by John Walker
Nathaniel nearly answered immediately but he stopped himself and took a deep breath.“Okay, I’m just being overly cautious but I think I’ve got good cause.”
“All I can ask you to do is ensure you’ve taken every safety precaution possible.” Desmond smiled.“Beyond that, we’re going to be playing a little fate. I’m pretty confident that it’s not going to be any different going all the way out there than it was to return home from our first trip. Think about it. The system is designed for this.”
“I know… and I don’t mean to be the one to cry wolf before we’ve even seen some fur…” Nathaniel ran his hand over his head and nodded.“I’ll make sure we get there. Somehow and no matter what, we’ll make it.”
“Look on the bright side, we have an AIA agent on board and she’s studied all this stuff. From what I’ve been led to believe, her understanding of our systems is second to none. You’ll be able to tap into her experience just after we take off. Maybe she can help and she’s got the data we took from the aliens.”
“And we have access to it?”
Desmond nodded.“All of it. She’s on full share mode so take advantage while you can. You know how the AIA can be.”
“Not really, no… but I’ll definitely reach out to her.” Nathaniel stood up straighter.“Alright, Captain. I’ll sign off and we’ll get out of here. Thanks for the quick talk. I appreciate it.”
“I understand and thank you for not pushing back until I had to give you a direct order.” Desmond patted him on the shoulder.“It’s time to see what your ship can do, Lieutenant Commander Webber. Can you fire up the hyperdriveas we input some coordinates taking us far beyond where any human has even thought to go?”
“Yes, sir… I do believe I can.”
Chapter 5
Desmond returned to the bridge and paused just inside the door, taking a look at the officers working at their stations. Zach glanced back and called out,“Captain on the bridge.” This drew the attention of the others and Desmond raised a hand, letting them know to continue what they were doing.
He took his seat and leaned over to Vincent.“Are we ready to go? Nathaniel should’ve signed off.”
“He did, sir. Agent Alexander has provided the coordinates to our destination and she’s working with Salina on the final predictive analysis before we depart. We’re ready to leave Earth’s orbit on your command and we should be able to initiate hyperspace within twenty minutes after that.”
Desmond frowned and nodded.“Okay. Zach, take us out of orbit. Salina, get me a com to Admiral Reach, please. Priority Two.”
Established communication protocols put together five major priorities. They ranged from not at all urgent (five) to there’s a major disaster occurring (one). The most commonly used option was three which allowed the recipient of the contact to finish whatever they were doing before accepting the contact.
Two meant they needed to speak right away but there was no emergency currently happening.
“Yes, sir.” Salina tapped her touch screen several times before announcing,“You are connected.”
“Admiral, this is Captain Bradford and we are leaving orbit now. Any last orders?”
“Come back alive, Desmond. We need your ship and your crew. If you don’t think you can take the enemy, get your asses back here and report in. Understood?”
“Loud and clear, sir.” Desmond smiled.“We’ll talk soon. Close channel and alert the ship that we will be entering hyperspace in approximately twenty minutes.”
Cassie spoke quietly to Salina but the bridge was really too small not to hear her.“Is it really so jarring? I mean, I’ve only read about the simulations. You guys have actually done it. Do people need to brace and all that?”
“For the initial entry,” Salina said,“yes, we do. Once we’ve established ourselves, movement about the ship is normal. We haven’t encountered any turbulence while in FTL. However, we didn’t really go that far.”
“I see.” Cassie cleared her throat.“Here’s to new experiences, huh?”
The ship’s engines kicked on and the hull vibrated ever so slightly. Earth occupied the majority of the view screen for a brief moment and then it did not. They peered into deep space, moving swiftly away from their home. The next stars out there would be totally unfamiliar with new patterns to catalog.
If only we were going for such a peaceful reason. Desmond, like the rest of the crew, looked forward to seeing the rest of the universe. He studied to be a soldier but he always thought it would be an unnecessary precaution. Racing to stop another species never crossed his mind. Had someone warned him about an invasion, he would’ve thought they were crazy.
He wondered about Agent Alexander, how she would fare on this mission. She supposedly underwent some pretty intense training to get where she was, both physical and mental. Desmond never really thought about the AIA so he didn’t feel inclined not to trust her simply because of her chosen career path.
Others might not be so easy going. The only thing anyone knew about the AIA involved rumors. They were shadowy though public enough to know it. This made them scarier to the right kind of people, those who liked to explore conspiracy theories. Some people aboard would likely have questions for her about what she did.
Desmond just wanted to know that she could do her job and maintain a calm disposition. So far, she’d proven to be pretty amazing. Getting into the alien computers and extracting the data couldn’t have been easy. It proved she knew what she was doing, that she had the training she spoke of and moreover, she applied it brilliantly.
That unto itself gave him confidence in her abilities. He’d need to take a few minutes to talk to her when they were fully underway, maybe get to know where she was coming from. If she had any disadvantage at all, it was a lack of time in space. But as with all things, a little time and experience went a long way.
Cassie would be fine if not by the time they arrived, then shortly after.
“We are nearly in position to engage hyperdrive,” Zach said.“Predictive analysis?”
“Complete,” Salina said.“I’ve sent a minor adjustment to your course and it’s been verified by Agent Alexander. Please confirm.”
Zach took a moment and nodded.“Confirmed. I’m ready to initiate hyperspace on your mark, Captain.”
Desmond paused for a moment, preparing himself for the biggest order of his career. When he told his pilot to send them hurtling through space to another solar system, he would be taking another giant step for mankind. This one came with so many repercussions. First, they’d know they could do it and second, they’d find out if they could hold their own against the aliens.
Again. This might be an easier fight depending on what we find there.
“Engage.” He spoke the word firmly, but hoped he didn’t put too much energy behind it. Too much passion or emotion wouldn’t do anyone any good. He needed to be the picture of calm and he intended to stay that way even if his insides were dancing.“Let’s see what’s at the other end of this adventure.”
Zach nodded once before tapping the controls. The ship began to hum and a low whine began to build deep within the ship. Desmond sat back in his chair and drew a deep breath, forcing himself not to grip the chair arms tightly. They’d been through this twice before, once to get to the edge of their solar system and once to come back to battle the aliens.
A third time shouldn’t have affected him at all but he couldn’t pretend to be inhuman. This new technology might not work in a spectacular fashion. It may simply fail at best or flat out explode. The screen went dark as the ship shimmered out of their reality as they knew it and into the alternate dimension of hyperspace.
Desmond always had a problem accepting the explanation he was given about hyperspace. He preferred to think of it as the ship simply going very fast but they insisted that they were shifting beyond the natural realm where certainly rules did not apply. This allowed them to race along without killing everyone on board.
Technically, the
ship was simply moving at maximum speed but in this other space, they were able to cover up to twenty times the distance. A trip to the outer edge of their space, at a reasonable speed, took about forty minutes. When they raced back at three-quarters full, they got back in half that.
Now they’d be moving at full speed and it would still take several hours. The time depended on all the small corrections the ship’s computer would make along the way and so it would be variable. Such a trip might’ve taken twenty hours under a different set of circumstances.
Researchers suggested they’d be able to better predict these things with further trials. The Gnosis was performing those tests now, in production. Salina was recording everything about the ship during the flight. Engine performance, structural integrity, circuitry decay and crew efficiency all went into a massive database to be studied at a later time.
They shut off the exterior cameras and went to sensors only. This meant the view screen stopped showing outside and instead began displaying internal system monitoring. The initial plunge made the ship rattle for a moment but it smoothed out quickly, just as before. Tension on the bridge increased dramatically until Salina spoke up.
“All systems read normal. We are now in hyperspace.”
Zach clapped his hands and hooted.“Amazing! I knew this complicated mess would hold together!”
“Was that a concern?” Cassie asked.“Were you guys worried something would happen?”
“It’s only the third time we’ve done it,” Vincent replied.“So I think people were a bit nervous.”
Cassie nodded and returned to what she was doing, her eyes wide.
Desmond stood and began giving orders.“Alright, Zach, I want Deacon up here to relieve you while we’re in hyperspace. When we arrive, you’ve got to be back on duty. Get some food and downtime. You’ll need it. Vincent, work with Dennis to ensure the pilots are ready when we arrive. They should also get some rest. Same with the marines.”
“I’m on it, sir.” Vincent got on his com and started making connections.
“Agent Alexander, I believe Salina, you and I have something to discuss in regards to these ships. I’d like a quick briefing that we can disseminate to the other section heads as soon as possible. Then everyone gets a few hours downtime before we arrive and have to be awake for God knows how long.” Desmond took a breath and clapped his hands.“Ready?”
A round of affirmatives filled the room.
“Then I’ll get out of your hair to make it happen.”
***
Cassie expected the alien technology briefing to be a hyper-efficient affair with direct questions and severity but Desmond surprised her. He kept the meeting pleasant and though they discussed sensitive, serious topics, he didn’t allow it to become a brooding exploration into the capabilities of their enemies. She admired how easy it was to talk in his presence.
Salina, on the other hand, remained just as down to business as she had been during their time on Earth together. She held valuable insights into the situation and offered tactical advice throughout the discussion. After an hour of exploring their own research data and what they found in the alien computers, she proved to have a near photographic memory.
“Let me sum up,” Desmond said,“they’ve got shields like ours but they have a better understanding of how to modulate them to greater effect, right?”
Cassie nodded.“Yes, I’ve been trying to find a way to make ours do the same but I’ll need to speak with an engineer so I don’t design something beyond system specs. I know we’re able to do it but we have to do so in a way that won’t burn out existing components.”
“Okay.” Desmond made a note on his tablet before continuing.“We also know their weapons are on par with ours except for the strange sphere thing they used toward the end of the engagement. Any theories on why they waited so long?”
“Extreme power drain,” Salina said.“All my readings indicate they were essentially useless for at least a minute after it happened. Had we not attacked so quickly, it might’ve even taken them longer to recover.”
“Sounds like a parting shot to me.” Desmond rubbed his chin, staring into space.“Maybe that ship was trying to sacrifice itself to give the others a chance to finish their assignments.”
“They didn’t know we could get back so quickly,” Salina pointed out.“After all, they waited to attack until we were as far away as we would get.”
“None of them knew where you were going either,” Cassie added.“You might’ve still been in hyperspace when they made their move.”
“Great points.” Desmond made another note.“Armor similar to ours… Maneuverability, slightly better on the smaller ships and their fighters… Well, they didn’t turn out to be as scary as Salina predicted.”
“No,” Salina conceded,“but they do have an enhanced form of inertial dampeners… either that or their pilots are simply conditioned to heavier G-force. Their maneuvers were pretty spectacular and I know all of our pilots have studied the data exhaustively. They’ll be ready for their next engagement.”
“Good. I’m glad to hear it.” Desmond gestured to the screen again.“Have we figured out their communications yet? Can we jam them or at least interfere with their ability to chat?”
Cassie fielded the question.“I can’t say yes for sure yet but I’ve been working on it. Whether I’ll have an application ready for this next conflict, it’s hard to say. Our normal methods wouldn’t work though. They use a lot of energy to ensure their coms function, however. This gives us an advantage because I think I can intercept them.”
“I’d love to see how you intend to,” Salina said.“Imagine how much easier this fight will be if we’re able to monitor their coms.”
Desmond smirked before saying,“It won’t matter much if they know about it. Are we going to be able to do this without alerting them?”
Cassie shrugged.“Unfortunately, the documentation we have from them doesn’t really dive into their scanning abilities. If they have a mature sensor and monitoring system, we might not be able to but if we’re throwing all kinds of frequencies around, jamming and such, then who knows how far we can go?”
“They’d be so busy cleaning up our interference,” Salina said,“theymay not notice we’re listening.”
“I like it,” Desmond replied.“Okay, so I’m going to give this briefing to the others. You will both be present in case of any technical questions. When we’re done, I’ll have Cassie work with Nathaniel to check on the shield modulation but don’t put too much time into it. You need to get some rest and we’ve only got nine hours left to get everything done.”
“Understood,” Cassie replied.“Do we need to talk about anything else?”
“No, I’ve got all the data here and I’ve asked the extra questions I had.” Desmond stood.“We’ll meet up in the briefing room to finish. Thank you both for compiling all this. It’s going to make a huge difference. Believe me.”
***
The briefing didn’t take long and Cassie gathered her things for a trip down to engineering. Chief Engineer Webber had attended the meeting but he left immediately along with the others. They all asked sensible questions, taking their briefings back to share with their people. None of them seemed nervous about the prospect of their assignment.
Perhaps they were simply too professional to show any sort of fear around their peers.
Desmond stepped close, speaking quietly.“Do you mind if I escort you to engineering? I’d like a word as we go.”
“Yes, Mister Webber already left and I was hoping he’d remind me of how to get there. When I visited the ship last, there weren’t as many walls.”
Desmond grinned.“Would’ve been a lot easier to get around, that’s for sure. Come on.”
Cassie fell into step beside him, admiring the aesthetic they gave the place. It felt far less utilitarian than when she had visited it, more like a home. The intent was to ensure people didn’t feel like cogs in a machine. It was important for every c
rew member to have a sense of comfort, especially on a long space voyage.
“So, I know you’re from California and that you went to Geneva for school,” Desmond started.“What’re your hobbies, Agent?”
“Oh um… Well…” Cassie blushed.“I’ve always been really good with computers but I really love music. So when I’m not swamped, I write songs. Electronic stuff mostly‘causeI can’t play an instrument, but programming beats and stuff? No problem. Living in Europe also means I had access to great performers.”
“Music lover.” Desmond smiled.“That helps to offset the image of an AIA agent essentially being a work machine that lives in the shadows of conspiracy.”
“No, we’re not like that.” Cassie scratched her head.“But I get the misunderstanding. It’s not like we’re transparent about our activities. Classified information tends to make us all a bit twitchy to share things. Still, I can assure you my colleagues are all quite normal with their different passions and extracurricular activities. No one lives in the office. Not all the time.”
“But it’s a busy job.”
“Of course, there’s a lot of work to do. Sixty-hour weeks are the norm but if we’re there longer, it’s the exception to the rule.” Cassie chuckled.“Of course, now that I’m here I suppose we’ll be working during waking hours.”
“No, we work by six hour shifts, with four going to make up what we call a cluster, or day. Traditionally, we work a full six hour shift at whatever our standard duty is, take a shift for training or maintenance then have the other two off for sleep and recreation. Time is maximized and people have a chance to unwind without the threat of being back on in a few hours.”
“I hadn’t read about that,” Cassie said.“Sounds like it’ll work okay. We’re a lot more flexible at the AIA but then again, we’re not running the thing we’re living on.” She paused.“What about you? What’re your hobbies? Even if I only gave you one of mine.”
