BooksBarbecue
Back Ark Royal Save as PDF
Chapters (42)
  1. Cover Blurb
  2. Contents
  3. Chapter One
  4. Chapter Two
  5. Chapter Three
  6. Chapter Four
  7. Chapter Five
  8. Chapter Six
  9. Chapter Seven
  10. Chapter Eight
  11. Chapter Nine
  12. Chapter Ten
  13. Chapter Eleven
  14. Chapter Twelve
  15. Chapter Thirteen
  16. Chapter Fourteen
  17. Chapter Fifteen
  18. Chapter Sixteen
  19. Chapter Seventeen
  20. Chapter Eighteen
  21. Chapter Nineteen
  22. Chapter Twenty
  23. Chapter Twenty-One
  24. Chapter Twenty-Two
  25. Chapter Twenty-Three
  26. Chapter Twenty-Four
  27. Chapter Twenty-Five
  28. Chapter Twenty-Six
  29. Chapter Twenty-Seven
  30. Chapter Twenty-Eight
  31. Chapter Twenty-Nine
  32. Chapter Thirty
  33. Chapter Thirty-One
  34. Chapter Thirty-Two
  35. Chapter Thirty-Three
  36. Chapter Thirty-Four
  37. Chapter Thirty-Five
  38. Chapter Thirty-Six
  39. Chapter Thirty-Seven
  40. Chapter Thirty-Eight
  41. Chapter Thirty-Nine
  42. Chapter Forty

Marcus swallowed, nervously.  The carrier wasn't going to enter orbit, unless the Captain had changed his mind.  There would be several hours in a cramped shuttle, hopelessly vulnerable if the aliens returned to the system or merely if they’d left a few surprises in orbit for anyone who wanted to inspect the destroyed colony.  But it would be a chance to get some real recordings, ones that would be exclusive to himself.  He could dictate his own terms to his superiors, when – if – they returned to Earth.

“I do,” he said, finally.

The Marine smiled.  “Then come with me,” he said.  “There's no time to alert your fellows.”

Because they will all want to come, Marcus thought.

“I understand,” he said, out loud.  “Let's go.”

***

Ted, feeling much refreshed after seven hours of sleep, inspected the deployment plan carefully, then nodded.  “Good luck,” he said.  The Marines would take at least an hour to reach the planet, then they’d have at least nine hours on the ground while Ark Royal mined for raw materials ... unless the aliens returned.  “We’ll be waiting for you.”

He settled back into his command chair, silently banishing Fitzwilliam to his cabin for a rest himself.  It was nice of his XO to make sure that his Captain had a few extra hours of sleep, but it was also impractical.  They both needed to be fully alert at all times ... which was a joke, he knew.  No military officer could remain permanently on alert.

Maybe we should have two Captains and two XOs, he thought.  One pair to sleep, one pair to command ... and switch every few hours.

He shook his head.  There would be arguments over which of the Captains was really in command.  Shared authority, military officers knew, was diluted authority, asking for trouble when the two officers disagreed.  Somehow, he doubted the Admiralty would consider it a good idea.

But war will throw other changes at us, he told himself.  All of the peacetime protocols would be burnt away by the fires of war.  We won’t be the same again.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Seen from a distance, Charles decided, Vera Cruz didn't look too different from Earth.  Like most settled worlds, it was an orb glowing with green and blue light, mostly blue.  There were no hints from orbit that humans had trod on its surface, but then there wouldn't be any hints on any such world, apart from Earth.  The giant orbital towers – and a handful of other human constructions – were the only things large enough to be visible to the naked eye from orbit.