Star One: Dark Star

by Weil, Raymond L.

  Ty wondered how Steve would take this news. Ever since they had restored fusion power, they had been transmitting non-stop back to Star One, relaying what had occurred and what their plan of action was. Ty didn’t believe that Star One could get a message back to them before the interference from the neutron star-black hole binary ended communications.

  “Probes ready for launch,” Captain Simpson reported as he powered up the first of the ion probes attached to the FarQuest’s delta wings.

  “Launch probe one,” Ty ordered.

  The FarQuest shuddered slightly as the first probe was released and its ion drive flashed on, driving the small probe ahead of the FarQuest. On the screen, Ty watched the brilliant glow from the probe as it angled its trajectory to take it close to the outer edges of the black hole. Professor LaRann wanted to see how close the probe could come to the edge and not be lost in the black hole’s event horizon.

  Twenty minutes later, the second probe was launched on a different course that Professor LaRann thought would take it safely into the wormhole. If LaRann’s calculations were correct, the probe would reach the wormhole an hour before the FarQuest.

  On the main screen, Ty watched as the two probes vanished from sight flying into the maw of the black hole, which now dominated the screen.

  Time passed as the crew hurriedly worked on repairs and prepared the ship for the hazardous passage through the wormhole. Data was being sent back to Star One continuously from the ship’s high gain antennas as it was received from the ship’s instruments. Those were constantly recording data, as the ship came ever closer to the black hole.

  The exhausted crew finally finished the repairs in the ion chamber. Ty and Captain Simpson had hoped to recover Karl’s body from the emergency control station, but it was not there. Captain Simpson thought that Karl might have been pulled out into space when the hull had been breached.

  From all of their checks, the remaining undamaged ion chamber checked out fine. The problem with the magnetic containment field, which had caused the first explosion in the other chamber, had been found. A relay between two CPUs had blown, and the backup had not activated automatically. Another programming problem, which hadn’t been found in all the simulations they had run back on the Space Platform.

  They had found the damage in the second ion chamber to be far less severe than earlier believed. Several hours of welding new Luxen plates in the chamber and rerouting control circuits to the main engineering console would allow even that chamber to be used for a short time. Closing the access hatch behind them Ty, Captain Simpson, and Winston headed back to their control stations, exhausted.

  In the science section, Ty was stopped by Pierre LaRann and LeAnn Kelly where they were working on a strange looking apparatus. Ty recognized it as a modified magnetic containment field generator.

  “What’s that?” he asked seeing that the generator had been hardwired into the ship’s main power system. What were the scientists up to?

  “In order to safely transit the wormhole, we must make sure it stays open long enough to allow us safe passage,” Pierre explained.

  “The wormhole by its very nature is unstable, and anything trying to pass through unprotected would in all likelihood be destroyed,” LeAnn Kelly added. “That’s why a lot of theories require exotic matter to be used in the passage.”

  “Fortunately for us the ship is coated heavily in Luxen, which is nearly impervious to radiation and heat. Much of the radiation from the wormhole will be reflected by the Luxen coating, helping to hold the wormhole open,” stated Pierre as he made a small adjustment on the generator.

  “We will use the magnetic field containment generator to create a revolving magnetic field around the FarQuest when we begin to enter the wormhole,” explained LeAnn, standing up and stretching the kinks out of her back. “The hyper excited electrons from the ion drive will be captured by the revolving magnetic field and will act as a barrier between us and the wormhole, also helping to keep it open. From the calculations we have done, this should allow us to make the transit safely.”

  “That’s a lot of ifs,” commented Ty, shaking his head worriedly. He knew the odds of this working were extremely low.

  “The math says it will work,” stated LeAnn, looking at Ty. “If we can get to the wormhole, I feel sure we can safely transit it.”

  “I hope so,” Ty responded, looking at the two. “If not, then it is all over for us.”

  “We will make it, Commander,” stated Pierre confidently, patting the generator. “This will work.”

  -

  Nearly four hours later, everyone was strapped into their acceleration couches. Ty tried not to think about how fast they were now moving. Speeds like this had only been talked about in science fiction movies and books. This was real life.

  Already the first probe was entering the outer fringes of the black hole. The scientists, with the exception of Pierre LaRann who was strapped securely into his acceleration couch in front of his recording instruments in the science level, were strapped down in the level just below the Flight Deck. That particular level was protected by a thicker layer of Luxen shielding for the safety of the crew in case of an emergency.

  “Stand by to fire up the ion drive,” Ty commanded as Captain Simpson laid in the course the FarQuest needed to take according to professor LaRann.

  “Flight computer is ready. Drive firing in 30 seconds,” Simpson responded. “Are you ready for this?” Simpson asked, looking briefly over at Ty. “We’re about to fly into a black hole.”

  “Yes,” responded Ty, knowing that what they were doing was extremely dangerous. “What other choice do we have?”

  Ty knew that if this worked they would be leaving everything they knew behind. There would be no returning. They could end up thousands of light years from the Solar System. There was a slight chance they could even end up in another time. Letting out a deep breath, Ty thought briefly of Jennifer. He wished he had sent her a message; now it was too late. He wondered if he could have had a future with the brilliant AI programmer. Now, he would never know.

  The seconds counted down, and the computer lit the ion drive at zero. The ship trembled as the hyper excited electrons were stripped from the argon fuel and expelled out the twin exhaust tubes. Two radiant drive flares glowed brilliantly as the FarQuest dove even faster toward the heart of the ever-consuming black hole.

  “Data from the first probe has stopped transmitting,” Pierre reported. “From the readings I got back, I believe it has passed the event horizon. Some of the readings I received just before it stopped transmitting are unbelievable. It was almost as if time itself was coming to a stop. The second probe is still on course and should be entering the wormhole in another 30 minutes.”

  Ty and Captain Simpson watched as the FarQuest’s acceleration built up rapidly to one-half gravity. This allowed them to adjust their trajectory into the black hole ever so slightly to follow what Pierre believed to be a safe path. Minutes slowly stretched on as the swirling black hole loomed ever nearer and nearer.

  “I’ve lost contact with the second probe,” Pierre reported. “I don’t think it was destroyed. I believe the black hole’s gravity field at its core is preventing the data from escaping. However, I did get a picture of what must be the wormhole. I will put it up on the main screen.”

  A new still picture appeared on the screen. It showed what looked like a bright tunnel of light with darkness at its center rotating slowly in the center of the black hole.

  “I want you to look at the exact center of the wormhole when I magnify this picture,” Pierre said excitedly.

  The picture swelled on the screen and the dark area swelled until small pinpoints of light were revealed.

  “What are those?” asked Lieutenant Strett, confused. “I thought the center of the wormhole would be empty.”

  “It is,” replied Pierre, smugly. “What you are seeing is space on the other side of the wormhole. Those are distant stars you are looking at; o
ur destination.”

  Everyone was quiet looking with renewed hope at the screen.

  “I thought it was impossible to see anything once the probe passed the event horizon,” Captain Simpson stated. “How is this picture even possible?”

  “I don’t know,” Pierre replied with a frown. “Perhaps it has something to do with the wormhole itself. It is something I will need to study.”

  “Have you transmitted this back to Star One?” Ty asked.

  “Yes, along with everything we have done to allow us to transit the wormhole,” LaRann replied. “I also added all the theories we have come up with to cover the phenomenon we have witnessed. It is being transmitted repeatedly, even though I don’t know how much they will actually receive. The interference from the black hole and neutron star will be affecting our transmissions the closer we come to the wormhole. Once we pass the event horizon all communication will cease.”

  A short while later, Ty watched the screen intently as the FarQuest entered the outer layers of the black hole. For two minutes now the SRBs had been firing, adding their two gravities of acceleration to the ion drive to allow for more course corrections as Pierre modified their trajectory to line them up with the waiting wormhole. Ty just hoped it was enough.

  “I’m activating the magnetic field generator,” Pierre warned as a loud humming flowed through the ship.

  “This is it,” Lieutenant Strett spoke nervously, staring at the viewscreen. She closed her eyes not wanting to see what was about to happen. She knew there was a very good chance they were all about to die.

  “Almost there,” Captain Simpson whispered.

  On the main screen, Ty and Simpson watched as their destination became slightly cloudy from the captured electrons in the revolving magnetic field that surrounded the ship. In seconds, the FarQuest reached daringly for the speed of light and then vanished into the wormhole.

  Ty felt as if his brain was about to explode. He thought he could hear someone screaming on the Flight Deck. For what seemed like microseconds or an eternity he could almost grasp the secrets of the universe, and then his thoughts faded as he lost consciousness in a sudden explosion of white light.

  Chapter Ten

  Steve sat quietly in Main Control, staring unseeingly at the main viewscreen. The last recordings from the FarQuest had just been played back showing the wormhole growing on the screen and then nothing. All contact with the ship had been lost. The rest of Main Control was quiet except for the low hum of equipment. Everyone sat spellbound, held captive by the drama they had just witnessed being played out on the screen in front of them.

  “The event horizon of the black hole is blocking any more transmissions,” commented Jar Stoler, staring in rapt astonishment at the screen. “I still don’t understand how some of those transmissions passed through the event horizon. We shouldn’t have been able to receive them.”

  Steve looked over at the physicist, nodding his head in understanding. He knew what Stoler was saying, but Steve’s mind was still numb from shock over what had happened to the FarQuest. Steve had asked the scientist to come up to Main Control once he realized the dilemma the FarQuest had gotten into.

  “Perhaps it was the way they had the probes staggered,” suggested Lieutenant Commander Anderson, running a hand through his red hair and looking at Stoler. “Some of those photos of the wormhole may have been taken just as the probe or FarQuest entered the event horizon.”

  “Perhaps,” Stoler replied with a frown, still deep in thought. “I will need to study the data in more detail. Perhaps the conditions between the event horizon and the wormhole aren’t quite what we believed. It’s possible the wormhole may be influencing space time between its aperture and the event horizon, allowing for the transmissions.”

  “He’s gone,” said Steve quietly, not wanting to believe what he had just witnessed. “The entire crew is gone, and there’s nothing we can do to bring them back.”

  “They may have survived the passage through the wormhole,” Christy said, feeling Steve’s grief. “Professor LaRann felt that the FarQuest could safely make the transit.”

  “Not only that,” Teela said from Steve’s side where she had stood quietly watching the entire drama unfold on the screen. “Look at this last data we received from the FarQuest’s instruments. I am enhancing it considerably because of the disturbances in the wormhole.”

  On the screen, a dozen stars shone brilliantly.

  “Stars,” Stoler said in surprise, gazing at the screen. “That’s the other end of the wormhole we are seeing. This is amazing!”

  “These stars were visible briefly through the wormhole during one of its momentary stable periods,” Teela reported. “I am in the process of comparing it with star charts currently in my files to find a match. Unfortunately, there is nothing particularly outstanding about the stars in view. None of them are red giants, or other unusual types. Several seem to be doubles, but the instability of the wormhole makes judging their actual luminosity and spectral type very difficult.”

  “So the FarQuest may have made it to where those stars are?” General Karver spoke from where he stood next to Lieutenant Emerson at her console. “Why did we lose contact with the ship so abruptly?”

  “The gravity at the event horizon of a black hole is so intense that it does not allow light or any other electromagnetic radiation to escape from it,” Teela responded. “Not radio waves, or even light.”

  “So we lost contact when they got too close,” General Karver replied in understanding.

  “The FarQuest passed the threshold where their communications could not escape the effect of the black hole as they neared the wormhole at its center,” Teela replied. “Only the relay from the probe allowed this one picture and some other data to get through. I don’t understand how they even managed that. It should have been impossible from what we know of the gravity effects a black hole has on light and other radiation. Perhaps Jarl is correct that the wormhole had something to do with it.”

  “What are their chances of surviving the transit of the wormhole?” Steve asked still finding it hard to accept that he would never see Ty or the rest of the FarQuest’s crew again.

  “I’ve been evaluating the data that they sent back, along with Professor LaRann’s theories about black holes and wormholes,” Teela continued in her soft voice, her deep blue eyes looking at Steve. “From the data I’ve analyzed so far, it looks as if the FarQuest stood a very good chance of making it safely out of the other side of the wormhole.”

  “How good a chance?” asked Steve, hoping the ship had survived.

  “At least 50-50 if the data is correct and Professor LaRann’s theories are plausible,” answered Teela, looking at Steve.

  “The first interstellar flight,” Christy said, looking at Steve in wonder, her eyes wide in disbelief at what she was hearing. “That was always one of Ty’s dreams.”

  “How long before all the data is correlated?” asked Steve, turning from Christy to face Teela and Jarl Stoler, who was now standing next to her.

  “The data is currently being downloaded into the computers of the scientists who need to process the information we received from the FarQuest,” Teela responded. “There is a lot of data on the neutron star and a tremendous quantity on the black hole. A preliminary report could be ready in about six hours.”

  “There was a lot of data being transmitted from the FarQuest,” Stoler spoke. He had glanced briefly at some of it already. “There’s a lot of information to sift through.”

  Standing up, Steve spoke to Christy. “Set up a staff meeting six hours from now. I want to go over the preliminary results as soon as possible.” With that, Steve left Main Control and walked over to his office. He needed some time alone. He had just lost his best friend.

  Christy followed him there a few minutes later and found Steve sitting in the dark. She turned on the lights and took a seat in front of his desk.

  “What do we do now?” she asked, knowing Steve was
feeling a lot of anguish over losing the FarQuest and its crew. “The loss of the FarQuest will be a terrible blow to morale.”

  “I don’t know,” Steve replied in a low voice. “I do know that Ty and his crew are probably still alive, but what are their chances of survival on the other side of the wormhole? Even if they can find a planet with a breathable atmosphere, they would have to land the FarQuest without aid from the ground. The ship would need a flat area miles in length in order to survive a crash landing intact.”

  Christy stood up and walked around Steve’s desk. She reached out and put her hands gently on his shoulders. She knew Steve felt horrible over Ty’s loss. It was difficult for her to find the right words to ease Steve’s suffering.

  “Ty is very resourceful,” said Christy, massaging Steve’s shoulders gently. “Just think; they may be establishing the first human colony outside our Solar System. Ty would want us to use the information they transmitted back to us to survive. And who knows? Perhaps someday our descendants and his will meet up again out in space somewhere.”

  The two stayed together in Steve’s office talking about the FarQuest. They spoke of how Ty had always wanted to explore space. They remembered the long conversations they had together, with Ty always pushing for deep space exploration. Whenever Steve needed someone to remind him of why Star One and the Space Platform had been built, or when Steve felt any doubts, Ty had always been there to strengthen Steve’s resolve.

  -

  Hours later, the station’s staff was gathered in the main conference room seated around the large table with Steve at its head. Everyone was talking in subdued tones, not sure what was in store for the station now. They knew that the information the FarQuest had sent back could well determine what their fate would be.