Daring by Mike Shepherd Read Free Book Online Page B

Captain Drago said as they shot into their eleventh new star system.
    â€œYou think so?” Kris answered.
    â€œThat last jump dropped the Wasp ’s reaction tanks to below half-full, Kris,” the captain said. “I’d like to orbit a gas planet and have the courier ships do some cloud dancing.”
    This was no surprise; they’d done it a week ago after the fifth jump. Every ship in the fleet needed reaction mass for acceleration and deceleration. Ships like the Wasp and the battleships, even the freighters, weren’t designed for the knocking around that came while trawling for fuel in the upper atmosphere of gas giants.
    â€œPick a big one and make it happen, Skipper. Once we’ve refueled the fleet, I want to dispatch one of the couriers back home to bring them up to date. All we’ve got to tell so far is a lot of nothing, but I suspect they’d like to know that.”
    â€œWe were lucky last time and only took two days, Princess. It could take longer this time.”
    â€œI don’t have a problem, Captain. Whatever is out there will still be out there when we’re ready.”
    A gas giant wasn’t too far from their jump point. The fleet decelerated toward it at 1.3 gees.
    Kris was on the bridge as they approached orbit. The Mercury had already deployed a balloot and was dropping away for its first run at skimming the outer atmosphere of the planet.
    At Sensors, Chief Beni shook his head. “There’s something wrong with my instruments,” he muttered.
    â€œThat would be unusual,” Kris said.
    â€œYes, and I’ve checked them. I can’t find anything wrong with them, but this can’t be right?”
    â€œWhat can’t be right?” The chief now had Captain Drago’s attention.
    â€œThere are eleven decent-sized moons around this puppy. According to my readouts, they have wobbled a smidge farther away from the planet than they were just after we came through the jump.”
    â€œThey are in unstable orbits?” the captain said.
    â€œIf what I’m reading is right, they sure are. It’s not a lot, but then, we’ve only been observing them for a few hours. Let me check with the boffins. Just a minute.”
    Kris was at her usual station, Weapons. She’d brought it up more out of habit than any expectation of a shoot. She doublechecked her board; all four of the Wasp ’s 24-inch pulse lasers were locked and loaded.
    â€œHey,” the chief looked up in surprise. “One of the moons has a hot spot.”
    â€œA volcano?” Kris asked.
    â€œMaybe,” the chief muttered, his eyes studying his board. “What’s this? A bit of electromagnetic activity as well?”
    â€œTalk to me, Chief,” the captain said.
    â€œIt just showed up as the moon’s rotation brought it into view. I’m on it, sir.”
    â€œStay on it, Chief.”
    â€œI’ve got Professor mFumbo calling me. Could someone else take the call?” the chief said, not breaking concentration.
    â€œI’ve got it,” Kris said. “Bridge here, Professor. We’re kind of busy just now.”
    â€œI am answering Chief Beni’s call about these damnable orbits. Yes, all the moons orbiting this gas giant are dancing a very strange polka.”
    â€œAny ideas why?” Kris asked.
    â€œNo idea. I’ve never heard of this happening before. It’s as if this giant used to have a lot more mass and lost it, and now its gravitational hold on its moons is adjusting to the sudden weight loss.
    Captain Drago scowled at the forward screen. The Mercury was about to take away some more of the planet’s mass as it filled its balloot with gases that would be transferred to the ships of the fleet to use as reaction mass for their fusion reactors. The fleet would need a lot of mass to refuel.
    Still, what they removed would hardly matter to something as big as this gas giant and its moons. Kris