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

Predator
    “Good job, Trigger,” Boss nodded and relaxed back in his chair. “JP, set an intercept course for the Altered Moon .”
    “Roger that!” JP said. “ETA: two minutes.”
    “ Lunar Mare , this is Altered Moon ,” Trigger called over the comms. “How do read?”
    “ Altered Moon , this is Lunar Mare ,” Boss replied. “What is your situation?”
    “The Predator is temporarily disabled. I suggest we expedite our departure.”
    “Roger that, Altered Moon , I wholeheartedly agree,” Boss replied. “We are on approach…shuttle bay doors are open… Lunar Mare is in…down…and locked…bay doors are closed…we’re home.”
    *~*~*

Chapter Eleven
    “G, hang back a little bit,” said Trigger. “Let ‘em drift out of sight, then keep ‘em on the other side of the planet. We don’t need to draw any attention.”
    “Copy that,” Gina answered, as she adjusted the necessary flight controls to slow the Altered Moon .
    “The Predator is out of visual,” she reported. “Sensor readings on its position are intermittent. I can’t get an exact fix on her.”
    “Do what you can,” Trigger told her. “We’ll rendezvous with the shuttle when the Predator is on the far side of Canalar. Once the shuttle is secured, set an elliptical course out of the system that keeps Canalar between us and them. Set a secondary course for hidey-hole twenty-one, as well, just in case.”
    “Aye, sir.”
    The Altered Moon cruised over Canalar. Gina made sensor and flight adjustments in an effort to track the elusive security ship and keep it on the far side of the planet. The Predator would appear randomly on the sensor scans and then it would vanish again. Sometimes there would be two signatures, heading in different directions and back to nothing again. One of the vanishing times extended quite a while and Gina worried about not having sensor contact. She readjusted the sensor again and suddenly alarms went off and the HUD flashed a weapons alert.
    “Trigger!” Gina reported urgently. “I’m reading a weapons scan off our aft port quarter. They’re trying to get a lock on us.”
    “Evasive maneuvers!” Trigger ordered. “Energizing defense fields…transferring secondary power to weapons…killing transponder! Bob and weave, G! Keep us moving!”
    “Cat, to the bridge!” Trigger called into the comms.
    “On my way!” came the reply.
    The Altered Moon shuddered, tilted, and then righted as plasma bolts detonated within meters of the ship. Gina quickly redirected the ship in a random pattern so the Predator couldn’t get their targeting scanners locked on them.
     
     
    The Moon was a quick ship with a low-power signature, which made it a difficult ship to get a sensor or weapons lock on. Trigger noticed the hatch opened and Cat hurried onto the bridge. Another shudder and a heavier rumble shook the ship as a plasma bolt hit their dorsal shielding.
    “Cat, take weapons!” Trigger called out.
    “I’m on it!” she answered, and quickly moved to the tactical station.
    “Charge particle cannons and load two EMW’s in forward tubes and two thermals in the aft tubes,” ordered Trigger.
    “Charging cannons, geese forward and heaters aft, aye!”
    “Fire cannons at will…missiles at my command,” he said.
    “Unable to lock on to the Predator,” she said.
    “Best guess! Spread pattern, Cat. Don’t let him get in behind us, Gina,” he called out.
    “Cannons firing…missiles are standing by,” she confirmed.
    “ Altered Moon , Altered Moon , this is Lunar Mare ,” JP’s voice came over the comms. “Alert one, alert one! We are comin’ up and we are comin’ up HOT!”
    “ Altered Moon , do you read?” JP called again.
    “We read you, Lunar Mare ,” Trigger replied tersely, occupied as he tried to evade the Predator. “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