Orbital by bill zhao copyright 2017 Bill Zhao Table of Contents act one (earth)

This is the way.”
Cheng continued “Now there is little in our path. Once we arrive at the
Icarus, there is no doubt USOC will catch up too. They’ll be there soon
enough, along with an old friend of mine. That hot-headed fucking
Wyatt. Under his command, Geisen will be ours to take, but him and
his flagship will assault us here.
“
His Flagship?”
“
The Matador. The second largest ship USOC has ever commissioned.
Larger than the Chorus and Symphony combined along with all that
firepower. Second only to Coves’ ‘Reckoning’, which thankfully won’t be in
use.” This didn’t make Derek feel any easier.

---

26
Arrival
Symphony, Near Uranus, Solar System
Hours pass at breakneck speed, and yet the stars never seem to move.
Uranus becomes a living giant as it fills up the window panes. In the
distance, a miniature collection of grey dots comes into view. “You see
those dots, Derek?” asked the Admiral. “That’s the USOC Ship
Graveyard, where they keep the skeletons of the ships they’ve salvaged.
We should be thankful they didn’t just slingshot your father’s ship into
the sun. We’re expecting resistance.”
Admiral Cheng patted Derek on the shoulder before moving to the
centre of the room. “Start targeting all the USOC personnel you see as
they come into view, as well as all active ships they control. Avoid
damage to the Icarus.”
The crew moved about quickly and soon on the nine displays,
holographic crosshairs appeared. Tiny red markers, tracking targets
hundreds of miles away. The Symphony advanced, inching closer into
the gaunt green gaze of the gas giant. Despite being far from its pull,
the ship graveyard just seems to be swallowed by the sheer mass of the
planet.
“
Our long range cannons have targeted and are tracking one-hundred and
seven USOC personnel” shouted one of the captains. He con nued “So far
they can be eliminated in forty seconds with our current weaponry. I am
seeing two ac ve ships with light weaponry. Our railguns can take care of
those.”