NEBULAR Collection 2 - The Expedition: NEBULAR Episodes 6 - 11

by Thomas Rabenstein

  Whenever the design specialist spoke up recently, the meeting rooms became silent in expectation.

  »Let’s approach the problem from a different angle. If we assume the object to be an enemy base then we’re looking at a slew of questions that need answers.«

  Petrow smiled and nodded, encouraging the tech to continue. He seemed to like Mui’s way of tackling the issues head on.

  »Well, I’m asking, why is that base at such a difficult to access location?«

  Wan Mui looked around inquiringly. Nemov was first to respond, »Easy answer: the enemy doesn’t want to be found! He’s using his superior technology and know-how to give us an almost insurmountable problem – effectively preventing us from scanning or reaching the base easily – a definite advantage!«

  Wan Mui nodded in agreement.

  »Yes, assuming that this down there,« he pointed at an imaginary point on the floor in the assumed direction of Neptune, »is a Globuster base then we may ask: Why didn’t they use the base when they attacked Triton? This leads to the next question: Why do these Globs need a hidden base when they’re already employing the ones in the Kuiper Belt, not to mention their small fleet of superior spaceships? It’s no problem for them to reach any point in the Solar System, even Earth. Why play hide and seek?«

  »We know that the Globs are remote controlled. When the Stinger was destroyed, it left them in a state of stasis,« Nemov threw into the discussion.

  »Sorry, but that is not a fact, it is an assumption,« countered Wan Mui, lifting his brows. »Let’s … just for argument sakes … follow our train of thought. If this … hmm … base is of no use to the Globs, then who uses it?«

  Petrow listened intently.

  »What are you saying, Mui?«

  »Everybody in this room knows that the Globs are not invaders in the true sense. Despite what the media reports and the public believe, they’re just helpers – vassals, as it were. Think of them as cohorts under orders of a superior power. They’re here for one reason, and one reason alone – to maintain the Globustershield. Somebody in the background is pulling all the strings.«

  »Are you talking about the Globuster Lord?« Nemov inquired.

  »No, I’m talking about those mysterious strangers who gave the orders to install the Stinger and concocted the plan to isolate Humanity from the universe. Vasina calls them the Dark Brotherhood. We have to understand that these people, whoever they are, have more trumps up their sleeves … and that our isolation is only a small part of their plans and – most significantly – they have the means to enforce them.«

  Petrow paled.

  »Keep going, Mui,« encouraged Petrow, clearing his throat.

  »The object could be a weapon or a base, but it wasn’t built by the Globs. I think that it is more dangerous than we’ve initially thought. We should use all our resources to investigate it. I believe I know a way we can do that.«

  »I’d be more than happy to hear your suggestions, Mui, go on.«

  With everybody in the room now on the same page, they could go ahead and forge a common consensus. Wan Mui seemed to have a talent for tasks like this.

  »Assuming that our enemy is hiding at this hard to reach object, then he also knows how to defend himself accordingly. The enemy is well informed about our capabilities and knows that we currently have no means to enter Neptune’s deep atmosphere …«

  »… there’s another point that comes to mind,« Nemov interrupted. »The Globuster attempt to redirect Quaoar on a collision course with Triton seemed to be a really half-assed plan, considering what we know now. Neptune was hit by large segments from Quaoar after its destruction. A collision by Quaoar and Triton would have had the same result and large fragments would have rained down on Neptune as well. I’m asking: is a superior commander that stupid to jeopardize his base by a silly move like that?«

  Petrow squinted. Nemov’s remarks were logical, but perplexing.

  »I’m thinking that the Globs don’t know anything about the object in Neptune’s atmosphere,« Nemov added, »and let’s not kid ourselves, the base would still be secret, if we hadn’t found it by accident.«

  Petrow moved around nervously on his seat.

  »I’d like to know where this brainstorming is going to get us?« Petrow murmured loud enough for everyone to hear.

  »Hopefully, to the truth, Commander,« Wan Mui replied. »I’m speculating as follows: The probes we’ve sent were either eliminated on approach or destroyed on contact with the object, to prevent them from sending back information. Either that or communication back to us was prevented as in the Globuster Matrix. Personally, I tend to believe that we’re dealing with an energy shield like the one the Globs use, just a lot larger. Our small probes were probably identified as intruders and destroyed. It’s possible that the base has an intelligent defense system.«

  »Hmm … but Fosset’s ship returned and was able to lift off from the object,« Petrow objected.

  »A base like that only makes sense when it can be reached from outer space,« countered Wan Mui. »It’s possible that Ivanova’s Hawk and Fosset’s Eagle were big enough to be classified as spaceships, and allowed to land on the object unharmed.«

  Nemov remained skeptical.

  »These are nice speculations,« Nemov remarked. »The enemy can certainly tell the difference between his and our spacecraft. They have different energy signatures. Our ships would be declared alien, even hostile.«

  Wan Mui shrugged.

  »Well, we would have such a system in place, but we don’t know the enemy’s mentality. They may not have expected discovery for at least another thousand years, rendering an ID system unnecessary,« Wan Mui defended.

  »You’re probably right,« Nemov admitted. »That changes the whole situation. At least since the last landing on the object, the enemy knows we were there and that we know about their base. An intelligent adversary will have implemented some sort of ID system like – but much better than – our IFF/ SIF.«

  »You can count on it,« Petrow intersected. »Wan Mui’s theory begs an interesting question: The Eagle had been in Neptune’s atmosphere for way longer than expected … too long, according to our simulations. The difference between simulation and reality can be dismissed if the Eagle wasn’t subjected to high atmospheric pressures after all, but protected by an energy shield! I’m thinking that the object is enveloped by such a field, protecting itself from Neptune’s atmosphere. Anything else is nonsense.«

  Petrow, Nemov and Wan Mui looked at each other. The meeting had yielded some unexpected results.

  »Wan Mui, how much time do you need to reinforce a Hawk and double the power of its propulsion system?« Petrow asked.

  The technician pondered for a moment.

  »The drive can be fine-tuned and enhanced, but in the end that will ruin it. The hull and structural re-enforcements will take a bit longer. I’ll say ten hours, given material and personnel.«

  »Take what you need! If anybody asks stupid questions refer him to me,« Petrow replied dryly.

  Nemov grimaced.

  »Commander, as First Officer, I have to remind you of Commander Nok’s orders regarding any advances on Neptune. They were very specific!«

  Petrow nodded briefly.

  »I know, Nemov. I know.«

  Sabotage

  The re-armament halt brought mixed feelings on Phobos. Parts shipments, especially hull modules and other important sub-assemblies were behind by a couple of days. Nobody at Fleet HQ seemed aware and everything was assumed to be on target. Management was flexible enough that some production sequences were pushed forward and finished ahead of time to make up for the slack. Head of the construction bureau was Froton M. Lasslo, a Martian, who, like most Martians, was very proud of his lineage. His middle initial M was for Martian, a common practice among Mars-born Humans.

  Twice daily, he flew with his auxiliary ship to the construction site in space and inspected critical operations personally. He considered the Solarwind his �
�Baby”, while others called it “Lasslo’s pet-project.” Nobody at the shipyard could claim to know the ship and the construction plans better than he did.

  This time around, however, he flew with a group of people on his inspection rounds. The chief engineer, chief architect and a handful of section supervisors as well as a Fleet liaison accompanied him on the tour. They wanted to make sure that the construction stop didn’t affect the safety and integrity of the ship’s hull and its already installed components. It was important to establish a follow-up plan in case the production started up again suddenly. In addition, a maintenance schedule had to be hammered out to insure that the work could continue without major part replacements. Space was an unforgiving and harsh environment for unprotected parts.

  The space shipyard on Phobos was a very large installation, where some assembly plants had been integrated into the moon’s underground. Beside the moon-based shipyard, there was also the space-based, orbital dry-dock in which the Solarwind was assembled. The moon was also home to a Hawk combat group, assigned for the protection of the shipyards.

  The orbital shipyard was an ideal place for the Solarwind’s assembly due to the almost zero gravity environments. The shipyard was open on two sides at the ends along the longitudinal axis to enable the finished ship to leave by its own power. Numerous docking bays were attached at the shipyard’s sides through which parts were loaded. Usually the bays were busy as beehives, but now only the odd shuttle frequented the docking bays.

  »The suppliers are having their fair share of problems fulfilling their contracts,« Lasslo explained as the auxiliary ship made a brief stopover. »We’ll see some delays in the assembly process since we cannot always jump to another stage if we don’t have the materials.«

  He paused to let the severity of the shortcomings sink in.

  »The finished cruiser will be 400 meters long, including the new propulsion system. The engineers had integrated inertia dampers with the propulsion system to allow for higher acceleration and cruising speeds. We can’t install the new system, though, until the support structures are in place.«

  »Is the propulsion system being built here on Phobos?« the Fleet liaison inquired as the auxiliary ship flew to another sector.

  »No, it’s built on the Moon and transported here. As you can see, we are not quite finished with the support structure. This gives the guys on the Moon a bit more time,« Lasslo chuckled sarcastically. »Which they need – they have supply problems on the Moon too. These are not the only headaches – the new weapon systems slated for the Solarwind are running late, and that in turn affects the serial production of the plasma launchers by weeks.«

  »We are already checking into these delays,« the liaison explained apologetically. »Many of them are directly attributable to the restructuring efforts at Fosset Enterprises. We are experiencing some serious bottlenecks, which we hope to iron out soon. A special investigation commission is looking into this matter.«

  The auxiliary ship came up alongside the Solarwind.

  »This is the hull section – it will house the two plasma launchers on both sides,« Lasslo explained. »Currently we’re flying alongside the plasma accelerator, the barrel, if you will. The plasma will be accelerated along this line, starting at the accelerator’s base to your left. The cathode elements have already been installed. The energy will be supplied by a modified fusion reactor, which generates plasma charges from hydrogen. The resulting plasma charges will be hotter than small suns and rotated by high frequency magnetic fields and stabilized by self-oscillating induction fields. The magnetic fields also serve as isolation fields, focusing, directing the plasma and keeping the charges centered inside the accelerator. As you can imagine, plasma in contact with the hull would melt it like butter. In case the central rotation field malfunctions due to an accident or lack of cooling, the reactor is unloaded immediately to prevent a catastrophe. Excess energy will be redirected into space via venting pods at the ship’s side. The cruiser, of course, can no longer fire at that point.«

  Even at this stage in its construction, the Solarwind looked impressive. The ship no longer employed rotating cylinder segments for artificial gravity. Recent developments in nuclear technology rendered those obsolete. The new technology enabled Humanity to produce artificial gravity in a different way. The new tech was still in its infancy; the gravity-vector generators, GVG’s, and their emitters were enormous in size and used up most of the space in the ship’s keel section. They also used most of the ship’s energy. The Fleet had decided to use them regardless of energy consumption and space limitations – the Globuster threat dictated a faster approach, although the first GVG’s were not to see service before the second prototype series was to be built.

  The Globusters’ appearance had re-kindled Humanity’s thirst for knowledge as had periods of need and war so many times in the past.

  Lasslo held up a hand. He had suddenly received a priority alert message.

  »What’s the alarm about?« he asked the control center.

  The sweaty face of a technician appeared on the small display, obviously struggling with his self-control.

  »Mr. Lasslo, leave the docks immediately! One of our survey robots has detected an unidentified object inside Construction Zone Charley!«

  Lasslo didn’t understand.

  »Define “unidentified” object. Are you bullshitting me? That’s not possible!«

  The technician was drenched in sweat while Lasso grimaced.

  »Talk to me! What did you find?«

  »The object’s a bomb constructed from scrap materials used in the ship’s construction. It must have been built under the radar. We’ve had a report of a missing fusion cell. The charge is strong enough to destroy the entire shipyard. Leave the area, Mr. Lasslo! The bomb is close to your location.«

  »Sabotage … in my docks?«

  Lasslo’s face turned gray.

  »Where exactly is the bomb?«

  »Zone Charley, Area 12, Section 3!«

  Lasslo faced the group.

  »Take the auxiliary ship back to the moon after I’ve left the airlock … no objections, people! That’s an order!« Lasslo commanded to the liaison.

  With that, he closed his spacesuit and entered the airlock. A moment later, a green light indicated that the outer airlock door had opened. As he flew by the windows, he waved at the auxiliary ship’s passengers, urging them to take flight by gesturing in the direction of Phobos. He used his spacesuit’s propulsion pack to fly toward the indicated zone. Phobos’ gravitational pull wasn’t very strong and Lasslo had no problems with his controls. After a couple of minutes, he arrived at the bomb’s location. Two robots were marking the vicinity. He activated the comm-system and listened to the words from his helmet speakers.

  »Lasso, you crazy fool! Turn around!« he heard the techie’s screaming voice. »We’ve notified the fleet base. They’ll send the EOD team from Mars with a Hawk! They’ll arrive in a couple of hours!«

  »By then it may be too late!« Lasslo decided. He didn’t want to see his project threatened by an act of sabotage. An explosion could devastate the ship’s hull.

  Lasso passed the robots cautiously and looked around.

  »Where is the bomb hidden? What does it look like?« he asked control.

  »Look for an egg-shaped object, about one meter long and forty centimeters in diameter. It should be right in front of you.«

  Suddenly, he saw the object, packed into a small niche in the hull. It was well placed. The bomb could have been mistaken for part of the ship’s superstructure; it was made of the same surrounding materials. The bomb was located exactly at a section seam and upon explosion could destroy the rear ship segments.

  Lasslo approached the bomb and looked at it for a long moment. The egg-shaped object seemed harmless. He knew that it possessed complicated and possibly multiple ignition mechanisms. Anybody who could construct a bomb from scrap metal was a professional. Numerous grooves indicated the different bomb se
gments, no screw-type igniter, no openings or even an outer digital clock display indicating the time left.

  That’s only in the movies. He would have given a year’s pay to know how much time he had left. He wanted to touch the bomb, but turned away at the last moment.

  What if it has a motion igniter?

  Lasslo racked his brain.

  I can’t cut it open. I shouldn’t move it. The igniter could be remote or touch sensitive. Even the robots’ energy emission could set it off.

  Lasslo scanned the bomb with an energy meter. Yes, the fusion cell inside the bomb was active.

  »I think we’re running out of time! We need to do something!« he shouted into the helmet’s microphone.

  Lasslo scanned the bomb again.

  He noticed that the inside temperature had increased.

  Suddenly he understood the inner workings of the infernal device.

  »The control circuit for the fusion cell cooling is rigged – making this bomb a self-igniter!« he relayed to control central. Once the internal temperature becomes too high, the energy goes critical, and we have a runaway fusion cell. Open the upper dock gates – now!«

  The shift technician didn’t follow Lasslo’s train of thought at first, so Lasslo expressed himself more strongly.

  »Wake up! Open the top gates! If the bomb explodes inside the dock then this is all history!«

  Lasslo picked up the bomb and pulled it with closed eyes from the niche. He could feel a slight vibration through his gloves – but it didn’t explode. He was right. Pressing the bomb close to his body, he activated his backpack. Small blue flames left the backpack, propelling him toward the slowly opening gates. His intentions were clear, to transport the bomb into free space.

  Just before he reached the open gates, he released the bomb, watched it sail out into outer space. He activated the counter-thrust with his right thumb, but could not avoid slamming into the frame of the large dock gates.

  He yelled breathlessly into the microphone, »Take one of the robots and drag the bomb away from Phobos’ orbit! Fast!«