Nowhere to Run by Saxon Andrew Read Free Book Online Page A

seconds later.” There was a pause and D said, “Other space is disrupted and the shock wave from the cannon blast extended more than a hundred thousand miles beyond our current location.”
    Doc had a small grin, “Dee, see if you’re receiving any frequencies of the FTL Destroyers.”
    “I’ll activate the antenna for a hundredth of a second as soon as the scan passes over us again.” A moment later she looked up at Doc and he saw the shock in her eyes, “Six thousand are scattered around the system.”
    Doc stared at the display and said, “This is a pretty good defensive tool they’ve developed.”
    Dom said, “How is that?”
    “If other space is disrupted, nothing can jump in to attack the planet.”
    Dee heard the statement and her mind went active. “We’ve got to be able to get out of here without being seen.” Dom and Doc looked at her, “They’re going to move ships from another planet to see if the original communication was intercepted. If nothing happens they’ll know we aren’t watching their planets and will start the search for the Union.”
    Doc looked up at the display and knew she was right. Doc shook his head, “They won’t be communicating with the planet being chosen so there’s no way we can know which one is being selected.”
    Dom and Dee looked at Doc and wondered what could be done.

Chapter Four
    T he Admiral stared at the display and said, “Nothing! Absolutely nothing!”
    The Hub Computer said, “That is problematic on two fronts.”
    “What?”
    “If there were no ships here to intercept the message, they would have had to have ships watching Aeredom. If they have ships watching our planets, then it would absolutely mean they would have ships here at our most heavily defended planet watching us.”
    “You expected enemy ships would appear here?”
    “I did.”
    “So you really thought they intercepted our communications and broke the encryption?”
    “I must confess that seemed like the most logical explanation.”
    “I don’t see how you made that determination.”
    “What is the highest number of enemy ships we’re seen in any of our contacts with them?”
    The Admiral thought a moment and said, “Three.”
    “If they had a huge number, I would think they would have used them before now. If they don’t have huge numbers…”
    “Then they can’t watch all of our planets.”
    “Exactly.”
    “So what’s the optimum course of action now?”
    “We send ships from another planet and see if it’s attacked.”
    “The First Councilor has selected Munnik as the next one to send ships to search.”
    The Hub Computer said, “Another adversary on the Council.”
    “He’s justified it by saying it’s the furthest from the center of the Common.”
    “It is out on the edge.”
    “Do you support doing this?”
    “Of course not but it will clarify what’s going on. If Munnik is attacked then they are watching all of our planets but this one.”
    The Admiral thought a moment and said, “They’re avoiding this one because of the defenses.”
    “That would explain why one of their ships didn’t appear during the disruption.”
    The Admiral stared at the display and said, “I am not going to send a communication to Munnik. I’ll send a ship with instructions and orders.”
    “That would be wise. If nothing happens to the planet, we’ll have to continue to not communication openly. If something does, that would indicate our planets are being watched and they didn’t intercept our communication.”
    “I’ll have to send a ship that’s docked here. I can’t send a communication to the ships not here. It will also take the ship some time to move outside the disrupted area to jump to Munnik.” The Admiral thought for a moment, “How long is the disruption going to last?”
    “Another four days.”
    “What happens then?”
    The Hub Computer said, “I’ll disrupt it again. That will prevent an enemy ship from jumping in to this system.”
    The