The Search for FTL

by Ted Iverson

  “Any luck locating Zach?”

  “No, sir,” Orion answered. “Not yet, Captain. We need those sensors.”

  “Should have them up in ten to fifteen minutes.”

  “I sure hope so.”

  Zach checked his O2 tank that was now serving as a propellant tank. He had about a quarter tank left for propulsion. He then checked his breathing O2 tank. Ten minutes left and then a five to ten-minute reserve. He took another look at the reflection of the still distant lab. He was making progress, but he didn’t think it would be enough. He wondered if he should just open the tank and give it one big burst. That might just get him close enough for one of the shuttles to happen upon him.

  Then he brightened. If my breathing tank has a five to ten-minute reserve, so does the other. I’m going to let it fly.

  He checked the position of his makeshift nozzle, looked in the mirror, and opened up the tank. He could see he was beginning to move faster, not much, but some. Five minutes passed and he realized his progress was slowing. He looked down and realized there was no more gas escaping the nozzle. He was empty. Now it was a waiting game. Would he run out of breathable air before he was rescued? He wished he’d kept enough fuel to turn himself around once he’d gotten closer, but he hadn’t thought of that.

  One of the shuttles swung around the Lab and up. “Orion, I’m going to roll to where he went out. I think that if he got hammered by the station he might have been shot opposite to where we’ve been searching. Tyler out.”

  “Good idea, Lt. Tyler. I’ll swing around and catch up with you.”

  The young pilot came shooting up the length of the Lab then rocketed out over the hatch where Zach had been released. He wasn’t wasting any time. He did a quick roll from his back to his belly and was now flying true while visually scanning for anything that might be out there. Just then his sensors came online. It was a good thing they did.

  Zach was beginning to worry. He was getting rather low on air and the last time he looked he still had a long way to go. He glanced in the little mirror and looked away, then glanced back again. There was something coming and it wasn’t slowing down. Zach kicked and waved his arms, as if that would help move him out of the way. Then, at the last second, just when he’d figured his assailants had come back to finish the job, the ship pulled up. It had come so close that when Zach looked up he could see the hatch and landing gear lines on the vehicle’s underbelly.

  Zach calmed down a bit as he saw the vehicle coming around in a roll. It circled and came up slowly, just above Zach. A hatch opened and a cable came out. Zach eagerly grabbed hold and was reeled in.

  Once he was inside, the hatch closed. Zach waited for a minute to make sure the air and pressure had stabilized, then ripped off his helmet and gasped for air. Sweat dripped from his hair and ran down his face.

  The cockpit hatch opened and the young pilot came back. “Mr. Bindl, are you okay?”

  Zach looked up and motioned for him to come closer. The pilot obeyed. Zach grabbed the man’s collar and yanked him nose-to-nose. “Are you nuts? You almost killed me! Where’d you learn to fly?”

  Zach let go of the frightened young man. “Don’t just stand there. Help me out of this thing.”

  “Ye... yes, sir,” the pilot said, clearly shaken.

  “Sorry ‘bout that. It’s just that when you’re minding your own business, floating helplessly in space after being ejected to your death, and a large vehicle comes out of nowhere and almost squashes you like a bug on a windshield, well, it tends to rattle you.” Now that his gloves were off, he reached out a hand. “Zach, just call me Zach. Thanks, by the way. That was close. And you are?”

  “Lieutenant Tyler, sir. I am really sorry. Guess it’s a good thing the sensors came online when they did, huh?”

  Zach looked up, shook his head, and muttered, “Yeah, I suppose so.”

  Zach quickly got out of the suit and headed to the cockpit, with Tyler following him. He plopped down in the copilot’s seat.

  “You’re not flying her, sir?”

  “We’re probably about the same age, so stop calling me ‘sir’. It’s Zach. Anyway you flew out to get me. You take her back in.”

  “Yes, sir. I mean, okay, Zach.” He finally smiled. “Orion, I have Zach.”

  “Good work. Put him on.”

  “Zach here.”

  “Little brother, you okay?”

  “Oh yeah, sure, doing great. I’ll be better when you tell me you’ve got the guy who did this. I sure would like to have some alone time with him. It wouldn’t take long.”

  “Nope, sorry. We do have a lead. Somehow they got off the Lab. I’ll brief you when you get back.”

  “Okay, sounds good. See you shortly. Zach out.” He leaned back in his seat exhausted. “Tyler, take us in.”

  Joanne contacted Alec several hours later. “Alec, I have some information for you.”

  “Yes, Joanne. Go on.” The image clearly showed her concerned face.

  “The information you asked for, well, it seems a bit disturbing to me. Seems as if this Dr. Sax worked with your father.”

  “I knew that. I also know about their differences and his eventual death. Is there anything about after he died?”

  “Doing your homework, I see.” She smiled. “I took an interest in this, too, as I did the research. Here’s the part that seemed strange to me. Reports have it that Dr. Sax committed suicide in Tucson. I checked with the local paper out there. It had a small, one-paragraph obituary, that’s all. It didn’t list any service, burial, or cremation. I checked with all the funeral homes, and none had any record of a Dr. Peter Sax. There is a death certificate, but that’s all. I ran the name ‘Sax’ through the Tucson database and I only came up with nineteen hits. I had the girls help me and no one we called said they knew of a Peter Sax. One person said that she had gotten calls for him many years ago, but she wasn’t related. I did more checking and found he wasn’t from Tucson. He was actually born and raised in Kansas City.

  “I found seventeen hits there: one Sax, the others were variations of the name. We contacted them all. The name variations were just that: variation, not relations. No one knew him. The only Sax said he had a Pete Sax for a cousin, but lost contact with him about twenty-five years ago. A big surprise, right? Just seems strange. His past just isn’t there, and the only people that really knew him well, your parents, are gone.

  “I checked with the older employees and they all say the same thing: he just kept to himself. He had no life other than Space Tech, as far as they could tell. I can’t even find an old address in our files.

  “Oh, one last thing: there are no police files of the incident with your father. Sax must not have filed any charges. I thought after checking that it might have been handled internally, but again no luck, nothing, not a word. I guess I’m no help, Alec.”

  He laughed out loud. “No help? Where did Ty dig you up? Joanne, I’d say you fit in perfectly with Space Tech. You did more research than all of my staff back in Chicago. If you ever leave Space Tech, you’ve got a job waiting in Chicago. That was excellent work! You answered all of my questions and more. I agree that it’s strange. It’s like he existed, but he didn’t. I don’t know. It’s like I keep saying, Joanne, something just doesn’t feel right. I’m sure I missed something at the capital. I’m going back to find it.”

  “Alec, you can’t! They’ll be looking for you. You’re in deep trouble. If I know what happened last night, that it was you, Axion’s going to know also. And Ed is imprisoned, so he can’t help. You shouldn’t go.”

  “I know you’re right, but there’s more to Sax and I have to find out what it is.”

  Alec cut the transmission before she could say anything else. He strapped himself in, did his checks, and fired up the Turtle’s engines. The craft rose majestically from among the dead aircraft and flew away.

  The holopad’s shrill alarm woke Ty from a dead sleep. He rolled over and saw that it was 7:00 a.m. It was Saturday, a
s far as he knew, but he was still half asleep so he could be wrong about that. He rubbed his eyes and tried to focus. Alec’s image emerged. This woke him quickly.

  “Alec, where’ve you been? I’ve been trying to reach you for two days. Joanne told me about you going back to the capital. You must be nuts!”

  “Calm down. Has anything happened since I talked to Joanne?”

  “Yes. Someone tried to kill Zach up at the Lab. They forced him into an airlock without a flight pack, ejected him, and left him for dead. But he was found in time. The guy got away somehow.

  “Me? I’ve been followed by someone wherever I go. They don’t seem to mind if I know it either. It’s getting on my nerves, but I guess that’s what they want. Or maybe they’re hoping that I run into you after your–”

  “Enough. Listen to me. I’ve done more research and we’ve got really big problems. Ty, they’re getting search warrants for Space Tech, the Orbital Lab, and Luna Base. We’re not getting away with this. Axion is making sure of it. We’ve got to find that prototype and protect it. I know it’s out there.

  “By the way, it was me who broke into Meteoric. Well, Ed did first, but he was able to give me a heads-up about some important paperwork there and, as you know, they caught him. Anyway, after going through the papers, I found Mom and Dad’s notes in a safe, and even some of the schematics we were looking for. That safe is where I also found the note from Sax blaming Dad for his apparent suicide. This Sax, his notes were all there also.

  “I also broke into Thoma’s office because I figured, being Axion’s right hand, he’d have some items of interest, plus it would be easier than Axion’s. There were papers written to Thoma from Axion. The handwriting was the same as Sax’s letter. I had the computer analyze them. It’s a dead match. I traced Axion’s career backwards and found some interesting facts. Bottom line is that he has no history other than when he appeared to register for his first election to an office. Sax has no history after his death, and Axion has no history other than his birth. It took me awhile, but Ty, I found the last piece yesterday!”

  “Just what are you saying? You’ve got me completely confused.”

  “He has no history. He’s been a mystery man without a past. I found his past. I hacked into the mainframe with some help from our little friend.” He waved the nanodevice so Ty could see it. “It’s a handy thing. Anyway, I found Axion’s ghost drive. Ty, he’s kept a diary and it tells all: Sax is Axion. Axion is Sax.”

  “Hold on, Ace. Are you telling me they are the same person?”

  “That is precisely what I’m telling you. He’s out for revenge. He wanted Space Tech then, and he wants it now. Destroying StarDancer was only the first step. He won’t stop until he gets control of all of Space Tech—or until someone stops him.”

  “Alec, slow down. We have to figure this out and we need some time. You need to come back and we need to get to the Lab, where it’s safe enough to discuss this with Orion and Zach. You can’t just rush in and start a war.”

  “Nowhere is safe now. I have to do this. We can no longer wait. It’s time for action. I don’t matter to the corporation. I’m expendable. You need to find that prototype. I’m still working on pinpointing where it is. I’ll send the coordinates as soon as I actually find it. You’ll also need to find men, men who are willing to fight. Axion has so much pull that no authority in this country will back you. He’s also assembled a small private army to back him. Who knows, maybe even the military. You’ll have to figure out how to get around that.

  “Ty, one last thing: I’m hiding the Turtle and destroying all of the important devices that are in my possession before I meet with him. We can leave nothing behind for him. Good luck, little brother.”

  Alec was gone, leaving Ty sitting on the edge of his bed, unable to move.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Ty tried frantically to reconnect with Alec, but it was no use. Alec was in real trouble and there was no way to bail him out this time. Tapping the plasma buttons on his desk, Ty sent out an urgent call for Orion and Zach. Within minutes the two figures appeared, side by side.

  “Ty, what’s up and why are we using the alternate secure line?”

  “Total privacy on this one. Alec’s lost it, guys. He found out that this Dr. Sax we talked about is really Axion and that Axion’s after Space Tech. Axion has warrants coming to search all three facilities. When he finds out we’ve continued, well, I don’t need to tell you…

  “Anyway, Alec’s going straight for the throat. He’s going after Axion himself. I tried to talk him out of it, but you know our brother. He said he has proof that the prototype is out there too, and he’s sure he can find the location. He’ll send me the coordinates as soon as he’s sure. We have to get to wherever it may be and protect it.

  “Axion’s apparently got a personal army at his disposal, so we’re at a huge disadvantage. I don’t have any clue how we can pull this one out of the fire, guys. We haven’t much time. I think maybe a week or a little longer, perhaps a little less.”

  “He’s so bullheaded!” Orion said. “This isn’t good at all. But I have to believe he has a plan, even if it doesn’t appear to be very well thought out. First off, before Axion strikes he’s got to search all three of our facilities. He won’t find anything at Space Tech because none of the actual assembly or research is going on there, and I’m positive there’s no paperwork lying around, right, Ty?” He gave his brother a wink. “He’d be forced to get evidence from the Orbital Lab and Luna. Getting here would take no time at all with one of our shuttles. But, if we didn’t have any on hand, he’d have to send his men up in their antiquated shuttles, correct?”

  Zach looked at him. “I see where you’re going with this.”

  “Yes, we can provide our own food here, and we have everything needed for everyone to survive many months at the Lab and Luna. We stop shuttle service immediately. This will buy us time.”

  “But all they have to do is get a court order to use one shuttle,” Ty broke in.

  “True, but if we put a self-imposed recall on a part needed for every shuttle, and remove it right away, that would be a problem. Next, we lay off the pilots and techs and make sure they’re scattered to the four corners. With no techs to fix the shuttles and no pilots to fly them, they’d be forced to ready one of their own shuttles and that would take time.”

  Zach smiled. “You’re so bad!”

  “Just trying to do my part to save the world,” Orion chuckled. “Ty, get busy getting the holofilm out of there and securing the place. The house is not a secure place, by the way. Maybe get it to Uncle Nate and Aunt Peggy. Give them a nice little bonus: put them on a plane for a vacation in Switzerland or something. You get what I mean. You’ll need to back up all the info on the computers, upload it to us here. We’ll keep it secure. You’ll need to take out every hard drive and destroy them. Replace them with new so that, when they’re confiscated, Axion will find nothing. Put in new servers too.”

  “What about CHAMP?”

  “Erase him too. We’ve got him up here and we can always reinstall him back down there when this is over. You’ve got to be running a clean store.”

  “We’ll get started right away,” Ty said.

  “Zach and I will be in touch. We’ll handle the shuttle situation. Within the next hour we’ll have all incoming and outgoing flights stopped. We’ll send out a memo ASAP.”

  “Sounds good. Ty out.”

  Zach hurriedly turned to his brother, “What are we going to do?”

  Calmly Orion said, “Fight. That’s all we can do.”

  “With what? He’s got an army and what do we have? Techies? Get real, Orion. We’ve got a few guards and that’s it.”

  “Well, not exactly.”

  “Not exactly?”

  “I think I know where I might be able to come up with some ‘men.’ I just need to contact someone. My men would be ten times better than anything Axion could toss at us. I don’t know if I’ve really gotten
a chance to talk to you guys about the Outpost since I’ve been back here.

  “You see, by now, the entire crew is back and working on the project. There are approximately 437 at the Outpost. Of those, 237 are humans or humans with cybernetics. But there can be 280 droids built within forty-eight hours. If we program some of the new droids to build, we could have another 280 in twenty-four hours. So, in theory, we could have 560 droids here in five to six days.”

  “Yes, but is there enough material?”

  “I believe there is. First off, I need to discuss this idea with Captain Lyet. There could be a lot at stake here. It would probably blow his cover and that of many of the humans with him. Remember, their families think they’re all dead. That might put Space Tech’s reputation at stake.”

  “You told me they were all volunteers. How is that Space Tech’s fault?”

  “Think about it: that many people coming back from the dead? Unfortunately, I’m afraid we’ve got no choice.”

  “You know, if we think that Axion is the only bad guy out there we’re wrong. If we do achieve FTL, there are going to be many more who are going to want it. Not only that, what if there is intelligent life out there?” He pointed up. “It would be bad judgment on our part to think that they’d all be good. Maybe it’s time Space Tech explores creating a rather sizable security force. We could use the droids.”

  “Zach, I’m impressed. That actually makes a lot of sense, and I think that, when all this is done, you and I should sit down and draw up a proposal and present it to Ty and the board.”

  “Isn’t it time you contact Captain Lyet?”

  “Yes, it is. How about you?”

  “Me? Well, I have some shuttles that need attention.”

  “It’s a shame they need to be shut down. Darn safety issues, they always seem to pop up at the worst time.” Orion held his hand up and his brother gave him a quick high five. With they went their separate ways down the corridor.