Lens of Time: Book 05 - Star Rover-The Worst of Time by Saxon Andrew

home and Dat had difficulty watching her leave. “Dat.”
    “Yes Stein.”
    “There’s a problem.”
    Dat’s attention was ripped away from Gresha. Whenever Stein said there was a problem, there was something of biblical proportions about to happen, “What?”
    “Fleet has decided that they have made a mistake putting all their hope in you. Your close call with death has convinced them that they have to trial the new command system with others.”
    “What others?”
    “Captain Ander’s and his wing have taken possession of the command helmets and are planning an attack on a superior enemy force.”
    “They can’t do that! They need time to acclimate themselves to the system.”
    “It gets worse.”
    “How could it get worse?”
    “Captain Anders discovered during the first simulation they ran that he was not up to the task. Jill made better command decisions than he did. He turned the command system over to her. She will be commanding the operation.”
    “How could her mother allow this to happen? She knows how difficult the system is to operate.”
    “It appears she doesn’t have the motherly instinct one would expect.”
    “Can you get fleet to delay the attack two days?”
    “They won’t delay it even if you could make it back. They need to see if another can use it. We have been ordered not to participate.”
    Dat went inside and said, “Get Jill on the communicator and patch it in to me.”
    Dat waited a moment and then he heard, “Oh Dat, I’m so frightened.”
    “Calm down, Jillian. Tell me what you’ve learned about the system.”
    “The view is unbelievable. I can see everything in minute detail. It’s overwhelming.”
    “That is what will get you killed. Stein, is my helmet still connected?”
    “It is.”
    “Jillian, activate your helmet and Stein I want you to transfer the protocols I used during fleet maneuvers.”
    “Dat, that is beyond Prime Secrecy.”
    “Stein…”
    “Alright, alright, I’ll do it.”
    Jill watched as the download arrived and began making its way through her system. “I have it.”
    “Pull up one of the simulations and tell me what you see.”
    Jill activated the last simulation that had given her so much trouble and said, “All I see are large energy balls with bright dots on them.”
    “Those balls are ships and the dots are their weapons. Tell me what you would do.”
    “I’d never approach them from the sides. That’s where their weapons are oriented.”
    “Good, now put the simulation in motion and tell me what you would do.”
    Jill watched the ships moving through space and saw a line over the top of them that didn’t have any dots below it. She said, “There is a line where no weapons are pointed.”
    “And that is what you are going to have to find before you skip in. All the ships will be linked to your ship and you are going to have to find those lines and skip into them and then out. Fire as you pass and look for another line as you come around.” Dat paused, “It’s not that easy. Most would never see those lines. You obviously do so you do possess a natural talent at using the system. Don’t rush, take your time and find the lines. You can do this. Take the time you have remaining and go through as many simulations as possible. You’ll teach yourself to find them.”
    Dat, I’m so sorry for what happened between us…”
    “Now’s not the time Jillian; you need to focus.”
    “My name is Loree and I’m still wearing your locket. It never leaves my body.”
    The connection ended and Dat was shocked. He didn’t know what to think. He tried to remember Loree’s face the night she left him but all he saw was Gresha’s sad eyes. He knew he should leave, damn fleet’s orders, and take command of the wing but he just couldn’t force himself to do it. He put his head in his hands and shook it. He made contact with the ring on his right hand and set the coordinates for it to activate. He prayed the Wing would survive. Then he