Star One: Neutron Star

by Raymond L. Weil

  “Another uneventful trip,” John said, sounding slightly disappointed. “If this keeps up, one of these days they will replace all of us pilots completely with computers.”

  “I seriously doubt that, John,” replied Erin, rubbing a slight cramp out of his leg. A 60-second rocket burn a few minutes earlier had slowed the shuttle down, bringing it almost to a rest in the Lagrange point.

  “This is Star One control, Excalibur,” a soft, almost seductive female voice broke in over the com system.” You are on final approach and everything looks in the green. Stand by for station flight control to take over your docking.”

  Lieutenant Gray leaned forward and flipped several switches on the computer console in front of him, allowing Star One’s guidance computers to take over control of the shuttle’s flight as it neared the station. Three lights came on glowing a steady green in front of John, confirming that the shuttle was now under Star One control.

  “See. More computers,” he said dryly, trying to make his earlier point. “I could handle the docking just as well without using them at all.” John folded his arms across his chest and glared at the taunting glowing lights.

  “True,” replied Erin, knowing that John wasn’t exaggerating. He was one of the best shuttle pilots currently flying. “But I doubt if the commander would like the idea of you docking manually with his station. You would probably be lucky to fly a space scooter if he found out.”

  Erin watched as the station grew slowly in size, changing from a brilliant unwinking star into the massive three-wheeled station they were both so intimately familiar with. The upper wheel, nicknamed Alpha, was 600 feet across and contained the main docking facilities, space vehicles, and cargo storage. The much larger center wheel was 1,250 feet across and contained the main living areas for the station, as well as containing most of the station’s offices and work areas.

  The lower wheel was also 600 feet across and contained the station’s main power source, the Dryson and Stoler fusion reactor. That was also where the metal alloy Luxen was produced. The bottom wheel had been nicknamed the Power Wheel since it produced the station’s energy. Each wheel had a central hub with six elevator spokes that connected to the outer rims. There were also numerous storage areas in the spokes.

  Erin adjusted one of the viewscreens to show a magnified view of the Space Platform. Erin noticed that the Space Platform, on which the nearly completed Jupiter Probe rested, was brilliantly lit as workers moved about in space scooters and other vehicles. The platform was a giant rectangle 400 feet across, with a light overlay of Luxen for protection. The Jupiter Probe was resting in the center, held firmly in place by magnetic grapples. The platform was ten miles distant from the station as a safety precaution.

  The Jupiter Probe looked like a giant wedge with rocket engines in its wings as well as its tail. The ship appeared to be nearly completed, just setting and waiting to hurl itself up into the darkness on its long voyage of exploration.

  “Docking in 20 seconds, Commander,” John commented. He was ready to take over on manual if anything were to go wrong. He knew that the Jupiter Probe held a special interest for Commander Erin.

  The upper wheel grew larger beneath them as the shuttle slowly lowered itself into the docking port. The shuttle’s thrusters had been firing almost continuously, aligning the shuttle with the station’s docking mechanism. A loud click indicated that the station’s docking port had engaged with the shuttle’s as it slid smoothly into the station. A quick glance at the console in front of them showed a green light indicating a secure docking.

  “This is Excalibur,” Erin reported to station control. “We have a solid dock and are ready to disembark.”

  “Confirmed, Excalibur,” the soft female voice from control responded. “When you get aboard, Ty, Commander Larson wants to see you in briefing room two immediately.”

  Looking surprised, Erin stole a quick glance in John’s direction. “I wonder what that can be about?”

  “Don’t forget about lunch tonight; Julie expects you to be there,” John reminded Erin, shrugging his shoulders.

  Julie, John, and Ty spent a lot of their free time together. Erin had taken a liking to the Gray’s kids, and they treated him almost like an uncle.

  “No problem. One of Jensen’s prime ribs is definitely on the agenda for tonight,” replied Erin, smiling and patting his lean stomach.

  “Sounds like a winner,” John said, loosening his shoulder straps. “I’ll call Jensens and make reservations.”

  Erin nodded, wondering just what the station’s commander wanted with him. Perhaps it concerned the Jupiter mission. With growing anticipation, Erin unfastened his protective harness so he could report to Commander Larson.

  Chapter Two

  Star One Commander Steve Larson ran his right hand through his thick black hair, as he leaned his six-foot frame back in the not-so-comfortable conference room's padded chair. For seemingly the umpteenth time, he opened up the latest report from the Moon’s Farside observatory. He had been studying the information and charts it contained hoping to find something the experts had missed, some facet of information that could be an explanation. In the back of his mind, a growing worry was infringing upon his thoughts. He stared at the unchanging data and wondered if this was the end of the world. The knowledge made him feel small, helpless, and worried about the future.

  Sitting back up and leaning forward, he spread several of the charts and photographs out on the table in front of him, pondering their implications. Holding one of the glossy stellar pictures in his left hand, he drummed the fingers of his right hand against the smooth surface of the conference room table contemplating its dark, menacing secret. The information hadn’t changed much over the last several weeks. This photo represented the biggest threat the Solar System and the Earth had ever faced. He still found it hard to believe that this was happening.

  A small, dim dot was circled ominously in red in the lower corner of the photograph. Why was red always used as the universal sign of danger, he wondered? He continued gazing at the photograph, deep in thought. The small, dim dot didn’t look like anything abnormal. It was surrounded by a sea of stars and was just another star like the myriads of others that existed around the galaxy. Except this one, according to the Farside astronomers, was dangerously different. Taking a deep breath, Steve considered the conclusion the report postulated. It was the same as the report from the previous week and the week before that.

  If those reports were accurate, and the experts swore they were, a high x-ray energy source was closing in on the Solar System at a significant rate of speed. It hadn’t been reported by any of the telescopes down on Earth or in low Earth orbit as of yet. An information blackout was currently in effect, preventing any of those locations from broadcasting the discovery.

  The new, sprawling radio telescope array at Farside on the Moon had found the object in one of its routine sweeps of a section of space. Once Farside discovered the object, they had focused the large Albertson reflector toward the indicated sector of space. The high definition photograph that Steve held was the result.

  The turmoil from the discovery was still broiling at Farside, with astronomers at a loss to explain the astonishing discovery. Some felt that the object might have been hidden from view as it approached the Solar System by a small dust cloud. Its recent detection may have been the result of the object exiting the heavier regions of the dust cloud, making the x-ray source detectable.

  Several astronomers claimed that when the object was first detected it was still in the outer fringes of the dust cloud. Later images were much clearer than earlier ones, which seemed to confirm that possibility. A search of past scans of that region of space was currently underway to corroborate that theory.

  The scientists at Farside, led by Pierre LaRann, agreed that only one type of stellar object could produce the x-ray emissions they were detecting. A neutron star was about to pay the Solar System an unexpected and extremely unwelcome visit. />
  Steve knew what a neutron star was. It was a sun that had lived out its useful life as a main sequence star. Its matter falls in upon itself and it becomes a highly compressed, burned out cinder with a diameter of ten to twenty-five miles. It can have a mass of up to 3.2 times that of the Sun. The material on its surface would be so dense that a cubic inch of it would weigh millions of tons.

  If the scientists were right, this neutron star would have severe consequences for the Earth and all of humanity. This unwelcome visitor would soon change the lives of every human on the Earth, Moon, and the fragile orbital stations.

  Steve stood and walked across the room, coming to a stop in front of the large viewscreen that nearly covered one wall. He gazed speculatively at the Jupiter Probe, which was displayed on the screen. He wondered if what he was going to propose to Commander Erin was worth it. The mission he was going to suggest to Ty was extremely dangerous and full of risks, but Steve didn’t know what else to do. He took a deep breath and shook his head, trying to dispel any last doubts.

  The scientists and astronomers desperately needed more information to determine exactly what was out there and how the Solar System would be affected. Long-range observation could only provide so much data. There was a lot of uncertainty as to why the neutron star had not been detected long before. Even in a dust cloud, the emissions from this neutron star should have been detected far sooner than it was.

  That particular region of space had been scanned by telescope arrays before. In past scans, they had not picked up any anomaly.

  Steve had already spent many long hours talking to Mase Colton, the commander of Tycho City, and both agreed that more information was needed as quickly as possible. The space between Star One, Tycho City, and Farside had been full of encrypted messages for the last four weeks as they struggled to learn more about the mysterious x-ray source. The more they learned, the more frightened of the consequences they all became.

  They had sent a joint message to the president’s Science Advisor, Tim McPhryson. It had contained all of the information they had collected and the possible consequences for Earth. They had also sent a recommended course of action, which could help shed some much needed light on what they were dealing with. This course of action was what he wanted to talk to Commander Erin about.

  McPhryson had responded by asking a lot of pointed questions, but in the end had tentatively agreed to what they wanted to do. Tim’s job now was to convince the American President of the severity and possible consequences of this momentous discovery. How do you tell someone that the world might be about to end?

  Steve knew that it was only a matter of time before more Earth based observatories discovered the neutron star. McPhryson had indicated he would use his considerable influence to try to keep a lid on the information for as long as possible; they didn’t want the information to leak out and cause a general panic. However, Steve had a haunting feeling that they were about to run out of time. There were too many competent observatories on Earth, and he was sure that others had already discovered the neutron star. It was now a very noisy beacon in the star-filled sky.

  Steve knew that Commander Erin was the senior shuttle commander. He had more flight time, experience, and an innate ability to make hard decisions when necessary than anyone else did onboard the station. Erin could handle extremely dangerous situations as he had demonstrated in his military service during the Antarctic Police Action. That ability might be sorely needed in the coming months. Many hard decisions would have to be made if some of the scientist’s predictions at Farside came true.

  Walking back to his chair, Steve sat back down. He leaned back and closed his eyes, trying to imagine the future that the neutron star might be bringing. How would it affect Star One? He had battled long and hard to get the station built. It had taken ten long, strenuous years to get the station up and running. It also didn’t help that Commander Tyler Erin was his closest and most trusted friend.

  “Commander Erin is at the door,” a young, innocent sounding girl’s voice spoke. “Should I tell him to come in, Sir?”

  “Yes, Teela,” Steve replied politely to the AI.

  The door slid silently open. Erin entered the small briefing room, seeing Steve sitting at the end of a large polished conference table that normally seated ten to twelve senior staff people. Only Steve was in the room, which had pictures covering two of the walls depicting the construction of Star One in almost every stage of development.

  Directly behind Steve, a massive viewscreen covered nearly one entire wall. It currently showed the Jupiter Probe setting powerlessly on the Space Platform.

  “How was your flight up? Did you and Lieutenant Gray get a chance to meet Jennifer Stone?” asked Steve, wondering about his new AI expert.

  He really needed help with the Teela problem. New problems cropped up each day on the station, and now the AI seemed to be malfunctioning as well. It was almost totally out of control. If this situation with the neutron star developed as Steve feared, the station would need the AI operating flawlessly. Teela’s innate ability to assimilate and process data almost instantaneously would be sorely needed, which was one of the reasons why he wanted Jennifer Stone. She was supposedly the most brilliant young mind in her field.

  “She seems pretty competent, from what I’ve heard,” replied Ty, remembering the cute brunette who had been sitting next to Kathleen.” I should warn you, though; Kathleen has taken her under her protective wings. From the looks of things, the two of them could be a dangerous combination to the unmarried men on this station!”

  “The people I talked to were very impressed with her research into AI technology,” Steve spoke with a nod, recalling the tedious search to find someone to deal with Teela.

  He needed someone who was brilliant, but would also fit in on Star One. After he had talked to Jennifer, he knew he had found whom he wanted. She should be a good addition to the station.

  “I’ve read two of her research papers on AIs,” added Ty, nodding. “They were very brilliantly written.”

  He wondered if this was what Steve had wanted to talk to him about? He had hoped it was going to be about the Jupiter Probe mission.

  “She’s a very intelligent young woman,” Steve said in agreement. He had read several of her research papers as well.

  “Her papers seem to be on the cutting edge of the research being done in her field,” continued Ty. He enjoyed reading many of the new technical papers being published by up and coming members of the science community.

  “I think she’ll be a valuable addition to our staff. Of course, with Kathleen involved you will have to watch out,” Steve chided gently, knowing how Kathleen enjoyed flirting with Ty. Some of the outfits Kathleen wore were extremely captivating, and Ty was one of her favorite targets.

  “How’s progress coming on the Jupiter Probe?” asked Ty, looking at the screen, which showed the ship.

  It had been several months since he had been able to go over to the Space Platform. He'd been extremely busy flying shuttles back and forth between Star One and the cape. There had also been several short trips to the Moon.

  Ty wondered if he could arrange to fly over to the Space Platform in the next few days and take a tour. He would like to see how much progress had been made on the ship. Ty knew that the Jupiter Probe should be close to being finished.

  “She’s ready, Ty,” Steve commented softly, noticing where Ty’s eyes were focused.

  He knew that Ty genuinely wanted to be named as commander of the Jupiter Mission. He deserved it, but the neutron star was about to change everything. He just hoped that Ty was ready for that.

  “So she’s finally done,” Ty responded with an excited glint in his eyes. Maybe this was why Steve had called him to this meeting after all. He felt his breathing quicken, hoping Steve was about to name him Mission Commander of the Jupiter Mission.

  “The techs are double checking all the onboard systems and putting supplies aboard her even as we speak,” rep
lied Steve, noticing the excited look on Ty’s face.

  “Supplies?” repeated Ty, looking slightly confused. “Why supplies?” The ship wasn’t due to be launched for months. There was no reason to be putting supplies onboard.

  Steve paused, thinking how best to put what had been on his mind for the last several days. He knew that he would be putting his closest friend in grave danger. He took a deep breath and slowly let it out. He could feel his heart beating in his chest. This was a conversation he had been thinking about for several days, and now it was time.

  Motioning for Ty to have a seat across the table from him, Steve continued. “I want you to read this report we received from the Farside array. It’s extremely confidential, and only a handful of trusted people on the station know what it contains.” Steve slid the report across the table to Ty.

  Ty looked Steve steadily in the eyes, a sense of foreboding running up and down his spine. Steve sounded almost remorseful, and Ty thought he detected a faint trace of fear in Steve’s normally calm voice. He seldom saw Steve this serious, and he didn’t know of anything that Steve was afraid of. They had been close friends for years. Placing his left hand on the report and flipping it open, he glanced briefly at the first page, which was a photograph of an area of space with a small red circle drawn around a dim star.

  “What is it, Steve? Did one of the Farside astronomers find a new comet or asteroid that’s out of its normal place?” asked Ty, knowing that the Farside scientists were always clamoring for attention anytime they discovered something new.

  “I only wish it were, Ty,” replied Steve, closing his eyes briefly and drumming his right hand fingers on the table again.

  Just what was he getting ready to send Ty into anyway, he wondered? Was the plan they had come up with the correct one? Was there any other method to collect the information they so desperately needed? There were just too many unknowns. The course of action they had settled on was the only sure one that could provide the answers.