Commander Kayley narrowed her eyes. “Are you making us wait as a helpless target? We have no means to defend ourselves.”
“We will protect you. Teagan has found a way to use the decloaking program to hide your ship. She needs a few minutes to get the program set up.”
“What if the Morins show up?”
“They can’t attack while they are cloaked.”
“Are you sure about that?”
No, he wasn’t. “All the evidence we have points to that conclusion.”
“Kitana!” Commander Kayley ran a hand over her hair. “How much longer?”
“We’ll let you know. Keep the line open.”
He turned to glance at Teagan. “How much longer?”
“I have the program ready. I just have to click this button here and it should work. We only have to wait on the Morins to show.”
“Second Commander, get us all coordinated.”
They waited for what seemed like a really long time but in actuality was only fifteen minutes. Their first sign of the Morins was a detection of radio waves flickering near the Morinian transport.
“As soon as they decloak, Teagan, click the button. Commander Kayley, stand by. Once you are cloaked, enter the wormhole and, Second Commander, wait for my order to fire on the Morins.”
The shimmering became more frequent and then the Morin transport came into view. “Now, Teagan!”
They watched as the Morinians’ ship disappeared. “Commander Kayley, it’s a go.” The Morinian ship went inside the wormhole just as the Morins started to fire on them. “Fire all weapons at the Morins! Do not let them get through the wormhole!”
*****
Teagan watched in shock and horror as the monitor showed the battle going on. The Morin transport deployed its own warships to battle the Katierans, trying to give it time to escape through the wormhole, but LemAN ordered the main weapons to fire on the Morin transport. She felt helpless but she had to add one more reminder.
“Oh, make sure they get the satellite dish on its hull to keep them from cloaking again!”
“You heard her, Lieutenant ComEY. Blast that satellite dish!”
She felt her fingers clutching the edge of seat she was sitting in. The tension was so great it could be cut with a knife. The battle took on a new level as somehow the Morin transport managed to lag itself through the wormhole.
Teagan glanced back at LemAN in concern. He opened communications.
“This is Commander LemAN. The Morin transport has gone through the wormhole after taking major hits. Do you have the Morinian ship safe?”
“This is Prime Commander ConEL. The Morinians just arrived and we are escorting them to a safe distance.”
“Let me know when the Morins surface.”
It felt like an eternity as they waited. Teagan wondered why they didn’t go through the wormhole, too. She must have asked it out loud because ComEY answered her back.
“We need to remain on this side to make sure they don’t come back through.”
“I always assumed the wormhole was like a vacuum.”
“It has its own gravitational pull at the opening but once inside anything can happen as you are traveling at an accelerated speed.”
“The Morin transport has come through,” the other Katieran commander reported.
LemAN turned toward Second Commander BorIS. “Take us through the wormhole.”
