Paying the Price (Book 5 of The Empire of Bones Saga) by Terry Mixon Page B
Authors: Terry Mixon
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ask, can we help you with?”
“Something very important,” she said. “Jared is going to need our assistance when he gets home. Crown Prince Ethan Bandar has a very real and very deadly grudge against him.”
She leaned forward. “Jared is intensely loyal to the Empire and Kelsey has blinders on when it comes to family. That means it’s up to us to protect him. Ethan Bandar will try to kill Jared. I will not stand idly by and let that happen, and I want you to help me stop him.”
* * * * *
Kelsey sat in the command chair on Persephone . She’d been studying her ass off and now had what Jared charitably called an ensign’s skill set. She was hoping to bump that up to at least lieutenant by the time they got home.
Ned said that was really all she needed for a ship this size. Yes, there were some specific skills required for operating a Marine Raider reconnaissance ship, but he was helping her learn those.
She’d never be as good at piloting as someone that started learning a decade ago. She’d be happy if she learned enough to be competent.
That was why she had primary on the ship’s helm as they prepared to flip to the Nova system. Lieutenant Thompson would be watching her like a hawk from his console, though he’d never say so. She felt like a kid riding her bike for the very first time. The mental image of a powerful warship with training wheels almost made her laugh.
“All Fleet elements, this is Admiral Mertz. Flip in sixty seconds and report to Invincible upon arrival. You all have your assigned sectors, so get about it. Remember, you’ll be out of direct communication once you move any distance at all into the radiation, so you’ll have to use your discretion on approaching anything anomalous.
“Be careful and rendezvous at the Harrison’s World flip point in twenty-four hours. Good luck. Mertz out.”
She took a deep breath as the timer counted down. She had the helm on manual, so this wasn’t just pushing a button. She was adjusting the power output and frequency of the flip drive by hand. If she got it wrong, the ship might not flip at all. Wouldn’t that be embarrassing?
Thompson hadn’t said a word about her settings. She wasn’t sure if that was because she had them right or he wanted her to learn something. When the timer hit zero, she activated the flip drive.
Thankfully, Persephone flipped.
“Good settings, ma’am,” Jack said. “A trifle low, but within the margin of error. Watch out for Ajax .”
“Thanks, Jack.”
The destroyer in question had appeared just in front of them and was cutting across their bow. Kelsey adjusted course enough to be certain they’d miss one another. In the radiation field, it wasn’t easy to see everyone at a glance.
She sent a message to Invincible and then eased the ship away from the flip point. Once they were clear, she headed off toward their assigned search area.
“Doing this all by hand is complex,” she said. “It’s a lot simpler to have Persephone do the fine details.”
“True, but then you wouldn’t know what to do if you ever had to do it yourself under pressure. For example, what if Captain Baxter had blown his attempt when Athena was running from the Pale Ones?”
She’d been unconscious for that, but she’d heard the story. Once Jared had rescued her from the Pale Ones, they’d chased the ship back to the Pentagar flip point. Athena had lost power and bridge control seconds before flip and the engineer had calculated the settings in his head.
If he’d screwed it up, they’d all be slaves to the Pale Ones right now. She made a mental note to see that he received the Imperial Cross for that. Her father wouldn’t argue. That was over and above whatever Fleet Command and the Imperial Senate decided to do.
The highest award for valor in the Terran Empire came with a few perks that only the emperor could bestow. A small plot of land somewhere and a knighthood. Sir Dennis. Wouldn’t that tie his trickster
“Something very important,” she said. “Jared is going to need our assistance when he gets home. Crown Prince Ethan Bandar has a very real and very deadly grudge against him.”
She leaned forward. “Jared is intensely loyal to the Empire and Kelsey has blinders on when it comes to family. That means it’s up to us to protect him. Ethan Bandar will try to kill Jared. I will not stand idly by and let that happen, and I want you to help me stop him.”
* * * * *
Kelsey sat in the command chair on Persephone . She’d been studying her ass off and now had what Jared charitably called an ensign’s skill set. She was hoping to bump that up to at least lieutenant by the time they got home.
Ned said that was really all she needed for a ship this size. Yes, there were some specific skills required for operating a Marine Raider reconnaissance ship, but he was helping her learn those.
She’d never be as good at piloting as someone that started learning a decade ago. She’d be happy if she learned enough to be competent.
That was why she had primary on the ship’s helm as they prepared to flip to the Nova system. Lieutenant Thompson would be watching her like a hawk from his console, though he’d never say so. She felt like a kid riding her bike for the very first time. The mental image of a powerful warship with training wheels almost made her laugh.
“All Fleet elements, this is Admiral Mertz. Flip in sixty seconds and report to Invincible upon arrival. You all have your assigned sectors, so get about it. Remember, you’ll be out of direct communication once you move any distance at all into the radiation, so you’ll have to use your discretion on approaching anything anomalous.
“Be careful and rendezvous at the Harrison’s World flip point in twenty-four hours. Good luck. Mertz out.”
She took a deep breath as the timer counted down. She had the helm on manual, so this wasn’t just pushing a button. She was adjusting the power output and frequency of the flip drive by hand. If she got it wrong, the ship might not flip at all. Wouldn’t that be embarrassing?
Thompson hadn’t said a word about her settings. She wasn’t sure if that was because she had them right or he wanted her to learn something. When the timer hit zero, she activated the flip drive.
Thankfully, Persephone flipped.
“Good settings, ma’am,” Jack said. “A trifle low, but within the margin of error. Watch out for Ajax .”
“Thanks, Jack.”
The destroyer in question had appeared just in front of them and was cutting across their bow. Kelsey adjusted course enough to be certain they’d miss one another. In the radiation field, it wasn’t easy to see everyone at a glance.
She sent a message to Invincible and then eased the ship away from the flip point. Once they were clear, she headed off toward their assigned search area.
“Doing this all by hand is complex,” she said. “It’s a lot simpler to have Persephone do the fine details.”
“True, but then you wouldn’t know what to do if you ever had to do it yourself under pressure. For example, what if Captain Baxter had blown his attempt when Athena was running from the Pale Ones?”
She’d been unconscious for that, but she’d heard the story. Once Jared had rescued her from the Pale Ones, they’d chased the ship back to the Pentagar flip point. Athena had lost power and bridge control seconds before flip and the engineer had calculated the settings in his head.
If he’d screwed it up, they’d all be slaves to the Pale Ones right now. She made a mental note to see that he received the Imperial Cross for that. Her father wouldn’t argue. That was over and above whatever Fleet Command and the Imperial Senate decided to do.
The highest award for valor in the Terran Empire came with a few perks that only the emperor could bestow. A small plot of land somewhere and a knighthood. Sir Dennis. Wouldn’t that tie his trickster
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