The Forge Teaser

Greetings from the author's chair,

Last week I promised I would post a teaser from my latest work. So here is another piece to wet your appetite for what is on the way.

This comes from chapter 9 from Forgotten Legacy (Secret of the Crystal IV). Enjoy this little tidbit and feel free to leave a comment.

Author Brian K. Larson
The Dyslexic Author


“Captain to the bridge!” Fre’tiel called through the ship wide channel, “Incoming message from Colonel Brissel.”

A few moments later Roth’stavous entered the command center followed by his XO, who entered from the opposite access.

“Origin if signal?” Galiagasi requested.

“Sir, the message is coming across the secure signal buoys that were launched before he crossed the terminator.”

“The message isn’t live then…” Roth’stavous reasoned.

“No sir, its recorded,” Fre’tiel reported, “Over audio now…”

The com channel switched to light static and the colonel’s voice was heard, “Commander… Brissel here… We are witnessing several of the southern fleet forming into many groups of three ships… it appears that they are preparing for a major campaign… I recommend that we group our ship in a similar pattern… repeat… the fleet is too spread out in low scanning orbit… wait… no… what is this?”

The audio paused for a few seconds as they intently listened to the colonel type instructions on a console, “This is incredible… I have set the pod down about a mile from a large structure on the surface of the moon. From the looks of this, they have a fully functional facility. They appear to be performing repairs and upgrades on three ships at a time. Others are coming and going in a sub structure… We haven’t been spotted as yet, but there is so much activity that it will not take them long to find us…”

Then the radio returned more static. There was more background noise and quiet voices conversing. Then he spoke clearly into the recording once more, “Sir… Brissel here again, my navigator has informed me that we need to move farther out… I have lifted off, but I think we may have been made… I kicked up too much moon dust… … stand by… … … … I am making a clean getaway… on our way back now... wait… … … we have bogies inbound… they spotted us… increasing speed… preparing for emergency evac…”

The audio signal faded and eventually terminated as Roth’stavous and his XO leaned closer to the com channel listening intently to the message.

“That was the end sir,” Fre’tiel reported, “Your orders sir?”

Roth’stavous stared at his XO, not saying anything, but asking with his eyes his friends acknowledgement of what he was thinking. Galiagasi simply nodded and somberly smiled in return.

“Get word out on a secure channel to the fleet,” Roth’stavous somberly ordered, “slowly bring us together, we do not want them to know we are aware.”

“Aye, sir.”

“Helm, take us over the synchonous orbit keeping the moon face on our port side.”

“Aye, sir,” Sol’dien acknowledged. He pressed several commands on his screen and brought the Luna Aura about, re-aligning her orbit with earth and moon as instructed.

“Sir!” Tormelej’ reported, “I just picked up a single ship breaching the moon’s terminator.”

“Get a transponder code on that!” the XO ordered.

Coming in now sir!” the tactical officer replied, “It is a battle cruiser… The Grim Myth… scanners are only picking up one crew member.”

“Heading?” the XO asked.

“It has targeted one of ours sir,” Tormelej’ said with his voice influx increasing in tone, “The Challenger, battle cruiser class!”

“Helm, intercept!” Roth’stavous insisted, “Arm weapons… activate trionic plating.”

“Aye sir,” his helm officer responded, “We will not reach them in time.”

“Get any ship over there and assist! They are sitting ducks right now!” the XO shouted.

“I am relaying the condition on all northern channels…” Fre’tiel replied with panic, “They picked the farthest ship from us knowing we would not be there in time to support.”

“The Grim Wrath is gaining…” Tormelej’ reported.

Uttarak stood on the bridge of the Grim Wrath with an insane stare. He held his crystal out in front of him and began to make it glow. Once his ship was close enough to the Challenger, just out of weapons range, he proceeded to open a vortex that connected a tunnel to the bridge of the challenger. The ship was turning about to face the attacking ship when Uttarak stepped out of the vortex onto the northern ship’s bridge.

A pulse echoed from Uttarak’s lit crystal knocking everyone out. He stepped over to the tactical station and pressed a few buttons which rendered the Challenger’s system useless.

The weapons and defense systems all powered down while Uttarak returned to the Grim Wrath, turned his ship hard starboard and sped away back to the Moon’s terminator.

Two southern cruisers and a corvette class ship crossed over from the moon’s terminator off of the Grim Wrath’s flank and targeted the disabled ship.

The crew of the Challenger finally regained consciousness and its captain was the first to fully understand what had just happened.

“They are firing weapons!” their tactical exclaimed, “Our shield and TAP system are off line… weapons are off line!”

“Brace for impact!” the Challenger’s XO shouted.