Star Rover-Chosen to Die (Lens of Time) by Saxon Andrew Page B

laugh out loud and Grest frown and shake his head. She looked at Angel, “What’s so funny?”
    “This is so Arve. I wouldn’t be surprised if he wanted us to back into each other. He’s always doing something off the wall.”
    Dizzy smiled and said, “What do you think would happen if we did it?”
    Angel continued to laugh and after a moment she stopped. She stopped smiling and then looked at Grest, “You’re the expert on force fields; what do you think would happen?”
    Grest shrugged, “I suspect the two ships would deflect away from each other like a blaster beam that hits the sloped side of the force field. The faster they’re moving; the more dramatic the deflection would be.”
    Dizzy said, “I think the correct term would be that they would ricochet off each other.” Angel looked at Dizzy as she said, “Anytime a radical departure from course is made; the ship will slow to make the change. A ricochet doesn’t lose much speed.”
    Angel nodded, “So two ships being chased could deliberately hit each other and fly away from their pursuers faster than they could be chased.”
    “I suspect Arve has already thought of that.”
    Angel activated her microphone, “Arve, you’re six thousand miles away. We’re going to hit head on at thirty percent speed.”
    “Don’t you think that’s a little high?”
    Angel’s eyes flew open and she shook her head. Bret quickly said, “What speed do you recommend?”
    “Let’s try eight hundred miles an hour.”
    Angel said, “Eight hundred it is. I’m coming your way.”
    The two giant ships came roaring in on each other and the Melbourne hit the Wellington on the right side of its force field. Both ships flew away from each other at a sixty degree angle. Angel barely heard the gravity compensators and she looked at the data on her helmet visor, “We actually picked up speed. We exited at nine hundred and fifty miles per hour.”
    Grest said, “The extra speed was generated by the two force fields pushing against each other when they hit.”
    Angel nodded, Arve, we’re going to keep doing this until the gravity compensators tell us to stop.”
    “Alllllrrrriiiiiiggggghhhhttttt!!”
    • • •
    Dizzy sat in her chair and knew life in the Navy as she knew it was going to undergo a radical change. She knew there was no possible way Fleet Command would have ever approved running two fifty billion credit starships head on into each other. These officers did it and tried to push it to the limit. This is where the action was really going to take place. She shook her head and smiled; this was going to be fun.
    Bret looked at his panel, “Sir, I have a priority message coming in from Fleet.”
    “Put it on the Monitor.”
    Angel watched the monitor and saw her father appear, ““How far are you and your brothers from Earth?”
    “We’re about twenty minutes out between Neptune and Uranus.”
    “I’m jumping out to your location. An Alien Battleship has appeared outside the edge of our galaxy and is hanging in space with its force field down. I’m going to see what they want and I don’t want to give them any information about how many new Jukeboxes are in our inventory. I’m certain they will be able to tell if I take a different ship out to meet with them; so I want you and your brothers to go with me.”
    “We’ll be waiting.” Angel turned to Grest, “Go to your ship and go to battle stations. Arve, did you hear that message?”
    “I did; I’ll be moving to the left wing.”
    Angel looked at Dizzy, “Looks like you’re in for the ride. Your ship hasn’t arrived yet.”
    “I don’t want to miss it, Sir.”
    Angel saw her father’s Rover appear and she was surprised when he and her mother entered the bridge. Dat came in and everyone came to attention; Angel saluted and said, “Welcome aboard, Sir.”
    Dat returned the salute and said, “As you were; do you have the coordinates?”
    Angel looked at Bret and he nodded, “Yes Sir.”
    Dat