Remember the Starfighter Read Online Free Page B

hues in the background, beating like a living heart. 
    Cosmic light waxed and waned across the Crusader as it navigated through the milky medium. Peering at it was like being submerged in an ocean of exotic space, waves of stars glistening across the expanse. Scientists from across the galaxy had yet to fully understand the phenomenon. But without it, space-faring races would be forced to spend decades, if not centuries or millennia traveling by means bound more closely to the physical laws of the universe. Hyperspace provided that alternative: where gravitational fields were weak, a ship in any star system could open a gateway into a realm that folded space and time. And through it, the almost infinite distances between stars could be reached within weeks, to days, and even hours.
    Although Nalia had told him to rest, Julian could not sleep. He stood on the bridge of the Crusader, looking out from a window into the strange emptiness that stared back at him. In a few moments, the veil of hyperspace would recede, and in its place would be the Haven star system, his true home.  
    What would he say to them? Julian kept circling the question, trying to find the courage to answer. His sister, his brother, his parents, they were all there on Haven, having heard nothing of him for more than a year. Things had moved so fast, the pressure making it difficult to think. But he knew it full well: this might be his last chance to see them. If not now, then perhaps never.
    “Julian, are you okay?”
    She approached to his side, wondering what he was looking at. “You seemed to have spaced out,” Nalia said.
    “It’s just been a while since I’ve last seen Haven.”
    “Me too. I’ve been out in the dark for the last four years. I’m sure you’ll get some time to visit.”
    “I bet I’m going to have to report to duty soon,” he replied. “Not much time.”
    “I wouldn’t worry too much,” she said. “Any free time you get, try to enjoy it while you can.”
    Nalia’s voice was calm as she tried to lift Julian’s spirits. He realized he had nothing to complain about. He was alive, thanks to this woman.
    “What will happen to you?” he asked
    “I imagine I’ll be stationed at SpaceCore Command, planning our counterattacks. A lot of strategy sessions and meetings with the higher-ups will ensue, leaving me with piles of reports to go through.”
    “Well I hope you tell command to cut down on those Lucifer orders,” he joked.
    She laughed, giving him a lighthearted salute. “Will do.”
    “You’re a good pilot Julian. You work quick. Kick some ass for me when you’re out there.”
    He saluted back.
    Julian then dropped into the pilot seat. The ship’s computer showed that they had closed in on their destination. Using the navigation controls, he calculated a trajectory back into normal space. Re-entry would bring the vessel close to Worthy Station, SpaceCore’s largest orbital facility. Located on the edge of the star system, it was the major staging ground for his people’s military operations.
    “Re-entry point calculated,” he said to Nalia. “Commencing synch with normal space.”
    As Julian inputted the orders, the Crusader’s hyperspace drive energized, emitting a gravitational field around the ship that lasted over a span of minutes. The pull generated by the vessel immediately counteracted with the cosmic energies that made up hyperspace. A tremor vibrated through the ship, as the stability of the area around it fractured. The Crusader’s connection to hyperspace began to sever, pulling the ship back into the normal physical laws.
    On the bridge, Julian could see the transformation. The Crusader’s surroundings flickered in a white glow. Seconds later, the shroud lifted, revealing what lie in wait.             
    Julian still recollected the sight of Worthy Station. Along with ranking as the military’s largest orbital facility, it was also the oldest and comprised of an expanding