Salvage-5: Another Mission (First Contact)

by Brian K. Larson

  “Eh, no worries,” Tucker shrugged.

  “Come again, Sir?” Hargrove begged, “We need to get this crate mining resources, or we’ll all suffocate.”

  “Na...I got it all covered, right Lieutenant?”

  “Oh, right, Sir. I almost forgot, your ‘care package’,” Buster said, reaching in his nap sack he stowed at his station.”

  “What’s this all about, Commander?”

  “Our trip out was never dependent on the jump rings. We just wanted a good front so we might be able to sneak up on our enemy sooner than later, without any possible moles revealing our timing.”

  Buster handed Tucker a small cigar case, tied with a ribbon.

  “Oh great!” Samantha balked.

  “Oh, not to worry, Captain, these aren’t cigars,” Tucker answered with a grin.

  “Oh, whew!”

  “No, those are stowed with my gear, on Salvage-5.”

  Samantha gave a roll of her eyes, “I knew it!”

  “These are accelerator pens,” Tucker explained.

  “Three to be exact,” Buster added, “Right, Commander?”

  “Umm, yeah...as I was saying, I had Buster acquire three accelerator pens from The Company. He smuggled them out of the lab for me. Nice and quietly, right?” he asked, turning to Buster. “You didn’t bring any attention to yourself, now did ya?”

  “I sure did...I mean, no, I didn’t bring any attention to myself. I got them when no one was looking. You know, kind of like sleight of hand...and no one even suspected,” Buster proudly smiled.

  “That’s kind of why I asked you to do it.”

  “Oh, well...maybe I need to work on my characterization portrayal.”

  “Yeah, Buster,” Tucker smiled, “That’d be helpful.”

  “What exactly are accelerator pens?” Hargrove asked.

  Tucker pulled the ribbon from the box and let it float in front of him. Then he proceeded to remove one of the green colored rods, equipped with a plug-in tip.

  “What this does, when I click it into my socket, is deliver an accelerated gamma wave charge to my chip.”

  “...and that’s how we’re going to course correct?”

  “No, not course correct.”

  “What do you mean, Commander? I’m afraid I’m not following.”

  “Buster?” Tucker said, turning his back to the Lieutenant, “If you will?”

  Buster grabbed the pen that Tucker took out of the box and carefully aligned the plug with the jack on the back of Tucker’s neck.”

  “How long will that last?”

  “Depends on how much energy I have to expel, but I’m guessing this one will be all used up in just a moment.”

  “Okay, Commander,” Buster asked, “You ready?”

  “Do it whiz-kid.”

  Buster snapped the pen into Tucker’s jack with a click. The pen instantly lit up a bright green color as the gamma waves emptied into Tucker’s chip. His eyes glowed bright green and then when the pen’s glow faded out, Buster pulled it out.

  Tucker floated in the center of the bridge and closed his eyes. He held his hands out in front of him and concentrated on their destination.

  The already ripped stars in their view tore even farther before their eyes. The CSMO’s proximity alarms rang out, alerting the crew that they were close to a large body.

  Reverse, reverse burn, full power to reverse burn!” Hargrove panicked.

  “Changing course to One-Eight-Zero by Two-Three-Five!” Cass reported, “We’re going to barely miss the asteroid, but I think we’re where we want to be. I’m getting readings of our jump ring in this sector.”

  “Slow to 900 KPH.”

  “Reverse burn termination in 3...2...1...MARK...speed at 900 KPH.

  “Commander,” Buster smiled, “confirmed. We’re at 253 Mathilde, Sir.”

  The bridge crew cheered and applauded Colonel Tucker.

  “SAT Recon.”

  “Launching recon satellite,” Samantha acknowledged.

  “Distance to 253 Mathilde is 5,000 kilometers,” Cass smiled. “We should send one of the Salvage ships on a low pass to scout a landing site for the CSMO.”

  “Good plan,” Tucker let out a big breath.

  Cass shot Tucker a glance, “Soon as we’re done with this mission, Tuck, I want that creepy thing out of you.”

  “I don’t plan on keeping this any longer than I have to.”

  “Good,” Cass squinted at the faint green afterglow fading from Tucker’s eyes, “I’m glad we see eye to eye on that. That alien tech just creeps me out.”

  “Okay, now that we’re at the target asteroid, we should go back and see what damage we do have.”

  “Let’s go, Commander,” Samuels said.

  Samuels, Slavena, Cass and Tucker made their way aft to the CSMO landing bays. The Sargent entered his code into the control panel, and the door to the middle landing pod laboriously screeched open.

  “Oh man!” Tucker cringed at the sounds of metal on metal.

  Samuels peered around the edge of the retracting door.

  “She ripped the holding clamp right out of the deck and slid sideways into the bulkhead.”

  “Well, ain’t that a hole in the boat!” Tucker floated into the landing bay. “We’ll need to inspect the entire ship. Cass, you take the Port side, Samuels up top. I’ll check underneath. Slavena, you’ve got the Starboard side. We meet at the nose.”

  The four pushed off in their assigned directions, floating through the zero-gee landing pod.

  “Tuck,” Cass called almost immediately, “the aft port stabilizer has punched a hole clean through the outboard engine. The ion turbine is toast.”

  “She can’t fly until we replace the entire engine. Slavena, looks like your ship is grounded.”

  Samuels ran his hand over the ship’s damage, “What? You don’t have enough pixie dust to fix this?”

  “No, I’m afraid not. Buster was only able to get three pens. One pen was to get us here. Another pen for our escape back to Earth, and one pen to use when we made contact.”

  “But it waz my zhip that waz to be used to transport zee zurvivors.”

  “We’ll have to make do with two ships,” Tucker tapped the side of his wireless, “Hargrove, I think we’ll have to take less marines than we planned.”

  “Sir?”

  “Salvage-6 was damaged when the jump forces ripped a locking clamp out of the deck and she slammed into the bulkhead. Port engine and stabilizer are shot.”

  “Understood, Sir. I’ll revise our plan.”

  “In the meantime, you mind giving the controls over to Captain Rothschild? I need you to fly your reconnaissance of the asteroid. Find that suitable landing site.”

  “You got it, Commander. I’ll have Dash-7 prepped and ready to go in ten.”

  Tucker tapped his headset to terminate his link, “Okay, let’s right this ship and secure it the old fashioned way.”

  “The old fashioned way?” Samuels asked.

  “Yeah, using old fashioned tie downs and not trust these magnetic locking clamps.”

  “Sounds good to me, Colonel.”

  “Slavena, I need you to unpack the manual tie-down straps. Cass, Samuels and I will unlock the clamps that did hold.”

  “I’ll take the nose gear,” Samuels offered.

  “Okay, Sarge. Cass you unlock the starboard and I’ll start untangling the bent mess on the port side.”

  Hargrove floated down the causeway and poked his head through the middle landing bay entrance. The others heard him whistle, “Wow, what a mess! Have fun, you guys.”

  “We’re lucky that these bulkheads were as thick as they are, or we’d have a bit more damage than just one engine on one ship,” Cass said, looking up at the perplexed Hargrove.

  “Tucker!” Samuels shouted, “Gonna need some help on the nose gear. She’s twisted at least 30 degrees out of true.”

  Hargrove raised his hands motioning, “Hey, gotta run… places to go and, we
ll, asteroids to go see, bye.”

  “Nice to see you too, Captain,” Samuels called at Hargove’s heels.

  “Samuels?” Tucker shouted, “We’ve got the same problem over here!”

  “Say again?”

  “The starboard skid is twisted about thirty degrees off center. We’re gonna have to cut these clamps off in order to set this ship right.”

  Slavena returned with the tie down straps and floated them to Tucker. He smiled as he took the drifting cargo, “Why don’t you go in and try to fire up the power on the port engine. See if you can get anything out of it.”

  “You got eet, bozz.”

  “Commander is fine, Captain.”

  “Da, you got eet, Co-mander,” Slavena said, flicking her weightless hair over her shoulder.

  “Eh-HEM!”

  “What?” Tucker shrugged at Cass, then turned back to Slavena, “And tie that hair back. You’re not in compliance with reg 35-10.”

  “I am in complianze with zee Russian drezz code.”

  “As long as you’re under my command, you’re under our rules and regulations.”

  “Da, Co-mander. Underztood,” Slavena rolled her eyes as she floated into her ship.

  Tucker secured the tie-downs and turned to Cass, “Maybe we can pry it off?”

  “I’d like to pry her off!”

  “Cass, be nice!”

  “Oh, I am. Trust me when I say, I am being nice.”

  “Come on, hand me that spanner wrench on that magnetic plate over there.”

  “Yeah,” Cass said, floating over to the side wall. “I got it,” she said, pulling the wrench off the magnetized grid.

  She floated back to Tucker and held herself the best she could at the locking clamp, “Here, try putting the wrench in-between,” she pointed, “I’ll hold you like we did trying to lock the damn thing in the first place.”

  Tucker took the wrench from Cass. She held him in place as she wrapped her legs around the landing strut. Tucker slid the wench between the clamp and a small gap at the landing skid foot.

  “Okay, I think I got it.”

  Tucker pulled as Cass pressed on his backside, but the wrench slipped out of the gap, causing Tucker’s hand to be smashed against the strut.

  “OWWW!” Tucker shouted, spitting a few expletives. He let the wrench go out of sheer pain from his hand being crushed. The torque of the impact sent the wrench sailing across the weightless environment. The wrench tossed and turned, clanking off the bottom of the ship’s hull and down to the deck. It bounced several times, back and forth, between the hull and the deck as it quickly headed toward the Sergeant.

  “Heads up, Sarge!” Cass yelled.

  Samuels looked up in the nick of time, reached out and grabbed the flinging wrench, and then spun himself around, absorbing the wrench’s inertia

  “Got it!” Samuels yelled, “...and maybe we should get that cutting torch?”

  Slavena floated out of Salvage-6’s cargo bay, “Eez no good, Co-mander. The port zide outboard won’t even power up. Eez dead az gooze.”

  “Duck. It’s ‘dead az duck’,” Tucker tried to shake the pain off of his hand. “Well, how about you go get us a cutting torch, Slavena?”

  “Get it yourzelf. I am Captain, not goffer.”

  “Never mind, Colonel,” Samuels interjected, floating back to where Tuck and Cass were.

  “She can’t say that to me,” Tucker complained.

  “Tuck, it’s okay, I’ll get the damn torch,” Samuels said, holding Tucker back by his shoulders.

  Tucker pressed against Samuels’ safety net, “The mission, Tucker...remember the mission! Just let this one go, man. I’ll take care of it...Sir.”

  Tucker glanced between Samuels and Slavena, “Fine...fine. But I’m not going to forget this little incident.”

  “Co-mander,” Slavena said, “I appologizze. I mean no disrezpect, Co-mander.”

  “I think we’re all a little on edge,” Samuels nodded. “You guys think you can get those straps and winch set up while I cut these toes off?”

  “He’s right, Tuck,” Cass said, looking into his eyes, “Come on. Let’s get to work.”

  Tucker relaxed against Samuels, “You always were able to keep me in check, Sergeant.”

  “Thank you, Sir.”

  “Just remember one thing then.”

  “Sir?”

  “Don’t ever forget to keep me in check...and I mean that, Samuels...we will all need that.”

  “You can count on me, Tuck.” Samuels nodded, and then shook him reassuringly by the shoulders, before heading for the cutting torch.

  Tucker reached for the straps and winch, “Well? What are we waiting for,” he said, lifting the cargo in front of him.

  * * *

  Chapter 6

  Salvage-7

  Location:

  Asteroid 253 Mathilde

  Earth Date: 10/22/2065 2064 05:00

  Mission Objectives:

  DEPLOY CSMO AT ASTEROID 253 MATHILDE

  JUMP ASSUALT TEAM TO 52 EUROPA

  INFILTRATE ALIEN NOOSPHERE

  RESCUE HUMANS

  COLLECT ALIEN CORE

  DESTROY NOOSPHERE COMPLEX

  Hargrove sealed the SSV-7 cargo bay and powered up the ship’s engines. He put on his wireless and tapped its side, “Dillan, you copy me?”

  “Dillan here, Captain Hargrove. Depressurizing bay and opening bay doors. You’re clear for takeoff, Captain.”

  “CSMO 253 Matihile-2, SSV-7, skids up,” Hargrove smiled as he pulled back the controls.

  He rose out of the landing bay. “Current speed is 900 KPH, matching vector to Asteroid 253 Mathilde.”

  “You’re clear, Captain,” Dillan reported back, “Closing landing bay doors.”

  “Free and clear!” Hargrove nodded, “Increasing speed to 40,000 KPH. ETA to target is seven and a half minutes.”

  “Be safe out there, Captain,” Dillan answered.

  “You don’t have to worry about me. Safe is my middle name.”

  Hargrove continued to smile at the smooth control of the ship, as he flew the sleek Salvage-7 toward the asteroid.

  “CSMO 253 Mathilde-2, Salvage-7, I’m coming up on the asteroid surface in a minute. Reducing speed to 250 KPH.”

  “Roger that, Dash-7, keep us posted on the beacon placement.”

  “Affirmative,” Hargrove answered, “Just scoping out a good landing zone...stand by, I think I see something up ahead.”

  “Leaving the channel open for monitoring, Dillan out.”

  “Yep, uh huh...I think I found the perfect spot just up ahead...I’m reducing to 150 KPH and circling around.”

  Hargrove tipped the ship’s port wing forty-five degrees towards the asteroid for a better view as he circled the proposed landing site. Then he slowed down for a second fly by.

  “Yeah, this’ll do nicely, slowing to landing configuration...lowering skids...and in 3...2...1...skids down. Launching two harpoon anchors now!”

  He hit the controls, sending the powerful anchoring harpoon’s tip plunging through the frozen surface ice and deep into the rock below.

  “Anchor lock confirmed, powering down engines to idle.”

  “This is Dillan, Captain Hargrove. I’m picking up your camera feed. You’re right this looks like an ideal location.”

  “Excellent, I’ll deploy the landing beacons to guide you in. But for now, continue your present course toward the asteroid at 900 KPH.”

  “I read ya, Captain,” a snappy female voice echoed over his com link.

  “Sam,” Hargrove chuckled, “You’re doin’ great at the CSMO controls. Keep up the good work, Captain.”

  “Yeah, it’s just a barrel o’ fun over here. At least you could have given me a few course changes, you know, just for the practice. I haven’t done anything but made slight adjustments to our trajectory since I took over.”

  “Sorry, Captain. You’ll get your turn up there soon enough,” Hargrove laughed.

 
“Can I land her?”

  Hargrove laughed harder, then stopped suddenly, “No.”

  “Aw, come on...why do you get to have all the fun?”

  “Because I’ve done it before, and you haven’t.”

  “My mommy told me there’s a first time for everything…”

  “Forget it, Captain. I’m taking her down. That’s all there is to it.”

  “Not so fast, Captain Hargrove,” Tucker cut in.

  “Sir? I didn’t know you were on this channel.”

  “I’m mission commander. I am everywhere. Now, set the beacon. Then I want you to take Dash-7 out to the jump ring and do a systems check. Captain Rothschild, you will get your chance to land the CSMO with Dillan’s input.”

  “Thank you, Sir,” Sam answered, her voice having a slight lift.

  “I’m heading out in a MECH to plant the landing beacons now,” Hargrove reported, “You sure about this, Commander?”

  “I’m very sure. Sam, er, Captain Rothschild needs to know how to do this for real, not just on the sims. This is the best chance for her to get that experience. We may need it later. And I need that jump ring checked out so we can get on to our main mission.”

  “Understood, Sir,” Hargrove answered as he released the MECH from the Salvage-7 ship.

  The MECH dropped to the surface of the asteroid with a thud. Hargrove tested the machine’s servos by moving the mechanical arms and legs, and then he proceeded to the top of the landing site.

  When he reached the right spot, he plunged a beacon into the ground. Turning the top of the beacon caused a blue light to emanate from the top of the device. He bounced over to the next position and planted another beacon. After placing the four beacons he returned to the Salvage-7. When he reached the retrieval position, two arms grabbed the MECH and set it back inside its landing bay.

  “Captain Rothschild, Hargrove here. Do you copy?”

  “Yes, Captain, we read you and are picking up the landing beacons. Proceeding to target location.”

  “Good deal. I’m firing up the Dash-7 and will move to the jump ring for my inspection. Good luck on landing the CSMO, Sam.”

  “Thanks, I’m sure I’ll do fine.”

  Hargrove quickly made his way to the pilot seat and strapped in. “Engines to full power...releasing anchors...taking off in 3...2...1...skids up...plotting course to the jump ring. ETA: 27 minutes, SSV-7 out.”