by PP Corcoran
Unsurprisingly on receipt of Calan’s video of the dig, the usually disdainful Dola ordered a halt to proceedings and immediately departed from his shipyard office. He proceeded to round up every available miner under his command, cram them and as much equipment as he could aboard shuttles and headed for the asteroid.
On reaching the asteroid, Dola quickly assumed command of the dig and ordered a complete survey using the extra ground penetrating radar he brought with him. The arduous work was worth the effort, for it revealed the assumption a ship was buried within the asteroid was wrong.
The ship was the asteroid! And it was massive - over 700 meters long, sixty at the beam and over forty from the keel to the tip of the single protuberance which broke its perfect lozenge shape. It was anyone’s guess which end was the bow and which the stern, for all Calan and his fellow miners knew they were looking at the ship from its side. They could only presume each end of the lozenge was the front and the back. Further investigation proved the ship was coated in a layer of asteroid material varying in depth from a couple to up to ten meters in places. Someone or something spent a great deal of time on this camouflage.
The quandary was: Who built the ship? And why did they hide it?
Calan noticed Dola finally halting his flapping movements as he stood to the best effort of attention his vacuum suit allowed. Following Dola’s line of sight Calan spotted a mob of suits were bouncing gracefully toward them. Calan put two and two together and stood to attention, as much as his semi rigid suit allowed, for the arrival of the general. Calan’s loyal team followed his lead.
The approaching group came to a halt. Dola tried but farcically failed to salute the lead figure. Calan smirked as he caught a chuckle on the open radio channel. Dola chose to ignore it as he spoke.
“Welcome General Lura, Chief Scientist Kilor. As you can see...” The chief scientist stepped right past Dola, giving him a taste of his own dismissiveness. As he teetered at the edge of the excavated area Kilor drank in the sight of the seamless and beautiful metal hull reflecting the artificial light. Meanwhile Dola spluttered on “... Ah... Yes... Well... as you can see,” he cleared his throat, “I have revealed an area of what we believe to be the top half of the hull and have awaited your arrival before attempting to gain entry.”
The scientist finally spoke. “This is fascinating.” He turned towards the general and implored. “We must get inside, General, look!” He turned back to the shiny hull. “It’s impeccable... Untarnished… Undamaged... and there’s no clue as to how long it’s been here.”
“Is it Commonwealth, Kilor? Have they placed this ship here to spy on us?”
“No, General.” The scientist shook his head. “I’m fairly confident whoever built this is not Commonwealth. We chose the Foram system for its isolation from colonization routes. It has no habitable planets and there’s no reason for anyone to come here. Besides, I have certainly never heard of them disguising one of their ships as an asteroid, have you?”
“Can’t say I have, Kilor.” The general nodded. “Very well, we’ll treat this as an alien construction, until we know otherwise. Major Dola.”
“Yes, sir?”
“Have your teams assist Chief Scientist Kilor. He’s to get whatever he needs. You have full authority to requisition anything and anyone you feel necessary to fulfill his requirements. If anyone argues, refer them to my office.”
“Yes, sir.”
Calan involuntarily rolled his eyes, Oh God, that pompous ass has even more power now! That meant one thing, he would be even more insufferable.
“Lieutenant Calan.”
“Sir?” Calan stood straighter as he replied.
“Well done to you and your team. The Empire prides itself on rewarding good work and as such each of your team is promoted one grade. Congratulations, Captain Calan.”
Calan, dumbfounded by his sudden unexpected promotion stuttered, “Uh… Th… Tha… Thank you, sir.”
General Lura let out a short laugh. “And as you’ll soon discover, Captain, with promotion comes responsibility. You’re on detached duty with immediate effect. You will work directly for Chief Scientist Kilor and, when the time comes, you’ll have the honor of being the first to enter the ship.”
Calan beamed unseen within his helmet. He was almost bursting with pride.
“Sir, it will be my honor.”
“Don’t thank me yet, son. We’ve no idea what we’ll find inside there… Very well!” General Lura turned and headed to his ship, leaving Calan to stare at the glinting metal skin and wonder what awaited him inside.
#
Chief Scientist Kilor’s enthusiasm to enter the mysterious ship was tempered by caution. To minimize damage to the hull and protect its interior, Kilor had ordered another complete set of radar imagery before agreeing to the painstaking removal of the asteroid material. To minimize further delays, Major Dola had organized the various mining teams into round-the-clock shifts. Though, in a rare moment of consideration, he had used his newly granted authority for the benefit of his hard pressed subordinates by requisitioning a large cargo hauler and converting the empty bays into reasonably comfortable ad hoc sleeping and catering areas. The growing number of scientists, technicians and the need for laboratories, soon forced Dola to requisition a second ship and Calan began to see a different side to Dola. He would always be a pompous ass but, it turned out, he was an efficient administrator and earned a modicum of respect from miners, scientists, and technicians alike.
Nevertheless, Kilor’s cautious approach proved its worth when, on removing a particularly stubborn section of asteroid material, the miners uncovered an airlock, but, instead of entering the ship, Kilor chose to continue the excavation of the outer covering and forced the miners, much to their frustration, to continue with their hard graft for a further week. The result was a completely exposed, glittering ship of burnished silver metal. A smooth hull, which reflected distant stars, hovered freely in space for the first time in who knew how long and permission was finally granted to enter the mysterious ship.
#
Calan and his two man team floated beside the airlock door attached to the hull by magnetic tethers. All attempts to power up the door had proved unsuccessful and with no visible hinges or mechanisms on the outer door Calan had opted to use a thermal lance to cut his way inside.
Knowing everyone from General Lura down was listening to his transmissions, Calan swallowed and tried to wet his dry mouth and throat.
“Go ahead, Jara.”
Jara, the experienced ship worker brought in especially for this moment by Major Dora, activated the lance and with remarkable ease, rotated the bulky contraption to plant it against the airlock’s metal skin. Within seconds the superheated plasma began to slice through the airlock. Minutes later he deactivated the lance and secured it and its power pack to the hull before placing three magnetic clamps on the free-floating section he had cut. He attached one end of a tether to the coupling point on each clamp and the other to the front of his suit. When all three were fixed he used the thrusters on his maneuvering pack to pull the section of cut away airlock free. Spinning around, he gently placed the section on the hull and secured it in place. Jara gave Calan a nod.
Calan’s heart raced, “I’m entering the airlock now.” He called confidently over his suit radio. Calan passed through the hole, mindful of snagging his suit on the ragged metal and risking sudden decompression.
It was pitch black.
Calan illuminated the interior with his suit lamps. “Uh… it looks like a standard airlock, nothing much different to ours. Hold on, I’ll see if I can find a control panel... Got it! I’ve a panel with a sequence of colored touch controls and… it looks like we may have a faint power reading…”
Without warning the airlock filled with a bright white light. Calan’s visor immediately darkened and he felt a thud through the magnetic boots holding him to the airlock floor. Spinning around, he saw a second door had closed behind him, isolati
ng him from his team on the hull.
The urgent tones of Kilor broke the stillness.
“Captain Calan, what’s happening? We’ve lost your video feed. What is your situation? We have indications the ship’s power is coming online.” The general and Kilor had been following Calan’s progress on the banks of monitors in their makeshift control room aboard the freighter.
Calan took a closer look at the door which had closed behind him, it was of similar composition to the outer door, which they had burned through and he saw no control panel to open it. He tried to make sense of events.
“May be the ship reads our cutting through the outer door as a hull breach and has activated some sort of emergency protocol? This second door could be used simply to protect the integrity of the ship.”
#
Kilor liked Calan’s logic, airlock failure safeguards, simple. “Calan, back away from the second door. Jara will cut another hole and we’ll get you out of there…”
“Excuse me, sir.”
Kilor hunted the room until he found the technician monitoring Calan’s suit’s readouts who had the temerity to interrupt him. “Yes?!”
The tech shrank in his seat a little, at Kilor’s irritated tone. “The sensors show the airlock has a breathable atmosphere.”
“What? Confirm that… Then check again.” Kilor eyes met those of General Kula for a brief second. “Calan, check your suit systems. We’re reading a breathable atmosphere in the airlock. Jara could cause an explosive decompression if he cuts through the door while the airlock retains an atmosphere. Give us a few minutes to work the problem and I’ll get back to you.” Cutting the link to the stranded captain, Kilor faced General Kula.
“Well, our exploratory mission seems to have morphed into a rescue mission.”
“Indeed! So how do we rescue our good captain without causing any more damage to the ship?” Major Dora cleared his throat loudly.
“You wish to say something, Major?”
“Sir, if I may,” the major didn’t wait for approval, “during my last tour of duty I was stationed aboard the Emperor Yalo IV spaceport as Section Head of Damage Repair. One of our regular training scenarios was a breach of the outer hull causing a full or partial depressurizing of particular sections, while the rest of the section remained pressurized. Our procedure was to erect a secondary airlock around the damaged section, which could then be cut away with no risk to any trapped survivors.”
Kula and the general nodded, it seemed to be a workable solution.
“Do you have the equipment to build another airlock, Major?” Asked the general.
“I don’t need to build one, sir.” Dora smiled, enjoying his moment.
“Get on with it Major, or you’ll find yourself reduced to the rank of private before you leave this room!”
The major blanched, unaccustomed to such threats. “The mining team transport shuttles come equipped with an extendable personnel tube. The personnel tubes have an integrated airlock on each end. If we move a shuttle close enough to the damaged airlock we can fabricate a makeshift docking collar to seal the airlock and allow us to cut through the inner door without the danger of an explosive decompression.”
The general looked to Kilor who nodded in agreement. “How long to get the shuttle in place and fabricate the docking collar, Major Dora?”
“No more than two to three hours I would think.”
“So ordered. Get to it, Major.”
As Dora scampered out of the control room, Kilor reestablished his link to the stranded Calan to keep him appraised of the rescue plan, however, the increasing power levels registering throughout the floating ship drew his attention. Section after section showed signs of coming to life and if the scientist interpreted the data correctly then within a fleeting moment the entire ship could have life support and power. What in the Emperor’s name was happening over there?
#
Calan had exactly the same thought. Kilor had cut his radio link only moments ago and Calan was sure the control room was doing everything in their power to ensure his rescue. But his rescue was not his main concern at the moment, as the airlock pressurized, sound traveled freely and from beyond the inner airlock door he was certain he heard movement.
At first, he dismissed the noises as his wild imagination, but then came a bang so loud the small airlock reverberated. No trick of the mind! He activated his radio link, no longer fearful of looking stupid to the crew. Calan received only static.
Bang!
There it is again.
Bang! Bang! Whoosh!
The inner airlock door retreated into the roof and Calan faced two aliens in tight fitting green uniforms carrying large boxes. Their large round eyes widened matching Calan’s surprise. For what seemed an eternity, the trio stared across the meter or so separating them, before the aliens let out a fusillade of high pitched squeaks and hopped from foot to foot. Calan held up his hands in what he hoped was a peaceful gesture, the aliens stopped screaming and seemed increasingly fascinated by his hands.
Swapping confused looks the smaller of the two gingerly stepped forward and raised its hand as if to place it against Calan’s. Their palms met and the alien jerked backwards sparking another animated conversation.
The smaller alien, the one Calan thought was in charge, tapped at its neck and spoke for a few moments then cocked its head as though listening to a reply. More squeaking ensued, followed by more head cocking. Calan reasoned they were equipped with a communications device, perhaps this one was speaking to the captain of the ship? Calan smiled wryly as he imagined this conversation.
Excuse me, sir, you know that airlock you wanted fixed? Well, I found a stow away... Yes… Yes… What, sir? Throw him overboard, sir? Yes, sir, right away sir! Calan’s thoughts were interrupted with the whoosh of the inner door. The aliens had stepped out of the airlock and sealed Calan, once more, within. Calan frantically activated his radio link to Kilor, but got only an earful of static. Damn! He suspected his alien friends had jammed his signal, all he could do was sit tight. He did not have to wait long.
The inner airlock door retreated into the roof and revealed a single alien. The uniform was different. This alien wore a dark blue one and at his waist was a weapon, Calan was sure, about the size of a standard pistol.
The alien gazed quizzically at Calan.
Son, you gotta look a man square in the eyes if you want to get his true measure, Calan’s father’s word replayed in his mind. He hoped the same principle applied to this alien.
Calan reluctantly released his helmet clamps, gingerly removing his helmet before laying it at his feet. The alien fearlessly watched Calan as if he were a curious exhibit in a freak show. It reached up with its arms and motioned a vertical line down its chest, like dragging a zipper, then wiggled its shoulders. Are you kidding me?
“I’m not taking my suit off!” Calan broke the silence and put his hands on his waist staring at the unwavering alien. Dammit! Calan shook his head and looked away as he considered his options. One, remove his pressure suit and the alien opens the outer door leading to the cold, nasty end of Captain Calan. Two, ignore the request and the alien opens the outer door and Captain Calan still meets a nasty end. Three, remove the suit.
Calan reasoned he’d already removed his helmet, there was no chance of him replacing it in time if the alien decided to flush the airlock. He sighed. What’ve you got to loose, Calan? Calan worked his gloves off and wriggled out of his awkward suit. Stripping down to his inner thermal layer, Calan felt naked before the implacable alien.
The alien stepped forward, apparently satisfied Calan was no threat and Calan noticed, for the first time, their similarity of height and build. The alien grasped Calan’s right wrist and turned Calan’s hand palm up before it placed its own palm on it. The breath caught in Calan’s throat as he looked at the five lightly furred fingers wrapped around his own. In shock, his jaw slackened, he drew his eyes from the gripping hand into the now playful eyes of the alie
n. My God, he’s a Saiph!
###
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The K’Tai War Series
Invasion, book 1
The Carters have a past.
A secret past.
A past that the K’tai didn’t reckon on.
Dave and Sue Carter have just moved to the frontier planet of Agate on the border of human and K’tai space. Tensions between humans and the K’tai heighten over the discovery of large deposits of the precious mineral Redlazore on Agate.
Yet the Carter's new lives are peaceful, just as they hoped. Dave commutes daily to his mid-level exec post in the city and Sue counsels in their local suburban High School, much to their twin teenager’s distaste. In the midst of diplomatic talks the K’tai invade Agate.
It’s unexpected, it’s violent and it’s chaotic.
The Carters are separated by just eight miles, but it quickly becomes a battleground. The seemingly impossible mission to reunite this family through the bloodshed begins.