BairnGefa- The Akashic Expedition
Page 25
Jirmina’s three fingers pressed the correct sequence of icons. Within three seconds of emerging, the Jaguar destroyed the bridge of the Defender of Lak’tsil.
They closed their eyes and the connection was immediate. The Triad slipped the Jaguar away to a new point in space.
“We are being hailed.”
“By whom?”
“Admiral Jymind.”
“What? How? Put him on.”
“Captain Raitt, do you think I am a fool? Your cannons cannot harm me. I know Mister Johnson is in the fighter, he cannot harm me. In eleven hours, your home will be no more, and I will be forever known as the savior of the galaxy.”
“Signal lost.”
“It was not lost, Landry. He gloated then cut it off. Where in hell is he?”
“It appears he has created a battle bridge in a hardened section of main engineering.”
“You said twenty-two hours, Jymind said eleven hours. What gives?”
“The admiral is correct. The new acceleration curve and course corrections put the Defender of Lak’tsil’s collision with Earth at eleven hours, ten minutes.”
“Landry, I want to cut a hole in the Defender of Lak’tsil. Using the known schematics, where is the most direct, vulnerable path to drill a hole to main engineering? I want a weak spot.”
Landry popped up an image of the faltering ship with a red target indicator on its starboard flank.
“Send the updated targeting parameters to Jyrode’s men. Adjust the targeting to the weak spot. We’ll call this phase four in our plan.”
“Sent.”
“Corb!”
“I am a little busy, Lucinda.”
“Corb, this better work. We have eleven hours and are not getting any help.”
“It will work. ETA to impact, two minutes.”
Lucinda, Janish, and Jirmina watched the Ajawlil fighters forming up for another run. Swinging wide, lining up two abreast, this new strafing run approached the Defender of Lak’tsil from the starboard at two o’clock. Corb-One fell into sequence at the end of the longest line.
Alternating, every other row of fighters flew above then below the target. Plasma laser bolts from the first two rows of fighters took out the starboard defensive cannons. The remaining fighters pounded the single spot, just above the midline, directly adjacent to the Defender of Lak’tsil’s main engineering decks.
Admiral Jymind attempted to roll the Defender of Lak’tsil clockwise on its longitudinal access but the manual commands were ineffective. The Ajawlil fighters easily adjusted their approach vector.
“Corb?”
“Lucinda, I got this … oh crap! I missed!”
“What do you mean, you missed?”
“I mean, I missed. When the Defender of Lak’tsil rolled, I did not compensate correctly. My vector was bad. Jyrode, line them up again! I am coming around.”
Jyrode’s fighters swung around and formed up for a second run.
“Jyrode, tell your fighters they do not stop. I am coming in hot. Corb-One out.”
Corb swung around in an arc twice as wide as the fighters, putting his fighter two thousand kilometers to the rear. His speed, however, was going to put him on target two-point-nine seconds before the last row of fighters completed their strafing run.
The crew on the Jaguar watched in silence as the fighters lit up the same spot just above the Defender of Lak’tsil’s starboard midline. As the last row of fighters banked down, flying under the behemoth’s keel, Corb-One flashed into view.
The precision of Corb-One’s targeting was remarkable. Corb hit the center of the target softened by the fighters. The kinetic energy of the fighter impacting the massive vessel at point-two c was shocking. Pieces of Corb-One penetrated all the way to the center of the big vessel. The magnetic containment of Corb-One’s antimatter pile was lost. The antimatter explosion was partially contained by the hardened decks of the main engineering section. The partial containment forced the expanding gases to be redirected through the cavity created by the strafing runs and the impact from Corb-One.
“It is a Roman candle!”
“What, Lucinda?”
“Janish, it is an old firework. A long stick you held in your hand after lighting one end. It did nothing but spew sparks in a long arc. Like that.”
Lucinda pointed to the long stream of expanding gasses spewing from the gaping hole in the Defender of Lak’tsil’s starboard beam. The explosion being forced back through the narrow opening caused the big ship to skew and start to tumble.
“Lucinda, I do not understand something.”
“Yes, Landry?”
“Corb was supposed to teleport away before impact. He was supposed to use Jirmina’s connection and teleport to the bridge of the Jaguar. He is not here. He did not make it out of the fighter before impact. I do not understand. Why are you not upset?”
Chapter Thirty-Two
ᚴᚼᛅᛒᛏᛁᚱ•ᛏᚼᛁᚱᛏᚢ-ᛏᚢᚬ
“You were given this life because you are strong enough to live it.”
unknown
“Landry, Corb got out. We can see his connection. Judging by the change in Michelle’s connection, I suspect he is on Earth. Visiting.
“Landry, the important question is why did the Defender of Lak’tsil not come apart? Is there anyone alive on the ship?”
“Lucinda, I am unable to detect any life-forms on the Defender of Lak’tsil. However, the ship is without power. There could be life that we are unable to detect.
“The ship is coming apart. It has lost structural integrity. Check the monitors.”
The crew turned and watched as the huge ship split in two along the axial beam where Corb-One had penetrated and exploded, staring at thousands of tons of ship that began to tumble in space. The mushroom-shaped deflector was next to separate from the prow and begin to somersault.
Lucinda’s realization was followed with a barely audible question. “Landry?”
“Yes, Lucinda?”
“Is the Defender of Lak’tsil going to continue to break up?”
“Yes, the individual sections will deteriorate further until the mass reaches equilibrium with its momentum.”
“Landry, where are the sections going?”
Landry’s delay in responding told Lucinda her realization was correct.
“Landry, stop analyzing and put up the projected paths for the largest of the fragments.”
The monitors changed to an image on the left of the pieces of the Defender of Lak’tsil. On the right was the Sol system with Earth centered on the image. Three of the lines indicated the debris trajectories intersected with Earth.
“Get me Corb. Use Michelle’s cell phone. Wait! Belay that. Tell Jyrode to leave a patrol, five pilots he trusts. Everyone else is to return to the docking platform. Congratulate them on a well-fought battle. Let’s get in system and update Q’eqchi too.”
Lucinda, Janish, and Jirmina slipped the Jaguar to its customary location above the docking platform.
“Get Corb and Davinder on the phone.”
When the images appeared, Davinder began to speak.
“Congratulations, Captain R …”
“Hold up, Davinder. We have a problem. We destroyed the Defender of Lak’tsil, but the debris is headed for impact with Earth. At least three large pieces will impact in … Landry?”
“The debris’ velocity is declining. The trajectory of the smaller pieces has been altered. Two pieces may skip off the upper atmosphere but may also scrape the surface. The mushroom deflector is the problem. It was expelled forward. It is cartwheeling along the direct intercept trajectory. Estimating the impact in thirteen hours, forty-two minutes.”
On the video, Corb stood, leaned over, kissed Michelle on her forehead, stepped over, kissed Nona on the cheek, and reappeared next to Davinder in the Q’eqchi conference room.
Speaking while taking a seat, Corb was all business. “Landry, when will Gungnir arrive?”
“Four hours, nine minutes.”
> “Using the kinetic energy of the rail guns from both ships, can we deflect the debris? Alter the course of the fragments into a flyby trajectory?”
“Stand by.”
“While he is running the calculations, Corb, I have a question.”
“Yes, Lucinda?”
“Why did you deviate from the plan? You went all the way to Earth, not back here to the Jaguar. Why?”
“Actually, Lucinda, I started a teleportation to the Jaguar but changed my mind.”
“What? You did what?”
“I changed my mind.”
“When did you change your mind?”
“When I left Corb-One, I decided I wanted to see Michelle. I came to Earth instead.”
“In the middle of the teleport, you changed the destination. The emergence point, you altered it while in transit?”
“Yes, Lucinda.”
“I have the results of the calculations.”
Davinder exerted authority. “Corb, we will get back to your new ability later. Landry?”
“The trajectory of the smaller pieces can be altered enough to ensure they skip off the upper atmosphere. However, the mushroom deflector is too large to be redirected with the weapons available from the Jaguar and the Gungnir.”
“Landry, run the scenarios again. I want to know what it will take to deflect that piece of junk. What if we use the plasma cannons to cut it into smaller pieces?”
“Yes, Colonel Khatter.”
“Now what do we do?”
The normal assortment of team members argued and debated for thirty-nine minutes. Slicing up the disk with the plasma cannons virtually assured large chunks impacting the planet’s surface.
Nuclear detonations were ruled out. The time required to determine the correct target locations, to place the nuclear devices, and to detonate with enough energy was a problem. The nuclear explosions would be in proximity to Earth’s magnetic field.
It seemed no one wanted to irradiate Earth’s atmosphere.
Another suicide mission with a fighter was ruled out. Enough speed to alter the course of the mass would explode the pile of junk. Most of the resulting pieces would miss Earth, but some would impact the surface.
At the forty-minute point, Jirmina spoke gracefully.
“There is another way.”
Rubbing his face, Davinder turned to the monitor and the alien.
“Lieutenant Commander Jirmina, please, we will consider all options.”
“The star-portal.”
Corb slapped the conference room table with the palm of his hand and sat bolt upright.
“Of course!”
“Colonel Khatter, please reach over and slap that boy.”
Smiling, Davinder turned to Corb but ignored Lucinda’s request. Corb began planning.
“Landry, the rotational speed of the disk, can we get the Jaguar to match the rotations?”
“Working … yes, we can match the rotational speed. However, I would suggest using the Triad. Based on what you said a few minutes ago, the star-portal, the Triad is the best option.”
“Where are you going, Lucinda?”
“I am going to shoot Landry’s little green box.”
“No, you are not. He is just trying to help.”
Grumbling, Lucinda sat back down.
“What Landry and I are talking about is putting the Jaguar in contact with the mushroom disk. If we can match the rotation, get close enough, and grapple the Jaguar to the disk, we can use the star-portal to alter space-time and move the disk off the collision course with Earth.”
“A lot of ifs and maybes there … let’s say we can do it, move the big disk. What about the other two pieces?”
“Good question, Davinder. Landry, assuming it arrives on time, will the Gungnir have enough time to put rail gun bolts on the two smaller pieces and force them to miss Earth?”
“Working … yes, Corb, with seventeen minutes to spare, the Gungnir can deflect the two smaller pieces of debris.”
“Work up the tactical plan for the Gungnir as soon as they emerge. Instruct Captain Jensen to slipstream in system, there is no time to waste, so they will risk an in-system slipstream. Send the orders priority one and use an Ajawlil fighter. Encrypt the orders and send a fighter to the emergence point. Davinder?”
“Agreed, Corb. Landry, issue the orders under my authority.”
“Jirmina, you were sent to us for this reason, correct?”
“Yes, Enlightened One.”
“How did you know?”
“We did not know it was this mission, not exactly. The Plentari understood the legends and foretelling of your kindness and bravery. The Plentari legends tell of our people saving your people. This is the truth of the legends.”
“Why you? Why now? What am I missing?”
“Enlightened One, the Jaguar and the Gungnir were designed for the Plentari. The interfaces are keyed. Yes, that is the correct word, keyed. The interfaces are keyed to our minds. Where you require the nanobots to interface with the machines, our minds and the machines are designed for symbiosis.”
“You are saying the computer interfaces on the Jaguar and the Gungnir are designed as neural interfaces? Neural interfaces for connection with the Plentari?”
“That is correct, Enlightened One.”
“Landry, this is information you withheld also. We will address your failings later. Jirmina, why did you keep this information secret?”
“There are two reasons. First, we were unsure of how humans would react to the knowledge of a direct neural interface with the machine. The Ch’en forbid neural interfaces. They fear machines. Some humans fear machines.”
“That is good thinking. We want to keep that information from becoming widely known. What is the other reason for the deception?”
“Landry.”
“Landry? What about him?”
“Landry interfaces with the machine, the ship’s computer.”
After a moment of contemplation, Corb continued. “You did this, all of this, joining the crew, to help me. The entire time, you feared if you interfaced with the computer … you feared Landry would be able to access your mind?”
“Yes, Enlightened One.”
“Enough talk. We are going to do this. Davinder, we need to make a change to the Gungnir’s orders. They will have an increased chance of success if Jirxena is permitted to interface with the ship’s computer.”
“Agreed. Landry, amend the Gungnir’s orders. Instruct Captain Jensen to request Jirxena use her neural interface and assist the navigation.”
“Orders amended, Colonel.”
“Colonel, it might be prudent to get Jyrode’s men to begin clearing the smaller pieces of debris. It will be good target practice for them.”
“Good idea, Lucinda. Jan, issue the orders. Corb?”
“Yes, Davinder?
“Can you do it?”
“Do I have a choice?”
Corb teleported out of the conference room and onto the bridge of the Jaguar. Jirmina hopped up out of his seat on the riser and stood to the side. Lucinda picked up the discussion.
“Corb, you went to Earth. You altered the destination in transit. How did you do that?”
“Lucinda, remember when we speculated that I got lucky when I teleported from the first Jenny to Earth and back via planet K’an? We theorized I connected to the star-portal conduit under Xunantunich. I don’t think I was lucky.”
“No? How so?”
“I think I can go anywhere. At least as far as I can hold my breath. The only limit is my ability to breathe, but even then, I think the time dilation effect alters that too.”
“You are losing me …”
“We can discuss this later. We have a spinning blob of junk to grab and move. Jirmina, do you need to interface with the ship’s computer to help us grab the disc?”
“I do not, but it would ensure success.”
“Landry, can you reconfigure the magnetic locks into grapples? Is that automa
ted or a manual process?”
“It is automated. The grapples are in pods adjacent to the magnetic locks.”
“Good, do it now. Landry, can you isolate the navigational controls from everything else? Firewall navigation off from everything not needed to fly the ship, including you?”
“Yes, I can create the firewall.”
“Do it. Jirmina, if you are uncomfortable or feel you are being violated, terminate the connection. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Enlightened One.”
“Landry, we are going to move the Jaguar to an intercept location. Do the math using the navigational thrusters. Get us turning and moving in sync with that piece of junk. When you have it plotted, Jirmina will take over and control the approach.”
“Course plotted.”
The Triad moved the Jaguar from station-keeping above the docking platform to a location on an intercept course with the tumbling mass.
“Jirmina, you are up.”
“Yes, Captain.”
Jimena’s six fingers were flying across the icons. The crew felt the Jaguar begin to alter its attitude.
“Landry, put the mass on the main monitor.”
The large rotating mass appeared dead-ahead of the Jaguar. Jirmina’s control inputs resulted in the Jaguar also rotating axially and spinning longitudinally. Lucinda and Janish closed their eyes to control the queasiness resulting from the objects in the images moving in unnatural directions.
Corb realized, watching Jirmina, that her fingers were flying but she was controlling the Jaguar with her mind.
“Jirmina, any concerns?”
“No, Captain. Forty-two seconds to contact.”
Collectively holding their breath, the Triad felt the Jaguar’s four grapples contact the chunk of space wreckage.
“Landry, the grapples are on cables. Why did we feel the connection?”
“Jirmina overrode the safety protocols and positioned the Jaguar three-point-five meters from the disc. The grapples were extended with full power, latched on to the mass, then retracted. The Jaguar was pulled tight to the mass. The resulting vibration echoed throughout the Jaguar’s structural framework.”
Jirmina looked over her shoulder at the three seated on the riser, then turned back to the consoles. Corb was sure the stoic Plentari smirked.