Initiation Series: Series One Compilation (Terran Chronicles)

by James Jackson

  A pair of dusty handprints are all that remain of Quinn. Ed stares wide eyed at the marks, steps back and slowly adds, “Well, I guess it can stay put then.”

  A group of men runs over to help, but clearly Quinn is gone. Ed turns to the others and says, “I had better inform the bridge crew,” He adds angrily, “and post warning signs!”

  Ed storms off to find Joe; he wants to know why such a hazard was not marked. In truth, he is angry with himself for Quinn’s death, especially as the man was right all along. Gazing back at the vast area, he realizes that his stubbornness, and greed, just killed a man. Still covered in Quinn’s dusty remains, Ed strides purposefully onto the bridge. He immediately starts raving about safety, and only casually mentions Quinn’s death.

  Joe leans back in his chair, and stares back at Ed in disbelief. A moment later he demands furiously, “Who authorized you to even touch that Power Unit?”

  Ed suddenly realizes that he is way out of line. He lowers his head and replies sulkily, “Uh, no-one.” He quickly adds, “But even your own report says that it’s useless, so why not remove it?”

  Radclyf, who has been keeping close tabs on Ed, replies bluntly, “For the same reason you don’t want me to remove your spleen, or gallbladder.”

  Hearing the hostility in Radclyf’s tone, George stops what he is doing. He lifts his suit’s visor and observes the exchange. Peter’s eyebrows raise at the sudden increase in tensions. Hayato stands, folds his arms, and stares intently at Ed.

  Ed stiffens at the comment, and demands, “Are you threatening me?”

  Radclyf steps closer to Ed and replies with conviction, “You touch anything else on this ship without consulting with Joe, and I will personally toss you into space, without a suit.”

  Joe frowns a little at Radclyf’s uncharacteristic demeanor, but says nothing.

  Ed glances from person to person, then realizing they are serious, replies nervously, “Okay, I get it. I won’t touch anything.”

  Once Ed leaves the bridge, Joe turns to Radclyf and asks curiously, “What on Earth was that all about?”

  Radclyf stares at the opening to the bridge, his eyes blazing. He replies, “I received a note on my bunk today.” He turns to Joe and says, “One that says some of the construction crews have been bribed to steal technology from this ship.”

  Joe frowns, and says warily, “On your bed?” The hairs raise on the back of his neck. He quickly glances at Peter, who simply shrugs his shoulders.

  Radclyf stares at Peter accusingly, and says. “Yes, and I have no idea who the note is from.”

  Peter glances at both men, lifts his hands in mock surrender, and says, “Seriously, it wasn’t me.”

  Joe ponders the significance of this, then says, “I am going to lock down the ship.”

  Radclyf grins mischievously, leans closer to Joe and says, “No. Hayato has a brilliant suggestion, one I think we should follow, after the refit is complete.”

  Joe’s eyes narrow as he asks curiously, “What is it?”

  “Radclyf’s grin turns devilish, then after a moment he responds with his voice grating like an ancient tomb. “I would like that to be a surprise, even to you.”

  Joe understands the military man all too well, and knows his secrecy has nothing to do with trust. The only true way to keep a secret, is to not tell anyone, not even your closest friends. He puts his hands behind his head, smiles, and replies, “I look forward to it.”

  Seconds later, Cindy steps onto the bridge and says, “Let’s get everyone together for a meeting. Say, the mess hall, in fifteen minutes?” She does not wait for a reply, but instead hurries out the doorway. The bridge crew stares after her, totally perplexed.

  George makes his way to his quarters to collect his wife and son, while Peter hurries to find Emma. John locates Patrick and Robert, then he too heads for the mess hall, with them in tow. Radclyf contacts his equal, Hayato, along with Chokichi, Paul, and Henry. This small group of seasoned veterans is all that remains of their close-knit teams.

  The kitchen hands are as astounded as are the half dozen crewmen that are eating, when the entire bridge crew assembles before them. The crewmen stare at each other nervously, then once they realize that they are not being told to leave, relax and listen.

  George glances at Cindy, then nods to her, indicating that he wants her to address the crew. Cindy stares at the group then says, “We have just had an interesting meeting with a pair of Generals who have an unexpected request of us.” She casts her gaze over everyone present, then adds, “They want us to go to the derelict spacecraft we found, and salvage parts from it.”

  Patrick’s eyes go wide as he whistles an exclamation. He adds incredulously, “That puppy is over twenty thousand light years from here!”

  Joe opens his mouth to give the exact distance, then closes it. He shakes his head as he begins to calculate how long such a trek would take. He closes his eyes as he factors in the Gamin Power Unit, and the reduced recharge time of the main engine’s capacitors.

  Lisa quickly turns to look at George, grabs his hand, their son’s, and states quietly, yet firmly. “No! You’re not taking my husband.”

  George smiles at his wife, then says to her quietly, “I don’t have to go. If this is planned properly, it’s an easy mission.”

  Johnny does not catch his father’s words, instead his face beams with excitement at the prospect of another trip on the Terran. Lisa catches his look of awe, and says, “As for you young man, you have missed way too much school already.”

  Johnny’s glee turns to gloom in a heartbeat, but he says nothing.

  Patrick shrugs his shoulders, then says, “Count me in, I have nowhere to be.”

  Cindy casts her gaze around to the others, and waits for more comments.

  Joe suddenly exclaims, “If we can get that ship’s navigational systems, and install them into the new colony ship,” He gazes at the floor and mumbles to himself, then looks up and adds, “it just might work.”

  Robert is hastily taking notes; his inquisitive mind is pondering many questions.

  “Oh Yes!” Joe exclaims loudly once more, startling everyone. He gazes at the blank faces before him, then shares his thoughts, “The shield generators!” When no one responds, he adds, “Based on the schematics I have reviewed, we just might be able to install them in this ship.”

  Cindy’s eyes widen at the prospect. Their navigational shields do a great job for space flight. But if they run into trouble, having ‘real’ shields would help them greatly.

  Emma grabs Peter’s hand and squeezes it, she is about to protest going, then notices how energized and alive he is. She lowers her gaze and quietly says, “Oh crap.”

  Cindy catches Emma’s dour expression, then in a moment of clarity, dangles a carrot, saying, “Perhaps we can swing by the Oglans and see how their farming world is fairing.”

  Emma glances from Peter to Cindy, sighs, and then replies with mounting enthusiasm, “I suppose, it would give me a chance to take a real survey team.”

  George surprises them all when he says, “You should also consider swinging by the Kord space station, to see if you can bring Olaf’s remains back to Earth.”

  The room goes deathly quiet. Not just at the mention of Olaf, but at the way George said ‘you’, meaning he does not intend to join them. The Terran without George, would be like a day at the beach without ice cream, just not quite right.

  Cindy breaks the somber silence, and changes the subject. She motions to Joe, and says, “We had better test the Kord implants, to make sure our translators are still functioning.”

  Joe absentmindedly rubs the bump behind his ear and nods in agreement. He, like many of the others, had completely forgotten about the tiny implant. He smiles as he recalls Golward, and the other short hair covered Kord they rescued. These implants, when connected wirelessly to the hand-held units the Kord gave them, allow the wearers to communicate in every language attempted thus far.

  Johnny taps
George’s arm and whispers, “Can I get a new jacket? Even if you don’t go?”

  George stares at his old jacket, the one Johnny still wears. Its long grey sleeves are frayed at the wrists, as is the collar, and the back. A faded patch barely clings to the jacket’s left arm. Its dirty image displays a three clawed, mottled green fist, with a small rendition of the Terran orbiting it. He smiles at his son, then lifts a hand and ruffles his hair.

  Johnny protests, “Dad. C’mon, I’m not a little kid anymore.”

  Though George’s son is almost as tall as him now, he playfully ruffles his hair all the more. He suddenly becomes aware that everyone is staring at them, and stops. Returning their smiles, he says apologetically, “Sorry,” and quickly adds, “I think we all need new jackets.”

  The group chuckles, it is obvious who the request is really from. The meeting continues on for quite some time, but the consensus is clear. Going would help Earth in so many ways. Even the threat of the Effen Raiders pales in comparison to the potential gains from salvaging the derelict Gamin spacecraft.

  Henry has been patiently waiting for the right time to make his own request. Finally, he lifts a hand, and says, “I have another matter to discuss. There is the issue of the people that could not cope with the environment on New Earth. As we know, returning to this ship alleviated the feelings of nausea, but we still do not know the root cause.”

  Cindy replies, “I have asked the Generals if we could use the underground medical facility, and have you work with Doctor Nelson.”

  Henry tilts his head, then asks, “Can we trust him?”

  “I think we can.” Cindy replies confidently.

  Lisa frowns when she realizes that as one of those afflicted, she will have to stay at the Australian facility longer than she had expected.

  The meeting continues on for a short time as minor issues are brought up, until finally everyone has aired their thoughts and concerns.

  Once the meeting breaks up, George and Lisa retire to their quarters, Johnny dawdles behind. Once there, the three of them begin to pack. George turns to Lisa and makes a surprising request, “I would like to keep this suit, and help the ground crews finish the next ship.”

  Lisa pauses for a moment before she replies, “With shuttle technology being what it is, you may even be able to fly home for dinner!”

  George smiles and nods, even though he is not sure exactly where she is calling home.

  The crew makes preparations for either their departure from the Terran, or the upcoming journey. Each one generates lists, making sure nothing they may need is left out.

  Meanwhile, the construction teams work diligently installing the gravity lift plating on the Terran. Each section takes days to change over. However, since there are dozens of areas being worked on simultaneously, the overall refit will not take long.

  Location:

  Kangbashi District

  China

  Wu steps onto his balcony and smiles. Brand new factories are scattered throughout the landscape. Each one is dedicated to the construction of China’s newest spacecraft. His father has less than a year remaining in his second term as President. In that time, he hopes to have this new spacecraft completed, a culminating highlight of his father’s career.

  Secretly, Wu still wishes to rule an Empire, and to return China to a time of dynasties. But he keeps this desire well hidden, and plays the role of ‘the good son’ quite well. He had thought that sharing his wishes with Jie, who he wanted as his right-hand man, would have inspired him. Instead it seems that Jie fled, either in fear, or to be his own master.

  Wu’s smile turns into a slight frown as he recalls the report of the Liberty’s almost catastrophic arrival at New Earth. The fact that the report indicates the crew and passengers survived, is the only positive element. The ship being deemed unworthy of future space travel by the crew of the Terran is distressing. Wu begins to shake his head as he further considers that even with all the resources and technology at their disposal, they still grounded the ship. He stares off into in the distance at the partially built spaceship, and wonders if it will survive the rigors of space travel.

  China’s powerful new weapons, such as shielded tanks with their energy beams, are scattered throughout the country. Though they are ready to be deployed at a moment’s notice, none of them appear to be in offensive positions. Refitting of gravity plating on the trains is proving most efficient, and is much easier than building transport shuttles from scratch.

  China’s economic might and vast resources of manpower, are slowly but surely, turning it into the most powerful country on the planet.

  Location:

  KGB Headquarters

  Minsk, Russia

  Pavel stands with his hands clasped behind his back staring out a large window that overlooks the city. The window’s heavy drapes belong to an era long gone, and match the decor of the old room. He slowly turns at the sound of footsteps, then nods respectfully as other committee members enter the room. Each, in turn, sits at a long wooden table which is the room’s centerpiece. He casts his gaze across the many portraits that line the walls and the plush rugs that cover the floor. Vestiges of a time long since passed.

  Pavel’s attention is still on the doorway when Igor, his old adversary, steps into the room. Igor stops and stares back at Pavel for a few seconds, then without uttering a word, also sits down. These two men have battled wits across this table many times, usually in disagreement. But over the last couple of years, they have begun working together in an unprecedented level of cooperation.

  Once the last invitee arrives, and takes his seat, Pavel walks to the double doors and closes them.

  Pavel immediately speaks up, loudly and authoritatively, “Presidents come and go, yet we remain.” He runs his gaze up and down the rows of seated men, and then continues, “Igor and I have called this meeting to discuss the return of the Terran, and the impact it will have on our plans.”

  Igor stands, rests his hands on the table top, and leans forward purposefully. His expanding belly rests against the table’s edge and threatens to knock over his glass of water.

  Pavel motions to Igor, and says, “Igor, the floor is yours.”

  Some of the committee members fidget nervously. They almost preferred it when Pavel and Igor would argue. The growing cooperation between these two men appears to be a move by one, or the other, for the Presidency.

  Igor’s powerful booming voice belies his short stature, “Since the moment of the Gamin’s departure, we have assisted the Americans, Australians, British, and others, with vast resources. In the beginning, we provided the Terran with twenty, state of the art nuclear reactors; then we provided the Americans with vast amounts of aid following the destruction of the Californian coast line. This last year, we have assisted the British in converting from an oil-dependent nation, into self-sufficiency.”

  Many of the committee members begin to mumble amongst themselves as Igor’s brief history lesson reminds them of what they have done for other nations.

  Igor steps back from the table, and begins to pace the room. He continues, “Last night I received a communiqué from Petrovich. It details both the successful establishment of the new colony, and lists a number of design flaws in the Liberty.”

  Pavel puts a hand to his chin and grins as committee members demand to know what flaws. None of them seem to ask the same question he did when Igor informed him last night of the communiqué. That question was; ‘how did he do it without leaving the ship?’ The answer should be obvious, but the concept of trust is too much for many of those present.

  Igor’s voice rises above the growing bedlam, “This affects us in more ways than any of you realize.”

  The room becomes quiet with the comment. Many turn curious gazes to Pavel and Igor as they wonder what they have not been told.

  Igor places his hands on his hips, which only serves to exaggerate his growing girth, and says, “Our own spacecraft utilizes the same technology as the Libert
y.”

  “What spacecraft?” Demands one of the committee members, visibly irritated.

  Another shouts, “We should have been involved in such a decision!”

  A third voice, loud and angry, dominates the room with the words, “Since when did the President stop seeking this committee’s consent for...”

  Igor interrupts the man by shouting back even louder, “The President does not know.”

  The room falls into an uneasy silence after Igor’s comment.

  Pavel stands, lifts both his hands high in the air, and says, “Gentlemen… gentlemen! Our new President has been in office for less than one year. He knows almost nothing about what we have done, and what we are doing.”

  “Treason,” calls out one of the committee members, “this is treason!”

  A few members quietly mumble their agreement, the word treason runs up and down the table like a tidal wave.

  Igor shakes his head from side to side, then demands loudly, “What would you have us do? Tell this new President everything we know? Seek his permission?” He stares at those seated, walks to the table, slams his fist on it, and shouts. “No! We do what is right for Mother Russia. The stupid people voted out the man who was with us from the beginning.”

  While Pavel and Igor are trying to regain control of the meeting, the room’s double doors open. A tall thin man enters the room, his expensive business suit is impeccable. Pavel catches Igor’s blank stare and open jaw, then turns to see who has intruded upon their meeting.

  The Russian President walks to the table, puts his hands on his hips, and asks bluntly, “What’s going on here?”

  The tension in the room instantly escalates, and while many of those seated take pleasure at the situation, two men in particular are not happy. Igor opens his mouth to speak, but Pavel beats him to it when he says, “Mr. President. The committee welcomes you.”