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.”Martin sucked in his breath.Depending on just how good their sensor gear was, the Tokomak would have at least an hour’s warning before the fleet arrived.Time enough, he was sure, to send a courier for help and prepare defences.and then to prepare to blow up their own dumps, if necessary.It was what he would have done.And we’re going down there, he thought, morbidly.They’d simulated raids on terrorist bases and half of them had ended with the base blown up and everyone dead.It won’t be fun at all.He rose as the Major dismissed his men, with strict orders to review the data and prepare themselves for simulations.There was just time, he fancied, to find Yolanda and talk to her, before he had to get some sleep.Tomorrow was going to be a very busy day.Chapter Twenty-SevenProtest marches in almost every western capital took place today, protesting against the Solar Union’s decision to declare war on the Galactics.Protest leaders denounced the Solar Union as galactic-sized warmongers and demanded that Earth be specifically excluded from any declaration of war.There were incidents in several cities where protestors attempted to storm Solar Union Embassies, only to be stunned or killed by armed guards.In a statement issued shortly after the first protest, President Ross of the Solar Union reminded Earth that the Solar Union would defend its territory, even against rioting crowds.-Solar News Network, Year 53“Ten minutes to emergence,” Yolanda said.“Hold us steady,” Captain Singh ordered, calmly.There was no hint of tension in his voice.“Take us out at the designated emergence point.”“Yes, sir,” Yolanda said.She didn't have much to do – the planned emergence point was programmed into the computers – but she knew she might have to override them, if something went wrong.Or if the Commodore decided to alter their destination, for some reason known only to himself.“We’re holding steady.”The timer slowly ticked down to zero.The Tokomak would know they were coming, her thoughts yammered at her, even if they wouldn't know the exact emergence point.If they had, the humans would have blundered right into an ambush, assuming the Tokomak officers had enough initiative to set up a trap without waiting for orders from Varnar first.But it didn't change the fact that they would know the fleet was inbound.They had had plenty of time to call their crews to battlestations, charge their weapons and devise a handful of contingency plans.“Emergence in thirty seconds,” she said.The final seconds ticked down.“Five seconds.emergence.”Freedom shivered, slightly, as she slid back into normal space.Yolanda plunged her mind into the sensors and saw the stars reappear, while the dirty brown world of Hades lay ahead of them, surrounded by enemy starships.Most of them were freighters, she noted, although twelve of them were definitely heavy cruisers.The warships were assembling themselves into formation, but slowly, far too slowly.It was strange to see how pitifully slow the Tokomak were at adapting to the unexpected.How the hell had they managed to conquer an unimaginably-large empire in the first place?“Enemy ships are signalling us, telling us to break off,” Commander Gregory said.A dull rustle of amusement echoed round the bridge.“This is Tokomak territory.”“Demand their surrender,” Commodore Travis ordered, through the datanet.“And then prepare to attack.”The Tokomak didn't bother to respond, Yolanda noted, as the two fleets converged with terrifying speed.She wasn't surprised; all the reports, garnered from the captured starship, had suggested that the Tokomak were convinced beyond all reason that no one could match them in space combat.There was something elegant and fluid about their formation, she had to admit, that spoke of long practice, but would it translate into being able to fight properly?“One enemy ship is heading away from the planet,” the sensor officer cautioned.“Her flight path puts her on a direct course for Varnar.”“Five days round trip,” the Captain mused [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]