Free Warrior Chronicles 4: Warrior's Wrath by Shawn Jones Page A

our planets without being detected?” Cort asked the next morning. He was fidgeting and desperately wanted out of the medical bed he was confined to.
    Lex answered, “Yes, sir. They use an Alcubierre drive, similar to our own. We retrieved a lot of information from the ships that Kim destroyed. Their hulls use charged tachyon shielding. Essentially it creates a warp bubble around their ships all the time. The only reason you were able to see them when you did is because they moved through a flare in the planet’s ionosphere. It overloaded their shielding.”
    “Have we found a way to detect them normally?”
    “Not yet, but if they fire their weapons, we can detect them immediately. On the upside, we have gone through the sensors on the one ship they lost at the H’uuman homeworld. They cannot detect us, either. Also, we lost a complete ship. The Beretta transitioned at the same time as the Core was compromised. We have no idea what happened to them.”
    Cort sighed. “That was Captain Ross, wasn’t it?”
    “Yes, sir.”
    “Okay, List them as missing and presumed dead. They died in their attempt to save Dalek, so reward them as such.”
    “Yes, sir.” Lex repeated.
    The female doctor from the previous day entered the room with Kim. “General, I have gone over the specs on your HAWC suit. Your idea will work, but at a price.”
    Turning toward Lex, Cort said, “Okay, the Kalashnikov can deploy the HAWC. Notify them Speral and I will be onboard as soon as I can be moved into the suit. I want Captain Munroe and Mike Rage with us.”
    Lex started to object, but Cort raised his hand. “Lex, I’m not taking any chances. If something happens on Nill, I still need people that can help Kim get our boy. You are my backup plan.”
    Dejectedly, Lex said, “Yes, sir.”
    “General,” the doctor interrupted, “I think you need to know what the risks are, sir.”
    “It doesn’t matter what they are, Doc. This is my son we are talking about. I’ll hear you out, but my mind is made up. So what do I need to know?”
    “Your synthetics produce a lot more waste when you are healing, and you will be healing for a long time. When you are healthy, it is not a problem because the digestive system is so efficient. You are going to need some sort of waste system inside the suit. The simplest solution would be to allow the suit to dump waste into the environment, but I would rather not leave our synthetics, even spent ones, on an alien world for them to study.”
    “I promise you, Doc, there won’t be anyone left on that planet to study my shit.”
    “I am sure, sir, and I understand your feelings. But I am planning for the worst. If you fail, they may be able to study it and find weaknesses to use in the subsequent war against the federation.”
    “Ah. Okay. I can’t argue with that. Then set me up with a tank. What else?”
    “Your healing is going to take a lot longer. Especially your leg. We were barely able to save it, General. You may lose it if you put too much stress on your body.”
    “Have you met Captain Munroe, doctor?”
    “No, sir.”
    “She was a petty officer who lost her legs in the Cuplan war. Rather than settle for prosthetics, she had her stumps removed and grew new legs.”
    “Oh my gods! I read about that.”
    “Exactly. She went through that just to be one of my Marines. What do you think I would go through to get my son back?”
    “I understand.”
    Turning to Kim, Cort said, “The wolves stay with you this time. While I am gone to Nill, make sure their armor is in good shape. I want you and Lex to mobilize the wolfpacks and be ready to go the minute we get back. Have JJ put everything but system ships on alert. The minute I know where our target is, I want her to be ready to send every black ship we have ahead of us.”
    “That means you have a plan, baby.”
    “Yeah. I plan to get our son back. Then I am going to wipe those fuckers from the universe.”
    When Kim and the others left, Cort