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

troop ship’s hull, and secondary explosions ignited. The target came apart, and a wave of satisfaction swept over the commander.
    The satisfaction was short-lived.
    “Jump flashes!” Lieutenant Cahnis reported from the sensor station. “Three contacts! The battleship and the cruisers! They’re launching missiles! More flashes! Oh, my God! Jump missiles! Dozens of them!”
    “Helm! Snap jump! Now! Now! Now!”
                  
    Pale-blue waves of energy poured out of the Avendahl’s jump field emitters. In the blink of an eye, the energy spread across her hull, joining with the other expanding pools of energy. In a fraction of a second, the Avendahl’s entire hull was covered with the jump field, its pale-blue light hugging the ship’s surface. Once formed, the blue field grew in its intensity, building rapidly toward a brilliant white as the ship began its jump.
    But the process was interrupted, as several dozen enemy jump missiles appeared only a few hundred meters away from the Avendahl, behind their own flashes of blue-white light. The missiles slammed into the Avendahl’s hull and detonated. Brilliant flashes of yellow, followed by orange and black clouds of fire and debris, ended the once-proud capital ship owned by the last truly noble house of Takara. The blue-white glow instantly disappeared behind the detonations. The orange and black clouds of fire died away in seconds, as whatever oxidizers had fed them were quickly consumed. Large sections of the hull scattered off in all directions, followed by sections of the mighty ship’s interior, as well as her crew. In only a few seconds, several thousand men, who had spent the last seven years standing guard over the people of the Darvano and Savoy systems, lost their lives.
    Corinair had lost its freedom once again.
                  
    “Oh, my God!” Deliza exclaimed as she stared at the shuttle’s sensor screen in disbelief.
    “What?” Loki wondered, turning his head toward the screen as well.
    “The icon for the Avendahl…”
    Loki looked at the sensor screen. The blue triangle that represented the Avendahl had changed to a circular field of blue dots, and the diameter of that field was growing.
    “Is it…?” Deliza couldn’t bring herself to say the words.
    Loki did not reply. “Avendahl, Avendahl,” he began after keying his mic. “This is Ranni One. Do you copy?” Loki paused for a moment, waiting for a response before continuing. “Avendahl, Avendahl. This is Ranni One. We’ve lost your track. Do you copy?” Loki closed his eyes. His mind was racing. He keyed his mic again. “Avendahl Rescue shuttle inbound to Ranni Enterprises. This is Ranni One. Do you copy?” Loki sighed. “This is Ranni One. Does anyone copy?”
    “ Ranni One, Jaker Two Seven! ” The caller’s voice was frantic and stressed. Loki could hear the familiar sound of a weapons lock warning alarm in the background, along with the sound of engines screaming at full power. “ Rescue One Five is down! ”
    “Jaker Two Seven, Ranni One,” Loki replied urgently. “Did Rescue One Five make their evac?”
    “ Negative! Nega… ” the transmission was cut short by the screech of a jump flash, another familiar sound to Loki after spending two years in the backseat of a Falcon jump interceptor. “ …need to get the hell out of here! ” the fighter pilot continued. “ The Avendahl is gone, and there are enemy fighters all over the fucking place! ”
    Loki heard the sound of the Takaran fighter’s plasma cannons in the background. “Jaker Two Seven, Ranni One. Who are they? Who is attacking Corinair?”
    “ It’s the fucking Ju… ”
    Loki looked at Deliza. Both their mouths were hanging open, and their eyes wide. “Jaker Two Seven! Did you say the attackers are Jung?” Loki waited for a moment, but got no response. “Jaker Two Seven, Ranni One! Do you copy?”
    “ Ranni One, Jaker Four Five! Two Seven is down! Strongly suggest you leave the