“Welcome, Lieutenant! Please! Please! Sit down!” she said. “Look! Can you believe it? Biscuits and gravy! Real biscuits and gravy! I could just drink in the aroma itself! Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve had them? I can’t even remember. Probably back on Luna One. Here, try some! I have plenty!” She slid over her plate.
It was impossible to refuse her generosity and the Lieutenant tried a small portion.
“It’s very tasty, but heavy,” Rogerton said, raising her eyebrows. “If I eat too much, I will never get to sleep.”
“I always sleep better on a full stomach,” Kolanna said, wielding her fork.
“How can you eat so much and stay so thin?” Rogerton said. “There has to be something in the regulations about such gross unfairness.”
Kolanna laughed, smiling infectiously, and continued to eat with complete delight.
The Lieutenant realized that all the walking had done its job – she was exhausted. “Thanks, Kolanna, I need to get some sleep. We'll have a crew meeting tomorrow after we know our orders from the Star-Commander. Rest well.”
“Rest well, Lieutenant.”
Chapter XIII
Star-Commander Abigail VanDevere was again the model of self-control, logic, and finality of command. Her impeccable standards of punctuality and professional comportment were obvious as she strode briskly into the briefing room at precisely 14:00 hours. All the officers were there early, standing at attention, dressed in their best uniforms, presented as they were expected.
Standing at the right side of the front row, Rogerton couldn’t help but notice the difference in the Star-Commander’s attitude from her private meeting the day before. There was almost a smile on her face as if something in the past hours had brought new hope.
“At ease. As you all are aware, Bestmarke and Franelli know something about the strange anomaly, the Keyhole, which has eluded us. We know nothing of what causes it or controls it. All we know is that it appears precisely on time, and remains for precisely the same length at each appearance. This has been the situation for over two centuries since it was discovered. Also, as you know, it never appears in the same exact location but shifts randomly inside a large bubble of space. Since its discovery we have run countless calculations to determine a pattern to these appearances, but to no avail,” she said, speaking clearly, pacing back and forth.
“We know Bestmarke’s ship came back out one time before. We were too far away to do anything but watch him on the NAV screens. After a short time he disappeared from those, too.” She stopped pacing and faced her officers.
“But now we know something even Franelli does not know. We have cracked the code on where the Keyhole will appear next.”
She let the import of this statement sink in to her officers for a few moments. The subtle nodding of heads and widening of eyes underscored the importance of this announcement.
“No doubt you all will have many questions,” VanDevere said, radiating confidence. “In the days and weeks to come we hope to use this new information from CENTRAL to accomplish the following: First, we must capture Franelli, alive and whole. Second, once Franelli is caught and persuaded to cooperate, we will press on with our investigation and study of the Keyhole. CENTRAL believes this anomaly plays a crucial role in our future, in the continuation of the Empire, and even in the survival of the human race.”
VanDevere paused again to emphasize the importance of this latest revelation. She could sense in her officers different feelings, apprehension and uncertainty in some, confidence and boldness in others. All, though, showed rock-like courage and fearlessness, instilling deep pride and camaraderie in the heart of the Star-Commander.
“We have narrowed the choice to three possible locations where the Keyhole will next appear. We have assigned squadrons to each location anticipating Bestmarke’s return through the Keyhole at its next appearance in nine standard days. Lieutenant-Commander Gornect will pass out the briefings. You will have one hour to look them over and formulate any questions. Please be thorough! One hour, my Sisters.” She turned and left the room as quickly as she had entered.
Chapter XIV
Earth Date: January, 1976, Ancient Calendar
Location: Kuiper Belt, ‘Keyhole’
“There it is,” Terran said. “Almost in the same location – thirty minutes and we'll be there. Louis’s final calculations are locked into the guidance system.”
“Nothing to it this time,” Galen said. “We're making life easy for you, aren’t we, Louis?”
Louis’s expressionless gaze revealed his contempt for small talk. “The calculations are different each time, boss, and very difficult. Miscalculations could be fatal. Speed, timing, and the energy harmonics of the ship have to be synchronized with the Keyhole. We could miss our target date by years, even centuries, with a slight miscalculation. Many probes and ships have been lost since the Keyhole was discovered. Nobody knows where they are, even if they still exist. You don't want to end up in that situation, do you?”
Galen just smiled and held his tongue. Louis had been testy lately and needed some time off on solid ground. He had to coddle him a bit more than usual but he didn’t mind. There was no one else with a mind and creative genius like his. He was unique. Galen was keenly aware of this and handled him with kid gloves, patience, and high pay – a winning combination in his estimation.
Galen methodically went through his gunner’s checklist and reassured himself on his weapons inventories. These might be necessary after emerging from the Keyhole. All weapons systems needed to be off during the transit. Louis had strongly warned all of them about leaving any weapons systems on, or using the link between himself and Terran, as well as Estelle and Tommie, as they unconsciously passed through the Keyhole. Their vulnerability during the waking moments on the other side worried him. The unpredictability of the Keyhole’s location gave him some assurance but nagging doubts and fears remained. He wanted every edge he could gain. Being prepared was essential.
The minutes ticked by and the silent tension on the ship climbed.
Finally Terran’s voice announced over the COM: “One minute to fully automatic, the guidance system is locked on. Everybody strap in.”
Anticipating the possibility of battle, the viewing portal was closed this time. The beauty and frightening immensity of this strange galactic phenomenon wasn’t visible as they entered the abyss. Terran sighed in resignation as he gave up the controls, once again placing his life in Louis’s hands and brilliant mind. His instruments became erratic and he felt the building g-forces and sluggishness of his thinking as they were swallowed down deeper and deeper. He didn’t fight it, but welcomed the deep, dreamless sleep.
The ship flew on, ever deeper into the Keyhole, as if it were asleep again, too.
Chapter XV
Earth Date: 475 N.V.A.
Location: Kuiper Belt, approaching the ‘Keyhole’
Rogerton’s PCC ship was coasting through space with her assigned squadron. Their single fusion engine was silent now, only steering thrusters were occasionally needed. A Victorian Cruiser and nine other Patrol Class ships like hers made up Alpha Squadron. They were approaching their tactical location, one of three possible areas for the Keyhole’s reappearance. The fact that the cruiser they accompanied was the Daniela emphasized that this location had the highest probability of intercepting Bestmarke’s ship, Black Eagle, when it reemerged from the Keyhole. What they would do, or could do, when they finally encountered the Black Eagle was still uncertain.
At their final briefing, the Star-Commander had emphasized the importance of quickly taking his ship. VanDevere had recounted the one instance of seeing Bestmarke reemerge through the Keyhole. His ship had shown no control or activity for a few minutes. How many minutes were uncertain, but everything about the ship, including its engines, appeared to be shut down. Their window of opportunity was brief and the safe capture of Franelli was paramount. To guarantee Franelli's protection, they must avoid a fig
ht with Bestmarke. Once Franelli was safely removed from Bestmarke's ship, the squadron would be free to attack Bestmarke with all their power.
The Star-Commander’s voice came over the COM system: “Ten seconds to braking thrust – on my mark.”
Kolanna synched her controls with the flagship and went to standard braking power. “Braking thrust and steering, Ma’am,” Kolanna said. “Reappearance of the Keyhole in ten minutes.”
The minutes slowly ticked by. All eyes were on the NAV screens to see how close they would be.
“Stand by alert,” Rogerton said, with two minutes remaining.
Tension on the ship began to grow as the seconds trickled down to zero. The Star-Commander’s voice came over the COM again. It was obvious the adrenaline was flowing. “The Keyhole is right on schedule!” she said. “Pilots, steer us to our prearranged coordinates! Ships One and Two prepare for attachment and boarding procedures! Ships Three through Ten take flanking positions! Prepare to synch shielding! Coordinate harmonics, on my mark!”
“Shielding synched,” Kolanna said, steering Ship One into position. She looked over and smiled at Rogerton who returned her gaze with a nervous grin. With silent anticipation they continued monitoring the NAV screens.
Ten minutes showed on the screen as the Keyhole completed its formation. Its unstable forming time lasted 12 minutes before it settled into its stable mode for just over an hour. It then began to collapse at the same rate it had formed, following the exact timing and sequence since its discovery in 261 N.V.A., 214 standard years ago.
“Two minutes to completion,” Kolanna said. “No activity yet.”
All the crew watched in silence as the tension mounted.
“Stabilization is complete,” Kolanna said. “Beginning countdown of 62.79 minutes. All circuits are steady. Octopus Boarding Unit is at standby. All we need is Bestmarke.”
Two minutes went by, then three and four. Rogerton felt like a hunter, waiting for her prey.
“There is activity!” Kolanna said, nervously caressing her controls as she watched the screens.
Rogerton saw it at the same time. “This could be Bestmarke’s ship,” she said. Seconds later she confirmed it. “It's the Black Eagle! It will clear the Keyhole in thirty seconds. Kolanna, set your final approach vectors and begin moving into position. Set the Octopus to full operation. Specialists, take your boarding stations at the Octopus. Shielding suits on! Remember, we must be quick! Take Franelli first!” she said, clenching her fists.
Ships One and Two positioned themselves to come in from behind as the Black Eagle cleared the Keyhole. Ship Two led the approach along the top of the huge vessel. Octopus Boarding Units were attached to the bottoms of the two PCC ships with their arm-like tentacles fully extended, ready to grasp the ship when they lightly touched down.
The Black Eagle was originally a standard high volume cargo freighter, but had been extensively modified and refitted with additional armor, formidable weaponry, and two Zenkati fusion engines, the best and most powerful available. The Star-Commander, however, was expecting no change to the location of the operations center of the ship. Franelli was an engineer and they were counting on him being in that section.
“Take us in, Kolanna,” Rogerton said.
In unison, both ships touched down, the tentacles of the Octopus units clinging to the hull of the Black Eagle with barnacle-like strength. Ship Two was over the engineering area and Ship One over the general cargo area, closer to the stern.
“No response,” Rogerton said. “It's like they are asleep. Quickly now, get the can-openers working.”
The nuclear cutters of the Octopus units efficiently burned boarding holes through the thick skin of the hull, securing the lids quietly. Instantly, equalizer tubes extended in to eliminate sharp edges, seal any air leaks, and provide hand holds to scramble up or down. Four boarding Specialists on each ship descended down the tubes into the belly of Bestmarke’s ship.
The Ship Two Specialists stealthily fanned out in the dim ambient lighting of the engineering section. They encountered no resistance, although they were armed with stun-phasers and wore shielding suits with blast helmets. They quickly found Franelli strapped in his control seat, sound asleep. When they touched him, he groaned and started to move but slumped forward as they sedated him. Quietly, they unstrapped him and carried him to the boarding hole where they attached a harness and pulled him up into the PCC ship.
“We have Franelli secure and unconscious, although he was beginning to awaken when we encountered him,” the Ship Two Lieutenant-Warden said. “The Specialists are returning to the ship. The cutter will begin sealing the plug.”
Meanwhile, the four Specialists from Ship One had descended into the cargo area.
“Lieutenant-Warden Rogerton, we have the area secure, but we've never seen anything like this before,” one of the Specialists said.
“Please describe.”
“The room is circular, and it makes you feel like – like being in a forest with blue sky above. It’s hard to explain. There are many heavy wooden pedestals, and each has a shimmering, glassy-looking glow above them. Please advise.”
Rogerton contemplated her options, finally responding. “Can you bring one or two of them up?”
“We'll get a harness on them and bring two up.”
“Very good, I'm coming down to see for myself.”
Wearing a shielding suit and blast helmet, Rogerton quickly came down. The Specialists pointed to the pedestals as they deftly maneuvered two of them up the equalizer tube into the ship.
“What is this place?” she said as she walked around. “And what are these pedestals for?”
She reached down and touched the small shiny plate on the side. Suddenly, the glassy sheen above began to darken and a shape appeared as if through a thick fog. Her fascination, though, turned to horror and intense fear as the snarling head of a huge, maned lion roared at her from only a meter away. She frantically jumped back with her stun-phaser raised, her eyes wide with fear. Quite shaken, she realized it couldn’t hurt her, but she had never been so frightened. As she turned to the Specialist beside her, alarms began shrieking. Bestmarke's huge ship rumbled and vibrated as the fusion engines began their start-up sequence.
“Back to the ship!” Rogerton said as she and the specialist ran to the equalizer tube. They both grabbed the harness and were steadily pulled up toward the ceiling.
**********
Lieutenant-Commander Roxana Gornect was at the controls of the Victorian battle cruiser Daniela, the flagship of the Victorian fleet. All systems were battle ready, at full alert. Star-Commander VanDevere was pacing in front of the large multi-dimensional viewer used primarily for battle situations, watching the ongoing operations.
“Good – good – right on schedule,” she said. “All quiet and Ship Two is lifting off.”
“Ma’am, they have Franelli,” Gornect said. “He is sedated. They captured him just as he was about to awaken.”
“Excellent! Have him brought to a maximum security cell. Double the guard. Have him scanned and keep him sedated. Do not underestimate him. Monitor him continuously.”
“Yes, Ma’am, I am directing their ship to Security Port One.”
VanDevere’s gloating was cut short as Bestmarke’s sleeping beast of a ship suddenly woke up.
“Black Eagle is firing up, Ma’am, and Ship One is still attached. Our engines are at standby. Shield-synch power is at fifty percent. Bringing it to one hundred percent. We're ready for full pursuit as soon as Ship Two is safely docked.”
“We cannot wait,” VanDevere said. “Alpha Squadron, all engines fully on! Match velocity to the Black Eagle as you can. Keep your shield-synch positions – fan out to avoid his wake. Full power to forward hyper-lasers.” VanDevere quickly strapped into her command seat. “Instruct Ship Two to fan out with the others. We must keep up with Bestmarke if we are going to get Ship One safely back!”
**********
Galen Bestma
rke awoke to find himself in the middle of a nightmare. The defense alarm was braying loudly and crew members were milling about, all of them groggy, trying to awaken from their deep sleep.
“Terran!” he said. “Fire up the engines! The Empire is here! How did they find us? Look at the NAV screens!”
The screens showed a ring of eight patrol ships and a Victorian cruiser around his ship as it exited the Keyhole. Sensors indicated two additional ships attached to the hull, one above engineering, and another further back at the cargo area.
“Louis!” Galen said. His face was white with apprehension. No response. His face began to redden. “Louis, answer me!” he said, bellowing more loudly. Loosening his straps, Galen stumbled down the corridor to engineering and threw open the bulkhead door. “No!” he said as his mind registered what had taken place.
“Boss, what’s going on?” Johnny said, just beginning to revive. He glanced around the engineering module at the debris on the floor. Looking up, he saw the fused plug in the ceiling still glowing at the edges. A slight scraping and jarring sound from the hull’s exterior could faintly be heard. “Boarding ship with an Octopus, must have captured Louis, that’s them leaving.”
“But the sensors showed two ships! Grab an LR and follow me!” Galen said. The great ship trembled as the engines began their start-up procedure.
Holding laser rifles, the two ran toward the bowels of the ship, past the cargo hold to the bulkhead of the trophy room. Galen unlocked the hatch and swung it open. They jumped through the hatchway, firing their laser rifles at the intruders ascending through the equalizer tube. Galen screamed like a madman when he realized his loss. “No! No! You can’t take those!” He continued to fire at the equalizer tube, shreds of it falling to the floor.
TROPHY Page 8