Free To Well And Back (The Deep Dark Well) by Doug Dandridge Page B

off the hull, and pieces were flying off from
particle beam hits.  And then the ship sped away, the cameras following it as
far as possible before a violent maneuver caused the video to lose lock.
    “Keep a close watch on
those ships,” ordered the Admiral, pointing to the screen that showed the reduced
enemy force.  There were still six ships, though he was sure some of them were
damaged, but to what extent he couldn’t tell.
    “Yes, sir,” said the
tech, while the Admiral turned to look at the main viewer, which showed the
other nine vessels still firing at his.
    A cheer erupted as one
of those ships went up in a bright flash that brightened and expanded again
until there was nothing left but hot plasma.  The Admiral was about to say
something when Danaus shook and trembled, and the officer had to steady
himself to keep from falling.  He looked over at a nearby screen in time to see
the space station come apart like it was made of sand and a giant had kicked
it.  About twenty percent of the station just disappeared, while the rest broke
into pieces, none more than a ton.  The Admiral knew there were no survivors
from that strike.  Commodore Sundraka.  All of her crew.
    “They’re gone,” called
out a voice behind the Admiral, and he turned to look at the main viewer, and
the other three of his ships that were still in space over the planet.  The
rest were either completely gone or in pieces.
    “What the Hells
happened,” he croaked, noting the enemy ships that were now in close proximity
to his own.
    “They warped out in
their drive and came in among us,” yelled out the Navigator, who was staring
into a screen.  “That damned drive took out the station and the other eight
ships.”
    “Tactical,” yelled the
Admiral, a sinking feeling in his stomach, knowing the enemy ships were not in
a state of shock.  “Open fire on the nearest ship.”
    But the enemy beat his
ships to it, and Danaus shuddered again as particle beams craved into
her hull, imparting their kinetic energy.  A ship started venting gas and
secondary explosions blew through the hull.  Escape pods and shuttles launched,
the crew that still could getting off the ship while they could.  Some were
shot down before the angry eyes of the bridge crew, some drifted after taking
disabling shots, but most made it into the atmosphere.  Then a second of the
remaining ships blew up in a catastrophic detonation, then blew out again as
antimatter touched matter.  There would be no survivors from that one.
    “Get us the hell out of
here,” yelled the Admiral, knowing that they couldn’t get away in space.  The
Alcubierre drive vessels would catch them before they could accelerate up to
enough speed to escape, and would then wipe them from the Universe.  “Take us
around the planet.  Tell Aneus to follow.  Everyone prepare to abandon
ship as soon as we get clear of the enemy.  To the planet.”  And hopefully
to the base, where maybe we can gather enough strength to take to the jungle
and fight back if they come down .  At least for a little while .
    Danaus accelerated away from
the fight, going low and using the curve of the planet.  Alcuberrie drive could
not follow around the planet without swinging wide out, and they risked a
catastrophic collision with the large body if they tried to engage their drive
close in.  And the Suryan ships could accelerate much faster in normal space. 
They still took ten minutes of close in fire, and some close missile
explosions, but they made it around the planet, and kept increasing the
distance while the crew got to escape pods and shuttles.
    All the Nation ships
found when they finally caught up were two battleships scuttling in space,
blowing to pieces that fell into the atmosphere and burned up.  And a swarm of
small ships plunging into that atmosphere, headed to a landing on the planet
below.

Chapter Seven
     
     
    If the leader is filled with high ambition and
if he pursues his aims with