by C. G. Mosley
“It’ll be running better than it was when you left,” he replied with a chuckle. Buchanon turned to head toward the shuttle, then paused as if something had suddenly occurred to him. Hightower looked at him curiously.
“Harry,” he said. “You’ve got a young lady on your crew; her name is Merissa Voight.”
Hightower raised his chin and his eyes narrowed as he thought about the name. “Ah, yes,” he said after thinking a moment. “She’s a Comet pilot…smart as a whip.”
Buchanon nodded. “Yes, that’s her,” he replied. “Do me a favor and go easy on her, will you?”
Hightower again stared at his old friend curiously. “Why? Is there a problem with her I need to know about?”
Buchanon chuckled and shook his head. “No, no problem,” he said quickly, then he paused as if he were second guessing the statement. “I mean, she’s a little rough around the edges, but I believe she’s destined for greatness.”
Hightower crossed his arms and shifted his feet. “Do you care to elaborate?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
Again, Buchanon chuckled slightly, and seemed rattled. “She…she reminds me of my daughter,” he said sadly.
“Oh,” Hightower replied softly. He was very much aware that the general’s daughter had died a little over a year earlier. It was well-known that her death had been difficult on him and had taken a toll.
There was a long and awkward silence before Buchanon finally moved toward the shuttle. Before boarding, he stopped and glanced over his shoulder at Hightower.
“Good luck, commander,” he said.
***
Charlie West stood in the portside hangar of the SC Titan. It was eerily quiet and as he stared over the sleek and shiny Comet fighters, he wondered if he was just experiencing the calm before the storm. When he’d first learned of the expedition and the existence of the ship in which he was currently standing, he figured his odds of getting chosen as one of the crew were good. With Tim Reed getting assigned as the deck crew chief, he was almost certain that he’d be brought along. For Charlie, it didn’t matter how he got chosen, just as long as he was chosen.
And then he learned that Lauren had applied for, and won, the opportunity to run the ship’s fitness center. Charlie felt strongly that the mission would be dangerous, so he was less than thrilled when he discovered his sister would be joining him on the interstellar voyage.
“It’s amazing isn’t it.”
Charlie immediately recognized the voice talking to him. He spun on his heel to face Sabre.
“Yeah, it is,” he said.
Sabre casually drew near him, finally stopping beside him. “What an amazing moment in human history that we’re getting to experience,” he said, crossing his arms. He took a deep breath as if he were testing the air.
“Can I help you with anything?” Charlie asked, purposely looking away from him.
Sabre looked over at him. He was practically staring at the back of his head. “Yeah, actually you can.”
Charlie closed his eyes as he immediately realized what Sabre was going to say next. “You’re not good enough for Lauren,” he quipped. “I’m sorry, but if you think you’re going to change my mind you’re mistaken.”
Sabre sighed and rocked on his heels. “Charlie, why aren’t you willing to give me a chance?”
There was a sadness in his voice and Charlie noticed it. “My sister is a grown woman and if she chooses to date you then there’s nothing I can do about it,” he replied. “But, she doesn’t know you the way that I do. I’ve heard your frequent proclamations of one-night stands and sexual conquests and forgive me for doing everything in my power to spare my sister from a little heartache.”
Sabre looked down at his crossed arms and shook his head slowly. “I told you that it’s different with Lauren,” he said, almost pleadingly. He looked over to find that Charlie was still looking away from him. Sabre walked around in front of him, so he had no choice but to see him. “I love her, Charlie,” he said, locking eyes with him.
“I’m not her father,” Charlie groaned. “You don’t have to tell me or ask for my permission.”
Sabre laughed, clearly out of frustration. “You keep insinuating that Lauren can make her own decision where it concerns me, but you know damn well that’s not the case. She wants you to be on board with her decision.”
For the first time Charlie finally looked at him. “And I told you I can’t give you the answer that you want.”
Sabre could feel his blood pressure rising and he resisted the urge to say something he knew he’d regret. Instead he closed his eyes and slowly counted to five. It was an old trick he’d been taught during his pilot training. As he did so, he could feel himself calming down. “What can I do to change your mind?”
It was Charlie’s turn to sigh. He rubbed at his temples to fend off an oncoming headache. “Look,” he said, sounding almost apologetic. “I’ll stop short of saying that swaying my opinion is impossible.”
Sabre stared at him, his blue eyes brightening a bit. “Just tell me what I need to do,” he said with renewed vigor.
Charlie shrugged. “I don’t know yet,” he said. “You’ll have to earn my trust and that takes time. If it happens, I’ll let you know. In the meantime, you and I both have a job to do up here.”
Sabre looked away, not exactly pleased with Charlie’s answer, but also cognizant of the fact that it appeared he’d made a slight amount of progress. “I’ll prove it to you,” he said.
“I hope so,” Charlie replied. “Whatever happens, you always keep in mind that I’m the guy turning the wrenches on your Comet.”
Chapter 14
Commander Roger Stellick was known for his cool and calm demeanor. No matter how bad things got, or how much pressure he was under, Stellick always found a way to stay calm. Although it seemed like ages ago now, Stellick could remember the instructors from his pilot training days commenting that he must have ice water in his veins because nothing rattled him. It eventually led to him getting the call sign “Ice” and anyone that served under him knew the meaning.
As Roger stood just behind Captain Hightower and Colonel Madigan on the bridge of the SC Titan, for the first time in as long as he could remember, he didn’t feel calm. His pulse raced, though he could not figure out why. His palms were sweating, and he fought off a tremble.
Am I getting sick?
As he contemplated that possibility, he shook the thoughts from his head.
No, you’re not getting sick, he told himself. You don’t have time to get sick…
“Are you alright?” Lieutenant Hayden Carter said as he walked up beside him.
Roger smiled and shook his head. “Yeah, I’m good,” he said with a look of assurance. “Is it warm in here to you?”
Lieutenant Carter cocked his head slightly and looked up as if he were trying to visualize the air around them. “No, it’s comfortable to me,” he replied.
Roger nodded, but said nothing. He silently cursed himself for showing weakness at such an inopportune time.
Captain Harry Hightower strolled over to the communications section of the bridge and placed a firm grip on Jake Crosby’s shoulder. The young man had headphones over his ears and appeared to be reading a manual explaining the communications system on board the Titan. When he felt Hightower’s grip, he pulled one side of the headphones away from his right ear.
“Are you alright, Private?” the captain asked.
Crosby glanced over his shoulder and smiled. “Yessir,” he said, sweat glistening on his forehead.
Roger was pleased to see he wasn’t the only person sweating.
“I want you to know I appreciate your adaptability and willingness to serve on such short notice,” Hightower told him.
“It’s my honor, sir,” Jake replied.
“Very good,” Hightower said with a slight nod, then he turned all business. “Contact Captain Steiger at once.”
Jake replied, returned the headphones over both ear
s, and immediately pulled a microphone close to his mouth and pushed a button. Seconds later, he turned to Hightower and said, “I have Captain Steiger on the comm,” he said.
“Put him through on the bridge speaker,” Hightower commanded.
Jake turned a knob and then nodded at the commander.
“Captain Steiger,” Hightower called out. “We’re ready to enter the gate when you tell us it’s safe to do so.”
“Very good news,” Malcolm replied, his voice boomed through the bridge speaker with a cheerful tone. “The Pinnacle will commence entry in approximately five minutes. If you find reason for us to delay entry, please let me know immediately. Otherwise, wait for the Pinnacle to completely enter the gate. After five minutes, the SC Titan may follow, but make sure you give us at least five minutes to get clear of the gate. We don’t want to have a collision on the other side.”
“Understood,” Hightower replied. “Once you determine our position on the other side of the gate, we’ll reconvene and discuss our next course.”
“Very well, Commander,” Malcolm replied. “We’re about to activate the gate and prepare our entry. See you all on the other side.”
Roger watched as a rare smile formed on Colonel Madigan’s face. Lieutenant Hayden Carter also appeared to be slightly excited.
“See you on the other side,” Hightower replied. “SC Titan, out.”
The captain immediately turned to his officers. “I want every person on this ship at their stations. We must be prepared for every scenario,” he barked.
Madigan nodded. “We will be ready,” he said.
Captain Hightower then turned his attention directly to Roger. “I want every pilot in their flight gear and ready to go up at a moment’s notice. Make sure you communicate with the Deck Chief as well.”
“I’ll get them ready,” Roger replied with a quick salute. “Sir, is there anything we should know about?”
Hightower glared at him with annoyance. “If there is a problem, you’ll know about it when I tell you, commander,” he snapped. “Get your people ready…you only have ten minutes.”
Roger nodded and made his way to Jake Crosby, so he could make a quick call to Tim Reed.
As the crew of the SC Titan scrambled to their stations, Captain Malcolm Steiger gave the order to initiate the power up of the Hyperspace Teleportation Gate. In mere seconds after the commands were sent over remotely, the vast circular structure began to slowly move around like a giant Ferris wheel.
Captain Hightower watched in awe as the strange symbols and engravings on the structure began to light up a brilliant white. The spinning motion of the gate became faster and faster until finally the symbols showed so brightly they were impossible to stare at. Hightower and the other officers on the bridge instead turned their attention toward the interior of the gate. They watched as the distant stars on the other side of the gate became distorted and they were soon turning in a circular motion in the same direction as the gate itself. As the gate continued to gather even more speed, the framed area within the gate spun so fast that it resembled a whirlpool.
“This is amazing,” Lieutenant Carter muttered softly. “I can’t believe this is actually happening.”
Captain Hightower looked over at his young lieutenant and watched him for a moment as the bright white lights danced over his face like flashbulbs from a hundred cameras. By the time he looked back toward the gate, the whirlpool motion within it had begun to funnel inward.
“Captain Hightower,” Jake Crosby called out. “Captain Steiger just informed us that they are proceeding into the gate.”
Hightower nodded and watched anxiously as the Pinnacle began to slowly drift toward the gate. As the massive ship drew closer and closer, it soon became apparent that the gate was actually pulling the Pinnacle toward it. Though the ship remained steady and true to her course, the motion of the gate coupled with the Pinnacle’s lazy drift toward its interior, reminded the captain of a tiny boat being pulled into a bathtub drain.
The nose of the large ship entered the gate and suddenly the pace of its entry picked up significantly. Captain Hightower continued to look on as long as he could but was soon forced to shield his eyes with his hand. As the ship continued into the “funnel”, the surrounding space around it began to light up a brilliant white just as the symbols and engravings on the gate had. Everyone on the bridge of the Titan looked away as the light intensified, and then suddenly…it was over. The Pinnacle was gone.
For a long moment, there was silence. Everyone on the bridge looked at each other as if they needed confirmation from their counterparts that what they’d just seen had indeed occurred.
“Did they make it?” Lieutenant Carter asked, breaking the silence.
Captain Hightower narrowed his eyes and his mouth became a straight line. He appeared to be deep in thought.
“Of course they made it,” Colonel Madigan said gruffly. He looked around at the rest of the surrounding crew members. “What were you all expecting?” he asked, raising his eyebrows.
Hightower stared at Madigan a moment and then walked over to Jake Crosby. He reached for a phone on the wall and said, “Patch me through to Commander Stellick.”
Jake nodded and punched a couple of buttons.
“Is your team all set?” Hightower asked. There was a brief pause, and then, “Very good. Stay near the horn in case I need you again.”
Hightower then handed the phone back to Jake and then casually strolled over to the helm where a short-haired woman wearing dark rimmed glasses was seated at the controls. The woman was Rowena Walker, and she’d been hand-picked by East President Akagi Hiro three years earlier to be the eventual helmsman of the SC Titan. Rowena was a technology genius and had ultimately been the winner of a vigorous search involving hundreds of candidates to find a suitable person to pilot the Star Cruiser. Once Rowena was chosen, she’d spent the past two and a half years training to take on a job no one had ever done before. The SC Titan was a one of a kind ship and her successes and failures would be used to train future Star Cruiser pilots. She’d spent countless hours in a simulator to make sure that the failures were kept to a minimum.
“Walker, commence to enter the gate in three more minutes,” Hightower commanded.
“Yes, commander,” Rowena replied in monotone. She placed her hands on both levers in front of her and slowly maneuvered the ship in position to enter the gate cleanly.
Captain Hightower glanced at the large digital clock on the wall over the elevator entrance and then back to the crew that surrounded him. “I want everyone seated when we enter the gate. We don’t know if the ride will be smooth or turbulent and we cannot afford for anyone to get injured in such a careless manner.” He paused and looked over at Jake Crosby. “Private, I want you to tell the entire crew of this ship that they are to be seated until I tell them otherwise and that it’s a direct order.”
Jake nodded and turned back to his station. He pulled the microphone close to his mouth and after turning a knob he began to relay the commander’s orders. Hightower again glanced at the clock. “Okay, we’ve got ninety seconds. Ms. Walker, take us toward the gate,” he told her with a nod.
Rowena responded by slowly pushing both levers on the console forward as every member of the crew took a seat at once. The Star Cruiser was so large that the sensation of movement was very slight, yet it was still noticeable.
Captain Hightower kept his eyes focused intently on the spinning gate ahead of them and the strange funnel-like tunnel that beckoned them inside it. He felt his heart rate increasing as the Star Cruiser drew closer, but his face remained emotionless. The ship began to pick up speed as Hightower looked at the array of gauges on the monitor beside him, he was very much aware that Rowena Walker had done nothing to increase the Titan’s pace. It was the gate…it was pulling them toward it like some sort of giant tractor beam Hightower remembered seeing in science fiction movies as a child.
Rowena looked nervous and peered back at the ca
ptain over her shoulder. “Speed is increasing but I’m—"
“I know, Ms. Walker,” Hightower replied, cutting her off. “Just hold the ship steady and everything will be fine.” He smiled at her, but it was forced. The captain then looked to his right to find Colonel Madigan staring at him. He could see the concern on his executive officer’s face, and as much as he wanted to reassure his old friend, he did not dare say a word. It was important that everyone on the bridge remained calm, and if he and Madigan at least appeared that way, all would be well.
The captain turned his head to look forward out of the large curved viewport that encompassed the entire front wall of the bridge. The nose of the Titan had now penetrated the gate and continued to pick up speed. Suddenly, the exterior of the ship became enveloped in bright light. It was as if a million flashbulbs had gone off at once in all directions. Every crew member on the bridge immediately had to close their eyes for fear of going blind. There was a loud humming noise that seemed to drown out every other sound on board the Titan. The piercing hum, coupled with the blinding light, made everyone on the bridge feel eerily alone. The strange sensation did nothing to calm the commander’s heart rate and he felt himself becoming lightheaded. Just as he felt that he was about to faint, suddenly, the white light vanished, and the humming ceased.
For a long moment, everyone on the bridge was almost completely silent. Captain Hightower rubbed at his eyes, desperately trying to regain his vision. Everywhere he looked, all he seemed to be able to see was giant white splotches that hindered his eye sight. For a panicked moment, he wondered if he’d in fact gone blind. The irony of the situation wasn’t lost on him as he considered the possibility that the cybernetic implants he’d just adjusted to may now be useless.
“Is everyone alright?” he heard a voice call out.
It was Colonel Madigan.
“I—I think so,” Hayden Carter replied.
Hightower heard someone groaning. It sounded like Rowena Walker.
“Private Crosby, I want you to check in with every station of the ship…make sure everyone is alright,” Hightower commanded.