Star One: Dark Star

by Weil, Raymond L.

  “Good shooting, Corporal,” John replied as he used a quick burst from the shuttle’s main engine to steer them around several large pieces of debris. The RCS thrusters were not moving them into the clear fast enough. “If the Pericles does as well, we should get them all.”

  Moments later, John watched as the Pericles launched her interceptors. More explosions littered space. Interceptors and nuclear missiles merged, turning into brief, bright fireballs, which faded rapidly in the cold silent blackness of space. Unfortunately, there was too much debris from the earlier strike and not all the interceptors found their targets. Several hit large pieces of missile debris.

  -

  Down on Earth, Senator Farley’s face was livid. He had already given the order for the general in charge to be taken outside and shot. The general had been dragged out protesting by Senator Farley’s personal guards. He had left screaming curses at the senator.

  “How many missiles did we lose?” he demanded of the general who had replaced his former commander.

  “Ten, Sir,” the general replied tight-lipped. He knew that he would have to walk a tightrope if he was to survive the next few hours. He didn’t plan to repeat his predecessor’s mistakes.

  “How did they manage to destroy our missiles?” demanded Farley, calming down some as he saw the last two missiles continue safely on past the shuttles that had attacked so viciously only minutes before. Most of his missiles had been destroyed, but two remained, enough to finish off Star One and the Space Platform.

  “It was rumored that General Karver had been involved in a special high tech project to design and build some high speed interceptor missiles, code named Black Knight,” replied the general, recalling the rumors he had heard about the program. “These missiles were to be used only in case of a massive missile attack against our country. No one could ever confirm that rumor. Other than for a few prototypes, the missiles were never supposed to have been built. They would have violated several missile treaties and the repercussions from building them would have been disastrous for our country.”

  “Evidently that didn’t bother our dear general,” Farley spat with anger in his eyes. “It’s obvious that he had a few of them built and managed somehow to sneak them up to Star One.”

  “It won’t matter, Sir. Once our missiles MIRV, they will have twelve separate warheads to track and destroy. With the reported range on the prototype Black Knights, they will never be able to destroy all the warheads in time. Some will get through,” replied the general, confidently.

  The general knew that it would take only one warhead to obliterate Star One. He doubted if General Karver had any more of the Black Knight missiles. If he had, surely he would have used them. The general was certain that the missiles on the shuttles had been General Karver’s big defensive play. Yes, the station would certainly be destroyed, and that would ensure him a favorable position in Senator Farley’s inner circle. If he played his cards just right, this could work out extremely well for him.

  “They’d better, General. Let’s just hope we don’t have any more unpleasant surprises,” warned Farley, leaning back in his chair, closing his eyes, and rubbing his forehead.

  The military had been such a big disappointment to him. First at the cape and now here. He couldn’t believe the total incompetence which surrounded him. He had thought the American military was better trained.

  -

  Hours later on Star One, Steve watched as the missiles quickly closed the range. At 20,000 miles distance, the missiles MIRVed, and instead of two targets, there were now twelve.

  “Missiles have MIRVed as expected,” Teela reported. She looked at the screen depicting the twelve targets, knowing that it would only take one to end her very short life.

  “Coming up on extreme missile range,” Lieutenant Emerson reported from her console as the warheads began to cross the 10,000-mile marker. The Black Knights were good at 1,000 miles. They could launch now, but they would run out of fuel before reaching their targets.

  Lieutenant Emerson and two other marines currently controlled the station’s defenses. General Karver and Captain Gerald stood directly behind the lieutenant, watching over everything.

  “Projected impact time is T-minus forty minutes,” Teela reported as she scanned the missiles with the station’s radar and other equipment. She felt nervous and frightened. These were feelings she didn’t care for. She wished Todd were here in Main Control.

  On the outer hull of the main rim, the two missile platforms swiveled and locked onto targets. Everything was done by computers. On the Space Platform, an additional missile platform turned to face the oncoming missiles. Computers fed the targeting data to the missile targeting systems. At a signal from Lieutenant Emerson, the two weapons officers activated the platforms. Instantly, twelve Black Knight missiles blasted from their protective missile tubes and hurtled away from the station.

  “Black Knights launched,” she reported as she attentively watched her screens. She was already feeding updated targeting data to the missile platform on the Space Platform.

  General Karver watched the lieutenant closely. He knew she was one hell of a marine to be able to handle herself so well in this situation.

  “Interceptors on target and closing,” Teela reported. “The warheads are not attempting to evade.”

  “They’re equipped with special fins, which can only be used to adjust their trajectory in atmosphere,” Captain Gerald reported. “In space, they can’t change course. That gives our missiles a decent chance to hit them from this range.”

  Twenty minutes later, on the main screen, small brilliant fiery explosions lit up the space between the Earth and Star One, signaling the destruction of some of the incoming warheads.

  “Nine down,” Lieutenant Emerson replied with a little disappointment in her voice. She had hoped to get all twelve, but the distance had been too great. “Range is closing, Space Platform interceptors ready to launch. Powering up railguns in case one gets through.”

  They waited tensely as the inbound warheads closed. General Karver wanted to intercept these at the Black Knights optimum interception range of 1,000 miles. Finally, the warheads came into range and General Karver nodded at Lieutenant Emerson. “Take them out, Sandy.”

  On the outer rim of the main wheel, ten large railguns powered up and their targeting systems became active. The targeting systems located the inbound warheads and the railguns swiveled until they were pointed at the approaching targets. Due to their location on the outer rim of Star One, only six of the railguns were able to lock on to their assigned targets.

  “We have target lock with the railguns,” Lieutenant Emerson reported as data flowed across one of the screens on her console.

  From the Space Platform, three more missiles blasted away, then twenty seconds later two more launched. This time Lieutenant Emerson planned to use the two follow up missiles to take out any stragglers that the first three might miss.

  “Interceptors launched,” Teela reported as she followed the interceptors with the station’s radars and scanners.

  Everyone in Main Control watched the viewscreen as the missiles closed on each other.

  “Stand by with the railguns,” General Karver ordered with a grim face. “If any warheads get through, fire at will.”

  “Two minutes to station impact,” voiced Teela, quietly. “My scanners show interceptors on target and closing.”

  Steve reached out and took Christy’s hand, squeezing it gently, his eyes glued to the main screen.

  “Missile intercept,” Teela reported as all eyes focused on the main viewscreen, which suddenly lit up with several small explosions.

  “All targets destroyed,” reported Lieutenant Emerson jubilantly, allowing her emotions to surface. She felt physically and emotionally drained and let out a heavy sigh of relief.

  “Good job, Lieutenant.” General Karver said, nodding to Captain Gerald. “Your people performed flawlessly, they are to be commended.”

/>   “Teela, can you detect anything else that might be a threat to us?” asked Steve, feeling relieved now that the missiles were destroyed.

  “No, Commander,” replied Teela, checking the station’s radars, scanning equipment, and the spy satellites. “All incoming targets have been destroyed, and the two shuttles are beginning to go around the Earth.”

  In another few hours, they too would be safe. Teela was keeping a special eye on the Lexington; Jennifer was close friends with Julie and John Gray. “We may have some small debris to worry about from the destroyed missiles, but there is nothing remaining that is large enough to harm the station.”

  “Power down the railguns,” General Karver ordered. “The danger is over for now.”

  Lieutenant Emerson reached forward and switched the railguns back to standby.

  “Great job, everyone,” Steve spoke aloud to the crew in Main Control. He also made a quick announcement over the station’s com system letting everyone know that the threat was over.

  -

  Down on Earth, Senator Farley watched satisfyingly as the firing squad shot the latest general to fail him. At this rate, he would soon run out of generals, at least others could be promoted if necessary. Surely, somewhere there was someone in the military that could do the job he demanded.

  He had raved and thrown chairs when the interceptor missiles had wiped out his last warheads. The cowardly general had tried to sneak out, but Farley had spotted him before he could escape. The imbecile! It was unbelievable how inefficient the military was. They couldn’t even complete one simple assignment.

  General Karver and Steve Larson might have won this round, but he wasn’t through with Star One. He would destroy the station if it was the last thing he did. Turning, he walked over to where his car awaited. Behind him, the members of the firing squad dragged the general’s body off to be disposed of.

  -

  Later that evening, Steve and Christy were at Jensens waiting for Todd Williams. Steve had some ideas he wanted to go over with Todd, particularly after today’s attack.. He also wanted to spend a little quality time with Christy. Steve felt relieved, especially since Teela had reported that the shuttles had made it safely around the Earth and were on their way back to Star One. Steve and Christy had just been seated when Todd came in and, spotting them, hurried over.

  “Good evening, everyone,” Jensen said as he arrived at the table to check on his favorite customers. “Will there be a fourth person joining you?” he asked, looking at Todd expectantly.

  “Ah,” Todd began not sure what to say.

  “It’s all right, Todd,” said Christy, smiling. “Teela, you can make an appearance.”

  Steve looked at Christy, slightly confused.

  Christy knew of Todd and Teela’s relationship and even approved of it. Teela and she had even discussed it some. Teela had been good for Todd. Christy suspected Teela was probably watching them right now anyway.

  Teela materialized in the empty chair next to Todd and smiled nervously at the commander, confirming Christy’s suspicions that she had been watching. Jensen nodded at Teela, he had gotten used to her sudden appearances. She was always complimentary about his restaurant and was now extremely well behaved.

  “I think I’m missing something here,” Steve muttered quietly. No one but Christy could hear him.

  Christy kicked Steve lightly under the table, saying quietly in return, “Don’t worry about it; I’ll explain later.”

  Jensen took their orders and returned to his kitchen, leaving the four by themselves.

  They sat quietly for a few minutes sipping some of the exceptional wine that Jensen liked to serve his special customers. It was a comforting change just to be able to enjoy the relaxing atmosphere of the restaurant. Steve was surprised to see that Teela also had a glass of wine and seemed to be drinking from it. I’m obviously missing something here, he thought, glancing over at Christy who had a restful smile on her face.

  “Todd,” began Steve, noticing that Todd’s eyes spent a lot of time looking at Teela. He could swear that they were holding hands, but that was impossible; you couldn’t touch Teela. However, her hand was clearly lying on top of his. Todd seemed to take it for granted as if it was not a big deal.

  “I’ve been thinking about the maneuverability of Star One and the Space Platform,” Steve continued, his eyes focusing on Todd. “We have added a number of small ion thrusters to both to allow us to maintain station as the neutron star and black hole approach. We can even use them to move us farther away from the Earth if necessary. After today’s attack, I feel it may be prudent for us to move both Star One and the Space Platform away from the Lagrange point as soon as possible. Does anybody have any suggestions or ideas?”

  “Perhaps,” responded Todd, taking his eyes off Teela for a moment. She was extremely sexy looking tonight with the black dress she had on, which dipped dangerously low in front.

  “Teela and I have run some simulations that might solve our problem. It would involve a lot of work, but it would give us the maneuverability we need,” replied Todd, looking first at Steve and then Christy.

  “What did you two have in mind?” asked Christy, feeling curious. With Teela involved, they could have come up with almost anything.

  “We both feel that Star One and the Space Platform are not maneuverable enough, especially with the gravity forces that will soon be affecting us,” Todd replied, his voice taking on an extremely serious tone. “Even with the fuel in the storage facility augmenting our other station keeping thrusters, we can not maintain our position indefinitely.”

  “The gravity stresses from the neutron star and the black hole will not allow us to maintain our position at the Lagrange point,” affirmed Teela, glancing at Todd in agreement. “We have to move Star One and the Space Platform.”

  “What if we go ahead and move the station and the platform now?” Steve asked. “With the new ion thrusters we could do that.”

  “It would take awhile,” replied Todd, glancing over at Teela. “Even with the new thrusters it would take days to put any real distance between us and the Earth.”

  “What can we do?” asked Christy, looking at Teela. They had worked hard just getting the new ion thrusters installed. Was it all for nothing?

  Christy had the impression that Teela’s breasts were slightly larger and fuller than they had been. She had noticed earlier in Main Control that Teela’s hips seemed to flare outward more. Christy wondered if Teela was modifying her program to make herself look more appealing. She wondered what Jennifer would have to say about that.

  “Steve and I have tried to finalize a solution, but we haven’t managed to come up with anything we felt comfortable with,” Christy said, focusing herself back on the subject at hand. “We know we need to move the station away from the Earth-Moon system and go out deeper into the Solar System. Even with the new ion thrusters that will take a lot of time; time we don’t have.”

  “What Teela and I have come up with is this,” continued Todd, leaning forward to explain their idea. “What if we take the Space Platform and join it to the bottom of the Power Wheel on Star One?”

  “Do what!” interrupted Steve, looking at the two as if they were crazy. “The station keeping thrusters on the platform are not any stronger than those Star One is equipped with. How will that help us?”

  “That’s one we never thought of,” Christy admitted, intrigued by the idea and wondering what else the two had in mind. She also didn’t see what good it would do.

  “I realize that, Commander,” replied Todd, calmly. “But if we join the Space Platform to the Power Wheel, we can use the fusion reactors from Star One and the Space Platform to power four full size ion drives that can be built into the Space Platform. We can store a tremendous amount of fuel in the Space Platform itself for our shuttles and support craft from the fuel storage facility.”

  “Full size ion drives,” said Christy, taken aback at the suggestion. “Won’t that tear the statio
n apart if we were to use them at maximum power?”

  “No,” replied Teela, shaking her head. “If the thrust is kept under one-fifth gravity and applied very slowly there will be no harm to the station’s actual structure. Also, by adding more Luxen cables between Star One’s three wheels, we can tremendously increase the station’s stability.”

  “If we double the current number of cables the station would be able to handle a lot more stress if it becomes necessary to use the ion drives at higher levels,” Teela stated. “I’ve run the simulations, and it will work.”

  Christy and Steve looked at each other, deep in thought. If Todd and Teela thought it could work, then it probably would. Teela had mentioned smaller ion drives before to Steve, but nothing like this.

  They were interrupted as Jensen returned with their meals. Jensen waited as Teela concentrated and another plate of food materialized in front of her. Steve noticed with surprise that it was baked shrimp in one of the special sauces that Jensen was always bragging about. For Steve, this was the first time he had witnessed this little trick of Teela’s. He clearly needed to meet with Jennifer. The station’s AI had obviously grown into something much more than what he had expected.

  “An excellent choice my dear,” praised Jensen, smiling approvingly. “Let me know what you think of it. I think you will find it exquisite.”

  “I’m sure it will be,” replied Teela, politely. “All your food is absolutely wonderful!”

  Steve could scarcely believe his eyes and ears. Jensen was actually asking Teela for her approval. He obviously needed to talk to Jennifer. Teela’s program was much further advanced than he had possibly imagined. No wonder she and Todd were becoming so close!

  The four continued to talk as the meal progressed. Steve found himself being drawn into conversation with Teela and forgetting at times that she was only a hologram. Teela and Todd described in detail what would be necessary to join the Space Platform to the Power Wheel. They were right when they said it would be a big project. However, Steve liked the maneuverability they would get from it.