Aspirations: A Near Future Sci-Fi Thriller

by Randal Sloan

  Leaving the eggheads crunching the data, Julie grabbed Zeke, dragging him off to a little observation room just down the corridor from the control center. Barely big enough for two, it was perfect for them, but for once Julie was too distracted to take in the view or enjoy their closeness. Once more she had to work on her control, but this time it was due to excitement.

  “That was stupendous,” she told him. “You barely feel like you are even moving. The drive cancels almost all inertial effects of the motion. You have to look down at the instruments to determine your speed. But wow, when you realize how fast you are going, you have to look again to be sure you saw it right. Just think, we haven’t even come close to pushing it to the limit. I’m pretty sure I can get more than what we decided should be one hundred percent, maybe even up to one-twenty. I can’t wait until tomorrow.”

  Zeke had already picked up on her excitement. Some of it from their connection while she was flying the ship, some of it he was feeling now from being close to her and seeing her so excited. “I have a pretty good idea,” he told her. “You’ve already made history. Tomorrow you’ll remake it again.” He looked at her intently. “But one thing. What is going on with you and the drives? I picked up something else in our connection.”

  Julie knew she had been caught. She thought Zeke would pick up on it. “Yes, but we shouldn’t tell anyone else as I suspect it’s only something you or I can do. Somehow I can feel the drive fields, almost like I can reach out and touch them, even to the point I can almost tell you the true limit of them.”

  Seeing his lack of surprise to her response, she went on, “I can’t wait until tomorrow when I can push it all to the limit. I also have some things I want to try to do in the test target area. I believe that I can use the drive to fool sensors so I can prevent missile lock. If it works, the ship will be almost unstoppable.” Seeing his reaction, she went on, “You’ll see.”

  Zeke pulled her close. “Yes,” he told her, “Guess we’ll see, won’t we.”

  Julie had finally relaxed enough that she was once more aware of the view, and that they were sitting very close. It was a good bit later before they went to their separate sleeping quarters.

  #

  When they returned to the control center the next morning, the techs had cleared the test results for the previous day, as Julie knew they would. She was anxious to get back out to give it the full test. From his experience with her in the Space Tech simulators, which up to now only handled conventional aircraft and space craft, Zeke knew he was in for a treat. Once she had the opportunity to have access to them, Julie had tried them all. She still said that it didn’t work the same as flying a real craft. She intended, when she had time, to come up with a new program at Space Academy that was specifically for pilots and included actual flight time.

  No longer tentative about flying the ship, as soon as she was clear of the station, the first thing Julie did was to take the little ship out at full speed, rapidly moving far away. Julie had to see what the limits were to her ship, pushing the drives first to one hundred percent, then to one hundred twenty percent, and then a little more. The last she found she could only hold it there briefly. By feeling the fields, she knew exactly what the system could handle and took it to the limit and no more. She stored all that information into the AI system as she suspected that no one else, other than possibly Zeke, would be able to fly that close to the limit. But the more conservative one hundred twenty percent the AI could do on command, giving the operator an extra boost when needed.

  Julie had gotten enough feel for the little ship in this and the earlier run that she knew exactly what it was capable of doing. After she finished the flight speed testing, she wanted to test how well the ship would fly as an attack craft. She moved the ship into the area they had set up with the drones, using her AI to set up a simulated area for her to do an attack run. She included a space station with defenses and a number of simulated defensive ships in the area.

  “Beginning run now,” she announced over the com. The next few minutes the whole control center could only watch in pure amazement. Even Zeke was caught by surprise, and he knew how capable she was at flying almost anything. Julie took out the entire defensive fleet of drones in just a few moments. Not a single drone was able to get missile lock, yet the AI flagged each one of them as taking multiple rail gun hits and simulated missile hits. Seconds later the drone “station” started showing multiple hits also, all of it’s defenses deemed destroyed in a handful of minutes.

  Julie was ecstatic. She was right about how she was able to manipulate the ship drives to move the little ship from one location to another so rapidly that to any kind of tracking system or missile guidance system the ship appeared to phase out of the normal universe for brief moments and reappear in a different location. The intention was to be able to avoid enemy fire by using this capability. It also made it impossible for them to predict her flight path to try to intercept her. They couldn’t even track her. The test was using standard drones, but she suspected that neither a human operator nor a ship with a full AI would be able to track her.

  Julie had set up a number of VR recording devices in the testing area so that she could build a VR simulator to practice flying the attack ship. She planned to use the attack craft to lead the attack against the Organization on their space station and she knew she would need to practice ahead of time. She also wanted to get others trained in flying the little ship, since she planned to use it and one or more sister ships afterward to hunt down the pirate ships left after she “cut off the head” of the Organization.

  As soon as Julie brought the ship back in, she had Zeke give it a try. Zeke could also fly the little ship very competently, but he just couldn’t match what Julie could do. Some people were natural-born pilots, and Julie knew she had that ability. Zeke didn’t have that extra talent, although his superb reflexes and ability to visualize space in 3D still made him a heck of a pilot. He also admitted that he couldn't feel the fields like she was able to do. Something about it was still bothering him, but Julie could tell he didn't fully understand it yet. Zeke was able to finish setting it all up in the AI so that if he or someone else needed that extra boost, the AI would be able to deliver it, just not quite to the edge like Julie.

  That afternoon Julie had a couple of Space Tech pilots try it too, but they were limited in their approach to the new systems. Julie suspected it was because they had too much of a predisposition to flying the ship the old ways, as a result of their many hours of traditional flight time. Julie knew that she would have to work on getting at least one more pilot, but she would have to wait until later to work on that.

  #

  Now that the attack ship needed for the attack on the Organization Space Station was ready. Julie needed one more piece to be put in place. Going to a special area on Space Tech Station, Julie entered to find an elite group of men and women waiting. They didn’t know it yet, but they were about to become even more elite.

  Julie had requested that both the mercenary force and the US Special Forces group currently under her control be sent up to the Space Station. She had set them up in this section that she had made off limits to everyone else. Both teams were to have specific assignments in her plans for the assault on the Organization Space Station, and she wanted both of them to have a little space-based training. When they completed it, they would be elite indeed, with the ability to handle themselves in space as well as on land.

  Julie quickly garnered attention from both groups, the guys and girls gathering around to talk with her. They were all curious as to why they were up here on the space station, but they were professional enough to not ask. Of course, there was the hope that she would tell them something on her own. Julie knew they would know soon enough, so she took the opportunity to get to know them all a little better. Smiling, she promised they would know more very quickly.

  Shortly thereafter, she met with both team leaders in a briefing room. Both newly appointed Majors
on their respective teams owed their promotions to her, although she would never tell them that. After all, they both had gotten it because of their abilities. She had just encouraged it to happen a little faster.

  But first a little introduction. “Major Gonzalez,” she said, shaking his hand. “It is time to keep that commitment we made a few months ago. The one about joining forces up in space to kick some butt.”

  Hernando nodded his head. “So it really is you. I heard you tell Carla, but I wasn’t sure I believed what I heard. You look different, but you are even more capable than when I saw you last. A lot more confident than before too, if I may say so.”

  Julie explained for the other major, “Sorry, Major Newsome. Hernando and I met previously in Kinza when we were involved in the rescue of my classmates from Space Academy. At the time I was in witness protection, wore a disguise, and went by the name of Miranda. On the flight out of Kinza, the two of us were talking about serving out in space and neither of us had a clue that in a few months we would be out here doing just that.”

  “Please, call me Chris. I can say that a few months ago, I wouldn’t have had a clue that I would be out here either. Can you explain what you have in mind?”

  “Yes, Chris. That is why I’m here. In a few days your two teams are going to lead the attack on the space station currently under control of the Organization, and in the process capture the leaders of the Organization that are going to be there.”

  Both men stared at her. Hernando gave a whistle. “So when you said, ‘Kicking butt in space’ you meant it for real. I assume you have intelligence regarding their leadership and a plan regarding the attack.”

  “Yes,” Julie told him. “Both assumptions are correct.”

  “Ok,” Chris told her. “I will want to look over your intelligence information to be comfortable with such a mission. I read a detailed brief on your anti-pirate ships which you announced at the Space Tech stockholder meeting, so I know you have the capability to get us there. But the station is bound to have space-based defenses. How are you planning to get past those?”

  “Oh, that’s the easy part,” Julie told him. She accessed her VR and threw up a view of her attack corvette in action. “What you are looking at is my newest creation. My little attack ship, the corvette as I am calling it. It is using a new propulsion system that is way beyond anything else in existence. It also has formidable offensive and defensive capability. With this little ship I am going to disable all of their defenses, allowing the anti-pirate ship with you and your men aboard to fly right in to dock pretty as you please.”

  She looked at both of them and could tell they weren’t completely convinced, but nevertheless, they both gave her a nod. After all, that wasn’t their problem.

  “You guys will have the hard part this time. You will have to handle everything from the vacuum of space and zero gravity to foolish men trying to defend their station without the proper weapons to use in space.”

  Julie knew she had them now. She pulled up a VR showing the detailed plans for the Organization’s space station. “There are two areas on the station that we have to secure. One is the control room, which is critical to the operation. I’m sure you can understand why.” Julie highlighted the control room on the VR plans.

  “The other area of interest is the main habitation module, which is where we expect to find our targets.” She smiled at their reactions to her information. Excitement, with a large reserve of caution.

  Chris couldn’t help but ask, “Where did you get those plans? Are they accurate or are they just a guess?”

  “Yes, these plans are accurate. We have an undercover agent who has provided this to us, and he has always been spot on in what he has given us.”

  Julie knew she had the fish hooked. She just needed to reel it in. “I’m not telling you that it will be easy, but I believe I have the tool you need to complete your mission.”

  She pointed to the crate that had been delivered to the briefing room a few minutes before, tapping a VR icon on her interface that caused the crate to open up. “Behold, Space Tech’s newest invention. ‘Space Armor’ we call it. It is made from our newest lightweight carbon materials that are stronger than steel. It is designed to function as a spacesuit when in vacuum, carrying its own air supply. It is impervious to standard weapons and resistant to heavier weapons.”

  Julie handed both of them a piece of the armor to get a feel for it. It was unbelievably lightweight, but also very, very strong. Then she picked up the helmet. “I’m extremely proud of what we have been able to do with the new helmet. The head is completely protected by this helmet, including the face. It has its own AI that will connect to the team leader, using encrypted communication protocols and multiple frequencies to prevent the connection from being jammed. But most importantly, the wearer will be able to control a VR interface with an overlay of the area, showing him where all his team members are and any identified hostiles. The AI will be able to update the overlay as additional information comes in from other team members so the wearer sees everything in real time. Everything is recorded for after action review and feedback.”

  Julie pulled up the VR video that showed the armor in action, varying the view from inside and outside the helmet. The armor deflected bullets from all standard firearms, including a shot point blank into the faceplate of the helmet. And as she put it, strongly resisting an attack with heavy weapons. It even appeared to survive a missile attack.

  “I’m not saying a soldier wearing this would not be injured by something this bad, but it would be survivable. Not that we expect anything like that up here anyway. It would more than likely blow the side of the station out, killing the one launching the weapon and anyone else without a spacesuit.

  “But we have coming this afternoon, custom armor for each of you and each member of your teams. I have set up a number of simulations, including the zero and low gravity environments that we expect you will have to deal with. Currently the max simulated g they have in their station is one-third earth gravity in the main module.”

  Julie looked them both in the eyes. “So what do you say, gentlemen?”

  #

  The next morning, Julie donned her armor and went to work with her Space Force teams. The area she had set up for training traversed a cross section of the station, going all the way from zero gravity to the near one hundred percent they had at the furtherest point on the station. It had advanced VR functionality, using its own dedicated AI to achieve an extremely realistic environment. To add a little incentive to their training, she had decided to have them compete against each other. The team that scored the highest would get their choice of their assignment in the assault.

  To keep them on their toes, Julie inserted herself into the competition, sometimes working for one side and sometimes working for the other. Sometimes she was an independent party, working against everyone. At first the teams were a little apprehensive of her participation, especially the US Special Forces team, as they hadn’t seen her in action.

  As the day went by, Julie gradually won the admiration of all of them. By the time they broke for lunch at mid-day, they had learned to cooperate with each other to try to take her out, although she didn’t have the heart to tell them she was going only about half-speed. Even at that speed, her accuracy in taking her shots scored her points every time.

  When Julie came back for the next session, the teams had both gotten together and started a new contest. They were all in competition to see who could score a hit on her. Looking at them all, Julie felt a strong desire to pull this operation off without a single one of them getting hurt. They already mattered that much to her. Having an extra incentive couldn’t hurt.

  She addressed the group. “Are you sure about this, guys and girls? That means the gloves come off for me. I will be out there waiting on you. And I will be gone before you can turn around to say boo. But I will do this. A little added incentive. Whoever scores that point, he or she will get double the bonus t
hat you all will get when you complete the operation.”

  That got some of them looking at her even more intently. Smiling, Julie told them. “Give me a minute. Let me reset the training course.” Julie quickly re-programmed the AI that managed the VR environment. “I just told the AI to forget the canned programs. It will randomly vary the VR environment and you already know the course traverses the station’s gravity range. So now it will be every man for himself, but don’t forget I still will be scoring each team separately. Good luck, guys, you’re going to need it.” She set the simulation start to begin in one minute with an unknown finish time.

  For the next two hours the teams worked together, their all-consuming goal to score a hit on Julie. She was having a great time of it herself, popping up to score a hit and then disappearing again. She used all of the capabilities of her VR, using her special abilities to tell the AI where the teams were located. Finally, one of them managed to score a hit on her. Timothy, a big guy on the US Special Forces team that she had found to have a heart of gold, managed to get a long distance shot off that tagged her.

  Julie immediately cancelled the simulation, sending a VR broadcast to all team members to reassemble in the team room. She didn’t tell him that it was her own bad luck that had let him get the shot, instead bragging on him to everyone. “What are you going to spend that bonus on, Tim?” she asked.

  Tim laughed. “Don’t you wish you knew?” He saw his team members start to respond, so he knew he had to head them off. He quickly went on. “I have a little brother that is physically challenged. I plan to buy some specialized equipment for him.”

  His response throwing her off, Julie tried to give him a hug, something almost impossible to do with the space armor on. That got everyone laughing hysterically. Finally, she told him. “I’m going to collect on that hug a little later. I am also going to pay for a shuttle trip up for that little brother of yours. I bet he will love the freedom that being out here in space will give him.”