by Neely Dobbs
CHAPTER 26: Alliance
The unmasked trio had returned from their R&R outing. They had used their Educator units to become fully updated. Their imposed R&R period had finally passed, and they had been released to go to Mathlen Command Center. Those facts had not relieved Jazon's desire to reach the Center. They only increased it. He followed impatiently as ADIZ led the party to the final high-speed lift that would take them directly into the Control Center, deep underground. Jazon's intuition flashed warningly as they entered the lift, and his need for any new information was unrelieved by ADIZ's assurances that they would arrive shortly. As a result, the moment they exited the lift, Jazon wasted no time on preamble.
“Update!” he barked at VSDI.
“Sir, we received an urgent message from Commander Agriel while you were in transit. He advises that an unknown vessel has appeared off his right forward quadrant. Sir, he also indicated the vessel was quite large; more specifically, ‘unbelievably colossal' were his actual words.”
Striding rapidly toward the command center, Jazon tossed back, “Did he actually use the word 'appeared' or did he say they ‘discovered its approach'?”
“The word was ‘appeared', Sir. He was quite adamant. He personally became aware of it shortly after the collision alarm sounded. Lieutenant Shallen, however, was at a view port and saw it arrive. He reported that one instant it wasn't there and the next instant it ‘simply appeared.' The Wasp's telemetry readings confirm his report.
“Sir, the path of this ‘colossus’ is being displayed on the tracking board. Both the rescue shuttles and recon beacons near the Wasp are actively monitoring. The intruder is making no attempt to jam our surveillance.”
The group raced forward, entered Command Center Control, and studied the primary track plotting screen. It was ablaze with lights indicating the positions and paths of all objects occupying nearby space.
Without taking his eyes from the traces marking the paths of both the Wasp and the unknown ship, Jazon said, “VSDI, get Commander Agriel on the com-screen. And display any available visual recon of this mystery ship on the main screen.”
Kyell's eyes shifted to the video display. When the images appeared he immediately blurted out, “Look at the size of that thing! Kretch! It makes the Wasp look like a minnow!”
Sabanda echoed Kyell's amazement. “Even at five miles wide, the Wasp really does look no bigger than a minnow compared to that... that thing. that's chasing it. It looks like... like a three-legged giant octopus with huge clubs for feet. If that thing attacks...”
“Belay the speculation!” snapped Jazon as the com-screen displayed Agriel's frantic visage.
"It's huge!” Vick's shrill tone revealed that he was near his breaking point. “Huge doesn't even begin to describe…Admiral, have you seen the visuals? "
“Commander, we need a report.” Jazon interjected calmly. “Take your time. We need a coherent account. Start at the point at which this other ship approached.”
Agriel shrilled, “But it didn't…”
Jazon cut in and barked, “Calm down, Commander!” Then, hoping a different tone would help steady Vick, Jazon calmed his tone. " We need a factual report, Vick. Take a breath, and just report the facts."
Still far from calm, Vick regained a semblance of discipline and control. “Yes, Sir! Sorry, Admiral, but... uh... it didn't approach... it just appeared! One moment empty space. The next, right here in our laps! And... and, Sir, it's so huge that it seemed it was on top of us and just about to hit us, when it actually was still a long way off.” Agriel paused, a puzzled look on his face, and looked squarely at Jazon. “Sir, I assure you I'm not completely crazy. Admiral, you may have spent a lot of time in space— more than any of us— but even you would be in shock! One second we're out here all alone, and the next every proximity alarm in the Wasp goes fedjecken berserk! I'm trying to tell you calmly and carefully…That Colossus just APPEARED!” Vick's eyes flashed quickly left and right, like a trapped animal. It was clear he was again losing control.
Sabanda caught Jazon's attention with a subtle— but well practiced— signal, and Jazon responded with an almost imperceptible nod and a flick of his eyes.
Sabanda’s voice bathed the room. “I hear you, Vick, loud and clear. Now, we can move away from any concern about past events and we will begin to focus on where we are now... on our current situation.” Her tone was authoritative, yet remarkably soothing, encouraging calm rationality and engendering focused thought. "I'm sure we can do that together... calmly and precisely, as we have been trained to do... right Commander Agriel?"
Most of the wildness left Agriel's eyes. “Yes... I .. Yes, Vice-Admiral, we can,” he responded much less stridently.
"Very good, Commander. Thank you. Now, I would appreciate your report on the current status."
The tightness in Vick's body visibly eased. "Certainly, Vice-Admiral."
Jazon suppressed a smile, again appreciating Sabanda's remarkable talent.
Agriel continued, almost smoothly. “The colossus is currently on a steady parallel course to the Wasp's, and it exhibits a slow rotation relative to our position. It has given no indication of hostile intent. And, Vice-Admiral, our crew— other than being scared silly— is unharmed. We…”
Agriel was interrupted by Kyell's rumbled warning, “Status changing! Check its path…that thing's closing in on the Wasp!”
Silence engulfed the room as all eyes moved to the tracking board. Then the silence was pierced by the renewed shriek of proximity alarms. Obviously, the Wasp could not retreat, since it could do nothing to alter its course. Nor was it even remotely capable of repelling such a massive object’s approach. No one breathed as the colossus slowly closed the gap between them. Slowly, one gigantic cylindrical “leg” and “foot” rotated to aim directly at the Wasp.
With more composure than he felt, Agriel issued the only possible order to his crew, “Attention all hands! Secure for impact.”
Hoping against hope for a miracle, Jazon watched grimly. Sabanda, head bowed, touched the fingers of her hands to her nose. Everyone waited silently, eyes locked on the visual display screen, helpless to prevent the impending disaster.
Kyell glanced back at the tracking display and whispered, "Wait... " A moment later he called out more loudly, “Hey, look at the vector numbers— they're changing. Rate of closure is slowing…even more…” Then, clearly relieved, “I don't think they intend to ram it after all.”
When the board showed the closure rate had dropped to zero, the alarms silenced and the sounds of a cheering crew issued from the Wasp. This was followed immediately by Commander Agriel's stern command, “All hands! Remain secure and stay alert. Watch for…”
Before he could complete the directive, the image of the Wasp in the view screens appeared to jerk sharply. A quaking vibration sounded, and the visual feed on the screen refused to hold steady. After the initial sharp reaction and shaking, the vibration muted to a steady thrumming for interminable seconds. Then, as suddenly as they had started, the vibration completely stopped.
All but one set of eyes had remained locked on the visuals. As a result, it was Kyell's voice that broke the stunned silence. “Admiral Ozier, please confirm what I think I've been seeing change on the plotting board…specifically, the Wasp's path.”
Jazon's eyes snapped to the board and fixed wonderingly on the line which represented the path of the Wasp. Impossibly, it had acquired a noticeable bend. That gradual curve represented a shift of direction of a vessel five miles in diameter, massing almost half a trillion tons. The fact that the bend in that line was visually perceptible indicated the extreme magnitude of the force that had been exerted.
Everyone saw the altered trajectory, but before they could react, the com-lines erupted in a sense-scrambling cacophony of simultaneous, overlapping reports:…
“Telemetry
reports that the Wasp's trajectory…”
“Communication reports receipt of a signal from…”
“Sensors indicate that compartment doors…”
“Satellite spin-analysis reveals that…”
“Damage sensors indicate Wasp has sustained…”
Only ADIZ— with his robotic sensors— was able to hear, sort, and make sense of the resulting jumble of sounds echoing through the Command Center. Then Kyell's startled roar smashed through, piercing that chaotic web of intelligibility.
Everyone clearly heard his shout:
“What The…? IT'S GONE!”