Free The War Across the Stars by Alex Pennington

Ryan said.  “But only took out some SAS.  When we went back inside the building, Robert stood there, just down the hall, with his H-81 pointed at us.  He fired once, hit Johnston’s arm, and slipped behind the corner.  Dylan did some serious screaming and then barreled down the hall.  About then, more Vorgians than I took the time to count, came out in place of Robert.  That made us run.  As we scrambled back up the hill, Francis Gonyon was shot in the leg and fell over.  Plus, I have no idea what happened to Johnston,” Ryan concluded. 
    I began pondering where Francis was. 
    “What about the A-Z?” I asked. 
    “Probably in Vorgian hands…” Ryan sighed.  “Oh yeah… probably right were it doesn’t belong.”
    We began to leave the atmosphere of Sontonos. 
    “Fella’s… we have a major problem!” Wanda informed us in her Elpheran accent. 
    “What might that be?” Ryan asked. 
    “Only rubble remains... Sensors show there is quite a bit.” 
    Once again I climbed up the central ladder.  In the distance I could see the Vorgian Fleet.  Several Frigates, Cruisers, Destroyers, and the two Avenger Class Battleships representing all that was left of the Vorgian defense. However, that was far more than enough to destroy our transport.  I slid back down the ladder and heard the COM crackle on. 
    “This is Captain Palmer… Are you there?” 
    “Yessir!” Airman Xavier said happily. 
    “We warped back to the fleet at Enphuerzo, which by the way, is mostly controlled by us.  The Marines are doing their job.  On a grimmer note, the Sontonos warp beacon was destroyed during the battle.  That means the only way to get back is via Ultradrive.  Your orders are to warp here ASAP,” Palmer ordered.
    Then, an unfamiliar voice came over the COM. 
    “We are under fire from the laser satellites!  Shields are terribly low!  We have…” the COM produced a string of static.  “…Drive,” The COM suddenly spat out. 
    “Wah?  Repeat last transmission,” Wanda requested. 
    “Warp…down… need to… quickly!” the voice said in between static. 
    “Sir?” Wanda said as she resumed communication with Captain Palmer.  
    “Yes?” Palmer asked. “Our warp drive is out and I think that the Raiders just lost theirs.”
    “Curses…” Palmer answered.  “Attempt landing on Tronadan.  Wait there for rescue.” 
    “Understood sir!”  Wanda exclaimed, as she pulled hard on the controls. 
    I felt the ship lurch to the side and ahead I could see Tronadan, the habitable moon of Sontonos.
    “Um… whappening?” Max asked. 
    “We can’t warp and these new transports don’t use Ultradrive.”  Ryan explained.  “We’ll be forced to await rescue on the moon over there.”
    “Oh… Why don’t they just warp in and pick us up then?” Max questioned. 
    “Do you ever listen?” I yelled at him.  “The warp beacon was destroyed!” 
    “Who… how am I s’posed to know how that silly thing works? “ 
    “We do!” Nevin, Ryan, Phil, and I said. 
    “Oh…” Max mumbled. 
    “And I’ll gladly explain it,” Phil said excitedly. 
    “Oh no,” Nevin said.  “Not again.”
    “Alright, let's begin,” Phil stated, ignoring Nevin’s comments.  “There are eleven… correction… ten warp beacons in the Jerico System, one at each planet.  It produces a field around it large enough to encompass multiple dreadnaughts.  This field prevents ships from warping on top of each other.  Now this only registers recently warped ships.  A flaw in the current system is if a ship travels through normal space over the Beacon, such as those fighters, the field will not detect it.  It was designed primarily for warping in fleets.  That way every ship in the fleet has it’s own place to appear after a warp,” Phil explained. 
    “Make sense?”  
    “Oh… what?” Max asked.  “Do you need me to repeat that?” Phil asked. 
    “Oh! Um… I get it. Yeah, that’s it.