by Chris Burton
Steve turned towards Steve, with a rage on his face
“Are you calling me a liar?”
Now Steve was facing Jake and had moved forward to within inches, confrontationally.
Carla tried to push herself between Jake and Steve, but was brushed aside by Steve.
“What the hell...”
Jake’s words were lost as Steve launched an uppercut straight into the side of his jaw. A perfect punch, leaving Jake, flat out on the floor. Stunned, he pulled himself back up, but the fight was cut short, before Jake could respond, by two security droids, who were monitoring the situation. One stood, protecting Jake and Carla, while the other approached Steve.
“You appear to be under the influence of alcohol or banned substances. Please lift you left arm and adjust your sleeve for a blood test.”
The droids stood over two meters tall and no one human would ever try to take one on. Steve resisted briefly, before the first droid, clasped his arm and drew up his sleeve. The second droid produced a testing device, which he hovered over Steve’s forearm, before gesturing for Steve to move his arm away and await the outcome.
“The test is positive for Pschandronone. This is a class two banned substance and you are guilty of being under influence of this substance. Please come with me.”
The security droids previously unseen vehicle had drawn up alongside and Steve was man- handled into the caged rear. The first droid having determined that Jake was fine joined his colleague in the security vehicle and seconds later they were gone, with Steve inside.
“Oh, my God. Are you okay?” asked Carla “What the hell will he do next?”
“That has got to be it for him. Pschandronone is pretty serious stuff.”
“Yes, it makes you hallucinate and aggressive. How in the hell did he get hold of it?”
“Beats me...and how long has he been on it?”
“I think I might know where it came from.”
“Why would you know?”
“The refectory, last week. I saw Steve talking to Townsend, behind the bar. Apparently he has been done for supply before.”
“Yes, but Steve doesn’t do drugs. Does he? God, you think you know someone.”
“When the tutor gets this, that will be it for him. What can we do?”
“I guess we need to speak to Steve ASAP.”
“Not you . You are still catching up and I don’t think it would be right, given that he assaulted you. I’m glad the droids arrived when they did; otherwise, you would both be up before the magistrate. You get to class. I will try and sort this mess out.”
* * * *
“Pschandronone is a hyper stimulant, hallucinatory, emotion enhancer. It is highly addictive and is usually a drug that users progress to, rather than for occasional or first time use. Expensive and very dangerous; availability is usually restricted to back-street establishments. It is not seen as a recreational drug.”
Carla was in the security precinct and was reading a display panel while waiting for Steve to be processed. He was charged, but Carla managed to get it set aside, on assuring the charging officer, that this was a one-off, of Steve’s good character and that his career was at stake.
Steve walked toward her, with his head lowered. He seems to have sobered up. Good, because he has some explaining to do.
“I have probably just salvaged your graduation.”
“Yes, probably. I am still in trouble though aren’t I?”
“So why were you taking drugs?”
Steve laughed and then shrugged his shoulder. “It was only a one off. You would not come out, so I had to go out on my own.”
“At least you recognize that we were not together last night now. Where did you get the drugs from?”
“I am not talking about that here.”
“Okay, so we walk. You still need to sober up more. We both have to explain why we missed this morning’s class yet.”
“That’s hardly an issue. This is our last week.”
“And you are still behind! We are out of earshot now. Where did you get the Pschandronone from?”
“From a source...in the Refectory.”
“Andy Townsend?”
“How did you know?”
“Because I have seen you speaking to him before, because of his track record and because I have had my suspicions.”
“Shit, Carla, does this mean that we are over?”
“I hope that’s still the drugs talking. You know perfectly well we are over!”
“I thought we still had a chance to get back together? Am I too late now that Jake is back on the scene? Is he your new man now?”
“Fuck off Steve.” She had enough. She was fed up with protecting him.
“Okay, yes you are right. Jake and I are together and we are in love. No, there is no prospect of you and I ever getting back together. I did this today to get you off the hook, so you graduate. Not for any other reason.”
“Thought so and you wonder why I turned to drugs...think I might go home and take some more.”
“Do that and I’ll report you to your tutor. You are off the hook and you are going to graduate.”
Steve saw he was beaten. They walked the rest of the way to the academy in silence. Steve was fuming. He was not finished with Jake yet.
* * * *
Wednesday morning, saw Jake and Steve come together in class for the first time since Steve was released from the security precinct. The two Ensons managed to avoid each other prior to the start of class. When the class was split into two—those who were grounded and those not, avoidance was more difficult, especially after they were paired together for the final simulator session of the course.
“Gentlemen. While those who are able or are not constrained from flying Jump Ship sorties are up there flying the same old repetitive sorties, you guys actually get to do something a bit more meaningful. The benefit of the simulator is that you can authentically reproduce almost any scenario and that means that we can place you in uncomfortable surroundings, akin to those that you may well experience in combat. If you like...we are the lucky ones.”
The Chief Simulator Trainer was in his element. He had a class of twelve trainees who reported unfit to fly, or were grounded for a raft of different reasons. He pointed towards his holoscreen and outlined the scenario for today’s simulation.
“You will be flying Hunter R4’s. Please don’t suggest to me, that using Hunters is not realistic. It is highly plausible that many of you will be transferred to SED after graduation with the renewed Kryl threat. Since Hunters are still in general use, by SED, this could actually be you in say ten weeks time. Although I suspect some of you hotshots will manage to stay well clear.”
There was a murmur of disdain from his small but captive audience. None of them wanted to fly with SED, but events in the Tri-star System were moving very quickly and there was no question that they would need pilots and new Jump Ship graduates would be targeted for these less glamorous postings. He continued.
“As there are only twelve of you, we can run six simulations simultaneously and take a full two hour sortie. Your task is simple, enough. You will need to get your Hunter back to Alpha Two, from the Saturn rings, where your vessel has engaged the Kryl and you have lost all but your ion drive. You have just thirty-five percent power reserves. You will have a full complement of Teutonic’s, but your plasma power banks will be in reserve. Your PBA’s, NAVCOM and environmental controls will all be off line...although you will be able to bring these back on line—if you use the time wisely. You are being pursued by Kryl fighters, whose sole intent is to destroy you or get close enough to fry your brain stems. That’s it. Pilots and co-pilots were preselected and should stay in situ for the entire simulation. Good luck and we will discuss how you did after the sortie.”
Jake smiled. This was typical. He was stuck in a Hunter simulation vessel for the next two hours, with a crazed and vengeful pilot. This would be great fun. Not!
* * * *
“Okay. Let’s cut the crap. We are here to simulate how to get the hell out of this pile of shit while trying to keep a bloody Hunter flying on ion drive only. I am in command, so just let’s get on with it. I have no wish to be in this hunk of junk with the man who stole my girlfriend. For the record, I still intend to take this matter up with you properly offline.”
“What’s stopping you from doing it here Steve? You and I both know that we can keep these Kryl at bay, using ion bursts and the correct intermix calculations. We should talk and try to clear the air.”
“Who are you trying to kid? You stole my woman, you asshole and you did it right under my nose. How long had you been screwing before Carla finally decided to dump me?”
“We didn’t get together until sometime after she split up with you. I was with Maria, remember.”
“You are supposed to be my best mate. What makes you think you can just come along and steal Carla from me. We were meant to be together, we were going to get married.”
“And live happily ever after! Steve, she just ran out of love for you. I was not even on the scene and I certainly did not pursue her. She came after me and it was long after you two had split up for Christ sake!”
Two Kryl vessels drew to within range. Jake as copilot was seeking the best option for a standoff. He had already tried to boost the plasma cannon reserves, but turned his attention to the NAVCOM, which was fried. He needed to realign the power lines to the backup navigation computer. Tricky, because it involved uncoupling the hunters control fascia, just when his pilot needed it the most. The navigation computer though was hypercritical. If they could get it back online, they could lock the ship on course and both then concentrate on boosting power reserves. The Kryl ships were firing at them now.
“Engage what cannon reserves we have. We need to take at least one out, before we worry overly about the NAVCOM.”
“Negative. We need the navigation online. Allow them to get a little closer and I’ll try a Teutonic implosion between them.”
“No Jake! As pilot, I am in command. Use the plasma cannons to take out the forward Kryl.”
“We are supposed to work together on this Steve!”
Jake sighed and admitted defeat, realizing that the pilot had temporarily diverted missile controls to his station. Jake had no choice, but to use plasma bursts to take out the Kryl ships. He used the manual rear view screen to bring the lead Kryl ship into range and let out three two-second bursts of plasma fire. The first two missed, the last was bang on target and the Kryl ship rocked from the impact and lost ground, narrowly missing the second Kryl fighter as its pilot slowed to recover his balance.
“A Teutonic now, would help!” shouted Jake.
Steve was in accord and launched two missiles directly into the path of the second Kryl vessel. The two Kryl ships exploded.
“We are still being pursued by four more, but they are some distance back. I’ll revert to the NAVCOM, if that’s all right with you. Can you look at a power boost for the plasma cannons?”
Before Steve could answer. The screens in front of him and his visor went dead and the Hunter was pitched into complete darkness.
“What the hell? This does not look like part of the simulation.”
A voice from outside the simulator confirmed Steve’s suspicions.
“Sorry you guys in there. The simulator has gone done. Problem with the power source. You’re stuck in there for the time being, but we should have you out shortly.”
“Bloody typical. Another simulator failure and this time I am stuck in here with my worst enemy!”
“Oh come of it Steve. We used to be best mates. We need to talk and sort out our differences.”
“Or we could just sit in silence, or we could fight it out!”
“Is that really what you want?”
“Okay. Tell me what really happened.”
“I told you. It happened after you and Carla split up. I seem to remember that you were out gallivanting every night, quite often with a different woman to wake up to the next morning. Be honest, how much of this is you responding because you feel you have to, rather than outright jealousy. You didn’t love her. She was just a convenience.”
“Don’t try and turn this round on me!”
“Why not? Neither Carla nor I are to blame for the end of your relationship. You did that yourself. You treated her badly, you were unfaithful, and you were bloody rude to her most of the time.”
“No, I loved her! Maybe not in a conventional way. That’s just me. She accepted me for it to begin with, but now for some reason she doesn’t.”
“That’s because you have gone off the rails. You need to pull yourself together and fast. This is all going to be a bit academic soon anyway. In a few weeks, we could be in different parts of the galaxy. You are not going to be interested in a long term, distance relationship. Not when you’ll have the pick of the female jump pilots.”
“You will not be with her either.”
“No, probably not. I do love her and I will stay with her, no matter how far distant our lives take us.”
“How does Carla feel about this?”
“She feels the same way. We are going to stay together.”
“And me?”
Jake could tell that Steve was taking a more conciliatory tone. He gave up the fight...for now at least.
“You will remain good friends with both of us, across galaxies if we have to. If you want to that is?”
“I don’t really want to talk about it anymore. It all feels a little too fresh. I guess in time...”
Suddenly, bright light lit up the cockpit simulator as the door opened and a technician poked his head through the doorway. “I trust you guys are still okay in here!”
“Yes,” said Jake. “I think we probably are now.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Searching for the Kryl Ship
Jonathan Hoskins spent a passionate night with Lieutenant Obeya Temsouri. She left early to start her CAG shift and he stayed in bed until 8:00 a.m. to catch up on some much needed sleep.
The pre-recorded comm. link message from his wife was brief, but had made him leap out of bed with concern, when he heard it. His son had been admitted to the medical facility for tests. The tests were inconclusive and they returned home, but the medics were concerned enough to request they attend again next week to meet with a specialist.
He knew he should have been with his son and be supportive to his wife. But he could not contact her, at least not until he reached communicable range with a sub-station. The thing that bothered him the most was his near total disrespect for his wife, his marriage and his child, with whom he had spent so little time. He spent the night, once again making love to his mistress.
But this is the life I’ve chosen. As much as I want to be, we are ordered to pursue the Kryl ship. This is war and I am not allowed home. Not now.
And that damn Kryl ship has disappeared.
He had to find time to get a message to his wife, to find out about his son. This is my ship, dammit and it’s about time I put my interests and not the ships first.
Commander Shen Knui joined Hoskins in his ready room, ten minutes later.
“Jonathan. We are two days short of the Tri-star System at current velocity and there is no sign of the Kryl ship. I suggest that we give up our search and increase our speed. We can be with the fleet, within a matter of hours if we increase to SD6.”
“Agreed. Make it so. I shall be putting in a request for emergency personal leave to return to Alpha One. I believe I can leave the ship in your capable hands for a few weeks?”
Shen Knui expressed surprise. “Anything I should know about? It must be serious. Even with a fast shuttle, it will take six or seven weeks there and back. I would think it unlikely that Admiral Shenke will grant personal leave unless it is absolutely necessary.”
“It’s none of your damned business and yes, he will grant leave!”
Hoskins put his head in his hands, sighed an
d looked again at his first officer.
“I am sorry, Shen Knui. My son is ill and I can’t do anything about it here. I don’t know how serious it is and I know damn well Shenke, will not want me to leave. I was just sounding off. I will be requesting a direct comm. link though, that is probably the least he can do, if he refuses my leave request.”
Shen Knui smiled. She was getting used to her new commanding officer. Like most humans, he had his good moods and his bad ones, his strengths and his weaknesses. The human’s emotional side was always a difficult one. She could only comprehend so much.
“I will take us in directly alongside the Viceroy. I am sure your son will be okay, but I understand your need to verify.”
Shen Knui was getting better at understanding human emotions, thought Hoskins. We will make a human of her yet.
* * * *
Within two hours, the Halo 7, pulled alongside the Viceroy, Admiral Shenke’s new A class Star Ship and Hoskins sat on one of the ample sofas in the Admirals state room.
“Jonathan. The loss of your fleet is unfortunate, but it is no reflection on you. What have we learned about our missing Kryl ship? Clearly she is not a standard cruiser.”
Hoskins outlined his theory on the Kryl vessel and its commander and Shenke nodded without commenting until Hoskins had finished.
“It’s a good theory but we must not rely on it. We need more Intel from fleet before we can commit to a specific strategy for dealing with this. Okay, I suggest you stand the Halo 7 down and assume a tactical position within the fleet.”
Hoskins acknowledged Shenke’s response and then took a deep breath before requesting his shore leave.
“I sympathize but it is totally out of the question. We need you here. I would normally say ‘no’ to the direct comm. link too but I can see how important this is. I need my senior commanders at their best. Take a shuttle out of the system and communicate there but make sure you are clear of any other vessel. I don’t want to start a precedent and I don’t want the Kryl intercepting our discussions with Earth.”
Hoskins thanked Shenke and headed straight for the main hangar bay. He had no wish to wait for a shuttle launch to be coordinated. That would take too long and he wanted to speak to Sarah, the urgency of the situation here demanded that he addressed his personal issues as quickly as possible. He headed for the Jump Ship bays and approached an assistant CAG, who he hoped would accept his authority and quickly arrange a Rapier for flight.