The Cagliostro Chronicles Read Online Free Page B

believe they couldn’t keep up with us. I mean this is our first time doing this. I would think they’d be able to fly rings around us and leave us sucking their interstellar exhaust.” Sledge offered.
    “You would think so, right?” Mark replied with a smile.
    “So what now?” Eddie asked.
    “Now we continue to scan as far in front and behind the ship as possible. I also think we should maintain this speed at least another six hours to really put some distance between those ships and us, if that is what we are doing.” Mark commented.
    “Having doubts? Dan asked.
    “As you said Danny, they should be able to catch us and leave us behind, easily. At least I would think so. Unless I’m better than I believe.”
    “Is such a thing even possible?” Ariel asked almost under her breath, with a smirk.
    Mark shot her a glance with a smirk of his own, then continued talking to the rest of the crew. “We don’t even know what that was. Those three blips could have been personal ships for all we know out for a buzz around the galaxy.”
    “What ? Like outer space joy riders?” Eddie asked, as he furrowed his brow questioningly.
    “Yes, why not? We don’t know what goes on out here. It literally could have been anything. We are the new kids in the sandbox. We don’t know the rules of the game yet.”
    “Uh, Mark,” Red interjected, “I don’t think this is a game, they’re back.”
    Suddenly the ship rocked as a triplicate of energy blasts struck its rear hull from the just returned three vessels.
    “Okay, let’s see what we have here, people. Eddie power up aft solar cannons and fire on my mark. Keep power down to forty percent for now. I don’t want to disintegrate these guys. Dan maintain speed and heading until I say otherwise, Red, shields at full power. Let’s see what we’ve got.”
    “Nothing like a little trial by fire to get the blood flowing.” Red sneered , then continued, “They’re firing on us again.” Red added.
    “Okay enough of that Eddie, return fire.”
    “Aye, Aye Cap’n.” Eddie replied as he hit a virtual button atop his console. 
    Behind the big ship the three tail-like appendages glowed momentarily and then spit solar fire from their tips. Each ship was engulfed by the energy beams and immediately broke off pursuit, stopping dead in their tracks at awkward angles.
    “What do we do now, Mark?” Sledge asked.
    “Leave them. We don’t know if they are playing dead or not. Those blasts were only forty percent power. Truthfully if we had fired those on the War-Hammer it would have barely registered it.”
    “Th ose were small craft though, Mark. Maybe there were one or two people aboard each.” Red replied. “I’m sure we did far more damage on those little attack fliers then we could have on something like the War-Hammer.”
    “Listen people, we don’t know the rules out here. This could be the Wild West for all we know. Those ships attacked us. We are going to continue on. They dropped out of hyper-warp far behind us already. I’m not going back. They were hostile; we have a mission to complete, period. Maintain course and speed, Dan.”
    “Will do, Boss.” Dan replied as the ship continued to cut majestically through space.

Chapter Three
     
     
     
    “We cut off another day by increasing our speed when we were attacked.”
    “I assumed as much, Dan. When we near our destination I want to slow this ship down outside the solar system we’ll be visiting. In fact, I want to enter that solar system at sub light and start long range scans as soon as we’re able. Look for any moons that will shield us from prying eyes, or dead planets we can maintain an orbit behind.”
    “So you want to get a look-see first?” Ariel asked.
    “Yes I do, Ari. This is all new to us and we are literally out of reach as far as any help is concerned. I want a full diagnostic on this ship as soon as we reach somewhere secluded.”
    Dan Sledge turned towards his Captain, “Boss,