Off Course

by Doug Farren

  Thomas returned to the ship as soon as he was able after dropping off the extractor. He was due to return to the surface to pick up a load of steel for the pylon trough. AJ and Heather were eating dinner together and playing a game of chess in the mess hall when Thomas stopped by to grab a quick meal. After picking up his food, he joined them.

  “How did the extractor hook-up go?” AJ asked.

  “The Keldans had everything staged and ready for us,” Thomas replied. “The extractor was humming away and producing pure deuterium as well as oxygen when I took off. We'll have our tanks full in no time.”

  “Glad to hear it,” AJ replied. “I'm really starting to like these people.”

  “Me too,” Thomas replied, his mouth full of food. “When they set their minds to something they don't mess around. Speaking of the Keldans, I understand we’ll be taking a group of them back to Earth.”

  “That's right.”

  “I had some time to think about that on my way to and from the surface. How about if we clear out some space in the cargo bay and build them some quarters they'll feel comfortable in?”

  “That's a wonderful idea!” Heather replied, pushing a pawn forward.

  “I agree,” AJ said, rolling his cup of hot coffee between his hands. He stared at the chess board, evaluating why Heather had moved her pawn. “It's going to take us over a month to get back home. Heather, do you think you and Keith can handle moving some of the cargo around to make room next to the core? Everyone else on your crew has been reassigned.”

  “No problem, we can handle it. How about the port side just aft of the shuttle access tunnel? We should be able to link up with the cargo pod deck. That way the Keldans won't have to pass through any human-sized doors.”

  “That should work,” AJ replied, taking one of Heather's knights with a bishop. “Or maybe not,” he reiterated. “There's no gravity there.”

  “Oops, forgot about that,” Heather admitted. “How about putting them on deck twenty-five directly on top of the core. We would have to build a ramp up from the tunnel but that shouldn't be a problem.”

  “That might work,” AJ agreed. “I'll have to ask the Chief if we can increase the gravity a bit to give them a little more weight. It's about a third of a G right now if I remember correctly.”

  “It is,” Heather replied. “We have to watch for it when we're moving cargo in that area.”

  “Then that's our plan,” AJ said, leaning back in his chair and locking his hands behind his head. Looking at Thomas he said, “You can run the idea by Piranta on your next trip down.”

  “I'll do that,” Thomas said, wiping his mouth. “Is she any good?” he asked, indicating the chess board.

  “Better than I am,” AJ replied, leaning back in his chair and stretching. There was an audible pop from one of his shoulder joints.

  Heather took the bishop with her other knight. “Nonsense,” she said. “I think we are evenly matched.”

  “I'll leave you two to your game,” Thomas said, standing up. “I've got to get down to the surface. The Keldans are expecting me to pick up a load of steel within the hour.”

  The Captain and Heather remained engrossed in their game for another twenty minutes. Heather won, but AJ had put up a valiant fight. “Checkmate!” she finally declared, moving her queen to cover AJ's last route of escape.

  “Good game,” AJ told her, reaching across the table and holding her hands. “I should get back to the bridge to see how the repairs are coming along.”

  “Go ahead, I'll put the game away. See you later?”

  AJ stood up and walked to her side of the table. Bending down so he could kiss her, he replied, “Private desert in my cabin at twenty-thirty?”

  “I love how you think,” she replied, a knowing grin lighting up her face.

  “And I love you.”

  With the ship in orbit, the bridge was on minimal manning. AJ found Chief McKintyre sitting at her normal station. “Status?” he inquired taking a seat in the command chair.

  “We’re making good progress on the repairs,” Lora replied. “That space-crane of theirs has been a big help. We could learn quite a bit from these people.”

  AJ flipped through the various status screens on one of his monitors, assimilating the overall health of the ship with a practiced eye. “I don't understand how a crane could work in space with everything being weightless.”

  “It's an amazing piece of technology,” Lora said. Turning to her console, she brought up an image of the apparatus on one of the upper monitors. “This picture is from a small bot hanging outside the work area in case something gets loose,” she explained. “Things might not weigh anything in space but they still have a lot of inertia. The Keldans have figured out how to work very efficiently in zero G.”

  She manipulated the controls causing the picture to zoom in on a large piece of bent steel being pulled from inside the ship. Pointing at it she continued, “See these cables leading back down into the ship? They're hooked to a motorized resistance device that allows the crane to work as if there's gravity present.”

  A light on one of panels interrupted any further explanation. The Chief touched her screen and said, “Chief McKintyre here.”

  AJ could not hear the other side of the conversation since it was being directed to Lora's ear-bud. He continued to watch the space-crane until Lora reported, “Sung Li is back.”

  After delivering his extractor to the surface, Sung Li had flown his shuttle to a nearby space port. Since the Keldans were still using chemical rockets, AJ had suggested that they could use the services of one of the shuttles to transport people, fuel, and equipment into space. The Keldans had readily agreed.

  “Very well,” AJ replied. “Tell him to get some rest.”

  “Aye Sir.”

  AJ remained on the bridge dividing his time between watching the furious activity on the hull of his ship and bringing himself up to date on the other repairs that were still ongoing. At nineteen thirty, he left the bridge. On the way to his stateroom, he stopped by the mess hall where he unlocked a small freezer reserved for his own use. Inside, were several buckets of homemade ice cream. He transferred some into another container and relocked the freezer.

  Back in his stateroom, he put the ice cream into his freezer before taking a quick shower. At precisely twenty-thirty, he heard a soft knock. AJ quickly set the ice cream out on the table and answered the door. Heather stood outside dressed in a beautiful, flowing, blue kimono.

  AJ stood in the doorway, jaw partially open, his eyes focused on the angel standing before him. “Well?” Heather broke the silence, a smile gracing her face. “Am I dressed appropriately or should I go back to my room and pick out something else?”

  AJ stepped aside, placed his left hand over his right on top of his stomach, and bowed. “You are absolutely stunning. Please come in.”

  The door barely had time to close before the two lovers reached for each other and embraced. Heather spotted the dishes of ice cream. She nibbled AJ's ear and whispered, “Is that real ice cream?”

  “It's not only real, it's homemade,” AJ replied, pulling back just enough to allow him to kiss her. “I make it myself just before each trip and keep it in a locked freezer. It’s one of the luxuries of being the captain.”

  “I love ice cream,” she replied, grabbing him by the hand and leading him toward the table. “You make it yourself? What flavor is it?”

  “It's an old family recipe. I have a peddle-driven ice cream machine at the house. This isn't made by machine. I get a workout while the ice cream is being made. Give it a try before I tell you what's in it.”

  After sitting down, Heather put a spoonful of the creamy delight into her mouth. It was not quite white in color as if the secret ingredients had imparted a yellowish tinge to it.

  “Oh my god!,” she exclaimed as the morsel melted in her mouth. “This is incredible!”

  AJ savored his own spoonful before saying, “I'm glad you like it. Care to guess
what's in it?”

  Heather smacked her lips then slowly ran her tongue across them. AJ stared, his spoon stopped half-way between his bowl and his mouth. His heart was pounding and the ice cream forgotten as other thoughts formed in his mind.

  “It's familiar, but I can't put my finger on it,” she said, smiling as if she knew exactly what he was thinking. “I have to know what's in it.”

  AJ took a deep breath and forced himself to move the spoon to his mouth. The cold mound of ice cream helped him to refocus. “Farm-fresh cream, eggs, hand-churned butter, a mixture of white and dark sugar, a tiny bit of vanilla, and spiced rum.

  “Rum! That's what I taste. I'm not a big rum drinker – I prefer Tequila.” Heather cocked her head to one side, leaned forward a bit and asked, “You're not trying to get me drunk so you can take advantage of me are you?”

  “The thought never crossed my mind.”

  Heather leaned back and grabbed another spoonful. She made a sensual humming sound then rolled her tongue over her lips again. “I will, however, have to thank you for such a wonderful desert.”

  * * * * *

  “Good morning!” AJ announced as he entered the bridge. The executive officer and Chief McKintyre looked up from the screen they were watching as the Captain practically bounced through the door.

  “Good morning Captain,” Patrick replied. “You seem to be in an unusually good mood this morning. Any particular reason?”

  AJ knew exactly what Patrick was probing for but decided to sidestep the question. However, he couldn't resist dropping a hint. “The next day is always better when you've had a good night. What's our status?”

  Patrick joined AJ at the coffee machine, lowered his voice, and said, “I'll bet you had a good night.” Speaking in a normal volume he continued, “Thomas and Sung Li left about ten minutes ago to bring back a load of deuterium. Repairs are continuing and so far we’re on schedule. The Keldans called about an hour ago to let us know their world president will be arriving at the base where you originally landed at eleven hundred hours our time. I made sure to remind Thomas to be back in time to ferry you down to the surface. Other than that, no changes from yesterday.”

  AJ nodded his head and grunted an acknowledgment. Patrick followed him to the command chair and waited as AJ settled in. “Anything else?” AJ asked after taking a sip of his coffee.

  Chief McKintyre looked up from her screen and said, “We've been trying to analyze the Akuta data crystal the Keldans loaned us. It looks like the data might be there but it's either degraded or encrypted. The computer can't make heads or tails of it.

  “Well, it was worth a shot anyway,” AJ replied, sipping his coffee before powering up the command console. Patrick hovered nearby but said nothing.

  AJ finally turned and looked at Patrick, “Is there something else you need?”

  “There's an interesting rumor going around.”

  “I don't like rumors,” AJ said before Patrick could elaborate. AJ activated a monitor. “I prefer to deal with facts, not rumors.”

  “Then perhaps you can turn the rumor about your having a girlfriend into fact or fiction. Is it true or is it false? As your XO, and your friend, I would like to know.”

  AJ brought up the ship's log and pretended to read it. He was thoroughly enjoying keeping Patrick on the hook. Finally, Patrick couldn't stand it any longer and blurted out, “So it is true!”

  AJ turned and looked at Patrick, a guilty grin on his face. “It is,” he admitted. “But I don't want anyone giving her any special breaks because we happen to be seeing each other.”

  Patrick clapped AJ on the shoulder, “You're a lucky man AJ. She's quite the catch.”

  “I didn't catch her. According to her, she's been fishing for me for quite a long time. I was just too stupid to notice.”

  The hatch to the bridge popped open and Doctor Johekar stuck his head in. When he saw the Captain, he stepped through the hatch. Turning the manual handwheel to engage the locks, he said, “I was hoping to find you here. I've got the results of the analysis of the Keldan food you brought back with you.”

  “Oh good,” AJ replied, “Will we die a slow, lingering death if we eat it?”

  The Doctor pulled a teabag from his pocket and proceeded to make himself a cup. “You can eat as much of their food as you want and they can eat as much of ours as they want. Despite the fact that they happen to look like giant spiders, their physiology is very similar to ours.”

  “That's good to hear,” AJ admitted. “It didn't feel right having to refuse their offer to share a meal with them.”

  “Captain,” Chief McKintyre spoke up, “we’ve received the plans for the Keldan living quarters. What do you want me to do with them?”

  “Heather and Keith should be in the cargo bay making room for it now. Send the floor plan to them so they can ensure enough room is cleared.”

  “Aye Sir.”

  “I'll be in my stateroom,” AJ announced. “Let me know when Thomas is ready to take me back down to the surface.”

  Chapter 21

  AJ checked his suit one more time then locked his visor in place. The internal diagnostics light blinked yellow a couple of times then went solid green. “We're all set back here Thomas.”

  “Roger. Beginning cargo bay depressurization,” Thomas replied through the suit's com system.

  The high-volume pump quickly sucked the air out of the cargo bay feeding it to a compressor which squeezed it into a much smaller tank. The high pressure air then made its way to another system which liquefied it, squeezing it down into the smallest possible space. AJ's suit expanded as the cargo bay's air was evacuated.

  The four Keldan visitors waited patiently, apparently talking among themselves on a private channel. The Keldan spacesuits were an engineering marvel allowing the wearer to quickly and easily don the suit. The central portion opened like a clam-shell to allow the wearer to step into the it. After inserting their six legs and two arms into the appropriate sleeves the suit closed and sealed itself.

  The Keldan suits had one major advantage over the human equivalent. All of the controls were built into the suit’s helmet enabling them to use their feeders, which looked and functioned like tiny arms, to access the suit’s systems. Humans had to rely on external controls or voice commands to do the same thing.

  “Pump down complete,” Thomas reported ten minutes later. “Ready to open the rear hatch.”

  “Proceed and kill the lights back here.”

  The rear cargo hatch opened, revealing the majesty of the Keldan home world below. The cargo bay lights flicked out leaving the reflected light of the planet as the only source of illumination. The Keldans lined up to get a good look into space. The freighter floated into view. The space-crane, as well as a small army of workers, could be seen on what the observers perceived as the bottom of the ship.

  “Mr. President and guests,” AJ began, “may I present the Star-Pulse. The large opening you see directly in front of us is one of our cargo loading docks. It's designed to mate with a similar sized opening in the rear of a cargo shuttle. The vast majority of the ship is cargo space which is not pressurized.”

  AJ paused to allow the Keldans to take in the enormous ship. While he waited, the shuttle drifted closer to the open hatch. “Although the shuttle will fit through the hatch, it’s not designed to berth in the cargo bay. Thomas will back the shuttle in at which time I will lower the ramp so we can tour the cargo hold.”

  The shuttle slowly backed into the cavernous cargo hold and stopped. As the ramp was being extended, AJ continued, “This is our main cargo hold. Please bear in mind that it does not have artificial gravity. The floor is magnetic so your foot magnets will work to keep you on the floor.”

  “Your living space has artificial gravity, correct?” Vevicty asked as they exited the shuttle.

  “Correct.”

  “Then why are we weightless?”

  “I’m not well versed in the physics involved but I can tell you t
hat the artificial gravity we generate is not true gravity. Matter reacts to it as if it was normal gravity but the effect drops off very rapidly – far faster than normal gravity. I've been told it has something to do with the fact that true gravity is a warping of all of multidimensional space and the field we generate is limited to only a few dimensions.”

  “That would explain some of the strange results we get from the equations you gave us,” Vevicty said.

  “With such technology we would not have to rely on spinning our ships to simulate gravity,” the President noted.

  Rows of neatly arranged cargo boxes of various sizes stretched off into the distance. Each container sat inside a brightly painted yellow rectangle. Commander Toonpin walked over to one of the containers and examined the latching mechanism built into the floor. “What type of cargo are you carrying?” he asked.

  “About a third of it is Indishari food. We have quite a large number of Indishar tourists that visit Earth. Their planet does not have snow and our polar regions have become a major tourist attraction. The rest is a combination of several trade goods unique to Stivnet – our last stop. One particular item is a fabric we humans call ultra-silk. I've been told it is made from a locally grown plant and it's very popular among the women of my world.”

  “No military hardware?”

  AJ shook his head but realized the gesture was meaningless inside a spacesuit. “None of the three races we trade with exchange military hardware. We coexist peacefully and the need for such equipment is virtually nonexistent.”

  AJ led the group up a wide ramp then deeper into the cargo bay. After a few minutes they came upon a large empty space with a single cargo container sitting in the middle.

  “Heather, do you copy?” AJ said, trusting the suit's compact computer to route the request to the appropriate channel.