The Search for FTL

by Ted Iverson

  “This next area is the assembly area. It’s divided into many small areas. One piece is assembled here, another one there,” Lyet said, pointing to different cubicles. “Then, after the basic framing and outer shell has been assembled and the inner framework is done, the guts are installed. Just your basic assembly of the everyday FTL ship.” Lyet smiled.

  Orion’s mind couldn’t begin to calculate how large this area was. He wasn’t about to ask. They headed left down one of the aisles. Toward the inner part of the room, they came to the bulkhead.

  Looking down the bulk and then pointing in both directions, Cyrus went on, “As you see, every forty yards we have hatchways. Some are larger than others. These lead to the airlocks. The droids move parts and equipment in and out. There are some that have extending platforms, kind of like extending walkways. Some have flying platforms for moving the larger parts. Anyway, there’s the assembly room,” he said, motioning toward the back. “This area has its own power plant and engineering department. The other side of this level is identical to this, except that it has no droid room. What would be the droid room on that side is the simulator room. We run mock flights. This room is actually two on that side. The second half is where they build the models for design and testing. Above that area is the observation deck for anyone who wants to watch the outside construction process.”

  “Cyrus, this is all so incredible. Where do you think the schematics would be if there were any? I need to at least look.”

  “I understand. Your father had no office here, and his quarters only contain a rack, no desk. He spent all his time in the developmental area. Let’s go have a look.” They headed back to the main area. As they arrived, they made their way through the maze of desks and cubicles to his father’s area. Papers covered the top of the desk. As Orion sat down, he asked, “Did my mother also have a desk?”

  “Yes, she did. Would you like me to go look there?”

  “Sure, that would be great. If you find anything, could you please bring it back here?”

  “Yes, not a problem.” With that, Captain Lyet strode off.

  Orion wasn’t finding anything important as he rifled through the papers, notes, and memos. When he opened the first file drawer though, one of the files caught his eye. It was labeled Cybernetics. He pulled it out and opened it. It was full of schedules, names, and dates. Behind each name was a list of body parts. These must be what each person had lost and had had implanted. He browsed down the list until he found one name he recognized:

  LYET, CYRUS LT. DAYTON, OHIO POLICE

  He read on. Cyrus had been on the force for fifteen years and had been a much-decorated officer. He had been involved in an undercover sting operation involving a weapons cache. The document didn’t go into detail about the crime, but it did mention that Lyet and two other officers were killed in the incident. The last thing he noticed was that Lyet had left behind a wife and daughter. The folder also held many original paper clippings, as well as a holodisc with the news reports. Orion set it aside to take with him.

  The other folder that caught his eye was labeled Magnetics and Propulsion. He pulled it out and opened it. It was full of handwritten notes and articles that had been marked extensively with a highlighter. On these articles were little notations in his dad’s handwriting. As he browsed through the folder, one eyebrow raised, then the other. His eyes widened and he realized what he was holding. This was the first clue to the StarDancer. It wasn’t complete by any means, but it gave him a clear insight into the possible propulsion system of the StarDancer and its prototype. And it made perfect sense. After all, didn’t the captain just mention that the shell had something to do with magnetics? He realized he’d have to spend more time and search further, but now it was time to contact his brothers, tell them that he’d found a piece of the puzzle. “Cyrus,” he belted out, “Cyrus, please come here!”

  Hurrying, but not running, Lyet made his way over to Orion. “Did you locate something?”

  “I think so, maybe an insight on the propulsion. You said that they were working with magnetism up here?”

  “Yes. Again, I had nothing to do with the ship itself. I was just in charge of the overall day-to-day operations, so I stayed away from the science end of it. But, as I recall, your father assigned a team to research the magnetic fields of the closest stars and some planets. He came to us in the command center for some of our star charts, but that’s it.”

  Snapping his fingers, Orion said, “Oh geez, that’s it.” Suddenly he realized the importance of the charts. “I have to contact my brothers. Now! I can’t wait any longer. Cyrus, about that question I asked you, I’d like your answer now.”

  “Orion, what have you found?”

  “I think I found how they obtained FTL,” Orion said, waving the folder as he stood. “I can’t be absolutely positive, but I believe that it has something to do with the magnetic signatures of stars. With some research, and Zach’s help, we can be certain. If we’ve found even a fraction of what I think we’ve found, then I need you and your crew, droids and all. Space Tech’s future could rest on your decision, Captain.”

  “And you honestly think you and your brothers can complete what your parents started?”

  “Cyrus, look around you.” Orion became animated. He spread out his arms, turned in a complete circle, then stopped, and faced the captain. “The facility is here. You could’ve destroyed it all, but you didn’t.” Orion grasped the older man’s shoulders, looked into his eyes, then released him and asked, “Why didn’t you?”

  “Because...” Lyet’s usually strong voice faltered. “Because I believe.”

  He returned Orion’s gaze. “I believe that it can be achieved and that you are sincere. Captain Bindl, the answer to your request is yes. I will recall my—no, your crew, but there is one stipulation.”

  “Okay, go ahead.”

  “They stay where they are until we have a concrete plan of action. Without that, there would be nothing for them here. It would be like prison if there was nothing to work on.”

  “I understand, but Cyrus, they can begin the prep. We need them as soon as we can get them back. We will have something for them to build, another StarDancer. That’s another question you’ve still not answered. The crew, where are they? If I am to agree, you’ll tell me that.”

  “Sit down, Orion.” Lyet became more serious. “On Earth, and even just above Earth’s atmosphere, telescopes are just not as useful as they might be out here. One of your parents’ objectives was, like that of any good astronomer or scientist, to find a habitable planet. A backup plan, in case FTL failed.

  “Your dad figured he’d have that going for Space Tech. Well, as usual, they succeeded or at least thought they had. The planet isn’t close. The only way to reach it quickly is with FTL travel. So, to kill two birds with one stone, that is where they sent the prototype. As I mentioned previously, the ship was manned by droids. When the prototype returned, and the information analyzed, the planet was deemed habitable. The O2 levels were similar to those one mile above Earth: thin, but very breathable.

  “Earth’s average distance from her sun is 238,855 miles. This planet is about 255,000 miles from its sun. So, as you see, the distance is comparable and the atmosphere is right. My orders were to simply launch a transport ship to the planet and populate it. The droids were deemed crucial because they could build continuously. In no time, with our help, solid shelters could be constructed so a new life could be started.

  “The only drawback, of course, was the fact that only one ship had FTL capability. And it had only flown the one mission. Using a non-FTL ship would take too long; supplies would run out and every human on board would meet their fate. But everyone wanted to launch anyway. That is when I stepped in.”

  “You didn’t want them to launch?” Orion questioned.

  “Not to the planet. We’d been exploring outside the asteroid belt on and off. On one of the expeditions, we found a large circular planetoid, about half the siz
e of Earth’s moon. It even has some gravity of its own, which has actually captured small chunks of rogue asteroids in its orbit. We landed a craft and found it to be stable. It’s about five days out. We eventually built a small base there, one that could hold up to seventy-five people. I convinced your parents that it could be turned into a sanctuary for this outpost’s crew if needed. They agreed.”

  “So, was it manned?”

  “It was, but only by droids and a few humans. Then your parents’ accident happened, and it seemed we had made the right call to ‘colonize,’ if you will. But before we could really colonize the planetoid, we had to make it livable. We attached special cargo canisters to the underbelly of the transport ships to carry building supplies, as well as food, water, and anything else needed for the few people there. The droids worked round the clock building and had it ready for habitation in a matter of months.

  “Our crew could live there for up to a year and a half. At that point, they would still have enough fuel in their ship to return to Earth, if needed. They are in flight now, one day away from the base at this time. If needed, they could be back in a matter of a few days at maximum speed, but I suggest we let them stay there for a while, until we are sure this can be accomplished. If we need a partial crew here at some time, we can contact them and get them here.”

  “Are there any other surprises I might want to know about? Because, Cyrus, I’m not sure I can take another.”

  “No. I believe that’s it.”

  “Okay, that seems fair. You contact the crew and inform them of the new orders. I’ll contact my brothers. Cyrus, they won’t believe a word of what I’m about to drop on them.”

  “Nor would I.”

  “A secure net, please?”

  “Follow me.” Lyet led Orion to a small room off to the side. It was filled with sophisticated electronics. “We deactivated all the communication devices before we ‘abandoned ship.’ Let’s see here . . .” As he started fiddling with buttons and switches, one panel after another lit up. Soon the room was alight. “This should do it.” One last push of a button and a holodisc appeared out of the center of the control. “You know what to do from here? Remember your security code?”

  “Security code? Oh man, no.”

  Handing Orion a small folded piece of paper Lyet said, “I didn’t think so.” He left, chuckling.

  “Thanks. Oh, one last thing, Cyrus. Say hello to our crew.”

  “I certainly will, Captain Bindl.” With a quick salute, Lyet was off.

  Chapter Thirteen

  An image appeared on the holodisc. “Alec, Orion has just contacted me and he’s okay! He’s on a secure line and needs to talk to all of us. I have Ty holding; he’s still at Space Tech.”

  “Where is Orion? He’s okay?”

  “Yes. I’m going to connect us all now.” Zach tapped a code on the keyboard and two more images appeared. “Orion, everyone’s connected. Man, I can’t tell you what a relief it is to see you’re okay. We’ve been out of our minds with worry. What the blazes happened?”

  “Hey, guys. What’s new?”

  With a shocked look on his face, Ty answered, “What’s new? Your ship goes nuts and you’re gone for almost a week without contact and you’re asking us what’s new? Gentlemen, that’s the Orion I know and love.” Ty waved in disgust toward the image. “Someone else talk to him, please. ‘What’s new?’ he asks.”

  “Okay, calm down everyone.” The voice of reason was Alec. “Orion, we’re really glad that you appear to be fine. Would you please explain everything that’s happened? It’s been impossible trying to keep the media off our backs about this.”

  “Media? Why would you alert the media? Aren’t we dealing with enough already?”

  “We? You haven’t been here to deal with anything. Granted, I’m sure you’ve had a full plate, but I guarantee you haven’t dealt with what we have. As for alerting the media, we didn’t. Ty, myself, and most of the world, learned of your mishap via the holonet. It seems as if your little problem wasn’t important enough for us to hear from anyone in the corporation first.” He glanced at Zach.

  “Hey, that’s not fair, attacking me like that. I told you—”

  Alec ignored his youngest brother. “Zach, I was just poking fun at you. Actually, Orion, it seems that we’ve had a breach in security at the station, but not to worry; it’s been handled. Enough about us. Tell us what happened to you. I can see that you’re not in the ship.”

  Orion glanced around, then turned back to face the holopad.

  “You won’t believe this, but I’m contacting you from where the StarDancer was constructed. It’s an outpost that Mom and Dad built. I really don’t know where to start. I guess, maybe, at the beginning. I’m broadcasting twenty-two million miles away from you. The ship took control and...” On and on he went—about being knocked out, then reawakening with the ship still in control. Seeing the station from the outside and landing in it. About how Captain Lyet had shoved the weapon in his neck, and then about seeing the other ship just like his. As he told the story, his brothers sat and listened in total disbelief, each thinking exactly like the others: this can’t be true. But true it was.

  Orion continued on—about the windows that weren’t, the large manufacturing rooms, and the crew. “Alec, I know that you thought Mom and Dad wanted you to be part of this, but you’re wrong. Dad was so proud of you.” He told him of their father’s commitment to saving the lives of others and how dedicated those people were to him. He told them of Cyrus Lyet. How Lyet respected their parents’ work to the point of disobeying orders.

  Alec sat motionless and expressionless, tears streaming down his face. Orion also told them of the creation of the androids and more.

  “Guys, there’s more. There were two ships: the prototype and the StarDancer. I’m sorry to say that Captain Lyet believes the prototype may have been disposed of by Mom and Dad for security purposes, too risky to keep it in one piece. I’d have to agree with him. And, of course, the StarDancer was destroyed. But... the really bad news? No sign of schematics anywhere.” He continued to tell them of the new Earth-like planet and of the crew’s whereabouts. He could’ve gone on forever. “There’s so much more, but you’d all have to come here to experience this. Words really can’t begin to explain this place. I mentioned that I haven’t found anything, but that isn’t quite true.” He held up the folder. “This is the first clue, the first insight into the StarDancer.”

  “What exactly is it?” Zach asked, his curiosity piqued.

  “I think it’s the key to the propulsion system that was used.”

  Zach had been sitting, but now jumped up. “No! Wait a minute!”

  “What?” Orion asked.

  “Huh? Oh, we’ve been listening to you and we haven’t told you that we found something.”

  “What did you find?”

  “Hang on; I have it here in my room.” Zach went to retrieve the chip that carried the 3-D image Alec had sent up to Luna.

  While Zach was off fetching the chip, Alec filled Orion in. “I found a model in Dad’s library at home. We’re pretty sure it’s a replica of the StarDancer.”

  “I’m back; here it is.” Zach placed the chip into the holopad and hit a button to upload it to Orion. “Orion, can you see it?”

  Orion got closer to the image that was crackling in and out. “Yes, I do. It’s different. He was waving the folder a little and said, “We might have something concrete to go on, but it’s too late.”

  “Too late for what?

  “For the meeting.”

  “The meeting has been postponed until Wednesday the 21st,” Ty said. “We knew we couldn’t come up with anything, so we pulled the old ‘We haven’t had time to put together a presentation because we just took over’ card. I don’t think the committee liked that too much, but, oh well. Still, we haven’t much time. Do you and Zach think you can come up with plans based on what we have? I’m no expert, but to me it doesn’t look like a whole lot: a mo
del and a folder which may or may not be the propulsion system. Sorry, guys, I’m not convinced. And if I’m not, what do you think the OEC will say? My guess is something like ‘thanks for your effort, but no grant this time for you.’ Convince me, guys; please convince me.”

  “Ty, you surprise me,” Orion responded. “You have to trust us. We’ll come up with what you need. I’m sending Zach the information in this folder as soon as we’re done here. I can’t come back right now because there may be more information here. It’s a big outpost and it has to be searched top to bottom. I may find more. Zach, you get back to the Lab and get cracking on this information with your team. I’ll work on it too. Also, send me a ton of 3-D photos of that model. I want to enhance those for a closer look. Ty, get yourself ready. You’ve got a grant to get for Space Tech.”

  Zach and Ty said their goodbyes and wished him well, then signed off. It was a weight off their shoulders to know he was alive and well.

  “Alec, stay on for a minute, okay?”

  “Sure, Orion. What do you need?”

  “I’ll be blunt: Captain Lyet believes that we have enemies. I haven’t got a lot of other information out of him on that subject, but what I can tell you is that our parents gave him the order to destroy this outpost if something happened to them. He told me he was glad I got here first. He has a sense that there may be problems brewing. You need to watch it down there. it could be very dangerous. All this new technology, if it were to fall into the wrong hands...” Orion just shook his head. “No need to explain it to you. I don’t trust anyone on that OEC committee. Don’t tell Ty or Zach. They don’t need to know yet.”

  “Yeah, I understand. I was kind of getting that feeling myself. I have a few contacts I can trust. I’ll make sure all is well. If you need me, use the private com link. I’m actually leaving early to scout out the capital, get to know the layout, which may come in handy if there’s a problem.”

  “Great idea. It might be a while before we talk, so take care and be careful.”