe a little too well . Bei allowed the traitorous thought for a moment before banishing it.
“Seven ships attached, next wave moving into position.” Shang’hai picked at her thumbnail, lifting and shutting the access port underneath. “Recalculating stopping distance.”
Commander Keyes’s breath came in short bursts as she slid the stowed metal seat in and out of its slot next to the com station. “Oppenheims report all non-essential personnel aboard pods, command staff awaiting orders and mission status of Operation Blowback.”
“Pods ejecting.” Shang’hai inset the Stargazer’s aft visual sensors on her LCD.
The tiny capsules scattered in their wake like spilled pills on luminescent paper.
The commander shook out her hands before setting them on the LCD. “Orion, Beagel and Nebula ships launching life pods… now. Captains report all hands away. They’re moving into position on the Starfarer’s hull.”
Bei’s heart drummed inside his chest. Syn-En captains wouldn’t abandon ship, neither would their command staff. Over three hundred soldiers would be stuck to his ship like flies in ointment and he literally couldn’t lift a finger to help. Yet. His internal clock hit the five minute mark. Where are those damn calculations ?
Captain Penig placed a hand on Bei’s chest. “Rebooting motor nodule in three… two… one.”
Despite the restraining hand, Bei slid out of the chair as his armor unlocked. His head bobbed uncontrollably down the seat back and cushion. The captain thrust his knee between Bei’s legs preventing the momentum from cracking open the admiral’s skull against the floor’s metal plating. The maneuver might have hurt if Bei could feel anything.
Shang’hai straightened, her pink hair seemed to bristle in agitation. “Calculations coming in now. Operation Blowback has a five percent chance of success with damage to barnacle ships projected at sixty-three percent.”
The commander set her tan hand on the other woman’s shoulder. “How many ships will it take?”
“Ten.” Both women turned toward Bei. Hope, resignation and sadness hummed along the WA. Shang’hai squeezed her eyes closed for a moment. “They’ll all have to reach critical mass within zero point five nanoseconds of each other while allowing for not more than one degree deviation in their formation.”
Side by side, Bei’s entire complement of Oppenheims would meet their deaths. The spacecraft were the only means the Syn-Ens had to reach the surface of Terra Dos. Yet without their sacrifice no one would arrive at their destination. If they could still reach it. Bei shook off his doubts. They would reach it. There had to be a way out of the wormhole. Earth had shown the world pictures of the planet sent back from their probes. Send the
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