Frontier's Reach: A Space Opera Adventure (Frontiers Book 1) by Robert James (beach read TXT) 📗

his chair, bringing up a topographical image of the surface. “Check this out.”

Tyler studied the monitor. “They haven’t attacked the entire facility.”

“That’s right. They’ve bombed the living bejesus out of everything but the western region beyond the central hub.”

“That could mean whatever they’re after is down in that part of the facility.”

“It also means there’s a chance there’s someone down there.”

Tyler stared at the viewport, then looked at Jason. “What’s your plan?”

Jason smiled, and Althaus threw his hands up in disgust.

“Whoever these bad guys are, they seem to have gone to a lot of trouble to get as many obstacles out of the way as possible from orbit. If there is something they want to the west of the facility, I will bet they’ll start at the central hub and clear out any survivors from there.” Jason pointed at the main building. “They’ll likely use the underground rail network and sweep westward until they find what they’re after.”

“If we start from the west, we might beat them to whatever they’re searching for and rescue anyone we find along the way.”

“If everything is underground, how can we do that?” Aly asked.

“Here.” Jason zoomed in on the western part of the surface. “When mines of this type are excavated, they drill up and down.”

“Why up?”

“To investigate the strength of the bedrock above to ensure the ceiling doesn’t cave in on them. Once they determine a new worksite is safe, they cap the hole to keep the weather out.”

Kevin swiveled around in his seat. “That leaves us with the problem of getting down there without being discovered.”

Jason paced the bridge. “They didn’t seem to care about us when we approached them.”

“That could change quickly,” Althaus muttered.

“True.” Jason walked over to the operations console and glanced at the scanners. The Argo had entered an opposing orbit to the attacking ship. “If we launch a pod from our location and drop into the atmosphere, we could hug the surface all the way to the landing site.” He pointed once again at the topographical image. “High cliff faces surround the facility. Maybe, just maybe we can fool their scanners enough without being detected.”

“It’s risky,” Kevin said with concern.

Jason knew the man wasn’t on Althaus’s side and would want to save as many lives as possible. But he was a realist and didn’t wish for anyone from the Argo to succumb to the same fate as the crew of the Vanguard.

“You’re right, it is.” Jason stood in front of the viewport and locked eyes with his brother. “The call is yours, Captain.”

Everyone else turned to him expectantly. “We’ll take the Maybelle.” He stood, passing by Althaus who shook his head.

Kevin got up from the helm. “You’ll need a pilot.”

“He’s got one,” Jason told him, putting him back in his seat. “You, take care of the Argo. The Cassidy brothers will take care of business down there.”

“Be careful.”

Aly grabbed Jason by the sleeve and frowned. “What I said about you earlier—”

“Forget about it.” While Jason was still annoyed at her inferences, he understood why she was trying to say it.

“I just—”

“Aly. Seriously. Water under the bridge.”

She put on a brave face. “Good luck. Uh, both of you.”

Jason smiled and followed Tyler through the hatchway. Althaus appeared behind them, approaching their side.

“You’re coming, too?” Jason said, surprised.

“Someone’s got to watch out for your brother and ensure he doesn’t get killed.” Althaus reached the weapons locker near the elevator chute and opened it. He handed Tyler and Jason a rifle each and took one for himself and a sidearm for his belt.

“Just make sure you know who you’re pointing that at before you shoot it,” Jason told him.

“No promises, kid.”

Twenty

Decium Ore Mining Facility - Orion V

The carriage came to a halt at the end of the line and Nicolas put the brakes on. He’d always wanted to be a train driver when he was a child, but now that he’d had a taste of it, he still preferred the thrill of navigating the stars.

He climbed from the carriage and surveyed Worksite Fifteen. The interior walls were solid rock and throughout the cavernous space were sporadic artificial light posts. He stepped toward the heart of the worksite cautiously. Every move he made echoed off the cave walls.

He flicked some sweat from his brow. The climate-control system was either working overtime or he’d tunneled so deep he was actually nearing Hell. He continued on to the elevator shaft and past several large dormant earth-moving machines. The eerie quiet sent a shiver down his spine. Nicolas trusted Koeman hadn’t got his worksites mixed up. If there was going to be anyone around, he hoped they’d be farther below. On the console of the elevator, it signified the car was at the bottom of the shaft. He prodded at the controls and called it back to the top. After what seemed like an eternity, it arrived.

He stepped into the car, closed the safety rail, and set off. The journey seemed slow, but it was anything but. Nicolas’s stomach stayed behind at the top of the shaft before returning at least thirty meters down. The artificial lighting above disappeared, leaving him in total darkness.

It reminded him of hide and seek he used to play with his cousins as a child. His favorite spot had been his elder brother’s closet. It was always so dark in there. He felt around and stumbled upon a light switch. The elevator car lit up, which allowed him to get a look at the control panel.

Then a hard thud juddered beneath him. He opened the safety rail and stepped out into a confined tunnel. He followed the lights until he reached an opening, and nearly slipped on what appeared to be steps. But he managed to stay upright grabbing hold of the wall.

That’s when he saw it.

His jaw dropped at the shiny sphere sitting in the middle of the grand antechamber.

What is that?

He didn’t get to think about it for long as a pair of Marines approached him with