Prelaunch procedures would take two minutes. Aaen wanted to be free to navigate in less than one. “Ensign Jones, check the docking bay for life signs. Pilot, standby to depressurize the docking bay,” both officers immediately acknowledged their orders in-turn.
Connors did a quick scan of the docking bay and then declared, “No life signs detected.”
“—Depressurizing docking bay. Opening docking bay doors and releasing docking clamps.”
“Lieutenant Hayes, hail New Horizon docking control on priority frequency Alpha,” Commander Smith quipped.
“Aye, sir!” the channel was opened promptly.
“New Horizon docking control,” a raspy, slightly southern boisterous male voice in its late 20’s filled the bridge.
“This is Captain Aaen Winter, commanding USSC Odyssey—requesting permission for immediate departure,” he stated his authorization code. He noted on the viewscreen the ship’s registry had changed. It now read in a stylish jagged neon-blue metallic font as “USSC ODYSSEY - UNS 2178 - A”.
A few particular beeping sounds echoed in the background of the comm line, and then the male voice replied, “Roger that, Odyssey. You are clear to launch. You are clear to open docking bay doors for departure. Godspeed.”
“Thank you, docking control. Odyssey, out,” Aaen looked down and left, slightly, at Wilson, “open docking bay doors then disengage docking clamps. . .” the orders were carried out expert speed and precision. The deck slightly rumbled was the metal electromagnetic clamps closed together, retracted, and then rose into the ventral hull protective hull panels slid into place and then the lining around the panels disappeared.
Aaen quickly gave the next order, “You’re on antigrav thrusters, Lieutenant—take us out.”
Wilson was a sharp pilot, using the antigravity amplifier thrusters to bring Odyssey smoothly forward and on a diagonal 40-degree ascent. He switched to the sharply angled antigravity sublight engines which were still positioned on the aft-central hull. They glowed neon red, the brightness changed depending on the speed command from the bridge. Wilson could see the brightness fluctuate on the bottom-center of his computer station.
“Increase speed to one-quarter. Bring us alongside New Horizon on their port,” “Increasing speed to one-quarter, coming about forty degrees to port,” Wilson acknowledged.
“New Horizon has sent us the coordinates to destination, captain. They also say, “Good luck, and to keep them updated on our mission status.”
Understandable, Aaen silently agreed—besides, in the back of his mind, something told him that was going to be necessary. “Very good. Uploaded the coordinates to the helm. Lieutenant Commander Wilson, as soon as the coordinates are entered, engage Translight Drive—maximum factor,” Aaen’s ship was capable of traveling at up to Translight 9.998. Even the fastest faster-than-light technology used before was almost a brisk jog by comparison.
Sixty seconds later, Wilson turned around, “We are clear and free to navigate. Coordinates entered,”
Aaen relished the sight of the twinkling smooth movement of the stars in the viewscreen as Odyssey adjusted its relative position to a new heading—then the stars became still. “Reply acknowledgment of instructions.”
“Yes, sir,”
“Engaging Translight Drive,” Wilson declared. A few beeping sounds came from his computer station for three seconds while the Translight nacelles grumbled as they powered up; Aaen could feel the translight engine’s building power rumbling through the base of his chair into his backrest—as could the rest of the crew in theirs—as Odyssey abruptly and violently accelerated, being rapidly engulfed in a ring of white light.
Sandberg and Wilson both noticed the outer hull of the image of Odyssey’s dorsal hull began to shimmer then gradually become surrounded in a blue outline.
“Entering the Translight corridor!” Wilson announced.
Five seconds later, Odyssey was seemingly engulfed in a glistening funnel of blue and white light; the stars were blurs speeding by in what seemed like a blink and the Translight tunnel seemed to be speeding past Odyssey in the opposite direction.
“E-T-A: thirty minutes, at present speed,” Jones authoritatively declared.
“Very good,” Aaen acknowledged.
“Alert level four. Lieutenant Connors, prepare to switch to Silent Running. Lieutenant Commander Sandberg, standby to activate the stealth system and activate weapon systems,”
Both officers were prompt in acknowledging their orders.
Smith looked at Aaen, “Problem, captain?”
“If the aliens really were testing our tactical capabilities, I’m going to assume that they are more-than-likely hostile and will engage us on-sight, as those drone ships did before. Besides, I doubt we’re the biggest ship out here, much less with the sharpest teeth,”
Smith nodded, “Understood,”
“We are exiting Union Space. New E-T-A: ten minutes,”
Elongated ribbons of light had turned out to be an antiquated effect of faster-than-light (FTL) space travel. Odyssey was traveling faster than even the most sophisticated FTL technology any of them had previously known. The hull, itself, seemed like it was a ripple in the space-time continuum, shooting through a chaotic tunnel that looked as though it was moving at the same speed in the opposite direction while Odyssey shot past tornado-like anomalies seemingly appearing randomly all around them and passing by with blurring speed. What appeared to be strobe lightning shooting across their flight path seemed to cause the tunnel’s color to change so rapidly the colors almost blended together.
(1)An alert sounded. “Sensor contact directly ahead—passing us on our starboard bow. Now multiple contacts. . . Looks a small debris field at two o’clock. 3D hull composition sensor readings indicate the debris field was a cargo ship. Also detecting trace amounts of organic residue. Looks like it was transporting food to a populated planet about sixty light-years from our current location. There are indications that escape pods were launched. Whatever happened to the cargo ship, the energy signatures on the hull indicate it was attacked by the same weapons that we were hit with. No residual propulsion signatures in evidence. The energy signatures indicate the attack was recent,”
They probably never had a chance, Aaen guessed.
“Looks like some kind of metallic debris. No life signs detected.”
Aaen and Commander Smith were both immediately highly skeptical. They both wanted to know more to satisfy their curiosity about whether or not this debris was created by those they were sent to investigate. “On-screen,” Commander Smith commanded.
“Aye,” the main viewscreen showed a cluster of metallic, burning debris passing by Odyssey.
“Execute high-resolution scans of the debris,” Aaen ordered.
The order was carried out with expert speed and precision. “There are faint residual energy signatures on the debris. Confirmed: whatever it was, the energy signatures match the weapons that we were hit by thirty minutes ago.” ‘Whatever it was’, Aaen’s gut told him to take this discovery as a warning sign. This thought lingered in the back of his head like a horrific nightmare lingering in the early dark hours of an anxious morning. Now he wanted answers more than ever about those whom this crew had been sent to investigate.
“Make note of the readings in the ship's log. Continue on course. Ops! Switch to Silent Running!” Aaen snapped, “Engage stealth system,”
“How close are we to our destination?” Smith asked.
“We’re exiting Union space, now. Arrival at destination in twenty minutes.”
“Adjust course to avoid the debris field. Send the sensor readings back to New Horizon.
“Any indication escape pods were launched?” Smith quipped.
“A few. According to these readings, the cargo ship was most likely automated,”
Maybe some or all of the crew got out before it was too late, Aaen hoped in silence, sitting upright in his chair, putting his weight anxiously on his elbows.
Another subtle alert. “We have left Union space. After the course adjustment, we’ll arrive in ten minutes if we maintain our current speed.”
“I sent a coded mission update to New Horizon,” Hayes interjected.
Aaen had a sudden bad gut feeling about something relating to what he wasn’t seeing on the viewscreen and that wasn’t being reported by Ensign Jones.
“We’re now five minutes out!” Jones declared.
Aaen turned around in his chair and sharply gave new orders, “Commander Smith: alert condition three,” the lights abruptly turned a gloomy shade of yellow, “Lieutenant Connors, standby to activate silent running—Lieutenant Commander Sandberg, prepare to activate the stealth system.”
All officers acknowledged their orders and carried them out with professional expediency. An alarm accompanied the change in alert mode; Aaen eagerly suspected a similar effect for activating the stealth system, once he gave that order—
“Make note of the readings in the ship's log. Continue on course. Ops! Switch to Silent Running!” Aaen snapped, “Engage stealth system,”
Aaen’s orders were again promptly acknowledged. In seconds, the lights dimmed until they were only faintly visible; the bridge computer stations became outlined by a one-inch ribbon of light that also highlighted the bridge’s boarding hatch, and other critical areas of the bridge, including the floor and the bunks between Ops, and Tactical, and Sensor station. The color changed to match the alert readiness status. With Stealth Mode activated, the hull’s contours were quickly seemingly engulfed in a black shroud that instantly made Odyssey’s surroundings from the bow to the stern appear identical to its surroundings.
“Stealth mode activated. We are invisible.”
“Very good,” Aaen acknowledged. “Standby all weapons,”
Another sensor alert. “We’re approaching our destination. I’m detecting more unusual energy signatures at long-range, approximately two light-years out. . . Looks like they’re—“ her tone abruptly changed, “gone?”
“Whaddo you mean, ‘gone’?” Smith asked sharply.
“They were there one second, and now they’re—” another alert sounded. “Second group of energy signatures! Three, this time. They’re at—wait. They’re gone. The first group of energy signatures were at our one o’clock—the second was at our ten o’clock. The first group was farther out than the second.” Another sensor alert. “Third group!—Four times as many as the first two groups! They’re at our seven o’clock and closing on a nearly-parallel course to ours!”
Aaen snapped, turning to face forward as he commanded, “ALL-STOP!”
The orders were acknowledged and expertly carried out. The stars gradually became visible over five seconds as the bridge gradually darkened like a movie theater while a building bass sound flooded the bridge from fore to aft. The sound built as it reverberated back and forth for three rounds and then flattened out until the only internal illumination was coming from a sharp dark banana yellow outline light around each bridge computer screen and key areas of the bridge, like the medical bay and the bunks in the back between the Engineer compartment, Operations station, Tactical, and Sensors. The hull quickly seemingly became engulfed in an enshrouding black mist that perfectly covered every external hull feature and then the hull rapidly faded away until the hull was no longer visible.
“Stealth field online and stable. We’re invisible, Captain,” Sandberg reported sharply and emphatically.
“Very well. Shut down all engines—go quiet. Hold position, here,” Aaen commanded. “Jones, put the closing energy signatures on screen,” a brief, subtle alert sounded as the stars became visible.
“Aye—” she acknowledged hesitantly.
“Jones?” Aaen asked, noting his order hadn’t been carried out.
“They’re gone, too, sir. The only thing on sensors is the edge of that solar system,”
“What the heck is going on?” Smith asked Aaen. Aaen guessed the question was rhetorical, but still kept it in the back of his mind as he eyed the way ahead in the viewscreen, cycling through thoughts about possibilities about what might be to come—
“They’re probably wondering if we’re really out here. They’re suspicious of our presence.” Aaen suspected they were being stalked by those they were sent to investigate. “Jones, how many energy signatures did you detect?”
“. .Seventeen in total,”
They were likely being stalked by seventeen likely hostile ships that may or may not be manned. He wondered: if they were automated, who was controlling them, and where from? There was no way to know right now, at least not without risking the safety of this crew—something he was not willing to do, given the lack of information. His objective was to get inside the solar system, gather Intelligence, and then report back—“Sensors?”
“Still clear, except for the edge of the solar system ahead,”
That was good for now, “Lieutenant Commander Wilson, take us in at half-impulse. Steady as she goes. Commander Smith,” Aaen glared to his left, “let's upgrade the defensive systems. If this mission goes sideways—or south—I want to make sure we’re as ready as we’re gonna get to defend ourselves,” The Union doesn’t know much about these aliens, but they suspect they are most likely hostile. Aaen reasoned The Union has dealt with these aliens before—or suspected as much after their ‘Intelligence source’ tipped them off about their existence. That fact—alone—raised some heavy questions in Aaen’s mind. He wanted answers about these aliens almost as much as he did about The Union. He accepted a seeming transparent glass pane with rounded edges from Connors. She stood at ease next to Aaen as he examined the pane. The pane featured a seemingly holographic display spanning the front of the device; it was see-through from the back. Aaen guessed this was a security feature. The holographic display showed fine, crisp neon-green lettering: technical data about main computer ship-wide diagnostic results—every system was working perfectly. The ‘defensive matrix’ and the stealth field were on constant standby. Aaen read through the data as fast as he could comprehend—Odyssey was some kind of hybrid escort/combat vessel. The particle and projectile weapon test simulations’ results were promising. He went over the ‘cloaking’ stealth field technology New Horizon’s engineers' took a few liberties with. He didn’t care much about the technical data but noted that the fact that the stealth technology Odyssey was equipped with made that of where they had come from was pretty much an antique at this point. He read further and to the end. . . All of his favorite ship systems had been upgraded and enhanced beyond their standard design as if the changes from traversing the anomaly weren’t cutting-edge enough. He was suddenly curious about the ‘shields’, or whatever the standard defensive system is now. . . The ‘Defensive Matrix’ was a combination of two separate systems, interconnected for greater efficiency. The hull was more than just a military stylish metal frame—the metal, itself, had components integrated into its molecules that not only generated the hard shape-fitting geometric shell to protect the hull from space-borne anomalies and incoming weapon fire, but both the kinetic and particle energy is more effectively distributed throughout the matrix. Whatever energy the ‘shields’ didn’t absorb, the energy bleed through was channeled though microcells which immediately acted like lightning rods, transferring the energy into the ship’s primary and secondary systems—in that order. The ‘shields’ could still be overpowered, and the hull could still be damaged or exploded if overwhelmed. . . He wondered if Odyssey could fire weapons in a tight situation while operating in Silent Running Mode and with the stealth system activated. At long and short range, Odyssey would pretty much be completely invisible to sensors and visual detection by any other ships that might not like them being where they are. His ship had a couple of extra operational modes, and general danger alert levels—that it could switch to depending on the situation; the modes functioned separately than the five danger alert readiness levels. He wanted to try them all to see what he couldn’t read on the readout. After scrolling to the bottom, he pressed his right thumb on the small vertical gridded space below the technical data. A bright neon-green line passed down and then up over his thumbprint, and then the technical data was immediately replaced with the text “—CONFIRMED—” over the screen’s black background. He had given his signature of acknowledgment confirming he read the data. Aaen handed back the display so Connors could enter the report in the ship’s mission log. Aaen was very ready to get into the solar system.
“All of the ship’s systems are functioning normally, captain. All hands report ready for solar system entry,” Smith declared with a steely tone directly to Aaen.
Aaen nodded acknowledgment, looking at his viewscreen. Thinking about where they were headed. He wondered in silence, Run? Fight? Or stay hidden?. . . The game of Chicken. . .
“Begin full-spectrum sensor scans. See if you can identify the source of those energy readings,”
“Scanning. . . Looks like several squadrons of ships. They’re not Union ships. .Twelve ships total. .manned. .sixty life signs each. They’re not reading as human,”
“Where are they?” Smith interjected.
“At the edge of our sensor range, about ten light years out—at our two, four, and ten o’clock,”
“Any sign that we’ve been detected?” Aaen asked.
“I really hope not,” Hayes said under a breath.
“None so far,”
“Keep an eye on those contacts,” Aaen commanded.
“Yes, sir,” Jones responded with a hesitant tone.
“Stay focused, people,” Smith said to the rest of the crew. Aaen was fixed on the viewscreen. The stars and space were visible now that the controlled chaos of Translight drive had dissipated.
“Sensor contacts are changing course. . . They’re getting closer!”
Wilson snapped. “We’ve been detected!”
“As you were, Lieutenant Commander,” Smith interjected, gesturing for him to calm down. “Focus on your work,”
“Are we being scanned?” Aaen asked Jones.
“No indication at this time, captain,”
Aaen took a deep breath and then directly said, “Steady. Steady,”
“Three of the ships just vanished. The rest are still heading in our general direction,”
Smith snapped. “They might have detected our Translight conduit,”
Aaen nodded subtly. “Maybe,”
“The solar system is directly ahead,” Jones declared. “The edge of the solar system is full of high-velocity solar winds, variably-sized space rocks, and erratic high-voltage electrical activity from the interaction between the solar winds and the space rocks. Navigational-hazard-level-six. It will take us months to go over the solar system’s edge. . . About five minutes if we go through,”
“Then we go through,” Aaen decided. “Shields up! Full ahead. Take us in,”
“Sensor contacts are closing in on our location! No indications of weapons being powered, and they’re still not scanning us,”
“Keep monitoring the sensor contacts. Watch for any sign that we’ve been detected.” Aaen turned forward in his chair, “Lieutenant Commander Wilson: execute,”
“Aye, sir! Engaging engines! Hold on, everyone! It’s about to get a little rough!”
“Jones and Wilson, coordinate sensor readings with navigational sensors,”
Both officers acknowledged their orders.
Seconds later, Odyssey shot forward.
Aaen thought, Let’s do this!
*****
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