Rise of the Altered Moon: Altered Moon Series: Book One (The Altered Moon Series 1) (25 page)

“I…ah, saw a reference to it in the logbook,” CJ reluctantly said.

“You should know, Captain, that Cal and I…” Cat said.

“Your romances are your business and running the ship is mine,” CJ told her. “Just keep the two of them from clashing.”

“Understood, Captain.” Cat could barely contain her smile.

“That being the best segue ever…I should tell you all that I’ve filled the engineer’s position as well,” CJ said offhandedly.

“Oh?” Gina asked innocently. “I can’t imagine who that could be.”

“Ah, short list, it seems,” he said with a half of a laugh.

“Wow, everybody’s hooked up but GABI,” Cat said with an empathic tone.

“I know, right?” Gina said, with a snort of laughter.

“The
LOOVVVE BOOAAAT
…” Boss sang out.

“Hi, I’m Gina and I’ll be your
cruise
director,” Gina chimed in.

The group laughed and joked for a few more minutes, when Boss said quietly, “Well I’m just glad you didn’t hire Del.”

“Oh man, that kid made my ears bleed. He never shuts up,” CJ said. “Kind of reminded me of Wilks, though.”

Gina and Boss agreed, their looks somber.

The group was quiet during the rest of the walk back to their quarters. They knew it was time to start packing up the temporary homes they had built in the short time they’d spent at Cantankerous Base. The future was, as always, uncertain, but with a full crew and a renewed ship, CJ was done running. It was time to take the fight back to home ground and shed the light of justice on some shady bastards.

*~*~*

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Cal passed his skills test and interview without a problem. He was assigned the tactical position for the shake down flight as his final exam. Katy informed the bridge that all systems showed ready for departure. Gina powered up the flight systems and brought the enhanced Inner System Engine to standby. GABI monitored ship operations and deflector shield status. Cat was behind Cal at the tactical station to monitor and evaluate his performance during the shake down flight.

“All systems show good to go, Captain,” Boss reported.

“Very well S.O.,” CJ answered as he poked the 1MC icon on the comms panel. “Attention, all hands take your stations and prepare to get underway.” CJ poked the S2S icon. “Cantankerous Base Control, this is the
Altered Moon
, we are ready for departure.”

“Roger,
Altered Moon
, mooring lines and umbilicals are disengaged. Dry Dock Three is depressurized and you are clear to the outer doors. Safe flight,
Altered Moon
.”

“Thank you, CBC, see you on the flipside,” CJ replied and then turned to Gina. “Gina, find us some space.”

“Aye, sir, engaging thrusters.” She compensated for the planetary gravity and the
Altered Moon
moved forward through the hangar doors and into the massive access shaft. People once again lined the view ports along the corridor to watch as the newly rebuilt ship passed by. Gina increased forward velocity as they cleared the gigantic outer doors and the planet’s cloud of gruesome debris.

“Come to eighty-five by three hundred, bring us up to fifty thousand KPH and commence drills,” CJ ordered.

“Aye, sir”. Gina’s voice edged with excitement.

CJ took the
Altered Moon
and her crew through standard maneuvers before he ran them through battle and repair drills. The outstanding ship and crew passed the day’s tests with flying colors.

“GABI, cut all power. Gina engage the DME.”

“Aye, sir,” they both answered.

The lighting on the bridge shifted from the standard white to a bright, yet low-level blue. The ever-present hum of the engine faded away to be replaced with a slight pulsing throb. The Dark Matter Engine drew in particles of dark matter, ionized them as they passed through the DME, and then the ionized particles were directed out the aft ports. The result was a slow buildup of speed over long distances that burned no hydrogen fuel once engaged. The speed was limited, but the possibilities were endless. The
Altered Moon
could now approach from thousands of kilometers out without setting off so much as a blip on a readout screen.

“Take us through a standard maneuver exercise,” CJ told Gina.

“Aye, sir.” She moved the ship in every direction, including a roll maneuver and an end-over-end spin.

“Thank you, G. Engage normal drive. Set course for the asteroid field bearing one-seventy-five by one-ten. Mr. Caltrop, power up the cannons.”

“Aye, Cap” Cal answered quickly as he worked the tactical panel. “Cannons are online and standing by.”

“GABI set up a level five target pattern among the asteroids,” CJ said.

She didn’t move at all. “Target range ready, Captain.”

“Gina, top speed through the asteroids, evasive pattern two.”

“Aye, sir, EP2.”

“Mr. Caltrop, fire at will.”

“Aye, Cap!” Cal focused on the targets that popped up on the tactical screen at intermittent times and in random positions. He used the cybernetic eye to track the random targets. His fingers flew over the tactical screen as he locked onto target after target and fired the K-200 particle cannons with one hundred percent efficiency. One of the targets moved out of view, but he fired at the surrounding asteroids that created a hailstorm of high-speed missiles that would effectively disable any ship caught within it. Gina barrel rolled the ship just for fun as they finished the targeting run and emerged from the far side of the asteroid field.

“Well done, Cal,” CJ said to him as he walked over to shake his hand. “Welcome to the
Altered Moon
.”

Cal eagerly returned the handshake, grinning from ear to ear. “Thank you, Captain!”

“Well done everyone, in fact.” CJ moved to the center of the bridge. He patted the edge of the command station. “Well done,
Altered Moon
.” His chest swelled up with pride as he thought about the ship. “Now, let’s see just how stealthy this baby really is. GABI, power down all unnecessary systems. Gina, set a course back to Cantankerous Station and engage the DME.”

“Aye, sir,” she answered with a sly smile.

“We’re going to ring the doorbell before they see us coming up the drive,” CJ said mischievously.

The two officers manning the Cantankerous Base flight control center went about their normal routines, when all of their systems flashed to static and began to reboot. When the screens cleared, there was the
Altered Moon
just off planet with all systems powered up like she’d been there for hours.

“How’d they get there?” asked one of them.

“Hell if I know,” said the other. “But I’ll tell ya, that is one stealthy space craft.”

“MORNIN’ CBC,” said CJ over the comms. “Hope we didn’t catch y’all sleeping.”

“Negative on that,
Altered Moon
, we saw you coming a kilometer off,” joked one of operators.

“You did not!!” exclaimed CJ, laughing over the comms. “Sorry CBC,” he continued, playing ‘Mr. Allbusiness’ now. “I mean, we didn’t copy that last, CBC, we had our bullshit filters engaged.”

“I don’t seem to remember installing a bullshit filter,
Altered Moon
,” Nelson replied. They could hear the CBC officers as they laughed in the background. “Welcome back. Our compliments to ship and crew on a fine test flight. Please go to hangar bay two to stock provisions.”

“Copy that, CBC.
Altered Moon
out,” CJ answered. “Gina, take us in, hangar bay two.”

“Aye, sir, hangar bay two.”

Gina guided the ship back through the gigantic outer doors and set her down in the hangar bay marked with a large numeral two beside the door. The bay doors closed and air came rushing in as the atmospheric controls automatically pressurized the bay. People who flowed into the bay as the door locks released clapped and cheered as they filed in. Flight crews moved in to record readings and check systems in order to complete the post shake down reports.

“Disengage flight operations and stand down from action stations,” CJ told his crew through the comms. “Muster in the hangar bay, bottom of the ramp in five minutes. GABI, you’re with me.”

CJ and GABI moved through the ship, followed by the bridge crew, then joined by Cal and Katy as they exited the ship and gathered at the bottom of the entry ramp.

“GABI, do you need any more time with Nelson?” CJ asked.

“Negative, Captain, my training is complete and I have integrated completely with the hover drone.”

“Cal, how much time do you need?” CJ asked.

“Just enough to grab my duffle and say my good-byes, Cap.”

“How about you three, ready to go?” CJ asked Boss, Gina, and Cat.

“Ready and waiting, Captain,” Gina said.

“Med bay is stocked and the doctor is in,” Cat said with a smile.

“Ready, Captain,” said Boss with a nod.

“And you? Stocked up on popped corn?” CJ asked as he took Katy’s hand.

“Never leave home without it, Captain.”

“All right let’s get the last of the supplies loaded tonight. We leave at oh-five hundred tomorrow. Good? Let’s go.”

The last remaining supplies were stowed and the
Altered Moon
stood ready to take its place back among the stars. A hastily planned yet well-carried-out dinner party was thrown for CJ and the crew that night. Many farewells and Godspeeds were wished upon ship and crew before the festivities wound down and were called to a halt. The base clock in his quarters showed “1:32” and CJ’s mind raced about the next step they were about to take.

He plotted out possibilities, when a beeping noise brought his attention back to the clock that now read “4:00.” He and Katy got up and said good-bye to the small quarters that had been their home for a short time. They routed through the dining hall for some “joe to go” and continued on to the ship. Nelson and Crissi waited for the crew at the entry ramp. Cat and Cal were both there already. Cal hugged Crissi and shook Nelson’s hand; Cat hugged them both. Boss and Gina came through the door just as CJ and Katy got to the ramp.

Crissi gave each crew member a beautifully colored crystal that glowed when held with images of the people of Cantankerous Base. She placed her hand on each person’s chest as she hummed and glowed the traditional travel blessing of the Keect’na. Cat, Gina, and Katy oohed and aahed over the picture crystals. They hugged Crissi good-bye, which she returned carefully. A full Keect’na bear hug would probably crush a Human being.

Nelson gave CJ a comms chip that emitted a friend-or-foe signal to those who might know of Nelson or the base. “Might help, might not,” Nelson said with a shrug. The last good-byes were said and the crew of the
Altered Moon
boarded their ship as Nelson and Crissi left the hangar bay.

CJ took his seat at the command station, while Gina, GABI, and Cal took their stations. Katy was already in the engineering bay. Boss and Cat were off duty, but on the bridge just for the hell of it.

“Gina, get us out of this planet and set the shortest course out of the system,” CJ said. “Navigational overlay on the main screen, please.” He studied the map for a moment, “There, that small star system just outside of Surian. Bring that up.”

A star system with three rocky planetoids and an uncountable number of asteroids showed up on the screen. The readout showed several mining operations that refined the minerals and ores then shipped the goods to the MT&T operation on Surian Prime.

“GABI, plot a jump just outside that last asteroid belt,” CJ told her.

“Aye, sir.” She plotted her first intentional quantum jump inside the gravity well of a star.

“Gina, when we arrive, go dark and use the DME to get us close to the outermost facility,” CJ said.

Gina responded affirmatively.

“The jump is plotted, Captain,” GABI reported.

“Cross your fingers and your toes people. GABI, jump the ship,” CJ ordered.

GABI engaged the String Field Drive, aligning the quantum particles of the ship and crew with the quantum wave that ended at the plotted destination. The
Altered Moon
seemed to fly into a pool of invisible liquid as it slipped out of normal space and carried into a realm of infinite quantum wave pathways. The String Field Drive broke the quantum bond when the ship reached the terminal point of the quantum wave and the ship slipped back into normal space. The farther the plotted destination was, the more difficult the equation was to get there.

The
Altered Moon
entered normal space at the exact destination GABI had plotted. Gina immediately powered down all ISE flight systems and engaged the DME. The ship was now essentially a shadow, barely visible against the black of space. The dark matter main drive and thrusters used so little electric power that sensor scans were unable to distinguish it from background radiation noise.

Gina moved the ship through the asteroid field and set a course for the mining facility. “ETA thirty minutes, Captain.”

“Very well,” CJ answered, and then poked the engineering icon on the comms panel. “Katy, can you join us on the bridge please?”

“Yes, I’m on my way, Captain.” A few short minutes later she came through the hatch.

“Okay, here’s what we’re going to do,” CJ laid out his plan to infiltrate the mining facility and implant fake credentials into the MT&T mainframe, which would get them into the operations center on Surian Prime.

“How are you going to get there?” Gina asked. “We can’t just fly up in the
Moon
. Surian Prime will be crawling with security patrols.”

“We don’t go in the
Moon
—we go in a security shuttle,” CJ answered.

“Ha, ha, ha, planning on getting arrested, Cap?” Cal asked.

“No, we go as officers,” He continued to lay out his plan to ambush an MT&T security shuttle, commandeer security uniforms, implant the fake IDs, infiltrate the operations center, flash copy the security mainframe, walk out, and fly away.

“Now wait, you’re talking about ambushing an MT&T security shuttle,” said Cal with a look of astonishment.

“And waltzing into a high security facility…” added Boss.

“Hacking one of the most secure computers in the galaxy,” Cat said.

“And then just walking away?” Gina finished with a sideways look.

“Flying away actually, walking first, but then…you know.” CJ made a flying motion with his hand. “Yes.”