Star Runner

by Mark McDonough

  Chapter Eighteen – Conference

  Alexander sank into the plush crimson chair. His head fell against its high back, his hands resting on the comfy armrests. He stretched his legs out in front of him underneath the table and closed his eyes. His mind started to drift off and he brought it back with a jerk.

  Just a little longer, he told himself, then I can sleep for as long as I want.

  He forced his eyes open and looked around the large oval table. He was flanked on either side by his brothers; Nick to his left, Pete to his right. Directly across the table sat Holas. Zheen was to his left, across from Pete. Alexander found it amazing how quickly Pete and Zheen had bonded. They were definitely getting on better than anyone else.

  Tran sat at the far end of the table, where, Alexander assumed, he could keep an eye on everyone at once. Not that anyone was in any condition to be a threat to anyone else right now.

  Everyone showed signs of weariness. Nick’s head rested on his fist; Pete was slumped back in his chair, eyes closed. He wasn’t snoring yet, so Alexander assumed that he was still awake. And both Holas and Zheen seemed a paler shade of purple than normal, apart from the dark grey smudges they both sported under their eyes.

  Alexander sighed again, enjoying the simple pleasure of just sitting still. It’d been almost three hours since they’d escaped the Bubble. Since then, it’d been non-stop for everyone. He and Nick had managed to get Pod Nine powered up again. The power levels on the Star Runner were back up to one hundred percent as well, although this was the first time that both Pete and Zheen had actually left Engineering.

  Then there’d been exploring their new ship.

  As soon as he and Nick had emerged from the shuttle bay bearing trays of food and drink for everyone, Holas had whisked them off on a tour of the ship. Tran tagged along behind them. Holas had led them back towards the flight deck, but for the first time, they’d actually stopped to open the doors that lined the corridor.

  There were three on either side. The first door on the left seemed to be basic storage. Both walls were lined with numerous cupboards, all of varying sizes. The middle of the room was taken up with ten crates, each one bolted to the floor. They had lids that lifted up, with a simple magnetic catch – basic storage bins.

  All four of them had spent time opening and closing the various compartments along the walls. Most were empty, although there were two that Holas seemed particularly delighted with. He let out an almost infectious chuckle at the sight of them and slipped a couple of whatever it was that he’d found into one of his pockets before they left the room.

  Nick had shot Alexander a look at that, but he’d just shrugged and followed their companions to the room across the corridor.

  Here they’d found the first of the crew quarters. The room was small and obviously meant for two. There was a pair of bunks bolted to one wall, one above the other. A longish metal desk was set in the middle of the opposite wall, with a computer screen set above it. On both sides of the desk stood a locker and in the corner, a door led to tiny bathroom. A small porthole was set into the far wall allowing the occupants a glimpse of space.

  A second crew cabin was next door, with a third directly across from it. This, though, was obviously the captain’s quarters. Instead of twin bunks, there was a bed, made from real wood. The desk too, was more elaborate with three computer screens set above it. Ironically, though, the locker beside the desk was the same.

  Beside the captain’s cabin was the Conference Room, where they were all currently sitting. The oval table could comfortably sit ten, four to a side with one at either end. Each chair was high backed and a small computer console was set into the table in front of each chair.

  The last room on the deck was a small medical bay. Monitors were set into the wall above the single bed. There was also a small desk with extra monitors and screens set around it. A glass-door cabinet sat in the corner, filled with various medical equipment and medicines.

  The second deck was laid out almost identically to its counterpart above. The rear four rooms, closest to the cargo pods, were crew cabins. Forward were the mess and the galley.

  The lowest level seemed to be mostly used for storage. Each of the four storage rooms were identical to the first one that they’d found. Additionally, there was a single crew cabin. The last cabin on the deck was the one had that interested Alexander the most.

  Instead of one normal-sized room, it had been split in two to make a pair of tiny labs. Most of the equipment was unrecognisable, and it made him long for the larger labs of Cygnus Station, but still, a lab was a lab.

  The sharp clink of metal on metal brought Alexander back to the present. He pushed himself up straighter and forced his eyes to focus on the objects that Holas had just placed on the table. One looked to be a pair of dark glasses. The other, a strange rust-coloured wrist-watch in the shape of a cross.

  “I think that it is time for us to consider our options,” Holas said slowly.

  There was a brief shuffling as everyone tried to sit up a little straighter.

  “What is the ship’s status?” Holas asked.

  “We’re up and running on full power. Ion drive is good. The Faster-Than-Light drive seems to be okay, but I wouldn’t push it,” Pete reported.

  “No problems up to fifty percent power,” Zheen added, “after that, it’ll get rough and we’ll end up doing even more damage.”

  “Is it serious?” Holas asked.

  “Not really, just a lot of misalignment problems from the pounding we took escaping the Bubble,” Zheen explained.

  “The gravity compensators on the flight deck are back up to one hundred percent,” Pete continued, “but that’s all we’ve had time to look at. There’s still the hull breach in Cargo Pod Five, not to mention weapons, shields and most of the secondary systems still to go over. Much of what we’ve done is only patchwork. We could use at least a week at a port or space station with some good repair facilities. And the sooner, the better.”

  Holas nodded. “Well done, both of you.”

  “When can we go back into the Bubble?” Tran asked suddenly.

  Alexander whipped his head around. “What do you want to go back in there for?”

  “To get my ship back,” he stated bluntly. “We know how to survive in there now. We go in, jumpstart my ship and get back out again.”

  “Tran’aak, that is just not possible,” Holas said gently, looking down.

  Tran turned his head slowly. “Why not?”

  “You have seen how fast the Bubble is moving through space. We are short on supplies, both for the ship as well as eatables. By the time we are repaired, restocked and ready to go back in, I doubt even the Star Runner’s Type 3 FTL drive could catch it.”

  Tran’s copper skin seemed to deepen, even as his ears flattened against his head. He leant back; arms folded tightly across his chest, seeming to glower at everyone at once.

  “How much food do we have?” Pete asked.

  “Enough for four or five days. Perhaps even enough for seven or eight if we stretch it,” Holas answered.

  “What are our options?” Alexander asked quietly.

  Holas looked down, fiddling with the large gold ring on his on his left hand. “Before we decide which direction to travel in, we’re going to need a planet. Food, water, parts, charts. We’re severely limited in our options until we get those things.” He looked at each of them in turn. “There are three planets that we can reach easily. We need to decide which one to head towards.”

  The screen in front of Alexander lit up. He bent forward, studying the star map. Nothing looked familiar. Star charts of this part of space were a priority as far as he was concerned. He knew that there was no way that he and his brothers would be able to get home without them.

  A green dot appeared in the centre of the screen. “The Star Runner. The planets,” Holas said simply as three red dots
appeared.

  Alexander studied the screen. As far as he could see, there was no difference between the three, apart from the yellow characters beside each one that he assumed were the planets’ names or designations.

  “We gotta learn the language here,” Nick muttered to himself.

  Holas looked up, smiling. “That may be something that I can help with.” He held up the dark glasses. “Universal Translator Visors. I found them in the storage room on Deck One. They translate written language onto the inside screen. We will need to upload your language, of course, but once that is done, you will be able to read any language that you see.”

  “Oh, very nice,” Pete purred. He was leaning forward again, eyes alight. Alexander knew that he would be practically itching to get his hands on a pair and to take them apart to see how they worked.

  “Do we know anything about those planets?” Alexander asked, trying to get back onto topic.

  “Only one,” Holas answered, highlighting one of the red dots. “The Dramazan system. Long range communications have picked up a broadcast from them.”

  Holas pressed a series of buttons on his console.

  “Come to the Dramazan System, the jewel of the galaxy,” a rich, excited-sounding male voice blared from the rooms’ speakers before being translated into their ears. “There you will find your fill of everything you could ever want or imagine. Luxurious resorts set upon golden beaches with sparkling oceans will revive the weary traveller or those just wishing to relax.

  For the more adventurous we have the most high-risk sports and games available. From caving in our vast subterranean systems, to high-speed watercraft, scaling the tallest mountain peaks in the quadrant, or to atmospheric skydiving, Dramazan has it all. And for those more interested in trade, our space port is second to none.

  There is nothing that you could want that we do not have. So, come to the Dramazan system, the jewel of the galaxy.”

  “Sounds perfect!” Nick exclaimed, a grin splitting his face. “I vote we go there!”

  Alexander shared a look with Pete. “Works for us. There’s bound to be something in the Cargo Pods that we can use to trade for whatever we need.”

  “Father?” Zheen asked, an excited look in her eye.

  “Tran?” Holas asked, looking down the length of the table.

  Tran gave a curt nod. “Agreed.”

  “Then the Damazan system it is!” Holas announced.