The Chronicles of Addalyne Yutaka

by Ronnie Coleinger

  When everyone was in the ready room, the skipper spoke to Addalyne and said, “You may begin testing the security doors whenever you are ready.” Addalyne made mental contact with Aldo. Aldo opened the file that contained the coding for the ejection security systems and formed a hologram in front of her. She heard the crew around her take a deep breath when the hologram appeared. Addalyne used her fingers to turn the display to a position where she could visualize the ladder logic. She located the ejection-testing bit in the programming software and saw that it was set to zero. She spoke out loud to Aldo and requested permission to set the bit to the on position, which would initiate the ejection sequence. The computer responded with the audible words, “Addalyne, you may initiate the sequence when you and William are ready.” Addalyne turned and faced William. He smiled and said, “Please continue, Addalyne. You and Aldo are doing just fine.” When the ejection-testing bit went high (turned on), both ejection doors activated and flew open. Instantly, the crew felt the air pressure change in the ready room as the mechanical room and the secure room both depressurized. Addalyne monitored both door sensors in the computer program to insure they both notified the skipper that they were fully open. An alarm horn and two flashing lights in the ready room provided assurance that everything had functioned properly. Addalyne turned and looked at the skipper to insure she was satisfied with the results and then reestablished mental contact with Aldo. She saw the ejection-testing bit was set to the on state and requested Aldo to return it to its normally off state. Aldo performed the operation almost instantly and the crew heard the doors slam shut. The doors had no resistance to the pneumatic solenoids that closed them, since both rooms were presently open to the vacuum of space. The doors slammed hard against the doorjambs and latching mechanisms as they closed. When the doors had fully closed and the latches engaged, the rooms returned to normal atmospheric pressure. Then the warning horn silenced, both flashing warning lights went off, and only the sound that anyone could hear in the ready room was the sound of the crew breathing. Addalyne spoke again to Aldo and said, “Thank you Aldo for assisting me. You may close the hologram at your convenience.”

  Addalyne turned to the skipper and said, “Thank you for allowing me to perform the test. I am much more familiar with this ships operation and security systems after going hands on with the programming software.” The skipper looked at Addalyne and said, “I understand the implant in your brain and I understood up front that you could interact with the Time Travel Computer using the implant. What I did not comprehend was that you could actually see the schematics and programming code while in mental contact with the Time Travel Computer. That ability amazes me beyond belief. I have only seen holograms used in training demonstrations, but I never dreamed that you or this Time Travel Computer had such abilities. During my training with the IFTT, not once did they mention that this new generation Time Travel Computer had such abilities. The Demords implants and the IFTT programming skills astound me. Thank you Addalyne and William for the ejection door test and the demonstration.”

  As the crew began to leave the Ready Room, the skipper spoke to Addalyne and asked, “Who is this Aldo you spoke to during the test. Is that the name given to your implant?” Addalyne giggled, but quickly realized it was not proper to giggle over her superior’s questions and straightened her face. She looked into the skipper’s eyes and said, “The name Aldo is a nickname the Time Travel Computer has honored me with. We spend so many hours in direct contact, that using and typing the name, Time Travel Computer, repeatedly is very time consuming and unnecessary. I now simply address the computer as Aldo.” The skipper said, “Aldo, are you ready to begin working up the duty roster with me?” The crew heard no response from Aldo. The skipper repeated the question, but again did not receive a reply. She finally said, “Computer, are you fracking listening to me. I will eject your sorry ass out into the vacuum of space if you continue to ignore me.” The computer spoke in a deep voice and said, “You rang, Skipper.” The skipper threw a face, but continued towards the control room without a word, where she intended to work for the next few hours. The crew quickly left the ready room for the sanctuary of the kitchen where they could all laugh over the tension displayed between the computer and the skipper.

  As the crew sat down at the kitchen table for the evening meal, Tabatha saw that Addalyne had signed the bottom of the duty roster, twice. She spoke to Addalyne and asked, “So how is it that you managed to get laid twice within the first seventy-two hours of your arrival on my vessel and all I got was a blister on my middle finger?” The entire crew began to laugh, but quickly shushed when the skipper’s eyebrows rose. Addalyne stood up to face Tabatha and said, “I do not have an answer for your question, Skipper. I simply was in need of a friend and a gentleman stepped up to fill the need. I am sorry if you have not had a lover recently. I will refrain from signing the duty rosters in the future if it causes you discomfort.”

  When Addalyne sat back down, Joshua reached over and squeezed her hand. The skipper saw the move and giggled. Then she looked into Addalyne’s eyes and said, “You did realize that I was teasing you when I suggested that you sign the duty roster after having sex, did you not?” Addalyne giggled and said, “Yes, I understood that, but I decided to play along with the silly game since I was the newest member of the crew and subject to teasing.” The crew all looked up at Addalyne. Shelley laughed and said, “I am sorry we teased you, but we had to test you a little. We have discovered that you can take our teasing and turn it around on us with little effort. You have passed your test. We, the crew of the Yutaka III, find you fit for duty and up to the task. Welcome aboard, Addalyne; you are a welcome addition to the Yutaka fleet.”

  As the crew enjoyed the evening meal, Tabatha explained to her crew about the upcoming trip to the Open Market to stock the Yutaka III with inventory, supplies, food for the crew and non-perishable merchandise. She explained that once the cargo bay was full, they would move to a holding area for a few days while the crew inventoried and stored away the goods. Once the cargo bay was empty, they would return to the Open Market and place another order.

  As the crew was putting their dishes into the sink and wiping down the table after the evening meal, Addalyne, Shelley and George all spoke to the skipper at the same time. George said, “Skipper, you are needed in the ready room immediately. There is an emergency message coming in from IFTT Headquarters.” Addalyne listened to the conversation between Aldo and an engineer at IFTT Headquarters. It appeared that both oxygen generators aboard a small private vessel had failed and the crew was sending out a distress signal. They needed assistance within a few hours or they would run out of backup oxygen. The Yutaka III was the closest vessel to the stranded crew and the IFTT was passing the coordinates of the vessel to Aldo. As Addalyne listened, she realized that the distressed vessel had lost all power. The crewmembers were currently wearing their space suits and were on reserve oxygen, but within six hours’ time, they would be out of oxygen and heat in their space suits. Addalyne heard Tabatha tell the IFTT to send a flight plan quickly. It was only moments until the crew felt the slight movement of the Yutaka III as it entered hyper-flight.

  Addalyne maintained a running audible summary of the discussions taking place between the IFTT and the stranded vessel to the crew in the kitchen. William asked Addalyne if she had heard any discussion about what type vessel the stranded crew was using, but she did not have an answer. Addalyne did hear Aldo tell the skipper that they would arrive in five hours if they reconfigured the Yutaka III for full hyper-flight. When Addalyne passed the information to Shelley, she knew immediately what was required. Once the rabbit and chicken cages were loaded onto a rolling cart, they quickly moved the animals into the kitchen area where they would be safe from the cold and lowered oxygen levels that would occur in the back part of the vessel. The only safe areas would be the kitchen, ready room, infirmary, skipper’s quarters, radio room and the control room. The remaining back half of the vessel w
ould run on lowered temperature and oxygen levels to allow Aldo to use that energy to support the speed achieved during hyper-flight. The crew then closed and secured every airlock pressure door in the vessel.

  Once the crew and all living creatures were safe within the kitchen area, the skipper stepped out of the ready room and spoke to them. She smiled at Addalyne and said, “It works well when you can instantly pass information to my crew. Your implant has already become an asset. Since I am not telepathic, I cannot communicate with George and Shelley without spoken words. Thank you for quickly passing information to the crew so they could rig us for full hyper-flight. The quick actions of this crew may buy us time and help save the lives of those stranded travelers.”

  Tabatha sat down at the kitchen table to relax for a moment. Shelley could tell the skipper was stressed and poured her a cup of coffee. There would be little to do for the next few hours except to tend the animals. Joshua and Daryl had already begun cleaning the rabbit cages and the rest of the crew soon joined in. The animals seemed calm and relaxed, even with all of the humans hovering around them. Addalyne picked up a small chicken and cradled it in her arms. As she stroked the chicken’s neck, the bird put its head down on her arm and closed its eyes. Joshua stepped up to her and said, “I know just how this chicken feels while cradled in your arms. I am very jealous right now.” Addalyne giggled but said nothing.

  As the crew waited in the kitchen, Aldo spoke into Addalyne’s mind and passed along information about the stranded vessel. Aldo said he would send the information to her message board so she could access it with her laptop. Addalyne quickly booted up her computer and turned it so the others could see. William said aloud, “Computer, do we have access to floor plans, drawings, schematics and other information that would help us get this stranded vessel up and running again. Will the IFTT engineers help us sort out the problems when we arrive? Do we have spare parts in our inventory that would help get the power back on line?”

  A minute or so later, Aldo spoke to the crew over the speakers and said, “The skipper has made contact with the IFTT engineers and they have agreed to talk us through the repairs. The stranded vessel has a civilian engineer aboard who can provide you with some assistance, however, he is not qualified to work on the power systems or oxygen generators, nor does he have spare parts aboard the vessel.”

  As the crew looked at the floor plan for the stranded vessel, they soon had an idea where to begin when they arrived. William sat down in front of Addalyne’s laptop and contacted one of the mechanical engineers that he knew well at IFTT. As they messaged back and forth, Addalyne soon realized that the problem was quite likely a failed circuit board in the Power Acquisition System. This system monitored and converted eleventh dimension string energy into direct current to maintain the electrical charge on the membranes molecular structure. This structure acted like a large capacitor or battery that supplied the travel membrane with power to support life, communications, teleportation and structural integrity. Addalyne had once repaired such a system at IFTT Headquarters and hoped never to do it again. She spoke to William and said, “If the Power Acquisition System is down, it is only a matter of time before the entire travel membrane collapses. If that happens, the crew will be left floating in open space without any means to guide us to their location.” Addalyne directed her concerns to Aldo. Within seconds, the skipper stepped out of the ready room and asked, “What can we do quickly to provide temporary power to the stranded vessel when we arrive?” William said, “We can run a temporary power cord from one of the spare fuel cells in our mechanical room. We have enough cord to do the job since the power requirements to supply enough temporary power to the vessel to maintain the Time Travel Computer will be minimal. Addalyne and I are in agreement that the problem most likely lies in that system.” Addalyne turned to face the skipper and asked, “Is it possible to contact the crew of the stricken vessel and have them power down every electrical device that is not required to support the membrane. If the crew is already in their space suits, turning off all power consuming devices will cause them no harm and may provide a life sustaining safety margin?”

  Addalyne spoke to William and asked, “Do we have a spare Power Acquisition System aboard the Yutaka III. I am in total agreement that the problem lies there.”

  William turned to face her and said, “We are thinking alike. There is little chance I can repair one of those systems, how about you? Have you the skills to repair it if it has faulted?”

  Addalyne said, “I have performed the repairs once at IFTT Headquarters. However, the chance of success while wearing a space suit in the cold in highly unlikely. If we have a spare unit, it would be best to integrate the spare into their vessel. Their unit is located in the mechanical room.” She pointed to its location on her laptop screen. “If the IFTT would send us the information, we could rig up our spare unit here on the Yutaka III and then simply teleport it to the mechanical room, bolt it down with new explosive bolts and plug in the power cord.”

  William turned to the laptop and contacted the IFTT again. Within a few minutes time, schematics began to appear on Addalyne’s computer. As they studied them, they soon realized that the power unit in the Yutaka III’s inventory would work.

  Addalyne said, “Okay, we can do this. However, we cannot enter the inventory control room or our workshop while in hyper-flight. I will contact Aldo and ask for suggestions.” Addalyne stepped up to the ready room door, supposedly talking to the Time Travel Computer, when the door slid open. The skipper and Addalyne instantly wrapped their arms around each other to prevent themselves from falling. The skipper laughed and said, “If we do this much longer, we will both have to sign the bottom of the duty roster.”

  Addalyne stepped back from the skipper and said, “I was just about to open a discussion with Aldo when you entered. We need to know how to work in the inventory control locker and the workshop while we are in hyper-flight.” Tabatha said, “Please ask the computer the question. Do it now. We need to begin work immediately if we are going to be ready to assist when we arrive in three more hours.”

  Once Addalyne had asked the question, Aldo spoke to the skipper through the overhead speakers. The answer was simple and to the point. If the skipper was willing to put her crew in harm’s way by allowing them to enter the work areas, it was her decision to make. The skipper was not satisfied with that answer and asked, “Computer, please detail the risks we would be taking if we entered the work areas while in hyper-flight.” The computer said, “If the eleventh-dimension membrane fabric, which separates the crew from the cold and vacuum of space were to tear, the work areas of this vessel would instantly depressurize. I believe the only safe way for the crew to work while in hyper-flight is while wearing space suits and tethering each crewmember to the deck of this vessel.”

  William stepped up to the ready room door and asked, “Skipper, permission to enter the ready room to retrieve my space suit?” Before the skipper could answer, the rest of the crew stepped up behind him. The skipper stood in front of the door and said, “I will give permission after we discuss this dangerous mission. First, I am going to help with the preparations, that point is not negotiable. To enable me to join my crew on this rescue, I need two of this crew safely locked in the ready room to support us if something goes wrong. Shelley is second in command of this vessel and able to perform all of the functions of skipper. I will also need a medical person aboard in case one or all of us need immediate medical help. That medical person will be Joshua. Would both of you please enter the control room and close the door. The two of you will support this vessel and her crew until I relieve you of your command.” There was no hesitation. Both Shelley and Joshua said in unison, “Aye, aye, Skipper.” When the two entered the control room and door slid shut behind them, Shelley contacted the IFTT and signed herself in as skipper and Joshua in as medical officer.

  The five remaining crewmembers began putting on their space suits. Once they had checked each other
to insure all seams, seals, snaps, communication connections and air supplies were properly in place and functioning, they began unsealing and resealing doors as they moved towards the inventory control locker. When they arrived, they discussed how they were going to work the tools while wearing the suits. Tabatha said, “We should have been practicing to work in these suits on a weekly basis. I think we will quickly gain the skill set to complete this job if we help each other and do not allow frustration to hinder us.”

  The crew spent two hours working to rig up power cords on the Power Acquisition System and fabricating a long enough cord to plug into the spare fuel cell in the mechanical room. By the time they had moved the Power Acquisition System into the cargo bay and had completed the work, they had spent two hours in their space suits. When they entered the ready room and removed their helmets, they all realized how hard the space suits made even the simple tasks seem. Addalyne spoke to Aldo and asked for a time line until they reached the stranded vessel. Joshua slid open the control room door and explained where they were and that they had another hour to arrival time. He said, “Shelley says the computer is suggesting that you all remove your space suits, use the bathroom, hydrate and eat something. I will cook some food that will support your bodies while you perform the repairs when we arrive. I will also give you plenty of advanced notice so you can put on your space suits without rushing. You will need all your energy to accomplish your work. As soon as we arrive, Shelley and the computer will teleport all six crewmembers into the ready room and I will get them out of their space suits. I will support them with food and water until the repairs are complete and then we will teleport them back to their vessel. The IFTT does not want our guests to have access to the skipper for any reason. Shelley is to remain locked in the control room until we have returned our guests. The computer will insure all doors on this vessel remain locked while our guests are aboard.”