Kingsford's War

The transition through GATE always felt like being squeezed through a tube too small for proper existence, then snapped back to full dimensionality. Innes pressed his palm against the corridor viewport, waiting for his stomach to settle as the Illustrious completed her emergence… [See More on Patreon]

Within the next day, ahead of schedule, the Illustrious was underway. Innes thought he could feel the faint, almost imperceptible vibration in the deck plates as they left the shipyards behind. They were accelerating at a sustained one-point-one gravities, a comfortable speed for a cruiser of this class, fast but not pushing the engines. Although […]

Innes arrived at his duty shift early the next morning, showing up ten minutes before his shift began, ready for whatever the lieutenant had in store for him… [See More on Patreon]

The port-aft tactical section occupied a compartment down the port side, about two-thirds of the way toward the rear of the ship, tucked just below coil gun three missile battery. Innes found it after taking three wrong turns through passageways that all looked identical: gray bulkheads, pressure doors marked with stenciled codes, and conduit runs […]

Two days later, he was on a military shuttle, breaking into orbit, heading toward the mass of ships around the Junction Shipyards. He’d been up here before, of course, and had even taken a trip to Home Fleet as part of his fourth year, which was something he’d never forget. Seeing the massive battleships and […]

“…and when you step aboard your first posting, you will carry with you not just the knowledge we have imparted, but the responsibility that comes with the uniform you wear.” Commandant Pelletier paused, his gaze sweeping across the assembled graduates. The old officer had commanded a Battleship during the Fringe Skirmishes, and the scars on […]