HADRON Revelation

by Stephen Arseneault

  “Maybe two days before the Petunia was destroyed.”

  Mace held up his hands. Why didn’t we use this before now? We might have intercepted Stark’s plans for those shuttles. The Petunia could have just backed away.”

  Humphrey shook his head. “Sorry, Mr. Hardy, I didn’t get it installed until earlier today. Hadn’t had the chance to tell you about it.”

  Mace looked back at Hans. “Mr. Mueller? You think you could destroy that dock if we take you in close enough?”

  Hans looked over his console. “It may take us a few minutes, but yes. Our standard cannons should be sufficient.”

  Jasper walked onto the bridge. “Was listening over the bridge video feed. Montak and I have one of the shuttles ready to try out. It still has the heavy duty grappling on it. Seeing as how the Mawga don’t have any ships they can fight with at the moment, maybe we take one of those shuttles in, grab that space dock, and drag it out of there. The drives of that shuttle won’t push it very fast, but we don’t need fast right now. And in the end we’d have our own repair dock.”

  Mace stood. “Can anyone think of why we shouldn’t try this?”

  Johnny asked, “What do we do with the Mawga who are on there?”

  Mace turned. “We use them to teach us how to run that rig, and then we put them on shuttles back to Earth.”

  Mace spun back around. “Another brilliant idea, Mr. Collins. We don’t have to fire a shot, nobody gets hurt, and we have a repair dock of our own.”

  Jasper grinned at Johnny. “Hear that, ape-man? Brilliant!”

  Johnny smiled as he shook his head. “I can’t argue with you on this one. In fact, I might just have to join your fan club if this works out.”

  Jasper stood in silence, not sure of how to respond.

  “Mr. Mallot, set up a sensor feed to shuttle one. Mr. Collins, I’m assuming you’d like to pilot this mission?”

  Jasper nodded. “I would.”

  Shuttle one, the E.A. Collins, left the bay, zipping through the void of space between the Rogers and the Mawga repair dock. As it pulled alongside the giant machine, the grappling extended and took hold. The first attempt at moving the dock resulted in nothing more than a slow spin.

  Jasper came over the comm. “We have a problem. The mass of that thing is too big. The drives of this shuttle can’t handle that lateral force.”

  Jasper laughed.

  “What is it?” Mace asked.

  Jasper replied, “Hold on… I’m patching through a video feed from one of my port cameras.”

  The display wall image changed to one of a clear window into a hallway on the space dock. Half a dozen Mawga workers could be seen banging on the transparent window material.

  Jasper continued to laugh. “Idiots are banging on the window and yelling like it’s going to scare me away. I tell you, Mr. Hardy, if we Humans could get our act together, we would rule this galaxy.”

  Mace replied, “Well, first we have to figure out how to make you effective. I want that dock moving.”

  Jeff opened a comm to the bridge. “Mr. Hardy, he needs to move that shuttle to a point along its center of gravity and grapple there. With the mass of that station distributed evenly, the shuttle should be able to push it in a straight line. And I would suggest that straight line not be directed back out at our base. Take it somewhere first, and then move it to wherever we permanently want it.”

  Jasper said, “We aren’t all idiots like the Mawga, Mr. Moskowitz. I wasn’t trying to push it toward Proteus.”

  Jeff began to say something. Johnny cut him off. “Don’t get pulled into one of his arguments, Doc. Just let it go.”

  Mace said. “Make the necessary adjustments, Mr. Collins. Regardless of the condition of Stark’s fleet right now, I’d rather we be out of there sooner rather than later.”

  Jasper replied, “Agreed. Moving to a new piece of framework now… grappling… and we’re on the move. I’m passing the nav data to the screen.”

  Mace turned to Liam. “Mr. Hobbs, given his acceleration, can you give an estimate of how long it will take to get that dock out of sensor range?”

  Liam typed away on the console in front of him. “Three hours maybe. He should be at his top maintainable speed just before that. One thing for him to keep in mind is it will take him an equal amount of time to bring that dock to a stop.”

  Johnny chuckled. “I can’t believe we’re stealing that thing. Stark has got to be pissed about now.”

  Mace said, “We don’t have it yet. At least not until we’re well out of range.”

  Humphrey Mallot yelled, “I have a wormhole opening at five hundred thousand kilometers! Almost right on top of Jasper! And it’s huge!”

  Mace yelled into his comm: “Jasper! Release that dock and get your ass out of there! Mr. Hobbs, take us to maximum sensor range!”

  Cruiser after cruiser flew through the portal opening, forty-six in all. Following just behind was a Muhatha-class dreadnought, the largest of the Union ships, this one broadcasting the Targarian banner, another Galactic Union founder, and an opposing species to the Dellus.

  Jasper replied, “I got nowhere to go, Mr. Hardy. Just save yourselves!”

  Chapter 2

  *

  Johnny turned. “We can’t leave him there!”

  Mace shook his head. “We can’t get to him. We can, but they might blast him before we could take him aboard. That shuttle no longer has the dampener field strength to stave off those cannons.”

  Liam asked, “What are your orders, Mr. Hardy?”

  Mace frowned. “For now, we sit and watch. If they send that big ship this way, we leave.”

  Jordan said, “Mr. Hardy, I might have a solution. We slide the Rogers in between the shuttle and that Muhatha with bay one on his side. We can take the heat while he decouples from that repair dock and comes in.”

  Mace took a deep breath. “Jasper, this is your neck at risk. We’re thinking about a maneuver that would take us between you and that ship. We’ll take whatever fire it puts out. You slide into bay one from your side.”

  Jasper shook his head. “Don’t put yourself at risk like that for me. Besides, you’re fifteen minutes out still. They’ll have me before you get here. Sorry, Mr. Hardy. Looks like my time has come. I would suggest you get back to Proteus and move as much food as you can. They’ll be looking to pry my head open to see what I know. When they go to interrogate me, I’m sure I can be stubborn, but don’t put your faith in that.”

  Mace stood. “We’ll do everything we can to win your freedom, Jasper. I won’t stop until you’re back with us.”

  Jasper nodded. “You are all my family, Mace. Sometimes family has to let go. As I said, get your asses back to Proteus. I can deal with these rat people on my own.”

  Mace hesitated. “Wait. What did you mean by that?”

  Jasper held up a Mawga plasma rifle. “I can see a wide open repair bay about 50 meters from here. I think I’ll go on a rampage. Curious to see how many rats I can kill before they get me. Heck, if I’m lucky, they’ll put an end to me and I’ll get to keep all our secrets. And just for the fun of it, I’m patching through my helmet video.”

  An alarm sounded on the shuttle as the ramp unsealed and lowered. Jasper Collins checked his exosuit before pushing off toward the open bay. Mawga workers scrambled as the big Human entered their space. Plasma rounds flew. Explosions hurled a half dozen Mawga into the air as Jasper hit the gravity of the bay. A thud could be heard as his boots hit the deck. Jasper grinned as he repeatedly pulled the trigger.

  Jane came on the bridge. “We can’t just leave him!”

  Mace sighed. “We don’t have a choice. He’s right, we need to get back to Proteus. If he gets captured, they’ll have the location of the base. And they’ll know all the work we’ve done to this ship.”

  Mace turned to face Liam. “Mr. Hobbs, take us back to Proteus.”

  Jane put her hand on Johnny’s shoulder as they all watched on the wall display. Jasper Co
llins was carrying out the rampage he had spoken of. Mawga crewman skittered about, in complete terror of the Human. Minutes later, as the Rogers sped away, the comm feed was lost.

  The hours-long ride back to Proteus was quiet.

  As they approached the small moon, Mace sat up in his chair. “Mr. Hobbs, pick us out a new location for a base. It’ll take us a dozen trips to move that food stash. Pick somewhere we can make it to and back in under an hour. When we have the food all moved, we can move it again from there.”

  David Yancy walked onto the bridge. “Set a course for Neso once we’re loaded. It’s the most distant moon, and happens to be on this side of Neptune. Twenty-two minutes ride from here. Hard surface. Should be a quick in and out. After that I suggest we move back toward Saturn. I would also suggest we split the rations between three sites. Rhea and Dione at Saturn, and then a third site at the northern pole of Mars. And I would suggest burying all of it.”

  Mace nodded. “Mr. Hobbs, lay in those waypoints for us.”

  A general comm was opened. “This is Mace. We need to move all our food stores from Proteus as quickly as possible. Jasper Collins has likely been captured by the Targarians. If so, he won’t have a choice but to divulge this base’s location. Mr. Crawford will be coordinating with each of you. We’ll be sending shuttle three along to Neso to make room and we’ll be packing as much as we can into bays one and three.”

  The Rogers set down just above the surface of Proteus. A ramp was lowered and food transference begun. Thirty-two minutes into their efforts, the first of the loads was ready. A short run to Proteus saw the reverse effort put into play.

  Mace and Johnny set a crate down on the surface. “Mr. Moskowitz, how’s the digging coming?”

  Jeff replied, “Not well. And since we’re initially transferring all the food here, I would suggest you leave me with a team to continue the dig while you return for another load.”

  Mace nodded. “We should be finished unloading in another five. You sure you’ll be OK out here? If something happens, we may not be coming back.”

  Jeff pointed, “We always have the shuttle. Even if half of us have to ride piggyback on the outside, we can always make it back to Earth.”

  Mace turned. “Let’s get moving.”

  Johnny followed him up the ramp where the next container was grabbed. “I’m still blown away by these exosuits. Imagine the productivity increases we could have seen back home if we’d had these. I mean, they follow your actions just like they are a part of you.”

  Mace lifted his end of the half ton metal box. “Yep, remarkable. Would have hated to see the spread of these battlesuits along with the exosuits though. Would have changed the face of war. Who needs a tank or a transport when you could run for hours on end with one of these? And I sure could have used this battlesuit on those days when it hit a hundred twenty degrees in the Mideast. I want to say it would have saved a lot of lives, but war has a way of conquering technology. Any advantage only goes so far or lasts for so long. That’s one of the reasons you try to go in with an overwhelming force and then get out. Lingering is a great equalizer.”

  The last few storage containers were set on the hard surface of Neso. The Rogers lifted off and was soon reloading on Proteus. Five trips were made over the next twelve hours.

  Mace sat in the captain’s chair as the Rogers lifted with a new load. “Four more after this one and we can start dispersal to the other sites.”

  Humphrey yelled, “Sensors detect a ship incoming! And it’s big!”

  The sensor data was pushed to the wall display. “Looks like the Muhatha, Mr. Hardy!”

  Mace shook his head. “Change course. Get us back out of sensor range and swing us back around to Neso. We need to collect Jeff and the others.”

  Liam replied, “Setting waypoints. Turning away.”

  Thirty tense seconds passed. “Mr. Hardy, we have a problem! That ship is gaining on us!”

  Mace replied, “What’s our speed?”

  Liam replied, “We’re maxed out at 48 percent light. Readout shows they’re closing. Time estimate for them to catch us is sixteen minutes.”

  Mace looked over at Johnny. “Looks like we’ve lost. Mr. Hobbs, take us within comm range of Neso. We have to inform Jeff and the others of the situation.”

  The Rogers made a hard turn. Ten minutes later a comm channel was opened.

  “This is Jeff.”

  Mace said, “The Muhatha has found us. And it’s faster. We’ll lead it away as best we can. You take the others back to Earth. Do what you can to survive. And Jeff, thanks for all you’ve done. I don’t think this is going to end well for us.”

  Jeff replied, “Could you make it to the surface of Neptune? Maybe that atmosphere would give you an advantage.”

  Mace pursed his lips. “Appreciate the thought, Jeff. We couldn’t make it if we tried. They’ll be on us in a few minutes. Jeff, take care. It’s been a fun ride.”

  Jeff nodded as the comm closed. “Mr. Hobbs, take us as far away from Neso as you can.”

  Jane came on the bridge. “So this is it, then.”

  Mace shook his head. “Not necessarily. We still have our shields. If those cannons are the same as the Petunia had, they can’t hurt us. Worst they could do is ram us. Of course they could also follow us around until our fuel runs out. That would be three months or so if we keep moving. And just over a year if we sit and wait.”

  Johnny shook his head. “Not gonna last that long. We have to keep those dampeners running at full. Fuel burn rate will stay high.”

  Johnny turned back to his console. “We’re receiving hails.”

  Mace replied, “Don’t answer.”

  Several minutes later, the Muhatha had caught up to the Rogers.

  Hans sat at his console. “Wish I had some cannons to use.”

  Mace frowned. “Wouldn’t have done us any good. We needed a few more days to have those ready for a test. Without the potential of doubling their output, we couldn’t hurt that ship anyway.”

  Hans said, “Are we continuing work on those?”

  Mace turned. “Jeff was driving that effort.”

  Hans replied, “Can I assist in his place? We can certainly keep running for a few days, even if they are right on us.”

  Mace nodded. “Not a bad plan, Mr. Mueller. See to it. And ask for whatever help you need.”

  Hans left the bridge at a fast walk.

  Humphrey said, “Mr. Hardy, we’re out of sensor range of Neso. Jeff can make his way out of there without detection.”

  Mace replied, “Won’t hurt to give him a little more space.”

  Johnny said, “Still getting hails from the Muhatha.”

  Mace tapped his fingers on his armrest. “Patch them through. I guess it doesn’t hurt to hear their demands.”

  The wall display filled with the facial image of the Targarian commander. Two bulbous fish eyes sat atop a wide, flat, blue-skinned head. As the camera panned back, the thirty inch tall alien was shown to be sitting in his command chair. He wore a white robe with platinum tassels covering his shoulders. A polished silver breastplate with embedded medals covered his chest.

  The Targarian said, “Mr. Hardy. Please bring your ship to a stop. We have no plans to fire upon you.”

  Johnny shook his head. “Here we go again. I feel another secret deal coming on.”

  Mace raised his hand. “Mr. Hobbs. Take us to zero.”

  Mace looked into the comm camera. “What is it you want?”

  The commander returned a stern look. “My name is Commodore Rolic. I am the commander of one third of the Targarian fleet. I wish to have a word with your Mr. Johnny Tretcher.”

  Johnny turned. “Me? What’s he want with me?”

  Mace replied, “I assume you have Jasper Collins aboard. Is he alive? Can we speak with him?”

  The commodore shook his head. “I am sorry, Mr. Hardy. I will not be discussing Mr. Collins at this time. Please, put the Human named Johnny Tretcher on the comm.�
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  Mace looked over his shoulder. Johnny shrugged.

  Mace replied, “Under one condition. You tell us if Jasper Collins is OK.”

  The commodore nodded. “Agreed. After I have spoken with Mr. Tretcher.”

  Mace gestured and the comm camera was switched.

  “I’m Johnny Tretcher. As Mr. Hardy asked, where’s Jasper Collins?”

  The commodore leaned into the camera. “Mr. Tretcher. I am sending over a shuttle. I ask that you board that shuttle and be brought back here to stand before me. If you would accommodate me in that regard, I will end my pursuit of the Rogers.”

  Johnny replied, “Me? Why would you want me specifically? What’s this about?”

  The commodore reiterated his request. “Again, I ask that Mr. Tretcher be released to stand before me. Make this happen and the rest of you can be on your way.”

  Mace said, “Do we get him back?”

  Rolic tilted his head slightly. “That would depend on the result of our meeting, Mr. Hardy. Again, the rest of you will be free to go.”

  Johnny took a deep breath. “Wow. Wasn’t expecting anything like this.”

  Jane squeezed his shoulder. “Don’t for a minute think you’re going over there.”

  Johnny put his hand on top of hers. “What choice do I have? I’d sacrifice myself ten times over if it means freeing the rest of this crew, including you.”

  Johnny stood. “And you would do the same. Mace, I’ll go. If I can get them to leave, you can finish what we started.”

  Mace stood, taking the hand of his best friend, as he froze the comm. “You get over there and they have bad intent, just cut loose on ‘em. Show them the terror that a three hundred pound Human can be. From the looks of them, I bet not one of them weighs over forty-five pounds.”

  Johnny chuckled. “I guess if a rampage was good enough for Jasper, it’s good enough for me.”

  Humphrey said, “We have a shuttle coming over. Bays are full. You’ll have to drift over to it.”

  Johnny nodded. “Done it before, Mr. Mallot. Well, everyone, it’s been an adventure, and one that I can say has taught me a lot about what it means to be family. Family isn’t just through birth. I consider each and every one of you my brothers and sisters. Except you, dear — that would be weird.”