“Alaya, our course is bringing us close to the sensor range of our ships. If the alien has the same range, then they may detect us,” reported Roger Umgabe as he bent over the small sensor display.
Alaya turned to her co-pilot, “Allen, shut off the engines and let us drift a bit.” She then turned to her navigator, “Paul, how strong is the stellar wind in this area?”
The navigator pushed some buttons and pulled up a map of the energy flows in the system. “The stellar wind is very strong in this area and is basically flowing towards the wormhole. At the moment, it’s astern at an angle of thirty-five degrees to starboard. If we use the in-system sails, we’ll be pushed slightly to port. We can compensate by tacking to starboard.”
“Deploy the in-system sails.”
There was a slight vibration throughout the ship as the main mast and the mizzenmast began to extend from the spine of the ship. Once the masts were extended the engines shut down automatically so as not to push against the flow of the stellar winds. The main and mizzen spars came out of the sides of the masts in the fashion of a folding knife and pulled the sails down with them until they were taut. Once the sails were fully deployed, Alaya polarized them and felt the ship lurch to the side as the stellar wind filled the sails and the computer turned the ship 35 degrees to starboard to keep the scout vessel heading straight for the wormhole. Since the ship was covered with black, sensor absorbent material and the sails were black, they were invisible to sensors and to visual detection unless directly next to another ship. That will be occurring when they reach the wormhole, since all three ships will arrive there about the same time. As the race stood presently, the Hayden would arrive first and, it was hoped at least, pass through without incident. The alien vessel would arrive next and no one knew if it would attempt to pass through or stay on this side. If it stays then Alaya will have to find a way around it so she could sprint for the wormhole without being detected. If they knew she was in the system, they had not let on.
“Paul, lock in the autopilot to the wormhole and lets all get some rest and nourishment. We also need a meeting about our next move,” Alaya said to the navigator and the bridge crew in general. After everything was set, she and her crew went into the conference room/mess hall behind the bridge. The marines were still there and it appeared they had all recovered from their fatigue and minor wounds. Alaya filled them in on the progress so far and the time it would still take before they could return through the wormhole. As she talked about the Hayden, she thought she caught an odd look from Dane. However, she was not certain if it was her imagination or if something was behind it. No matter, she just never trusted Dane and that could be clouding her judgment. He looked quickly away to talk with a subordinate. Allen Farnsworth, Alaya’s co-pilot grabbed a quick bite to eat and then returned to the bridge to take the first watch. The rest of the crew broke out the stores and gave food and drink to themselves and the marines, who had been snacking on the hardtack they carried in their kits. Alaya may have been captain of a scout vessel but she was still the daughter of the richest man in the galaxy. The food on the Dragon’s Claw was the best money could buy. The marines relished the warm food and soon the mood had changed from glum, over the loss of friends and colleagues, to a more congenial mood where they began to discuss the after-action report. Although they were all beginning to feel better, their uniforms and body armor still told a different story; one of combat that did not go well for the group. Alaya and her crew got their food and drink and sat down around the table. The compartment was large enough for the normal crew of twelve and was just a little snug with the marines, their equipment and weapons. Dane ordered them to eat and then take all of the equipment to the cargo bay and stow it. They had rested enough and no one knew what the next move would bring.
“We should reach the wormhole in about twenty hours. The Hayden is still keeping ahead of the alien vessel but the gap is closing. It’ll be a close call.” Alaya told Dane, who sat down opposite her. The marines were starting to head to the cargo bay with their gear and many decided to stretch out there and get some more rest. For ground troops, space flight was one long stretch of boredom between the panicked periods of combat.
Alaya got some food and coffee, and then sat down with her crew at the table where Dane was sitting with a few of his marines. Alaya sat down opposite Dane, who could see at once that she was troubled.
“Any word from Captain Slone?” asked Dane.
“Not since he sent a Morse coded ‘OK’. I took that to mean he made it. Long-range optics confirmed he was next to the Hayden, but we have kept radio silence to remain undetected. We’re getting closer to the alien ship, so I had the sails deployed and the engines shut off to make us harder to detect, but when we reach the wormhole we’ll be close enough to be detected visually, so I would like you to have your men ready to repel boarders if that becomes necessary.”
“Have the alien’s indicated any hostility?”
“No, just the constant droning of that warning. We finally shut it off in the bridge. It was getting on our nerves.”
“Any idea if that is really the commander of scout 1?” Dane asked.
“It’s his voice, but the constant repetition suggests a recording. The Hayden has been constantly sending out responses but the incoming message never changes. I’m going to chalk it up to an alien species that somehow recorded that message and is sending it out without any knowledge of what it means. They must have had the owner of the voice alive at one time to make the recording, but I suspect he no longer lives.”
“Why do you say that, Alaya?”
“If he were alive, why send a repetitious message and not respond to ours. As one of us, he must know we wouldn’t stop a ship without confirmation of the source of the message. I just wish I knew what was happening on the Hayden and what the intentions of the alien vessel are.”
Dane waited a few seconds before broaching the next questions. “Alaya, if things go south here, what’s your plan?”
“I honestly don’t know. If we can do something with stealth to help the Hayden, we will, but we are worthless in a head-to-head fight. We’re like a gnat to an elephant when it comes to that alien vessel. Her weapons can turn us into dust before we ever get close enough to engage.”
“Remember our primary mission is to get that memory core back to Corporate and your father. The Hayden is expendable.”
Alaya found herself taken aback by the casual manner in which Dane dismissed over three hundred souls aboard the Hayden. She thought about responding, but something in Dane’s voice suggested that these were not just his thoughts but also the actual company line. Could her father really have become so callous that he considered an entire star cruiser and her crew complement to be expendable? Many of those aboard the Hayden had families waiting for them and depending on them. To these people they were not expendable. Alaya decided if they made it back, she would confront her father about this corporate callousness, but she could not believe this attitude went all the way to the top. She was convinced it must be some regional vice president who held this attitude, and passed it on to Dane. Alaya finished her meal in silence and then, nodding to Dane, she went back to the crew area and lay in her bunk for some rest before her watch. She had not realized how tired she was after the stresses of the day and she fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. Someone jostling her shoulder suddenly shook her into consciousness. When she opened her eyes, she saw the face of Diana Tojo staring at her.
“Time for my watch, Diana?”
“No, Alaya. There’s a change happening on the alien ship.”
Alaya was suddenly fully awake. She got out of her bunk and headed to the bridge. The marines in the common room were all sleeping now, even Dane. The women saw no reason to wake them and carefully threaded their way through the sleeping troops and entered the bridge. Tom Garner was there for his watch, and Diana had been keeping him company. Their attraction to each other was well known to Alaya’s crew. She
sat in her pilot’s chair and said, “Ok, I’m here. What’s the report?”
Tom started to speak, since the change came on his watch. “About fifteen minutes ago the alien vessel began to power up some of its systems that we previously hadn’t detected.”
“Weapons?” Alaya asked.
“If they are, they have a signature foreign to us. The wave form suggests a buildup of electrical activity.”
“How long have I been asleep?”
Diana answered this question, “About five hours.”
“Hmm, so we’re getting closer to the wormhole.”
Tom responded, “Still about 14 hours away, but if I were planning to do something, I would do it now and I think our friend out there is doing just that.”
“Diana, go back and wake the others, let the marine’s sleep till we need them.”
Diana left and soon the remaining scout crew came back and took their places. During this time, the energy buildup on the alien ship continued until it went off the scale. They sent a burst message to the Hayden warning them but they had also picked up the surge. They had routed all energy to the engines in an attempt to pull away from the alien but they were running short on fuel. Slone left his ship’s audio open to let Alaya hear what was happening without giving away her presence. Alaya could sense the tension in the voices of those aboard the Hayden. Engineering was especially tense due to the strain of the chase. If they made it to the wormhole, they would have to send for fuel before crossing the systems back to Purgatory.
Back on the scout Alaya and her fully assembled bridge crew were intently watching their instruments and casting furtive glances out the front window and at the adjacent view screen with its maximum magnification. Something was happening on the alien vessel but no one had any idea what that could be. The scans indicated an ever-increasing power surge, yet no identifiable weapon appeared to be active. This was alien technology totally out of their home galaxy’s grasp. Suddenly there was an intensely bright flash of light and both the alien vessel and the Hayden vanished from direct view. The flash was so bright it blinded the magnification camera. The open communication line to the Hayden was still active but all they heard aboard the Hayden Bridge was the impact of bodies as they hit the deck.
“Get Dane in here and rouse his men. We need to be prepared for anything. What was that flash?” Alaya asked no one in particular.
Roger Umgabe answered as he looked up for his sensor screen. “It appears to have been a massive electromagnetic pulse. It knocked out all of the Hayden’s systems and she is dead in space. The pulse was strong enough to disrupt human nervous systems.”
“Quite a weapon then,” Dane said as he entered the bridge. He was briefed on what happened. By this time, the bright flash had cleared in the eyes of those on the bridge and the view screen was again showing the ships at maximum magnification.
“Alaya, something is happening on the alien vessel. It looks like the front of it is opening up. I think it plans to engulf the Hayden.” Roger said in his usual soft and melodic speech.
Alaya pondered that revelation. “We need to discuss a rescue plan.”
“Are you out of your mind?” Dane asked, his voice indicating how incredulous he found that idea. “The Hayden crew may already be dead and, if not, soon will be. We can’t make it to the alien before she swallows the Hayden. Our best course of action is to hope we are not seen and head to the wormhole. Our primary mission is to get that memory core back to your father.”
Alaya was becoming livid with rage at how easily Dane dismissed any thought of rescue and again was willing to dismiss over three hundred souls. She knew rescue was a long shot, but all she had asked for was to discuss it. “I just want to see what is feasible. I realize rescue may not be practical, but if we’re going to send more ships this way or if they decide to come our way, we need to know all we can about this new alien race. Thus far, we have had no indication at all as to their nature or true intent. We have until they reach the next slipstream to see what we can do.”
“I’m sorry, Alaya. I don’t want to come across totally negative, but I’m a marine and taught to assess the chances before a mission is undertaken. Since this is not our primary mission, I just don’t think it’s worth the risk. If this vessel is destroyed or captured, the memory core will fall into their hands and it contains not just the mining survey mission but also the tactical disposition of all of our bases.”
“I’m fully aware of what it contains and I do not plan to put this vessel at any risk. What we do, if we do anything, will have to be done without this ship being detected.” Alaya hoped that would allay the concerns Dane had and they could go on with their evaluation. “Roger, what is the status of the alien vessel?”
“She has sent out some smaller ships to tow the Hayden into her hangar, but the vessel itself appears as dead in space as the Hayden. I think the EMP discharge took a lot out of her systems and she must have to recharge her engines to move on.”
“This could be our window. Set course for the alien but keep a close monitor on any indication she sees us. Maintain silent running and keep the sails up.”
“Aye Alaya.”
Alaya waved to Dane to follow her into the mess hall where the marines had all awakened and prepared themselves for any eventuality. Dane and Alaya sat at the table, as did most of the marines, while two stood. The marines were ready to fight if needed, though some had minor wounds that their medic had dressed. In all, Dane had 12 marines left in his command. Thus far, his unit had taken 50% casualties and yet they were still ready to do their duty if ordered. Alaya had to admire that.
Dane briefed his men on what had happened and told them they would be looking for a weakness. Any rescue was a long shot but he wanted them to be ready. Stealth operations were what they were trained for and that is what was needed now. After making sure, every man had his full load of ammunition and thermite grenades, Dane and Alaya went back to the bridge to check the progress of the alien vessel. As they looked out of the front of the bridge, it was obvious that the Hayden was gone and the front of the alien vessel was closed. The alien was, however, still powerless from the energy blast she generated and it appeared that it would be a while before she could get underway. This could work to their advantage. Alaya and her crew, along with Dane, discussed the possibilities. The communications line was still open to the Hayden and it appears that it could transmit through the hull of the larger vessel. As she looked at the ship drawing closer to them, she wondered what was happening on the Hayden. It was evident the crew was rendered helpless by the EMP blast. A worried look covered her face. What was happening to the crew?
Chapter 7 - In the Maw of the Beast
Christopher Slone was at home; having yet another endless argument with his wife over some trifle, he could not remember. He was observing the argument rather than living it and there was a faint voice in the background, which kept droning on and on. Slowly, his wife faded into the background and the voice started blaring into his ears. “Intruder alert; prepare to repel boarders,” he could hear the voice saying in a computer generated monotone. He was conscious of two things, he had a bad headache and his cheek was on the cold floor of the CIC. He remembers calling battle stations and retiring to the CIC with the primary bridge crew when they detected the energy spiking in the alien ship. The alien ship, where was it and what was it doing, but most of all how did he end up on the floor? After a few more minutes of thought, he remembered a bright flash and then everything went dark until he just woke up. He tried rising to his feet, but kept falling down. Finally, he felt a strong arm help him off the floor. The chief medical officer, Dr. DeFleur, helped him to his feet and gave him an injection. “That should wake you up, Captain.”
“Thanks, Doc.”
Slone looked around. The instruments were starting to come back on, but it was clear that something had caused the electrical systems to shut down and had knocked the crew out at the same time. Many of the crew in CIC was still
lying on the floor, unconscious. Some had revived and were sitting at their stations with nothing to do until the instruments were fully rebooted. “What knocked us out, Doc?”
“As near as I can tell, it was a massive EMP that shut off all our electrical pulses, including the ones in our brains. The fact that it didn’t kill us, suggests it is not the same as the electromagnetic pulses we're familiar with."
Slone saw that the chief engineer was at his station. "Horst, what's the condition of the ship?"
"Hard to say sir. Telemetry is spotty but it seems the engines are off so we should be drifting. The odd thing is there’s a high oxygen atmosphere outside the hull. I don't think we’re in space anymore." As Slone digested the last part of the engineer's statement, the external cameras came back online and they could see where they were. "That answers our question," Horst continued. "We’re in a hangar. That monster of a ship swallowed us. She’s bigger than I thought."
Outside they could see the walls of a large room filled with smaller ships, some of which they recognized as the vessels used by the methane breathers, whereas other ships they did not recognize. Looking in all directions, they could not see any vessel resembling Alaya's scout ship, which gave Slone hope she was still out there. Slone and Horst went around the room helping those still on the floor revive and get back to their stations. Slone took inventory of the room and was glad to discover all had survived the EMP and things were going back online. All of the department heads were at their stations but he had no idea of the status of the rest of the crew. The CIC was shielded from scanning as he knew it in the Milky Way and he hoped that it was the same here.
"Do we have internal cameras yet?" Slone asked no one in particular.
"They should be coming up momentarily, Captain," answered Major Sardac, who had wandered into the CIC just before the EMP and thus ended up with the bridge crew. She now was helping the sensor techs bring systems back on line. Shortly the major notified Slone that the internal cameras were ready to come back online. Slone nodded and the first images appeared. As image after image appeared on the screen, the story was the same with each one. The ship was totally lacking in crew. As far as Slone could tell, the crew did not put up a fight. All stations were set up for combat and the ship's guns were loaded with the targeting systems out due to the EMP. The gun breaches were locked and the guns had been run out, indicating their ready status. Slone was not sure why the aliens had not secured the guns. Perhaps they had no idea what they were or how they worked, since they used energy weapons and not projectiles. As the picture show continued, it was also obvious that there were no aliens aboard the Hayden. The shielding on the CIC must have worked and the hidden area stayed hidden.
Voyage of the Hayden (The Adventures of Christopher Slone Book 1) Page 15