by Ryk Brown
“It’s not like I can run a full systems diagnostic on it, Captain,” Renny argued. “I mean, only a third of the fucking ship is left. This is all I’ve got.”
“You’re right,” Robert agreed. “Just hurry.”
“With all due respect, sir, telling me to hurry isn’t helping.”
* * *
“Message from Falcon One,” Naralena announced. “They have detected what they believe to be an escape pod, jumping away at the moment the Amonday’s antimatter reactor breached. They are conducting a search along the object’s jump course.”
“Do they have any idea how far the pod jumped?” Nathan asked.
“They did not say.”
“If the energy from the antimatter event hit their jump fields at the moment they jumped…” Cameron began.
“Pray it didn’t,” Nathan interrupted.
“I think it unlikely,” a familiar voice said from behind.
Nathan and Cameron turned around to find Kaylah Yosef standing by the comm-station.
“I heard you need a sensor officer,” she added.
“I thought you were helping with R and D,” Cameron replied.
“I figured you needed me more than they did.” Kaylah glanced over at the partially dismantled sensor station and the two technicians struggling to repair it. “It appears I was correct.” She looked back at Nathan. “Permission to take my post, sir?”
“Permission granted,” Nathan replied happily, “and welcome back, Commander.”
“Thank you, sir,” Kaylah replied as she made her way to her station.
“You were saying it was unlikely that the pod would be affected by the antimatter event?” Cameron commented as Kaylah passed.
“Unlikely in the way that the Aurora was affected,” she explained as she began surveying the state of her console. “The Aurora’s original jump emitters were extremely robust and quite over-built, and they had no integrated power-limiting circuits. They were designed to receive whatever amount of power was dumped into them. Many refinements have been made since then, in both the emitters and in the power transfer systems. Additionally, something as small as a jump-enabled escape pod would have limited jump systems, probably just enough to get them clear of the ship.” She turned to Nathan and Cameron, a more serious look on her face. “Escape pods are also unshielded in most cases. Therefore, if the antimatter event made contact with their jump fields, those fields would have collapsed, and they would have simply ceased to exist.”
“You’re not helping,” Nathan decided.
“The fact that the pod’s jump was detected indicates that it jumped before the antimatter event occurred, which means it should have jumped its normal distance.”
“I’ll get in touch with the holding facility on Neramese and see if one of the prisoners will tell us what that distance would be,” Cameron said, moving aft toward the communications station.
“Now, that’s helping,” Nathan added.
Kaylah smiled, turning back around to her console while the two technicians worked on either side of her. “Okay, boys, let’s see if we can get this thing working, shall we?”
“Incoming flash traffic from Striker One,” Naralena reported. “They’ve located Striker Three, but it’s in bad shape.”
Cameron moved in beside Naralena, studying the text of the message on her screen. “That’s an understatement,” she commented as she read the update. “They jumped in pieces. The entire back half of their ship is missing. No power, failing life support. Everyone on board, except for Ensign Walsh, is sedated to reduce their oxygen usage. What’s left of the ship is leaking pressure, as well. Striker One’s engineer is performing an EVA in an attempt to stop the leaks and connect one of their spare oxygen tanks to Striker Three to buy them some time.”
“We need to get an SAR Reaper to them, ASAP,” Nathan insisted.
“That won’t cut it,” Cameron told him. “Their docking hatch is damaged. There’s no way to get them out.”
“What about a breach box?” Nathan wondered.
“It’s doubtful there would be enough smooth surface for them to seal up to,” Cameron replied. “Can a gunship fit inside a boxcar’s cargo pod?”
“Not an intact one,” Nathan replied.
“From this report, it sounds like they’re less than half their normal size,” Cameron pointed out.
“We can’t take the risk,” Nathan decided. “We need to send something more than big enough.”
“The Manamu is still configured as a Gunyoki carrier,” Cameron said. “As long as their decks are clear, they could roll back their bay covers and bring them in.”
“That’s a pretty risky maneuver,” Nathan commented as he contemplated the idea, “but I suppose that’s our best shot.”
“It will take the Manamu at least four hours to get there though,” Cameron warned. “It doesn’t sound like they’ve got that much time.”
“Then we’ll send a few Reapers with equipment to keep them alive until the Manamu arrives. They can get there in half that time.”
“We’ll need to send help, as well,” Cameron suggested. “Striker One’s engineer can’t do it all by himself.”
“We need to send someone who can improvise,” Nathan decided, reaching to activate his comm-set. “Someone who can fix anything.”
* * *
“I’m pretty sure I’ve got all the leaks repaired,” Renny reported. “At least, all the ones I can find. We won’t know for sure until we get more pressure in there, or until we see a continued drop in what they have. You seeing any changes yet, Kas?”
“Holding steady for the moment,” Kasma replied over Renny’s helmet comms. “But it will take a few minutes to register any changes.”
“I’ll take what I can get,” Renny decided as he reached for the tether to the oxygen tank he had brought along with him. “I’m going to hook up the oxygen now.”
“Aiden? You still with us?” Robert called over comms from Striker One’s cockpit.
“Huh?” Aiden replied.
“Wake up, kid,” Robert added, looking out the window at the remains of Striker Three.
“I’m……here.”
“Renny’s got the leaks fixed,” Robert told Aiden. “He’s connecting the supplemental oxygen tank now. Be ready on the crossover valve.”
“Right,” Aiden replied, his voice weak and unsure. “The……valve.”
Robert turned to Sasha, a worried look on both their faces. “You’d better get to that valve now and be ready,” he called over comms.
“Right……turn the……valve.”
“No, not yet!” Robert ordered. “Just get in position, that’s all!”
“Position……the valve.”
“Captain, if he turns that valve before I get this thing hooked up, he’s going to vent what’s left of their cabin pressure out into space!” Renny warned.
“Aiden, read back my orders,” Robert instructed sternly. “Get into position, but do not turn the valve until instructed.”
There was silence.
“Aiden?” Robert called. “Read back my instructions, Ensign.”
“Get……into……position,” Aiden finally replied. His voice sounded even weaker and more confused than before. “Do……not……turn……valve……until……instructed.”
“Read back correct, Ensign,” Robert confirmed. “Hang in there, kid.”
After a long pause, Aiden replied, “Hanging.”
* * *
Sheba Madrid stood on the catwalk overlooking the Manamu’s long, forward cargo bay. Their mission as a Gunyoki carrier had been short-lived, and now the captain was waiting for their next assignment. There had been rumors of conversion to a gunship, or perhaps even a jump missile frigate. The Manamu certainly had the space for it.
Sheba hoped for the latter. Missile frigates fought from great distances and moved after every launch. It was probably one of the safest warships one could serve on. Unfortunately, with the resurrection of t
he Orochi, that tasking seemed unlikely. It was times like this that she wondered why she had agreed to add her vessel to the ranks of the Karuzari.
“Skipper,” Tobi called from the hatch at the end of the catwalk. “Message from the Aurora,” he added as he walked toward her.
Sheba took the data pad from him and read the message. “Looks like we’re going on a little trip,” she said.
“Where to?” her junior officer wondered.
“Deep into the Pentaurus sector,” she said, handing the data pad back to him.
“Are you serious?”
“Call Vemados and Ewan to the bridge, and tell Garland to plot a jump course, best possible speed and most direct route. We depart in fifteen minutes.”
“Yes, sir,” Tobi replied, heading back inside.
A rescue mission, she thought. It was the last thing she had expected.
* * *
Renny gently pushed the joystick on his maneuvering unit control arm, causing the tiny jets on the sides to fire. His body rotated around its center point, inverting him so his feet were above his head. Another touch of the joystick in the opposite direction arrested his rotation, leaving him in the perfect position to continue his work. “I’m picking up another trace leak, probably from one of the longitudinal, recirculation lines.”
“How bad?” Robert asked over comms.
“Big enough to detect.”
“Can you fix it?”
“Not without dismantling what’s left of the outer hull, which I’m afraid to do since it may be the only thing holding them together at this point.”
“How long do they have?” Robert asked.
“Impossible to tell. Based on what I’m detecting from the outside, a few hours, at the most.”
“I don’t suppose we have any more reserve tanks we can tap?”
“Yes, but it would take too long to dismantle our own ship enough to get to them. They’d be…” Renny paused for a moment. “They’re not hearing all this, are they?”
“Negative,” Robert replied. “I’ve got us isolated.”
“Thank God.” A blue-white flash of light appeared nearby, catching Renny’s attention. “Guys, I’ve got a jump flash nearby.”
“Relax, it’s a comm-drone,” Kasma said.
“Kind of hard to do, out here with no hull or shields wrapped around you,” Renny replied.
Robert smiled at his copilot. “It’s from the Aurora. They’re sending help.”
“How do they plan on getting them out of there?” Renny wondered.
“They’re sending the Manamu,” Robert explained.
“I thought that was a Gunyoki carrier?” Sasha commented.
“The Gunyoki moved back to their base. The Manamu is between taskings, so her decks are wide open. She has more than enough room to bring them inside and open them up in a pressurized environment.”
“They do realize how risky that is, right?” Renny commented.
“What do you mean?” Robert wondered.
“This thing is pretty fucked up, Captain,” Renny replied. “She’s leaking all kinds of shit. Who knows what will happen if you introduce oxygen to her exterior and jostle her around a bit.”
Robert looked at Sasha. “I’m sure they’ve thought of that,” he told Renny. “Right?” he asked Sasha.
“Of course,” Sasha replied, shrugging his shoulders, “but won’t the Manamu take five or six hours to get here?”
“Four, if they make every jump at max range and go as direct as possible,” Robert corrected.
“They won’t last that long, Captain,” Renny warned.
“That’s why they’re sending Reapers loaded with gear and techs,” Robert told him. “They should be able to get here in a couple hours. Just do what you can to keep them alive, Renny.”
“I’ll do what I can, sir.”
Robert sighed, feeling utterly helpless.
“You realize we’re still deep inside Dusahn-controlled space, right?” Sasha asked.
“I know.”
* * *
“Are they sleeping?” Commander Andreola wondered as he watched the two Ghatazhak soldiers sitting perfectly still, eyes closed, on the other side of the escape pod.
“More like hibernating,” Jessica replied. When the commander looked at her with a puzzled expression, she elaborated. “We have the ability to slow down our metabolism, thus conserving resources.”
“How do they wake up?”
“Reticular activating system,” she replied, again, receiving a confused look. “It’s a part of your brain that continues to monitor sensory input—sounds, smells, motion—and decides when you need to be awakened. All humans have this. Ours is just more finely tuned than most.”
“It must take years to master such things.”
“The Ghatazhak begin their training at the onset of puberty and train for more than a decade before receiving their first assignment.”
“A decade?” the commander wondered. “Just to learn to fight?”
“The Ghatazhak don’t just fight,” Jessica told him, “we think. We analyze. We make hundreds of decisions per second. We see everything around us and forecast every possible outcome from every possible action, then pick the one that offers the greatest chance of success.”
“How is that even possible?”
“Through education, mostly. Ninety percent of a Ghatazhak’s training is mental, not physical. Physics, biology, meteorology, chemistry, engineering, sociology, physiology…pretty much all the ologys.”
“Ten years does not seem enough.”
“That’s just to get them ready to serve,” Jessica explained. “Our education and training never stops.”
“And your ranks are filled with both men and women?”
“Actually, I’m the only female Ghatazhak,” Jessica boasted. “And to be honest, I’m not a full Ghatazhak. I’m sort of a Ghatazhak-lite. I have the training but not all of the education. I am working on it, though. Unfortunately, there just never seems to be enough time.”
“They must think quite highly of you, to allow you into their ranks,” the commander praised.
“They saved me, actually,” she admitted. “I was pretty wrecked after the Jung War—out of control, reckless… Ghatazhak training helped me to get control over my emotions again…almost.” Jessica smiled. “A girl’s gotta have some fun.”
“Yo, Jess!” Josh called over her comm-set.
“What the…” Jessica scrambled over to the window, spotting the Falcon hovering a few meters away. She could barely make out Josh and Loki waving at them.
“What the hell did you do to the Amonday?” Josh asked.
“How the hell did you find us?” Jessica asked over comms.
“Loki found you,” Josh admitted. “I just do the flyin’.”
“Well, are you going to get us out of here, or what?” Jessica laughed.
“We’ve already launched a comm-drone,” Loki assured her. “It may take a while, though. Everyone’s busy rescuing Striker Three.”
“Is Robert okay?” Jessica asked.
“He’s fine,” Loki replied. “He’s the one leading the rescue.”
“Don’t worry, Jess,” Josh interrupted. “We’ll fly escort till help arrives.”
“Thanks.”
“Who is Robert?” the commander wondered.
“My brother,” Jessica replied, sitting back down.
The commander shook his head. “Does everyone on your world serve?”
“Only the dumb ones,” she replied, smiling.
* * *
Nathan walked briskly across the Aurora’s main hangar bay toward the group of Reapers being hastily loaded for their rescue mission. Technicians and deckhands were scrambling to get whatever gear was needed, to rescue the crew of Striker Three, into two of the four Reapers preparing for departure. Leading the chaos was Vladimir.
“How long until you can lift off?” Nathan asked Vladimir as he approached.
Vladimir turned t
o look over his shoulder at Nathan. “Just a few more minutes.”
Nathan examined the gear being loaded into the nearest Reaper, a puzzled look on his face. “Think you got everything you need?”
“No, but it will have to do,” Vladimir replied.
“We can’t take anything else!” the crew chief hollered from Reaper One’s side hatch. “Not if you want to fit in, as well!”
“I guess that will have to do,” Vladimir shrugged, looking at Nathan.
Nathan looked at his watch. “By my calculations, you’ve got about three hours until their oxygen runs out.”
“Two and a half, by mine,” Vladimir corrected as he headed toward Reaper One.
“The Manamu left twenty minutes ago,” Nathan told him, following him to the waiting Reaper. “It will take her about four hours to reach them, so all you have to do is buy them a few more hours of life support.”
“Or figure out a way to rescue them without the Manamu,” Vladimir added.
“Don’t be a hero, Vlad!” Nathan insisted, raising his voice to be heard over the Reaper’s engines as they spooled up. “Just keep them alive until the Manamu gets there.”
“And if she doesn’t?” Vladimir asked as he climbed up into Reaper One’s cargo bay.
“She’ll be there,” Nathan insisted.
“A good engineer is prepared for anything and everything that could go wrong.” Vladimir turned to look at Nathan, smiling. “Because something always does,” he added as he pressed the button to close the side hatch.
“Good luck!” Nathan yelled as the hatch slid closed. He stepped back as Reaper One began rolling, following the other three Reapers toward the starboard, transfer airlock. Once clear, he watched as all four ships disappeared into transfer airlocks, two of them into the main airlock and the other two into airlocks three and four.
Once all four ships were gone, Nathan turned and headed back across the hangar bay toward the forward hatch, but paused when the number-one, starboard, airlock’s warning lights lit up, and its door began to rise, revealing a rather battered-looking escape pod, sitting on the elevator pad at a cockeyed angle. The hatch on the escape pod opened, and Jessica climbed out, looking no worse for wear after their brief skirmish with near-annihilation.
