by Rick Lakin
“Aye, aye, Captain.”
Jennifer knew the significance of this hallowed tradition. It is one that she had seen in the movies and one that she rehearsed repeatedly. Jennifer released her salute, stood ramrod straight, walked to the place forward and on the center line, faced the distant Earth through the viewport, and pulled the rope to sound the bell a single time. At the sound of the brass bell, the crew members rendered a crisp salute.
“Relax, everyone. Jennifer Gallagher, welcome to the crew of StarCruiser Brilliant.” She smiled, she cried, and she accepted handshakes and hugs from the bridge crew.
“You are living your dream, Girlfriend,” Tayla said, hugged Jennifer, then hurried back to her seat and strapped in with the paper bag close at hand.
“Ani, where's Comet 2943 at present?” Jack asked.
“2943 is one-point-three Astronomical Units above the ecliptic, near the asteroid belt. It is twenty-eight light minutes away.”
“Very well, plot an intercept at point-five light-speed. Keep us above the garbage. Engineer, set gravity to one-sixth Earth and inertial damper to normal. We don’t want Tayla to leave chunks of birthday cake on the Comm panel.”
Tayla’s face turned from green to red.
“Aye, Captain. Course laid in.”
“Pilot, engage.” There was a low-frequency rumble throughout the ship.
“On track, sixty-two minutes to target,” Ani said.
“Very well. Dr. Goldfarb, perform your final equipment checks. We are an hour out.”
“Yes, Captain. We'll have the repair drone and two replacement microthrusters ready.”
“Hopefully, two mikes will be enough,” Jack said. “Riley, take the girls down and show them the galley and come back with some coffee for me and whatever David wants. And, bring back some M&Ms.”
“Aye, Captain.” Jennifer and Tayla bounced behind Riley to the ladder. Both girls stepped gingerly as they weren't used to Moon gravity. Riley hugged the fireman’s pole and dropped down a deck. Jennifer shrugged and did the same. Tayla took the ladder step-by-step, clutching the safety rail.
“The Captain is addicted to sugar?” Jennifer said.
“No, he just likes to show off the Brilliant logo on the special M&Ms. He and Navvy took the POTUS for a ride. A few weeks later, they got a case of candy with the Brilliant logo and a thank-you note from the President. Apparently, Air Force One even has the presidential seal on the toilet paper. Jack breaks out the swag when there are newbies on board.”
“Where's the food replicator?” Tayla asked.
Riley laughed. “Navvy watched all of the episodes of Star Trek from the sixties on. He's a real Trekkie, but he hasn’t figured that one out.”
“But you do have a Starbucks,” Jennifer said.
At the mention of the name, the machine said, “Would you like your favorite, Jennifer? Tayla?”
“Yes, please,” Jennifer said.
“I don’t think my stomach is ready,” Tayla said.
“Coffee for the Captain.”
The machine produced Jennifer’s double-shot caramel Frappuccino and a very black cup of joe for the Captain. The drinks were dispensed in spill-proof cups.
Jennifer held up the cup with her name on it. “Navvy tried to market them. NASA complained that it infringed on their design. The Navy and Air Force use them along with private jet fleets but not the civilian airlines. They don’t like to remind their passengers that the ride may be bumpy.” Riley said.
Riley grabbed a soft drink for himself and David and loaded the drinks and snacks on a sophisticated-looking dumbwaiter. “This delivers the drinks to the stations above. Tayla, are you feeling better?” Riley said. She nodded. “Would you go down and take orders from NASA and load them here for delivery?”
“Make myself useful as a flight attendant? Aye, Sir.” Tayla delivered a crisp military salute, turned to the ladder, and this time took the fireman’s pole down to the lower level to take the orders.
Jennifer and Riley returned to the flight deck. Riley grabbed the pole, gave it a jerk and flew gracefully up to the bridge. It took Jennifer three pulls to clumsily negotiate the pole.
“It takes practice,” Riley said.
Tayla returned to her chair fifteen minutes later. She didn't buckle in as before. The bridge crew was relaxed, but alert as well.
“We are twenty minutes out, Captain. Jupiter is in visual range at high magnification,” Ani said.
The crew gazed at the beauty of Earth’s biggest sister and the red storm.
“The comet is in sensor range…there are indications of changes on the comet’s surface…not natural. Captain, there are traces of chalgamite on the surface.”
“Damn, Hoclarth. Ops, put the ship on alert. Strap in, everyone. Jennifer, are you ready for this?”
“Captain, I ran through twenty-five scenarios involving the Hoclarth on the simulator. I think I'm ready.”
“Hopefully you won’t get any target practice.”
“Target practice? Hoclarth?” Tayla said to Jennifer.
“The Hoclarth shoot back. It just got real, Tayla.”
“NASA, we may have bad company about. We need to do the repairs and don’t dally.”
“Yes, Captain. After the last trip, we simulated a rapid repair scenario from Comet position one,” Dr. Goldfarb said.
“Ops, prepare the port launcher to deploy the STALT in standoff mode.”
“Aye, Captain. Recommend we deploy it towards Jupiter. There are lots of safe hiding places.”
“I concur. Deploy STALT 2 when we begin deceleration at one-million kilometers' range in stealth mode.”
“Aye, Sir,” Jennifer said. “Activate Owwie. Load STALT 2 in Tube 2."
“Two minutes to a thirty-second deceleration,” Ani said.
“Pilot, as soon as you have directional control, get us to position one, ASAP,” Jack said.
“Position one, Pilot, aye,” David responded.
“This is the Captain. Stuff is going to happen fast. Keep your communications crisp and try to think ahead two steps. Good Luck.”
“One minute to deceleration point.”
“Very well. Riley, can you handle the comm board if needed.”
Tayla interrupted. “Captain, I’ve got this.”
Jennifer turned her head and watched Tayla configure the communications board quickly, competently, and correctly. “Captain, Tayla’s got it.”
“Very well, good job.”
“Decelerating,” Ani reported.
“STALT 2 is away in stealth mode,” Jennifer reported.
“Very well.”
“At point-one light-speed,” David said. “I have the ship. Thirty seconds to position one.”
“NASA, on my mark, release the drone and two mikes at the ready.”
“Aye, Captain,” Dr. Goldfarb said.
“Brilliant at position one, in station-keeping,” David reported.
“NASA, release,” Jack said. “You are on the clock.”
“Repair components away. Drone proceeding to Mike-1. Estimated time, seven minutes and thirty-two seconds.”
“Now, we wait. Ani, plot us a course near the Belt. We may need some chaff.”
“Captain, Mars is near our track. Recommend we divert in case we need to hide.” Jennifer said.
“Concur. Ani, how will that affect our track?”
“It will provide us some cover, but it will slow us down and delay our return by two hours.”
“Lay it in, Ani. I hope no one has dinner plans.” Tayla saw the worried look on Jennifer’s face.
“Captain, Mike-1 and -2 are repaired and redirected. Unable to repair -3, -5, and -6. We'll have five mikes in place in three-and-a-half minutes. We have some cushion with five in place, so the repair and replacement will suffice,” Dr. Goldfarb reported.
“Very well, NASA.”
There was an alarm at Jennifer’s panel. “Report,” the captain said.
“The STALT reports a Hoclart
h Signal Drone. The STALT is twenty-five seconds away from Dazzle range.” Jennifer reported.
“Ops, dazzle it and then recover the STALT.”
Jennifer’s hands moved very quickly. The forward display showed the drone and then a flash. “Sir, the drone is disabled, and the STALT is on its way home.”
“Very well, Ops.”
“Captain, STALT is reporting that the drone was sending a beamed signal.”
“Direction?” the captain asked.
“Titan, sir.”
“That’s close. NASA, time?”
“One minute. If we leave behind the drone, twenty seconds.”
“Leave the drone. We can come back. Ops?”
“STALT 2 is on board,” Jennifer reported.
“Very well.”
“NASA's clear.”
“Pilot, engage.”
“Accelerating to point-eight light-speed. We'll be at the edge of the belt in twelve minutes. We can manage point-three light-speed under the cover of the asteroids.”
“Very well.”
“Sensor Alert. Detecting a gravity drive signature leaving orbit from Titan. It is the Mendex. We will be in his detection range in fifteen minutes. There's a five percent chance of detection while we are in the Asteroid Belt.” Ani reported.
“Okay, Brilliant crew, we can fight them head-on, but we don’t want to. I need ideas. David?”
“I got nothin’, Dad.”
“Riley?”
“Damn it, man, I'm an Engineer, not a tactician.”
“Jennifer, opinions?”
“Captain, the Hoclarth is going to assume that we are Earthbound. He's also going to assume that we are going to dive the Belt and that we'll be undetectable. He isn't going to guess that we are going to head for Mars. So, he will make a high-speed run directly to Earth and then sit inside the Asteroid Belt to catch us when we emerge. When we make our dash to Mars, we'll only be in his sensor range for a short time as we approach the moons of Mars.”
Jack looked impressed. “The vision thing?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Ani, where's the Hoclarth?”
“The Hoclarth signature indicates a course directly toward Earth.”
“Timeframes, Ani?”
“We are sixty-eight minutes to the interior edge of the Asteroid Belt and then another thirty-three minutes to Mars orbit.”
“I need a sandwich,” Jack said.
“Captain, I'll go down to the galley,” Tayla said.
“Very well, Comms.” Tayla stood a little straighter when the Captain addressed her as a crew member.
“I'll help her,” Jennifer said.
“Brilliant, this is the Captain. We have about an hour-and-a-half until things get dicey. Stretch your legs, grab a bite, and send word back to your significant others that this flight will be delayed.”
Jennifer and Tayla slid down to the galley. “Tay, when did you learn the Communications Console?”
“Remember all those times when you were either studying or buried in the Brilliant Sim?”
“Yeah.”
“I was bored.”
“Really?”
“You're my best friend. I gave you tennis; you gave me Brilliant,” Tayla said.
Jennifer hugged her best friend, “And, thank you for that.”
“See if they have pickles in the fridge,” Tayla said. “Are you gonna text your mom?
“I told her that this was a simulation.”
“You’re gonna be in trouble.”
“How about you?” Jennifer said.
“Do you think she’ll believe that The Asteroid Belt is a dance club in the valley?”
Fifteen
Brilliant Escapes
StarCruiser Brilliant exited the inner edge of the Asteroid Belt approaching Mars.
“Ani, report.” Captain Jack said.
“The Hoclarth is no longer detectable on long-range sensors."
“Ops, what're you thinking?” the Captain asked.
“Captain, the Hoclarth ship has cloaked and secured their gravity drive. They're continuing their track, but they are on a ballistic trajectory. I recommend that we accelerate towards Mars, cloak, and secure propulsion. On a ballistic track, we'll pass within their sensor range, but we'll be dark. We should be able to locate the Hoclarth using passive sensors when he falls within our medium range.” Jennifer said.
“Ani, what's the analysis of a ballistic track to Mars?”
“I recommend that we accelerate to point-eight light-speed and then cloak and secure propulsion. We'll be in Hoclarth sensor range for twenty-three minutes maximum, during which there will be a twenty-five percent chance of detection depending upon the aspect ratio. Unlike ours, the Hoclarth sensor suite is directional, not spherical. They are blind in their baffles very much like early Russian submarines. The transit will require forty-eight minutes.”
“Very well. That's the plan. Ani, lay in a course.”
“Course laid in.”
“Pilot, accelerate the ship to point-eight. Then secure propulsion.”
“Accelerate to point-eight and then secure, Pilot, aye.” David said.
“Ops, cloak the ship when we go ballistic.”
“Cloak at ballistic, Ops, aye.”
“Brilliant, this is the Captain. We are running patrol quiet for Mars. Don't radiate or operate any high-powered equipment that will change our energy signature.”
“Point-eight light-speed, Captain,” David said.
“Very well, Pilot.”
“The ship is cloaked, Captain,” Jennifer said.
“Very well, Ops. Ani, passive sensors only.”
“Aye, aye, Captain,” Ani said.
“This is the captain. Take a quick break if you need to, but strap in your seats when you return,” the Captain said ship-wide and then spoke to the bridge crew. “Now, we wait.”
The bridge was quiet for fourteen minutes.
“Sensor Alert. There is an unidentified ship to port at two-point-three million kilometers. Still too distant to classify,” Ani said.
“Very well, Ani.”
A few minutes later, “Detecting sensor radiation. Sir, it’s the Mendex. We are still out of his range.”
“Very well, Ani.”
A few minutes later, “Captain, we are in Mendex’s detection radius for the next twenty-one minutes,” Jennifer said.
“Very well. Ops, if we are detected, activate Owwie. Prepare to deploy port STALT to standoff the Mendex and the starboard in stealth acquire and chase mode. Do you have any further recommendations?”
“Yes, Captain. Phobos is near our track. Its orbit is very close to the planet…”
“Captain, Mendex is changing its aspect ratio,” Ani reported.
“Direction?”
“Toward us.”
The Captain began to answer, “Very....”
David placed his hand on the T-bar and moved it forward. “Accelerating away from Mendex,” David said.
“David, noooo,” Jennifer said.
“Stand down, David.” But it was too late.
“Pilot, secure the drive and mind my orders,” Jack said.
“But, Dad, he had us,” David said.
“He was clearing his baffles, David. They used to call it a Crazy Ivan.”
“Crap,” David said.
“Detecting gravity drive signature. Mendex is accelerating,” Ani reported.
“Analysis?”
“Sir we are fourteen minutes to the orbit of Mars where we can dive to the surface for cover. Mendex has a point-one light-speed speed advantage. He will catch us in eleven minutes,” Ani said.
“Captain, the standoff STALT will slow him down. Recommend we deploy when he's at five-hundred-thousand kilometers,” Jennifer said.
“Very well, make it happen. You were talking about Phobos. Do you have a plan, Ops?” Jack said.
“Sir, if we dive to the surface, the Mendex cannot chase us. But that will only delay the outcome,” J
ennifer said.
“Concur.”
“I recommend that we track wide of Mars, deploy the starboard STALT in acquire and chase, make a hard turn into the gravity well of the planet, and circle behind Phobos and hide. We then deploy a clone of the Brilliant…” Jennifer said.
“A clone of the Brilliant?”
“I have done it several times on the simulator.”
“Seriously, Jen, that was a video game,” David said.
“Quiet, David. Ani, is this possible,” Jack said.
“Sir, it’s never been done but, yes, it's possible,” Ani said.
“Okay, continue, Ops.”
“The clone should give us just enough time for both Brilliant and the STALT to sneak up in their baffles. By the time Mendex realizes the feint, we'll have the tactical advantage we need.”
“Have you played out the numbers, Jennifer?” the Captain said.
“Yes, Sir. It has a fifty-five percent chance of success.”
“Dad, I still think we should dive the surface to safety. Jennifer has never done this for real.”
“Son, we have dealt ourselves a pretty lousy poker hand, but her plan has the best odds. Steer Brilliant to a one-hundred-thousand kilometer orbit around Mars after we deploy STALT 2.”
“Aye, aye, Sir.”
“Ani, range to the Mendex?”
“Nine-hundred thousand,” Ani said.
“Ops, raise shields. Count us down to the STALT and the first turn.”
“Shields are up,” Jennifer said.
“Very well.”
“Five-four-three-two-one.…”
“STALT 2 deployed.”
“Very well.”
“Sir, STALT 2 has acquired the Mendex…Mendex is firing on the STALT…STALT has engaged…Mendex shields are down to sixty percent…Sir, we lost the signal from the STALT. It was destroyed.”
“Very well, Ops, it did its job,” the Captain said. “Ani, Tactical?”
“Mendex is accelerating from point-four light-speed. We are safe to the turn and then to Phobos.”
“Captain, we are being hailed,” Tayla said.
