Shadow Space Chronicles 1: The Fallen Race Read Free Page A

atmosphere and draw in hydrogen for their fusion reactors.  Both the refueler and the shuttles docked to the external clamps, which made them more vulnerable in combat.
    “ Yes, sir.  They’ll be standing by and ready to launch at your go.”  The Lieutenant sounded more confident already.  Perhaps all he’d needed was direction, Lucius thought.
    “ Roger, Lieutenant, continue the good work, Bridge out.”  Lucius took a deep breath and ran one hand through his short, curly black hair. It felt sweaty and oily, and Lucius tried not to think about how he must smell. He had forced himself to leave the bridge long enough to rinse down his suit and eat some ration bars.  He had already rotated crew through twice for rest and food. “What's the status on the scan?”  Lucius asked
    “ Sir, most of our sensors are gone.  We’ve got thirty percent effective scan, and we’re spinning the ship to get that.”  His sole remaining sensor tech’s voice snapped,  “I’m doing what I can, sir, you should be getting a list… now.”
    Lucius unclenched fists he didn't remember making.  He forced himself to take a breath.  “I’ve got it, thank you, Tech Brunetti.”  Tearing the head off his remaining sensor tech wouldn't get him anywhere, even if it would ease some of his own tension.  Lucius had never appreciated superiors who took out their frustration upon their subordinates, now was not the time to emulate them.
    “Astro?”
    The navigation tech looked up, “It’s not looking— wait sir, I’ve got something that might be within range.”  He brought a diagram on the main display, “A moon of the nearest gas giant.  Spectroanalyzer scans show significant amounts of oxygen in the atmosphere.  Best possible time is a hundred and forty minutes out.”
    “Helm, engines to full and adjust course.”
    “ Adjusting course, Captain.”
    ***
     
    “ Atmospheric pressure is close to standard.  Temperature is low, ten degrees Celsius at the equator on this side.  It looks to be tidal locked with the gas giant.  There’s a significant temperature differential, causing some rather odd weather patterns.”  They had just taken up a stable high orbit around the large moon.  The braking maneuver had seemed to take forever, but it had given the sensor techs time to work, at least.
    “ But it’s inhabitable?” Lucius asked, just as the hum of the engines died.  As did half the control panels on the bridge.
    Thankfully, sensors didn’t and Tech Brunetti spoke in his staccato voice, “It’s something, sir.  There’s air, looks to be plant life of some kind, animal life as well.  Visual scans are recognizing a little bit of Terran-origin life.  Looks like it was seeded a long while back.”
    “Excellent,” Lucius nodded.  He opened a link to Lieutenant Naevius, “Flight Ops, launch the refueler.”
    “ Roger, sir, refueler is launching.” Lieutenant Naevius’s hoarse voice answered.
    Lucius opened a ship-wide channel.  “All hands, we’ve reached an inhabitable world.  With the shuttle and the refueler, we can begin restocking our supplies of air.  The crisis is past.  Department heads, put your personnel on quarter watch.  Mess, I want a good meal for our people and then all non-essential personnel should get eight hours of down-time.”  He smiled, “Department Heads to the conference room in one hour.”  No rest for the wicked , he thought.
    He stood from the command chair.  His stiff muscles complained.  Lucius nodded to the only other officer on the bridge, his brother in law’s assistant.  “Ensign Tascon, you have the Conn, I’ll be in my quarters.”  The ensign was a new arrival, transferred over by Commodore Torrelli.  A brief stint in charge would give the ensign a chance to prove himself, both to Lucius and to the rest of the crew.
    Lucius stepped from the bridge.  He manually levered open the hatch to the hallway beyond.  He nodded to the two Marines on guard