Yet another bombshell, was the Japanese team of computer experts who arrived, and installed an amazing supercomputer. Taking up an entire section of the ship, and ranking in the world's top ten for computational speed, this beast is still too slow to work directly with the Gamin terminals. Once again, George's buffer circuits are invaluable.
The debate raged about whether this was to remain a civilian venture, or become a military operation. Finally, a compromise was reached. Cindy would stay in charge of the overall operation, due to her experience with both scientists, and military personnel. She is given the rank of admiral, but it is purely honorary. She seems to relish the command chair a lot, and she spends a great deal of time in it, examining its various controls.
John maintains the rank of captain, makes all ship-board decisions, and is their pilot. Joe and Andrew are tasked to be the ship’s navigators, and systems’ experts. Joe has a natural affinity with the Gamin technology, and other than George, seems to be the only person who understands the systems they are working with. Joe spends a lot of time with George, and constantly questions him.
George however, is the only person with any real knowledge about the ship’s systems, making him a unique resource. He is worn out from having to personally create interface units for every terminal on the spacecraft, along with his other tasks. The alien computers seem very powerful, and although no one has been able to figure out exactly how they work, the buffer circuits somehow allow the differing computers to interface. The various laptops, desktops, and tablet computers brought on board, can not only receive information, but can issue commands to the Gamin systems as well.
Many of the ship’s external gravity plates are missing, and not having the right module for the bodysuit, means that even George cannot make any more. He has warned Cindy, and others, that the way the ship is now, it will not be taking off.
The starship is to be named today, in an opening ceremony of epic proportions. Many governments from around the world are represented in the bleak Australian Outback for this historic ceremony.
George, who is sitting on a stage next to Cindy, looks up and down the rows of dignitaries. Behind them, the ship is hidden from view by a massive tarpaulin. The rest of the command crew is seated, facing them, in the front row of the audience. Various speakers drone on for ages, as each seems to have lengthy speeches prepared. He notices his wife and son in the crowd, and offers a slight wave, along with a smile.
Finally, after what seems like an absolute eternity, Cindy is called to the stand. Taking one look around at the audience, she gives them her usual smile, and then embarks. “I stand before you today, the leader of this international team, as we prepare for an unprecedented and historic occasion. Behind this tarp, rests the alien spacecraft that we have been retrofitting as quickly as possible. In a few days, we shall test the gravity systems as we make final preparations before we launch it into space. We have been naming ships for countless generations thus, we will name this ship as well. This ship carries no flag, and is being named for all of humanity. It is with great pleasure that I hereby present to you Earth's first true starship, the Terran. May she guide us well, as humanity reaches for the stars.”
At Cindy's last words the massive curtain behind the podium drops to the ground, revealing the alien spacecraft. The word 'TERRAN' is boldly emblazoned across the top of its sloping armor. Painted in bright white letters, the name is easily legible in the distance. Between them and the spacecraft, flags from the many nations present, flap proudly in the light breeze.
George is filled with a great sense of pride as he looks at the Terran; he believes that he has found his true destiny.
Chapter One - Starship Terran
Location:
Ground Control
Outback
Western Australia
As the last of the dignitaries offer their best wishes to the crew of the Terran, George cannot help but notice the absence of his own President. Hmm, he ponders. I guess he still doesn’t like me.
Cindy walks up to George then follows his distant gaze. “They will all be gone by morning. But that’s not what I wanted to talk to you about. Come with me, I have a surprise for you.”
George is most curious as he turns to follow her. The last time Cindy surprised him was when she arranged to have his family brought over from America. His wife, Lisa, is not too impressed with the Australian Outback. However, Johnny, their son, has embraced the experience, even to the extent of occasionally sneaking aboard the spacecraft.
George finally gives in and asks, “Okay. I will bite. What is it this time? Nuclear reactors to power the ship’s systems? Nope, you did that already. No wait! A Gamin bodysuit? Oh, that was from the Russians.” George is smiling as he feigns guessing. We have achieved the impossible, he thinks, well almost; the impossible is yet to come.
A playful smile crosses Cindy’s face as she replies. “Just follow me, and quit being impetuous.”
Cindy walks on ahead, leading George to a massive warehouse that the team has been using for storage. The warehouse is so large that the three American Space Shuttles were stored there prior to being loaded into Terran’s own cavernous hold. She walks through a side door, and with an exaggerated gesture, waves for him to look inside. George does not need to follow her arm to see what she is pointing to. The entire area is jam-packed with massive booster rockets. The kind used for shuttle launches.
She proudly states, “You thought we didn’t listen to you, but we did! We know the ship’s own lift system is incomplete, well, this should augment it. I want you to go over the installation of these babies with the engineers. Also, once their fuel is expended, I want them to be released from the Terran. Think you can set that up?” Cindy is now standing with her hands on her hips, her long blond hair flowing in the light breeze.
George is speechless as his eyes wander over the dozens of booster rockets before him. He cannot even begin to imagine how they kept this from him.
“Now do you think she can take off?” Cindy is grinning from ear to ear as she asks the question.
George finally finds his voice, “I think there is a chance now, a really good chance. I honestly do.” His eyes dart around as he counts the boosters. Stopping at thirty, he steps inside, and finds more. He nods his head in admiration.
George turns back, and looks at Cindy in awe. “How did you get so many?” As he asks, he notices the small emblems representing a number of different countries. His smile also turns to a massive grin as he can now clearly see American, Russian, and Japanese flags painted on many of them.
Johnny is most excited as he comes running over to his father. “I didn’t tell him Miss Cindy.” He manages to get out. A smile beams on his face from ear to ear.
Cindy smiles back at the boy while George ruffles his short brown hair. She is so glad his family was given permission to be here. So much like his father, right down to those hazel colored eyes that belie a mysterious intelligence. George may be an uneducated man, but he is certainly no dummy.
The three of them have the moment spoiled when a pair of men, clad in overalls, heads their way. The pair seems quite unhappy about something as they stomp through the dusty landscape. Johnny, noticing the ‘adult looks’, disengages from his father, and with little ado, runs off to play.
Cindy sighs a little, and wonders. What is it this time? She stares at the two men who stop in front of her.
“Will you look at this work order?” The shorter man states angrily. He is a Japanese contractor, and holds out a sheet of paper.
Taking the paper, Cindy quickly skims over it, and then queries the man, “Okay. So, what’s the problem? You ordered eighty-five meters of cable.”
“The problem is that eighty-five feet of cable were delivered instead!” The annoyed man glares accusingly at his taller colleague.
The other man simply folds his arms in defiance, and stares stoically ahead. Cindy glances over to George, and then back to the two men. “Alright!” Sh
e says quite hotly, “This ends today. Get everyone assembled in Terran’s hangar. I want a meeting now.” I should have done this months ago, she realizes, disappointed with herself.
With people spread all over the facility, it takes some time before everyone is together, which is fortunate as it allows her time to calm down. Finally, the ship’s massive storage area is brimming with people. Not only is her crew present, but also the hundreds of support personnel that are making this unprecedented venture possible.
Tapping on her microphone Cindy gets everyone’s undivided attention. “We do a full systems’ test in three days people. Three days! Then we make final preparations for launch. We will get one shot at this, just one, do you all understand?” Her blue eyes pointedly scan the crowd. “Our systems’ test must be flawless. I am sick and tired of excuses and miscommunications.”
She points at people around the room as she continues. “The Japanese computer team have very specific and exacting needs, as do the maintenance crews. One team uses the metric system, the other imperial. I want a show of hands for those who use metric.” The majority of the room raises their hands, some quickly, others slowly, but the results are quite clear. “As of now people we will use metric for everything!”
A few quiet grumbles can be heard from within the crowd.
Cindy understands their concerns, but she has to make this project work. “Those who feel they are unable to adjust, can walk down that ramp, right now!” She points over their heads to the open ramp. “There are literally millions of people out there that would do anything to be here.”
John walks up to Cindy with a grim determination, his blue eyes piercing her own. They stare at each other silently for a brief moment. He then turns to face the crowd, his expression stern. Many are expecting a debate, none could have anticipated his response.
John speaks firmly, “As Captain of the Terran, I concur with Cindy.” He glances briefly down at the shorter woman, offering her an unexpected and supportive smile. A few of those in the crowd stare back at him incredulously. Turing back to face these few complainants, he continues matter-of-factly. “No matter how hard it is for some, we must be on the same page if we wish to make all this work.” He waves his arms to indicate the spaceship they are in. “I suggest we get conversion charts, and place them in prominent places.”
When he pauses, Cindy speaks again. Her tone is softer as she states. “In three days we seal the ship and test her systems. If all goes well, we will launch the day after that. Time to get cracking.” The crowd dissipates slowly, some still grumble begrudgingly.
George gazes around the ship he has spent so much time working on. In a few days’ time, you launch. Then I get to go back to a normal life with my family. The thought comes unbidden, and is mixed with a little sadness. He smiles though, as he runs through his own checklist of tasks yet to do. It is a short list now, but it will keep him very busy.
Pre-Launch
The three days are a crazy whirlwind of activity. Amazingly enough, everything that had to be done, has been done. Each of the twenty nuclear reactors have been started, and the temporary generators have been removed. Vast amounts of fuel, and seemingly mountains of supplies, have been loaded in anticipation of a successful test. The Terran rests inside its monstrous cradle, forty-eight massive booster rockets are now attached strategically beneath it. No one really knows for sure if these will provide enough thrust. There are just too many variables and unknowns.
George, totally exhausted from the long days, is sleeping when Cindy comes knocking on their door. Reluctantly, Lisa wakes him up. “Cindy says she needs to speak with you.” Lisa’s hands are on her hips, disapprovingly.
Wiping sleep from his eyes, he walks with Lisa to the living room, where Cindy is patiently waiting. George stifles a yawn and asks, “Just getting a nap. What’s going on?”
Johnny walks out of his room, and stands next to his dad. Looking up at him, he also wants to hear what this is all about.
Cindy glances at Lisa, then Johnny, before she begins. “Well, I had assumed you would be coming with us when we launched. But today, I found out that you’re not planning on coming at all.”
George ruffles Johnny’s hair, then smiling at his wife, replies politely, “I have done all I can. There is no need for me to go with you when you launch. Olaf can operate the bodysuit, it was originally his anyway.”
“But, don’t you want to come with us?” Cindy cannot believe that after all his efforts he does not want to go.
“I have neglected my family for long enough. It’s time they received my attention.” George turns and gives Lisa a warm smile.
“But what if we need your expertise?” Cindy is almost pleading now.
“Oh, I am no expert. Besides, once the test is a success, everything will be ready to go.” He is quite resolute.
Lisa, with a frown on her brow, looks steadfastly at Cindy as she speaks up. “Won’t this be a one-way trip? I mean, even if the ship does take off, it can’t land again? Right?”
It suddenly dawns on Cindy that Lisa is scared her husband will not be coming back. With an inward groan, she realizes that this could very well be a suicide mission. She has no right to demand that of George, or his family. “You are quite within your rights to be concerned. It will be a dangerous undertaking. There are many things that could go wrong, but these are the very reasons that I want George on board.” Turning to George, his silence is her only reply. With a sigh, she turns to leave, then in one last ditch effort quietly adds. “At least consider it. I am delaying the system test until tomorrow. You are going to be there for that, aren’t you?”
George nods, “Yes, of course, just not for the actual launch.”
Once Cindy has gone, Lisa considers the situation carefully. She gazes lovingly at her husband, who wears a slightly troubled look on his brow. Walking over to him, she breaks the silence. “She is right you know!”
George counters distantly, “It’s too risky, we have done more than enough.”
Johnny being forgotten for the moment, looks up at his parents, his voice one of mild surprise. “You don’t want to go? But that would be too cool. My dad the spaceship hero.”
George ruffles his son’s hair again, “I am no hero son.”
“Sure you are, everyone says so. You can do anything.” Johnny replies proudly as he looks up adoringly at his father.
“I have had help,” George replies as he subconsciously touches his ear which still has the tiny translator in it. Between that, and the ability to use the Gamin bodysuit, he does not feel special at all. “I just use the tools at my disposal, anyone could have done the same, given the opportunity.”
Lisa casts her eyes down for a moment as she ponders the situation. “Will the system test be dangerous?” She asks nervously.
George considers the question for a moment as his frown deepens. “You know, I’m not sure.”
Turning his thoughts from the test, he looks at his wife, really looks at her, as he has not done in quite some time. Her long dark hair and European features that attracted him many years ago, are still there. He runs his fingers over her face. She closes her dark eyes as he touches her high cheek bones. Her beauty and style is almost aristocratic in nature, as though noble blood flows through her veins.
Johnny rolls his eyes, and returns to his room to continue playing his computer games.
George sleeps fitfully that night as strange dreams occupy his thoughts. In some he watches the Terran taking off successfully, in others it explodes spectacularly. Lisa lays awake for a long time. She is excited for him, yet nervous at the same time. A part of her is also feeling selfish, she knows deep down that he would like to be on board during the launch.
Systems Test
Cindy, once again, stands before the assembled crowd in the Terran’s hold. Her words ring out loudly and confidently. “This systems’ check is crucial people. I want all department heads at their stations, all support staff are to remain on board
while we test the various systems. We will not be igniting the supplementary rockets, but just about everything else will be tested.” She is smiling with excitement. It is really happening. The thought gives her a new thrill.
George stands hand in hand with Lisa and Johnny as Cindy continues her speech. Looking down, he smiles at his son. “Okay. You need to go with your mother…”
“Oh dad!” Johnny pleads, interrupting his father. “But it’s just a test, I want to stay.”
“Yes, today is just a test.” George replies. He then adds, “But if something goes wrong, I don’t want to be worrying about you, as well as trying to help.” He gives Lisa a meaningful look.
Gazing back at him, her feelings are a mixture of pride and apprehension. She gives him a huge hug and kiss. She looks around one more time, and then says. “Let’s hope this test goes well. Be safe! See you in time for dinner.”
Johnny drags his feet as he reluctantly trails his mother. He slowly walks down the ramp. The very same ramp that many months ago, Radclyf and Hayato cautiously lead their teams up to investigate this strange find in the desert. So much has happened since then. With a final wave, George watches his family until they are gone from sight.
Refocusing on the task at hand, George makes his way to where his bodysuit is stored. Well, Olaf’s suit really, but his for now. Stepping backward into it, the suit closes around him. A helmet swings down, and the familiar kaleidoscope of colors wash over him. Though the suit is a little bulky, he has no trouble maneuvering it around. Checking its power levels, he strides to the bridge area. Cindy has insisted that he be on the bridge, in the bodysuit, as a precautionary measure.
Arriving at the bridge, George notices that Cindy is sitting in the centrally located command chair. Calling it a chair is an absolute understatement, it looks more like a throne. Appearing as though carved from a single multi-colored opal, it dominates the raised central dais. The padded seat and backrest are covered with what appear to be leather hide, which adds to the rustic look of this seat. Before this dais, are four consoles, each with their own large yet less impressive chairs.
Initiation Series: Series One Compilation (Terran Chronicles) Page 29