Talosian Chronicles 2: Star Dancer

by Ben Winston

  “This is the first version and I only made it ‘cause we needed somethin’ better than what we had. Once I can get my hands on that stuff they got for that new fighter, I can fix this up right,” the CPO explained.

  “How do you mean?” Ian asked the older gentlemen.

  “Well Sir, the new armor is lighter than the stuff we currently be usin’. I can use that to add either more weapons or ammo storage. I was also thinkin’ ‘bout maybe seein’ if I could put in a power port for the pulse rifles to get power right from the suit. Maybe a stronger shield or somethin’. Just a lot o’ fun we can have if’n we gets some o’ that new stuff.” Wayford explained.

  “I'll see what I can do for you, CPO Wayford. Major, if you are willing to risk your life in this, then you can use it.” Ian stopped as a thought occurred to him. “CPO Wayford, how hard would it be for you to design and build a different kind of suit? This wouldn’t need to be more than an armored space suit. I’d like to have something the crew can wear in case we get boarded, or if the section they’re in blows out.”

  “You want me to make up something everyone can wear, and still do their work?” Wayford asked.

  “Yes, something like a pilot’s flight suit, only without the fighter specific gear, maybe some light armor, and sealable in case of decompression,” Ian asked.

  Wayford looked off to the side. “Shouldn’t be too hard to manage. I might have to try a couple of things, but I think I can get ya something Sir. Ya want it for the whole crew?” Wayford asked.

  “Actually, I’d like a set for everyone on the ship, except for the babies,” Ian said. “When we go into combat, I’d feel a whole lot better knowing that if we took a bad hit, the people in that section stood some kind of chance at survival.”

  Wayford nodded. “I knows exactly what ya want Sir. It might take a few days, but I’ll come up with somethin’.”

  Ian was about to remind the man about the impending enemy arrival, but Wayford hadn’t finished talking.

  “Can’t do much for this battle, but we should be able to get somethin’ ready for the next one. Can I ask the computer for the folks sizes when it comes time to make them up?” Wayford asked.

  “Of course, just ask for Major Star, and she will be happy to help you,” Ian replied.

  Wayford nodded his thanks. “With yer permission Sir, if I can start getting’ these turned out, I’ll try to get the flight crews done first, can I tell them this is their new duty uniform and they should go an put it on as soon as they can?”

  “If you can do that without interrupting them, that would be great, chief,” Ian replied, impressed by the man’s planning.

  “Well, If’n you’ll pardon me Sir, I got work to be gettin’ to,” the man said and saluted.

  “Thank you, chief. Good work,” Ian replied.

  Major Getty was trying hard not to grin, but failed as the older man left, mumbling to himself.

  “He’s been working on this new armor since he came aboard. He claimed that the old stuff we had was too bulky and cumbersome,” Getty said.

  “How’s the new armor feel? Any different?” Ian asked.

  “I don’t know how, but he improved the power assist functions, so it actually seems lighter, even if he says it isn’t. As Marines, we tend to spend a lot of time in our armor, and the other stuff was kinda bulky, but it was sure nice to actually have armor that actually protected you.

  “What he didn’t tell you was this stuff is made for each individual Marine. Our old stuff was almost a one size fits all type of thing. He scanned each of us wearing our under liners, and then built this stuff. I can move much easier, faster, and with a hell of a lot more power. Check this out,” Getty said, and reached over and gently picked up a smart sheet off Ian’s desk.

  “There was no way in hell I could have done that in the old armor,” Getty explained. “He may seem like a simpleton, but that man’s a genius when it comes to weapons and armor. I’m very glad we have him.”

  “Good. I was wondering if I would need to get someone to design new armor for you guys. Hell, we’re pretty much redesigning everything else around here, why should you folks be left out!” Ian said.

  Getty chuckled and saluted. “With your permission Sir, I’ll let you get back work.”

  “Get a good night’s sleep, Major. Tomorrow, you’re on the clock!” Ian said.

  “Yes Sir, we are all going to be on the clock tomorrow,” he replied, dropped the salute, and left the office.

  Chapter 13

  Lunar Research and Training Base

  Selene, (Earth’s Moon)

  Sol Sector.

  The drone had promise that much was clear to Alan. However, there were still a few issues that needed to be worked out before it was ready.

  One major issue was the control signal to the drone from the interface unit. Alan had found someone on the base that was capable of emitting a jamming signal without telling them what channel the drone was operating on. Even after the jamming signal was stopped, it was very difficult for the control unit to reconnect with the drone. Once it finally reconnected, the Drone was jerky, and only semi-responsive.

  The second major issue was weapons cooling. In space, or on the lunar surface, it wasn’t as much of an issue since space was pretty cold, but in an atmosphere, like Earth, the weapons over-heated very quickly which shut them down. This issue turned the drone into a large moving target.

  Strike three came when Alan was trying to evade mock weapons fire from a Hornet that had been dispatched for the test. Alan tried to roll out of the way of a strafing run, and the drone almost fell apart. Alan was worried about how Heir Schmidt would take his final report on the drone, but he shouldn’t have been. When he went to present his findings to the team, he found them already working on trying to fix or improve things.

  “You have opened our eyes, Alan. Ja, this test we failed, but we will be ready for you next time,” Doktor Schmidt replied, smiling. “This is why we asked for a soldier to come and test it.”

  Alan was grateful the team took the news so well. They had a good idea here, this would be one hell of a weapon once it was finished, and Alan told them that too.

  “I have to admit, this is going to be one hell of a weapon system. At first, I couldn’t really see what roll it would have, after all we have tanks and artillery, not to mention some really powerful personal weapons for the Marines, but once I got in there and started working with it, I understood immediately. My official report will reflect that as well,” Alan told the researchers.

  “We appreciate that, Alan. Maybe then we’ll get a little more support for this project,” Alicyn replied.

  “You’re not getting support for this?” Alan asked.

  “Alicyn doesn’t think the project is getting the attention it deserves,” Olivia said. “I’ve tried to tell her it’s only because everyone else is trying to get ready for the arrival of the enemy ship, but she still thinks this should have been given a higher priority.”

  “I’m certain that’s the case, but I’ll talk to a few people just in case. This is a project that need to be worked on,” Alan replied. “But, if you’ll excuse me, I need to try to catch the shuttle back to Talos.”

  “You’re not staying here?” Tom asked.

  Alan shook his head. “Ty made it pretty clear that he wanted me back there for the fight. I just wish I could have taken a dozen or so of these machines with me. But I’ll do what I can to get back up here in time for your next set of tests.”

  “We will have this fixed in no time, Alan. We’ll try to make sure you get a few to take back with you, too!” Michael replied. “Thank you for doing these tests. You have helped the project immensely.”

  Alan shook hands with everyone, and thanked them for the opportunity of working with them, then took off at a run to make the shuttle that was about to leave the terminal. He was the last one to board, clearing the doors, just as they started to close.

  After he took his seat, there was
an announcement by the pilot that the trip to Talos would be two hours longer than usual as they had weapons systems to drop off on the way and not all of them were actually ‘along the way’.

  Alan shrugged, it would give him more time to write his report on the FROG with his recommendations. Although no one knew it at the time, Alan had once again gotten lucky. The shuttle he was on would be the last civilian flight to Talos until after the Super Nova was dealt with.

  F.S.S. Star Dancer

  Selene (Earth’s moon) Orbit

  Sol Sector.

  Combat location: Dark Palace

  Ian was tired as he shut down his terminal and headed for his private lift to his quarters. Jenny had gone off duty hours ago, but as was his habit, Ian stayed available until much later in the day.

  He had opened the top of his duty coveralls, as he leaned against the side of the car. When the lift doors opened, he was a little surprised at how quiet it was. Curious, he walked around the corner into the ‘kitchen’ and found it was empty. So he headed into the living room area, and as he entered the darkened room, the lights suddenly came on, and all the gathered people yelled “Surprise!”

  His birthday wasn’t really until tomorrow, but considering what was going to happen tomorrow, he felt they would skip the celebration this year. He was wrong.

  He smiled as he walked into the room amid “Happy Birthdays” and wishes for his continued good health.

  There was a birthday cake with a ridiculous amount of candles on it. When he tried to blow them out, he failed, until he realized that Star was replacing the flames with holographic ones. The cake was set aside and dinner was served to the guests and family. The cake would be dessert, and served after the meal.

  The evening was fun and served to help take Ian’s mind off the impending arrival for a couple of hours. Ian later learned the Jenny had issued orders for the celebration to be a ship-wide holiday, and that the rest of the crew was also having a celebration of sorts. She felt that the crew could use the morale boost, and Ian wasn’t about to argue with her, although he wished she could have picked a less personal reason.

  Last year they had a quiet celebration, as they did with all of their birthdays, with just them. Apparently Jenny had decided that the embarrassment for a ship-wide party was just the thing he needed to take his mind off of the arrival of the Caldarian ship the following morning.

  It sort of worked until John Harris gave him the gift that all the pilots had gotten together to get for him. A small model of a Caldarian Super Nova. There was an attached note that read, ‘I.O.U. One Caldarian Super Nova class ship in very used condition, for molecular replicator material.’

  That gift didn’t do much for getting his mind off of their danger, but helped his own morale in that it reflected the attitude of the crew, and their faith in him. Even with all the excitement going on in the main room, the babies were ready for bed by twenty hundred, and thanks to the sound deadening of the quarters, they were undisturbed by the continuing celebration taking place out in the main living area of the apartment.

  Still, the celebrants, knowing that tomorrow was going to be an important day, cleared out by twenty-two hundred leaving the tired family to get what rest they could. However, once again, around oh-two-hundred in the morning, Beth found Ian once again sitting in the living room, looking out at the starscape, and drinking a beer.

  “How long have you been up?” she asked.

  “Not long,” Ian replied. “Maybe fifteen minutes.”

  “You’re worried,” Beth nodded. “Understandable.”

  “I’m a twenty-year-old kid, playing at being a star ship commander that is going to get people killed later today. What’s to worry about?” Ian replied sarcastically.

  “You’re as well trained as Star could make you, Ian. You’re not playing at anything. You are doing it, and doing it very well. Do you think the folks on this ship would even follow you if they didn’t believe that you couldn’t do the job?” Beth asked. “Yes, you’re young but, you are the most qualified person on this ship for the position you are in. When we first met, you were a very mature kid that seemed to have his head on straight. Your folks were very proud of you, and loved you very much.

  “But since we came here, I’ve watched you become so much more, that I can’t even describe the differences. You have developed an inner strength that seems unbreakable to the rest of us, and your dedication to our protection, and the protection of the planet is evident in everything you do. Ian, you are the Commander. No one in our group would want anyone else in your position except you.”

  “Well, I think there are a couple of people that would argue that. Zeb still believes that I should surrender all of this to the American Government, or at least repent my sins, and become a Christian so I have ‘God’s guidance’ when making command decisions,” Ian chuckled.

  “Considering how well religion all over the planet has been governing so far, I’m glad that you try to keep your beliefs separate from the job,” Beth replied.

  “I don’t see how it would help. As far as I can tell, they didn’t have star ships or aliens when those religions were formed,” Ian grinned. “No, I can’t fault Zeb and the others their beliefs, if it works for them, great. But I also know better than to release all this to any single government.”

  “Does that mean that you’d release it to the United Nations?” Beth asked, surprised.

  “Not directly, no. If the time ever comes that the world needs to know about us, then I will notify the United Nations of our existence and our intent. At that point, I would be willing to accept suggestions and advice from them as to how to assist the planet as a whole. I wouldn’t feel comfortable releasing control to them,” Ian replied.

  “Really? I would think that might be a little scary considering how violent Earth still is as a whole,” Beth replied.

  “Yes, they are still very violent. But that would be one of the things we would be working to stop. But, I did say I would seek advice and consider recommendations, not give them the ability to issue orders,” Ian explained. “They would have to come a long way for me to consider that.”

  “What about the Council they’ve formed at Talos, would you follow their orders?” Beth asked.

  Ian nodded. “Within reason yes. If they ordered me to attack Washington D.C because the current government is corrupt and need to be replaced, I would refuse it, since that government is not part of us. I would expect that they would then try to replace me if they felt strongly enough about it. At that point things might get interesting since the ship is bound to the law, and they are the current ruling Council.” Ian shrugged. “I don’t know what would happen then. But then again, I think it’s a moot point because I honestly don’t believe that they would ever order me to do such a thing.”

  Beth grinned. “You do know that you have an advisory seat on the Council since you are the ranking military leader, right?”

  Ian nodded. “I thought as much, but I haven’t had the chance to sit with them. I do get a copy of the minutes and any memos that are issued. I would think they would ask me to attend if there were to be something military discussed. Until then, Ty handles it as head of security down there. So far, he has done a remarkable job. He holds the honorary title of Major, but because he is functioning as a civilian militia, I have held back from making him military and making the rank official. Maybe I should, since he’s been training our Marines and handling most of the ground operations so far.”

  “Really?” Beth asked, surprised. “I thought he was military, we all call them Marines after all, that includes Ty.”

  Ian shook his head, “Officially, he’s a civilian specialist currently acting in a military capacity. I had set it up that way since it is not the job of the military to handle civilian police duties. That’s just a recipe for bad things to happen. I’ll have to talk it over with him and see what he thinks about it. I’ll put it on the list for things to look into after the battle.” He sighed.
>
  Beth smiled sadly at him. “I tried to get your mind off it, but it’s really hard to do when everything keeps coming right back to the elephant in the room.”

  “Well, it is a rather large elephant, it’s painted red and is carrying a pulse rifle!” Ian teased back.

  “Think you can go to sleep now?” Beth asked.

  “Yeah,” Ian said as he finished his beer. “I think so. Thanks for coming out here. By the way, how do you know when I’m up?”

  “Heh, a woman has to have some secrets. Good night Ian, sleep well,” Beth said and headed down the hall for her room.

  Ian snorted and put his empty bottle in the replicator before following her down the hall, back to his room, and to a sleeping Jenny.

  Talos, New Mexico

  Earth, Sol Sector

  Combat location: Eden

  “Sir, it looks like they’re trying again. Sensors have a ground force approaching the boundary near where the last attempt was. I guess they like that area.” Sammi said from the command center. She really hated to wake Ty up, considering all the fireworks were supposed to start tomorrow. It looks like these guys didn’t get a copy of the schedule.

  “What size force, Sammi?” Ty replied after setting up in bed. Instead of going back to his house, he instead chose to camp out in the Marine ready area with the squad on alert.

  “From the noise they’re making I would say about a battalion size unit. I haven’t gotten a visual on them yet,” Sammi replied. “Do you want me to launch a drone and take a look?”

  “Yeah, and activate the shield. I’ll wake up the alert team here, and get everyone in their armor,” Ty replied. “Until I get there, keep me posted.”

  “Will do, Sir.”

  “Okay everyone, wake up!” Ty yelled. “Time to go play!” He slapped the alert button that activated an alarm only in the small barracks. “Get up you lazy bastards! We have work to do!”

  Amid the groans and general bitching about not enough sleep, Ty made his way to the locker room where the armor and weapons were stored. As he was pulling on the liner for the suit, the others began to come in.