The Juggernaut (Juggernaut #1)

Prologue part 2

The three colony ships appeared to hang motionless against the backdrop of a faint nebula where delicate blue-white tendrils of stellar cloud stretched across the heavenly scene.

Far below the plane of the three spacecraft, a single planet, wreathed in cloud, orbited the warm yellow sun of Selah. In the foreground, dozens of ships swarmed away from the rear of the giant vessels.

Three huge engines made up the aft section of each colony ship. They formed an inverted triangle around the drive core. The engines burst into life and strained against the enormous mass of each ship.

Imperceptible at first, the thrust of the engines slowly overcame the dead weight of the spacecraft and against the infinite ocean of stars, the ships began to move. First the Far Horizon, and then the New Dawn.

Inside the Rising Star, doors parted to admit Tila, still running as fast as she could, and her stuffed companion. A dome of reinforced glass and steel dominated the large circular room she entered. Through the dome she could see Far Horizon and New Dawn beginning their voyage. The last time she had been in here, their sister ships had been at rest. Now she could observe the parallax motion of the ships against the starry background as their engines roared in silent effort.

The observation dome housed almost two hundred people; an assortment of children, carers, administration staff and others lucky enough to be idle during the jump, but whose skills would be essential once they reached their destination. Once there, the real work of establishing the colony would begin. So too would the plan to make the journey back to Commonwealth space. This was never intended to be a one-way trip.

Not one person was alone. They sat in groups, many lying on their backs, all of them staring upward at the edge of known space, ready to drink in the view of the first new constellations seen in nearly a hundred years.

The Rising Star ignited her engines at last, and a low rumble shuddered through the walls and floors of the spaceship. Cheers and whoops filled the room as the ship lurched forward.

A few people, those less experienced in space travel, were caught off-guard as their visual senses told them the ship was moving, even though the ship's artificial gravity held them firm. Many of them stumbled, but feet and hands moved on reflex as people steadied themselves, and no one fell.

The ship intercom was relaying the final countdown from the bridge.

'Eight... seven... six...'

Someone gamely tried to join in with the countdown, but after the calling the numbers alone he faltered into silence against the weight of expectation in the room.

Tila raced for a large unoccupied cushion, and dived onto it head first. She kicked and twisted in a graceless effort to flop over onto her back and gazed at the scene above. With a mixture of excitement and fear she wrapped both arms around her stuffed toy, squeezed it tight, and held her breath.

'... five... four... three...'

The room tensed. Tila's scalp tingled and her chest tightened. Heightened emotions spread wordlessly from group to group.

Someone near her shivered, not from cold but simply to release the tension of the coming event. She noticed that even some of the adults were holding their breath, too.

No one spoke again. Even the restless children became still as they sensed the moment was upon them.

'... two... one. Jump engines engaged.'

The three huge ships had spread out from each other and they now formed the points of a giant 'V' with the Rising Star at the base.

Above Tila's ship and to the right, Far Horizon had already begun to pull away from its companions. It would be the first to jump.