Echo of Tomorrow: Book Two (The Drake Chronicles) by Rob Buckman Page B

excuse.
     
    “I’ll have to see what I can do about that oversight, my admiral,” Kat whispered.
     
    * * * * * *
     
    “Incoming message from picket ship Christchurch sir,” the communications officer sang out. Everyone on the bridge held his breath, including Scott.
     
    “What’s the message?” Captain Bingham asked.
     
    “Enemy vessels sighted, I repeat, enemy vessels sighted.”
     
    “Captain. Execute Alpha One,” Scott ordered.
     
    “Aye, skipper, executing Alpha One.”
     
    “Time stamp on the message, comm?” Bingham asked.
     
    “It’s thirty-two minutes old, sir.”
     
    “Not good, but not bad either. We can still intercept before they reach Earth orbit, Admiral.”
     
    “Jack, let’s see if we can get into position a little sooner.” The captain looked a bit puzzled for a moment, then smiled and nodded to the Operations Officer, Gary Stuart.
     
    “Aye-aye, sir,” Stuart said. Scott sat back after that and let the captain do his job, his stomach tightening. This was going to be their first real test.
     
    “Comm, relay same message to all units. Enemy sighted, execute Alpha One,” Bingham ordered
     
    “Relaying message sir!”
     
    “Yeoman, signal the crew to come to yellow alert, I repeat, yellow alert.”
     
    “Aye-aye sir. Yellow alert.”
     
    “Have the heading, sir,” Dan Foster on navigation called out.
     
    “Relay to all ships: helm come to new course.”
     
    “Helm, bring her round to new course and come up to full power on the drives.”
     
    “Aye sir, setting new course and bring her up to full ahead,” the chief helmsman sang out. As this was going on, Bingham reached over and activated a unit on the arm of his chair.
     
    “You awake, Charlotte?” he asked.
     
    “ I’m always awake, my captain, ” a cultured female voice answered.
     
    “Interlink with all units, enemy sighted and moving to intercept, Admiral,” Bingham said.
     
    “Thank you, Captain,” Scott said.
     
    “ All units responding and interlinked. ”
     
    “Thank you, Charlotte,” Bingham said.
     
    “So you have one as well,” Scott commented, admiring the captain’s cool efficiency.
     
    “Yes, Charlotte’s the best idea anyone had, it’s the only way we can act as a combined unit.”
     
    “I’m glad somebody thought of it.”
     
    “The old man who designed this ship got the idea from one of the destroyer captains after the first battle.”
     
    “Well fancy that,” Scott said, trying to keep a straight face.
     
    “Comm: has the full report been downloaded yet?” Bingham asked.
     
    “Yes sir, it will show up on your side screens any moment now,” comm replied. Scott looked down at his screen, seeing the full report.
     
    The alien mother ship, five cruiser-size warships, and ten smaller ships had appeared out of the warp point, and set a course directly for Earth. What appeared to be a fighter force had launched the moment they were clear of the warp point, breaking up into fifteen smaller units, and attacked the picket ships. As ordered, the pickets ran as far and as fast as they could in whatever direction they were pointed. As luck would have it, Christchurch was running in the general direction of Mars, so she had the honor of relaying the message.
     
    “Send a message, comm,” Scott ordered. “Signal: Well done Christchurch , the drinks are on me, signed Admiral of the Fleet, Drake.”
     
    “Aye-aye, sir!” the comm officer answered with relish.
     
    “Thanks, Admiral,” Bingham said, “should have thought of that myself.”
     
    “Don’t sweat it, Jack, and for Christ sake stop calling me Admiral. Call me Scott, Boss, or skipper. We haven’t got time for all that in battle,” he added, smiling.
     
    “Thanks, skipper, I’ll remember in the future to send a thank-you.”
     
    “Took me a while to remember,” Scott commented offhandedly, so Bingham wouldn’t feel so bad about forgetting.
     
    “ETA to intercept?” Bingham