Star Bridge (Space Rogue Book 4)

by Jay Toney

  "I thought that was fixed by our joining together. She hasn't suffered from confusion after waking since we joined."

  "Patched, but not repaired. She enjoys the lack of confusion she once had to cope with and will continue to do so. However, the damage to her synapses remains preventing her from being able to accept a chip."

  "And Amber?"

  "There is no physical reason she can't be chipped. I wouldn't advise implanting a chip in her though. She is not nearly as strong willed as you are. There is a 91.0374% chance that she would lose her sanity, from not being able to control the data flow."

  "What about Nugget?"

  "There is no physiological reason preventing him from being chipped. When asked, he told me that it was prohibited to do so to anyone of the royal line. I think he just doesn't want to be distracted by the information flow. He is quite known to bend the rules, of his royalty, to suit his desires."

  "I have no doubt that Nugget will do whatever he wants." I pushed my connection with Persephone to the back of my mind, addressing the other bridge officers. "Nugget, bring us out of hyperspace."

  The view of the planets was spectacular. We were passing a ringed planet that was turned nearly 90° on its access. What made it unique was the color of its rings. The outer bands were a bright blue fading to pale blue, then turning violet, in the inner rings. Whatever mystery of nature that could have caused such a change of color, was beyond me. The gasps from the other officers echoed my own. Amber started running her scans, stealing glimpses of the ringed planet periodically. There were no alarms, and only in system travel between the fourth planet and its moons. We altered course, heading there.

  I queried our ships library files for information on the planet. Jewel added the current information she was able to retrieve from the planets information network. Planet Coboran was a high gravity world rated at 2.9 times Earth gravity. We still used the measurement from our home world for comparison, even though no one has been there for nearly 3700 years.

  The people inhabiting the planet had been genetically engineered for living in the higher gravity. They were short and squat by our standards. The tallest amongst them rarely exceeded four feet. Their bones were much denser, and they were heavily muscled.

  Any travel down to the surface of the planet would have to be done wearing a powered exoskeleton. The exoskeletons were similar to powered armor, with the armor stripped from its framework. They would enhance our mobility and provide the strength needed to move freely around, on the planet's surface.

  The menu for tourist attractions caught my eye. It was hard to believe that they attracted tourism with their harsh gravity. I started scanning the listings for museums and art galleries. Images of paintings, sculptures, and pottery flooded my mind. Nothing caught my attention. Nothing from their natural history museums interested me either.

  I was about to give up my research when I noticed an obscure listing for alien artifacts. Picture after picture flooded my mind, showing the different exhibits in the gallery. It was the largest collection of artwork from different alien races I had ever seen. One exhibit caught my attention, the Tsurani Suns.

  I had heard of them, but thought they were lost forever. Each of the 17 orbs, hung from branches on a platinum tree. The orbs were thought to represent worlds that were colonized long ago by an extinct race.

  When touched, the orbs glowed, changing colors in time with a musical melody they played. No melody was ever known to be repeated, nor were the changing patterns of glowing light from the orbs. The last I heard of them was when they were stolen from their former owner. The collection was broken up with each orb being sold to a different buyer. Somehow they were back together again. I had to see them. It was an opportunity I couldn't resist."

  "Nugget, change course to planet Coboran. Jewel, contact the authorities on Coboran. Inform them that we will be stopping there as tourists, to visit their museums and art galleries."

  "Captain, the Coboran representative, Mr. Zahn wishes to speak to you."

  "Put him on screen."

  "Captain Roberts, it is rare that we are visited by such a ship as yours. We value tourism here. I must ask though, why is it that you are being escorted by military ships?"

  "Mr. Zahn, these ships are the minimum required escorts for the royal family of Kesh. Nugget, the Chancellor of Edam, second in line to Queen Cecilia, is vacationing aboard my ship, taking a tour of the galaxy. He has specifically requested a visit of your solar system and planets. He has heard about and seen pictures of your fine art and wishes to see it in person. All aboard were fascinated by the view of the rings of your fifth planet. Tell me, how were such vivid colors achieved? The change from blue to violet is truly spectacular."

  "We don't know how it came to be. It simply has been like that since before we arrived and established our colonies here. You have permission to enter orbit. It is hoped that the Chancellor of Edam enjoys his visit, and spreads the word to his subjects." The communications ended.

  "Nathaniel, you have a way with words. I have never heard lies, such as yours, so eloquently spread. That was true art."

  "We each have our gifts. I hope you are up to a bit of piracy?"

  "We Kesh were born to be pirates and warriors?"

  Nugget changed from his uniform to royal robes and wore a large medallion, showing his status as a royal member of Kesh. Jewel, Amber, Nugget and I, along with a mix of Keshian and Vorg escorts were fitted with exoskeletons. They were needed to enhance our muscles. When we arrived on the planet we would all be weighing three times our weight.

  Doc administered a series of stimulants to help with our breathing and circulation. The air would be denser, and the atmospheric pressure much higher than we were accustomed to. We would have to adjust to the higher pressure and decompress upon our return. We boarded the captain's launch. It was larger than our transport shuttles, and a lot more luxurious. It would help to maintain the appearance of a royal visit.

  The trip to the surface went without error. After we landed, we began the slow process of adjusting to the higher pressure. It took an hour for the air pressure to equalize. All of us felt the strain of the higher gravity, and spent the time waiting, reclined on acceleration chairs.

  When we opened the hatch, there was a contingent of guards waiting for us. They were to be our escorts, while we were on the planet's surface, compliment of their government.

  Their presence would make my reconnaissance visit much harder. We were led to what was their most prestigious art gallery. We passed by various paintings, sculptures, statues, and pottery. Periodically Nugget would stop to admire a piece of art, and I would scan its image with my comp. We were taken to two other art galleries, that our escort thought would be of interest to Nugget.

  My feet were already hurting after visiting the first gallery. I had not seen what I came looking for. I suggested to the guards that Nugget would like to see something more exotic. Nugget picked up on this saying, "I have an interest in sculptures, originating from past alien civilizations. Do you have such a collection?"

  We were led to a nondescript building used as a warehouse. The building housed their collection of alien artifacts. There were no guards inside, nor were there any visitors. If it wasn't for the staff inside, the building would not have had any occupants. The place seemed to be totally ignored by the cities populace. I made a few adjustments on my comp, and its sensors began mapping the building, and scanning for security devices. This was the building I came to see.

  Nugget played his part examining every artifact. Occasionally he would ask about the device's purpose. The buildings staff members did their best to answer his questions. I took video after video, scanning the different artifacts.

  After what seemed
like hours, we came upon the Tsurani Suns. They were kept in an obscure corner of the room. They were completely ignored by everyone, including the staff members. When we approached them the orbs began to glow, changing colors in time with the soft melody they played. I had to have them. I stood watching and recording them for what seemed forever but was only a few minutes. Their pictures did not do them justice.

  "l am interested in this artifact, is it for sale by chance?

  "None of our collection is for sale for any price," a staff member replied.

  "What is it, and where did it come from?"

  "We are not sure of its intended purpose. It is a curious piece, from what we think, as coming from a long dead civilization. Our scientists are unable to replicate its function, or even tell how it is powered. We have many more exhibits much more interesting than this one."

  We continued looking at different exhibits, and I scanned everything that Nugget thought of as interesting. He suddenly said, "I tire of this heavy gravity. Let us return to the comfort of the Persephone, where I can rest. Perhaps we shall return in a day or two."

  I couldn't have been made happier by anything else he may have said. My feet and legs were killing me. I would have to have Jane take a look at my exoskeleton. It felt like the actuators in the legs weren't functioning properly and my legs were supporting both my increased weight and the weight of the exoskeleton. I collapsed onto the closest acceleration couch. I had walked as far as my aching legs would allow, Amber and Jewel, headed to the cockpit, to fly us back to our ship. The shuttle began the slow process of decompression, even before we took off. We would be isolated from the rest of the ship for 18 hours. I took a muscle relaxer and a pain killer. I was asleep before we even left the ground.

  I felt much better in the normal 0.9g our ship maintained. We had nearly 8 more hours of decompression remaining. I used the time to study the data I collected from the museum. I built a holographic map of the building. The building had two floors above ground level and a basement below ground level. The map showed what looked like living quarters for the warehouse staff, researchers, laboratories, and storage rooms. The first floor was divided into six sections, each housing various exhibits. The second floor was divided into two sections. The first section was open, with exhibits placed in what looked like a random order. It was here that the Tsurani Suns waited for me in a corner. The other section was shielded from my scans. I had no idea what its purpose was. It could be more storage or room for expansion. More importantly, the roof had a landing pad and would support the weight of our shuttles.

  By the time we could leave the shuttle, my plans were complete. I headed to engineering where I could use the replicator to make a copy of the Tsurani Suns. I fed the data, I was able to collect, into its computer terminal, building a three-dimensional model of them."

  Persephone's voice filled my head, "Nathaniel, you are aware that I cannot make an exact copy. There is no information available on how they work. You should be using your time to shop for an anniversary present. You only have three days left."

  "I know what I want to give them, and am making preparations to get their gift. As long as the replica, of the suns, looks the same, it will be good enough."

  The replica was beautiful, even though it didn't play music, or light up. It should be good enough to fool the people for awhile. Tonight we would make our move. I explained what I wanted to Nugget. He selected Keshians he trusted, and he was sure could do the job.

  The exoskeleton I wore to the surface was malfunctioning. The servomotors and hydraulic actuators for the legs were faulty. Jane made the necessary repairs and checked suits diagnostics to make sure it wouldn't fail me the next time I wore it.

  Amber and Jewel stayed with the ship for this mission. I had been shopping with them in the past. They were much too slow in deciding what they wanted. We had to be in and out fast, leaving no witnesses. We took the launch again. Its larger size would accommodate more loot, and its comfort would make waiting for depressurization tolerable.

  Instead of wearing exoskeletons to the surface we wore powered armor. The use of powered armor would not be expected from and keep our identities hidden. Nugget sat in the copilot's seat waiting. The twelve Keshians he chose for this mission were also seated and waiting. The ship started pressurizing as soon as we sealed the hatch. It would be dark on the planet's surface before we arrived. There was no moon to cast its light on us. Our formation lights and anti-collision lights were turned off to hide our ship from accidental observation. The ships anti-radiation screens would cloak our ship from any form of radar.

  When the cabin pressure of the ship was equal to the planet's surface, we launched. The planet's surface was dark, broken by only the occasional light. It was past midnight local, on this planet. I flew by instrument, searching for the building with the infrared sensors. When I found our destination, I locked the ship onto the buildings coordinates and started the landing cycle. Our repulserlift engines made our landing smooth. With the engines shut down we exited the craft.

  The roofs door only had a simple mechanical lock. Nugget had the door unlocked in seconds. We filed into the warehouse. The lights were on, and the room was full of research staff. The Keshians tossed gas grenades, amongst the researchers. The gas acted fast, rendering them unconscious before they could sound an alarm.

  Nugget led his team to the first floor. His men began taking the artifacts he selected up to the waiting shuttle. I remained on the second floor. The Tsurani Suns sang to me. I took them, leaving the replica behind.

  We couldn't afford to leave any witnesses behind, that might alert the government, to our theft. After loading the artifacts that Nugget selected, and more, the Keshians secured the researchers and began the laborious process of bringing them to the shuttle. When everyone was aboard, we took off.

  I contacted Jewel through my link. "Jewel, inform the fleet, its time to move on. Break orbit and set course for Nuevo Terra."

  "Persephone set course for the Nuevo Terra System and jump to hyperspace as soon as the fleet is ready."

  "Captain, a simple reminder, you only have 2 days left to find a present for Jewel and Amber."

  "I have the perfect gift aboard, I'm sure they will like it. Have Jane assemble a crate for me, large enough to fit the Tsurani Suns."

  "You didn't steal them, did You?"

  "No, I made a trade with the beautiful copy you replicated for me. They didn't have any interest in the original anyhow."

  The gas was wearing off and our new guests were waking. There were only a few seats for them, most of our prisoners had to suffer the ride to the ship piled on the floor.

  "Are we to be your prisoners now?" one of the female researchers asked.

  "That depends on you. You have the choice of joining our crew, or you can travel with us as prisoners in the brig. We will let you off at the next system, where you can try to get passage back home."

  "Who would want to return back to that hell hole. We were kept in Isolation and treated like prisoners, forced to only work at night when we wouldn't be seen. We would gladly join you in exchange for taking us away from here. What is expected of us?"

  While waiting for the ship to depressurize, I explained our mission of finding the Star Bridge and possibly using it to take us back to the Sol System and Earth. The researchers all agreed that the chance to have a new life on Earth was far better than their lives had been on Coboran. They had been literally forced to live like prisoners, confined to the warehouse, and their work. Lauren was waiting for us when the launch's hatch was finally opened, She escorted the Coboran researchers to their new quarters, and began the interview process to see where they could be used. With their muscles, I suggested that they would be well adapted to being cargo handlers. They could e
asily manage freight that the rest of us struggled to move.

  The artifacts were laid out on the hangar floor. Nugget took two items as his share of the booty. I had mine, crated and ready to take back to my quarters. The other Keshians each selected a piece for their payment. The remaining items were taken to storage.

  I summoned a droid to carry my crate. I had it centered in front of our viewport. The viewport was shuttered, blocking the view of hyperspace. I used the suite's replicator to make an anniversary card. I wrote:

  "I hope the two of you find this gift as special as I find the two of you.

  Love Nathaniel."

  Amber and Jewel were not able to wait until tomorrow morning to open their gift. They were attracted to it the minute they came down from the bridge. They hurried to open the crate and see what I got them. As soon the crate was opened Amber touched the Suns to make sure they were real. The Suns started their melody and colors danced before their eyes. Seeing the look of amazement on their faces, I knew I chose the right gift.

  They were mad at me again though. Amber had gotten me a nice time piece to wear, and Jewel an ornate belt. Neither gift even began to compare to the one I got them. I didn't care. All I really cared about was their love. Still, they could have stolen something a little nicer for me.

  Changes

  Nuevo Terra was like no other system I had visited. It was full of space traffic. There were regular shuttle flights between Nuevo Terra 5 and its orbiting factories. Empty freighters left the factories heading to the inner planets, and freighters full of ore arrived. The planet's surface couldn't be seen through the haze of pollution that blanketed its surface. We had planned on stopping her to resupply with fresh meat and produce. Our database showed that Nuevo Terra 5 was an Earth-like planet whose industry was primarily agriculture. It had 4 major continents covered by dense forest, except for the land that was cleared for farming. The planet's population was only 300,000,000. It didn't have a space port, but it had landing fields that could accommodate our shuttle craft.