by Orr, Richard
GATEKEEPER
by
RICHARD ORR
First Kindle Edition
Copyright © 2014 by Richard Orr
“Viking Heavy 1138, you have permission to begin your run to the gate.”
“Copy that, Gate Control. We are beginning our run.”
Diego leaned back in his command couch surrounded by the all-encompassing display of stargate command and control. An almost perfect reproduction of the view, trailing and slightly starboard of the giant heavy freighter approaching the gate, filled his vision. The freighter’s almost two kilometer long bulk was dwarfed by the massive ring of the stargate in the distance. At almost 1000 kilometers in diameter the stargate managed to make the bulk freighter look like a very small twig falling into a very large lake--a lake that fell into the very depths of infinity.
The stargate itself was the bastion of reality that rimmed the open mouth of a tear in the fabric of space and time. A tear which would allow Viking Heavy 1138 to cross the distance between two stars in the span of only a few small apparent moments to those inside. Scientists and engineers had created a massive technological marvel to manage and contain the furious energies that were released each time the stargate was activated. The gate could not be opened indefinitely as the energies needed to maintain the tear in the space time continuum for a long period of time were equal to the entire power output of the solar system for a week. This was of course, ostensibly, why Diego was there to ‘flip the switch’.
A hand seemed to reach from the edge of space and grab hold of the freighter. Diego wanted to see the ship from a closer perspective. So, with his hand, he manipulated the view to bring the back end of the freighter around so he could see it better. He was hoping, and had seen indications from a distance, that the freighter was using a newer variant of the Viking Heavy Thrust F210. Diego had been obsessed with rocket engines since he was a little boy and had watched launching ships from the spaceport near his home on Tranquility Two. It was part of the reason he had become an engineer. The power and majesty of a properly built and maintained starship engine brought a thrill to Diego’s heart. It made it even better for him that he knew and understood how to control the massive energy created by the engines displayed before him.
“Gate Control, Viking Heavy 1138. We are in the flight corridor for the stargate approach and estimate contact in 5 minutes, 11 seconds.”
“Copy that, Viking Heavy 1138. Proceed with approach.”
Diego never ceased being amazed by what was happening before him. What was truly amazing was that he was the only human on the entirety of the stargate. No one else was here. This was not standard operating procedure, but it seemed that it was going to take at least 6 months for the corporate morons down well to find someone else who was physically and mentally capable of being out on the bleeding edge of the solar system with ole’ Diego.
As for why Diego was alone with himself, he would rather forget. Four weeks ago he had been here with a partner. Funny thing was, he couldn’t seem to remember what she looked like. It had taken such a short time for Marta to cease being real to him.
A flick of a finger brought the perspective of the viewing screens back to a point above the control center of the stargate. The freighter appeared reflected, as if it were the flaw in the space time ocean it was approaching. The silence of space betrayed the violent energies that were being held in check, waiting for the approaching starship to make the leap between stars. Without the help of the control systems on the stargate Diego would not be able to see or find the starship among the vast ocean. A ripple passed through the stargate as it was made ready. The ship fell towards its destination, barrelling forward at full power, the great and powerful engines sending it faster and faster in preparation for exiting the known universe.
Diego felt the excitement the crew of the freighter must feel as they approached.
“Viking Heavy 1138, I show you at thirty seconds to departure and all is green. Good luck and see you on the flip side.”
“Thanks Control. Viking Heavy 1138 out.”
The single moment Viking Heavy 1138 made contact with the surface of the stargate seemed to hang in eternity. A flash of light and energy sped from the contact point, temporarily overwhelming the sensor array. The smooth ocean of the space time discontinuity seemed to fall in on itself toward the infinite depths, quickly lost from sight. The ship was gone. The ocean of nothingness was gone. In its place, the stars on the other side of the stargate shone thru with their usual brilliance, unhindered by the light of distant Sol. The stargate hung in the silence, as if nothing had happened, the universe never changing, constant as the stars surrounding it.
“Diego?” The radio whispered.
Diego raised his head, shock and surprise fighting for dominance. He was all alone. No one was within millions of miles of the stargate.
“Diego…” A faint whisper came again from the radio. It sounded familiar.
“H..hello? Who is this?” Diego reached up and swiped the images in front of him away to look around the command center. Of course, no one was there. He quickly pulled up the interface for communications. None of the communication channels were open.
“D..e..go?”
Static and interference almost completely masked the sounds coming from the receiver. Diego tried to raise the volume and listened harder. A strange, high pitched squealing began to come out of the speakers. He quickly hit the mute button. He again checked the communications array, still nothing.
A quick check of the radar showed what Diego had known. Nothing was close. What could be causing the strange whisper? Diego’s mind refused to accept that he was imagining the strange occurrence. He was the sanest person he knew. It was, in fact, one of the reasons he was assigned to the stargate. Being out here had proven to drive many people to the edge of madness and beyond. Being out here had proven that being insane could, in the greatest extreme, cause a lone person to do the unforgivable.
Diego had been tested and tested, over and over it seemed. He was trained to be alone, trained to keep the vast infinity around him from driving him beyond the confines of his skull.
Why then was he hearing things? This couldn’t be happening.
“Max?” Diego spoke softly.
“Yes, Diego?” The station’s A.I. responded.
“What is the station’s current status?”
“All systems are nominal, Diego.” Max calmly responded.
“Did you hear anything from the radio after the last ship traversed the gate?”
“I’m afraid, sir, that I did not.”
”What do you mean afraid?” A hint of consternation tinged his voice.
“Well, sir, it does seem that you were hoping I had, and I am sorry to have disappointed you.”
“I see. Please let me know if anything changes.”
“I will, sir.”
Diego sat for a moment, pondering what had happened over the last few moments. Strange things were afoot. He was, by nature, curious and knew that something unexplainable had just occurred, something the incredibly rational part of his mind was really not ready to accept.
He stood and walked from the command center.
The complexity of the stargate’s operation would have been overwhelming for anyone if it were not for Max. Max was the controlling A.I. for the automation that really maintained the stargate, but even Max had its limitations. There were only a few overriding directives that Max was not allowed to supersede. One of those directives did not allow for Max to manipulate its own programing. This of course meant that someone else had to. On occasion it fell to Diego to actually have to deal with it. It sometimes meant that Diego had to travel to the location on the stargate to work with and program the physical components.
> Diego had left the command and control center of the station and made his way to the kitchen and dining area a few levels down. His footsteps echoed down the hall as he walked. He always seemed to feel ravenous after shepherding a starship through the stargate. The larder and refrigeration unit had recently been fully stocked. Now he simply had to figure out what to eat. A difficult decision to be sure. So many things seemed to reach for his stomach’s personal attention. A large pizza centered itself in his view. The greedy grumble sounding from his midsection, made his decision for him.
Deep in the middle of the solar system all you needed was some kind of receiver and transmitter to connect yourself to the vast information and entertainment networks. The ubiquitous nature of these networks ensured that no one need go without a connection. Unless, of course, you were located billions of miles from the nearest settlements. Periodically, as a new starship would arrive at the stargate, information would be beamed to the station sitting astride the stargate. This of course allowed Diego to keep informed about the things happening deep in the well, and to stay current with Star Chasers, his favorite television show.
A quick check of the entertainment center’s menu showed that a new block of shows had been beamed to the station. There were five new episodes of Star Chasers for Diego to watch and enjoy. A thrill of excitement passed through Diego as he set up the first episode to play while he waited for the pizza to finish cooking.
CRASH!!
Diego quickly jumped to his feet, his head turning toward the sound. It seemed to have come from outside the door of the dining room and down the hall. Some time had passed since Diego had heard anything in his living space that wasn’t caused by his own movement. He could feel his heart pounding against the walls of his chest, straining to leap out and run and hide under the table. Several seconds passed while he took in a few breaths to steady his heart. He took a few steps toward the door, wondering why he had suddenly become so nervous and jumpy. It was just a crash, probably just something he had set somewhere unstable.
The door to the dining area lead out into a long hallway that stretched most of the distance to the other side of the station. It was probably a good hundred meters or so. To the right a large window looked out into space. At the right angle, he could just make out the ring of the stargate sweeping around in its vast circumference. Diego turned to the left and looked carefully down the hallway. A sigh of resignation and dread escaped his lips. This was one of those moments they had talked about in training, a moment when fear overcame sanity. It was just a noise. Down the hallway were several doors that lead to crew cabins of different sizes and fitting. Closer to the dining room were the rooms that Diego had taken for himself when he had arrived on station months ago. Beyond that were the rooms Marta had taken. Down the hall there was room for many, many more crew members to live. Marta’s door was ajar. Diego had not left it like that. It had been sealed and was awaiting the investigative team that would come out from down well.
“Max, why is the door to Marta’s quarters open?”
“I’m sorry sir, my indicators show that the door is currently closed.”
“Uhh, no... Max, I’m standing out in the hall and I can clearly see that the door is partially open.”
“Again, I’m sorry sir, there has been no change in status for several days.”
Diego pulled a small flashlight off his utility belt and turned it on. Only a few of the lights in the hallway were on. He noted that there seemed to be a small amount of condensation on the floor of the hallway. Had there been some sort of hull breach that had caused the crash in the first place? Maybe a small meteorite hitting the station in a sensitive spot? Of course, that would have then set off a series of alarms. Max would have reported the incident immediately.
As Diego made his way further down the hall toward Marta’s quarters he used the flashlight to closely inspect the walls, floor and ceiling. Something strange about the look of the floor drew Diego’s attention. There was a reddish tinge to the water droplets on the floor in front of him. A closer look revealed what looked like bare footprints running along the hallway from the floor in front of him, to what was now revealed as the damaged entrance to Marta’s quarters. Footprints outlined in red.
“What is this?” Diego was disturbed.
A shadow seemed to pass in front of the light spilling out of Marta’s quarters.
“Help me…” and then silence.
“Help me...please,” a whispered voice came from the door.
Diego rushed forward, running towards the open door, slipping and slamming into the door itself in his rush to get into the room. He wrapped his hands around the door and shoved it back into the wall recess. Nothing. There was no one there. A light hung from the ceiling over a small table by the wall, its almost imperceptible motion the only indication that someone may have been in the room. He leaned back against the door jam and slid slowly to the floor.
“Diego?”
“Yes, Max?”
“My sensors now indicate that Marta’s door is open.”
“Really?! Now?”
“Yes, they clearly now appear to be fully open.”
“Nothing else?”
“No, sir, I’m not receiving any other anomalous readings.”
A moment passed, and then another. Diego looked back out into the hallway. All seemed to be normal. The floor, as it lead back toward the dining area was clean, as if the housekeeping automation had just passed thru.
“What the hell is going on here?”
“Pardon me, sir?”
“Nothing Max, nothing.”
Another few moments passed as Diego caught his breath and pondered the situation. Maybe he was finally cracking.
“Sir, sorry to disturb you but we seem to have a fire starting in the kitchen. Should I activate the fire suppression systems?”
“What? OH, damn the pizza!” Diego hopped up from the floor and ran.
_____
Marta had arrived at the station six months ago with little fanfare. A courier-supply ship had cruised up from the inner system on a low energy budget and had finally deposited her on the stargate months after departing. She was bursting with energy when she arrived and ready to meet her new assignment. The caretaker station straddling the stargate was huge in comparison to the supply ship and after long months aboard the small ship she was ready to stretch her legs.
Diego was anything but patient with the arrival of the new crewmember. After spending several long months alone aboard the stargate he was leary and a little anxious about the presence of another human being so near.
“Remind me again why I should be happy about having someone else here?”
“For your peace of mind, sir. It is company policy.” Max replied.
“Really? It’s definitely screwing up my peace of mind right now.”
“You’ll see, sir. Just give it some time.”
“Yeah, okay, sure.”
The airlock cycled and opened. The baggy uniform she was wearing did little to hide what Diego feared most, she was a woman. Blond hair and blue eyes dazzled him for a moment.
“Uhhh...welcome. Here. To the stargate.” Diego said as his tongue tripped over his lips.
“Okay, thanks...Diego?” Marta asked as she reached out to shake his hand.
Diego didn’t move for a few moments. Someone had misplaced the files in his head on human interaction.
“Oh yeah, sorry…” Diego said, sweeping his hand quickly across the front of his uniform to dry the sweat. He reached out and took Marta’s hand and gave it a good shake. This seemed to satisfy her and she smiled back at him.
“Well, I imagine you would like to get to your quarters. So if you’ll just follow me.” Diego pointed in the general direction of the living space.
“Oh, I know the way. I’ve been studying the layout of the station and I know where everything is located.”
“Okay then, well, do you need help with your stuff?”
“Yea
h, sure, its right there inside the airlock.”
Diego walked over and picked up the two bags that were sitting inside the lock and followed Marta out into the hallway.
“Wow.” She paused as she looked around at the reality of the station. “So much space.”
“Yeah, and just the two of us to use it all.”
“Creepy.” Marta gave a little shake to her head and shoulders.
“Have I creeped you out already?” Diego asked.
“No, no, sorry I didn’t mean to imply that. It’s just so weird that this place is so large and there are only the two of us.”
“I think when construction on the gate was in full swing there were somewhere in the neighborhood of 10,000 men stationed here and around the ring. Once the automated systems were finally installed they didn’t need nearly that many to maintain it.”
Marta walked swiftly down the hall to the closest lift, with Diego trailing behind. A few moments in the lift, another swift walk down the hall and they were in front of the door that was to be Marta’s quarters.
“Thanks for helping me with my stuff.” Marta said.
“Sure thing. Well, I assume you know where the dining lounge is and how to get to the control center. So...I’ll just leave you here to get comfortable and see you later in the control center.”
Diego quickly backed out of Marta’s door and into the hallway, the door sliding shut in front of him. As he walked down the hall all he could do was shake his head to himself.
_____
The morning after the pizza fire came far too quickly for Diego. There was an alarm going off on his desk. He looked at his clock, it was only 3:42 in the station’s subjective morning.
“What is it Max?”
“Well, sir, there seems to be some problem in substation Gamma. I have lost all telemetry from my systems in that location.”
“All?” Diego said incredulously. “How is that possible?”
“I do not know sir. About five minutes ago I lost all connection with the far side of the stargate. I have been unable to re-establish any kind of link.”