CHAPTER TWO
Time to Burn
Captain Ona woke the next morning to the broadcast of a rooster greeting the sunrise. She laughed and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Yoni must have remembered. She had admitted it only once to the crew, but she had her heart set to buy a small farm and sink her toes into the earth. After this job she’d have enough credits to import organic soil. Why bother with synth fill when you could afford the best?
Her smile lasted through a light-hearted breakfast with everyone sharing in the excitement. Even Drensel was buoyed by their proximity to the mission’s end. He took it upon himself to thank them all for their hard work over the years and wrestled with a smile that would have frightened a child. When the FTL drives powered down, dropping them into orbit around the planet, Ona felt goosebumps of pure excitement; they were finally here.
“Captain,” called Drensel. “I’m picking up strange energy fluctuations.”
Ona furrowed her brow, looking over the brawny mercenary’s display. “Identify.”
“Unknown; perhaps it’s some kind of radiation.”
“What’s the origin?”
“The ship’s sensors can’t locate any fixed point. The energy is moving over the planet, interacting with the ionosphere.”
“I found it!” Yoni transferred his screen to the captain. “The planet has a single satellite and there’s a field interacting between the two.”
“What’s going on?” asked the Captain. “I need a better analysis, Coraki. These readouts, they’re impossible.”
“I don’t understand it either, Captain,” said Coraki. “Note that our orbit is on course to pass between them. I’d advise—”
“Say no more. Initiating evasive manoeuvre into opposing orbit. We’ll examine it from there.”
Before the captain could begin an intense force rocked the deck and a flare of potent white light arced across the ship. Red screens blinked above every terminal.
“Status!” called the Captain.
“Shields disabled,” reported Thia. “The drives are fried; we’re crippled in a degrading orbit. Estimated time to burn, three minutes.”
“Hull damaged; portside rear quadrant,” called Drensel. “Cordoning off atmospheric loss.”
“Coraki, get that planet seeded now! Initiate the colonisation engines! Nathis, deploy the stasis chambers, herd the Flock to Paradise. Drensel, prime the shuttle.”
“Shuttle is non-responsive, Captain.”
There was only one chance to save her crew and the window on their mortality was closing fast. Ona flipped the cover on her emergency panel and punched in the evac sequence. “Abandon ship! Everyone to the pods, this can is heading for ash and flash.”
Captain Ona engaged the autopilot, and ran to the emergency pod bay while the ship’s computer broadcast a degrading status report of failed systems.
“Colonisation engines activated…
Paradise protocol error…
Primary databank incomplete or damaged…
Secondary databank incomplete or damaged…
Tertiary databank complete…
Oranica protocols initiated.”
The Captain’s pod jettisoned, the last in a hail of humanity descending upon a planet soon to be populated by Yoni’s genius of fantasy. Thousands of pods bled tears of fire through the atmosphere then sprouted their chutes; white puffs floated down like dandelion pappus, seeding a strange future. Captain Ona hoped above all else that Yoni’s planet would have real soil she could sink her toes into.
Flash forward in time & the adventure continues in . . .
Dead Letter
Prelude to the #1 Epic Fantasy Bestseller, Dragon Choir.
An outcast sorcerer is lost in the city of gold, boiling in a cauldron of lies. Novice Kettna is commissioned to solve a string of robberies, but is haunted by a forbidden secret. Murder, blackmail and espionage drive her investigation into the shadows of danger where she must confront Bloody Agnus, the queen of the criminal underworld. Can a mage with failing magic discover the truth to find her lost love and save the city from itself?
Sword and Sorcery simmering with Mystery and Mayhem.
Grab a FREE copy now!
Dragon Choir
Fast paced action sautéed in a deliciously immersive narrative style.
When the days stretch and the land bakes, dragons will again scour the sky. A city of bones and a city of gold plot against each other while the rebellion gathers strength. A young man is caught in a tempest of intrigue that will forge a new era of freedom, or forever scar the land. He must discover the secret of the Dragon Choir to save his father and end the stranglehold of an unforgiven nation.
#1 Epic Fantasy Best Seller
Grab a copy now!
Benjamin Descovich is the founder of ethicalwriter.com and works every day writing the seeds to grow a better future. He is a passionate environmentalist, social justice advocate and holds a degree in Political Science. Born in Australia and well travelled through Europe and Asia, he has been spoilt with inspiration for his fiction. While the dramatic landscapes, political intrigue and epic battles will captivate your imagination; the dragons and magic take your breath away.
Visit my website:
www.benjamindescovich.com
Follow the Dragon Choir fan page:
www.facebook.com/dragonchoir
Drop me a line:
[email protected]
I appreciate that you’ve taken the time to enjoy my work and would love it if you left a review where you made your purchase. Tell your friends and family about it too. Every voice strengthens the choir.
Thank you for your support!
GET YOUR FREE EBOOK!
Seeded Page 2
