Ep.#1 - "Escalation" (The Frontiers Saga: Rogue Castes) by Ryk Brown Read Free Book Online

asked.
    “They have been defeated as well.”
    “I’ve lost plasma torpedo generators three and five,” the systems officer reported.
    “Incoming message from Ranni Enterprises,” the comms officer announced. “It’s Doran Montrose, their chief of security. He is requesting an evac shuttle for Mister Hiller, and Doctors Sato and Megel.”
    “Hiller?” Commander Hyam asked, unfamiliar with the name.
    “Deliza Ta’Akar’s husband,” Commander Golan reminded him. “I thought they had their own shuttle?”
    “Mister Montrose says that Miss Ta’Akar has the shuttle and is overdue to return,” the comms officer explained.
    “Launch a rescue shuttle,” the commander ordered. “And tell Mister Montrose to be ready.”
    “Where did those fighters come from?” Commander Hyam asked. He turned to the sensor officer. “Did that battleship launch any fighters or troop shuttles?”
    “No, sir.”
    “I think I know where they came from,” Commander Golan said. “Helm, jump us around to the far side of Corinair. Maximum orbit.”
    “They wanted us on this side of Corinair,” Commander Hyam realized. His brow furrowed as he continued to think. “Whose ships are these?”
    “I don’t know,” Commander Golan admitted, “but they knew enough about us to keep us on the opposite side of their invasion force.”
                  
    The shuttle’s windows turned opaque as the tiny ship completed its last jump.
    Deliza looked up from her data pad, noticing that the window had cleared and was not turning opaque again. “I guess we’re home. Time to call in our order. I want to start eating the moment we hit the conference room.”
    “You and me both,” Biarra agreed.
    The shuttle veered sharply to port. Although the ship had inertial dampeners that were capable of protecting the occupants of the shuttle from most maneuvers, they could still feel the force of the extremely abrupt turn.
    Deliza grabbed her armrests to steady herself. “What is it?” she called to Loki in the cockpit. It wasn’t the first time they had been forced to make a sudden maneuver just after jumping into a heavily-populated system, despite the use of standard arrival zones used by most of the populated systems of the Pentaurus cluster.
    “Get secure!” Loki demanded.
    Deliza immediately rose from her seat and moved forward toward the cockpit.
    “I told you to get secure,” Loki said impatiently, noticing Deliza entering the cockpit.
    “I am,” Deliza insisted as she squeezed between Loki and the copilot’s seat and sat down in the right seat. “I’m just doing it in here. What’s going on?”
    “Look,” Loki said, pointing at the screen in the middle of the console.
    Deliza studied the screen, her eyes narrowing. “Why are all those ship icons red?”
    “Red means hostile,” Loki replied.
    “Isn’t that one the Avendahl?” Deliza said, pointing at the large blue icon.
    “Avendahl, Avendahl. This is Ranni One, holding two million kilometers from Corinair. We show multiple unidentified hostiles. Are you engaged?”
    “ Ranni One, Avendahl. We are under attack by at least six ships. Three have been destroyed. Corinair is being invaded. ”
    “Oh, my God!” Deliza exclaimed.
    “ Suggest you remain clear. ”
    “We have to get to the office,” Deliza insisted. “Yanni… Your wife and baby… Michi and Turi…”
    “Avendahl, Ranni One, negative. We have primaries on the surface that must be evacuated. Requesting safe approach recommendations.”
    “ Negative, Ranni One. Stay clear. We have a rescue shuttle on its way to your offices now. ”
                  
    Doran, Yanni, and the others all crouched down behind the blast wall that protected passersby from the thrust of landing and departing shuttles. Flashes appeared all over the sky in groups of three to six every other minute or so.
    “Are they ours?” Yanni wondered as he stared at the flashes of light in the evening skies over Aitkenna.
    “Some