NEBULAR Collection 7 - Guardians of the Continuum: Episodes 31 - 34

by Thomas Rabenstein

  A brief buzzing tone interrupted the film. Then the central display collapsed with a crackling sound while at the same time, the training room illuminated slowly.

  »Well, these were examples and explanations about the previous command structure of our Fleet,« Jannis Peleus closed the review. »I no longer want to bore you with these old topics.«

  The suntanned instructor looked around, smiling. He saw largely amused glances.

  »With the recent Union Fleet reform, that started a little more than seven years ago, some things have changed radically. There’s no rigid and authoritarian chain of command anymore, and the Fleet hierarchy has been trimmed to the necessary minimum. You’re not here today to learn harsh discipline and unconditional obedience but to become Union Fleet mission specialists. However, a high degree of self-discipline is still mandatory.«

  The thirty-two cadets attentively listened to the words of their instructor while sitting in a semicircle as if they were in a lecture theater. The room was dominated by a holographic projector in the center of the room. On purpose, Peleus made use of historical footage to supplement his lectures. More than once, he had stunned the young cadets and provoked high participation in topic related discussions.

  »In your various professional and study areas, you’ve already achieved the specialist status. Over the next three months you will learn the organizational structure and operation of our ships,« Peleus said in a calm voice. »I promise you that I won’t wake you up with a whistle, on the other hand, I’m expecting you to arrive on time for your lectures.«

  The cadets replied with quiet laughter.

  »Hard to imagine that the Fleet once had such a chain of command,« Malin Langlo remarked, shaking her head. The sandy-haired Scandinavian woman was 28 years young and had only been exposed to the new organizational structure. She frowned, and her expressive blue eyes shone as she said, »I find it hard to believe that the Union Fleet could function effectively in the former, strictly, hierarchical structure.«

  »Please, keep in mind that these structures had been established over hundreds of years,« Peleus reminded the cadets. Addressing the astrophysicist, he said, »A Fleet member or Hawk-pilot was a command receiver, not necessarily a mission specialist, but primarily a soldier. This system has worked very well over hundreds of years and seemed the best way of organizing an army and later the Union Fleet. By entering the Tachyon Era and joining the Galactic Cooperation Council, including Humanity’s involvement in galactic affairs, it was time for rethinking and change of the command structure. The old chain of command had become obsolete. Today, we focus on responsible behavior, sound training, and specialization as well as character and ethical maturity of our members.«

  »This requires, however, a very restrictive selection process,« said the African astrobiologist, Eno Samura. It was more a statement than a question. The braided black hair shone like his oiled face according to the tradition of his homeland. The two-meter giant smiled broadly, showing two rows of shiny white teeth.

  »They’re selecting like crazy,« Simon Bennett replied self-absorbed, scribbling a few mathematical symbols on his holo-pad. The pale-looking and talented cosmologist was known for his careless remarks but was one of the year’s best and in his own words, aimed at a commander position. »Or do you think seriously that you would be here if anyone of you would have bombed one of the previous exams?«

  »There’s certainly no danger for you then, Simon,« said Langlo and turned with a grin to the other cadets. » Our little Einstein has passed all the exams with distinction.«

  »What are you working on now while Peleus gives us this historical review?« asked Eno Samura, pointing to Bennett notes. »Are you again validating the correctness of the theory of relativity?«

  Whisper could be heard from all directions. The other cadets attentively followed the discussion with a smile. They all knew Bennett and his sometimes weird sounding theories.

  The cosmologist looked up and gave Samura a pensive look. He seemed to ponder for a moment, then said with a serious voice, »By now, every preschooler knows that something is wrong with this theory. So far, I haven’t found a serious error, but it’s only a matter of time.«

  Jannis Peleus loudly cleared his throat and immediately regained the cadet’s attention.

  »Actually, I wanted to finish the day by selecting the teams for the first training mission randomly, but I think three of you have already found each other. Langlo, Samura, and Bennett, you’ll ready the Hawk IV after the next rest period. Union Specialist Fargo will familiarize you with the details in the hangar. For the rest of you, check the on-line duty rosters to find out who your partners are and which Hawk you’ll be flying.«

  Samura and Langlo looked at each other, then Bennett rolled his eyes and whispered mysteriously, »We’re the chosen ones!«

  »Is it too late to take another job, or do I really have to fly with our mad scientist?« Langlo asked jokingly.

  »I think it is part of our mission. The Fleet wants to know how we will respond under extreme stress,« quipped Samura and nodded at Bennett. »Are you ready for our adventure?«

  »You’re in luck,« said Bennett dryly. »I’m the only cadet who can navigate a Hawk, based on the star constellations, in case of a neuronal computer failure. You chicks won’t get lost, no matter what surprises the instructors have in store for us on tomorrow’s flight.«

  Langlo blinked at Bennett.

  »Then we see each other at breakfast before the pre-flight checks.«

  »I’ll be there and very excited,« Bennett grinned and leaned back. »After about a thousand hours in the holo simulator, it’s time that we get our hands on a proper spacecraft.«

  Marigold

  A flurry of activity prevailed in the central corridor of the Marigold. The light blue fatigue uniforms of the cadets dominated the picture. Every now and then crewmembers in silver uniforms rushed by, each of them a mission specialist and currently role models for all the cadets on board the training ship.

  »Did you see that guy?« Malin Langlo asked and poked Eno Samura with his elbow in the side while she joyfully sucked on her drinking straw. A quick coffee before duty was obligatory for the astrophysicist.

  »Who?« Eno Samura asked and looked around confused.

  »The spacefarer who just passed us. He wears the golden comet! The highest award in the Union Fleet. Unbelievable!« admired Langlo, fluttering her eyelashes.

  »Did you put something in your coffee, or did you forget that that we’re not sitting in a street cafe, waiting for our training mission?« Samura asked amused and winked at his classmate. The eyes of the African suddenly looked rigid and piercing, when he said, »Of course, I’ve seen him, and I promise you here and now, one day, I will also be wearing such a decoration on my chest! Then all female cadets will adore me.«

  »Well, that completes the profile analysis of my crew,« said the astrophysicist with feigned seriousness. »I’m going into space with two men. One has too much testosterone in the blood, the other creates a new universe in his head every day. Eureka! Where’s our Einstein anyway?«

  »He stands behind you and does what he always does,« they heard Simon Bennett’s voice from behind. »He’s bored.«

  Malin Langlo and Eno Samura turned around slowly. The African cadet had to look down to the much smaller, and slightly stocky cosmologists. Samura was clearly taller than his classmate.

  The astrophysicist smiled apologetically as she said, »That was just a joke.«

  »Never mind,« Bennett replied, waving the two closer to him, then he whispered mysteriously, »I’m telling you what’s going to happen today. We’ll be sent to the hangar, to our spacecraft, get an assignment and find out that the Hawk is not ready to fly. Then they want us to find the problem with the propulsion system and have us fix it. Unlike the other cadets, all of them excitedly going through their checklists, not finding the fault, and ending up not getting anywhere, I’ll just shut down the Hawk’s computer, re
boot and initiate the self-test. Whatever they screwed up or sabotaged, it will be repaired by the onboard systems and we can start. We fly out into space, complete the assignment, return home and bag maximum points.«

  »How do you know all this?« Langlo asked surprised. »Did you hack the training computer and accessed the exams?«

  Simon Bennett smirked.

  »Of course not. I don’t waste my time with pointless attempts, but I’ve been thinking about the objective of today’s test. All of us can fly and navigate the Hawk nearly perfectly well. So, what will Peleus examine?«

  Malin Langlo smiled thinly.

  »He won’t test our skills, but our group performance. He’ll put obstacles in the way and expect us to overcome the problems by combining our knowledge and areas of expertise. You see, I’ve thought about it too already. Unfortunately, the test results of the last semester are sealed and not available to us. Otherwise, we could get a better picture.«

  »We have to expect deliberately introduced stress factors. But these are problems we can solve,« Eno said unexpectedly. »This information had cost me a couple of rounds of beer in the crew’s mess hall while you both were sleeping. One of the graduates treated the whole thing like a secret. I had to loosen his tongue a little.«

  »Okay then! Relax, people. This is not a final exam, but our first active mission,« reminded Langlo and tried to smile, which failed miserably, however. »You’re not nervous, right? Such emotion would only get in your way.«

  »Not a trace,« said Eno Samura and showed his infamous smile. A moment later, he reached up with both hands and went through his braided hair, frowned and said with fake exasperation, »Where must we go now? I’m totally lost!«

  »It’s not a big deal when you’re not familiar with this training ship,« soothed Bennett. »It’s more important that you can navigate the Hawk through the Solar System.«

  All three laughed out loud and made their way to the hangar.

  Stress factor

  The joking and laughter of the three cadets faded abruptly as the large airlock of the hangar opened before them. As they passed through the airlock gates, they entered an area of the ship which was usually off-limits for cadets, unless the training schedule demanded it. Six Hawks were lined up on their launching pads, ready to take off into space at any time. Different-looking maintenance robots swarmed around the spacecraft, controlled and watched by bustling hangar personnel.

  The port side of the approximately one-kilometer-long Marigold had once been provided with large hangar gates, which served small spaceships as start windows into space. During the reconstruction phase of the carrier vessel to a training ship, the hangar gates had been removed, including the outer airlocks. The hangars were now permanently open to space but isolated toward space by barely visible energy fields which protected the ship against pressure loss. The Hawks could fly directly through the energy field into the universe. An incredibly impressive object could be seen at this moment when looking outside. The massive gas planet Saturn and his ring system occupied most of the field of view. The big moon Titan, with its narrow, dirty-yellow crescent, also came into view. The three cadets held their breath in amazement.

  »That is …,« Langlo whispered.

  »… absolutely fascinating!« Bennet completed the sentence enthusiastically and looked around in the hangar, awestruck.

  »The Alert 5 Squad has its quarters and ready rooms over there,« whispered Samura respectfully. »They say that three of the Hawks are continuously held at a 5 Minute State of Alert Status since unknown ship traffic had been reported in the Solar System. They are heavily armed.«

  »Although, the Marigold is a training ship, we are, nevertheless, prepared, just in case,« Langlo nodded approvingly.

  »These are brand new Hawks,« Eno Samura recognized thrilled. »Hummingbird Class! Very agile spacecraft with a pointed bow, an integrated plasma gun, inertia damper, artificial gravity and a sub-light drive from Krolakan-Terrestrial production. Four crew members are standard. With such a Hawk you could fly through the Solar System in a few hours without any problems.«

  »You don’t say,« remarked Malin Langlo dryly. »You’ve paid attention in class, but we weren’t prepared for this! They’re huge!«

  »Thirty meters long, slimmer than the old ducks and much more agile,« Bennett compared the hummingbirds to the Neo-Hawks which were still in service. »I would have been very disappointed if they had presented us with an Oldtimer.«

  Bennett received a short poke in the ribs. Langlo wanted to make him aware of something.

  »There he is, our advisor,« she hissed at the cosmologists.

  Close to a Hawk, a mission specialist was waiting. He looked up briefly and waved them over.

  »Come now,« Langlo pushed. »Don’t disappoint me.«

  The three cadets assumed formation before the hangar chief and saluted respectfully by simultaneously slapping their right hands onto their chests, just above their hearts. The military style of salute had also changed significantly over time.

  Small laugh lines formed around the pale, blue eyes of the stocky man. According to his dark complexion, he could be a Marinian.

  »That’s very kind of you, but really not necessary. A quick hello or a friendly nod suffices here in the hangar,« he said with a friendly voice.

  The Scandinavian smiled warmly and introduced the crew.

  »I’m Malin Langlo, in my company, the cadets Bennett and Samura. We’re reporting for duty and are looking forward to our first excursion into space.«

  The hangar chief nodded slightly and inspected Langlo from top to bottom.

  »You’re thinking that your first flight is an excursion?«

  Langlo seemed irritated for a couple of seconds, but then replied in a calm voice, »Well, we’re looking forward to gaining practical experience with the hummingbird.«

  Fargo nodded understandingly and squinted slightly as he said, »With all your enthusiasm, you shouldn’t lose sight of an important point. The hot phase of your training begins by leaving the simulator. I’ve served for more than a decade as hangar chief on board the Marigold and can assure you that the moment you enter this Hawk, start the drive and leave the secure hangar, you’re on a mission and not on a training flight. There’re no longer any standard situations. You’re taking over the responsibility for this expensive, small spacecraft, but more importantly, for your teammates on board. No one on board will give you instructions or advice on how to handle and solve the problems and challenges at hand. Whatever you do, act as a mission specialist of the Union Fleet!«

  The three cadets swallowed hard. Fargo’s sermon sounded a bit too serious to be only a well-intentioned advice.

  He ran his right hand over the Hawk’s hull and said, »Your spacecraft is brand spanking new and fully armed. Cadet Langlo, you’ll take over the controls of the ship as the first pilot. Samura, you’re the commander. You’ll also function as the co-pilot. Bennett?«

  »I’ll be the navigator and operate the course computer?« the cosmologist asked calmly.

  »Exactly,« Fargo acknowledged. »Your mission parameters have already been entered into the computer.«

  Fargo stopped for a moment, then he asked, »Any more questions?«

  Langlo cleared her throat before she said, »Uh … yes. The minimum crew is supposed to be four people, we’re just three, though. Are you flying with us, another instructor or possibly an evaluator?«

  The hangar chief looked at Langlo from the side.

  »Your fourth crew member is on the way, and … if I am not mistaken … he just comes into the hangar.«

  The eyes of the three candidates turned to the hangar airlock gate.

  With long, elegant jumps, dressed in a blue coverall-like uniform, a panting being sprinted on all fours into the hangar and looked around. As Fargo raised his hand, the stranger changed his direction and sprinted straight toward the cadets.

  »Oh my gosh!« Bennett muttered and straighten out.

/>   As the extraterrestrial slowed his run and slowly straightened his rear legs, he was now at eye level with the candidates and looked at them with piercing, gray eyes.

  The appearance of the stranger could, however, not hide the fact that he was undoubtedly a very smart being. The chest of the Krolakan was moving quickly. The newcomer was breathless.

  »That’s Pack Cadet Kel-Nar, who came directly from Krolak into our Solar System, to participate in the GCC exchange program. He will complete your team and will be your gunner.«

  »My area of expertise is space combat, weapons coordination, strategic navigation and first contacts,« the Krolakan completed Fargo’s introduction while still panting slightly.

  While Kel-Nar was speaking, a few drops of saliva dripped from his hyena-like lips on his chest.

  Bennett grimaced, he seemed pondering.

  »Are there any more questions, Candidate Bennett?« Fargo asked.

  »Why do we fly this mission fully armed and with a weapons specialist on board?« Bennett asked.

  »Like I said before, the simulation flights are over. Now it’s getting serious,« Fargo said suggestively. Then, he turned around and left the launch pad.

  The Hawk’s airlock was open. Kel-Nar made a barking sound and took a powerful leap inside the small spaceship.

  »I bet the Hawk is ready and has no equipment failure,« Samura said dryly.

  »Certainly!« Langlo confirmed sarcastically. »The stress factor which we were talking about, just jumped into the ship.«

  Bennett sighed deeply.

  »Well then, let’s go!«

  Infinite expanses

  »Reactor status?« Samura went through the checklist on his holo-tablet and looked at the pilot inquiringly.

  »Check!« Langlo answered with a side-glance at the controls, then the reddish-blond Scandinavian smirked surprised. »Do you really want to go through the entire checklist?« The astrophysicist frowned. »Let’s rather follow Bennett’s suggestion and start the self-test. The computer detects problems much more quickly and accurately, in case there’s something wrong with the Hawk.«