The Plan and other short stories

by Stephen Brandon

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  It only took six months to build a control interface allowing the operator to control the amount of lift generated by the constructs.

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  The first test pilot died and the computer brought back the vehicle we designed to carry the construct. Acceleration was no problem, the human body was the limiting factor.

  John decided that a full size building would be built in the inner compound after the pond was enlarged to the point that hundred foot boat could be floated. A ship was ordered build meeting the outward specifications of a submarine yet airtight like a spacecraft. Seventy-five feet per side it resembled a large cube. The outer hull was three foot thick with several layers of different metals. Its weight was obscene. There were places for two constructs on each of face. Half size constructs were placed on each face near each corner for attitude control.

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  Chapter 3

  Our cube's first flight went smooth until we were in high orbit. A burst of radiation from the Van Allen belt tripled our acceleration in less than a second. We'd achieved escape velocity so when the computer cut power out velocity was only halved. The only thing that saved our lives was the fluid beds that we were encased in. They were an idea that one of our scientific types claimed was possible. We finally gained control half way to the asteroid belt and determined that the Van Allen radiation belts had to be avoided on our return.

  After landing on the moon we examined the exterior of the ship. Every corner and right angle was melted off. This is something we didn't expect. Only minor pitting of the surface was evident away from the corners.

  Returning to earth we entered over the north pole and only experienced minor turbulence passing through the magnetosphere. The ship was first landed on our enlarged pond and after cooling off lifted and moved over to the research building. It took the military almost two hours to pull up to the outer guard shack and demand entrance.

  Our lawyer was waiting for them and escorted the ranking officer to my office. Steve and John explained to him that we were a private corporation and because of that he had no military authority here. The series of discoveries that resulted in our flight were useless without the proper equipment and expertise. Only three of us knew how everything worked. However he could contact his superiors and we'd meet with them and license our equipment.

  That didn't go over to well. The compound was invaded and we were all arrested. Suddenly after crashing the cube once and then loosing it into outer space they suddenly decided that their scientist didn't know how it worked. Then they wanted to talk to us.

  The simple fact that all the constructs were hand made didn't help their attitude. Our engineer, who now was a twenty percent owner in the new corporation, kept his mouth shut until we had the contracts drawn up and signed. We finally had a cash cow that would make us all rich without breaking the bank of any government. We also had the rights to colonize mars and the outer planets moons.

  Out second cube was twice a big. We however used the same size constructs to power it and it worked perfectly. In the cargo hold we had all the equipment needed to start a base on the moon. Our third trip was one fourth of a new space station.

  Our seventh trip was to mars. That's where we discovered we weren't the first. We found another ship and the bodies. Its iron body was almost rusted away, but the inner hulls were intact. Even the thick glass port holes that the pilot could look out of. Its second hull was silver and the inner hull was beaten gold. There were no computers, only a dozen couches with skeletons strapped to them. Our crew laughed at their simple spacesuits until we analyzed them and found out that they worked. This evidently was an exploration trip for them. They had the equipment to exit their ship and gather samples, but not much more. However the ship showed some refinements that shouldn't be discovered unless they had explored an airless body like the moon and traveled in space many times. This evidently wasn't their first spacecraft. Our scientific crew wanted to disassemble the ship until I told them that we may possible find a settlement on the planet. We finally had proof of flying saucers.

  Now all we had to find was their base.

  Mars was a bust. We put the ship in our cargo bay and hauled it back to earth.

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  Chapter 4

  When it was disassembled we found something that wasn't expected. A form of artificial gravity using the medallions. It only took two years to make our own.

  Within a week our Kentucky lab shipped us a construct, that they had independently developed, that did the artificial gravity more efficiently than the medallions. Add that to the fact that the gravity level could be adjusted made ours more efficient. A side effect of their construct was that it acted like a magnetosphere around the spacecraft shielding it from all radiation above the visible light spectrum. That meant that we had to completely design new radar and communications systems.

  # Main Table of Contents #

  The Ship

  John woke up and didn't feel like getting out of his hammock again. A quick look at his computer confirmed as he read the numerical display 379-10-16 06:15. Another day ferrying supplies from the ship to the surface of the moon. It was a smallish moon, only 10 miles in radius, the 12th out from Jupiter. The government had decided that it was just the right size to hollow out to make a colony ship.

  The first thing they built was a steel shell over the entire surface of the moon. That took 22 years. The next were the access ports to the moons surface itself. The nine ports were completed in a mere 6 years and then the mining started. If it wasn't for the new atomic sequencer nothing would even be near the old schedule. It reduced the atoms of whatever it was focused on, to plasma and then combined them by atomic weight to form new elements in the cool down phase. To bad it just made raw materials.

  The giant magnetic propulsion coils were positioned at the 6 points of the compass. There was even one backup built, ha ha, if they thought that anyone would be able to move it to a new position if one of the others was damaged. The things weighed in at over 300 tons each, and that was without the control interfaces. During the initial test everyone within a mile was killed when they were sucked to the coil. The second test when everyone had new plastic environment suits was better. Only one poor soul that had metal filling in his teeth was killed from explosive decompression when 2 of his teeth shot through his jaw. The coil itself made a big splash, and started a humongous hurricane in the atmosphere of Jupiter. The scientist said that the red spot that was forming would dissipate in a few hundred years when the asteroid the coil was built on decomposed on the surface of the planet.

  They figured for a population of 250,000 to start with. The 100 sections of the colony ship would give them a population of over 2500 for each society group. Now they were talking about a redesign and using the moon as a material source to create a larger ship shaped like an old wine barrel with even more internal volume. Then instead of heading straight out it would loop the solar system and using the suns magnetic field propel itself out toward the Oort cloud and there they could mine materials for the trip. Another load of the automated mining equipment was this load. At least if the equipment worked as promised it would not take another 22 years to redesign the moon and build the proposed extension on it and then coat the whole thing with the new alloy the big brains had devised to reflect radiation.

  At least he only had another month on this detail and then he would start on the ship manufacturing training program. They were only supposed to build 200 ships to start with and then another 1000 after they entered the Oort cloud. 450 of those ships were supposed to be mining ships to snag and haul any matter they encountered back to the mining and manufacturing end of the ship. They claimed that the ship could repair itself without them, but to keep the society of technicians sane they and their descendants had to have a job. He loved space and only the goal of flying free for the rest
of his life was enough of a goal to make him put up with the crap he had for the last 10 years.

  He envied his brother because he was selected as part of the crew that salvaged one of the arks from Earth and as soon as they finished repairing it would go back to Earth to restock it. The scientist claimed that 10 loads would give enough diversity to keep the colony ship from environment failure. They had the envious job of catching anything that moved or swam. Plus loading a million tons of surface dirt. Then gathering several samples of every plant they could find. Dozens of the chambers had been set aside just for plants and animals. Another dozen were set aside for the oceans and lakes. Good thing the computers that would run those sections could herd using the robots any surpluses of wildlife to other sections where they would be used to supplement the diets of the farmers and hunters. He wondered what real fresh meat would taste like as he got out of his hammock and dressed.

  Entering the officers mess he noticed that Jan was talking to the Captain again. No doubt she was bitching about his logs. He said Hi and continued on his way to the buffet and coffee urn. With a full cup of coffee he grabbed a tray and started filling it up.

  The Captain walked over as soon as he sat down and commented that he must have a good appetite to eat so much.

  He mumbled around the eggs that he probably would not be able to get anything to eat until he got off shift after landing the equipment.

  The Captain agreed and then stated that he could always call the mess to bring a snack to the bridge.

  That's all well and good provided you have time to take time from the instruments and controls to fill your mouth. Of course if one choked everything would be unattended until someone else could grab the controls and hit the emergency boost. Wasn't worth the danger or damage it might do. I'll suffer some hunger pangs until I safely deliver the load to the surface.

  The Captain grunted and headed out the mess with a thermos of coffee.

  He turned to Jan and waived her to come over. She finished filling her tray and came over sitting opposite him. Well what did the Captain have to say to you she asked.

  He just commented about my appetite and the fact that I didn't take a break to eat during shift.

  She looked at him and grinned, that's what I told him you'd say when he asked me earlier. Just between you and me, I think you might be in for a promotion to chief pilot.

  John groaned and then commented, that will knock me out of ship manufacturing course and I will need that to get a prime position in the technicians section when we launch. I could not get the technical education courses I wanted before I joined the program. I've spent 10 years working my way up and now I'll get screwed again.

  She looked shocked and then said, who do you think is going out and getting the rocks out there. It will be the pilots, not the technicians who will be buried in their machines fixing things and watching gauges and dials. You know we are going to have 175 mining ships to begin with and have to gather enough materials in the first 50 years to last over 900 years. Then the kids will have to gather rocks as we enter the Oort cloud around the target star until we get slowed down. We have to gather enough rocks to build those humongous rockets they claim we will need for maneuvering en-route. Not to mention the fuel storage tanks and more rocks to turn into fuel. They will have to carry me to my ship, because I'll fly until I can't see the view screen two feet in front of my face.

  He looked at her and said, you know I think you're right. I'll have to think about this training course some more. He gulped down the last of his coffee and said I've got to run or I'll be late for my shift. See you later.

  As he stepped onto the bridge he noticed that the pilots position was empty. Looking around he didn't see the pilot he was supposed to relieve. He reported to the bridge officer and then asked him where the pilot was that he was supposed to relieve.

  The bridge officer said he was sick and had to be taken off an hour ago

  John rushed to the pilots position and glanced at the gauges. Strapping himself in he motioned the bridge officer to come over and then started punching buttons on the display and computer. As the bridge officer stepped to his shoulder he said, we are coming in hot and will need 1.5 G deceleration to keep from crashing. Warn everyone that decelerator will start in 5 minutes. Also have communications call and warn all parties around our flight path and also call for an emergency fuel ship to dock with us within 2 hours.

  The bridge officer looked at him and then said I've already notified the Captain and all sections. A fuel tender will rendezvous with us in 2 hours and 5 minutes. Flight control notified me 30 minutes ago of the problem and they determined if you took the correct prompt action we sill had a 12% safety margin. I'll sound the 5 minute acceleration alarm and he waived across the bridge to the Captain to press the big red button. Then he said you'll have a short shift because we'll be on the ground in 5 hours and 6 minutes. The flight path and deceleration levels that flight control sent are listed on this printout. They even compensated for the Doppler effect from the radiation belt we will be passing through.

  We'll see after I finish my calculation and then I can tell you how hard a landing they were going to give us. Deceleration in two minutes.

  DECELERATION IN TWO MINUTES came across the intercom. SECURE ALL LOOSE OBJECTS.

  DECELERATION IN THIRTY SECONDS came across the intercom. DECELERATION IN TEN SECONDS.

  The rockets fired and everyone was pressed into their seats. Everyone on the bridge heard the crash somewhere in the ship. Immediately the bridge officer called all sections for damage reports.

  John thought about hitting the cutoff, but 30 minutes of deceleration at 1.5 G would put them back on trajectory schedule with only a few minor course corrections. If he cut off early he knew that the only option would be to change trajectory to miss the moon and then recalculate everything after being refueled. He keyed his mike and asked the bridge officer if there was any damage report or safety to the ship or cargo. The reply he got back was the sections were still reporting. He then keyed his mike again and called the cargo master. As soon as he answered he asked the status of the internal and external cargo.

  Internal cargo all secure, lost 2 sensors on outside cargo. All other sensors indicate no movement of external cargo. Have a crew of 3 suiting up to check those sensors. Will be able to tell you in 10 minutes.

  Do you have any way to get a visual without sending anyone outside.

  No because there are no view screens facing the rear.

  John then keyed navigation and asked them what ships were closest. Then he called communications and as them to call the 3 nearest ships and request an outside visual and radar check along their trajectory.

  The bridge officer called John and told him that the mess officer reported one of the storage racks in store room 2 collapsed and knocked over 2 others. He was still waiting for a report from the other sections.

  John then informed him that he had talked to the cargo master and 2 sensors on the outside cargo quit working and he was sending a crew of 3 outside to check. Also he had communications call the 3 nearest ships for an outside visual and radar check along their trajectory. If anything had broken free it would be many miles down our trajectory by now and the only thing they could do would be to make sure they didn't loose anything else and warn everyone in its projected trajectory.

  Cargo master to Bridge: One piece of equipment broke in half and we've lost half of it. The rest of it is secure and new sensors are being wired in now. Sensors indicate all other outside cargo secure.

  Pilot to Cargo master: I need the time to the second that the sensors failed.

  Cargo master to Pilot: Computer indicates time of failure at 0548 and the second 0811 hours.

  Pilot to cargo master: Can you give me an estimate of mass or weight of missing piece of cargo. I also need to know the location on the ship in relation to any reference point of the missin
g cargo.

  Cargo master to Pilot: It was on the Jupiter side of the ship almost at 90 degrees. The shape was rectangular and would have tumbled as it separated since it pivoted off from the front to the rear. I estimate it's weight at about 6 tons. It was the cargo bed of a hauler.

  Pilot to Cargo master: Thanks

  Pilot to communications: Warn all ships along our trajectory including the fuel tender. Also warn the moon that they can expect a 6 ton object to impact in approximately 2 hours and 18 minutes from now. I'll be able to give them a more accurate impact area in about 15 minutes.

  Pilot to navigation: As soon as we clear this radiation belt I need an exact trajectory on the cargo that broke free. Time to deceleration cut off 19 minutes 6 seconds. I can rotate the ship at that time so you can aim the main dish.

  Pilot to Cargo master: In 18 minutes and 30 seconds when deceleration stops I will need to rotate the ship so navigation can get a radar fix on lost cargo. Is all other cargo secure for this maneuver? I need an affirmative or negative reply.

  Cargo master to Pilot: I now have confirmation that outside cargo is secure. My crews double checked the other 3 haulers. We have pictures of meteorite damage to all haulers. You know the outside cargo is no longer balanced.

  Pilot to Cargo master: I know, the computer has been correcting our trajectory continuously since 0813 hours.

  Pilot to Bridge officer: Deceleration cut off in 30 seconds, rotation maneuver starting 5 seconds later, please sound maneuvering signal as soon as main rocket cuts off.

  Pilot to navigation: Your main dish should have a clear view of our trajectory in 90 seconds. Inform me and communications of impact point as soon as you have it calculated. Then check for any converging trajectories and warn those ships again.