Patrick stares up at the cityscape in awe. “This must have been a great city in its day,” he says.
Jux surprises him when he responds, “I can show you how it was in the before times.”
Patrick is perplexed and replies with a surprise filled voice, “You can?”
“This way,” Jux replies boldly. “I will show you, while the others gather, and load your transport.
Patrick strides up to the front of the truck then speaks to the pair of soldiers who are in the cab, “Help these guys out, will ya, and please tell me you didn’t bring weapons.”
The driver replies, “Of course we will help, that’s why we volunteered.” He makes no mention of the side arms they carry, nor the fifty-caliber machine gun that rests, concealed, in a purpose-built compartment in the rear of the cab. This compartment can be opened, and the gun swung up at a moment’s notice, allowing anyone in the bed of the truck to fire over the roof of the cab.
Patrick and Jux walk past the shorter buildings, and make their way towards the city’s larger crumbing skyscrapers. The grassy roadway is eerily free of debris, while what could pass for sidewalks contain piles of junk at irregular intervals. The first few buildings have clearly been stripped of everything valuable. Even the window frames have been removed, as has anything else which could possibly be melted down. Jux motions for Patrick to hurry as he walks briskly toward a gloomy region ahead. Patrick notices that paths have been cleared around each building, while piles of discarded material are left scattered round.
Patrick suddenly stops and looks down at the grass-filled roadway. His heart skips a beat. A section of moss covered pavement stares back at him, a straight line dissects it. His jaw drops at the realization that these people used markings on their roads, just as is done on Earth. He puts a hand to his head as a new thought escapes his lips, “You already took all the cars.”
Jux turns and ponders Patrick’s words, then responds, “If it is metal, and we are able to move it, we take it.” Jux continues to stride briskly down the ancient roadway.
The pair travels farther into the city until the sky over head is completely obscured by the vegetation that seemingly grows on anything. Jux stops at a large intersection, one that is almost free of debris. He points to a partially collapsed building and says. “Before times.”
Patrick gazes upward in wonder and whistles. Many of the buildings that still stand, are over thirty stories high. If it were not for the extensive overgrowth, they would have completely collapsed long ago. Enormous vines cling to the walls, while trees grown out through many of the open windows. Even so, the upper levels of these buildings have obviously crumbled, either to the ground below, or into themselves. Their original height is a mystery, but judging from some of the distant piles of rubble, they were much taller.
Jux calls from a doorway, “Follow me.”
Patrick stops staring upward, and hurries to catch up to Jux as the alien steps inside the building he had pointed to a moment ago. Patrick feels a moment’s trepidation before he steps inside and lowers the visor on his suit to get a better view of the dark interior. He frowns in confusion at the relatively clean floors, then stops in his tracks. A series of massive wooden beams hold up the crumbling ceiling, many of which are being driven into the floor by the sheer weight being brought to bear on them.
Patrick points to the beams and asks, “You put these in place?”
“Yes,” Jux replies, and then adds, “Come, I will show you the before times.”
The two of them walk to an old stairway, then before they descend into the depths, Jux picks up an odd-looking lantern. He shakes it vigorously, and to Patrick’s surprise the object begins to glow. The soft light it provides is enough to see a series of worn steps. Patrick follows Jux downward until they reach a small chamber. Jux shakes the lantern once more and reveals a huge, arch-shaped, metallic door. Its surface is dull and pitted, while in stark contrast, its centrally mounted handle shines.
Jux’s muscles bulge as he pulls on the handle. The door makes a grinding sound as it slowly swings open. Jux shakes the lantern again, lifts it high over his head, and then ceremoniously steps into the chamber beyond. Patrick blinks in astonishment at the open door. It is easily the thickness of a bank vault, and based on the smears around its oversized hinge, is regularly greased. Patrick follows Jux through the doorway and gazes around using the sensors in his suit’s visor.
Jux proudly points to an enormous picture, one which is encased in a clear material, and states proudly, “Before times.”
Patrick stares at the cityscape displayed. The city’s buildings are tall and majestic, and display all the architectural flair one might find in any city on Earth. The more he stares, the more he feels a renewed sympathy toward the Oglans.
Jux interrupts Patrick’s thoughts when he says with pride, “Before times.”
Patrick is still staring at the image when it suddenly dawns on him that Jux is not referring to the picture any more. He turns to see the alien pointing at what he thought was a solid bench. Stepping over to it, Patrick’s jaw drops. He stares in bewilderment at what appears to be an ancient mainframe computer system.
Jux mumbles a few incoherent words, then lifts the top until it rests against the wall. Patrick stares at what could have once been a screen of sorts, but now all it shows is his reflection. He casts his gaze downward and gulps when he sees switches, dials, and a keypad with strange symbols on it.
“We need metal before we can learn before times,” Jux states with certainty.
Patrick frowns, lifts his visor, then says, “I don’t understand how getting metal will help you learn.”
With obvious pride Jux waves a hand at the device and says, “In the before times we had much metal, knew many things, and were strong. Metal is power. We collect it, and protect this place, so one day we can learn to be strong again.”
Patrick lowers his visor, and using its many sensors, scans the inside of the device before him. His heart sinks when he sees broken wires, along with the remnants of animal nests. He had been hoping beyond all realms of possibility, that the alien computer was somehow intact. But hidden ductwork, once probably designed to keep the unit at a constant temperature, has been its downfall. Jux clearly has no idea that the device is junk, and that whatever secrets it contained, are long since dead.
Patrick is about to speak when Jux states with an assuredness that belies argument, “You have much metal, and much power.”
“Yes, we have both,” Patrick replies reluctantly, then adds, “I will help you collect more.” He offers a smile he does not believe as he ponders Jux’s mistaken belief. Metal is power in a way, but not the power he needs. Oh my! What do I do?
Patrick is in a daze as he spends the rest of the day absorbing material, and assisting the Oglan salvage party. He remains quiet and subdued when he returns to the Oglan community in the truck with the others. The following day he travels in the truck with the team, and collects more resources. He also plans to revisit the abandoned Gamin construction dock with George, to absorb as much of it as they can, and convert it into usable metals for the Oglans.
Chapter Five - Boys and Their Toys
Location:
Hawking
New Earth
The days turn into weeks, then months, for the residents of Hawking and there is still no word from Earth. Thanks to the expanded fishing industry, no one is in danger of starving, however fuel reserves are becoming an issue, especially with the ever-expanding number of motorized fishing boats. Hawking, not so proudly, now also boasts a junk yard, which is quickly filling up with engineless vehicles. Their efforts at finding an alternative fuel source have also failed, and only resulted in damaging every engine tested so far.
With his hands on his hips General Walker stares at the small mysterious alien spacecraft resting in the makeshift compound. He turns at the sound of footsteps, then smiles when he sees Barbara approaching. He waves a hand towards the craft and says, “
With the Terran being overdue, I think it is time to see what secrets we can learn from this thing.”
Barbara replies slowly and cautiously. “You’re right, we don’t know when the Terran is returning, and like you, I am curious as to what’s inside.”
Walker rubs his chin thoughtfully. “I don’t think we should mess with it this close to the city though. I will make arrangements to get the craft moved.”
“You think it’s unsafe?” Barbara frowns apprehensively as she looks around.
Walker shakes his head, “Nah, not at all. But I have been in the military for a long time, and seen a lot, and well...” He shrugs his shoulders as he adds, “I would rather be safe than sorry.”
“Agreed.” Barbara replies while nodding, “And while you do that, I will organize a team to study it.”
“I can’t believe this planet doesn’t have any fossil fuels for us to convert.” Walker states out of the blue.
“Our geologists theorize that either the planet is too young, or we just haven’t looked in the right places.” Barbara shakes her head in confusion and adds curiously, “What does finding oil have to do with this ship?”
Walker grins as he replies, “Everything. I am betting that this alien ship took detailed scans of this planet.”
“That’s a long stretch.” Barbara replies skeptically.
“Not really,” Walker responds with a smile, “Isn’t that the first thing we do?” He adds.
“Sure,” replies Barbara slowly, before adding, “and the Terran did conduct scans of this planet.”
“But the Terran can only conduct basic scans. Right?” Walker’s question comes out as more of a statement.
“Basic is relative, but yes, we only have rudimentary scans of the planet. Certainly nothing detailed enough to find pockets of oil.” She replies while wondering where Walker is going with his thinking.
“So,” Walker continues confidently, “assuming this ship did not crash, whoever was operating it, chose where to land, based on...”
Barbara’s eyes light up excitedly. She interrupts Walker, “Based on the scans they took while in orbit! You’re a genius!”
Both of them are still grinning when five people walk up to them. Walker’s idea has plenty flaws in it, but if he is right, the possibilities are endless. One of the townsfolk steps forward and says, “There has been another fight at the docks.”
Walker and Barbara both sigh. There have been too many fights over too many petty things. Opening the spaceship may just be the distraction the town needs from their day to day activities.
Location:
Planetary Orbit
Oglan
“Oh yes!” Joe cheers excitedly as the small spacecraft beaks through the clouds, and speedily makes its way into space. His heart races as the craft spins, turns, and rolls, almost all at once. Thankfully the chairs have built in restraints which hold them firmly in place, otherwise the twists and turns would have quite possibly thrown them out of their chairs.
John looks to Joe, who sits on his left, grins back and says, “I had a feeling this little beauty was maneuverable.”
“Whatever passes for a gravity dampener, seems sluggish,” Joe replies a little perplexed. He stares at his console and can see that the symbol for the device in question is lit, and based on all of their tests, the system is on.
“Well, I can tell you this.” John states excitedly as he banks the craft over. “I have a great feeling for how this craft is handling.”
The pair stare in awe at the planet through the craft’s clear front viewer. There is no one with them to share in their excitement as they finally get to fly their captured spacecraft.
John rolls the craft over once more, and then turns to face away from the planet. He slides a small manual control bar to its upper most position, and watches with pride as the ship seems to lurch forward.
Joe stares at the bank of levers John is manipulating and says, “I am so glad we examined this ship first. Who would have thought to look for those controls behind a panel?”
“It really doesn’t make any sense,” John replies with a shrug of his shoulders. He pats the bank of seven levers, and speculates, “Perhaps these controls were not so much as hidden, as just out of the way? That way no one could accidently move any of them.”
Joe nods his head, “That could be, they do control power flow to the ship’s thrusters.”
The small bank of levers rests on the right hand side of John’s console. A single icon is all that is needed to retract them into his console. This icon is currently lit, and he has no intention of touching the lit icon just yet. They have learned, through some wild flying, that each lever manually controls power flow for a specific thruster.
Joe’s heart is still beating fast from their last series of test maneuvers. He turns to John and says, “Are you ready?”
“Sure am,” John replies with a grin. He touches one of the many icons on his panel causing it to light up. “This is the Raider calling Terran,” he states formally.
Cindy’s voice comes through loud and clear, “Terran here.”
“We’re about to test the sub-light engines, then as we discussed earlier, the main drive.”
“Understood,” Cindy replies, and then adds sincerely, “Good luck boys.”
John glances at Joe who gives him a thumbs-up before he responds. “Thank you, Raider out.”
Joe watches his own console with interest. “Well, I set this up to monitor the ship’s systems, but now it is displaying the Terran.” He pauses while he reads a huge catalog of data, then exclaims, “Oh my! This ship lists the Terran’s internal decks, including the new elevators, and the rail guns. There is even a manifest of what was in our hangar deck before we landed.”
John’s jaw drops, “How did they know all that?”
“It seems as if that ship we destroyed took some sort of scan.” Joe replies, impressed with the Effen Raider’s technology. Joe touches his console, deselecting the Terran from the ship’s list of targets. He frowns as Oglan cities begin to display, almost as if the system requires something to aim at.
A few minutes pass before Joe speaks again, “Well, this ship’s weapon systems are either on or off, and when they are on, they automatically select a target, based on some priority I have yet to figure out.”
John volunteers, “Could it be based on threat level?”
“It could be,” Joe replies, and then asks doubtfully. “But then, what threat are the Oglan cities?”
“I have no idea. Anyway, it is time to test the sub-light engines,” John adds excitedly.
Joe reviews his data then says with mild trepidation, “Let’s get some distance from the planet first.”
“Okay,” John replies as he taps the sub-light engine control icon.
Both men stare in apprehension as the thruster controls retract into John’s console.
CLICK
They jump at the sound which came from the left side of John’s console. While they stare at the source of the sound a small panel slides away. Seconds later a stubby looking joystick clicks into place. Neither man had expected controls like the levers or this joystick on such an advanced craft.
John takes a deep breath, then cautiously grasps the joystick. To his surprise, it is quite soft, almost squishy in his hand. The second he has a grip on it, the device goes slack, allowing him to move it. Glancing at Joe he says, “Well, here goes nothing.”
John gingerly pushes the joystick forward the barest of amounts. The craft’s nose immediately dips down. John begins to sweat a little, “This control is damn sensitive,” he says, stating the obvious.
Joe frowns as he glances from console to console, and asks, “How do you accelerate and decelerate?”
John lets go of the joystick. The craft noticeably slows while the control reverts to its original position. “That is the weirdest feeling control I have ever felt,” he says, a little unnerved. He grips the control once more, and this time gives it a gentle sque
eze. The ship lurches forward, causing him to smile. He glances at Joe, nods, then gently pushes the control to the left, then the right.
Joe glances at his console then says in surprise, “Hey, I didn’t feel those maneuvers at all.”
“You’re right!” States John, equally surprised.
John squeezes harder and banks the craft up and around in a wobbly three-sixty. He stops squeezing as he rolls the stick to the right and as he does so is surprised to see a brief flare of energy ahead.
Before he can comment, Joe states in awe, “Multi-directional sub-light engine ports, that’s what the flash was.” Joe gulps as the realization that this ship could literally stop on a dime, whereas the Terran has limited means of decelerating.
John has not been flying them in any random direction. Rather, he has steadily been moving them toward a small cluster of asteroids which orbit the Oglan sun. This cluster pales in comparison to those between Mars and Jupiter, but it will do for their next test.
Joe taps the icon which represents the ship’s weapons. The translation calls the weapons lasers, and the ship would appear to have two of them, both of which aim forward.
Finding a particularly large asteroid, one about the size of the ship they are in, is an easy enough task. While John does his best to keep the ship stable, Joe activates the weapon’s targeting system.
John stares at the asteroid that pivots and rolls in space before him. It is close enough that the screen is able to display the image at normal resolution. A fresh bead of sweat works its way down John’s face as he tries to keep the asteroid in their forward arc.
Joe glances at John and says, “Is the control really that sensitive?”
“It’s worse than a hair trigger on a shotgun,” John retorts as he concentrates.
Targeting the asteroid is no easier, Joe has to fight the computer’s desire to ignore the lump of rock. Finally, his console reports a lock, with which he proudly states, “We have a weapon’s lock.”
Initiation Series: Series One Compilation (Terran Chronicles) Page 120
