Free Battleship Avenger (Conquest of Stars Book 2) by Sid Kar Page A

us.”
    “I agree sir,”
Barryett replied, “I never liked or even understood the idea of sending a
single starship, even a new and amazingly powerful one such as this, all alone
to defend a protectorate. The Empire’s policy has always been to send at least
three starships for every mission.”
    “Thus the Emperor
should hear of this,” Tollvyk said.
    Raptor and
Barryett said nothing to this but only looked at each other for a few seconds.
Both of them knew that jumping over so many ranks and going straight to the
Emperor was considered bad form and rudeness and disrespect towards Army’s
hierarchy. Barryett just shrugged and turned back to look out into the space
meanwhile Raptor turned his attention to the flight data.
    “Commodore Raptor,
two Mercurian ships are breaking off the battle and turning around towards us,”
Horyett said.
    “I don’t want to
waste energy on them, but I do want to relieve Gen. Bakus,” Raptor said, “VC
Barryett, what do you suggest?”
    “Run to the Sun?”
Barryett said.
    “Yes, let’s do
that,” Raptor said, “Flyptar put us on the path to this system’s star at
accelerating speed but make sure that the two Mercurians are able to keep
pace.”
    “Yes sir, turning
to the sun,” Flyptar replied.
    Starship
Conquistador turned to the star of Nestor system and sped off straight towards
it. The two Mercurian spaceships hesitated a few seconds and then followed it.
The Mercurians tried hard to catch it but every time they closed distance,
Conquistador just accelerated some more, as if playing a game and toying with
its pursuers, letting them come closer in hope and then effortlessly speeding
away from them.
    The heat and light
became more and more intense as they flew ever closer to the star’s surface.
Finally, Raptor ordered the metallic plates drawn over the command room to
curtain off the transparent diamond shield and to avoid the intense luminosity
from ruining their eyes.
    The Mercurians
kept up the pursuit and Conquistador kept flying ever closer to the star. The
strain from the heat started taking its toll on the surface of all three ships
and the metal began melting.
    “Hold steady,”
Raptor said. If he turned around now he would provide the Mercurians a clear
shot to let loose tens or even hundreds of rockets at him. He had taken the
risk and now he had to see it through.
    “Star’s
gravitational force is approaching no return horizon,” Horyett said.
    “How much longer
to the no return boundary?” Raptor asked.
    “Five minutes and
thirty seconds,” Horyett replied.
    “Hold steady,”
Raptor said, “They have to give up soon.”
    The chase
continued for two more minutes. After one more minute Raptor was ready to turn
around and open up with full force of his rockets and lasers and settle it with
a showdown after all.
    “Tollvyk, stack
two hundred Ober Rockets on standby, equal distribution against targets,”
Raptor said.
    “Rockets on
standby,” Tollvyk said, “Commodore, are you sure you want to use up that many?”
    “If they don’t
quit, I have no choice,” Raptor said, “A hundred rockets aimed at each might
give us an opening to make a run back unimpeded.”
    “No return horizon
in two minutes and thirty seconds,” Horyett said.
    Raptor wanted to
turn around but begged himself for one more minute. The Mercurians kept on the
tail. Perhaps the Mercurian metallurgical science was far ahead of them but he
knew from their ship’s operations that their engines were not. Their no return
horizon had to be much earlier than for Conquistador.
    The crew sat
stunned with sweat forming both due to the fear of what lay ahead and the
rapidly rising temperature of the room.
    “Activate cooling
gases,” Raptor ordered.
    “Cooling gases
circulating,” VC Barryett replied.
    The temperature
held steady for a few seconds but once again began to rise. Barryett kept
increasing the circulation of the cooling gases let out from the storages but
they could not