With a livid red look across his face, Farley took another long puff on his cigar, sending rings of smoke upward.
“What about food supplies; how are they holding out?” he demanded, looking over at another individual.
An older, frail looking man stood and slowly looked around the group. The aging senator from the agricultural sector, who had always been one of Farley’s staunchest supporters, replied. “The harvest for the year is almost a total loss. What few crops we did manage to get in are of very poor quality. With the carryover from last year’s harvest, we can get by for another 90 to 120 days. After that, we will be forced to slaughter livestock and anything else that can be used for food. We are already starting to ration food wherever possible. Before we can get the next crop in and harvested we will be facing widespread famine. There are already shortages in most of the major cities.”
“What about our project at White Sands?” Farley grumbled. Surely, someone had some good news.
Another man stood up; he occupied the position of Science Advisor to Senator Farley. With a despairing look in his eyes, he began his report. He knew that the senator would not like what he was about to say.
“We have made some progress on the new laser battery at White Sands, New Mexico. Unfortunately, even that area has been suffering heavy rainfall. We are weeks behind schedule, and it will be at least 30 more days before it will be ready to test.”
Senator Farley staggered to his feet. In the last few months, he had put on a lot of weight since he insisted on throwing lavish meals for his guests. He had made sure that this shelter was well stocked with food and other luxurious comforts he didn’t want to do without.
“Will the laser battery have the power to destroy Star One?” he demanded loudly, his eyes glaring.
“Yes, sir,” the Science Advisor replied. “But only by overloading it will it have the range. My people report it will only fire for about 30 seconds before it melts.”
“But it will destroy Star One?” demanded Senator Farley, breathing heavily. He wanted General Karver, Steve Larson, and Star One annihilated.
“The laser is made out of Luxen, but even that material will not be able to resist the power we will be using for long,” the man replied. “We plan on doing a short test shot taking out one of the orbiting satellites. If the test is successful, we will set up the main firing sequence to take out the station. However, keep in mind this will be a one shot affair.”
“Then make sure you don’t miss!” Senator Farley ordered sharply.
“Our computers should be able to lock onto the target,” the Science Advisor replied, his eyes looking away from Senator Farley. “We won’t miss.”
Sitting back down, Senator Farley let a satisfied smile flit across his face. “So Star One only has only 30 more days to exist. I would like to see the look on those bastard’s faces when we hit them with the laser.”
Farley, looking up, saw that the Science Advisor was still standing, looking extremely anxious “What else is there?” Farley growled he had already heard enough bad news for today.
“We have a report from the Mauna Kea observatory in Hawaii. They had some clear skies for a few hours last night and took some sightings on a strange object.” Hesitatingly, the Science Advisor looked around the group for support, but no one would meet his eyes.
“Go on,” Farley spoke in a low, threatening voice, his eyes narrowing.
“The astronomers report that the object has all the characteristics of a neutron star and it is within eight billion miles of our Solar System. They claim it is the cause of our weather problems, not Star One.”
“Shut up, fool!” screamed Farley, jumping up and leaning forward, his hands shaking on the table and his face livid with uncontrolled rage. “Star One is responsible for our weather, there is no neutron star, those astronomers probably looked at a comet, and I don’t want to hear this nonsense ever again!”
Nodding, the Science Advisor sat back down, trembling. There was no doubt in his mind what the astronomers had seen. However, he knew that if he pressed the issue, his life could be shortened considerably. He had no desire to be sent to the surface.
Farley still stood, fuming at his Science Advisor. What is wrong with all of these fools? Star One was the cause of this weather; everyone knew that. Turning, he stalked off in anger. He needed to get away from his advisors.
-
Up on Star One, Steve and Christy entered Jensens after taking a relaxing stroll down the concourse, spending a little time going into some of the small shops and looking around. They needed to get away from the pressure of their jobs. A few hours of uninterrupted leisure time were a necessity. Steve was still feeling badly about the FarQuest and this would help to take his mind off it, at least for a few hours.
The shops were still well stocked. Steve had seen to it that a lot of additional supplies for them had been shipped up while the shuttles were still flying. As long as people could do some shopping and get lost while trying on clothes, buying articles for their quarters, and gifts for special occasions, the shops served a positive purpose as a morale booster. Steve had sat patiently for a few minutes in one of the smaller clothing stores as Christy modeled several dresses she liked. After getting Steve’s reaction, she had put one back to pick up later.
Entering Jensens, they were shown to a large table that was already partly filled with the others they had invited to dine with them that night. Julie and John Gray were there, Todd Williams and Teela, as well as Kathleen and Jennifer.
Taking their seats, Steve saw with a smile that Jensen was already on his way with several waiters carrying trays. One tray was full of glasses, and the other tray had several bottles of Jensen’s special wine. Steve wondered just how much of the wine Jensen had squirreled away. He knew that Jensen had managed to get several unusually large crates shipped up to Star One at the last minute. It had been called to Steve’s attention since they were not on the manifests, but owing to the fact that Jensen was one of the station’s biggest morale boosters Steve had let it slide.
“Good evening, everyone,” beamed Jensen, speaking in his best French accent. “What would you like tonight?” Jensen nodded and the two waiters began pouring generous portions of wine into their glasses.
In moments, everyone had placed their orders and were becoming engaged in quiet dinner conversation. Steve relaxed leaning back in his chair, enjoying the restaurant’s atmosphere, listening to the soft music playing in the background, the subdued lighting, and the company of friends. This was just what he needed to unwind from the days events. He just wished that Ty were here with them. He tried not to let his mind dwell on that thought.
Jennifer and Kathleen were busy talking in quiet voices about Teela. They were both curious about how Teela and Todd were getting along.
“She has become so relaxed and confident in herself. I can hardly believe it,” commented Kathleen, looking across the table at Teela who wore a low cut dress that dipped suggestively down into the swell of her now ample breasts. Kathleen thought the dress looked perfect on her; it was something she would pick out to wear.
“I’m so happy for her,” responded Jennifer, taking a small sip of the rich red wine that was in her glass. “Teela and I talk for hours it seems like every day. She is still full of questions, but sometimes I get the feeling that she wishes that she and Todd could have more of a real relationship.”
Teela glanced at Jennifer and smiled. Sometimes Jennifer forgot that Teela’s sensors could pick up everything she said.
Changing the conversation, Jennifer asked Kathleen how work in the ecological habitats was going. Jennifer knew that Kathleen loved her work almost as much as she enjoyed dressing up. Even tonight, Kathleen’s dark blue dress was very revealing. Looking around, Jennifer almost laughed at John Gray’s panicked expression when he realized which dress Kathleen was wearing. From Julie’s look of mirthful satisfaction at John’s discomfort, it was abundantly clear that she had already noticed and
was enjoying watching her husband squirm.
Steve was holding Christy’s hand and talking about how once everything was settled, they would get a larger apartment and move in together. Christy had suggested several weeks back that they should go ahead and do just that. They were already spending a lot of nights in either his small apartment or hers as it was now. Their love affair was no longer a secret on the station.
“I know you think it’s silly to go ahead and wait,” Steve said in a quiet voice. “But I want us to be married when we finally do move in together and right now, with everything that is going on, we have to wait. I promise that if we make it through the wormhole, we will get married immediately afterwards.”
Christy took a long sip of her wine, listening patiently to Steve. She understood his reasons and even respected them, but it would still be nice to wake up each morning with Steve at her side. Looking down the table, she eyed Kathleen and Teela, briefly marveling at their daring in the dresses they wore. She could never get the nerve up to dress that revealingly in public. But then again, she thought, turning back to Steve, it might give Steve the added encouragement to speed things up a little.
The evening wore on as the little group talked and laughed, letting the days stresses die completely out. After a filling meal specially prepared by Jensen himself, the little group broke up and went their separate ways. Christy ended up in Steve’s apartment.
-
Julie dragged John back to their quarters. Once Julie finished checking on the kids, she took a nice hot shower, knowing what kind of mood John would be in after staring at Kathleen out of the corner of his eyes all evening. She would have to remember to thank her tomorrow.
-
Todd and Teela sat up into the late hours of the evening, talking and listening to music in Todd’s quarters on the Space Platform. Teela watched as Todd finally fell asleep on the couch and then, with a pleased smile, she disappeared as she switched the holographic imager off. She felt a touch of deep sadness wash over her. She wished that she could actually touch Todd, to feel his tender hands holding hers, to experience a kiss and more. The holographic imager and virtual reality software did a good job at imitation, but Teela knew it wasn’t real. Trying to put the sadness out of her mind, Teela accessed the computer core and began reviewing the data gathered that day from the FarQuest and other projects going on aboard Star One. Teela didn’t need any sleep. Another reminder for her that she wasn’t real.
Chapter Eleven
Steve and Christy were seated at their master control console in Main Control. Their eyes were focused tensely on the main viewscreen that currently held everyone’s attention. A small, hastily put together space probe with several long-range cameras was hanging out in space several miles away from Star One. One of its cameras was currently focused on the station. Its small solar panels were extended, soaking up power to operate the small computer, cameras, and tracking devices that it had been equipped with. Its job was simple, to monitor Star One’s impending exit from the Earth-Moon system.
“I can’t believe we are doing this,” breathed Christy, feeling the excitement in the air. “We are finally going to put ourselves out of Senator Farley’s reach. It will be a relief not to have to worry about the senator anymore.” Every day when she was on duty she felt like she was on pins and needles waiting for the senator to make his next move. She didn’t know how many times she had asked Teela if there was any danger coming from Earth.
“It will make everyone feel more secure,” replied Steve, glancing down and looking at the small screens on the side of his console, which showed other sections inside the station. Everyone seemed to be ready for the big event. He then looked back up at the larger screens, which were displaying views of the outside of Star One.
Steve could feel the tension in the air, as everyone waited anxiously for the newly installed ion drives to be fired. They would be launching Star One toward its crucial meeting with the black hole. Looking around the room, Steve saw that Lieutenant Emerson and her two people were busy. They had been assigned to use their detecting instruments to sweep ahead of Star One and search for any asteroid or other pieces of space debris that they might encounter. The weapons station would be manned 24 hours a day. General Karver was currently standing behind Lieutenant Emerson, observing everything.
If such an object were found, the railguns would be used to blast it out of their path. At the speed they would be traveling, any collision could be disastrous, and they would be traveling closer to the ecliptic than the FarQuest had. There wouldn’t be any danger during the first part of their flight since all the near Earth asteroids and debris were well charted, but the farther out they went the more dangerous it would become. Especially with a structure as large as Star One, which wasn’t highly maneuverable.
Lieutenant Commander Anderson and Lieutenant Commander Hastings were also present, calmly making their rounds of Main Control and talking to the different crewmembers. They wanted to make sure each person knew what their responsibilities were when the ion drives were fired. Everything in the station, as well as on the Space Platform, would be monitored from Main Control.
Steve looked over at Margaret Sullivan, who was in communication with Mase Colton’s people on the Moon. They would be observing with their instruments the orbital departure of Star One from the surface of the Moon. Andre Matheson was operating the main computer station to Steve’s right on the far wall.
“Five minutes to firing,” reported Teela, standing smartly in her customary spot next to the commander. Her hands were behind her back, and her deep blue eyes were focused on the main viewscreen. “All systems are in the green, and all crewmembers are in their prelaunch positions.”
Around the room, every crewmember was busily checking instruments, communicating with other sections of the station, and preparing for what was to come. They had already gone through several dress rehearsals. Steve knew that his people were ready.
“Todd reports that everything looks good on the Space Platform. The fusion reactor is online, and he is ready to ignite the ion drives,” reported Christy.
“I hope John is ready for this,” Steve commented with a nervous smile. “Teela will be controlling most of this, but John will be assisting with the RCS thrusters to keep the station stable.”
“I am sure John is ready,” Christy replied with a twinkle in her eyes. “Star One will be the largest spacecraft ever flown; John wouldn’t miss this for anything.”
“He seems to be quite excited about it,” commented Teela looking over at the two. “He feels very confident that everything will go smoothly. He says that after flying the Space Platform, Star One will be a breeze.”
They had moved the Space Platform’s control room to the center of the platform since it now possessed Earth normal gravity due to the power from the new fusion reactor. They had also added an extra layer of Luxen around the control center to protect it in case of an accident.
Around the station, all non-essential personnel were in their quarters lying down, waiting for the drives to be lit. Damage control teams were on standby. If everything functioned as planned, the crew should not notice any perceptible change. Teela would be controlling the artificial gravity and compensating for the gradual thrust of the ion drives.
Water had been drained from the streams and ponds in the ecological habitats as a safety precaution. Even the station’s swimming pools had been emptied, and the water safely stored away. The station had been made as secure as possible.
“All departments report ready,” commented Teela, scanning the entire station and the Space Platform with her computer interface. “We are as prepared as we are ever going to be.” Teela looked expectantly at the commander.
“I would like to see the look on Senator Farley’s face when we leave orbit,” Lieutenant Emerson commented from her station, glancing back at General Karver. “When he realizes we’re leaving he will probably go ballistic.”
“I hope so,” General Ka
rver replied in a steady voice. “It’s a shame we can’t bring Senator Farley to justice to account for his crimes, but leaving him stranded down on Earth will be justice enough.”
“I imagine so,” added Steve, listening to the conversation between the two. He was glad that they would no longer have to worry about what the deranged senator was planning. “I would hate to be around him when he finds out what we’re doing.”
“With the weather conditions down on Earth it might be awhile before they realize we are leaving the Lagrange point,” Christy said, reaching out and squeezing Steve’s hand before turning back to check her console.
“The orbital stations will see our departure,” commented General Karver, looking over at Christy. “I suspect at least one of them will report what’s happening to Senator Farley.”
“Ignition in one minute,” interrupted Teela, using all of her abilities to monitor the station closely. “We have magnetic containment buildup in the ion drives; temperatures are rising toward preset ignition parameters.”
“All crewmembers, standby for ion drive activation,” Steve spoke over the station wide com system. “All systems are green, and this should be a smooth transition. Standby for future updates.”
“Thirty seconds to ignition,” Teela said evenly, continuing to monitor the station. If anything went wrong, she would know instantly. She was monitoring every square inch of the station as well as the Space Platform.
Teela had run thousands of simulations and possible scenarios of what could go wrong. If something did, she had instructions from the commander to correct it instantly. It made Teela feel good to know that he trusted her that much. She stood a little taller gazing at the main screen, which showed Star One.
Star One: Dark Star Page 24