Alliance (Terran Chronicles Book 4)

by James Jackson

  John glances at Joe who gives him a thumbs up before he responds. “Thank you, Raider out.”

  Joe watches his own console with interest. “Well, I set this up to monitor the ship’s systems, but now it is displaying the Terran.” He pauses while he reads a huge catalog of data, then exclaims, “Oh my! This ship lists the Terran’s internal decks, including the new elevators, and the rail guns. There is even a manifest of what was in our hangar deck before we landed.”

  John’s jaw drops, “How did they know all that?”

  “It seems as if that ship we destroyed took some sort of scan.” Joe replies, impressed with the Effen Raider’s technology. Joe touches his console, deselecting the Terran from the ship’s list of targets. He frowns as Oglan cities begin to display, almost as if the system requires something to aim at.

  A few minutes pass before Joe speaks again, “Well, this ship’s weapon systems are either on or off, and when they are on, they automatically select a target, based on some priority I have yet to figure out.”

  John volunteers, “Could it be based on threat level?”

  “It could be,” Joe replies, and then asks doubtfully. “But then, what threat are the Oglan cities?”

  “I have no idea. Anyway, it is time to test the sub-light engines,” John adds excitedly.

  Joe reviews his data then says with mild trepidation, “Let’s get some distance from the planet first.”

  “Okay,” John replies as he taps the sub-light engine control icon.

  Both men stare in apprehension as the thruster controls retract into John’s console.

  CLICK

  They jump at the sound which came from the left hand side of John’s console. While they stare at the source of the sound a small panel slides away. Seconds later a stubby looking joystick clicks into place. Neither man had expected controls like the levers or this joystick on such an advanced craft.

  John takes a deep breath, then cautiously grasps the joystick. To his surprise it is quite soft, almost squishy in his hand. The second he has a grip on it, the device goes slack, allowing him to move it. Glancing at Joe he says, “Well, here goes nothing.”

  John gingerly pushes the joystick forward the barest of amounts. The craft’s nose immediately dips down. John begins to sweat a little, “This control is damn sensitive,” he says, stating the obvious.

  Joe frowns as he glances from console to console, and asks, “How do you accelerate and decelerate?”

  John lets go of the joystick. The craft noticeably slows while the control reverts to its original position. “That is the weirdest feeling control I have ever felt,” he says, a little unnerved. He grips the control once more, and this time gives it a gentle squeeze. The ship lurches forward, causing him to smile. He glances at Joe, nods, then gently pushes the control to the left, then the right.

  Joe glances at his console then says in surprise, “Hey, I didn’t feel those maneuvers at all.”

  “You’re right!” States John, equally surprised.

  John squeezes harder and banks the craft up and around in a wobbly three-sixty. He stops squeezing as he rolls the stick to the right and as he does so is surprised to see a brief flare of energy ahead.

  Before he can comment, Joe states in awe, “Multi-directional sub-light engine ports, that’s what the flash was.” Joe gulps as the realization that this ship could literally stop on a dime, whereas the Terran has limited means of decelerating.

  John has not been flying them in any random direction. Rather, he has steadily been moving them toward a small cluster of asteroids which orbit the Oglan sun. This cluster pales in comparison to those between Mars and Jupiter, but it will do for their next test.

  Joe taps the icon which represents the ship’s weapons. The translation calls the weapons lasers, and the ship would appear to have two of them, both of which aim forward.

  Finding a particularly large asteroid, one about the size of the ship they are in, is an easy enough task. While John does his best to keep the ship stable, Joe activates the weapon’s targeting system.

  John stares at the asteroid that pivots and rolls in space before him. It is close enough that the screen is able to display the image at normal resolution. A fresh bead of sweat works its way down John’s face as he tries to keep the asteroid in their forward arc.

  Joe glances at John and says, “Is the control really that sensitive?”

  “It’s worse than a hair trigger on a shotgun,” John retorts as he concentrates.

  Targeting the asteroid is no easier, Joe has to fight the computer’s desire to ignore the lump of rock. Finally his console reports a lock, with which he proudly states, “We have a weapon’s lock.”

  “Fire!” John replies with growing anticipation.

  Joe taps the icon to fire as he looks up. Both of them observe the briefest of flashes, then at almost the same instant, the asteroid explodes. Debris shatters in all directions, including theirs. The Asteroid has all but been vaporized. Joe gulps as he taps the icon for shields, while at the same instant John’s amazing reflexes are put to the test. He works the joystick controller frantically as he dodges chucks of asteroid in an effort to get them away from the fragments.

  With his adrenaline flowing, John turns to Joe and says, “Damn. Let’s test another one, but a little farther away this time.”

  Joe grins widely and finds another target. They destroy eight more asteroids before heading toward open space to test the main drive.

  Once there is nothing before them, John taps the main drive icon. The familiar kaleidoscope of colors rushes at them as the ship accelerates. John stares at his console, and in particular at a grey bar on its left hand side. Of the bars segments, the lowest is lit. He glances to Joe and with disbelief asks, “What are the odds that this race uses the same measuring system for speed as the Gamin?”

  Joe frowns then says, “Well, that depends on if they actually use the speed of light as a reference.” He shrugs his shoulders and states, “These consoles look like hybrids of ours, so perhaps.”

  “Well, if that holds true, then we are at factor one, and holding,” John responds.

  Joe glances at both consoles, nods, then with a frown, points at John’s panel and says, “Does that look like a tacho to you?”

  “Yeah, it does,” John replies curiously.

  “Well it says ‘Engine Core’” Joe says, stating the obvious.

  The round dial has a needle which hovers at the first of six markers. The needle seems to flicker up and down, as if it were measuring a revving engine.

  John continues to stare at his console, and says, “Why didn’t the sub-light control retract like the thruster panel when we switched to the main drive?”

  Joe shrugs and replies, “I have no idea.”

  On a hunch, John carefully grips the control and finds that it is more rigid than before. He gently squeezes the control, and is rewarded with an obvious burst of speed. The second segment lights up, while the tacho device creeps up to a ten o’clock position. He squeezes the control harder, and is rewarded with three more segments lighting up. This is immediately followed by the gauge slowing swinging to a previously unnoticed orange band at around the two o’clock position.

  “Factor five and holding,” says John excitedly.

  Joe grins, then glances at John’s console and says, “Look, an icon marked ‘automatics’. It was not there before.”

  John feels his heart racing as he touches the icon. The instant it lights up, John’s controls go slack. His heart skips a beat, then he relaxes as the ship continues flying on. “Yes!” he shouts in excitement.

  Joe’s excitement is tempered by his observations. “I am puzzled,” he says, then quickly adds, “according to your speed graph, this ship can do better than factor ten. But,” he adds pointing to the tacho, “If that represents the engine core, then we must be close to this ship’s engine limits.”

  Both men stare at the tacho needle, which hovers between the four and fifth marke
rs, out of the six on the dial.

  Finally John ventures a thought, “Perhaps this is a generic console?”

  “Perhaps,” Joe replies in agreement.

  John stares at the joystick then with a frown asks, “I wonder if this ship can turn at this speed?”

  Joe gulps then replies nervously, “Ah, I don’t know how we could. The Gamin technical guide states that turning at these speeds is an impossibility, due to the stresses involved.”

  John stares at the joystick and says confidently, “Whoever built this ship seems to have thought of everything. So I am pretty sure if we’re not meant to, then that control won’t allow it.” Grasping the joystick, he ever so slightly pushes it to the left.

  Joe’s jaw drops in disbelief as their craft begins to make a wide arc in space. The needle on the tacho swings all the way to the sixth and final marker, and stays there. John returns the joystick to its central position and smiles as the needle drops back down to the fifth marker.

  Joe finally finds his voice, “Mate, we have gotta get back and report this!”

  “For sure,” John replies.

  “Hey,” Joe exclaims, “Let’s see if that device can locate the Terran.”

  John lifts his eyebrows as he replies, “That’s a great idea.”

  Grinning widely Joe taps the icon marker ‘Scan Mode’ and waits. Within seconds a blip appears on their screens. Joe adjusts his navigation view, then touches the blip. His jaw drops as detailed information on the Terran begins to scroll on his screen. He gulps as exact telemetry figures are transferred to John’s console along with the phrase, ‘select yes for new course.’

  John stares at the simple statement for a few seconds, then taps the ‘yes’ option. The craft immediately turns and adjusts its heading. John gulps and says, “No wonder the Effen Raiders were able to track us last time.” The hair on the back of his neck raises as the ramifications of this technology begin to sink in. He turns to Joe and says with building concern, “Did you say this device can detect ship’s engines up to fifty light years?”

  Joe face twitches as he replies with building apprehension, “Yes. Fifty light years.”

  John glances at Joe then says, “Well, let’s keep this thing on and monitored, when we get back.”

  Joe glances at John and replies, “I think it only picks up Gamin engine signatures.”

  “But we can’t be sure? Can we?” States John. He adds. “It is possible it could pick up any ship.”

  Joe shakes his head and replies, “It is possible, but from what I can see it scans some sort of energy signature that is specific to our engines.” He turns to John and says, “But I do agree that someone should monitor this scanner twenty-four-seven.”

  John gazes ahead, “Crap.” He grabs the controls and slows them down.

  Looking ahead Joe is surprised to see the Terran’s hull before them. They are so close that the interlocking hull sections on the ship’s side are visible. Joe taps the communications icon and says, “Terran, this is Joe. We have finished our tests and will attempt to dock inside the hangar.

  John slowly moves them alongside the massive ship, then swings down beneath it. The Terran’s ramp is open, and though it is large, their ship seems larger. John checks his flight path two more times before he commits to it.

  Radclyf and Hayato stand in the hangar deck, and watch in amazement as the ship slowly enters. Both men nod in appreciation at John’s skills as he brings the ship inside. By the time the craft is fully inside, the hangar deck has hundreds of spectators.

  The alien spacecraft lands on the deck, its side opens up, then Joe comes rushing out. With a mixture of excitement and concern, he relays the results of their test flight.

  Cindy arrives at the hangar deck, then listens as Joe retells his story. Once he mentions how effective the scanner is at pinpointing the Terran she lifts her hand and interrupts his ramblings. “I agree with you Joe. We should watch the scanner and be on the lookout for other ships.” With the briefest of glances at Hayato and Radclyf, she indicates that their teams will be monitoring the device.

  As more of the bridge crew arrives on the scene, Cindy surprises them when she says, “Okay, we need to name this cute little ship we found.”

  “Cute!” states John with a hint of indignation.

  Cindy grins and says, “But, she is yours,” she nods to John.

  Peter smiles at Cindy’s use of the word found, because in reality, they stole it at gun point. As word spreads that the ship is to be named, people begin calling out various suggestions. “Vengeance, Intrepid, Wanderer, Victory, Defiant, Liberty Two...”

  Cindy interrupts the flow of offerings when she calls out loudly, “Who said Victory?” She gazes at the growing crowd and waits for a reply.

  After a few moments, one of the kitchen hands steps forward. The young man seems almost embarrassed and stammers, “Uh, I did miss, I mean Admiral.”

  Cindy shakes her head at his discomfort and motions for him to walk over to her. She calls out, “Does anyone have a bottle of wine to christen the ship?”

  Within minutes a bottle is procured. The young man holds the bottle nervously, then with a gulp, breaks it on the nose of the ship.

  Cindy calls out, “We name this ship ‘Victory’, and may she serve us well.”

  The hangar deck becomes a bedlam of noise as people roar and cheer. Cindy walks over to John and has to shout to be heard, “Will you go and get Emma please? She insisted on doing some last minute work at the research settlement.”

  “No Problem,” John replies. He has to wait for the crowd to thin before he can safely launch their smaller survey shuttle.

  Fateful Decisions

  Location:

  Starship Terran

  Planetary Orbit

  Oglan

  Cindy stares at Emma, then with a sigh replies, “No. I am not staying here any longer. You can either come with us to the derelict, or stay here with your team. The choice is yours.” She puts her hands on her hips, her exasperation clearly showing.

  Emma shakes her head and pleads, “We have only been here for three weeks, and have barely begun to understand this planets ecology.”

  Cindy’s composures softens. She smiles as she replies, “Emma, we have had this discussion before, and I am sure we will have it again. But my decision stands. Our primary mission is to salvage the derelict. This has always been a secondary objective.”

  Emma lowers her head, and speaking softly, admits, “I know. Actually you have stayed here longer than I thought you would.”

  Cindy laughs softly, “Well, I can’t take credit for that, the engineers finished the repairs to the Terran only yesterday.”

  “That took a while. I thought George was helping them?” Emma states.

  “George spent a lot of time examining that new ship with Joe and John,” Cindy responds with a twinge of annoyance.

  Cindy deliberates over the last few weeks, then smiles once more as she considers their progress. Each team of engineers has worked around the clock to repair the ship’s damage. In the process, they designed and created, specialized lift equipment to assist them. The most time consuming task however, was finding the sections which had been expelled into space. Creating new hull pieces would have taken considerable effort, and virtually all of George’s time. But thanks to John’s ingenuity, they found the pieces, and repaired the damage.

  Emma can tell that Cindy is thinking and waits for a few moments before making her final request. “Can I at least have one more day, so I can hand over my duties to the team leaders?”

  “One more day?” Cindy questions, then tilts her head. To Emma’s surprise, she agrees, “Just one more day it is.” She turns to George, who has been busy working at his terminal, and adds, “You may as well go back down to the planet and assist Patrick.”

  George replies quickly and happily, “No Problem. He is still at the old Gamin dock, converting it into base metals. He had planned to catch the last shuttle back, and
I am sure he will also be happy to have an extra day.”

  Cindy nods and says, “He does like those people, doesn’t he?”

  George smiles and replies, “The Oglans, what’s not to like? They’re a friendly and sociable people.”

  The time passes quickly, too quickly for some. Emma understands that this extra day is a major concession by Cindy, and takes full advantage of it. She diligently hands over all of her research notes, then goes over each team’s objectives before leaving.

  The next morning the command crew begins steadily making their way back to their usual workstations. Cindy acknowledges each of them as they take their stations. Patrick is the last to arrive, and seems downhearted. He says nothing as he connects his suit to his workstation. Cindy considers asking him what’s on his mind, then thinks better of it.

  Cindy nods to her crew with approval, then says, “John, plot a course for the derelict, and get us there as fast as you can, will you?”

  “Yes ma’am,” he replies cordially, a thin smile plays on his lips.

  Patrick stares at the planet as they move away, then unexpectedly says, “I wish we could help them.”

  “We did all we could,” Cindy replies.

  Patrick steps from his suit, then bluntly questions, “Did we? Do you know that Jux is protecting an ancient computer? One that will never work again.”

  Everyone turns to look at Patrick, including George who says, “The only computer we saw, was the one in the Gamin crematorium.”

  “I forgot about that place,” Patrick says, then, while frowning, adds. “From what I remember, it scared the heck out of you guys.”

  Joe shudders, then says, “Yeah, thinking about that place still gives me the creeps.”

  Patrick glances from George to Cindy, then says, “That Gamin computer and power source may be all the Oglans need in order to rebuild their civilization.”

  “We must help them,” Emma pleads.

  Cindy’s eyes rove from Patrick to Emma, she almost preferred it when Emma and Patrick did not like each other. But that was long ago, or so it seems. She scowls then turns her annoyance on Patrick, “And you chose to wait until now to tell me this?” She sighs deeply, then adds, “Of course we will help them.” Turning to John, she says, “Head back to Oglan; it seems we’re staying a little longer after all.”