The Void War (Empire Rising Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A
Author: D. J. Holmes
replying. “Sir, most of our passive sensors have been badly damaged but it looks like he’s still heading for the freighter.”
“Even better,” Lightfoot said as his smile grew into a grin.
*
Zu finally allowed himself to relax. He had been worried that this second frigate would be a flak frigate like the first. If he had been forced to spend too long hammering another flak frigate into submission the last freighter might have managed to escape. Now his sensor officer assured him that the frigate was a tumbling ball of wreckage.
After reading through the damage reports from the last near miss he stared at the holo-display watching the distance count down to the remaining freighter. Ten minutes and he would be able to blow it to pieces. He was already beginning to compose his report to the Admiral, focusing on the successes of the mission and all the valuable intel he had managed to get about British battle tactics. Hopefully that would be enough to gloss over the loss of his sister ship.
Suddenly the sensors officer brought him back to reality. “Captain Zu!” she frantically called, “I’m picking up an energy spike from the wreckage of the frigate.”
“Show me the visuals immediately.” Zu demanded. He had a sinking feeling as the wreckage came up on the holo-display. The frigate was slowly rotating and even as he watched its main plasma cannon came into view. Quicker than he imagined possible it traversed to track his cruiser and opened fire.
Before Zu could call out any orders the twin plasma bolts covered the distance between the two ships and blew through the valstronium armor of his cruiser. By chance they managed to knock out the communication links between the bridge and the central firing control for the cruiser’s plasma cannons. The order to return fire never made it to Yang Wei’s weapons officer.
Within seconds two more plasma bolts ravaged the Yang Wei and then two more burst right through the ship causing her to explode in one more dramatic fireball.
Chapter 2 – Command
Some say the roots of our Empire date back to the English Monarchy that arose after 1066. Whilst this is disputed, certainly the Empire can trace its development back to the rise of the English nobility after the period in Earth history known as The Troubles.
-Excerpt from Empire Rising, 3002 AD
21 st November 2464. HMS Drake, in shift space beyond the Cambridge system.
Commander James Somerville sat in a dark mahogany desk chair. He was in his private office adjacent to his sleeping quarters. His feet were resting upon the matching desk with little regard for its age or quality. With a stretch he pushed on the desk and tilted his chair unto its back legs as he turned the page of the old-style book he was reading.
To anyone not associated with the pomp of the British nobility the scene would have seemed comical. On one hand the archaic wooden furniture and paper book sharply contrasted with both the modern styling of the Captain’s quarters and the modern synthetic Royal Space Navy uniform. Pure black boots met tightly fitted white trousers, which ran up to be overlapped by the blue tunic James wore. The tunic had two lines of decorative buttons up the middle, both sets were yellow, identifying James as a Captain of a starship. On his right shoulder was a single yellow star displaying James’s rank as that of Commander in the RSN.
Both the desk and collection of old style books had been a gift from his uncle upon his posting to command HMS Drake . Whilst he had little respect for the value of the desk and matching chairs, either financial or sentimental, the old style paper books had grown on him.
After a year of the monotony of deep space exploration, James had turned to the books as a last desperate attempt to hold back the depression he felt creeping upon him. Commanding a survey ship in the RSN was not the constant high paced life of
“Even better,” Lightfoot said as his smile grew into a grin.
*
Zu finally allowed himself to relax. He had been worried that this second frigate would be a flak frigate like the first. If he had been forced to spend too long hammering another flak frigate into submission the last freighter might have managed to escape. Now his sensor officer assured him that the frigate was a tumbling ball of wreckage.
After reading through the damage reports from the last near miss he stared at the holo-display watching the distance count down to the remaining freighter. Ten minutes and he would be able to blow it to pieces. He was already beginning to compose his report to the Admiral, focusing on the successes of the mission and all the valuable intel he had managed to get about British battle tactics. Hopefully that would be enough to gloss over the loss of his sister ship.
Suddenly the sensors officer brought him back to reality. “Captain Zu!” she frantically called, “I’m picking up an energy spike from the wreckage of the frigate.”
“Show me the visuals immediately.” Zu demanded. He had a sinking feeling as the wreckage came up on the holo-display. The frigate was slowly rotating and even as he watched its main plasma cannon came into view. Quicker than he imagined possible it traversed to track his cruiser and opened fire.
Before Zu could call out any orders the twin plasma bolts covered the distance between the two ships and blew through the valstronium armor of his cruiser. By chance they managed to knock out the communication links between the bridge and the central firing control for the cruiser’s plasma cannons. The order to return fire never made it to Yang Wei’s weapons officer.
Within seconds two more plasma bolts ravaged the Yang Wei and then two more burst right through the ship causing her to explode in one more dramatic fireball.
Chapter 2 – Command
Some say the roots of our Empire date back to the English Monarchy that arose after 1066. Whilst this is disputed, certainly the Empire can trace its development back to the rise of the English nobility after the period in Earth history known as The Troubles.
-Excerpt from Empire Rising, 3002 AD
21 st November 2464. HMS Drake, in shift space beyond the Cambridge system.
Commander James Somerville sat in a dark mahogany desk chair. He was in his private office adjacent to his sleeping quarters. His feet were resting upon the matching desk with little regard for its age or quality. With a stretch he pushed on the desk and tilted his chair unto its back legs as he turned the page of the old-style book he was reading.
To anyone not associated with the pomp of the British nobility the scene would have seemed comical. On one hand the archaic wooden furniture and paper book sharply contrasted with both the modern styling of the Captain’s quarters and the modern synthetic Royal Space Navy uniform. Pure black boots met tightly fitted white trousers, which ran up to be overlapped by the blue tunic James wore. The tunic had two lines of decorative buttons up the middle, both sets were yellow, identifying James as a Captain of a starship. On his right shoulder was a single yellow star displaying James’s rank as that of Commander in the RSN.
Both the desk and collection of old style books had been a gift from his uncle upon his posting to command HMS Drake . Whilst he had little respect for the value of the desk and matching chairs, either financial or sentimental, the old style paper books had grown on him.
After a year of the monotony of deep space exploration, James had turned to the books as a last desperate attempt to hold back the depression he felt creeping upon him. Commanding a survey ship in the RSN was not the constant high paced life of
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