Solbidyum Wars Saga 7: Hunt for the Reduviids Read Online Free Page B

you’ll look over here,” he said as he gestured toward a hatch barely large enough to crawl through, “you will find a Cantolla Gate linked to another gate here on the NEW ORLEANS that provides you with a means of escape directly into this craft in case of an emergency.”
    “What about weaponry?”
    “Rail guns, lasers, plasma torpedoes and a particle beam, as well as a sleep-inducing weapon adapted from the technology used by the Tottalax, and a microwave gun like the one we used to defeat them.  I dare say that this ship has as much firepower capability as the NEW ORLEANS .  The ship is also equipped with a limited RMFF.”
    “Limited?”
    “Yes, it will work to deflect most shots, but one shot in ten or fifteen might have a chance of passing through and impacting the craft.  This ship is powered by the smaller 6X reactors, which aren’t able to generate a field as strong as those generated by the power sources of the larger ships.  The 6X reactors work on a similar principle as the 10X reactors and are adapted to fit the smaller ship design.  So, while they are capable of powering an RMFF field, the shielding is a bit weaker and is subject to breach, if the shot’s angle of impact is correct.
    “One more thing this ship is designed with folding wings that you can deploy for in-atmosphere flight.  I copied the idea from information I found in the archives recovered from your Earth.  It seems that this technology was something your scientists perfected during your lifetime while you were still there.”
    “Yes, I’m familiar with the design.  While in the Navy, I served on carriers that docked these aircraft,” I said.
    “Were you a pilot back then?” A’Lappe asked unexpectedly.
    “No, I served on the catapult crew.  The catapult was a mechanism that helped to launch the planes,” I replied.
    “Ah, yes.  Those confused me at first when I viewed the vid clips of your carriers in action, until I realized your planes relied on speed and airflow for lift.  The carrier decks weren’t long enough to achieve those without an assist.  It must have been fascinating work.”
    “More like monotonous and dangerous,” I answered.  “There was certainly nothing fun about it.  One mistake could cost someone their life; and I was unfortunate enough to see that happen.”
    A’Lappe spent the next forty minutes going over the finer features of the ship with me.  Like most ships in the Federation, the controls were standardized and the computer actually did most of the flying, so I found nearly all of it to be very familiar.  Only the controls for the Cantolla Gate and some of the weapons were unusual.  I found myself wondering how different things would have been if Kala and I had crashed on Desolation in this ship and whether we would have fared as well with it as we did with the ALI.  
    I was finishing up with A’Lappe when Marranalis’ voice came across my com link.  “Admiral, there’s a call coming in from Admiral Stonbersa.  Do you want me to connect you through your com link?”
    “No.  Give me a few minutes to get to my study,” I responded.
    “You’ll have to excuse me, A’Lappe, duty calls,” I said as I headed down one of the familiar maintenance tunnels that led to a secret access into my study.  “Oh, and the new ship…brilliant!”
    Once seated behind my desk, I signaled Marranalis to put Admiral Stonbersa through.  Stonbersa’s image appeared on the screen.  “What can I do for you, Admiral?” I asked.
    “Admiral,” Stonbersa began, “we’ve picked up signals from the outer rim sensors that indicate a large number of cloaked ships traveling beyond our borders.  By our estimate, there are over 600 of them.”
    “Where are they headed?” I asked.
    “That’s a bit of a mystery; they don’t seem to be going anywhere.  They keep moving about beyond the boundary.”
    “Are they flying as a unit or separately in different directions?”
    “They seem to be