“I had these put together before we left.” He looks back at Peter mischievously. “Turn it over.”
Peter does so and is flabbergasted to see his name emblazoned on the package. His jaw drops in surprise, and he is not one easily shocked. Henry steps toward him and places a hand around his shoulder.
“As the ship’s doctor it was my duty to come prepared. Enjoy!”
Peter turns to Emma, he is lost for words. She smiles, and bumps him with her hip. “Now, you’d better be more sociable next time I come sit with you mister!”
Emma turns, then strides off, leaving Peter standing there blinking in surprise. He turns to Henry and motions over his shoulder at the departing woman with his thumb.
“Did she just do, what I think she did?”
Henry laughs, “I have never seen you nonplussed before.” He heads back to his cabinet, then tosses Peter two more packs. “Don’t break the seals until you need them, each one is a three day supply.”
Peter is overwhelmed. “How many did you bring?”
Henry’s grin fades. “Not enough my friend, not nearly enough.”
Peter nods his head, understanding the situation all too clearly. “I will make them last then. Thank you.”
Henry’s smile fades as Peter leaves the room. He then sits down, suddenly demoralized. Glancing at the cabinet again, he can’t help but notice the piles of packages with Jim’s name on them. The other cabinets are closed, but the names Daitaro, Akira, Olaf, and others all seem to stare out at him. Over eighty dead since launching, and another seven with severe brain trauma. This mission has turned into a voyage of the damned alright. He has no idea that the very same thought crossed George’s mind a while ago.
Cindy is seated in her command chair, observing another sticky situation. Andrew and Joe have been debating with each other over their course back to Earth. What began as a quiet discussion between these two friends, has escalated into a heated argument.
Joe stabs at his console aggressively.
“Independent gravitation variances are included, look!” He taps away at numerous Gamin symbols as though he were on his own keyboard.
Cindy glance to his right and frowns, Joe’s laptop is closed.
Andrew peels off the last of his sticky notes then taps symbol after symbol on his own console.
“You look! Your formula doesn’t take into account the effects of quantum dynamics from…”
Finally Cindy stands up, and interjects.
“Gentlemen!” she states firmly, “what seems to be the problem?”
Joe and Andrew stare at each other, neither willing to speak up. John glances at the two men, then answers for them.
“We need to activate the Gamin navigational console and update our data.” He pauses, giving Joe and Andrew a solid stare. “We’re not one hundred percent sure of where we are.”
Cindy sits back down. “Ohh, is that all. What about running your data through GUS?”
John glances from her to Joe then Andrew.
Joe shakes his head in annoyance.
“GUS is just too damn slow.”
Cindy’s expression turns pensive. GUS too slow?
“OK. So what’s the real issue then?”
“As soon as we turn that console on, the Gamin, or others may be able to locate us.”
Cindy sits back as she mulls over the dilemma. The crew has run out of food and is living off ration packs. Even coffee and tea are becoming black market items, she smiles inwardly at this. Henry has resorted to handing out his stores as well, which in itself, indicates how desperate the food situation is becoming. With every sack, and unsealed food container having been destroyed due to the risk of spore infection, they lost many months worth of flour and rice. Add the destruction of hydroponics bay, and the situation becomes dire. Even though the command crew has been instructed not to say anything of the food shortage, the two remaining kitchen hands have undoubtedly let others know of their dwindling supplies. The bridge crew remains quiet as Cindy deliberates. She stands, then walks to the main view. The mesmerizing cascade of colors still enthralls her. She turns to face the crew, her face a stern mask as she issues her orders.
“We will disengage the main drive, then reinstall the Gamin navigational console. Run the Kord power cell until you get enough data to plot us a course, all the way home. Let’s make as few stops as possible, no sightseeing.”
She puts a hand to her forehead as a last minute thought comes to mind.
“We need a morale booster. Peter, see if you can drag up enough supplies for the crew to have a real meal. I think we should just stop right here and have a little get together before we move on.”
John nods his head in agreement, then shuts down the main drive. His fingers deftly moving over the Gamin console.
“You may as well shut down the Kord power unit.” He states matter-of-factly.
Cindy watches the colors shift back to the bland white dots, then does as requested. Walking past John’s console she stops, his mass of sticky notes are gone. They are becoming very familiar with the Gamin terminals.
The Terran floats in space, momentum is all that carries her forward. Every drive system is shut down. The nearest sun, a distant white dot. The perfect place to revitalize the crew’s waning spirit.
Peter, Emma, and Henry, gather the ship’s crew, assembling everyone in the mess hall. Once everybody is present, Cindy stands on a chair and delivers what she hopes is an inspirational speech.
“We’re going to stop right here, between the stars. We have come a long way, and survived some harrowing ordeals, it’s time to relax and let our hair down.” She smiles as her eyes wander across the crowd. “Though much of our food is gone we won’t starve, there are plenty of ration packs.”
One of the crew men chuckles, then hollers. “Ration pack party!”
Cindy steps down, then looks to Peter for support. He nods slightly then holds up a bottle of vodka.
“I have a whole case to share, enjoy!”
Peter leaves the bottle on the table, then retires to the bridge. Cindy also leaves the mess hall. Joe and Andrew stay, and start a new debate, though this time, it’s a friendly one. Emma casually follows Peter, while the rest of the crew gets on with the ration pack party.
Emma peeks her head around the corner and looks at the bridge area. She spots Cindy and Peter standing at one of the Gamin consoles. They’re tapping at various symbols, then pointing at the information displayed. She is about to walk away when Cindy notices her out of the corner of her eye.
“Hey Emma, come and join us. We’re discussing the ship’s status, plus trying to figure out how far we are from home.”
Emma joins the pair. While the bulk of the crew is unwinding, the trio get to work evaluating the ship’s condition. George joins them, and is surprisingly not wearing his body suit. One by one they all leave the bridge. The Terran continues to drift in space like a derelict, as the festivities continue on unabated.
Many hours later, the revelers have reduced in number to a hand full of die-hards. Joe and Andrew stagger toward their respective quarters. On the way, they find John struggling to climb the stairs. Laughing, they help each other up the stairwell to the command levels, where they split up. Eventually, the entire crew has had their fill, and is sleeping.
Silently, the Terran drifts on, it’s systems operating smoothly and efficiently even on the minimal power the reactors are putting out. Fans whirl, providing air flow throughout the ship, while heating elements keep the interior warm. Even the bridge is deserted at this late hour, leaving no one to monitor the ship’s slow progress. The minutes turn into hours as the crew sleeps.
Cindy wakes up, suddenly alert and anxious. She dresses quickly, then runs toward the bridge. Arriving she finds it unoccupied. Mildly panicking, she quickly checks the ship’s status. Finding nothing unusual, she sits in her chair and relaxes. That is the last time we leave the bridge unattended. Her mind is still replaying many of the nightmares
that have been plaguing her lately. George arrives a short time later, this time in his body suit. He nods to Cindy.
“Morning, or afternoon, not really sure what time it is.”
Even the Gamin’s twenty-six and a quarter hour day is irrelevant to them. The ship itself, does not have a day-night mode. They have just been spending whatever time they need to on the bridge. George glances at the empty seats, then gets to work reconnecting the Gamin’s navigational console.
Emma wakes, stretches, then sits up in alarm. She looks around sheepishly, gathers her belongings, then quietly scurries off to her own room. Like many of the crew, she enjoys a long hot shower, relishing the sensation of the water cascading over her. Having brought aboard an abundance of water, this is one luxury the crew does have. She sighs as she gets out of the shower. If only we had the right equipment we could have tested the food, well… next time. She does not even realize that she is already planning to stay on board, even after this harrowing trip. There is no doubt in her mind that they will get home, her confidence in Cindy’s leadership is unshakable.
John arrives on the bridge, his hair still wet. He is followed closely by Andrew, who upon seeing George working, gets to his console. Joe steps onto the bridge just in time to see George giving Cindy a thumbs up. He stretches, then walks over to stand between John and Andrew. His timing could not be better.
Cindy picks up the small controller for the Kord power cell, then activates it. George powers up the navigational console, then waits. Andrew deftly taps away at symbol after symbol. Joe monitors his progress as star chart, after star chart, is displayed. One particular system piques his interest, he points at Andrew’s console.
“Wait, go back, I want to see what’s in that last system.”
Andrew obliges, then selects the planet with a Gamin symbol over it. He and Joe stare at the data for a few moments, then Joe whistles an exclamation.
“If I am reading this right,” he says with confidence, “that system has a Gamin satellite grid around it.”
Cindy’s eyes narrow, she responds slowly.
“I would like to avoid all contact, ill equipped to handle anything we may come across.”
Andrew turns around in his chair, then offers her a tempting notion.
“The satellites are active, and the planet has a moon. If the Gamin put a base on that moon, there may be additional shuttles.”
Cindy purses her lips in deliberation. She glances at Joe, then John. Both men nod their assent. She leans back, debating the pros and cons.
“How far out of the way is it?”
Joe grins, Andrew has already calculated their options. Without even turning back to his console Andrew replies confidently.
“Not even a day. The system itself is almost directly in our path, and even better still, at factor seven it’s only thirty-six hours away.”
She ponders the notion while Joe and Andrew continue to plot their course home. It takes the pair a mere ten more minutes to get all they need. Andrew looks up at George and makes a sweeping motion across his neck. George promptly shuts down the navigational console, then begins the task of disconnecting it. Cindy asks one more question as she considers Andrew’s proposal.
“How far away is Earth from that planet?”
Andrew grins even more before he answers.
“Close to eight thousand three hundred light years. If the Kord power cell holds up, we should be home inside a week.”
Cindy leans forward, “and if the power cell runs out?” Her voice is tinged with skepticism.
Joe turns to Cindy, his voice resounding confidently.
“We have been able to squeeze factor six out of the engines. Adding the four hours recharge time between uses, means it would take us about eight weeks to get home.” He looks out the main viewer and nods, indicating the mysterious planet, “from there!”
Cindy gazes at each of them as she comes a decision.
“Alright, we’ll investigate the planet, and its moon. But, I want a fast turn-around. We get there, look for a lunar base, then leave as quickly as we can.”
John gives Andrew a sideways glance, “if these gravitational figures are accurate, we can land on that moon.”
Andrew crosses his arms, “they are!” His voice is extremely confident.
Cindy is not sure what to make of the bridge crew’s behavior. There doesn’t seem to be any animosity, but there is definitely something going on.
George walks over to Joe’s console, then connects his suit to it. Joe watches as an enormous data steam is fed directly into his terminal. A number of dots appear, each one representing a Gamin fleet. The nearest is over eleven thousand light years away, the farthest some fifty thousand. George points wordlessly at one of the dots. Joe stares at George in awe, how he identified Regent Voknor’s forces is beyond him. Joe does not even realize that he also recognized which fleet George was referring to.
Peter has not slept so well in a long time. He wakes feeling very energized, then quickly glances around, she’s gone. The thought comes with a tinge of disappointment, but then he smiles. Taking his time to get ready, he arrives on the bridge last. He finds the room rather quiet, everybody is busy tapping away at their terminals. Assessing the mood quickly, he grins like an excited school boy.
“So, where are we going now? Not home, I take it!”
Cindy gives him a broad smile, then relaxes in her chair. With high spirits she stares at the distant stars. Her optimism has been renewed.
“Punch it,” she says with zeal.
Tomorrow’s World
The thirty-six hours pass quickly and without incident. They come and go leaving the Terran still two hours away from their destination. Cindy wants everyone fresh and alert when they arrive, thus the delay. Occupying her command chair, she watches as the regular crew trickles onto the bridge. Edwards is replaced by John, they chat amicably for a short time before Edwards retires. He is slowly coming around, she thinks positively.
Andrew and Joe arrive at the same time, and immediately delve into star charts as they continue their discussion on various stellar phenomenon. It is clear that there are many places the pair craves to investigate. Joe opens up his laptop, and starts to type. Haven’t seen him use that in a while, Cindy realizes. She leans forward, and can see that he is writing a list of numbers, stellar coordinates.
George is heard long before he is seen, the suit’s metallic feet clanging their way down the corridor. Peter, Radclyf, and Hayato follow close behind. Peter takes his normal seat, then turns to Cindy, his mood is quite jovial.
“Morning! Emma will try to get some of her sampling equipment working, just in case we go planet side.”
Cindy raises an eyebrow. Interesting!
“Good idea,” is all she ventures as her thoughts drift.
John studies his console, reviewing an abundance of data. He gives Andrew and Joe a thumbs up, then offers praising words.
“We will be dropping down to sub-light speeds behind the planet’s moon. The calculations required to do this, well, they’re astronomical. Anyway, the point is that the planet’s inhabitants shouldn’t even know we have arrived.”
Cindy is suitably impressed, and nods in appreciation.
“Great work. When we arrive, I want to be ready for anything.”
Agonizingly, the minutes tick by slowly. Finally, John lifts up a hand symbolically.
“Cutting main drive in five, four, three, two, one. Main drive is disengaged, sub-light engines on standby, thrusters are at station keeping.” He scans his Gamin console for a few seconds then grins happily.
“The moon is between us and the planet.”
Cindy is awed by the spectacle. A lunar surface, not like Earth’s own moon, stares back at her through the expansive windows. The alien moon is close, very close.
All four men before her diligently monitor their consoles. Peter glances at the others, then offers a brief report.
“The Gamin satellite grid has detected u
s, and automatically given us access to the data stream. We are still trying to figure out what’s happening on the planet though.”
Cindy frowns at the choice of words.
“What do you mean?”
Peter shakes his head, perplexed.
“The few transmissions we are receiving are very brief, and do not make any sense. It’s almost as though everything is in code.”
Cindy sighs. “Well, as the satellites have detected us, we may as well see what’s going on. Bring us out from behind the moon.”
John does not even hesitate, his fingers deftly move over his console. Thrusters fire up, rolling the Terran away from the moon. By rolling the ship, the bridge crew is afforded a remarkable view of the planet, while still allowing them an escape route.
Cindy stares at the enormous, puffy, orange clouds that come into view. This is quickly followed by tantalizing glimpses of water and land areas through the heavy cloud cover. The water is murky brown, while the land areas are an alternating mix of brown, grey, and green. Flashes, like lightning, come from all over the planet’s surface. A cityscape comes into view. Andrew quickly zooms the screen in, his jaw drops at the sight.
The devastation is astonishing. Massive buildings lay in ruins, streets are filled with rubble. Yet, despite all the carnage, there is still activity from some parts of the shattered metropolis. Flashes of light dot the city. Peter lifts a hand to his face in surprise.
“Those flashes, they look like heavy weapons fire. The city, it seems, has a few survivors. Look at that defensive perimeter, and the way the central buildings have slightly less damage.”
Radclyf stands and walks closer to the view.
“Zoom out, I want to see more of the battlefield.”
Andrew pans the view out, affording a panoramic view of the cloudy planet below. Hayato joins Radclyf, and addresses John, “can you find an area with less cloud cover?”
The bridge crew examines one cloud covered area after another. Bleak deserts, ruined cities, and sparse vegetation is all they find. A break in the clouds reveals a sight that stuns them all. Cindy is almost speechless, almost.
Discovery (Terran Chronicles) Page 30
