Far From Home: The Complete Series Read Online Free

her orders.
    * * *
    “I’ve seen the data from the sensors, and the visual logs. That was a big ship, Commander. The biggest I’ve ever seen that’s not one of ours. And you say the Duotonic Missiles had very little effect?” Grimshaw asked.
    “No. They had a very powerful energy shield around their hull, unlike any I’ve ever encountered. It seemed to absorb the hit. The damage was minor at best,” King said.
    Grimshaw nodded slowly, in thought. “I see.”
    “I think that if this is the new class of Draxx ship, then they’ve upped their game sir,” King said.
    “Yes, well, I will be sure to pass on the data from the Defiant to Central Command. I’m sure it will assist them in their analysis of the new Draxx starship classes.”
    King frowned. “Sir?”
    “We’ve known for some time that they’ve been focusing their efforts on building bigger, better ships. Several months ago we came into possession of intel pointing to a ship of the size you encountered,” Grimshaw explained. “But we weren’t sure if they had the capability, or the resources, to build it. Evidently they have.”
    “How many of these things are there?” King asked.
    “We think just the one at the minute. They call it the Inflictor . The first of a new class,” Grimshaw said. He shook his head. “I don’t know … just when you think the conflict has abated, it goes a stage further. This is just the beginning of something bigger I feel. The next stage in the conflict.”
    King let that sink in.
    “Where were we?” Grimshaw asked.
    King looked up at the ceiling as she found the words.
    “The fire …” she said.
    * * *
    “Fire team, report!” King snapped into the comm.
    The speakers issued a loud roar, filled with clicks and static. The voice of a male officer broke through it.
    “Lieutenant Morris here, sir. The fire has breached sections two, three and four. We’re trying to fight it back and stop it spreading further.”
    “What’s causing it to take hold like that?” King asked.
    “Propellant leak, sir.”
    “Okay, Lieutenant. Do what you can. Is the Captain with you?”
    “Yes sir. The Captain is assisting the crew trying to control the fire in section three.”
    “Keep me informed,” King said, closing the channel.
    The Defiant was rocked by a direct hit. She gripped the sides of the captain’s chair despite being strapped in.
    “Load whatever tubes we have left at our disposal and return fire,” King told Ensign Rayne.
    Another hit made the Defiant skew to one side. The bridge tilted and all hands took hold of something to keep from spilling out of their seats.
    “Re-stabilizing,” Banks shouted as he fought with the controls to bring the Defiant level again.
    “We can’t take much more of this. Are the tubes ready?” King asked Rayne.
    “Yes sir, ready to launch,” Rayne said.
    “Fire starboard tubes.”
    The front display changed to a view of their starboard side. The huge Draxx battleship loomed to the side of them, the jagged, almost haphazard design of it like some deformed mythological sea monster. Eight Duotonic Missiles spiralled away from the Defiant on a direct collision course. The Draxx ship made no attempt to stop them hitting. They struck with full force. The energy shield on the Draxx ship erupted in white light as it took on the full brunt of their explosive power and absorbed the majority of its energy. The shockwaves rocked the Defiant as if it were fighting a rough sea, but the Draxx ship remained unscathed.
    Union starships only ever carried twenty or so missiles at any one time, due to their power.
    “Jesus …” Olivia Rayne said in disbelief.
    “Right. Lieutenant Banks, full power to the engines. Drain every system if you have to,” King ordered. “Chang, I want you to -“
    An explosive scream tore through the Defiant . Bits of hull and particles blasted out from the bow of the ship. The secondary tactical console to the left of Chang’s station burst into flame and