Burning Bridges - Chapter 2
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- Category: Fiction
- Published: Tuesday, 19 July 2016 09:42
- Written by Don Branum
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TNS Galahad
Ross 154 System
29 September 2142
"Ma'am, I'm detecting a trans-D threshold," Crewman Fayola Mbeki said. Heading one-zero-two by plus-one-zero, distance ... 500 kilometers."
"Birds," Kim Masterson said. "Sound general quarters." As an alarm klaxon began blaring, she continued, "Helm, make our course two-six-zero by minus-one-six, distance two kilomters. Put the asteroid between us and them."
"Aye aye. Setting course," the helmsman said.
"Crewman Mbeki, disable active sensors, but keep our passive sensors trained on the threshold. As soon as you read ships, let me know what we've got."
The klaxon ceased. "Aye, ma'am. How many are we expecting?" she asked.
"No idea," Kim said. "But it's probably the same number that hit the outpost the first time."
"Ma'am, we're in position behind the asteroid," said Petty Officer 2nd Class Amiyah Khan, who sat at helm.
"Acknowledged, Khan. Rig us for low emissions."
"Aye aye, rigging for low emissions," Khan said. The ship's lights dimmed, several uncrewed consoles on the bridge powered down, and Kim floated into her chair's harnesses as the ship's artificial gravity systems shut down. "We'll have about two hours before we have to vent the ship's heat sinks."
