by James Rosone
RNS Voyager
Shimada Zengo pushed his toolbox ahead of him as he moved through the crawlspace between the reactor room and the engineering control room. It was a tight fit. If he had been even the slightest bit claustrophobic, this would not have been the job for him, but Shimada held no such fears.
He stopped crawling and rolled over onto his back, reaching for the first power junction box. Luckily for him, these crawlspaces were well lit. The ceiling had soft white backlighting while the walls and floor were painted a light cream color, which amplified the light provided in the tight space. This was an intentional design feature meant to help maintenance people like himself see what they were doing.
Shimada opened his toolbox and went to work. The first thing he did was to remove the top tray containing most of his tools. Then he took the remainder of the tools out, placing them on the floor next to him. He gently inserted a flathead screwdriver between the inside wall of the toolbox and the base of it until he was sure it was fitted tightly, then pried at it until he felt the false bottom open up. Pulling the six ounces of C-4 explosives out, he used a Phillips head screwdriver to open up the junction box he’d been sent to test. He took the C-4 and packed it in tight around the wires and cabling he was there to inspect, then made sure the timer was seated correctly and set the detonator, programming it for twenty-eight hours from now.
With his immediate task completed, he used one of his diagnostic tools to test the power relay box and the cables feeding into it. Sure enough, everything tested fine. The short that was taking place between the engineering room and the weapon systems in the forward section of the ship wasn’t originating here. With the test done and his sabotage mission complete, he packed up his tools and prepared to move further down the crawlspace to the next junction box.
For the next six hours, Shimada would crawl through more than a mile of crawlspaces. He, along with a dozen other technicians, tested one junction box and power relay after another as their company, BlueOrigin, continued to search for the source of the short in the power supply. Since the ship was no longer participating in the Alpha Centauri mission, they had a bit more time to find the problem.
When Shimada finally crawled out of the last crawlspace he needed to check, he heard from two of the other technicians that one of their colleagues believed they had found the problem. It was a couple of decks above where he and his friends had been checking. The BlueOrigin folks were glad they had found the source of the problem that had been plaguing them for months. It had also held up their completion bonus, which they were all eager to receive.
With their work for the day complete, the group of contractors left the ship and returned to the orbital station. A couple of hours later, Shimada left for his scheduled leave. He was taking a week off work to soak up some sun on the Florida coast. What few people knew was that Shimada would be using that time to slip out of the country and eventually arrive in Japan, to a secret hero’s welcome by the intelligence service of the Asian Alliance.
*******
Admiral Abigail Halsey had just sat down in her office outside the bridge when she felt the ship vibrate. Then an alarm blared through the ship’s speakers.
“Damage control parties, please report to deck five, Engineering. Medical personnel, please report to deck five, Engineering.”
Admiral, please report to the bridge, her neurolink announced.
Halsey stood up and sprinted out of her office. She turned down one hallway and was running onto the bridge when she observed a lot of commotion taking place.
“What the hell happened?” she barked to no one in particular.
The lead engineering rep assigned to the bridge spoke first. “Admiral, there was an explosion in Engineering. We’re trying to figure out what happened and how many people have been hurt.”
Moments later, the lights flickered off briefly before the backup generators kicked in. A second explosion rocked the ship, this one much larger than the first. More alarms blared, and additional red and yellow lights flickered on the damage control board.
Depressurization alert, depressurization alert…
“Commander Morgan!” shouted someone trying to get his attention.
Morgan rushed over. “What is it, Lieutenant?”
“Sir, that secondary explosion was a depressurization event,” she explained. “It looks like the fire in the reactor room reached critical mass, and the emergency system took over and depressurized the entire compartment. The fire in the reactor room appears to be out.”
Taking charge of the situation, Commander Morgan barked out orders to get more damage control teams over to Engineering. They needed to contain the fire and put it out before it had a chance to spread. If the computer had determined the best course of action to put the fire out was to vent its oxygen, then it’d do the same with the rest of Engineering if they didn’t get it contained.
Five tense minutes went by as the damage control crew below decks worked feverishly to gain control of the situation. Finally, word was sent to the bridge that the fires had been put out. It took the damage control teams another ten minutes to get the injured crewmen moved to sickbay and eventually start assessing the damage to the ship.
When Admiral Halsey and Commander Morgan approached the rear of the ship to evaluate things themselves, they saw a lot of flash damage on the walls and ceiling of the corridors. The floor was covered with the chemical powder that had been used to put out the electrical fire.
Several crew members stood aside as the two of them approached. As they walked into Engineering, the first sight that greeted them was a gaping hole in the ceiling leading toward the reactor room.
“It’s sealed off, Commander,” one of the damage control crewmen said.
“How soon can we get the reactor room pressurized?” Morgan asked. Halsey knew he wanted to assess how severely damaged the reactors were.
The damage control crewman shrugged. “Maybe an hour, sir. We need to run some diagnostics first to check for radiation leaks. If any of the reactors are damaged or venting radiation, then we’ll want to keep them venting into space and not onto the ship.”
Morgan nodded, then ordered them to get on it.
*******
The Following Day
As Commander Morgan briefed Admiral Abigail Halsey on how the fire had started and what kind of damage had been done, she shot Master Chief Riggs a look of concern.
“Commander, you’re saying someone sabotaged our ship?” she asked skeptically.
Commander Morgan solemnly looked each person in the eye before he nodded. “Unfortunately, yes, Admiral. There isn’t any other explanation. When we looked at where the fire originated, we saw blast damage. We ran the debris through chemical analysis, and that’s when it came up as C-4. There’s no doubt that this was deliberate.”
“This is outrageous. Who the hell would have sabotaged the ship like this?” bellowed one of the officers.
“My money says it’s the Asian Alliance,” Master Chief Riggs said under his breath.
The head of security heard him. “I think the chief is right.”
Crinkling her eyebrows, Halsey clarified, “I’m sorry, what did you say, Chief? I think the rest of us missed that.”
Feeling his cheeks redden, he replied, “My apologies, Admiral. I said I believe the Asian Alliance may have been behind this. We all know they’re not happy with us for not renewing the SET. Maybe they didn’t want us to have the most powerful warship in Sol when their expedition leaves in a week.”
She shook her head in disappointment. “Until we know for certain who did this, let’s not start leveling accusations, shall we?”
Turning to look at Commander Morgan, she asked, “How long will the repairs take, and are the reactors still functional?”
Looking at the see-through tablet, Morgan used his finger to move through a couple of pages of text only he could see before he replied, “The reactors are OK. No radiation leaks or problems in that regard. So we got lucky the
re. Unfortunately, the blast caused considerable damage to the inertia dampener. We can’t leave port until we get that repaired. The best guess is it’ll take us at least a month. Then we’ll have to test it to make sure it’s properly integrated with the ship.”
“Can’t we just fabricate the new parts and continue our shakedown cruise?” asked one of the other section chiefs.
“No. We could end up killing the crew if we did that,” Morgan replied angrily. “You have to understand—if we’re moving at full speed without it, then the human body is going to experience a lot of g-forces. If we make a maneuvering turn at full speed, the crew could be hit with sixteen g’s or more. It’d crush you. I’m sorry, Admiral—without the internal dampeners, we’re stuck in port for the time being.”
Halsey sighed, mostly to herself. They were supposed to head out in a day to begin their shakedown cruise. “Let me report to Space Command what’s happened and how long it’ll take us to get the ship repaired.”
The section chiefs all got up and filtered out of her office to head back to their areas of the ship. Whether they left in a couple of months or next week, they still had a lot to get done.
When everyone had left, an ensign poked her head in. “Excuse me, Admiral, a captain from Space Command just arrived. He said he needs to speak to you in private. Shall I send him in?”
Space Command…why would they be sending someone here? she wondered. She was just about to brief them via the holograph.
She stood up behind her desk. “Yes. Please send them in.”
Halsey walked around her desk and made her way toward the door to her office. When a familiar face walked in, she smiled. “Miles, it’s damn good to see you. They said someone from Space Command was here to see me, but I didn’t realize you were still there. What do they have you doing these days?”
She walked up to him and gave him a brief hug. Miles Hunt had been the executive officer on her first space command, a research mission to Jupiter, and then they’d been on assignment on Mars together.
“It’s good to see you, Admiral. Congratulations on the promotion, by the way. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to attend the official ceremony.”
She blushed at the compliment. “It’s OK. I wasn’t able to make it to your pinning on captain either. I believe I was commanding a ship out in the Belt at the time. How are you? What brings you up here?”
She gestured to a set of couches on the far side of her office, angled just right to allow those sitting in them to have a great view outside the ship when the blast doors were open, like they were right now.
Pulling out one of the new see-through digital notepads, Hunt pulled up a document that required an official biometric signature. “Before I discuss why I’m here, Admiral, or tell you anything further, I need to read you onto a Special Access Program. You can read over the NDA if you’d like, but I need your thumbprint and iris image to unlock the orders and tell you why I’m here,” he said, very businesslike as he handed her the notepad.
She lifted an eyebrow. “All cloak-and-dagger, are you, Miles? Let me see what I’m signing myself up for.”
Halsey took the tablet from him and read the essential information—nothing too revealing. She had a feeling that once she was officially read in, she’d know more than she wanted to.
Looking up at Hunt, she said, “I suppose I don’t have much of choice, do I?”
He took a deep breath before he answered. “We always have a choice, Admiral. We just may not like the consequences. That said, I was told by Admiral Sanchez that if you don’t sign for the orders, you’ll be replaced as the commander of the Voyager.” Hunt held a hand up to stall her from launching a protest. “Abigail, I can assure you, you’re going to be very pleased with what you’re about to read.”
Snorting at the threat, Halsey bristled a little bit. Command of the Voyager and the four other ships that would be accompanying her was the chance of a lifetime. She was going to command the first Republic fleet to leave Sol and colonize a new world.
“If we weren’t friends, Miles, I’d be mildly put off by what you just said. But I’m going to trust you and sign this.”
She placed her thumb on the tablet, then held it up and looked at the camera, which snapped a picture of her iris and attached it to the report as well. When those two functions had been completed, the screen on the tablet materialized to show her a new set of orders and information. Hunt got up at this point and walked over to the window to look out at the other ships in port. It was going to take her a few minutes to read through everything.
Halsey rapidly read through the executive summary. Then she moved into the meat of the orders. She was appalled to learn from one of the reports that Space Command had known in advance that a plot had been underway to sabotage her ship, and even angrier when she learned that Space Command had allowed it to happen. That act of sabotage had cost the lives of three of her crew members. It was nothing short of an act of war.
Hmm…Chief Riggs was right. It was the Asian Alliance.
Just as she was about to demand that her friend explain why Space Command had allowed such a thing to happen on her ship, she saw it. They wanted the Voyager disabled and unable to leave Sol—the attack gave them the justification to formally withdraw from the SET, and it gave them plausible deniability for what they were about to do next.
She paused her reading of the orders and stared at Hunt, who still had his back to her as he looked out the window. “NRO found another planet?”
Hunt turned and nodded. “It would appear so. They’re calling it New Eden. According to the readings from the probe, it’s practically a carbon copy of Earth. It’s also only five percent larger than our own planet, if you can believe that.”
She let out a soft whistle before he continued.
“There’s more. What hasn’t been talked about—and this stays between us, Admiral—is that it would appear we’ve found intelligent life on the planet. Or at least remnants of it.”
Halsey paused for a moment and looked up at him. “And no one else knows about this discovery?” she inquired, excitement and zeal in her voice.
Hunt sat back down, a smile on his face. “As of right now, no. The Asian Alliance just sent an FTL probe in that general direction, but we have no idea if it’s headed to the same system or not. Right now, Space Command wants us to lay claim to the system before anyone else can investigate the signs of intelligent life they believe they’ve found.”
“Why didn’t we put together another expedition to explore this new system? They have to know we’re never going to get another shot at having an outpost in the Centaurus constellation after backing out of the expedition as we did. We’re going to be frozen out of future exploration in that part of space,” she said, hoping like hell someone had made that same argument.
Leaning forward in his seat across from her, Hunt explained, “I was in the room when this was all discussed, and that argument was made by Admiral Bailey. He pushed to send you on the original expedition and put together a second for this new world. However, as you know, the President and Admiral Sanchez aren’t exactly fans of the SET, and neither is most of the Senate. This discovery gave them a reason not to extend it and further tie our hands in the new system. When they discovered the Asian Alliance was planning an attack on your ship in response to our withdrawal from the mission—well, that was the icing on the cake they needed to sell the withdrawal from the treaty to the public, and the justification to lay claim to this new world on our own.”
Admiral Halsey placed the tablet down on the coffee table between them and sat back in her chair. She looked up at the ceiling for a minute, deep in thought, before finally returning her gaze to him.
“You know, three people died from that act of sabotage.”
Hunt grimaced and nodded, remaining silent for a moment. He finally responded, “It wasn’t my call not to warn you, Admiral. I wish I had been allowed to, because I would have worked to make sure no one was near the area when t
he bomb went off.”
“That’s easier said than done. I had to make a tough call to the families of those we lost. That’s not the kind of call you want to make, Miles. So, are there any further traitors within my ship, or was that it?”
Hunt felt the rebuke and heat in her words. It hurt him. He had always viewed her as a friend and mentor. He looked up at her, their eyes locking. “I’m sorry they put you in this situation, Abby. I really am. Right now, Command is not aware of any further saboteurs. Intelligence believes the Asian Alliance, and maybe the Europeans, wanted to freeze us out of future exploration on our own, at least for a little while.
“As you know, the SET treaty is going to expire in a month. Right now, no other spacefaring nation is as prepared for that inevitability as we are. The GEU has spent its entire focus on the Centaurus expedition. Only the Asian Alliance has built ships to challenge us here in Sol,” Hunt said, laying out the situation for her as seen by Space Command.
“You really think we may fall back into a shooting war once the SET expires?” she asked nervously.
He shook his head side to side. “I don’t think so. Neither does Space Command. They believe the Asians are going to make a concerted play for several of Jupiter’s moons and those of Saturn. That’ll position them for exploration outside Sol and give them some deep space supply depots, which may come in handy down the road. It’s the same strategy we’re moving forward with as well.”
“All right. Well, since my mission is obviously going to change, how do you fit into this, Miles? Are you still coming with me?” she asked, her curiosity piqued.
Now it was his turn to smile. “Yes, I’ll be coming with you. But not on the Voyager. I’ll be taking command of the Rook. We’ll be your primary escort ship for the expedition.”
“The Rook? Really?” she asked, grinning. “I hadn’t heard they’d assigned her a skipper yet. I thought Space Command was going to keep that ship here in Sol to keep the Asian Alliance in check.”
The Rook was a battlecruiser, the first of a series of ships to be built in that class. Unlike the Voyager, the Rook had been made and designed for war. It was a third the size of the Voyager in length and tonnage but packed just as much firepower and had a much thicker armored hull.
