by Kumar L
‘We will need some time Captain. Maybe up to a day to get the guns into their mounts and remove the casing from the hull. The bombs are rocket propelled so we only need to get the launch tubes up. My team is trained on their use and if I can get some engineers we can have them at your disposal very shortly,’ answered the Major.
Anara thought this over as she looked around the room at the solemn faces surrounding her. This had to be her decision alone and no one else. She turned to towards the engineer, her face set.
‘Madhavan, please work with Rawat on this. Release whatever personnel you can spare for the lasers. As for the nuclear devices, I want to make this very clear Major - I have no intention of using them. You will mount the launch tubes but you will not activate the weapons. Madhavan will help you get more shielding in place around them to prevent further radiation leakage.’
‘Yes Captain,’ acknowledged Madhavan and Rawat.
‘Ryan, get some people training along with the security team on operating these new weapons. You will also personally supervise these installations.’
Having a concrete plan caused a perceptible shift the body language of the team. They had the fire power now to face-off the aliens if required. Maybe the mission could go on its original track again!
‘Now getting back to our primary objective,’ said Anara voicing their thoughts. ‘I want your opinions please.’
‘Despite the changed circumstances, I recommend we should not go ahead Captain. We have offensive capabilities but very little in terms of defence. We analysed the power released in the attack by the aliens. It can damage our ship in a couple of shots. It won’t matter even if we respond with nuclear weapons, we may be dead in the water much before that,’ stated Ryan providing a counterpoint to Anara.
‘I agree Captain,’ added Dr. Khan who was disagreed with violence. The casualties would come to him to be fixed up and he was averse to the thought of battle bloodied bodies of his shipmates in his medical bay.
‘I think we should go ahead Captain. We can demonstrate our power first if we come face to face again. That will make them rethink their strategy. We need not hit them but a close shot will make them see reason,’ said Madhavan.
‘You know, there is one more issue I have been thinking about,’ observed Anara. ‘Ryan studied the firing pattern on our ship. There is no way the aliens were attempting to hurt us. The first shot itself was a close call but even before Manisha moved Antariksh, the shot was going to miss us.’
‘You think it was only a warning, Captain?’ asked Rawat.
‘Yes Major, I do think so. I think they were there on purpose. To track, observe, and pre-empt us. There is a deeper mystery here for sure but we will not get answers by staying where we are, or by turning our backs,’ said Anara. She paused while she made her decision. ‘We are going ahead. We will face the aliens again and once more we will go in peace but prepared for war. Ryan, let’s get the course plotted and prepare for the Jump. Destination Proxima B. Let’s get to work people. Dismissed.’
As everyone got up to leave, Ryan approached her. ‘I had to disagree with you Captain even though I could see that you were reaching a decision. You are not comfortable using the nuclear weapons and you will not use them even under the gravest of provocation. The lasers will provide only limited capability. We do not know what other surprises they may have for us. It may be prudent to retreat.’
‘Thank you for your candour Ryan. I am aware of this but I would prefer to go into history as a foolish brave leader rather than a coward who turned tail and ran away from a fight. I am aware the lives of the crew are not mine to risk,’ replied Anara. ‘However, let’s take this one step at a time. For all we know the aliens may well be thinking that we have turned back and will not be waiting for us. Maybe they were only testing our resolve. There are too many unknowns at this point of time and I am loathe to return without some answers.’
‘Very well captain. I will get on to supervising the jobs. We should start only once all modifications are ready. Would you still like Manisha at the conn?’
‘Yes Ryan. that girl had conducted herself admirably. It would be a shame to remove her now. But I suggest you set up some military style evasive and defensive action simulation training to prepare her.’
‘I’ll get on it. And may I recommend that we can excuse Narada. After all he was only working under instructions.’
‘I agree Ryan, but this leaves me uneasy. We may never know what other secrets he’s keeping from us until it's too late. I'll enter this in the report.’
15th August 2114
First flight
Antariksh gleamed in the direct light from the sun unhindered by an atmosphere as it hovered above the Moon base. Assembly of the first interstellar spaceship had been completed a few weeks back. Ground trials had been completed and all fit outs were done. It was now time for test flights.
The crew was at their stations and a new person was under training for the conn. The Captain was happy with Manisha’s progress. She had the fire in her belly which Anara admired and her fast reactions had impressed everyone who had observed her in the simulator. Her training was coming along very well but for the first test the Captain was herself going to take command. Only the senior crew was on board this time along with flight and system specialists from VSCC and ISC. The Director was also on the Moon base but he would observe the trials from a remote monitor.
The first task was to test out the navigation and propulsion systems. Anara eased the ship into flight for the first stage for the short run at cruise speed towards Mars. The controls felt smooth and responsive in her hands just like the simulator. She slowly increased speed and the ship responded immediately. She calls up the AI. ‘Narada, please input the course to Mars.’ She had playfully named the AI as Narada for the vast knowledge at its command and because it would play a critical role in keeping the crew together and helping transfer information.
‘Yes Captain. It’s done. New course plotted and ready.’
‘Thank you,’ acknowledged Anara as she changed course. She held the conn for some time and then eased in the auto-pilot. Flight data poured on the screens and they could see the Moon falling steadily behind as their velocity increased. The test engineers on board constantly made changes to the engine and plant outputs while Madhavan stayed put in the power plant keeping an eye on his engines. He would be careful not to tax the engines beyond 25% of their rated capacity on this run. The engines had performed admirably so far and he admired the amount of power the designers had put at his disposal.
The ship reached Mars and took gentle turn back towards the Moon. Anara called over Manisha and asked her to handle the conn manually and get them back to base. Manisha took the conn carefully, a little hesitant on flying the massive ship in front of so many observers. But as the control pad wrapped around her hand she acted on her training and got in her element.
The first flight had been a resounding success. Over the next few months the ship would be taken through its paces. The crew would pilot it at sub light and FTL speeds checking out all subsystems and even pushing some of them to their limits. Any bugs and issues would need to be resolved and the dedicated team of engineers was on hand to download the data after every flight and work feverishly to identify and resolve issues.
The weapon system tests were carried out beyond the asteroid belt away from any shipping lanes. Major Rawat and his team tried out the lasers at various targets, moving and stationary, becoming familiar with the response times and power settings. The guns were more a precaution than any significant deterrent but they would be very important to manage any threats or even space obstacles they faced.
The crew started becoming familiar with their own stations and quarters on board, getting to know the intricacies and peculiarities of this particular ship. It was a large ship and the quarters are very comfortable. The food choice was acceptable and they’d hoped that a year in space would not be too taxing for them.
; Anara loved her new command and her new ship. She was happy with her choice of crew. As she stood watching the last adjustments being done to Antariksh, the Director came to stand beside her.
‘It’s amazing, isn’t it?’
‘What do you find amazing, Sir?’
‘The fact that a hundred or so years ago we were able to reach our nearest neighbour, Mars on Mangalyaan and today India will be the first country to fly to another star system!’
She smiled at him. It was rare to see the Director nostalgic like this.
‘Don’t you wish you could come with us, Sir?
‘I do, Anara but not this time. But you can be sure, I will be on your very next trip. Now, I want to give you some last minute advice. You are going to be completely alone in space this time, Anara, in more ways than one. There will be no contact with me or Earth. No one is going to come to your help if there is any trouble. It will also be lonely being the leader on the ship. You will develop your own style of leadership but the decisions you take will only be yours. You will ask for advice and opinions but only you can make the final decisions. Weight each option well. Take all the time you need but don’t spend too much time on regrets or doubt. Above all don’t let your crew see your hesitation. Force yourself to feel confident if required and you will become confident. Remember, the leader cannot allow her own doubts to cloud her judgement.’
‘I understand, Sir. I wish I had some more time before this mission takes off to learn from you. There is still so much to do.’
‘There will always be something left to do. I think you are as ready as you can ever be. It’s time to take the first step and go with the flow. You will find that circumstances resolve themselves in your favour or you will learn to make peace with them.’
18th June 2117
Antariksh returns 3.5 LY
Antariksh was cruising back on course to Proxima. Over the last four weeks, the crew had worked hard to learn the new capabilities of the ship while carrying out fixes for the radiation leaks. There was a bit of routine back in their work but vigilance was not reduced. Now at least two officers preferably three were in Ops at any point of time. The cocoon in Ops had also been modified to hold two people thus reducing the risk of being caught off-guard even during the jump.
Anara had instituted regular drill for everyone on board beyond what were planned and practiced earlier. Now the drills were focused on response to attacks, weapons training, evasive action, target practice and cutting down response time at jump terminals. Not being a military crew some of these were difficult for many people but between the Major and Ryan, they became reasonably proficient.
Anara was pleased with how hard her crew was working but she her main worry remained. How should she respond if they meet the alien ship again? Would she attack first and show her intent of not being cowed down or still try communicating again? She was spending most of her time analysing footage and data from the last encounter. They had collected a huge amount of data in the two days and even with help from Narada she was no closer to solving the dilemma of how to respond in the next encounter.
There were just one or two inputs she was able to latch on to. One was a few markings on the hull of the alien ship consisting of some symbols she guessed could be identifying marks. Another was the time lapse between the detection of the increase in heat signature from the ship and the time it fired the beam. Thy delay should give them a brief amount of time which they could use to evade the beam next time. That would have to do. This data was programmed into the autopilot and the ship had been prepped to choose a safe course and exit the battle if the heat signature reached similar levels.
She had reviewed all the signal protocols designed for contact as also the sequence that had been used. She could not think of any changes to make for the same and decided SOS was still the best identifier. The aliens may not know what it actually stood for but it would clearly identify that Antariksh was from Earth.
She was however very clear, the nuclear weapons would not be used on other living beings whatever the provocation. She would probably be able to live with a few deaths on her head from a regular battle but not if the deaths were caused by weapons so destructive they should have never been invented. She was also surprised how easily she had slipped into thinking like a military commander. Her guess was that having faced danger in the face she could now understand why military personnel trained so hard to respond fast and furious. War did not reward the losers. She was still committed to peace but she was ready to make the choice if required.
Today as she sat in the cafeteria, she was happy to see her shipmates relaxing around her. There was something about preparation which increased confidence and that in turn reduced stress. The danger was not past but the crew was ready for the next encounter.
‘May I join you Captain?’ Ryan interrupted her thoughts.
‘Sure, Commander,’ she replied looking up at him. Ryan had also changed over the last few weeks. He was more settled in his role of second in command and had started countering her with contrary views and his own brand of leadership more forcefully. Their mutual respect had only increased with this. His measured response during and after the incident had earned him the respect of the everyone on board. They had also seen a person who was ready to get down on hand and knees and work alongside the lowest ranks.
‘Still eating alone, I see Captain. You should mix with your crew, try and get to know them better,’ he observed.
‘That’s what you are here for Ryan,’ she smiled. ‘Besides I’ve been taught there is a certain distance to be maintained between a Captain and her crew lest she starts focusing more on them than her mission.’
‘You have an exemplary crew Captain and many of them have joined up to personally follow you. It is lonely at the top and it wouldn’t hurt if you spend some time with them.’
‘I guess you will push this case Ryan. Thank you, I’ll think about it.’
‘Great. Let me pick up something to eat and I will be right back. Can I get you anything?’
‘No, thank you. I just finished.’
As Ryan moved off, she thought about what he had said and decided it wouldn’t hurt to try getting familiar with more of her crew than only the senior members. In all her previous missions, she had led much smaller teams and she had been inherently comfortable on close relationships then. She realized that no other space faring Captain had led a crew of this size for such an extended mission. This was her chance to she set the path for future Captains to follow.
Ryan returned will his plate half filled with the menu of the day and a juice.
‘How’s the food today?’ asked Anara.
‘Not much different Captain. But much better than I had expected when I joined up.’
‘I know. In our earlier missions, I could only dream of eating off a plate.’
She paused while Ryan forked a few mouthfuls and sat there chewing silently.
‘Tell me Ryan, do you agree with my decision to continue with nuclear weapons on board?
‘I was wondering when you would approach me with this question. I’m sure you would have thought over this Captain and taken the decision you thought is best,’ he replied.
‘That is not what I asked, Ryan.’
He smiled ruefully. ‘You know Captain, my country once had the largest collection of nuclear weapons on the planet. We were also the first and only country to have used them in battle. The destruction cause is well documented. It did end a war but at what cost? Today I am part of a team which has brought the same weapons much beyond Earth and knowingly or unknowingly I am now equally responsible as the people who put it here. Honestly, I’m not happy about this Captain but I will go with your decision. However, I implore you to find a way to deactivate them so that you don’t get tempted to use these bombs even in the gravest of provocation.’
Anara was afraid he would say this. She had struggled earlier and now she was questioning her stance once again. Could she live with herself
if these weapons were used or even if any weapons on board her ship were used and caused a death? Till now she had looked at the lasers in a sort of abstract manner. Something like a gun kept around the house for protection, the owner never really meaning to use it. But if she really had to make a choice - will she or won’t she?
‘That’s the bitter truth Ryan. We will be responsible if these are used whether we like it or not. Deactivating is a possibility but as long as they remain on board the danger remains.’
Both sat silent for some time while Ryan ate his food, ruminating on the state of affairs.
‘I promise I will think some more on this but I doubt anything will change,’ finally Anara broke the silence.
Ryan nodded his understanding as he sipped the juice. “It’s your decision and you know I will support it whatever happens. I think I can speak for the crew as well. I see a renewed sense of purpose and less fear. I just wish things had turned out differently.’
‘How did we land up here, Ryan? We were supposed to be explorers not soldiers. I never thought the first people we meet would attack us!’
‘Just goes to show Captain, alien nature may not be much different from us humans. They carry the same fear of the unknown and possibly a hatred of anyone who is different. We will need to be extremely careful in the future. Bravery today has acquired a whole new meaning. No human has faced a more daunting task, fifty-five souls alone in space with an unknown enemy openly threatening them. It was better in the trenches in South America - at least you knew the enemy even if you could not see them always.’
‘Hmm. I think that is enough musings for now. Shall we get back to work before the crew starts thinking that the two of us are having second thought!’
8th Sept 2115
Preparations
The ship was ready. For the past year, they had taken it through its paces, resolving issues, tuning the design till it flew smooth and fast. Unfortunately, no one could actually see the ship in flight unless they were at exactly same velocity.
