Mike looked at his watch. The seconds ticked away agonisingly slowly. He checked his escape routes. All around him were enemies, he was completely surrounded. Almost every conceivable exit was a death trap. To escape, this would be about timing. He looked at his watch again. Soon.
He visualised the…Continue Reading »
The command bridge of the Unified Spacing Coalition Naval Vessel "Saskatoon" was a site of bustling activity. Technicians, logistics officers, and a handful of engineers added to the usually sparse bridge crew. This of course, was due to the rather complex process of warp 'landings,' especially so regarding the rather dangerous asteroid belt that was the monolithic Dreadnought's destination. One misstep, or miscalculation, could result in her appearance within, or on collision course with any of the myriad of astral bodies within the system.
It was a relatively barren star system though, in regards to strategic importance, but was cluttered with useless obstructions. And yet, it had aroused the attention of a sector-spanning empire. Or at least one of her ships of the line. This attention was due to the presence of several telltale gravity wells, signaling the approach of several relatively large fleets on the system. With Unified Spacing Coalition Forces Base Shilo nearby, it was not something the Reserve Naval Forces could overlook, especially with the Strathcona and Southgate battle groups on operations elsewhere in Galaxy Forty-Four.…Continue Reading »
"Mornin’, Fred.”“Mornin’, Sam. Ready for another exciting day of simulated space-based combat?”“Sure!” Sam stifled a yawn, sipped his grande mocha latte and asked, “hey - are we still in SIM mode?”“Yup, Sammy. Simming away as usual.”
Sam sighed and put his coffee down on his standard-issue gray workstation desk. SIM mode, which stood for Strategic Infrastructure Manufacturing, meant that this would likely be another boring day with not much action to be had.
Sam and Fred settled into their neighboring office chairs amidst the cubicle farm that was the local IGCBCS (Inter-Galactic Computer-Based Combat Systems) office in New Liberty, the capital of their planet Cestus III. (This always struck Sam as a bit humorous since Cestus I and II were just uninhabited asteroid fields. Couldn’t they just call it “Cestus”?) Sam fired up his workstation and logged in to the IGCBCS system. He noted that the production, construction and research queues were still days away from finishing, and the long-range scanners were completely empty of movement. Quite simply, there was a whole lot of nothing going on.…Continue Reading »
“For the Angel of Death spread his wings on the blast, And breathed in the face of the foe as he passed; And the eyes of the sleepers waxed deadly and chill, And their hearts but once heaved, and for ever grew still!”The Destruction of Sennacherib Lord Byron
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CHAPTER 1 : From the Dust, to the Heavens
Charles Estes awoke. The sound was deafening. Sleeping under the constant threat of sirens was miserable.“When would this end," Charles thought to himself. “How much more can we take." As bad as sleepless nights were, the denizens of Melting Pot had become accustomed to the clamoring that accompanied their daily routines. Charles looked at the small clock hanging near his hammock.The clock read 8:00 AM.“Damn it, I slept in again,” Charles groggily thought to himself.…Continue Reading »