Curse of the Altered Moon: Altered Moon Series: Book Two (The Altered Moon Series 2)
Page 31
“Sure—yes, sir. Do I just call them Outlook Station?”
“I’m sure that will work. Ask for clearance to dock. Tell them we’re a merchant vessel under West Becreth Trading Company, but only if they ask,” he added with a wink.
Pene worked the comms panel at the science station, “Outlook Station, Outlook Station, this is the Altered Moon. How do you read?”
“Altered Moon, this is Outlook Station. We read you loud and clear.”
“Outlook, we are requesting permission to dock.”
“Altered Moon, approach to fifty thousand meters and stand by for available dock assignment. Be advised, you are number five in the docking queue, repeat, you are number five in docking queue.”
“Ask for estimated wait time,” Boss told Pene.
“Copy that, Outlook. Can you give us an estimated wait time?”
“You may as well pull up and park it, Altered Moon; you are eighteen hours from an open dock unless you are declaring an emergency.”
Pene looked at Boss, who frowned and rapidly shook his head, which made his generous cheeks jiggle around.
“Negative, Outlook, number five will be fine. Altered Moon out.”
“Well, GABI, fifty thousand meters, if you please. Boss heaved an exasperated sigh. “Let’s take our place in line.”
“Aye, sir.” She brought the ship to half-normal space drive speed as they were in no hurry to get to the station only to have to wait anyway.
Boss’ mind was full of concerned thoughts of his absent crewmates mixed with the next few steps they needed to get through in order to determine just what it was they had found and whether it was a boon or a bane. He brought up the station complement to look over the command structure. The station was operated by a military force made up of volunteers from both the Marlacuer and Arzian armed services. The main contingent of the station personnel was, by contrast, research technicians and scientists, however. Boss found the name of the commanding officer listed in the information.
He poked the ship-to-ship icon and hailed Outlook Station. “Outlook Station, this is the Altered Moon, Boss Keltzer commanding.”
“We read you, Altered Moon. How may we assist you, Mr. Keltzer?”
“Yes, I was wondering if I could speak with Commander Mintz?”
“Negative, Mr. Keltzer. Commander Mintz is unavailable. You may speak with the Command Duty Officer, Major Smalls, if necessary.”
“Yes, thank you.”
A dark-skinned middle-aged man appeared on the comms screen. The man was so squared away that the pleats in his shirt could slice paper. The deep, down-turned wrinkles between his eyebrows, at the corners of his eyes, and at the ends of his mouth, showed evidence of a perpetual scowl.
“Major Smalls. Who is this?” he asked, even though his officer had certainly informed him already. Boss was familiar with his kind: a ‘hoop-holder,’ somebody who has a little power and likes to make sure everyone knows it.
Boss took the high road. “Science Officer Boss Keltzer, commanding the Altered Moon. Thank you for taking the time to speak with us, Major. I realize your duties must be considerable, and I will get right to the point. My comrades and I comprise the West Becreth Trading Company, a modest group of relic and artifact hunters. May I say, that it is wonderful to finally get out here to Outlook Station, and—”
“Mr. Keltzer”—Major Smalls cut him off as the wrinkles in his face deepened to creases—“you have my attention for an infinitesimal amount of time. I advise you to be brief.”
“Yes, of course, I apologize, Major. Is there lab space available on Outlook Station, either for lease or rent?”
“Lab space for what?” Major Smalls asked, as he put his elbows on the arms of the chair and bounced the fingertips of both hands together.
“We have some cargo that needs to be inspected, but it has to be opened under controlled conditions.” Boss tried to explain without revealing too much.
“What is the nature of the cargo?”
Boss balked at answering, which quickly caught the Major’s attention.
“Mr. Keltzer?” the Major asked again.
“We’re not aware of the exact nature of the cargo, Major.”
“You do have a documented manifest for your cargo, yes?” The Major seemed to be getting suspicious.
“It, ah, was a recent discovery—in the Century Star System.”
“Mr. Keltzer, are you carrying any biological agents?” Major Smalls made several actions off screen and sensor scans swept the ship. “Your hull plating is remarkably resilient to our sensor scans, sir. You are ordered to hold your position. Any attempt to run or jump away and we will open fire.” A group of security ships closed in from the station.
Boss hit the mute button. “Shit, shit, shit, see this is why I hate bureaucrats. GABI, hold position.”
“Aye, sir.” She brought the ship to dead stop.
“Thank you, GABI.” Boss unmuted the comms, “We are holding position, Major, and I assure you that we are no threat to Outlook Station or any of its personnel.”
“We’ll be the ones to determine our own threat level.” The Major had a smug look on his face.
“Major, report!” a man ordered, as he walked up from the back of the room.
“Good afternoon, Colonel, Commander.” The Major rose to attention. He greeted the man and then the small white-haired woman who walked beside him. “We’ve apprehended a merchant vessel hauling unknown cargo, sir.”
“Let’s have a look.” Commander Tahna Mintz looked over the tactical information on their screens. Colonel Hasher leaned a heavy-fleshed face down to whisper in the commander’s ear when he saw the name of the Altered Moon on the report. A few brief words exchanged among the three Outlook Station officers. The major snapped a salute and went about his duties. The Outlook Security ships stood down and returned to their normal operations. The stocky black-and-silver-haired man sat down in the comms chair.
“Mr. Keltzer, I’m Colonel Malcolm Hasher, I apologize for the reception, sir. You are cleared to approach, but at this time we are going to withhold docking privileges and ask that all personnel stay aboard your vessel.”
“Yes, acknowledged and understood, Colonel, thank you. We didn’t mean to alarm anyone. I asked if a lab was available and things escalated rather quickly.”
“Yes, well, the second year we were here, a research vessel unknowingly relayed a biological contagion that swept through and nearly killed everyone on the station. So, we’re a bit more careful since then about unknown cargo.”
“I see. I can’t say as I blame you.”
“If you don’t mind, Mr. Keltzer, I’d like to ask some questions,” the Colonel stated more than asked. Boss knew this was a give-and-take opportunity. If he wanted help from Outlook, he was going to have to play the game.
“Is this a secure channel, Colonel?”
“One moment.” He made an adjustment at the comms station. “Now, sir, our records show CJ Evermore as Captain of the Altered Moon. Is he aboard the vessel?”
“No, we anticipate a rendezvous with him, here, today, in fact.”
“Very good, sir. The reason I ask is Outlook Station policy dictates that the Captain of any ship delivering goods of any kind, first produces a documented manifest of the contents, and second, the current containment system must pass a level-five biohazard inspection and decontamination. Major Smalls reported that you do not have a manifest. Can you explain that?”
”Yes, certainly, we were investigating the ruins of a research outpost in the Century system.” Boss coated the lies with enough truth in hopes to bluster his way through the conversation. “We came across two quantum sleep chambers stashed away deep in a sub chamber of the outpost we were exploring. We intended to salvage the chambers for the scrap, but then we noticed they were still operational, so, ah, we hauled ‘em up and, ah, our Doctor thinks it would be best to open ’em in a controlled lab.” Boss finished in a matter-of-fact tone of voice and put on his
most unassuming smile.
Colonel Hasher and Commander Mintz shared a look and then both laughed quietly.
“Mr. Keltzer,” Commander Mintz said, as she leaned in over the Colonel’s shoulder, “that story is so full of shit, I can smell it over the comms channel. Nelson said to make sure I had my bullshit boots on around you and Captain Evermore, and he wasn’t wrong. Captain Frazier of the Calibre has already contacted me.”
“Oh, I see,” Boss said sheepishly.
“I have only one question that really matters, Mr. Keltzer,” she continued. “Do you have any idea what’s inside those chambers?”
“No, Ma’am, no I don’t.”
“Then, I am sorry, but I cannot allow them to be brought onboard this station,” Commander Mintz said. “I have over five thousand people here, Mr. Keltzer, I’m sure you understand.”
“Yes, Commander, I certainly do. Would it a problem to wait for our captain? We’re supposed to rendezvous here.”
“Not at all. Remain as long as you’d like. Please have him contact me when he arrives. I would love to hear his side of the tale.”
“I will. I look forward to hearing it as well. Thank you, Commander, and you as well, Colonel.”
The two Outlook Officers nodded as the comms screen went dark.
“What now?” Pene asked.
“We wait,” Boss answered. “We wait for word from Crissi or the Captain. GABI, run an analysis on the Balscion Star System. I want to know about every planet, moon, and asteroid. I’m going to need a detailed report on the ninth planet of the system, specifically its third moon.”
“Aye, sir.” She began the analysis as a background task.
“Why wouldn’t they let us on the station?” Pene asked number two of a hundred questions.
“The risk of unknown viral contamination is too great,” Cat explained. “They’re just protecting their people.”
“But we’re okay,” Pene said.
“It’s the chambers they’re afraid of,” Boss said. “Or what’s inside actually, which we don’t know. They just don’t want us to open them on their station.”
“Are those things really that dangerous?” Pene asked question number three.
“Only potentially,” GABI answered.
“Only potentially?” Boss looked at GABI as he mimicked her comment. “That’s like a definite maybe.”
“Maybe can be a definitive answer,” GABI said.
“Only if the true answer isn’t known, right Pene?” Boss responded.
“Maybe,” Pene answered with a smirk.
“Oh, touché, touché.” Boss grinned at her.
A quiet moment followed, and Pene asked again, “So, are those things really that dangerous?”
Cat laughed lightly at Pene’s concern, but answered honestly. “If there’s been viral or genetic manipulation, yes, the danger is quite real. If that’s the case then the subjects must be destroyed immediately.”
“Subjects?” Cat’s explanation gave Pene enough to contemplate for a while.
“It’s always good to ask questions, Pene,” Boss said, “but, sometimes the answers can change your life. There’s an ancient Earth saying that goes: ignorance is bliss. Ignorance isn’t stupidity; it just means you’re not aware of something. If the answer you find is hurtful, then perhaps it would have been better not to seek it out in the first place.”
A look of confusion blanketed Pene’s face.
He smiled and tried to explain further. “Our question is what is inside these chambers? But, if we carelessly open them and there’s deadly virus or toxin inside, that would be an example of something better off left alone.”
The cryscomm screen interrupted Boss from ‘clarifying’ anything else for Pene with an alert of an incoming hail. Boss hit the receive icon and Crissi’s face appeared on the screen.
“Eealann Na’Hann, Crissi!”
“Eealann Na’Hann, Dausss.” She went into a lengthy stretch of Keect’na singspeak.
The translator said, “The shuttle Moonshadow has been recovered intact and all hands reside now aboard the Rhhkt’tau Aurrinn. Captain Evermore is in serious medical condition with severe burns to the back of his head, hands, and lungs. Gina, Katy, and Cal have light wounds including cuts and burns, but are in fair condition. Our presence is required to assist with the remainder of the search-and-rescue operation. We will rendezvous at Outlook Station upon completion.”
“Fantastic, Crissi, fantastic, thank you!” General relief flooded through the group at the news of their friends’ rescue, yet it was reserved due to the mention of injuries and burns. Cat mentioned her concern over CJ’s injuries to Boss. “Hey, the doc, here would like to know more about the captain’s status. What can you tell us?”
Crissi responded with a brief message. The translator said, “CJ is currently resting in a medical diagnosis bed. External and internal tissue damage is being repaired. Antibiotics have been administered.” An alert went off in the background and Crissi’s crew calmly manned the ship’s action stations. “We have located more survivors and must assist. Shine brightly and worry not.”
“Understood. Please pass on a ‘Hello’ to our crew.” Boss closed the channel and set the cryscomm to standby.
The tension that was thick just a few moments ago faded away with the news that friends had been found and were safely aboard the Rhhkt’tau Aurrinn. Smiles and laughs mixed with sighs of relief around the bridge.
“Okay. GABI, bring us to two hundred meters off the station and hold position there,” Boss said happily.
“Aye, sir, two hundred meters.”
“Cat, Pene, you two secure your stations and do a tally of the warheads we have left and check the critical systems panel in engineering. Report anything out of order and then get some rack time after that.”
The two acknowledged their orders and set off to get the work done. Boss lost track of time as he sat and thought about the events at Century Four. He ran through the entire score they had just pulled off in his mind. The quieter, older part of him was angry at the danger they put themselves in, but the artifact rustler part of him remembered the thrill of taking part in the battle with the Mighty Eighty-Eighth. The meandering thoughts led Boss off to a restless nap in his suspensor chair.
Pene and Cat came back onto the bridge, which roused him from his slumber.
“I thought I told you two to get some rack time?” Boss scowled.
“We did, and apparently so did you,” Cat answered with a one-sided smile.
“What, GABI?” Boss said in confusion.
“Sir?” she replied innocently.
“How many times have I told you not to let sleeping gas into the bridge, like that?” Boss said, in a pretend bluster.
“My apologies, sir, I’ll try not to let it happen again.” She played along with him.
“Yes, well, see that you don’t.” He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.
“May I get you some coffee, Boss?” Pene asked.
“Why, yes, Pene, that would be—” Boss started to say when a hail came over the cryscomm. Boss poked the receive icon.
“Altered Moon, this is the Rhhkt’tau Aurrinn. Search-and-rescue operations have concluded. Stand by for our arrival at Outlook Station,” the comms officer from Crissi’s ship said.
“Ritkow—Riketow…” Boss stumbled over the name of the ship.
“Rhhkt’tau Aurrinn, this is the Altered Moon,” Pene said. “Message is heard and understood.” Boss motioned to say thank you. “Many thanks for the help to Commander Crissiael and her fine crew.” She looked over at Boss who gave her the thumbs-up.
“It brightens us to assist. Rhhkt’tau Aurrinn closes.” The channel to Crissi’s ship darkened and the cryscomm went to standby.
“Belay that coffee order and activate the main viewer, Pene.” Boss sat and smiled now that the wait was over.
*~*~*
Chapter Thirty
It was an age-old tactic: the Mongols of ancient Earth wou
ld burn acres of the steppe grasslands just to chase the wildlife into the traps of the hunters that waited ahead of them. The Kang used the same method to cleanse entire planets of enemy combatants and anything else that happened to be in the way. The impacts and detonations lessened and receded as the Kang ships continued the planetary carpet-bombing. The wall of fire swept quickly over CJ and Katy. Pockets of growing forest fires from the intense heat sprang up in its wake.
CJ found that his body responded when he tried to move, surprisingly without agonizing pain. The back of his head and hands were incredibly painful, but he was able to push himself up.
“Ahhh—.”
CJ had withstood the worst of the passing heat wave. The body armor he wore had managed to dissipate enough of the thermal energy from the brief but intense firestorm to save his life. He went to pull out a hartshorn snapsule to rouse Katy and then realized his med-pack had been burned to a crisp. He rummaged through Katy’s stuff to find her med-pack and found a snapsule. Katy shook her head back and forth to escape the smelly thing under her nose.
“Ungggh,” she groaned as she came around.
“Lay still.”
“What—happened?” Katy asked while she brought her hand up to the injuries on her face and saw bloody fingers. She rolled around a few seconds before she sat up and looked at CJ, where he sat on his knees with his hands in his lap. He had no hair left. She freaked when she saw him. “Holy shit! Honey? Seedge?”