Starstorm (Starstorm Saga) by Billy Bennett Page B

game on that very trip. Moon ball was Red’s favorite sport and once Jack had seen one game of it, it was his favorite too. He also remembered a lot of the pranks Red had pulled on people back at the academy. He hadn’t thought they were funny then. But now that Red was gone, Jack was finding it easier to overlook all of his faults.
    If only he’d retreated with us! If it wasn’t for those aliens...those things!”
    A great anger came over Jack. He clenched his fists. They would pay dearly for robbing him of his friend, of his brother. He filled his mind with pictures of exploding enemy craft. Jack quickly calmed himself. It wouldn’t do to let hate consume him.
    “Revenge is not the answer.” Absently, he reached up and felt the spot on his forehead that April had kissed. The memory warmed him, and gave him one small sliver of light in the darkness and gloom that had overshadowed his soul. He took two deep breaths dried his eyes and made his way towards his boots which were still attached to the floor.
    Trey was about to head back to his cabin when Jack came out of his.
    “Hey Trey. How about a drink?” Trey smiled.
    “You’ve got it, my friend.” Trey put his arm around his friend and they were off to the Rec room.
    In the Rec room there were several other pilots. Jack had never met most of them. Most of the pilots he had known in his short time on the Saratoga had gone out in a blaze of glory around Neptune. The Rec room was full, but deathly quiet. In their own way, the pilots were mourning there lost comrades and trying to relax in a vain attempt to forget that the worst may still have been to come.
    Jack strapped himself into a seat and Trey went over to the dispenser to get the drinks. Trey took a seat by Jack. As he began to slurp his drink, Trey realized something. Jack was missing something that he and all the other pilots in the room had. A Pirate Wars service ribbon. All the other pilots there were veteran fighter pilots. All the rookies were dead except one... Jack Thunder.
     
    Kaydan entered into Akdon’s personal Chambers. “Commander, I’m pleased to report that the reactor is back on line and that we have repaired a great deal of the damage incurred in the battle with the Humans.”
    “We lost 92 fighters and two battle cruisers!” yelled Akdon. “All because our shields were not effective! I want to know why!”
    “I’m at a loss to explain it, Commander. I’m afraid the interference from their sun will only get worse the closer we get to their home world. The Humans have learned a valuable lesson, we can no longer expect them to come to us, we must go to them. To that end I think we are going to have to ask for re-enforcements from headquarters just to be safe.”
    Akdon shook his head.
    “I’ve never had to ask for re-enforcements and I’ve never failed a mission. It would play right into the hands of whoever fed us the false intelligence reports about this system. I can’t afford an imperfection on my record. I’m in line to be the next member of the Junta. To ask for help in defeating this race of primitives is to show weakness to our superiors, we must take this system alone! Besides, it would take seven months for re enforcements to arrive from Zidia and I‘m not willing to wait that long”
    With their fold generators, Zidian ships were easily able to travel over interstellar distances. Never the less, their home world of Zidia was a long distance away. Kaydan bowed his head in submission.
    “As I’ve said, there is a large human fleet in orbit around one of the moons of the sixth planet,” said Kaydan.
    “Then that will be our first target,” said Akdon. “We’ll annihilate the defending force and destroy the colony. Order the fleet to prepare to jump. We’ll take them by complete surprise.”
    “I’m sorry Commander, but we cannot use the jump sytem. The increased interference from their sun is interfering with our ability to open and maintain hyperspace