Free Ep.#6 - "Head of the Dragon" (The Frontiers Saga) by Ryk Brown Page B

first two are lucky shots. With what we’ve got, we can take down five ships at the most, less if they’re heavy cruisers. How many ships do the Ta’Akar still have? About a dozen?”
    “I think they’re down to fourteen now,” Cameron clarified.
    “So we can only take out about a third of their fleet,” Nathan surmised. “I don’t think that’s going to be enough to bring them to their knees.”
    “Maybe we’ll find something of use on the Loranoi,” Cameron suggested.
    “Doubtful,” Nathan disagreed. “You saw her; she was all missile batteries.”
    “Nevertheless, we should send a team over to check out her armaments and weapons stores. We should check out her weapons targeting systems and electronic countermeasures while we’re at it.”
    “Send Mister Willard along with them,” Nathan ordered. “He knows the Takaran systems pretty well.”
    “Yes, sir,” Cameron acknowledged.
    The hatch alarm beeped. “Enter,” he called out.
    Major Prechitt stepped through the hatch, closing it behind him. “Excuse me sir, but we’ve completed our initial assessment of the Corinari forces still operating on Corinair.”
    Nathan could see the distress on the major’s face. He could hear it in his voice. “What is it, Major?”
    “They must have known exactly where to hit us, sir,” Major Prechitt began. “They knew where every command center was located across the entire planet. As best we can tell, they hit them all at once.”
    “How bad is it?” Cameron asked.
    “The most senior man to report in so far has been a captain running an ordnance disposal unit. According to the survivors on the surface, Corinari Command has been off the air planet wide since the initial attack. We’ve flown over all major continents on the planet multiple times and made contact with over a hundred groups of Corinari, but they all tell the same story. There are men left to fight and some equipment and weapons to fight with, but there is no one to lead them.” Major Prechitt took a deep breath, looking the captain straight in the eyes. “Right now, I’m the most senior Corinari officer known to have survived the attack.”
    “What does that mean?” Nathan asked.
    “It means, sir, that as of now, I’m in command of all remaining Corinari forces.”
    “You’re kidding me,” Nathan responded, his mouth agape.
    “No, sir, I’m not.”
    “Any word on the government? Did anyone survive?” Cameron asked.
    “Nothing yet. There’s a rumor that the Aitkenna bunker survived the strike but is buried under the debris. A team is on their way there now to see if they can determine if anyone is still alive down there.”
    Nathan looked at the major, knowing full well how he felt. Having that much responsibility suddenly thrust upon you was not a pleasant feeling. Fortunately, Major Prechitt had over a decade of experience in the Corinari, so Nathan was pretty sure he could handle it. “We’ll be entering orbit over Corinair in about ten minutes, Major. We can have comms broadcast to all Corinari units on the surface. Let them know that you have taken command. It will take us a few orbits to get the word out to everyone, but it will be faster than flying around in fighters and shuttles, at least until some sort of communication network is re-established on the surface.”
    “Yes, sir. Thank you,” Major Prechitt answered, turning to exit the ready room.
    “It probably goes without saying, Major,” Nathan continued, “but the first priority should be to your available forces and resources.”
    “Yes, sir.”
    “And quickly,” Nathan added.
    Major Prechitt nodded and continued through the hatch.
    As soon as he had left the room, Cameron spoke again. “You know what this means, don’t you?”
    “What?”
    “You’re his commanding officer. That makes you indirectly in charge of all the Corinari.”
    “I did not need to hear that, you know,” Nathan stated, casting a disapproving look her way.

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