Raven's Course (Peacekeepers of Sol Book 3)

by Glynn Stewart

  Right now it was an echoing, empty, space. Equipment designed to service and move five-thousand-ton ships was neatly stored away against the sides. A handful of crewmen were rolling up the hoses they’d used to quickly refuel the shuttle from the Sphinx and Chipmunk. From the observation deck, Kyle could make out four hatches, sized to take starfighters, spaced evenly along the opposite side.

  “We have four launch tubes per side,” Randall explained, pointing them out. “We kept the Badgers aboard in the tubes – they’ll be easy to deploy out that way once the new birds are aboard. With a full deck load, we can load new birds into the launch tubes every forty seconds.”

  The pilot sounded proud of that, and given the age of the equipment they had to work with he was probably right to be. A forty second turn-around on the launch tubes meant a total of over three minutes to put the entirety of SFG-001 into space – three times the design requirement for a modern carrier to deploy its even larger fighter group.

  “That… isn’t fast if we have an emergency,” Kyle observed.

  Randall nodded.

  “I guess they didn’t realize how important rapid launches would be when they built her,” he agreed. “They did retrofit in an alternative, but I’d be terrified to use it.”

  “What’s the alternative?”

  “There’s mass manipulators mounted all along the deck,” Randall explained. “All carriers have them to catch the returning birds, but ours are also wired so they can run in reverse – theoretically, we can turn the center twenty meters of the deck into a single massive launch tube and blow the entire Group into space in one shot.”

  Kyle shook his head, eyeing the deck askance. The ability to blast everything on his flight deck into space at the push of a button wasn’t entirely appealing to him, though he’d prefer it over having to wait three minutes to put his fighters into space in an emergency.

  “Any other old tricks I should know about?” he asked.

  The Flight Commander shook his head with a grin.

  “That’s the thing about Avalon, sir,” he replied. “I’m not sure any of us know all of her tricks.”

  Space Carrier Avalon by Glynn Stewart

  Interested in reading more? Space Carrier Avalon is available now.

  About the Author

  Glynn Stewart is the author of Starship’s Mage, a bestselling science fiction and fantasy series where faster-than-light travel is possible–but only because of magic. His other works include science fiction series Duchy of Terra, Castle Federation and Vigilante, as well as the urban fantasy series ONSET and Changeling Blood.

  Writing managed to liberate Glynn from a bleak future as an accountant. With his personality and hope for a high-tech future intact, he lives in Kitchener, Ontario with his wife, their cats, and an unstoppable writing habit.

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  Other books by Glynn Stewart

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  Peacekeepers of Sol

  Raven’s Peace

  The Peacekeeper Initiative

  Raven’s Course

  Drifter’s Folly (upcoming)

  Scattered Stars: Conviction

  Conviction

  Deception

  Equilibrium (upcoming)

  Castle Federation

  Space Carrier Avalon

  Stellar Fox

  Battle Group Avalon

  Q-Ship Chameleon

  Rimward Stars

  Operation Medusa

  Exile

  Ashen Stars: an Exile Prequel Novella

  Exile

  Refuge

  Crusade

  Duchy of Terra

  The Terran Privateer

  Duchess of Terra

  Terra and Imperium

  Darkness Beyond

  Shield of Terra

  Imperium Defiant

  Relics of Eternity

  Shadows of the Fall

  Eyes of Tomorrow (upcoming)

  Starship’s Mage

  Starship’s Mage

  Hand of Mars

  Voice of Mars

  Alien Arcana

  Judgment of Mars

  UnArcana Stars

  Sword of Mars

  Mountain of Mars

  The Service of Mars

  A Darker Magic (upcoming)

  Pulsar Race: A Starship’s Mage Universe Novella

  Starship’s Mage: Red Falcon

  Interstellar Mage

  Mage-Provocateur

  Agents of Mars

  Vigilante (With Terry Mixon)

  Heart of Vengeance

  Oath of Vengeance

  Bound By Stars: A Vigilante Series (With Terry Mixon)

  Bound By Law

  Bound by Honor

  Bound by Blood

  ONSET

  ONSET: To Serve and Protect

  ONSET: My Enemy’s Enemy

  ONSET: Blood of the Innocent

  ONSET: Stay of Execution

  Murder by Magic: an ONSET Universe Novella

  Changeling Blood

  Changeling’s Fealty

  Hunter’s Oath

  Noble’s Honor

  Fae, Flames & Fedoras: a Changeling Blood Universe Novella

  Fantasy Stand Alone Novels

  Children of Prophecy

  City in the Sky

  Wardtown