Page 56 of Possessed By the Dragon Alien
“Hull breach on deck seven,” Takkian ground out. “Weapons array two is offline.”
Through the viewport, Madrian could see the true scope of the Axis response. At least fifty ships were converging on their position. Dreadnoughts and battle cruisers that dwarfed anything in the rebel fleet. This wasn’t the token defense force they’d planned for. This was the assembled might of the galaxy’s most powerful empire.
“Madrian,” Rien called over the noise of alarms. “I’m detecting something else. New energy signatures around the planet itself.”
Madrian moved to her station. The readings made his blood run cold. “Automated defense platforms?”
“Worse. They look like…” She paused, recalibrating her instruments. “Mine networks. Thousands of them, positioned in a grid around the planet’s atmosphere.”
Fek. He knew those mines. They were specifically designed to make it impossible for small shuttles to breach the planet’s atmosphere, which was what needed to happen if six dragons were to attack the dome. Even if they could dodge the firepower around them and get their shuttles near the planet, they’d explode upon impact when they hit the net of mines.
“They know,” he repeated, this time with absolute certainty.
“How?” Cyprian wanted to know. He spun in his chair. “No one here told, that’s for sure.”
Madrian shook his head. “If we know the effect Terian mates have on our dragon fire,theyknow. They’re desperate to keep us away from Central’s energy dome.”
“Well, good news is, that means we can breach it.” Cyprian wasn’t wearing his casual, relaxed expression anymore. “We’re a legit threat.”
“We are,” Madrian said. “It also means they’re taking that threat seriously.”
And theywere. The rebel fleet was taking heavy casualties now. Three of the converted mining haulers had been destroyed. Two pirate ships drifted dead in space. The Dokkol vessels were still fighting, but even their massive hulls couldn’t withstand concentrated fire from Axis dreadnoughts.
“We’ve lost one of the Sidran ships,” Takkian said grimly.
Madrian stared at the tactical display. Everything they’d planned for, everything they’d sacrificed to reach this point, was falling apart. The Axis had outmaneuvered them completely.
But giving up wasn’t an option. Not with Nena counting on him. Not with the freedom of the galaxy hanging in the balance.
“Continue the attack,” he said. “They also expect us to retreat, so I guarantee there’s a worse surprise waiting for us if we try to leave. We make them work for every meter.”
Razion glanced back skeptically. “We could fire on that mine network.”
“That won’t explode them. Only contact with a ship will.” Madrian’s voice carried the authority he’d learned as a high chancellor. “We have to stand our ground.Here. Now.” He gritted his teeth and studied the battle before him. Of everyone on this ship, he had the most experience with Axis war tactics. He’d been on the other side of the line too many times to count. The Axis was strong, but it wasn’t invulnerable. He thought about the council. Right now, they would be in their vast, shiny chamber plotting, arguing, snarling accusations at each other. If he knew them—and hedid—they were disintegrating into chaos.
Nena was one level above him. Right there. He took comfort in knowing Nena was close by. Her calm strength anchored himeven as things had taken a bad turn. Whatever happened next, he wouldnotlet her down.
The fortress ship shuddered under another barrage of fire. Sparks rained down from damaged consoles. But Madrian and his brothers remained steady. He watched the battle unfold and looked for any weakness he could exploit.
The Axis thought they’d won. They thought their trap was perfect.
They were about to learn what happened when you cornered a dragon.
TWENTY-FIVE
The sub-command deck thrummed with energy as Nena settled into the central chair. One level above the main command center where Madrian and his brothers coordinated the battle, this secondary bridge would become their lifeline once the Zaruxians departed for their dragon mission.
Her five friends had moved to their stations with determined precision. Not long ago, they were farmers. Now, they were commanding officers. “Remember that I still can’t read as well as you,” Nena said. She’d been learning, studying constantly with the help of her friends, but it was still hard and she had a long way to go before she could look at a screen and know what was on it at a glance. “I’ll need lots of updates.”
“We’ve got you covered, Nen.” Turi’s hands flew over the pilot controls. “Navigation systems are online. I can fly this beast if needed.”
“Weapons and shields responding,” Sevas called from the tactical station. Her yellow hair was pulled back in a severe braid that matched her focused expression. “Though I still think we should be down there fighting with them.”
“Wearefighting,” Lilas said sharply from the defensive array. Her short, fuchsia hair gleamed as she bent over herdisplays. “Someone has to keep this ship functional when they go dragon-crazy.”
Fivra’s fingers danced across the communications console. “I’ve got feeds from all our allied ships. The damages are mounting fast.”
Cerani stood at the navigation station where her gaze tracked the same patterns Madrian had one level below them. “Madrian is right. The Axis formation isn’t random. They’re herding us toward specific coordinates.”
