Far Mantis

by Jim Henderson

  Ximon returned to the ship as they drove away. ASOR did, indeed, have everything ready and the group returned in less than twenty minutes with neat, organized trucks full of gear. Ximon stepped out when they pulled up, just to see that everything seemed okay.

  Peter met ASOR-L when he descended from the first truck while Elsbeth met with the man that got out of the second truck, Scott Jacobs. The truck drivers got out and lowered forklifts from the backs of the trucks and then got out of the way. ASOR and Peter, with occasional help from Elsbeth and Jacobs, quickly got the equipment to the cargo bay. As they did so, Jacobs and Elsbeth took inventory and soon exchanged digital receipts. Once all the gear was in the cargo bay, it took Peter a few minutes to organize things carefully in order to maximize access and assert that everything was loaded correctly.

  Peter signaled Ximon. “All gear is loaded and stowed in a secure manner. We will further optimize layout during jump.”

  Jacobs and his drivers waved and left after everything was loaded. As Ximon had hoped, the whole process had gone quite smoothly and Mantis was soon ready to takeoff, with ASOR-L safely tucked in the cargo bay with his equipment.

  Mantis took off and headed for a jump point. ETA was thirteen hours. As they went, Ximon tasked Shao with taking various readings to prompt her learning Mantis’ equipment, including some planetary scans of Edorener and its moons. Shao did these scans well and seemed to be “in the zone” on the equipment, so Ximon took a few breaks to walk about.

  Once well away from the planet, Ximon asked Mantis to show him the route options she had assembled for their trip from Zased to Onzarhat, with and without the drop tanks. All the routes were fairly long, requiring double jumps in places due to the long distances between star systems relative to their jump range. There were one or two options where the drop tanks would really help, but the time difference wouldn’t make enough of an impact to be worth spending two extra weeks getting another set after their trip to Darcy.

  Before Ximon could finish deciding, Mantis said, “Captain, per my new structure Mantis Navigational Instance has an alternate view that we feel merits presentation.”

  It took Ximon a second to realize this was an example of Mantis’ new structure affecting decisions, but just said, “Go on.”

  The next voice he heard was a new one, more purely robotic and sexless as compared to Mantis’ clearly feminine one. “Captain, as the Independent Navigational Instance, with some collaboration from the ship’s systems instance, it is my recommendation that you consider one additional probability. Notably, since we are jumping from Zanerus to Darcy and then back to Zanerus, there is the possibility that we could recover the drop tanks in working order upon our return. That would allow consideration of drop tank-assisted routes without incurring the additional time of returning to Edorener to acquire another set of tanks. That would make some routes considerably more attractive.”

  Ximon thought for a second. “You raise a good point, but our odds of recovering them in working order aren’t good.”

  Mantis interjected. “The available statistical evidence suggests that drop tanks are only recovered by the dropping vessel seven percent of the time, but that number is only partially applicable because few of those ships are returning to exactly where they dropped the tanks. The evidence there is less clear but may approach twenty to twenty-five percent depending on how busy the area is. Additional evidence suggests that, when recovered, they are only in perfect working order thirty percent of the time.”

  Independent Navigational Instance added, “I project a combined probability of only about ten percent but considered that chance substantial enough to be worth considering.”

  Ximon pondered this and then granted, “Again, that’s a good point and I’m glad you brought it up. When we jump back here, we’ll attempt to find them and will use them if we can. Please note the coordinates and project the most likely path from gravitational conditions and the force of us ejecting them. We’ll look there when we return.”

  So, Ximon decided to ditch the idea of going to get more tanks, at least for now. Mantis also summarized the data they had on the systems on the way, but it was pretty sparse in places. Only a few systems with sizable populations and several with small mining or science outposts. Ximon had Mantis hold off on discussing options for returning from Onzarhat—that was too far off to worry about.

  After a few more hours of blissful nothingness, they reached the jump point and made their jump to the Zanerus System.

  Once in jump, Ximon turned to Shao. “Okay, now we’ve got about six days of quiet. I know you’re a guru on sensors, but I need you to dig into all the sensors and become an expert on our particular make and model. Again, don’t hesitate to use Mantis’ help and, please, don’t make any physical changes without coordinating with Elsbeth. I’ll have Mantis give you some scan scenarios as skill checks along the way and I’ll probably discuss some with you. Other than that, you can hang out here on the bridge, in the galley, or in your quarters. I’m sure Raiza already told you the meal schedule, where you can find snacks at other times, and about the virtual reality entertainment/training system. We’ll also occasionally pull out some game or another and will let you know in case you’re interested.”

  Shao replied, “Sounds good, Ximon. I’ll be ready on the systems and I do like games.”

  “Great. Oh, and while Mantis’ systems are top priority, if you could do some checks on those decoys when you get a chance too. Once we get past Zanerus, I’ll also need you to look at the data we have on those sensors that they want us to recover from the station at Darcy. Assuming we can do that safely, you’ll be a big part of that.”

  “Understood. I’ll look at the gear here for a while and then probably turn in.”

  The jump was quiet. During it, Ximon meandered around to see how things were going. Peter and ASOR were tweaking the layout of the equipment in the cargo bay. Peter wanted to make it as easy as possible to access the drop tanks because they’d need to use them at Zanerus, while ASOR wanted to ensure his equipment was safe, accessible, and organized. Shao seemed pretty studious on the equipment and was working on it every time Ximon wandered by the bridge. Elsbeth did some preventive maintenance checks. Raiza cleaned, cooked, and took good care of Ximon. All was well with the world.

  Other than that, the crew relaxed and got to know Shao better. She initially seemed quite serious, but sometimes broke into quiet gales of laughter. Once, Elsbeth said something just as Shao took drink. Shao laughed so hard that she spit out some of her drink and some ran out of her nose. She grabbed a napkin and fled the room, embarrassed. Luckily, that didn’t stop her from laughing more later. She just watched Elsbeth’s timing more carefully.

  Throughout the jump, they played some games and Shao joined a few times. She didn’t like as many different types of games as Ximon did, but she was very good at the strategy ones.

  When they came out of jump at Zanerus, Mantis and Ximon quickly verified that everything was okay. Mantis then automatically sent and received all KSF-routed messages from Zanerus station. This was a backup duty of all KSF vessels, forming a substantial part of the interstellar communication system. Most of the messages would just route on through when they hit another KSF ship or station, but there was a general message from the Darcy system asking for any ships that could to come aid in evacuation.

  Ximon radioed Vir’s station at Zanerus 4. “Zanerus Station, this is the KSS Mantis. We’re passing through the system and wanted to say, ‘hi.’”

  A couple minutes later, Rotoz replied in his gruff voice, “Mantis, this is Zanerus station. We’re receiving your message now. How long will you be in-system and will you be able to land?”

  Ximon responded, “Roger, Rotoz. I’m afraid we can’t land as we’re just passing through. How are you doing?”

  After some lag, he heard Rotoz’s response. “Ximon, we are well. Sorry you can’t visit. Am I correct in understanding that you’re hauling resupply equipment, i
ncluding an ASOR, to the station at Zased?”

  “Correct, though we won’t get there for some time.”

  “Excellent. If you don’t mind, could you ask Mantis to patch us to ASOR? We want to check a few parameters and such. We’re part of the project working to optimize them.”

  “Certainly. I’ll have her set that up. Though, you’ll see increasing lag, so it may be painful.”

  “Understood. We’ll use bursts. Thank you.”

  “Well, continued good luck there. If we come back this way, we’ll try to visit.”

  “Please do. Good luck.”

  Ximon set the course for the gas giant and had Mantis make the connection to ASOR. Then he assigned Shao a series of scans of various types. She proved fairly proficient, doing well on the planetary scans and especially well at the long-range scans.

  Then Elsbeth popped in. “So, Ximon. We’re going to need a period of about an hour of mellow acceleration and no craziness to get those drop tanks out and mounted. So, tell me when the best window will be—now, during deceleration, or in orbit around the gas giant. Peter and I will need to do some Extravehicular Activity (EVA) and the less Gs or maneuvering the better. Thoughts?”

  Ximon scrubbed a hand across the light stubble on his jaw, thinking intently. “Well, I hate to lose an hour, but let’s wait until we’re in orbit.”

  “Okay. Keep in mind that the skimming will take two to three times as long because we’re going to have to skim enough to fuel the drop tanks, our regular fuel tanks, and the fuel bladders. You’re also going to have to be gentler too. Mantis will fly differently with those tanks on. So, let’s try to avoid flying whales or whatever,” Elsbeth said, remembering the large, whale-like creatures they had encountered in the atmosphere of a gas giant at Zased months before. Ximon had found them quite interesting and hoped that the automated station at Zased might have some additional data on them.

  Ximon replied, “I have used drop tanks before, but I’ll be gentle. We’ll be like a feather on the wind.”

  Elsbeth smirked. “Feather—right! I’ve seen you fly. Hell, I’ve felt you fly and had the bruises to prove it. Anyway, we’re going to take a nap and then prep the suits and all.”

  “Sounds good,” Ximon said. “Thanks.” He then left Mantis to fly on her own and left Shao to her scanning assignments.

  Ximon then signaled the crew. “We’ll be entering orbit in fifty-five minutes and will be doing an EVA prior to skimming.”

  As they approached, he entered a gentle orbit. “Elsbeth, Peter, status?”

  Elsbeth replied, “We’re just about to button up our suits and Raiza is suiting up to be our backup in the cargo bay. The arm will get each tank partway to where it goes and then we’ll have to manhandle them the final few feet. Once we’ve got both bolted down, I’ll come back in and do a flow test while Peter sets up the fuel bladders. We’re both tethered. Closing suits now. All check.” Then he heard her through her suit radio, her voice carrying a very different tone. “You can follow our chatter on channel three if you want.”

  Then Raiza spoke up, “Cargo bay interior doors sealed. Opening external doors.”

  From there Ximon watched them maneuver on external cameras. First, they used the arm to slowly pull out one semi-folded tank and maneuver it toward the right side of the ship. Then, they opened the external fuel connections, ensured they were attached to the ship and the tank, and had Raiza release the tank from the arm. It clearly took effort for them to maneuver the tank the last few feet, but they got it and secured the tank to the connections. Then they took a break before repeating the process on the other tank. Altogether it took about thirty minutes.

  Raiza made updates throughout the process and finally announced, “Crew aboard. Sealing external doors and pressurizing.”

  A few minutes later Elsbeth, clearly with her helmet off, said, “Okay, we’re in and set. The flow test looks good and we’re working on the fuel bladders. You can start skimming if you’re ready but remember to take it easy.”

  “Aye, aye, Queen Elsbeth.”

  “Just fly without breaking the ship, though that does have a nice ring to it. We’ll be monitoring the flow and will let you know if we see any issues. As discussed, fill sequence will be drop tanks, regular fuel tanks, fuel bladders.”

  “Got it. Thanks.”

  Ximon started skimming. Mantis did handle considerably rougher with the drop tanks on. They increased her mass by thirty to forty percent and changed her aerodynamics considerably. Even in the relatively thin outer atmosphere of a gas giant, there were turbulent forces to deal with. Mantis made some automatic adjustments to compensate somewhat, but it was still a little bumpy. All told, it took about two and a half hours to fuel everything. Everything showed full and there were no leaks.

  Ximon said, “I guess we’re ‘locked and loaded.’ Pulling out and heading for jump point. ETA seven hours.”

  Chapter Two: Darcy System

  They made it to the jump point without incident and prepared to jump to Darcy. The trip from Zanerus to Darcy actually required two jumps as the distance was almost fifteen light years, while Mantis’ jump range was only 10.6 light years. For the first jump, they used the fuel from the drop tanks. The empty tanks were decoupled and pushed away moments before Mantis’ jump drive finished creating the jump field. This first jump took them to a point in empty space, with the nearest star light years away.

  When they arrived to that piece of nowhere, they let the jump drives cool for a couple hours. While they waited, Ximon and Raiza did an EVA just to go out and look at the stars. Ximon had Mantis shut off all exterior lights and he and Raiza shut off all suit lights. They were in a patch of utter nothingness, with absolutely no light near them (not even a sun for millions of miles). The view of the rest of the stars was simply amazing. They floated outside the ship, holding hands but tethered to Mantis, for about twenty minutes. Ximon had Mantis take pictures of them and had Shao take long range imagery pictures of the star fields. Both sets of pictures came out great. When Ximon saw them later, he really liked several of them. He and Raiza would definitely hang a few of those in their house and in their cabin.

  After the short break, they jumped again. This time to Darcy, using a bit under half of the fuel in the fuel bladders.

  Again, they had a few more quiet days in jump before coming out at Darcy. Shao coordinated with Elsbeth to do an alignment of one sensor array that had drifted from nominal. Shao also told Ximon that she was comfortable with the operation of the decoys and had digested the material on the sensors in place on the station at Darcy.

  As they neared the end of their jump, Ximon asked Mantis to give him and Shao a summary of the system.

  Mantis reported, “Following are the primary objects in solar orbit:

  - Darcy-1 is a small dense planet. 0.2 Astronomical Units (AU) from the sun, 2500 km diameter, no moons, frequently afflicted by flares in the solar corona.

  - Darcy-2 is an asteroid belt at 0.5 AU with several thousand small asteroids. It contains two known bases: Oniza and Duo. These were previously very active stations but are apparently threatened by the star’s heat and radiation.

  - Darcy-3 is a sizable rocky planet with an iron core and a trace atmosphere at 1.2 AU. It has two moons. The base Darcy-3 is located on the larger moon.

  - Darcy-4 is a large asteroid belt at 0.41 – 0.43 AU. It contains two known bases – 4.1 Metis, also known as Zeta Control, and 4.2 Charth

  - Darcy-5 is a large rocky planet with a dense iron core, 21,000 km diameter, no atmosphere at 5.5 AU. The base Darcy-5 Moon Mining is located on the third of its seven moons.

  - There are thirty-two dwarf planets detected in distant orbits.”

  Ximon filed this away for later use. “Thanks, Mantis.”

  Ximon then went to the cargo bay and checked in with ASOR-L. ASOR was working on a few small pieces of equipment in one small corner of the bay.

  “ASOR, I wanted to ensure everything was going well.”


  “Everything is quite well, Captain. I am simply making minor adjustments to some equipment based upon data received from the Station at Zanerus.”

  “Oh, good. I haven’t had the chance to meet with you on the equipment you have. Alzroid and your fellow ASORs had some equipment and techniques that were very helpful in the past when dealing with some solar activity. We’ll be facing some solar activity at Darcy. Do you have anything that could help us with that?”

  “Captain, I’m afraid we’re not carrying any sizable sensors of the types the team had on the previous trip. Some of the new techniques they utilized have been shared with Mantis. However, if you and Sensor Engineer Tai do no object, I could tie into Mantis’ sensor array and observe some of the frequencies of highest concern. I could apply some of those techniques or others that have been developed since. It is possible that I might be able to provide a modicum of additional insight.”

  “Great. Please plan on that. Head to the bridge when I announce we’re coming out of jump and plug in next to Shao. I’ll have her get with you to plan this. Thank you.”

  Ximon then called Shao. “Shao, I’ve asked ASOR-L to come to the bridge when we exit jump to assist if he can. Please, contact him to coordinate.”

  “Of course, Ximon. There are some aspects of their algorithms that should be helpful and his insight might make them more usable.

  “Thanks.” Ximon wanted to ensure they were making maximum use of every tool at their disposal.

  Ximon had arranged for them to come out relatively near the fourth planet, where it was presumed ‘safe’ and was hopefully somewhat centrally located to whatever was going on in the system. He and Mantis quickly confirmed location and that there were no imminent threats.

  “Shao,” Ximon said, “get me all the solar readings you can. ASOR, let’s see what you can do with the data!”