“But Arn that's going to deplete our fuel supplies to a dangerous level. Even if it works and we get there in time to save Elias we'll be close to not being able to use the fusion engines. And we need them to rendezvous with the moon Elias is on and then get into orbit around Sirius to recharge.”
“I know. But if we don't get there in time, why are we even going?” asked Arn.
Five days to get to Sirius. Along the way, they had been able to save one day of recharge by diverting some of the fusion power to the isotopics. That left seven days of orbiting the star while the isotopics were replenished.
After that Arn knew they had to move fast. They couldn't afford any more delay. He had met with the men. They were concerned with making another long jump but they weren't afraid. They had all agreed to do what it would take to save Elias, even at the risk of their lives.
Arn was in the control room waiting to hear Al call and tell him the isotopics were ready. The ship was headed toward Epsilon Eridani at a velocity calculated from Elias' notes. The speed would add to the energy of the cast wormhole mouth causing it to travel further in the wormhole dimension than usual. It was their only hope of getting the extra few tenths of light-years they needed to jump close enough to Eridani to attempt the rescue in time.
Arn's Emmie alerted, “Arn this is Al.”
“Go ahead.”
“We're ready.”
“Okay, everyone get a grip, here we go.”
Arn ordered the crewman operating the generator to engage. The distant mouth coordinates were already entered. Bucky Blaine engaged the generator.
At first, the wormhole mouth was too distant and dim to notice. Then as the ship sped toward the developing mouth it became brighter and brighter. The size increased until just before the ship entered it and had become fully formed and large enough to accommodate the diameter of the crew wheel.
The Starway 1 emerged from the other side of the wormhole at speed. They were near enough to Eridani to see the disc of the star. Immediately Arn called for the location of the planet that Elias' moon circled. Eventually, the navigation system announced a distance of sixty-point two-four astronomical units.
Arn quickly calculated in his head the time of flight to the moon.
Almost two days and then when we get there we have to enter orbit and send the shuttle down.
“Okay,” said Arn. “Get me a vector to that moon and get the ship there ASAP.”
Turning to his old friend Bucky Blaine he said, “Buck, don't spare the engines.”
Dag was worried. Burgess had stopped responding and Elias was incoherent. He had started forcing water down Burgess but he knew it wouldn't be long until that wouldn't be possible.
To save power Dag was keeping the temperature just above freezing. Burgess and Elias had donned an EVA suit while they still had the strength. This aided Dag in caring for them now that they were unable to do for themselves. Body wastes were eliminated automatically by the suits. Suit temperature could be controlled independently of the shuttle and maintained as long as the suits stayed powered. But that was becoming the problem.
The thick atmosphere of the moon blocked much of the light from Epsilon Eridani and the solar arrays were only providing twenty percent of their nominal power. Dag was having to power down for longer and longer periods. He wouldn't be able to care for Burgess and Elias much longer. But much longer and it wouldn't matter for either of them.
By this time Starway 1 was already decelerating into the Epsilon Eridani System.
“Al what I want is for us to enter orbit around that moon without a lot of course corrections, refiring of rockets etcetera.”
“I understand Arn. I've got the guys and the navigational Emmies working full time to make any course corrections necessary now instead of waiting. If they do it right, and I think they will, we should enter that orbit smoothly without any delay.”
“Thanks Al, stay on top of it. By the way how much longer do they figure?”
“Roughly a couple of hours. I can get you an accurate estimate if you need it.”
“No that's okay. We'll know what we need to know soon I guess.”
The Starway 1 was firing the fusion engine and its attitude control rockets almost continuously as it closed on the moon circling Eridani's big gas planet. It was like putting a big ocean liner into a small dock while sliding sideways and the crew and Emmies were up to the task. Insertion into orbit was almost perfect but there was no celebration. They began searching immediately for the signal of the downed shuttle.
The one system that Dag had not cut power was the distress signal. It wasn't long until the Starway 1 was launching its lander shuttle. Now Arn and the rest of the crew became quiet. After all the frenzied activity to get the ship in orbit they could only wait to find out if the effort would bear fruit. If they had saved lives or lost them.
The landing shuttle would be in position to fire the deorbital burn of its rockets in a little over an hour. From then until landing would take another hour.
Arn had retired to his quarters to clean up and eat a bite.
A little over two hours. I hope we are in time Elias. We've done everything we could to get here as fast as possible.
Arn wasn't a praying man but he bowed his head.
Chapter 12
Roy Simpson was piloting the shuttle through the atmosphere using aerodynamic braking to shed the excess velocity. He had put the lander through a series of sharp banked turns, first to the left and then the right, then the left, then the right, over and over. Banking at eighty degrees through each turn. Steve Jones in the co-pilot seat kept calling out distance and altitude to the pilot. Behind them was the ship's doctor, A. C. Kepler, trying to keep the contents of his stomach down on the wild roller coaster ride.
The sharp banking turns allowed the shuttle to lose excess energy without overshooting its target area. Once the shuttle had slowed enough the rockets fired to lower it to the moon's surface. It set down no more than a few yards from the other shuttle in a whirling cloud of carbon dioxide crystals.
Steve Jones tried one more time to raise the other shuttle.
“Still no answer.”
“Okay let's get over there and see what we've got. Doc do you need help with the equipment?”
“No thanks, I've got it.”
“Okay let's go.”
The men cycled through the airlock onto the surface of the moon. The winds were blowing the loose but frozen carbon dioxide horizontally. The walk to the shuttle was short.
“So how do we get in?” asked Jones.
“The ship's Emmie is busy working on the cipher key, it shouldn't take more than a few minutes,” said Simpson.
“Why don't we knock?” asked Dr. Kepler.
The other two looked at each other. Jones went to the shuttle's airlock hatch and hammered away. Inside Dag who had been suspended came alert. Going to the airlock control panel he cycled the outer hatch and allowed the men to enter the airlock. Soon they were inside and the doctor was working on Burgess and Elias.
After a few minutes, Roy Simpson asked, “What's the status Doc?”
“They are alive but badly depleted. Let's get them back to the shuttle so I can start an IV.”
Dag would carry Burgess. Simpson and Jones would hoist Elias between them for the short trip. It wasn't long until Burgess and Elias were medicated and being fed intravenously and Dag was recharging.
“Are we ready Doc?” asked Simpson.
The doctor nodded yes and they were away.
For the next few days as the ship recharged its isotopics around sun-like Epsilon Eridani, Elias and then Burgess recovered from their ordeal. They slowly became more active. Elias began discussing the experience with Arn Strombecker.
“I'm sorry about the men you lost Arn. The same thing happened to us except worse. Probably because our total energy and jump were much larger.”
“What is it Elias? What causes the deaths?”
“If I knew that A
rn we might be able to avoid it. With all that's happened since the last time I saw you I haven't had the time or energy to work on the problem. My unsubstantiated guess is that we are encountering a phase change in spacetime at about seven and a half light-years.”
“And that means?”
“That means that the laws of physics change to such an extent that biological life can no longer be supported. At least some lives, others seem to come through okay. That is a mystery.”
“If that's true Elias we won't be able to continue our explorations. Society won't support a mission where a certain number of the crew will almost surely die. We'll stagnate again, civilization will falter. The AIs will control us as they already do the Solar System.”
“Speaking of control, are we still under arrest?”
“Yes, I was going to speak to you about that. You and I can't go back to the Centauri System without being arrested. We will have to stop at the corporate offices on Luhman 16.
“Furthermore as far as the Centauri government it has placed all wormhole generator use under the regulation of the Committee on Public Safety. You must request a per use permit whenever you are to pilot a wormhole ship. Perhaps the strangest part of this development is that they have placed a man named Hugh Mason in charge of the committee. A man that came from Earth to the Centauri System just a few months ago.”
“That is bad news Arn. I'm a little surprised but I can understand when people are afraid they will turn to almost anyone that makes them feel safe. This man Mason must be a great talker.”
“Yeah, a real Pied Piper.”
“So what do we do?”
“I'm not sure Elias, beyond not getting arrested. Sachs will keep us informed of any more moves by the government against us. I suppose we set you up researching when we get to Luhman 16. Maybe you can find a way around this barrier in the wormhole drive.
“We jumped over twelve light-years the first time Elias. If it could be made safe to do so, I suppose the only limit would be the energy concentration that could be brought to bear at one point in space without causing a disruption.”
“No doubt Arn. I'll work on it. Arn, there's just one thing. James Tiberius gave his life so that Burgess and I could live. Do whatever you can for his family if he has any would you? We never had the time to discuss his personal life.”
“I will Elias.”
After eight days recharging the isotopics, the Starway 1 was ready to make a jump. They wouldn't have to make it back in one jump. They could make a long jump of just over seven and a half light years to Sirius and then from Sirius just two shorter jumps to Luhman 16. Elias felt that there would be no danger in any of the jumps since they had all come through longer ones. It should take less than two weeks.
But two weeks was a long time when it came to changes in the Centauri System. There Hugh Mason was on a campaign to make Arn and Elias scapegoats for the recent spacetime disruption. Mark Sachs had already been hounded out of the Starway Corporation by public rage and was still subject to imprisonment for his part in the disruption. But now Mason needed new targets to keep the public stirred up.
Mason would settle for nothing less than charges of treason against Elias and Arn. Treason against the entire Centauri System and humanity, the death penalty was the punishment, something that had not been invoked in hundreds of years. Even the mention of the death penalty brought a visceral thrill to many in the system.
The veneer of civilized man was cracking.
Mason was relentless in his advocacy. Eventually, he convinced the governments of the system to hold a referendum on the issue. The vote to reinstate the death penalty was affirmed by slightly over half the populace. Though the margin of victory was small, Mason proclaimed it decisive and the people's will. The trial of Elias and Arn in absentee began.
No trial in history was more closely followed by a populace. Some in pleased expectation of a guilty verdict, others in horror. Voices of reason who pointed out that no civilized people would try the accused without them being available to defend themselves were shouted down by louder voices. For many Elias and Arn were only getting what they deserved, it was unfortunate that they couldn't speak at their own trial but what about all the dead? They had not been given the chance to speak for themselves. It was up to the living to speak for them. Justice would be served even if due process was a little hurried.
The verdict became apparent almost from the beginning. The judge ruled against all the motions brought by the defense. Their legal legs were cut out from under them. The attorneys for the defense quit. New defense attorneys were appointed and the trial continued. Eventually, the defense was reduced to advocating only for a humane method of execution. The trial was obviously a farce but a ratings bonanza for the news organizations. Almost everyone began looking forward to the judgment and it wasn't long in coming.
No more than an hour was spent by the jury of their peers to convict Arn and Elias of treason against the governments and peoples of the Centauri System. The judge pronounced the death sentence. The governments began arguing among themselves which one would get the honor of carrying out the sentence.
Hugh Mason was extremely pleased but started to work immediately to find another crime or indignation to keep the people distracted.
No one aboard the Starway 1 knew anything about the legal proceedings back in the Centauri System. They were preparing for the jump that would take them into the Luhman 16 System and the Starway Corporation's orbiting station.
Elias was especially anxious to talk to Burgess. He had not told her yet what Arn had told him about the legal situation back home.
“Burgess I have something to tell you.”
“What is it honey?”
Elias then told her all that Arn had told him a few days before.
“I see,” she said. “So until you can clear your name we will have to stay at Luhman 16.”
“Honey, the station there is really no more than an outpost. An outpost with very little in the way of comforts. And probably strapped for resources to take care of more people.”
“What are you saying Elias?” said Burgess with a look of defiance already spreading across her face.
“I'm saying that Arn and I cannot go back to Centauri but I would feel better if you went back and I think Dag should go with you to see that you are alright.”
Burgess looked at him a moment, her countenance becoming implacable.
“Elias we had this discussion before we ever left the Centauri System. You are not leaving me behind.”
Elias was tense but he knew he had to make her see his point of view.
“Honey, I am not leaving you behind. I am leaving you in safety until I can clear my name and be with you again. Think about it honey, it's not about being a man or a woman. It's about being a wife and someday a mother. I can't take the chance that something might happen to you if we have to make a long jump. You didn't come through the first one in good shape. What if that happens again? We both lost that child Burgess. I never want to go through that again and I don't want you to go through it. I want you safe until I can come home safely and we can try again.”
Burgess' face had softened while he spoke. She still didn't like the idea that she would be left behind but what he said was reasonable and that's why she hated it. But he was right. They couldn't go through the loss of another child and there was no reason to risk being unable to have a family in the future.
“Okay,” she said softly as she leaned against her husband.
After a minute they kissed.
Chapter 13
Hugh Mason was giving directions to the Assistant Director of COPS.
“Alison you must make it clear to all the habitats that Elias Mach and Arn Strombecker and those supporting them are subject to immediate arrest. There are to be no excuses. Anyone not following this order to the letter will also be subject to the charge of treason. Understood?”
“Yes sir.”
“Good. Get that circulatin
g as soon as possible.”
Left alone Mason went to his office closet, unlocked the door and took out a small device. It was an ingenious miniature version of a wormhole generator. The AIs back on Earth had spent quite a bit of capital on the device. It would allow Mason to open a wormhole to those AIs and report.
The Starway 1 came into the Luhman 16 system after less than two weeks travel time. The Starway Corporation's small station was signaled and permission to dock was given. Once docking was completed the crew dispersed to their homes while Arn made room for Burgess, Elias and Dag at his place.
Even though Arn was the former CEO of Starway Corporation his apartment was small. Burgess and Elias would take the other bedroom while Dag, who really didn't need a bed would setup in Arn's study.
The station was a typical wheel-cylinder-wheel arrangement. The wheels at each end were fourteen-hundred feet in diameter and seventy feet wide. The resulting floor area was over two-million square feet. Spinning at just under two revolutions a minute provided a centrifugal force and resulting artificial gravity of nine-tenths that of Earth. Protection from radiation was provided by several feet of a moist gel substance engineered by the Ems and placed along the walls of the outer hull.
The central cylinder between the two wheels was some two-hundred-fifty feet in diameter and two-hundred feet in length. It had an internal scaffolding that held plants and grew them using aeroponics. This method of gardening was one-hundred thirty times more efficient than open sky farming back on Earth.
The cylinder provided six-million square feet, half for growing, half for storage. It also spun at two revolutions per second but because of the smaller diameter only provided an artificial gravity equivalent to that of Earth's moon. The cylinder's outer walls were lined with the same gel-like material as the wheels to provide radiation protection.
The wheels themselves were honeycombed with rooms. Private apartments, workrooms, storage areas and larger workout and assembly areas. Only in the middle at the rotational axis could one move between the wheels and the cylinder. The station was very utilitarian, practical and relatively cheap.
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