Crucible of a Species (46 page)

“She may have had an authorization token but I never signed these orders. Why the hell would I be authorizing marine equipment for a civi? Didn’t you think that a little strange?”

“An authorization is an authorization, Chief. It’s not my place to question it.”

“Chief, are you questioning Tyree’s withdrawal?”

“No ma’am, Katy Nolen came down here and took out marine equipment. This imbecile even released weapons to her. Now, I can’t find her or her buddies anywhere.”

“Come with me. We have a problem and I think we need to take this up with the old man. If my guess is right, they ran off and it’s gonna be hell getting them back.”

Drake was already in a bad mood when they found him, “You mean to tell me these guys have been gone for at least three hours? Get back to your units and call roll. Find out who’s missing. I also want a list of what they took. I’ll call robotics and have some drones sent out, maybe we’ll be lucky and pick up their trail.

“Call me on my secure line when you find anything. Everyone probably already knows about it but we don’t have to broadcast the details. Oh, and check with the civilian support and science teams. We need to see how many bolted.”

The place is falling apart around our ears.
Drake thought as he walked over to communications.
We’re never gonna catch up with them unless we put up an all out push and if we do that, others might get the silly idea that staying here is better than leaving. No, it’s best if we cut our losses. We’re not quite ready but it’s time to leave before we lose anyone else and God help us if we can’t find a friendly planet to live on around Tau Ceti because we won’t have enough supplies for a return trip.

*~~*~~*~~*

The outer doors of the cargo bay
closed, shutting out the sights and smell of Cretaceous Earth for the last time. All eyes within the ship turned starward, away from the barren campsite and the primordial idyllic views of the jungle plateau and river valley.

For the first time in many months, Captain Adrian Lee could feel the subtle tremble of life returning to his vessel as he monitored the gravitonic pulse of the aroused Argos. His helmsman, Ensign Aaron Sassaman, brought each module back on line under the watchful monitors of the newly promoted communications officer Ensign Ron Wellsley. Smoothly each system awakened within the ship. Soon the drive force of the engines permeated even the base organic fabric of every crewmember as the field transformed to mold itself to the invisible forces of gravity that suffused the universe.

Three hundred and seventeen yards of carbon buckyball matrix polyfiber encased the crew in a gravitonic wave-active, eight-inch thick outer shell. Alive once again, the engines channeled the power of the universe to lift the Argos, but the ship raised only eight thousandths of an inch, less than the thickness of a human hair, and held above the sand covered ground of the plateau.

The captain’s palms sweated but his hands were steady as he scanned through each department’s readouts during this first flight test of the Argo’s prelaunch performance. The tests stressed each module, pitting six point seven tension-filled minutes of simulated system failures against the response of the artificial intelligence of the ship.

Sassaman spoke without turning from the virtual readouts of his station and, for the first time this morning, the captain saw the smile return to the ensign’s face, “All drive systems responding five-by-nine for an exceptional performance rating captain. Containment fields are fluid, smooth and somehow she’s managed to lift without the presence of a single spindizzy. She’s back with us, Sir, and ready to go.”

“Thank you Mr. Sassaman for that colorful report. Engineering, is there anything I should know about?”

“Nothing, sir,” Anderson replied, “She’s rock steady and as smooth as we’ve ever seen her.”

“Thank you Mr. Anderson. Prepare for departure. Ensign Wellsley, notify the colony of our departure. Give them our best wishes and remind them we will return.

“Mr. Sassaman, prepare to take us out to the high orbit Lagrangian Point and hold. Wait for my mark.

“Lieutenant Anderson, prepare for recovery of the Hunter Recons and the satellite net at the rendezvous.

“Okay, Mr. Sassaman. Lift us to the point at dead-slow instant cruise speed on my mark.”

The smile fled from the helmsman’s face, “I’m sorry, sir. Would you please confirm an instant cruise, dead-slow lift to orbit. We are still hovering at lift-point-zero?”

“Mr. Sassaman, if we are going to have a problem then I want it to appear now while we have a chance for recovery. Besides, I want to leave this place with a statement. You have the directive correct. Please engage now using standard lift procedure.”

“Aye, aye Sir. Engaging, dead-slow instant cruise.”

Scarcely a moment passed while the command sequence chained through the system. Had a human been outside watching from a neighboring valley, she would have seen the Argos disappear, replaced by a column of brilliant light extending straight up and into the sky. Behind its passage, the Argos left a three hundred fifty yard wide vacuum column of instantly displaced air. The blinding passage of the massive ship ripped apart the atmosphere leaving hot ionized molecules at the edges of a column of vacuum that formed a volatile, electrically conductive cylinder extending into the vacuum of space.

Following the millionth of a second of its existence, the column collapsed and the unstable molecules rejoined releasing energy with the massive blast of a three-hundred yard wide lightning discharge and a spectacular daylight lightshow of power. The resulting thunderclap raced across the continent and even to the far-off colony though the sound arrived minutes after the initial flash first awed them.

The Argos appeared in stationary orbit one point five million miles from earth in less than an hour. The experience to the crew was like changing the channel of a vid-screen. They felt no movement, exertion or pull as the Argos settled into place and entered into docking phase with the two Hunters.

“Thank you, Mr. Sassaman. Mr. Wellsley, open all channels.

“I want to congratulate all of you. Working together as a team, we have accomplished much these past months. Take pride in your efforts for we have traveled where no human has ever tread but you must keep in mind that even these monumental accomplishments will dwindle in comparison to what lies ahead.”

Colonel Drake carefully avoided the question of their final destination. The desertion of the crewmembers would hurt staffing but it was a blessing in disguise. Using it, he had pushed off any discussion of destination until they were safely on their way and without any chance of losing more people. After all, it would take a bit over thirty hours to reach Jupiter at half lightspeed and either destination could take advantage of the same initial course settings. They would have plenty of time for discussion.

Should they decide to push on to Tau Ceti, the region of smooth gravitonic waves that began around the gas giant would allow the ship to accelerate to near lightspeed. It would still require four months to reach the edge of the Sun’s gravity well at sublight speed and then, at the edge of the solar system and in the calm cosmic ether of the open universe, the Argos would jump at many times the speed of light towards Tau Ceti. Silently he worried about their shortage of supplies and the uncertainties of the long trip. What waited for them around that star?

Less than an hour later, the Argos resumed its course. Along the way, it would pass by the deadly temporal storm where their adventure had all began; the eye of Jupiter’s Great Red Spot.

Drake wondered
if he wasn’t being overly cautious in placing armed marines at the entrances to Engineering. It seemed like the right thing to do; an extra bit of insurance.

The entire crew worked for nearly five months for the right to have this vote. They kept their end of the bargain made on that dreadful black night under the moon that now seemed so long ago and he had lived up to his end of it. He restored all of the offenders to their former rank and he’d ordered all records of the incident expunged from the logs. Now they would vote for their destination. Would they choose to flee home to the Earth of their own time or would they honorably follow orders and continue with him to the stars?

It was time to go. The colonel pushed back from his desk and walked over to his safe. He reached down then hesitated and pulled back. These were his people. He wouldn’t need a sidearm to attend a meeting in the cafeteria. Caution was one thing but paranoia carried things too far.

*~~*~~*~~*

Ensign Mary Li’s hands shook as she closed the seam on her utility jacket and opened her stateroom door to the passageway. Colonel Drake had kept his word. He had returned her rank and expunged any record of their failed mutiny as soon as they had lifted off. Yet, like a bad dream returning night after night, once again the path she followed was one that would bring dire consequences if they failed.

The grey passages she followed echoed the lonely litany of her fears with each footfall that carried her deeper into the lowest levels of the Argos.

Unconsciously her fingers caressed the smooth handle of the pistol in her pocket drawing from it both reassurance and distress. Her mind replayed the image of a brass-cased round entering its chamber for the hundredth time. Yes, she had remembered to charge the weapon. Yes, she had to be careful where she fired since she couldn’t get a stunner or even some of the low grain cartridges designed for shipboard use. For the hundredth time she chided herself for deciding to take the weapon and worried she would forget to be careful if she had to fire it since the rounds would easily penetrate the surrounding walls and many of the ship’s services were deadly sensitive to hot lead.

Normally Li didn’t have reason to come down to this part of the Argos but she knew her destination, the ship’s armory was in the next passageway and her heart was pounding. Li turned the final corner, angrily pushing back the thought that she could yet change her mind, and saw Lieutenant Ester Esperanza with two fully armed marines in light battle armor at the other end of the passage. They were coming directly for her. She struggled to push back cold fingers of panic, every fiber in her body wanted to turn and flee but she held her course with but the barest falter in her step. She’d simply keep walking.

Esperanza’s command ripped down the passageway, slamming into Li with a force almost physical, “Ensign Li, slowly remove your empty hand from your pocket and fall in line. I know why you’re here.” Without thinking, the ensign obeyed and saw the marines relax ever so slightly.

Esperanza grimly nodded and turned to slide her fingers across the wall-mounted plate. The armored door swung open and the officer motioned Li in ahead of them. Li’s mind raced in near panic, how could the lieutenant have known?

Then she noticed there were at least a dozen people inside the normally barren armory. The racks were half-empty, most of the missing rifles were stunners but some of the deadly pulsars were also gone. Boxes of smoke, flash and gas grenades lay open on the tables. Many in the compartment were donning ship-action armor.

Esperanza spotted Cookie in the group and pushed Li aside to move closer, “You’ve only seven minutes to load up, Chief Slap. Our timing’s good. The meeting in the cafeteria just started so by the time you get there even the stragglers will have arrived. We want to catch as many of them as we can so make certain you have both Drake and Thrumbold. Speaking of which, Alexander, grab a bag of the memcords. Chief, don’t worry about the indignity of restraining any of the officers if needed. Move out as soon as your team is ready.

“Remember, no firing unless it’s absolutely necessary and for God’s sake keep it to stunners.

“Li, come over here. We awakened the armory net interface. This is your station for this action. We entered your old security codes in the system so you’ll have full command access. I’ll signal when we take control of Engineering and the CIC. That’ll give you forty-seven seconds to lock down and isolate the bridge. After you isolate them, swing all control over to the auxiliary bridge in the CIC.” Esperanza stopped and looked into Mary Li’s eyes. Then she leaned in to the nervous ensign and whispered softly, “Get your hand out of your pocket. You’ll have no need for any weapons. Everything’s gonna work out fine, just keep cool and keep your wits about you.

“Okay people. This time we’re the ones with surprise on our side. Let’s keep the operation professional and clean. Move ‘em out.”

The passageways were empty of people thanks to the meeting in the cafeteria so no one questioned the movement of an armed group travelling up to Engineering. Their target was an area at the heart of the Argos surrounding the Command Information Center, or ‘CIC’, and drive core.

Esperanza motioned for the group to stop as they approached the last passageway outside Engineering. She continued forward with silent and deliberate grace along the bulkhead, carefully poking her nose around the corner. Immediately she pulled back.

“Two marines posted at the door.” Esperanza whispered.

The presence of armed sentries upset Esperanza. It wasn’t normal and Drake had said nothing to her about sentries. Why? How much did he suspect?

Esperanza silently motioned four of her marines forward, “We’re gonna march right up to them like it was a changing of the guard. You swabbies stay quiet and out of sight. Okay, fall in. Here we go.”

The sentries snapped to attention as the squad rounded the corner with the lieutenant in the lead. Esperanza felt a wave of relief as they snapped to attention. She knew both of the sentries and tricking them like this was not to her liking but that didn’t make the action any less ruthless, swift and silent, “Tie ‘em up, we’ll come back for them later.”

Engineering hummed with the sounds of filtered air forced from ceiling to porous flooring and banks of controls lined the bulkheads. Only two specialists were on duty. They turned as the mutineers entered, staring in dumb surprise at the armed group. Esperanza’s battle helmet hid her face but they clearly heard the quiet command, “Remain silent and sitting in your chairs. Keep away from the controls.”

Esperanza examined the high-security door, the only entrance into CIC. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of her head in spite of the suit’s air conditioning, they had been amazingly lucky so far. Behind it lay the backup flight controls that were the heart of the ship and the auxiliary bridge.

Esperanza sent the coded signal over to Ensign Li. A few anxious seconds later, the command bridge was isolated. Their lock down was in effect and the alarms had not gone off. Esperanza steeled herself as she grabbed the handle, silently praying the colonel hadn’t placed sentries on the other side.

*~~*~~*~~*

Captain Lee
was enjoying a mug of coffee on the bridge, once again checking the course they would take for their near approach to the massive sphere of Jupiter. He had slept well last night for the first time in nearly a year; there was something calming about the sounds and feel of a healthy ship underway.

The new communications officer appeared to be very active at his station, “Mr. Wellsley, are you having problems?”

“I was about to contact you, sir. Communications with the rest of the vessel is locked.”

Ensign Sassaman pushed back in his seat, “We’ve lost control, sir. I can’t restore the linkages.”

“Commander Dalmas, go and find out what is going on. Have a backup team move down to the auxiliary bridge in Engineering.”

“Aye aye, sir.” The XO replied as he leapt from his seat. He strode across the bridge only to rebound off the doors that should have opened at his approach. His hand flew up to the manual override. There was no response. They were trapped in the bridge.

“Captain,” the helmsman’s call brought back their attention, “we’ve shifted course.”

“What’s our new heading?”

Sassaman’s reply floated across the bridge unheeded, the eyes of the command crew already confirmed their new course. Swirling masses of angry brown and black formed as storms within an ocean of clouds below the Argos. Out of the storms rose thin, spindly tops of great tornadoes like cadaverous fingers trying to drag the Argos down into the maelstrom. Above this vision of Hades towered a red wall rising from below the swirling mass to hover over the ship. The Argos was drawing inexorably into the swirling temporal storm, the great Red Spot of Jupiter.

*~~*~~*~~*

“Hey Jankowskie, where’s Cookie?”
CPO Dan Meecham called across the galley from the rear entrance.

A Chief Petty Officer nosing into his galley was the last thing Warclaw Jankowski needed, “The colonel’s holding a grand meeting of most of the ship’s complement and Cookie decided he and Tomov had more important business elsewhere. No, Cookie didn’t deign to tell me just where he was going. I’m shorthanded as a result and ready to begin pulling my hair out.”

“He’s not here?” Meecham repeated as he charged across the galley and out into the cafeteria where he collided with Sgt. Frank Marshall.

“Meecham, am I glad to see you. We have a problem.” Marshall stage-whispered to the CPO as he gripped his arm, forcibly backstepping him into the galley, “I can’t find Mary Li and her crazy buddies. Where’s Cookie?”

“Cookie’s gone.” Marshall replied, “I think …”.

The galley door shot open, nearly bouncing off its stops as Sgt Martel put his shoulder to it. He spotted the two CPOs and charged over. Anger edged his guarded words, “We’ve got a problem.”

“Yeah, we’re a step ahead. Li, Cookie and Young are all gone.”

“We read them wrong,” Martel said as his eyes scanned the dark corners of the galley for threats, “I thought they would wait until after the vote.

“We’ve gotta get outta here now, this is too good a spot to grab everyone. You can bet they’re gonna hit the cafeteria any minute.” Martel said as he moved over to the back door and opened it just enough to look out into the passageway. “It’s clear. Grab anyone you can trust and get out of the cafeteria. We gotta move before they trap us in here.” The sergeant poked his head out the door again and then turned back, “Split up and meet me in hanger two. Take Jankowski with you.”

The hairs on the back of Martel’s neck tingled as he hurried down the passageway. He was completely vulnerable, travelling unarmed and alone, and he had no idea what direction they would be coming from.

Going directly to the armory was out of the question. He figured this was a well-planned operation and weapons storage would be the first place any mutiny would strike. Well, he and Master Gunnery Sergeant Frank Marshall made a few contingency plans of their own.

The sergeant picked up two marines and a few specialists on his way down to the hanger. He’d have to watch the specialists, they weren’t trained for the shit they were heading into but for now, the sergeant would take any warm body.

Oh shit,
Martel thought as he pushed into the hanger. Meecham had brought in the middy. He knew just what to expect. The middy would act like any shave-tail marine lieutenant and want to handle the whole thing.

“Relax Sarge,” Brittany Thornsen chimed in when she saw his face. “I’m just here for the party. As far as I’m concerned, the pleasure is all yours. I won’t get in the way.”

Well, how about that? Always full of surprises.
Martel thought as he smiled a ‘thank-you’ at the young midshipman and scanned the hanger. There were thirty people in the compartment, less than half were marines. He was surprised to see Sergeant Marshall already there and had opened the back storage locker.

Martel addressed those in the hanger, “Gunny and I stockpiled a mix of stunners and Pulsars. Pulsars go only to the marines. Make sure you guys use only ‘riot load’, use them only if you must. Last thing we want is to have hard shot flying around inside the ship.

“We know they’re gonna hit the cafeteria. When they do, it’s gonna tie down most of their people just keeping an eye on the new prisoners. Meecham and Estes, this is your objective. Pick a dozen or so others and see if you can release our shipmates without anyone getting hurt.

“Gunny, you take a squad and secure the armory. Bottle ‘em up good and tight. Last thing we want is more weapons floating around the ship.

“Midshipman, you come with me, ma’am. I need six others. We’re gonna secure the bridge before this gets too far out of hand.”

“Not a good idea, Sergeant.” Thornsen said while sealing her body armor, “I already tried calling into the bridge. They’re out of circuit so they’re already compromised. Our best bet is to head for Engineering and the auxiliary bridge.”

Martel’s mind raced as he stared at the small officer before responding, “Okay, let’s do it.

“Unless you can personally vouch for anyone you bump into, assume they are mutineers. Surprise will be on our side. Stay off the communicators unless you absolutely need them. We’ll use the hanger as a base so send a runner down here if you need help. Let’s move it.”