The Space Traveler (The Space Traveler Saga Book 1)

by Devon Shubin

  So, what would he do? He still sat there as the ship passed one of the uninhabitable planets. He began to think, could the Fequians have prevented this earlier so he didn’t need to get involved? But that was his selfish side speaking. His conscious was tugging at him now. Once he jumped to warp speed and was back home, he may not have the authority to come back and save the civilization of giants. The committee may not sign off on such a mission. The galaxy was at peace and had no need to create an army of heroes.

  He sighed, “Yep, it’s all up to little ol’ me now.” He smirked his lips and hit the intercom, “41!”

  In wheeled the chrome robot. “Yes Captain.”

  “We are changing course. Prepare to dock with the Fequian space station.”

  “Captain, my data reveals that the Fequian space station has been abandoned for over three hundred years.”

  “Great, then this ought to be a piece of cake, right?”

  “The United Planetary Systems ended all space travel over three hundred years ago, this prevented space war and conflict with the seven habitable planets. I should think that the space station is still operable. It may need to be charged up before it is at maximum capacity.”

  “Well, then we got our work cut out for us don't we 41?”

  “I will prepare the 21-B,” 41-A stated as she wheeled down the hallway to doff her sister from the charging station.

  Our Space Traveler turned the steering controls to a sharp right and off the thrusters blasted the ship toward the space station. It approached rather quickly, growing larger and larger. The fifty-foot-tall Fequians who built the station were wise in making it a modest size, meaning it would be like you or I navigating our way through a crawl space under your home. They created it half size to build it quickly knowing they would only use it for this one purpose. The weapon they named it, so haphazardly, was it a weapon or a laser beam? I would say the latter but as irony would play out it became a weapon they used on themselves and the effects would take almost a millennium.

  Now, he was their only hope. Most the Fequian population had no clue as to what was taking place right now. The dlom had infiltrated their rational thinking ability and would soon take over, if they survived their planet's destruction that is. His mind now went to his home planet of Hibot’s. It was a beautiful planet with more than twenty different species of intelligent life forms. The Duradusks were one of the affluent peoples, but they integrated well with others. The Huffrans on the other hand did not play nice. We will meet and greet with those knuckleheads later.

  “41, prepare docking,” he commanded as 41-A’s eyes lit up while she was plugged into the console helping navigate the ship.

  Now, the space station was roughly 30 feet tall and three hundred feet long. It was an odd shaped station, not square, not round, but sqround. That is a word I mixed up together so enjoy that if you like. I don't even mind if you can use it in your daily use if you can make it work. Anyways, compared to his donut shaped space ship, the space station was grand. The locking of the ships portal door to the space station’s main entrance seemed to be no problem. Still, there would be some manipulation for this to work.

  “41, we will need the expanded tunnel.”

  “Unlocking expanded tunnel for deporting Captain.”

  “We haven't used the tunnel in a while 41, let's make sure the compression locks are air tight.”

  “Yes Captain,” she said as she hummed while her eyes blinked yellow lights.

  He could see on the console screen the image from the ship’s side camera that the tunnel was expanding toward the space station’s main entrance. It extended until it snugged inside the larger space station entrance creating a catwalk. “Locking now Captain,” 41-A said as the levels rose on the air compression screen.

  The chamber door locked and the sound echoed through the hallway of the ship. The Space Traveler looked over the data on the monitor which read that the oxygen and decompression was standard. “Are we safe now 41?” he asked her.

  “Yes Captain. Shall I join you?”

  “I’m going to do a little investigating first. I’ll whistle if you’re in need.”

  “Very well Captain.”

  The Space Traveler spun around his cockpit chair, hopped off it and began walking toward the exit. When he reached the doorway, he hit a few buttons on the wall pad and the door opened downward. The voice over the ship’s intercom spoke, “Oxygen levels are safe. Please proceed.”

  “Don’t mind if I do computer,” the Space Traveler said out loud as he walked off his ship on the tunnel catwalk that connected to the Fequ space station.

  Back on Fequ. The Administrator and his assistant look up through a high powered digital telescope at the space station. They can see clearly that the Inspector has docked his ship and is preparing to board.

  “Do you suppose the Inspector will be able to control the weapon? The handles are very large for the small hero.”

  “He is no hero. Not yet,” the Administrator exclaimed as he removed his eye from the telescope and stared up into the sky.

  Meanwhile, back on the space station, our not so heroic Space Traveler was stumped. He could not open the door to the space station! It was thirty feet tall and twenty feet wide with a digital panel box at the left side up around fifteen feet.

  “Computer, run diagnostics on the space station’s operational manual.”

  The crackled voice came over the ship's intercom. “Running diagnostics now Captain.”

  “Use the keyword ‘door hatch.’”

  A few seconds went by and then the ships computer stated, “To release the door hatch, use the panel and code in ‘yukdopdadipnol.’”

  The Space Traveler looked behind him back at his ship and asked, “Say again?”

  “It is the Fequian word for consume Captain.”

  “Consume,” he said to himself. “There is that word again? What is up with these giants and their love of consume?” He looked up at the panel box and smiled. “Fequians.” He tapped a few keys on his forearm controller and his boots ignited small thrusters that hovered him up six feet to the panel box. When he clicked the panel screen with his finger, nothing happened. He clicked it again and again. Same thing.

  Frustrated now, “Computer,” he called, “The panel screen is not powered. Can you remotely tap into their computer and open the door?”

  “I will try Captain. One moment.”

  Looking around, he could see through the clear tunnel walls of the catwalk that the asteroid field was drawing closer. That worried him. Time was not on his side, especially if he had to repair the space station's power before he could learn how to use the weapon.

  Thankfully, the door opened. “You are welcome Captain,” the ship's computer said, but he quickly sung, “shut up.” Then he floated his way through the large doorway and onto the space station. It was cold and dark. Some smaller lights on consoles were flashing red, yellow and orange. There was still power on the station. He turned the headlamp on his boots from his forearm controller and it illuminated the long open room filled with computer stations and chairs for the giants. Traveling further he looked at the controls for the weapon.

  “How in the universe am I going to operate that?” he complained to himself. The ships computer received his words and quickly replied, “page 234 of the manual has the directions Captain.”

  “That’s nice and all, but it’s designed for a fifty-foot tall being!” He approached the controls that were made of two large white bars similar for handicap access in a restroom. There were red buttons at the top of both bars. From his vantage point, the user would need to push both of those buttons together at the same time to activate the weapon.

  “Computer?” he called out to it and it responded. “Yes Captain.”

  “Let’s try that again and have you tap into the space station's computer to activate the weapon. Can it be done?”

  “The manual does not have instructions for a digital arming of the weapon Captai
n. The weapon will need to be operated from inside the space station.

  “That’s just great. How am I going to push both of those buttons when the handles are twenty feet apart? Any brainy ideas computer?”

  Just then the ship shook. The Space Traveler jumped in midair as it startled him. He swung his body around and peered out of the window above the console. It was an asteroid that hit the space station. “Computer, assess how bad the damage is.”

  Rumbling and shaking again. Another asteroid hit the space station. He spun around and began to head for the door in panic but as he came close to the entryway he could see peeking over the tunnel was a Fequian astronaut. The Space Traveler was very confused at this moment and you are probably too. Imagine if you will, you are in your house, when you look out the window at a fifty-foot-tall person staring at you with one big eye protruding from his abdomen! You would be shocked no doubt. Our Space Traveler quickly figured out what was happening.

  The Fequian astronaut pointed at the space-station and said in Fequian, “gwoo gask glod uska yon bian.”

  The Space Traveler did not have his translator reducer installed. He could not understand the Fequian. “Computer, turn on the translator in my helmet.”

  The cracked voice came over his earpiece, “Translator activated Captain.”

  “Fequian, please repeat that.”

  The Fequian Astronaut replied, “Activate the large green and blue handle. That will open the hatch for my entry.”

  He looked over at the ten-foot-tall handle and then at the secondary entrance to the space station. If he opened it, he would be sucked out into space. He looked back at the Fequian and answered him, “Not gonna’ do it. There is no decompression chamber, it will suck me out into space.”

  The Fequian stared his large one eye at him. His space suit looked old and unused. The Fequians were not allowed in space and have been bared like every other thinking being across the galaxy. “What are you doing out here Fequian?” He asked as he walked closer to the catwalk tunnel.

  Now, being an honest but now infected people, the Fequian should tell him the truth. That is why he was surprised when instead of answering him he simply demanded, “If you do not let me in I will take you out.”

  The Space Travelers eyes widened as he thought of the repercussions of that scenario. Being vacuumed into the depths of space was not good for anyone. Perhaps a comet dweller would like it, but every other living breathing creature would probably abstain. Now you may want to know what is a comet dweller? A comet dweller is a life form that does not need oxygen to live. This creature attaches itself to a comet, which is basically made of ice, gases and rock, flying at incredibly fast speeds. Thousands of miles per hour to be exact. Later in the story, and believe you me you're going to think that they are quite weird and they're thinking is preposterous, you will meet one this adventure or the next one.

  “Computer, activate life support cable!” From his spacesuit, a large cable ejected, floating through the air and attached itself to one of the many handles on the interior walls. He looked up at the one eyed giant astronaut and the giant looked back at him. Hard not to look at a small Duradusk when your eyeball is the size of a bus tire and your peripheral vision is ten times that of our Space Traveler.

  “Inspector! This is your last warning,” The Fequian Astronaut blurted as he grabbed hold of the tunnel.

  “Wait! I can help you Fequian, but you need to tell me what you want.”

  “Times up Inspector,” he said and then grabbed the tunnel with his other hand and began twisting the tunnel-like catwalk. The crushing noise was loud enough through the space station that he could hear the materials. It sounded like thousands of aluminum soda cans bending and cracking together.

  “Captain, closing the ships containment door.”

  “Great work computer. Have 41-A prepare the medical tables, I may need them soon.”

  The computer responded, “Captain, 41-A is waiting outside of the containment door already. Your team is here for y-” before the computer could finish her sentence the Fequian Astronaut smacked the ship with his hand and sparks emitted into space.

  “Fequian, you are violating treaty 10-22, Universal peace. You need to stand down now!” The Space Traveler demanded of him, but the Fequian was not stopping. He raised his twenty-foot arm and chopped down on the tunnel breaking the catwalk in half.

  Instantly the Space Traveler was sucked out into a vortex towards the opening of space. His life support cable stopped him by jerking his body and he was now face to face with the large eye of the Fequian. “It’s over Inspector.” Slimy drool came from his mouth, pouring over the hump in his face that ran down both sides of his eye lid.

  He assumed that the Fequian came to silence him. But then as the astronaut climbed into the ship, fifty-foot green body and all, he pushed the Space Traveler aside and entered the main bridge. The vortex ended rather quickly as all pressurized air was exhausted out of the space station. Now, our Space Traveler was floating, held on only by his cable. He started to pull the cable moving him back into the space stations bridge. He could see the Fequian working at the weapons controls. Space swimming closer to the bridge, the Space Traveler heard the computer’s voice crackle over his earpiece, “Captain, do you need medical emergency care?”

  “Hey, thanks for asking, but, it looks like I don’t for the time being.”

  Still swimming up the hallway into the bridge he was now facing the backside of the Fequian who was standing on the ground. He had anti-gravity boots on that magnetically held him to the stations metal floor.

  “Like I said, I came here to help your people,” the Space Traveler explained.

  A few seconds went by before the astronaut replied, “You cannot control the weapon little being. Only the Yudians can.”

  “Yudian? What’s a Yudian? Are you one?”

  The Fequian turned around to face the floating Space Traveler, “I am one of hundreds. We are an ancient society designed to use the weapon. I have been trained from birth. I have analyzed every instruction manual for decades. Do not interfere with my work here.”

  “Ok, ok, big guy, I won’t. However, what I don't understand is if you are on the same mission I am, and that's to send your second star Vodax out of the suck zone, why don’t we help one another?”

  The big eye just stared at him long and hard. He finally opened his slimy mouth, drooling from behind his spacesuit glass, “That is a negative.”

  The Fequian turned around and began moving levers and pushing buttons on the digital pad screen. The Space Traveler did not know what to do next. He was not trained to be a diplomatic soldier of any kind. He was an Inspector, and a very good one at that. “I think you better tell me what’s going on. Because if you don’t, I will have no choice to report this to the Administrator. And as you know the law of your planet Fequian, instant termination for violating the peace treaty.”

  That comment did not faze him one bit. The Fequian Astronaut just continued preparing the weapon. Thinking it over, the Space Traveler thought the Astronaut was on some suicide mission and would use the weapon on Fequ. No, he said to himself, why would he destroy his home world. The astronaut seemed to have too much passion to be the last of his kind. He could use the weapon on Goff, but that could spell doom for his people again. What was he going to do he thought?

  “Tell me this, what are you using it on?”

  “You will see soon enough,” he responded while he continued preparing the weapon for use.

  “Fequian!” he shouted, “I am afraid I am going to have to stop you if I don't know what you are planning on doing. If you’re on some suicide mission you’ll be destroying all your people, including the Yudians!”

  The Fequian ignored him and set the laser on full power. The gage above the handles were red and blue, flashing from the background. A loud noise came over the speakers and the computer awoke, “Weapon fully charged. Ready for fire.” It continued repeating, “Weapon fully charged. Read
y for fire.”

  Floating, the Space Traveler held tight to his life support cable and looked around the large bridge for something to stop the Fequian with. The alarm continued buzzing throughout the hallways. He saw equipment fastened to the walls but everything was too large for him to move and there was no time. “Computer, turn off my translator.”

  The crackled computers voice came over his earpiece, “Translator deactivated Captain.”

  “Great, now that this vigilante can’t hear me, are you still able to tap into the space station's computer?”

  “Yes Captain.”

  The alarm continued ringing.

  “Can you talk to it and tell it to shut down the weapon!”

  “Communicating. The space station has been overridden.”

  The space station's computer voice continued repeating, “Weapon fully charged. Ready for fire.”

  “Rats! He shut her operating systems off. Is there any way to shut down a piece of equipment on that space station?”

  His ships computer explained, “You can manually disconnect the main circuit.”

  “He looked around the room, “Where is that at?”

  “It is in the power station room on the lower level.”

  He typed on his forearm console and activated the thrusters on his boots. “Computer, detach the cable.”

  The cable detached from his suit and he then pointed himself toward the hallway to the left of the Fequian, who was now holding on to both the firing handles of the weapon. The space station was moving now; he could feel it. He began hovering out of the bridge.

  “Captain, he is positioning the space station.”

  The alarm continued ringing.

  “Thanks, I could feel it. Do me another favor, turn the ship around and point the thrusters at the space station.”