John had forgotten about Julie and the admiral as he wasted no time exploring the hangar. He quickly moved between the small ships that populated the deck. He noticed immediately that the Interceptors were not the same type used in the fleet. Although they looked similar these fighters had what appeared to be additional weapon ports. John had memorized the specifications of the Interceptors and easily recognized the ones here were packed with much more firepower. He wanted to get a look at the cockpit and was about to open one up when he was interrupted.
“Who the hell are you?” bellowed a growling deep voice. John turned to see a man dressed in a blue security uniform with his arms crossed looking right at John. He was an older man, his age betrayed by the lines decorating his face. His five o’ clock shadow added to his rough and tough appearance. John wasn't impressed.
“John Roberts,” he replied in a matter-of-fact tone.
“You with the admiral?”
Admiral Johnson and Julie approached the men. “Ah yes, Chief Sandoval. Mr. Roberts is one of the guests I told you about.”
“I see,” said Sandoval, giving John a good look up and down. He didn't think John appeared remarkable at all. He certainly didn't come across as the dynamic individual the admiral described. John was equally unimpressed with the security chief and was not intimidated by his gruff demeanor. His focus was still on the Interceptor and wanted to return to his inspection of it.
“You know anything about these fighters?” asked John.
"You're asking me?" said Sandoval.
John merely smiled. "I am."
“You’ll have to ask one of the engineers. I just handle security here.”
"What? Security doesn't know how to fly a fighter?"
“Thomas Sandoval is responsible for maintaining security operations on the ship,” interrupted the admiral. He motioned to Julie. “This is our other guest, Julie Olson.”
Thomas merely nodded but did not address her. “I came down when I heard your shuttle was docking to make sure everything went as it should.”
“I appreciate your concern, but I don’t want to hold things up for our guests here. Is the command deck ready?”
“It is,” said Sandoval. “Lieutenant Brandus contacted me twenty minutes ago and said tests on the new life support systems have been completed. The command deck has been cleared for reentry and the bridge crew was released back to their posts fifteen minutes ago.”
“Good, then we’ll head up there after our walk around Central."
"Lieutenant Brandus asked me to give these to you." The security chief extended his hand and the cadets saw two tiny black dots. Neither knew what the dots could be, if they were anything at all. Sandoval slid the tiny specs into to the admiral's hand.
"I’ll see you tomorrow at the staff meeting,” said the admiral.
The chief nodded and left the hangar without saying anything more to Julie or John.
“Nice fellow,” commented John. “Is he always so charismatic?”
“Chief Sandoval is dedicated to his job,” said the admiral. “Security heads are not known to be the social types. Now, I have something to give you." Johnson reopened his hand. "These are pips. They are communication devices designed exclusively for EXODUS."
"They're so tiny," remarked Julie.
"I thought for a second they were just bits of dirt," said John. "Where do they go?"
"Just on the inside on your ear," replied the admiral. John eagerly stuck out his hand. "It'll be easier if I do it."
"Oh, ok," said John. The admiral placed one pip at the end of his finger and gently squeezed on the inside of John's ear. He did the same with Julie.
"I don't feel it at all," said John.
"The device serves as both a communications and tracking device," said the admiral. "The ship's computer continuously monitors all traffic on the ship, accounting for every crew member. If you need to contact someone you just say your name then the individual's name. Admiral Johnson to John Roberts."
Both John and Julie heard a brief beeping sound. Their eyes lit up instantly.
"Anyone nearby you will hear a beep when someone is calling you,” said the admiral. “That way no one thinks you're talking to yourself."
"Remarkable," said Julie.
"You also have full access to the ship's computer. Just say computer and make your query." The Admiral lifted his finger. "Computer, current location of TFX EXODUS."
"TFX EXODUS is currently moored at the Tormented Valley ground station," replied the computer in a soft tone.
"Again, anyone near you will hear the computer's reply to your query,” said the admiral. “Unless you specifically tell it to reply via your pip only."
"This is way better than wearing a comm bracelet or carrying a DAT," said John.
"And it's more practical," said the admiral. "With these we avoided having to install a comprehensive speaker system throughout the ship. Instead, we have speakers in only the main areas."
Neither cadet could feel the device at all and quickly grew accustomed to the idea of wearing them.
Before we head up to the command deck I’d like to briefly show you Central," said the admiral.
“Lead on sir,” said John. Julie noticed it was the first time he had shown any sort of respect to a commanding officer. The sight of this ship must have tamed his behavior. It didn't surprise her. Because of Admiral Johnson, John was apparently back in TERRA and was controlling his demeanor so as not to ruin this opportunity. Typical, John was thinking only of himself.
Julie's mind soon shifted gears and became littered with questions. Why would TERRA go through all the effort of making this ship? Even though the admiral said it was a multipurpose vessel Julie still tried to classify it. A warship? Maybe, it certainly had the capacity to hold a large number of troops. An explorer? Possibly, however the sheer size of the ship indicated it had large power requirements which could severely limit its ability to travel very far from Earth. But the admiral did indicate that EXODUS was equipped to conduct mining operations to procure resources. Julie couldn't imagine that the ship had facilities large enough to convert raw materials into useable goods. The very nature of this ship seemed to go against everything Julie learned at the Academy. TERRA would never build a vessel that could travel beyond the solar system. It would be a waste of resources and would infuriate the Screen. TERRA always made it clear that it wanted to do nothing to infuriate the Screen.
As they left the hangar the expansive corridor before them proved yet again how contradictory this ship was to traditional ship design. Capital ship interiors were compact to save on costs. Corridors were only wide enough to allow two people to walk side by side. But this corridor was more than three times the size of a capital ship. Everything this ship presented seemed to go against what Julie learned at the Academy. It couldn't have been built with the thought of flying it just to Mars or Luna. Julie was unnerved at the thought that this ship's purpose was based on traveling through interstellar space. Its size was impressive, but it certainly couldn't go up against Screen technology.
Julie looked over at John and saw in his eyes how absolutely fascinated he was by this ship. He was asking the admiral all sorts of questions from EXODUS’ metallurgical composition to the amenities the ship provided to the crew. John wasted no time trying to obtain as much information as he could gather. Ship design was one of John's favorite subjects and was one of the few areas he chose to consistently excel at the Academy.
Julie was elated when she first gazed upon EXODUS but as time past the euphoria was wearing off as questions kept popping her head. This was surely a classified project. Julie had noticed the shuttle pilot had flown with the transponder off which meant the shuttle was undetectable by standard monitoring protocols. The admiral didn’t want anyone to know where they were going. But why would he bring two cadets here? TERRA rules strictly prohibited cadets working on classified projects. Even the head of TERRA operations had to adhere to regulations. The admiral assu
red them he would be forthcoming on why they were brought here as soon as he had shown them more of the ship.
“What’s the main objective of this ship?” asked John as they stepped onto an elevator lift. His question snapped Julie back to attention. She looked at the admiral, curious as to how he would respond. Despite John being obviously enamored by the ship it didn’t allay his concerns as to why they were brought here. Julie was glad to see that his cautious nature hadn't completely evaporated.
"Level 23," said the admiral. The cadets could feel a slight motion as the lift descended. “I was hoping your enthusiasm would have delayed that question until after the tour. But it seems your curiosity does not want to wait. Let me show you Central first then we’ll talk on the command deck."
The lift made a beeping sound and the doors opened. The group stepped out onto a catwalk and before them laid a huge open area. No decks or corridors, just a large open space. But protruding up from the ground level of this expansive area were buildings. Buildings one typically found in a city.
“What the hell,” stammered John in utter amazement. He wasn't prepared for the scene before him. He leaned over the catwalk and looked to see the floor level far below and could see people walking around the bottom. It looked like a downtown marketplace with shops and businesses lined along the streets. Julie glanced at the various buildings and could see people through some of the windows. As they continued to look around they could see catwalks circling around the perimeter at multiple levels where deck flooring should have been. There was no doubt what the cadets were looking at was a city encapsulated within the ship.
“This is Central,” said the admiral. “A self-contained city situated in the heart of EXODUS that encompasses thirty two decks. It was designed to mimic a typical downtown city area. Most of the civilians live in the apartment buildings here. Central was designed to relieve the stress of extended space flight by providing a planetary city environment. It is a place crew members can go to relax from the rigors of space travel.”
John’s head was almost spinning. This was a concept he never imagined could exist on a ship. Such an idea had never been discussed in any of the textbooks he read. “You just gave me a zillion more questions to ask. Wouldn't shops and restaurants drain valuable resources from the ship?” The admiral held his hand up to stop John from inundating him with more questions.
“I wanted to show you what makes EXODUS unique. It’s not just the size of the ship that makes it special. Central is an important component to how EXODUS operates. It ensures the well-being of the crew during deep space assignments.”
The purpose of the ship finally was made clear to Julie; it was a deep space explorer. But TERRA had no need to build an interstellar craft. The five capital ships in service weren't even capable of traveling out of the solar system. Their sole purpose was to protect the inner solar system from the Screen and to ensure no one tried to fly out of the system in defiance of them.
“Admiral,” interjected John. “I'm grateful you brought me here. But I got this nagging voice in the back of my head demanding to know why I'm here. This can’t be just any run-of-the-mill job. As much as I would love to see the rest of this ship I need to know what skills you believe I have that could possibly benefit this project. The more I see here the more confused I am as to what role I could play.”
Julie couldn’t have said it better herself. Operation on an actual starship was a different creature compared to a capital ship. TERRA capital ships would not have many of the facilities a deep space explorer would require. Bringing two inexperienced cadets to this project seemed like a foolhardy choice.
“You see the entire picture of a situation,” commented the admiral. “Let’s head up to the command deck and I’ll explain why you're here.”
CHAPTER FIVE
The lift door opened and the trio stepped out onto the EXODUS command deck. They had to take two lifts to get to this area. The admiral explained that only one lift, accessible on deck two, could access the command deck as a security precaution. No unauthorized personnel could get to the command deck unless they had security clearance. Deck two appeared no different that any other deck, but it was littered with unseen and dangerous security systems designed to halt the advance of any unwanted personnel. Force fields, lasers, and poison gases were just some of the devices hidden on deck two. The cadets walked noticeably faster as the admiral explained the deck layout. Neither wanted to spend any time on deck two.
It was a short ride on the lift to the command deck. Before the cadets had a chance to prepare themselves the door opened. As they stepped out Julie and John took their first look at the central brain of the ship. The command deck was a large rectangular area. A walkway was lined along the walls of the deck and up against the walls were various computer terminals whose lights blinked in a chaotic dance. Above the terminals was a large window that, like the catwalk, circled around the command deck and allowed an unobstructed view of the outside. John could see the clouds in the sky with a shuttle occasionally passing by in view.
As John looked out the window Julie had her attention focused downward. She saw steps leading from the catwalk down to a sublevel. This pit type area had various command stations littered around with officers busily working at each of the stations. A large circular table sat at the center of the pit and glowed brightly from all the different colored lights shimmering from it. Given everything they had seen so far Julie assumed the command deck would have been a unique arrangement as well, but it was no different than the setup one could find on a capital ship, just a lot bigger. No need to reinvent the wheel if it already worked fine.
Two officers passing by the group acknowledged the admiral. The cadets took no notice as the officers stepped off the deck onto the lift behind them. They were too preoccupied looking around their surroundings to worry about greeting anyone. No one made an official announcement alerting the command deck staff that the admiral was present.
“This way,” motioned the admiral, stepping in front of the cadets. They followed him halfway along the catwalk where he opened a door on the side that was almost unnoticeable. John almost bumped into him as he continued to focus his attention on the command deck layout.
The cadets found themselves in what appeared to be an office. Directly in front of them was a clear plastic composite desk. The only contents on it were several reports that were neatly stacked in a pile. A small control panel could be seen embedded on the desk; yellow and blue lights were blinking sporadically from the panel. To the left a black leather couch was rested against the wall with a large portrait of Earth hanging above it. Next to the couch and portrait was another door that led to a restroom facility.
On the wall opposite the couch was a detailed graph of the EXODUS’ interior. John walked over and inspected the picture carefully. It was an opportunity to quickly assess the ship's layout. He saw the engineering section, Central, and the medical bay, to name a few. He noticed lights were flashing every so often on the chart.
“That graph displays power distribution, security alerts, and crew movements on the ship,” explained the admiral. “You can modify the display parameters through the computer to show specific information.” John nodded as he looked over the display, barely listening to what the admiral was saying. He was captivated by all the information displayed on the monitor.
Behind them Julie sat down on the couch, exhausted by what she had seen so far. The sheer enormity of this ship overwhelmed her and she needed time to get her bearings and collect her thoughts. She felt that she had been running around all day even though they had only been here a little over a half an hour.
The admiral took a seat behind the desk. “I’ve been with the EXODUS Project since its inception twenty years ago. I’ve overseen every component and system developed for this ship.” John could tell by the admiral’s tone that he had a vested interest in this ship. It would be hard not to get attached to something you spent twenty years building.
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p; “It’s hard to imagine this ship has been here for twenty years”, commented Julie.
“Sixteen years to be exact,” corrected the Admiral. “A ship this size doesn’t get constructed overnight. It took two years just to build the ground facilities and we had to do it while concealing the project from the people of Earth, Mars, and Luna.”
“Why was this ship built?” asked John. “What’s its purpose?” Julie was surprised John didn't seem to make the connection that EXODUS was an interstellar craft.
The admiral sat back and sighed. “TERRA initiated EXODUS as a solution to the Screen threat. Years ago TERRA believed that the Screen attacks were a precursor to a system invasion. Repelling the invasion was deemed improbable as our technology was considered inferior to the Screen. Only the use of nuclear weapons on our planets would garner any possible success in driving away the Screen.”
“You mean by destroying our own worlds?” Julie was shocked by the admiral's casual tone as he made the statement. The philosophy was discussed at the Academy; however, the fallout of the Nuclear Holocaust still had a great influence on today's society. Generations of people suffering from genetic disorders were publicly documented with the hope that humanity would never forget such a horrific lesson. Even with the government encouraging healthy people to have babies, the human population had not recovered in numbers since the war. Nuclear weapons were dismantled long ago as well as nuclear plants used as power sources in the civilian sector. The science of nuclear energy had not been lost, merely put aside. It was disturbing to think that TERRA considered using nuclear weapons again in order to fight the Screen. Julie's body shuddered at such thoughts.
“It may be distasteful but it is a legitimate military tactic,” admitted the admiral. “The Screen would unlikely want a planet whose resources have been contaminated by nuclear waste. Annihilating our worlds would remove any incentive for the Screen to invade. However, the command council felt that destroying the human race was never realistically viable. The only remaining solution was to build a large ship and abandon the solar system. Take a large group of people and seek out a new planet in another star system. That’s what EXODUS was designed to do, allow humanity to survive and thrive in space while searching for a new home.”
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