Chapter 8

Takara double-checkedthat everyone had fit aboard the other ships of Alpha and Charlie Companies. Stella’s cargo bay door was reporting a malfunction and wouldn’t open.

If she had to, Takara would blow the door and risk flying with the bay open to space and trust to the ground troops’ suits for their survival, but it wasn’t necessary. All of the remaining troops crammed aboard the other ships despite the loss of the Jess. If they were civilians, she’d worry about losing some in the dark, but these were Spec Ops.

Ground commander reported all accounted for and that was good enough for Takara. She ordered the Night Stalkers aloft.

Safest route was to continue their prior flightpath; depart to the north and arc over the North Pole then climb back toward the Canmerican West L5 colonies.

Australia might have big masers, but India was rumored to have something new, a particle beam weapon of some sort.

She didn’t want to be their test case.

The Night Stalkers would hit space over the waters of the Arctic Ocean and go direct to Earth-escape speeds over the North Pole. Just leave the poor old rock behind. For a moment before she lifted, Takara wondered if they’d ever be back again. Probably. The Night Stalkers were always going where no one else could.

Last aloft, she was surprised by a flock of ultra-lights caught in her landing lights. She hadn’t seen or heard coming. No signal on radar. Stealth craft?

“Who are they?” she asked Stella.

“Bad. United California. Threatening to blow us out of the sky if we don’t land.”

“Convince them that we don’t care.”

A blast of plasma fired out the Stella’s quadruple G-Lev engine exhausts.

She’d expected Stella to shoot down a couple as a warning, not wipe the entire first wave from the sky.

Takara had no time to asses the damage as the blast drove the Stella to the edge of the never-exceed speeds in atmo. She was hammered back into the captain’s seat by the G-force of the still accelerating ship. Her vision tunneled and sent her toward blackout.

She hadn’t even known the engines could do that.

* * *

Full plasma burn = 14 seconds.

Cabin force = 11G.

Crew consciousness return = approx 3 minutes.

Find Jess.