HADRON Axiom

by Stephen Arseneault

  Johnny shook his head. “Not exactly how we usually say it.”

  Jasper replied, “Tretcher! Shut your lip! I won’t have this idle chatter on my boat!”

  Johnny held up his hands. “We haven’t even started yet.”

  Jasper grinned. “I know, I just wanted to see how it would feel.”

  A horn sounded. The individual assigned as the comm officer received an order from the fleet.

  “Proceed to the following coordinates for a rendezvous with a Kallisian trader. You will be transferring a new missile technology to your ship for transport back to the crown colonies. This mission is of high priority to the ministry of defense. Safe and timely transport are required for a successful mission. XD557931-4G42L0FF-WE9F4456”

  Jasper barked out commands, and waypoints were determined and set. Travel time was accelerated by a factor of one hundred to speed the simulation along its way. As the final waypoint was approached, the Kallisian ship came up on nav and defense consoles.

  “Sir, we have the Kallisians locked on. A hail has been sent and reply received. They are ready for the transfer.”

  Jasper replied, “Make it so.”

  On the consoles, the two ships closed and docked. The Kallas ambassador boarded the ship through the transfer tube, making his way straight to the bridge.

  “I demand payment immediately!”

  Jasper looked around. No instruction had been given as to the payment methods or timing.

  The old Human walked up, stopping in front of the Kallas ambassador. He looked down with a scowl at the slender, meter-tall alien before him.

  “Ambassador, I apologize for any mixup in communications. However, I must say that this exchange is being conducted with the Emperor’s full knowledge and approval. Do you doubt his ability to pay the price that has been agreed upon? Or whether or not it will be done in a timely manner?”

  The ambassador’s response was a nervous twitch followed by several seconds of silence. “No ��� it is I who must apologize, Commander. We will respect the wishes of the Emperor and take payment at a time when he sees fit.”

  The ambassador returned to his ship, the cargo was loaded, and Jasper let out a sigh. “That wasn’t so bad.”

  One of the Kallisian crew came in with a report. “Sir, a yakota was seen sneaking aboard. It jumped from one of the containers and scurried out of the cargo hold before we could stop it. I hope you are able to contain it, sir. We apologize and must be going.”

  Jasper said, “A yakota?”

  Jane replied, “I just pulled it up on the console. It’s similar to a rodent, only it���s a prolific breeder. If it finds a food source, you can have an infestation of as many as twenty thousand in a week. And they are extremely difficult to get rid of when an infestation occurs.”

  Jasper replied, “Doesn’t it take more than one to breed?”

  Jane nodded. “Yes, two.”

  Jasper waved his hand. “Then having one aboard won’t hurt us. Follow the procedure for eradication of a single yakota.”

  A new mission came over the comm. A Gabeezi gunship had been seen harassing traders along a route governed by the empire. The Gabeezi captain was to be confronted and convinced to move elsewhere.

  Jasper said, “Lay out the waypoints and let’s get underway.”

  Accelerated time was again used for the travel. The ambitious speed of the ship was brought to a stop after an explosion in the power room.

  “Sir, a battery bank has ruptured and exploded, taking out parts of two of the surrounding walls. It appears to have been brought on by frayed wiring.”

  Jasper replied, “Initiate repairs, Mr. Hobbs. And I want a full report as to its cause.”

  Liam Hobbs nodded. “Yes, sir. I should have that for you momentarily.”

  An hour later, the Brit returned. “The bank has been repaired and is back on-line. Two walls received damage. One bordered housing, and that���s been cleaned up. The other was a breach of the food stores. The repairs for that are underway, but we did lose two days��� worth of rations.”

  Jasper asked. “And where does that leave our food supplies?”

  Hobbs replied, “More than adequate, sir.”

  Jasper Collins sat in the commander’s chair. “Are we prepared to get underway?”

  Hobbs smiled. “Whenever the commander is ready.”

  Jasper said, “Make it so.”

  Four days of travel was compressed to a little over five minutes. As they slowed on their approach to the Gabeezi gunship, Jasper barked out a command.

  “Take us in broadside, Mrs. Tretcher. Cannons powered and ready to go. I want to show these intruders we mean business.”

  Liam Hobbs stepped up. “Sir, we have a problem. It seems we have a yakota infestation underway. All decks are reporting sightings.”

  Jasper growled. “Mrs. Tretcher? What’s it say about ridding your ship of an infestation?”

  Jane replied, “Up to five days at a maintenance station. All personnel must be removed from the ship, going through an isolation unit where it is verified they have no yakota hiding on their person. The ship is then fumigated and the dead yakota sniffed out and removed.”

  Johnny began to chuckle over the comm.

  Jane said, “Sir, there may be another way to rid ourselves of them. They must have access to water to survive. It says if left with no choice, they will chew through the piping of the ship to get at it. What if we drain all piping except that which we can monitor, and then lay out containers of water to lure them into the open where they can be trapped or killed. We have the food supply isolated, so there shouldn’t be any more breeding. We just need to get the ones that are here.”

  Jasper thought for a moment. “I don’t relish the thought of putting in for maintenance on my shift. Put your plan into action, Mrs. Tretcher. And I give you full authority over everyone on this ship so your plan is properly carried out.”

  Jane stood from her station. “I’ll get right on it.”

  Jasper turned to his second in command. “Assume the station, Mr. Hobbs. And let’s take care of these Gabeezi.”

  Jasper walked through a transfer tube. “Captain, I am requesting that you leave this area.”

  The Gabeezi captain scowled. “You have no right to do that. We have a signed license to operate in this area!”

  Jasper pulled his hand from his pocket, dangling a tiny rodent by its tail. “Very well then, Captain, I’m afraid I’ll have to order you to maintenance station 886 for sterilization of your yakota problem.”

  The captain returned an angry stare. “We don’t have a yakota problem.”

  One of the tiny animals scurried across the deck, going under a set of crates.

  Jasper smiled. “You do now. Let the logs show an infestation is underway on the Gabeezi ship and that the captain is refusing to comply with standard imperial protocol. All licensed ships must be free of yakota before docking with other vessels. And that determination has to be made by a certified maintenance location.”

  Jasper dropped the yakota he held. “That’s two. I’d call that an infestation.”

  The Gabeezi captain complied with the order, heading for an extended stay at the nearest maintenance station. A new order came in. Waypoints were set for five days of compressed travel. With Jane’s procedures put in place, the last of the yakota were removed before arrival at the new location. Jasper’s tenure as commander of the ship was deemed a success.

  Six additional rotations of command saw a Human crew who could handle the catastrophes that were thrown at them. Dratt was surprised at passing the group on after seven short days. It was by far the best class he had ever instructed.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, it is with great pride and honor that I confirm your simulation training as complete. Tomorrow you will begin the live portion of your instruction.”

  Mace gathered with the others in the dining hall. “I know this is dragging on, but I have to agree with Dratt. This is a warship we’re
looking to take over, a complex machine that flies through space. Other than David over here, most us don’t know a thing about being up there unless we saw it in the movies. And I’m pretty sure those depictions aren’t accurate. So we need to pay close attention to our shadow crews. Do exactly as they say, even if you think it’s wrong or there’s a better way. We can adapt later.”

  Coran nodded. “Wise words, Mr. Hardy. The Mawga seem to do everything by the book. If we follow their lead, as Mr. Hardy says, we can make any changes we want later. Our goal at the moment is to have full control of one or more of those cruisers. We must be patient and we must pass this next phase of testing.”

  The group split into smaller discussions. Items of contention, or procedures where some struggled, were reviewed. The following morning, eighty-nine Humans were taken up, split into two groups and given postings on two cruisers.

  Mace walked a hallway with Jeff. “How confident are you that we can fly these things?”

  Jeff replied, “On a scale of one to ten, I’d say eight. Most of the items are straightforward and don’t appear to require any maintenance. Other systems, like those fusion reactors, out of my league at the moment.”

  Mace reached into his pocket. “I’m assuming they gave you one of these?”

  Jeff shook his head. “The everspark. Only way you can light off the fusion reaction. I was a bit surprised they released one of those to you.”

  Mace looked over the tiny device as he walked. “Yeah, me, too. Have no idea how it actually works, but I’m dying to try it out to see if it really does.”

  Jeff said, “I was told it produces a tiny gravity pulse, almost like a mini black hole. It compresses the material at the same time they light it up with lasers. Apparently it’s enough to start the reaction. After that it’s self sustaining.”

  Mace held the device out, placing it in Jeff’s hand.

  Jeff studied the everspark. “Some of their technological advances here are just astounding. I would have enjoyed taking a science position with them for a few years. So many wonders I could bring back to benefit us all.”

  Mace shook his head. “Not so sure the Mawga are our best friends yet, so you might not want to volunteer for that until we know. Some of their dealings with us, like the drug, have been very shady.”

  The two Humans ducked through a bulkhead door into the power room.

  Jeff turned. “Good luck with your reactor. I get the feeling these are going to be some long hours spent staring at gauges and monitoring readouts.”

  Mace slapped Jeff on the back. “See you on the other side.”

  Chapter 26

  *

  Jeff was right. The hours were long and boring. Mace’s shadow went by the single name of Vaaka. His ultra black eyes were particularly narrow for a Mawga, giving him a sinister appearance. His demeanor, however, was anything but.

  “Mr. Hardy, suppose the dwell count has been on the rise, let’s say for an hour. What would you do?”

  Mace thought for a moment. “I’d hop the first shuttle off here. If that count has been increasing for an hour, the reactor has to be reaching critical containment.”

  Vaaka smiled. “Yes. I’ll take that as a justifiable statement. Although I would add that the alarm should be sounded first.”

  Mace replied, “Obviously. Aside from saving yourself, you would look to save everyone else as well. Have you ever had a reactor go supercritical?”

  Vaaka shook his head. “With the safeguards in place, I don’t believe it has happened in the last thousand of your years. You see, all reactors, big and small, are manufactured and sold by the Dunden Heap Consortium. They are one of the seven empires who drive the Galactic Union.”

  Mace asked, “What can you tell me about these seven empires? How big are they in comparison to the Mawga?”

  Vaaka waved a finger. “I am sorry, Mr. Hardy, we have all been instructed to not discuss anything involving the Galactic Union or our empire, other than the rules.”

  Mace said, “You’ve got some strange rules when it comes to engagement with others, Vaaka.”

  Vaaka replied, “How do you mean?”

  Mace looked at a dial reading in front of him. Let’s take for instance the rules governing war, they just seem bizarre.”

  Vaaka tilted his head. “I guess that all depends on your perspective. What you consider bizarre, we consider proper. If you think for a moment, the rules are intended to prevent wars. Participants are instead encouraged to negotiate for whatever their interests may be. And the rules definitely reduce casualties for both sides. Also, the cost is greatly reduced in that damage to ships or other property are minimized.”

  Mace tapped on the dial he was inspecting. “I understand all those things. It’s just that for us, war is what happens when agreements can’t be reached. Take the potential coming attack by the Kaachi. What if they decided they wanted this planet at all costs, that they were either going to rule it fully, or life to them wasn’t worth living? How do your negotiations work then, when one party is set on the destruction of the other at all cost?”

  Vaaka replied, “In essence, with the Galactic Union, that is precisely what we have. If the Kaachi attack and lose the fight, they must withdraw and drop all current claims they may have related to this territory. If they refuse to do so, they will cede territory to the Galactic Union until they agree or no longer have territory to give.”

  Mace nodded. “I understand how it works. What I don’t get is how everyone doesn’t see that the seven empires are slowly gobbling up all the territories without ever having to fight for them. They just sit back and wait for squabbles to send territories their way. What happens when there are no more new star systems to explore? Will the seven continue to expand until no one else is left?”

  Vaaka entered several parameters into his arm pad. “Mr. Hardy. Fully three quarters of the galaxy has yet to be explored. That time is probably many thousands of years away.”

  Mace winced. “I don’t know, Vaaka. How long have the wormhole generators been around? I would think they might speed that process up.”

  Vaaka sat back. “Folding space-time is relatively new to the Union. I believe it was introduced only seventy of your years ago.”

  Mace nodded. “And how much of the galaxy has been explored during that time?”

  “Fully one quarter of what we know. I guess I had not considered that aspect of our travels. We have added eight new star systems to the Mawga Empire during that time. Prior to that, a new system would be discovered about every fifty years.”

  Mace smiled as he patted Vaaka on the back. “See, you learn something new every day. The Galactic Union is expanding rapidly. And with that, the seven empires grow fat while the rest of you do all the hard work.”

  Vaaka returned a concerned look. “I’m afraid I must cut this conversation short, Mr. Hardy. I have given out information that I never intended to. We will have to limit our further conversations to the equipment before us.”

  Mace nodded. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to get you in trouble. I just find all this fascinating, that’s all. I mean, your civilization travels the stars. How cool is that?”

  Vaaka looked up. “It is very cool as you say. Now, tell me the percentage of the usable power that is being converted to energy for use on this ship?”

  Mace checked over the consoles in front of him. “From what I see, 4 percent? That leaves a lot of headroom.”

  Vaaka reached over, pulling up a log file of prior usage on the screen before them. “This vessel, over the last eighteen of your years, has had a peak usage of 14 percent.”

  Mace turned his head. “What was going on during that?”

  Vaaka sighed. “Again, this is gray territory for your training.”

  Mace smiled. “It was during a fight, wasn’t it? Was that surge the charge well for one of those cannons being filled? Come on, the level is right there on the monitor. Not much of a secret.”

  Vaaka replied, “I suppose. Yes. It was
during an engagement.”

  Mace looked over the display. “I’d say it was early on. Maybe four years into this ship’s mission?”

  Vaaka took a deep breath. “Yes. We took two hits aft. I was unsure if she was going to hold together long enough for us to withdraw.”

  “So you lost?”

  Vaaka shook his head. “On the contrary, the cannon fired after that charge won the battle. The Wathioff commander turned away first, giving us the victory and the Demus star system. Demus has been very profitable for us. The second planet is rich in the element you call gold.”

  Mace nodded. “Nice. Gold is treasured here as well.”

  Mace stood and stretched. “Ask me anything about this reactor station. I feel like I’m ready for a quiz.”

  Vaaka shut off the console display and began asking questions. As the tenth response matched that which was requested, Vaaka stood from his seat at the console.

  “Mr. Hardy, I believe you are ready for this station. Please wait here while I consult with my supervisor about the next step.”

  Mace nodded. “I’ll be waiting.”

  Two minutes after the Mawga instructor left the room, the console sparked, blew out a puff of smoke, and shut down. Seconds later a rumble could be felt in the deck beneath his feet.

  Mace stood from his chair. “Crap���OK, what was the training all about? Be calm and patient. Locate the nearest alarm button and press it.”

  Mace looked down at the console. “OK, won’t do much good if it’s dead.”

  He turned, raced into the hall and bowled over a Mawga that stood in his way. He dashed into the next reactor room where another trainee was sitting at a station console. Mace came forward, reached around the trainee and slapped the alarm button in front of him. Lights flashed. An ear-piercing horn sounded. The door behind him began to come down. Mace ran and dove, sliding out into the hallway beyond. Behind him the door sealed shut.