Rumors of Honor (System States Rebellion Book 2) by Dietmar Wehr Read Free Book Online Page A

corridors.
     
    Trojan
let the auto-pilot take the recon craft down to 500 meters altitude, at which
point the Air Defense Center computers took control and brought the craft to a
soft landing at the makeshift spaceport that was just over five kilometers from
the construction site. Trojan checked the time before exiting the craft. He
still had a couple of hours of daylight left, plenty of time to inspect
progress on the project. As he stepped down onto the ground, he took in a deep
breath. The air smelled sweet and moist with that noticeable odor that always
seemed to precede rain. He noticed a flash of lightning in the distance and
counted until he heard the thunder. As he waited, he saw the groundcar
approaching. It pulled up in front of him and the rear door slid open. He
stepped inside and by the time he was seated, the door had closed and the
vehicle was smoothly accelerating under the control of its own auto-pilot.
     
    “Take
me to the Project Offices,” said Trojan. The auto-pilot repeated the
destination. There was no rush to get to the temporary quarters that he knew
were set aside for his use. He wanted to get a good look at the site while
there was still enough light to see it. No sooner had the auto-pilot confirmed
the destination then Trojan started to hear rain hit the roof of the vehicle.
That would reduce visibility from the Project Offices observation deck a bit,
but at least it wouldn’t interfere with the work. Majestic’s component panels
were all waterproof.
     
    “Project
Admin, can you hear me?” asked Trojan. A familiar voice came back almost
immediately.
     
    “Loud
and clear, Gen—“
     
    “This
is ADC! Orbital radars have detected incoming missile attack! All personnel
head for the shelters! I repeat! We’re under missile attack! Head for shelters
now!”
     
    The
excited voice of the Air Defense Center technician was replaced by the familiar
voice of the member of his staff who had started to greet him. “General,
there’s not enough time for you to get to our shelters here! Suggest you tell
the vehicle to stop where you are! It’s unlikely the missiles will hit near
you!”
     
    “Okay,
Sam. You head for the shelters. Auto-pilot, stop the vehicle here!” He heard
the electronic confirmation as the vehicle came to a stop.
     
    “Good
luck, General!” said Sam. Trojan heard a click that told him that
communications had been cut.
     
    “Show
me where we are,” said Trojan. The small display above him came to life with a
topographical map of the area and a yellow flashing dot to indicate where the
groundcar was. Trojan noticed that the road he was on followed the contours of
a ridge. On the other side of that ridge was the valley where Site B was being
constructed. The ridge was high enough that someone on top could also see the
spaceport. He decided he needed to see what the incoming missiles would be
targeted on.
     
    “Open
the left door!” When the door slid back, he saw how hard it was raining now. If
he left the vehicle he’d get soaked in no time flat, but he was damned if he
was going to sit here when his people were in danger. At least he could see
what was happening if he could get to the top of the ridge. “Remain here until
I return!” He didn’t bother to wait until the auto-pilot had confirmed its
orders. Once outside the vehicle he looked at the side of the ridge. It was
covered in vegetation which would be slippery from the rain, but there were
enough bushes to grab hold of that he thought he could manage it. It was a good
thing he carried a pair of gloves. A lot of plant life on this planet had
thorns, and he didn’t relish the idea of clutching the wild plants with his
bare hands.
     
    The
climbing wasn’t as difficult as he had expected. Just as he made it to the top
of the ridge, he heard a sound coming from behind him, from the general
direction of the spaceport. He saw three yellow streaks coming down from the
sky. Missile warheads, still hot enough