by Saxon Andrew
“She’s already on board.”
Drey stared at Cole and then turned to enter his ship. Cole watched him disappear and nodded, “Let’s hope this subterfuge is not discovered.”
He went to the bridge and Andi said, “You need to link with the ship’s main computer.”
“Why?”
“Your mind will be imprinted in the system just like Ian’s was with E.”
“Why don’t you do it? You’re smarter than I am.”
“I’m not so certain that’s true, but the reality is we need the ship to have a military frame of reference and I’m totally lacking in that expertise.”
Drey nodded, “You’re right, as usual. What do I need to do?”
“There is a skull cap on your console. Put it on and plug the cable in the receptacle under the computer screen. Lay back and close your eyes and relax. Just let the connections happen and don’t fight it.”
Drey put on the cap and plugged in the cable. He leaned back and felt his mind rush out of control. He started to resist but caught himself and quit thinking. After a moment he felt normal. He opened his eyes as Andi removed the skull cap. “Did it work?”
“If you’re asking whether or not I’m now operational, I am.”
Drey looked at Andi and saw her nod, “What do you want to name the system?”
“How did E get his name?”
“That’s the first sound in Ian’s name.”
Drey smiled and said, “Your name is Doc.”
Andi furrowed her brow and then said, “Ahhh, the first two letters of your name.”
“With your permission, I’ll join E in orbit.”
Andi said, “Take us where we need to go, Doc.”
Drey looked at the view port and saw the planet falling away faster than he had ever seen. He was free. He looked at Andi in the second chair and saw a smile that lit up her whole face. He suddenly realized he really didn’t know freedom as much as his copilot.
• • •
They arrived in orbit and E said, “Are you ready to go?”
Andi said, “Give us a moment and let’s see if Drey and I can guess correctly.” She looked at Drey, “Do you know?”
“I haven’t even thought about it. Do you?”
“I think so.”
“Give me a moment.” Drey let his mind go free to work on it and let all the variations glow through at blinding speed. The restaurant was discarded. The first coordinates were also eliminated; Ian didn’t have a ship to wait there in space. The information continued to rush through his mind and he said, “We’re going to Hellhole.”
Andi clapped her hands. “E, where are we going?”
E said, “I’m glad the two of you weren’t searching for us.”
Drey said, “I was.”
Andi said, “Yeah, but you didn’t really know him.”
“E, I’m Doc.”
“Good to meet you, partner. Hellhole it is.”
• • •
They arrived and E said, “Doc, send them to the restrooms in the supply building. You will find them in the restaurant. Turn left out of the supply store and it’s the second building.”
Andi and Drey emerged from the restrooms and walked to the restaurant where they found Ian and Violet surrounded by fifty miners laughing and singing. Ian saw them enter and said, “Hey Newbies, come join us.”
Drey and Andi walked over and Drey saw every miner immediately stare at Andi; for some reason that bothered him. Violet pulled up two chairs next to her and hugged Andi as she sat down.
Ribbons said, “Who is this?”
Violet said, “This is my cousin Andreia and her partner Drey.”
Everyone yelled, “Welcome to Hellhole!” Andi smiled that beautiful smile and Violet ordered them drinks.
Ribbons said, “We were just thanking Nosey and Violet for getting us the work.” He looked around and said, “You’re looking at some seriously wealthy miners.”
Andi said, “That’s great.”
Glenda came over and sat in Gibbon’s lap to let Andi know he was taken. Andi got up and sat in Drey’s lap. He was shocked and she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek and whispered, “We don’t need any of them thinking I’m available.”
Drey forced himself to relax and Andi stayed in his lap for the rest of the evening. They learned that these miners had gone and mined the alien planet. Finally Ian stood and said, “I’m sorry guys, but we have to leave.” There were loud complaints and numerous goodbyes, but they finally made it out the door. Andi was holding Drey’s elbow until they left the building but then she moved her hand away. Drey felt disappointed. Ribbons and three other miners had exited with them and Ribbons stuck his hand out to Ian, “Nosey, that suggestion to get Switzer to invest our funds in the ship building industry in the Union was a great idea. Our accounts have tripled in value.”
“Good. How much longer are the four of you going to stay here?”
“We’re leaving tomorrow. Wealth is worthless if you don’t take the time to use it.”
Ian shook the three men’s hands and Porky hugged his neck. Violet said, “Hey, hey, he’s mine.”
Porky smiled and said, “I could have had him.” Derek looked at her and she said, “But I have the one for me.”
They turned and walked away and the four watched them go. “I’m going to miss them.”
Jefie said, “They are not who we think they are.” The three turned and looked at him. “The tall one that showed up tonight is the former ruler of the Nebula.”
Ribbons said, “Get out of here.”
“I saw him on the newscasts. It’s him.” Jefie paused and said, “I also find it interesting that Nosey showed up when the entire Union was looking for the Prince.”
They turned and looked at the four walking away and Ribbons yelled, “Keep the track’s down, Your Majesty.” Ian raised his hand and waved as he walked away.
Porky said, “I could have been a princess.”
Jefie said, “Have you taken a good look at Violet?”
Porky hit him on the arm and hurt her hand, “You can spoil anything.”
Derek just laughed. He knew Porky was a dreamer. This was one dream he would not take from her. From that moment on the group called her Princess and she answered to it.
• • •
Andi said, “It looks like they broke the code, Ian. They’re pretty smart.”
“I owe them. They are my best friends.”
Drey looked at Ian and saw how close the group of miners was to him. He thought about who his best friends were and came up empty. He didn’t know what to think about that. Andi punched his arm and said, “Hey, I’ll fill in until you make some.” Drey looked at her with shock on his face. Andi smiled, “I’m not a mind reader. That was easy to see.”
Drey looked at her and then smiled, “I know you’re not a mind reader.”
Andi pulled her head back slightly, “Just how do you know that?”
“You didn’t say anything when you were sitting on my lap.”
Ian and violet burst out laughing and Andi’s face turned bright red. Drey thought a moment and said, “Hey, I just told my first joke.” Ian and Violet laughed harder and finally Drey joined in. It was a little later when Andi joined them.
• • •
The four went to their ships and Drey said, “I think before we set sail, we need to familiarize ourselves with the weapon systems.”
Ian said, “Do you really think that’s necessary? The ships know their limits.”
Drey sighed, “Who decides when to shoot?”
“I guess I do.”
“And are you going to ask the ship to explain your options every time you get in a tight situation?” Drey paused, “I’ve also been meaning to ask you what those things are that were in the units under the wings.”
“They’re hardened missiles that have a dark matter field around them.”
“Are you serious?”
“We determined that it was t
hose missiles that brought down the advanced ships.”
“I imagine they hit with a rather large impact. Do you know how large and do you know their range.” He was greeted by silence. “E, do you know their absolute range?” Again he was met by silence. “Well then does anyone know how much room they need to get up to speed?”
“Alright, alright, you’ve made your point. How do we do this?”
“We move out and take a shot at those installations on the moon.”
“They were part of this planet’s defenses.”
“No they weren’t Ian.”
“They weren’t?”
“Think about it. The advanced ships didn’t use faster than light drives. They used jump drives. The civilization on the planet did use faster than light drives.”
“They were put there to ambush any ships that showed up.”
“That has to be what happened. We need to take them out anyway so the planet can be approached with a FTL drive.” There was silence and Drey said, “The miners might come back.”
“Ok; where do you want to start?”
“The first thing we need to do is settle a few issues.”
“Such as?”
“We need to know how long it takes us to use our weapons when we come out of a jump.”
Drey heard Ian say, “I told you he’d be important.”
“Yeah, yeah, I’ll pay up tonight.”
Drey said, “What was that about.”
“Violet wasn’t convinced you would really be an asset on this mission.”
Drey sat a moment and said, “What did you bet her?”
Violet said, “That’s none of your business; however, I do pay my debts.”
Drey shook his head and said, “Doc, jump to the planet and hold orbit. Ian, you jump in, in two minutes and fire on the planet as quickly as possible. We’ll take a reading on the time required.”
Andi smiled, “We’re on our way.”
“You look excited.”
“There’s nothing more I’d want to do than go chasing across the stars.”
Drey tilted his head, “That depends on if you’re chasing across the stars or the stars are chasing you.”
Andi smiled, “Either way, this star chase is something I’ve prayed for.” She looked out the front view port and said, “This is release from the prison I was locked up in.”
“What do you mean?”
“Drey, I’m the highest ranking Genetic female. What is the ultimate destiny of the highest ranked?”
Drey thought a moment, “I guess you would be in line for the throne.”
“You guess right. I’m slated to marry the current King in two years but that isn’t going to happen.”
“Why not?”
Andi looked at Drey, “If Violet could escape that imprisonment, so can I.”
“I’m surprised they allowed you to go.”
Andi smiled, “They didn’t.”
“Oh!”
“I talked about Ariene with Cole and told him that I would rather die than accept the crown. Cole has been telling the Crown that I was just assisting in the ship’s construction. I’ll just turn up missing later. No one saw me on board before you lifted.”
Drey shook his head, “Well it’s a good thing we’re not going to be flying around Union space. You’d be easily recognized.”
“I don’t look all that different.”
“Are you out of your mind? The geneticists must be working for extreme beauty in the Genetics. You and Violet are the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen. Trust me on this, you would be recognized.”
Andi bowed and said, “Thank you.” She took her chair and said, “Well, it’s off on a chase.”
Drey turned to his board and said, “We’re jumping in three, two, one, and now.”
The view out the front of the ship dimmed slightly and then the planet appeared below them. They moved out and Drey said, “Doc, get a scan on what happens when E appears.”
“I’m ahead of you. It’s already running.”
“Drey.”
“Yeah.”
“Why were you so brutal when you were chasing Ian?”
Drey took a deep breath and slowly shook his head. There was a minute and fifty seconds before E was due to appear. “Andi, I did what I was trained to do. My instructors conditioned every emotional response out of me. I did the logical thing required in every situation.”
“But that woman you killed?”
Drey continued to look at the front port and said, “Did you know I went to the woman that was sitting beside her before I went to her residence?”
“No, I don’t think anyone knows that.”
“That’s how I was able to get Natalie’s name which ultimately gave me her address. I found her friend outside her house playing with her little boy.”
“What did you do!?!”
“I asked her who was sitting beside her at the restaurant, told her she had a beautiful son, and left.”
“Why didn’t you kill them?”
“They had done nothing to deserve it. Natalie had assisted Ian in escaping. A lesson had to be given to everyone that any assistance would be treated harshly. It was the logical thing to do.”
There was a long moment and with thirty seconds left before E was due Andi asked the question she wanted to avoid, “How do you feel about it now?”
Drey took a deep breath and released it. He continued to stare out the port and said, “It was the logical thing to do.” Andi’s expression turned sad until Drey said, “It wasn’t the right thing to do.”
Andi looked out the port with a small smile and saw E appear.
Chapter Eleven
E appeared above the planet and looked like he was in flames. The explosions on the planet were massive. Drey said, “Doc, show me what you recorded.”
Andi came over and looked over Drey’s shoulder. “I’m playing it at a hundredth speed.” They watched as E slowly emerged into view and before the ship was fully visible they saw the three port side blaster firing at the planet and a white streak that left the small ship at an incredible velocity. “Doc, what was that white streak?”
“That was one of the missiles in E’s hull.”
“Show me the surface where it hit.” A view of the planet moved closer and they saw a huge five mile wide crater in the planet’s surface. “How deep is that crater?”
“A little more than a mile deep.”
Drey looked at Andi and said, “It looks like the aliens that weren’t as advanced possessed a rather powerful weapon.”
“It was powerful but it was extremely difficult to control.”
“Why do you say that, Doc?”
“It was fired from the units under the ship’s wings and they didn’t have a real guidance system to fire them. I suspect they just volleyed a barrage at their target.”
Andi said, “The advance ships that crashed on the planet only have one point of penetration.”
“That means the other’s missed.”
Drey shrugged, “It’s like Earth’s ancient naval wars where submersible ships would fire a spread of torpedoes to hit a single target.”
“Something just like that, Drey. They wouldn’t be effective from long range. The ship firing them had to come within killing range of the advanced ship’s blasters.”
“Doc, send a copy of this to Ian.”
“I did that when they finished firing.”
“Boy, you’re good.”
“Just doing what logic demands.”
Drey sighed and said, “You also need to do what’s right, Doc.”
“I know. I’ve seen what you learned from our family.”
Drey looked down at his control board, stood up, looked at Andi, and said, “Call me when their analysis is complete.” He walked off the bridge and Andi saw his sadness. She had studied all the recordings ever made of Drey when he was a Nebula Officer. He never showed much emotion and sadness was never seen. She smiled.
• • •
“Drey, E is ready to go over what we’ve learned.”
“I’ll be right up.”
Ian was on the main display when Drey arrived and he said, “It appears our weapons are available immediately.” Drey nodded. “E has also made an interesting discovery.”
“What is that?”
E said, “I don’t know where I go when I jump, but the ship must follow a path through something and it’s not instantaneous.”
Drey looked at Andi and saw her brow was furrowed. “Tell me what you mean.”
“It appears to be instant but remember the dimming of the display when we jump. If was instant there would not be any time to see it dim.”
Drey shrugged, “That makes sense.”
“My circuits work at light speed so I can see it happen.”
“Go on.”
“My emergence into space at the place I arrive appears to be happening quickly, but I actually see the jump field as it moves down the ship and disappears. The first part of the ship to emerge into space is where the field first starts to move down.”
Drey said, “Can you control the field when you emerge?”
“I’ve discovered I can.”
Drey leaned back in his chair, “Now that is interesting.”
Ian said, “What do you see, Drey?”
“E, you could just allow a small piece of your hull to emerge and keep the rest of it in the place you traveled to arrive.”
“I really think I can.”
Violet said, “Drey, how would that be an advantage?”
Drey said, “If our ships can pull that off, they could be a cork.”
“What?”
“The main body of the cork would be below the surface and the scanner would be the only thing floating on the surface of normal space. We could scan what’s around us and if there’s trouble, a new coordinate could be entered and we’d jump away.”
Ian tilted his head to the left and looked at Violet. He said, “E, are you capable of doing that?”
“Why don’t we see?”
Drey said, “E, jump at a further distance from us and we’ll see if we detect your return.”
Ian said, “You don’t want to take Doc and give it a go?”
Doc said, “I’m new to my systems and E has been using his for a long time. He has more control than I do. He should be the one to do it. He’s more experienced.”