by Ryk Brown
Although his ability to control his flight path had improved over those five hours, he continually felt like he was barely on the edge of control, convinced that most of the gates he had managed to successfully navigate had been more by accident than by skill. If either simulator were the slightest bit accurate, he didn’t stand a chance of even qualifying, let alone participating in the actual event.
Nathan lay there, forcing himself to drift away, knowing that in a few short hours, he and Jessica would be face-to-face with the Gunyoki fighter spacecraft that Mister Yokimah had loaned him.
His eyes suddenly popped open, awakened by the door chimes. “Damn,” he cursed, sitting up. “Doesn’t she ever sleep?”
Nathan rose and headed for the door where the embedded view screen displayed a group of familiar faces.
“Are you insane?” Deliza asked, charging in as soon as Nathan opened the door.
“I’m sorry, it’s all I had to wager,” Nathan apologized.
“I’m over that,” Deliza insisted as she pushed past him, Yanni following close behind. “I’m talking about entering the race. Do you even realize how risky it is? Do you know how many credits we spent cloning, and recloning you?”
“I’m touched,” Nathan said as he began greeting the others.
“We brought them here as quickly as we could, Captain,” Loki assured him as he walked by.
“Nathan!” Vladimir exclaimed. “The Gunyoki design is amazing! I have been studying it since we left the Aurora!”
“We have been studying it,” Abby corrected, following Vladimir past Nathan and into the room.
“Da, da, da. When do we get to see one?”
“Later today,” Nathan replied. “General,” he nodded as General Telles entered.
“Captain,” the general replied. “I have taken the liberty of posting my men at key positions on this floor as a security measure.”
“Do you really think that’s necessary? This hotel is pretty exclusive,” Nathan assured him.
“They let us in, didn’t they?” Josh joked as he passed.
Nathan leaned through the door, peering into the hallway. “Where are Marcus, Dalen, and Neli?”
“They’ll be here in two days,” Vladimir explained. “They’re finishing some extra upgrades.”
“What extra upgrades?” Nathan asked, closing the door.
“Cameron ordered them to install the new experimental stealth emitters on the Seiiki, in order to test them on something larger than a recon drone,” Abby explained. “I tried to talk her out of it.”
“On my ship?”
“She is only trying to expedite matters in much the same way you did with original jump drive,” Vladimir told him.
“In Captain Taylor’s defense, she did not intend to actually test the emitters on the Seiiki without first getting your approval,” General Telles added.
“But if they don’t work…”
“Relax,” Vlad said, cutting Nathan off. “Marcus insisted we install new emitters as secondary array, feeding off the same power grid, so original emitters would still be operational.”
“Thank God.”
“Have you started your training yet?” Josh wondered.
“Yes,” Nathan replied, sitting on the edge of his bed. “Early this morning. Very early.”
“Who is your instructor?” Deliza asked.
“An old Gunyoki master named Koku,” Nathan replied. “Real pleasant fellow. Loves to speak in circles.”
“Koku?” Loki exclaimed, stunned. “Makani Koku.”
“That’s the guy.”
“Are you kidding me?” Loki said excitedly.
“Why?” Josh wondered. “Who’s Makani Koku?”
“Possibly one of the greatest Gunyoki masters of the last century!” Loki exclaimed. “Possibly of all time!”
“Yeah, well, he’s old enough to have been around a century ago, that’s for sure,” Nathan commented.
“Captain, you don’t know how lucky you are,” Loki explained. “If anyone can teach you to fly a Gunyoki racer in less than a week, it’s Master Koku.”
“Huh,” Nathan said, surprised. “I figured Yokimah sent me some old, washed-up racer pilot, just to make sure I’d lose. I guess I misjudged him.”
“Who, Yokimah, or Master Koku?” Josh wondered.
“It is possible Mister Yokimah was simply making certain that everything appeared fair,” General Telles stated. “Despite Mister Sheehan’s high regard for this Master Koku, there may be other reasons Mister Yokimah selected him. Ones that are not yet apparent. Ones that may be detrimental to our goals.”
“This is Makani Koku we’re talking about,” Loki insisted. “He actually opposed the whole race idea decades ago. He doesn’t even like Ito Yokimah.”
“Yet, he worked for him for many years as both a pilot and an instructor,” General Telles pointed out.
“How did you know that?” Nathan wondered.
“I have been reading the history of the Gunyoki, and the races,” the general explained.
“He didn’t have a choice,” Loki said. “I read all about the guy while I was attending flight school here. He only worked for Yokimah to keep the level of training as close to the original Gunyoki edicts as possible. Unfortunately, he failed. All Yokimah was interested in was the profit, not the defense of Rakuen. He believed increasing the number of ships and pilots was a faster way to build Rakuen’s deterrent levels. Master Koku retired two decades ago because the Gunyoki training edicts had all but been abandoned, and the racing commission was letting anyone who could buy a ship, and become proficient enough to pass the flight test, enter the race and become an official protector of Rakuen.”
“What’s this?” Vlad asked, pointing to the metal case on the floor.
“It’s a Gunyoki flight simulator,” Nathan explained. “I’m supposed to be able to plug it into the view screen on the wall. It’s got a basic flight control stick and throttle to go with it. Master Koku gave it to me to practice on my own, before my first real flight tomorrow.”
“Have you tried it?” Josh said, excited.
“Actually, I was taking a nap.”
“Maybe we could adapt it to work with the VR sim rig?” Vladimir suggested.
“You brought one?” Nathan asked in surprise.
“Konyeshna,” Vladimir replied.
“Everything on Rakuen uses the same operating system, and base code,” Yanni said. “We had to learn it to make the interface between our shuttles and the Rakuen computers work. It shouldn’t be too difficult to adapt the code in the simulator to work on the VR sim gear.”
“How long?” Nathan asked Yanni.
“I should be able to have it ready by tomorrow, at the latest,” Yanni assured him.
“Great,” Nathan agreed. “Where are you guys staying?”
“Here,” Vladimir replied. “Our Reaper is parked on the rooftop pad.”
“Isn’t this place expensive?”
“You bet it is,” Deliza agreed. “You should see the deposit I had to put on the company account.”
* * *
It had taken some doing, but Nathan convinced the managers of the Gunyoki racing platform to allow them to use the Reaper as their support ship, and to park it in the auxiliary bay next to bay seventy-five where the Gunyoki fighter, Mister Yokimah had loaned him, was housed. The fact that their ship was armed had been the biggest sticking point. Only the promise that neither their weapons systems, nor their shields would be powered up while in the vicinity of the race platform had won them permission.
Their bays were located on the underside of the outermost ring of the platform, where all entrants who had yet to qualify for the upcoming event were placed. The Reaper flew in under the platform, coming up under the opening to transfer airlock seventy-five, and translating upward through the open hatch.
Once inside, the bay doors slid in under them, forming the floor of the bay. The Reaper dropped its gear, after which the artificial gravity
in the bay slowly increased, pulling them gently down to the deck.
After a few minutes, the transfer airlock was pressurized, and the inner doors opened.
“Rolling forward,” Josh announced, guiding the Reaper through the inner doors which were now opening before them. As their nose rolled across the threshold, their Gunyoki fighter came into view.
“There it is,” Loki announced. “Starboard side.”
“I’ll put us in the opposite corner,” Josh said as he steered the Reaper to port. He looked out the starboard side at the Gunyoki fighter. “Why doesn’t it have a number on it?”
“He has to qualify, first,” Loki replied.
The Reaper pulled into the corner, and then rotated its gear, so it could pivot around to face its nose back the way it had come. Finally, the hatch opened, and Nathan jumped out, followed by Jessica and the others.
Nathan let out a long whistle as he approached the Gunyoki fighter on the other side of bay seventy-five. “These things are even more impressive up close. They sure didn’t have any of these in the museum.”
“I should say not.” A man came around from the opposite side of the Gunyoki fighter, and headed toward them. “Captain Scott, I presume?”
“Correct,” Nathan replied, offering his hand.
“Quoruson Insimi,” the man replied, reluctantly shaking Nathan’s hand.
“This is my team,” Nathan began, preparing to introduce them each, one at a time.
“No offense, but my time is limited, and the only one I really need to meet is your chief engineer,” Mister Insimi said, interrupting Nathan.
“That would be me,” Vladimir said, stepping forward. “Vladimir Kamenetskiy, at your service.”
“You have worked on Gunyoki fighters before?”
“Nyet.”
Mister Insimi looked at Nathan.
“That means no.”
“Of course.” Mister Insimi sighed in disappointment. “Then this may take more time than I’d hoped.”
“No disrespect, Mister Insimi,” Abby began, “but while the design of the Gunyoki is unique, the technology behind it is not terribly advanced.”
Mister Insimi was at a loss for words.
“I’m curious,” Abby continued, “why don’t you use static-state fusion generators instead of variable-state? You’d get far more power with half the weight volume costs, and you won’t be forced to constantly adjust the power distribution between the primary systems.”
“Balancing the power is part of flying a Gunyoki fighter,” Mister Insimi insisted.
“But aren’t the Gunyoki supposed to serve as a deterrent to potential aggressors?” General Telles pointed out.
“Well, yes…”
“Then would it not make more sense to have as much available power on board as possible?”
“I’m sorry, you are?”
“Lucius Telles,” the general replied.
“He’s my tactician,” Nathan added.
“I see.” Mister Insimi turned back toward the group. “My job is to instruct you on the basics of maintaining and repairing a Gunyoki fighter, not to debate the strengths and weaknesses of its design.”
“Of course,” Nathan agreed. He stepped forward, putting his arm around Mister Insimi’s shoulder, leading him off to one side. “We appreciate you sharing your expertise with us, Mister Insimi, but you should understand that the people you are about to instruct are probably some of the most intelligent, well-educated people you will ever meet.”
Mister Insimi looked back over his shoulder at what appeared to be a rather motley group of people. “Are you sure about that?”
“Mister Kamenetskiy is also chief engineer for the Aurora.”
“He is?”
“He is. And the blonde lady, Doctor Sorenson, well, her and her father invented the jump drive.”
“Really,” Mister Insimi exclaimed, looking back again.
“And that’s General Lucius Telles, leader of the Ghatazhak. I’m sure you’ve heard of them.”
“Of course.”
“And the petite young woman there is Deliza Ta’Akar, daughter of Prince Casimir of Takara, and founder of Ranni Enterprises. I’m quite certain you’ve heard of her.”
“Oh, absolutely,” Mister Insimi gushed. “Everyone on Rakuen knows of Deliza Ta’Akar.”
“So you see, Mister Insimi, you might want to treat these people with a little respect. After all, they are all way smarter than either of us…no insult intended.”
“Oh, no, I mean, yes, sir.”
“In fact, you might even learn a few things,” Nathan added. “Things you could apply to the ships you normally work on.”
Mister Insimi looked at Nathan, suddenly very interested. “You think?”
“I do.”
Mister Insimi looked back at the group. “What about the others?” he asked. “Those three guys, the attractive woman, and the four guys standing by your ship?”
“My weapons officer, controller, and my security team.”
“I see.” Mister Insimi straightened his coat, his attitude obviously changed by his discussion with Nathan. “We’re wasting valuable time, Captain. I have so much to show them.”
“Thank you, Mister Insimi,” Nathan said graciously. “Thank you ever so much.”
“Welcome!” Mister Insimi announced, heading back to the group, his arms wide and a smile on his face. “I’m so happy to meet you all, and I cannot wait to show you this wonderful ship, and share with you everything I know about it. My name is Quoruson Insimi, but all of you can call me Quory.”
Nathan smiled. For the first time since he had arrived on Rakuen a few days ago, he felt like he had the upper hand.
* * *
Nathan studied the control panel in his Gunyoki fighter, checking to ensure that all systems were operating properly while he finished reviewing his checklist. “Pre-launch is complete,” he announced over his helmet comms. “All systems are green. We’re ready to launch.”
“Very well,” Master Koku replied from the seat directly behind Nathan. “You may arm the auto-launch system.”
“I thought you said I wasn’t allowed to use any automation during this stage of my training.”
“Only for departures and arrivals,” Master Koku explained. “Unfortunately, it is required when operating in the vicinity of the race platform…supposedly, for the safety of the spectators.”
“But, there are no spectators today.”
“Precisely,” Master Koku agreed with great annoyance.
“And I don’t have to call for clearance?”
“It would be redundant to ask for permission to be controlled by the departure computer,” Master Koku said, again sounding annoyed. “Simply select ‘nearest available practice area’ as your destination, and the system will fly you clear of the platform, headed in the direction of your selected destination.”
“How do I know when it’s okay for me to take the controls?” Nathan wondered.
“The system will notify you. Auto-flight will disengage, and the auto-pilot will take over, holding your course and speed constant until you disengage it and take manual control.”
“How do I know when we’re going to launch?” Nathan asked.
“The departure control system will launch you as soon as it is ready. Once you arm the auto-flight system, select a destination, and press the ‘ready to depart’ button.”
“Is it quick, or do we have to wait a few minutes?” Nathan asked as he armed the auto-flight system and pressed the appropriate buttons. The ship immediately rose a half meter off the deck, and began moving into the airlock. “That answers that question.”
“There are only a few ships practicing today, so the wait time is minimal,” Master Koku explained.
“Non-existent would be more accurate.” Nathan watched his systems and flight status displays, paying attention to which thrusters were firing in case he ever had to depart the facility manually. When he had been at the EDF Academy on
Earth, he had not cared for automated flight systems, and neither had his basic flight instructors. ‘If you can’t do it manually, you’ve got no business using automation.’ “Does anyone use the auto-pilot during the race?” he wondered.
“No Gunyoki would use automation during a race,” Master Koku replied. “So, yes.”
“What?”
“Unfortunately, there are few real Gunyoki flying these days. Most of the pilots are brash youngsters, with little respect for the ways of the Gunyoki. To them, ‘Gunyoki’ is the ship they fly. It has lost its true meaning.”
“Yeah, time has a way of changing things,” Nathan commented as the ship came to a stop in the transfer airlock, and the inner doors began to close. “When I was a teenager, my grandfather taught me to fly in this old, piston-engine biplane. There was not much in the cockpit. Just a stick, rudder pedals, throttle, and mixture. It only had three gauges: airspeed, altitude, and engine tachometer. It was a great plane to fly. Later, after he passed away, my father hired someone to restore it and upgrade a few things. I’m not sure why. Anyway, he replaced the gas-powered piston engine with a solar-charged electric engine, and replaced the three simple gauges with a fancy digital display, which gave me all kinds of information I had no idea what to do with. It took me longer to learn how to use that digital display and all the automation, than it did to learn to fly the plane in the first place.”
“Did it ruin your enjoyment of flying?” Master Koku asked as the outer doors opened below them, and the ship began to descend out of the airlock and into space.
“For a while, yes,” Nathan admitted. “And to be honest, I still wish it was that same old plane that my grandfather taught me to fly, but I adapted. In fact, I flew it a little over a week ago.”
“You were back on Earth?”
“For a few days, yes.”
“Did anyone know you were there?”
“It was more of a covert visit. A long story.”
“I suppose it had something to do with the whole ‘clone’ issue,” Master Koku commented.
