Refusing Excalibur Read Online Free

turbines, its two spinal-mounted accelerator cannons making it look like a colossal double-barreled shotgun. Another battleship still floated in the air, docked nose-first to one of the tall spires standing like trees amid the flat land.
    Victor’s destination would be well away from the battleship docking towers. He vectored the sky hopper for the area of unbroken tarmac where midsize warships landed directly on the ground.
    Air traffic control gave him a strict flight path to avoid all the cruisers taking off, leading him on a serpentine course to his own cruiser, the RSS Osprey .
    His ship was perched on her landing struts, just high enough off the ground to keep the lower pair of her four main thrusters off the ground.
    Victor came in low, slowed the sky hopper to a hover, and landed just a couple hundred meters from the cruiser.
    “This is my stop, Dad,” Victor said, as he climbed down from the cockpit.
    “Victor,” said his father, barely audible over the whine of the sky hopper’s idling engines.
    “Yes, Dad?” Victor shouted.
    “Good luck up there.”
    Victor nodded and turned to run toward his ship. The sky hopper’s engines revved up as it took off behind him.
    Two armsmen standing at the Osprey ’s boarding ramp saluted him, and the leader, a chief petty officer, asked for his ID.
    He returned their salutes and showed his ID.
    “Welcome aboard, Captain,” the female CPO said, wearing ballistic armor and carrying an assault rifle.
    “Thanks, Chief. How many are we waiting for?” asked Victor.
    “You’re one of the last, sir. Commander Dace already has the reactors warmed up,” she answered.
    Victor nodded. “Good. We’re taking off as soon as the last of the crew boards.”
    “Yes, sir.”
    Victor ran up the ramp; the crew scurrying around stopped to salute him.
    “Don’t stop to salute. Just get my bird in the air!” Victor shouted. He ran upstairs and climbed ladders until he reached his storage locker. He opened it and pulled out his pressure suit. He donned the bulky suit and jogged the rest of the way to the bridge, carrying his helmet in the crook of his left arm.
    “Welcome aboard, Captain. I was worried that I’d have to leave without you,” Commander Dace said, a tall woman with the black hair and black eyes of most Savannans.
    Victor dropped into his seat next to Dace, resting his helmet on his lap. “Well, thank you for waiting, Commander. The chief guarding the ramp said you’ve got the reactors warmed up. I assume we’re ready for takeoff?”
    “Yes, Captain. We should have the rest of the crew aboard in about five minutes,” Dace said.
    “Good.” Victor looked to the control console at the head of the bridge. “Lieutenant Colletta, request takeoff clearance as soon as the boarding ramp closes.”
    “Yes, Captain,” the Osprey ’s pilot said.
    The tarmac grew increasingly empty as other starships lifted off and then streaked the sky above the spaceport with white contrails.
    A few minutes later, Lieutenant Colletta reported they were clear to orbit.
    “Take her up,” Victor said.
    “Yes, Captain.” Lieutenant Colletta worked the controls. “Powering up the AG field, spinning up turbines.”
    The ten-thousand-ton starship floated off the ground. Lieutenant Colletta then pitched the ship upward and climbed for space.
    “Captain, we’ve established a connection with the fleet datalink,” the communications officer said.
    “Thank you, Lieutenant.” Victor brought up the tactical display screen attached to his right armrest.
    A frightening battle occurred a light hour away as the Republic Navy’s blockade saturated the Arcadia jump point with weapons fire tearing apart a constant stream of Lysandran warships.
    “This is Admiral Selan to the Osprey ,” Victor's father spoke over the datalink, now very much in admiral mode. “You’re to protect Savannah from any enemy ships that manage to run the blockade. You’ll be leading a five-ship squadron with the