“Panel two closing in five, four, three…” The computer informs me. Then as it closes I feel instantly much heavier, and my body shifts to being very cold from that previous burning shit. Then my temperature slowly stabilizes until it starts to become very damn hot again as cold air rushes in.
“Panel three closing in five, four…”
The processes is repeated again, and again until all the panels have closed.
“Trans-dimensional penetration in five, four, three…
When it hits, I am on damn fire it feels like and icy air pricks at all my nerves.
“Ahhh!” I cry out. “Shiiiit!”
I am in such pain, the icy air only begins to take the edge off, and only with sharp crystal bites. I breathe faster, deeper.
Then in just moments the computer tells me that the drive is shutting down, and the panel opening countdown begins. It is the same pain in reverse order as before, until finally all the equalization panels are open, and I can begin to unstrap to take my astronomical readings. I feel that I pissed myself, as the pain subsides.
The realization that I have to endure the exact same torture again in just under an hour, my time; brings no pleasure to me, just that I have to get home again, or I die out here. So I take all my readings as per mission specifications and I strap back in for the automatic ride home. I am really not a pilot by any measure in this thing. Just a passenger going for a very torturous ride.
I make it back on pins and needles and they instantly come get me to take me to the NET nine infirmary, which is rapidly gearing up to be a full-fledged hospital. I am not as beaten down as Colonel Ham was though, and they release me in several hours.
I am the second human being to experience quantum travel, and I figure that my fame is assured, but I’m not done yet by a long shot. When some of the other pilots take the short one light year test flight, they suffer varied results, from worse than Colonel Ham was, to two of the men being DOR, Dropped On Request. They couldn’t take it. I can and I eagerly volunteer again. Soon I have three flights under my belt. I hate the pain, but I can take it.
The remaining members of our squadron are told that basically a lottery is being held to see which of us will have the great honor of being the first human to travel to another star system. They have already sent probes to several systems, and now it is time to make the big quantum leap, for all of humanity. I immediately asked what I could possibly do to help my chances. They told me that I had already done everything possible.
“You mean short of blowing the entire selection panel I assume.” Was my quick fire come back, and it earned a good chuckle from everyone. “There’s still hope then!” I finished.
We all wait with baited breath as we watch the final preparations being made to the X one. One of us is about to make history in the very biggest way. Please, please let it be me! Just as we finish our ground school, or Academy training as the staff have taken to calling it, we are all ordered to attend a ceremony in full dress uniforms. I never mind the opportunity to show off my nice legs, or my Silver Star. So I show up in my dress skirt uniform, and proudly display my tiny short ass self for whatever happy horse hockey they have in mind for this graduation ceremony.
The brass are all wearing their own military dress uniforms, from the Air Force, Army, Navy, and Marines. Then there is Admiral Lathrop wearing a strange red and black uniform that looks like is from the Star Trek television series. After we are all lined up front and center and at attention, Admiral Lathrop begins the ceremony. “Congratulations to you, the very first graduating class of the new Command Academy. With your graduation a brand new branch of the military services of the United States has been born. I am the first Chief of Staff of Star Command, but this is only a temporary administrative position. The first permanent chief of staff will be one of you. You have all been transferred from your duty in the Air Force, to complete your duty in Star Command. Your existing ranks are no longer valid. When you are called, you will receive your new uniforms, diploma, and your new rank in Star Command.”
I am not liking the sound of this, the Air Force is my home; it is where I belong.
“Colonel Ham.” The Colonel steps forward and takes his diploma, and a stack of new uniforms. “Your new rank in Star Command is Rear Admiral. Congratulations.”
He steps back with a confused look on his face.
“Major Romero.” I step forward and get my uniforms and piece of paper. “Your new rank in Star Command is Captain.” I guess he sees my obvious frown at that. I am being demoted?
“That is naval rank of Captain, oh six.”
Now that I didn’t expect. I just got promoted right past oh five. That’s a big jump!
After we all have our uniforms we are dismissed. Then we are told to put our things away, change into proper uniform, and return for the reception party happening right away. I show up feeling like an extra in a TV show. This bright red and black uniform will take some getting used to. As I mingle with some of the other pilots they tell me they feel the same way, way out of place. At least the work uniforms aren’t as silly looking as this full dress job is, I can’t say that I like it. For one thing it is not a skirt, and I can’t show off my legs.
Instead of going back to shuttle duty we are now besieged by the daunting job of growing a new military branch. The supply runs have been taken over by another squadron, who we are told will follow in our footsteps. Also we are waiting patiently to see who will make the biggest flight in history. I have another short one light year flight, and this time it is not quite as painful, they say they are trying to minimize the suffering. I don’t complain at all, as I want this.
I also throw myself headlong into the organization of our Command, and things are starting to be shuffled into place. We are no longer the Double N’s; that is now the next batch of candidates for the Academy. They are also now drafting pilots from all branches of the military rapidly, so the number of candidates is growing. Pretty soon we will even be recruiting civilians for scientific and engineering duties, not to mention the big construction projects that we will be undertaking. For the present our mission is to establish Star Command firmly, and to go from there. We all know where we are going; to the stars. This is humanity’s big break, our one and only chance to survive as a race.
Then one work cycle, as days don’t really mean much up here; Admiral Lathrop calls for me to his office.
“Captain Romero, the project engineers have made their decision as to who will go first. You have been selected Captain. Congratulations Romero, you will be known, and honored by all of mankind forever. A few might remember Neil Armstrong in a couple hundred years, but everyone will know of you.”
My heart is pounding. My head is swelling.
“That is if you return alive anyhow.” He grins at me.
I chuckle. I ain’t scared.
Chapter 10
All of my fellow pilots and the brass are lined up at attention in their full dress uniforms, along the corridor just before the lift tube to the hub. I am in my pressure suit, carrying my helmet. They all salute me as I pass by, a return salute is not proper in this circumstance, so I just swallow the lump in my throat. Admirals Lathrop and Ham both then step forward and shake my hand, of course pictures are being taken for future publicity, and to document the historic event.
I put the helmet on and seal it before I enter the elevator cab that goes down to the hub. Here I will be shuttled to the X one for my flight. I sure I hope I’m not going to be one of those posthumous heroes.
In just a few minutes I am aboard my ship and the engineering crew is getting me all hooked up and ready for the ride. We don’t really pilot anything, the computer does, as during trans-dimensional flight nothing can control the craft except the timer to shut off the drive. It is kind of like how I read the first Mercury astronauts had it. They had no control over their craft at all, and they had to bitch about it to get that fixed. At least in third dimensional flight I have total control if I w
ish, or the auto pilot will.
Soon the engineering crew has completed their tasks and they shuttle back to the station. The course is already programed in the computer, my destination is our closest neighboring star system; Alpha Centauri. A tri-nary system with a primary main sequence G class sun that is in close orbit with a smaller K class star. Then the third star in the system is Proxima Centauri. A dwarf M class sun that emits no visible light. A dark star to our eyes, but in the infrared spectrum it is bright. It orbits the binary pair at point one light year distant; way out there.
My journey each way will be four point three four light years in distance. It will only take fourteen and a half minutes to me on the inside of the ship, in actual trans-dimensional flight to get there. But much longer than that moving at third dimensional velocities to escape the gravity well of our own solar system, and then to enter the gravity well of Alpha Centauri. I have to do that or it might not count in the record books. There are no planets in the system, so the honor of being the first human to set foot on a planet around another star will go to someone else, maybe.
“SS X one, NET nine. Main engines activation in ten, nine…”
Here we go. All I have to do is survive.
I start to see the station falling behind quickly, and disappear from sight in moments. It will take me almost an hour to get enough distance from our own star system to make the quantum jump. When I am clear, the computer automatically increases the rate at which the element one fifteen fuel pellet’s surface is being disintegrated, and the release of expanding time-space becomes massive. This causes the time-space behind the ship to rush forward so quickly, and then over the outer hull so fast that it pushes the exterior through the event horizon separating the third and fourth temporal dimensions. This is the most painful part of the journey, that and crossing back through the event horizon when decelerating.
It’s not as painful seeming as the first trips I made one light year out. They really are getting better at it, and pretty quickly too. Fourteen and half minutes later the exterior drops back into the third temporal dimension causing me suffering, as the painful sequence of the panels opening back up comes next. Finally I can activate the view screens, and open the panels closing off the view ports.
I see a distant yellow sun, with a slightly smaller orange star nearby. From my distance it looks like that’s all there is to see here. The third star, Proxima Centauri is dark to the naked eye. I start taking photos with the telescope, getting images of the primary stars. Up close I see that there are very thin streams of gas being torn from Beta Centauri by Alpha. It makes a beautiful scene and I get some good video of this as well. Just as I am getting pictures and spectral readings in the infrared band on Proxima; I see movement from the corner of my eye. Looking quickly I see a gargantuan flying saucer coming towards my tiny ship. It dwarfs me entirely. Right as I begin to panic, I hear a very clear voice in my head.
‘Stephanie Romero, do not fear us. We are the Donox Legacy, and have come to congratulate you, and your race on making this huge evolutionary leap. We have been trying to help your kind along in this quest for many years, at least as much as we are allowed. We have a scared edict which protects developing races, and now that your race has reached the stars; your kind will be required to adopt this same sacred law. Shortly after you return, we will visit your people on your station named NET nine. Then we will reveal why this adoption is so necessary. We wish to inform you that much of your race is not ready to peacefully join the galactic community. These ones must not be allowed to leave your home world. Also your military, and governments must not be allowed control over your use of the stars. There is only one reasonable method to accomplish this Stephanie, and that is to make Star Command entirely self-sufficient as rapidly as possible. This will mean developing colonies with a strong industrial base. Until your Command is able to support itself, you must rely upon your home world. Once you can grow without your home world’s help, then you may announce the affiliation of Star Command with us. We will allow no star craft that are not under your Command to function. Only by adopting the sacred edict, and keeping violent, selfish people out of the Command; will your race be allowed access to the stars. Stephanie, we find in your heart and mind, true peace, and reason. This is why we wish to deal directly with you to make this happen. As we establish diplomatic relations formally with your people, we will request strongly that you are made the Commanding Officer of your Star Command. Will you work with us to achieve a peaceful use of the stars?’
‘Yes, absolutely. What you say makes logical sense, completely.’
‘I am glad that you are the one Stephanie. Keep this meeting to yourself, for safety sake.’
‘I will.’
‘It is time for you to return now.’
I activate the autopilot for the trip home, and within several hours I am being shuttled back to NET nine. They take me for a lengthy debriefing where I go over the whole mission in detail, except the part about the contact. The sensor logs and recordings thankfully show nothing of it. They must have done something.
Then I am instructed to go change into my dress uniform, and an honor guard will then escort me to the cafeteria for a ceremony. Sure enough as I exit my quarters a Marine honor guard of four men in full dress uniforms, with swords; line in front of me and march in perfect step all the way to the cafeteria. There are hundreds of people sitting there as we approach, and they all stand when they see us. Many are top brass military, but there are a number of civilian government types as well. I am led up to a podium in front of the crowd, with Admiral Lathrop there at the lectern. He motions for me to join with him.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to tell you all why you are here now. I know you were probably told it was something rather big, and it is indeed; much bigger than this station’s existence. Standing next to me is fleet Captain Stephanie Romero. She is one of the bravest pilots I have ever had the pleasure to meet, and serve with. Today, not many hours ago, Captain Romero became the very first human being to travel to another star, and return again safely!” He initiates a round of applause for me, but many of the people are just standing there in utter shock. It takes a moment for the clapping to spread around the room, but then it gets real loud, and cheering begins.
“Like I told you, very big.” Lathrop laughs, happy as a lark. The whole squadron is right up front in their dress uniforms, and they are cheering like crazy.
“Well earned Captain.” He is still applauding me. Then he quiets the crowd, and goes on. “The details we can tell you are that she travelled to Alpha Centauri, and back in less than one day.”
Again I see people’s jaws dropping.
“Now, if you would say a few words perhaps Captain.” He stands aside for me, and I move up to the lectern.
I am trying to think of something profound to say, like Neil Armstrong did when he stepped foot on the moon. Then it comes to me. “What we all did today was no small step, just the very biggest leap of all.” This brings a hearty round of applause. “I appreciate the honor, but it doesn’t belong just to me. Our whole squadron earned this honor. We used to be called the Double N’s, the No Names. Well, we sure have a name now!” I give my colleagues a big thumbs up. They go crazy cheering me, and it spreads across the room like wild fire.
As I wave, and back away from the podium, I see a door open nearby and a man in black lean out and nod to Admiral Lathrop.
The Admiral bellows loudly. “Attention on deck! The Commander in Chief is on Deck!” He stands at perfect attention, as do I also.
Then the man in black comes out, followed by several more, and then President Obama comes into the room. He is escorted to the podium, and he is standing just a couple feet from me. With a turn of his head he looks right at me and gives me a big smile. Then he turns back and speaks into the microphone. I think I might just faint.
“You know, I was just told about this, any of this…” he waves his hand around, “just a couple of hours ago.�
�� He shakes his head and sighs. “I am glad to see you have been busy. What a surprise! A very wonderful surprise indeed. I guess I really don’t have to say that this changes everything. You all know it does. Congratulations just doesn’t cut it; how about thank you very much for ensuring that humanity does not become extinct. This is the greatest accomplishment of all our history as a race!” That earns him a roaring round of applause. Dang is he ever a great speaker.
“Captain Romero,” he turns and smiles at me again. My heart beats fast. “You obviously risked your life for your country; for our entire world, and I have been told on more than one occasion previously. Today you risked it not just for your country, but for every generation of human beings that will follow. Now, we all know that this information will have to wait a while to come out, but when it does; your place in the annals of the very greatest people of all time will be assured, and right at the top of the list too.” This brings another round of cheering. He grins and laughs looking at me, with warmth in his rich dark eyes. I sure am glad I voted for him twice, as he is a great man.
“I have been given a great honor today myself, and that is to bestow upon you Captain Romero, a small token of all our appreciation. I present you with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.” He removes a case from his pocket and opens it to remove a neck worn medal. He comes to me with a very proud grin and places it over my head.
“I am absolutely certain that this is not the last award you will receive for your astounding courage Admiral Romero.”
I freeze. He got it wrong. I’m not about to correct him though.
“By the way, I have been told that I should take these off of you.” He removes my eagle insignia pins, and then he takes two golden stars from his pocket and pins them on my collars instead.
“Congratulations Rear Admiral Stephanie Romero.” He shakes my hand with both of his, quite warmly. He steps back and begins to applaud me, and everyone else joins in loudly approving.
Star Girl Page 15
