Karokan interpreted this remark as a joke and burst into laughter.
Great, Davis thought, he’s got a sense of humor.
»By the way, who is the third crew member? I presume we’d take somebody else along?«
Before Davis could answer, a familiar voice came over the intercom speakers.
»Lieutenant Caroline O’Tubian reporting for duty, Sir! Requesting permission to come aboard?«
Davis grinned, which nobody could see behind his mirrored helmet visor.
»Permission granted, Lieutenant. Get inside! We’re waiting for you. As soon as you’re settled, we can start.« Davis saw the slim built figure of the astrophysicist disappear inside the bottom airlock of the Hawk. A few minutes later, her perfume had filled the whole cockpit.
Vanilla! Davis thought with a smile.
On the way
»Bottom airlock secured!« Lieutenant O’Tubian reported. Moments later, the Hawk took off from its guide rails like a feather, while it was guided toward the hangar gates by magnetic fields. In the meantime, the hangar air was quickly evacuated and replaced with the vacuum of space.
Barely outside the brightly lit hangar, the Hawk’s correction diffusers flared up, slowly maneuvering the craft into free space, meter by meter, aided by bright yellow plasma jets of its propulsion system. Then the absolute darkness of space prevailed with Neptune dominating the front view. The navigation system of the scout-ship automatically linked to Flight Control.
Fips Leitner, a young navigator in Flight Control, who knew Davis very well, announced himself promptly via the fleet channel.
»Course data and flight plan have been transferred to your neuronal computer! The Hawk is ready and launching clearance is issued, Major. We’ll follow your route as long as possible on our screens. Maintain radio contact and transmit your SIF code every thirty minutes as usual.«
»Understood, Fips! I’m taking over. Ignition of ion prop-system in five, four, three, two, one, and ignition!«
A deep rumbling sounded from the rear of the craft causing the cockpit to vibrate slightly.
As Bill Davis ignited the Hawk’s engines, the purple-red ion beam propelled the craft at high acceleration.
Karokan was pressed into his seat and couldn’t move his hands a millimeter. The acceleration forces pressed heavily on the three people. The special flight suits and anti-G-force systems, integrated into the seats, reduced the G-forces to a great extent, but it was still torture for new crew members. Triton quickly fell back fast behind them and became smaller and smaller.
»My God!« Karokan said briefly via the intercom system.
»Is everything alright with you?« Davis asked anxiously.
»Everything’s alright,« Karokan quickly replied, »I had already forgotten what it feels like to ride on an ion beam. The freighters and collectors of the mining company are lame ducks in comparison. I had the feeling for a moment that we were falling straight into Neptune.«
Space-taxi drivers
The giant gas planet, with its blue atmosphere and small white cloud belts, seemed to be very close. The size relationships within the Neptune system were confusing at best and could trick Human spatial perception.
At approximately 355,000 kilometers, Triton was a little farther away from Neptune than the Moon from Earth. However, Neptune was a giant compared to Earth, a monster of a planet with a very dynamic atmosphere. If the scout-ship got caught in the gravitation field of the massive planet, ship and crew would be irretrievably lost. Even though Humans worked and lived on its moons, very little was known about the structure of Neptune. Even in the year 2113, the most advanced probes couldn’t get to the surface of the planet without being crushed.
»I didn’t have the chance yet to introduce myself,« said Caroline O’Tubian. »I’m the third crew member.«
Karokan got the hint and apologized several times.
»I didn’t expect a female co-pilot. The more I’m pleased to get to know you.«
»Although I’m a trained pilot, my field of expertise is astrophysics. The commander assigned me to this mission because I might be able to help. I’ve concentrated my research on the Kuiper Belt and its larger objects like Quaoar.«
Davis corrected the course. Now the nose of the Hawk pointed at a small dot of light, which had just appeared from behind Neptune’s shadow.
»This little dot in the crosshair of the navigational display is Proteus, Neptune’s second largest moon. We’ll make use of the satellite’s gravitation and apply the slingshot method to conserve fuel to get to the night side of Neptune. Be prepared to encounter some strong G-forces. However, there’s no need to worry. The next acceleration phase will occur in about five minutes. Relax and try to enjoy the ride.«
»Okay,« replied Karokan and the astrophysicist.
»Caroline …,« Davis thought he saw her smile on the monitor. »Welcome aboard. Glad you could make it.«
After Davis had verified the new course, he banked the Hawk for a good view of Neptune.
»What a fantastic view!« Karokan commented.
»Pardon my curiosity but exactly why did Mars Mining select Quaoar for this mission? What is so interesting about this particular planetoid?« Davis wanted to know.
Karokan kept looking at Neptune as he replied, »Quaoar’s position is favorable for us at the moment. Our lander was sent on this journey from Mars five years ago and now has landed on the planetoid’s surface. Quaoar isn’t a real planet, as you know, neither is it a planetoid … it’s more a borderline case. There’s a good chance that Quaoar came from the Kuiper Belt. Other sources say that Quaoar originated inside the Oort Cloud. It very likely consists of the ingredients that once formed our solar system. That’s what makes Quaoar so incredibly attractive to us.«
Caroline O’Tubian, who had taken over the flight-data cross checks, added, »Quaoar has a slightly elliptic orbit, even if it is slanted by a few degrees against the ecliptic. Its orbit is, however, not as extreme as that of for example the bigger planetoid Sedna. Quaoar, with a diameter of 1,300 kilometers, is almost as big as Pluto’s moon Charon. Quaoar possesses a freezing and rocky surface, with a medium to high-density factor and is therefore not an icy snowball, but has a rocky core. It would hardly be worth searching on Quaoar for something profane as iron ore.«
Karokan smiled, unfathomably.
»Indeed, this stuff can be collected cheaper in the asteroid belt, but that’s not, exactly what we have in mind.«
Evidently, Karokan thought this conversion was over as he turned and looked out of the window again. Davis shrugged his shoulders.
Fine, he thought, we’re only his taxi drivers.
Jamming
As soon as the Hawk entered the slingshot orbit around Proteus, the crew began to feel the G-forces associated with the maneuver. Proteus, although relatively small in size, still possessed sufficient gravitational pull to force the scout-ship into a curved flight vector. As a result, the Hawk sharply accelerated, considerably shortening the flying time to Quaoar.
Karokan swallowed hard. The fractured surface of the moon slipped rapidly past the cockpit’s canopy. Deep craters, buildups, tectonic shifts, bizarre rock formations and extended methane ice fields were everywhere. Like all moons of the Neptune system, Proteus wasn’t very inviting.
»Are your people also working on this moon?« Davis asked casually. He wanted to distract Karokan. The technician seemed to have trouble answering.
»Unfortunately not,« he huffed, »the competition was faster. I hope you know what you’re doing,« he added quickly. »Aren’t we getting a bit too close to this rock? I have the feeling my stomach is going to turn any minute.«
Davis heard Caroline’s twinkling laughter as the Hawk slipped past Proteus. Strong vibrations from the maneuver’s adverse actions began and worried Karokan even more.
»Don’t worry,« Davis answered, grinning. »They say I’m an average pilot. This maneuver conserves energy. If you can’t salvage or repair the pla
tform, we’ll need to haul it back to Triton Base. That’d waste a lot of energy, considering the additional weight. Better to save energy now while we’re still on approach.«
Davis had barely finished his sentence when the Hawk was released from the moon’s gravitational pull and flew at high speed into Neptune’s shadow.
»You can relax again. In three hours, Neptune will give us a little push and steer us toward our final leg.«
Karokan exhaled, obviously relieved. Pearls of sweat had formed on his forehead. The slingshot maneuver had visibly shaken him.
As the Hawk entered Neptune’s shadow, the radio link to Triton Base was lost, as expected.
»Lieutenant, switch to satellite relay,« Davis commanded.
»Roger!« the astrophysicist acknowledged.
In less than a minute, the Triton Base ID was visible again on the screens.
»We are now crossing Neptune’s night side. The planet’s ring is in a favorable position and we won’t have to worry about debris.«
»Debris?« Karokan asked uneasily.
»The ring around Neptune is made up of rocks, ice, and dust particles. I certainly don’t need to tell you what a pebble can do to the ship at this speed,« the astrophysicist explained.
Karokan nodded briskly.
»Of course, I understand. How long is the trip to Quaoar?«
Davis checked the flight computer.
»We arrive about 30 hours after the next acceleration phase. We’ll accelerate again with our ion drive, as soon as we have Neptune behind us.«
Suddenly, Karokan’s voice became excited.
»What are those lights in Neptune’s atmosphere? Is that lightning?«
Davis glanced through the cockpit window, while Caroline explained, »Those are electrical discharges in the higher atmosphere of the gas giant. Sheet lightning caused by massive thunderstorms, each one larger than the whole surface of Earth. If you observe the northern pole, you’ll also see a weak aura, caused by solar wind particles that are captured by Neptune’s magnetic field, ionizing the atmosphere. You can watch that natural phenomenon best on the night side of the planet.«
»Fascinating!« Karokan answered in awe.
Davis was briefly distracted by a radar target echo. It displayed a large body, moving through space at a distance of 150,000 kilometers.
The Hawk’s tracking systems automatically detected and followed the foreign body, while the neuronal computer analyzed the data, deciding if the echo was a natural object or a space ship.
After a lightning-fast analysis of a possible collision threat, the neuronal computer released control over the ship’s engines and transmitted the SIF code for automatic identification.
Karokan had also noticed the detection analysis on his screen and said, »What kind of ship is that? It is quite big. Is it a star cruiser?«
Davis remembered the commander’s warning, but that couldn’t keep him from sweeping the Ryan with a multitude of scanners.
»A Solar Union exploration ship, nothing special.«
A picture of the Ryan appeared almost instantly on the screen. Some areas; however, were distorted or couldn’t be reproduced at all.
They’re jamming my scanners, Davis thought, surprised, and with a flick of a switch made sure that the incoming data couldn’t be viewed on Karokan’s monitor.
Davis instructed the neuronal computer to list the received data. The ship had a length of three hundred meters. The hull was designed as a cylinder and showed a flanged, flat, nozzle-like aft, measuring sixty by forty meters. Davis also noticed several extruding superstructures and antenna arrays on the ship’s hull – a specially designed ship for capturing signals in the electromagnetic spectrum.
Davis resisted the urge to contact the Ryan. The orders of his commander were clear. The ship was taboo … for now.
The Hawk passed the exploration ship at a respectable distance and turned into the final course vector to Quaoar.
»What’s an exploration ship of the Solar Union doing in this sector?« Karokan asked, slightly nervous.
»Exploring, eh!« Davis answered jokingly but then saw by Karokan’s facial expression the technician had been serious.
»I really don’t know,« Davis added truthfully.
Karokan kept looking at the Ryan until it was only a small dot on the optical systems. He couldn’t hide his nervousness from Davis.
»What’s wrong, Karokan? Are you worried?«
Davis’ last question was a stab in the dark and he was surprised at Karokan’s answer.
»As I’ve said before, Quaoar is something special for our company. We have spent almost all of our financial resources on the research and exploration of this planetoid.«
»Go on,« Davis nodded.
Karokan kept looking at the screen, although the Ryan had disappeared.
»We have made an unusual discovery on the planetoid and have secured exclusive rights. That wasn’t cheap, but now that small planetoid belongs to our company.«
Davis nodded slowly.
»And what has the exploration ship got to do with this?«
Davis avoided mentioning the vessel’s name.
Karokan shrugged his shoulders and shook his head.
»Nothing, I was only surprised that such a large Space Fleet ship is operating around here. We weren’t informed about it.« The case seemed to be closed for Karokan. Major Davis, however, intended to get back to this subject later. Just now he was busy concentrating on the approach maneuvers to Quaoar.
Unknown signals
The Ryan’s command central was illuminated in dark-blue light. All eyes were looking at the scanner screen, displaying the scout-ship passing the Ryan at a great distance. Karl Jörgmundson had established an encrypted video link with Donald Day and the video conference was in full swing. The Swedish scientist, with his snow white, thin hair, was cursing silently.
»He just can’t leave things alone!«
Donald Day grinned.
»It could have been expected that he’d check out the Ryan.«
Jörgmundson shook his head.
»He probed us with his entire scanner array. We were able to hide our special antennas with heavy ECM just in time. Is this your best man? Do all of your staff officers develop this … eh … initiative?«
Donald Day’s expression hardened.
»Major Davis isn’t blindly following orders, Jörgmundson. The arrival of the Ryan in this sector leads to speculations. The major is only doing his duty, making sure there is no threat to our base. On this point, I’m standing fully behind him.«
Jörgmundson nodded, apparently disinclined to argue.
»Why are you still permitting private mining corporations’ ships to roam freely about in the Neptune system?«
Donald Day frowned.
»Let me refresh your memory: these companies have legally binding contracts by which the exploration and use of these moons and planetoids is regulated. The Solar Union is not a federation of totalitarian states ruled by a dictator; the corporations have all the rights in the world to go about their business.«
Jörgmundson wasn’t happy with Day’s answer.
»I could imagine that a man in your position could easily change that.«
Donald Day looked directly at Jörgmundson.
»There will be no manipulation of legal agreements in my sector, Jörgmundson.«
»Understood,« Jörgmundson answered, already more forthcoming. »Was this the reason you permitted Major Davis to fly to Quaoar?«
Donald Day nodded.
»A restriction would have only caused more rumors and speculation among the crews. It could even have drawn the attention of the other consortiums and companies to this sector. Besides, there was an official request for help by Mars Mining. Davis will deal with it, according to my orders. The scout will land on Quaoar, either repair the civilian instrument platform or salvage it; the Hawk will then retreat from the sector and return to base.«
»All right,« J
örgmundson replied. »What about the rest of the crew?«
»They’ll follow Davis’ orders,« Donald Day answered determinedly.
»What’s going to happen with all the ship traffic in the Neptune sector?«
Donald Day relaxed.
»The small transporters and freighters of the private companies are still in waiting orbits near Triton. The passing of the comet gives me excuse enough to keep them there for a while. Have you been able to locate the unknown signal yet?«
Karl Jörgmundson shook his head.
»It’s like a wild goose chase. We’re receiving the signals from different directions. It almost seems as if they’re playing hide and seek with us.«
Donald Day looked at Jörgmundson attentively.
»Find the source of the unknown signal before this goes public! The Admiralty is expecting results, and so am I! I’ll feel much better when we’ve solved this riddle.«
A short time later the connection was interrupted by Triton Command Center.
What’s a book
The Hawk finished the final acceleration phase and began moving away from Neptune at about 25,000 kilometers per second.
A grid with the target coordinates was superimposed on the electronic display of the navigation computer. Exact date and time, vector parameters, and other data scrolled down at the side of the screen.
»This is Quaoar’s position.«
Davis pointed with the target pointer on the plasma screen so Caroline and Karokan both could see the set course and destination distance.
»Current course vector checked and confirmed. We’ve left the Neptune system and are now advancing into interplanetary space,« the astrophysicist reported.
»Time to relax a little. As I said before, the flight will take several hours and will be monitored by the autopilot.«
Davis leaned back and looked at the rear screen where Neptune shrank smaller and smaller.
»I must admit, I’m very excited. We’ve been focused on Quaoar for many years and now I’m flying there to see it myself,« remarked Karokan
Aha, now he’s getting more talkative, Davis thought.
NEBULAR Collection 1 - The Triton Base: Episodes 1 - 5 Page 3
