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Chapter 4
- Planetary Coalition Date 7269.350 -
On board Cybex Corp Reconnaissance Ship Lumenictus, docked in Rackoyd Station in orbit around Monravia
“Airlock pressurization and loading duct detachment completed. Initiating hull integrity check.”
“Thanks, Tarysec. Positioning clamp disengament will start in 10 demics, so let’s wrap it up in half that. Vancara out… So, Tomalan, was XR able to find anything about our esteemed shipmates through those background checks you had him run?
“Nope, nothing at all … Initiating mega engine takeoff sequence.”
“Nothing? Well that’s a bit anticlimactic… Confirming local orbital charts… the fourth moon is approaching perigee... No hidden criminal past or frequent conflicts with authority?”
“Not a one. All have distinguished educational and service records, all have previous experience both working on and flying in the few ships with magna drives … Departure coordinates entered into the interstellar navigational solver, mega engines at full power … Rrivang even flew on the Ictus’ maiden voyage. For all intents and purposes, they are nothing more than your average nerds.”
“Average what?”
“Never mind. There were no traces of anything that would raise any suspicion.”
“You know, if this whole starship captain bit doesn’t pan out, you should go work for the Academy’s Linguistics Department. Because you have more obscure, never-of-heard, not to mention, ridiculous phrases than anyone I have ever met. If we ever find your mysterious home planet, you’ll make a fortune in vocabulator licensing fees.”
“Thanks for the tip. I’ll take it under advisement.”
“Commander, come in. The hull integrity check has been completed and the ship has been secured for departure.”
“Copy that, Tarysec. Clamp disengagement initiated. Vancara out… Well, looks like we’re ready to go, so I think I will…”
“Hold that thought. That’s Exar on the red line… Exar come in.”
“Master, you have an incoming priority call from Overseer Pratec.”
“… Stay here and see what our friend needs from us now.”
“Way to hang tough in difficult times, Van… Put him through to the cockpit screen, Exar”
“Captain, my apologies for a call so close to your departure. But I need to request one more task from you.”
“We are due to depart momentarily, Overseer. What do you need?”
“As I reviewed the personnel log you submitted, I realized that I did not assign a Cybex representative to your mission. An almost unfortunate lapse on my part.”
“Representative? I don’t recall that being a requirement for company-sponsored voyages.”
“This is a special circumstance and precaution Captain. In order to make a formal claim on an undiscovered planet, there must be an official agent for the claiming party present at the time the discovery so it can be logged in to the Planetary Coalition records.”
“Are not the Ginrun crew Cybex employees?”
“Technically they are sub-contractors and cannot exercise a formal claim on Cybex’s behalf. With your current crew makeup, as the ranking officer on the ship, you could even claim any planet you discover on this mission for yourself. So as you see, you will need to add one more passenger.”
“Of course. Therefore I will not bother to point out that all my previous discoveries were assigned to Cybex after I formally contacted the regional Sector Directorate upon completing the survey sweeps.”
“I wouldn’t expect you to, thanks for not pointing it out. In any case, this is not an attempt to question your integrity, but these are the regulations that are in place and a prudent precaution to cover Cybex’s interests.”
“Understood. Is your agent on board Rackoyd?”
“No, he is currently away on assignment. You will need to pick him up on your way to the Periphery at Opsercom Station on planet Tulop. He will be waiting for your arrival.”
“Fine. Please transmit his personnel profile.”
“A second unfortunate lapse, Captain. As I only a few moments ago noticed the oversight, I have not yet had proper time to assemble the file. And with your departure imminent, I would hate to delay you any further.”
“How convenient.”
“What was that Commander? It did not come through clearly.”
Geez, that guy can make a scowl that can break glass
“I said I hope it’s an attractive sentient.”
“Overseer, I don’t make it a habit of bringing crew members on board without knowing who they are first.”
“Of course not, Captain. Rest assured that Officer Ecab is an exemplary member of Cybex, and well experienced with the codes of planetary claims. I will make sure his credentials are in place for your inspection before you reach Opsercom.”
“Very well, Overseer, as once more I see there is no choice in the matter. Please inform station officials of our planned arrival time in order to expedite matters. Will the new passenger require any particular atmospheric or nutritional accommodations?”
“No. He is a Suneg, and therefore an oxygen breather. Your standard crew quarters and provisions will suffice.”
“Glad to hear it. If there is nothing else, we are ready to depart.”
“That is it for now, Captain. Have a safe journey.”
“Thanks. Tomalan out.”
“Well Van, there go my well-laid plans to colonize the future Tomalan 1.”
“Too bad. I guess the start of your own private empire will have to be postponed once more. And on that note, clamp removal is complete and were are clear for takeoff. We need to leave now or we’ll miss the moon pass window. As for our additional passenger, Cybex officer or not, when we pick him up, we need to stress that we are in charge of the mission and not Cybex.”
“Then we better get rolling. Let me alert everyone… All crew prepare for takeoff, mega engines to engage in 3, 2, 1… now. Accelerating to 10% thrust to clear the bay.”
Nice and smooth. Usually you feel some additional vibration when you first get over the inertia, but not that time
“We’ve cleared the docking bay and have received clearance to proceed on our takeoff run, Tomalan.”
“Got it, Van… Increasing power to 25% thrust … Engaging maneuvering thrusters and moving into circumferential orbit around Monravia... They are even more sensitive than the simulator’s. We better adjust the programming.”
“Just as long as you don’t slam us back against the station in the mean time.”
“I’ll see what I can do … Confirming lunar position… at perigee… Looks like we’re clear, increasing power to 95% … and we’re off! … Once we’re clear of the outer moons, I’ll tare back down to 75% and we’ll cruise the rest of the way to Opsercom… So what does your heightened sense of awareness tells you about our last moment addition?”
“You know what I’m thinking. So I think your feeling is right and Pratec probably knows more than he is telling us and fully expect us to find a planet or two out there. He knows the travel protocols even better than we do. The timing of waiting until the last moment to let us know seems a bit peculiar. On the other hand, you had me convinced with your this-mission-is-too-valuable-for-them-to-screw-us speech.”
“Yeah, probably worrying over nothing. Maybe if his voice wasn’t so sinister all time… Well, let’s head over to the Command Conference Room. I told the senior staff we’d meet once we were underway.”
Good thing the room’s right behind the bridge. I’ve gone up and down the ship enough times already … … Man, no matter how many we all get together, I still can’t believe my eyes. I’ve been gone from Earth a long time and I still feel like I’m living inside a sci fi movie. All these different beings, one more different than the next. Olrever having to wear his atmospheric suit while he’s on the job because his exoskeleton can’t withstand the emissions from standard lighting equipment. So you could kill him with a flashlight, but he can take a stun blaster shot in the chest and keep going like nothing happened. And Nep. If the recirculation unit on his headdress ever malfunctioned, that gas he exhales would be enough to kill everyone here. And I can’t forget Calidem. If there was ever a species adapt for perfuming medical procedures, its’ hers. All those arms and long, thin fingers sure come in hand…. Damn, I’m staring again. Better say something.
“All right, everyone take a seat. I’ll try to be brief. Tary, I tried to bring in one of the Hauler’s liquid sinks, but we couldn’t get the mechanical staff to deliver it in time.”
“It is all right, Captain. I have grown accustomed to the average starship not been properly equipped to accommodate an Ortep.”
“I’m sorry I did not have time to update everyone in detail prior to our departure, but we were saddled with a very tight schedule. I very much appreciate everyone coming in on such short notice and getting the ship ready to go so fast. First, Specialist Rrivang, I’d like to introduce to you my senior crew. You’ve already met Commander Vancara and Warrant Officer Tarysec. This is Lieutenant Commander Olrever, our Defense Officer. Next to him is Lieutenant Nep, our Lead Engineer. Him and Vancara will be your primary contacts regarding the ship operations. Next in line is Medical Officer Calidem. She is our onboard physician. Last but not least, is XR-4. Exar handles all of the ship’s communications, radar and detection equipment, as well as supporting tasks in engineering and sciences.
“I am pleased to meet you, Specialist Rrivang.”
“As am I XR-4. But you say you are … pleased? Tell me, Captain, is your android capable of emotions?”
“No, Specialist. But Exar’s adaptive programming enables him to build a continuously upgradeable behavioral reference library. This allows him to interact with different species in a manner closely suited to their natural behavior. Aside from that, he is governed by the standard laws of robotics.”
“Marvelous, and thank you for the introductions. Let me now introduce myself. As Captain Tomalan stated, I am Specialist Rrivang, member of the Ginrun Command Space Propulsion Syndicate. I was one of the designers on the Lumenictus engine systems, and this my seventh trip on board. My crew and I are at the Captain’s service.”
“Thank you... I’m sure we are all eager to see what this ship and your engines can do. As time allows, I hope you’ll get to meet the rest of our crew. Twenty five more all together. Now, on to reason we’re here. As I’ve hinted to you to one extent or another, we are our way to the Kreshii Periphery. Not to any place on the Run, but beyond it. How far beyond it and to where… we’ll have to get there to find out.”
“Captain, are you implying that you don’t know where we’re going?”
“Well, I was being a bit dramatic. We are on a discovery mission, so our final destination might be a bit… hard to find. Take a look at these holos… Overseer Pratec briefed me on some findings that Cybex came across on the third moon of the Quarry planet. I’ve uploaded all the details into your individual workstations. You can go over it at your leisure once we’re finished, so I will cut to the chase. Cybex believes there is at least one new planet beyond the outer sector. Deep scans have not found anything conclusive, but some of the electromagnetic interference suggests that there might be something out there. So they’ve asked us to find it. Now you have heard me use the phrase ‘finding a needle in a haystack’ before, and believe me, this is it. And Olrever, I’ll explain again what that means later.
“Hmph.”
“That’s the spirit. Now luckily, the Ictus has been outfitted with a radar system that has a detection capability significantly higher than what we are used to, and with an extended range of over 325%. Exar, could you elaborate?”
“Of course, Master. The Lumenictus radar employs a unique mass-detection system that utilizes technology similar to the magna drive. When scanning an area, it broadcasts a particle pulse that begins a vibration at the sub-molecular level that then spreads like a ripple, agitating all nearby mass particles. The type of matter does not matter, gas, star wind, light. This ripple will continue spreading undisturbed until it contacts an object of significantly higher density…like a planet. Because the sub-particles are not bound by traditional motion rules, like friction or drag, the ripple will continue to expand in a concentric circle for an immensely vast area. Also, since the particles involved are some of the smallest in universal matter, the fidelity of the detection signal is quite sensitive. Even the smallest disturbance is liable to be detected.”
“Thanks, Exar. Now in order to get to the Periphery, we will be bypassing the trade routes and going via the Telem Cluster. Until further notice, this mission is classified top secret, so we will avoid broadcasting our position accordingly.”
“Will that not place us at some considerable risk? What if the ship becomes disabled? Will someone know where to come find us?”
“Our flight plan has been restricted to only us for now, Tary. But I left an automated mechanism at Rackoyd that will alert someone in the Planetary Guard if it is not triggered every septec. The beacon will transmit to them our flight plan and last know coordinates… All right then, second piece of news. We will be picking up an additional passenger. He is a Cybex Officer that will serve as their official representative in order to claim any planet we happen to find. We will be picking him up at Opsercom Station on our way out.”
“Who is he?”
“Piece of news number three, Olrever. We don’t know yet. Pratec informed Van and I just prior to takeoff, and claimed to not have been able to put together his credentials in time.”
“Unorthodox. The Overseer is not known for mental lapses, but a request within his rights as mission sponsor. I assume we will do a check upon our arrival at Opsercom.”
“Yes, I asked Pratec to forward our arrival estimate to the Station so they will have his file ready… That is all I have for now. If you have any questions, you know where to find me. But a couple of requests first. Van, I want you, Wagshi and Exar to schedule some time in the flight simulator and go over the takeoff, shutdown and maneuvering drills. Just in case I bump my head, forget everything I’ve learned about interstellar travel and suddenly start hurtling the ship into the nearest star.”
“If it was that easy, I would have already accidentally dropped a boulder on your thin skull and promoted myself to Captain a long time ago.”
“Your mutinous sentiments will be noted in the ship’s log, Van. Now if no one has any other bright ideas, that will be all. But Olrever, please stay a moment.”
… … Okay, they’re all out.
“Olrever, prior to departure I had a case load of Ciusus plasma carbines brought on board and stored in my quarters. Van is the only other one that I’ve told. Please take half of the units and store them in your quarters. They are in my footlocker. Enter your identification number as a secondary password.”
“I will do so at once. Is there any reason to believe we will be needing them?”
“No, just a precautionary measure. Heading into the big empty, you never know who or what you’re going to run into.”
“Sensible actions. Did you obtain any anatomy-correcting extensions for them?”
“Unfortunately no, there was not enough time. But I did have an extra Tacrusian set, so at least you’ll be able to use them. Apart from that, anyone that does not have bodily extremities that easily contort or have a few digits on the tip will have a bit of problem holding and aiming.”
“Understood. Is that all?”
“One last thing. Have you completed your inspection of the ship’s defenses?”
“Yes. We have a complement of five particle beam batteries. Not ideal conquer a planet, but sufficient for a reconnaissance vessel.”
“What about the external shields?”
“That is a better story. The ship is protected by a matrix of Raug Galaxy-Class deflectors. Power can be redistributed to different locations based on protection needs, and since they are the updated model version, the drain on primary power is only three percent.”
“Not bad at all. At least we’ll be able to take a big shot, if not give one back. But let’s hope we don’t have to find out how much they can take. That is all.”
“I will be on my way then.”
“Very well. I’ll be on the bridge.”
We’re quite fortunate to have Olrever as part of our crew. Those Tacrusians are some of the biggest badasses in the galaxy. Developing in the harsh environmental conditions on their planet gives them an inbred sense of protection and survival tactics that is almost unparalleled. Must be all that cold and pressure they have to put up with underwater. Grow tough or die. Pretty simple equation… But now that I’m at the bridge, on to the next order of business …
“Exar, did you get a chance to confirm my positioning calculations?”
“Yes, Master, and I’ve adjusted our heading accordingly. XJ532 will be coming within contact range in five demics.”
“XJ532? Why do you… oh no.”
“Don’t give me that look, Van. We need to know what this ship is capable of.”
“And I can think of a hundred different ways to find that out that do not include flying into a comet!”
“Ah, but are any of them any more exciting?”
“Yes, about half of them. And the other half will not lead to a fiery death.”
“Fine. If I crash the ship, I’ll listen to you next time and we won’t try this ever again.”
“Excuse me if I find little comfort in that. Now let’s get this over with. What do you have in mind?”
“Oh, nothing fancy. We intercept and do some maneuvering exercises through the tail area. Then, assuming the nucleus has maintained its’ composition, we take a closer look on our way past it.”
“Closer look? Is that what you’re calling it know?”
“Sounds less dangerous than saying ‘flying through it’, don’t you think?”
“I’ll remember that as the shards are pummeling the hull. Now turn around. There’s your friend on screen. Let’s go say hello.”
XJ532… A priceless mine, streaking through space at mind-boggling speeds, and the unexpected catalyst to becoming the pilot I am today. I still remember the hurried evacuation from that marooned transport. I can’t believe we made it, flying that sluggish tub as all the debris that was being dragged by the comet was engulfing us. And even more incredible that we were able to identify its’ teranium content as we passed made our way through. Too bad the next being to reach it was an overzealous fool with too many explosives at hand. Nice way to dig. That hole he blew in the nucleus, and in himself, makes it like a giant misshaped donut…
“Captain, the trail end of the comet is now within 1200 milecs.”
“Got it, Exar. I’ll take it from here. Slowing to equivalent speed, entering approach vector.”
Better let everyone else know too. Wouldn’t want them to look out a window and have a heart attack.
“All hands, we are taking an unavoidable detour through comet XJ532, which presently sits to port. We may be forced to perform some high-G maneuvering, which may require decreasing the inertial dampers to 75%. Please take appropriate safety precautions.”
Hey, the com board just lit up. A bit faster than I expected though.
“As unavoidable as the last two times?”
“Just remember, Captain, we need the ship in one piece to get back.”
“Captain, detour through where?”
“Even more so this time, Nep. I won’t forget, Tary. Just a small comet, Rrivang. Nothing to worry about. Too much at least.”
Guess they’re ready.
“Exar, how’s the debris drift evaluation proceeding?”
“Completed Master. I have generated probabilities for the likeliest path the meteor components will take once we enter, and will update according to our navigation.”
“Excellent… Shields up! Everyone strap on. The ride is about to get a bit bumpy.”
I love this part. Gives me a bigger rush than a double shot of espresso. Make that mazaka. I guess impeding death lingering all around you will do that… Let’s see, increase speed by 10%… Seems a bit more fragmented that I remember… Must have hit something last time around… Ok, focus now, those two big ones down there are closing in fast… Bank to port… Bring up the nose… Barrel roll… I bet that made a few folks queasy… Wish they all could see what I’m seeing. The yellow glow of the nucleus against the gases in the tail makes such a surreal visual of the stars… Left, right, left, upper thrusters to full, watch out below… That was close… Was that a bump? Okay, I guess hitting us still counts as close…
“Sorry about that everyone.”
“No problem, Captain. We look forward to your assistance on clean up duty once the detour is complete. Lasla sauce stains are especially hard to remove.”
“Sure thing, Olrever. I’ll be there first chance I get.”
At least they’re still in good spirits… Up speed 5%, tight squeeze in through that bunch before they smash together… Made it… If I hit something else they won’t let me forg… Damn it. Stupid debris field. Better wrap this up. The ship handles great. Even better than advertised… There’s the donut hole up ahead… What’s Exar saying? There’s some beer on the cement? … Oh, veer away from that segment, got it… Engaging port thrusters… Roll towards the gravity well to compensate… Now on concentric path with the nucleus… Time to exit… 15% burst… Traversing now… Whoa, funky colors. I don’t think I ‘ve ever seen that shade of red… Aaaand we’re out…
“Returning to standard flight conditions. Now that wasn’t so bad, was it? All primary levels report in.”
“Engineering, all clear.”
“Main Cargo Hold, all clear.”
“Propulsion, all clear. Captain, please let us know in advance next time you plan to do that.”
“Medical, all clear.”
“Master, I’m monitoring the remaining ship’s systems and all are still operating within expected parameters.”
“Thanks Exar… Thanks everyone. Now engaging maximum cruise speed. Arrival in Opsercom in about 20 delmics. Tomalan out.”
“So was it everything you hoped it would be?”
“Even better, Van. The ship maneuvers great and the engine response time is incredible.”
“Well I’m glad we’re all alive to share it with you.”
“I aim to please. Exar, how did the shields hold up?”
“The entire matrix functioned within acceptable parameters, Master. The impact with the first piece generated only a 0.005% fluctuation. The effect of the debris spray was negligible.”
“Now you see, Van-cynic. We have a more thorough understanding of the workings of the vessel on which our lives depend on, and that would not have been available otherwise. Now you can rest assured that if we are ever fleeing bombardment from a violent, predatory species or hurtling towards a large, immovable object that threatens to remove us from existence, your fearless Captain will now exactly in which manner to maneuver said vessel, therefore increasing your survival chances exponentially.”
“Nice speech. And it still sounded a little rehearsed.”
“Really? I thought I finally had it down... Well, I’m going to my quarters. I’ve been up now for 36 delmics straight and if I don’t get some sleep soon, I’m going to start hallucinating again. Let me know if something interesting, like first contact with a new species, comes up. If not, page me when we’re within 165 kilomilecs of the station.”
“What? Sleep? I was going to review the latest updates to the stellar cartography maps. This one has over 1000 modifications. Sure you don’t want to join me?… I take it by your silence and scowl that you’re thinking about it. I’ll check with you once I’m set up.”
“Have a restful sleep, Master. If someone tries to disturb you, I might accidentally let loose a stun blaster shot in their direction.”
“Hey, did you see that?!”
“See what?”
“Don’t play dumb with me. Did you see that look he gave me?!”
“Van, he’s an android. Androids don’t have expressions. Now if you’ll excuse me…”
“Fine, turn away. Go on and take his side.”
“Whose side? No one’s said anything… Thanks for your concern, Exar. Van, you need to lay off the mazaka. It’s making you too jumpy.”
Oh ho ho! The reflection on the door is not so good, but I think Exar just gave him a throat slash sign
“Hey!”
“Just down to four cups a septec, Van. That’s still a lot.”
“Now listen you no good scrap pile…”
Ha, ha… I swear that Exar must have some real personality somewhere in there … He’s too good at tweaking Van to just be programming. And if he knew I was in on it, he’d kill me… … But here we are again, back in my humble abode … Now over to the main control panel… Under what menu are the controls for the sleep chamber? … There, ‘restoration’… Those rest chambers have got to be one of the greatest things the Gatmays ever invented. I have to admit I was skeptical on how much I’d be able to relax floating on air, but now I can’t even remember what it was like sleeping on a regular bed. Suspended by a stream jets, secondary ones emanating a pulsating sequence to give you a soothing massage, and that mist it sprays on you… I don’t know what it is fully made off, but you can’t knock the rejuvenating effects. And down to the molecular level… Let’s see know, I have to make sure I adjust the settings properly. Last time I got into one of these and didn’t change default settings, I felt like I was being tenderized. Now the key was to find a setting that was akin to the consistency of human muscle tissue …No, no, no…there… And now set as the new default, followed by a quick striptease down to my undies now that nobody’s looking. Lie down inside, enter the activation sequence and presto… Ahh, just right. Although I find it disturbing that the setting that best suits my anatomy is equivalent to a cooking setting. Yaawwnn… 20 delmics to Opsercom… Plenty of time... to… wake up nice… aaandd… reste… zzzzzzz
“Oh Captain, this is the bridge. My deepest apologies but you a have priority incoming call from Opsercom Station. The station chief insists that you receive the call directly. Ha, ha… I mean, sorry.”
Carajo!
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Out of this World: Legend of the Crystals (Chap 3)
