New Dawn (Divine War Book 1) by Magus Tor Page A

com. “Lean, Lean. Come in.”
    An empty stillness crackled over the com.
    “Falorni, you, doctor, go immediately to the engine room and check status,” Bettie said, moving around to a screen of her own, her eyes intent on finding out what was wrong with the ship.
    Falorni grabbed Maicee's hand, pulling him off the bridge and down a series of corridors until they arrived at a metal door. Wisps of smoke emanated from the cracks around it. Falorni put a hand to the metal, noted that it wasn't hot, and, pulling her robe across her face, began opening the door. Maicee copied her actions, and as the door opened, a rush of smoke came out. When the fumes cleared, they could see Lean, the engineer, lying on the floor of the engine room. Quickly, Falorni moved to her, picking up her shoulders.
    “Get her feet,” she ordered Maicee. “Let's get her to the medical bay now.”
    Doing as he was told, Maicee saw the remains of a small explosive charge next to one of the engine controls. Small enough to disable them but not to sink them, he noted as he picked up the tall engineer's feet.
    Depositing Lean onto a bunk in the medical bay, Falorni went straight to the com to report in.
    “Lean injured but stable. Main engine offline. Will require repair before we can proceed.”
    “Noted,” crackled back Bettie's voice. “Have activated ABDS. Over.”
    “What's going on? What's ABDS?” asked Maicee, as Falorni ended the com call.
    The girl shrugged. “It's the ship's automated boarding defence system. It's designed to repel boarders or those who might be on the ship without permission. Bolts will shoot through the ship's corridors if movement is detected.”
    Maicee groaned and sat on the edge of a bunk. “The main engine is down, and bolts are shooting down corridors,” he said, looking horrified. “We can't move the ship.”
    “We can't even move from the medical bay until the ABDS had been disabled,” Falorni told him.
    He put his head in his hands. The Freedom was going nowhere. Which was exactly what whoever had sabotaged them wanted. There was no escape.

Chapter Six
    T he entrance to the bridge of the Argoni literally burst open, shards of the steel door exploding inwards and decapitating the two guards instantly. As the door was breached, a loud, wailing siren began to sound, echoing through the Imperial ship. The soldiers who ran to the bridge from the deck saw an unbelievable sight: Kabi, his left hand outstretched towards the hole blasted in the steel door, and a glittering crystal sword in his right hand.
    The soldiers stood, facing the door, their mouths open in astonishment, until the Admiral broke their trances.
    “Fire, fools!” he growled.
    As a man, the soldiers drew their weapons, energy bolts flying from every blaster, converging into one huge ball of exploding fire.
    “Fire! Fire!” repeated the Admiral, raising his voice above the hissing of the bolts.
    After three salvoes, the men paused, as they had been trained to do, to allow the smoke to clear and to give them a better sighting of the enemy. And once more, they were left open-mouthed. Kabi still stood in the doorway, his posture relaxed, his sword arm poised for battle. The bolts had had no effect whatsoever.
    Two men took the initiative—brave men, men who saw the opportunity to please their Admiral, to achieve the promotions that both so desperately wanted, and they drew their own swords, edging closer to the man in the doorway. The Admiral laughed his high-pitched, girlish laugh, gleeful at what he knew was about to happen.
    For a moment, Kabi allowed himself to leave the place of deep focus in his mind, the place where the power resided, and rely instead on his physical skills. Swinging the great crystal sword with ease, he gracefully parried and took on both soldiers at the same time. With dancelike movements, he goaded them into their mistakes, and within seconds, both lay dead. He stepped back, allowing his weight to descend onto his heels