“Name it.”
“Somewhere to sleep, Sir.”
For what must have been the first time in his life, the battle-hardened Captain didn’t know what to say. He placed a hand on Nate’s shoulder.
“Whatever you need, son. Remember your friends. There will be time after all of this, but remember. Tomorrow is another day, and all of us will be on the line. Today, though, well, today is yours. All of yours.”
Nate and his friends needed no further encouragement, and as the deck crew got to work on the fighters, they moved off along the deck. For the first time in what seemed like an age, none of them was arguing. They were just looking for a quiet few moments alone. Captain Cornwallis watched them walk away, leaving the badly damaged fighters alone. He turned to Lieutenant Commander Holder.
“First time I saw them, I thought they were just kids.”
Holder nodded firmly.
“Yeah, well, they’re not kids anymore.”
“Ain’t that the truth?”
* * *
Three days later
Captain Galanos turned from the massive central display towards Captain Cornwallis and Lieutenant Commander Holder. The rest of the command deck was busy as usual, though none seemed particular interest in the conversation going on. The imagery showed a seen of utter devastation, a star system filled with broken ships.
“So, you see the predicament. We might have won the day here, but the other ships still broke through to assist in the defeat of General Makos. He fought for a full day over Martos II, but the attack was completely overwhelming. Thirty percent of his ships are gone, and the rest are running.”
Captain Cornwallis scowled as he looked at the imagery.
“So…with Makos defeated, we’re now vulnerable to attack from Martos II in the Tenth Quadrant, as well as through Fiorr Veej?”
“Exactly. And that’s why Admiral Anderson has moved our remaining reserve assets into the Helios System.”
She shook her head as though she still couldn’t believe it.
“In six hours we’re pulling out of this System and falling back to Helios. We have to be ready for what’s coming. And with Makos gone we cannot take unnecessary chances.”
She turned her attention to Holder.
“Lieutenant Commander. Your pilots, I hear they’ve been worn down by the fighting. Tell me, are they up for another scrap?”
“Yes, Sir. Always. They’ve been back on the simulators for the last two days and running over their logs on the Phantoms with our R&D people.”
“Excellent. We have to be ready, because we’re not fighting for just one system anymore. Helios will determine who dominates this entire region.
“You can count on us, Sir.”
“Excellent, it’s about time the Knighthawks were all back aboard. We’ve missed you all here.”
It should have been a positive moment, but Holder couldn’t hide a glimmer of sadness.
“Not all, Sir. We lost a good many pilots.”
Captain Galanos sighed.
“Trust me, I know. And I can tell you this much. Before this battle is over, we’re going to lose a lot more.”
Her face softened.
“We’ve got a battle to plan for, and a war to win.”
THE END
ABOUT THIS BOOK
Thank you for taking the time to read the fifth book in my Star Crusader series. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. This novel has been hotly anticipated by my readers for some time now, and brings some of the famous characters of my other series into Nate’s world of space battle and excitement. For those reading my other books, this novel takes places a matter of days after the events of Mercenaries: War Zone where Spartan and the IAB are involved in the final months of the Karnak Conflict.
Book Six of Star Crusader is due in August/September 2016 and will be the climax to this particular phase in Nate’s career as a fighter pilot. I’ve written many other books in the same universe, so please visit my website to check them out. If you have any questions drop me a line, or visit my official Facebook page.
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There are many more books set in the Star Crusades universe that cover some of the most momentous events such as the Great Uprising that resulted in the establishment of the Alliance as well as the Biomech War. There are multiple series including 'Uprising', 'Nexus', 'Mercenaries' and beyond. Please visit Swordworks Books to learn more, examine the historical timelines and to see maps of the territories described in the books.
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STAR MAP
Star Crusader: Siege of Kalar Page 26