Embers Snippet 1

 So, I got Embers back from Rea Friday and I just sent it off to Goodlifeguide.

What is it? Well...

Embers is the third and final book of the Ragnarok trilogy. The Xeno war is running hot and heavy in some areas, and burned out in others. 

BTW: There is 1 more book in this time period, Ashes.

On to the snippet!

Chapter 1

 

Alpha Sector

 

They were here; they'd found her. Despite everything she had tried to do to hide her location, the prey had found her.

They were the hunters the clone queen realized. In this case, she was the prey. She did not appreciate the changed situation in the slightest.

The plan her clan had enacted to send kill fleets out to crisscross their territory, killing prey star systems and keeping on the defensive had obviously failed. In fact the plan had been a part of their undoing. By sending those ships out, her predecessors had drawn down her defenses, weakening the clan.

At the time, she'd been smug since it had paved the way for her own ascendancy. Now she saw the flaw for what it was—a fatal long-term weakness that was about to bring her down as well if she couldn't escape.

She was the ninth clone backup of the Alpha Clan. She had just been fully activated when a cruiser had brought word of the fall of her mother/sister. She hadn't even spawned a backup of her own.

She regretted that delay. She wondered if it would cause the final ruin of the clan itself.

There were thousands of prey ships out there. They matched her numbers, but she knew they were just there to trap her forces. The real killer was behind her. She ordered her fleet to flee and wondered if it was already too late.

<<<*>>>

Vice Admiral Tanya Rollins watched the battle as it unfolded. Such things should only exist in a simulation or a history lesson, she'd never in a million years thought she would be there to watch it and command one side herself.

But like it or not, she was there. It was all on her and her people. Billions of lives had been lost to get them to this point.

Finish it Tanya a small voice in the corner of her mind said firmly. It sounded a lot like her dad when he'd cheer her on during track meets in her youth.

Every remaining ship in the sector had come to the fight. Even ships who had no right to be there were there, some with and some without weapons. She had civilian ships stashed in hyperspace. Dozens of ships there were busy deploying her last remaining hyper mines. They were her insurance to make sure this battle wouldn't have to be fought again by anyone, no matter the outcome.

Civilian ships with jury-rigged weapons served with the fleet. Some of the crews were scratch built as well. Some were skeleton crews, and a few were remote drones to be used as fire ships.

Museum ships also served in her jury-rigged fleet. They had been pulled out of dock and hastily put back into action—some with skeleton crews from volunteers from the museum complex.

Many of the crew of those ships had little left. They'd watched world after world burn and kept saying, no more. No more death unless it brought the enemy down with them. No more retreats. No more half-ass actions. No more feeling impotent. Now they had their chance to get even. For some, it was their vengeance for the loss of too many family members and friends.

She closed her eyes briefly and then opened them with hating yellow eyes. They burned, and if they'd had any more power than mortal eyes, anything they touched would have burst into smoldering ruin.

<<<*>>>

“Yeah, that's right you bastards, run. Not that it will do you any good,” someone hissed on the bridge.

“As you were,” the officer of the watch said smartly.

Captain Brice Jones grunted softly but didn't say anything further. Nothing remained to be said in all honesty; he heartily agreed with the person who had spoken out of turn. They had received word just before the fleet had jumped from a courier that the enemy had sent task forces all over the sector and into neighboring sectors. They had butchered everything in their path. Some had finally been stopped but the galaxy was burning.

No doubt the scuttlebutt grapevine had gotten their hands on it at some point, which was just one more reason everyone wanted to kill the bastards. Some had little left to live for.

“We are receiving jump data and orders now,” the ship's A.I. warned.

“There goes the first wave,” the TO said, pointing to the plot as ships began to appear in a crescent shape in front of the enemy. They were too few in number but that wasn't the point. Survival wasn't the point. They were there to do a job, to delay the enemy's flight.

“The big boys will take too long,” the XO said.

“Orders confirmed,” Rear Admiral Vx'm'll stated from the battle cruiser's flag bridge. “Are we ready?”

“Ready, sir,” the captain replied with a nod.

“Then let's make history,” the Veraxin flag officer ordered. “Jump.”

“On three … two … one, entering hyperspace,” the Ssilli stated.

<<<*>>>