Empire Reborn (Taran Empire Saga Book 1): A Cadicle Space Opera A.K. DuBoff (guided reading books TXT) 📖

down the concourse, they reached the gangway leading onto the Conquest. Its semi-iridescent hull gleamed under the station’s lights, reminiscent of an oil slick on water. At three hundred meters long, it wasn’t the largest ship in the fleet, but it was one of the most fearsome in appearance. Aggressive ridges adorning the side of the oval-shaped vessel flowed into the forked jump drive in the aft. Aside from the blue-hued ateron band around its circumference, the most notable exterior features were the numerous armaments as well as the fighter launch tubes in the belly of the ship, forming a ‘Y’ with two in the back and one forward. Rear tail fins served as a heat shield and also added a unique aesthetic echoed in many Taran craft. It was truly one of a kind, and Jason was proud to have it under his command.

“All right, don’t make me regret this,” Jason addressed his students. “Don’t touch anything or neural-link with the ship. It’s much more sensitive than anything you’ve come across.”

“Awww, it has feelings?” Paula jested.

“Yeah, and it will spit you out an airlock if you piss it off. Behave.”

The statement wasn’t remotely true, but it got Paula to snap to attention.

The students’ giddy excitement was infectious as the group ascended the gangway to the ship. Jason had felt a similar thrill when he’d boarded the ship for the first time, and even now he had to smile as the ship’s bioelectronic link connected with his mind.

They entered toward the middle of the vessel. Unlike civilian vessels or the TSS craft used for basic transport, the piloting and captaining was conducted from the Command Center in the heart of the ship, where it was most protected, rather than a flight deck at the exposed upper bow. In the few occasions he’d commanded the ship into battle, it was reassuring to have the extra measure of protection.

The group traversed the short distance down the interior corridor from the entry hatch to the Command Center’s entrance on the same deck. Since the ship was dormant, the Command Center didn’t have the same awe-inspiring impact as when Jason had boarded the vessel his first time. At present, the walls and floor appeared plain matte gray. Two tactical consoles at the front faced forward relative to the door at the back, and five command podiums were arranged at the center of the room. Configured as four barstool-height seats surrounding a central station, each was equipped with a retractable handhold for forming a physical bioelectronic link with the ship. The telekinetic weapon charged through that interface, as well as offering control of all other aspects of the ship’s operation.

Jason walked up to the pedestal in front of the seat closest to the entry door and brushed his fingertips along the handhold. A subtle electric spark of biofeedback tingled his hand, and a light flashed in his mind’s eye as he interfaced with the ship. With a silent command, he switched on the wrap-around viewscreen.

The walls and floor of the spherical room sprang to life in vivid color. A high-resolution screen with holographic augmentations wrapped the entire Command Center, allowing for an accurate rendering of the space surrounding the ship, as though looking through a window. Unlike a window, however, the view could be manipulated and augmented to address the evolving tactical needs of an engagement. With the transparent floor bisecting the spherical space, the resulting effect was like walking through space. All TSS battleships had a similar visualization system, but the Conquest’s was the most impressive.

The students took sharp breaths of surprise and delight as they took in the sight. Many looked down at their feet, their legs suddenly unsteady. Though Jason had long since gotten his ‘space legs’ in the room, he was familiar with the strange sense of vertigo at the convincing appearance of standing among the stars.

“Pretty incredible, isn’t it?” he asked.

“Yeah,” they murmured almost in unison.

Paula cautiously approached the center of the room. She pointed at the podiums. “Is that how the weapon is controlled?”

“It is.”

“I don’t suppose we could get a demonstration of that, too?”

“Not a chance,” Jason replied. “However, I can walk you through the interface and then take you down to Engineering and the hangar.”

Paula grinned. “That will do.”

CHAPTER 9

“The question is, what’s the best way to get through the wall?” Wil mused as he examined the smooth surface.

Even once they got inside, there was no guarantee that they’d find what they were looking for. It was a longshot that the Priesthood would have a copy of the treaty locked away somewhere, forgotten through time. But he had a hunch. And his hunches rarely led him astray.

“It’s impossible to know how long a chamber may have been sealed. Any paper in there could disintegrate the moment we introduce outside air,” Saera pointed out.

“We could keep a shield up until we can assess the contents,” Cris suggested.

“Good call,” Wil agreed. “All right, Saera, take the shield. Dad, keep an eye on the structural stability while I cut us an entrance.”

They nodded their assent.

Wil instinctively formed a telepathic link with the two of them so they could coordinate their movements. Through the link, he felt Saera probing the space behind the wall to determine where to erect a shield to protect the room’s contents. She settled on a placement about a meter beyond the wall, leaving Wil plenty of room to work.

While Cris kept a light telekinetic hold on the wall and ceiling around them, Wil began to slice an opening through the wall with surgical precision. Busting a hole inward would have been a lot faster, but there might not be room for the debris, and he didn’t want to inadvertently cause structural damage. So, instead, he formed an energy saw and sliced an archway into the plastic