by Max Dane
“I want all of these officers online immediately, and where the hell is Holt?”
“I’m not sure, Sir, he said that he would be here, and that-”
A light knock on the door interrupted them.
“Finn, come on in, it’s good to see you,” said Radke shaking his hand hard.
“Thank you, Sir, it’s always a pleasure to see you, too.”
“How’s your father?”
“Very well, Sir, he asked me to bring you this.” Finn handed him a bottle of wine that had the name ‘Holt’ written across the label.
“Did he make this?”
“Yes, Sir, since retiring he has been trying different distractions to occupy his time.”
Radke set the bottle down on his desk, “It was a damn shame to see him go. Please thank him for me, Finn.”
Radke stepped back behind his desk and waved at a chair for Finn. The man was awfully young to be a captain. His father had risen to the level of a very successful fleet commander. Now Finn was following in his footsteps, his first command. The Ajax was a small to medium sized destroyer with a crew of about two hundred. Not too big, but surely not anything to ignore either.
“Finn, I am very busy at the moment and I need your help.”
“Is it the pirates along the rim again?”
“Does it show?”
Finn laughed. It was a joke along the sector that the only thing that could raise Radke’s temperature was a pirate with a plan. And today his face was red.
“How can I help?”
“I didn’t ask for you to come today to talk about pirates; not this time. Finn, I need you for something else.”
“I don’t understand.”
“The Science Council has brought a report to my attention which seems to indicate that the Madras Colony has suffered some sort of unknown disaster.”
“I’m sorry, Sir, the Madras Colony?” said Finn looking confused.
“I know, I was barely aware of it myself,” he said, “it’s a colony way out in the Cetus Beta system.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“The Science Council wants to send a research ship to investigate the incident, and I want you to provide escort.”
Finn’s face fell, the idea of escorting a bunch of scientists to a fringe colony wasn’t exactly comparable to participating in a strike against the pirate fleet.
Seeing his reaction, Radke said, “I know this isn’t the mission you were hoping for, but I want you to know that I picked you specifically because I can trust you. I don’t have a lot of ships to spare, and I need someone that can react well to whatever is there.”
Finn stood up at attention, “Yes, Sir, I understand.”
He smiled, ‘Yes, this was a good choice. Finn’s a good soldier just like his father.’
Radke stood up, walked around the desk and placed his hand on the young man’s shoulder. “Listen, Finn, be careful out there, and remember your protocols. You are in charge of the mission. But that also means you’re responsible if something goes wrong. Use your head, and above all keep those researchers out of trouble.”
“Yes, Sir, when do we leave?”
Radke smiled at him, and turned back to his desk. He picked up a page and handed it to Finn. “This is your commission, Captain Holt; requested and signed by me. I’ve asked Dr. Janos Layton to report to you on the Ajax for direction. As far as I’m concerned, you can leave as soon as the two of you are able.”
Finn saluted and made his way out. Radke watched him leave. He would make a fine fleet commander one day. Now he had to figure out what to do about the mess around the merchant ways.
‘Damn pirates.’
Finn returned to the Ajax to find that Dr. Layton had already parked the science vessel close by. Compared to the Ajax, the science ship looked blocky and plain. He was still smiling when he strode onto the bridge. Commander Micha Alwin was just checking on the jump schedule.
“Commander, what’s our status?”
She saluted and handed him a tablet displaying the current state of the ship in detail.
“Sir, the Ajax has been prepped and stands ready to depart. Dr. Janos Layton is waiting to meet with you in the captain’s lounge.”
“Already?” He was surprised; usually the Science Council could be counted on to be the last ones ready to do anything.
“Very good, Micha, watch the bridge while I see what our visitor has to say.”
“Yes, Sir.”
Finn made his way back through the ship to the captain’s quarters. They weren’t exactly plush, but considering most of the crew slept in magnetic hammocks, his rooms seemed luxurious. The ‘lounge’ was really just another room that sat adjacent to his stateroom. It wasn’t much, but it did give him a place to receive visitors. Walking in, he found the good doctor staring out the window. Arms crossed behind his back, he looked pensive.
“Dr. Layton?”
“Yes, Captain, it’s very good to meet you,” he said crossing the room to shake hands.
“Please have a seat,” Finn said indicating a chair for him. Finn sat down as well and said, “Doctor Layton, please tell me what we should expect at Madras.”
“Well, here’s a copy of what we know at the moment. Review it when you can.”
Layton handed him a data chip. “We think that something has happened to a level three colony.”
Finn nodded, surprised. A level three colony meant that it was a colony firmly established on a hospitable world. Usually they had populations around fifteen to twenty thousand.
“Doctor, a colony that size doesn’t just disappear.”
“I agree. It’s the reason why we’re taking this seriously. And the reason why we had to wait for you.”
“Wait for us?” said Finn.
“Yes, we would have made arrangements to leave earlier, but someone decided we should have military escort,” said Layton with a subtle, almost hidden tone of disdain. Clearly he didn’t think much of the escort, and probably felt the same way about the Fleet association in general. A schism between the military and Science Council had formed years ago, and still flared up now and again today.
Finn pretended not to notice.
“Do you have any information about the current state of the colony?”
“No not really,” said Layton.
He stood up and began to pace, “There has been no contact with Madras.”
“What do you mean no contact?”
Finn was frustrated. Surely the doctor knew that it was nearly impossible to have no contact with a colony. The local authorities were accountable to the inner-authorities of the larger colonies and then there were the usual family connections. A colony was really a collection of families. Each with ties to worlds spanning the whole of human society. Communications were ever-present and ongoing.
“Captain, the last ship scheduled to stop at Madras was a transport carrying another group of colonists; over fifteen hundred plus the crew of the transport. It hasn’t returned.”
“So, you’re saying the colony has simply stopped communicating?” said Finn. Maybe this was a case of another secession. It happened. And with the colonies on the fringe, it was almost expected. Typically, representatives from the Fleet Armada would make an appearance, the local planetary government would cave and things would return to normal.
“Captain Holt, I believe it’s more than that. We received an incident report from a small merchant vessel; one that doesn’t seem to make sense.”
“I’m sorry, Doctor, I don’t understand.”
“The crew of that ship said that the entire city collapsed to dust while they watched. Buildings, vehicles, people, everything.”
“As far as I know, Earth-Fleet ships carry no armaments that would produce that effect. Is there more?” asked Finn curious now. Finn didn’t really understand what had happened there, or know what to expect, but the idea that the people were missing added a new dimension to this trip.
“I’m afraid that
’s all we have for now.”
Finn stood up, “Doctor Layton, I will review your report shortly. Thank you for the mission brief. How soon can your ship be ready to leave?”
“While we were waiting for you, Captain Holt, I sent for some more equipment. We are waiting on one last instrument to arrive.”
“Very good, Doctor. I should say that I have been ordered to oversee this mission by the Fleet Rear Admiral, Jacob Radke. At this time I assume command and ask that you notify me when you are prepared for departure, and that your ship and crew adhere to standard Fleet protocols for the duration.”
“Yes, of course.” Doctor Layton turned to leave, “We’re eager to get started, Captain Holt. Please read the report summary and perhaps we can talk again soon.”
“Very good, Doctor, I look forward to a safe and enlightening journey.”
‘Perhaps the mission would be interesting after all,’ thought Finn.
Bunda System, the Bunda Colony
Light years away, Mr. Nicho Bazil was arguing with a merchant on the third world of the Bunda system.
“What do you mean it’s illegal to sell stethys-apples here?”
“You heard me the first time.”
“But they are bought and sold everywhere!”
“Not here.”
Nicho didn’t believe him. The apples were known to have a small euphoric effect when eaten, but they were hardly illegal. The whole argument was unfortunate, but they didn’t have the time to try and find another buyer.
“Well, how about the Adara wine, and the Vegan produce?”
“Yes, I’ll pay thirty for the first and forty-five for the second.”
The price was fair; he made some quick calculations and nodded to the man. They were still trying to make their way to Deneb, and these small deals on the way kept them going. Nicho radioed back to Bowman, and shortly the cargo carrier opened and descended from the ship.
Previously, at the New Rome colony in the Rigel system, he’d made a nice profit on some vegetable seeds they picked up from Earth several months ago. New Rome could be difficult to trade with, their dislike for off-planet merchandise was well known. But their agricultural district was growing and they needed all the plants they could get. He made a note to pick up more when he got the chance. The exchange today wasn’t as lucrative, but it was acceptable. Captain Cervenko would be pleased, and now they had a contact at the Bunda Colony. He wrapped up the arrangements and said goodbye.
Afterwards, the Juliet took flight and headed towards the next jump point. On the bridge, Alex was talking with Cervenko. The captain looked annoyed, but Alex didn’t seem to notice.
“Miles, I’ve compared itinerary information from each stop on our trip, using the port authority logs from each colony.”
The captain frowned; he was eager to leave the whole affair in the past. It was bad luck to keep talking about it. “Yes, and what did you find?”
“I was finally able to establish at least one other contact from Madras, prior to our arrival. A passenger shuttle that carried three administrative personnel, departing from Madras three weeks and four days before us.”
Cervenko was eager to be done with it, “Yes, Alex, that is all very interesting; but what does it mean?”
“Well, only that whatever happened there, happened less than a month before we arrived.”
Bowman swiveled his chair around, “Doctor, you’re saying that something turned that whole colony to dust in just a few weeks.”
“Yes, except that we don’t really know how long it took, only that it was definitely less than three weeks and four days.”
Captain Cervenko shifted uncomfortably in his chair.
“Alex, we have submitted our report. Let us focus on the path ahead.”
He turned back to the ship’s display, “Sarah, how long until we reach the next jump?”
She pulled up the data on her console.
“At our current speed, we will reach the next jump point in three days, seven hours.”
Bowman frowned, “That’s odd, I did the same calculation yesterday and I showed four full days to cover the same distance.”
“Well, we are on our way my friends,” said Cervenko, “and Nicho promises gold to line our pockets at Deneb. Perhaps we should take time for ourselves as well. ”
“Shore leave?” asked Sarah.
Cervenko nodded, “Let's see what they have to offer first, but yes we are due a break, no?”
Bowman turned back to his console to run the distance calculations again.
This time they came out the same as Sarah’s had.
He rubbed his eyes, ‘Maybe a break would be a good idea.’
Sabik System, New Dublin
It was early morning in New Dublin, and Zane was moving barrels of fish from his warehouse to the loading dock for a late delivery this morning. He was on his third trip with the forklift and guessing that it would take at least two more before he could get back to the office. He still needed to contact the delivery driver and explain that the order was twice what they originally agreed on. Hopefully it wouldn’t be a problem.
He moved the metal barrels into position next to the six already lined up on the platform, and lowered the lift. Stepping out of the driver’s seat, and around the side, he worked the first barrel off the lift and onto the dock. It instantly fell through the dock and landed squarely on the ground below.
Carefully, Zane leaned forward and peered through the hole at the barrel, several feet below him. The barrel was standing perfectly upright, and looked as if it was still intact down there. He noticed the hole was perfectly round, and looked as if it had been cut out to the size of the barrel. It didn’t make sense.
Still trying to understand what happened, a creaking sound from the dock began to manifest, and the platform began to shudder. Confused, he stepped back inside, still watching the dock.
With a crash, the whole front of his forklift fell through the dock platform. It hung there leaning into the large hole.
“What in the- ”
Suddenly, another of the barrels in the group he had just moved, fell through the platform. And then another, and another.
He started forward and slipped, but caught himself.
Looking down he found that slimy water was rushing around his feet, covering the floor. He turned around and followed the trail. His inventory of fish-packed barrels had sprung several leaks. The fishy smelling water was dribbling out onto the floor at a pretty good rate.
‘Damn, what a mess,’ he thought, as the fish smell arose. By the afternoon, the whole warehouse would smell pretty ripe.
He went to the office and picked up the phone.
His wife Coleen was stamping some paperwork.
“What’s wrong with you?” She said, “You look like ye'ev seen a' ghost.”
“The dock, it’s- ” There was another crash from outside.
“What?” she said. “What’s wrong with the dock? And what was that big noise?”
Zane opened the desk drawer and started rifling through bits of paper and receipts.
“Coleen, where’s the number of the man we bought the packaging barrels from?”
“Why, Zane?”
“I think they’re defective, and he’s going to pay to have my dock repaired and my warehouse cleaned.”
Concerned now, she put the paperwork aside and stood up, noticing the fish smell.
“And what’s that smell, Zane?” She walked outside and saw the warehouse flooded with fish brine, and the forklift hanging through the dock beyond.
“Oh my.”
Still staring at the dock, she saw another of the barrels fall though and land below with a heavy thud. Just then the forklift teetered forward and fell through the platform.
“Dear, I don’t think it’s the barrels.”
Barnard's Star, the Ajax
Finn sat on the bridge, and stared at the highlighted path on the star charts before him. The navigator had prepared a ‘shorte
st run’ option to take them to Cetus Beta. Even so, it would still take three weeks to get there. That meant it would also take three weeks to get back. He stared at the numbers and sighed, resigning himself to a long trip.
Space travel required patience, lots of it.
Despite the use of the singularity drive, he thought that space travel was still largely misunderstood. Ships traveled under conventional thrust between jump points taking days, weeks or even months to arrive. Depending on the distance between the points along the way, a ship could spend enormous amounts of time traveling through normal space. And waiting.
“Captain Holt, Dr. Layton has requested to speak with you, sir.” It was the communications officer, Leila Banton. She was new to the crew, still very green and still very formal.
“Thank you, Leila, put him on the big screen.”
The front display changed from stars and nebulae, to the face of the mission science advisor and captain of the research vessel currently sitting just off their starboard side.
“Good afternoon, Dr. Layton, have you received your equipment?”
“Yes, Captain,” the good doctor said with the air of speaking to a child. “We are ready to depart now; you may begin whatever it is that you need to do.”
Finn smiled, ignoring the doctor’s tone.
“Very good, Doctor Layton, we’ll begin the- ”
“Captain Holt, I will contact you once we’re underway to arrange another meeting. Perhaps we can continue our discussion of the Cetus Beta colony,” said Layton not waiting for him to finish.