Shall Not Perish (Lincoln's War Book 1)
Page 22
“They will,” Singh predicted. “You can bet that we’ll have half a dozen ideas for duplicating the event in reverse within a week. Some of them might even be plausible.” The door slid open, and Romano stepped onto the bridge, still in his torn and tattered prisoner jumpsuit. “That the latest fashion, Lieutenant?”
“I didn’t have time to change, sir,” the young officer replied. He turned to Forrest, then said, “Thanks for coming after me, ma’am.”
“The Space Force doesn’t leave its own behind, Lieutenant. Not when there is any other alternative on the table.” Gesturing at an empty station, she said, “Take the reserve communications station, Lieutenant, but I’d suggest keeping it audio only until you can get a change of clothing.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said with a smile, settling into his assigned position.
She looked at the viewscreen, the image still blank, anxiously waiting with the others for the return of the starfield, Lincoln’s return to normal space. Somewhere close by, nestled into the hyperfield, Komarov drifted with them, cruising at superluminal speed along the same path. At least they’d have an escort, wherever it was they were going.
“We’re looking at some serious shipyard time,” Singh said, shaking his head. “There’s no fundamental damage, but the maintenance crews are going to be working around the clock to patch our armor. I just hope Zemlya has the facilities we need, or it might end up being a long stay.”
“Whatever it takes, Commander, we’ll get this ship back into the fight,” she replied, her eyes still locked on the screen. Contingency plans ran through her head, but a glance at the status board was enough to convince her that Lincoln was in no condition for battle. Her fighters were struggling to rearm, refuel, but against serious opposition, even of the scale they had just encountered, they wouldn’t have a chance.
“One minute to emergence,” Merritt said. He turned from his station, and asked, “Should I execute an evasive course once we return to normal space, ma’am?”
“Negative,” she replied, shaking her head. “I’m not sure the outer hull could take the strain in any case. Just watch out for any signs of trouble on the far side.” Turning to Clayton, she asked, “Any sign of pursuit?”
“Space is clear behind us, Captain,” the technician replied. “I’d say we got away clean.”
“Twenty seconds,” Merritt said, his hands poised over the controls, ready to make his move. “Ten.”
Singh walked away from the tactical table, moving to stand next to Forrest, offering her a reassuring smile. She glanced up, nodded, then turned back to the display, her hands gripping the armrests of her chair as Lincoln slid back into normal space, the familiar gut-wrenching feel a comfort this time, the stars appearing once more.
And dead center, at the heart of the screen, was a world that might have been Earth. Blue seas, green, brown and white landmasses, clouds lazily drifting across the atmosphere. She looked up at Singh, who was staring wide-eyed at the viewscreen.
“I don’t get it. Zemlya...”
“Terraformed,” Romano said. “It must have taken centuries, but they’ve had all the time they need. My God, it’s beautiful.”
“Komarov has emerged alongside us, Captain,” Kirkland reported, “and welcomes us to our new home. I’m getting signals from...a lot of places, ma’am. I think we’ve woken up just about every transmitter in the system.” She paused, then said, “We’re being hailed. By the President.”
Singh glanced at Forrest, and with a smile, said, “I think we’re about to get a Presidential Unit Citation. Sure, it’s the wrong country, but as long as nobody looks too closely...”
Forrest looked around, and asked, “Anyone know who I’m about to talk to?” Blank faces replied, and she turned to Kirkland, and said, “Patch me through.” She looked down at her duty uniform, a coffee stain visible on the sleeve, and added, “Wish I’d had a chance to change.”
The screen flickered, and the image of a tall, gray-haired woman, wearing her suit as though it was a uniform, appeared on the display. She smiled, an expression that seemed foreign to her face, and looked around the bridge with evident approval.
“Captain Forrest, I presume?” she asked.
Nodding, Forrest replied, “Commander of the USS Abraham Lincoln, Madam President. The finest ship in the United States Space Force.”
“From what I have heard, such a reputation is well justified.” Taking a deep breath, she continued, “On behalf of the Commonwealth of Zemlya, as representative of state and people, I formally welcome you to our world, and thank you must humbly for your role in the return of so many of our lost citizens. I have been informed as to your situation, that you are lost among the stars, out of your own time, far from your people. With the authority vested in me by the Colonial Constitution, I have the greatest pleasure in declaring that you are no longer lost. As far as we are concerned, you have come home, and we will be proud and honored to treat you in every way as though you were born among us.”
“Thank you, Madam President,” Forrest said. “That means a lot.” Looking around, she said, “And in return, I will state this. We might have stumbled into your war with the Guild inadvertently, but to quote one of our greatest officers, we have just begun to fight.”
Thank you for reading 'Shall Not Perish'. For information on future releases, please join the author's Science-Fiction Mailing List at http://eepurl.com/A9MdX for updates. If you enjoyed this book, please review it on the site where you purchased it.
The writer's blog is available at http://tinyurl.com/pjl96dj
The saga returns in ‘Never In Vain’, available soon…
Table of Contents
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27