“Time,” Janney Stox said suddenly, reaching out and putting a hand on Hollis’ shoulder. “He was buying time for us to evacuate…”
“That’s right,” nodded Adam forcefully. “And we’re rapidly running out of it. So let’s get moving soldiers, we’ve got a ride to catch. It is very important that we get the hell off of this ship.”
Moving as swiftly as they possibly could, the four of them beat a hasty retreat toward the interior of the ship in the general direction of the ladder wells.
PROJECT WASTELAND
Pathfinder Series: Book Two
Chapter XIX: A Lantern In The Darkness
Aboard the Pathfinder…
It took Adam and his three Crasel friends less than four minutes to reach the Pathfinder’s hangar bay. Apparent right from the start was the fact that Arte Kasik, Cren Hollis and Janney Stox were all quite familiar with ladder wells. In fact, they were better at Adam when using them for descent. Each of the huge men simply wrapped their bulging biceps against the sides of each ladder and squeezed. Then they kicked out their legs and slid down to the next deck, in a style that reminded him of the poles used by firemen. Adam stuck to his less efficient, awkward method of part sliding, part falling as he brought up the rear, following as quickly as his inexperience would allow. He thought about trying the same stunt as his friends but knew instinctively that it was a good way to break an ankle if he landed wrong.
Or not break an ankle, once his defenses kicked in.
Either way, it would be embarrassing if he fell, so he made a mental note to practice the maneuver at some point in the future. Each time their feet hit the deck, the four men moved farther into the ship before descending again until they reached one of the central access ports with a ladder well leading the rest of the way down toward the massive hangar below. For obvious reasons, the shuttle bay was high-ceilinged and somewhat cavernous in nature. Thus it was a pleasing surprise, upon reaching the last access hatch, to open it wide and see the easily recognizable roof of the Ranger holding position directly beneath them. “That’s the shuttle,” said Adam with a relieved smile, pointing to a spot on its dorsal hull approximately four meters beneath them. “We’ll have to drop the rest of the way.”
[“Glad you could make it,”] Kaufield transmitted mentally. [“The Corona has already left and we just finished loading the last of the rail gunners from the upper hull. Time is short, my friend.”]
[“We’re coming,”] replied Adam, sensing the urgency. “You guys can leave your weapons here,” he suggested calmly while studying their faces eagerly.
Surprisingly, Hollis shook his head negatively. “I’ve been on the front lines since I was strong enough to carry a weapon,” the big man told him grimly, clinging defensively to the huge rifle and its dangling ammo belt that he carried effortlessly in his large hands. “And during all that time, I’ve never felt helpless. Not until we were sitting on this ship, unarmed, only to find out from a member of your crew that the Kuth were boarding it.”
“I agree,” piped in Janney Stox. “I say that we keep our weapons from this point on, wherever we go.”
There was no time to argue, so Adam motioned sharply toward Arte Kasik. “Go!” he snapped intently, moving to the back of the line. He could see a hatch open on the top of the shuttle waiting below, and as soon as Kasik landed the familiar profile of Kaufield popped out of the opening and he waved the large Crasel over. “You’re next Hollis,” Adam told him firmly. “Try not to dent the hull down there, okay?”
“Nice. Someone always has to be the wise guy.” Hollis stepped over the open hatchway in a swift move that allowed him to drop through the wider than normal opening. He landed below with a dull thud, followed only seconds later by Janney Stox. Adam stood patiently; content to watch until he saw Stox making his way through the shuttle’s rooftop hatch. Then he too dropped the remaining sixteen feet and change necessary to complete an escape.
The Ranger’s thrusters, already rumbling with power as the large shuttle waited, throttled up to a deafening roar even as Adam climbed through the opening and pulled the hatch closed after him. [“We’re aboard,”] he thought fervently, glancing around at all of the other Pathfinder crew members sitting in the upper level of the shuttle’s two-level cargo compartment. An equal number of men and women would be seated below. [“Unless there’s somebody else to wait for, we can…”]
A surge of motion interrupted Adam and caused him to grab reflexively onto a safety handhold as the shuttle rocketed forward, headed out of the large hangar and into open space. “I see Captain Kaufield has already returned to the cockpit,” he said needlessly to the Crasel as the four of them held on tightly to anything they could grab for a precious few seconds, finally making their way to the few remaining seats and belting themselves securely into place with the reinforced safety harnesses. “I guess we were the last ones to load.”
The available seating was a series of temporary, retractable metal chairs, each modestly cushioned and equipped with a full safety harness. They were normally deployed only during these types of rare occasions when the vessel was used to haul passengers instead of cargo. During other times, each row folded up neatly against the starboard hull.
Stox put a hand on Adam’s shoulder. “I’m sorry about the loss of your ship,” he offered with sincerity. “It’s too bad a beauty like that had to fall into the hands of the Kuth.”
Smiling ruefully, Adam turned to face his friend. “The Caucus hasn’t captured anything,” he replied sternly. “All they did was complicate matters for a few minutes. It was never in our plans for the Pathfinder to leave this star system.” His expression was stern, mouth tight-lipped as the realization of the final stage of their mission finally struck home. “It was never in our plans at all.”
Seated across from him, Cren Hollis appeared genuinely puzzled. “Why not?”
“Because there is still something else we need to do in this star system,” replied Adam enigmatically.
A bright emerald PTP flash lit up the surrounding windows. When it faded, the view they offered returned to the familiar, endless swirling clouds of purplish gray and blue nebulae dust. [“How far did we transit?”] Adam wondered idly, allowing the thought to flit all the way though their shared link to Kaufield.
[“About sixteen light minutes, to the prearranged rendezvous point.”]
[“Is that far enough?”]
[“Thomas seems to think so.”]
Slightly delayed telemetry from the Pathfinder’s security systems was still accessible through Adam’s implant. Having set up a temporary feed prior to leaving the communications area, he was able to eavesdrop on the Kuth soldiers pouring into the engine room only to find it abandoned, its systems shutting down. Only seconds later Dor’s larger strike team entered the Command Dome, expecting to seize control of the large starship. Instead, they found only an empty chamber filled with computer systems that were currently on standby, running the final programs that would wipe both temporary and permanent memories clean in minutes.
Still, that’s not the biggest surprise that we left for you bastards, he thought to himself furiously. You came to the only spot in the solar system where there is no escape…
Aboard the Ranger…
There were a lot of mixed emotions for Captain Dennis Kaufield as he sat in the cockpit and watched the bright flash from the Pathfinder’s explosion through one of the thick windows. The massive detonation momentarily illuminated the surrounding nebula dust before fading away to a soft, pulsating glow that caused him to smile in silent triumph. The blast that he saw was sixteen minutes delayed, but that didn’t really change matters much. The starship that had guided a tiny slice of Earth’s population out into the void between galaxies was gone now, a prototype design that – given their current circumstances – might never again be duplicated. At least not in my lifetime, he thought with a mild surge of discouragement. The journey that led his small group to the Proteus galaxy had proven to be a lifesa
ver for several billion of Earth’s inhabitants, refugees from a lost world torn apart by terrorism and a sporadic, unexpected nuclear war.
He watched the distant, residual pulsing splash of light still visible through the thick nebulae tendrils with something very close to awe. Thomas Roh, proving himself to be right once again, he realized abruptly. The young scientist was somewhere out there, riding in the Corona, and would no doubt be extremely pleased with the results of their experiment. The shuttle’s two pilots were watching too, as they had brought the large utility vessel to a slow crawl and turned it back to face the now distant solar system. Even though the Pathfinder itself was gone, its controlled, artificial singularity was now burning brightly in its place.
A completely self-sustaining singularity, Kaufield recognized with a sharp surge of pride. A miniature star in the process of forming as it feeds off of the overabundance of surrounding nebula dust.
More than likely a star, Thomas had told him earlier. Adam, on the other hand, was betting that the phenomenon would eventually become a black hole. Our hardware specialist against the math and science expert… which one is right?
It really didn’t matter, in the end.
What was most important for Kaufield and the other members of the team who had helped him lead the charge to liberate the Wasteland was to quickly and efficiently restore some semblance of a post-war atmosphere to the region. And that couldn’t happen if people couldn’t look forward to the day when they would once again look up into the sky and see stars. Admittedly, he had asked an awful lot from Adam Roh by recruiting him to serve – even temporarily – as an undercover operative in an environment torn apart by endless war. Some people, like his wife, would say that he had asked for far too much. And yet, Kaufield himself had sacrificed quite a bit, he concluded. The Pathfinder might have been an inanimate object, but it was important to him, not just as a starship to use for exploration but also as a symbol… the culmination of all the work required to first build it and then fly it out into the larger universe represented what Earth had been and might one day be again.
And the members of its crew represented what humanity had once been and might one day be again.
“Regrets Captain?” asked the co-pilot curiously. “It’s a tragic loss, to be sure.”
“No regrets Mitch,” replied an emotional Kaufield, still wearing a small smile. “It doesn’t hurt to give up something you love if you know that the action will help others. And this action will help many people.”
“Not right away.”
“Nope. Not right away.” He sat there for another minute or two, watching the spot of flickering light from the singularity that was only partially visible through the thick, roiling clouds of stellar gas and dust. It’s throbbing like the beat of a heart, a heart that is racing very fast.
“The Corona is holding position three hundred meters off our port bow,” reported Commander Judy Stark, the shuttle’s regular pilot. Her long dark hair was tied back in a neat bun that kept it out of her way and off of her uniform. “So far there’s still no sign of Noah or his shuttle.” She turned slightly in her seat, long enough to regard him thoughtfully. “Isn’t that shuttle supposedly our long-distance transit ride back home to the Proteus galaxy now that the Pathfinder is gone?”
Noah!
Everything they endured had happened so fast, Kaufield noted wistfully as the memory of his friend surfaced instantly. Once the ship had been boarded and with the death of the Pathfinder inevitable, his friend remained committed to boarding his shuttle and removing it from the blast radius. To not do so would present significant problems for their plans moving forward, as its contents would react poorly to so massive an explosion. And yet, here we are, after all is said and done, and there’s still no sign of him!
“Is there anything on motion sensors?” he asked curiously.
“Nothing,” Mitch Patterson told him firmly. “No enemy targets, no friendlies.”
“But then, his ship wouldn’t show up on our scans…” Stark commented idly. “Would it?”
“Let’s test that theory, shall we?” mused Kaufield thoughtfully with mild amusement. [“Noah, are you out there?”] he prodded inquisitively, using his mental link to search for the familiar presence of his friend. [“There are a lot of us sitting out here with no way home, and we haven’t heard a peep out of you since you vanished from the Command Dome.”]
The pause before he received a reply was a bit unsettling. [“I am here,”] the familiar touch of Noah’s thoughts told him finally. [“After the explosion, I returned to the blast sight just long enough to make a close up inspection of the singularity. Since your shuttles are extremely susceptible to its radiation, I took it upon myself to move in closer and study the results of our experiment in case some fine-tuning was in order. Fortunately, I can report that everything seems to have worked out as we expected. Over time, much of the surrounding nebula dust will be drawn toward this new gravity well and eventually consumed by it.”]
[“Please let us know when you have finished,”] Kaufield requested. [“Some of us are quite fatigued by all of this and anxious to return home.”]
[“Understood.”]
A sudden thought struck the Captain. [“Did you run into any Kuth on your way to that shuttle of yours?”]
Again, Noah took his time in issuing a response. [“Unfortunately, I did.”]
[“Do you want to share with us any details as to what happened?”]
[“It would probably be better if I didn’t.”]
Kaufield shook his head at the perplexing response, deciding not to pursue the matter further. [“Don’t keep us waiting too long,”] he requested instead. [“Adam, in particular, misses his home.”]
[“I am finishing up now, Captain,”] the enigmatic alien promised.
Planet Tranquility in the Proteus Galaxy…
(Three Weeks Later)
When Adam Roh arrived in the conference room adjoining the Science Lab, he discovered that Kaufield was already present. So were Noah, Snee Vasten, Kra Wonin and the three Crasel soldiers who had at some point become family to him – or at least treasured, lifelong friends. Kaufield, proudly wearing his silver and black trimmed President’s robes once again instead of the military counterpart, pointed to several hot pots of coffee and a plate of fresh pastries sitting near one end of the table. Smiling agreeably, Adam helped himself to several treats and poured a hot mug of coffee, sliding it next to an empty chair. He was already chewing on the pastry, choosing to allow the coffee the time it needed to cool. “How are things going?” he asked curiously, seating himself comfortably.
“Can’t you tell?” grinned Kaufield, watching him with a mischievous smile.
“No,” replied Adam, taking another bite from the pastry and chewing thoughtfully for a moment before responding further. There was some kind of red fruit puree on top of it, but as to whether it was strawberry or raspberry, he really couldn’t tell. “The implant link has been down for ‘maintenance’ for over a week now. Thomas told me that he’s busy adding improvements to it, whatever the hell that means. I’m afraid to ask him.”
“Considering this is Thomas we’re talking about, you’re probably right. Additional upgrades could in fact be a frightening prospect.” Kaufield chuckled good-naturedly and leaned back in his own chair. “Noah brings us nothing but good news these days,” he began.
Adam found his curiosity growing. “Oh?” He turned and regarded their alien ally thoughtfully.
“We have already evacuated the vast majority of humanoid refugees from the Wasteland,” reported Noah, pleased at the prospect of having delivered such positive results in so little time. He shifted his gaze to meet Adam’s own. “One of the groups left to move is a Crasel hiding spot, the one you requested we leave for you since your friends are involved.”
“Thank you,” nodded Adam gratefully while scanning the faces of his three friends.
“Kra Wonin has news,” interjected Kaufield, delivering the
floor to the Yakiir squadron commander.
Again Adam was intrigued. “Oh?” he repeated.
“I have spoken with many of the Yakiir leaders, and we would like to keep a large, permanent presence within the Wasteland,” Wonin announced, studying the faces of the others expectantly for any sign of a negative reaction. “Like it or not, we were complicit in creating the colossal mess to be found there and a large portion of our military would like to remain in order to finish developing some of the worlds in Kuth foothold systems along the perimeter.” He paused to clear his throat. “It has come to my attention that some of our top leaders – who have now been removed from their positions – knew about these foothold worlds. At some point, the habitable planets in these locations would almost certainly have been moved to join the rest of the Kuth’s treasure trove in their central solar system.”
“After a lifetime of war, taming those worlds will be tougher than you might think,” Kaufield cautioned him. “It takes an awful lot to get started, and you folks don’t have a lot of resources at your disposal.”
“Volunteers from the other clans, specifically the people who are able to set aside past differences given the circumstances, might be willing to assist you,” Snee Vasten told him with sincerity. “I know I would.”
“We will also help you bring life back into the Wasteland,” Noah offered graciously. “Don’t be hasty and volunteer too much of your time. There is no need for all of your soldiers to serve on a continuous basis. If you will speak further with your leaders, I’m certain we can set up a rotation of sorts in order to ensure that all of you get to spend at least some time on developed worlds here in the Proteus galaxy.” He steepled the fingers of both hands together and smiled. “You deserve at least some time with your families as well.”
“We would be grateful for any assistance that you can provide,” acknowledged Wonin humbly to both of them. “Many of my people collaborated willingly and have much to answer for.”
The Pathfinder Trilogy Page 79