by Lori Beery
“What the …?” the Captain voiced his surprised.
“My apologies, Captain,” I interjected. “I should have warned you.”
“If you can image full sized fighters, would you help us if we are attacked by pirates?” he asked, hope in his voice and eyes.
“We would help even if we can’t image the fighter,” I assured him. “Have you received more pirate reports from Thendara?”
“No, we have received nothing from Thendara,” he told us.
“I thought the next communication window was two or three days from now,” I said.
“It is,” he confirmed. “I can’t shake the feeling that we are headed into trouble.”
“Can you define that trouble?” I queried.
“What if the pirates attack us as a test of the station’s defenses?” he asked.
“Then they will be surprised,” I stated firmly. “They will learn firsthand what a Hexacle can do. Captain, do you have a brig aboard the Paradise?”
“We do,” he answered hesitantly. “Why do you want to know?”
“We might be able to capture some of the pirates,” I replied. “They might have information we could use.”
“Would you all be willing to come to the bridge the day after tomorrow in the afternoon?” he asked. “We could discuss probable scenarios and defenses for them.”
“Yes, we will come,” I answered. “By then we should know if we can ‘image’ a full size fighter.”
“Good,” he commented. “I will see you the day after tomorrow in the afternoon.”
“Until then,” I said. With that, the captain rose and headed toward the hall’s exit.
“Do you think the Paradise will be attacked?” asked Marleah.
“If the pirates wish to test Thendara’s response, it is likely,” I replied. “It would be easier to prevent the expected communication between the station and the Paradise.”
“Either way, isn’t the Paradise at risk?” inquire Dulain.
“It is,” I confirmed. “That is why we need to go to the meeting with the Captain. They can show us this ship’s capabilities.”
“And we can figure how best to help,” supplied Jacarr.
“Indeed,” I added with a smile. “Let’s head back to our suite.” We rose from the table and started for the doors. As we walked, I drew up beside Lucera. “By the way, you did very well with the demonstration. Nice job!” I told her. She beamed happily.
Chapter 14
After breakfast the next morning, we went to cargo bay four. We were met by two crewmen who were on duty. They opened the doors, giving us access. Once inside, we found there was a window through which the crewmen could see us and we could see them. I signaled them to close the cargo bay interior door. They complied.
The space was vast compared to our suite. It might accommodate four full size fighters. Unfortunately there would be no room to fly them. It would be cramped for just one. It could become necessary to teleport the fighters into space in order to learn to control them. For that, we would have to shield them so as not to alert any pirates in the vicinity. But for today, we would use replicas a tenth of the size of an actual fighter.
“Alright, let’s get started,” I said, getting their attention. “We need wards along the wall interior and over everything other than us.” Beltrain and Dulain handled the wards. “Lucera, please take the image from me. Execute the make-it-real process when you are ready. Don’t forget to draw power from the crystal.” I placed it on a nearby crate and activated it. She took the image. After a moment, a fighter appeared at the other end of the bay, almost to the wall. “Nice! How do you feel?” I asked her.
“That was easy!” she exclaimed.
“Good,” I told her. “Let’s go inspect that ship.” We all walked down to the vessel and took our time looking it over.
“It’s bigger than the toys we were using in the suite,” stated KwinJai.
“Does it operate the same way as the toys?” asked Marleah.
“Not exactly,” I replied. “We will have to analyze the operating systems.”
“Hey, it has beam weapons in addition to the rail guns,” observed Dulain.
“Wait, this is a miniature of an actual fighter,” stated Beltrain. What is the scale difference?”
“It is a tenth,” I supplied.
“Really, we get to work with the real thing?” asked Jacarr.
“Indeed,” I confirmed. “That is, if we can learn to control them.”
“Not if, when,” remarked Jacarr with excitement.
I smiled. The challenge has been accepted. “Lucera, please ‘image’ six more vessels. Put them in a line down the center of the bay from the first ship.” As it turned out, she ‘imaged’ them two at a time. The vessels were lined up as I had directed. They took up less than a third of the space available down the center of the cargo bay. I relocated the crystal so it was near the fourth vessel. When we built the secondary ward, it would be within it.
When she was finished she told me, “I’m fine.”
“Thank you,” I acknowledged her self-assessment. “Let’s get busy. Who will be the first to fly their craft?” They each said they would be the first. The competition was on.
I went through the process of determining what electronics did what. Before too long, I had my craft figured out. It was similar to our little toys. The differences were negligible. I hoped my Hexacle had the same opinion. Presently, I started up my vessel. I lifted it straight up and hovered it two meters off the ground. I flew it toward the wall with the observation window in it. When it was close, I banked and flew it around the perimeter of the room. I had started on my second lap when another ship joined mine. A quick mental scan showed me the other pilot was Jacarr. By my fifth lap, all of us were flying. My Hexacle moved into the vertical hexagon formation we had used with the toys. We flew three more laps. Then, I started flying a figure eight. After six laps, I changed it into an oval, a vertical one this time. We flew eight more laps. Afterwards, I hovered my craft over my vessel’s original location and let it settle to the ground. The others copied me.
“Congratulations everyone!” I praised them. “And great job, Jacarr. You were second in the air.”
“I was,” he stated with a smile.
“Can we try weapons fire now?” asked KwinJai.
“Yes,” I said. “We are going to start with the rail guns. Dulain, will you set a second ward to protect us?”
“Of course,” he replied. Within moments, he had erected the second ward. It covered us like an oval dome set on the primary shield.
“Let’s build some shelves,” I directed. We created shelves randomly in the space beyond the second ward. We made about two hundred of them. “Lucera, please populate the shelves with targets.”
“Like the ones we used before?” she asked.
“That will work nicely, except make them twice as big,” I replied.
“Like this?” she inquired.
I checked her image before saying, “Yes.” She complied. Her targets occupied each of the selves.
“We will first fly the crate side and then turn and fly the opposite side,” I instructed. “Remember to thin the ward as you fly your craft through it. When your ship is on the other side, thicken the wall so the slugs don’t get through. Any questions?”
“This is an individual challenge?” asked KwinJai.
“It is,” I replied. “Do not fly past my section. Those targets are for later. Everyone ready?” They all signaled ready. “Launch!” I lifted my craft off the ground. Flew it toward the ward. When it got close, I thinned the shield so the vessel could easily pass through it. As the ship emerged on the other side, I allowed the ward to return to its original thickness. I positioned my ship before the first target and got the hang of the rail guns. Once I figured out the aiming mechanism, I took out my first target. I moved on to the next. It was easier to hit the target. By the time I finished all the ones on the crate side, it was a fluid moti
on. I set off for the window side. That was easy. I took my ship back to its starting place. Mission accomplished!
I checked on my Hexacle. Dulain was done. Jacarr was returning. KwinJai and Beltrain were finishing their last window side targets. Marleah and Lucera were in the middle of the window side course. It was about sixty deci before everyone was finished.
“Can we repeat the challenge?” requested Lucera.
“Sure,” I replied. “Everybody reset and reload. Launch when ready.”
We wound up running the challenge four times. By the conclusion of the fourth run, the girls were happy with their performance. We reset and reloaded once more. This time we flew the perimeter in formation. Interestingly, we did much better than any other first attempt. Even so, I was grateful we set the second ward. There were some missed shots aimed toward us.
Our next test was to use the beam weapon. These were high energy light weapons. They were capable of vaporizing a person on instantaneous contact. It would be easy to tell when we hit a target; it would simply be gone.
“It is beam weapon time,” I announced. “I feel a need to remind you. These weapons are deadly. They may be one tenth of the original size, but the power is not diminished. Okay, the healer is done talking. Here are your instructions. Paint the window wall with a target. Use it to get the hang of your beam targeting system. Keep your fighter hovering just outside the second ward while you figure it out. Let me know when you are done.”
I launched my fighter. Flew it through the shield taking care to thin and thicken the walls at the correct times. As I hovered my craft, I painted a small target on the window wall. I began figuring out how to control the beam weapon. I saw that the painted target changed color where I hit it with the beam. I tested myself by aiming at the changed colored area and hitting it again. With each consecutive hit, the color changed. Before too long, I was satisfied with my performance.
“Ready!” called Dulain.
“Me too!” shouted Jacarr. The rest of them chimed in as well.
“Good,” I said. “Before we start, let’s erect wards between our personal target ranges.” Soon our ranges were separated by a shield. “Okay, we are weapons-hot. Fly your zones.”
I flew my vessel, obliterating my targets as I went. I cleared the window side first and then moved on to the crate side. It didn’t take long to destroy all my targets. I flew my craft back inside the secondary ward and landed it in its original spot. The others were not far behind me.
“That was incredible!” commented KwinJai.
“It was cool!” agreed Marleah.
“I like this little fighter,” remarked Lucera.
“Are we going to try hitting targets while flying in formation?” asked Dulain.
“That is the next challenge,” I told them. “Lucera, would you repopulate the shelves?”
“Of course,” she replied. The shelves once again contained targets. We dropped the wards in between our ranges.
“Hey, do our vessels have shields?” Jacarr asked.
“They should,” I replied. “Ah, here they are,” I added as I brought them up over my craft. Shortly, all but Lucera had their shields up. “Lucera, did you locate your shields?” Since she was still looking around, I sent her a mental picture of its location. Instantly, she brought them online.
“Sorry, I missed it,” she confessed.
“Not a problem,” I assured her. “You have them up, now. Let’s go hit some targets.”
We each passed through the barrier. Once outside, we shifted into formation. We began our run. We didn’t do too badly. It did take us three passes to clear all the targets. By the fifth try we cleared them on the first run. Then I changed the flight path. Like before our efficiency dropped by quite a bit. We kept at it for ten more runs, improving a little each time. By the end, we were doing pretty well. We landed our ships.
“Well done everyone,” I told them. “That’s enough for now. Let’s drop wards. Lucera, release your images.” The vessels vanished. The wards were removed. The bay was in the condition it was when we arrived. As we departed, the crewmen waved to us. Apparently, they enjoyed watching our activities; which was a little disconcerting. We waved back at the crewmen and headed up to Deck 2. Lunch was calling.
*****
After lunch, we returned to cargo bay four. We prepared for the afternoon session. Beltrain and KwinJai established wards to line the interior and cover the cargo. Then, we each established our ward armor suits.
“This afternoon we are going to be practicing the ‘catch and release’ technic,” I told them. “This is going to be dangerous. I will be flying a fighter one fiftieth the size of an actual craft. The beam will still be deadly but will be more easily deflected by your body armor. Keep in mind, it will be moving very fast. As you become proficient, we will move incrementally to full strength beams. Form your hand wards. Ready?” They all called out their readiness. “Lucera, please take the image from me. Make-it-real when ready.” She followed my instructions. Almost instantly, a tiny fighter appeared at my feet. Smiling, I called my thanks to her. “Here we go,” I warned them.
I launched the tiny fighter and flew it up toward the ceiling, banked, and fired short bursts of the beam weapon at the members of my Hexacle as the fighter passed over their heads. Happily, each of them caught the light energy and converted it into a globe. They were unsure what to do with them. Jacarr played catch with himself. They others copied him until the light energy dissipated.
I ran the next pass so the beams were aimed at their chests. Without hesitation, they received the beam and transformed it into a ball. As they began to play catch with themselves, I made another pass. Only Beltrain controlled both the incoming beam and the one he already held. Jacarr nudged his ball upward and ‘caught’ the new one. The nudged one impacted the shield lining the ceiling. The light energy spread out and dissipated against the ward. Dulain dropped his globe to catch the incoming beam. He controlled the second but the first globe impacted the floor near him. The force knocked him down. I held the second sphere until he regained his control of it. KwinJai pushed his ball horizontally away from him and ‘caught’ the second. Once he controlled the second, he reached for the first with one hand. He slowed it but did not regain control of it before it struck the wall on the crate side. The energy moved out and faded away. Marleah had thrown her first ball up. While it was on its way down, she mastered the incoming beam. She positioned the second sphere under the first and pushed it up into the first sphere. It looked like she was trying to merge them. Although she did get them to revolve around each other, she didn’t get them to become one ball. Instead they flew apart heading for the entrance of the bay and the closer opposite end. The balls smashed into the shield and dissipated. Lucera retained control of the first globe. She grew one of her hand wards into a concave circle. The beam hit the ward and reflected into the crate wall. There it spread out and vanished.
While I walked over to them after landing the fighter, Lucera called, “That was mean of you to fire the second volley before the first one dissipated!”
“Yes it was,” I agreed. “You all came up with different strategies for taking care of the situation. Some of them were more dangerous than others,” I said meeting Dulain’s eyes. He dropped his gaze with a rueful grin. I continued, “Some of them looked like they could have worked if you were given more time. What comments or questions do you have?”
“I want to know how Beltrain was able to control both beams,” said Marleah.
Beltrain told them, “I divided my awareness so I could keep control of the first ball and exert control on the second. That way the first ball didn’t get away from me.”
“That sounds so easy,” responded Marleah. “I didn’t think of that. I thought I could merge the two together. But it didn’t work.”
“You came close,” I assured her. “You just needed to push them together.”
“Really?” she asked. I gave her a nod.
“
Dulain, are you okay?” I asked.
“I’m fine,” he replied embarrassed. “As you said, those beams are powerful. I’m grateful we were using the smaller fighter. And – thank you for not letting the second ball hit the ground.
“What happened?” I questioned him.
“I’m not exactly sure,” he confessed. “I think I froze. I just stopped controlling the first ball and turned to the incoming beam. Then the first ball hit. I fell and lost control of the second one. Thanks for catching it for me!”
“Not a problem,” I told him. Turning toward Lucera I inquired, “What made you think of a reflector?”
“Fear!” she declared. “I didn’t want it to hit me. I just wanted to push it away.”
“You did that very well.” I commented. Turning to include all of them, I added, “We are going to try the same thing again. All of you will try to divide your awareness and control both beams as globes. Once you have them, I want you to try merging them together. Any questions?”
“To merge them we just push them together?” asked Marleah.
“Yes, that is all,” I confirmed. “It may take more force than you think. And don’t get the ward in between them. Get ready.”
I launched the little fighter and flew it pass my Hexacle at chest height without firing until I reached the crate side of the bay. I opened fire on them. As before they ‘caught’ the first beam easily. I completed the lap before I fired on them again. This time they were ready. They were able to control the second beam and convert it into a ball while maintaining control over the first sphere!
I landed the vessel and walked over to them. I wanted to be on hand for the merging process. Marleah was the first to try. This time she exerted enough force to make them coalesce into a single ball. The rest of them successfully achieved the process.
I reached out to the fighter, lifting it off the ground. I made it hover in the middle of our space and open fired on my Hexacle. Lucera made an indignant squawk as she shifted her awareness to handle the new incoming beam. This time she ‘caught’ the unexpected weapon’s fire and deftly transformed it into a ball. She was not the only one to respond so. They all successfully met my challenge! Again they merged the spheres into a single ball.