hovered only moments ago, a dazzling new sun erupted, appearing with remarkable suddenness. The Klikiss Torch system had slammed a neutron star into the gas giant’s core, triggering a full gravitational collapse.
All the remaining hydrogue cityspheres plunged through their transgates and the dimensional lines slammed shut. They had escaped, leaving only their guardian warglobes behind to retaliate against the human army.
DD had to adjust his sensors. The robots fled Ptoro so rapidly that the framework of their ship, designed to withstand the greatest of stresses, shuddered and rattled, threatening to break apart.
Then the whole planet caught on fire.
155TASIA TAMBLYN
Warglobes boiled out of the clouds of Ptoro. As the displaced neutron star caused the gas gaint to implode, scatters of lightning ricocheted off the clouds in eruptions of light that broke through from the first surge of a newborn star’s ignition.
“Shizz, look what we flushed out of the bushes,” said Tasia with a grim smile. “I guess they don’t like the present we just sent them.”
“Can’t take it back. Nothing they can do now except run.” Elly Ramirez chuckled, but her tense posture hinted at her level of anxiety.
Ensign Terene Mae made a disconcerting groan as the Manta’s viewer magnified the oncoming spiked spheres. “Doesn’t look like they’re running, Commander. They’re coming right at us.”
“Normally, I wouldn’t presume to guess how the drogues think,” Tasia said. “Right now, I’m fairly certain that they’re pissed off.”
Heedless of the warglobe threat, Sergeant Zizu read from the weapons displays in front of him. “Our deepest sensor buoys have been destroyed,
T A S I A T A M B L Y N
49
presumably by the ignition shockwave. The flamefront is rising.” He turned, grinning.
Several EDF Mantas shifted position to face the enemy spheres. Their armaments included fracture-pulse drones—shaped charges designed to shatter thick diamond material—and carbon slammers that would break carbon-carbon bonds in the crystalline structure.
“Battle stations!” Tasia said over the shipwide comm system.
Sergeant Zizu scanned the tactical readouts. “Slammers and fraks are in the launch tubes. Ready.”
Tasia nodded. “Escort cruisers, disperse and prepare to offer some covering fire!”
Blue lightning arced from point to point on the warglobes as the aliens discharged their weapons. Deadly bolts lanced toward the EDF targets, ripping streaks along the thick hull plates, bursting some bulkheads. The Mantas reeled and turned their damaged sectors away from further pummeling. New reinforced armor prevented the warships from being destroyed outright.
Tasia gripped the arms of her command chair. “Shizz, I’m not going to stand on ceremony—open fire whenever and wherever you see fit. Keep shooting as you pack up and retreat. It’s the better part of valor to escape now—let the Klikiss Torch do its stuff!”
The escort battleships launched a storm of jazer blasts and detonating charges. The hydrogues responded with even greater fury. Tasia’s bridge crew cried out in dismay when three drogue spheres converged on a single escort Manta, pounding it repeatedly until it was blown apart. Debris spread out in a cloud of wreckage, atmosphere, and bodies.
A second Manta exploded as the EDF ships accelerated, pulling away from the collapsing gas giant. More and more of the hydrogues kept coming, surrounding the EDF ships and cutting off their escape. Tasia’s only glimmer of pleasure was to see Ptoro beginning to glow with purifying fires from below. She’d had quite enough of the damned aliens.
“Come on, quit spinning your jets and take us out of here.”
“Hydrogue warglobes are pursuing, Commander!”
From far outside Ptoro’s orbit, a streak of fire rocketed past Tasia’s cruiser, a blazing ball as large as any warglobe, heading toward the dying planet. Then came a second, a third, and then ten
All the remaining hydrogue cityspheres plunged through their transgates and the dimensional lines slammed shut. They had escaped, leaving only their guardian warglobes behind to retaliate against the human army.
DD had to adjust his sensors. The robots fled Ptoro so rapidly that the framework of their ship, designed to withstand the greatest of stresses, shuddered and rattled, threatening to break apart.
Then the whole planet caught on fire.
155TASIA TAMBLYN
Warglobes boiled out of the clouds of Ptoro. As the displaced neutron star caused the gas gaint to implode, scatters of lightning ricocheted off the clouds in eruptions of light that broke through from the first surge of a newborn star’s ignition.
“Shizz, look what we flushed out of the bushes,” said Tasia with a grim smile. “I guess they don’t like the present we just sent them.”
“Can’t take it back. Nothing they can do now except run.” Elly Ramirez chuckled, but her tense posture hinted at her level of anxiety.
Ensign Terene Mae made a disconcerting groan as the Manta’s viewer magnified the oncoming spiked spheres. “Doesn’t look like they’re running, Commander. They’re coming right at us.”
“Normally, I wouldn’t presume to guess how the drogues think,” Tasia said. “Right now, I’m fairly certain that they’re pissed off.”
Heedless of the warglobe threat, Sergeant Zizu read from the weapons displays in front of him. “Our deepest sensor buoys have been destroyed,
T A S I A T A M B L Y N
49
presumably by the ignition shockwave. The flamefront is rising.” He turned, grinning.
Several EDF Mantas shifted position to face the enemy spheres. Their armaments included fracture-pulse drones—shaped charges designed to shatter thick diamond material—and carbon slammers that would break carbon-carbon bonds in the crystalline structure.
“Battle stations!” Tasia said over the shipwide comm system.
Sergeant Zizu scanned the tactical readouts. “Slammers and fraks are in the launch tubes. Ready.”
Tasia nodded. “Escort cruisers, disperse and prepare to offer some covering fire!”
Blue lightning arced from point to point on the warglobes as the aliens discharged their weapons. Deadly bolts lanced toward the EDF targets, ripping streaks along the thick hull plates, bursting some bulkheads. The Mantas reeled and turned their damaged sectors away from further pummeling. New reinforced armor prevented the warships from being destroyed outright.
Tasia gripped the arms of her command chair. “Shizz, I’m not going to stand on ceremony—open fire whenever and wherever you see fit. Keep shooting as you pack up and retreat. It’s the better part of valor to escape now—let the Klikiss Torch do its stuff!”
The escort battleships launched a storm of jazer blasts and detonating charges. The hydrogues responded with even greater fury. Tasia’s bridge crew cried out in dismay when three drogue spheres converged on a single escort Manta, pounding it repeatedly until it was blown apart. Debris spread out in a cloud of wreckage, atmosphere, and bodies.
A second Manta exploded as the EDF ships accelerated, pulling away from the collapsing gas giant. More and more of the hydrogues kept coming, surrounding the EDF ships and cutting off their escape. Tasia’s only glimmer of pleasure was to see Ptoro beginning to glow with purifying fires from below. She’d had quite enough of the damned aliens.
“Come on, quit spinning your jets and take us out of here.”
“Hydrogue warglobes are pursuing, Commander!”
From far outside Ptoro’s orbit, a streak of fire rocketed past Tasia’s cruiser, a blazing ball as large as any warglobe, heading toward the dying planet. Then came a second, a third, and then ten
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