Salvage-5 (First Contact) Read online

  Salvage-5

  The First Mission

  Brian K. Larson

  DEDICATION

  I would like to dedicate this book to all of my author friends. Whereby, we stand together with support, encouraging one another along each of our paths.

  This support net of authors, made it possible to climb the highest mountain, to achieve the needed confidence to become a full time author.

  Salvage-5

  The First mission

  Brian K. Larson

  Published by Slipstream Publishing

  Copyright 2014 Brian K. Larson

  CONTENTS

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Epilogue

  Sneak Peek

  More Works

  Chapter 1

  Salvage-4

  Mission: CSMO RECOVERY

  Location:

  Kirkwood Gap – Asteroid 15 Eunomia

  Earth Date: Aug. 7th 2064

  “Stand by, captain,” Jake Paulson, the Salvage-4’s pilot reported, “We’re coming up on our target now.”

  “Well it’s about damn time,” Captain Jamison answered, through his headset.

  Gus Jamison was an ex-marine and overall nice guy, but a hard ass. He needed to be in this line of work; space was a dangerous and hostile environment where mistakes were not forgiven. Everyone knew Gus would bust your chops if you didn’t have the hustle on.

  Jake loved piloting these salvage vessels. It was nearly 95 feet in length, 65 foot wide and 20 foot tall, which was divided into three compartments. The two forward decks contained the pilot house and living quarters. The ship could support seven crew comfortably for three months. However, in an emergency, they could survive six, if the crew reduced their oxygen intake to the environment minimum. The ship’s air scrubbers would need to be replaced after that. The aft section was made up of its hydrogen-fusion pulse drive, thruster packs, and fuel containers. The rest of the ship was a large open cargo bay with connecting hatchways to the forward compartment of the ship. They carried all of the necessary tools to make any repairs on the CSMO. The mission was to restore power, send over two pilots, and get the CSMO mining.

  Jake gracefully slowed the ship, braking their one tenth light speed flight path to 15 Eunomia.

  “We’ve spent the last 12 days traveling from Earth to this god-forsaken place. Time to get to work everyone.”

  “Now maybe we can finally find out what happened to the Euna-1,” Darleen, the ship’s engineer said.

  “I don’t know about you all,” Darrell Hansen, the pilot that would fly the barge shrugged, “but I for one want to know what happened to the other salvage crews.”

  Captain Jamison floated from the aft cargo hold to the pilot house. He closed and sealed the aft cargo airlock and then floated over and took his seat. Strapping in, he peered out the window at the barge floating 1000 meters from the asteroid, “Looks like a simple enough recovery operation. ” He continued to study the ship in the light from their spots. “So far from what I can see, the hull looks intact.”

  “Cap’n I’m going to swing us around to the other side for another look.”

  “Okay, just don’t get too close to that rock, will ya?”

  “Don’t worry sir. I’ll give her a very wide berth.”

  “What’s up cap?” Darleen asked, “Any idea on what happened to the crew yet?”

  “Nothing yet, Darla. You better cinch down tight though, we’re going to dock once we finish our exterior inspection.”

  “This is odd, Cap’n,” Jake said.

  “What’s that?

  “It appears that they never fired their mooring harpoon.”

  “That could have been for any number of reasons,” Darla stated, looking at the barge through her port side window. “This is the first mining pod on a type-S asteroid, they must have been using extreme caution, you know how that is.”

  “Yeah, this might be the first type-S, but there are six other mining operations in the belt.”

  “Yeah, but those are all manned operations,” Jake winked toward Darleen, “...and this is the first one in the Kirkwood gap.”

  “Pretty amazing, to say the least,” Jake said, “Complete Self-contained Mining Operations.”

  “CSMO’s man, what a concept, I’d say,” Darleen said, tightening her straps, “Extracting the asteroid elements and converting them into both water and air for the workers, then loading containers with the precious metals that are left over.”

  “No,” Jake countered, “What’s amazing is the automated hauling.”

  “I disagree…”

  “Oh, come on now, you’ve got to admit. Sending the full containers out for the auto-hauler to latch on, carrying them back to Earth and then returning the empties…now, that’s ingenious.”

  “Watch it!” the captain shouted, “Roid’!”

  Jake instinctively fired his thrusters to avoid the rock that was flying right at them, “Where did that come from?”

  “Keep alert, everyone!” Gus smiled. “The aliens are throwing rocks at us now.”

  The crew chuckled as he attempted to lighten the mood, “Seriously though, there is still the element of mystery as to what happened to the others.”

  “Coming around now sir,”

  “Hold up…hold up there now,” Gus said, coming to the edge of the straps to get a better look out the front window, “Darla, shine our lights down 10 degrees and 5 port.”

  “You got it Cap.”

  “What the hell is that?”

  “That looks like their harpoon cable pulled right out of the hull.”

  “It does,” Jake nodded, “What the hell happened?”

  “I don’t know. Better examine the docking port for damage. We might have to make our own entrance,”

  “He’s right,” Darla said, nodding her head, “It looks like the cable snapped. We can’t use that docking port, it’s damaged.”

  “They weren’t trying to tether, they were trying to get away,” Jake said. “I’ll take her topside and we can cut a hole in her and enter there.”

  “What about our survivors?”

  “Darla, there aren’t any survivors. They ruptured their hull by tearing the line off. I doubt they had time to seal the leak. They were dead in less than a minute.”

  “He’s right, you know,” Darrel added, “We knew they were all dead when we left Earth. No signal for weeks. Even if they did manage to seal a hatch, all their systems are off line: no juice…no scrubbers…no air.”

  Darla looked down in despair, still hoping that she’d find someone alive on the CSMO, “I’ll start recording our recovery ops.”

  “You do that, Darla. Keep your mind on those twenty poor souls.”

  “Oh, stop it!”

  “That’s enough, everyone!” Gus ordered, “Stay focused.”

  “Comin’ up topside now,” Jake said, changing the subject, “lowering landing skids…engaging magnetic lock in 3…2…1.”

  The Salvage-4 rocked as it connected with Euna-1. “We’re locked on her now Cap’n, powering down engines.”

  “Okay, Darrel. You and Julio suit up.”

  “You got it cap. Come on Julio, let’s get to the aft…we’ll be ready in fifteen.”

  “You two stay tethered at all times, you got that?”

  “Aye, cap’n, I can assure you we
will.”

  The two floated aft and sealed the hatch. They both completed suiting up and gathering the tools they needed.

  “We’re ready Cap.”

  The aft cargo bay floor lowered, exposing the vastness of space. They walked down the ramp using their magnetic boots and floating their equipment behind them on cables, “Raise the cargo door, Cap. We’re all set here.”

  Twenty minutes later, the two had cut a large hole in the Euna-1, and installed the emergency hatch. Julio was the first to drop inside, followed by Darrell.

  “We’re recording, Captain. Are you getting this?”

  “Yes, we’re reading everything,” Gus said over the comm.

  “Finding bodies…yep…it’s obvious they died of asphyxiation.”

  “Bastards never had chance,” Julio said.

  The two made their way to the flight deck of the CSMO only to find more death, “The captain is strapped in the pilot seat and he has the thruster lever jammed as far as she’ll go.”

  “That would account for the harpoon being yanked out of the hull,” Gus said.

  “That’s strange,” Darrell began, “they must have run out of thruster juice at the exact same moment the cable snapped. Otherwise, they would have continued with forward momentum.”

  “All the systems are down,” Julio reported, “There’s no power here at all. Maybe they experienced a power failure causing the thrusters to die. Then if the cable snapped, that would account for them being in this same position. Came up on the line and yanked them to this position.”

  “Get on back,” Gus ordered, “We’ll fit some new bat-packs and restore power. Once we can get the lights back on, we can examine the flight recorders.”

  “Cap, there’s more.”

  “Darrell?”

  “Fear.”

  “Yes, Darrell, I’m sure it’s not pleasant over there…”

  “Not me sir. The crew over here. They all died with intense expressions of fear… one of them has his helmet on, but I can’t see his face, something’s blocking my view.”

  Jake looked over at Gus, “It don’t feel right Cap’n.”

  “Yeah, the hairs on the back of my neck are standing at attention too,” the Captain nodded, “You two get on out of there. Head back to Salvage-4.”

  “Cap,” Darleen said, tapping Gus on the shoulder, “I think you should see this, sir.”

  Gus turned, giving Darla a quick glance, “Darrell, do you read? Julio, report!”

  “Gus!” Darla exclaimed. No one called the captain by his first name. Ever, “You need to see this!”

  Gus turned to Darla with raised eyebrows, “What is it?”

  “There’s something down there.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I found the harpoon strike and cable.”

  “So what? We already established the cable was pulled out of her.”

  “There’s something else down there, next to the targeted landing zone. I picked it up on the scope.”

  “What the hell is that?” Gus exclaimed. “Darrell, Julio! Report on the double!”

  The comm signal only returned static. Then the power went out on the Salvage-4.

  * * *

  Chapter 2

  Whidbey Island

  Oak Harbor, WA

  Fitness Center

  Earth Date: Aug. 9th 2064 1045hours.

  Tucker Petersen was bench pressing three hundred pounds, when a tall blond woman, in full dress military, entered the fitness center.

  The silver haired, short stalky man noticed the blond stepping up to him as he pumped the weights, “One…two…three”, he grunted, this can’t be good, he thought, “…twelve…thirteen,” he called out as she approached.

  “Nice try Tuck. I only counted five at best.”

  Tuck set the weights on the rack over his head with a clank, and then sat up. He wiped his forehead and the back of his neck with the towel draped over his shoulder, “Oh come on…it was thirteen,” he answered, blowing smoke from his cigar hanging out the side of his mouth.

  The tall lanky blond, waved the smoke from her face, “Do you mind putting that…thing out?”

  “As a matter of fact, Cass, I do mind. Thanks for asking though.”

  Cass bounced her short ponytail when she rolled her eyes, “Whatever.”

  “That’s ‘Whatever Sir’, to you.”

  “You’re retired. You can’t give me orders anymore.”

  I think that’s about to change, he thought to himself, “That’s right, and don’t you forget it,” he smiled.

  He grabbed more weights off the floor and set the barbell to three hundred and twenty pounds, “So, to what do I owe the pleasure of your presence?” He stopped for a brief second thinking about his own question, and then pointed a stern finger, “Oh no…oh no you don’t, you’re not recalling me. There’s just no way!”

  “Tuck…”

  “I knew it! You are recalling me… who is it?” he asked, scratching the back of his head, and with a sinking feeling deep within the pit of his gut, “Who’d I piss off to make them want to take revenge on me? Was it Griffin? No wait, Samuels! That’s who it was… tell me it wasn’t Samuels...that son of a bitch…”

  “Neither.”

  “Okay,” he said, shrugging his shoulders, “Come on…spot me,” he ordered, lying flat on his back under the weights.

  “Aren’t you going to ask me who?”

  “Well,” Tuck said, grabbing the bar off the rack, “Not really.”

  Cass took her place at his head and assumed the stance to catch the bar when he completed his set, “I’ll tell you who.”

  “I’m all ears,” he answered, grunting with each pump of the iron.

  “General McKenzie.”

  “General McKen…” Tucker puffed with his final lift, nearly dropping the weights, “What’d I do to piss him off? I haven’t done anything…”

  “…You didn’t do anything to piss anyone off, Colonel,” Cass interrupted, then helped guide the weights back to the rack.

  Tucker stood and grabbed a jump rope, “Stop calling me that. I’ve been retired for five years now…you can just keep calling me Tuck,” he insisted, now skipping rope.

  “Colonel, er, Tucker,” she corrected, “If you would just stop and listen to me for a second,” her face turned from polished military, to one of concern.

  Tucker noticed her sudden change of mood and stopped, “What’s the matter Cass. You look like you lost your best friend.”

  “Close.”

  He sat on the bench and looked up at Cass, “Who then? What’s this all about anyway? Why all the sudden interest in my re-activation?”

  “It’s Gus…”

  Tuck’s face turned white, “What about Gus! What happened to him?”

  “That’s what the General wants to talk to you about.”

  “I know he took a salvage job, but that’s a civilian gig. Why’s the military getting involved?”

  “It’s best if you come with me and let the General brief you.”

  “Oh come on now…don’t keep me in suspense… just tell me…” He took another long taste of his cigar before putting it out in his portable ashtray. “He’s dead. Isn’t he?”

  “Presumed.”

  “So you really don’t have a body, do you?”

  “No. We lost contact with his crew of five a couple of days ago.”

  “Let me guess, the General wants me to do a suicide mission to wherever the hell, to save his sorry ass?”

  “Tuck, Gus was your best friend.”

  “Was. Don’t forget the key word in that sentence.”

  “Colonel, that was long time ago.”

  “Not long enough.”

  “It wasn’t Beverly’s fault.”

  “Right, just like it was mine that Gus slept with my wife.”

  “Tuck, let’s not get into that. We really need to get going.”

  “Don’t change the subject on me now. You can’t dredge thi
s up without finishing.”

  “Come on, the General’s waiting at the base.”

  “Aren’t you going to bring up the fact that I slept with you?”

  “You never ‘slept’ with me.”

  “Right. I was too drunk…but I would have…’cause I’ve heard that revenge sex is the best you know.”

  “You wish.”

  “Come on, you have to admit it…you would have slept with me.”

  “You are incorrigible,” Cass said, cheeks blushing, “No, I wouldn’t have. You’re twenty years my senior for god sakes.”

  “What’s the matter?” Tucker asked with a smile, “Afraid you couldn’t keep up?”

  “No, I wouldn’t want to cause you a heart attack.”

  “Pfff, yeah right,” Tuck smiled, “okay, come on then. Let’s go find out what General McKenzie wants.”

  * * *

  Whidbey Island Naval Base & Space Port

  Oak Harbor, WA

  General McKenzie’s office

  Earth Date: Aug. 9th 2064 1400hours

  Tucker walked down the corridor with Cass to the General’s office, when he pulled out his stogie and lit it once more. Then after a long drag and savoring its taste, he blew the smoke in a large cloud over their heads.

  The secretary sitting outside the office stood to confront the man, “Sir, I will have to ask you to put that out in here!”

  “You can ask all day long, missy. But, you forfeit your right to tell me what to do by these here birdie wings on my shoulder,” Tucker said, pointing with his free hand, “Please tell the General that we’re here.”

  The secretary snubbed her nose in the air and then pressed a button on her vid-phone, “Sir, the Colonel is here.”

  “Send them in,” the gruff voice answered.

  “He’ll see you now…”

  “No kiddin’,” Tucker smiled as he waltzed into the office.

  Cass slapped him on the arm, “Be nice, Colonel.”

  “No, I don’t feel like being nice,” Tucker said, sitting in a chair opposite General McKenzie, “’Sides, no one’s being nice to me today, so give me one good reason why I should?”