At those words, an undercurrent of uneasiness swept around the table. Several captains stirred in their seat. A few rubbed their foreheads, showing concern, while others eyed one another, fear plainly written on their faces.
Commander Reardon held up a palm. “Now hear him out before anyone goes off half-cocked.” He nodded at Joe to continue.
The scientist tapped his device. “I’ve transferred a map of our current region of space and a proposed course to every captain. Either we divert far off our route to avoid this black hole, or we use it to slingshot us to a faster velocity—possibly close to light speed. Diverting could add decades to our arrival time while the increase in velocity along with keeping close to our selected route will get us there a lot sooner.”
“And I thought jump was dangerous,” choked out a captain to Elise’s left. “Damn, a black hole!”
Elise also shivered at the idea. Still, she wanted to captain her ship to a new world and had all but abandoned hope of the prospect. Now, with this new approach, she might be able to reach one.
Could they do it?
Voices started arguing and shouting. Fear gripped several faces while hope lit others.
The Commander called for quiet. When it came, he took a breath. “No one going into space is safe. Every one of you knew that when you signed on.” The tension in his shoulders eased. “We have overcome a lot. We can do this. Read the material and talk to your people. To make this work, we’ll need cooperation of all ships to act as a cohesive unit. I’ll expect …”
“Mommy.” Lisi wiggled in front of her. “Who are you talking to?” The child’s face peered into Elise’s monitor.
Breaking through the entrance into her stateroom, a harried Jacob strode to the desk and pulled the child from her side. “So sorry.”
Elise gazed up at him. “I have a locked security pad outside.”
He nodded. “It’s not very secure. All she had to do was watch you tap down the first column on the keypad to get in and then mimic you.”
“It’s easier to do in a hurry.”
“You might consider changing the current password and make it more difficult than a five-year-old child can figure out. I’d also suggest you install handprint access to be really secure.” Grumbling, he tugged the child toward the stateroom’s exit.
Several chuckles erupted from the monitor. She turned her attention back to the meeting.
“Elise!” The Commander’s voice warned.
“Sorry, sir.”
Squirming in Jacob’s grip, Lisi almost slipped loose. Frantically, Jacob hustled her out. “Mommy is busy at the moment, but Jay has a treat to share. Let’s go and see what it is.”
Elise watched as they disappeared out the door. Shaking her head, she rejoined the meeting.
“A bit precocious?” Charles Dance inclined his head toward the departing child.
She let out a heavy sigh. “A handful.”
He nodded as if he understood. “You should deal with my Charlie. He’s impossible.”
“Just like his father, I imagine.”
“Emily says so.”
“All right, let’s get back to topic.” Commander Reardon took back the meeting. “If we want our kids to reach a new world, we need to get creative. Give Alan’s proposal serious consideration, and we’ll reconvene next shift at 2:00 with a final decision.”
***
“God Almighty, Reardon’s actually buying into that crazy scheme of skimming a black hole.” Tango shook his head. “Does he have a death wish?” He pivoted his chair and glared at Elise.
She tried to explain. “We need to increase our acceleration without depleting antiproton molecules any more than necessary. Without the antimatter particles, the power reactor will not have the energy necessary to create fusion. We need fusion power to push through jump. This is a way to conserve that resource. The perimeter around a black hole runs as wide as twenty-eight million miles. I would expect that would be big enough for you to maneuver within.”
“For how long?” Tango stared at the screen.
“We work shifts. At the rate we’ll be traveling, it shouldn’t take long. Light from the sun takes about eight minutes to reach Earth. That’s approximately ninety-three million miles away or one AU. The circumference of this black hole is 414.678 million miles. Going a circle and a half at light speed takes an hour. We’ll fly slower at first, but towards the end, with the assist, we might approach .75c or three-quarters light speed. The maneuver will be operated by mostly computers, but I want a hands-on helm. Nothing better than a human in a crisis for out-of-the-box thinking.”
Tango shifted uneasily in his seat. “The whole idea scares me silly, Captain.”
“Not anywhere within light years of my comfort zone either, but we have to make it work.”
Jazz nodded. “Okay, I’m behind you.”
“Jensen?” She raised an eyebrow.
He looked up from a map. “This one’s small for a black hole, but it’ll give us the push we need. It’s a brilliant idea.” He stretched out. “Heck yeah, I’m in.”
“Work me up a course to present to the Commander. I’ll need it by 7:00 next shift.”
“Already working on it.”
Chapter 29
Crossing over to the Dark Side
“Instruments say you’re heading off course,” Jensen warned Tango.
Around them, other ships also fought the steady drag of the black monster. They’d eased into the edge of the black hole’s influence, carefully circling the outer perimeter twenty-eight million miles from its center. The engineers and tech team synched up all fleet communications to assure simultaneous action among the fleet, critical to success. Anyone not involved in the operation was ordered into protection pods, but the swell in population left many without shelter, shielded only by the ship’s magnetic field.
Exhausted, Tango nodded and tweaked his port jet, then studied his monitors. Twenty minutes passed as onboard computers continued to struggle against outside forces that pulled relentlessly on the ship.
“What’s your status, helm?” Elise asked.
“I can hold on a little longer.” Tango wiped his face and flexed a few fingers as he held the helm.
She glanced up at the monitor. At the center no light emitted from the black hole, but around its outer edge a glow, called the accretion disc, swirled. There stars and planets collided, exploded, and circled the black hole’s drain, creating a luminescent ribbon of debris.
Ten million miles in diameter, this black hole was small compared to the seventeen-million-mile diameter of the behemoth that sat at the center of the Milky Way Galaxy. Even so, they would keep at its edge, twenty-eight million miles from the event horizon. At that distance, it would provide a big enough push to do what they needed. They would circle once to build momentum and then half again to slingshot forward back onto their original vector.
Thirty-five ships edged as close as they dared, forming a thin line around the perimeter. Each one fought the relentless drag that pulled them inward, spinning them faster and faster around the black hole’s center. Not only did they need to watch out for the whirling monster’s effect on their trajectory, but they needed to keep an eye on each other to avoid crashing in to one another.
“Half light speed,” Tango sang out.
Jazz leaned forward and squinted at the monitor. “I get little sense of motion. It looks like we’re suspended in space next to the others, hardly moving.”
“Make no mistake. We’re traveling unbelievably fast,” Jensen snorted.
Jazz stared at her console where she monitored their ship together with the state of the convoy. “Commander says we’re half way around and the radiation levels are rising. Will the magnetic shield protect us enough?”
“In her headset, Commander Reardon barked, “All ships on my mark, fall off three degrees to starboard. Mark.”
Tango touched a switch, causing side jets to flare. Gravity immediately swallowed the flash.
<
br /> Centrifugal force threw them out; powerful gravity sucked them in, as Tango and the ship fought to maintain the line. Elise studied the live display, keeping an ear out for any comments from the Commander.
“We’ve completed three-quarters of a rotation.” Jensen traced their course that etched a line on Elise’s heads-up display.
“We’re at .75c. The ship’s really moving now, Captain.” Tango darted a desperate look back at her. Elise waved at him. “Pass the helm.”
He nodded. “Passing the helm to the Captain.”
“Captain has the helm.” She settled in her seat and focused, unconsciously biting her lip in concentration as she studied her screens.
Tango flexed his hands as he released the controls. Rolling a shoulder with a groan, he slumped back.
As soon as her hand touched the controls, Elise sensed the hard pull. The ship moaned as metal protested the forces sucking on it.
Jensen leaned toward Jazz. “How are the other ships doing?”
Her comm officer’s jaw clenched. “Holding steady. Not much chatter.”
A study of the instruments all showed green. Elise repositioned her grip to bring back blood flow to her hand. A twinge from a shoulder muscle caused her whole body to tense, but she couldn’t afford to be distracted by any bodily discomfort during these critical moments.
Jazz’s voice came through her headset. “Captain Spencer had a spot of trouble with a shimmy, but they nailed it down before it turned nasty. Get a wobble going at this rate, and it will tear a ship apart.”
The bridge quieted as each bent to his task.
The drag increased.
“Radiation levels at orange alert, Captain.” Jazz turned to look at her.
In her ear, Commander Reardon came on. “Adjust course three more degrees to starboard on my command. Now!”
She gently eased the port jets open further.
At the sixty-minute mark, she ached all over and was losing muscle strength in her grip. She nodded at Tango who nodded back. “First officer has the helm.”
“I have the helm,” he answered and settled into his seat, assuming an intense focus.
With the release of the controls, exhaustion swept through her. Her back ached; her hands ached; her neck ached. She rubbed her face and took a breath, then flexed stiff fingers.
“Completed full turn.” Jensen stretched in his chair and scanned the bridge. “A half to go.”
“All ships steady.” Jazz looked at her and rubbed her eyes. “More than three-quarter light speed.”
Time appeared to stretch and expand. She blinked her eyes, trying to focus.
Staring across her bridge, she noticed Jazz’s image double. In her ear, Commander Reardon ordered, “Radiation approaching dangerous levels. Prepare to exit perimeter in fifteen minutes.”
Elise clicked on the ship mic. “Attention all ship personnel. Attention. Anyone not already secured in pods, do so immediately. After exit, prepare for possible perception distortion caused by time anomalies. Do not attempt to move about the ship. All ships will exit the perimeter together in fifteen minutes. Stand by for further instructions. Captain Fujeint out.”
This time, the world didn’t go soft; it slid around. One minute, Jazz sat properly at her station, and then suddenly three of her sat side by side, each action an echo of the one next to it.
“Final quarter,” Jensen burbled.
Behind her, a ship began to fall away.
“New Horizons, full throttle port jets,” Commander Reardon ordered, his voice hoarse.
“We’re at full throttle, sir,” came the reply. “We’re doing all we can. It just isn’t enough.”
Helplessly, they watched as the struggling ship fell further and further inward, unable to wrench clear of the black hole’s increasing pull.
“Thompson, exit now.” In her ear, Commander Reardon commanded, “Prepare all ships for exit. At the ten-minute mark, divert to a twenty-degree starboard heading.”
Out her left viewport, Elise could see the glow of the black hole’s accretion disc in the far distance. Malevolent, it flickered a warning as they skated around its distant perimeter. She wondered what it would be like to fall into that dark drain. Would another universe open out at the bottom or would the violent energies cancel out each other out, trapping her forever in limbo? Would the pull of gravity stretch them out in what was called spaghettification or would her ship be torn apart like tissue paper by powerful gravitational forces lurking within?”
“Five minutes to burn.”
Tango’s hand crawled to the lever, ready for the signal.
She clicked on the mic. “Attention ship personnel. Attention. Exit burn in two minutes.”
In her headset, she heard Commander Reardon say, “Exit burn in two minutes on my mark.”
“Ready on bridge.” Elise eased forward in anticipation.
Through bridge headsets, the Commander shouted, “All ships exit now!”
“Now!” Elise ordered as Tango rammed the throttle forward and steered to a twenty-degree angle. The ship groaned as metal complained and bent under the forces that pulled at it.
Thirty-four ships followed suit, in a ballet of synchronicity, while one continued to drop inward, helpless against the behemoth’s grip. Soon the helpless craft’s radio transmissions went silent as the ship fell away, caught by the lethal pull of immense gravity from the deadly whirling black hole.
With the hope of avoiding a similar fate, the fleet strained forward, fighting the drag of the relentless monster. Gradually, they won their way clear, hitting frictionless space at close to three-quarters light speed.
That’s when things went weird. The high acceleration distorted perception. Elise couldn’t tell if Tango sat before her or behind. At times, two of her sat on either side and then she collapsed into one.
“Ah, ah, ah …” Tango held on, his grip weakened by muscle exhaustion and stress.
Around her, ships soared away at unfathomable speeds, the black hole flinging them out like a petulant beast, tired of play. They fanned out, released from its grip, and headed toward a star, reaching for a world to call home.
Chapter 30
Side Effects
With the black hole behind them, turmoil enveloped the ships, as riots erupted all over. Many began dying of radiation poisoning, causing panic throughout the fleet. Jacob kept busy with Trajan trying to maintain order. Finally, he found time to check on Jennie. He chimed her cabin and entered, stopping dead in his tracks at the sight of his rival Dion Ryder, whose irritating dimpled smile greeted him.
At the age of twenty, Jacob now physically topped Dion, but he still couldn’t match his rival’s easy manner and charming good looks.
Also more mature, Jennie exhibited developing curves that hinted at hidden feminine delights.
Jacob’s young adult body surged with nervous energy when he was around her. Secretly, he wanted to grab her and do all kinds of forbidden things, but he was also smart enough to know that would not be wise. Hormones raged out of control that only stayed in check because of a strong moral code and Trajan’s help in focusing him on a strenuous training program. He had no time for erotic thoughts when he was groaning over hard exercise programs … or not as much time as he would have had otherwise.
“What’s he doing here?” Jacob scowled at his nemesis. He clenched and unclenched his fists.
Dion swung around to face him. “I’m visiting. She needed company, so I obliged. You’ve been too friggin’busy babysitting five-year-olds like Lisi and John Jr. to pay her much attention.”
Jacob felt his face redden. “Hey, I’ve been helping with disturbances in the corridors. Anyway, I’m a guard, not a babysitter. I’ve got a contract.”
“Looks like babysitting to me.” Dion swiveled around to face Jennie and raised his eyebrows.
She rolled her eyes.
Jacob stepped forward with a clenched fist.
Jennie cleared her throat, her voice rough. “Now Jac
ob, before you destroy my furniture again, sit down and have some coffee. It’s the beans you brought me from Andy’s new crop. They’re good. But, I’ll not have coffee spilled all over my clean floor because you can’t control your temper.” She pointed to a pot and an empty chair.
The two men glared at each other.
After Jacob sat down, he noticed that Jennie appeared paler than usual. “Are you all right?” he asked, a bit of worry wriggling through his thoughts. She didn’t look good; in fact, she looked haggard, now that he examined her more closely.
“No, she’s not feeling well, thanks to that idiot commander and our compliant captain.”
Jennie flapped a listless hand at Dion. “It’s nothing. Don’t make a big deal of it. I just have a headache and some nausea.”
Jacob pushed back his chair. “You’re not pregnant?” Memories of his mother’s pregnancy and her violent morning sickness tumbled through his mind.
“Well, thanks for the insult to my sterling moral character!” Jennie coughed and blood dripped from her nose. Hastily, she grabbed a napkin to try to staunch the bleeding.
Leaning forward, Dion’s face filled with concern. His eyebrows dipped and he pursed his lips. “You’re sick, Jennie. You could have radiation sickness. That’s serious. Lots of people on board have it because of all the radiation from that black hole hitting the ships.”
“She had a protection pod.” Jacob pointed to a capsule standing in a corner of the room.
“I wasn’t here.” Jennie rubbed her forehead as if her head hurt. “I was helping with the kids, and there weren’t enough pods to go around, but I’ll be fine.”
A World Too Far (Terran Trilogy Book 1) Page 16