Battle Group Titan: Beyond Warp ((Battle Group Titan Series Vol 1))

by Michael Adams

  “We are ready on this end” replied Aaron Logan, the new skipper of the UB.

  “Couple the controls” commanded Inman.

  “Aye sir” came the reply from Glenna Newman, Connie’s new helmsman.

  “Engage the warp drive at the lowest setting possible” commanded Inman.

  “Engaged now sir” replied Newman.

  Nothing seemed to be happening, UB was right next to them, but they passed Jupiter in a flash on their way out of the solar system.

  “Reeder, any issues, things are uncomfortably quiet up here, and that makes me nervous” Inman queried.

  “Everything seems to be well within operating limits, the drive coils in the rings are running a little hotter than we expected, we are checking on that now. You can increase the warp if you like” came the response from Reeder.”

  Inman had a light-hearted debate with his team about what to use for measuring the indicated speed. They had settled on the speed of light based upon their relative position in space. So, warp one would propel the craft at one time the speed of light, warp two was an order of magnitude faster and so on, up to the theoretical limit of warp-speed travel.

  “What is our indicated speed” queried Inman

  “We are showing warp point 8” replied Newman.

  “Let’s get out of the solar system first before we open her up; I don’t want to run into anything.”

  Two years ago one of the brilliant botanists working with a young mathematician aboard the Connie had discovered the secret to how bees navigate. It was nature's elegant, and sophisticated method of always knowing how to return to the exact point they had flown from, without any other frame of reference, sort of a built-in homing device. They called the resulting technology the Drone Navigation System, or DNS, pronounced Dens by the crew.

  The science team in charge of charting and navigation caught wind of the discovery and had since integrated the solution into the navigation system of both UB and the Connie. The new system was now providing a failsafe guidance system for both ships. The guidance systems were linked together to provide a sort of tethering capability in case one of the navigation systems broke down; the other system would pick up the slack until the other system was back online. The same redundancy existed in both the shelling systems and the warp drives.

  It seemed like no time at all until the small fleet had cleared the outer rim of the solar system on its way to deep space.

  “Put me on PA for both ships Newman” commanded Inman “I want to get everyone in on one of the greatest achievements of mankind to date.”

  ‘Aye Sir, you are now linked” replied Newman.

  “Good afternoon everyone, this is Major Will Inman. We are now traveling faster than anyone in history has ever traveled, and this is just the beginning. The warp drive technology has been operating flawlessly for some time now, and we are about to spool it up and increase our speed to the speed of light. We are not exactly sure what to expect. But what are we if we are not explorers setting out to conquer new goals, to experience what others only see through a telescope and to travel at speeds others read about in science fiction. There will be no sensation other than what you can see out of the viewing portals. I would not expect to see much there either; a galaxy is a big place.”

  “Increase our speeds steadily until we reach warp one” commanded Inman

  “Aye sir” replied Newman.

  Everyone in the pilot house expected a surge or some rattling, but nothing, just a slight hum that subsided soon after it had started.

  “Indicating the speed of light sir” reported Newman.

  “Increase speed to warp two and then every ten minutes until we are at maximum warp and report to me the speed at which we can mark as maximum warp” Inman commanded.

  “Aye sir” replied Newman.

  Warping space is simple in concept yet beyond the ability of humanity to achieve until Dr. Reeder and Dr. Bennett combined the Shell Generator with Warp Drive technology. Warped space is like riding on the surface of a perfectly smooth ocean and then coming up to the land where waves are created and going through the waves. The shorter distance is going through the waves instead of over them, and the wave in front of you allows gravity to pull you forward, and the wave behind you accelerates you forward at the same time. Not an exact explanation but it helped Inman, and the other nonscience types get the concept. The actual warp speed after warp one would be an order of magnitude faster after each warp factor.

  “We have her wide open sir, indicating a little over warp nine” Newman reported.

  “Well done ladies and gentlemen” Inman replied, “engage the PA once more please.”

  “This is Major Inman again, I assume from watching the stars fly by you can see that we are traveling at our maximum speed for the time being. Teams are working on complementary technology which will propel us beyond our current maximum speed, but for now, this is it.”

  “Slow her down to warp three and let's find something interesting to visit” commanded Inman

  “Aye sir” responded Newman.

  “Leffler” Inman called out.

  “Yes, sir” responded Leffler.

  “Give Newman the course to set in for one of the star systems with a Terran Class planet; maybe we can find something inhabitable” commanded Inman.

  “Take us there when you get the course notification Newman” commanded Inman.

  “Aye, sir, course set and making course corrections now” replied Leffler.

  Instantly the Connie shuttered and threw people around enough to injure people.

  “Reeder!” Inman shouted into his comlink.

  “We are on it” exclaimed Reeder.

  “Course correction worked sir,” said Newman.

  “At this speed, we should be there in a few months sir” commented Leffler.

  “Perfect, let me know when we get closer.”

  Confrontations

  “Cerro, Bennett, Reeder, can you all meet me in the conference room please.”

  Inman was going to spring something on them he was sure Bennett and Reeder were going to have fits over. It seems like a good time to get things rolling while spirits were high and things were working beyond anyone’s expectations.

  “In a few days, we are going to be the first humans ever to observe another habitable planet. We have no idea what to expect at this stop or in the future. There are some steps I think we need to take to ready ourselves. Bennett is it possible to outfit the shuttle with a shell generator so we can visit a planet?” asked Inman.

  “Already done sir, we can visit any Terran-class planet without any problem” replied Bennett.

  “Can we maneuver and get enough speed out of it to escape gravity?” queried Inman.

  “We ran all the tests while we were doing the asteroid mining, the graduate we recruited assembled a team, installed and tested the systems and it works quite well. Although we have not tested it anywhere with earth-like gravity, it should be fine” Reeder confirmed.

  “Perfect” replied Inman.

  “How about security, do we have any way of defending ourselves if we run into hostilities Cerro?” queried Inman.

  “We have nothing on the shuttle itself, no way to defend it. We have small arms that we can send with security details as they accompany personnel on the shuttle flights.” Cerro replied.

  For someone without a formal background in the sciences, Inman has the uncanny ability to see the practical application of sophisticated technology. It’s not always easy to tell when he was serious or when he was just thinking things through, but more often than not his ideas were well thought out. No surprise when you consider how methodical he was as a leader.

  “We need to start thinking about how we can arm ourselves, the shuttle, the Connie, and UB. It seems to me we should be able to weaponize some of the technology Bennett and Reeder have developed” began Inman.

  “You know how I feel about using my work for military purposes” Reeder shot ba
ck.

  “We do not need it for the military; we do not have a military,” Inman said.

  “So you want us to be defenseless! We have no way of knowing who or what we are going to encounter out there. We are sitting ducks as it is” Interrupted, Cerro.

  “What are you talking about; no one can even see us. And what makes you believe other intelligent life would be hostile toward us?” queried Bennett.

  “These are defensive weapons only. You know we would never attack unless we have to defend ourselves. No one in this room wants to be responsible for the needless loss of life if we can prevent it” replied Inman.

  “I do not want my work used to kill. Bennett and I have discussed this, and we are opposed to using our technology to kill.”

  “Your work, you mean our work, the work of the entire crew, the work of thousands of people who have laid the groundwork for you. The men and women in all the trades that provide materials, food, water and support systems so we can do what we love” Inman answered just as he had rehearsed.

  “They deserve to feel secure, and they want their children and loved ones protected. We do not exist in an ideological bubble; the reality is often different than what we envision in our version of a perfect world. There is the real possibility that someone or something might endanger our loved ones and us. It would be irresponsible of us not to provide protection and security to everyone” responded Inman.

  “Will you cooperate with Cerro and his team if I order you?” queried Inman.

  Reeder starts to cry as the stress of what she believes clashes with her loyalty and respect for Inman.

  Bennett is stoic and defiant as he sternly responds.

  “The ends do not justify the means, it never does, and human history is replete with examples” replied Bennett. “I am with Reeder on this one; I will not allow this technology to be used as a weapon” responded Bennett.

  “For one thing the technology does not belong to you; it belongs to all of us just as Inman has said. If something happens to anyone of us, their blood will be on your hands” shouted Cerro.

  “Ok, here is what we are going to do. We are going to move forward using stealth as our defense. We are going to test your ideology; if you are right, then we will be ok. If you are wrong, people may die needlessly” replied Inman.

  “That is not fair” shot back Reeder.

  “It is a reality,” replied Inman.

  “Our blood will be on your hands” fired Cerro.

  “Enough!” commanded Inman, “this meeting is over.”

  Reeder caught Inman’s look of disgust with a glance of his eye, and it broke her heart and her composure as she began to sob. Bennett surrounded her with his arms as Inman stared them down as he left the room.

  “You needlessly escalated the tension in the meeting. There was no need to make it personal” Inman instructed as they exited the science segment.

  “You won’t see one of them jumping in front of a bullet to save anyone” Cerro replied.

  “Maybe not, but those two are a big part of why we are where we are today. Reeder and Bennett deserve our respect and a little bit of patience.”

  Cerro was hot; he did not deserve a tongue lashing for stating the obvious. Inman is soft, and Cerro is not going to let it go.

  “I have already approached a group in the laser and plasma group. They are willing, if not excited, at the prospect of helping to defend us. I would like you to spend some time with them in the development of weapons that we can use to defend ourselves with” commanded Inman.

  “Aye sir, what about Bennett and Reeder, are you going to do anything about the insubordination” Cerro queried.

  “This is not the military; we are here to operate and defend the ships in the fleet” Inman “I do not want to start a war over this issue, it is unnecessary and counterproductive.”

  Cerro’s need for revenge made Inman uneasy, and his quick temper had not helped the situation as he helped flare tempers.

  “There is a reckoning coming with Cerro,” Inman thought, “just no way of knowing when he will fly off the handle at the wrong time. Cerro’s actions display an uncontrolled lust for position and power and could be endangering the entire mission. How do I deal with this thing lurking in the bushes? What is abundantly clear is that we need a doctrine, a charter that defines how we meet and deal with other life forms; and maybe even more pressing is the need to define military versus civilian roles and responsibilities before we get into some real hot water.”

  The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance –

  it is the illusion of knowledge. ~ Daniel J. Boorstin

  Chapter Four – Other Worlds

  S ir we are coming to our destination” came Newman’s page over Inman’s visor comlink.

  The page awoke Inman from a restless sleep. The time in his room was more of a quiet time, like Christmas night when he was a kid than a night of rest.

  “On my way, let's drop down to fractional warp as we approach and then drop out of warp when we get within a distance we can set up in orbit.”

  “Aye, sir” responded the anxious Newman. Dropping out of warp was a first for her, never had she or anyone else ever attempted the feat and especially while maneuvering into orbit.

  “I hope the computer guidance system can put us in orbit without my intervention,” thought Newman “I have only done this in the simulators while we were back in the asteroid belt.”

  Entering orbit went off without a hitch as the two massive ships took up position over the bluish-green planet.

  “Logan, Cerro, Bennett, and Reeder, please meet me in the conference room, we have arrived!” exclaimed Inman.

  Logan boarded the small transporter the tradesmen had built to shuttle personnel between the ships and made his way to the Connie. Reeder and Bennett were already in the conference room when Inman walked in.

  Cerro joined Inman and Logan as they made their way to the conference room. A coldness had developed between Inman’s men and Bennett and Reeder’s teams. It was obvious to everyone on board that Cerro had no patience for any of them, including Inman. When they entered the room, Reeder tried to make eye contact with Inman, but all she got was an “I am disappointed in you” glance as he walked in front of her toward his seat.

  “Hello everyone, this is an exciting day for all of us. We are the first humans ever to visit another planet, and it is not Mars or any other planet in our solar system so let’s bury the hatchet and enjoy the opportunity we have before us” Inman’s plead came off more as a question than a statement.

  “I’m good” replied Bennett.

  “So am I” repeated Reeder followed by the others in the room.

  “Perfect, so am I. So let’s put together a team to visit this planet! We have done our best to analyze the surface, but we do not know what to expect, so I want everyone armed with at least a sidearm. Cerro and one of his men will accompany us to the surface armed with automatic rifles and some ordinance in case we get in trouble. The planet’s gravity appears to be about eighty percent of Earth’s so it should be easy to maneuver. It seems to have an atmosphere we can breathe, but I do not want to take any chances until we are down there and can check it out for ourselves“ stated Inman.

  “We are going to need the ability to analyze planets and other space objects to discover their composition, gravity, and radiation levels before we land on them or even travel to them,” thought Inman. “I need to assign the photonics team with the task of coming up with a better way to analyze life support characteristics of space objects and planets.”

  “So who is going,” asked, Reeder.

  “I think it has to be volunteers, and I think the first seats should go to those who got us here” claimed Inman.

  Everyone nodded in agreement as each of them volunteered.

  “I wouldn’t miss this for anything” expressed Bennett.

  “Yea, I think we all feel that way” Cerro commented.

  “There was certain l
ikeability developing in Cerro that other members of the team had started to see. It might be the new girl stationed on the UB” thought Reeder “he is very handsome and can be charming if he wants to be.”

  “Ok, we have room for thirty in the shuttle, but I want to leave some space so that we can bring back supplies and water” stated Inman “so why don’t we take fifteen, you can all choose two others from your team to accompany us. I will see you all aboard the shuttle in fifteen minutes.”

  The shuttle has an antigravity shell interfaced to the pilot’s controls which give the shuttle maneuverability. The new drive coupled with the reactor propulsion system should serve to make the trip to the surface uneventful.