Black Legion: 04 - Last Stand Read Free Page A

looking like something from Terran myth, he knew full well they were strong, tough, and brutes in close combat. He wiped his jaw and looked to the flanks of the ship.
    “So, no fighters and light weaponry.”
    “Affirmative, Kentarchos.”
    Manus nodded to himself as he assimilated all the information. There was a chance, only a faint one that this vessel was an assault vessel, but he quickly discounted it. Why would such a vessel be out alone? The more he thought about it, the more he was convinced that this was a heavy scout ship.
    “They are no match for us, not on their own.”
    The tactical officer brought up a number of options with each highlighting potential weaknesses on the ship.
    “If we were to jam their communications, we could move in quickly, disable her engines, and then...”
    “What exactly?”
    “Either board her, destroy her, or use the opportunity to escape.”
    Manus’ lip twitched at this information. The opportunity to take on a single light cruiser was something not to be taken lightly, but he did rather like the idea of taking one as a prize. He scratched at his cheek and then nodded to him.
    “Very well. I want her jammed before we’re detected. Use all the power we have left and keep her locked down. Under no circumstances can we let this ship relay information back to its masters.”
    He then looked to the tactical officer.
    “I don’t want her captured. I don’t even want her damaged. It does us no good to leave her out there to send information back or even to follow us.”
    He moved his attention back to the ship on the screen.
    “I want nothing but her complete and utter destruction. Do you understand me?”
    The man nodded in agreement and moved back to his consoles. Kybernetes Maxentius moved in to take his place alongside the commander.
    “Kentarchos, we will be in range in less than nine minutes.”
    “Good,” he replied, “this needs to be done quickly. Are they jammed?”
    The Kybernetes nodded quickly.
    “Aye, Sir, they are on their own, for now.”
    Drakonis travelled at her fastest speed towards the vessel. The engines burned white hot, yet it would still take nearly nine minutes to get close enough to fire the powerful plasma guns at her at a distance where they couldn’t be avoided. Ezekiel Manus gave himself a moment’s respite as he looked at the black shape of the scout. It was completely different to that of the Terran vessel, small, sleek, and nearly impossible to see in space. In many ways, he preferred the configuration to that of his new ship.
    It’s still a Median ship though, and filled with their slaves. They are worthy of nothing but our contempt.
    He imagined the look on the automatons’ faces when the Terran ship appeared out of nowhere and unleashed all her weapons against the unsuspecting ship. He could visualise the impact of the beams and cannons, and the more he imagined it, the more he wanted to see it. That was the moment he sensed something was wrong. His heart felt as though it pulsed with adrenalin, and he swallowed uncomfortably, instantly dreading to know what was happening.
    “What is it?”
    The colour in the tactical officer’s face seemed to drain away.
    “Uh, Sir, I’ve got something.”
    The young man shook his head nervously as he spoke. There was no need for him to say anything more, as the tactical board lit up like some kind of high-intensity decoration. First there were indicators to the left, and then it filled with a hundred shapes in all directions.
    “Gods, it’s a fleet!”
    The mood transformed inside the ship as the officers rushed to ensure all their stations were responding, but it was too late, and a long continuous tone howled through the vessel, warning an imminent threat.
    “Everything to shields!” snapped the Kybernetes.
    A dull vibration announced the massive increase in power being sent to the shield generators. Even with the engines pumping power to the defensive systems, it wasn’t enough. The ship