rapid pace. The vessel was long and pointed at the bow, almost fish-shaped.
Taylor turned and looked back to see if Erdogan had reacted to what he was seeing, but the alien was nowhere to be seen.
"Go on, do it!"
He was well aware nobody could hear him, but he didn't care.
"Do it! Kill them!" he cried.
A beam suddenly burst from the mysterious vessel and extended out to one of the medium-sized vessels fighting beside the Fatihi. The beam cut through the enemy craft as if with no resistance at all, and then exited on the far side until it cut the ship in two. The crew and contents of the vessel were sucked out into space as the ship parted cleanly into two almost perfectly proportioned halves.
"Fuck me," Taylor murmured in awe.
As he spoke, several of the rest of the camouflaged vessels revealed themselves and opened fire as the first had done, with an array of different weaponry from beam weapons to pulses, and rapid fire cannons that emitted vast surges of pulse-like volleys. Three of the Krys vessels were obliterated in the opening volley, but they soon turned to oppose this new threat.
Taylor watched in amazement as this third force ploughed into the battle, and an apocalyptic battle ignited before his eyes. A dozen other human vessels had turned back from the barges to join the fight, having seen they now had a chance. Empty hulks floated about space, and fighters from all sides zoomed all around. He was close to the Washington when he saw massive explosions burst out from her hull. The pulses kept striking her, and he watched in horror as the upper hull buckled, and a large hole opened up. He could just about see the shape of crewmembers being sucked out through the breach.
“No!” he screamed.
He looked around for something to do, for someway to help, but there was none. He watched several craft fly out from the landing bays, and many more escape pods followed them. He prayed his friends had made it out alive. Pulses continue to hit the Washington relentlessly. What guns and missile systems she still had operational continued to fire, but it was the end for her.
Then Taylor found he had a new problem of his own. His shuttle was still en route to a ship that was likely to explode at any minute. He looked at the controls and tried to make some sense of them.
“Come on, can’t be that difficult,” he told himself.
He had watched Rains do it by muscle memory alone so many times; he imagined it was little more than like riding a bike. But the three consoles around him had a blinding array of switches and gauges. There were two joysticks in front of him. He grabbed one and tried to alter course with it, and then the other, but to no avail. He couldn't even see any way of taking over from the autopilot that he had activated. He looked back to the burning wreck of the Washington, and still it was taking fire as dozens of small ships and shuttles fled for their lives.
"Ah, hell!" he yelled.
He rushed to the side door of the shuttle and pulled the emergency release catch so that the door blasted off into space. He took one look outside and jumped. He was used to jumps within Earth's gravity, but this had a very different effect. He continued on towards the Washington. Mitch quickly fired the thrusters on his suit and put them to full power, pointing at the hulk. His ascent towards the vessel finally slowed, and just as his power ran out, he began to move slowly away from her.
There was nothing he could do now but turn around and watch the battle continue as he floated very slowly back the way he had come. An escape shuttle that was about to zoom past him exploded, hit by a pulse, and two small parts of debris from it smashed into him. He covered his face to protect his mask. He just had to hope his armour would protect his mechanical compression suit beneath it.
The debris bounced off him and did little to affect his course. He looked down to check his equipment. A deep gash had cut into the torso plate of
Taylor turned and looked back to see if Erdogan had reacted to what he was seeing, but the alien was nowhere to be seen.
"Go on, do it!"
He was well aware nobody could hear him, but he didn't care.
"Do it! Kill them!" he cried.
A beam suddenly burst from the mysterious vessel and extended out to one of the medium-sized vessels fighting beside the Fatihi. The beam cut through the enemy craft as if with no resistance at all, and then exited on the far side until it cut the ship in two. The crew and contents of the vessel were sucked out into space as the ship parted cleanly into two almost perfectly proportioned halves.
"Fuck me," Taylor murmured in awe.
As he spoke, several of the rest of the camouflaged vessels revealed themselves and opened fire as the first had done, with an array of different weaponry from beam weapons to pulses, and rapid fire cannons that emitted vast surges of pulse-like volleys. Three of the Krys vessels were obliterated in the opening volley, but they soon turned to oppose this new threat.
Taylor watched in amazement as this third force ploughed into the battle, and an apocalyptic battle ignited before his eyes. A dozen other human vessels had turned back from the barges to join the fight, having seen they now had a chance. Empty hulks floated about space, and fighters from all sides zoomed all around. He was close to the Washington when he saw massive explosions burst out from her hull. The pulses kept striking her, and he watched in horror as the upper hull buckled, and a large hole opened up. He could just about see the shape of crewmembers being sucked out through the breach.
“No!” he screamed.
He looked around for something to do, for someway to help, but there was none. He watched several craft fly out from the landing bays, and many more escape pods followed them. He prayed his friends had made it out alive. Pulses continue to hit the Washington relentlessly. What guns and missile systems she still had operational continued to fire, but it was the end for her.
Then Taylor found he had a new problem of his own. His shuttle was still en route to a ship that was likely to explode at any minute. He looked at the controls and tried to make some sense of them.
“Come on, can’t be that difficult,” he told himself.
He had watched Rains do it by muscle memory alone so many times; he imagined it was little more than like riding a bike. But the three consoles around him had a blinding array of switches and gauges. There were two joysticks in front of him. He grabbed one and tried to alter course with it, and then the other, but to no avail. He couldn't even see any way of taking over from the autopilot that he had activated. He looked back to the burning wreck of the Washington, and still it was taking fire as dozens of small ships and shuttles fled for their lives.
"Ah, hell!" he yelled.
He rushed to the side door of the shuttle and pulled the emergency release catch so that the door blasted off into space. He took one look outside and jumped. He was used to jumps within Earth's gravity, but this had a very different effect. He continued on towards the Washington. Mitch quickly fired the thrusters on his suit and put them to full power, pointing at the hulk. His ascent towards the vessel finally slowed, and just as his power ran out, he began to move slowly away from her.
There was nothing he could do now but turn around and watch the battle continue as he floated very slowly back the way he had come. An escape shuttle that was about to zoom past him exploded, hit by a pulse, and two small parts of debris from it smashed into him. He covered his face to protect his mask. He just had to hope his armour would protect his mechanical compression suit beneath it.
The debris bounced off him and did little to affect his course. He looked down to check his equipment. A deep gash had cut into the torso plate of
Similar Books
