head, turning back to the real threat. He just didn’t have time to worry about anything he couldn’t do anything about. His eyes were on the station when it began to come apart. One piece began to drift away, cut off by a laser beam. A second later, a gravitic beam tore a tower away from the station and sent it spinning away into the void. A second after that, missiles began sucking armor off it, leaving behind massive gaps in her protection that the lasers quickly took advantage of.
Explosions shuddered through the station, ejecting debris and atmosphere into space that made the lasers glow brighter. They speared the station, cutting and burning into it, deeper and deeper. Explosions billowed out and grew until they engulfed the entire station.
It was beautiful. A thrill of power flowed through him and he luxuriated in watching the Shang die at his hand. He shivered, another chill running up his back, and looked back towards Betty. He wasn’t sure what he should feel now.
Betty smiled in understanding. “The gravitic interference is fading. I think we got it,” she announced.
“All ships! Dive! Dive! Dive!” Gabrielle ordered, and Jack watched the first destroyer flash away. He doubted they’d even waited for Gabrielle to stop talking before pushing the button.
Hovering next to Los Angeles , atmosphere spewing out of deep rents, Tacoma fired off another volley of missiles and gravitic cannons, before initiating her hyperdrive. Then his breath caught in his throat as the entire ship went dark. Something had broken over there. Perez and Mendoza filled space ahead of Tacoma with their point defense networks, but they weren’t quite good enough. A single Shang missile smashed into the helpless cruiser and broke her back, sending pieces of her flying in every direction. Ships flashed out around her, seeking the safety of hyperspace, even as other ships exploded and the point defense networks that had protected the task force came apart.
Jack saw another cruiser barreling in towards the Shang, her flank on fire. He couldn’t read her name, but a single word hovered in the display next to her. Saltillo . She was another of the beautiful Mexican State cruisers, but her beauty was gone, her graceful lines torn apart by Shang weapons. He saw space warp around her and could feel her desperation as she dove for safety. But as other ships flashed out around her, she hung in the firing line, the rainbow lights of hyperspace failing to engulf her. The frigates Salazar , Castillo , and a half-dozen remaining Mexican fighters doggedly protected her, point defense lasers and missiles standing defiantly against the Shang missiles seeking to destroy their charge. But a massive salvo of missiles consumed them in a massive firestorm of explosions.
The fires and debris of shattered starships surrounding her, Los Angeles reached out with her powerful hyperdrive to rip a hole into hyperspace. Energy flowed through the pulsating rent in the fabric of space and the cruiser glowed. It had to have been an optical illusion, but for a moment it looked to Jack like angel wings engulfed her in a protective embrace. And then she disappeared, sinking beneath the surface of normalspace. Clark and Hammond delivered one final volley of point defense missiles before following her into hyperspace on colorful wings of their own.
His eyes snapped forward, watching another incoming storm of Shang missiles. A bare handful of Avengers remained between him and that storm and his eyes glanced over Natalie and Jasmine to lock onto Betty. She gave him the smile that said there was nothing at all to worry about. She had everything under control. Then the Shang and all their works disappeared in a flash of rainbow light.
They say that every thing that does not kill you makes you stronger. If that is true, then I must be Hercules by now considering all the things that have failed to
Explosions shuddered through the station, ejecting debris and atmosphere into space that made the lasers glow brighter. They speared the station, cutting and burning into it, deeper and deeper. Explosions billowed out and grew until they engulfed the entire station.
It was beautiful. A thrill of power flowed through him and he luxuriated in watching the Shang die at his hand. He shivered, another chill running up his back, and looked back towards Betty. He wasn’t sure what he should feel now.
Betty smiled in understanding. “The gravitic interference is fading. I think we got it,” she announced.
“All ships! Dive! Dive! Dive!” Gabrielle ordered, and Jack watched the first destroyer flash away. He doubted they’d even waited for Gabrielle to stop talking before pushing the button.
Hovering next to Los Angeles , atmosphere spewing out of deep rents, Tacoma fired off another volley of missiles and gravitic cannons, before initiating her hyperdrive. Then his breath caught in his throat as the entire ship went dark. Something had broken over there. Perez and Mendoza filled space ahead of Tacoma with their point defense networks, but they weren’t quite good enough. A single Shang missile smashed into the helpless cruiser and broke her back, sending pieces of her flying in every direction. Ships flashed out around her, seeking the safety of hyperspace, even as other ships exploded and the point defense networks that had protected the task force came apart.
Jack saw another cruiser barreling in towards the Shang, her flank on fire. He couldn’t read her name, but a single word hovered in the display next to her. Saltillo . She was another of the beautiful Mexican State cruisers, but her beauty was gone, her graceful lines torn apart by Shang weapons. He saw space warp around her and could feel her desperation as she dove for safety. But as other ships flashed out around her, she hung in the firing line, the rainbow lights of hyperspace failing to engulf her. The frigates Salazar , Castillo , and a half-dozen remaining Mexican fighters doggedly protected her, point defense lasers and missiles standing defiantly against the Shang missiles seeking to destroy their charge. But a massive salvo of missiles consumed them in a massive firestorm of explosions.
The fires and debris of shattered starships surrounding her, Los Angeles reached out with her powerful hyperdrive to rip a hole into hyperspace. Energy flowed through the pulsating rent in the fabric of space and the cruiser glowed. It had to have been an optical illusion, but for a moment it looked to Jack like angel wings engulfed her in a protective embrace. And then she disappeared, sinking beneath the surface of normalspace. Clark and Hammond delivered one final volley of point defense missiles before following her into hyperspace on colorful wings of their own.
His eyes snapped forward, watching another incoming storm of Shang missiles. A bare handful of Avengers remained between him and that storm and his eyes glanced over Natalie and Jasmine to lock onto Betty. She gave him the smile that said there was nothing at all to worry about. She had everything under control. Then the Shang and all their works disappeared in a flash of rainbow light.
They say that every thing that does not kill you makes you stronger. If that is true, then I must be Hercules by now considering all the things that have failed to
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