by B. C. James
Pierce turned back to Sharp, his face still bearing a half hidden look of shock. “Excuse me, Captain, I need to get dressed and see to my ship.” He turned and pulled himself up the ladder to the cabin above and slipped inside.
***
Sharp stood on the bridge with one hand on the back of the command chair where Captain Pierce sat hunched forward, punching away at the control console. A bleary-eyed Commander Thompson was seated beside him not doing much except gazing around the room, as though it were his first time seeing it.
Pierce leaned back into his chair. “The ship’s main systems seem to be operational. Pretty remarkable considering their age.” He swiveled his chair to face Sharp. “Has it really been five hundred years?” he asked, shaking his head, still finding the revelation hard to believe.
“I’m afraid so, Captain,” Sharp replied. “You’re lucky to be alive. I’m surprised the backup power to your cryosystem held out all this time.”
“Yes, I suppose we are lucky you found us,” Pierce said, still shocked. “There is no telling how much farther we would have drifted.”
“Our sensors on the Rojo aren’t particularly sensitive. If you hadn’t been near a shipping lane, they might not of detected your ship at all,” Sharp said. “Tell me, Captain, why were you headed to Alpha Centauri in the first place? My history is a little rusty, but as far as I remember, humans hadn’t yet explored farther out than the Sol system at the time you left Earth.”
Pierce paused as if choosing his next words carefully. “We were traveling to Alpha Centauri. Astronomers had detected two potentially habitable planets there. One orbiting Centauri A and another around Centauri B. We were sent to investigate them and establish a colony if possible.”
“Yes, they’re called Cyllarus and Hylonome,” Sharp informed him. “They were the first worlds colonized outside the Sol system. They’ve been inhabited for over four hundred years now.”
Pierce sat silent, staring blankly out the forward viewport. “Those would have been our new homes,” he said after a moment. “We were to be the first interstellar colonists.”
“I’m sorry, Captain,” Sharp said. “You can still go there if you’d like.”
Pierce looked up at him. “You will take us there?”
“Well, not exactly,” Sharp responded. “At the Rojo’s cruising speed, it’d take us over half a year to get there. We’re on our way to Chariko Station. We can take you there with us then we’ll help you arrange transport on a faster ship.”
Thompson turned to face them, his chair squeaking as it swiveled. “How about Earth, is it still around?” He asked. “Maybe I’ll go back there. See what It’s like now that five hundred years have passed.”
“Yeah, It’s still there. I hear it’s nice, maybe a little more crowded than you remember.” Sharp replied.
“You hear it’s nice?” Thompson asked with a puzzled look.
“Yes, I’ve never actually been there,” Sharp said. “I was born in the Alpha Tauri system. It’s about thirty light-years from here.”
“Wow,” Thompson exclaimed. “This is a lot to take in. So humans have become a truly interstellar species. How far out have we explored? I mean as a species, not us personally.”
Sharp chuckled, he was starting to like Thompson. He didn’t seem like the brightest star in the sky, but he had a good-natured friendliness to him and a sense of wonder that one would expect from an explorer. He couldn’t say the same for Pierce. Sharp didn’t know what to make of the Captain of the Endurance. He seemed cold and distant, his face hard, almost impossible to read. “Explored space encompasses a roughly spherical area about five hundred light-years in diameter with Earth near the center. But most of the inhabited worlds are in the Central Core.”
“How big is the Central Core?” Thompson asked.
“It’s about a hundred light-years across. Everything outside of that is considered the Periphery,” Sharp replied.
Pierce looked up. “I think I will go to Alpha Centauri. We left Earth dreaming about it, wondering what it would be like and what we would find there. I would like to see what we were headed for, even if we are a little late.”
“Sure, Captain. Let’s get you and your crew transferred over to the Pescado Rojo, and we’ll be on our way.”
Pierce stared at him through narrowed eyes. “Leave my ship? Abandon the Endurance?”
Sharp could sense the tension in his voice, and it fueled his own anxiety. “Well yes, we don’t have the capability to tow it. But once we get into port, we can arrange for a recovery vessel to come pick it up.”
Pierce looked down at the floor as if lost in thought. “I suppose we no longer need the Endurance,” he mumbled to himself before looking up at Sharp. “There is some cargo I need to bring along. I cannot leave it out here unguarded.”
“What kind of cargo?” Sharp asked.
“Nothing much. Just a small storage unit a few meters long,” he answered, avoiding the main question.
Sharp studied his face. He could tell he was being evasive, but his expression revealed no clues as to why. One advantage of his anxiety was that it gave him a heightened sense of caution. He decided to press him. “I don’t think we can accommodate it. We barely have space for you and your crew.”
“But your ship is massive,” Pierce responded. “It must be nearly ten times the size of the Endurance.” He leaned forward in his chair and looked out the viewport at the Rojo looming above them. “Surely you could make room for it.”
Sharp sighed. He wasn’t getting anywhere with Pierce. “It may look big, but most of that space is dedicated to propulsion and cargo. The living quarters are almost as cramped as your ship, and my cargo bays are packed to the brim.”
“Could you leave some of your cargo here and have the recovery ship pick it up when it comes for the Endurance?”
“Sorry, can’t do it, Captain. I’m under contract to deliver those goods,” Sharp replied, unmoved. “What’s so important about this cargo?”
Pierce paused in thought for a moment, ignoring the question. “What if I stay here and pilot the Endurance in myself?”
“Well,” Sharp considered. “If you could get your nuclear pulse drive operational, it’d take you around seventy years to get to Chariko Station.”
Pierce frowned. “That is too long,” he thought out loud. “And I am not going back into cryostasis. There has to be some way we can take it with us.”
Sharp knew he wasn’t going to tell him what the cargo was, and if Pierce wasn’t budging, then neither was he. He wasn’t about to take any unknown cargo aboard his ship. “I’m sorry, Captain. There’s just no room,” he said with a tone of finality.
Pierce gazed out the viewport in silence, pondering the situation. Sharp studied him, trying to glean any information from his stolid face. What was so important about this cargo? Why was he so intent on not leaving it?
Pierce turned to face him. “I suppose you are right, Captain,” he said. “What do we need to do to get my people aboard your ship?”
Sharp looked Pierce in the eyes, seeing the faintest hint of something he couldn’t quite place, something that made him wary. “We came in through there,” he said, shaking off his apprehension and pointing toward the airlock. “But our soft seal was damaged. We’d need EVA suits for all your people if we went back that way. Is there any place on your ship we could establish a pressurized hard seal?”
Pierce had turned back toward the viewport and didn’t seem to be paying much attention, staring off into space, deep in thought. Commander Thompson swiveled his chair to face Sharp. “The landers,” he said as he stood up.
Sharp cocked his head to the side. “How so, Commander?”
“We have two landers,” Thompson continued. “They’re hard docked on either side of the ship. If we jettison one, we could use the vacant port to establish a hard seal between the two ships. That is if your docking ring is compatible with ours.”
Sharp thought about it for a
moment, still considering Pierce’s reticence to reveal information about his cargo. He’d have to keep an eye on him. “Our docking ring is universal,” he informed Thompson. “It can reconfigure itself to match almost any docking pattern.” Turning, he saw Pierce still staring out the viewport. “Captain?” Sharp said, pulling him back to the present. “What do you think?”
Pierce slowly came back to attention. “Oh… yes… well, it might work. I suppose we have no need for the lander anymore.”
“Alright, let’s prepare the lander dock and get your people ready to move out,” Sharp said, eager to get back to his own ship where he would have more control over the situation.
Pierce floated up from his chair and pushed past the two of them as he moved toward the exit. “Thompson, you work with Captain Sharp to get the ships docked. I will get the crew ready for transfer,” he said, not looking back at them as he hurried down the ladder.
Sharp frowned as he watched him disappear.
***
Sharp huddled in the cramped tube that ran between the forward and aft sections of the ship. The landers were docked on either side of the corridor. Commander Thompson worked at the control panel next to the hatch labeled: Lander One.
“That should do it,” Thompson said, turning to Sharp. “Ready when you are, Captain.”
Sharp nodded and raised his arm to speak into his wrist-mounted comm. “You ready over there, Cormac?”
“Yes, Sir, we’ve moved the Rojo to a safe distance above the Endurance,” she replied.
“Alright, we’re releasing the lander now.”
Sharp turned to Thompson. “Go ahead, Commander.”
Turning back to the panel, Thompson pressed a wide rectangular red button. The corridor shook slightly as the lander detached. Sharp watched through the porthole in the hatch as it drifted away.
“Initiating remote burn,” Thompson announced. Small chemical thrusters fired on the nose of the lander then snuffed out after a split second, sending the lander coasting off into space.
Sharp nodded to Thompson, “Good work, Commander. Are we ready for docking?”
“Yes, Captain. We’re all set.”
Sharp clicked on his comm. “Cormac, you are clear to begin docking procedure.”
“Aye, Cap,” her voice hissed back over the small speaker. “Initiating docking procedure now.”
The two men huddled together around the small porthole watching the Pescado Rojo move into position. It stopped with its huge forward warp field emitter ring fifty meters from the lander hatch. A circular hole opened in its outer circumference, and the telescoping arm of the docking boom slid out from the ring’s support pylon. As the airlock perched on the end of the boom drew closer, the massive cargo ship made tiny course corrections to line it up with the lander port. A thunk and a whir sounded through the hull as the docking ring latched on and locked itself into position.
“Hard seal positive,” Cormac’s voice crackled over the comm. “Matching airlock pressure to Endurance pressure.”
Sharp listened to the hissing air filling the airlock and grinned at the thought of getting back to his own ship.
“Pressure nominal, Cap,” Cormac said when the hissing stopped. “You are clear to open the hatch.”
Sharp stepped back and gestured to the door. “Your ship, Commander. You do the honors,” he said, smiling at Thompson.
Thompson twisted the small handle and pushed the hatch open. The wall of fresh air from the Rojo washed over them. Sharp inhaled deeply. It was a welcome relief after breathing the stale air of the Endurance for the past few hours.
Sharp’s first thought was to dart into the airlock and head for his bridge, leaving Lieutenant Arnold to handle the crew transfer, but he decided he’d better stay and oversee it himself. “Alright, let’s get moving,” he said. “Where’s Captain Pierce?”
Thompson looked around the corridor and shrugged. “Uh, I’m not sure. Last time I saw him was on the bridge.”
Sharp floated to the fore end of the corridor and poked his head through the hatch to the stasis room. Looking around, he spotted Arnold helping the colonists prepare for departure. “Arnold,” he called. “You seen Captain Pierce?”
Arnold looked around the room, searching for any sign of Pierce then shook his head. Sharp frowned. What the hell was Pierce up to, he wondered as he clicked on his comm. “Briggs, where you at?” he inquired.
“Wrapping things up on the bridge, Sir,” he replied.
“Is Captain Pierce up there with you?”
“No, haven’t seen him, Cap. Just me and Lieutenant Daniels. Have you tried engineering?”
“Not yet. You two finish up and get down here. We’re ready to disembark.” He ordered before closing the comm and ducking back into the corridor.
“You want me to come with you, Captain?” Thompson asked.
“No,” Sharp replied as he started toward the far end of the corridor. “Help get your crew ready for departure. I want to get back underway as soon as possible.”
“Yes, Sir,” Thompson acknowledged as Sharp slipped through the aft hatch.
Flakes of frost broke off from the walls and floated through the air as Sharp entered the LN2 module. A hint of apprehension was growing in the pit of his stomach. The way Pierce had acted on the bridge earlier had concerned him, but he had dismissed it as a Captain being protective of his ship. Now, the worry was welling up inside him once more. He stepped through the doorway to engineering and found the room empty. Where the hell is he, Sharp thought glancing around the vacant room. He didn’t have time for this bullshit and was growing more impatient by the minute.
He shook his head and turned to leave. As he was stepping through the exit, a voice called out from behind. “Hello, Captain.”
Sharp turned to find Pierce standing next to the elevator. The rotating lift door slid shut behind him. Sharp reentered the room with one eyebrow raised as he watched Pierce. A green indicator light flashed on the control panel behind him. “Where does that go?” Sharp asked, feigning ignorance as he moved toward Pierce.
Pierce stepped away from the door and into Sharp’s path, blocking his advance. “Down to the propulsion section,” he said dismissively, being only half truthful.
Sharp craned his neck to peer at the lift controls. They were unlocked. “What were you doing down there?” he pried.
Pierce smiled, and his eyes narrowed. “Just making sure everything is in order and ready for our departure, Captain,” he responded, moving to block Sharp’s view. “I do not want anything unexpected to happen to my ship while I am away.”
Sharp knew he was hiding something. “Mind if I have a look?” he asked, testing Pierce. “I’d love to see the inner workings of your nuclear pulse drive.”
“I would rather not, Captain. I have everything shut down and squared away,” Pierce defended, just as Sharp expected him to. Pierce changed the subject. “I saw that our ships have docked. It must be about time for us to be going.”
Sharp sighed. He was tiring of Pierce’s evasiveness and didn’t really care anymore. As long as whatever he was hiding stayed on the Endurance, it was none of his concern. He just wanted to return to his ship and get underway. The proper authorities could sort out the pieces when they came to pick up the Endurance.
“Yes, Captain,” Sharp answered. “We are docked and ready to start transferring your personnel to the Pescado Rojo.”
Pierce nodded and gestured toward the exit. “After you, Captain,” he said, not moving from his spot in front of the lift.
Sharp moved to the exit, and upon reaching the door, he glanced back to see Pierce tapping buttons on the elevator control panel. A red light illuminated over the panel before Pierce turned to follow him out of the room.
***
Sharp couldn’t help but feel relieved as he watched the Endurance’s crew file one by one through the lander hatch. This unexpected diversion was nearing an end, and he would soon be back to the familiar safety of his ship.
Although, he wasn’t looking forward to the crowded conditions they would endure over the next few weeks on their way to Chariko Station. Crew accommodations on the Rojo were meager, to say the least. The massive ship was built for moving cargo, not people.
The lumbering procession moved slowly into the airlock, the Endurance’s crew having trouble adjusting to the gravity plating in the room. Arnold stood inside the outer door helping them gain their footing. Briggs stood at the docking boom entrance, easing them back into the zero gravity of the tube.
Pierce was fidgeting at Sharp’s side as the queue drew down, seemingly uneasy about leaving his ship and putting his trust in strangers he had just met. Pierce had sent Commander Thompson through the airlock first to investigate the Pescado Rojo. Sharp had not perceived it as an insult but rather as a precautionary measure. Sharp would have done the same were he in Pierce’s place and had taken no offense. Caution was a good trait for a Captain. Trust was not something to be given easily, it had to be earned.
As the last of the colonists emptied into the docking boom, Pierce waved Sharp to step in ahead of him. Sharp entered cautiously, keeping an eye on the other Captain. Looking back over his shoulder, he saw him punch in a string of commands on the control panel. A red light flashed over the panel, and he stepped through the lander hatch then closed the door behind him. Pierce noticed Sharp’s gaze and gave him a thin arrogant smile.
Together, they floated through the docking boom toward the Rojo as Briggs and Arnold sealed the airlock door. As they glided out of the tube and stepped onto the gravity plating, Sharp turned to Pierce. “Welcome to the Pescado Rojo, Captain Pierce,” he said warmly, his joy at being back on his own ship showing through his tough facade.
“Thank you, Captain,” Pierce replied while looking around and taking in his new surroundings.
Sharp turned as Arnold and Briggs exited the boom behind them. “Lieutenant Arnold, I want you to make sure our guests adapt comfortably to their new berth. Clear out the spare crew cabins and get them settled in then have them checked out by the med pods to make sure they’re in good health,” he directed. “Briggs, get down to engineering. I’m sure the Chief has missed your help.” He turned to face Pierce. “I’ll be on the bridge if you need anything.”