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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

Ted scowled down at the display.  A thin translucent line – an alien tramline – winked into existence, mocking him.  They couldn't use it to escape, even though it seemed to head back into human space.  There was no way they could build an improved Puller Drive in time to make it out.  Moments later, the alien battlecruiser popped into existence.  Ted watched, holding his breath, then sighed in relief as he realised the aliens had lost them.  But that wouldn't last indefinitely.

The conclusion was inescapable.  They were trapped.

“You have the bridge,” he growled.  Bitter helplessness warred in his mind.  They were trapped – and it was his fault.  If he’d taken the risk of jumping back towards New Russia instead ... he shook his head, angrily.  Now, he would have all the time in the world to second-guess himself.  “Keep us drifting here.”

With that, he strode through the hatch and headed down towards his cabin.

Chapter Thirty-Five

Chapter Thirty-Five

James studied the display, feeling cold ice congealing around his heart.

The realities of the tramline network were well-understood, he knew.  Without a tramline, travel from star to star was impossible.  God knew that at least one sublight colony venture had deliberately aimed for a star that was believed to have no tramlines, putting six light years between them and the closest human world.  But every other star system reached by humanity had at least one tramline.  Here, through, they had come to the end of the line.

He sucked in a breath as the alien battlecruiser made her appearance, sitting on top of the tramline and showing no sign of budging.  Once again, thankfully, the aliens had prepared for an ambush that hadn’t been prepared, giving the human ship time to hide.  Ark Royal would remain undetected as long as she remained still, he knew, particularly since the aliens didn't seem to be actually looking for her.  But they wouldn't be able to re-enter the tramline at a different point without altering course radically enough to risk detection ... and even if they did, they’d only jump back to Alien-Two.  No, they were trapped ... and the aliens would be gathering the force to destroy them.

A note blinked up on his display.  Someone – Midshipwomen Lopez – was asking for a private conversation.  That was rare, particularly in the middle of a battle.  Alarmed, unsure of why he was alarmed, James reached for his earpiece and voder, pressing one into his ear and the other against his throat.  It had been years since he had used either of the pieces of equipment, but his body remembered how to use them.

“Sir, it’s the Captain,” the young woman said.  James frowned in puzzlement, then recalled that he’d asked her to keep a subtle eye on her commander.  “He just left the bridge.”