Phantom chapter 5 (standard:science fiction, 1509 words) [5/5] show all parts
Author: St George	Added: Mar 12 2003	Views/Reads: 2445/1737	Part vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Chapter 5

Click here to read the first 75 lines of the story

Zeus, followed seconds later by a more corporeal blow in the form of a 
swarm of Solarian torpedoes. Throughout this Phantom was silent, away 
at the edge her orders were different. Phantom and her three sister 
ships were to wait unseen, charged with intercepting anything which 
tried to sneak away from the battle. Suddenly the Gravimetric mass 
sensors jumped, one or more of the singularities were free. 

“Captain, Crusader signals they are abandoning ship, Royal Sovereign has
assumed command of the first fleet.” “Understood Lieutenant.” Upon the 
holoscape the officers of the bridge witnessed the last act of the 
Solarian flagship as she collided with the great Megaeran dreadnaught. 
They seemed to move together, the death throes of the two mortal 
enemies becoming one. 

The battle raged on, but the war was over. Unbeknown by either side,
fateful steps were being taken. Whilst the great space-farers of the 
galaxy duelled for Earth, the Tisiphones had the revenge they had so 
long desired. For even as Megaeran soldiers fought and died, their 
distant home world was hoisted on its own petard. 

A lone freighter, hijacked by a group of vengeful Tisiphones, powered
down in orbit and a whole planet was swallowed by the singularity 
within. 

AN END 

© Author 2002 

Things to look out for: many technologies portrayed above, such as
bio-computers and the Bussard ramscoop are based on real science. Other 
things such as the Tunguska meteorite and the shutdown of the 
relativistic heavy ion collider actually happened and the ion drive 
powered space vehicle is already a reality. Other things such as 
hyperspace and ether are, to the best of my knowledge bunk. 

On the subject of aliens, I know that there is no reason why the
Andurils must breath oxygen/nitrogen, have two sexes and enjoy 
fructose. This story is about humans not Andurils and for this I make 
no apology. If you want detailed and insightful plots and worlds 
involving non-human characters then you should read some of my other 
(as yet unpublished) work. On the subject of measurements I usually use 
imperial (a much more elegant and infinitely superior system), but I 
think most people would agree with me that somehow yards and inches 
don't sound right when applied to a starship. 

Note on the text: there are many stories of POW's who perform amazing
feats whilst imprisoned, memorising a single star chart almost doesn't 
count amongst such company. It is very possible to work out a planet's 
location from a description or chart of how the given stars are visible 
from it. 

Amazing things are done in wartime and necessity is the mother of
invention. During WWII the battleship HMS Royal Oak was sunk at harbour 
at Scapa Flow. It was night, the engines quiet and the crew asleep. A 
single class 7C U-boat crept unseen into the Royal Navy's harbour, past 
destroyers and motor launches, through shallow water and struck the 
killer blow. 

That was done in a war in which humans fought humans, unlikely though
the concept of war with aliens is, I really believe that with skill, 
courage and ingenuity like that we could have a fighting chance. I also 
believe that in such a war people would realise how similar they are 
and how petty their differences seem. 

I always welcome feedback, but I would be especially pleased to hear
from people who have spotted the furie connection (if you've spotted it 
then you know what I'm talking about) and also from people who have 
spotted the son of Narsil connection (a bit cryptic unless you know to 
what I am referring). Also anyone who knows why I called Phantom's 
first mission ‘Operation Kretschmer' deserves an honourable mention. 
Write me if you know the answers! 

Lastly, when Crusade was first published, several people told me that I
had included simply too much unnecessary technical or scientific 
information. In response to this, when I first published this tale, I 
watered down the science, but promised that if I was asked, then I 
would include the full load in a ‘directors cut' edition, I was asked 
(by one person) so this is that special edition, and to that one 
person, (they know who they are), enjoy! 


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