Then he sat back and relaxed. The next few hours were going to be very busy.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
As Hamilton had believed, the hours following the discovery of the body of the engineer were very hectic.
Smith’s body had been given an autopsy by Dyzwiecki and was pronounced to have died of a bullet wound and massive internal shock, along with the destruction of his heart.
The round that had killed him had been a copper-jacketed slug. The remains of the jacket, and remnants of the lead body, had been dug from the wall near the murder site by Hamilton himself. The slug had been designed to mushroom enormously on entering its victim’s body. It had fulfilled its design specifications admirably.
Klane and Jones had bugged various section of the Hope’s Breath with their own listening devices, after the ship’s monitors failed to provide any clues as to the identity of the murderer and had been tampered with.
All three of them had participated in the questioning of the entire crew. They had been brought down one at a time from the lab and questioned in the security room for about fifteen minutes each. Then they had been escorted to their cabins and locked in. The questioning had gone smoothly enough but had taken about four hours in all. No one knew anything and all were co-operative, with the exception of Lewis, who answered acidly and glared at all of them.
After the interviews they escorted Simmonds and Jackson to the ramp where the strange device had been attached. The two remaining engineers repaired the damage quickly and the security team found that the bridge monitors came back on line. Not that they were about to trust the monitors, but it was nice to have all of them working again.
The crew who were supposed to be on duty were escorted to their posts by one of the three and stood guard over. Because there were only three of them, the team allowed only two posts to be manned, namely the bridge and engineering sections. The remaining team member was invariably asleep, exhausted by the routine.
The final week of their journey to the Humal world was very tiring for all concerned. The security team was stretched to its limits whilst the crew not assigned to any duties found the confinement to quarters extremely irritating. They were only let out to go down to the mess to eat and, if required, shower. The men and women showered at different times and one of the team was always on hand, even in the showers, to keep an eye on things. Not unnaturally, the crew resented these draconian security measures, none more so than Lewis. She cursed her way through every meal and shower, though didn’t cause any more serious trouble. She appeared to have learned her lesson after the last time.
The interviews provided no new information. though. Often, the interviewee wanted information themselves. There was little, however, that the trio could tell them about what was going on.
When all was done, they were no nearer to finding the killer or the truth of the situation than before.
That last week dragged on for all of them. The security team expected another incident or murder at any time, but the days passed by without incident.
At last, they neared their destination. The already tense atmosphere increased greatly. Nowhere was this more evident than among the security team, mainly because they were convinced they weren’t going to any Humal world, but somewhere altogether more sinister.
All three security experts were awake at this time. Jones was guarding the engineers whilst Hamilton was manning the weapons console on the bridge, and guarding the crew there. Klane had assembled the remaining crew in the rec area. A screen had been set up there so that they could follow what happened on the bridge. They all waited nervously.
On the bridge, Hamilton lounged in his seat. The bridge was fully occupied by the same crew that had taken the ship into hyperspace four weeks ago with two exceptions.
The first was Lewis, sitting in place of LeGault at the sensor console. She was, despite her craziness, far more adept at interpreting sensor data on planetary bodies than LeGault was.
The other addition, Johnson, sat in the seat formerly occupied by Tong at the science console.
The two medical staff were in the mess, along with LeGault and Klane.
Jones was in the engineering section with Simmonds and Tong, who was helping out. Jones had a relay system set up so that he could monitor the bugs they had set up around the ship.
Veltin was counting down their time to emergence from hyperspace. They had a few minutes left.
Hamilton took the time to check in with Klane and Jones, to assure himself that all was well with them. It was. They reported everything going as normal.
Hamilton observed his bridge companions.
Veltin looked relieved to be busy again. His hands flew over various controls, making minute, unnecessary, adjustments.
Puckett, the co-pilot, lounged in his chair much in the same manner as Hamilton himself did. He had nothing to do with Veltin around.
Philbin checked their course remained correct and was ready to plot intersystem travel routes as soon as they emerged from hyperspace.
Jackson, on the engineering console, monitored the engines and sub-systems like a hawk. He was absorbed in his task.
Johnson, on the nearby science console, had little to do as yet. She was ready, however, to analyse and evaluate the unusual and unexpected if it should appear. She flashed Hamilton a nervous grin when she noticed his attention. He smiled back at her and, on an impulse, winked. Her nervousness vanished and her smile deepened.
Lewis scowled around at everyone, her console likewise useless until they left hyperspace.
Lutess, on the astro console, similarly had little to do yet.
Walsh, monitoring the ship’s systems, kept himself busy running checks and diagnostics. He kept himself alert to what was happening around him, however.
Carl stood behind his master’s chair, impassive as always. He hadn’t been pleased to find his private arsenal removed, but hadn’t given any trouble.
Vogerian himself sat in his central chair, slightly hunched forward, eager for their arrival. He hadn’t been overly pleased at the liberties the security team had taken but, like Carl, hadn’t complained too much.
Hamilton turned back to his own console as the count approached zero. He had long since powered up and checked all his weaponry. He was ready for any trouble that they might arrive amongst.
The count reached zero and the stars blurred back into single points of light from amongst the nebulous greyness of hyperspace.
Hamilton checked his sensors. He noted that Lewis was doing likewise.
There were, at least as far as he could tell, no ships in the vicinity. But there were a great deal of other objects. The console display was alight with them.
“Asteroids all around.” Both he and Lewis announced simultaneously. They exchanged scowls.
The tumbling masses of rock varied in size from dust grains to huge leviathans of space, massing many, many times that of the Hope’s Breath.
O’Won quickly brought the ship around so that it was travelling along with them, rather than across their direction of travel.
“I’m reading a star at centre of them.” Lewis related. “Type G3 main sequence. Also a planet, or a very large asteroid. Shit! I’ve never seen so many asteroids. This ain’t natural.”
Hamilton had already formed that opinion himself.
The asteroid belts, for there was more than one, were arranged in concentric circles about the central star. Each belt had a different orbital plane thus forming an effective shell about the star. There didn’t appear to be any force holding the asteroid belts in their various paths as many stray ones gaily travelled about in wildly eccentric orbits, crossing several paths in the process. It was difficult to see how this system could have evolved naturally.
Hamilton noted that everyone was intent on their work. Everyone, that was, except Vogerian and Walsh. The former sat in his command chair smiling knowingly, nodding to himself and rubbing his hands together. The latter was staring at Vogerian with a som
ewhat neutral expression. Hamilton wondered what Walsh was thinking about their captain.
A small rumble caused the ship to shiver slightly as the shields were assaulted by a shower of rocky particles.
Shields or no shields, Hamilton thought, if a big one hits us we’re finished. Everyone seemed to be concentrating on what was ahead of them. Hamilton decided to check their rear, to be safe.
A quick sweep revealed more asteroids astern. The Hope’s Breath had emerged right amongst them. A millisecond earlier or later on their emergence would have spelt almost certain death. It was not the kind of timing one trusted to even the most advanced computers after a journey of four weeks. He wondered again at the ship’s construction.
He flicked his scan back to the forward arc, into the centre of the asteroids. As he did so, something caught his eye as the aft scan faded from the screen. He almost ignored it, but recalled the similar circumstance that he had detected whilst scanning the Survey vessels’ shuttle. That had been important. This might be also. He redirected his scan aft again.
It took almost no time to spot. A single dot amidst many hundreds of similar dots on the screen. This dot, however, was in a different colour than the rest. No information was given. Hamilton concentrated the scan in that area.
The dot remained a dot, but addition information began appearing about it.
It was made of metal.
Not just an ore, either, but a refined alloy. Hamilton concentrated the scan wholly on the metal asteroid.
The screen was blank for a few moments, then the dot reappeared along with a plethora of information.
It was not an asteroid, of course, but a ship. Furthermore, this ship was mostly shut down, with very little power in evidence. It massed around sixty five thousand tons and had no apparent armament.
Hamilton turned to announce his find to the rest but noted again Vogerian’s expectant expression. Walsh had returned to his console. Vogerian’s gleeful visage gave Hamilton pause for thought. If Vogerian knew more than he was saying about this, their destination, then he might have ordered a detailed aft scan if he suspected a ship to be there. The fact that he hadn’t suggested to Hamilton that Vogerian didn’t expect there to be a ship there. And what Vogerian didn’t know, Hamilton decided, couldn’t do him any good. He turned back to his console. He needed to know more information.
Hamilton’s hands found their way to the probe controls and launched a drone towards the unknown vessel. A swift glance at Lewis’ revealed that she hadn’t spotted his actions on her sensors.
The first seconds were vital. If Lewis was scanning anywhere other than dead ahead, then she couldn’t fail to spot the probe streaking away amid a blaze of energy.
Mercifully, she appeared oblivious to it. The probe’s engine cut out and the thing coasted towards the other ship.
Hamilton waited patiently whilst it drew within range of its more limited sensing apparatus. At length, more information appeared, mostly technical and of limited meaning to Hamilton. At last the probe’s cameras began to show the vessel as something other than a distant dot.
Meanwhile, Vogerian had issued the command to proceed into the asteroids, toward the centre.
“Use the second preset flight course.” He advised O’Won. “I know you’ve been curious to know what it does. I imagine that it will guide us through this dangerous area.”
“How did you know about this?” Veltin inquired.
“The preset courses were all found within the Humal derelict.” He explained shortly. The pilot looked unconvinced, but returned to his work. Shortly, the ship swung about and headed straight in amongst the asteroids.
Hamilton’s probe was on its final approach to the vessel he had detected. The ship grew bigger and bigger in the probe’s camera, revealing itself to be of a reassuringly human design. Hamilton noted that it was obviously a bulk freighter of some description.
Then the probe hurtled past and off into the depths of space, flashing along the port side of the freighter as it did so. A dark blur marred the otherwise smooth nose of the freighter. Then the probe gave back pictures of space.
Hamilton ran the film back and stopped at the blur. It was still blurred even with the picture frozen. He tried to make out the name but couldn’t get any of it. Irritably, he set the computer to enhancing it.
The Hope’s Breath headed in towards the central star. Lewis constantly updated her sensor reports. The planet she had mentioned was earth-type, with a breathable atmosphere and similar mass and size to that of earth-norm. It even had a flourishing ecosystem, with abundant plant and animal life.
Hamilton listened to her reports with half an ear, whilst awaiting the computers verdict on the freighter’s name. It was taking a long time.
The ship continued to thread its way through the asteroid swarms and occasionally a shower of rock and dust assaulted the defensive fields around the vessel, eliciting a rumble and a shaking of the great craft.
At last, the computer indicated its successful resolution of Hamilton’s puzzle. He regarded the displayed name calmly, though his mind was in turmoil. As if he didn’t have enough problems!
The name displayed was the Morebaeus. Hamilton, and just about anyone else who heard it, would recognize it immediately. The Morebaeus had been the first ever human spacecraft to go missing in the depths of space. Hell! It had been one of the first spacecraft, full stop. Furthermore, it had disappeared some fifty years ago, never to be seen again. It was the space-borne equivalent of the Marie Celeste. But the Marie Celeste had been found. The Morebaeus had vanished without trace.
Until now.
Hamilton cleared his screen and returned to his task of watching for threats, mulling over the implications of his find.
If the Morebaeus was floating around here then it was possible, but unlikely, that some of the crew were still alive. After fifty years the automatic distress beacon on the craft would have run out of power. It was only the advanced sensors on the Hope’s Breath that had detected it. To most other craft it would have seemed to be just another drifting chunk of rock. The very faint power readings he had discerned were indicative of a shut down reactor.
Hamilton replayed the probes pictures, freezing the image repeatedly. There didn’t seem to be any signs of damage, but, at the extreme corner of on frame he noticed the edge of an open door. Undoubtedly a shuttle bay, he reasoned. The surviving crew had taken the shuttle and headed off to investigate the planet at the centre of the asteroid shell.
They had probably delayed the departure until the food situation had become critical. Most freighters were short-haul operators, spending as little time between planets as was possible. Consequently, they carried only minimal food stores and bought fresh stocks at their next port of call. It was highly likely, after whatever had happened to them to bring them here, that they had little food left. The fact that they hadn’t flown the ship in suggested to Hamilton that it was damaged in some way. Freighters also carried little in the way of spares.
That meant, providing they weren’t destroyed by the asteroids, that they might still be alive, albeit rather old. It was something to keep in mind.
The hours dragged on as they pushed on through the asteroids.
Veltin, at the helm, was sweating profusely and had lost his usual cocky, self-assuredness. Puckett made occasional darts towards his duplicate set of controls before relaxing as Veltin saw approaching problems and hurried to adjust the ship’s course.
Johnson was busy analysing the make-up of the innumerable rocks that they passed. She appeared happy to be doing something.
Hamilton watched nearby rocks with concern. He had every weapon system set to track and fire on targets approaching on intercept courses that got closer than a kilometre. Even that was cutting it fine, he realised. At the same time, he scanned all about them for any signs of wreckage that would indicate the shuttle had failed to make it.
Vogerian remained hunched forward, looking expectantly forward.
&n
bsp; Klane checked in a few times during their journey, as did Jones. The latter had no other form of communication with what was going on and so asked lots of questions. Dumb questions, Hamilton decided. But at least he was someone to talk to that broke the monotonous tension of the trip.
Only once did Hamilton have to destroy an asteroid, when a stray flew in at great speed from above. The whole ship shook as the topside batteries opened up. The rock was disintegrated.
Everyone looked around in alarm.
“Nothing to worry about,” Hamilton said. “It was less than ten thousand tons.”
The others stared at him in horror.
“Good shooting.” Puckett muttered. The debris and powdered remains of the asteroid rained upon the shields to little effect except to drum in how close they had come to destruction. Hamilton smiled pleasantly about the bridge then turned back to his console.
Vogerian’s attitude had not changed during the incident, nor had he evinced any awareness of what had transpired.
Another hour passed and finally the ship drew clear of the asteroids and into a huge central zone free of cosmic debris.
At its centre lay the G3 star that Lewis had mentioned, blazing brightly. Around the star orbited the single planet she had detected.
“Plot an intercept course with the planet.” Vogerian muttered to Philbin, who nodded. Shortly, he announced that the course was computed.
“Alright Mr O’Won,” Vogerian said. “Take us in.”
O’Won wiped the sweat from his brow and nodded. “We’re on our way.”
The Hope’s Breath accelerated towards the planet.
Lewis and Hamilton swept the entire area with their sensors before turning their attentions to the planet. The area was clear of other heavenly bodies apart from a few stray asteroids that posed no threat to the ship.
The planet, as had been determined, was much like Earth in that its atmosphere was breathable and it had abundant plant and animal life. A more detailed analysis would have been called for, had not both Lewis and Hamilton spotted something orbiting it.
Humal Sequence 1: A Breath of Hope Page 20