HAB 12 (Scrapyard Ship) Read Online Free Page B

McBride, XO Lieutenant Commander Perkins, and Ricket were seated at their stations and awaiting instructions. With the exception of engineering—Chief Horris and a skeleton crew scattered around the ship these past few weeks—everyone else had been deployed to the Alliance outpost to provide training and support for the newly acquired Craing ships. Jason, like his father, kept within close proximity to The Lilly . With their latest exploits in space and victories against the Craing fleet, word had gotten out.
    Governments and militaries from virtually every nation, as well as the world’s largest science and technology companies, were all applying what political juice they had to pressure Washington and the Alliance for more access to the newly acquired Craing fleet, but more so to The Lilly . That may well happen with the Craing fleet. But not The Lilly . It was obvious to Jason that no one nation could control this technology, especially the phase-shift capabilities, without causing a total imbalance. Even the Alliance outpost, which was a self-contained entity separate from any of the U.S. military branches,had become more and more politically inclined, andhaving several hundred Craing warships in its arsenal, it had quickly become the most powerful military force on the planet. Jason had insisted that Admiral Cramer break all ties to her Navy commission before being placed in charge of the outpost . But Jason knew she still had a lifetime of prior loyalties—loyalties that would be hard to ignore. For the most part he trusted her, but he wasn’t stupid. Jason and his father agreed : The Lilly needed to be kept under wraps—hidden underground here in the aquifer or at other secret locations around the country.
    “Status, XO?” Jason asked, pulling up his virtual tablet and reviewing the ship’s daily systems report and crew roster.
    “All systems are operational. Last of the hull repairs were completed yesterday. As requested, Ricket and I found another potential subterranean drop location.”
    “Dry? Big enough for The Lilly ’s wide keel?”
    “All the above, sir.”
    “Distance from the outpost?” Jason asked.
    “Just under three miles. Actually, closer to two,” Perkins replied.
    “That should work.” Jason closed down his tablet and looked up towards the large wraparound display.
    “One other thing, Captain. It may be a systems glitch, and Ricket is checking on that, but we’ve been out of NanoCom contact with any of The Lilly ’s crew since last night.”
    “I’ve been using my NanoCom all morning,” Jason said, shrugging.
    “The problem seems to be with those at the outpost or still in orbit. Their vitals are normal, we just can’t communicate with them.”
    “Keep me appraised—I don’t like being out of touch with our people.”
    “Aye, sir. There’s something else.”
    “What is it?”
    “The military, all branches, are on high alert. Something’s up with the outpost.”
    “Let’s find out. Secure the gangway and disconnect umbilicals. Helm, once you’ve determined that things are clear above—go ahead and phase-shift.”
    Within several moments, The Lilly was less than a hundred feet above the scrapyard. “Take us into the stratosphere, Ensign.”
    The scrapyard disappeared in a blur and The Lilly reached for the sky. Jason felt the internal dampeners engage as G-forces increased. He noticed the admiral had gotten to his feet, turned, and was watching as their home disappeared behind them. Bright blue skies transitioned to grey and then to the blackness of space. The ship leveled off for several moments and began its descent back towards Earth.
    The familiar landscape of the Chihuahuan desert came into view. Jason had ordered McBride to approach the outpost from the east. At fifty miles out, they were skimming thirty feet above the desert floor. Jason wanted to keep their visit unannounced. Fortunately, unless you were looking right at her, The Lilly was virtually