Universe of the Soul Read Online Free

deep breath, and exhaled slowly. [Rael to all units. Proceed with the defense of the camp.] With that, she walked towards the shield barrier, and sprinted through it. It was a type XI Colok defense shielding system, which, when activated, allowed anything to go out of the shields, but allowed nothing to come in. As her squad followed her example, Adri knew that they were essentially barred from the camp with the enemy for as long as the shields stood.
    [Nice night,] came a mild voice across the communicator.
    Adri scowled. It was black as pitch, and the rain was falling steadily. [Lieutenant Grayson, please refrain from inane comments on the communicator,] she ordered.
    [Sure thing. Grayson out.]
    Danwe , Adri thought in irritation. Did the man have to sound so appealing over the communicator?
    She let out a huff of breath and, following her compass, headed for the outcropping of rock and rubble that afforded a good view of the north shield system. [Rael to black squadron,] she said. [Align into formation. We still don't know where our enemy is. Keep alert.] Night vision mode set within her helmet, Adri, ATF at the ready, kept her own eyes trained on the surrounding landscape. She was thankful for the new accelerated transition firearms that had replaced the blaster. The improved accuracy, range, and recharge rate gave her side a decided advantage.
    Even with the night vision, it was still incredibly hard to see beyond fifteen feet. It was dangerous to venture out into this kind of darkness, especially without knowing the location of one's enemy, but it was a risk worth taking. This way they could surprise their enemy from behind, as the shields “went down” (of course, Adri wasn't about to allow the shield to be blown down; rather, she'd have Duane lower it), inviting the Belligerent Coalition to attack their unprotected flank, only to be caught between the waiting white squadron just inside the shield, and the black squadron just outside.
    With careful adjusting to accommodate unexpected changes, and a healthy dose of luck, they would trounce their enemies before morning.
    And maybe, with a little more luck, she'd get to go back to bed.
    They made the ridge in safety, with still no sign of the enemy. With half her squadron guarding their back, the other half faced the camp. It was hard to miss, being a soft red glowing dot on the black horizon. Everything was in readiness.
    [Rael to Oduran,]
    [Oduran here.]
    [Black squadron is in position. Standby for the dropping of the shield,]
    [Understood, ma'am. Oduran out.]
    Rael took another deep breath. [Rael to Duane,]
    [Duane is here,] came the paranthian's sleepy voice. [But I still don't like the idea of lowering my shields, and leaving the rest of us – as in me – like stationary red target signs.]
    Trust Duane to lighten her mood, Adri thought, smiling. [Think of it this way,] she replied, not noticing that Gray was watching her and listening in as well, unable to see his smile. [Either sacrifice your shield core and allow the Belligerent to walk on in, or its lower your shield, and still have the chance to raise it again.]
    Duane gave a longsuffering sigh over the communicator. [The things I do for my L.C. The north shield is being lowered now. It will be fully deactivated in three minutes, and counting.]
    [Excellent Duane. Rael out.] Now it was time for the waiting game.
    Eying their setup critically, Adri glanced over at Gray, who was quietly instructing one of their greener recruits (and how did he know that the soldier was new to the Navy, let alone the Advance Force?) on what to look for when searching for signs of the enemy. His voice was little more than a murmur on the common frequency since he wasn't talking to her. It was a sound that she would normally have tuned out, but she was curious to know what he was saying.
    She wasn't prying, necessarily, Adri argued to herself as she tuned in her communicator to pick up their conversation. She was simply