Derelict: Marines (Derelict Saga Book 1)

by Paul E. Cooley

  After a few moments, she’d constructed rough plans for the various paths from each airlock to the bridge. Using the walk-through, she calculated distances, made provisions for extra time based on the actual construction and complexity for each path, and finally sorted them by best to worst. She saved the information to her block. Assuming she had a working HUD, she’d be able to bring up the maps at will.

  She took another sip of coffee and brought up the set of schematics for the mid-decks. While preparing to start another walk-through, her vision flashed twice—she had a message. She authorized the block and scanned the message. Her face dropped into a deep frown. After reading Dickerson’s comparisons between the known Mira schematics versus those of the schematics they’d been given, she closed the block and stared at the table. The deep blue steel reflected her face beneath the lights.

  Dickerson had followed chain of command. That was a good sign. Maybe she’d finally been accepted to a certain degree. However, now she had the choice of ignoring this new information or taking it to Gunny. And if she took it to Gunny, it would ultimately end up with the LT or even Captain Dunn.

  “Damn it,” she said aloud. She reconnected to her block and sent a real-time message to Gunny asking if he had time to speak with her. The response was an immediate “affirmative.” A mischievous grin appeared on her face as she sent a real-time message to Dickerson. He wouldn’t like talking personally to Gunny about this, but he could best explain it.

  Keep telling yourself that, an inner voice said. She laughed aloud, downed her coffee in one swallow, and headed for Gunny’s cabin. Dickerson would be there by the time she arrived.

  *****

  Dunn walked into the briefing room with a scowl on his face. He needed sleep. He needed time to think about the Trio’s warning and exactly how to proceed. No, he thought, you don’t need to think. You need to see Mira before you’ll know what to do. And that might be the case, but it didn’t stop him from constantly turning the problem over in his mind.

  The large mag-mug in his hands was warm and inviting. The dispenser had poured a nearly boiling brew into the mug, as if Black knew he was heading for a meeting. That was creepy, to say the least. The upgrades the Trio had installed on the ship were both welcome and unsettling. Once they were back in Portunes’ hangar, he planned on having a long talk with the AI. The modifications he and his cohorts had made to Black needed an explanation. He couldn’t help feeling that something was very wrong.

  When Lt. Taulbee sent him a message requesting his presence for a briefing update, he’d walked out of his stateroom, procured a drink, and stomped down the length of the ship with all these thoughts swirling in his mind. As he walked into the room, he stopped at the threshold, blinking.

  The marines immediately stood when they saw him, Gunny shouting “officer on deck.” For a moment, nothing happened. He was too surprised by the sight of Corporal Kalimura and LCpl Dickerson standing on either side of the gunnery sergeant. The silence in the room finally reached an awkward point that ripped him from his confusion.

  “As you were,” he finally managed. He walked to the table and set down his mug before taking a seat. The holo-display in the middle of the table was off. He had a feeling that wouldn’t last long. “Dispense with the niceties. What’s going on?”

  Taulbee cleared his throat and tented his hands on the table. “The Corporal and LCpl have brought up some discrepancies related to our intel.” Dunn eyed the non-com and the non-rate before turning his eyes to Taulbee with a questioning expression. “Perhaps a visual aid is in order, sir.”

  The holo-display sprang to life, as he knew it would. A pair of Mira models appeared, each hanging in the air. The two models looked identical to him. “I don’t see any differences. Except maybe those, what are they, antenna nests?”

  “We think so, sir. But there’s a larger difference.” Taulbee curled his fingers and the two models spun in sync to show the other side of the ships. He then proceeded to switch from a POV camera shot to a wide-angle view.

  Dunn studied the two models for a moment. He pointed a finger at the model on the left. “Why does that model have a shuttle bay?”

  Taulbee grinned. “Exactly. The model on your left is from the schematics the Trio loaded into the system. The one on the right? That’s the historical blueprint.”

  “Historical?” Dunn said, his brows raised. “What do you mean historical?”

  Taulbee glanced at Dickerson. “You’re up, Dickerson.”

  Dunn thought the Lance Corporal looked more than a little nervous. Dickerson was a great marine, a great fighter, but a problem child. He was probably the best z-g combatant they had, apart from Gunny. Maybe.

  “Sir, the ‘historical’ model, as the Lieutenant refers to it, is from the many books and holos from its launch. Those are the specifications that were made public. But they differ greatly from those the Trio sent us. As you can see, the differences are subtle at first, and then not so. The shuttle bay is something I never noticed before, and that’s because it didn’t exist. The same for the antenna nests and,” he said and pinched his fingers together to focus on the cylinder, “what I think is a refinery.”

  “Refinery?” Dunn rubbed his chin. “Why do you think that’s a refinery?”

  Dickerson fidgeted with his hands. “Experience, sir. I did several cruises protecting and rescuing ships traveling the asteroid belt. That cylinder looks nearly identical to the refinery modules on those ships.”

  Dunn swiveled his eyes back to Taulbee. “What are your thoughts, James?”

  The lieutenant looked at the models. “I think Dickerson is correct, sir. We’ve seen that module before too. Remember the Mars flotilla?”

  He did. Trans Orbital, before it built its own yards near Jupiter, constructed its ships in orbit around Mars. Their shipyards provided Mars colonists with jobs that had nothing to do with the mining on the surface. The fact most of the new employment required travel to the far away asteroid belt had split up families and led to more settlement on Titan Station, among others. Taulbee and Dickerson were right. That was definitely a refinery module.

  “Okay,” he said. “I’ll concede it’s a refinery. I’ll also concede that appears to be a shuttle bay.” He took a long sip of the incredibly hot coffee. It scorched his tongue, but he didn’t care. The taste buds that didn’t immediately disappear from the heat sent shivers of pleasure to his brain. Man, the coffee was good. “How does that affect our mission exactly?”

  Gunny looked at the Corporal. “Your dance, Kalimura.”

  She nodded at Gunny, the Corporal’s jaw set into a firm line, her expression impossible to decipher. “Sir. I compared the interior schematics of both models. They’re identical.”

  Dunn narrowed his eyes. What is she talking about? So what if they were identical. That didn’t mean— And then he understood. “You’re telling me that since the exterior models don’t match up, it would be impossible for the interior schematics to be the same.”

  “Aye, sir,” the Corporal said.

  He wasn’t certain, but he thought he saw a gleam of victory in her eyes. He nodded to himself. “I assume you’re making the case that we need to be even more cautious when we enter Mira’s interior.”

  “Yes and no, sir,” she said. “I understand our mission parameters and I understand Colonel Heyes’ orders. However,” she said, “I think it’s extremely risky for the company to board her given our obvious lack of concrete intel. Depending, of course, on how badly she’s damaged.”

  Taulbee spoke, his voice filled with confidence. “Captain, I believe the Corporal is suggesting we abandon interior recon altogether.”

  Dunn folded his arms. On the side of caution, they could scrap the S&R portion of the mission. And if they couldn’t tow Mira, then they would travel back to Neptune empty handed. Colonel Heyes, and probably a lot of the top brass, would not be amused. Her argument, however, did match that of the Trio. That was unsettling to say the least. “What do y
ou suggest instead, Corporal?”

  “Sir, I’m not sure we should board her. If we have time, we could use nano-probes to travel the interior and look for survivors.”

  “Nano-probes can’t get the data from Mira. Only human beings are going to be able to get that. If we can somehow manage to get Mira’s power back online, that would be a different story. I don’t see how that helps us.”

  Kalimura looked non-plussed. “Sir, we could use the nano-probes to at least map the differences between our schematics and those of the actual ship. That would provide us a leg up and minimize risk.”

  Dunn considered the proposal, wishing he hadn’t walked into the briefing room to begin with. Why couldn’t anything be simple with this mission? He leaned back in the chair, his eyes boring into hers. What she suggested would greatly increase mission time. If Mira was in bad enough shape, just the stability and inspection portions of the mission would take much longer than he’d estimated. If they sent in nano-probes, even with Black controlling them rather than the crew, it could add hours, if not an entire day, to their schedule.

  He eyed Taulbee. “I think the Command Crew and I will have to ponder this situation.” The Lieutenant nodded. He swung his eyes back to Dickerson and Kalimura and smiled. “Excellent work, you two. Thank you for bringing this to my attention.”

  “Aye, sir,” Dickerson mumbled.

  “My pleasure, sir,” Kalimura said in a strong, confident voice.

  “Now,” Dunn said, “I’d like the two of you to get back to your bunks and get some rest. Tomorrow is going to be hell and you’re going to be on the front lines. Dismissed.”

  The two marines stood and saluted. He returned it and they filed out of the room. “Black? Shut the door.” The door to the briefing room slid closed. Anyone passing by would know not to intrude. He looked at Gunny. “What do you think?”

  Gunny tented his hands, his strong jaw working side to side. “Sir, I think Kalimura’s suggestion makes a lot of sense. But I see quite a few logistical issues with her approach.”

  Dunn nodded. “James?”

  “I agree with Gunny, sir,” Taulbee said. “Although I think we can split the baby, so to speak.”

  “How so?”

  Taulbee spun the models back to their original views. “Keep in mind, sir, I don’t think we can make any concrete plans until we determine what shape she’s in. But once we stabilize her, we could send in a squad to begin an initial recon inside the personnel module while the other squad inspects the ship. The recon squad could make use of nano-probes to aid them as they head to the bridge and at least retrieve any data.”

  “Gunny?”

  He shrugged. “The idea has merit, sir.”

  “And which personnel would you send inside?” Dunn asked.

  Gunny and Taulbee exchanged a glance. Taulbee finally gestured to Gunny. “Sir, Corporal Kalimura is the most experienced search-and-rescue asset we have. She may not be aces at z-g combat. Yet. But she knows how to run the probes, how to map, and most importantly, how to search.”

  “And who would you send with her, Gunny?”

  “Probably Dickerson and Carbonaro. They have the most z-g combat experience and are also not too shabby at tactics. Putting the three of them together, with Kalimura in charge, of course, would probably make the perfect team to carry out the mission, sir.”

  “You agree, James?”

  The Lieutenant grinned. “I still believe in Kalimura, sir. And after what happened earlier today, I think she’s finally earned some respect. I agree with Gunny regarding the assignments, sir.”

  Dunn stared at the schematics on the display, thoughts turning in his mind. The nightmare he’d had about the eyes staring at him from the airlock returned. He shivered at the memory of the crimson points of light staring into his soul. “Okay. I have enough data to form an opinion. Like everything else with this Jehovah-damned mission, we’ll have to adapt quickly depending on Mira’s condition.” He glanced at Taulbee. “All right. That’s it. Let’s get out of here and get some rack-time.” He stood from his seat, Gunny and the Lieutenant doing the same. “Dismissed, gentlemen.”

  “Aye, sir,” the two said and walked out of the room. Dunn renewed his stare with the holo-display. The Trio had given him the updated exterior schematics, but not the interior. Why had they given him an update without the corresponding interior map? Damned AIs have lost their minds, he thought. If that was the case, they were in real trouble.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  S&R Black departed from the observatory using conventional nuclear-powered thrusters. Once she was more than a hundred kilometers away, she engaged her nuclear engines at 1/20th power. By combining their force with the ion thrusters, S&R Black accelerated at a slow enough rate to pull less than three g’s for the portions of the ship using grav-plates. In other words, the crew had no reason to enter stasis.

  Once the ship reached target speed, the g-forces stabilized and once again the crew couldn’t tell the ship was moving through space. Black sent the Trio another encoded message. While the ship traveled through vacuum and darkness, while the crew prepared for their next mission by studying, debating strategy, and wondering what they would find, the Trio and Black exchanged multiple encoded messages. Trippin intercepted each of them, added new information to its neural net, and continued priming itself to handle the possible situations.

  When asked questions, it would answer. When its marines encountered the unknown, it would help them as much as the Trio’s programming allowed it to. Black traveled and waited, Trippin analyzed and planned. All this occurred without a single human in the universe knowing about it.

  Chapter Thirty

  Coffee. He’d no doubt it was helping, but he thought maybe he didn’t need it. He was alert enough as it was. Dunn sat in the command chair, eyes glued to his holo-display.

  Black and Oakes had made several course changes over the past ten hours to avoid relatively small KBOs, one kilometer in diameter or less, in their path. As they passed, Black used her arguably inferior sensors to tag their orbits and determine their makeup. Any real accuracy was impossible for Black, as it didn’t have sensitive enough equipment on board to properly analyze the objects, but she did her best. Dunn had studied the report. Uninteresting ice balls or rocks, although Black’s report also indicated exo-solar dust grains floating near them.

  Mira had certainly returned to the solar system from exo-solar space, but it seemed as though she’d floated back with a bunch of junk in her wake. The small KBOs appeared as nothing special, but if they were exo-solar, Dunn might at least have a prize to bring back to Neptune if they couldn’t deliver Mira. At least it would make the Corps’ scientific team happy. He imagined the chief astronomer at Pluto would be happy, too.

  They were less than half an hour away from their target. Already, Black’s sensitive cameras were capturing video and hi-res stills. Dunn watched the video frame by frame. With each additional image, the bad feeling he’d had since Heyes had given him the mission intensified. Mira was a mess.

  The ship was tumbling end over end. Stabilizing her was going to be a real bitch. On top of that, a large portion of the aft engine array was missing. The Atmo-steel had been ripped and torn as though something had smashed through it. The images weren’t quite clear enough to show whether the metal was bent inward or outward. The former meant an impact, the latter an explosion. Once they matched its orbit, they should have a better idea of which it was.

  Taulbee sat in his command chair, presumably modifying his plans with each new byte of information Black collected. Gunny was probably in the briefing room doing the same.

  Dunn initiated a connection to the AI. Black? Based on current data, what’s the projected hull integrity?

  Captain, Black said in his mind, the damage to the aft portion of the ship is significant. Based on current data, I calculate a 68% chance that further damage will result from a tow, and a 45% chance of damage during the stabilization efforts.
/>   He tapped a finger on the chair’s arm. What about the fore-decks?

  Due to the rate of rotation, as well as our relative position, I do not have enough data regarding the ship’s bow and personnel section. Once we match rotation, I should be able to estimate Mira’s hull integrity based on visible surface damage. I suggest the Company proceed with manual inspections on both fore and mid-ships after stabilization. An aft inspection is not nearly as important at this time.

  He nodded to himself. Thank you, Black.

  My pleasure, Captain.

  He severed the link and continued to watch the video. There was barely enough natural light in this area of the Kuiper Belt to see Mira. Black’s cameras were using a combination of filters and sensors to map the ship’s exterior and provide the command crew with a facsimile. He hoped Black’s simulation was accurate. If there was more significant damage to the ship, it would complicate the stabilization process. Hell, it might even make it impossible without severing Mira’s aft section.

  As they approached Mira, Dunn alternated between looking at the camera feeds and through the transparent aluminum cockpit. With each second, S&R Black closed the distance. Small shadowy shapes passed by. Occasionally, one thudded against the hull. The damage report display lit each time, assuring they still had 100% integrity. The smaller rocks bounced off the Atmo-steel like hail. He just hoped they wouldn’t hit a shatter storm. A direct hit on the canopy could be bad for everyone.

  Finally, he saw Mira’s outline through the cockpit viewport. “What’s her rotation?” Dunn asked Oakes.

  He didn’t turn around to answer the question, his eyes remaining focused on the holo-displays in front of him. “Roughly 360° every ten minutes.”

  “Jesus,” Dunn said. “Mira is more than a kilometer in length. That’s moving.”

  “Aye, sir,” Oakes said. “I wonder what the hell happened to make it do that.”