The Chance Encounter: The Linda Eccles Series - Book One

by Robert Woodard

  “What do you think we will find when we arrive wherever this probe seems to have lost itself?” Sharon asked, shattering Linda’s reflection on her past.

  Thankful for the interruption, Linda thought over the question while taking another sip of coffee. “I have no clue. As long as I’ve been working for the company, I’ve never known a probe to go missing. I know that the probes are programmed to send out signals whenever they enter and leave warp. That allows the company to keep track of them. This leads me to believe that it exited warp, signaled—since we were provided a location vector—and then they never heard from it again. If it’s a transmitter problem, the probe will come home wagging its tail behind it. Otherwise, it’s a mystery. Even if it broke down, it should have transmitted a signal to Rapatine to provide its exact location. Those probes have a separate distress system feature for just such cases. Why it failed to return, or signal, is the real mystery, but I suspect we will find the answer shortly after arrival.”

  “What bothers me is that the company is having us jump from here to there along an uncharted plot line.” Sharon frowned heavily. “It’s risky.”

  “Yes, that is disturbing, isn’t it? Apparently, the company considered the probe and its contents to be more valuable than this ship and its personnel,” Linda said with heavy sarcasm. Then she thought better of her words, and added, “Let’s keep that between you and me, shall we. We don’t need to stress out the crew.” Emptying her cup, Linda stood, and said, “I won’t delay you any further from your duties, and I have to get back to my reports. I’ll be in my cabin.”

  Chapter Ten

  Sinska tired of pacing about the control chamber, but that seemed to be all that was left to him while the Tail Whip sat idle like some inexperience young Kracks hiding near a watering hole waiting for some prey to come to him. Having relieved Bresk, yet again, he restlessly tried to while away the time.

  Positioning an eye on tracking as he passed the monitor, he chastised himself for his shortsightedness. It wasn’t until he completed the second trip out beyond the planet to send an update to the Kracks Council that it hit him to place a buoy there instead. Shaking his head at the stupidity of his lack of foresight, Sinska now kicked himself for not having thought of it right from the start.

  The next trip out to send an update would solve that problem. He would have a buoy set to align with the rebounder and his ship. He would then connect to it, just like he was doing with the other buoy. Stopping his pacing for a beat, Sinska hissed out humor at the thought of having buoys for eyes and ears.

  Glancing up at tracking, he could see how the planet they hid behind dominated the screen, and he could just begin to see the yellow band coming over the horizon. A computer-generated line, it marked the full rotation of the planet. Sinska had the marker created so that he could track the planet's rotation. He used that marker as a trigger for each round of sending out updates. Doing a simple calculation in his head, Sinska could tell that Bresk would relieve him long before it was time to make another run.

  Sinska tried to keep his pace even to avoid lingering around any one section for too long. As he passed by each overling, he could see one of their eyes slowly rotate around to make sure he kept going. It seemed comical in a way, but he supposed he could not blame them, and Sinska suspected he did the same thing in his days as an overling.

  Time seemed to drag along slowly, but eventually Bresk was due to return for his shift. Sinska felt more than ready for it. Restless and hungry, he looked forward to relaxing. This waiting around ground on his nerves and he tired of it. What looked like a promising opportunity to come home a hero now seemed more like a whole lot of wasted energy. Nothing would happen out here, he felt sure of that, so he wanted to return to Kracks.

  Sinska realized that what he hated most about serving on a ship was the constant cold of the environment. The need to keep the equipment from overheating made it uncomfortable for the crew. Without the warmth of the Kracks’ sun on his hide, he seemed to be in a continual state of sluggishness. Were it not for the heat lamps over his cot, he suspected he would have frozen to death by now. Shaking his head, Sinska realized he was being overly dramatic.

  Spinning an eye backwards at the sound of the access door opening, he expected to see Bresk, but it was just an Overling. His eye followed the young Kracks to the tracking station where he relieved the Overling already sitting there. Glancing at tracking, Sinska watched the planet marker continue its slow approach to the trigger line for another communication run. The control chamber quieted down again as each overling was relieved.

  “The buoy is picking up a contact at sector six, quadrant 14, location 2.”

  The Tracking Overling’s report caused both of Sinska’s eyes to snap to the monitor streaming the sensor data from the buoy. What was blank a few beats ago now showed a bright light in the distance. It blended in with the background stars, but its brightness stood out. Whatever had come into the system sat on the very edge of the sensor’s range, and the tracking data provided limited information. All Sinska knew was that something had just dropped into the Remp system. The location of entry put it smack into the middle of where the first object entered. If nothing else, Sinska felt that tied the two objects together.

  It caught Sinska’s attention that the object came into the system directly in line with one of the planets. Had it come out of light speed a fraction of a beat too late, that ship would have driven right into its surface. He did not find this an overly bright thing to do. Sinska would never have brought his ship into a system with a planet sitting directly in his path. How could creatures that held such wonderful technology be so careless in using it? The question held no answer for him. Taking a seat in his chair, he waited to see what would happen next.

  “Contact is slowing,” the Overling reported. “Contact has altered course slightly to the right.”

  Sinska found the Overling’s report interesting. The first object that came into the system took an immediate orbit around the very planet this object almost hit. However, this new object appeared to be diverting away from the planet. This would work in Sinska’s favor, however, as it brought the object onto the buoy side of that far-off planet. With any luck, the object would come far enough into the system that the buoy could get a solid reading on it, and hopefully, even an image of it.

  Behind him, Sinska heard the access door slide open. From the heavy footsteps that followed, he knew that Bresk had entered the control chamber, even before he swung an eye that way.

  “Another object just came into the system, Underlord,” Sinska informed Bresk as he neared.

  Stopping at his side and studying the tracking display, Bresk said, “It cannot be one of ours. No Kracks’ ship would use that entry point.”

  Nodding agreement, Sinska rotated one eye onto the live viewer where the dot of light grew larger, and the other eye on tracking to observe its path into the system. In both views, he silently told himself, yes, just keep coming closer.

  “Are you going to break off contact to notify the Council of this object’s arrival?” Bresk asked.

  “Not yet. Assuming this is a ship, I want to find out if more of them will drop in behind it. It will make a difference in the Council’s decision on whether they are facing one ship or multiple.”

  With the beats flying by, Sinska studied the numerical values that began to fill in under the white oval representing the object on tracking. Eventually, the object came into the effective range of the buoy’s sensor. The overall size of the object was slightly larger than the Tail Whip. That peaked Sinska’s interest. Something that size had to be a ship, which confirmed his suspicions, and a ship owned by the same creatures that made the first object had to be something worth seeing. The distance between this ship and the buoy, along with the darkness of this system, would make it a painfully slow wait to get a visual, but as long as the ship continued into the system, he was sure to eventually get a good view.

  Sinska could feel the exci
tement building within him, and that caused his tongue to whip out in an instinctive attempt to get a taste of the ship’s scent. The red, forked appendage curled up above his snout to come into view of both of the Overlord’s eyes. Rotating an eye down to observe his tongue’s movement, he watched it sway back and forth, attempting to snatch any trace of the ship, as if it were prey.

  When his tongue slowly slid back, the scent receptacles at the roof of his mouth took in what the tongue capture. Bresk’s scent dominated his receptacles. Rolling one eye to focus on the tracking display again, he watched the ship maintain its course.

  Rotating his other eye over at Bresk, he could see him studying the monitor. The tip of Bresk’s forked tongue poked out between the upper and lower layers of leathery skin that folded over the top and bottom of his jaw. It reminded Sinska of the head of a ling popping out of its protective egg. The red tines that made up the fork of the tongue quivered with nervous energy.

  Adjusting his eye slightly, Sinska studied the long tusks that hung down from the forward section of Bresk’s upper jaw. The protrusions clearly displayed the maturity of his Underlord. The thickness of the upper section of the tusks already began to push outward on the hide covering his elongated jaw. In a trait common with the old southern Kracks’ tribes, his tusks had a slight forward curve as they came to a point. Sinska carried the northern trait of straight tusks. The overall length of the Underlord’s tusks, close to reaching Sinska’s, reminded him that Bresk would be ready for consideration of an Overlord ranking in another solar cycle or two. His near maturity already made him more than a match for even the largest prey he would ever face.

  Bresk’s jaw held firmly closed, hiding the row of sharp teeth that ran along each side—teeth designed to rip and tear into even the toughest hide. The tip of the jaw, devoid of any teeth between the tusks, allowed his tongue to easily move in and out at will. Sinska felt that nothing spoke predator better than a Kracks. Sturdy claws, long tusks, and sharp teeth, combined with a heavy muscle mass, who could ask for anything more?

  Turning his attention back to the monitor, and the duty at hand, Sinska wondered just how long he should wait before sending a message to the Council. Should he risk doing it now in the hope that no more ships arrived, or should he wait a little longer to see what developed? He once again chastised himself for not having the foresight to set a second buoy into place. Being blocked from communicating directly with the Council was coming around to bite him right in the tail.

  What would the Council want him to do once he did report this contact? That question upped his anxiety level. Sinska had no desire to tangle with this ship. If it was indeed related to the first object he destroyed, it was bound to have superior technology. His minelayer would struggle to match it.

  But was the ship really dangerous? For all Sinska knew, this incoming ship could be an unarmed vessel looking for the first object he destroyed. Just because it was here didn’t mean it was an armed ship looking to seek revenge on someone. How could he know for sure, though? He would never tangle with a large prey without studying it long enough to know its strength and weaknesses, and the same would be true with this ship.

  “Underlord, for now, we will just stay here and keep an eye on this ship and anything else that occurs. Once I feel ready, I’ll break contact to inform the council. We are well hidden, so this ship will never know we are here, and when we break off they will still not detect us with this planet providing cover.”

  “Yes, Overlord.”

  “Keep me informed of any changes.” Getting up, Sinska left to eat and nap to refresh himself for what he suspected was going to be a long wait.

  ◆◆◆

  Vistal took advantage of the quiet at his tracking station to perform his own analysis of the incoming object. Pulling up the data capture from the first object, he added in the current data of the new object and compared them.

  The original tracking line of the first object showed it coming out of light speed on a slightly different track line than this new object did, and that told him these two objects did not originate from the same jump point. He had no idea if that information was significant or not.

  “What are you reviewing, Overling?” Bresk asked.

  Vistal spun one eye backwards at the sound of the Underlord’s voice. He said, “I am comparing the tracking information between the two objects. I have discovered that they must have originated from two separate jump points.

  “That is interesting, Overling. Did you do this on your own initiative?”

  “Yes, Underlord.” Vistal shoulders slumped slightly in preparation of being chastised for not requesting permission.

  “That was very intelligent of you, Overling. Continue with your analysis.”

  When Bresk’s eye rotated away from him, Vistal hissed a sigh and sat a little straighter. Pride now flowed through him that felt like the warmth of the sun on his hide. Never before had an Underlord given him any praise. Vistal found he liked it.

  Before Vistal could dwell on the praise, a warning tone sounded from the console indicating something had changed with the contact. He could see that the speed of the object had slowed, as shown on the declining speed indicator positioned directly under the target’s image on tracking.

  “Target is slowing,” Vistal announced. “Buoy sensor no longer shows propulsion emissions.”

  When Vistal swung an eye onto the Underlord, he could see him studying the tracking display and the live viewer. The Underlord didn’t respond to his report, so Vistal went quiet. After a few beats of no further activity from the incoming ship, he went back to studying how these two objects had acted after coming into Remp. Stopping suddenly would be another deviation in how the first object differed from this second one.

  What Vistal found interesting was that the ship had stopped just short of the path of the first object when it was on its outward leg. Was there some significance to that? Vistal could not imagine that they could detect the path of the first object. Or could they? From his prior analysis of the Tail Whip’s encounter with the first object, he found it fascinating that these creatures had put some kind of shielding on it. So, who really knows what these creatures are capable of doing?

  Deciding this was something worth reporting, he shifted on his stool to face the Underlord. He then reported, “Underlord, the ship has stopped at the point where the first object’s path crosses in front of them.”

  “Let me see it, Overling,” Bresk ordered.

  Rotating around on the stool, Vistal overlaid the tracking data to include the travel line of the first object. He then turned again until he faced the Underlord. Glancing up at the monitor that displayed the tracking data, he verified the screen had updated with this new information.

  “What do you make of this, Overling?” Bresk asked.

  “I do not know, Underlord,” Vistal answered. “I suppose it is possible they can detect some trace of the first object’s propulsion emission, but how they can do that is a mystery to me.”

  When Bresk did not respond, Vistal returned to studying his monitor again. He thought things were getting crazier and crazier.

  Chapter Eleven

  Linda had not been happy when the Privateer had forced-dropped out of warp a second early with a planet sitting right in their path. Had the sensor not detected and reacted to that planet fast enough to stop their travel, the privateer and her crew would be nothing more than a new crater on its surface, and another mysterious disappearance to those back at Rapatine.

  Once she had recovered from the initial shock, she had altered course around the planet to continue further into this new system with its multiple planets, lack of a close sun, and no sign of the probe. Sensor sweeps failed to pick it up.

  “No sign of it, yet, Captain?” Sharon reported. She was looking over the shoulder of the Specialist running the sensor sweeps.

  “Very well,” Linda responded. “We’ll maintain this course and speed.”

  Linda studied her
surroundings that seemed like an ideal location for UMU to exploit. There was no sun close enough to assist in the generation of life, so she was sure the planets were lifeless. In fact, she wondered just what kept them rooted to this location in the first place. They didn’t appear to be rotating around anything, at least not that she could tell.

  “Contact, bearing 1-9-4,” the Navigation Specialist reported. “It’s a small, stationary, metallic, object with moderate energy output.”

  The specialist’s report pulled Linda back to the reality of their mission. Looking at tactical, she could see a small circle appear, as it picked up the input from the sensor. The contact floated off the left side of the furthest planet in the system, putting it a good distance away from the Privateer. Even with the planet visible to the naked eye, although not much larger than her thumb nail, the object detected by the sensor remained hidden in the darkness.

  Rotating the dial for the right display screen, Linda brought up the raw sensor data, but she did not find it helpful in providing any further information on what she suspected was their lost probe. She ignored the screen to continue studying the tactical view. She felt relieved at having so quickly found the misbehaving probe. Just her luck, though, the stupid device had to break down far enough into the system to take a good number of hours to reach, and only if she pushed the Privateer to its top speed of 60,000 kilometers-per-hour. Orders were orders, so she would have to endure the distance like a good little UMU pet. Add one more entry into my why I hate the company list.