by Dan Kelly
“What’s your name, kid?”
“Casey, sir, Casey Cloudburst.”
“Well, Casey, I really owe you. Me and my guys have been trying to find the problem all week and weren’t having any luck at all. I know you’re a student at Stellar, but this morning you were a teacher. You’ve taught us a lot about trouble shooting and we are very grateful. Now that you’ve given me some spare time, what can I do for you and your friends?”
“Well, we were hoping we could get someone to show us around and maybe get a chance to hitch a ride in one of the planes” Before Calvin has a chance to respond, the pilot comes back out into the hangar and walks over to get something out of the plane’s cockpit.
“Hold tight, kids, I’ve got an idea.” He walks over to the pilot and says, “I’ve got good news for you, Lieutenant. Your bird is all fixed and ready to go.”
“Oh come on now” the pilot says doubtfully. You’ve been trying to fix this aircraft all week and have failed miserably. Now you’re telling me that all of a sudden, in less than 45 minutes, you’ve not only found the problem, but have remedied it. Where did this miracle come from?” Calvin calls Casey over and says, “This is the miracle, Lieutenant. His name is Casey Cloudburst and he’s a student at Stellar. He’s a real computer whiz. He diagnosed the trouble, replaced some parts, made some adjustments and your ride was back in tip top shape.”
“This I’ve got to see. Is she ready for another test flight?”
“Yes, sir.” Calvin replies.
“Okay, I’ll take her up and check her out.”
Twenty five minutes later the lieutenant taxies up to the hangar, parks and climbs out of the cockpit with a big smile on his face. “Man, who would have believed it? Casey, you’re something else. I’m one of the flight instructors here and would have really been in a bind without this aircraft ready to go. It’s kind of hard to teach someone how to fly without a plane. If we can ever do anything for you, let us know.”
Calvin turns to the Pack, gives them a wink, puts a conspiratorial smile on his face and says, “Well, Lieutenant, the timing of your offer couldn’t be any better. You can do something for all of these kids right now. They came over here this morning to check out the new aerodrome with the hope of maybe having a chance to get a ride in one of the trainers. Would you be willing to do that this morning?”
The chief has done a masterful job of backing the lieutenant into a corner with no graceful way to get out, so the lieutenant good naturedly agrees to take them for a ride. As things turn out, he has as much fun as the Pack.
The lieutenant’s name is Greg Glider and he tells them that he will take each of them up for a fifteen minute flight and put the trainer through some tame maneuvers. Since Casey fixed the aircraft, he is the first to go up. Not only did he go up, but everything he had for breakfast came up as well. Fortunately, the lieutenant has a lot of experience with people who are going up in a trainer for the first time and is prepared for this. Before they took off he insisted that Casey wear a barf bag around his neck just in case something like this happened, even though Casey said he didn’t need it. Lieutenant Glider hears Casey losing his breakfast, but doesn’t embarrass him by looking over at him for which Casey is very thankful. After a few more barrel rolls, steep climbs, power dives and 3 G turns, the lieutenant asks, “How do you like the ride, Casey?”
“It’s a real blast, Sir” Casey manages to get out between swallows of what’s left of his breakfast that just won’t stay down where it belongs. Lieutenant Glider glances over at Casey and sees a green face clenched in grim determination to stick it out to the end with no more upchucking and it takes all of his will power not to burst out laughing.
Needless to say, a somewhat shaken Casey is greatly relieved to get back on the ground, vowing to restrict his flying to the sane, straight and level commercial kind. Of course, when the rest of the Pack asks him how his flight went, he plays it cool and says, “It was a lot of fun. I sure hope I get a chance to do it again sometime.” The Lieutenant just smiles and keeps what really happened a secret. The lieutenant remembers how sick he got on his first flight in a trainer and all his buddies found out about it and razzed him for weeks.
Mickey Meteor is the next one up and he doesn’t ever want to come down. Mickey is really excited about being up high in the sky flying at supersonic speed and the view is taking his breath away. The lieutenant is very impressed with the way Mickey is responding to all of the forces being exerted on his body and his composure while doing so. He’s really tuned in to what’s happening around him and asking the right questions.
The lieutenant asks, “Mickey would you like to take the controls?”
“Are you kidding me, Lieutenant?”
“No. You’re only a few feet away and I can take back the controls if you do something wrong. Can you follow instructions without hesitation?”
“I think so, sir.” “Ok let’s find out. This trainer is highly computerized with the most advanced programs available. It can fly itself if programmed to do so. If for some reason the pilot can not function and his hands slip off the controls, the aircraft automatically programs itself to fly to the nearest airfield and land. Its flight control systems are very sophisticated and sensitive to the slightest manual or electronic input, so you won’t have to use much force to steer it.” The lieutenant shows Mickey how to make the trainer go up and down, turn left and right and go slower or speed up.
“Ok, Mickey, she’s all yours.” The lieutenant’s not surprised to see Mickey take to piloting like a kid takes to iced grengan. The kid’s a natural. The lieutenant is more than surprised, however, when he flawlessly performs all the maneuvers he watched the lieutenant execute, throws in a few of his own and then lands the trainer to boot. The lieutenant is so aghast, perhaps terrified is a better word, that he freezes in his seat and lets him do it. It’s the lieutenant’s turn to have a green face and he gingerly climbs down out of his cockpit and stands on slightly wobbly legs at the bottom of the ladder.
Calvin and the Pack walk over to see how things went. Calvin takes one look at the lieutenant and says, “What happened up there? You don’t look so good.”
All he gets out of Lieutenant Glider is, “You won’t believe it. I know you won’t believe it. You won’t believe what that kid did up there.”
Calvin turns to Mickey, who by now has also climbed down out of his cockpit, and asks, “What in blazes did you do to this guy? The last time I saw that look it was on a pilot who had to take on a whole squadron of enemy fighters all by himself.”
Mickey has been in a world of his own ever since the lieutenant handed over the controls to him and it has taken Calvin’s question to bring him out of his reverie. One look at the lieutenant’s face tells him he must have done something very wrong, but he can’t figure out what it was. “I don’t know why the lieutenant looks like that. He handed over the controls to me and I did as he instructed. I got the hang of flying real quick and duplicated the maneuvers he performed, added a few of my own and then landed. No big deal, ahh, is it?”
Calvin’s eyes get as big as saucers and he mumbles, “You performed maneuvers and landed the plane?”
“Yes, sir.” Calvin turns white as a sheet and faints dead away.
Shannon Starlight looks at Lieutenant Greg Glider then at Chief Mechanic Calvin Camber and says, “Gee, if we can find someone to turn purple, we’ll have our school colors.” At first, nothing, then Gracie giggles and the rest of the Pack follows with howls of laughter. Pulsar runs over to a water fountain in the corner of the hangar and returns with two cups of water. One he gives to the lieutenant to drink and the other he uses to sprinkle water on Calvin’s face.
When they both have somewhat recovered, the lieutenant says, “Look kids, I’m still feeling a little woozy, so I’m going to call it a day. If you’ll come back next Saturday, there will be more pilots here and I’ll arrange for the rest of you to get a ride, ok?”
Pulsar says, “Sure, lieuten
ant. No problem. We’ll be here bright and early next Saturday morning.”
“Wonderful” the lieutenant and Calvin reply and Pulsar detects a little apprehension in their voices.
As the lieutenant and Calvin walk away the Pack hears the Chief Mechanic softly whisper, “Maybe I should have gone into the family bakery business. The only thing I’d have to worry about rising up and falling down there is the bread.” This brings on another round of giggles as they head back to the school.
The following Saturday the Pack shows up at the hangar, Calvin arranges for the rest of the Pack to get a ride in a trainer and there are no more incidents. There are a lot more instructors here today and a couple of hours later they all have some terrific memories that they hope they’ll never forget. Mickey even got to go up again with Lieutenant Glider, but this time Mickey was strictly a passenger. Casey declines his chance to go up again. He says, “I think I’ll sit this one out. I’m not feeling too well.” While all the while he’s thinking, “Just the thought of going up in one of those things again makes me sick to my stomach.”
When they’ve all had their rides, the Pack thanks the pilots and Calvin for giving them the thrill of their lives and heads for the cafeteria for some culinary thrills. These kids love to eat.
Chapter 27
It’s mid-morning, mid-week in early spring and the flowers are starting to bloom and the trees are beginning to sprout their multi-colored leaves. Spring is always an ebullient time on Proton and this spring is no exception. Everyone is cheerful and full of energy. The sights and smells are intoxicating. Queen Quasar is sitting in her office thinking about her sister, Queen Quester and her husband King Kudos and Pulsar’s brother, Prince Phaser.
“It’s been almost two years since I’ve had a chance to visit with them and over a year since Pulsar has been back home. Of course, we talk with each other over the inter-galactic phone system, but it’s not the same. There’s nothing like a face-to-face, hug-to-hug visit.
Since Emperor Eclipse made his escape and fled back to Erebus, things have been peaceful on Proton. I know that this is only a temporary respite while the Emperor licks his mental wounds and plots to have another go at me and the Pack, but nevertheless, I think I should take advantage of the lull while I can because who knows when I’ll get another opportunity.
Of course, if I take Pulsar with me, I must take the entire Pack. That’s the rule I put in place at Stellar and I must abide by it. Where one goes, they all go; safety in numbers and all that. I’ll have to get the parents permission and work things out with my sister, but that shouldn’t be a problem.”
Using the intercom on her desk, she asks her assistant to have Headmaster Herby and the Pack assemble in his office in an hour. During that hour, she calls her sister to make arrangements, issues orders to her royal pilot to prepare for a trip to Cygnus in the Milky Way galaxy, calls Commander Caitlin to obtain a military escort and contacts the parents and gets their permission for the trip.
When the hour is up, she has her assistant call Headmaster Herby and instruct him to put her call on the speaker. “Good morning everyone. I have a surprise for all of you. Pulsar hasn’t seen his family for over a year now and it’s been almost twice that since I’ve seen any of them. I’ve made arrangements for all of us, the Pack, the Headmaster, you’ll be their chaperon, Sir Herby, and me to spend two weeks visiting with Pulsar’s family, Queen Quester, King Kudos and Pulsar’s older brother, Prince Phaser, on his home planet Cygnus in the Milky Way galaxy. With the exception of Pulsar and me, none of you has ever been to Cygnus, so it’ll be a real adventure for you. There’s a lot to see and do there that will be all new to you. I guarantee you won’t be bored. Does this sound like a good idea to you?”
Up until now, everyone has been quiet because no one knew what was going on. They thought they were being called together because the Emperor was up to no good again. Now, there’s so much hoopla and hollering that the Queen can’t hear anything anyone is saying. Finally, there’s a lull in the pandemonium long enough for Sir Herby to jokingly say, “Well, Your Highness, after
much arguing and friendly persuasion on my part, I was able to get them to reluctantly agree that it was a pretty good idea.” Upon hearing this, the Pack’s laughter and comical retorts rose to such cacophonous levels that the Queen started to laugh herself and broke the connection. She leaned back in her chair with a big grin on her face, feeling like a kid again herself.
Later in the day, she calls the Headmaster to tell him to be at Cape Constellation with the Pack at 8:30 on Saturday morning and join her in the departure lounge. He assures her that this will be done and thanks her for inviting him along. “Sir Herby, you are as much a member of the Pack as any of the other twelve. You will be their chaperone as long as you and they are at Stellar.” He thanks her again and, embarrassed by the kind words, quickly says good bye and hangs up. The Headmaster is truly a humble man and always feels uncomfortable when praise is cast his way. He’s really quite a guy.
At 8:30 on Saturday morning, everyone is gathered around the Queen in the departure lounge waiting for the go ahead from the crew chief to board the spacecraft. The atmosphere is filled with an energy that only kids can generate and their nervous chatter and laughter is reverberating off the walls so loudly that the Queen cannot be heard. Finally, she has to resort to the shrill whistle she used to use when she was a kid. It wasn’t very regal, but it sure got their attention and a startled look on their faces to boot. She couldn’t help laughing at their reaction and said, “Why are you all looking at me like that. I wasn’t always a queen you know.” Gracie giggles and the rest follow suit.
“Now, listen up everybody. We will be boarding in five minutes. Each of you has an assigned seat which I will hand out to you in a moment. This will prevent delays in our takeoff due to arguments over who is going to sit next to whom. You may switch seats after we are under way and the pilot has given you permission to do so. We’ve stuffed the spaceship’s larders with all of your favorite foods and drinks and there are a lot of games on board to help you pass the time away.” This brought forth a chorus of cheers and a lot of back slapping. “This is going to be a long flight, the better part of seven days, so, even with all of these distractions, be prepared to be bored at times. There are waterless, electronic disintegrating showers on board with variable oscillators which allow you to select your own comfort level, so there’s no excuse for being smelly or dirty. Are there any questions?” There were none, so the Queen passed out the seating assignments and they lined up at the door to the boarding ramp.
After they are underway and on course for Cygnus, the pilot gives permission to change seats, explore the ship, ask questions of the crew or they can just lean back and go to sleep.
Pulsar wanders up to the flight deck and requests permission to enter to observe. His request is granted and a whole new world is opened up to the young prince. He learns that this is a different kind of spaceship from the ones the Pack has been on. They’ve only been on commercial spacecraft. The Queen’s private spaceship, nicknamed Discus I because of its shape, utilizes a new, unique and very secret propulsion system which enables it to move through space at speeds unmatched by any other known spacecraft. It is powered by a combination of self-contained magnetic and centrifugal forces of ultra-high magnitude which are generated in a vacuum and are self-perpetuating at normal operating levels. Its construction is rather simple when compared to other propulsion systems. A large circular housing surrounds the spacecraft at its outer elliptical perimeter. This housing is attached to the body of the spaceship by many hollow metal rods that contain electrical wiring that connects an electrical energy source in the body of the spaceship to the walls of the housing, magnetizing them.
Encased in this housing is a solid circular tube that is permanently magnetized and floating in a vacuum. When at rest, the system is activated by a surge of electrical energy to the walls of the housing strong enough to generate a magnetic field suffi
cient to get the solid circular tubing moving and centered in the housing. By means of highly sophisticated control circuitry in state-of-the-art computers, the magnetic polarities of the circular housing are manipulated so that both a push and pull force is exerted on the circular tubing to move it through the center of the housing. The voltage from the energy source will be gradually increased until operating RPM is reached. At that time, the spaceship’s energy source is disconnected to be replaced by the current being generated by the circular tubing moving through the circular housing and regulated by the spaceship’s flight control computers.