Into the Black

Evan Currie

Contents (42)

The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

Published by 47 North
P.O. Box 400818
Las Vegas, NV 89140

ISBN: 978-1-61218-234-6

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER 10

CHAPTER 11

CHAPTER 12

CHAPTER 13

CHAPTER 14

CHAPTER 15

CHAPTER 16

CHAPTER 17

CHAPTER 18

CHAPTER 19

CHAPTER 20

CHAPTER 21

CHAPTER 22

CHAPTER 23

CHAPTER 24

CHAPTER 25

CHAPTER 26

CHAPTER 27

CHAPTER 28

CHAPTER 29

CHAPTER 30

CHAPTER 31

CHAPTER 32

CHAPTER 33

CHAPTER 34

CHAPTER 35

CHAPTER 36

CHAPTER 37

CHAPTER 38

CHAPTER 39

EPILOGUE

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

CHAPTER 1

AS HIS FIGHTER broke clear of the atmosphere, Eric Weston reached forward and flipped a series of switches to disengage the Scramjet intake and engage the pressurized oxygen flow to the twin engines. The rush of air across the fuselage had long since faded, thinning to nothing as he angled the nose down and aimed for geosync orbit. Beyond the cockpit glass, the curve of Earth was clearly visible as he casually flipped the plane over and took a moment to admire the view so far below.

Things look so much nicer from up here. So serene compared to what I’ve seen. Japan, California, Hong Kong…None of them look like the battlefields I’ve fought over, Eric Weston thought soberly as he flashed back to his first engagements during World War III. When the war broke out, his company was one of the first strike targets for the Block forces. In the few minutes’ warning the coastal defenses bought them, Weston had organized the other test pilots and got the prototypes off the ground to save them from the bombers.

Unarmed, they couldn’t do anything but watch as the enemies’ heavy weapons annihilated the facility and killed nearly everyone he considered a colleague and friend. After that, staying out of the fight wasn’t really an option for Weston.

He flipped his plane back around so he could take a long look at his destination instead of wallowing in his origins.

Hanging in the Lagrange Four point like some serene floating sentinel, his new command, the North American Confederation Ship Odyssey, stood waiting to receive him. The ship floated in front of him, placidly awaiting her captain as he sailed toward her on a fast intercept vector.