He quickly tapped his all ships-captains’ icon, and their images appeared on his screen.
“Sorry to interrupt your work, but I need to bring our departure forward to tomorrow at noon.”
They all appeared concerned, but knew that Frank wouldn’t request this unless he thought it was absolutely necessary.
“I’ve had a mental ‘flash’ from the Solveron, Savron. Don’t ask me how, you’ll have to trust me on this. But there must be a reason he thinks we should go now, rather than later.
You have all seen our drone’s report from Zeta Reticuli, which makes me agree with Savron. We should really go now, but that’s not possible we’re not ready
“No problem Frank,” Derrick said. “I’m sure we’ll all be ready by ten tomorrow.”
They all nodded in agreement.
“Thanks. We’ll talk early in the morning.”
He pressed the icon again, and the captains’ images disappeared from his screen.
He relaxed, then said, “Andromeda; you heard my change of plan order, what do you think?”
“I sensed the transmitted image from Savron, but that was all. What you felt wasn’t through your implant.”
“So, this ‘other’ link is, even more, exciting.”
“How do you mean Frank?”
“Well, the Solverons must be close to the Kepler star system. Savron said as much, so the implications are obvious.”
“Not to me. Explain.”
“Well, when we were at the Mars docks, you were able to pick up a conversation between Susanna and me, without our transceiver implants being active. Yes?”
“You know that’s right.”
“And, what was it that was almost certainly around at the time?”
“What?”
“A Solveron ship.”
“So?”
“Then it must create some sort of field, like when it needs to contact a crew member of its own who may not be anywhere near the ship.”
“But that’s science fiction!”
“Maybe, but it has to be something like that. Mind you, why were you were able to pick it up?” he asked. Letting the question sink in.
“Don’t forget, Savron said that he’d be keeping an eye on us.”
“On you, maybe.”
“Where’s Susanna?”
“In her cabin, relaxing. Remember, you’re both going down to see Bren and Acarea tomorrow.”
“Oh damn. That‘s a problem now,” he said as he hurriedly got up to leave. “I’ll be with Susanna. Emergencies only please Andromeda.”
“Of course.”
He left the control room and sent a question to Susanna. ‘Are you free?’
‘Yes,’ she sent back.
He grinned to himself and quickened his step along the corridor.
When he arrived, Susanna’s door was already open for him, and automatically closed after he entered.
He energetically lifted Susanna off her feet and swung her around then kissed her long and passionately, with her legs still dangling in the air.
“Wow,” she said, gasping for air. “You’re about three hours early.”
“I know, but things have changed.”
He looked into her eyes as he lowered her down and her feet touched the floor.
“Frank, I sensed Savron, as well. But, I didn’t know what it was about.”
“Well, When I saw his face in my mind, I felt an immediate sense of urgency.”
“Frank, why is it that it’s just you and me that seem to have this link?”
“I’m not a hundred percent sure. But I think a Solveron ship must still be around.”
“Then the Solveron ship must produce a contact field of some sort.”
“Exactly, Sues. An ability to contact their crews when they are away from their vessel.”
“But that doesn’t explain what’s different about us,” she added.
“Maybe Savron can explain it to us later.
“He was deep in thought, for a moment, then added. “He didn’t pick us up though when he was in our holding cell. It could be that his rescue ship was too far away at that moment in time.”
“Yes, that must be it, “Susanna replied. Then said. “Oh, and can I assume that we’re not going down to the planet tomorrow?”
“I can’t, but you could pop down early in the morning with Jenny, as long as you’re both back here by eleven. We jump at twelve.”
“There’s that Jenny thing again. Why?”
“Stop it, you and Andromeda are driving me mad.”
He grabbed her, slung her over his shoulder then headed for the bed. She was almost hysterical with laughter as they both started to undress each other, removing each other’s clothes faster and faster, and throwing them into the air.
By the time their clothes, under the low-gravity conditions, had settled on the floor, they were both entwined in violent, passionate lovemaking, and oblivious to anything else in their world.
The next morning, Susanna and Frank woke early. They cuddled for a while before Susanna got up and had an ISO shower. Although no water was used, it seemed as if there had been.
She walked back to the bed. “Aren’t you going to get up?”
He opened his eyes and lay there admiring her voluptuous naked body.
Then sat up and put his hands out towards her, ‘I want you,’ he thought. Then slumped back.
“You’re useless as a lover,” she giggled. “I’ll get us something to eat, and you can shower and dress.”
He managed to stand up and walked unsteadily to the shower. “You shouldn’t let the neighbours see you like that,” he grunted.
As he stepped out of the shower, Susanna placed food on the table for one person. “That’s yours, I’ll get my food planet side. Oh, and get a move on, Jenny will be here in a minute, don’t want her to see you in the nude.”
“Geeze, what about you?” He replied, looking at her still unclad body.
“Oh, I’m almost ready, only need to slip into a dress,” she answered. Then picking up the two dumbbells she had acquired from the gym a couple of days ago, started exercising in front of the mirror. “I told you I’d have to keep up with Jenny, she chuckled, looking at him mischievously.
As he sat down to eat, the door annunciator chimed. “Damn,” both said together. She tapped the door comms, making sure that she was out of range of the camera.
“Won’t be a moment,” Frank called out, trying not to laugh. Then they hugged, each other hard, and quickly dressed.
Susanna opened the door, and Jenny stepped in wearing identical clothing to Susanna’s a low-cut blouse, black slacks, and black shoes.
“Don’t be late, back,” he called, as the two giggling, but sexy girls winked at him on their way out.
Frank, lay back on the bed, busy thinking. Now there are two of them. What have I done to deserve this aggro? He wondered. Then his mind drifted aimlessly until he was brought back to the present by Andromeda. “Yes, what?”
“Grumpy aren’t we.”
“Well, what?”
“Are you hoping for a change in your life?”
“What are you talking about? Don’t keep mentioning Jenny.”
“You, just did.”
“So?”
“Seems like you need to take your mind off them both. Some exercise maybe. Perhaps the gym would be good?”
“Ok. Stop it now, Andromeda,” Frank firmly replied, even though he was smiling slightly.
Chapter 17
To Kepler.
Ten o’clock and the six ships were virtually ready, just needing confirmation of the exact formation their ships would use, and the drone’s configurations.
But Susanna and Jenny hadn’t left the DPav4 planet, yet.
11:30.
The ships began to move into the box pattern they had used before. With Argonaut and Andromeda in the centre. Illustrious and Repulse in the top corners of the square and Derringer and Repulse in the lower corners. All the shi
ps ready to deploy their modified drones immediately they exited.
11:45.
The ship’s jump configuration was completed.
“Frank,” Andromeda called, sounding slightly worried. “Susanna and Jenny still haven’t left the planet yet.”
“Yes, so I see. Well, we may have to pick them up on the way back.”
“Not a real option.”
“Yea, tell me about it.”
11:50.
Frank tapped the ‘All-Ships captains’ icon, then ordered.
“All ships. Secure drones for rapid deployment mode, and on Andromeda’s sync Secure for the jump to Zeta Reticuli, and mark.”
11:55.
“Secure loading bay doors,” Frank ordered. “All ships scan for our little orange bugs, now.”
“Frank?”
“I know, Andromeda. But Susanna knew the departure time. We can’t wait. Savron’s message to me was urgent.
For all I know, if we don’t leave on time, then we’ll arrive late, and may miss whatever Savron’s been trying to warn us about. Maybe it’s a significant action or a particular moment in time at Kepler.”
11:58.
“Damn them,” Frank exclaimed, then tapped Derringer’s icon, and Tony’s image appeared.
“What is it, Frank?”
“Tony, can you abort your jump. Wait an hour. Then if Susanna and the marine captain Jenny Moore haven’t returned, carry out your jump.”
“Aborting now.”
“Thanks. We’ll be checking things out at Zeta Reticuli before we risk jumping to Kepler. So, we’ll wait there for you anyway.”
“No problem Frank. I’ll tell them off. You don’t mind me doing that, do you?”
“Tony, you can do whatever you think fit. Leave them in their force-craft for the trip, if you want.”
“I might just do that,” he replied, and his image disappeared off Frank’s screen.
12:00.
Susanna was panicking, as she saw their ships dead ahead but still more than 200 kilometres away.
Then, to her horror, she saw them vanish into their self-created wormholes.
“One ship didn’t go, it’s the Derringer,” Jenny shouted, sounding relieved.
Ten minutes later, they approached the Derringer and found its holding bay door still open.
“Land as fast as you can, we are about to leave,” came Tony Crisps voice. His voice sounding very annoyed, to Susanna and Jenny’s ears.
Jenny turned the force-craft in a tight curve. Tilted the front upward to use the force-field as a brake, and slammed the craft hard onto the deck. Then rotated it 180 degrees, as it skidded to a halt inside the holding bay with its front facing the open door, which quickly closed.
“Stay in the force-craft until we’re in transit,” came Tony’s still annoyed sounding voice.
“The craft’s force-field will help a bit, with the acceleration counter-pressure. Sorry, but you’ll have to put up with it for a few minutes.”
“What, no flex-covering in here?” Susanna gasped. Then answered herself. “Doesn’t look like it. Oh no, we’re entering the wormhole now,” she said as the holding bay seemed to elongate towards the aft.
Both felt giddy, as their minds registered the visual twisting and stretching of things around them.
Then as soon as they had come, the effects felt as they entered the wormhole were over, and normality returned.
They sat for a few minutes until the giddiness and disjointed feelings had subsided. Then Jenny killed her force field, and they stepped off the force-craft, onto the holding bay deck.
Their transceiver implants came live with Tony’s voice sounding in their ears, saying. “You can use room 8 until we reach Zeta Reticuli.”
“I’m sorry we were late Tony,” Susanna said.
“It’s not me that you should be saying sorry too. I would have left you until we returned.”
“Even so, it was worth being late. It was wonderful being able to renew our friendship with Bren and Acarea, and we enjoyed meeting more of the Pavonisien people.”
“But you could have jeopardised this mission.”
“Point taken.”
“OK. We’ll be in transit for just under three days. The last time we came this way, it was four and a half days, so this is a welcome improvement. Our layout’s the same as Andromeda’s, so you’ll be able to make yourselves useful. Oh, and be nice to my crew. I’ll keep you informed if there are any changes.”
“Thank you, Captain,” Jenny said, smiling at Susanna.
“Room Eight it is then, Jenny.”
The five Earth ships exited their wormholes as predicted; three kilometres apart and sixty-eight hours out from Delta Pavonis.
As they exited, no other contacts registered apart from their drone at the wormhole.
Directly in front of the ships, and six kilometres away, they could see the mouth-like entrance to the natural wormhole. With its jet-black centre looking more like a black hole.
But, unlike the event horizon of a black hole, its milky white swirling multi-faceted ring marked the outer-rim of the wormhole.
“What info do we have Andromeda?” Frank asked.
“Argonaut is deep scanning. But I don’t think they’ll get any more information than we already have.”
“So, give us the stats then?”
“Our drone confirms there hasn’t been any increase in the wormhole’s diameter in the last five days, and that its width seems to have settled at 2.1 kilometres.”
“Good, set up a conference to start in two hours. Tony should be back with us by then.”
“Will do. Did you remember that you need to talk to Hector?”
“Yes. I’ll do it next.”
He tapped Hector’s icon.
“Yes, I heard Frank. A conference in two hours is fine with me.”
“Good. But that’s not what I need to talk to you about.”
“OK, shoot.”
“Have your scientists managed to get anywhere with finding out how we can neutralise the Solveron’s molecular co-adhesion disrupter?”
“No. We’re not even sure if there is a way to neutralise it. Everything we try, the molecules still just fall apart.”
“So, are you saying we may never be able to protect ourselves?”
“That’s what we’re starting to think, and maybe the Solverons themselves don’t know how to neutralise it either.
Perhaps the weapon was just designed for the Solveron’s protection. But now, they’ve found out that it’s a pretty lethal weapon as well, which must be a sort of bonus for them.”
“The more I think about it Hector, the more I think you may be right.”
“Are we done for now?”
“Yes Hector, thanks for your input. Oh, just a minute, Hector.
Can you organise an information buoy to shoot all the info we’ve collected back to Earth? Send it as soon as we’ve finished collating it. Everything, even the very latest, hot off the press info.”
“Certainly, I’ll get my comm's team on it. Is that it?”
“Yes, Hector, for now.”
He relaxed, wishing now that he had waited for Susanna to get back. Still, he thought. Both Susanna and Jenny needed to respect time, without it, in this game… No, he thought. That idea isn’t worth contemplating.
Frank picked up his tactical pad and started entered ways that they could end up dead. There were plenty.
What if they crashed into a ship coming in the opposite direction through a wormhole? No, he thought, answering his own question. There was no chance of that happening while ships generated their own wormholes, it would be one-way traffic.
He stopped thinking for a moment. Then, realising his error, thought. But hold on, this was a real possibility and at the Kepler end of the wormhole. What if we crashed straight into a fleet of Crillon Battlecruisers?
What if? He stopped, and closed his eyes; it was getting too much.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a serie
s of images flooded his mind. He sat up with a jerk.
Now he knew what was going to happen. Thank you, Savron, he thought.
‘Could Savron predict the future? Frank wondered. No, of course not. But Savron knew more about the Crillons than he ever would. He stopped, then thought on.
Perhaps Savron’s people are also monitoring the Crillons this time, and they’ve seen a discrepancy between the Crillon’s Senate and their Navy.
So maybe Commander Arans and Commander Tripicac haven’t been successful. Meaning things could be very different than they would have hoped.
His thoughts were suddenly interrupted.
“Frank, Derringer’s here, and Tony’s calling you.”
He hadn’t noticed Derringer’s icon flashing. “Thanks,” he said, then tapped the flashing icon.
“Welcome back Tony. I assume the pick-up went well?”
“Yes indeed,” he answered, smiling. “I’ll get your force-craft, and your two ladies, back in a few minutes.”
“Excellent. You’ve got about an hour before the ship-to-ship conference starts. It’s about strategy and so on.”
“Ah… Yes, I can see it on my notifications from Andromeda. OK, I’d better get my thinking cap on,” he replied, chuckled, and was gone.
‘It’s great to have experienced Captains,’ Frank thought to himself.
“‘Yes, and interactive computer entities as well,” Andromeda added.
“Yes, all right, Andromeda. You know that I appreciate all of the ships computers, especially now everyone has become familiar with the implants; the other computers are almost as ‘human’ as you’ve become.”
Andromeda didn’t comment on the last part of his statement.
Five minutes later, the control room door annunciator chimed. ‘Open,' he thought. The door slid open, and Susanna came in, looking sorry for herself.
They embraced, and kissed passionately. Then, as they separated, Frank sighed.
“I missed you, Sues. Let’s forget that you failed to get back to the ship on time.”
The Definitive SpaceFed Trilogy (SpaceFed StarShips Trilogy).: A thrilling, action-packed Sci-fi space adventure. (SpaceFed StarShips Series Book 8) Page 54
