Archmic contacts the facility, and informs them of the plan, then listens as Lisa reports the progress of the gas. It has yet to enter their chamber, thanks to them maintaining positive pressure from their oxygen reserves. He relaxes when he realizes that the survivors have a day or two left, perhaps even three, depending upon the gas.
K’peck lands the ship with great precision; the landing pads kick up dust and debris as they come in contact with the ground. The grey dust covers the pads, and the lower portions of the craft’s landing struts.
“Opening the ramp, and extending shields.” Archmic reports as he taps on his console.
The ramp hits the ground with small thump, sending dust particles into the air. The shields sparkle and flicker, but hold as they extend away from the ship, pushing the small dust cloud ahead.
The underside of the leading edge of the ramp is covered in dust, and as they are on the ground, the shields only extend to it.
Three tracked mining craft travel down the ramp, then, while still inside the protective barrier of the ship’s shields, begin absorbing the ground. The operators are efficient, and working in tandem, create a sloping tunnel.
Archmic grins as he reports, “The craft are almost to the outer walls of the area the survivors are in.”
Sharz rubs his chin as he asks, “They are holding the gas back by over pressurizing that area. The moment we open it up, the gas will be able to enter.”
K’peck turns as he shares his thoughts, “We could install air locks. That would also allow is to check those we rescue.”
Archmic has been reviewing scans of the planet, particularly this area and says, “We should provide each human protective footwear, which they should discard prior to entering our ship.”
Sharz frowns, then with mounting concern ask, “Is that really necessary?”
“Yes!” Archmic replies, then explains, “The ground is heavily contaminated, and though the shields are holding back the atmospheric components, there are residual trace effects on the ground.”
“Okay.” Sharz replies, then orders, “Get on it.”
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the crew, the entire underside of the ship is becoming discolored, as are the landing pads and landing struts. The gas particles attack the armor and hull on a molecular level, breaking down the dense material, leaving it weakened and vulnerable. The corruption spreads, like rust on a vehicle, only much faster.
The mining vehicles complete their task, then as they trundle back, one breaks down. One of its tracks snaps, and as the mining craft comes to a halt, the linked track trails behind its guide wheels. The operator sits despondently, and waits for a recovery vehicle. He takes the breakdown personally; each operator is responsible for their vehicle, and that includes making sure they do not fail.
The recovery vehicle is simply another mining craft, one with a tow hook and a grapple, which collects the loose track. As the mining craft travel up the ramp, they each trail a thin layer of dust from the ground.
The operator of the damaged vehicle examines the ruined track, then as a piece crumbles in his hands, he drops it, alarmed.
“Forget to check your miner?” Another operator teases as he kicks his own vehicle. He intends to showcase how sturdy his craft is, but feels a chill run up his spine when the track snaps.
The operators stare at their craft with trepidation, then debate what to do about the damage. While they talk, another team, all wearing bodysuits, makes their way down the ramp, and then into the tunnel. They have no difficulty in manufacturing a dual set of airlocks, each capable of holding around fifty individuals.
Another group has been busy creating overshoes, and has managed to fabricate almost three hundred by the time the airlocks are ready.
Sharz contacts Lisa, and says, “We are about to breach the walls to your facility.”
A man replies for her, fearfully asking, “What about the pressure difference?”
Sharz sighs heavily, then states, “Organize into groups of fifty, then wait. Lisa and her son are to be with the first group.”
The bodysuit wearing engineers absorb the concrete wall, breaching the facility, and immediately stride inside. Blocking the exit, one of the engineers asks, “Where is this failing door seal?”
A panicked man pushes his way past the crowd, shouting as he does, “Move. Move. Let me pass.”
The engineer who spoke, grabs the man and states, “You seem to know where the leak is. Show me!”
His eyes go wide with fear. He begins to shake and quiver, but the engineer holds him firmly as he presses, “The longer you take to show me, the greater the risk to you!”
The man swallows hard, then leads the engineers to the failing door seal. Without a moment’s hesitation, the engineers seal the door, encasing it in a layer of hardened metal.
The effect is almost immediate. The pressure changes in the room, causing many of the people to yawn as their ears pop. The terrified man is already attempting to push his way to the front of the line, but is stopped by those around him.
Lisa and Johnny put on the specialized over-shoes then, with great trepidation, they join the first group to make their way to Sharz’s vessel.
Sharz makes his way to the hangar deck, to meet Lisa, and glances to the mining vehicles. He frowns when he notices the operators loudly debating the damaged tracks. He is about to discern what is going on when Lisa and Johnny walk up the ramp; they are followed closely by a human male, Akardy, who is obviously their protector.
Ignoring the debate, Sharz greets the pair with a smile, immediately noticing how tall Johnny is.
“Join me on the bridge!” Sharz requests, as he nods to them.
Lisa and Johnny remove their over-shoes, and hand them to a Gamin crewman who puts them in a bin to be transported back, and reused.
Lisa glances to Akardy as she says, “We will be safe.”
Akardy reluctantly lets them go without him.
Sealing the facilities damaged door is easier than expected, thus the dual air-lock ends up being more of an inconvenience, than a required feature as first thought. The groups of those being rescued increases in size, with the last consisting of more than two hundred people.
K’peck turns to Sharz as he enters the bridge and reports, “We’re still receiving messages from both underwater facilities, along with the mountain site.”
Lisa, who has followed Sharz, glances around as she asks, “Are you going to rescue them?”
“We can’t.” Sharz replies.
“You have all this technology, and you can’t help them?” She asks.
Sharz lowers his gaze as he replies, “The shields on the shuttles are too weak to guarantee the safety of the pilots.”
Archmic offers his thoughts, “The people in all three locations are currently safe where they are. Now that we know what we are up against, we could come back with some purpose-built rescue craft.”
Sharz nods as he agrees, “That is a fantastic idea.”
The view outside tilts as one of the landing struts snaps off, putting enormous strain on another, which immediately buckles and bends. A third creaks and groans loudly as it too flexes, then holds, for the moment.
K’peck stares at his console, stunned at the myriad of alarms, then states, “We must launch, now!”
Sharz glances to his armrest console, and notices that the last group is almost to the ship. “Get them on board, and get us out of here!” He orders.
The last group looks fearfully at the broken and buckling landing struts, then hurries. The last bodysuit-wearing engineer to climb the ramp feels his foot sink into the metal. He glances down at his foot print, and frowns. The ramp is considered a target for attacks, and as such, is constructed of the hardest material known to them.
The ramp closes normally, and as the shields hold back the atmosphere, no one notices how porous the leading edge has become from its contact with the ground.
As soon as the ramp closes, Sharz orders, “Engage gravity lift
”
K’peck taps his console, then he taps it again and again, until finally he turns to Sharz and reports, “The gravity lift is offline.”
Vast sections of gravity plating peal from the underside of the ship, and fall to the ground. The thuds are unheard by those inside, but if they could hear the noise, it would sound like a mix of drum beats and heavy, relentless hail.
“Engage thrusters; get us off the ground!” Sharz orders anxiously.
“Thrusters engaged.” K’peck reports.
The ship’s thrusters were never intended to provide the thrust required to take off from a planet, and even at full power, they do nothing more than rock the ship. Unexpectedly, another support strut fractures, tilting the ship even more.
Sharz points to K’peck and orders, “Engage sub-light engines.”
Both bridge officers apprehensively shift in their seats at Sharz’s risky order.
K’peck taps his console, then nervously reports, “Prime, the sub-light engines are malfunctioning, as are many thruster ports.”
Another landing strut fractures, dropping the rear of the craft onto the main drive engines, buckling their supports while pointing the nose of the craft skyward.
Sharz takes a deep breath then states, “Activate the main drive.”
They know that if they stay on the planet any longer, the ship will succumb to the gas.
“Engaging main drive,” K’peck intones.
The second he activates the drive, the ship is propelled away from the planet at many times the speed of light. The energies unleashed cause a series of earthquakes that shatter the ground across half of Europe. Hull plates and debris rains from the sky as the craft is shredded by gravitational stresses. The deck plates vibrate, as does everything in the ship.
Lisa stares down at the vibrating deck with mounting fear.
“We’re in space!” Archmic reports, surprised that they are alive.
Sharz stares at his console and cringes. His ship is venting atmosphere in hundreds of places. He is about to issue orders when the view ahead suddenly changes; the kaleidoscope of colors is replaced by the shining dots of stars.
“Main drive failure!” K’peck reports unnecessarily.
“Hull breach in the hangar deck!” Archmic relays.
“Shields failing!” K’peck screeches, momentarily losing self-control.
Lisa walks to Johnny and puts a protective arm around him.
Sharz stares out the main viewer at the hundreds of gas plumes venting from his ship as he considers what to do.
K’peck grins as he replies, “No casualties! All breaches are confined to the outer decks, and we had evacuated those.”
Sharz relaxes, then locks his eyes on a section of hull plating as it drifts away, exposing the inner workings of the ship.
He stares at the gas which escapes his vessel, then with a frown, asks, “If we have sealed the outer decks, why are we still venting atmosphere?”
K’peck reluctantly replies, “The strange corruption is damaging the inner decks; repair crews are unable to keep up with the damage.”
Reviewing the ship’s systems once more, Sharz orders, “We must put down. The question is where?”
Johnny surprises them when he answers, “Mars, the fourth planet. The rest are no good for us.”
Sharz questions, “What of the numerous other bodies in this system, surely another offers a better solution?”
Johnny shrugs his shoulders as he replies, “Maybe, but Mars has a thin atmosphere, so it should be pretty easy to keep it out.”
Archmic happily reports, “The sub-light engines are back online!”
Sharz reviews the many planets, and their moons, then orders, “Plot best possible speed to the fourth planet.” He looks at Johnny, then nods.
Johnny asks, “Mr. Sharz, may I sit at one of the command chairs?”
Lisa quips, “Young man! No!”
Sharz grins as he replies, “It’s fine by me.”
Johnny glances to his mother, then once she nods, he sits down.
Archmic reviews his data on the planet ahead, and states, “That planet’s atmosphere is so thin we will never survive.”
Sharz stares at his own data, then states, “A low pressure system is what we need. We will land on the planet, and repair what we can.”
The bridge crew remain quiet as they traverse the distance across the solar system, the craft trailing an ever-increasing volume of debris.
“Fourth planet, ahead!” K’peck reports.
Archmic unhappily reports, “We have almost total gravity plate failure.”
“Understood!” Sharz replies stoically.
The red planet, Mars, fills the forward viewer as they get closer.
K’peck turns and says, “We are unable to land. We have virtually no gravity plating, and most of the thrusters are out.”
Sharz takes a deep breath as he stands and gazes at the scene before him and ponders their predicament. The outer hull is falling away in ever increasing amounts, which means they will lose their shields as the emitters are installed into the outer hull.
“Roll the ship.” Johnny ventures.
Sharz turns and stares at Johnny, then he asks, “What good would that do young human?”
“Dad told me they rolled the Terran to use its upper thrusters to get them into orbit.” Johnny replies pridefully.
Sharz glances to his bridge officers, and waits.
Archmic taps on his console, then relays his findings, “The thrusters are all built into reinforced hull sections, and we have lost none of them!”
K’peck grimaces as he runs a simulation, then with a sigh he reports, “If we survive the landing, we will not be taking off again!”
“Hull breach, level three!” Archmic reports, alarmed by the way the Atlan gas is still damaging their hull.
“That settles it!” Sharz states, then orders, “Roll the ship!”
Archmic stares at the planet, then as they descend, he looks fearfully at a new alarm. He turns, and with a dread-filled voice, states, “We just lost shields to the command levels. There is nothing to protect us from the impact!”
Sharz stares at the fast-approaching ground, taps his internal communications and orders, “Evacuate the command levels. All crew, except the engine operators, to the hatchery.” He stands, then states, “That means us too. Hurry!”
K’peck notices an opportunity to minimize their impact and makes a few minor adjustments to their trajectory. He then transfers control to both engine rooms, along with strict instructions, then rushes out the doorway.
The bridge crew sprints for the stairwell, and flees down as fast as they can. Lisa recalls the time she, George, and Johnny fled down the steps of the Statue of Liberty, and hurries all the more.
At each level, Sharz seals the passageway, providing at best, minimal additional protection. The engine room operators monitor the ships progress, and perform adjustments as per K’peck’s directions.
Sharz’s craft is a sight to see as it plummets, almost upside-down, toward a massive crater on the Martian surface. Upper thrusters melt their directional ports as they burn at more than sixty percent over their design tolerances. Hull plating continues to trail behind the vessel, as does a massive plume of smoke in the thin atmosphere.
The command levels strike the side of the crater first, and shear off almost immediately, bouncing them away from the wall for a moment. The internal gravity fluctuates, tossing those on board into walls, the ceilings, or the floor.
Sharz and those who were on the bridge, recover, then nervously stare at the bulkhead they just secured. A loud grinding sound emanates from the far side, alarming them all the more. They need no further incentive, and as one, run toward the most heavily protected portion of the ship, its hatchery.
The vessel’s momentum carries them along the rim of the crater, shredding hull plating, like cheese on a grater. The vibrations inside the ship are so intense, floor and wall panels buckle. Th
e weakened main engine supports snap, tearing the engines away from the main hull. Both engine room operators are relieved when emergency bulkheads slide into place, just in time. The craft slows, and as it does, slides down the rim of the crater toward the floor. Power fluctuates as the overstressed grid fails, then reestablishes itself.
By the time the vessel comes to rest, it is a mere shadow of its former self. Much of its armor and hull, along with the five command levels, trail behind, alongside the deep trench their passage created. The main engines have toppled to the floor of the crater, and lay there, a ruined mess.
Chapter Two – From the Ashes
Sharz arrives at the hatchery and is greeted by an anxious crewman. The crewman twitches as he apprehensively reports, “The engine room indicates that something is transmitting our location on a local narrow band frequency.”
Sharz blinks in surprise, then orders, “Get someone to the location of that beacon, and silence it! Short range or not, we’re in no position to defend ourselves.”
K’peck contacts the operators in both engine rooms, and after a few moments, happily reports, “An operator has a bodysuit, and is on the way.”
“What is the ship’s status?” Sharz asks.
K’peck sighs, then replies, “Life support systems are failing to maintain internal pressure. At the present rate of loss, we have less than a cycle before we run out. Internal gravity is obviously functional, for now. The power grid is severely compromised, reducing us to one power unit, with the other three being on severed segments.”
Archmic interrupts with his own report, “I reduced all power output from the units to minimal, just before leaving the bridge, which should alleviate concerns of an overload for quite some time.”
“Great thinking!” Sharz commends.
While they discuss repair options, and send teams out to stem the hemorrhaging of their atmosphere, a bodysuit wearing engineer enters a shuttle. He, along with two others, carefully move the three eggs that were inside, to the other craft. Once done, he sits in the pilot seat, lifts off the deck, then remotely opens the ship’s ramp. Staring at the upside-down landscape, he becomes momentarily disorientated. He rolls the shuttle almost one hundred-eight degrees, to line up with the ground.
Initiation Series: Series One Compilation (Terran Chronicles) Page 186
