by Knox, Barry
“Once inside the biosphere, the extraction team will make its way to Doctor Kastriva. After he’s acquired, the team will leave the way it came in, return to Bernice, and return to the ship. Also, Captain, this is why we requested Sipes come along. He will be tasked to carry the breach equipment and Doctor Kastriva, if required. That’ll free up my marines to cover our extraction if we run into any problems. Any questions before we discuss what we’ll do if the envoy team is taken hostage?” Neubauer asked.
Everyone remained quiet.
“Very well,” Captain Neubauer continued. “The extraction plan to rescue Doctor Kastriva remains the same if the envoy team is captured and held hostage. It’ll be the responsibility of Lieutenant Klaxton to free the envoy team, contact the ship, and rendezvous with the extraction team. At that point we’ll all leave Gliese aboard Bernice. We’ll remotely fly the standard naval orbital VTOL back to the ship, and once both VTOLs are aboard, we’ll leave the system as soon as possible.
“Any questions?” Captain Neubauer asked.
“That’s it?” Dr. Harper asked surprised. “That’s the plan? You’re just assuming all this will work out like you described?”
“No, sir. I’m sure we’ll have to adapt and overcome some unexpected obstacles. That’s what marines are trained to do: adapt, overcome, and succeed,” Captain Neubauer said.
“Captain Neubauer, this plan is unacceptable. Sir, you’re putting our lives at risk,” Dr. Harper said with a hint of excitement in his voice, which seemed to magnify his Southern accent.
Mary interrupted before the briefing got out of hand. “Your only alternative, Doctor Harper, is to not be part of the envoy team. We can send crew members in your place who’ll pose as other scientists who are part of the expedition.”
“No need for that, Captain Bowser,” Dr. Harper said in a calmer voice. “Doctor Jones and I will go. After all, I’m sure our reputations precede us, and they’re more likely to cooperate with our being there in person. Anyway, the more I think about it, the more I’m sure they won’t hold us hostage.”
“Plan approved, Captain,” Mary said as she looked at Captain Neubauer. “Get your team together and get ready.”
“Yes, sir,” he responded.
Bridge, SRS Stephen Hawking
0930—February 21, 2372
“Sir, we’ve arrived in the Gliese system,” Lieutenant LaPalm said.
“Very well,” Mary replied. “Full stop and maintain position.”
Yes, sir,” LaPalm replied as she used her holographic navigation console to comply with Mary’s orders.
“Ensign Young, contact Gliese Space Command, let them know we’ve arrived and get our approach vector,” Mary ordered.
“Yes, sir,” he answered and then transmitted the message.
A few seconds later Ensign Young reported. “Sir, we’ve received the approach vector to Gliese and I’ve forwarded it to Lieutenant LaPalm.”
“Lieutenant LaPalm, set course using the approach vector and let me know our time of arrival and position relative to the planet,” Mary said.
“Course set. We’ll arrival at Gliese at thirteen hundred and the ship would be stationed in a high orbit above Gliese,” Lieutenant LaPalm reported.
“Very well,” Mary replied.
Mary then used her command chair holographic panel and selected a communication channel to Captain Neubauer’s Anna.
“Captain, Captain Bowser wishes to speak with you,” Neubauer’s Anna said through his implant.
“Put her on,” Captain Neubauer responded.
“Captain, we’ll be in Gliese high orbit at thirteen hundred. Have the envoy and extraction teams standing by in the hangar.”
“Yes, Captain,” Neubauer said. He paused for a second and added, “We’ll be ready, sir.”
Hangar Bay, SRS Stephen Hawking
1200—February 21, 2372
Mary entered the hangar bay and saw the standard orbital VTOL and the marine assault VTOL, Bernice, sitting side by side. Sailors, marines, and the two scientists who made up both envoy and extraction teams were standing under the vehicles, undoubtedly talking about the upcoming mission.
“Captain on deck!” Xia bellowed when he noted Mary’s entrance.
Everyone stood at attention.
“Carry on,” she immediately yelled as she walked toward the group.
“Are we ready, Captain Neubauer?” she asked as she approached him.
“Yes, sir. We’re as ready as we can be.”
“Gather round,” Mary ordered as she used her hands and arms to motion everyone toward her.
The team members came to where she was standing. Some stood while others took a knee.
“This is not a pep talk, and I won’t speak long,” Mary said with a smile.
Everyone let out a short laugh.
“I just wanted to wish you all good luck, and remember the crew of the Stephen Hawking has your back. If you run into any trouble, stay calm, and we’ll do whatever we have to do to help you. We’re all going to leave this planet together,” she said with confidence. “Are there any last-minute questions?”
Dr. Jones began to speak as she timidly raised her hand. “Captain, who’s going to fly the VTOL that the envoy team will be taking?”
“Lieutenant Klaxton will pilot the envoy VTOL. Stephen has been his flight instructor, and the lieutenant has flown the minimum hours required in a simulator to become a certified pilot. It seems the lieutenant is a quick study.”
“Thank…thank you, Captain,” Dr. Jones said with some hesitation as if she expected a more experienced pilot.
“Anyone else?” Captain Bowser asked.
“Captain Bowser?” a deep voice bellowed, startling everyone.
Mary, along with everyone else, looked and saw Petty Officer Sipes with his tree-trunk-size arm held in the air.
“Yes, Petty Officer,” Mary said.
“Captain, I was so busy preparing for the mission I forgot to tell Chief Ostrow that I finished up inspecting the ship’s pressure suits and gathering the tools he asked me to stow in the ship’s hull repair locker. Will you let him know I’m finished, Captain?”
“I’ll let him know, but you can have your Anna send him the message,” Mary answered wondering why he bothered her with such a request, and hoping she hadn’t made a mistake of approving him to be part of the extraction team.
Joseph lowered his head, and responded in a somber, deeper voice. “Sorry, Captain. I didn’t think about using Anna. I’ll let him know before I leave.”
Mary waited a few more seconds for questions, and then dismissed the group.
***
The men and women broke up into twos and threes and started talking. Captain Neubauer and Commander Steward used their remaining time before the mission to talk with Mary.
Gideon, now wearing a navy-blue jumpsuit with the same insignia the other scientists aboard the Stephen Hawking wore, walked around the VTOL he would pilot. It was part of the traditional preflight check to inspect the exterior of the craft, looking for any damage or leaks. Sergeant Tidwell was doing the same preflight inspection on Bernice.
Gideon’s designation call sign for the mission would be Envoy One, while Sergeant Tidwell’s assault VTOL, Bernice, was designated as Extract One.
“Sorry, sir,” Gideon heard someone behind him. He turned and saw Sipes in a snug-fitting environmental suit.
“What are you sorry for, Sipes?” Gideon asked as he continued his inspection.
“For being so dumb, sir!” Sipes answered as he followed Gideon around the VTOL.
“It’s normal to forget things when you’re stressed, Sipes,” Gideon said as he stopped to make sure an external access panel was secured. “This is something you haven’t done before, and it’s natural to be stressed about it. Just remember to do what you’re told, and everything will be fine.”
“I guess that also means I do what Gunny Xia says too?” Joseph asked with concern.
“Yes. It
’s no secret that Gunny Xia doesn’t like you.” Gideon paused, grinned, and added, “As a matter of fact, he probably doesn’t like me either. But he’s a marine first, and I’m sure he’ll do his duty to keep everyone safe and complete the mission.”
“I’ll do what I’m told, Lieutenant, and I won’t let you down,” Joseph said with a smile. “After all, my grandma told me in my dream to do my best to help save everybody.”
“You’ll do fine, Sipes,” Gideon said as he finished his inspection. “Better get back to your team and stand by.”
“Yes, sir,” Joseph said as he turned and walked toward the extraction team standing beside Bernice.
***
“Captain Bowser?” Mary’s Anna said. “We’ve received a message from Gliese Space Command to launch the envoy orbital VTOL.”
“Very well,” Mary said. “Gentlemen, we just received our invitation to visit Gliese. Load ‘em up, and let’s get this done.”
Both officers saluted Mary and yelled for their individual teams to board the VTOLs.
Mary left the hangar and walked to the hangar bay control room.
Commander Steward boarded Envoy One first, followed by Dr. Jones and Dr. Harper. Gideon followed a few seconds later, after giving Captain Neubauer a thumbs-up to tell him he was ready.
Sergeant Tidwell was already seated in the pilot’s chair of Extract One, going through his preflight checklist, as Gunny Xia stood at the loading ramp, waving the extraction team on board. Sergeant Manelly entered first followed by Corporal Gault, Sergeant Kindle, Joseph and Captain Neubauer. Each marine wore standard camouflaged enhanced battle armor carrying a MPB-92 while Joseph wore a standard navy-blue environmental suit.
A few minutes later both VTOLs were powered up and ready to depart. Gideon had received the course vector to Canton Mie and was loading it into the VTOL’s AI computer as he sat in the pilot’s seat. Commander Steward sat in the copilot seat, assisting where he could. Dr. Jones and Dr. Harper sat quietly in the cargo bay.
“Waiting on you, LT,” Sergeant Tidwell said over a secure VTOL-to-VTOL laser communication link. “I’ll be on your wing.”
“Roger that. Just finishing my preflight systems checks, Tidwell,” Gideon answered.
Mary safely watched the two VTOLs from behind the observation window of the hangar bay control room. The engines from both VTOLs shook the Stephen Hawking as she watched both VTOLs’ atmospheric flight control systems move up and down and then side to side.
“Envoy One and Extract One, this is Stephen Hawking hangar bay control. External hangar doors opening in one minute,” Petty Officer Joel West said as he used the holographic hangar bay control panel to transmit the message and prepared to open the hangar doors.
“Roger, shuttle control,” Tidwell said. “Switching to stealth mode now.”
Mary watched as Bernice seemed to disappear as its exterior began to blend in with its surroundings like a chameleon.
A few seconds later the hangar bay doors opened, and stars twinkled behind the envoy VTOL.
“Envoy One, this is hangar bay control. You’re cleared to depart.” Petty Officer West said.
“Roger, hangar control. Envoy One departing,” Gideon answered as he carefully used the VTOL controls to maneuver the orbital VTOL out of the hangar without hitting the now-invisible Bernice.
With the assistance of the VTOL AI, Gideon set course to Canton Mie using the preprogrammed vector.
“Hangar control, this is Envoy One. Following Gliese Space Command vector,” Gideon transmitted, using the VTOL’s unsecure radio frequency (RF) communications.
“Roger, Envoy One,” Petty Officer West responded.
***
Gideon used his control panel to communicate with Bernice using only the secure ship-to-ship laser communications.
“Are you on my wing, Tidwell?” Gideon asked, wanting to make sure Bernice was there.
“On your wing, LT,” Tidwell responded. Although Bernice was in stealth mode, it still emitted a minute amount of heat, and being on the wing of the standard orbital VTOL made Bernice virtually undetectable.
“Very well, Tidwell,” Gideon answered as a warning tone sounded. His holographic flight controls reported two objects on an intercept vector.
An RF communication message blared in Gideon’s and Commander Steward’s flight helmet earphones. “Earth ship Envoy One, this is Gliese Space Command. Two orbital escort fighters are on an intercept course. They’ll escort you to Canton Mie. Any deviation from your vector will be considered hostile, and you’ll be attacked.”
“This is Envoy One to Gliese Space Command. I copy your transmission. We will not deviate from our programmed approach vector,” Gideon transmitted as he looked at Commander Steward and smiled.
“I think they’re a bit suspicious,” Gideon said over the pilot-to-copilot communication link and winked at Commander Steward.
A few minutes later, the two Gliese orbital fighters intercepted Envoy One. The fighters were black with two parallel red stripes imprinted on the length of their wings. Their strobe lights were turned on and they took up escort positions on both sides of the VTOL. Gideon was sure Sergeant Tidwell was taking appropriate evasive actions, making sure the Gliese fighters wouldn’t collide with Bernice.
“Prepare for atmospheric entry,” Gideon said over the ship’s intercom system after the VTOL AI indicated that entry into Gliese’s atmosphere would begin in thirty seconds. Dr. Harper and Dr. Jones checked their safety harnesses, remembering their stomachs churning during the landing on Phobos. They hoped this wouldn’t be another assault landing.
Marine Assault VTOL Bernice, Planet Gliese Orbit
1338—February 21, 2372
Bernice sat in a geostationary orbit over Canton Mie as Sergeant Tidwell used his pilot’s holographic console to check the status of various ship systems and stealth integrity. Tidwell had positioned Bernice into its current orbital location after he watched Envoy One and its two Gliese escort fighters begin entry into the Gliese atmosphere. Bernice would stay in orbit until the S-TIC discovered and reported the location of Dr. Kastriva. Once the doctor was discovered, Bernice would land at one of the three pre-designated landing zones just outside the Canton Mie biosphere.
Envoy One VTOL, Canton Mie Landing Approach
1345—February 21, 2372
Envoy One, still escorted by Gliese Space Command fighters, neared the gigantic biosphere that contained the city Canton Mie. Gideon noted the biosphere, colored a transparent sky blue, could now be seen on the horizon. Patches of ice and snow partially covered the planet’s natural ground colors of various shades of turquoise and gray. A few seconds later, Gideon was able to make out individual buildings in Canton Mie as the Envoy One VTOL continued to pilot itself to the city.
“You are cleared to land at the Canton Mie space port,” Gideon and Commander Steward heard through their helmet speakers. “Land on the pad marked thirty-seven and remain in your ship until notified.” The transmission ended.
An audible tone and warning display popped up on the pilot’s console, telling Gideon he’d take flight control in fifteen seconds. That meant he’d have to land the ship manually.
Gideon readied himself as he took the controls and watched as their fighter escort streaked past them. As they passed, he saw a large blast of flames exit their engines as they vertically climbed out of sight.
“Landing pads are on our port side,” Commander Steward said.
“Got them,” Gideon said, then saw four landing pads marked “22,” “37,” “48,” and “90.” They lay in a row adjacent to a large building.
“Doctors, we’re on approach for landing. Make sure your harness is secure,” Commander Steward said over the ship’s intercom.
Gideon banked the VTOL and approached the landing pad. Using the controls like a seasoned pilot, he made adjustments to position the VTOL over the center of the pad, extended the landing gear, and gently lowered the ship to the surface. Troops of the Glie
se Communal Tribal Union (CTU) immediately exited the adjacent building and surrounded the VTOL. The troops were dressed in turquoise-and-gray camouflaged environmental battle armor and armed with assault weapons.
“Envoy One, welcome to Canton Mie Space Port,” Gideon and Commander Steward heard a masculine voice say over an RF transmission as both men began shutting down the VTOL systems. “An environmental ramp is being deployed and will connect to your ship. Please stand by until the ramp is attached and operational,” the voice continued.
“Thank you, Canton Mie Space Port. We’ll stand by,” Gideon responded.
Seconds later an enclosed ramp, resembling the same type of rectangular ramp atmospheric “airliners” used centuries ago, began extending itself to the VTOL until it attached to the starboard hatch.
“We have an external connection to our hatch,” Gideon transmitted as he noted an indicator on his console.
“Envoy One, this is Canton Mie Space Port. Please exit as soon as possible. Thank you,” the male voice informed them again.
“Understood, Canton Mie Space Port,” Gideon replied and then selected the ship’s intercom system. “Doctors, please meet us at the starboard hatch air lock.”
A few minutes later they all met at the air lock.
“Is everyone ready?” Commander Stewart asked the team before he allowed Gideon to open the hatch. Everyone nodded and Gideon opened the hatch.
***
A well-dressed man, who looked to be in his sixties, stood in front of three armed CTU soldiers. Gideon noted the man’s long gray hair was tied into a ponytail, draped around his neck and hung over his left shoulder. His eyes were light blue, and he had a smile that screamed “politician”.
“Welcome to Canton Mie. I’m Doctor Ervin Buru, director of the Communal Tribal Union Science Division,” the man said with a slight bow.