Star One: Dark Star

by Weil, Raymond L.

  Star One

  Dark Star

  By Raymond L. Weil

  Website: http://raymondlweil.com/

  Books in the Star One series

  Star One: Tycho City Discovery

  Star One: Neutron Star

  Star One: Dark Star

  Star One: Tycho City Survival (December 2013)

  Copyright © June 2012 by the

  Author

  Cover art by Bigstock

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. All rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without permission in writing from the author.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Epilogue

  In deep space, the neutron star rotates, sending out the deadly warning of its approach in a loud burst of x-rays and radio waves twice every second. It has come to kill a star system, and there is nothing that can stop it. However, the neutron star also holds another even more dangerous secret. It is not alone!

  This is a continuation of Star One: Neutron Star

  Chapter One

  It had been three days since the FarQuest had launched on her epic voyage of exploration to the approaching neutron star. Steve was outside the protective environment of the station with John Gray in a Centaur work vessel. They were checking on the work crews installing the new Luxen protective coating on the station’s outer hull. John sat in the pilot’s seat expertly maneuvering the small craft, delicately using its thrusters to move it along the outer hull of the station’s main wheel.

  The huge expanse of metal seemed to stretch on forever as it gently curved in the distance. Workers had already meticulously installed several hundred feet of the shiny Luxen alloy. It was a slow process, and work crews were working around the clock to get the job done as quickly as possible. Without the protective coating of Luxen, it was doubtful the station would be able to survive the coming approach of the deadly neutron star.

  Dryson and Stoler were making runs of the special plates in the fusion reactor three times per day. Even so, they were still just barely able to keep up with the work crews. All shipments of Luxen to Earth had come to a complete stop. The only Luxen being shipped out was to Tycho City on the Moon, and even that had been significantly reduced. Mase Colton was working hard trying to get their fusion reactor at Tycho City set up to produce Luxen. Even though the quality wouldn’t be quite as good as that produced in the zero gravity of Star One’s fusion reactor, it would still be good enough for what Mase needed.

  Already, companies on Earth were screaming breach of contract and threatening to take legal action against Star One. The attorneys for Star One had informed the attorneys for the threatening companies that Star One’s fusion reactor was going through routine maintenance, and Luxen production would resume shortly. When pressed by the attorneys for the complaining companies, the attorneys for Star One had declined to give a date when Luxen production would resume.

  As Steve and John neared the area where work was currently being done, Steve could see several other Centaur vessels hovering near the hull. Occasionally, small white flashes from their RCS maneuvering thrusters signaled a Centaur moving on to the next work location. One of the Centaur vessels was holding a number of the long twenty-foot sheets of dark, shiny Luxen in its mechanical arms while a second was carefully placing a single sheet against the hull.

  Once in place, special welders attached to the mechanical arms of the craft flared brightly, emitting brilliant white arcs as the sheets were welded firmly into place. Steve knew this was done by computer control to ensure the welds were consistent. Half a dozen one-man scooters hovered nearby with their occupants enclosed in bulky white spacesuits, waiting to assist as they were needed.

  Another Centaur hovered a short distance above the work site, keeping a watchful eye on the construction. The primary responsibility of this Centaur was to oversee the entire operation and ensure that all the work was being done in a safe and efficient manner. No dangerous or risky actions were tolerated.

  “Everything seems to be going okay,” ventured John, looking at the Luxen plate being carefully welded into place.

  John fired several of the Centaur’s RCS thrusters to turn the small utility spacecraft so they would have a better view. He brought the Centaur to a stop just above the work area, but still far enough out of the way so as not to interfere.

  Several of the spacesuited figures on the space scooters glanced up seeing the arrival of the Centaur. After a moment, they turned their attention back to the work going on beneath them.

  “We have a lot of work to do to get the station ready for the neutron star,” commented Steve, watching the work closely with a critical eye. One of his main worries with this kind of project was safety. A mistake in the heartless vacuum of space could be deadly. A torn or ruptured spacesuit could lead to instant death. “We don’t know what stresses the station may be subjected to.”

  “The Luxen plating and the cables that Dryson and Stoler have recommended should make a big difference,” John spoke, looking over at Steve. John’s family lived on the station, and he wanted the station to be as secure as possible. His wife and two kids meant everything to him.

  “I just hope it’s enough,” Steve breathed with a nod of his head. “This is a neutron star we’re talking about. We can’t be sure what we might be facing.” Steve knew there were a lot of unknowns in their future. He just hoped they could find ways to deal with them.

  John knew how crucial it was to get this job done and done right. The Luxen coating would protect the station from any conceivable level of radiation except for a nova, and no one would survive that. But Steve was right; the neutron star was a very big and dangerous unknown. If things happened as some of the projections showed, John was just glad his family was on Star One and not down on Earth. Earth very shortly could be an extremely dangerous place to be.

  “I’m sure Dryson and Stoler ran the numbers for the cables and feel that what we are doing should be sufficient,” John said, trying to sound optimistic. “If not, they would have said so.”

  “You’re right,” Steve spoke, leaning back and staring out the cockpit window at the spacesuited workers below. “They seemed pretty confident that this would work.”

  “Fortunately, we have a good crew, both here on Star One as well as over on the Space Platform,” added John, watching as a second sheet of Luxen was put in place. The welders continued to flare brightly. “They are very adept at this type of work.”

  From what John could see, the workers were going at a fairly decent pace. So far, there had been no incidents since the work started. He knew that the three Main Control duty officers were closely monitoring this operation on their shifts. Teela was also using her monitor cameras, which were placed everywhere on the outer hull, to keep the Main Control duty officers informed of any potential problems.

  They watched for several more minutes as the Centaurs finished this section of the hull. Once the segment was completed, four of the scooters moved in. Using a magnetic grapple on the bottom of the small craft, the workers attached the scooters firmly to the hull. Once securely anchored, the s
pacesuited figures left the scooters and began inspecting the recently completed section.

  The other two scooters hovered above the workers in case someone floated off and needed to be rescued. The workers on the two scooters were also diligently watching for any signs of potential problems or danger. Teamwork and communication were the keys to this type of operation.

  The four men and women in their bulky white spacesuits, using small jet packs, moved up to within inches of the slightly curving hull. They were inspecting all the welds close up to ensure that they met the rigid quality standards that Steve demanded.

  They were using specially designed handheld scanners to check the welds for uniformity, thickness, and strength. The process was extremely slow, as they had to minutely inspect every inch of welding. If they found a weak area, it was marked in white to be welded again. The workers seemed to float just above the hull, their movements slow and precise. Occasionally, they would use tiny bursts from their jet packs to change positions and move a few more feet along the newly installed surface.

  Steve nodded to himself, satisfied that the work was going as planned. The workers were being safe and cautious and seemed to be obeying all the strict safety guidelines set down for this type of work. Ever since Don Strickland and the others had died during the station's original construction, Steve had been a stickler for obeying safety rules and making sure each job was well planned out.

  Steve used the time to look around the rest of the large station. The large front viewport in the Centaur offered an excellent unobstructed view. He didn’t get to spend a lot of time outside the station any more unless an emergency occurred. Looking around brought back a lot of memories from the days when the station was being slowly constructed; days when working on the station involved a lot of long hours and the taking of dangerous risks. Those times were long gone, and the people Steve had now were much more experienced at working in zero gravity.

  Looking upward, he could see Alpha, the upper wheel. It was covered with myriads of communication antennas. Four long rows of brilliant solar panels extended like dragonfly wings several hundred yards into space. These served as Alpha’s backup power source. The four panels were in constant sunlight at all times, soaking up the Sun’s free energy.

  It felt good to get out and away from his office for a short time. The constant calls, questions, and people asking for appointments was taking its toll. He closed his eyes and allowed his mind to relax for a moment. At least for a few minutes, in the Centaur, he was away from all of that. Opening his eyes, he looked above Alpha; the stars beckoned with their steady light shining down upon the station. It was a constant reminder of just how insignificant they were in the greater scheme of things.

  Even Christy had been complaining that Steve was putting in too many hours recently. She scarcely saw him except during staff meetings, which were being held several times a day now. Steve was pushing the entire crew as hard as he dared. They had a lot of work that had to be done and a limited amount of time to do it in. There would be no avoiding the neutron star.

  The department heads had told Steve that the people they were responsible for were asking a lot of difficult questions. There was still confusion as to what would become of Earth when the neutron star made its closest approach. Some of the questions the department heads could answer, and some they could not. Steve knew that he needed to put up some additional information on the station’s news channel to help alleviate some of the confusion.

  “What’s the latest news from Earth?” asked John, moving the Centaur farther away from the hull until they were far enough out to be able to see the Power Wheel below them.

  The Power Wheel also had four long rows of solar panels extending far out into space. John knew that Steve had been working around the clock the last several days talking to crewmembers and working on contingency plans. John hoped that Steve wasn’t pushing himself too hard. They were all going to be depending on him to pull them through this in the coming months. There was an air of concern in the station and the crew could be heard talking about the events on Earth on their jobs as well as in the cafeterias. No one was quite sure what was happening. Many people were deeply frightened by the news of the neutron star, and there was an uneasy feeling about their future in the station.

  “Not good,” Steve replied with a frown of resignation. Gazing at the Power Wheel, he wondered if they should procure more solar panels for future power needs in case something happened to the fusion reactors. He would add those to the growing list he was sending Tim McPhryson. Every day it seemed that he thought of something else that might be needed. “Senator Farley has hit the ceiling calling for the resignation of the president and the immediate recall of the FarQuest.”

  “Not surprising, knowing Farley,” commented John, shaking his head in frustration “Did the President bring him in and talk to him one on one?”

  “Yes,” answered Steve with a deepening frown. His brown eyes glinted with aggravation, recalling what had happened between the president and Senator Farley. “But he didn’t want to hear what the president had to say. When she tried to explain what was going on and what steps were being taken he stormed out of her office refusing to listen.”

  “I can’t believe the audacity of the man to refuse to hear President Kateland out,” John said in disbelief as he slowly maneuvered the Centaur so they could see more of the station below them. “After all, she is the president. Farley should have enough respect for the office to at least listen to her explanations.”

  “His news conference after the president’s address claimed President Kateland was overreacting to this emergency, and even questioned whether it was real at all,” continued Steve, remembering what Tim McPhryson had told him immediately after all of this transpired.

  Tim had been extremely upset and worried. They hadn’t expected this type of response from the powerful senator. Steve knew that President Kateland was feeling a lot of pressure from Senator Farley’s actions. “He is demanding a special session of Congress to consider impeachment proceedings against President Kateland if she refuses to resign.”

  “Impeachment!” John echoed in incredulity, his eyes growing wide. “What is the man thinking?” He could scarcely believe what he was hearing.

  “He even went so far as to say that he had signed statements from some of the leading astronomers on Earth that there is no neutron star,” added Steve, his eyes narrowing. “However, those signed statements and names haven’t been released.”

  “The man’s a fool!” John stated with anger in his voice. What was Senator Farley up to? This had to be some type of power grab. “I doubt if those signatures are real.”

  “Real or not, he has caused an uproar across the country,” said Steve, worriedly. “Since he made his accusation about the threat not being real he has been meeting with a lot of people around Washington trying to drum up support for his cause. He has refused to meet with the president or any of her people. He doesn’t seem interested in trying to diffuse the situation.”

  “Do you think there is any chance President Kateland might be impeached?” asked John, worriedly.

  He couldn’t imagine the president being impeached. She had been enjoying a high popularity rating before this neutron star threat turned up. Surely, the people wouldn’t turn on her in this emergency.

  “Tim doesn’t think it’s a real threat at the moment,” replied Steve, switching his gaze to the distant beckoning stars. He looked in the general direction of where he knew the FarQuest was, but the ship was far too distant to be seen with the unaided eye. “She still has enough support from her own party to block any serious attempt. But President Kateland wants us to get all of our people up here as quickly as possible, along with any supplies we think we might need.”

  “It’s going to get that bad?” asked John, looking intently at Steve.

  “Her advisors tell her the situation is getting extremely unstable,” answered Steve with a hint of worry in his voice. “The
re have been severe riots in several major cities which the military has had to step in and quell. There have even been a few unfortunate deaths. The general public mood is showing outrage at the imposition of martial law, and Senator Farley is only stirring the fire every chance he gets.”

  “How about the reaction in other countries?” asked John, bringing the Centaur around the edge of the station and moving off toward the Space Platform using the vessel’s small thrusters.

  Steve had told John earlier that he wanted to fly over and inspect the Space Platform while they were out on their inspection flight. John knew that it was probably good to get Steve out away from the station for a short while. Christy had even mentioned to him that it would do Steve some good to get away for a few hours. She was extremely concerned that Steve was working too hard.

  “Britain, Japan, Australia, and Canada have called for world calm and have pledged to work closely with the United States in this emergency,” replied Steve, recalling his most recent conversation with Tim McPherson. “They have also declared states of emergency to enact their own crisis preparations. According to Tim, all four countries are planning on constructing deep shelters to try to save some of their people.”

  “What about other countries; what are they doing?” John asked. “Surely others are building shelters too?”

  “Many of the emerging Third World nations are screaming that this is a plot by the United States and the older powers to reassert world control,” Steve said, glancing over at John who was adeptly manipulating the controls on his console. Even in the Centaur there were numerous controls needed to operate the small utility spacecraft. “They claim it’s an attempt to prevent their countries from getting the vital material and resources they need for their expanding economies. They are threatening to resist any capitalist move to interfere with their rights.”