Voyages of the White Skull Book 1

by Jason Alan Jones

  He was looking for a battle, or any type of conflict that would add something to his experience. “Maybe an engine failure or a small fire in a nonessential area,” the admiral said to himself, but truly didn’t want anyone to get hurt, he was just bored of his daily routine. After an hour, the admiral returned to the bridge after getting something to eat. The professor was waiting for him on the bridge, as well as the doctor and his two senior officers. The professor handed the admiral an encrypted data disk.

  “Lieutenant Commander Holland, I need you to prepare a probe to be sent to the coordinate w,” ordered the admiral.

  “Aye, aye, sir!” replied Lieutenant Commander Holland, as he immediately prepared a link through the beacons, lining a path directly to Earth. The moment the lieutenant finished, the admiral leaned over his officer’s shoulder and keyed in a security code, allowing the data on the disk to be sent directly to the probe’s internal data link system to be stored for transport.

  “Could you explain how the message is sent, Admiral? It is quite interesting,” said the doctor.

  “My pleasure, Doctor, it is quite intriguing to me as well. All right, the data disk is inserted into the communications console including an encrypted message that is therefore sent into the probe itself, which is no larger than a jellybean. The probe is subsequently shot out from the Horizon, then through the center of the circular beacons that we have positioned in certain areas of space every month from the time our journey began. The beacons chart a direct path to Earth. It’s quite ingenious. The circular beacons connect a force field to each beacon, acting comparable to a tube that prevents the probe from colliding with any objects, as well as from straying off the path. The only problem is that it takes one week for the probe to reach Earth, and then another week to receive a response. The farther away we progress, the longer it takes the probe to connect with Earth,” explained the admiral.

  “That is amazing, Admiral. Have you ever lost a probe en route to Washington D.C.?” asked the doctor.

  “Not yet.”

  “Interesting. Well, if you would pardon me, I’ll head back to the hospital,”

  Admiral Scanlon simply nodded. “Dispatch the probe, Lieutenant Commander Holland,” Admiral Scanlon ordered.

  “Aye, aye, sir,” the lieutenant commander answered, as he effortlessly pressed a red square button that was lit up on the communication console. “Probe dispatched, sir!”

  “You’ll have to wait two weeks for your answer, Professor. Until then, I suggest you continue your research, lest the UPG gives us the okay for another mission to investigate what has occurred on your alien planet,” stated the admiral.

  “All right, it looks as if I’ll just have to wait. Please let me know if you need anything, Admiral. You know where to find me. Gentlemen, have a good evening,” the professor said to the admiral’s senior officers.

  “You too, Professor,” the men replied.

  “Two weeks, what a wait. You would think with technology nowadays, the probe would reach Earth more rapidly,” Commander Jain stated.

  “I know, sometimes I feel like we are in the dark ages,” Captain Moore joked. “Admiral, may we be excused? We don’t have to report back to duty until 0700 hours.”

  “Dismissed. Isn’t your cricket game tonight? It’s the third match in a row, right?” the admiral asked.

  “Aye, sir, my team will be kicking the captain’s ass tonight. It’s called a first-glass match. The game takes place over a three-day period, normally on natural turf as opposed to artificial turf. The Horizon does, however, have a very adequate elliptical artificial grass field, thanks to the UPG and Captain Moore’s father,” the commander jested, as he punched his friend in the arm. The admiral didn’t pay any attention to his two senior officer’s behavior on his bridge. He believed in letting them clown around from time to time to keep up their morale. The two men were his most vital officers, and he needed them to be in top physical and mental condition.

  “You wish, Nilay. I’ve been studying your team, and I don’t think you guys will have a chance in hell tonight,” the captain said. Nilay gave his friend a crossed-eyed look and made a crooked face. “Will you be coming to the tournament tonight, sir?”

  “I must apologize, gentlemen, I have a lot to think about tonight. Maybe next time,” the admiral apologized.

  “Aye, sir, we understand,” the captain said, as both he and the commander saluted. The admiral returned their salute. The two men did an about face and exited the Command Bridge.

  The admiral decided to leave one of his higher-ranking officers in charge so that he could go to his room to relax and think for a while. “Lieutenant Commander Holland, you have the bridge. I’ll be in my quarters. Let me know if you need me,” the admiral ordered.

  “Aye, aye, sir. Does this mean I get to sit in your command chair, sir?” asked the lieutenant commander.

  “Knock yourself out, just do me a favor and go easy on the crew this time, huh?”

  “Aye, sir,” the lieutenant commander said, as he coolly walked over the admiral’s chair and eased himself in as if it were made of sacred, breakable glass.

  “Yep, feels oh, so good,” the lieutenant commander whispered to himself. “Lieutenant Page, bring me some coffee, four sugars, and some cream, if you will,” he barked at a female lieutenant who was under him in rank by one week.

  “Aye, aye, sir,” Lieutenant Page said. “Shit,” she let out to herself, followed by a low sigh. The admiral grinned over hearing Lieutenant Page as he exited the long, busy Command Bridge. It was eight in the evening, and it wasn’t necessary for him to micromanage his well-trained crew. He decided to take a stroll through his ship before retiring to his quarters. The Horizon was over a mile in length, half a mile in width, and had a total of forty-seven decks. Even though he had been on the Horizon for three years, it was still quite impressive to him. First, the admiral decided to stroll through one of the six farm levels, which was almost the entire length of the ship. Although the deck was a little warm, he enjoyed watching the workers tend to the enormous fields of corn and vegetables. Above all, the admiral enjoyed this level, since it reminded him of how he worked on a farm for a couple of summers as a child. The experience was peaceful for him, as well as being his fondest childhood memory.

  The farmers worked around the clock in four different shifts, never keeping their watchful eyes off the crops. It was a nice place for a peaceful walk, he thought. Classical music was playing throughout the farm levels twenty-four hours a day to assist in the growth of the plants, vegetables, and animal life. Even though the Horizon was in space, within the farming levels, the days and nights operated in the same manner as they would have on Earth. At seven at night, the artificial sunlight was slowly lowered so that it could turn into night. Although the Horizon had many food materializers, which provided instant food for the people aboard the ship, the idea was that the Horizon would be able to raise cattle and other essential livestock on an inhabitable planet, if they ever discovered one.

  Half a mile through the deck, he decided to take the elevator to the shopping center. By many, the shopping center is considered a magnificent area of the Horizon. It incorporated ten levels, each one a mile in length, of designer shops, craft stores, cafés, restaurants, arcades, beauty salons, tech stores, and anything a person may possibly desire. The shopping area was built to resemble a high-class mall. It was the largest mall to ever exist in the solar system. The admiral felt that the shopping center resembled a casino more than a mall, with all of its multicolored lights. The designers had used a lot of different colored glass and shining silver in their decor, which reflected all of the lights, adding to the grandiose beauty. Small trees and plants were scattered throughout the colossal mall, giving a quality of life and freshness to the ten levels. The ten levels were also decorated with a multitude of large digital screens, which were embedded in the walls, displaying news broadcasts and informational shows from Horizon’s news broadcast squad. The news b
roadcast displayed up-to-date reports on the progress of the Horizon, its current location, and the recent discovery of the blue planet below.

  The admiral rested his arms on one of the railings located on the second level overlooking a water fountain and a café. It was his favorite spot in the shopping center. Next to the café there was an escalator that ascended to the level he was currently on. He enjoyed watching the citizens engaging in their conversations and going about their daily lives. Sometimes, but not always, the admiral envied the civilians. He knew they weren’t consumed with all of the responsibilities that he had. He felt slightly jealous while watching the happy couples around him showing each other affection and love. He felt that it could be a long, lonely journey for a man to be without a wife or female companion. After an hour, the admiral ventured to his quarters. Luckily, he made it to his quarters without any interruptions, only salutes from crewmen who he passed in the hallway. He took out a handkerchief to shine the gold plate on his door that read “Admiral’s Quarters.” It was a highly secure deck, in which only high ranking officers and security personnel had access to. He entered his large apartment using his red security key card.

  The living room was magnificently decorated, with dark cherry wood furniture, upon his request, after taking the assignment aboard the Horizon. He preferred the antique furniture from the twentieth century. Cherry wood book cases, dressers, and tables were placed around the large room. He even had green reading lamps made, which he once saw in a classic twentieth century movie. The admiral didn’t make it to his four-post cherry wood bed; instead, he crashed onto his red leather couch. His eyes burned from being tired, so he rubbed them. After tossing his uniform on the side of his couch, he put his feet up on his coffee table and drifted away.

  Two weeks had quickly passed, and the Horizon was still hovering above the huge blue planet. The admiral, professor, doctor, Captain Moore, and Commander Jain impatiently circled Lieutenant Commander Holland who was receiving an incoming probe from the UPG. With all of the men surrounding him, Lieutenant Commander Holland began to perspire. He tugged at his collar, waiting for a reply.

  “Well, Lieutenant Commander, what does it say?” Professor Howard impatiently asked. He wanted to hear the message so he could continue on another mission to the planet’s surface. He knew, without a doubt, the UPG was as excited as he was, would want to know more about the alien species and what had happened to them.

  “Patience, Professor, it takes a few minutes to decode,” the admiral said calmly.

  “Sorry, Admiral, I’m a little eager,” explained the professor, not that he needed to. A green button flashed on the lieutenant commander’s console, signaling that the message was decoded.

  “What does it say, Lieutenant Commander?” asked the admiral.

  “May I read it out loud, Admiral?” the lieutenant commander asked, as he looked back at his superior. The admiral nodded, and the lieutenant commander began to read: “Admiral Scanlon and Professor Howard, we have logged the report of your findings, and your names will be added to our historical database. Excellent work, gentlemen.

  “Professor Howard, the council continues to believe that we have chosen the most brilliant scientist for the Horizon’s mission of finding a planet for the human species, but we regret to inform you that you must leave that planet at once and continue on your primary mission. Admiral Scanlon, you are ordered to have your head of security escort the professor immediately to the science lab and procure all images, artifacts, and samples that were taken from the planet. They must be taken to the Horizon’s security vault and secured until further notice. Under no circumstance may those items be further studied. This order must be upheld, and any attempt to disobey this order would mean an immediate court martial and a sentence to the brig for the remainder of the mission. This may seem confusing, men, but since the planet is not habitable and no life or food is found there, we must strive to find a new home for humanity. The current situation in our solar system has become overwrought with rebellious activity on some of the space stations. Further executions may become necessary to quell the rebellious inhabitants. So you see, men, this mission must continue forward, and you must find a new planet so we can bring tranquility to our people. Maybe someday we may authorize the further study of the findings, but at this time they are insignificant to our mission. The council’s orders are final. Good luck, Horizon, and God-speed.”

  The professor could not believe his ears. Even the admiral, who is hard to shock, found himself slightly surprised. Admiral Scanlon was expecting the UPG to at least be a little interested in the existence of alien life. He really didn’t mind their decision, due to the fact that he wasn’t that interested anyway. He felt that the mission was to find a habitable planet, which was much more important, and he wanted to continue the search. Also, he felt the UPG had made their point with the fact that they threw in the word “execution.” He knew how to read in between the lines and how that line about rebellion could also apply to them. Admiral Scanlon wasn’t afraid of death or threats but had witnessed accounts where some of his disobedient comrades had disappeared. He knew how utterly ruthless and cold hearted the UPG could be. At this point, the admiral was more concerned with the safety of his crew and the civilians.

  “What? There must be a mistake,” the professor protested. The doctor was speechless.

  “No mistake, professor, orders are orders. We must do what they say or suffer the consequences. Captain Moore, please escort the professor to his lab so the artifacts and the findings are transported to your security vault. Is that clear?” asked the admiral in a stern manner.

  “Aye, aye, sir, crystal,” the captain saluted.

  “But…da…but we are close to finding some interesting facts about the disappearance of the alien species. If we could just have another week or so, I may be able to unlock the mystery. Think of it, Admiral, think of the possibilities of the discovery,” the professor pleaded.

  “The UPG does my thinking for me, Professor, and they have issued me an order that I don’t think we should take lightly. You heard the message, did you not, especially the sentence involving executions? I’m sorry, Professor, but we have our orders. Maybe once we find a planet where we can settle, then they will give you authorization to continue your research; until then, the matter is closed.” The admiral was trying to get through to him the seriousness of the UPG’s orders. The disappointed professor couldn’t even find words to express what he was thinking. Defeated, he followed Captain Moore and the doctor out of the Command Bridge. The captain put his hand on the professor’s shoulder. He understood what the professor was feeling. He was equally intrigued by what he saw on that planet and felt that something of this magnitude should be investigated. Being the head of the security department, he felt deeply curious about what may have happened to the alien inhabitants of the blue planet.

  “Admiral, may I have a word with you, sir?” asked Lieutenant Commander Holland.

  “Go ahead.”

  “Sir, while I was finishing my monthly report of the probe count for the Horizon, I noticed a discrepancy,” he nervously expressed.

  “Explain,” whispered the captain.

  “Well, sir, one of the probes is missing. The last probe was sent two weeks ago to the UPG pertaining to the professor’s findings. I checked five times to make sure that I am correct. I also checked the message log entries and found that there was a second message sent at 0325 hours. The message was erased from the database, sir,” the lieutenant commander said, waiting for the admiral to explode. He didn’t.

  “Who was on duty at that time?”

  “Ensign Rivers, sir.”

  “Thank you, lieutenant commander, I will look into the matter immediately. I want a complete report of your findings within the hour. I will notify the captain at once,” Admiral Scanlon stated.

  “Aye, aye, sir,” replied the sweaty lieutenant commander.

  Admiral Scanlon went to the conference room and call
ed the captain over the Horizon intercom and instructed him to report to the conference room as soon as he was finished with the professor. “Commander Jain, I want you to track down Ensign Rivers and bring him to me, on the double.”

  “Aye, aye, sir,” Nilay saluted, and quickly exited the bridge. Nilay knew that the ensign was off duty and decided to check his quarters first.

  An hour passed and Commander Jain joined the captain and admiral in the conference room. As he approached the room, he noticed that it was in its solid silver state again. He entered, and the admiral didn’t even give the commander a chance to speak. “Well, Commander, where is the ensign?” he impatiently asked, while seated at the table with his arms folded.

  “Have you questioned Ensign Rivers yet?” asked the captain.

  “No, sir, I did not. I’m afraid I have disturbing news,” the commander said. Both men leaned in to hear what he had to say. “I found the ensign dead on level five. He was stuffed into a floor vent behind a bunch of crates. One of the workers on that level saw the vent cover raised and brought it to his superiors’ attention. The foreman of the cargo bay looked inside and found the ensign. He heard that I was looking for an officer and tracked me down.”

  “Damn!” The admiral slapped his fist on the conference table. The slap was heard by the crew, making them nervous.

  “Dr. Petrouski is examining the body for the cause of death. There was no blood found,” said the commander. The admiral shook his head. “Three fucking years and not an incident until now.” The admiral’s face was red with rage. “Damn. While the doctor is performing an autopsy, I want you to begin to review the ensign’s personnel file. Look for anything out of the ordinary, like disciplinary notices. Captain, I want you to review Lieutenant Commander Holland’s report of the log entries, and I will head to the hospital to speak with the doctor. Inform me as soon as you find anything out of the ordinary. Dismissed,” the admiral barked, as he got up and strutted out of the conference room. He didn’t give his men a chance to reply to his commands. It wasn’t necessary because they quickly began executing his orders.