“Captain, would you have your crew suffer without sharing in it with them?”
“Thank you for that, Phoenix. I’d forgotten how it was when I was part of the crew on a Libra ship and outright unfairness was part of daily life. What’s the ETA to the Moise asteroid belt?”
“The hop will take four hours. I’ve prepared reconnaissance drones to enter the asteroid belt once we’re in range,” Phoenix replied, displaying a map of the asteroid belt that showed the estimated location of the raider Beater.
Short Blade sat in silence remembering his time aboard the Beater. He’d been the only non-human crewmember. Once the crew learned that he was knowledgeable about the ship’s functions, they’d treated him as an equal. Later, after he’d almost died while performing a dangerous space walk during a meteor shower to save a pilot and a valuable fighter, he’d been given a commendation and was promoted to chief petty officer. His subsequent petition to become an officer had been accepted, and he’d completed the necessary training to become the only alien lieutenant junior grade in the fleet—just as the war ended and the fleet was demobilized.
“Ten minutes out from the Moise asteroid belt,” Phoenix announced, forcing him back to the present.
“Phoenix, prepare to polarize the hull plates and engage force fields,” he instructed. Hitting the microphone button for the ship’s speakers, he said, “Everyone suit up. I’ve never tested the shuttle’s defenses, so I want to play it safe, just in case a rock comes flying through the hull when we enter the asteroid belt.” He struggled into the confining environmental suit and was relieved when the light on the helmet finally turned green, indicating a good seal.
“Boss, we’re all good back here,” Jimmy said as he finished inspecting Gun’s suit. “Want me to give your suit a once-over?”
“Thanks, Jimmy. I’m in the green. One minute until we enter normal space.”
Short Blade watched the monitor as the empty grayness turned to black space dotted with stars. Suddenly a huge asteroid nearly filled the screen. Phoenix navigated around the obstruction and took a stationary position just outside the asteroid belt.
“Launching reconnaissance drones. No other ships or hazards detected in the surrounding area.”
“Good job, Phoenix. Looks like other than almost double-parking on that one asteroid, you did okay. Bring up the wide-view screen that includes both drones. I want to see what they're seeing,” Short Blade instructed as he removed his helmet. Jimmy and Guns did likewise, and all three began to closely watch the monitors.
Guns saw the fluctuation from reconnaissance drone two as the sensors showed high levels of metal. “Magnify cameras for drone two,” he ordered. There wasn’t enough light, and the dark asteroid was almost undetectable against the black of space.
“Phoenix, what type of illumination capability does the recon drone have?” Jimmy asked. Instantaneously, the drone sent out a flare, bathing the asteroid in light. The battered black hull of the Beater was now visible and the drone’s cameras homed in on it. Gravity from the huge asteroid had brought the ship down onto the surface. The damage to the hull seemed limited to a dozen or so punctures. The view from the drone showed the open hangar bay from which the ship’s crew had escaped in their shuttles almost a year earlier.
“Phoenix, can you detect anything from the ship?” Short Blade asked anxiously.
“Only a small power source is detectable on board the ship. Most likely the battery reserves are still being charged from the solar collectors. I’m unable to communicate with any of the ship’s systems.”
“Phoenix, can you send faeries to evaluate the damage and search for Captain Johnson’s body?”
“I will dispatch the faeries and prepare a set of droids to go to the ship. I’ll have the droids start repairing the damage as I find it.”
“That sounds good, Phoenix. I want finding the captain’s body to be the first priority. Then we’ll look at salvage,” Short Blade responded. He stared at the monitor, not believing that the man he owed so much to lay dead aboard the ship.
The display divided itself into ten views as the video from the different faeries began broadcasting once they entered the ship. Short Blade touched the screen where the hangar bay was displayed, enlarging the view so that it took over almost the entire screen. The nine smaller views were displayed around the border. The hangar was barely visible until the faerie adjusted the settings, changing the view to grayscale to improve the details. Short Blade gasped when he saw a banged-up helmet with deep scratches and a barely discernible hole. It appeared to be frozen to the deck by black ice. The faerie continued on toward the main hatchway. The bulkhead showed evidence of blast damage, the wall pockmarked with holes and dents. On one area of the wall was a long black smear, and under it was the captain.
His lips had retracted, making it look like he was smiling. His eyes were so shrunken they could hardly be seen inside the sockets of his skull. His skin looked like a mix of black and blue leather. The tears in his spacesuit were filled with black ice, and some still had metal fragments protruding from them.
“Damn. I hope it was quick,” Jimmy said softly. “Looks like those fragments went through the hangar’s force field while it was still pressurized. Otherwise, the captain would’ve been wearing his helmet.”
“Poor bastard bled out,” Guns said. “Look at all the blood. The force field must have held after the shrapnel went through it. Who knows how long he suffered.” He turned away from the display and buried his head in his hands.
“Captain, I can send over the droids to retrieve the body and then begin repairs on the ship,” Phoenix offered.
“Go ahead, Phoenix. Just be careful with Captain Johnson’s body. I suggest after it’s recovered you devote most of your efforts to restoring the ship’s AI. It can then direct the Beater’s droids to help repair the ship.”
“Thank you, Captain. I will do as you recommend.”
Short Blade and his crew watched in silence as a pair of droids carrying a small crate between them walked up to the body and attempted to pick it up before realizing that it was frozen to the deck and bulkhead. The crew cringed as the one of the droids produced a long, thin, flat tool and proceeded to scrape the body from the surfaces. Small strips of the captain remained behind, still frozen to the ship. This time the droids picked up the body effortlessly and dropped it into the small crate. One of them closed the lid, and they picked up the crate and walked to the edge of the open hangar. Using their propulsion units, they slowly floated toward Phoenix’s open hatch and delivered the crate to cargo bay one.
“To Captain Johnson,” Jimmy said, taking a swig from his flask and handing it to Guns. Short Blade pulled out his own flask and took a long swig of milk.
“Damn shame he doesn’t have any family left,” Guns said as he took another swig.
“We’re his family,” Jimmy replied as he took the flask and put it back in his jacket, fighting the urge to take another swig.
“What should we do with him?” Guns asked.
“There’s a cemetery near the lunar station for those who died in the war,” Short Blade answered. “That’s the most fitting place for him.”.
“Captain, there’s no damage to the Beater’s AI, although the power line to the AI was damaged during the battle. It will only take a few minutes to repair that. Components of the propulsion systems and life support will need to be replaced, since they can’t be repaired. The droids have begun repairing damage to the hull,” Phoenix reported.
The crew watched in silence while the repairs were being done until an incoming message brought them to full alert.
“Unidentified shuttle, identify yourself or I will be forced to open fire,”
“Beater, this is Lieutenant Short Blade, with Chiefs Wright and Brewster. We are repairing your battle damage. Please establish a link with the shuttle’s AI for an update of repairs being performed. When you’re able to assist, have the ship’s droids begin repairs in conjunction with t
hose already in progress. It’s good to hear your voice again, Beater.”
“Lieutenant Short Blade, it’s good to hear your voice also. Many of my internal sensors are damaged. I’ll need to use my faeries to conduct a survey of damages before I begin my repairs. Were there any casualties to the crew after I went offline?”
“After you jumped away from the battle, the crew was forced to abandon ship. Captain Johnson was the last man on board. He was killed in an explosion. The war ended over four months ago. We are no longer in the Gray Panthers. We’re salvaging you in accordance with galactic law. The Gray Panthers have stood down and most have been released to minute man status. You may access the Phoenix AI to bring yourself up to speed on current events.”
“I understand. There will be no ship access problems, since you and your crew still retain all previous authorizations. I will coordinate repairs with the Phoenix and keep you apprised of my status. Beater, out.”
“Glad to see Phoenix didn’t decide to shoot first and then ask questions!” Short Blade said with relief.
“Sir, the weapons were all offline when we abandoned her. Beater was bluffing,” Guns said with a laugh. “The old girl still has guts.”
“I’ll stay up here and monitor the repairs if you two can go back to the main cargo bay and clean it out. We have an air filtration problem from our last cargo residue,” Short Blade suggested in a manner that left no doubt it was an order.
“Come on, Guns. You shovel and I’ll bag,” Jimmy said lightheartedly as he exited the cockpit.
“Never thought when I grew up I’d be shoveling bovine excrement in space,” Guns muttered as he followed Jimmy.
As Short Blade listened to his crew’s banter he was thankful for their company. The views on the monitor were depressing as he looked at all of the damage to the ship. When the lights inside the ship came on, the view was less dismal. He could see that the droids from the Beater were now performing repairs too. He debated whether he should sell the Beater, knowing that the Republic was offering top price for serviceable ships, but the idea of keeping it to increase his business won out. Before long, he dozed off.
Short Blade woke with a start. The chronometer in the flight deck showed that six hours had passed. Cursing to himself, he contacted the shuttle’s AI.
“Phoenix, what’s the current status of repairs to the Beater?”
“Sir, the Beater has been pressurized. Life support is online and cleaning the atmosphere of harmful gases. The temperature is minus seventy-eight and slowly warming. Propulsion and the FTL drive appear operational. Weapons systems have been repaired and can be brought back online as well.”
“Did Beater report this to you, or did you ascertain this yourself?”
“Sir, I have monitored the progress as I assisted in the repairs. This is my conclusion.”
“Beater, please report ship’s status,” Short Blade commed to the ship.
“Sir, propulsion systems are online and seem ready to go. I will need to test them before they can be considered mission-ready. Navigation and sensors are online. Ship’s life support has been repaired and is currently scrubbing contaminants from the air. Temperature is still too low for human comfort. I estimate it will be another hour before temperature and air quality are at habitable levels. Weapons systems have also been repaired, and ammunition for weapons is at ninety-nine percent. Secondary systems are being inspected for problems. I recommend that a level-one depot inspection be conducted on every system.”
“We won’t be going to any depots, Beater. Once you’re ready, we’ll head for planet Glory. We’ll land on my ranch, where we’ll perform all inspections until I’m satisfied you are mission-ready. Short Blade, out.”
“Crew to the cockpit, please,” Short Blade announced through the shuttle’s comm. Both men arrived almost instantly. “The Beater will be ready in a little over an hour. We’ll dock with her, and I’ll transfer over and assume command. Jimmy, you’ll be in command of the shuttle. You’ll follow me back to the ranch. When we get there we’ll perform a level-one depot inspection of the ship to the best of our ability. When all inspections have been completed, the Beater will be our flagship. I will assume command of her and one of you will take command of the Phoenix. Any questions?”
“Sir, it’s too damn dangerous,” Guns argued. “Any number of things could go wrong. That crate has been sitting out here too long to just jump aboard and take off. Who knows what problems could crop up once it’s underway. Why not just let the AI follow us back to the ranch?”
“Guns, we’ve always trusted the Beater to get us home. If she breaks down, I have the most knowledge of her systems and am most capable of isolating and fixing any problems. I’ll be wearing my suit, since I have no plans of dying today. So, in about an hour we’ll dock with the Beater and get down to business. Imagine the amount of cargo we can move with the Beater. We could move enough cattle to start a second ranch. I’ll monitor things here until we dock. You two check the hatch in the main cargo bay to ensure there’s nothing wrong on our side. That will be all for now.”
When Jimmy and Guns left to check the hatchway, Short Blade let out a sigh of relief. He didn’t want to argue or pull rank on his friends. Then a slight shudder went through him as he realized how dangerous the task ahead of him would be.
As he maneuvered the shuttle alongside the ship, he began to sweat uncontrollably. Telling himself it was the spacesuit that was making him perspire, he stood up from the console and began the short walk to the main cargo bay. Guns and Jimmy met him there and assisted in locking down his helmet visor and checking the various connections on the suit.
“You’re good to go, boss. Sure you don’t want one of us as a wingman to cover your back?” Jimmy asked.
“No, Jimmy. If anything happens, you’ll both be needed on the Phoenix,” Short Blade lied as the hatch opened to the small chamber between the two spacecrafts. He didn’t hear the hatch slide shut behind him as the hatchway to the Beater opened. He noticed that the ship’s bulkheads were wet and realized that was a good sign. Any moisture that had been in the air before had condensed and frozen to the surfaces, so the fact that they were now wet meant the ship was warming up inside.
“Beater, give me an update on life support and ship’s status.” The gravity felt normal, which he took as another good sign.
“Sir, all systems are online. Life support is still increasing the heat to the ship’s interior, as the temperature is only fifty degrees Fahrenheit. Humidity is at eighty percent and lowering steadily. No toxic gases or fumes have been detected.”
Looking back at the digital pad to the hatchway, Short Blade saw that the lights were green, confirming that the hatch was locked. He unlocked his helmet visor and slid it up not quite an inch. The cold moist air that slipped in through the opening felt good against his face. Sliding the visor up the rest of the way, he headed for the flight deck, stopping along the way to inspect any damage he saw to make sure it had been repaired or didn’t pose a hazard.
Entering the flight deck brought back many memories. Brushing aside his feelings, he jumped up into the command chair and forced himself into action.
“Beater, begin pre-ignition checklist. Display all results on main monitor as they are complied with. Phoenix, disengage from the Beater and set a course of one-ten degrees for ten minutes. We will rendezvous with you there.”
“Phoenix copies. We’ll set course for one-ten degrees for ten minutes and wait for you there. Phoenix, out.”
The ghosts of the past seemed to disappear as Short Blade sat back in the seat and prepared to start the ship’s engines. The monitor showed that the checklist had been completed and the AI awaited his order.
“Beater, start engines.”
Short Blade felt the pressure from the vents blow slightly harder and the lights seemed to brighten slightly as he gave the navigation commands. He brought up the engineer’s console so he could review all engine stats while he gave the engines more time to
run. Satisfied with the condition of the engines, he gave the orders to clear the asteroid.
“Beater, take us fifty miles on heading one-ten to get away from the asteroid’s gravity field, then engage the FTL drive to heading one-ten for a duration of ten minutes.”
He studiously monitored the engine stats while keeping an eye on all other systems. Feeling hot and noticing that he could no longer see his breath, he contemplated removing his suit.
“Preparing to drop into normal space on your command,” Beater stated through the bulkhead speaker.
“You may drop to normal space. Scan for the Phoenix once you do.”
The stars and planets once again appeared on the monitor’s screen when the ship entered normal space. Short Blade waited for Beater to report the location of the Phoenix.
“Beater, we have you at ten thousand miles from us. We are at one-eleven degrees and thirty degrees elevation from the Beater,” Guns commed after seeing the Beater drop into normal space.
“Beater, do you detect the Phoenix?” Short Blade asked.
“Sir, sensors need to be recalibrated after the repairs performed by the Phoenix. The work was not completed correctly, even though it passed initial self-inspection. Calibrating all sensors will take one hour.”
“Phoenix, I need to perform more minor maintenance on the sensors. We’re in a quiet part of space, so I suggest you head back to the ranch and I’ll follow when I can. Main systems are online here, so I just need to calibrate the sensors and secondary systems. We’ve already been away from the ranch too long.”
“Copy that, boss. We’ll keep in touch every hour until you return to base. Phoenix out,” Guns replied.
“What’s his problem?” Jimmy asked.
“He’s in command, and he’s not going to ask us to do anything he wouldn’t do himself. We taught him well. Now let’s head back to the ranch. There’s a poker game tonight, and those mercenaries still can’t get the game down right.”
Gray Panthers Captain Short Blade Page 14