Meeting in the Stars (Marston Chronicles Book 3)

by D Patrick Wagner

  So saying, Taketa again pulled climbing gear from his pack and switched his ruck boots for soft-soled climbing shoes. Without needing to be ordered, Juro did the same.

  “We traverse the face, get beyond the falls then descend.”

  “I’ll take point, Sousui.”

  “We aid climb. Use carabiners. No free climbing.”

  “Hai.”

  “We belay. I anchor before each of your reaches.”

  “Hai.”

  “Lead out.”

  Juro placed a speculative boot on his first foothold, gave it a few pushes then reached up with a hand and curled his fingers over a granite protrusion. Pushing and pulling, he made his first reach. Taketa watched and played out the line as Juro crabbed up and across the cliff face. Once Judo anchored a carabiner, Taketa followed.

  An hour into the traverse, Juro drove a piton, tied off a foot sling and rested. Taketa repeated the action.

  “Far enough, Sousui?”

  “Yes, Mappai. Now down.”

  Both looked down and saw the hundred food drop.

  “Give me ten?”

  “Yes, Mappai. I need it too.”

  After ten minutes of no strain on any legs or arms, the two Nightshades began again. Two hours later they reached the large pool at the waterfall’s base. Upon touchdown, with a very short recovery time, Taketa and Juro quartered the larger beach with its boulders and driftwood and found no dangers other than some small animals and snakes.

  Again Taketa put his drone into a search pattern, sending it upstream.

  “Alien teams have reached the water. They’re holding position.”

  “They don’t like water, Sousui.”

  “Apparently not. Set up camp. I’ll check downriver.”

  “Hai.”

  Juro set up camp, pulling poles, connecting the two chameleon tarps and setting up a canopy of light-bending camouflage. Pulling out his and his commander’s tents, he placed them against the cliff.

  During all this, Taketa directed his drone downriver, searched both sides of the gorge and the forests above. Four kilometres beyond their camp, the drone broke into clear space, displaying a valley floor with six alien domes.

  “Mappai, make this our permanent camp. I’ve located alien domes, four kilometres from here. That’s our first target.”

  “Hai. Fire pit?”

  “Only for cooking. Find an indentation in the cliff. Build a hollow carne over it.”

  “Hai, Sousui! Fresh fish tonight!”

  Chapter 07

  Onboard Griffin

  After three months, the day finally arrived for Mack’s and Lieutenant Varrini’s final inspection of the repairs and upgrades to Griffin. Gopai and Sir Muknai trailed along, a student and an adjudicator if anything needed modification, repairing or adding. Krag chose to keep himself, Keiko and Sue plus Vidhee and Buster congregated in the Galley/ward room. The three humans sat at the table, sipping beverages and eating snacks while Vidhee and Buster stood Motionless. Igaklay’s holo-display sat in the center of the table, powered down, with Igaklay’s presence still permeating the entire ship.

  Everyone knew that this would be an extensive, in-depth tour, taking most if not all of the day. Consequently, everyone in the galley settled in for a long stay. Per everyone’s agreement and using every sensor on board Griffin, Vidhee, Buster and Igaklay followed every small detail of the hopefully final inspection tour while the three-Human contingent listened in and watched the monitors.

  “Igaklay. Enjoying the tour?”

  A single speaker on the nearest portion of the ceiling responded, “Yes, Captain Marston. Very much.”

  “I’m sorry that Mack hasn’t been able to finish the mobilization of your holo-projector, Igaklay.”

  “That is quite alright, Ambassador Suzume. Sir Mack has been very busy finishing Griffin’s repairs. The sooner this is done, the sooner you will be able to visit Ballison.”

  “I am looking forward to it.”

  “Please stay concealed, Igaklay. Don’t activate your hologram. Ok? We still need to keep you hidden.”

  “Yes, Captain Marston.”

  “When are you going to tell Princess Analyn about Igaklay?”

  “Not until we’re off Elonia, Vidhee. Maybe not until we are away from Wisdom Seeker. Knowledge of Igaklay’s presence would be extremely dangerous for us.”

  “Vidhee, are you alright with us withholding information from Princess Analyn?”

  “I do not deem this a withholding of information, Keiko. As a willing hostage, under the protection of Legate Buster, I believe that the releasing of knowledge concerning Igaklay and Ballison would be a violation of my parole. Also it would put Griffin and all of you in great danger. However, when that danger passes, when my parole ends, Princess Analyn must be apprised of Igaklay and all relevant information.”

  “I absolutely agree with you, Vidhee. To that end, I hope that you have been recording and storing everything you have witnessed.”

  “I have, Captain Marston. As has Legate Buster.”

  “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  “Captain?”

  “Yes, Buster?”

  “They’ve reached the engine room. Apparently they are going to start there, work their way forward. They’ll inspect the outer hull last, is my guess.”

  “Guess? You’re guessing now, Tinman? I thought I’d never.” As time passed and Buster’s interaction with Griffin’s crew continued, Sue became more comfortable with her synthetic friend.

  “It’s just a word, Lassie. It just means that there is a strong probability, not an absolute.”

  “Lassie? You’re calling me ‘Lassie? I am definitely going to have a word with that Wrenchy. And you did still guess.”

  “Ambassador Suzume?”

  “Yes, Igaklay?”

  “Are Mrs. Benton and Buster arguing?”

  “It’s called bantering, Igaklay. It’s a form of friendship reaffirmation.”

  “I see, Ambassador Suzume. I had a very good friend once.”

  “You did?”

  “Yes. Kokali. He was the leading life-scientist on Ballison.”

  “Kokali?”

  “Yes, Honorable Vidhee.”

  “We have many religions on Elonia. One of our main religions is Biosphericism. It is based upon the belief that all living things are linked in harmony and balance. Biospheric practitioners worship their primary God, who is named ‘Kokali’. He is purported to be the bringer of all life to Elonia.”

  “Kokali’s life work was in the science of gene creation or modification. We had many discussions on DNA manipulation and trying to project the results.”

  “We must discuss this in more detail, Igaklay.”

  “It is something I am very much looking forward to, Honorable Vidhee.”

  Everyone turned their attention back to the ongoing walkthrough. The three Humans, two Synthetics and one Ballisonian watched, listened and analyzed as Lieutenant Varrini began his presentation.

  “Here, Sir Mack, are your new magneto-plasma fuel tanks. This is where the Argon gas is super-heated and compressed to form the plasma. It is then pumped to the new engines where it is bombarded with electricity, thus ionizing the plasma. Once the stripped ions are collected, they are ejected, via an elector/magnetic field out the exhaust ports. Griffin attains its original maximum speed of point six SOL, by your measurements. But the acceleration curve is steeper, halving the time it takes to reach maximum speed. And it’s done with a tenth of the fuel consumption.”

  Krag, Keiko and Sue sat, sipped and listened.

  Buster, Vidhee and Igaklay continued to monitor.

  “Vidhee? Buster? Comments?”

  “Well installed, Captain. Clean lines. Placed perfectly to conform to the balance of Griffin. If they perform as described, these plasma-magneto engines will be a major benefit.”

  “I concur with Legate Buster, Captain Marston.”

  “Thank you, Honorable Vidhee.”

/>   “Igaklay?” Krag asked.

  Coming over the single speaker in the galley, “Good enough for your level of technology, Captain Marston. But very inefficient.”

  “Really? How so, Igaklay?”

  “These massive fuel tanks, the three large engines and the fission plants are not needed, Captain Marston.”

  “What would you replace them with?”

  “Ballisonian ships use a much smaller fusion engine/mass negator hybrid. Once you get to Ballison, I can replace all of this with three Ballisonian hybrids and give you a much more precise control over its workings.”

  “This, as well as the solution for blacking out?”

  “Yes, Captain Marston. That is a mandatory requirement. With my new engines installed in Griffin, you would no longer use your drives for actual travelling, but only to create mini-thrusts on which the mass negator and interfaced navigator would react.”

  “So you’re saying, Igaklay, we would always use the mass negator. Never just engines.”

  “That is correct. And might I add, with the Ballisonian drives, Griffin will have a great deal less mass after the removal of the current technology. And a much higher distance to fuel consumption ratio.”

  “What kind of ratios are we speaking?”

  “Ten thousand percent, at a conservative estimate.”

  “That’s a huge improvement. Igaklay, can we put this Ballisonian upgrade on other ships?”

  “Only if those ships come to Ballison, Captain Marston. Your and Elonia’s technologies aren’t capable of performing the modifications.”

  Krag looked around the table and got positive nods from everyone.

  “Buster. Thoughts?”

  “I’ve been discussing this new technology concept with Vidhee and we both agree. It would be a major benefit for Griffin. It further strengthens the argument for side-tracking to Ballison on the way home.”

  “It is just unfortunate that we cannot install that same technology in Wisdom Seeker at this time, Captain Marston.”

  “Vidhee, if all this works out, I’m sure we will get Wisdom Seeker upgraded.”

  “That would be a great benefit to all of Elonia in general and Wisdom Seeker in particular, Ambassador Suzume. Let us hope it works out.”

  The group turned back to watching the inspection tour. By this time, Lieutenant Varrini had led his three followers to the aft weapons well which housed the newly-installed gravity cannon.

  “This was a simple upgrade, Sir Mack. Once you finalized the design, we simply replaced your existing rail guns with the new gravity cannon. As you can see, the auto-loader provides a continuous flow of your newly designed shells, with their miniature gravity generators. They will collapse anything they penetrate.”

  “Looks good. We can test them on an asteroid once we get my girl spaceborne. Next, Master Varrini?”

  “Gravity generator.”

  “Lead on, McDuff.”

  By now, Master Engineer Varrini had learned to slide over Sir Mack’s strange sayings. He did, however, understand what the Human meant. He led the other three to the new housing at the fore of the cargo bay. Pulling open the newly-installed hatch, Varrini began his description.

  “As you can see, this unit is about twenty times as large as the small, portable one I gave you, back at the negotiations. It will handle Griffin quite easily. Gauges, monitor, control panel. The usual. It generates the deflector as well as internal gravity. No more magnetic fakery.”

  “Now, come on, Varrini. That was the best we had. No putting down us lowly humans.”

  Mack whined. Varrini huffed a laugh.

  “It’s all sealed. Nothing really to see. Just monitoring gauges.”

  “Ya. Seen all we can see. Does this grav-gen use the same specs as the small one you gave me?”

  “Yes, it does, Mack.”

  “Perfect. Something else for testing in space. Now the circuitry. That’s what got hit the hardest. Well, Mr. Gopai, now you get a real education.”

  To emphasize his statement, Mack pulled out two hand-held circuit testers and handed one to Krag’s vassal.

  The four retreated to the stern and started on the first panel. The galley group settled in for a long, boring day. Mack and Gopai began their testing of every circuit board, every one of its connections and every input/output reading. Even a small ship like Griffin held hundreds. The two checked them all.

  In the middle of the tedious task, lunch time came. Buster and Sue put together sandwiches, finger food and drinks. After delivering them to the four inspectors and watching them wolf the meal down, Buster and Sue returned to the galley. Krag, Keiko and Sue ate and watched. Vidhee, Buster and Igaklay continued to monitor across all visual and electronic wavelengths.

  The afternoon passed. Mack, Gopai, Master Engineer Varrini and Yard Master Muknai reached the bridge. Four exhausted inspectors dropped into the newly-installed reclining chairs. With the recliners designed for both Humans and Elonians, the three worn-out Elonians had no problems with their tails, sliding them into their slots and hanging them to the floor.

  “Nice chairs. More comfortable than the old pods.”

  “With the gravity manipulator, your pods were no longer needed.”

  “Ya, Vinnie. A definite upgrade. The weapons chair is a nice touch. Out of the way, too.”

  “Yes, Mack. With a single station running all of the armament, it needed its own corner.”

  “Take a good look, Gopai. That’s your own little world. Cap says you’re the new gunny.”

  “Really? He has that much trust in me?”

  “Maybe.”

  “Did he mean what he said? About hiring me?”

  “Cap never lies, Gopai. He said it. He meant it. Why? You thinking of joining up?”

  “Just thinking.”

  “What’s the other chair for?”

  “Observation. Also, secondary command, if needed.”

  Mack spoke into the air. “Hey, Cap.”

  “Yes, Mack?”

  “You’ve got four wrung out rags up here. But we got the walk-through done.”

  “We saw that from here. How’s it going so far?” Krag didn’t need to ask. He had three highly intelligent synthetic beings who had watched every second and every step in the process. But he knew the importance of esprit.

  “Top notch, Cap. A few wonky boards. But Master Varrini says he’s already ordered the replacements. Gopai will pop them in tomorrow morning.”

  “What’s next?”

  “A good meal, a good, stiff drink and bed.”

  “Funny, hah, hah.”

  “Tomorrow, dry-lab the bridge, test everything here. Then, flight test. Up and back. Recheck everything. That’s tomorrow.”

  “Ok. Why don’t you four come on back to the galley, get a quick bite. Then head home.”

  “Captain Marston? Master Varrini, here. Master Muknai and I would prefer to leave for our homes, if that is not disrespectful.”

  “Of course it isn’t. See you tomorrow?”

  “Yes, Captain Marston. Again at eight o’clock in the morning by your time?”

  “That will be fine, Master Varrini. Tomorrow.”

  Onboard Heimdallr

  “Rise and shine, people. Another grand and glorious day amongst the stars!’

  “Just another hour, Cap.”

  “No Brooksy. You’ve got a ship to fly. Pop it. Get some grub. Toast, you awake?”

  “Coffee. I need coffee. And food. Lots of food.”

  “Pop it. Get moving.”

  “Do I really have to smell Brooksy first thing in the morning?”

  “Yup. And me. I just popped. Let’s go, peeps. We’ve got a gate to crash. Toast, check sensors.”

  Captain Scott watched as Lieutenant Torres’s pod clicked open and hinged up. He continued to watch as she swung her feet over and to the floor, stretched a back-cracking stretch, yawned a jaw-dislocating yawn and stood. Swinging her arms, she rolled her neck, retook her seat and tapped the appropria
te icons.

  “Alien fleet has completed its rendezvous, Cap. Just sitting. Hundreds of smaller ships swarming over the armada. My guess, repair ships. Doing something to the bows.”

  “What?”

  “Can’t tell. Zooming in.” after studying her board, Toast stated, “They’re spraying something all over where the bridges would be. Coating it with some sort of reflective paint. Putting it on thick.”

  “What do you think? Trying to stop the X-cannon shots?”

  “That would be my guess.”

  “Get it in the buoy, Toast. Keep collecting. We send at the last second. Brooksy, where are we?”

  “Hot and true, Cap. We’re going to hit the gate dead center, just like you wanted.”

  “Can any of the aliens reach us if we punch it?”

  “Nope. Not a chance.”

  “Ok. Quick eats. Do whatever you do. Back and buttoned up in thirty. Then we punch it. Get in the gate as soon as possible.”

  “Roger that, Cap.”

  The next thirty minutes saw Heimdallr’s three crewmates eat, get cleaned up and prepare for a high burn. At the thirty minute mark, all three succeeded in strapping in, closing down and pumping up the pressure pods.

  “Push it, Brooksy.”

  The thirty minute high accel burn turned the seven hour run into forty-five minutes. Fifteen minutes before entry, Lieutenant Brooks cut the engines, turning the scout ship into a ballistic metal cylinder racing towards the gate.

  Everyone exited their pods, worked out their kinks and prepared for the final leg.

  “We good Brooksy?”

  “Yeah, Cap. Shut down, drifting on course.”

  “Toast, one more reading. Then send it.”

  “Collecting Intel now, Cap. Looks like they’re just waiting to finish the new paint job. If that coating does stop the X-cannon, Cencore’s in a world of hurt.”

  “Not good for them, peeps. In some ways, I’m glad I’m out here. From what we’ve seen how those bugs treated the other systems, Hell is making a call.”

  “We’re going to lose a lot of friends, Cap.”

  “Yeah, Brooksy. But, we’ve got our own job to do. Let’s strap in. Don’t need to close up. Then, twelve days.”

  “I’m going under as soon as we enter the gate, Captain. I’ll go crazy thinking about what’s happening at home.”