Rise of the Altered Moon: Altered Moon Series: Book One (The Altered Moon Series 1) by AZ Kelvin

security fields, extended the ramp, and positioned Lunar Mare closer to the group. Boss and the others scrambled to the entry ramp. JP watched on the visual feed as two people went up the ramp together; the other two covered the smoldering hatchway then ascended the ramp as well.
    JP read that the entry ramp was up and the hatch sealed, so he gunned the engines and put Lunar Mare into a steep climb.
    The Canalar spaceport shrank to a spec as the shuttle sped away through the atmosphere. There was no sign of pursuit from the surface, but JP knew the real danger of the Predator was still ahead of them.
    “ Altered Moon , Altered Moon , this is Lunar Mare ,” JP called into the comms. “Alert one, alert one! We are comin’ up and we are comin’ up HOT!”
    No response.
    “ Altered Moon , do you read?” he called again.
    “We read you, Lunar Mare ,” Trigger’s reply was mixed with chaotic background noise. “Be advised, we are under attack. Take evasive action after clearing the atmosphere. Rendezvous at coords fifty-two, three-twenty, one seventy-five! We may have to pull off a little barn burner to get you home. Be ready to execute a ‘Boss nine’ at first chance.”
    “Copy that, Trigger,” JP prepared to make the switch from atmospheric flight to space flight. “Breaking atmosphere in ninety seconds.”
    “Understood” Trigger’s reply was short.
    JP thumbed the master comms button. “Strap yourselves in back there. We have trouble poppin’ up everywhere and things may get rough!”
    JP maneuvered Lunar Mare up through Canalar’s atmosphere and emerged into space half a planet away from the rendezvous. He could see the weapons fire taking place between the two ships off in the distance. JP knew that Trigger expected him to have Lunar Mare in position before the Altered Moon got there. The cockpit hatch opened and Boss came in and took the copilot’s seat.
    “Whoa,” he exclaimed at the sight of Boss’ bandage-wrapped face. “What happened to you? Are you all right?”
    “Yeah, yeah,” Boss answered. “Just thought I would test the hardness of the local plascrete…with my face. Sit-rep?”
    “The Moon is under fire and taking evasive action to give us time to make the rendezvous. The plan is to pull a ‘Boss nine,’ then blast out of the system. We are eighteen minutes from coordinates,” JP informed him.
    “Good…good,” Boss said as he hit the ship-to-ship comms. “Trigger, this is Boss. How do you read?” There was no response. “ Altered Moon , come in.”
    “Trigger here, Captain. A little busy at the moment,” his reply came over the comms.
    “Understood. Green light on ‘Boss nine.’ Repeat; green light on ‘Boss nine.’ Execute evasive pattern five. Initiate full moon burn as soon as we’re in, then go to ground, repeat, go to ground!”
    “Aye, Captain!” Trigger called out. Boss’s crew knew that ‘go to ground’ meant getting as far away from major star systems as possible and finding a place to hide out.
    “All right, JP, let’s get to the rendezvous,” said Boss
    “Roger that.”
    Boss turned the visual sensors toward the area where the two ships engaged each other. Nothing of either ship could be seen as both of them had low-signature stealth-style hull plating. The blue-and-green flashes of particle beams and plasma bolts could be seen as the two ships fought for a death grip on the other.
    The space battle continued as JP brought Lunar Mare to the rendezvous coordinates and raged on until an ultra-bright light flared like a supernova and then went dark again. Trigger had just set off the Moonshine STO to turn the tide of the battle.
    The glowing tails of two missiles stood out in the black of space like candles in a darkened window. The flash of impact was followed by what looked like blue lightning that floated in space, the telltale sign of a ‘Goose’ missile. Trigger had used the electromagnetic pulse of the missile strike to disable the