Transmigrant - Chapter 14
Copyright © 2024 Stephen B. Anthony
A master strategist wields momentum as a weapon, striking with the force of a released bolt. He is the tension in the bowstring, the breath held before release, and his strike is the moment where inevitability meets opportunity.
—Tiberius Voss, Tactical Advantage
CHAPTER 14
Years ago, explorers discovered high-density wolframite-bearing quartz in the Charan asteroid belt. This rich source of tungsten, manganese, and iron made it a valuable mining location. Tungsten’s high-temperature tolerance, which is essential for starship heat shields, made it highly prized.
Box-like cargo ships carrying metric kilotons of ore were a common sight at the Chara-2 jump gate, en route to refineries on Andonia and Etheria. With no tourism, fleet security was minimal. Smugglers used Chara-2 for contraband if their cargo was valuable enough to cover extra fuel costs. A small fleet contingent was necessary, but it was nothing compared to the heavily guarded Chara-1.
This worked to the advantage of the crew of the Shinobi.
Ray brought the ship into the elliptical plane of the jump gate and accelerated to close the gap. He had only passed through a jump gate twice and remembered the sequence Ichiro used to engage the controllers. Typically, naming the jump gate allowed the system to open a wormhole to the distant end.
But Adamastor was different. Ray wasn’t sure that Gate control at Chara-2 would recognize Adamastor as a target, and might not know how to program the gate correctly.
Ray searched the Shinobi’s ship logs for clues Ichiro might have left.
“What are you trying to figure out?” Kaylie asked, leaning over Ray’s shoulder.
“How to jump to an unpublished jump gate,” Ray replied, his eyes scanning the logs.