Free Scrapyard Ship 3 Space Vengeance by Mark Wayne McGinnis Page B

Allied Forces Commander, Jason’s father Admiral Reynolds was in command of the EOUPA fleet, as well as its ragtag forces now assembling in space. The logistics alone had become an overwhelming nightmare for the admiral, and Jason had seen and heard little from his father over the past week. In lieu of that, the admiral was adamant that his commanders come up with better, more effective strategies than those proposed thus far.
    Jason entered the bridge. The wraparound display, showing the outpost below, was a vision to behold. Freshly painted, the fleet of two hundred and thirty destroyers, light cruisers, and heavy battle cruisers shimmered under the midday sun. Each vessel bore a large U.S. flag at its aft section. Looking at the warships on display, Jason became more cognizant of another potential complication. The vessels’ pilots were mostly Craing, and out-and-out bribery had been used to entice those same Craing prisoners to join the Allied fleet. But it was the threat of being sent back home to the Craing worlds that worked best. Dishonored by a defeat against significantly fewer ships at the edge of the solar system, the captured Craing crewmembers faced public humiliation and inevitable execution if they ever returned home. Jason wondered if they would hold to their new Allied allegiance during intense battle situations … or would their previous loyalty to the Craing Empire re-manifest itself?
    Jason gave the order to set down at the designated landing zone, but to keep all systems active and at the ready.
     
    * * *
     
    The admiral had assembled his fleet commanders in the outpost mess hall and Jason took a seat just as Admiral Reynolds moved to the front of the room.
    “ The Craing will most assuredly be ready for us. The same unconventional methods used by Captain Reynolds and The Lilly crew to defeat the Craing at the edge of our solar system will be expected and, if tried again, could be used against us.”
    Heads turned in Jason’s direction. He felt scrutiny from the other officers as they assessed him. Not only was he the admiral’s son, he had defeated an overwhelming force and virtually saved their planet. There wasn’t a man or woman present, Jason thought, who didn’t want to prove they were just as capable, or even more so, than he.
    The admiral continued. “With that said, we have been studying the combat vids from that battle and have uncovered several potential weaknesses within the Craing defenses.” The admiral proceeded then to talk specifics, including the use of drone fighters, combined centralized attack formations, and better utilization and distribution of shields.
    Unfortunately, Jason thought to himself, none of that was going to be enough. Perhaps he should have pushed Granger and the Caldurians harder to upgrade the weaponry on the outpost’s fleet and not just on The Lilly. But Granger had been fairly clear that the Caldurians weren’t ready to go that far. It seemed the last thing the Caldurians wanted was an imbalance of military might in the universe, and a force, perhaps, to contend with further on. Simply put, they did not trust us yet. So … the one technological advancement they were given access to would have to be enough.
    “ With the detection of the Craing fleet on long-range scans,” the admiral continued, “I’ve had numerous enquiries as to how we’ll even reach the Allied systems in time to make a difference. But there have been some new and, quite frankly, exciting developments in that regard. Captain Reynolds, please come on up and give your report.”
    Jason made his way to the front of the room where the thousand-plus seated officers silently waited for him to take the podium.
    Jason pointed out the large floor-to-ceiling windows to the airfield beyond and the hundreds of warships sitting at the ready. “What if each one of those vessels had the capability to reach virtually anywhere in the universe—and do so in the blink of an eye? This