Stepping Stones (Founding of the Federation Short Stories Book 1)

by Chris Hechtl

  “It's my shift. Did you forget the time again? she asked, adding a slight bit of concern to her voice. “Did you figure something out?”

  “No, um, well, yes. I thought since the commercial aspects weren't panning out as expected, we'd try something else,” Al said.

  “Something else?”

  “When the commercial doesn't work, you go to the military, right?” he asked, shifting the object in his hands. It was the size of a football she noted. It took her a moment to realize it was fuel. A fuel container? Why?

  “Al …”

  “The brass is supposed to come by sometime, right? I figured if we show them … a big light display it'll give us a new breath of life.”

  “Al, I don't know; this sounds sort of dangerous,” she said as he moved toward her. Suddenly she felt … strange. Nervous in his presence. He wasn't menacing her but … She looked around, hoping someone else would show up, but knowing no one else was around. There was a reason she preferred the night shift after all. Even Charlie the janitor was in bed.

  “Sorry, Anna, but this is for the greater good,” Al said, raising the fuel container quickly. The last thing she saw was it coming at her in a blur. Then there was pain followed by blessed unconsciousness.

  ~~~(>O<)~~~

  Turner rushed to the lab. It was empty, the lights off. He scowled and then looked up to the computer just as Addison came in, belting on a weapons belt over her jumpsuit.

  “Is that thing really necessary?”

  She just gave him a look and then looked around. “Where is he? The computer said he's here.”

  “Apparently not.”

  Addison cleared her throat and then looked up, pitching her voice to the nearest microphone. “Computer, location of Doctor Russell? Security override alpha.”

  “Doctor Russell is not confirmed on the station.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?” Turner demanded.

  “It means the computer lost track of him,” Addison said, pursing her lips in a thin angry line. She didn't like how the situation was spinning so rapidly out of control. And it was happening so fast! Without warning … she frowned thoughtfully. Russell was the loud mouth she'd shut down at the dinner—the one who knew about Europa.

  Her hand flew to her holster when someone came around the corner. The woman stopped, eyes wide. “Wowa! It's just me!” She held her hands up.

  “She's seeing ghosts. Have you seen Al?”

  “Doctor Russell?” Jolie asked, shaking her head. “Not in a while. He looked busy with something. I was going to pop in to see Anna, chat her up to keep her awake but …,” she craned her neck to see the dark lights. “Huh. That's funny. Did she pop off early?”

  “I don't think so,” Turner said with a frown. “Wait, she's not in the control room?” he asked carefully.

  “No. I just came from there,” Jolie said, pointing over her shoulder back the way she had come. “I thought she was here so …”

  “She left her post?” Addison demanded, wondering if she had two rogue people to deal with.

  “Well, you can monitor the controls from here,” Jolie said, squirming a bit. She shot a look of raw appeal to her boss. Turner grimaced.

  “Computer, find Doctor Bright,” Addison said in a deadly voice.

  “Doctor Bright was last recorded entering quarters nine,” the computer intoned dispassionately.

  “What? Why would she be there? That area is sealed off!” Jolie said, eyes wide again, this time in confusion.

  “Jolie, get to OPS. Keep tabs on the situation from there. If you can, bring up the security sensors in that area without bringing up the lights or anything.”

  “Um … sure, Josh,” Jolie said, now confused and unsure about the situation.

  “Do it. Quickly. Call us on channel two,” Addison ordered.

  “Yeah, um, sure,” Jolie said, looking at the security chief. She noted the weapon again and felt a sinking sensation. Something was very wrong. “Is something going on? Something I should know about? Is Anna in trouble?”

  “Do us a favor and get to OPS. We'll figure it out,” Josh told her, waving her off as they left.

  ~~~(>O<)~~~

  “Al, don't do this,” Anna murmured, rolling her head to ease her aching shoulders and neck. Her head was in a lot of pain from the blow. She couldn't do anything about it; Al had taped her up with rigging tape and stuffed her in a bag. He'd carried her to … somewhere and had just pulled the bag open.

  “Will you be quiet …,” Al started then sighed. He laughed softly to himself, running a hand through his thinning hair. “Well, no, it's okay now I guess. Scream all you like.”

  “Why … Al, you … you're not going to rape me, are you?” she asked, eyes wide.

  “Rape … Oh, Anna my love, never. Never in a million years would I … how could you even think that?” he demanded eying her.

  “Well,” she wriggled. “First you knock me out, I've got a hell of a headache, and I wake tied up, and …”

  “Sorry. Sorry about that,” he said. He hadn't had the heart to kill her. Nor to gag her, he wanted her breathing, he did care about her after all. Suddenly his plan was slipping away from him. He turned to the bomb on the table.

  “What's that? Oh, my aching neck!” Anna said, practically in tears.

  He knew her headaches, her pains. He instinctively went over behind her and rubbed her shoulders. She flinched, then sighed in contentment as he rubbed her shoulders and neck. “Thank you,” she said softly.

  “Don't.”

  “Don't thank you? Well, I suppose you did knock some sense into me. Odd though, you always liked it better when I did the tying.” She tried a roguish smile up at him instead of doe eyes. It didn't work.

  He grunted, hands slowing. “I'm sorry it came to this, Anna. I am. But the human race needs to know. And Lagroose needs to be stopped.”

  “Know what?”

  “The military potential of antimatter. It's been theorized, but it's time they see it.”

  “Al, you're scaring me here,” her eyes cut to the bomb. Her hands began to struggle behind her back, but he'd done too good a job taping her up. “Al, what is that?”

  “You know what it is. And you know why I'm doing it.”

  “Damn it, Al.”

  ~~~(>O<)~~~

  “I've got them. He shut off and blocked the computer from tracking him but not his implants,” Addison said as she glanced down at her tablet, “or hers. He forgot hers.”

  “You've got them?”

  “He had to leave the implants alone to get in and out of the rooms,” Addison said. “And with a couple of tweaks ….” She scowled. “Damn it, you just have basic identification implants?”

  “Yes. Why, there are others?”

  “Of course … you know, not now,” she said with some heat. “So ...” She frowned.

  “I've got the feed for you. But you aren't going to like it,” Jolie said over the radio. It startled both of them. Turner looked down at it. “She's sitting; he's behind her. I've got the IR on; I didn't bring the video cameras up like you said.”

  “Okay. Why?”

  “The little red light would be a dead giveaway they are on,” Turner said. “Besides, there are cameras in some of the rooms but not all of them. Nine was Al's old room before he moved. He had the cameras shut off.”

  “His old room?” Addison asked.

  “His and Anna’s. They were an item a while ago.”

  “Oh. Oh boy,” Addison muttered.

  “Is this kinky or what? He's got her tied up. Should I be watching this?” Jolie demanded.

  They looked at Addison's tablet. They could see her moving but not well. The heat signatures merged a bit.

  “How can you tell?”

  “Trust me, I've seen people tied up before,” Jolie said dryly. “It's not that uncommon actually. This isn't any sexual thing I've seen though. Is he strangling her? No, she's talking. Looking at the table. There is an odd heat signature there.”


  “Frack! He's built a bomb,” Turner muttered, eying it with dread.

  “A bomb? Did you say bomb?” Jolie demanded, voice rising in panic.

  Addison shot Turner a disgusted look then snapped her fingers to get Jolie to stop babbling. “Listen to me. Get Charlie and the others up and down here right away. Alert the company; tell them we have a bomb and hostage situation on the station. Do that now.”

  “Um, yeah, sure. I mean … are we going to evacuate? Not that I think we can go far, I mean, if it's a big bomb …”

  “Jolie, just do it.”

  “Right.”

  ~~~(>O<)~~~

  “You don't have to do it. You don't have to use that thing. You …”

  “I haven't made my point so don't go there Anna,” Al argued, moving away to pace. She watched him quietly. “They have to see it; you do too! Europa …”

  “I know. Al, I know,” she said, eyes imploring him to see reason, to come back from the brink of insanity. “Al, don't do this. You could … you could destabilize the sun! Think of what that could do to the human race! Do you really want to end it? End it all??”

  He stopped dead and stared at the bomb. “Sometimes … sometimes yeah. I wish. I wish it'd all come to an end,” he whispered.

  “Al. Listen to me. You are not a killer. Not now, not ever.”

  “I'm not? Are you so sure about that?” he demanded, turning on her.

  “Look at me!” she squirmed on the chair again, wriggling her fingers. “You didn't kill me, did you? You could have, yet you didn't. And don't tell me it was because you didn't want to set an alarm off. This is me we're talking about,” she said eying him.

  He squirmed, looking anywhere but at her. He always loved their ability to synch up, to think together. They were so compatible; yet, she'd dumped him. He felt a flash of hurt but put it away. Tears pricked his eyes, but he didn't bother to let them fall.

  “They have to see,” he shook his head, pounding a fist into a hand. “They have to know.” He stopped and leaned against the table, facing it. “Don't you understand? I don't want to do this! It's dangerous. In the wrong hands … Lagroose shouldn't have it. No one should.”

  “So? Tell them that!”

  He looked over his shoulder to her frowning. She rolled her eyes and shifted her legs. “Tell them. Show them if you must but don't blow that thing up!”

  “It took the Manhattan Project for mankind to see what sort of danger nuclear material represented. It woke up Oppenhiemer, Einstien, Russell, and others only after they'd seen the results on the ground.”

  “Then tell them that. Show them with simulations. Or hell …” She frowned thoughtfully. “Dump it out an airlock!” He looked at her. “Not towards the sun. Use a … use a life boat to get it out far enough, then set it off. It'll make a big bang, big enough for everyone in the star system to see so no one can deny it. They can't cover that up!”

  “I …”

  “Live, Al. They won't be happy, but please live. Please,” she said, voice dropping to a terrified whisper as the tears fell. He turned and touched her face, wiping them away with his thumb. She nuzzled his hand sobbing. “Please all,” she begged.

  ~~~(>O<)~~~

  “Someone's coming out,” Turner said urgently. Charlie looked up as did Addison.

  She waved them back. “Back. Give him room.”

  “He's coming this way!” Turner said, pointing.

  “Shh,” Addison urged. They might have lucked out, she thought.

  ~~~(>O<)~~~

  Al opened the door and then headed to the nearest lifeboat. He knew where it was; he'd been drilled on it often enough before he'd switched quarters. In fact, it was the same one he was trained to go to now, so it shouldn't be a problem gaining access to it.

  He would reprogram it, then program a radio message for the computer to broadcast, then bring the bomb. It would take a bit of work to rig a timer, but he could do it. Anna would watch and supervise. He didn't fully trust her, which was why she was still taped up. He had tried to make her as comfortable as possible on the bed however.

  He rounded the corner to find Addison standing there holding a nasty looking weapon. It was pointed right at him. “Um …,” slowly his hands rose as Turner and others came out from their hiding spots. “I surrender?” he said.

  “Damn right you do. Cuff him,” Addison said. “You know, on second thought …,” she thumbed the pistol's safety off.

  “No wait!” Al said just as the stunner went off. He crumbled to the deck.

  “Now we don't have to worry about any tricks. And I'll cuff him,” Addison said, pulling out a pair of plastic zip cuffs from a thigh pocket.

  ~~~(>O<)~~~

  “I'm assuming you are referring to the antimatter debacle, sir?” Athena asked. He grunted.

  Athena took the reaction as an agreement and not a rebuke for her intrusion and question. She watched as Jack studied the report and read it once more for herself as well. Nothing new had been added since 0800. She scanned the history, allowing the human to process the data at his own speed.

  The crowd-funded corporation Star Reach had predicted the need for antimatter to power starships and advanced sublight craft forty years ago when the first breakthroughs in force emitters and hyper physics had been made. At the time Lagroose had not been interested in starships, but Jack had followed their lead in order to set the company up in a supporting role. However, finding ways to create and store antimatter had turned out to be difficult and tricky, which translated to expensive. Extremely expensive.

  Getting the cost of energy down had dropped the price from a half trillion dollars a gram in 2083 to a hundred and then just a billion dollars a gram by 2140. That was still too much money for investors to support. Which was one of the reasons Star Reach was still struggling with getting off their plans off the ground.

  Making antimatter required a particle accelerator. If you wanted to make it in bulk, which of course the megacorps and scientific institutions did, you had to have a lot of accelerators to do the job. But that was only the second hurdle. Then you had to figure out how to trap the antimatter and contain it. Antimatter reacted with matter, converting itself into energy and neutrinos.

  As an engineer Jack had seen the risks and the engineering issues involved right away. However, he, like a lot of people involved, had been so focused on the competition to be the first to get antimatter to market at a viable price that he had ignored the destructive potential. He'd had his engineers and scientists work on more efficient means of making and storing the antimatter. A second team worked in parallel to find ways to convert the antimatter into energy. They had to safely contain the explosion of energy, but also tap all of it. No engineering process was 100 percent perfect; that was a fundamental rule of engineering all good engineers understood.

  Antimatter was a glorified hyper capacitive battery. It stored vast amounts of energy in incredibly tiny packaging. It had been the golden goose of science fiction for over a century, foretelling of a golden age once it came into use. Megacorps scrambled to get their own piece of the pie. Industrial espionage and sabotage became a serious problem fifteen years ago. Fortunately, all of Lagroose's competitors had been stuck in the theoretical stage. None had advanced to the hardware prototyping stage like Lagroose.

  Jack had set up solar farms and fusion reactors to power his company’s industrial stations and orbital works. Unfortunately, they weren't enough to power the particle accelerators in Race Track Station orbiting Venus. Jack had resolved the problem with something novel, something only considered insane by modern engineers until he'd made it work. A plasma tap on the sun turned out to be expensive as a start-up, but once it was functional it had turned into a cheap way to get fusion energy to power his particle accelerators to make antimatter in vast quantities. However, the time taken to build the plasma tap with the proper shielding hadn't accounted for advances in hyper physics and fusion reactor technology. Now that they had dense fusion bottl
es enhanced with force emitters antimatter wasn't necessary.

  Up until five years ago the second team had worked largely in theory and simulations. They'd been given tiny amounts, sometimes no more than a few molecules to run field tests on. They'd also starved for funds, which had only gotten worse when the shift away from antimatter began.

  In desperation to get the dreamed-of recognition desired, the project director, Carmen Gomez, had given his people a free hand to find a way to utilize antimatter. He'd even sweetened the deal with carrots like leave time on Earth, paid vacations on L-5 as well as financial bonuses. Where he planned to get the money for all that hadn't been asked about until later.

  His team had used their initiative to work on the first use of antimatter, starting with experiments in industry. They, however, didn't pan out; once the substance was in atmosphere, it reacted violently.

  This didn't deter one scientist who decided the best market for antimatter was the military. He was so convinced he built a bomb as a prototype proving device to showcase at the next inspection by the brass. Fortunately, he was caught out by a colleague. When she attempted to report him, he kidnapped her and tried to reason with her.

  Her absence, however, had been noted by another friend. She had assumed they had shacked up for a little alone time, but when the young lady hadn't reported in to her shift the next morning, questions were asked. The young couple were located within seconds by security thanks to the implant devices embedded in their bodies. A brief hostage situation had been resolved when the young lady talked her captor into surrendering.

  Then the finger pointing and recriminations had begun. Also, the questions on what to do with the young man; law was a particularly thorny issue in the company. That was kicked up the chain of command until it hit Jack's desk. He hadn't seen what the big deal was until Director Gomez had handed over the simulations of the bomb and its yield. That had sobered him. He'd slapped a security seal on the entire incident to keep it quiet. The last thing he needed was for anyone to get wind of it. Not just because of the negative publicity but also the threat to the future the bomb would pose.