Probe Predators

The Union has mothballed all of its warships and is left wide open to the coming attack. The accidental discovery of probes that were launched by the last Family's warship two thousand years earlier leads Trip Montgomery into violating the newly imposed border around their former ally. He has to find the probes before they broadcast an ancient call for help. With M87 warships chasing him across their galaxy, Trip discovers that everyone in both galaxies was in harm's way. The probes were calling a danger that made the Family's attack look like a stroll in the park.

Excerpt from; Probe Predators

Mick Anderson Chancellor flew his needle away from the Orange Ship his wing had just attacked and saw that he was the only survivor of the twenty ships in is wing. All the others had been blasted into gas on their approach. One blaster beam had barely missed hitting his ship. He saw Union Ships were being destroyed at an incredible rate. He hated the Orange beast on his display. He looked at the image and saw the blasters on the Thresher's hull turned and locked on any target at an incredible speed. However, they weren't able to move in no time. "Vicky, how long does it take for those blasters above the thrusters to move to acquire a target?"

"From full left to right takes one tenth of a second."

Mac thought about the time and said to his computer, "Vicky, if we go in FTL between two blasters that are pointed in opposite directions, how long would we have at our closest point of approach?"

"How close do you want to get?"

"Fleet thinks that if a shot can be taken from less than five miles, it might break through their force field."

"You would have to come in on a parabolic curve in order to move away. You would be inside their range for three tenths of a second."

"I understand I would be inside their range, but they wouldn't have three tenths of a second to respond."

"No, they would have about fifteen hundredths of a second."

Mac thought about the idea and said, "It would be the blaster on our escape trajectory that would have the most time to hit us."

"The one on our approach would never turn in time; the second could do it."

Mac pulled up a picture of Vicky Downs on his display. She had ended their engagement when he joined the Navy and had taken a new lover. He loved her so much and he could not get over her loss. He placed his hand on the display and sighed. "Vicky, I want you to scan that ship and find two blasters pointing in opposite directions. The moment you find them, go to FTL and make the curve."

"Mac, are you sure you want to do this?"

"I am."

"We probably won't survive the effort."

"Do we have a chance to get a shot off?"

"I can hit them with two pegs and two String Blasters from my starboard side if we avoid the first blaster. I don't think we'll escape the second blaster."

"Do you think it will do much damage to that ship?"

"I have no way of knowing."

"Set it up, Vicky.