The Dying Light by Sean Williams, Shane Dix Read Free Book Online Page B

noise. “If you have any idea at all what that anomaly is, I want to hear it.”
    “I now have several theories, Morgan. Which is the correct one, of course, remains to be seen.”
    Roche opened her mouth to demand an outline of the various possibilities, but was cut off by a sudden lurch upward. Her stomach dropped, then rose again, into her chest.
    “We’re experiencing gravity fluctuations,” said Kajic. “I can only keep us going another fifty seconds.”
    Roche studied the main screen, momentarily tempted to call a halt. Their planned arrival point was inching slowly closer. Given a further half-minute, they would almost make it. She decided to trust Kajic’s instincts.
    “There must be some way to dampen the shock waves,” she said.
    “I’ll raise the E-shields, but I don’t think that’ll help much.” The ex-captain’s voice sounded strained.
    “Whatever you can do, Uri.”
    The noise worsened, despite the shields, as did the rolling sensation in Roche’s gut. Mali, lacking eyes of her own and therefore more susceptible to balance problems, looked decidedly uncomfortable. Haid had taken the precaution of fastening his impact harness. Cane, behind him, was as steadfast as ever—but even he swayed when a particularly strong wave shunted the ship in an unexpected direction.
    Roche watched the seconds counting down on the big screen: 21... 20... 19...
    The shock waves became inseparable, and the ship seemed to toss on the surface of a stormy sea. Red lights flickered on and off across all the boards, registering slight damage across the hull. Most would be repaired almost instantly by the tide of maintenance nanomachines swarming over every external surface of the ship, but the fact that they were occurring at all was disturbing.
    Ten seconds remained.
    Roche watched their destination creep closer. It was becoming increasingly difficult to hear over the prolonged groan surrounding them.
    The lights flickered once, steadied, then flickered again.
    “We have a standing wave in sectors G through K,” announced Kajic grimly. “Preparing to abort the slow-jump.”
    Five seconds. Roche winced as the smell of ozone reached her nose.
    Three seconds. On the main screen, the difference between the ship’s current location and its destination was measured in millimeters.
    Two seconds—
    “Aborting now,” said Kajic, the very instant artificial gravity ceased entirely. A siren began to wail a split second later. The lights flickered a third time as the drive drained power from the bulk of the ship to translate itself safely back into real-space. In the short-lived darkness, Roche actually heard the engines strain—a deep, regular thrumming coming from somewhere to her left. Their tempo was rapid but reassuringly regular under the circumstances.
    Then the lights returned, unsteadily and noticeably dimmer than they usually were. Space twisted inside out, and the floor bucked under her feet. Her momentum tried to pull her forward, onto the floor and across the bridge. Gripping the chair’s armrests even tighter, she resisted the impetus with all her strength. To her left, Maii lost a similar battle and skidded on her knees into a bank of instruments. Even Cane staggered, clasping Haid’s shoulder to keep his balance.
    The floor bucked again, this time in the opposite direction. Maii gasped in pain as she slid backward and collided with her seat. The bulkheads around them likewise groaned in protest.
    “Uri!” Roche shouted above the racket. “What’s happening?”
    “We are experiencing difficulty emerging from hyperspace,” said the Box, its voice amplified but calm— too calm for Roche’s liking. “I will act as an intermediary between Kajic and yourself for the time being. The ship is his primary concern at the moment.”
    Another jolt almost cost Roche her grip. She reached behind and over her shoulder to fasten the seat’s restraint harness. “Are we going to make it?”
    “I should think