CHAPTER ONE

Joshua Tucker stepped into the darkened conference room. Inside a lone figure sat staring out the window into space. She gazed so intently as to be oblivious to Joshua's entrance. "Doctor Levin." said Josh.Dr. Ashley Levin snapped back from her musings, startled. "Ohhh, Josh. I didn't see you there." "Are you okay doctor?" asked Josh. Ashely looked back out the window. "Yes, I was just staring at the stars. They are so calming, so peaceful. I've enjoyed stargazing since I was little." "Doctor, Admiral Klas has been trying to contact you. He wants to go over the final details before the launch. He, Captain Hart and the others are waiting for you in control room alpha." Ashley glanced down at her waist. "I lost track of the time. I must have turned off my comm." She flicked her comm (communications) unit back on. It immeadiately flashed with stored messages. "Could you inform the Admiral that I am on my way." Joshua nodded and left the room. He contacted the Admiral as told and he walked out of the room. Ashley stood up, straightened her uniform and grabbed the computer in the chair beside her. She slipped it into her briefcase. Her nervousness began to rise as she realized how soon it was until their mission. She took at deep breath and after one quick glance out the window she was off.
The control room was bubbling with activity. Men and women shuffled about monitoring their stations and talking to each other. Control Room alpha was one of the three control rooms that regulated the life aboard Space Station Tellulos. The Station Commander was Admiral Klas. The Admiral was an impatient man with a keen sense of structure and order. Ashley new he was not going to be happy about her tardiness. Klas was not one of her biggest fans to begin with. Ashley suspected that military folks had enough trouble dealing with civilians without having to deal with one half their age. And not only was Ashley only 34 and in such a position of responsibility but she also looked younger than that. Often being mistaken for someone in her mid to late 20s. For a woman though, that was not such a heavy burden to bear.
As she walked into the planning room she could tell that the Admiral was not at all happy. He, Captain Hart and three others stood around a large oval table with a 3D digital monitor in its center. The other dignataries included a Doctor Remulan from the Science Academy, Senator Horsh from the Terran Senate appropriations committee and Admiral Yakamoti from Fleet Command. With them were a few assorted assistants and lesser dignataries. "I'm apologize for being late. I hope you weren't too inconvenienced. Its been a hectic few days." She purposely avoided looking at the admiral. She new well that the admiral would be especially steamed with all the visiting brass who were there to witness this historic mission. "We were just going over some operation details. Nothing I can't bring you up to speed on later." said Captain Hart in a calm, reassuring voice. The captain continued his briefing to the Admiral. For the forty-five minutes he went over schedules, supplies, flight paths, the crew, ship condition and security. When he was finished the Admiral turned to Ashley. It was now her turn to go over their mission, for the umpteenth time. She wondered that if only the best officers made it so high up the rank why they needed to be told everything so many times. Can none of these people read mission briefs? Perhaps that was a benefit of being important. Having everything explained to you so you no longer are required to think for yourself. "Well Admiral . . " She cleared her throat, "this mission is a culmination of years of study and experimentation. The new Fulcron Jump Engines could soon usher in a new age of human exploration and prosperity." A hologram of a spaceship appeared hovering over the center of the briefing table. "The TCS Myriad is the first starship ever designed with a Fulcron Jump Drive. The engine itself has been thoroughly tested in dozens of simulated jumps without incident. What makes the Myriad special is the navigation computer with which we can effectively control our jumps. With the Fulcron Drive we can now travel in a matter of seconds what would previously have taken months or years using the current hyperdrive engines . . . . It will open up a part of the galaxy previously unreachable to the human species." Ashley switched the hologram to a schematic of mathematical symbols and wave patterns. The Fulcron wormhole theory as advanced by the late Dr. Thomas Fulcron is what the current Terran Confederation rely upon for their communication. For the last decade, communications by bursts of energy through wormholes has been what enables us to communicate vast distances in short amounts of time. We have finally reached the level of scientific advancement to take the next step. Instead of short bursts of electronic waves and signals thru wormholes of infinitesimal size, we are now able to create much larger wormholes. Wormholes large enough to pass computerized probes through and soon . . . large enough to pass a fully manned spacecraft, the Myriad."
Ashley could feel the excitement in the room grow and as she explained it, although she was intimately familiar with the project, she could feel her own heart pump faster with excitement. "Tomorrow at 1400 hours the Myriad will jump just outside system SL-408, almost 1000 light years away. If that jump is successful, which we all assume it will be. We will then jump 15000 light years to Sigma 704 Beta. On each stop we will gather data on how the engines performed and evaluate our results versus the expected parameters. We will only be at SL-408 for 36 hours so we will only have time to broadcast back our preliminary results and analysis. Following the second jump we will spend 38 days at Sigma 704 Beta, including 3 to 4 days of travel from our jump point to the system and back. Our time at Sigma 704 Beta will involve exploring this system as well as analyzing the Fulcrum Drive's operation. The vast distance between the Tellulos Station and Sigma 704 Beta is so great that the normal ships communications equipment would not be sufficient to send a signal back. However, since we will be there for several weeks we will be able to construct and orient a portable high-power communications relay. When this is operational we will be able to contact the station and send back our current results. The Myriad will have a 29 man crew including myself and 6 other research scientists. The rest of the crew will be comprised of Fleet personnel. Captain Hart is one of the finest officers in the fleet and I am grateful that he is in charge of this voyage." Ashley nodded in appreciation at the captain. "Hopefully in the next 4 days humanity will be making an undeniable mark on its place in our galaxy. And perhaps soon after, even the borders of the Milky Way will be unable to limit our push to the stars." Ashley then thanked the dignitaries for their time and patience. Following the briefing an informal gathering took place in one of the stations lounges. It included guests of the launch who were not part of the briefing, assorted members of the Myriad crew and the scientific team involved in the project. After 30 minutes of pleasantries and questions, Ashley managed to escape. She returned to her cabin and collapsed in a chair. She found herself excited that tomorrow might be one of the most monumental days in human history and also terrified that it may be the last day of her life. They were doing what no one had done before with all the rewards and risks that went along with it. She dimmed the lights and glanced out her window. She felt the tension in her shoulders ease, her chest no longer seemed tight. After a short while she was no longer worrying about what fate awaited her and her colleagues in less than 24 hours. At this moment her mind was free and back wandering harmlessly amongst the stars.
A bustle filled the launch bay. Several other spaceships were being serviced or prepared for future launches but all the attention was on just one, the Myriad. Onlooker and spectator alike were watching the activity and giving their wishes for success. Doctor Levin walked onto the flight deck with a duffle bag on her shoulders. She quickly glanced around for familiar faces. She saw Lieutenant Commander (Lt Cmdr) Rennis talking to one of the launch bay personnel. She altered her path in that direction. Lt Cmdr Yara Rennis was the first officer of the Myriad, at least for this mission. Since the Myriad was a special ship there was no permanent crew. The current crew was chosen for this particular mission. Yara had previously served as the weapons officer of a heavy cruiser, the Xerxes, and this was her first flight as an executive or first officer. Ashley was impressed by her professionalism though. If you had not known her history it would be easy to think she was a seasoned first officer."Good morning Yara." greeted Ashley with a smile. "How are things going?""Good morning Doctor." responded Yara, "Everything is on schedule. We should be underway within the hour." Yara then turned back to the Deck Seargant. "And see if you can get those diagnostic reports on the starboard aft thruster to Lt Simms before launch."The Deck Seargant stepped back, saluted sharply and left."Is there a problem with the engines?" asked Ashley."No ma'am. Just a minor short in the breaker board discovered during the shakedown flight. Its been replaced. Its a brand new ship and its common to have a few hiccups. Especially with a custom ship like the Myriad. Nothing to worry about." Yara noticed the Doctor's bag. "Would you like me to have that taken to your cabin for you Doctor?"Ashley shook her head. "No thanks, I need the exercise. I seem to be a little nervous for some unknown reason."Yara smiled. "Don't worry Doctor, we will make sure this is a very boring flight for you."Ashley laughed, "Thanks, I'll hold you to that."
The two women then walked towards the ship. A security force of marines stood around the Myriad in a 50 meter perimeter. Not only was this mission historic but it was also classified and carefully protected. The seargant of the guard checked the security badges on the two women and then saluted. Inside the ship the two women parted. Ashley went to the research bay to drop off her duffle. Most of the research team was already there minus Hammond and Revers, who were bringing the last of the equipment needed on board. A 30 person crew would take the Myriad on this mission. Seven of which included Doctor Levin and her team of researchers. The rest were the ships flight crew of 19 and 4 marines. Ashley didn't see why they couldn't ditch the marines and bring a few extra researchers on board, normally only the larger fleet ships even had a marine contingent. However, if Fleet Command was adamant about anything it was security. 'Anal' would be the term most often used whenever the scientists talked amongst themselves.
Ashley set her bag down and then proceeded to a terminal. There she pulled a disc out of her pocket and inserted it into a small slot. On the disc were recorded messages she had made for her family. They would go out after the launch. The security director had made it clear that messages within 48 hours of launch would have to be sent after the mission commencement as not to advertise to anyone of the impending launch. The messages would go out 4 hours after she was either a hero or a casualty of science, hopefully the former. The night before she had recorded a visual message or so called 'v-mail' to both of her parents, her sister and two of her cousins. Part of her missed having her own family. She envied her sister and her two children. Her career had been very rewarding and successful but it had not come without a price. Perhaps soon she would be able to settle down a little. She supposed that first she might have to find someone to do that with. Oh well, she was getting ahead of herself again. Especially for someone who might have her molecules accidentally splattered across the known galaxy in several hours.
The idea of jumping through wormholes of space and time was not a new concept. Gaining popularity in the 22nd century, it was a source of much research, experimentation and lore. When Dr. Fulcron had announced his theory it was first met with a great deal of skepticism. However soon it became more and more accepted and Dr. Fulcron's research greatly advanced mankind's knowledge of wormholes. It wasn't until 20 years after his death that the first wormhole was created in a lab. Though humans could only create miniscule wormholes at first it was soon realized that these holes were large enough to send transmissions through. What had previously taken weeks or months with accelerated hyper-space transmissions or by space buoys travelling with hyperdrive could now take place in a matter of minutes. It revolutionized deep space communication and the new flow of information spurred a new age of interstellar expansion and prosperity. The idea that people could soon travel great distances in a similar fashion was revolutionary to say the least. Presently deep space travel was solely the realm of the Fleet, giant corporations and research institutions. Mankind was expanding but only the most adventurous were willing to spend months or years in transit or go into stasis chambers and wake up at a new destination while the people they new grew older and passed away. Deep space colonies were rare and the risk that a catastrophe could occur and pass long before any help could arrive was an ever present risk. Such was the life of the modern explorer, the life of adventure and danger. At least until now, if this mission was successful that is.
The Myriad lifted off the flight deck floated into the launch bay. The giant metal door closed behind them sealing the launch bay from the flight deck. Ashley and one of her colleagues, Doctor Walsh, entered the bridge. Captain Hart stood behind the helmsman. He glanced back at the doctors. "We are just about to get under way Doctor Levin as soon as we get clearance. Would you like to do the honors?"Ashley nodded, "Certainly, thank you.""We are cleared for launch sir." Exclaimed the communications officer."Its all yours Dr. Levin, Mister Mitchell will be piloting the ship" said the captain.Ashley stepped forward and cleared her throat. "Very well. Mister Mitchell." She paused partly for effect and partly due to nerves, "Take us out."The Myriads engines fired with a slow burn that was barely perceptible to the crew. However all aboard could feel the excitement that filled the ship. When they had cleared the dock the Captain ordered a course to their launch point. There was something about the captain that put Ashley at ease. She felt safe with him around, he exuded confidence and skill yet did it in a very understated manner. He also seemed to be held in high regard by his crew and wasn't at all like many of the stolid, arrogant and impatient military personnel she had met in her years working for the Fleet. Thank god for that. She would have gone nuts with a captain in the same mold as Admiral Klas. Somebody needed to tell the Admiral that her and her project did not exist to further his career. She had considered leaving the Admiral a nasty v-mail to be sent only if she didn't return. She wasn't serious of course but imagining the message content did give her a form of wicked glee.After checking some coordinates the Captain turned to Ashley. "Will you be on the bridge or in engineering when we engage the Fulcron drive?" he asked?"Well Captain, I'm not sure. I think I will be equally useless in both locations. So that being the case I might as well bother you people here on the bridge and enjoy the view." Ashley said with a smile.The captain laughed and even Yara giggled from her station. "Well then." said Captain Hart, "we will be at the jump point in 22 minutes. I'll be sure to keep your seat warm. What about you Doctor Walsh?"Doctor Walsh spoke, "Well unlike Docter Levin I do have a vested interest in monitoring the Fulcron drive. I'm afraid I will have to rely on you two to tell me what I missed."Doctor Walsh was the second in charge of the research team. He had worked with Ashley for the last 5 years and had watched as Ashley took over the research director position from the previous director. Although she technically jumped him in position, Walsh didn't bat an eye. He, like everyone else, had known she was the new prodigy in her field and it was expected she would someday take over. Despite being 10 years her senior he had a great deal of respect for Ashley. He knew if it weren't for her direction and insights they would be another two years away from this test. He quickly excused himself and left the bridge. Ashley was too nervous to mill about the bridge. She took a quick walk to the galley. There she found several off shift crew members. The Myriad had 3 duty shifts of 8 hours each. Since humanity had spent most of its life evolving on earth the 24 hour day was still the norm even if it seemed impractical in deep space or on other planets. Despite the duty schedule, everyone onboard was awake and awaiting their historic jump. She grabbed a drink. The vid screen in the galley displayed several views around the ship and some technical data of the ships operating parameters. It also showed another ship nearby. In case anything happened a rescue ship would already be on scene. Plus the details of the jump would be monitored and recorded for future use. The upper left corner of the screen showed the current countdown. Fifteen minutes, twenty-three seconds and counting. Three members of her research team entered the galley, gave her a quick hello and then sat down. Ashley downed her drink and returned to he bridge.
The Myriad approached the designated coordinates from where they would jump. Ashley stood on the bridge looking out of the main screen. It showed their direction of travel, where soon a giant hole in the space-time continum would open up and swallow them whole. At least if everything worked correctly it would."Docter Levin, if you would take a seat." Said the captain.Ashley looked around for an open seat. "You can sit here." he said pointing to the seat next to his."What about Comander Rennis?" she asked, since Yara normally occupied that seat. "And please, call me Ashley.""She'll be in engineering during the jump. It also serves as the secondary bridge. Its fine, you can keep it warm for her." he responded.Ashley sat down and buckled herself in. She could hear an automated voice counting down. "30, 29, 28 . . . ""Sir the Captain of the Eurepides is on contacting you." said the comm officer.Hart touched some buttons on his console. A voice came out. "Captain Hart, this is Captain Larkin. We are standing by if you need any assistance. Good luck and godspeed to you all. Drinks are on me when you return.""Thank you captain. We will see you in ten days to collect on that offer. Myriad out." said Hart."10, 9, 8, . . ." Ashley could feel her chest tighten. "3, 2, 1""Engage Fulcron Drive!" ordered the Captain.Ashley could hear a low mechanical whine and watched as a growing light blue ellipse with random flickering electrical bolts filled the screen. The center of the wormhole began to clear as if an electrical fog was dissipating."Launch probe." Ordered the captain. An object shot forward from the front of the Myriad into the wormhole. A few seconds passed."All readings are clear sir." spoke one of the bridge crew.Captain heart leaned forward in his seat. "Mr. Mitchell, take us in."
The wormhole grew larger on screen until it completely filled the screen. Then Ashley felt a slight tingling sensation throughout her body. Suddenly it was over. The screen showed nothing but space and stars. She looked around and then toward Captain Hart. The captain looked back at her. "Well that seemed easy enough." he said. "Reports he barked at the bridge crew." Behind them the wormhole began to shrink until it no longer existed.One by one the crewmembers answered. Everything showed normal, there were no problems. From the engineering section Yara reported similarly. Captain Hart turned to the Navigator. "Cheif Akuzi, can you tell me where we are."Akuzi stared at his instruments intently. "It will take some time for the computer to reorient itself on the current star alignment sir."Ashley stood up. "I'm going to go down to the lab if you need me.""Yes doctor." aknowledged the captain as Ashley left the bridge.
Doctor Walsh stood by the holograph. "We opened the wormhole for about 15 seconds. More than enough time for us to get through even waiting for the recon probe's report. Our antimatter reserves currently stand at 83 percent. The engine checks out. There were a couple unexpected energy spikes. Tom is looking at the reports now. All in all, everything went well. I talked to the Captain. He said we are within 200,000 miles of our target coordinates. We have already located the deep space beacon. We should be there in two hours. Commander Rennis said their secondary mission is to check the status of the pod. They are readying a shuttle. Apparently its one of the main resupply pods for the Exploration Corps in this sector but because its an older pod the only communication is by communication probes which are so old that they would take 8 years to reach Fleet Command. She estimates at least 6 hours for the actual boarding of the pod and dropping off additional equipment. They might finish with the pod early but I don't think the captain is going to have us jump any sooner than scheduled." Walsh walked over to another table and picked up a thin plastic screenpad. He turned it on. "In the meantime I'm going to have the staff go over the readings from the jump. There were some interesting variations from the previous probe launches. Sam and Tami are going to do a complete diagnostic of the Fulcron Engine before the next jump."Ashley nodded in agreement. "Sounds like a plan. I'd like to take a look at those readings while we went through the whole also. Send them to my personal computer."
After Yara prepped the shuttle she went to her cabin to get some rest. The Myriad was not a large ship by any stretch. A hybrid of a military vessel and a research vessel it was essentially a mutt. A mutt comprised of the latest technology and perhaps the most sophisticated ship ever put into service. Because of its size though, the shuttle could only seat 3 personnel with the communications equipment loaded. The ships engineer, a bridge technician and a marine would comprise the mission team to the Deep Space Pod. Her duties were complete and it was time to relax. Her next duty shift would start in 4 hours. Plenty of time for a nap.
- posted by Scott @ 9:26 AM

 
CHAPTER THREE

Captain Hart entered the bridge. Ensign Stevens rose from the captain's chair. "Attention on Deck!" he yelled."Carry on." Said Hart. He walked over to Stevens. "Good morning. Anything to report?""No sir, an uneventful shift. No response yet from Fleet." reported Stevens."I see. Have me notified if anything comes in. I'm going to run to the galley. You have the con." said Hart."Aye sir."A dozen or so people were in the Galley when Hart entered. Most of the researchers were there having some kind of breakfast meeting. Hart grabbed some coffee and sat next to a marine and one of the engineering crewmen. "Morning sir!" said the Marine."Good morning Corporal. How's the chow?" asked Hart."Shipboard chow is a delicacy to the marine." he replied.Hart laughed. "Don't get too used to it, you may not be assigned to the Fleet forever." he joked. "Have you pulled much ship duty?""A little sir. The Lieutenant and I were stationed on the TCS Lemask before this assignment. Before that I was on a security detachment planetside.""I did a training tour aboard the Lemask when I was in the Academy. Those BattleCarriers are something." Suddenly Hart felt a hand on his shoulder. He glanced up to see Ashley standing there."Sorry for interupting she said. I was wondering if I might have a word with you." she said."Certainly." said Hart. He grabbed his coffee and stood up. "You gentlemen enjoy your breakfast." Hart and Dr. Levin walked over to an unoccupied part of the room. "What can I do for you?" he asked."I understand we haven't heard anything from Tellulos?" she asked."That's correct, nothing yet.""We have our final report on the test flight ready. And a couple of personal transmissions from the team. Will this delay the jump time?""No, not at all. Don't worry, we will transmit your report with an update on the ships status and any personal messages. This won't effect our timetable. There could be a number of reasons. Because of our distance we had to send our transmissions through relays. There could be a delay or backup in one of the communications relay stations. We will continue the mission as planned." Hart could see Ashley was nervous, most likely about the jump. He decided to try and distract her. "Do you know much about Sigma 704 Beta?"She paused, "Ummm . . . . no not much. Just what I have read in the briefing."Hart hit a button on the wall and a holographic image displayed in front of them. Using his PDD he changed the image to a solar system. "There are 16 planets in Sigma 704 Beta. Six of them are within the prime LCR.""Lifeform Creation Range." Ashley interupted."Correct. And another 4 are in the secondary zone. In addition there are 19 moons that fall in those ranges.""Wow." said Ashley. "I didn't realize. Its a terraformer's fantasy.""And a naturalists nightmare." added Hart. Some of these worlds might already have existing ecosystems. Perhaps even higher life forms on them. Not to mention the economic impact a system like this could have. Worlds capable of supporting life are at a premium. Imagine if the Terran Confederation could claim this system? It could easily become as much of a foothold in the galaxy for humanity as Terra is now for the confederation. Or Alpha Centauri is for the Alliance.""So the Confederation is looking to kill two birds with one stone on this mission." said Ashley. "I haven't studied planetary sciences since college. I wonder how helpful my team will be on the survey portion of the mission.""You are the ones who are going to get us there. I'd say that's more than enough." smiled Hart. "A deep space ship would take over a hundred and fifty years to get to Sigma 704 Beta. There have always been rumors that an Alliance Corporation built a super hyperdrive colonization ship and sent it out several decades before the war. The idea was to use the implosion of a collapsing Black Hole to slingshot the ship across the galaxy at four times the speed of a normal hyperdrive. Even using the blackhole as a hyper-enabler it would have taken 50 years. And of course that was a one way trip. We are going travel there from Tellulos in less than a week.""I remember hearing that story. It was a popular rumor in the physics department at the academy. The physicists were split as to whether such a slingshot would work or it would be trapped in the gravitational pull of the collapsing event horizon and ripped to pieces. I once did a group homework assignment on that theory my freshman year in college. I remember an argument in the class when one group had a student who fervently believed it couldn't work and another who claimed it had been done and the rumor was actually true." she laughed at the memory. "But eventually such a trip could be a matter of hours. Right now we are emerging farther away from the system as a safety precaution. The current Fulcron Drive capacitors need a minumum of 24 hours to recharge. Future versions won't have that same limitation. A transport could travel from Tellulos to Sigma 704 Beta the same as a shuttle transfers people between planetary cities." said Ashley. She glanced at the holograph. "Who knows . . . maybe I'll end up retiring on a colony in this very system."Hart sat on a nearby table. "You know in college I minored in planetary science. Exobiology and atmospherics. I always wanted to discover a with an existing ecosystem. Perhaps even inhabited. There may never be a better shot than this." "Why Captain Hart, I had no idea of the dreamer in you. Perhaps we can make a scientist out of you yet!""Only two planets have ever been discovered with advanced forms of life on them. Both are protected planets that are off limits to all but a select group or researchers." Hart paused, "But anything we find out here." He pointed at the image, "Is all ours . . . for now at least.""Hmmmmm" pondered Ashley, "Am I talking to Brennen Hart the decorated combat veteran or 11 year old boy with a treasure map?""I'm a soldier by necessity. An explorer by heart. If it weren't for my daughters I'd probably have joined Deep Space Recon. Besides, combat decorations are more about timing than anything else.""Are you saying that being a hero is just about being in the right place at the right time? That its all about luck?" asked Ashley."No . . . being a hero is more about being at the wrong place at the wrong time. And the luck involved is usually bad.""I have been meaning to ask you. I saw in your file that you won a Star of Gallantry in the Centauri Campaign. It didn't list any details."Harts face grew somber. "I was the acting First Officer aboard a missile frigate during the Clash of the Sermaides Line. Out of 23 Confederation ships and 27 Alliance ships only 13 survived intact. We managed to make it although we lost almost half our crew." Hart paused for a second and then gulped down the rest of his coffee. "I think I'd have preferred to be a scientist.""I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up anything upsetting.""No, its okay. That's what sailors and soldiers do best. Tell war stories." He tried a half hearted smile. "I better get back to the bridge. Transfer any files you want sent to comms. Even if we don't hear anything we'll transmit before we jump."
Ashley walked down the corridor. She saw Lt Cmdr Rennis coming towards her wearing a workout outfit and a towel on her neck. "Yara." said Ashley.Yara stopped. "Hello Doctor. What can I do for you?""I think I might have asked something innapropriate. I asked Captain Hart about his Star of Gallantry. He didn't seem the same when he spoke of it. I hope I haven't upset him." said Ashley."Ohh . . . yes, you couldn't have known." Yara looked around the otherwise empty hall. "Here, come with me."Ashley followed Yara to her cabin. "Make yourself at home." said Yara, "Can I get you something to drink?"Ashley shook her head as she sat in a chair. Yara grabbed herself some water and then sat on her bunk. "I don't know all the details. But Captain Hart was a Bridge Officer aboard a new missile frigate. Only his second assignment out of the Academy. I don't remember why but the ships first officer was not on board when they were attached to the task force heading to Sermaides to attack the Alliance outer fleet shipyards. Early in the battle the captain was killed. Hart was acting captain as a junior Lieutenant. His ship was credited with three kills damaging several other Alliance Ships. After the battle though they suffered some kind of reactor implosion that threatened to destroy the ship. Hart was forced to close the blast compartment doors or lose the ship. The problem was that damage control parties were already out making repairs. I think almost half the remaining crew were killed when it happened. He didn't have a choice but its hard to give an order that costs the lives of those under your command. Decisions like that haunt men for a long time." Yara paused, "Its like after something like that happens you wonder why you are still alive and your friends and people you love aren't. You wonder if you deserve to be alive and you feel a sense of guilt." Yara leaned forward towards Ashley and spoke a little softer. "In fact Captain Hart could have had almost any command he wanted. He was serving as the temporary commander of the heavy cruiser Minith but refused permanent command and applied for this mission instead." She leaned back. "He was also part of the rescue mission sent to the spacedock and mining colony on Lythos. He burnt out the Minith's hyperdrive to get there in time. They ended up spending three months in orbit waiting for a replacement. Reportedly he saved thousands of lives. It was a public relations coup. He's on the career fast track. Once he gets enough time in grade he's going to reach commodore. I'm sure the boys on Terra have him slated for admiral too.""I remember the Lythos incident. I didn't know he was a part of that." said Ashley. "He doesn't seem like a typical military man.""No, he's not." said Yara. "This is strictly between you and me but I wouldn't be surprised if he resigned his commission in a few years. I don't think he's a lifer.""Maybe he's a scientist." Ashley murmered to himself."What?" asked Yara."Oh nothing." Ashley stood up. "Thank you so much for your time. I think I know what conversations to stay away from now.""Your welcome Doctor." said Yara walking Ashley to the door. "Anytime." As they got to the door Yara added. "By the way, he has a weakness for Martian Chess. It will earn you brownie points." Yara winked and shut the door. She went back and sat on her bunk. She grabbed her PDD and looked at the current ships systems. "Civilian women." Yara said to herself while shaking her head. "They just can't resist a man in uniform."
"Everything checks out sir." said crewman Riggs. "It doesn't look like its a problem at our end."Ensign Alvarez grimaced. "Okay, I'll tell the captain. Go ahead and send the latest transmission. Then rebroadcast it on a secondary route. Attach the first transmission to it on the backend.""Yes sir." said Riggs.
Typical interstellar travel involved the use of the hyperdrive. The hyperdrive enabled ships to travel faster than the speed of light. The fastest ships could travel almost 100 times the speed of light. Which meant that travelling a hundred light years could be done in a year. However with most solar systems being anywhere from 40 to 250 light years from Earth, these trips could take anwhere from 4 months to several years. While people could undertake these trips and age much less thanks to hypersleep chambers, the people they left behind would age normally. Many a family was ripped apart by space travel where sons, daughters, mothers or fathers would be gone for years at a time. As a result humanity tended to be regionalized. Solar systems became home. Travelling from one end of a solar system to another took much less time than from one solar system to another. The more planets and moons in a system . . . the more room for expansion. Some worlds had a location and rotation that allowed it to be terraformed. Even with the heart of humanity living on Earth and a terraformed Mars, half of the race lived in planetary or orbitting space stations and were only exposed to nature through media and internal parks and gardens. Still humanity had expanded. And in doing so it had fractured, as expected. Alpha Centauri was the largest home to humans outside the Terran system. And much like the larger colonies on earth during times of expansion in its history, it had sought independence. And much like those colonies in human history on earth, it won its independence on the battlefield with the blood of its citizens. There were also many smaller independent colonies either outside of confederation space or whose existence predated the Terran Confederation expansion and were granted sovereign status. Being independent did have its disadvantages. Issues of citizenship, restrictions on commerce and of course, more importantly, protection from the Fleet. Especially when it came to pirates and raiders that found space travel a boon for a profession that had all but died out for centuries. While religious and philosophical differences were usually tolerated in Terran space (also in Alliance territory), there were those whose beliefs led them to seek to create a society that recognized their particular beliefs. The Hadar were one such example. The Hadar were a government and people predicated on a spiritual identity. They were the only state besides the Terran Confederation and Alliance who controlled a whole solar system and had terraformed planets. The greatest problem with all these governments was the usual human vice - distrust. Each organization viewed the others as either competition or threats. Numerous skirmishes had occured over time. While the Centauri Alliance and Terran Confederation had only fought three official wars in a hundred and fifty years of coexistence there had been numerous engagements that were either resolved before escalation or were considered too minor to deserve escalation and existed only in local history. The last of the Alliance-Confederation wars occured recently. The cost in lives had been high, mostly from the military side. Superpowers sought to avoid high civilian casualties unless as a reprisal for a similar occurence to its own population. It was in the smaller scale independent battles that civilian loss of life was greatest. This only added to the threats posed by plagues, mechanical failures, natural disasters and criminals that made space a very dangerous place. Making defense fleets a necessity for any government. Currently an uneasy peace existed between the Alliance and Confederation. The prior war had lasted two years but much of that had involved the travel of respective warships between the two regions of space. Major battles were separated by months of nothing but bluster between each side. Although the Terran Fleet had been bloodied in initial engagements, the Confederation eventually managed to capture a critically important Alliance spacedock at Sermaides. The strategic victory had largely been thanks to the superiority of the newer Confederation ships. This forced the Alliance to sue for peace and accede to the Confederation demands.
Ashley and Dr. Huigo sat across from Admiral Klaus. "So what did you find out Dr. Levin. The project is at a virtual standstill and I'm feeling a lot of heat. The Senate is looking for answers.""I don't understand it Admiral. I've gone over the data again and again. We just can't find a reason for the drone to have gone off course. There's no record in the memory tapes of it taking an incorrect flightpath." said Ashley."Look . . . Dr. Levin I really don't care why the damn thing got lost. What I want to know is if anything went wrong with the jump." barked the Admiral. "And I've been waiting for two weeks for you to answer that.""Admiral Klaus," interjected Dr. Huigo, "the drone is in perfect working order. There's nothing wrong with it. All our records from the jump itself seemed to indicate that it all went as it should. But the fact is that the drone was lost for two months and none of the recorded data can answer why. According to the logs it followed the mission specifications and nothing to the contrary. We are at a flat out loss. The only thing we can do is re-enact the test and . . "The Admiral cut him off. "Look Huigo. This little lost probe of yours has already cost us 4 months. I've dealt with these computer glitches all my life. For all we know the damn thing froze up after the jump and just sat in space until it kick started itself. Or like they said as the science station, it came out in a different region of space and it took a while to find its way back.""I know that's what we thought at first but the probe data doesn't suggest that." interjected Ashley. "We don't know if . . ""Here's the bottom line." interupted the Admiral again. "I want to know if this is a problem with the probe or with the jump. Is there a safety issue with the jumpgate?"Ashley and Huigo exchanged glances. "No Admiral, not that I can see." said Ashley. "But until we find out what happened we can't move to the next phase of testing. I'm sure the next test will resolve this and we will be back on track again.""All the previous tests were successful correct? Is this not an anamoly? The malfuncion of some drone that probably was rescued from the scrap heap for your research?" asked the Admiral."Yes Admiral but previously the probe simply went through the wormhope, recorded positional and external data and came back through the open wormhole. The previous long distance tests were micro probes. Its only now that we have developed an engine that can create its own wormhole.""And the full size version of the drive. Has the design been modified any because of this incident?" asked the Admiral, growing annoyed with the Doctors."No, we haven't found any data to suggest that the smaller replica of the Fulcron Drive didn't do what it was supposed to. As of now there's no reason to make any modifications." responded Huigo."Fine!" The Admiral slapped his hands on the table. "You have assured me that the jump drive works as it should, that the probe is in perfect working order and that our starship engine design is complete. As far as I am concerned we are back on schedule."Ashley and Huigo looked at each other in disbelief. Ashley turned to the Admiral. "I don't understand. The project was halted after the probe dissapeared.""Incorrect Doctor. The contractor assures me that the Fulcron Drive will be completed within two weeks and I received word that the construction not only continued on the Myriad but that it was completed ahead of schedule and is in fact on its way here." The Admiral stood up and looked straight at Ashley. "Your ship will be here in 10 days doctor with its crew. We will begin fielding and preliminary tests next month. The Senate has the utmost confidence in you Dr. Levin." The Admiral held out his hand. "Congratulations on your successful test."Ashley stood up and shook the Admirals hand. Torn between joy and concern she found herself at a loss for words."But Admiral, what about the probe?" Asked Huigo who had also stood up.The Admiral snickered. "You can take that damn piece of shit probe and launch it into the sun as far as I'm concerned. Probes are stupid computers. They can't make the decisions or find solutions the way a human crew can."The Admiral walked out of the room as the two doctors watched."This is crazy." said Huigo. "What the hell is the rush? We need to find out why the probe got lost. What if our targetting algorithms are in error?"Ashley turned to her comrade. "The Admiral is right. That probe is almost as old as I am. Even if the wormhole navigation is off a little its nothing we couldn't correct and compensate for if we were actually there."Huigo looked unconvinced."Look Alaire, this is it. We got our ship, we'll soon have a full size working drive, this is where we wanted to be." she said."Ashley, being cautious is not a vice." tersed Huigo."There's nothing to show that we are talking about any danger. As beat up as that old drone was its in as good a shape now as it was before we launched it. NOTHING HAPPENED!" Ashley grapped her briefcase. "Tommorrow morning we'll assemble the team and tell them the good news. I'll contact Dr. Remulan tonight and let him know our status." She grabbed Huigo on the arm and smiled. "Stop being such a worrier Alaire!!! Besides, your so old that you've got nothing to lose right?"Huigo laughed. "You have such a way with words Dr Levin." Huigo reached for his coat. "Now get the hell out of here and make your calls. I'll let the team know we'll be having a meeting first thing tomorrow."
Alvarez stood beside Doctors Huigo and Levin in front of the Fulcron Drive. An engineering technician and two researchers were near the drive studying several displays."All systems normal." said the technician.Alvarez pressed his communicator. "All systems are a go captain."Captain Hart sat on the bridge. "Acknowledged." he replied."T-minus five minutes and counting." said one of the crewmen.Hart could feel the nervousness inside him. He wondered what the rest of the crew felt. They had to be just as nervous if not more so. He thought of his girls. The first jump had gone smoothly but this one was considerably further and required much more power. If anything went wrong, whatever that might be, the only resources available would be those he already had. He remembered his first hyperdrive jump when he was a child. While martian by birth, his family had moved to one of the colonies in the Regalia system when he was 10. He, his parents and his two sisters had been put into hypersleep chambers aboard the transport ship. He could remember how afraid he was. Then he looked to his sisters pod next to him. She was only 6 and he could tell that she was terrified. He stared into her eyes and then for a moment he wasn't afraid anymore. He smiled at his sister and put his hand on the glass. He realized that he was just as full of fear as before he saw Tiffany but in his effort to act brave for her he forgot his how own fear. The last thing he could remember was he and his sister staring at each other smiling, somehow comforting each other with a gaze for what seemed like a lifetime. When he woke up he was in a new solar system and his family began a new life. He thought about his sister. The last time he saw her was at his graduation from Space Fleet Academy. He was supposed to meet her and her new husband for the holidays a year later but his leave had been cancelled due to a Merchant Marine strike. The next time a family reunion was scheduled the war began. He had received a message from her after he was decorated for the Sermaides Line. She said how proud she was of her big brother, how much she loved him and how she couldn't wait to see him and his new fiance. Shortly thereafter she was killed in a shuttle accident though. His baby sister was all gone. He named his youngest daughter after her so that in a small way, she would still live on."30 seconds till jump." said a crewman."Energy readings are all in the green. We are a go." said Ensign Alvarez's voice over a speaker.Hart turned on his communicator, "This is the captain. Prepare for jump." From the viewscreen in front of him Captain Hart could see the wormhole form. Starting small and slowly growing larger. Finally the glowing area was large enough to fit the Myriad. "Take us in." Ordered the captain. The Myriad began to move forward into the wormhole."Captain! We are receiving a transmission." yelled the comm officer."Steady on course." said the captain. "Verify transmission."The Myriad entered the wormhole and suddenly it was over. Hart glanced at the screen and the wormhole was gone but the stars were now different. A secondary screen showed the hole closing behind them."Sir, I only got a piece of the transmission. There was too much interference from the wormhole. Its still too garbled to make out." came a voice from the communcations room."This is Engineering. The energy grid spiked more than expected but still within tolerance. I have a coolant system anamoly that needs to be checked but other than that we are all in the green.""Roger, keep me posted." Said Hart. "Comms, decipher that message and report when you have something." He turned to the navigation station. "Chief, where did we come out?""Initial analysis seems to indicate we are within 4 million miles of our intended location." said Chief Akuzi."Not bad." said Hart, raising his eyebrows. "Not bad at all."
- posted by Scott @ 9:25 AM

 
CHAPTER TWO

Ashley awoke in her room. She had fallen asleep in her chair while looking over some reports. It shouldn't have been a surprise. There hadn't been much sleep with all the excitement. She and Dr Walsh had put the research team on shifts. Unlike the flight crew, they would not operate 24 hours a day. As usual Ashley had not asigned herself to either shift. Instead she intended on working with both. Her drive was boundless, unfortunately it was often her body and mind that suffered. Her potential, although seemingly limitless, could not match her own expectations.
Ashley quickly glanced at the time. She called the Lab. Dr. Huigo informed her that everything was proceeding to schedule. Ash glanced down to her handheld computer. There were anomolous radiation readings she could not identify. Readings that were not anticipated from her calculations or the tests. It has puzzled her and nothing was more maddening to Ashley than a mystery. Anything that exceeded her ablity to understand would then be the focus of her mind until such time as she figured out the reason or she died. She had a slight headache and quickly downed a pain reliever. After putting on a new uniform she left her cabin and headed to the galley.
A few crewmen were in having a meal. She sat next to them. "Have we reached the pod yet?" she asked."Yes, a few hours ago." said ensign Stevens. He flipped a console and the galley viewscreen lit up. On it displayed a picture of the deep space pod. Ashley was surprised. "Wow, its a lot bigger than I thought. I had expected a small pod but that has to be . . ." she paused " . . . four times or more larger than the Myriad."The ensign replied, "Well its a 'Deep Space' pod. The Expeditionary Fleet use it as a way to resupply its deep space recons. It also serves as an emergency cache if needed. There is a fully stocked medical bay on board. It was placed by autopilot. Unfortunately its so old that the only communication is by message buoy that takes almost 10 years to reach fleet headquarters. Part of our mission is to see if its been used. The deep space recon boys are a tough breed. They are gone for decades. Even though they spend part of it in hypersleep, I could never live that kind of life."Ashley pointed at the screen. "Is that the shuttle? Why didn't we just latch onto the docking bay with the Myriad and board her that way?""Just precautionary. It would have been easier. But if something were to go wrong with the pod and we were attached we could lose the whole ship or be damaged out here a million miles from home. It would be a long time till we saw a rescue party out here. The mission is to leave a Fulcron transmitter. Although some of the crews that visit this station might never have seen one." said the ensign. "You guys and your new hyperdrive are our main mission. The Deep Space guys tacked this on since we were already going to be out here. Personally I'd rather just fly all the way out to Sigma 704 now."Ashley responded, "Its not a hyperdrive in the way you think of it. Normal hyperdrives accelerate ships beyond the speed of light. The fastest hyperdrive can only travel a hundred times the speed of light. With the Fulcron Drive we can open a doorway to another point in the galaxy almost instantaneously. But the drive needs time to cool and be reset after a jump. We also didn't know how accurate our navigation coordinates would be during a jump. This initial jump was to verify our coordinate targetting and ensure that we wouldn't be jumping halfway across the galaxy in the wrong direction when we did jump to Sigma 704."
Yara stood at the bridge next to the communications officer. A voice came through the speaker. "So far everything checks. There is even a little juice left in the engines. We are transmitting the pod's logs now. It looks like there have been at least 2, possibly 3 recorded visits by Deep Space ships. Some of the supplies and fuel cells have been removed. I'll have a complete report in a couple hours. As soon as we finish the structural checks."Yara spoke, "Acknowledged. You have two hours to complete your inspection. I want another status report in an hour. Myriad out." Jensen pressed the control panel. The metal door hissed open and slid into the frame. She entered the medical bay. The lights flickered on. For the most part it was clean. She moved to the central computer, turned it on and placed her palm computer nearby. As she downloaded the files she noticed an entry that caught her attention. Immeadiately she turned her head to a closed doorway. She left her palmtop and slowly walked to the door. She lifted the handle and slowly pulled the door open. Gradually she entered the room. In the corner was a long black container. On the top of the case was a plastic screen covered in a thick frost. She approached the container and wiped the frost away with her a quick swipe of her hand. She jumped back in shock and slammed against the wall. Fumbling for her communicator she spoke, "Ensign Alvarez . ." She paused for a breath "This is crewman Jensen. There is a body in sick bay."
Alvarez entered the sick bay door. By the time he arrived Jensen was stooped over the medical pod studying the readouts on a small monitor. Inside the enclosed pod was a body which could be seen through the clear cover. "What do you have?" He asked her."Looks like a deep space crewman. Killed in some kind of explosion. He has extensive burns. Probably killed instantly. According to the logs his name is Patrick Chamberlain." She handed him a data card. "I downloaded this from the medbay computer log. Its all there is on him."Alvarez turned away and spoke into his communicator. "Myriad this is Alvarez. We have a body of a Deep Space casualty in the medbay. We have downloaded all the data from the pod's logs. What are your instructions?"Alvarez was told to wait. After a short pause the voice of Cmdr Yara Rennis responded. "We will be bringing the body with us to take back to station. Finish your integrity inspection of the pod. Once that's complete prepare the body for transport and then install the transmitter.""Understood." Said Alvarez."We are taking it with us?" asked Jensen."If we leave it here it might never get back. This crewman deserves to be returned to his family for proper disposal. My guess is that his ship dropped him off here in the hopes that another ship would take him back to Terran space rather than wait till the end of their mission which might take decades." Alvarez put the data disc in his pocket. "Lets finish the inspection and then we'll take the body chamber to the shuttle."
Yara entered Captain Hart's suite. "Sir, the inspection report is complete and on the ships computer.""Thank you." Hart looked up and smiled. "How is the crew?""Excited. And nervous of course. Alvarez should have the transmitter up shortly. Dr. Levin says they will have their initial analysis report of the jump in about two hours." said Yara"Good. Tell Comms that we'll be sending a transmission back to Tellulos in about 3 hours. After that we'll prep for the next jump at 1000 tomorrow." He stared back at his personal data display (PDD). A PDD could come in different sizes but usually 4 by 6 inches or 8 by 10 inches, as the captain's was. It was a quarter inch thick and acted as an interactive computer screen. It was linked with the ships computer and allowed users to retrieve data without being at a static console. The captain had already pulled up Ensign Alvarez's report. He glanced back at Yara. "When your shift is over I want you getting some rest. We have a long day tomorrow and B shift needs to .""Don't forget we have that command meeting at 2230." Yara reminded the captain, "Where did you want to have it?""The conference room. Be sure to remind Dr. Levin." he said."Yes sir." said Yara as she turned to leave. After a couple steps she paused and faced the captain. "One more thing. I took a look at the data for the deceased crewman. I found some information on a Patrick Chamberlain but according to our records he's currently attached to a supply freighter in the 5th Fleet. What would he be doing out here?"The captain paused a few seconds. "Well its probably a data issue. Either his records haven't been updated or there's a glitch somewhere. We can straighten it out with Fleet when we get back."Yara left the room.
Ashley entered the conference room. Already seated were the captain, the First Officer, Lt Cmdr Rennis, the engineering officer, Ensign Alvarez, the bridge operations officer, Ensign Stevens, and the security officer, Lt Tucker. Tucker was one of the three man marine security contingent on board. Standing talking to Ensign Stevens was the ships navigator, Cheif Warrant Officer Akuzi. Ashley took her seat and Yara spoke up. "Okay, since we are all here lets get started a little early." She stood up and went to the vid display. When she touched it several graphics and timelines illuminated. She went through the standard format, all sections of the command staff reported their condition. When it was Ashley's turn she told the staff that her team was ready and from all the preliminary data the test had been a success and they were ready for Phase 2. Ensign Stevens began his part of the briefing. "All the ships systems are operating normally. The transmission to Fleet was broadcast at 1900 and again at 2000 hours. We should hear back in the next 5 or 6 hours. Well before the next scheduled jump."Captain Hart knew it was a busy day so he kept the briefings short. He dismissed the staff. As everyone got up Ashley approached the captain and sat down beside him. "Congratulations Captain." she said. You have already travelled farther, faster than any other ships captain in history.""Please, call me Brennen." said the captain as he smiled, "And you are the one making history. We are just along for the ride.""Then you will have to start calling me Ashley instead of Dr. Levin. That's what my colleagues call me." she leaned back. "Are you looking forward to tomorrow? I for one would prefer to go ahead and jump right now!"Hart laughed, "No ma'am! I'm just here to keep this piece of metal in one piece and get everyone home. Ask me how the voyage was in 6 weeks when we are back at Tellulos Station and I'll give you a better answer.""Do you have any family Captain? . . . Oops . . . I mean Brennen.""I have two girls on Altaira 7. They live with their mother.""With your wife? How old are they?" asked Ashley. Knowing she was getting personal but letting her curiosity get the better of her."Ex wife. Sabrina is 7 and Tiffany is 5. I'll show you a picture." With that Hart brought up some images on his PDD and handed it to Ashley."Oh my, they are so cute. I have a neice that is 5. Its a cute age. So what happened? I hear that its hard to have a family in the fleet. Where did you guys meet?" Ashley knew she was treading on dangerous ground but so far the conversation seemed comfortable."Well we met at the academy. She was in the Fleet also. She's since gotten out and works for a Dry Dock facility on Altaira. I can't say we are on the best of terms but we are civil in front of the girls. After we get back I'll be getting them for 3 months. I'm going to take some leave then too. It should be fun. I don't get to see them as much since being stationed at Tellulos. Its hard." Ashley could see Hart's expression turn sad. She knew it was time to change the subject. "Think of how proud they will be of you when they hear your name on the news." She smiled. "I've never been married . . . or had any kids. I always wanted a family but I've been so busy with my work that . . . it never made the cut. Maybe after this I can retire to a nice cozy teaching position and find some time for that.""Never married huh? Ever come close? You can't tell me you never dated."Ashley sighed, "Well I did come close one time. Very close. I was engaged to someone but it didn't work out. My work came first and he resented me for it. One day he just gave up and left." She paused for a second. "The funny thing is he never even asked if I would give it up for him. I never had to make that decisions. He just kept his frustrations to himself and left. Maybe that was for the best. I'm not sure I would be here today if he had given me an ultimatum."Hart was surprised at Ashley's candor. "Well I guess the universe has this man to thank for revolutionizing space travel.""When we make it back to Tellulos . . . IF we make it back. It will be a whirlwind for a while. After this next jump to Caverta Prime will the crew have any down time to celebrate?""It will take us a couple days to reach Sigma 704 Beta from our jump point. Once the ship checks out we can take it easy before we start our survey of the Sigma system." said Hart."Excellent! I have a couple bottles of jamaican rum stowed in my belongings. Perhaps I can buy you a drink." winked Ashley."I accept. How can I turn down a drink with with one of the soon to be greatest figures in history? But we will have to be discreet with the alcohol.""Of course. Its a date then!" said Ashley as she stood to leave, "Until then I better get my rest. You haven't seen me without much sleep . . . not a pretty sight!" "I find that hard to believe. An attractive woman like you will always be a pretty sight. Get a good nights rest though and I'll see you in the morning."Ashley started to walk away."Oh and one more thing." said Hart. Ashley turned back. "Its WHEN we make it back to Tellulos, not IF. I promise you that."Ashley smiled and left. As Hart gathered up his belongings he thought to himself. "Its a date then??? Did I just get hit on?" He needn't have wondered because by the smile on Ashley's face as she made her way to her quarters he clearly had. And successfully too!
The acrid smell of smoke was omnipresent. Sparks were flying behind her and multiple voices filled the bridge."Engineering reports major damage. Reactor three is offline. Reactor two is at thirty percent. They request medical support. No reports from Deck 7. Sensors indicate coolant gasses and multiple fires." Came a voice."Alert the medical section. Evacuate Deck 7 and vent when ready. Yara, target the second cruiser and prepare to return fire." yelled the captain.Weapons Officer Yara Rennis stood behind her station. "Aye captain. Pulse cannons are tracking the second cruiser. Debris from the Talladega and the asteroid field are interfering with our line of fire. Missile launchers are still offline." She yelled."The McKinley is severely damaged sir! They have lost navigation and report decompression on several decks!" said a voice."The first cruiser is coming back around towards the McKinley." yelled another."How far out are the Hailey and Emerson?" asked the captain."Admiral Faulker reports they are 5 minutes from weapons range." shouted the communications officer.Captain Ennis turned to his First Officer, Commander Reynolds. "They won't make it in time." said Reynolds."Bring us between the McKinley and the Alliance cruiser. Alert Captain Shresthra that we are engaging the first cruiser while he makes repairs on his navigation system. Target the first cruiser." ordered the captain."Missile battery Bravo is now online. Alpha is still inoperative. Repairs are underway." Shouted Yara.The McKinley limped through the asteroid field. Racing towards it was the Alliance cruiser soon to be in weapons range. It was between these two ships that the Atlantia, Lieutenant Rennis's ship, prepared to position itself.An explosion rocked the bridge. Yara flew from her station the room into the bulkead. A sharp pain shot through her arm and side."Alliance fighter on the port side. Missile impact on Deck 2." said one of the crewmen."Launch drones" ordered the captain before realizing his weapons officer was not at her station. "Corpsman to the bridge!" He yelled. "Harry, man weapons control."Harry Reynolds did as he was told and ran to the position Yara once occupied. Yara lay slumped on the floor when she felt someone touching her arm. A young female bridge technician was trying to comfort her. She lingered in and out of conciousness and then realized a corpsman was now also kneeling beside her. He held a scanner in his hands. "Multiple arm fractures, at least 2 broken ribs. Slight internal bleeding so far." Another explosion rocked the ship. "We have to get her out of here! Yelled the corpsman. He gave her a shot in the chest. Suddenly her pain went away. The two of them carried Yara to the lift. In the background she could hear the First Officer yelling. "Returning fire. I'm concentrating fire onto the cruisers engines and missile bays. They are deploying chaff." The whining sound of the pulse canons firing could be heard in the background.
The lift doors closed. "Hang in there!" yelled the corpsman. She could hear the lift engines in the background but couldn't feel it move. In fact she couldn't feel much of anything. Suddenly another explosion rocked the ship. This one much larger than the others. The lights flickered and then went out all together. The turbo lift stopped. After several seconds emergency lighting turned on and a computerized voice filled the lift. "Hull breach on Deck 1. Blast doors closed." This was followed shortly by a strained human voice. "Transfer all control to the emergency Bridge. Main bridge has been destroyed. All hands lost."The technician stood up, her face aghast and white. "I can't believe it" she said. Then after several seconds an even more shocked look crossed her face. "Oh my God!!!" She exclaimed and then looked down at Yara. "I think she and the First Officer were engaged." The corpsman looked down at his scanner. "Makes sense." he said. "She's three months pregnant."To Yara it was all surreal, like watching a movie . . . a dream. The pain killers had detached her from her senses. As she drifted off it seemed as if she was watching some fictional tragedy.
Yara sat up in her bunk, sweating and breathing hard. Shaken from her dream she put her hands on her head and fell back onto her pillow. The Atlantia had been severly damaged in the battle but not destroyed. She and the others were rescued from the lift after an hour. They had saved the McKinley. Yara was the only surviving bridge officer on that day. She was decorated and promoted. Her fiance was gone and she lost her baby, the hour in the lift had been too much strain on her. Two months later the Confederation and Alliance made peace and the war was over. For the lives lost and forever altered however, that was of little consolation. She glanced over at the picture on her desk. It was a hologram of her and First Officer Reynolds at a picnic. The time display next to it read 0445. She decided to get up and go to the gym. There was no going back to sleep now.
- posted by Scott @ 9:25 AM

 
CHAPTER FOUR

Crewman Riska sat at his comms station. Beside him was Ensign Stevens. Standing beside Ensign Stevens was Captain Hart.Stevens had an earpiece on. "I'm sorry sir. Its so fragmented that I can't even decode it yet. And we only have pieces of the transmission. Some audio without video and vice versa. Its a real mess."Stevens leaned over the crewman, "Try processing through the B-wave filter. See if you can isolate the encryption from the rest of the message."Stevens turned to the Captain, "I think we can salvage part of it but it might take a while, Sir.""Listen, we are going skeleton crew in an hour. You two take a break and you can resume decoding it later. I don't want you to miss the celebration." said Hart."Aye aye, sir." said Stevens.Hart gave Stevens a pat on the shoulder, "See you in the Galley." and walked off."We might have to break it down line by line sir." said Riska."I know." responded Stevens. "Whatever it is, we can't respond to it anyways. We'll start on it in the morning. I'm going to change, I'll see you at the party."
As Hart walked down the corridor he could hear laughing. As he entered the Galley there was a cheer. "Hey Captain, we're famous!" yelled a crewmember. Yara walked up and handed Hart a trip. The Captain raised his hand, "Thank you everyone. I'd like to take this opportunity to congratulate the best crew in the fleet on a job well done. We haven't been together a long time but we have pulled together as a team and I appreciate it." Hart cleared his throat. "I know you have put in a lot of hard hours and we aren't finished yet. But what we have done so far is going to profoundly affect the future of the human race." He walked over to and stood on a table. "Ladies and gentlemen, fellow crewmembers, none of us knew what would happen on this trip. No one has ever travelled through a wormhole before . . ." he paused " . at least and lived to tell about it. I could not be prouder of a group of people as I am here today. I'm not sure a person in this room has slept a wink since we began this mission. We put our hearts and our lives on the line today. You have all earned a little rest. We are 4 days from the Sigma system and we are going to institute a skeleton crew for the next two days." A cheer arose from the croud. Hart had to wait for the noise to settle down. "I want everyone to take the next couple of days to recuperate, prepare any transmissions they want sent to loved ones, catch up on anything they have postponed during this trainup and flight prep, etc. You have all earned it." He raised his glass. "To the crew of the TCS Myriad and the researchers who made this all possible. A toast!"Another loud cheer arose. Hart took a sip and stepped down. He turned to Yara with a surprised look. "What is this???" he asked."Alterian fruit punch. It packs quite a wallop huh? Its the Alterian Shakra Liquor." she said with a wink.Hart coughed. "Yeah, I can see that. Warn me next time. I wouldn't have gulped it down.""Congratulations Captain." came a female voice. Hart turned to see Ashley standing there."Congratulations Doctor." said Hart as he tapped his glass with hers. "I was going to ask you if you wanted to say a few words.""No thanks. I'm not the public speaker you are. I thought you said all that needed to be said."Ensign Alvarez and Dr. Walsh both walked over and shook hands with the Captain and Ashley. For the next two hours Hart walked the room talking to the crew and researchers while music played. There was even some dancing by some of the crew. Eventually Hart decided it was time to bow out of the celebration. Having the Captain around tends to inhibit parties. His last goodbye was to Dr. Levin."Are you leaving?" She asked."Yes, its time to give the crew a little space. I need to check the bridge and then prepare some messages to my girls." said Hart. "I'll be in my cabin if you need anything.""And if I need someone to play martian chess with?" she asked."Well then you better bring that rum of yours because I don't think you can beat me if I'm sober." he said with a wink and left the Galley.From there he went to the Bridge and Engineering. All was quiet. Finally he went to his cabin. He prepared a quick message to his children. Then he began looking over crew reports from the jump on his PDD.His door beeped. He went to open it. On the video display he could see Dr. Levin standing outside."Well good evening Ashley, is the party over already?" he asked."No, its alive and well. For at least a few more hours too I imagine. However I was looking for an excuse to open this." she held up her bottle of Jamaican Rum. "I thought I might also kick your butt at martian chess at the same time.""Ahhh . . . I see. It seems you have been misled. I am not used to losing at martian chess." He moved aside and motioned her in."We shall see." she commented as she walked by. She had changed since the party. Her hair was down and had replaced the Fleet issued jumpsuit with more informal civilian clothes. Her perfume smelled sweet. Hart hesitated for a moment. "Let me get some glasses." he said and did so. As she poured the drinks he prepared the chess set. "I first started playing chess as a child. I used to play my sisters all the time. Especially my younger sister. She was very good, especially as she got older.""Have you taught your girls yet?" asked Ashley, handing Hart a glass and then sitting in a chair."I tried to teach Sabrina a couple times. She doesn't get it yet. Tiffany is too young."The two began playing. Ashley quickly learned how good Hart was. After two games she had yet to come close to winning."I have a question for you Captain." she said."Captain???" said Hart. "This sounds like an important question to need such formality. What is it?""Well as you know there are a lot of scientists who do not trust the military. Including some within my own team." she said. "For a long time I was blinded by what possibilities could be acheived if this worked. I ignored the rumors and suspicions.""I don't understand." said Hart."How many people are on shift right now?" she asked."4" said Hart."Where are they?""1 on the bridge, 1 in engineering, the shift commander and 1 with the Fulcron drive.""Exactly, there is always someone with the Fulcron Drive isn't there. Always a Marine on duty there.""Yes, its in our orders. Usually ships this small wouldn't even have a marine contingent." said Hart"What are we protecting the Drive from?" She asked."This is a Top Secret mission Ashley. Its standard procedure.""Everyone on this ship has been through a security screening like no other. Almost half the scientists I had working with me when I was at the Science Academy didn't pass. Two of my researchers couldn't come along because there wasn't enough room. But there are 4 marines guarding a device from people who have top secret clearances, on a ship that no one knows about, in a region of space that no other human could get to." She paused. "Doesn't that seem a little strange to you?"Hart leaned back, "Listen, Ashley. I understand all that you are saying. Believe me I don't think there's a need for this much security but I have orders as do you. Fleet is paranoid. The military has always had a penchant for paranoia.""Why Brennen . . . why are they so paranoid though?" she asked.Hart thought for a moment. "This is a huge leap forward in technology. Whoever gets this first will have a huge advantage.""And what are the military implications of this technology?" she asked.Hart grew a little uncomfortable. He repositioned himself in his seat."Brennen . . . be honest with me." said Ashley."The military advantages would be huge. It would be like taking a blitzkreig type of warfare against a stagnant enemy. If a war erupted between a government with this drive and one without . . . it would be a complete mismatch. But I am sure that this technology will also filter to the other governments.""Are you so sure? I studied the work of Dr. Fulcron. His theories were widely published. His advances couldn't be hidden. No one expected his discovery. There was no way to monopolize it.""I'm sure the Alliance will also develop this technology too." assured Hart.Ashley looked around nervously. "Perhaps, perhaps in 10 years or sooner if they manage to obtain a working engine. According to the original theory, it wasn't possible to transmit matter through a wormhole.""I'm vaguely familiar with that but obviously you have proven them wrong.""Not exactly. Our wormhole creation is different than the one Fulcron developed. I came upon it entirely by accident. Its been reported as being the same because Fleet demanded that the true nature of the engine remain a secret."Hart listened intently."The Terran Confederation will have a huge advantage with this engine. Even if they didn't want to go to war and take over the Alliance and Hadar. The economic benefits would be incredible. The other governments would go bankrupt if they tried to keep up. It would be the US and Soviets all over again. Not to mention laying claim to systems like Sigma 704 Beta in the name of the Terran Confederation. The TC would basically lay claim to all the best land and leave the scraps to the others.""As tight as security is Ashley, I find it hard to believe that the Alliance doesn't know about this project.""They know alright and they are being misled. And I have helped them."Hart looked perplexed."About 6 months ago I was approached to create a false science paper and other technical documents about the project. In it I wrote a completely fictitious process of generating wormholes the same as Dr. Fulcron did except with a much greater amount of power. These documents were leaked to the Alliance specifically to sabotage their research efforts and give the TC more time to monopolize the Fulcron drive."Ashley leaned back and sighed.Hart spoke. "Ashley, you haven't done anything wrong. You aren't making anyone do anything. If they are operating on those stolen papers then they are doing it on their own volition."Ashley looked up at Hart. "I'm a scientist Brennen. But I let myself become a pawn in interstellar politics and subterfuge.""And why are you telling me all this?" asked Hart."Because now . . . its real. Before this it was just a theory and I didn't have to face the consequences. But now I can't deny it anymore."Hart put down his glass and stood up. He walked over to a wall and faced away from Ashley. "When I served in the war I always wondered what we were fighting about." He turned to Ashley who looked at him intently. "I mean there had been peace for almost a hundred years. Two giant empires right next to each other yet coexisting as if they were alone. It wasn't until the Fulcron transmitter that we had to deal with hearing about the Alliance. As communication opened we were forced to see our neighbors. And I think that made a lot of people nervous. Issues that would be resolved before news of them reached each respective government were now known immediately. Each side wanted to stick out its chest. Each side wanted to quell internal unrest by focusing on an external enemy. And it worked . . . . it worked too well." Hart picked up his glass and took a drink. "You know following the Sermaides we had about 50 Alliance POWs that we rescued from lifepods. You know what was the most amazing thing? . . " he paused. "The most amazing thing is that they were just like us. We had lost half our crew and they had lost their ships and most of their friends. We could look at them and we knew that if you had been born in Alliance territory that you might be staring at ourselves." Hart sat on the edge of the bed. "All those ships, all those lives . . . lost because of a dispute over territorial claims of mining rights? But it wasn't really about mining rights or territory. It was about humanity. It was about instinctual human fears. It was because they were supposed to be different and should be feared. People lash out at what we fear to make themselves feel strong. Yet in the end they weren't that different at all."Ashley wondered how exactly a game of martian chess had turned into a discussion on geopolitical philosophy. However she was fascinated with the Captains thoughts. She had thought him insightful and intelligent when she met him but this was beyond what she had imagined."I thought about your concerns. With this discovery war won't take years it will take months, weeks, days. But the destruction will be ten times worse. I can't help but think about your drive from a military point of view. I've laid awake at nights wondering if we will be saving the galaxy or . . . destroying it. Time gives people a chance to calm down. A chance to stop themselves at the brink. The Fulcron drive will give militaries a method of instant response. The kind of quick strike capability that hadn't existed since man was located only on Earth. And that was a period of many wars. I sit and I wonder what kind of universe we are creating for my daughters to grow up in." He went over and knelt on one knee in front of Ashley who sat speechless. "I worry about the same things as you." He looked her in the eye. "But I refuse to believe that humanity won't adapt to this. That we can't coexist with other peoples. That we got this far sheerly by luck." He put his hand on hers. "I've thought about this long and hard and I've come to the conclusion that I prefer to be the optimist. A new era of mankind will dawn. There may be some growing pains but there always is with new discoveries like this." Hart smiled. "I have a lot of faith in you and your staff. I knew this would work from the moment I met you. I didn't understand the theories but I could tell that YOU were someone who would succeed. Now its your turn to have a little faith in the rest of us. That we won't abuse your dicovery and turn it into a means of destroying each other."Ashley sat astonished and speechless. She realized that a tear was falling down her cheek. It felt like time was standing still. She wanted to grab this man and hold him tightly. Instead they just exchanged a long but silent gaze. Finally Hart stood up and grabbed Ashley's glass. He refilled their drinks and upon returning hers to her he held his up. "A toast." he said. "To the future." Following that they played another game of chess with the same result. Ashley felt herself growing tired from the long day. She excused herself. Hart walked her to the door. After they thanked each other Ashley went to give the Captain a kiss on the cheek goodnight. She wasn't sure if it was the alcohol or not but she kissed him on the mouth instead. And not just kissed but engaged in a long passionate kiss that seemed to last forever. After that came a short silence and another goodbye, albeit this one more awkward. As she left his cabin she realized that she was no longer sleepy. That she was filled with a strange nervous excitement that she wasn't used to feeling. Hart closed the door after Ashley left. He sat on his bed and wondered. As Ashley had gone to kiss him goodnight he had purposely met her halfway and shifted over. Perhaps that wasn't very stately but the fact that it led to such a long kiss must have meant she wasn't mad that he did it right? He was smitten with the Dr. there was no denying it. As he lay in bed and drifted off to sleep all he could think about was the kiss and how beautiful she had looked tonight. Tomorrow there would be other things to worry about but for one night at least even a Captain could dream a little dream.
Riska sat at his station looking up at Ensign Alvarez who leaned against a console. "Its taking forever to match the phase of the encryption with the transmission wavelength. Its too garbled. The beginning of the message is missing and all we have are sporadic chunks of encoded algorithms that need to be decoded. And even those need to be filtered and rebuilt."Alvarez frowned, "Do we have any pieces we can give to the Captain?""Just a few words here and there. Nothing intelligible. Most of the data packet is missing. The only thing I can say though is that it was a priority one message. I was able to pull that out."Alvarez shook his head. "Great a priority one message that we can't decypher." He sighed. "Perfect."
Ashley sat in the Fulcrum Drive Bay with her PDD in her hand. The crew was still on light duty in celebration so she also gave her staff reduced work hours. Since her life revolved around her work though, she found herself doing what she was used to doing - working. She was going over sensor data from the jump and it was taking her forever. She found her thoughts drifting to the Captain and wondering how she came to the point in her life where she felt more comfortable in a lab than someplace relaxing. She found it difficult to focus. Suddenly a message popped up on her PDD. It was from the Captain. She suddenly felt her heart stop . . . what could it be? She opened the message. [Ashley, How is the analysis coming? What do you do for vacations, attend conferences and seminars? :grin: We have scheduled a Holo viewing of 'Pink Moon' in the Galley at 1800 hours. Are you interested in attending? By the way, I still have someone's rum. No guarantees on how long it will last though.]Ashley was so excited that she read the message three times. 'Pink Moon' was a very popular Holographic film released earlier in the year. She was probably one of the minority who hadn't seen it. Not that it mattered what the movie was as much as who had asked to go. She typed a response.[Brennen, Save me a seat tonight. Should I stop by after the movie to reclaim whatever rum I still have left? Before it dissapears forever? And before you start bashing vacation seminars you should try a few. The molecular biology conferences are particularly riveting!!!]The bay door opened and in walked Dr. Walsh. He walked over to Ashley and handed her a tray. "I knew you would forget to eat without me to remind you."Ashley smiled and took the tray. "You know me to well Dr."Dr. Walsh sat down beside her. "Salsbury Steak. My favorite." He picked up his utensils and began to eat. "Mmmmm. How does it look so far?" he asked motioning to her PDD."Oh yes, nothing out of the norm. We still have those radiation readings. I'm not sure what is the cause.""I've been looking into that also. Its puzzling. I talked to Tami at breakfast. She said you seemed pretty chipper this morning."Ashley put down her fork. "Ummm yes . . . well its been pretty exciting around here. I think everyone is in a good mood these days. I was wondering if you had had a chance to review the power readings as we entered the wormhole?" She said, quickly changing the subject."No, not yet but I'll get on it.""No hurry, I was just curious."Dr. Walsh raised his hand to say something but had to wait until he swallowed his food. "Before I forget, there is a Holo showing this evening in the Galley.""Really?" said Ashley, "Do you know what's playing?""Ummm . . ." Walsh paused for a moment. "Pink Moon I believe.""Oh I haven't seen that yet. I might have to check that out." she said without much emphasis.
First Officer Rennis, Captain Hart, and Ensign Alvarez sat at the briefing table. "Are you certain, Ensign?" asked Yara."Yes Ma'am." said Alvarez, "Its an abort order."Yara turned to look at the Captain who returned her puzzled look. Yara then turned back to Alvarez. "Play the message."Alvarez turned the video screen at the table on. The screen was blue but then became fuzzy. It looked like a figure in a Fleet uniform but it was too fuzzy to make out a face or any detail. Even that image seemed to float in and out. All that was audible was broken static. Finally a human voice could be heard. " . . . I repeat, you (inaudible) abort the mission. Remain in (inaudible) will follow (static) . . ." Alvarez turned off the screen. The rest is too fragmented as is the data packed. So much so that the computer won't confirm it as a certified transmission from Tellulos." he paused. "Although it has an 86 percent probability that it is. Too much of the encryption key is missing."Captain Hart leaned back. "So we have a transmission that seems to order us to abort the mission but we don't have the complete message and we can't be certain its even a genuine. And quite frankly its too late to comply anyways.""How do you want to proceed Captian?" asked Yara."For now, we'll keep this to ourselves. Who else knows?""Crewman Riska." said Alvarez.Captain Hart hit his communicator. "Riska" he spoke."Yes sir." came back a voice."Report to the conference room immeadiately." said Hart."Yes sir." Riska acknowledged.Hart looked at Yara. "We come off light duty in four hours. Keep to that schedule but after that go over every inch of the ship. I want to eliminate any possibility that there is some structural or performance issue that their sensor picked up that ours didn't. Run every test we have on every system.""Won't that draw suspicion?" asked Alvarez."No." spoke Yara. "We are about to go into an uncharted star system and the captain wants to be certain that the ship is in perfect working order.""Good. Yara, when Riska gets here make sure he hasn't told anyone and make sure he keeps it that way. If he has told anyone let me know." Hart stood up and left. He walked down the corridor and took the lift down two decks. He reached the door to his cabin and entered his code. He walked inside the dark room. "Dim" he said and the room became dimly lit. He walked over to his bed and sat down. He then gently nudged the naked figure laying there covered partially in a sheet. "Hey there." he said softly.Ashley lazily sat up. Covering herself with the sheet. "Why did they call for you? Is something wrong?" she asked."I'm not sure." admitted Hart. He thought for a second. "Is there any evidence, anything at all from the readings we have that something could have gone wrong during our first jump? What about those radiation readings you mentioned?"Ashley wiped the sleep from her eyes. "Nothing that we know of. The radiation is Gamma-7. Similar to those found in fast decaying stars. Before they become black holes. It might be something normal with the wormholes. We just haven't seen it before. We are checking the logs from our initial experiments." Ashley put her hand on his arm and was now concerned. "What's wrong?"Brennen Hart was confused. He wasn't sure what to say. At first he wanted to dismiss it as nothing but a momentary feeling to spare her concern. And technically she was a civilian. He wasn't sure if he should tell her until he knew more. Finally he relented. "We think that the last transmission we received was an order to abort the mission." Ashley looked puzzled. "But the message is so broken that its hard to tell why or if that's what was meant. Plus it can't be verified.""Why would they want to abort the mission?" she asked."Your guess is as good as mine. Right now we could come up with a million theories. All but one would be wrong." he answered. "Its too early to speculate.""So what do we do now?" asked Ashley."Well . . ." paused the Captain. "I think we should get married. Its the proper thing to do."A look of shock covered Ashley's face. Hart tried to keep a straight face but suddenly started laughing. Ashley's expression turned to that of anger. She smacked Hart on the arm before starting to giggle herself. "That's not funny!" she said laughing."I'm sorry." apologized Hart. "Right now we continue the mission. What else can we do? We don't seem to be in any immediate threat. I don't see the point in aborting now without more information. We will be at the system in a day and a half."Ashley nodded. "Yes, that makes sense. What should I do?""Go over everything you have. See if there's anything we missed. We need to eliminate whatever we can as a possible reason for such an order."Ashley began to scoot off the bed. "Wait!" Hart grabbed her arm. "We go back on regular shift in 4 hours. We don't want anyone to know about the message. You have to keep it to yourself for now. If you start riding your people too soon or too hard they might get suspicious." He then ran his hand through her hair. "And I was hoping you might remain here with me a little while longer." He then leaned toward her and they began to kiss.
- posted by Scott @ 9:24 AM

 
CHAPTER FIVE

Yara crawled through the hatch followed by an engineering technician. She stopped at a junction box, pulled the plate off and leaned in to look closely. "You have checked all these circuit boards crewman. Every one." she said."Yes ma'am" he responded.She reached in and opened a secondary compartment. "What about the fiber nodes?" She began to touch the cabling inside.The crewman paused. "Well ma'am I ran a full diagnostic on the routing and . . ""That's not what I asked." she cut him off. "Did you physically inspect the routers or not?"He paused again for a second and spoke. "No ma'am.""Isn't that part of a class 1 systems inspection?" she asked, already knowing the answer."Yes ma'am but I checked those before launch as part of the shakedown cruise. They all checked out fine."Yara turned to the crewman. "I see how you finished your checks so quickly. Its because you aren't doing your job." She then pressed her communicator. "Ensign Alvarez, could you join me and crewman Downing at the systems storage box 3B.""Yes, ma'am." came Alvarez's voice.Yara and the crewman crawled back out the hatch. Seconds later Alvarez walked up. She handed him a vid board. "Crewman Downing isn't finish with his checks. The routers were not even inspected. Make sure you go over the standards of a class 1 systems analysis before you submit your next report. Who knows what other items were skipped. I expect you to personally attest that Downing has performed his tasks to standard before you submit your revised report. No more shortcuts. You two are on full time duty until this issue is resolved."Alvarez was clearly flustered. "Yes ma'am."Rennis walked away. Alvarez turned an angry glare to crewman Downing.
Ashley and Dr. Walsh were standing with Dr. Huigo in the Fulcrum Drive Bay. Elsewhere in the room were two other researchers and an Engineering technician performing various duties. The three talked amongst themselves, their voices lower than normal and making sure that they weren't overheard by the others."So how much were our energy calculations off?" asked Ashley."It varies. Only 13% on the first jump but almost 35% on the second." said Huigo."Is some of this energy being converted into the radiations we are reading?" asked Walsh."Possibly." said Huigo, "But clearly our range is not what we had originally thought. Plus the antimatter from the engine is showing more loss than expected.""What could cause that? Those engines should last hundreds of years? Is it a design flaw?" asked Ashley."Its not a new design. Its a standard engine. The ships engineer is aware of it but doesn't seem concerned. None of this should affect our mission. We knew that not everything we encountered would match the lab. We still have plenty of power and if anything it will simply take more time to recharge the capaciters but they still hold more power than enough to make our jumps back." said Dr. Walsh."He isn't concerned . . . at all?" asked Ashley."No, apparently not. Sometimes the antimatter mix is off and he thinks they just got some lesser quality antimatter. I guess that's not all that uncommon. And we are talking such a small degredation that its not going to have any appreciable effect in power supply. Especially in such a short mission.""But?" said Ashley."But." said Dr Walsh, "I checked the antimatter output previously. I don't think this has anything to do with fuel quality. I don't know what caused it . . . but we need to keep our eye on it."Ashley frowned. "Anything else?"Huigo and Walsh looked at each other. "No . . . not really." said Dr. Huigo."I can't think of anything." said Dr. Walsh."Okay, lets keep an eye on what we've identified but keep it to yourselves for now." whispered Ashley. Ashley walked back to the lab and her desk. She sat down and pulled out her PDD. She jotted down some notes. She then typed a message to Brennen.[Our review of jump data doesn't reveal anything significant. I don't see any evidence of instability in the Fulcrum drive's operation. Any leads on your end?]She sent the message. Several minutes later she recieved a reply.[Ashley, Thanks for the update. Staff briefing at 1700 in the conference room. We'll go over everyone's findings then.] She checked the time and decided to get some lunch.
Lt Tucker and First Officer Rennis sat in the conference room."I have five more records to review. The security reviews of the civilians are much more in depth. There's a lot more data to sift through and its taking me longer than I'd thought." said Tucker."I finished reviewing the officers records and those of Dr. Levin and Dr. Walsh. I didn't notice anything relevant." said Yara. "We'll split the personnel you have left to look at. Send me two names and I'll go over them tonight. What about the security cameras.""Well there was a lot to go through. I haven't seen anything suspicious around the main systems." said Tucker."What about the rest of the ship?" she asked.Lt Tucker cleared his throat. "I still have more tape to sift through. I assume you want me to protect the crews privacy.""To what do you refer?" asked Yara."Well ma'am. I'm compiling crew interaction. Looking for patterns, checking to see if there might be some type of coordinated espionage going on." said Tucker. "And when you do that you can tell which crewmembers hang out together, are friendly outside of their shift . . . and might be romantically involved.""I see. If it involves someone in a key position I want to know about it. And in this mission there are a lot of key positions, access to sensitive areas, etc. Continue.""I believe that Ensign Stevens is involved with Crewman Jensen. I also think Crewman Harding and Researcher Tami Revers might be having a fling. Riska and Evans seem pretty close but I can't be sure if they are romantically involved or just friends." said Tucker."I understand. I'll talk with Ensign Stevens. If he's having a relationship with a lower ranking crewmember I'll put a stop to it. Keep an eye on the others. Using a romantic relationship to facilitate information flow is common in espionage. I'll handle the fraternization issue.""Yes ma'am." said Tucker. He paused for a moment while Yara updated her notes. "Oh and one more ma'am.""Yes." she said looking up."The captain ma'am."Yara's face went blank. "Yes.""Well ma'am you told me to keep a close eye on the research team and I have. And in the course of this I have reason to believe he's involved with Dr. Levin."After a moment Yara responded. "Understood.""Is that a problem? Should I keep an eye on them?" asked Tucker nervously."Yes, of course. They will not be treated any differently than anyone else. Dr. Levin is a civilian so its not improper. Is it inconvenient? Yes . . . yes it is. But even if there was fraternization I can't very well order my superior to stop something like that. What we DO have is the two top people on the ship involved in more than just a professional relationship. We need to cover all our bases.""Well I'm not certain mind you. They have just been spending a lot of time together. I've also noticed the difference in body language when they are alone and around others . . ."Yara cut in, "I'm inclined to agree with you Lieutenant. I would not expect either of them to be blatant about any such relationship. I will rely on you to report any irregularities directly to me. Keep a close eye on Dr. Levin.""Yes, ma'am.""Anything else Lieutenant?"Lt Tucker shook his head."Dismissed." she said.Lt Tucker stood and saluted and then left the room. Yara returned his salute without looking at him. She was busy adding to her notes. When Tucker left the room she opened up the Dossier on Dr. Levin. After passing the security protocols the file opened. She looked at the bottom of the file where she had highlighted the following line. [Final Recommendation: Subject has past ties to Alliance citizens and is a high risk for this project. However, due to the essential nature of her participation its our opinion that clearance should still be granted. Failure to do so would severely impact Project X1F32's chance of success. This team member should be subject to additional surveillance during the project. We recommend against her be placed in control of the research team.]
Thirty minutes later the conference door opened. Ashley walked in. "You wanted to see me?" she said."Yes, have a seat please Dr." said Yara with a smile.Ashley did so. "What's up? The briefing isn't for another 2 hours." she asked."Yes, I know. I just have a couple of questions for you." said Yara. "I've been going over some of the records of the crew. I noticed in your file that you have some acquaintances in your past who were citizens of the Alliance."Ashley looked uncomfortable. "Yes, of course. The Science Academy has scientist from all over the galaxy in it. Not all are members of the Terran Confederation. Its an open, academic atmosphere. But all this was covered in my clearance. I've already been through this with Fleet Security. I don't understand why my security file needs to be reviewed again.""Of course Doctor, this is just standard procedure given the abort command from Fleet. The Captain tells me that you are aware of the situation." said Yara."Yes, I was informed. But I don't see where my time at the Academy has to do with it." Ashley stated."We have to look at all possibilities. The crew might be compromised. It might not have been detected until after we made our initial jump. We have to be thorough.""Yes . . . I understand." said Ashley meekly.Now is there anyone in your research team who has any ties to Alliance citizens? Any relationships that might compromise their loyalties?" asked Yara.Ashley thought for a second. She looked stressed. "No . . . not that I know of. I have known these people for years. I'm sure they have talked to or worked with others who were citizens of other governments but I don't know of anything serious.""Would you consider a romantic relationship a cause for suspicion Doctor? That such emotional ties might put someone at an increased risk to become an Alliance operative?" asked Yara."Ummm . . . I suppose that could be an issue. But I don't know of anyone who . . ."Yara cut her off "Doctor isn't it true that you were involved with someone who had Alliance Citizenship?"Ashley's heart began to beat faster. "Ummm . . . yes. I was once involved with someone who had Alliance citizenship. But his mother was Terran and he wasn't at all politically involved. He was a scientist. His citizenship was the last thing . . ."Yara again cut her off. "His mother renounced her Terran citizenship when she married his father, isn't that correct?""That was just a formality to have a legally recognized marriage. It had nothing to do with politics.""You were more than just casually inolved isn't that correct? You were engaged to this person?" asked Yara quickly.Ashley paused several seconds and looked down. "Yes . . . yes, we were engaged."Yara watched Ashley intently. When Ashley returned Yara's gaze she continued."When is the last time you were in contact with him?" asked Yara."Wynn sent me a holiday message about 2 years ago. I haven't spoken to him since.""And he hasn't contacted you since then?" asked Yara" . . . he has sent short messages but I haven't replied." admitted Ashley."Why haven't you replied? What ended your engagement?" inquired Yara."I don't want to live in the past. We met at the Science Academy. We got along very well but we had different goals. I had my research and my career and he wanted more of me. He didn't like the idea of me . . ." Ashley trailed off."The idea of what?"Ashley sighed, she didn't want to get into this conversation. "Me working with the Terran Military establishment." Now Ashley began to get nervous."Did you end the relationship?""No . . . no, it was him. He left me. One morning I came home and he was gone.""Did you still love him? How did you feel?" asked Yara."I was crushed. I blamed myself for it not working out. For putting my needs first. And yes . . . I still loved him.""So might you now do anything to make it up to him? Even compromising your research?"A surprised look covered Ashley's face. "Wha . . . No! I would never do anything . . ."Yara cut her off, "Haven't you expressed the concern of the Terran Confederation using this technology against the Alliance? In discussions to your colleagues?"Ashley was flustered. "No!!! . . . I mean I might have wondered what the galaxy would be like in the future but . . "Yara interupted. "Don't you believe that any discoveries should be shared with all governments?"Ashley paused, she was starting to sweat. "Well I admit that I think any major discovery that benefits the human race should benefit the whole race and not be limited to any specific ideology or government but that doesn't mean . . ."Again Yara interrupted, "Doctor Levin, how far would you go to make sure that everyone could share this technology?"Ashley grew enraged. She stood up and slammed her hands on the table. "I am NOT a traitor! I am not a spy and I am not looking to sabatoge my own experiments!" she exclaimed. "I have dedicated most of my life to see this research through and I've had to give up a lot to do so. If you have anything besides accusations and innuendo to direct at me then I'd like to hear it. If not then I think we are through here!"Yara sat calmly at the table. "Doctor Levin, I might remind you that I can have you kept here under guard if that's what it takes."Ashley felt as if she had been slapped in the face. She suddenly felt alone and scared. She slowly sat back down."Doctor, are you aware of anyone in your staff excessively socializing with any of the crew?"Ashley stared at Yara for a second. "No . . . not that I know of."Yara looked down at her PDD, "Would you be surprised to hear that Ms. Revers and Crewman Harding might be involved?""Yes . . . I hadn't heard anything about that." said Ashley."Sometimes these things are not public knowledge. However given our current situation and the possibility that we may have one or more Alliance sympathizers or agents on board it could be very important to know. Do you know of any other relationship being formed by the research staff, including yourself with any of the crew?""No." answered Ashley."What about yourself and the Captain." asked Yara without ever changing her tone or expression.Ashley could feel her heart racing. She didn't know what to say. She felt as if she was about to be thrown into the brig. She was gripped with fear. She tried her best to compose herself and answered. "No . . . our relationship is purely professional."Yara sat without any change in expression. She then smiled. "Thank you for your time Doctor. I'm sorry to put you on the spot but we need to be thorough here. I'd be negligent if I didn't explore all possibilities."Ashley sat there not knowing what to do."This interview is concluded. I would ask you to keep an eye out, especially on Ms. Revers. In case you notice anything out of the ordinary." said Yara.Ashley hesitatantly stood up. "Yes, of course." She then walked out of the conference room.Flustered and struggling to compose herself she quickly went to her cabin. When she arrived she sat on the bed and began to cry.
"Its a small planet. No larger than the Earth's moon. But its in a steady orbit and part of the system" said Crewman Potter. Behind him stood the Captain and Ensign Stevens."We should be in sensor range in 7 hours." said the Captain. "We'll do a cursory survey of the planet and then move in to the larger planets.""Yes sir" said Stevens, who would be in charge when they reached the planet. "I'll let you know if there's anything unusual.""Very well." said Hart. "I have to get to the command briefing."Hart walked into the conference room. Yara called the room to attention and Hart told them to sit. The attendees included Cmdr Rennis, Ensign Alvarez, Cheif Akuzi (representing the Bridge section since Stevens was the acting captain on this shift), Lt Tucker and Dr. Walsh. Doctor Walsh stated he was attending in place of Dr. Levin who unable to attend due to stomach pains. Levin hadn't been getting much sleep and it had caught up to her he said. Hart immediately found it odd that Levin couldn't make it but decided to follow up later. Each section completed its briefing. After going over the ship from top to bottom all was working perfectly. There was nothing to suggest the a mechanical flaw was the cause of the possible abort order. Even though just a few in the room knew about the actual transmission. The official information passed to the crew was that the transmission was too badly distorted to decipher.Following the briefing Lt Tucker and Lt Cmdr Yara remained. When they were alone Yara spoke. "We have completed all the crew file reviews. Lt Tucker is closely monitoring the security tapes and the marines have all been alerted to watch for suspicious behavior. As you know all the marines were assigned within days of the launch. It would be almost impossible for them to have been compromised by any Alliance intelligence operatives. As such we are using them to keep tabs on the rest of the crew.""Okay. Its hard to imagine any of the crew would have passed screening if they had Alliance ties." Hart pointed out."Agreed. Therefore if there are any operatives among the crew they would either have their pasts well concealed, have a ficticious past and be planted by subversion within Fleet command itself, or they would have to have been contacted after their security clearances and mostly likely after selection to the crew." stated Yara.Lt Tucker spoke, "And since the time between selection and assignment was short . . . its more likely that any agents would be along the research staff. Their selection was done longer before and they had a limited number of candidates to choose from.""Do you suspect any of the researchers?" asked Hart.Yara and Tucker looked at each other. Yara spoke, "I've interviewed two of the Research staff who had the highest risk backgrounds and another of the crew who served at a deep space port which was frequented by Alliance traffic. I don't believe any are a credible threat but I'll keep tabs on them.""Agreed." said Hart. "I want this completely covert. I don't want any of this getting around. That last thing I want is a crew that starts losing trust in each other over unverified suspicions. We need everyone working together. Understood?""Yes sir." said Yara and Tucker in unison."Dismissed." ordered Hart. The two left the room.Hart touched his communicator. "Ashley." he said. There was no response. He then touched it again. "Corpsman Larkin." he said."Yes Captain." came a voice."Has Dr. Levin come to you regarding stomach pains?" asked Hart."No sir, not yet." said Larkin. "Should I contact her?""No, it may not be an issue anymore. Hart out.""Computer." said the Captain."Computer ready." came a voice from a speaker."Locate Dr. Levin. Captains authorization." said Hart."Authorization confirmed. Dr. Levin is located in ships quarters - cabin 3 delta." the computer offered. Those were Ashley's assigned quarters."How long has she been there?" asked Hart."She has been cabin 3 delta for two hours, forty seven minutes and thirteen seconds." answered the computer."Communicator status.""Personal communicator is off. Cabin communicator is off." said the computer. Hart could override the communicators and turn them on but he didn't want to do that just yet."Computer, prior to her cabin where was Dr. Levin?""Dr. Levin was in the main conference room before travelling to cabin 3 delta.""Was anyone else in the conference room?" he asked."Lt Cmdr Yara Rennis was in the conference room."Hart sat up, a little more interested. He pulled out his PDD. "Transfer security tapes from during the time Dr. Levin was in the conference room to my portable.""Files are sealed with security protocol. Further authorization is needed, Captains authorization is not sufficient.""Computer secure room to blackout."After several seconds the computer responded. "Room is secure." This meant the door was now locked. In addition the security cameras and voice recorders would be off. And an electronic pulse would block any possible electronic eavesdropping."Transfer security tapes to my portable. Fleet Authorization one gamma gamma seven five kappa. I say again, Fleet Authorization one gamma gamma seven five kappa."Hart watch the transfer status on his PDD. Then he played the video. He watched the interview between Ashley and Yara intently. By the end he watched Ashley quickly leave the room. The video ended and he rubbed his forehead. "Oh fuck." he sighed.
- posted by Scott @ 9:20 AM

 
CHAPTER SIX

Cadet Hart entered the door and swiftly saluted. "Cadet Hart reporting as ordered."Commodore Cain returned the salute. "Cadet Hart, good to meet you." He then extended his hand and the two men shook. "Please have a seat." said Cain motioning to a chair. Commodore Cain was an older gentleman. Both men were in their Class A uniforms. Cain's was filled with medals. His hair was silver but he looked as if he were in his late 40's. He had a warming smile and aura about him."Cadet Hart. I understand you have requested assignment to the Fleet. Weapons Officer." he said."Yes sir." responded Hart. "I'd like to see ship duty as soon as possible.""So why Weapons instead of Navigation? Weapons officer is a rare posting for a cadet. According to this you put Engineering second and Navigation third in order of requested posting. Its more common for junior officers to get a Navigation assignment right off the bat.""Yes sir. But since I'd already requested Weapons first I figured that Navigation would be out of slots. Therefore I'd have a better chance of landing an Engineering slot.""Makes sense Cadet." Cain pulled out his PDD. "According to your scores though I'd say you have a pretty good shot at Weapons officer though.""Thank you sir.""But I'd like to talk to you about something else. Another opportunity you might be interested in. Do you know where I work?" asked the Commodore."Sir, you work for Security Command." said Hart."That's right Cadet. Why didn't you request to branch Intel?" asked Cain."Sir, Intel is not an available choice for a new Cadet. Only senior officers can branch Intel." said Hart."Well son that's not entirely true." Cain pointed to some of his medals. "Do you see this? This is a command award. The 3 clusters mean I have held a ships command on four separate duties. Do you know how many commands most officers see?""Sir, most officers see only one command. Only half of which are ship command." answered Hart."Did you know I started out my first assignment as a weapons officer Cadet?""No sir, I didn't know that.""What do you think I branched out of the Academy?" asked Cain.Hart paused for a moment, puzzled. "Sir, I thought you just said you branched Weapons.""No. I said my first assignment was as a Weapons officer. But I branched Intel." said Cain.Hart was confused. "But Intel isn't a branch choice sir.""That's not entirely correct. Intel isn't a branch CHOICE but you can be assigned to it. Not all officers in Intel are senior officers. Some are slotted out of the academy. The best and the brightest. You serve in the Fleet as a regular officer with a few minor differences. However you will automatically be transfered to Intel as you reach senior officer status."Hart's eyes grew wider."Cadet I'm here today because we would like you to branch Intel. You don't have to accept this offer of course. You can always decline if you want. But joining Intel will put you in an elite group. Are you interested?" asked Cain."Yes sir, yes I am." said Hart."First off I can guarantee you a weapons officer slot. Consider it done. After that you will probably get a Navigation or Engineering slot. After that you should be eligible for a Bridge Officer or First Officer posting.""Yes, I am very interested!" said Hart."But I will also tell you that your first responsibility will be to Security Command. You will have various extra duties assigned to you depending on what Fleet Command's needs are. When I served it was anywhere from keeping tabs on other individuals on ship. Reporting on the crews true status, unrelated to the ships official report. Assisting Fleet Agents at various ports. In essense, you will be a resource that will be utilized if needed by Security Command. All the time you will be acting covertly from the rest of your crew, your friends and your family. Are you still interested?"By this time Hart felt like he had won the lottery. He gave a loud affirmation. "YES SIR!""Excellent." smiled Cain. "The hardest part of Intel is the additional training. You will be assigned on a 6 month training cruise. This will be fictitous of course, you will only spend two weeks on the actual assignment. The other time will be spent going through the Intel course. According to your file you served as a marine before applying to the Academy.""Yes sir.""Good . . . then you shouldn't have any problem passing the physical and personal weapons portion of the course. And given your grades here at the Fleet Academy I don't see you having a problem with the academic portion either.""Yes sir, I'll do my best!" said Hart."I know you will." Cain stood up. Hart also stood and the two shook hands again. "We will be in touch Cadet Hart. None of your fellow cadets or anyone else can know about this.""Yes sir.""And let me say that this is not an honor so much as a responsibility. As an Intel operative you will have access to information and assignments that are vital to the Fleet and the entire Terran Confederation. This should not be taken lightly. I want to make sure you understand that. There may be times when you will be asked to take risks far beyond the typical officer and to do so without recognition.""Sir, I understand and I will not let you down." Hart saluted the Commodore. Cain returned the salute. "Dismissed Cadet."
Hart reached the door to Ashley's quarters. The corridor was empty. He touched the visitor alert button. He waited for a few seconds and then touched it again. Still no response. He nervously checked the hall for others. Then touched his communicator. "Ashley." Nothing. He touched it again. "Computer. Captains Authorization. Open door to cabin 3 delta." Seconds later the door slid open. He entered and the door shut behind him. The room was dimly lit with some music playing. He spotted Ashley asleep in a chair. The bottle of Jamaican rum at her feet." He quickly walked over and knelt beside her. "Ashley." he said rubbing her arm. Ashley opened her eyes. "What? . . . where? . . ." she tried to stand but nearly fell over. Hart caught her and sat her back down. Her eyes were red and slightly puffy. "What are you doing here?" she asked. "You can't be here. They think I'm a spy." "No, no." he whispered calmly running his fingers through her hair. "Its okay, I know what happened. Don't worry its going to be okay." Ashley snapped up with her eyes wide open. "Did you tell her about me? Did you tell her what I said to you? I'm not an Alliance agent!" she said and then started to cry. "Did you tell her . ." she couldn't finish her sentence. Hart grabbed her and pulled her close to him. He held her tight. "Shhhhhhh" he consoled. "I didn't say anything about you or about us. I swear. Its okay, its going to be okay. I promise." She held him, her mind still in a daze from the rum. She had felt so afraid and alone. She still felt that way but now she clung to Brennen as a frightened child would a parent. For a woman who had spent most of her life pretending to be tough and independent suddenly she felt helpless. He held her for several minutes. She came further into lucidity and became embarrassed. She pulled away and tried to straighten her hair and wipe away the tears. "I'm sorry." she said meekly. "I guess I had a little too much to drink.""So I take it there aren't any stomach pains?" he asked."No." she said. "I used that excuse so Walsh would attend the meeting.""I figured as much." said Hart."I even thought . ." she half laughed, "that you also thought I was a spy. That you might be behind all this.""I had nothing to do with it. I swear." said Hart. "I put Yara in charge of finding any espionage because of my situation with you. I had to remove myself from the investigation. I didn't realize anything like this would happen.""Oh crap." said Ashley. "Now she knows I'm a liar. I said our relationship was purely 'professional'.""I didn't tell her any specifics. But with her and Tucker reviewing security tape they are bound to have figured it out. And soon they'll know I am here now.""Are you in trouble?" asked Ashley with concern."I knew they would see me coming here but I came anyways right?" He helped her from her chair to her bed. "In hindsight it was probably a bad idea to begin a personal relationship. I'm as much to blame for that as anyone. I should know better." He sat beside her. "But what's done is done. I don't regret it. I really like you. I think you are attractive, funny, intelligent, warm, caring and I DON'T think you are a spy."Ashley smiled. "Thank you." she laid her head on his shoulders. "I got so scared. During the original interviews I thought they were going to take me off the project. There was a big hubbub at the time. Even director Remulan had to get involved. There were a lot of rumors but then it just went away and I was put in charge of the project.""Ashley . . . you ARE the project."Ashley felt comforted. Enough so in fact that she soon drifted asleep. Hart tucked her in. Before he left he placed a hangover pill and a glass of water on her nightstand.
Crewmen Weeks stood behind his shipmate crewman Riley's station as both stared at his video console. "Are you getting all this?" asked Riley."Wow . . . is this correct?" responded Weeks."I ran it twice." answered Riley.Weeks turned to Yara, who sat center of the Bridge. "Commander."Yara turned to Weeks. "Yes?""The long range data is coming in for the 6th planet ma'am. I think you might want to take a look at it." said Weeks.Yara touched the console next to her and looked at the screen. Her eyes grew big. She looked at Weeks and Riley who stared back at her. She touched her communicator. "Captain to the bridge. Sir, there's something you need to see."
Lt Tucker sat in the security room. He reviewed the security videos. He noticed one of the cameras stopped recording for an 11 minute period. He checked it again. It wasn't blocked, it just stopped recording. Engineering bay on Deck 3. He checked the other camera in that room. It too stopped recording during the same period. He logged off the console went to inspect the Bay.When he got to the Bay he found the cameras. Both seemed to be working propery. He pulled his PDD and checked the schematics. The room contained redundant systems for many of the ships functions. He checked the main console for the room. It hadn't been accessed during the time of the blackout. He looked around the room. He walked to a panel along the wall. He popped the plate. Inside he touched a keypad. Lt Tucker frowned. On the display read the last access time. It was during the video blackout.

. . . . to be continued.
- posted by Scott @ 4:03 PM

 
Future post
- posted by Scott @ 1:11 PM