Off Course

by Doug Farren

  Fernando and Lora had been quietly discussing the graphs. The Captain's question caused them both to look up.

  “It's just my opinion,” Lora reiterated.

  “Nevertheless, I want to hear it,” AJ insisted, the tone of his voice indicating he meant it.

  “I've only seen a glitch like this,” Lora said, pointing to the graph on her console, “on a simulator when I was in school. I hope I'm wrong, because it looks like we encountered a Hilvitorian wave.”

  At first, the explanation meant nothing to AJ but Lora's tone of voice indicated that it wasn't good. AJ allowed his subconscious to chew on the term for a few seconds. A dim memory surfaced then exploded in his brain with alarm bells and flashing lights. If the Chief was right, they were in deep, deep trouble.

  Chapter 4

  Patrick saw the concern on AJ's face and asked, “What's a Hilvitorian wave?”

  “An echo from the creation of the universe,” Fernando answered the question. “In simple terms- - -”

  A beep from the engineering console caused Fernando to interrupt his explanation. He quickly read the message that appeared on his screen. He took in a deep breath and hung his head for a moment. Turning back to the Captain he said, “The computer just confirmed it – we hitched a ride on a Hilvitorian wave.”

  “Son of a bitch!” AJ exclaimed. This uncharacteristic outburst caused everyone on the bridge to look in his direction. Taking advantage of the fact, he said, “There will be an emergency all-hands meeting on the mess decks in half an hour. Mr. Rimshi, I want our estimated position as soon as the computer has one. Chief, check our fuel status and calculate our maximum range using the most efficient jump profile. Mr. Moon, gather the crew in the mess.”

  There was a chorus of acknowledgments followed by a wave of frantic activity. Nobody hesitated to ask questions. “The computer is having a hard time locating enough guide stars to compute an accurate location,” Thomas reported.

  That was very bad news indeed. It indicated they had gone way off course. AJ pulled his cap off and ran his hand through his hair. “Do the best you can,” he said, replacing the cap.

  AJ wandered from console to console as the data was collected, pausing occasionally to glance at the clock. He became quieter and his mood darkened as the facts began to come together.

  Twenty-five minutes later, AJ said, “Alright, put everything on automatic and let's join the others.”

  The murmur of conversation quickly died as the bridge crew made their way into the room. After everyone had settled into their seats AJ dimmed the lights and turned on the large viewer mounted on the wall. A simulated three dimensional star map was displayed.

  “Not long ago we encountered an anomaly during jump thirty-three. The computer has confirmed that we jumped at the same time that the crest of a Hilvitorian wave was passing. For those of you who have never heard of this phenomenon, Chief McKintyre will explain it.”

  AJ traded seats with the Chief. “Hilvitorian waves were created during the big bang,” she explained. “Although possessing incredible power, they cannot be detected by any instrument at our disposal. They’re like ripples in spacetime, traveling through the higher dimensional fabric of the universe. Starships occasionally encounter these waves and, even though we have no means of detecting them, the affect they have on a ship during a jump have proven their existence.”

  Lora paused a moment to collect her thoughts. “If a starship encounters a Hilvitorian wave while in hyperspace there’s a good chance the ship's trajectory will be slightly altered. The effect is usually small and easily accounted for by adjusting the next jump. However, if a ship enters hyperspace at the same moment that such a wave is passing, there’s a chance of the drive field interacting with the wave. The results of such interaction depend upon the phase relationship between the drive field and the wave.

  “We experienced one of the rarest possibilities predicted. Our drive field was activated just as the crest of one of these waves was passing, causing it to become momentarily entangled with the Hilvitorian wave. The wave was also moving more or less in the same direction we were heading. The result was an extreme amplification of the distance of our jump and a slight offset in direction as well.”

  Several people began to ask questions but AJ stood and motioned for silence. Walking up to the star map he said, “Computer, display our original projected course beginning at jump 33 to Earth.” A series of gently pulsing blue dots, each one separated from the other by just over a centimeter, appeared on the lower right section of the map. They were connected together by a light blue line about four and a half centimeters long.

  Pointing to the screen, AJ said, “These dots represent our planned route from jump 33 to Earth; a total distance of about 22 light-years.” Turning to the screen, he said, “Computer, display the course actually taken by jump thirty-three.”

  Another point, this one pulsing red, appeared on the far left center of the display. A line 176 centimeters long appeared taking up virtually the entire width of the monitor. It was offset from the much shorter line by a shallow angle. As the line appeared on the screen several people swore under their breath while a couple of others simply whistled.

  “This, I'm afraid, is the course we took. The distance from here,” the Captain's right index finger covered the red dot, “to here,” he continued, covering the dot representing Earth with his left index finger, “is 860 light years.”

  “How far did we jump?” Heather asked.

  Lora turned around in her seat so she could address Heather. “The computer is still trying to lock down our exact position but our current best estimate puts the last jump at just over 880 light years.”

  “So what is our current situation given our fuel reserves?” Patrick asked.

  “Computer, display the calculated range circle,” AJ ordered the ship's computer. In response, a light green circle appeared on the screen.

  Lora stood up so she could address the crew. “By shutting down the backup reactors and utilizing all of our current fuel reserves, including what is in the shuttles, our range is limited to 540 light years – several hundred short of Earth.”

  “Aren't there any colony worlds that are closer?” Randy Cornelius, one of the deck hands, asked.

  “One,” Lora promptly replied. “Located on the second planet of the Achird system, 19.4 light years from Earth. In other words – it’s out of range.”

  “We're screwed,” Tony Morales said loud enough to be heard.

  “I’ll hear no more talk like that!” AJ exclaimed, the look on his face making it clear he meant business. “We’re alive and the ship is operational. We have plenty of food and water as long as we don't squander it. Like all starships, this one carries the necessary equipment to extract deuterium from water or ice and if that means setting up camp on another planet for a month or more then that's what we’ll do. Is that clear?”

  The Captain's speech was met by silence. Heather finally took the initiative. Standing up, she addressed the entire room. “I, for one, will fight to return to Earth. I’m not about to give up. As soon as we lose hope, the battle will be lost.”

  AJ walked over and stood in front of Scott Burger, the third-shift engineering operator. He was 23 years old and had been on the ship for only four months. The Star-Pulse was his first assignment after graduating at the top of his cosmological physics class. He was a short black man with a brilliant mind. His wiry, black hair was a tangled mess from being roused out of a deep sleep.

  Looking down at the seated petty officer, AJ asked, “What about you Scott?”

  “I want to go home,” Scott replied without hesitation. “I don't care if it takes a month, two months, or a year. What can we do to help Sir?”

  Addressing the entire group, AJ said, “It's not as hopeless as you might think. We know where we are; we know how to get home from here; the only thing we need is fuel and that can be replenished.”

  “Where do we get the fuel?” Morales asked.r />
  Chief McKintyre looked at Morales as if she couldn't believe he had asked that question. “How long have you been a member of this crew?” she asked in an accusing tone.

  Morales looked embarrassed but held his voice steady, “Two months Chief. This is my first run.”

  “I suggest you take the time in the very near future to familiarize yourself with this ship's safety features,” McKintyre admonished him. “The Star-Pulse carries two compact plants capable of extracting deuterium from almost any source of water. We simply need to locate a planet with accessible water where we can deploy them – lots of water.”

  Lieutenant Commander Lomash Johekar, the ship's single medical officer, spoke up, “I’ll review our stores situation – food, water, air, that sort of thing – and present a plan for stretching what we have. I'll check the cargo manifest to see if there’s anything we can use. I'm sure the intended recipients will understand if we find a need to pilfer from them.”

  The ship’s doctor had always been an enigma for AJ. His file said he was born in Pakistan and educated in London. He practiced medicine in a small town in Germany for three years before joining the merchant marines. He was now 43 and spoke with a very slight but unrecognizable accent. The doctor always seemed to be in a good mood but AJ had never seen him laugh – only smile. He never raised his voice and his mood never seemed to vary. There were times when AJ wondered if Lomash might actually be an android.

  “Of course doctor,” AJ replied, with obvious joy. “Anyone else?”

  “The Chief and I,” Fernando piped up, “will review all the star systems between here and Earth for likely candidates to search for water-bearing planets. I'm not sure how many of them have been surveyed though.”

  “I’ll make sure the deuterium separators are operational,” Scott said.

  “I think I speak for all the deck hands,” Heather began. “We’ll do whatever anyone asks of us.”

  AJ looked out over the assembled crew and smiled. “This is the kind of cooperation that distinguishes an outstanding crew from a mediocre one. We won't make another jump until we’ve developed a good plan. As soon as we have one, I’ll email it out to everyone. Until then, do what you can to conserve our resources. If anyone comes up with anything else, no matter how insignificant it might sound, I want to hear it. Dismissed!”

  Chapter 5

  “Captain?” A tiny voice from the wrist-com interrupted AJ's concentration. He tapped the device and the voice continued. “This is Petty Officer Rimshi – stardrive diagnostics are complete. The computer says we're good to go.”

  Without looking up from the computer pad lying on the table in front of him, AJ said, “Thank you Fernando. Commence recharge in preparation for jump.”

  “Aye Sir.”

  “That's good news,” Chief McKintyre said. She was sitting across from AJ at one of the tables in the mess hall. Two cups of steaming coffee sat between them.

  AJ slid the pad over to Lora's side of the table. “That looks good,” he told her, grabbing his cup and taking a sip. “Twenty jumps will bring us over 160 light years closer to Earth which should help disprove any doubts of us ever getting home. That leaves us plenty of deuterium to search for a refueling point. Once our tanks are full, we’ll have more than enough to make it back to Earth.”

  Lora's fingers deftly flew across the pad, closing the compact star-map and bringing up a list of star systems. She glanced at it for a moment then shoved the pad back toward AJ. “Here's the list of the systems we’ve picked to begin our search.”

  The Captain picked up the pad and examined the list. Lora took a quick sip of her own coffee while AJ digested the statistics of each of the star systems. “They're all stable and approachable,” she explained. “Unfortunately, we have no way of knowing if any of them have planets with available surface water. It’s a good thing that water is pretty common – even a large ball of ice would be sufficient.”

  AJ locked his hands behind his head and stretched to relieve the tension in his neck. “Good work. Would you mind taking this to the bridge?”

  “Not at all Sir,” Lora replied reaching for the pad. She keyed in a command sequence then said, “There's a copy in your inbox.”

  AJ downed the rest of his coffee then stood up. “I'll post it to the rest of the crew as well as some additional information the doctor handed to me as I was on my way here.”

  “I'll see you in the morning Sir,” Lora told him as she deposited her cup in the auto-kitchen's dirty dish bin.

  The Captain put in a quick call to the bridge on his way to his quarters telling them he was going to bed and to wake him 15 minutes before the ship was to jump. The crew would be happy to hear the good news he was about to give them.

  The Star-Pulse had recently been resupplied and the auto-kitchen was stocked with enough foodstuffs to keep the crew well fed for at least another three months. By ordering the auto-kitchen to ration the food by slightly reducing the amount put into each meal, their food supply could be stretched to nearly four months. If the trip took longer, the emergency supplies could be made to last another four months.

  AJ did not believe in keeping anything from his crew. He composed a short message then included every bit of information he had been given. Satisfied with the message's content, he hit the send button then headed for the shower. The ship would be jumping in about ten hours and he wanted to be well rested and on the bridge for that event.

  * * * * *

  “Jump in ten seconds,” First Class Petty Officer Sung Li announced.

  The large digital clock at the front of the bridge just above the main viewscreen seemed to have been programmed to run slower the closer it came to the designated time. Power surged into the jump engines and a two-dimensional gateway into hyperspace sprang into existence. The ship smoothly moved from normal space into hyperspace.

  “Jump complete,” Sung Li announced. After giving the computer a moment to do its quick check of the star positions, he said, “Arrival point appears to be correct. The computer is checking.”

  “Main reactor at 100 percent power,” Scott reported from the engineering station. “Commencing recharge.”

  “Very well,” Lieutenant Delray replied to the standard reports. She turned her head and smiled at the Captain who had been quietly standing next to her. He smiled back and let out the breath he had been holding then nodded his head.

  “Carry on!” AJ said, then spun on his heal and headed for the mess. While he waited for the auto-kitchen to deliver his coffee he touched a button on his wrist-com and asked, “Computer, at the current rate of consumption, how long will our coffee last?”

  “Two hundred fifteen days,” was the instant response.

  Relieved, AJ took his cup and carried it back to his stateroom. Even though it was freeze-dried and lacked the full-bodied flavor of fresh ground, he could not imagine what life would be like without coffee.

  Each jump took the ship 8.4 light years closer to home. Over the course of the next nine days, the Star-Pulse executed 20 perfect jumps. The crew settled into a quiet routine but there was an undercurrent of concern. Would they find a source of fuel? How long would it take to extract the deuterium needed to get them back home? Would they encounter another Hilvitorian wave?

  * * * * *

  “All hands, this is the captain,” AJ's voice boomed through the ship's speakers as well as through the wrist-coms. “We will be executing an in-system jump into an unexplored star system in 20 minutes. All hands into your suits. Contact the bridge when you are seal-tight.”

  Throughout the ship, everyone moved to comply with the captain's order. A jump into an unexplored star system was risky. Physics prevented the ship from emerging into normal space too close to a large astronomical body, but it did not prevent it from coming out in the middle of an asteroid field. A freighter such as the Star-Pulse normally did not have to worry about this as they always jumped into a known, clear area of the target system.

  Exploration sh
ips, however, routinely jumped into uncharted systems. They were built with armored hulls and high-thrust maneuvering engines to keep them out of trouble. They were also armed with huge weapons capable of reducing a large, threatening asteroid to harmless dust. The Star-Pulse had none of this and so the crew prepared for the worst by getting into their spacesuits.

  The only ones not suited were those on the bridge. “Jump in five minutes,” Thomas announced.

  “Crew status?” AJ inquired.

  Lora glanced at her console and replied, “Everyone is suited up.”

  The bridge was silent up until the jump. An indicator changed and Thomas barked, “Jump!”

  The sound nearly caused AJ to jump out of his seat. The target system was a single star, much like Earth's sun, 6.33 light years from their current position. Seconds later, the ship exited hyperspace.

  “Jump complete!” Thomas announced. “Scanning for nearby objects.” The tension on the bridge was palpable. Three people held their breath and stared at the main viewscreen which was quickly painting a picture of the surrounding area.

  “We’re in the clear!” Thomas finally said. “The scope is clear.”

  “Very well,” AJ replied, wiping away the bead of sweat that had formed on his upper lip. “Retract the pods and begin a gravitic scan of the system. Chief, recharge the power cells.”

  AJ gave the good news to the crew allowing them to get out of their suits. Those who had been asleep gratefully climbed back into bed. The gravitic scan of the system would reveal the location of the planets and many of the moons and large asteroids but it was a process that would take several hours.

  * * * * *

  “Mind if I join you Captain?” Heather asked.

  AJ looked up from the computer pad to see Heather standing next to his table holding a tray. Glancing around, he noticed there were several empty tables available. “I don't mind at all,” he replied, pushing the pad to the left to make room.