Salvage-5: The Next Mission (First Contact) Page 10
“Okay, give it to me...what’re the red light about?”
“The port thruster pack is damaged.”
“Which one on the port side, one...two...three?”
“It’s number five and eight thruster packs...we also have a fuel leak...and we are leaking coolant on the starboard plasma drive.”
“I thought you said the engines are good?”
“The engines are good...just got a slight coolant leak...we can fix er’ up in a jiffy.”
“Yes, you are going to fix er’ up, aren’t you?”
“Me Sir? I’ve never facilitated repairs on a CSMO.”
“So what have you done?”
“I’m strictly a miner, really. Been down on the lower decks mostly.”
“Well, we’re going to see how well you do at facilitating the ship’s repairs, since Dillan is in detention.”
“You can always release him.”
“No I can’t”
“Sure you can, Boss. You can use the Lieutenant as the carrot.”
“Hmmm...Smithers? I think you have it.”
“See, now, I can offer more suggestions if ya like.”
“No, I’ve had about all I can take today. You round up some guys and start working on the coolant and fuel leaks. I’ll start interrogating the lieutenant...”
“For what?”
“For anything I see fit...unless you would rather...”
“No, no, I’m good now. I’ll get those coolant leaks fixed in a jiffy.”
“Good...how much fuel do we have left?”
“We’ve got enough for about a week.”
“Are you sure about that?”
Smithers rechecked the fuel readout and recalculated his math, “Well, we did lose some fuel, it’s one of the sides of one of the holding tanks, but if we don’t move too much, we won’t spill anymore.”
“Okay, get going,” Kurtis motioned as he unbuckled his harness.
Smithers followed Kurtis in removing his restraints and stood, feeling the effects of a slight pull on his body that none of them had felt in months.
“Sure feels good to have a little gravity,” Smithers said, following Kurtis off the command deck.
“Yeah, this should help with repairs. Use it to your benefit.”
“Yes, sir, Boss. I’ll facilitate the repairs.
“I just hope you’re better at that than you are at landing.”
“What was that, Boss?” Smithers asked, turning back to Kurtis.
“Nothing, Smithers...carry on.”
“Okay then. I’ll tell ya how things are goin’ later.”
“You do that.”
“I sure will.”
Kurtis stepped up his pace to get out of earshot, regardless of the pain in his leg, “Geez! If I ever run into that son of a bitch that shot me...I’ll kill him,” he whispered to himself as he made his way to the special holding cell he had constructed for his new guest.
He came to the holding pen that was staffed with two armed guards, “Open Dillan’s cell.”
The guard quickly unlocked the door and rolled it open, exposing a sweat dripping haggard man. Dillan’s hair was dripping with a black substance that hadn’t been completely cleaned off of the CSMO. His clothes were torn and he sported a blackened eye and his cheeks were encrusted with what had once been blood.
Dillan was sitting on the bench when the door opened. He instinctively shielded his face with his arms.
“Hey man,” Kurtis said, trying to speak in a calm tone, “What happened to you? Landing a little hard on ya?”
“That...and other things.”
“Whattya mean, other things? Did someone do this to you?”
“It was these two!” Dillan exclaimed, spitting blood at their feet.
“Now, now...no need to get hostile. I assure you, I never told them to do this to you.”
“Uh-huh...”
“Now then...come out of your cage, man...come on, come on, come on,” Kurtis quickly waved, “Hurry it up now, that’s right.”
“Where are you taking me?”
“Let’s have a little visit with Lieutenant Hargrove, shall we?”
“What are you going to do? You leave him out of this, Kurtis!”
“Tsk, tsk...Dillan, you’ll soon see...I have to use Hargrove in the best capacity I know how.”
“I’m afraid I don’t understand.”
“You need to learn to obey my orders...it’s really that simple you know...Open it,” Kurtis ordered.
The second guard opened Hargrove’s cell and pulled him out into the open corridor.
“Get me a chair,” Kurtis demanded.
“Yes, Sir!” one of the guards said, eager to fill the request.
“Put it right here,” he pointed. “Have a seat Lieutenant.”
Hargrove hesitantly sat, “What’s going on? What are you doing?”
“You’ll see soon enough,” Kurtis said, cracking a smile, “Dillan...I need you to assist in the CSMO repairs. She needs to be repaired so we can have space flight.”
“No! I won’t help you!”
“I wouldn’t pass this off too quickly now.”
“Whattya mean, Kurtis? What are you going to do?”
“Let me remind you...” Kurtis motioned to one of his goons, who smiled before backhanding Dillan across the face.
Dillan spun and fell to his knees. The strike opened the wounds on his face.
Hargrove shot up out of his chair, but the two guards grabbed his shoulders and planted him back down, “STOP IT! Don’t hurt him...I’ll help with the repairs.”
“No...sorry, Lieutenant...it’s not going to work that way.”
“Why not!”
“Because this is now about me showing my worker who his Boss is...he needs to start by giving me his cooperation...that’s all...” Kurtis helped the man off the floor and leaned close to his ear, “So, Dillan. That hurt, didn’t it? I’m really sorry about that,” he said, placing his arm around his neck, “You see, I wanted to make sure you knew how it felt, when I started beating on the Lieutenant here.”
“You can’t do that!”
“Oh, but I can,” he said, standing in front of Hargrove, then he swung his leather gloved hand at Hargrove, sliding his knuckles across his face. Hargrove’s neck spun round, blood spraying from his mouth. “So, Dillan...what’s it going to be?” his other hand struck flush on Hargrove’s jaw, a tooth and more blood shooting from his mouth as his head snapped around.
“Kurtis! Don’t do this!”
He swung three more times, “My answer?” he asked, recoiling to swing at the barely conscious Hargrove.
“I said I would help ya!”
“Just making sure, ‘cause you don’t want to make me mad now do ya?”
“No Sir, Kurtis...I’ll do it...just don’t hit him anymore.”
“I’ll hit him if I damn well feel like it,” Kurtis swung once again.
“Okay, okay,” Dillan again pleaded.
“So if I find out you are lying to me, I’ll beat him like this every day for a week and then toss him out an air lock...and it’ll be all your fault,” Kurtis said, pulling Dillan close to his face by the collar.
“Now, get to it...before Smithers wrecks my CSMO completely!”
Dillan slinked away down the causeway in search of Smithers.
“What do you want me to do with him?” one of the guards asked.
“Whatever you want...just don’t kill him. Then when you’re done, he goes back into his cell.
The two guards smiled at each other with the thoughts of pleasure they were about to receive by beating this man more.
Kurtis stopped, turned to point a finger their way, “Do not kill him...do I make myself clear on that?”
“Yes, sir!”
“Fine, carry on then,” Kurtis said, as he turned and limped toward the lower mining levels of the CSMO.
Kurtis knew the importance to checking on the refinery processing plants. Without mining, the
CSMO couldn’t support its crew for more than six months. He checked all the asteroid cutters that would carve off the precious resources and refine them into vital air, water, and fuel.
After several hours of inspections and confirmations that the main coolant leak was repaired, he gave the order to fire up the drive treads.
The powerful CSMO began to crawl slowly across the frozen surface of the asteroid.
“Cutting speed confirmed, Sir.”
“Lower the cutting teeth!” Kurtis ordered.
“Yes, Sir!” a shout was heard from down the line.
The giant cutting heads slammed into the surface, the irresistibly grinding teeth bit into the thick ice covering the asteroid’s surface. The cutting heads turned, chewing and scraping the frozen layer from the asteroid. The ice chunks, the first resources collected, moved via conveyer to the water processing section. The crew at the receiving end began the process of turning it into potable water for the ship.
The CSMO also bit into the layers of rock beneath the ice. The chemical-rich slag was ground and sent to the refinery, where the minerals would be separated out. The chemicals could then be processed into air and fuel, or the precious minerals, the reason the CSMOs were out here, would be refined and concentrated. The CSMO could not do both at once.
“We’ll have to dump the mineral ore behind us,” Kurtis instructed, “No other option. We can come back with containers and scoopers to clean up later. Right now we just have to keep working on our resources.”
“Okay Boss,” the men nearby all agreed.
“For now, we have to get this ship space worthy. Keep us moving and only stop if you have no other option. You got that?”
“Yes, Boss,” the men nodded.
Kurtis nearly lost his balance as the CSMO came to an abrupt stop, the grinding teeth beneath the machine knocked high into the air, as it struck a solid object.
“What the hell was that?” Kurtis yelled.
* * *
Chapter 10
Salvage-5
Location:
Kuiper Belt - Asteroid 253 Mathilde
Earth Date: 04/13/2065 10:45
New Mission Objectives:
ENLIST RUSSIANS TO ASSIST W/REPAIR
FACILITATE REPAIR
NEUTRALIZE RUSSIAN THREAT
FIND CSMO & REFUEL
Secondary Mission Objectives:
DELIVER PARTS & SUPPLIES
CORRECT ASTEROID 253 MATHILDE
TEST JUMP-GATE
“Vhat do you mean, nice to zee you? I don’ kno’ you at all!” Vladimir answered with a broken English accent.
“Vladimir!” Tucker said with open arms, “I can’t believe you don’t remember me...” then turning to Samuels, “He doesn’t remember? Heh! Well...” Tucker continued, turning back to the Russian captain, “I’m not surprised,” he finished with a wink.
“...and it’z Captain Glazkov.”
“Sure, Captain. You’re telling me you don’t remember the time at the Romanian consulate?”
Vladimir floated in the air lock, dumbfounded, “I do remember being lit,” then he rested his hands on his hips, “I remember most of that night, just don’ not remember you.”
“No, no...not the time two years ago...I was with you six years ago...you were much more wasted,” Tucker turned to Samuels once more, “He was...”
“I don’t remember being at the Romanian consulate six years ago...”
“See, Vladimir, eh, Captain Glazkov?”
“Yes?” the Russian captain said, showing signs of irritation.
“No one there thought you would...I mean, standing on the sofa and jumping up and down like that? Half-dressed? I wouldn’t want to remember either...”
“I did no such thing!”
“And then with the lampshade...geez...that was the highlight of the night...”
“Enough!”
“Fine...fine...I won’t bring up the other thing...”
“What other ting?”
“Well, since you asked...”
“I vould remember if I ever saw you!”
“Not exactly...”
“Vhy do you say that?”
“You still have that bump on your head?”
“You’re inzane! I have never met you before!”
“You still got it, don’t ya?”
“Got what?!” Glazkov said in exasperation.
“That bump on the head...that was a pretty nasty fall that night...that’s why he doesn’t remember.”
“Before I even tink about entertaining vhat you have to zay, you vill answer my queztionz!”
“You sure you don’t want to hear about the other thing?” Tucker asked, looking at the others, “It’s quite entertaining.”
“I’m zure you can zpin a great tale, Colonel, but I vant to understand vhy the Company has moved the ZSMO!”
“Why now, that’s a great question.”
“The UTS did not order the CSMO to change locations?”
“Nope, not that I have been told.”
“Zo, vhy did they leave? And vhy did they launch a mine field? Do you realize the damage one of those thingz can do?”
“Yes, I actually do know...and I assure you, Captain, that I had no idea the CSMO was gone, let alone the mines. We nearly hit one coming out of our reverse jump speeds.”
“Prove it!”
“Sam, show him the flight logs, as well as our last programmed coordinates.”
“Yes, Sir,” Sam acknowledged, “I’ll bring it up on your data pad.”
“Bring it up on Major Phillips’ pad, please.”
“Oh, right, no data pad,” she whispered under her breath.
“You see, Vladimir?”
“Captain Glazkov.”
“Captain Glazkov, We were sent here by UTS to repair this here jump ring.”
“We did notice the damage, go on...”
“When we arrived, the CSMO was gone...it’s not military protocol to lay a mine field in a non-hostile zone.”
Sam floated down from the pilot house, “Cass, the data is uploaded to your device.”
“Thank you, Captain,” she answered, handing Vladimir her data pad.
Vladimir took the pad and inspected it with raised eyebrows.
“This leads us to think that the CSMO was stolen...the coordinates that we computed, they went to, was our last programmed setting. We were just about to take off in search of the thing, but it’s another three days.”
“I see vhat you are zaying is supported in your flight data,” Vladimir nodded, “I’ll listen to your proposal now.”
“Come on inside...come on...don’t be shy guys.”
“It’s okay, Colonel, if my guys keep their veapons isn’t it?”
“Why sure, Captain Glazkov...we’re just as upset about the disappearing CSMO as you are. I’m sure you’re needing your fuel tanks topped off by now? Right?”
“Ve Vere expecting fuel ztop, da.”
“Well, if we can enlist your men in helping with the repair of the jump ring here, we can get to the CSMO in a couple of hours, not days...I’ll even allow you to go through first.”
“You vill allow me? I don’t think you are in any position to allow me anything.”
“Okay, fine...fine...We’ll go first then,” Tucker shrugged.
The two Russian guards pointed their weapons at Tucker, “Okay, okay...if you feel that strongly about it, you can go first...but I think you need to get to the station fairly soon...maybe a week or two of fuel left? Did I get it about right, Captain?”
“Fine, lower your veapons. ve vill help repair station...we need you as much as you need us...I think you’re reserves are a bit low as vell. You need the jump ring to return to Earth, zo do ve...zo we do this MY vay...do I make myself perfectly clear?”
Tucker lowered his hands from being raised from the pointing weapons, “Sure, fine...we do it your way...”
“We repair the station, power up the jump ring to asteroid 10 Hygiea. Th
e Falcon goes first, then you follow on next recharge. You vill join us at the ZSMO to overtake them. Ve vill top off our tanks from the ZSMO’s reserves, return to the jump ring and then back to Earth.”
“Right...great...good plan, Captain Glazkov.”
“I thought you’d zee it my vay.”
“Very well, shall we get under way then? We’ll have to undock in order to deposit the canisters around the jump ring.”
“You may undock, but you vill return to this port for the duration of repair, which is how long again?”
“I never said.”
“How long?!”
“Just a couple of days, a week if we did it alone.”
“Fine! Major Phillips? You shall accompany me to Falcon.”
“Um, no...you see Captain Glazkov, that wasn’t part of our agreement.”
“You never asked...let’s zay, it’s an inzurance polizy,” Vladimir smiled.
Cassie nervously looked over at Tucker. Tucker nodded in return, “It’s okay, Major...we’ll be back to pick you up in a few hours.”
“She’ll be fine aboard Falcon until you return.”
“Tuck...” Cass began.
“Shhh, shhh, now,” Vladimir said, pressing his finger to his lips, “Please...” motioning to the air lock entrance.
Cassie floated inside the airlock, followed by the two guards and Captain Vladimir, “Now you may close and release...you have two hours...”
“Okay? Now we’re on a time limit?”
“Da, I zaid my rules...my vay.”
“What happens after...”
“I shoot her and float her body back to you in space.”
“Well, I guess you better let us get busy then,” Tucker smiled, then waved as Samuels rolled the airlock door, sealing them inside.
Vladimir and crew quickly exited the airlock passage, closing their side, “Salvage-5, Falcon...you are clear to undock...see you in two hours.”
“Sam! Engage our thrusters and get us off their ship...Samuels, I need you and myself to use the MECHs to unload the containers around the ring...”
“What about Cass?” Samuels asked.
“She’ll be fine...we’ll get her back when we return in two hours.”
“How can you be sure Captain Glazkov will give her back when we return?” Buster asked.