"What happened to our controls?" Lieutenant Malcolm asked. "Watson? Hello?"
"I think we've lost contact with main engineering," Aaen said. He suddenly felt weightless, and then his surroundings seemed to elasticize, he suddenly felt very dizzy, and then he found himself in a darkened environment whose shape and design gave him sudden-onset moderate chills. He counted fifteen crew members in this room, all focused on whatever it was they were doing to help operate what Aaen guessed was a ship—but he didn't recognize their uniforms, anyone's rank, nor the design of the room. He guessed he was on the bridge of another ship. This was no Union ship, he decided. He started wondering how he got where he was. . . Could this be. . .?
"Sir," a male voice said from behind. Aaen turned around to find it was the Shadow that was only minutes ago aiming some kind of rifle at him. "Take a seat," Aaen followed his instructions.
"Welcome aboard, Commander," Daniel said from the middle of the room.
"Where am I?"
"You're on board our ship. You're on board Aurora."
"Aurora? What am I doing here?"
"You're needed here, Commander,"
"For what?"
"We've been monitoring that sensor contact your Station detected a few minutes ago. It's getting closer, and it's changed course three times since Magellan first detected it. The fact Magellan detected anything at all is amazing." another male voice said, this one was much older and somewhat darker than Daniel's.
"Are you saying it's alien's? The sensor contact, I mean?" Aaen asked. Daniel looked left directly at Aaen through the corner of his eyes and didn't smile, and then looked forward at the three large screens at the front of the room. Aaen reasoned Daniel was giving him a hint at the severity of whatever Magellan had detected. Aaen felt a sudden sense of anxiety and concern for his physical safety and started wondering what the heck was going on. A dreadnought-class could potentially take on a space station, in which case the dreadnought would likely force the space station to surrender. There were those who chose not to build such ships because they thought that so much power in a single ship was too much power. But this. . .this had to be one such a class of ship. Aaen admired the shape of the bridge, and the way it was lit, which was not typical of those Union ships he was used to . . . and the subtle ambient reverberating electrical humming sounds. Is. . .this ship somehow in some way alive? He couldn't help but wonder as he looked around in awe, and then forward at the three large viewscreens. The left screen displayed visually crisp tactical information, albeit in a language he didn't recognize; the center screen seemed to function the same as Magellan's main viewscreen; the far-right screen showed the ship's alert readiness status. This thing's gotta be a . . . a dreadnought? Aaen wondered in awe and noticed he started breathing heavier. Why would anyone want to build such a ship? His curiosity piqued about the ship and the crew manning it. He felt like he was being sucked inside the bridge—like the ship, itself, wanted him to stay.
"It's getting closer, sir,"
'It?' Aaen curiously noted.
"What's the contact's bearing?"
The crewmember read out the answer.
"Course?" the ship's commanding officer asked. Daniel continued to stand to the right of that officer.
"It's headed for Magellan."
"Do they have main power back online?" the commanding officer asked.
"Negative."
"Major, get your team together, find out why they don't have power."
"—Sir, they don't have power because it's been sabotaged," Aaen said. The commanding officer turned his head to the left—just enough for Aaen to see part of the left side of the officer's face—and then faced Daniel.
"Major, take Commander Aaen, board Magellan, and then help them get main power back online."
"Sir." Daniel gestured for Aaen to follow him and they started off the bridge.
"Sir, contact has changed course and speed." another crew member said. "At current speed, contact will intercept Magellan in twenty minutes."
"Come hard starboard. Increase speed to one-half. Arm all forward weapon batteries. Major, that Space Station needs to be fully powered in fifteen minutes."
"Roger that." the bridge doors closed behind Daniel and Aaen. "Gamma team, report to transit room, on the double." Aaen could hear multiple subtle acknowledgments.
"Major, what's going on?" Aaen asked.
"Magellan's worst nightmare, Commander."
"What's coming this way? How did it get through the Union border?"
"They must have figured out a way through."
"'They?'" Aaen asked.
"Aliens, Commander—aliens. Aliens that would make the worst the Union knows about seem like nothing more than annoying dull joint ache."
"Well, why go after an 'antique' Space Station? Why not go for a planet?" they fast walked down a series of corridors and then took a sharp right turn into a dark room full of familiar faces identically dressed in jet-black tactical gear. Each of the Shadows was checking their weapons to ensure they were fully loaded. In one minute, they gathered around Daniel.
"Magellan is still without main power. Commander Aaen says there's a saboteur on their Space Station. We're going to go aboard and coordinate with their security forces to neutralize the saboteur, and then restore their main power so they can go back through the Vortex. Load up."
The Shadows activated a device on their left arms. In what seemed like seconds, Aaen felt catapulted upward, and then everything seemed stretched, and then he was surrounded by the bridge crew on Magellan.
"WOAH!" the Admiral yelled. "You people come outta nowhere! Commander! Are you okay?"
Aaen nodded, feeling queasy and dizzy as he leaned on the bridge security stations.
"Admiral, we need to restore your Station's main power as soon as possible. There's a hostile contact on its way in as we speak. We're here to help your security forces neutralize the saboteur and restore main power to your Station so you and your crew can go back through that Vortex."
"What is the contact?" the Admiral asked directly.
"Powerful enough to cripple or even destroy your Station, Admiral, with ease. You need to gather your security forces immediately."
The Admiral looked at the chief of security.
"Checkpoint Charlie is only a few decks down."
"Let's go," Daniel said directly, gesturing for the rest of the Shadows to follow. The Admiral, chief of security, Aaen, and Lieutenant Hammond followed Daniel as he raised his rifle in front of him as they started a brisk walk, and carefully and precisely navigated a series of maintenance tunnels—thankfully avoiding Jeffries tubes—until arriving on deck three to a security stationing room. The chief of security entered an access code into the door's control panel, and then the twin doors parted. The Admiral entered first, followed by the rest of the group. All of ten security officers were standing ready for immediate deployment orders. The only lighting was a faint red blinking light in the back of the room.
The security forces pointed their standard issue black particle rifles at the doorway.
"I am the Admiral. All of you stand down. Everyone gather around! There's a situation. We have work to do and not much time. Chief?" the Admiral looked to the chief of security.
The chief of security stepped forward, "Alright, listen up, everyone—"
*****
Steve H. told Jordan Foutin, "You are the next Tom Clancy. You really are a gifted writer."
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