Lens of Time: Book 06 - Star Rover-Running Out of Time by Saxon Andrew Page A

current going into the communications panel and heard the tower say, “Get your ship into orbit!”
    She said in the Grillen language, “I’m having problems with the energy delivery circuit. I’m resetting it.” The tower only heard parts of the transmission but understood what she said.
    The Grillen Commander watched the ship move erratically higher and looked at his controller. “The ship’s energy circuit is fluctuating. There, it’s turned off.”
    “What are they doing?”
    “It’ll take a few moments to reactivate and that should clear it up. If it doesn’t, we’ll have to bring it in and run a diagnostics check on it.” The Commander watched the ship hover for a few moments and then the ship started moving higher.
    • • •
    Ringie opened the landing bay and hoped the others had made it. She stared at the display and saw the three Madators fly into the landing bay and she closed the port and brought the energy circuit up to full power. She began moving quickly toward the upper atmosphere.
    Blacky saw the two dead Grillen and he said, “Give me every dot you have left.”
    John took his container out of his hide, “I only have four left.”
    George said, “I only have eight.”
    Blacky took the containers and added his own. He changed the timer on them as he took the cable and tied the two dead bodies together. He wedged the dots between them and pulled the bodies next to the landing bay’s doors and yelled, “Get out of here and go to the bridge!”
    The three Madators ran out and Blacky arrived on the bridge just as Ringie arrived in orbit. “Ringie, open the landing bay door.” Blacky looked out the rear port and saw the two bodies were pushed out of the landing bay by decompression of the bay’s atmosphere.
    “All ships jump out to meet the enemy.”
    “Send the command over the main frequency, Ringie.”
    Ringie activated the main frequency and said, “Madator,” in a frequency too high to be heard. She reached for the jump drive and, just before she pushed it, Blacky sent a frequency from his transmitter. The Grey Ship disappeared and a huge explosion detonated behind their former location.
    • • •
    The Fleet Admiral saw the human ships arrive at one of the Prime Planets and started to order the defense fleet in but saw they had arrived a moment after the human ships appeared. He had more than two million ships between the humans and the planet. The human fleet remained stationary and he smiled. He lifted his communicator, “Send the Grey Ships out to greet them.” He watched the two thousand Grey Ships in orbit above the planet disappear.
    • • •
    Gibbs said, “Sir!”
    “Hold your position.”
    Dat watched the Grillen Fleet closely and saw they were holding their position. He changed his view to the Grey Ships above the planet and saw them disappear. “Jump away! Jump Away!” The hundred thousand Rovers disappeared.
    The Fleet Admiral smiled as the Grey Ships arrived at the former location of the Human Fleet but his smile disappeared in shock as almost every Grey Ship exploded in massive blasts. Only two of the Grey Ships weren’t destroyed.
    • • •
    The Ground Commander looked at his Controller as he said, “That ship that was having problems with the energy circuit blew up as it attempted to jump. Evidently, its jump field didn’t activate.”
    “Sir, I’ve just received word that all of our ships have blown up as they arrived at the enemy’s position.”
    “WHAT?”
    “Only two ships weren’t harmed. All the others exploded.”
    The Commander could only stare at his Controller who had no answers.
    • • •
    The Grillen Fleet Admiral stared at the massive debris field where the ships had exploded and fell back into his chair. Had the humans found a way to kill the Grey Ships? If they had…
    He yelled, “Get some ships out there and tell me how this happened! Get moving now!” He jumped to the fleet’s location and waited for answers. Seven hours