The Jumpgate

by Robert Stadnik

  Michelle did find it a bit amusing watching the operations officer struggling to get into the seat. “Sorry about that,” Michelle apologized. “They didn’t give us any furniture to accommodate your stature.”

  “I find the experience of dealing with human-sized furniture most enlightening.” It took a moment for Fotell to climb into the seat and get comfortable. “It is not much different on my world. We tend to build things much bigger than they need to be.”

  “I’ve never been to your world,” Michelle admitted. “Hell, I’ve never even left the solar system until this mission.”

  “Although we are rebuilding Flutori, it is still quite beautiful.”

  Michelle had no interest in visiting any alien world. She liked the familiarity of things. It took her a long time to get used to Luna when she was posted there after graduating from the Academy, and just as long getting used to living on a capital ship.

  “Is there something I can help you with?” the security chief asked.

  “I am here to offer my assistance. I have worked with all the alliance races in the liaison program. I am finding the officers here are unsure how to proceed with some of the new inter-species protocols.”

  Michelle picked up a DAT. “I will admit I am struggling with some of these new security protocols. The captain wants to have all the ship commanders meet on SOLARA when they arrive.”

  Fotell found that request sound. “That is a sensible course of action. However, you do know the Quix cadri will not be able to come on board.”

  Great, more weird words for Michelle to learn. “What’s a cadri and why couldn’t they come here?”

  “Cadri is the title of a Quix ship commander. It is equivalent to your ship captain.”

  Michelle didn’t recall reading that anywhere in the mission briefing. It just reinforced her belief that they weren’t prepared to undertake this mission.

  Fotell continued. “As for the cadri coming here: Quix are over two meters tall and quite large. The height of the rooms and corridors would make it difficult for one to navigate here.”

  Michelle looked dumbfounded. “Gigantic aliens now?”

  Fotell had been around enough humans to tell that the security chief was having doubts in their ability to conduct this mission. “It has been my experience humans are adaptable and can handle unique situations, even if they have insufficient tools and resources.”

  Michelle smiled at the compliment. “Thanks for the high opinion, but we can’t escape that this is all new to us. There’s going to be some screw-ups.” She hoped Captain Dewis was aware mistakes would be made on this mission.

  Fotell was confused by a portion of Michelle’s sentence. “Screw-ups?”

  Michelle wasn’t up to clarifying her meaning. “Nevermind. I’m curious about something. What made you decide to do the liaison program? You have to know that a lot of TERRA officers don’t think highly of aliens.”

  “I am aware of how we are perceived in your military. I do understand why they are suspicious of us. I read up on human history. Like the other local races, humans were oppressed by the Screen. Your government and military were content to live under their regime as they believed it was the best option for your survival. With the Screen gone, humans are moving into a new era where they must coexist and cooperate with the alliance if they are to survive.”

  Michelle was impressed by the little alien. It was evident she had taken the time to learn more about humans. The security chief wished more officers would do the same and learn about the alliance races. So many of them were still trying to cling on the old ways. They believed TERRA could operate without close cooperation with aliens. Then again, Michelle wasn’t much different from her fellow officers. She was hardly jumping up and down with the thought of working with the alliance. She hadn’t even taken time to learn about the aliens in the alliance.

  “I think it’s going to take some time for TERRA to adapt to this new world we’ve been thrust into,” Michelle admitted. “I was resistant to the changes myself.”

  “Was?” Fotell inquired.

  “After talking to you, I realize such thinking is silly. You may be an alien, but in a lot of ways we’re not that much different. Maybe if more officers work with aliens, they’ll start changing their minds too.”

  Fotell was enjoying this conversation with Michelle. “That is the purpose of the program. To answer your question as to why I joined, it was a way to contribute to my homeworld. I did participate with some of my brethren in defeating the Screen in your star system. However, there was only kunkaj between my release from stasis to being assigned to a cruiser.”

  Michelle remembered hearing that the Senfo were forced into hibernation, but she didn’t know the details as to why, only that it had to do with the Screen. She would make it a point to read about it that evening.

  Fotell continued her story. “With the Screen defeated, I elected to serve in a capacity that would insure we would never be subservient to anyone again. By strengthening the alliance, we can repel any hostile race that may threaten us.”

  Michelle couldn’t help but agree with Fotell. “I like the sound of that. I don’t think any of us are able to handle a new threat alone. Hell, we certainly can’t with five outdated ships.” Even though the Screen were gone, Michelle realized how vulnerable humanity would be if another hostile race decided to attack them.

  “I hope we don’t have to deal with anything like the Screen for a long time,” the security chief remarked.

  “We would have ample time to prepare if a threat did come up,” Fotell replied. “Although your TERRA cannot conduct comprehensive patrols, be assured that the alliance has assigned many of their ships to patrol areas around all our home systems. We will not be caught by surprise.”

  That put Michelle at ease. In all her meetings at headquarters, officers kept lamenting how ill-prepared TERRA was to handle space exploration and alien encounters. Its fleet was small. It would take time for all the new starships and space stations now under construction to be commissioned, even with the accelerated construction schedule. It would be years before TERRA was on equal footing with the other militaries in the alliance.

  But for now, there was a lot of work to be done. Michelle looked down at all the DATs on her desk. “You serious about helping me?”

  Fotell nodded. “Yes.”

  Michelle handed the Senfo a couple of DATs. “Then let’s see if we can get these new procedures in place.”

  ********

  Jonas raced to catch up to Jacob in the corridor. “Hey, commander. I got the latest numbers for you. We can increase shield strength by 23%. I’ll have to wait until we exit the jump to make the modifications.”

  “Good to hear,” Jacob said. “I’m working on something to get a little more juice out of the ruialon emitters.”

  Jonas was curious about why Jacob would be working on weapons and shields. “What’s with trying to improve those systems? It’s not like we’re going to encounter anything hostile at the jumpgate.”

  “I just want us prepared to handle anything that might come up.” Jacob learned during his time on PHOENIX to always be prepared for anything unexpected.

  Jonas was unconvinced. “Unless the Onixin or Quix flip out on us, who do we have to worry about?”

  “The Cresorians,” Jacob replied. “With their homeworld in chaos, a lot of them are still roaming in space. There’s a risk they could show up at the gate.”

  Now that made more sense to Jonas. “Oh, yeah. Good point.”

  “What about improving the sensor pallets?” Jacob asked.

  Jonas was reluctant to talk about it. “That’s another issue. We could make adjustments to get some incremental improvements, but certainly nothing to the level of what we need for this mission. We should have gone back to Luna for a refit, or have the AURORA come out and deliver us the equipment necessary…”

  Jacob interrupted the engineer. “She doesn’t have a hyperdrive.”

  “Right
, forgot about that. Well, I’ll do what I can, but I’m not making any promises. We’re going to have to rely on our alliance friends for the detailed scientific stuff.”

  “I’ll make sure the captain knows.” Jacob debated whether to bring up another issue about Captain Dewis. Lieutenant Walters had served under him for many years and might be able to provide some insight about him. Then again, Jonas might be protective of the man he’s served under for so long.

  “You got a minute to talk?” Jacob asked. “Off the record?”

  Jonas was intrigued by what the commander wanted to discuss. “Sure, what’s up?”

  Jacob looked around. He knew better than to bring this up in public. If a crew member heard them, it would be a perfect way to undermine Jacob with the captain. “Follow me.”

  After checking a few doors, Jacob found a storage room with no one in it. He motioned Jonas to follow him in and locked the door before talking. “Have you ever wondered why Captain Dewis is still here?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I checked his service record. He’s commanded SOLARA long enough that he should have been promoted to admiral.”

  Jonas thought about it for a moment. “Well, yeah I guess that’s true.”

  “The ship’s time in drydock would have been a perfect opportunity to promote him and make the change in command here,” Jacob added.

  Jonas thought about it some more and it made sense. “Yeah, it does seem odd that he’s still here. He’s put his time in and has earned a promotion. Are you looking to replace him?”

  “No.” Jacob had no interest in becoming a captain and had no problem admitting that to Jonas. “I was just thinking about why he’s still here and find it strange.”

  “Maybe they wanted him to command a mission with the ship’s new equipment and do a proper shakedown,” Jonas speculated. “He does have extensive experience in ship operations and has seen the SOLARA through numerous refits.”

  Jonas did make a good point. Maybe the commander was reading too much into things. “You may be right.”

  “I’d say you should go ask him, but it wouldn’t go over well. He’d think you’re after his job.”

  Jacob smiled. “I’m fine right where I’m at. I just needed to bounce this off someone.”

  “I appreciate you talking to me about this,” Jonas said. “I know the welcome mat hasn’t been rolled out to you. It’s nice you trusted me enough to bring this up. You could have remained quiet.”

  “I need to show trust in some of my fellow officers, and you’ve been kind to me ever since I arrived.”

  “If I hear anything about the captain, I’ll let you know,” Jonas promised. “And I won’t discuss this with anyone, even Michelle.”

  Jacob appreciated Jonas promise to keep this discussion quiet. Although the engineer had eased his concerns somewhat, the commander’s instincts were telling him there was something odd about the captain still commanding the SOLARA. He could ask Michelle, but Jacob assumed that if Jonas was in the dark about the captain’s continued presence, then the security chief probably didn’t know anything either. If Jacob was to learn why Dewis was still here, it wouldn’t be from anyone on this ship.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  “Arriving at coordinates,” Lieutenant Nalus announced as the SOLARA emerged from its jump. The loud hum from the hyperdrive engine subdued to a low tone as the ship slowed to sub-light speed.

  “Status of ship,” Dewis requested from his command chair.

  Fotell reviewed the data on her operations display. “Primary energy grid is nominal. All systems are functioning within expected parameters.”

  “Any other ships in the vicinity?” the captain asked.

  Jacob checked his tactical display. “No sign of the alliance fleet or any other ship. I’m picking up five fighter bots from the PHOENIX near the jumpgate, which is 80,000 kilometers from us.”

  “Bring us within 40,000 kilometers and begin detailed scans of it,” Dewis ordered. He looked at Michelle. “Send command codes to the fighter bots so we can assume control of them.”

  “Yes, captain.” Michelle brought up the override codes on her console. “Fighter bots are now under our control.”

  “Captain, our sensors aren’t going to yield any more information beyond what was detailed in PHOENIX’s mission report,” Jacob explained. “Their sensors are much more advanced than SOLARA’s sensors.” He purposely threw in that last comments so that Dewis, and the command deck staff, would know the futility of trying to outdo PHOENIX’s research on the gate.

  “Nevertheless, it’s our duty to conduct our own due diligence, even if we produce no new information. I want the alliance captains to know we’ve been working on studying the gate while waiting for them.”

  “Understood, sir,” Jacob replied as he turned to Fotell. “Inform Private Jenkins and Burlap that they can begin scanning the gate,” Jacob said, referring to the only two science officers on the ship.

  “Yes, commander.” Fotell sent the instructions to them from her station.

  “Can we bring up an image of the gate?” Dewis asked.

  Jacob nodded. “We should have enough resolution to bring it up.” He activated the holographic display. An image of the jumpgate appeared over the operations table. Everyone stared at it without saying a word. It looked unremarkable. It was hard to believe that this gate brought the Screen from another galaxy. Three greenish objects appeared to be in rotation around each other in a slow spin. The surfaces of each object were decorated in some sort of cryptograph or language, adding a hint of beauty to something that brought a sinister race to the Milky Way galaxy.

  “So, this is what brought the Screen to us,” the captain muttered as he studied the image. “What do we know about it?” he asked aloud.

  Jacob had prepared for this mission and had all the necessary information ready. “According to the data records uncovered on their world, the Screen used a jumpgate to leave their home galaxy to come here. Scans by the PHOENIX confirmed that the gate’s technology is Screen in origin.”

  Fotell had reviewed the same file too but still had questions. “Did the Screen just use it once?”

  “Apparently,” Jacob replied. “Once they arrived here, they went to find a suitable world to settle on.”

  Nalus spoke up. “I went through the mission file. There wasn’t anything mentioned about any data stored in the gate’s computer system. How do we know they only used it once?”

  “We don’t, but if the Screen’s own records indicate they just used it once to come here, we have to go off of that,” Jacob clarified.

  Dewis spoke up before Nalus had a chance to challenge Jacob again. “We have a lot of questions we want to be answered. Is the gate operational? What’s its power source? Does its computer system contain data about their origins, as well as records of how many times it’s been used?”

  “All we have is the gate’s metallurgic composition and that the three objects rotate in orbit of each other via a low-level magnetic field,” Jacob replied.

  Fotell checked the sensor data. “I am not picking up the magnetic field. We may be too far to detect it.”

  “What about those writings or whatever on the objects?” Michelle asked. “Is it Screen language?”

  “No,” Jacob replied. “They don’t conform to their written language—not even close. It’s still a mystery what they are. They could just be decorative symbols.” The commander wasn’t convinced they were merely decorations made to make the nodes look pretty. His instincts were telling him they were part of a language. But if it wasn’t the Screen’s language, whose was it?

  Suddenly, Michelle’s console beeped. “I’m picking up multiple jump signatures.”

  Jacob checked the readings. “She’s right. We’ve got ships inbound.”

  “Battle stations,” Dewis ordered. “Activate shields and bring weapons online.”

  Jacob quickly figured out who the ships belonged to. “Captain, sensors show one On
ixin, Quix, and Senfo vessel exiting jump. It’s the alliance fleet.”

  “Keep weapons and shields active,” Dewis reiterated.

  Jacob was certain Dewis didn’t hear him correctly. “Captain, I’ve confirmed who they are. They’re friendly.”

  That didn’t matter to Dewis. “They’re also early. Until we ascertain why they’re here now, we’re to treat them as suspicious.”

  “They’re alliance members here to conduct a scientific survey,” Jacob reminded him. “A provocative stance isn’t warranted.”

  Dewis shot the commander an icy glance. “My orders stand. I expect you to carry them out.”

  Jacob quickly pounded his hands on the operations table in frustration. “At least send them a communication explaining our stance, unless you’re planning to go to war with them, or need I remind you that TERRA can hardly fight three alien militaries with only five capital ships in our fleet.” The command deck officers were shocked to hear Jacob utter such an accusation towards the captain. They looked at Dewis to see how he would react.

  The captain did not appreciate the comment from his XO but remained composed. “Fine. Lieutenant Block, open a wide-band signal to them.”

  Block nodded. “Frequencies open, captain.”

  “This is Captain Dewis of the TERRA capital ship SOLARA. We were not expecting you for another two days. As a precaution, we have activated our shields and weapons until we can confirm your intentions.” A few moments passed with no answer from any ship. “Confirm they’ve received the communication.”

  Jacob answered before David could. “They heard you. They just need time to convert what two days mean. They each have their different time metrics that the microns can’t translate.”

  The captain didn’t appreciate being called out for not knowing that piece of information. But before he could berate the commander, a reply came over the communications system.

  “This is Vori Tretridic of the Onixin cruiser BEUSMIC, speaking on behalf of the fleet. We are here to rendezvous with you to conduct studies of the Screen jumpgate.”