Retribution: The Augmented Human Rebellion - Book 2 by Terry Lefler Read Free Book Online Page A

exit under the fence.  They hide the tunnel by
covering the holes with camouflage fabric.  The team re-boards their
buggy, and moves as quickly as possible toward their awaiting shuttle.
    ***
    It isn’t going to be possible to make the launch in time, if they don’t
do something.  And it is very important that they be at the right place,
at the right time.  There is a special asteroid headed their way, which
will take them out of the Zarn system.  If they miss that rendezvous they will be in a quandary.
    The pilot on the Darinx Shuttle has been watching the clock, and knows
that the escape part of the mission is running behind.  From her vantage
point, she can see that the buggy isn’t going to make it in time.
    Contingency plans have been made for every foreseeable problem. 
There are several options available, but the one the pilot picks is to move the
escape vehicle closer to the buggy.  That might leave them a little short
of the compressed air needed for propulsion, when it is time to launch from the
moon - it will be close.
    The pilot adjusts the thrusters so that the Shuttle will stay close to
the moon’s surface, and hits the GO button.  The Shuttle lurches upward
and outward in the direction of the buggy.  There will be very little
noise from the burst of air, because the moon has almost no atmosphere. 
The danger is that Verm Navy sensors may pick up the movement of the Shuttle,
as it travels from the back side of the moon, into a higher visibility area.
    The pilot finds a clear space for a landing and does her best to control
the crash - - - not bad.  They won’t know for a while whether their
movement has been detected, but they are close to being able to make their
launch in time.
    The team on the buggy also saves some time, by ditching the buggy in a
crater and hopping the last 20 klicks to the waiting shuttle.   As
soon as the team is inside, the pilot closes the hatch and hits the GO button
for the programmed launch.
    Once again, there is the possibility that some motion sensors will pick
up the Darinx Shuttle’s compressed air launch, because the Shuttle is more
exposed.  There is nothing that they can do about that - every mission
needs some luck or divine grace.   
    ***
    Back at the unstable star System
    The mission has gone surprisingly well.  The results aren’t known yet
and the Admiral isn’t going to stick around to find out.  The best time to
get out of this region of space is before the tower falls.  Afterwards,
the Verm Navy will clamp down, on everyone and everything.  The Admiral
has left a probe, which will observe the tower.  If there is an explosion
at the tower, the probe will record that explosion and will then launch for
coordinates in deep space, in another Sector.
    The Admiral won’t know for some months, whether or not this mission has
been successful.  And she doesn’t feel that it will be necessary to tell
the Verm Navy that the Sweetwater Fleet is responsible, if the tower is
destroyed.  The buggy on the 3 rd moon will be enough to prove
that it was the Darinx Navy.  And you don’t need to be a rocket scientist,
to figure out exactly who the culprit might be.
    Once again, it’s a mission with no loss of life and no loss of ships -
amazing.
    Now it’s on to the next target – after a quick stop to check on her
little lost AI. 
    ***

Chapter
5
    In Space Outside of the Rison System
    Getting to planet Rison is fairly simple, and Shiela has spent the travel time becoming
expert on the battleships’ systems.  She can fight a good fight all by
herself if she needs to.
    She emerges at the edge of the Rison system and notifies everyone of her
presence, and that she comes in peace.  As the Rison Defense Forces close
in on her position, she asks them not to approach any closer than 50,000
klicks.  She only wants information.
    The commander of the Rison Defense Forces chooses to give the Verm
battleship the personal space, which it requested.  There