I told the others we should all be proud of the risk we took to get to that point. It was our shot... our attempt at glory for all mankind. The counter quickly descended to zero as we came within half a kilometer of the alien fighter. The four coil guns fired their rounds as we sped past our opponent.
The fighter countered with its gravity weapon, which caught us with a glancing blow. All but one of our BHD drives and one of our sensors were knocked offline. If those were lost, it would be a death sentence. In addition, the active skin shut down and the hull of our ship had been heavily twisted... but, it held.
Our one shot at fame had clipped the tip of the fighter’s nose, greatly reducing its speed. Moments later, the two BHD warheads closed in for the kill. Two bright flashes again told the story. For the first time in months, our planet was no longer under immediate threat from the alien forces.
We had survived our kamikaze run only to find we were faced with a new danger. We were quickly approaching the asteroid belt with only one BHD and no active skin.
Our pilot began a slow turn to change our trajectory. Without the active skin, we would not be able to flip and use the BHD to decelerate. The change in inertia would crush us.
We would instead plan a wide arc turning upward, away from the asteroid belt, while maintaining our momentum. The turn would put us under two and a half Gs of force for the next three hours. The force was extremely uncomfortable but not life threatening. We all knew it would be over with soon, so no one complained.
The ride home was long and slow. Without the active skin, we had to decelerate slowly and drop through the atmosphere at a snail’s pace. More than twenty hours had passed before we were safely on the ground. We touched down on the tarmac and opened the rear door. Our Defender was no longer capable of hovering. Support teams raced out to remove us from our damaged craft.
We were hurried back into the hangar riding on golf carts as several tugs connected themselves to Defender A15 to get it out of sight. I took one last glance back at our ship as the hangar door closed behind us.
We were met in the hangar with cheers and applause from the ground crews as well as from the other seven Defender teams. It was a humbling display. Our moment of glory came and went, as we were then moved to the elevator for our ride back to the chamber.
When we arrived, we were immediately taken into a conference room for a short debriefing. General Buck, David Brenner, Paige, Bigg, Whip, and Pop were all in attendance. The briefing turned out to be more of a celebration, with everyone thanking us instead of asking questions about what we had done.
Instead of a handshake, David Brenner gave one of his embarrassing hugs. This time, however, I was happy to receive it. I thanked my great-uncle for the opportunity he had given me. I thanked him for all he had done through the years to safeguard us all.
I had just flown halfway to Jupiter to risk my life doing battle with an alien invader, and yet I was still humbled before him. I had only been able to do what I had because of his commitment, dedication, and genius. He was the real hero.
With the immediate alien threat gone, my A15 crew was given a two-day pass to do whatever they liked, so long as it was still confined to the chamber. I took the moment to turn to Paige. We embraced with a long, passionate kiss. When we stopped, I stood for a moment staring into her eyes.
I then dropped to one knee and asked her to marry me… right then… right there. I did not have a ring to offer, but I would get one as soon as I could. She was shocked only for a moment before she responded with a resounding yes!
Everyone in the room applauded. General Buck then stepped in and rewarded my moment of bravery by allowing us to go anywhere we wanted for our honeymoon. That included sites outside the chamber. He added one extra day to our pass for travel time.
Within the hour the chamber chaplain was called in for the ceremony. The exchange of "I dos" was short and to the point. I was then rushed into another room for the ghastly removal of my reclamation suit and a thorough hosing down.
The techs warned me I would have to watch myself when it came time to go to the restroom. After my time in the suit, my body would have a tendency to want to go wherever I was and whenever I felt the urge. I assured them I would stay on top of it.
Another tech brought one of my uniforms, which they had quickly cleaned and pressed. When I put it on, I was surprised to find out how baggy it was. I had lost thirty-six pounds during my short time in the reclamation suit with Paige being in charge of my nutrition. It felt a bit strange without having the gel surrounding my body, naked almost. I was assured I would get used to it.
We were then hurried back through the tunnel to Regents Field and put on a plane to Hawaii. General Buck let us know that an aide would be waiting for us in Honolulu with orders to purchase clothing or anything else we needed. I assured the General we would not be in need of clothing, for which I received a friendly smack from Paige. The honeymoon was short, but I was a happy, happy man.
Chapter 10
* * *
Upon our arrival back at the chamber, the techs immediately escorted me to a room, where the reclamation suit was reapplied. I had only been out of it for three days, and yet it had the same funky feeling it had when it had first been put on.
I was then taken to a briefing room, where a discussion was ongoing over the approaching advance fleet and what we might do to stop it. As I sat in my chair, the questions came fast and furious. It was as if everyone thought I would have immediate plans as to what we should do.
I had just spent three days with my head in the clouds. Battle strategies were the last thing I had thought about. General Buck quickly stepped in, taking over the discussion.
The others attending were told to allow me a little time to reacclimatize to the situation, as I was just returning from my honeymoon. I thanked the General and began to scan the material on the holo-display in front of me.
The newest estimate was 116 days until the two large alien vessels arrived. New data suggested they were traveling at 70 percent of light speed, faster than we had been in a Defender thus far. Our scientists were unable to answer the question of exactly how fast we could go.
The BHD would just continue to accelerate once full throttle was applied, but it would take time to reach light speed, and we had not had the chance to travel in a straight line for that length of time.
They were also unsure of what would happen as we approached the speed of light. No one had been there to know what the effects were. There was speculation it was precisely the reason why the alien ships were unmanned.
I thought it was nothing more than scientists gone wild with their theories. I had just traveled to 54 percent of light speed with no ill side effects. The discussion soon broke down into raised voices, with the Planners and Tacticians trying to talk over one another. Again General Buck stepped in to cool things down.
With a moment of silence, I took the opportunity to speak. I asked why we had not sent a scout ship out toward the incoming fleet. The room was silent until one junior analyst spoke up.
They had decided against it, with the threat of alien fighters out there. And with the alien fleet at the distance they were, by the time we could get a ship out there, it would only give us a few days of intel, if we were able to achieve it at all.
I then volunteered to take a crew on a mission to the incoming fleet. A quick calculation told me we could be there in about six weeks, giving us about two months of close-in intel. And with our instantaneous communications link, I could relay live data and receive live orders while all the time keeping our ship at a safe distance.
The Planners and Tacticians once again erupted in a battle of who could talk the loudest. The General banged his fist on the conference room table and demanded attention. The room went dead silent.
General Buck then gave the order. I was to assemble a crew and take a Defender on a scout mission to gather intel on the advance fleet. All resources necessary were to be geared toward making th
e scout mission a reality. It would launch that afternoon. The General then turned to me and suggested I go say a quick goodbye to my new bride. I would likely not be seeing her again for at least three months.
I was dismissed and immediately made my way to the lab, where Paige was hard at work on creating new pairs of entangled particles. I gave her the news and was first greeted with a look of disappointment. But this was war, and she was fully aware of its consequences. We again said our long goodbyes, followed by a prolonged kiss.
I next headed for the DSim where Whip, Bigg, and Pop were training with their substitute pilot. I gathered them and their handlers in confidence and told of the impending scout mission. I then told them they would be accompanying me.
Pop let out a yell, and the group came together for a big, celebratory hug. I told them the mission was classified and that they could not mention it to anyone. They were all to report immediately to room D446 for a briefing.
I gave Red the bad news. His crew was being reassigned, and he would be given a new crew to train starting in the morning. I had been in need of a bit of maturity, and Red had been a catalyst for that happening. I shook his hand and thanked him for pushing me the way he had.
After our briefing, we were each sent to a tech to have our reclamation suits checked and the gel in them freshened. I had just been through the process, so I was able to leave immediately for Regents Field to look over our new Defender.
This one had been outfitted with Pop's enhanced sodium feed. When I arrived, the support crew was busily jamming it full of enough supplies to last us for up to six months.
The ship would be loaded with eighty thousand rounds of coil gun pellets, sixteen BHD warheads, enough sodium to keep us powered for six months, and spare parts such as a dozen extra BHD rings and a spare self-starting micro-reactor.
I received a private message from my great-uncle wishing us well. He added that he was responsible for the spare reactor being placed aboard and that he hoped we would be able to make use of it.
The stations were organized with me and Whip seated up front and Bigg and Pop behind. From their flight chairs going back would be packed with supplies. I was then shown something I had not seen before. Four space helmets were being carried on board. I asked the crewman who was handling them and was told they were new and untested.
They attached to the reclamation suits and would allow us to go extravehicular if need be. He said the instructions and information on them were being uploaded to the ship's computers as we spoke.
I was soon joined in the hangar by my crew and their handlers. We walked aboard and were connected into the flight chairs that would be our homes for the next three to four months. As soon as the handlers departed, the support crew once again began their work of packing the ship with as many supplies as they could. Every spare bit of space had been turned into storage.
We were also recipients of the first in-flight repair manuals in case we should have a mishap while on our mission. I had confidence in the ability of my crew to make any necessary repairs should the need arise.
We also had the instant comm link back to Battle Command should we have any questions. I took pride in the fact it was my wife's work that had made the mission practical.
I knew I would be spending many a bored hour daydreaming about her as we hurled through space at near light speed. The thought came with as much dread as it did excitement.
A half hour later, the rear door had been closed and we were busily going through our preflight checks. Everything was a go. I powered up the BHD and brought us to a hover. Each of our screens was then filled with a video. It was the President with a farewell and good-luck speech.
We each nodded to the holo-screen in front of us as the video feed ended. I usually stayed away from politics, but for some reason I felt the speech was good for the others to hear. It would be a long mission, and any reinforcement of its priority would be appreciated once we reached the cold blackness of life away from our sun.
The go-ahead was given. Defender A55 taxied out onto the tarmac and tilted upward, and within seconds we were entering the blackness of space. I pressed a holo-button to engage our preloaded flight plan. I asked for a station status from each of the others. Once it was completed, we had no set orders for the next six weeks.
Our increased power from Pop's feed modifications left us with extra power to apply to our active skin. The computer was programmed to make minor course corrections to avoid any sizable asteroids, but our ability to withstand larger hits added a bit of extra comfort.
With nothing to do for six weeks, the conversation quickly turned to my recent honeymoon. I did my best to deflect inappropriate personal questions and to not dignify them with answers. It was all in good fun, but it was personal just the same.
It had taken just thirty-two minutes for us to once again reach half light speed. The Defender continued to accelerate. The conversation soon died down, with Whip poring over the new helmet manuals while Bigg played holo-solitaire.
Pop dug into the application of his new sodium feed, which left me to daydream about Paige. I had a timer set on the hour as a reminder for us to check in with Command.
The dings of the reminder after the first hour broke me out of a vivid daydream with Paige and me on a snow-ski adventure. The slopes had been perfectly manicured and then covered with four inches of fresh powder. I did a quick station check and sent the results to Battle Command. After completing the first hourly check, I automated the reminder to free us from the manual task.
As I continued with my daydreaming, Pop alerted me to the fact that we had just passed through 74.00000 percent light speed and were continuing to accelerate. We were now moving faster than any man had ever traveled.
I chatted for a moment with Battle Command, asking if they had noticed our speed. They had. The scientists and engineers were all elated and had been hashing over the theories of what would happen if we actually made it to light speed.
No test by man had ever shown that it was possible to travel beyond that threshold. There were theories about time travel and warping space and time, but nothing had ever been proven. Defender A55 and its crew would possibly be the first to find out.
It wasn't long before we passed beyond the heliosphere into outer space. I adjusted our sensors to fill the inner walls of our ship with the view that we would see from outside.
The blackness was as black as the ride from the chamber to Regents Field. But... the stars... the stars were brilliant, with the Milky Way being spectacular. No image I had ever seen on the ground could do it justice.
We soon passed through 83.00000 percent light speed and continued to accelerate. Our estimated six-week journey to the incoming alien vessels had dropped to five weeks and then four. Again the scientists and engineers on the ground were elated. The feed of data across channel 1647 had them continuously glued to their monitors.
Five hours into our flight, we passed through 96.00000 percent light speed, and the acceleration continued. All systems were functioning perfectly. There had been no noticeable effect on any of the crew or on the ship itself.
Other than the occasional blip on the screen of the active skin encountering a pebble, there had been nothing out of the ordinary displayed. The active skin was performing just as the scientists had predicted.
The ship itself had only made one minor course correction to avoid a collision. The rock was roughly one meter wide, but a course change was done as a precaution.
After five hours and forty-seven minutes, we trickled through 99.00023 percent of light speed. The instruments still showed acceleration. For the next seven minutes, we all watched silently as the digits slowly approached 100.00000 percent. Bigg commented that the view out back of the ship had taken a noticeable turn in color, with the sun first going orange, then red, and now a dark red.
It was a strange sight to see your own sun from that distance. It had become just another large star. The fact that it seemed to be dimming was
a bit disconcerting.
As our speed gauge reached 100.00000 percent, the visible light from our sun was snuffed out. The surrounding stars had turned a deep red, and the ones surrounding those had gone orange in color. Straight behind was nothing but pure black. For twenty-three seconds, the gauge stayed at 100.00000 percent. It then began to count back down.
I had everyone do a complete station check, but all the numbers looked good. I then asked Battle Command what they could make of it and did not receive a response.
Apparently reaching light speed was having an effect, although we had no idea of what it was. The accelerometers continued to show positive numbers, but the speed indicator continued to slip.
We were soon back to 96.00000 percent, then 83.00000 percent, and then 74.00000 percent. The speed continued to drop, and we had no explanation as to why. That was when Whip let out a giddy screech. At that moment I almost soiled my reclamation suit... even though it would not have mattered.
I quizzed Whip on her discovery and was told to wait a second. She worked feverishly at her holo-display. After a brief delay, the 71.00000 percent on the speed indicator turned to 129.00000 percent. We had passed the speed of light and were continuing to accelerate.
Whip had dug into the console software and found a programming error that had limited the speed indicator to 100 percent. A quick live patch and we now had our true speed. We all sat staring in amazement before anyone spoke.
Bigg had taken notice of the fact our trip counter now displayed that we were only two weeks from encountering our target. The black void of stars continued to grow larger from the view behind the ship. The reds and oranges did the same as the view continued outward.
We had lost our communication with Command when we passed through 100 percent. Even the entangled particles had not been able to break the barrier. After eleven and a half hours, we broke through 200 percent and continued to accelerate. All instruments continued to read as normal. Our trip counter was now down to ten days and continued to fall.
SODIUM Trilogy Part One Page 38
