Citizen X - BP01

by DePrima, Thomas

"How do you figure?"

  "While you're distracting that thing with low-level buzzes, I have to get inside the MAT. Once I'm in, I just roll it as you suggested and dump her off."

  "Her?"

  "It must be female if it's sitting on nest."

  "No necessarily. The males in some bird species on Earth share the nest sitting and, in some cases, do most of it."

  "This is all very interesting," Caruthers said, "but could we please do something? I hate standing out here in the open. What if her, or his, mate comes along?"

  "Okay," Weems said. "Let's do this." Looking at Caruthers, he said, "You with me or Syd?"

  "Uh— "

  "Go with Jerry," Sydnee said. "The fewer people moving about on the ground, the better."

  The creature hadn't even seemed to notice Sydnee yet, so she squatted down where she was and watched as the two men ran for the tug. It took just minutes for Weems to get the tug airborne. He began his efforts by flying in a tight circle above the MAT. The tug, as large as the MAT and mostly power plant, was impossible to miss.

  Sydnee waited until the creature's full attention seemed to be on the tug, then sprinted for the MAT. As she reached the vessel, she dove under the belly and waited to see if she had attracted any attention. The creature seemed oblivious to her presence, so she crawled out to where she could access the keypad. She entered the code to keep the ramp from extending, then opened the airlock door. The creature suddenly let out a loud howl.

  Sydnee dove back under the ship. Peering out, she could see that the creature's head was looking into the airlock. Perhaps it was wondering why part of the egg had cracked open and nothing came out.

  Another pass by the tug pulled the creature's attention away again. Sydnee crawled out from under the vessel and leapt up for the open airlock. She managed to reach the bottom edge and then struggled to pull herself in. She was glad once again that she wasn't wearing the old armor that weighed about a hundred pounds.

  As she climbed to her feet and pressed the button to close the hatch, the creature heard the noise and its head appeared at the opening a second before the hatch closed the last few centimeters. Sydnee breathed a sigh of relief and reported her progress to Weems.

  "Okay Jerry, I'm in. Clear the area."

  "Roger, MAT-Two. Tug-One pulling back."

  Sydnee went through the checklist, then started the oh-gee engine. She raised the ship just half a meter and rolled it gently in a full circle to dislodge the creature. When she was upright again, she applied power, but the craft wasn't rising as it should."

  "MAT-Two, you have a passenger."

  "The Milossa Wayn?"

  "Affirmative. It's got your starboard skid in its jaws and is hanging on."

  "Damn," Sydnee said. "I was trying not to injury it."

  Sydnee lowered the MAT almost to the ground and then did what Weems had done at the sinkhole. As she raised and lowered the craft repeatedly, the creature had contact with the ground and then didn't. Perhaps it got tired of the action, or perhaps it opened its mouth to get a better grip. Whatever the reason, the vessel suddenly sprang into the air as the creature's weight was released. At a hundred meters up, she leveled off.

  "MAT-Two, you're good to go."

  "Wonderful. Let's head to the RP."

  The Marines hadn't arrived at the rendezvous point when the two ships reached the location, so the three officers performed a close examination of the MAT. The only apparent damage was to the one landing skid.

  "Not too bad," Weems said, "considering how that thing was hanging on to its egg."

  "I can't believe it bent it," Caruthers said. "I thought this thing was supposed to be indestructible."

  "I guess the skids can't be made of Dakinium because of the requirement that they lock down magnetically to a deck."

  "Ah, right," Caruthers said, "and Dakinium has no magnetic properties, which is why you knew we'd have to use the annuli to raise her. Got it. So the skids are just plain old steel or something."

  "Well, the damage appears minor," Sydnee said, "and shouldn't stop us from locking down to a deck when we need to."

  "There's no telling how long we'll be here," Weems said. "Let's wait inside in the A/C without our armor."

  "Sounds good to me," Caruthers said.

  Sydnee nodded her assent.

  The Marines arrived about an hour later. While most worked to stow everything in the large storage hold beneath the MAT's cabin deck, Weems ferried a hunting party to where a large herd of buflo had been seen. They returned an hour later with three of the large beasts, already dressed and hanging from the hook beneath the ship. Before the Marines boarded the MAT for the short trip to the original camp, the three carcasses were added to the equipment and supplies stored in the MAT's hold.

  It took several hours to locate, uncover, and carry the equipment left behind during the first raid to the MAT, and stow it in the storage hold. Sydnee stayed in the ship the whole time in case another sinkhole opened. None did.

  The final trip was to recover the bodies of the three Marines killed in the skirmish with the Yolongi. They had been buried far enough from the battle site that the Yolongi shouldn't have found them. The graves had been covered with rocks to prevent scavengers from digging up the remains.

  Once the bodies were loaded gently into the storage hold, the MAT was at last ready to head to the Abissto.

  Sydnee planned to leave the planet as they had arrived, on the side opposite the rebel camp so the Yolongi equipment couldn't detect the departure. With Weems and Caruthers following in the tug, they made orbit without a problem and then plotted a course to link up with the damaged Clidepp military ship.

  When the two small ships reached the Abissto, Weems slipped the tug in close to the destroyer at the shuttle bay the Perry had used to gain entry. Caruthers, now in an EVA suit, passed through the airlock and maneuvered to the ship using the suit's jets. He entered the standard access code established by the Marines who had preceded him here and a personnel airlock hatch popped open. About ten minutes after he entered the airlock, the bay's main hatch began to slide open.

  Weems piloted the ship into the bay's temporary airlock and engaged the magnetic skids. As the airlock process completed, the temporary transparent bulkheads slid up and out of the way. Weems moved the small ship to a parking area as far from the hatch as possible. Sydnee was going to need all remaining space to park the MAT.

  "MAT-Two, standby," Sydnee heard Caruthers say. "I'm having a little trouble getting the temp airlock to enlarge to the slightly larger size needed for the MAT."

  "Roger. MAT-Two standing by."

  Eighteen minutes passed before Sydnee heard, "Okay, MAT-Two, the airlock bulkheads are in place and I'm opening the hatch. Standby."

  "Roger, MAT-Two standing by."

  Sydnee could see the hatch rolling back. It didn't stop until it reached its maximum aperture.

  "MAT-Two, you are cleared to enter," Caruthers said.

  "MAT-Two entering the bay."

  Ten minutes later, Sydnee guided the MAT to a parking position in the bay and let it settle to the deck, then engaged the magnetic skids. The indicator light turned green, meaning that the connection was solid and the ship secure in that location.

  Sydnee flipped the switch for the annunciator system in the rear cabin as she watched the vid monitor. "The MAT is down and locked. As you've already been told, the atmo in the ship is heavy with CO2, so you must remain suited up at all times and must use the MAT's airlock to exit and reenter. Welcome to the Abissto."

  Sydnee ran through her shutdown checklist as Kelly MacDonald's voice blared on the overhead speaker. Sydnee turned the volume down so she could concentrate.

  By the time Sydnee had finished her work on the flight deck, the rear cabin was empty of Marines. She donned her helmet but left her weapons in the locker. It was a relief not to have to carry the rifle and pistol. Her knives were still strapped to her legs, but she never gave them a second thought anymore un
til they were needed. They were just there.

  The corridors were brightly lit and nothing looked amiss, but Sydnee knew that she dare not take her helmet off as she made her way to the bridge by following deck plan layouts mounted on most of the bulkheads.

  Weems was at the tactical station when Sydney entered the bridge, the Marine radioman was at the communication console, and Caruthers was at the helm. All were trying to translate the Yolon words and symbols into Amer. The visual translation assistant built into their helmets came to their aid in a way not previously anticipated. They found that all they had to do was focus their attention on any relevant symbols or text. The helmet then identified where they were looking and translated the Yolon to Amer. After that, the Amer translation immediately replaced the Yolon on the inside SimWindow in their helmet whenever that text or symbol would have been seen. It made having to wear the helmet at all times less of a burden.

  Sydnee climbed into the command chair and began studying the monitors and controls available to the captain or the watch officer. The equipment was pretty much the same as found on any SC ship, but the operations were unique and they had to be known perfectly so that no mistakes were made when seconds mattered at the distant RP.

  It had been a long and busy day, so no one was at their best and it seemed to take longer than it should have to grasp some of the intricate procedures. After several hours of experimentation, Sydnee decided to call it a day.

  Just before they left the bridge, she said to Weems, "Jerry, did you check the CO2 levels?"

  "Yes, I did that as soon as we came on board. It's as we suspected. You can't breathe without an EVA suit or personal armor, but there's enough oxygen in the ship for the rebreather units to let someone in armor function for hours. I think we're feeling so tired right now because the oxygen density has slipped a little."

  Sydnee checked her instruments. While not dangerously low, the oxygen in her armor was significantly reduced from an optimal range. The suit would probably have sounded an alarm within a half hour.

  "We must remember to have a full recharge just before we reach the Perry in case our appearance alone spurs some sort of action on the part of the rebel destroyer."

  * * *

  Despite some seemingly early success in learning the ship's systems, it was still more than seven frustrating weeks before the four officers felt comfortable discussing a planned departure date.

  "Are we in agreement then that other than the air regeneration system, the ship is battle worthy, and that our crew is finally capable of basic, though limited, warship operations?"

  "I'd like another week of emergency procedure drills, Syd," MacDonald said, "but I know we can't spare the time. For all we know, the Perry has been destroyed and the rebel-held destroyer is long gone. I've been chomping at the bit, eager to get going but knowing that we needed more time to prepare. It sounded so easy in the cave, but the practical application has been something else again. I know my people can now function perfectly as laser array gunners and torpedo guidance specialists, but if something goes wrong that requires an engineer, things fall apart quickly."

  "There's little we can do about that," Weems said. "We have no real engineering talent to draw on. We're essentially pilots and ground-pounders. Where are the biggest mistakes likely to occur?"

  "In the torpedo rooms," MacDonald said. "We have no problem removing the safeties and monitoring the equipment as it automatically loads torpedoes, but if something jams or the electronics sense a dangerous condition, the system locks up until the condition is resolved. We've been through dozens of drill simulations and my people always take forever to locate and resolve the problem. The biggest difficulty is the language. I don't mean Yolon versus Amer. I mean the engineering language we hear after our translation devices have done their job. We just don't have a clue what the computer is talking about sometimes. Engineers have their own language."

  "Every profession develops their verbal shorthand, " Sydnee said, "including Marines and pilots. There's no doubt that some engineers are badly needed, but we just don't have any. Perhaps when we get to the Perry, we can borrow a few before any trouble starts."

  "I'm hoping that just the idea of a two-destroyer-to-one advantage will get the rebels to surrender," Caruthers said.

  "That would be great," Weems said, "but perhaps just a bit optimistic."

  "So, let's put it to a vote," Sydnee said. "Go or no go?"

  "Go," Weems said.

  "Go," MacDonald voted.

  "Uh, go," Caruthers practically whispered.

  "And I say go," Sydnee said. "With the present crew we may never be as prepared as we'd want to be, but the Perry needs us, if it still lives. Do we go now or in the morning?"

  "I've had my people training all day," MacDonald said. "They'll be a lot better after eight hours' sleep."

  "We all will," Caruthers said. "We've been going night and day lately because of the urgency. Let's get a good night's sleep."

  "If we can sleep," Sydnee said.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  ~ May 6thth, 2285 ~

  "The Glassama has raised her temporal generator," Lieutenant Nivollo, the third watch tac officer aboard the Perry, said. "She's attempting to build an envelope."

  Lt. Milton sat up straighter in his chair at the news. "Fire two torpedoes. Attempt to destroy the temporal generator."

  The tac officer, well aware of the standing order, had already prepared two torpedoes for launch at the ship. "Torpedoes away."

  "Com, sound GQ," Milton said.

  Instantly, alarms began sounding all over the ship and crewmembers were rolling out of their rack and trying to jump into their clothes.

  Since no one was yet in the torpedo guidance centers located along the center line of the ship, the tac officer on the bridge would guide the torpedoes. The target had already been painted into their electronic brains, but a guidance specialist was always standing by in case the situation changed or the target moved. Passing through a temporal field disrupted a torpedo's guidance brain, but with an inbound torpedo, the disruption would occur an instant before impact and so couldn't affect the flight.

  "Impact of first torpedo in— ten seconds," the tac officer said. "Envelope is still fifteen seconds from completion. Eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one."

  Captain Lidden arrived on the bridge in time to see the detonation on the large monitor. For an instant, an intensely white light white'd out the sensors. The grid was restored just in time to see the second torpedo reach the target area and detonate. Another bright flash was seen, then the screen was all white again until the sensors stabilized.

  "Sitrep," was all Lidden said.

  "The rebel ship began to build an envelope, sir," Milton said. "In compliance with the standing order, I ordered that two torpedoes be fired at the temporal generator."

  "Very good, Milty. I'll take it."

  "Aye, Captain, you have the bridge," Milton said as he climbed down from the command chair and moved to the XO's chair. A second later, he was forced to vacate the XO's chair as Commander Bryant arrived on the bridge. Without another word, he turned and headed for Auxiliary Command and Control two decks down and two frame sections further towards the stern.

  Over the next few seconds, the entire bridge watch was relieved as the more experienced first watch arrived and assumed their duties. The third watch crew joined Lieutenant Milton and the second watch crew in AC&C.

  * * *

  Captain Nesadeedis, the rebel in command of the Glassama, was in shock. He had planned to leave the area in the early morning hours of Galactic System Time because he expected the third watch crew of the Perry to be less than alert. He only needed two minutes to build his envelope and be gone, but the Perry had reacted within seconds of his temporal generator being raised and the process initiated.

  "Damage reports," Nesadeedis screamed.

  "We were struck twice," the tac officer said.

  "I know that you idiot. Where wer
e we hit and how bad is it?"

  "Both torpedoes exploded in the area of our temporal generator. I'm not getting any sensor readings at all from that part of the ship."

  "The FTL controls aren't responding at all," the helmsman said.

  "Dammit, why weren't those torpedoes shot down?" Nesadeedis screamed. "Aren't all gunners at their posts?"

  "The torpedoes came in tight over our stern, Captain," the tac officer said. "None of the gunners had a shot. The rear laser arrays were destroyed in the collision. We have no protection on our stern."

  Nesadeedis cursed himself silently. He had known his stern was facing the Spacc ship but hadn't wanted to reposition before raising the generator because it might alert them to what he was planning. He thought he could create an envelope and be gone before a third watch crew got permission from a sleeping captain to fire on the Glassama.

  "Can you at least tell me if we're breached?" Nesadeedis screamed at the tac officer.

  "All sensors are down in the area of the strike. A visual inspection will have to be made."

  "Engineering reports that there are serious breaches in the sail," the communications crewman said. "They're attempting to seal off that area."

  "Can we maneuver?" Nesadeedis asked.

  "No damage to the two larboard stern engines or the larboard maneuvering engine."

  "Then let's teach that Spacc not to start things he can't finish."

  "Captain, Captain Pouurricas, asks to speak with you."

  "Put him on my chair's left monitor."

  As the monitor lit up with the image of Pouurricas, Nesadeedis picked up the handset to speak privately.

  "What's happened? My people report that you were struck by torpedoes."

  "The Spacc ship fired on us."

  "Why now?"

  "I attempted to build an FTL envelope. As soon as I raised my generator, they fired. It was a totally unprovoked attack."

  "I warned you that they were only watching and waiting."

  "And I warned you that if they fired on us, I'd destroy them."