Battle at Zero Point by Mack Maloney Page B

to a height about 1,000 feet above the unsuspecting SG ship and launched a broadside of Z beams at it.
    The fusillade walked its way right down the huge SG ship. There was a series of explosions, four, five, six… seven. And finally, the prop core was hit. The frightening mushroom cloud instantly appeared, then disappeared just as quickly, taking about half of the hapless ship with it. What remained slammed into the ground seconds later, again sending a shudder around the planet. More explosions came, followed by great balls of fire rising from the barren, haunted surface. In seconds there was nothing but burning debris, scattered over a half-dozen miles, just like the JunoVox .
    Then all was silent again.
    After just a few minutes, the toll in this strange little war stood at two major warships, a cargo 'crasher, and a small scout ship.
    More man 15,000 souls—good and bad—had been lost.

Part Two

    The Vanex Door

5

    The first good thing Gym Bonz noticed about being dead was the warm, bright light.
    It didn't appear right away. After the excruciating pain of being shot through the chest finally faded, he'd found himself floating above the forbidding terrain of Doomsday 212, looking down on his own bleeding body, crumpled among the rocks. Two of his executioners had kicked his limp form, then shot him again through the head, but Bonz never felt a thing.
    The next series of events played out like a viz-screen movie. He knew— just knew —that word of his death had been flashed to SF ships riding outside the No-Fly Zone. He saw the first SF ship, the cargo vessel JunoVox , appear on the scene, saw its meager weaponry engage two of the remaining SG Star-crashers, only to get itself blasted out of the sky seconds later. He saw the scout ship Kongo Vox arrive and destroy one of the strangely crimson SG ships just minutes before it, too, was destroyed. The madness ended with the huge VogelVox blasting the second SG ship to atomic dust. Through it all, Bonz hovered above the grisly scene, feeling trapped and helpless, unable to do anything but watch. The fires, the destruction, the death. He couldn't believe that his demise had triggered the ferocious battle between the two Empire services.
    But then Bonz found himself being drawn into a tunnel that had formed above him. Its sides were moving in a corkscrew motion, and some part of his consciousness told him this tunnel was made of swirling clouds. He began moving upward, growing cold, a strange feeling of loneliness overcoming him.
    But then he saw the light…
    And the light was warm, and it was revitalizing, and it felt good. Damn good . It filled the tunnel, and it filled him up as well. Bonz was floating, but at the same time he knew he was moving faster than any Starcrasher ever carried him. At the other end of the tunnel, a person, surrounded by this warm light, was beckoning him forward. And there was no doubt in Bonz's mind that's where he wanted to go.
    So he let himself be swept up by the clouds and the warmth and the light and…
    The next thing he knew, he was standing on a beach. A calm cobalt sea was in front of him.
    Jewel-like sand was beneath his feet. The sky was deep blue and streaked with rays of bright, golden light. This beach stretched beyond sight in both directions. It seemed to go on forever.
    This was a very beautiful place. A friendly yellow sun was shining above; its rays felt warm and perfect. Behind him was a hill filled with rows of multicolored trees, swaying in the breeze. Bonz reached down and took a handful of sand; it was made up of trillions of tiny gemstones. He knelt to cup some water and brought it to his lips. It tasted of a nectar more divine than the best batch of slow-ship ever made. He took a deep breath, and felt as if life itself had reentered his lungs.
    He'd never felt this good, ever.
    "Where the hell am I?" he whispered.
    He heard voices. He spun around and looked to the top of the hill behind him. Three figures were up