Gravity wars nova strike, p.32
Gravity Wars: Nova Strike,
p.32
The Phoenix space fleet was meant to swoop in after the Enforcers and Orion ships shattered each other. The Phoenixes could have captured the orbital stations then. It had been a good plan. Everything had been ready for it, but then the two antagonists—
Bain shook his head and groaned again, coughing and shivering anew.
The aide returned and set a pitcher of water on the nightstand.
Bain struggled up and chugged from it. His plan was to whiz the fever away, to drown it. Instead, he could hardly get any sleep. When he finally shut his eyes and snored, he woke up, and climbed out of bed to take another whiz.
This was a damnable situation. Everything that he had done had gone wrong. It felt like he had barely prevented Livia from launching massed missiles at the orbital stations. That would have created a disaster with the Kessler Syndrome.
He had meant to land military forces on the orbital stations, physically taking them over with his Phoenix rocket ships. He would have done it with special Missile Command commandos. They were part of a secret elite force.
Had Livia divined his master plan? She had sent Colonel Sharma and a KID wet squad to his Missile Command headquarters here in Delhi.
Bain dreaded the KID.
Surely, Colonel Sharma would uncover his carefully laid plans to wrest control of the government into his huge hands.
Bain closed his eyes and fell into a troubled sleep. He dreamed of playing soccer against the younger officers of Missile Command. He had felt slightly ill at the time and shouldn’t have played. He’d wanted to show them he had what it took. He had run himself ragged that afternoon. Afterward, he’d become violently ill and feverish.
Bain opened his eyes and realized the aide was shaking a shoulder.
“Sir, you have a guest.”
“Huh?” Bain said.
“It’s Colonel Sharma. She wishes to speak with you.”
Bain wondered if this was it. Had the KID squad come to murder him in his bed? He’d laid such deep plans. Had Sharma already discovered the worst?
This was horrifying. He felt the fear in his belly. Once he had been calm. Now he was terrified. What should he say?
“Yes,” Bain said. “Send her in. I’m ready.”
Was he ready, though?
As the aide left, Bain climbed out of bed and went to his desk, grabbing a handgun from a bottom drawer. He could hardly stop shivering. He went back to bed and slid the gun under his pillow, lying down. He groaned and pulled the covers up.
Should he murder Colonel Sharma? If he did, he would have to go all the way. But he felt so weak, damn it.
Bain closed his eyes, not sure what was going to happen next.
More SF Books by Vaughn Heppner
GRAVITY WARS SERIES:
#1 Interstellar Assault
#2 Saturn Protocol
#3 Nova Strike
#4 Extinction Orbit
LOST STARSHIP SERIES:
The Lost Starship
The Lost Command
The Lost Destroyer
The Lost Colony
The Lost Patrol
The Lost Planet
The Lost Earth
The Lost Artifact
The Lost Star Gate
The Lost Supernova
The Lost Swarm
The Lost Intelligence
The Lost Tech
The Lost Secret
The Lost Barrier
The Lost Nebula
The Lost Relic
The Lost Task Force
The Lost Clone
The Lost Portal
The Lost Cyborg
THE A.I. SERIES:
A.I. Destroyer
The A.I. Gene
A.I. Assault
A.I. Battle Station
A.I. Battle Fleet
A.I. Void Ship
A.I. Rescue
A.I. Armada
THE TRAVELER SERIES:
Galactic Marine
Sleeper Ship
The Zero Stone
The Institute
Neanderthal Planet
The Science of Mu
THE SOLDIER SERIES:
The X-Ship
Escape Vector
Final Odyssey
INVADERS SERIES:
Invaders
The Chronowarp
The Antaran
Dreadnought Ocelot
Earth Gate
EXTINCTION WARS SERIES:
Assault Troopers
Planet Strike
Star Viking
Fortress Earth
Target: Earth
Vaughn Heppner, Gravity Wars: Nova Strike
