Sol Strike (Battlegroup Z Book 3) Daniel Gibbs (readict books .TXT) đ
- Author: Daniel Gibbs
Book online «Sol Strike (Battlegroup Z Book 3) Daniel Gibbs (readict books .TXT) đ». Author Daniel Gibbs
âSir?â Feldsteinâs voice rose an octave.
âThatâs an order. Cut everything and coast. We have to assume we havenât been spotted yet. Weâll wait until they move off then jump out.â
âYes, sir.â
As Feldsteinâs commlink transmission cut off with an audible click, Justin relaxed. With nothing to do but wait, he double-, triple-, and quadruple-guessed his decision. In the end, fate would decide what happened next. Hopefully, the stealth features on these fighters are as good as the eggheads say they are.
Patience wasnât a trait Tehrani possessed. While the aviation wing searched for a viable fuel source to raid, she sat in her day cabin. For a while, sheâd tried to do paperwork and catch up on the shipâs log, but unable to focus long enough to get much of anything done, Tehrani pulled out her Quran instead. As she flipped through its pages, a passage jumped out at her. âNever will we be struck except by what Allah has decreed for us; He is our protector.â
Before she could read further, the hatch chime buzzed.
âCome!â
It swung open, revealing Wright. He strode into the room and came to a stop in front of her desk. âGot a minute, maâam?â
âAlways.â Tehrani smiled warmly and gestured to the two chairs next to him.
âI just finished an inspection of the engineering spaces,â Wright said as he slid into one of the seats. âRepairs are proceeding, but itâs slow going.â
Tehrani closed her eyes and shook her head. âOf all the possible problems, Iâve been asking why this one.â
âWho the heck knows, skipper.â Wright stretched, grimacing. âI mean, everything was going according to plan, then out of nowhere, our reactor craps out on us.â He chuckled. âWere I a paranoid man, Iâd wonder if we had a League saboteur aboard.â He glanced at the leather-bound Quran and raised an eyebrow. âThat looks like an old-school paper book.â
âQuaint, I know. My mother gave it to me. She always said electronic copies werenât real.â
âFind anything in there to help us?â
âA few exhortations to stay strong in the face of danger and to trust in God.â
Wright grinned. âI can get behind that sentiment.â He furrowed his brow. âYou sure youâre okay?â
Several uncomfortable seconds passed. âNot really.â Tehrani fought to control the emotions welling up inside her. âNo.â
âWant to talk about it?â
âXO⊠Benjamin, I feel this horrible weight pressing on me. Iâve spent the last couple of hours trying to decide what to do if this gambit doesnât work. How do I decide who to send home?â The idea of having to pick four hundred or so soldiers if the Zvika Greengold couldnât be repaired was something that barely registered. âHow? I donât think I can look into the eyes of a young mother and tell her sheâll never see her child again. Or tell a man whoâs longing to hold his wife once more that he has to stay behind.â A tear slid down her face. âWeâre six thousand light-years from our homes, and if the League finds us, theyâll...â
âHey, they might line us all up and shoot us,â Wright replied, clearly trying to inject levity into his voice. âI think Iâd rather that, myself.â
âCompared to Allah knows how long as a prisoner of war.â She shivered. âI familiarized myself with how the old World Society treated captured Freedom Alliance personnel. Accounts from liberated âreeducationâ camps read like the worst horror imaginable.â
âSkipper, if anyone can keep that fate from happening to our ship, you can.â Wright leaned forward and stared directly into her eyes. âYouâre the right woman at the right time. Okay?â
Tehrani wiped her eyes. âIâm sorry. I shouldnât lay this burden on you.â
âWhy not? Itâs mine too.â Wright bit his lip. âWeâre getting home. Okay?â Before she could respond, he pressed on. âHodges asked me to get everyone on the ship with level-two qualifications in engineering sent down to help. Something about lots of grunt work, not enough hands.â
Thankful for the change in topic, Tehrani nodded. âThere should be a lot of those aboard.â
âIncluding me. Iâll head down after my next watch-standing rotation.â
âI appreciate you checking in on me.â She steepled her fingers. âMore paperwork awaits.â
He stood, but before he turned to go, he asked, âSkipper, you mind if I offer some advice?â
âFeel free.â Tehrani forced a smile. âThe worst I can do is not listen.â
âDonât sit in here, doing whatever youâre doing. Go out on the bridge and stand watch with me. The crew is worried, and more than that, theyâre scared shitless. Let them see you sitting there, calm, cool, and collected. Itâll go a long way.â
And it might help settle my nerves too. Tehrani knew better than to ignore wisdom. âI think that sounds like the best idea Iâve heard all day, Major.â She stood and walked around the desk. âShall we?â
Wright gestured toward the hatch. âLetâs do it.â
âItâs been an hour. Theyâre fifty thousand kilometers away,â Feldstein said through the commlink. âI donât know about you, but Iâm ready to get out of here.â
Justin chuckled. The last hour had been among the most terrifying and nerve-wracking of his life. Heâd had combat engagements with extended dogfights and moment-to-moment questions of whether he would survive. But they paled in comparison to sitting there, watching freighter after freighter pass by and wondering if the enemy had discovered his fighterâwhich would be indicated by massed weapons fire.
âAgreed.â He looked down at the computer that controlled the Ghostâs Lawrence drive. âIâm locked in and showing green. You?â
âSame.â
âOkay, letâs do this. Hopefully, the third timeâs the charm.â Justin toggled the control to engage the Lawrence drive. His craftâs control panel was immediately dimmed, and a wormhole formed directly in front of the cockpit canopy. He closed his eyes during the transit, having learned from the previous two trips the difference it made for a head trip. Upon reopening them, Justin noted the
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