Star One: Dark Star

by Weil, Raymond L.

  “Oh, yes!” Teela said with an impish grin suddenly appearing on her face. “I can’t wait to see Andre.” With that, the hologram winked off and Teela vanished.

  I had better get up there fast, Jennifer thought. Teela will drive Andre wild if he isn’t ready for her. Andre and Jennifer had become very close friends since she had arrived on Star One, and Teela treated him like a father figure.

  Rushing to the elevators, Jennifer caught the first one and, at a run, arrived quickly at the Computer Center only to find everything well in hand. Catching her breath, she looked over at Andre’s station.

  Teela was standing next to Andre, who was munching on a jelly donut, and patiently explaining to her how the new program worked. The other members of the computer team were sitting around watching the interchange with big grins on their faces. It was as if they had brought a new child into the world. Perhaps they had, Jennifer thought, walking up to Andre and Teela. Perhaps they had indeed.

  Chapter Two

  On the distant FarQuest, day six passed uneventfully as the entire crew was awake and waiting for the ion drive to shut down. The twin exhaust tubes continued to throb, steadily pushing the ship to ever-faster speeds. Everybody was at their duty stations, buckled tightly into their acceleration couches as the last minute ticked slowly away.

  They all remembered the earlier failure of the drive to shut down on the Space Platform. They were hoping the drive would shut down smoothly this time. Karl had assured them that the same problem would not occur again. He was confident that the shutdown procedure would work properly. Even so, Karl was keeping his eyes glued to his console, watching for any potential problems. The entire crew waited nervously. They all knew that if there were a serious failure of the ion drive there would be no hope of rescue.

  Ty had checked their flight velocity a few minutes earlier and was satisfied that they had reached a top cruising speed of 633.6 miles per second. He found it a little unnerving to realize just how fast they were going. Talk about faster than a speeding bullet! No spacecraft ever launched had come even close to the speed they were currently traveling. At this speed, every planet and moon in the Solar System would be within easy reach. They were covering nearly 55 million miles per day or over half the distance between the Earth and the Sun. Even so, it was still only a fraction of the speed of light.

  Out of curiosity, Ty had spent some time on the computer checking their speed against that of light. He had figured that they were traveling at slightly more than three tenths of one percent of light speed. Compared to the speed of light they were still just moving at a crawl. He was extremely thankful that they had the protective layer of Luxen around the ship’s hull. In a shuttle, a small meteor would have torn entirely through the hull, blasting its way in microseconds through the fragile ship. Even a small meteor could leave devastation and ruin in its wake.

  On the FarQuest, the Luxen shielding was thick enough to stand up to a small meteor. It was the larger ones that the tracking computer was watchful for. If it detected an asteroid on a collision course, it was programmed to use the ship’s RCS thrusters to move the FarQuest safely to one side and allow the asteroid to pass safely by.

  “According to the flight computer, we are already 189 million miles from home,” Captain Simpson said, turning his head slightly to face Ty. “That’s a long way from Earth and Star One.”

  “Farther outward than any other manned ship has ever gone,” responded Ty, looking out one of the small viewports, which showed nothing but unblinking stars ahead.

  “Our trip has just barely begun,” replied Captain Simpson, thinking about the vast distance they still had to go.

  “This ion drive has the potential to open up a whole new wave of exploration in our Solar System,” spoke Ty, wistfully. “Just imagine less than a week to Mars! A round trip could be done in only two weeks. That’s utterly astonishing when you compare it to current shuttle speeds. It would open up the planets for colonization.”

  “It’s because of the power furnished by the fusion reactor,” commented Simpson, keeping his eyes focused on his console, recalling the amount of energy it took to operate the ion drive and the powerful magnetic containment fields. “Without the fusion reactor, the ion drive would be reduced to a fraction of the acceleration it is capable of.”

  “What would you like to do, if this neutron star thing was to go away?” asked Ty curiously, reaching down and rubbing a slight cramp out of his left leg.

  They finally had a spacecraft that could go almost anywhere in the Solar System, and it would probably be the only one of its type ever built. If the neutron star threat were real, there would not be time to build another.

  “I would like to go back to Mars someday,” replied Simpson with a faraway look in his eyes, remembering his failed Mars mission.

  “I can understand that,” Ty said with a nod.

  “We’ve only had two successful Mars landings,” Simpson added. “Remember, the exploration part of the second expedition was cut short because of a massive sandstorm that would have prevented the Lander from launching for weeks, possibly months. With ships like this one, we could explore the entire Solar System and plant colonies almost anywhere.” Pausing, he checked the ion drive one more time before continuing. “With the ion drive, the right ship, crew, and the deep sleep drug we could even make an attempt at the stars!”

  “I wouldn’t mind seeing Mars myself,” admitted Ty, watching as the final seconds ticked by on the flight computer. “Perhaps someday we will get a chance to really do some exploring. A mission to Mars, the other planets, and yes, even the nearer stars might be possible with a large enough ship.”

  “With a larger ship powered by a fusion powered ion drive, we could accelerate to a very large fraction of the speed of light,” spoke Captain Simpson, thoughtfully. “I’ve heard several of the people who helped design the ion drive say that, with enough power, we could reach a speed of nearly a quarter that of light.”

  “Now that would be moving!” replied Ty with a smile, trying to envision flying in a ship at that speed.

  It was hard enough just imagining the speed the FarQuest was currently traveling. Ty couldn’t even envision traveling at the speeds Captain Simpson was talking about. Ty and Simpson turned their attention back to the flight computer as it reached zero on its count and automatically cut off the flow of argon to the ion drive.

  The entire crew held their breath, watching for warning lights and listening for system alarms. Everything was quiet, and all the lights on their consoles continued to glow a friendly green. The system alarms remained silent.

  “Everything looks good,” Captain Simpson reported as he watched his control console.

  The ion drive finished shutting down, and the gravity in the ship dropped to zero. Captain Simpson reached up and turned the ship’s artificial gravity back on to a comfortable one-third Earth normal. He let out an audible sigh of relief, knowing that the shutdown procedure had worked properly this time.

  “Ion drive chamber is cooling down,” Winston Archer reported a few minutes later after carefully checking a computer screen. “Everything is shut down according to the specified system parameters. Containment fields in the drive chamber have powered down, and the reactor is showing normal. I read total fuel consumption at 18.6 percent.”

  “Sounds good,” commented Ty, pleased with how close they had come to the original estimated fuel usage. “Let’s check all the ship’s systems now that the drive is shut down. I want a complete status report from everyone. We will need to transmit our current status back to the Space Platform within the hour.”

  The crew spent the next hour going over the ship’s systems, which all appeared to be operating normally. Once all the reports were in Ty transmitted a mission update and status report to the Space Platform and Star One. He wished he could speak to Steve, but the time delay made carrying on a meaningful conversation nearly impossible. He decided to try later if he had the time.

  O
nce Ty was finished with the transmission, he unfastened his acceleration harness and walked over to face Lieutenant Strett, who was finishing a system’s diagnostic check on her environmental console.

  “It’s time to put the scientists to sleep,” Ty said satisfied that the mission was proceeding according to plan. “Let’s get them under as quickly as possible; I want to hold our usage of consumables down to a minimum.”

  Ever since they had left the Space Platform, the FarQuest had outperformed expectations. Ty felt a huge sense of relief at how well the ship was functioning. A big part of that success could be attributed to the crew, as they spent much of their free time checking the various systems in the ship. They were catching and fixing a lot of potential problems before they could become a serious threat to the ship and its mission.

  Nodding, Lieutenant Strett released her acceleration harness. She stood up next to Ty, running her right hand through her short blonde hair, and then looked at the commander. “Everything is ready down below, sir.”

  Ty knew she had been working earlier in the deep sleep compartment, getting everything ready for the three scientists to go into deep sleep.

  “I checked the deep sleep chambers earlier and had the scientists eat liquids only for their last meal,” she reported in a calm steady voice. “The liquids are full of some special nutrients to help the body survive the long sleep.” Turning, she made her way to the hatchway leading down into the lower levels of the ship with Ty following closely behind.

  Ty had noticed over the last several weeks that Lieutenant Strett made a habit of always wearing her uniforms a little loosely. She obviously felt more relaxed when her clothes didn’t draw attention to her body. He knew that she had been in several previous relationships that had gone sour. It hadn’t affected her work performance at all. She was quite efficient at her job. In conversations she was pleasant to talk to, but she kept everyone at a safe distance. He followed her down to level six where the three scientists were patiently waiting.

  “A nice, long sleep,” LaRann said, emitting a long drawn out yawn when he saw Lieutenant Strett walk in, followed by the commander. “I hope I have some pleasant dreams.”

  “The only things you will dream about are black holes and dwarf stars,” Juan Raol chided with a smile. “Me, I wish I could stay awake and take some sightings on the outer planets, the asteroids, and some comets that we will be passing close to. It’s a shame to waste this opportunity. We’ll miss out on some excellent opportunities to view the Solar System like it’s never been seen before.”

  “Unfortunately, our flight path takes us well above the plane of the ecliptic, Juan,” LeAnn Kelly responded with an understanding smile. “We will all have plenty to do once we reach our destination. Who knows what we may find there. It will definitely be enough to keep us all busy.”

  “Be glad we are traveling so far above the ecliptic,” Juan responded. “It allows us to travel in space almost devoid of stony asteroids. The ship will be much safer.”

  The three continued to talk amongst themselves while Lieutenant Strett attached small, circular disks to their chests. The scientists were wearing white, one-piece sleep outfits, which zipped up the front. The small sensors would monitor their bodies during the long sleep ahead. If the medical computer detected any problems, Lieutenant Strett would be awakened immediately.

  Ty watched as Lieutenant Strett had the three lie down in the deep sleep cubicles. She then administered an injection to each. She had given them a cup of broth to drink a few minutes earlier, which contained a special mixture of proteins and vitamins to allow their bodies to survive during the long sleep ahead. Along with the liquids they had drunk earlier, they should be able to survive for months without the need for further nourishment.

  The three fell silent as the drug quickly took effect, and they drifted off into sleep. When they were awakened, they would be at the neutron star. After checking several instruments on the side of each chamber that monitored the person inside, Lieutenant Strett slid down the shatterproof glass lids satisfied that everything was working properly and turned to face Ty.

  “No problems at all, Commander,” she said, putting the syringe back up in its box. She would clean and sterilize it later.

  “That’s all there is to it?” asked Ty, shaking his head. Some liquid vitamins, nutrition, and a shot and the three scientists would sleep for months.

  “This drug is amazing,” Lieutenant Strett spoke with a trace of excitement in her voice. “They will wake up months from now feeling as if they have just had a single long night’s sleep. Their heart rates have slowed down, and their body’s metabolism is almost on hold. From our calculations, they will have aged less than a week upon awakening.”

  “The rest of us will be joining them shortly anyway,” commented Ty, looking at the three sleeping scientists in their chambers. They looked relaxed as if they were enjoying just a normal night’s sleep.

  “I will be monitoring the three closely until it’s our turn to join them,” spoke Lieutenant Strett, glancing at the deep sleep chambers. “I don’t foresee any problems.”

  “The flight profile calls for us to continue to monitor the ship for a few more days and then join them in deep sleep. It’s hard to believe that thanks to Doctor Wruggi’s drug it will seem like very little time will have passed before we reach the neutron star.” Ty watched as she slid a partition into place, separating the rest of the compartment from the deep sleep chambers.

  “The miracles of modern science,” Lieutenant Strett commented with a smile. “Doctor Wruggi is a genius as this deep sleep drug proves.”

  “I’m not surprised,” Ty replied with a friendly nod. “I’ve met the doctor. We are fortunate he is on Star One.”

  “I worked with him for several months,” Lieutenant Strett spoke hesitantly, her eyes focusing on Ty.

  She had immensely enjoyed working with the brilliant doctor, but one of his associates hadn’t been as professional. She had become involved in a relationship with the doctor, and when it ended suddenly, she had requested a transfer out of the medical section.

  “I’m glad you had the opportunity,” Ty spoke, noticing that Lieutenant Strett’s eyes had a pained look in them. “It allowed you to become familiar with his work on the deep sleep drug. Without it, this mission would not be possible.”

  “So am I,” she replied, turning away from Ty and sitting down at a computer monitoring station. She wanted to make sure all the sensors on the sleeping scientists were working correctly.

  In a few more days, we will all be asleep, Ty thought. They would be trusting the ship and its computers to protect them in the long months ahead. He turned to make his way back up to the Flight Deck, leaving Lieutenant Strett alone to finish up. He wanted to send a message to Star One and report that the scientists had successfully been put into deep sleep. He also wanted to try to carry on a short conversation with Steve. He was still debating whether to send a short message to Jennifer.

  -

  On Star One, Steve and Christy were sitting at their large control console in Main Control watching the latest news broadcast from Earth, which they had up on the main viewscreen. Each day the news seemed to be getting gloomier. The situation Earth side was steadily getting worse and more out of control. No one on the station had expected events down on Earth to get so far out of hand so quickly.

  According to the news announcer, the president had just narrowly escaped an impeachment vote in Congress initiated by Senator Farley. The screen flickered and switched to a live scene of Senator Farley leaving the floor of Congress with a livid scowl on his face, closely followed by the group of senators that he controlled and dominated.

  “Senator Farley has vowed that this fight is not over,” the newscaster said. “He has stated repeatedly that President Kateland has overstepped her authority and should be removed from office. Senator Farley has gone on record as saying that martial law should be ended immediately, and the military sent back to their b
ases. He completely disputes the claim by the president about the potential danger posed by the neutron star. ”

  The newscaster paused before continuing as someone off camera handed him a news bulletin. “The final vote failed by only six votes. The president had indicated earlier that she felt it would fail by many more. Political insiders are saying that this might very well signal the end of President Kateland’s presidency.”

  Steve became aware of someone standing at his side, and, turning his head slightly, he saw that Teela was standing there with her eyes focused on the big screen. He had allowed her holographic image projectors to be installed in Main Control as well as a few other areas in the space station. He was also feeling much more comfortable with this older, more mature Teela.

  “This isn’t good, is it, Commander?” Teela spoke in her soft female voice, looking over at Steve. “President Kateland must remain in power.” Politics was one of the things that Teela had a hard time understanding. Why people just didn’t do what was right was beyond her comprehension. “If President Kateland loses power, everything down on Earth will become extremely chaotic very quickly.”

  “No, Teela, this isn’t good,” agreed Steve, looking into Teela’s dark blue eyes. They were certainly unique. Jennifer had done an outstanding job designing the body that Teela projected.

  Steve still hadn’t quite gotten used to seeing Teela walking around Main Control since he had given Jennifer approval to install the holographic image projectors. Jennifer and Andre were in the process of installing the projectors in many other areas of the station where the scientists needed Teela’s assistance.

  A number of the scientists truly liked the idea of actually having someone to talk to whom they could see rather than just a phantom voice coming out of thin air. Teela was highly involved with the work that was going on in the numerous labs and small factories in the station. There were more requests coming in each day for more of the holographic image projectors to be installed.