Curse of the Altered Moon: Altered Moon Series: Book Two (The Altered Moon Series 2)

by AZ Kelvin

  “Good evening, GABI.”

  “Good morning, Captain,” she replied.

  Two years ago GABI had been limited to the Captain’s quarters and was unknown even to the crew of the Altered Moon. Boss thought it best to keep the sentient artificially intelligent ‘persona’ a secret from everyone. After the thwarted mutiny attempt of Trigger Treesh two years ago, GABI had become a regular member of the crew. A short time later, ‘She’ received a hover drone from Nelson Moon on Cantankerous Base back before the Kang invasion that gave her the freedom to float around under her own power. Now, she was the operations officer of the Altered Moon and had a dock built into the operations station, which allowed her to project herself in every compartment, except crew quarters of course. Since she didn’t need sleep, she was the perfect backup for every position on the ship.

  “Yes, it is morning isn’t it? Sitrep, if you please, GABI.”

  “Ship-wide check is complete, Captain. Results are as follows: Ship systems overall are at ninety-two-point-six percent operational. Life-support systems are operational and secure. Dark matter propulsion systems are ready and standing by. Inner system engines are operational. String field drive and quantum jump computer are available at your command. Main thruster system is seventy-six percent operational with twenty-five portside thrusters disabled. Portside burst emitter has been destroyed, which leaves special tactic options inoperable. Particle cannons are operational. Portside forward missile port is damaged. Three compartments are currently decompressed with emergency bulkheads in place. Emergency defense fields are energized and the shields are holding at fifty-two percent.” GABI looked at CJ and finished her report with, “No fatalities.”

  No fatalities, he thought to himself. The statement seemed to trigger the fatigue of the last day and a half. “Very good, thank you, GABI.”

  “Preliminary scans are complete. The analysis is available on the command station readout.”

  “Thank you.” CJ sat down heavily in the captain’s chair and brought up the analysis. The more he studied the report, the more confused he became. “What’s this? Cargo containers? Dozens of cargo containers. All empty?”

  “It appears so, but why would anyone go to such lengths to hide empty cargo containers?” GABI asked rhetorically.

  Disappointment and irritation, followed by anger, ran through his mind. After everything they went through to get here, there could have at least been something shiny. But noooo, rusty old cargo containers is what we find. Cursed is right. CJ leaned forward and put his head in his hands with his elbows on his knees.

  “Ugggh, I’m tired.” He yawned and groaned. “I’m going to have to sleep on this one, GABI. Set autopilot to station keeping and stand down ship’s operations. Resume at zero-eight-hundred.”

  “Understood, sir.” She set thruster control to maintain their position and then engaged the periodic scans and perimeter alerts.

  “I’d like to have a moment alone, please, GABI.”

  “Of course, Captain.” She nodded and shimmered away.

  CJ liked to sit alone on the bridge when things were quiet and listen to the sounds of the ship. He leaned back in the chair and put his head against the headrest. He closed his eyes for a second and felt the muscles in his neck and shoulders relax. His mind began to wander. He saw Katy and himself meeting for the first time at the crew muster for the Istraulis. He’d fallen in love with her immediately. His body recoiled in the chair as the image of a Kang warrior ripped through the scene, grabbed Katy by the arm, and shot a weapon at CJ. The blast blew him out through the hull and into space. He tumbled ass over applecart through the void.

  “How am I still alive—still alive—still alive—still alive…?” he asked with only an echo for an answer.

  He tried to turn around only to find his old nemesis, Trigger Treesh, laughing while he kicked CJ in the head. He reeled backward from the force of the kick and bounced off the hull of a Marlacuer Imperial Security ship, landing in a cargo container that constantly overflowed with an endless supply of black diamonds. Suddenly the cargo container was gone and he was surrounded by dozens of ships, all bearing down on him with weapons hot. They fired at him once and CJ cringed in a vain attempt to escape the oncoming barrage just as someone called out to him.

  “Seedge!” Space bridge space, “CJ!” space bridge—Katy.

  “Katy?”

  “Hey, why don’t you come to bed? Come on.”

  CJ sat forward rubbing a stiff neck, “Uh, that was a trippy friggin’ dream.” He smacked his lips to try to relieve the dryness from sleeping with his mouth open. He got up from the captain’s chair and put an arm around Katy. Too tired to worry about the empty containers, he smiled and said, “Good idea.”

  Together they went off and left the discovery of the century for another day.

  *~*~*

  Chapter Four

  The couple of hours of sleep CJ got felt more like a couple of minutes. Thirty-six hours of constant ship repair up against five hours of sleep just didn’t balance, but the gaping hole in the infamous Wall called out to him like a siren to a sailor. He got up and walked over to the desk. He sat down in an elaborate and ornate high-backed chair he had kept from the council chamber of the long-dead Union of Allied Worlds he and the crew found hidden away on Arzia Octonus a couple of years back.

  What an incredible adventure that was. He started out as an engineer looking for steady work; uncovered a Humanity-wide conspiracy; exposed a looming invasion of the hostile Kang; made friends with the Keect’na, a race of crystalline beings and enemy of the Kang; and ended up as captain of the Altered Moon.

  Fate had smiled on the good ship and crew since then, with steady work and steady income, although things had not exactly been oozing with excitement. That is, until they caught wind of a mysterious rumor in an establishment that wasn’t exactly filled with thugs and criminals, but had a staff that frequently ‘forgot’ to check IDs and insignias. The rumor told of a planetoid with a strange and unnatural wall at the end of a long tunnel. Over time, the unknown aspect of The Wall transformed into many treasures, riches, and secrets that grew and changed each time the story was told. The curious rumor was what eventually brought them to the door of Tuffy Polenz, who supposedly had a map to the remote planetoid with the strange wall.

  Now here they were and the infamous Wall was open; it beckoned them to come in and solve the mystery. CJ remembered that the sensor report GABI generated still waited for him. He lifted the forearm cuff for his datpad off the desk and pulled the micro thin device out with a soft, sliding click. He touched the top with his fingertips, which activated the datpad, and then lifted and spread his fingers to access the display option. Fully opened, the display measured sixteen centimeters wide by twenty-four centimeters long with a keyboard along the bottom, a main display screen, a comms unit, a mini cam, and a nano computer all contained in a millimeter thick smartpad.

  The modern datpad was the descendant of every desktop computer, laptop, notebook, tablet, smartphone, streamcast receiver, e-music player, and any other piece of technology that was used to work, watch, or play on. The typical datpad mounted into a cuff worn on the wrist and was lighter weight than an antique wristwatch from ancient Earth. The surface was touch activated, or it could be programed for voice recognition and navigated with standard touch screen control gestures.

  The datpad generated an energized photonic matrix screen, which served as video communications, data retrieval, and online connection to the cosmonet, besides countless other everyday uses. The resistance of the energized photons gave the skin of the fingers the impression that they were in contact with a physical screen.

  The datpad was wirelessly connected to a small headset that wrapped around the base of the ear against the head, the top end resting in the small cavity where the upper helix of the ear meets the tragus. Every citizen of the Marlacuer Empire was given a datpad of their own at the age of ten when they completed t
he General Education Program and entered the Career and Technology Training Academy.

  The datpad was not only for education and entertainment, but also worked as a passport used in conjunction with a civilian ID card to allow the citizen to travel in and around the Empire. It held credentials and special authorizations as well, such as those needed for pilots, tech specialists, or investigators. The datpad itself and the cuff could be replaced, customized, or upgraded, but had to always be working and available for inspection upon request by any Imperial authority. If you went anywhere public without your datpad and CivID card, you could expect to get a free ride to the nearest security post.

  Lawful authorities were not the only ones who knew the importance of the datpads. Spies and criminals devised ways to hack into datpads to steal identities and information or to clone them to track a citizen’s every movement. Hacking a datpad was a very difficult procedure and carried a hefty sentence if caught, but those who operated on the outside of the law, be they criminals or imperial agents, found the risk acceptable, even preferred.

  That said, most citizens of the Empire happily used their datpads for work and communication or to access the Imperial Entertainment Network on the cosmonet, where they could download the hottest music release from Stellar Core or the latest transparent spacesuit issue of Heavenly Bodies e-gazine.

  CJ linked his datpad to the ship’s database and downloaded the sensor analysis on the hole in the wall. He placed a single-serving coffee disk in the brewer slot and a mug in the dispenser then poked the brew icon. The machine atomized the coffee and bonded it to the hot water as it filled the mug. Five seconds later, he sipped his coffee while he read over the report.

  “Fix one for me, will yaaaaaahhhh?” Katy asked from the bed and finished up with a stretch and a yawn. “What time is it?”

  “Sure and it’s a quarter after six.” He repeated the coffee routine. “GABI,” he said into the comms.

  “Yes, Captain?”

  “Status report, please.”

  “No changes, Captain. Ship operations are normal.”

  “Thank you. I’ll be on the bridge shortly.”

  “Very good, Captain.”

  The coffee was done by the time Katy got up and walked over to the desk. She had a nightshirt on hanging down to just above mid-thigh. Her dark blonde hair, loose from its standard ponytail, fell around her shoulders. The nightshirt draped along her slender body and teased him with the outline of her breasts.

  “Damn Chief,” CJ said with a heavy exhale, “you do make a man hungry.”

  “Why, Captain”—Katy threw him a sultry look—“whatever do you mean?” She accepted the mug of coffee from CJ and smelled the cinnamon and cream he made sure was added to her mug. She looked down warmly at him. “I gotta pee.”

  CJ laughed and shook his head. “Where has the romance gone?”

  “It’ll be back later. I’m gonna shower, too.” Katy walked away with a little added swing to her hips causing the nightshirt fabric to ripple from the wiggle of her behind.

  “Oh, now, that’s just not fair,” CJ complained, but still watched her walk away.

  Katy stepped into the lavbay, which held both the toilet and the shower. One good thing about hydrogen matrix fuels, plenty of heat and plenty of water, both byproducts of the process of burning it. Warm quarters and hot showers could make a big difference at the end of a long day. She hunched forward on the pot and let her eyes close; she gave a slight push as she listened to the soft hiss-tinkle of peeing. Once finished with her toilet business, she ran the water for a minute before getting into the shower.

  The hot water ran down from her head to her feet and washed away the previous day renewing her energy for the upcoming day. She thought over the repairs slated for the day while the others would be dealing with whatever awaited them behind the cavern wall.

  The hailstorm of projectiles pierced hull panels, tore through power junctions, and who knows what other damage waited to be found until full inspections could be done. It was going to be busy all around.

  Katy dried herself and slipped into her panties and bra. She brushed her hair back and decided to tie it into a braid. She’d hate to lose a chunk of hair in a machine because it was hanging loose. CJ stepped in for his turn in the shower, as she finished her braid and dressed for her duties in the engineering bay.

  She put on a long-sleeved base layer top and a pair of flight suit liner pants then slipped her steel-blue coveralls on over those. She stomped into a pair of flight boots she liked to wear because they were lightweight and more comfortable than work boots. She stuffed the legs of the coveralls into the tops of the boots and secured the magstrap. A work harness with a utility belt and her datpad finished off her ensemble.

  Katy downed what was left of her coffee as CJ came out with a forest green expedition style short-sleeved shirt on over a dark grey long-sleeved base layer. He had on grey-and-green-splotched flight pants which almost matched his shirts. As always, he wore his high-top parkour shoes, as well as what he called his ‘action’ jacket, which resembled an ancient Earth bomber jacket, but was made of much lighter and far more technical material.

  “You ready?” he asked.

  “Yup.”

  They made their way to the crew mess in time to catch Cat and Cal, as they prepped a quick breakfast. “Hey just in time, Cap, Chief. Coffee?” Cal said, with a nod to each.

  “Good morning, Cal, yeah, sure,” CJ said.

  “Morning, you two,” Katy said. “Thanks, Cal,” she added while Cal set down a carafe of coffee and two mugs.

  “Hey, Doc, how’s your patient today?” CJ asked.

  “Not very patient, if you know what I mean,” Cat said. “Gina just took him some breakfast, so that should calm things a little. The tests all came back normal this morning, so I probably could clear him for duty.”

  “Well, don’t clear him unless you’re comfortable with it, but I could use him on the bridge.”

  “Roger that, I’ll tell him. Besides, if I have to listen to another fact about ancient Earth, I may put him back into a coma.”

  “Ha, ha, the man does have an endless supply, I’ll tell ya that,” Cal said.

  The four of them talked about what had happened over the last two days as they ate a quick meal. The talk was lighthearted. The ship was still in one piece, and crew morale seemed to be okay, which made CJ feel better about moving forward. He pushed away from the table and picked up his plate.

  “I’ll get the dishes today,” Cat volunteered.

  “Thanks, Cat,” Katy said. “I’ll get the next round. Thanks for cookin’ too.”

  “No worries.” Cat waved it off. “Hey, I’m okay with doing up to moderate repairs if you need any help with anything. I mean, I don’t know my way around an engine, but I can hook up power junctions and readout panels easy enough.”

  “Stellar! Thanks, you’ll be hearing from me, for sure,” Katy said happily. “I got all kinds of things to keep you busy. Good luck out there, boys.” She waved, as she headed down to engineering after a peck on the cheek for CJ.

  “Cal, prep Moonshadow and make sure there are three full work packs loaded. We’ll leave when you’re ready,” CJ said, as he moved to the door.

  “You got it, Cap, but three work packs?” Cal asked to make sure he heard right.

  “Yeah, Gina’s coming along and I want one for her if we need it.” CJ turned to Zhu. “And thanks, Doc, for taking care of Boss.”

  “It’s my pleasure, Captain. You three take care out there.”

  “Will do, you’ve got my word on it.” He beckoned to Cal on his way out. “Make your report to the bridge when you’re ready.”

  “Aye, aye, Cap.”

  CJ walked the corridor through the crew quarters and the squad room, opened the hatch, and stepped onto the bridge. GABI shimmered into view as he stepped in. “Good morning, Captain.”

  “Good morning, GABI. Are you ready for our adventure today?”

  “I
am fully charged and operational with great expectations for the day. However, I believe a change in mission personnel would be beneficial to the outcome of the mission.”

  CJ turned slowly to look at GABI with a sly questioning expression. She anticipated his next question. “No, Captain, Gina did not put me up to this. The mission has changed now that the hole can accommodate the shuttle instead of a single person in a thruster suit. I cannot interact with the shuttle’s flight computer as I can with the Altered Moon. The logical choice would be to take Gina.”

  “Yes, I came to that same conclusion, earlier,” CJ said and added smugly, “I just haven’t told her yet.”

  “I see.” GABI nodded slightly and smiled. She may be synthetic, but she still fully appreciated humor. “I am sure that she will be pleased with the change in orders.”

  “Oh, I am sure she will, as well,” he responded wryly. He thought of the feisty star pilot’s tendency to end up in the middle of the action. “She’ll be fired up, all right.”

  “Who’ll be fired up?” Gina asked. She’d just caught the last part of the sentence as she came on duty. “Good morning,” she said.

  “Good morning, Gina,” GABI said.

  “Morning, G. GABI was just saying that she is ready to get started.” He was just about to tell Gina that she was going on the mission.

  “At least somebody gets to have some fun.” She plopped heavily into the pilot seat.

  “Ha, ha, haaa,” CJ let loose a sly laugh as he drummed a short rhythm on the arm of his chair. “Let me know, will you?”

  “Know what, sir?” she asked cautiously, as she spun partway around.

  “How you like the taste of crow.” CJ watched as the realization set in that she was going along.

  Gina obviously realized she had stepped right in it with no chance for a clean getaway. “Huh, well, sir, it has a bittersweet taste—as usual.” She finished the last part under her breath.

  CJ threw her a smug smile and then winked. “So, go get the shuttle prepped and take her through preflight before I change my mind.”