by T J Bryan
Silvi sat in her captains chair thinking about the Spikey ship. They had adopted the term 'Spikey' as the best descriptor of what they had encountered at Girots. The hot wash meeting after the encounter had been intense as they reviewed and re-reviewed every aspect of their interaction with Spikey. Their conclusion was that there were many minor things they could have done better, but the outcome would have been the same. Spikey had won, and Ragnarök had run away hopefully to fight another day, or in Silvi's preference never to see a Spikey again.
Silvi was about to go to the mess for a sandwich when Buddy called out. "I have an energy signature in system."
Silvi froze. She turned toward Buddy's station and approached Buddy and looked over his shoulder at his vid screen. Silvi knew that as captain this was bad form, but with all that had happened in Girots system she felt compelled to look at Buddy's station. "What do you have Mr. Brunner?"
Buddy turned and looked up at Silvi. Silvi could see Buddy was nervous at this sighting, but then again the entire crew was on a hair trigger.
Buddy began an analysis. "It's a starship. The signature is a stutter engine. She is not moving very fast, but she will enter the entry portal to Wu in about an hour."
"How far are we out from her?"
"She is too far to intercept. But it does tell us that there is some travel through this system to Wu. Perhaps that's a good sign. Could be The Dark is receding out here."
Silvi thought a moment. The temptation to jump through to Wu was great, but she knew that she must return home to Jamon even if the news she carried was of disaster. Disaster for both Girots, but also for the Commonwealth which so needed relief.
"Mr Brunner, what else can you tell us about that ship."
Buddy began a series of scans and studied his vid screen intently. "Well, as I said, it's a stutter engine, you know one that requires anti-matter. But she is not moving at any real speed. Give me a moment." Buddy ran several other scan procedures and then spoke. "Looks like she is about 3% of SOL. I give her a mass equal to that of the Bountiful which probably places her at about the same age. There were thousands of ships of the Bountiful type built between 600 and 400 years ago. Then they changed the ship designs and the mass changed as well. The odd thing is that this ship has a stutter engine. Like the ones that Unity used. Well others used them as well. They are simple to build and maintain, and unlike the GWP there is no secret sauce needed. And if you don't push a stutter engine to hard they are almost safe."
Silvi looked down at Buddy's vid screen as it flashed data by at a streaming speed she could not keep up with. She knew that Buddy was a master at his station and that looking over his shoulder was unproductive and rather insulting. She returned to her captains chair and sat. "How long to the Arn entry portal Mr. Karrlson?"
Lennie responded, "One hour thirty two minutes."
Silvi thought to herself Arn System and then on to Dello. 90 hours through the tunnel, 17 to cross the Dello system, and then another 62 hours through the Dello tunnel to home and Jamon. 22 hours later they would dock at the Old Mining Station to deliver the bad news. Seven days till they could contact the Habitat, and then another day before docking. Silvi thought that perhaps the best action would be to withhold her report until she docked and spoke directly with the Admiral. The news she would bring would clearly cause despair and possibly panic, and after the attempted coup, the news of Girots was perhaps best kept quiet. At least until they had a new plan, however desperate that plan might be.
Chapter Thirty Seven
Jamon System - Ragnarök - Year 3246. January 18 ET: 12:37
As Ragnarök entered the entry portal of Jamon she carefully dodged the debris field that surrounded the portal. Silvi dispatched a brief coded message to Abel. They were still 22 hours out from the Habitat and Silvi was thinking that perhaps it was best not to dock at the Habitat, but rather dock adjacent to the Iceland in order to discuss their voyage with Abel and the other Captains before informing the Commonwealth of their plight.
Silvi's message: 'Girots destroyed by powerful alien craft. No survivors. Suggest Ragnarök dock with Iceland. Tight security in place.'
The SOL travel time for the coded message was three minutes. Ten minutes after Silvi sent the message she received this response: 'Dock with Iceland. Maintain silence. Abel.'
22 hours later Ragnarök pulled alongside Iceland. Lennie had manoeuvred Ragnarök on the far side of Iceland making her more difficult to see from the Habitat. The ruse might last a few hours at most as the anticipation for the appearance of Bountiful and the return of Ragnarök was high with many citizens watching for their return. Iceland extended a boarding tunnel and soon Silvi appeared in the Iceland Mess which had been closed for the meeting. Silvi brought with her several portable comp chips which had recorded the entire encounter with the Spikey at Girots.
Abel and Helen stood as Silvi entered. They said nothing and waited for Silvi to speak. Silvi quickly outlined the action at Girots, and then backtracked and began a more lengthy and detailed description of the destruction of the planet, the encounter with the Spikey, the race for Nelots, the odd appearance of a ship heading for Wu, and her entry to Jamon.
Helen was stunned by the description of the damage to Girots, if one could call it damage, and the appearance of a powerful alien force in the neighbourhood. Abel, while surprised, was more sanguine. He had long assumed the worst and had planned for this eventuality. He was always an optimist in his outlook, but he planned for the future as if pessimism were the only path to survival. Which in the case of Girots system and the Bountiful it was.
Both Helen and Abel had fought with themselves to remain silent until Silvi completed her narrative and then the conversation became intense. Abel and Helen had a myriad of questions and Silvi had only a few answers. Who were the aliens? Where did they come from? What were the Spikey's weapons complement? Question after question after question, yet Silvi could only tell them what she and the crew had seen. Yes, she did speculate at times, but was insistent that she was only speculating based on limited facts.
The conference lasted almost five hours. At the end all three were exhausted.
Abel called for a short break. He wanted to visit the Ragnarök and her crew. The three were to reconvene in Iceland's mess in 45 minutes. Abel quickly passed through to Ragnarök and was greeted by her grim crew. The crew was in the command center, each standing at their station, and each showing intense disappointment at the failure of their mission.
Abel addressed the crew, "I want to thank all of you for your bold and courageous stand against this unknown alien force. Girots is gone I understand, and we shall mourn her loss. But now we must shake off our grief and return to our duty. Ragnarök will depart for Girots and on to Wu as soon as Iceland is prepared to depart. That should be within hours. During this period you shall remain docked with Iceland and you shall remain silent about events in Girots. Silvi and I shall inform the Chairman within a few hours. Let us focus on the task at hand. We must find relief for the Commonwealth. To that end every ship we can muster we shall send into the void in search of the supplies we need. Once again thank you for your courage and fearless resistance to this horror." Abel did not wait for a response but turned to leave. However he made it only as far as the roundabout when Matt Brnseon blocked his passage.
"I have to get home," Brnseon said in desperation. "I need to tell my wife. This is awful. I think those monsters will come here. We need to prepare. We can't be cowards like Silvi and this worthless crew. I want to go home."
Abel did not react but simply stared at a young man in a state of terror and confusion.
"I want to go home." When Brnseon saw that Abel did not immediately acquiesce to his demand he shouted even louder as if Abel might not have heard him the first time. "I have to get off this ship of fools. Now! I demand you let me go home. It was terrible. I have family on Girots and this ship did nothing to save them. I want to go home."
Abel realized that Brnseon's
reaction might well become the overall reaction of the Habitat unless a more thoughtful and deliberate proposition were placed before the public. To maintain order and some element of calm and focus, Brnseon could not be allowed back on the station until the OCN had a public plan and had informed the citizens of events at Girots.
Brnseon was becoming more desperate by the moment. The long voyage, the tight quarters, and the horror of what he had witnessed had broken the man. Abel looked up the ladder as Farn Mayer and Buddy Brunner descended.
"Farn, Buddy. Can you please escort Mr. Brnseon to the Iceland. He wishes to return home. See that he sees Helen first. She will know how to expedite his return to his home and family."
Brnseon while still agitated found comfort in Abel's mention of home and family.
Farn spoke first, "Come on Matt, lets get you on Iceland and then home." Farn looked Abel straight in the eyes and Abel knew she understood.
Abel watched as Farn and Buddy assisted Matt to the docking hatch. Abel waited until the hatch was cycled clear and he began to formulate a plan. The plan was audacious and a huge risk, but staying here in the Jamon system was a capitulation to The Dark and Abel was never one to give up.
Abel returned to Iceland's mess and resumed the conference with Silvi and Helen. Emmitt was off on a training mission with Greenland was was not expected to return for another 12 hours.
Abel asked both Helen and Silvi for suggestions. Silvi spoke first, "We have to return and pass through the Girots system and on to other systems to find food. We cannot wait." Silvi simply stopped talking and sat down.
Helen spoke, "I agree. We need to move now."
Abel asked, "Is Iceland ready Helen?"
"Yes." replied Helen.
"Silvi?"
"Yes, we need to go now."
Helen, is Emmitt ready, "No, but he will insist on following and we should not even try to stop him. He will be short some crew but the command comp will allow him to fly."
"How about 1044. Could she fly as well."
Helen thought for a long minute, "No, not with the crews we are actively training"
Abel thought her phrase was odd. "What do you mean actively training?"
Helen sighed, "I mean those whom we have accepted into our training program on our ships."
"Are there others who have demonstrated skill who are not in our OCN program?"
"Yes. A few. Those too young and those too old. A few with criminal records. Some disabilities we think are too severe to allow distant voyages."
Abel broke his gaze with Helen and turned to Silvi. "You knew about this?"
Silvi nodded. "It's the Banshees, and Old Man Marx, Jason Mills, and Sam Olderhausr. Then there is Meg Asgeir.
Abel shook his head before asking, "What skills do these folks have?"
Helen responded, "They are all level five pilot certified. They need only time in flight on a ship. But we cannot bring them into the program."
"The Banshees I know, and I understand your refusal to put them in service. The oldest is how old 12?"
Helen responded, "14, going on 14 and a half. She keeps telling me so."
Abel shook his head again. "I remember Sal Marx. He was once with the Pilot's Guild if I remember. They used to call him Old Man Marx."
Silvi replied, "Yes, he quit the guild perhaps forty years ago to pursue writing novels. He must be pushing 90 years old by now."
Abel tried to remember Sal's face but could not.
Silvi continue, "Sam Olderhausr is an inveterate drunk. I mean alcoholic, A non-recovering alcoholic at that."
"Yes he is," replied Helen. "But somehow he made it to level five pilot status in the gymnasium. I think the simulator and the flight training got him into a world where he could function and find solace. But after every session he returns to Brusi's bar and gets smashed."
"Jason Mills, I collared him three years ago for shop lifting. Stealing from stores and distribution centers. I don't know how many times he has been in the lock up. He is not immoral, but somehow he lacks self control, and when he sees an opportunity he simply steals. I think there is a name for that type of psychology."
"Kleptomaniac" responded Silvi.
Helen spoke, "I talked to Jason on several occasions. He seems normal. But Dr. Freydis says he has a neuropsychiatric problem possibly caused by an adolescent brain injury. He crashed his runabout in the Stapelton race six years ago. Almost won but it was a horrific crash. Almost a year in the hospital and when he was released... well you know the story."
"And Meg Asgeir?" asked Abel. "I don't recall that name."
"Ah," replied Helen. "Meg is bright, quick witted and aggressive in a psychological way but at the same time extremely cautious. She would be an outstanding pilot much like Lennie."
"And?" asked Abel.
"She has acquired haemophilia from an autoimmune disease. There is no cure. She lives at the hospital. She often requires transfusions and intense medical care to stop bleeding. With the gymnasium so near and her boredom so intense she has spent hundreds of hours mastering the pilots position. I'm sorry but there is no way we could take her without medical staff to assist and a whole lot of blood."
Abel became silent as he thought. "Helen call the Chairman's Office. Ask Bjorn to meet us here on the Iceland in two hours. Tell him it is urgent. I'm sure he will come."
"Now for you Helen I have a major challenge. I want you to raid, no loot, our warehouses of everything we might use in barter with distant systems. Pumps, solar panels, wire, satellite stations, nuts and bolts, some of our Greayson fusion engines, anything that others might find of sufficient value to trade for foodstuffs. Load those items onto both Iceland and Greenland. Mix them up so that each freighter has a mix of trade goods. Complete this task in two days from now."
Helen shook her head, "That's almost impossible Abel. And what if the Guilds and Associations object? It could take weeks to negotiate an agreement. I am certain that when they fully understood our plan they would agree, but it will take time."
"Take the Marines with you. Do not take no for an answer. We have no time. I will cover you with the Chairman and if the Assembly objects they can bust me out of the OCN. Silvi did Dilli make full astrogator?"
Silvi nodded her head yes.
Abel continued, "Iceland and Greenland will fly with Ragnarök and 1044 as escorts. We may end up with only one pilot on each ship but that is a risk we must take. We may eventually split them into two squads as we search for food. I understand that one astrogator can navigate for a fleet, so Nomi on one SAR and Dilli on the other. Taylor Schmidtt will be backup."
"And Helen, dock five SARs on Greenland. Choose the best. The Banshees and the rest of our draftees can qualify while we are in flight."
Abel could see that Helen was aghast, but Silvi was not. Desperate times call for desperate measures.
Silvi said, "I know the Banshees moms and dads. I'll talk to them. But Abel understand their families may not agree, but then again staying here and starving is just as probable an outcome as death and destruction in the void."
"Oh," Abel remembered, "Get Dr. Freydis out here asap. Tell her it's urgent. I want to know everything about Meg Asgeir. Everything."
Helen and Silvi left the mess and Abel could see the crew wishing to have supper so he left the mess and set out to wander the Iceland from stem to stern. As he began his climb down the ladder from the command con to the cargo bridge his vid-com chimed. It was Chairman Haverson. Abel Answered.
"Hello Bjorn."
"Tell me it is not that bad." said Bjorn.
"Worse," replied Abel.
"I'm on my way now. Should take an hour or so. Do you have a plan?"
"Yes, but no one will like it. But it's all we have?"
"It will work?"
"Bjorn I don't know. I suspect that if we had enough time it would most probably work. The issue is time. Now get over here. Tell the crew to take you to the supercargo mess. We can meet in quiet there."
Bjorn terminated the line.
Abel had never gone beyond the Marine barracks of the Iceland and although he had looked briefly at her blue-prints and schematics, as well as her specs, he really did not know the Iceland. He soon located the hatch leading to the next lower deck from the cargo bridge, entered and descended the ladder into an enormous cargo hold. Iceland had 14 decks all of varying heights but much the same length. 'A' deck through 'N' deck with 'N' holding the GWP. Abel saw the letter 'G' painted on the hatch and again a huge letter 'G' on the far bulkhead of the ship. The 'G' deck was clear and more than a kilometre long. Condensation hung like thin fog at the far end as Abel wandered about and saw another hatch with the label "To Weapons Station - F Deck". Abel opened the hatch and descended the ladder. He found the 'F' deck highly compartmentalized, that is if one considered two dozen 200 meter by 300 meter compartments a tight fit. Abel wandered from hatch to hatch and compartment to compartment. In four compartments he found eight idle fusion engines in each compartment. He knew from the schematics that these were not the main engines needed to power the ship. But why 32 fusion engines here on 'F' deck? He decided to ask Helen later. Several compartments held auto-loaders and launch tubes. Abel guessed that port and starboard had two launch tubes each and each launch tube had four auto-loaders. Once again Greayson redundancy was present. Other compartments held useless anti-matter torpedoes, 'K" class missiles, and a sand casters. Sand casters seemed to predominate and upon consideration Abel realized that a freighter needed defence more than an offensive capability. She might need offensive weapons to keep a foe at a distance, but the number of casters was a real indication of the intent of a freighter. Get the goods to the fleet and avoid getting caught in a battle you could not win. One compartment caught his attention. The compartment was a duplicate of the command con on the bridge. Abel thought a moment. This was a fall back station in case the ship was badly damaged she could continue to fight from this location five decks away. Clever those Greaysons.
