Read Jack of Harts 2: Angel Flight for Free Online Page A

too close for comfort, and he saw their point defense batteries going to rapid fire.  They would do their duty, giving their wounded sister time to repair her shattered systems or die trying.  Jack nodded his head in respect towards the two ships before looking back to Vanguard .  The displays showed she was moving the wall of battle forward into a wedge formation, taking the point position herself.  That took serious courage.
    The punishment those leviathans could absorb and keep fighting was truly amazing but even they were not indestructible.  Their smaller escorts were far more fragile.  Five destroyers and eight frigates were dead, including all of Valiant’s dedicated escorts.  Several dozen close-in fighters were done too, though only two pilots had died with them.
    He shook his head and scanned the displays concerned with matters a bit closer to home.  He was down two Avenger drones.  The Cowboys in total had lost eleven fighters, but all of his pilots remained.  Thank God for that.  It could have been worse.  Much, much worse.
    He tore his eyes away from the displays to look at Amparo.  “How are you?”
    Durango’s cyber winced.  “I’ve been better but I’m alive.”  Her smile took on a forced appearance and a quick glance at the display showed the torn armor down the American battleship’s flanks.
    “I like you alive,” Jack said.  “It beats the frak out of the alternative.”
    “It sure does.”  Amparo sighed and shook her head.  “Can I ask you to do something for me?”
    “Your wish is my command,” Jack said with an expansive wave of a hand.
    Amparo pursed her lips as if worrying about his answer.  “I need you to run away.”
    Jack almost growled.  He did scowl and his eyes narrowed.  “Like hell,” he objected, his tone belligerent.
    Amparo smiled at the response and nodded.  “I hoped you’d see it that way.”
    Jack cocked his head to the side in confusion.  She was planning something but he couldn’t even begin to think what it might be.  “What’s up?”
    “We’ve localized the center of the gravitic disturbance,” Amparo answered immediately.  “If we can find what is causing it and destroy it the disturbance should go away.”
    “Like a deflection grid without generators?” Jack asked.
    “Exactly,” Amparo answered in a proud voice.  “In fact, based on how gravity is working around here, we think that’s exactly what it is.  A gravitic generator tuned to destabilize hyperspace.  Now the problem is that it’s on the other side of whatever is firing those God-awful missile barrages at us,” she continued in a more serious tone.
    “Ah,” Jack muttered, sobering as he glanced at a display showing that area.  There were a lot of ships there.  “That’ll be a tough nut to crack.”
    “Exactly.”  Amparo smiled at him.  “Now in about…sixty seconds, the American task force is going to start running.  One ship at a time.  All of the small ones.  It’s going to look horrible, like the task force is abandoning the wall of battle after taking that barrage on the chin.”
    Jack blinked, his mind running over the idea.  It had possibilities.  “And you want us to run with you?”
    Amparo smiled encouragingly.  “If you are running towards the outer system, they probably won’t fire on you much.”  She shrugged.  “Hopefully.”
    Jack pursed his lips in thought.  “You mean they might want to suggest to other ships that running truly is an option?”  He let out a quick breath and rubbed his chin.  “Get us all to break up into little packets they can chew up later?”
    “That’s our projection,” Amparo answered.  “No guarantee of course, but if you can flank them while ‘running away’ you might be able to take out the generator.”
    Jack frowned, finally catching on to one thing she’d never said.  “I can’t help but notice that you never say ‘we.’”
    Amparo sighed.  “I was hoping you wouldn’t