Salvage-5 (First Contact) Read online

  The General stood and shook Cassandra’s hand and then offered his hand to Tucker, “Captain, Colonel, pleasure to see you both.”

  Tucker, not returning his gesture, remained seated, “I’m sure you are, wish I could say the same.”

  The General sat down, and scooted himself in. He felt uncomfortable enough as it was and didn’t want to stand there waiting any longer, “Colonel, we have a situation.”

  Tucker sat unemotional as the General continued with his hands folded on his desk, “The civilian crew of Salvage-4 are missing.”

  “I know they’re missing, General. But can you get to the point? I’m a busy guy, you know.”

  “You’re retired,” the General replied.

  “Not anymore,” Cassandra said under her breath.

  Tuck gave her a cynical glance, and then returned to the matter, “So, Mac, can you tell me why the military is gettin’ involved in a civilian mission?”

  “It’s Richard…”

  “Okay, Dick…”

  “…Don’t piss me off, Tucker!” the General exclaimed, nearly coming out of his chair, “You’re pushing it to the limit.”

  “Oh, I can think of a million come-backs to that. Okay, just tell me when I’m over the limit and I’ll…”

  “That’s enough Colonel! You had better zip it before I sit your ass in the brig.”

  “Go ahead, Dick…err General, or whatever you want to be called. I’d be safer in there than where I think you want to send me.”

  “I’d think twice about that, Colonel. You’re not very well liked around here…”

  “No kiddin’…”

  “…and most of those inmates, I’d be sure to bunk you with, would love to get a piece of you…if you know what I mean.”

  For the first time, Tucker squirmed in his seat. He took a long drag from his short cigar and blew the plume over the General’s head, “I’ll take my chances.”

  “I mean it Tuck, keep it up.”

  “Okay, how about this?” Tucker said, leaning forward he blew another cloud in the General’s face, “the way I see it…sir…you need me for this mission…and there’s only one reason why that is.”

  Cass put her hand on his knee, “Tuck, don’t do this.”

  “Captain,” he said turning to Cassandra momentarily, “Let me guess.”

  “Go on, Mister. Go ahead and tell us what it is you think this is all about,” General McKenzie scowled, “and put that damn thing out in my office!” the General’s stature towered over Tucker, even sitting.

  Tucker obliged and snuffed his short stogie in his portable ashtray, and then placed it inside his military coat, “See General? I can follow orders.”

  “You were about to tell me what you ‘think’ this is all about.”

  “Yes, well. You see, I kind of think you might have a reason to think that I’ve been messing around with your wife…but I haven’t I assure you…just in case it ever did come up…you know.”

  “This is not about that…and I assure you, I’m not in the least bit worried about you ‘messing around’ with my wife…amused, though,” the General chuckled.

  “Oh, well…good…now that we have that out of the way then. Can you just please tell me what this is all about?” He turned to Cass, “Why won’t he tell me about what this is all about?”

  “Ahem,” the General coughed.

  Tucker turned back toward the General, “Sorry, General. Go right ahead…please tell me what this is all…”

  “Colonel Petersen!”

  “…right, right…you have the floor,” Tucker said, leaning back in his chair, he crossed his legs and folded his hands, resting them on his lap.

  “Colonel, this is a serious matter. You already know we’ve lost Salvage-4. We haven’t received any signal from them,” the General looked briefly at his watch, “going on three days now. Major Jamison did manage to send us a 45 minute recording of their findings.”

  “I take it all the Savage missions have failed.”

  “Yes. Jamison was the first mission to get any recording back to us. The others simply vanished.”

  “…and you want me to go out there because…”

  “As much as I hate to admit it…”

  ”…Ooo this should be good. Are we recording this by chance?” Tucker asked, turning to Cass.

  “…you’re the best commander I have.”

  “No…no, you see that’s where you’re wrong, General.”

  “I’m not wrong.”

  “I’ve been retired for five years, I’m out of shape…you know how it is…”

  “He’s in fine shape,” Cass smiled, “He pressed over 300 pounds thirteen times.”

  Tucker quickly turned to Cass, “It was five, okay?”

  “Hah, I knew it…”

  Turning back to the General, “besides, I’m only five foot five. I was rejected by the space program because, well…you know what they say.”

  “What do that say?”

  “Size really does matter…”

  Cass, no longer able to contain herself, burst out laughing.

  “You see? That’s why I’m not the best fit for this mission.”

  “I got you a waiver for your, um, size issue…and your chart shows five foot seven.”

  “I lied. I’m really five-eight…you see, I am such a liar. You don’t need a liar for a commander.”

  “…and the Captain here will be your pilot,” the General said, making a hand gesture toward Cass.

  Tucker leaned on one knee, and turned to Cass, “Oh come on now… really?”

  “Yes, Tucker,” Cass answered.

  “See, you could have given me a hint,” turning back the General, “I won’t go if she’s my pilot. No way on this Earth.”

  “It won’t be Earth.”

  “Sir…” Tucker stood and pleaded, “Please don’t send Cass out there with me…anyone besides her. Really General? I did piss you off, didn’t I...Look, I’ll do it if I get to pick my own pilot.”

  “You’ll go if Cass stays?”

  “No offence, there Captain,” he said sitting back down and patting her knee, “I’ll go with anyone else as pilot, but I get to pick my crew.”

  “Done.”

  “Okay, now we’re getting somewhere.”

  “Cass stays on Earth and will be assigned to your intelligence gathering. She’ll also assist your trainer.”

  Tucker looked at the General in the eye, “Okay. You got me. Now, tell me what the hell this is really all about?”

  “We originally thought that the CSMO Euna-1 ran into mechanical trouble. We lost their signal just shy of four months ago. Three lost Salvage missions later, the civilian company contracted the military to oversee the next one.”

  “That’s when you reached out to Gus.”

  “Right, uh, we reached out…Major Jamison and his crew arrived at the Kirkwood Gap and the target asteroid 15 Eunomia,” then the major clicked a button on his data-pad and played a video for Tucker on the wall.

  He digested everything from the crew cutting the hole in the CSMO, to the stark scared faces of the dead crew. Then the scene changed to the telescope view on the surface of the asteroid.

  That’s when the General froze the image, “It’s right here that we are the most interested in,” drawing a circle with a laser pen.

  “What is it?”

  “That, is an unidentified flying object.”

  “Wow… boy oh boy! Changed my mind…never mind, you can put me in the brig. I really don’t like this, not at all,” Tucker said to Cass.

  “Tuck,” the General said, as somberly as he could, “I need you. I need you to do this.”

  “That there thing on the screen? It’s not flying…it’s crashed. Looks to be buried in the rocks and I’m not about to join its ranks,” then he turned to Cass again, “Are these people nuts? They want me to be the meet and greet committee for these aliens?”

  “Relax, Tuck. There’s no sign that the aliens are alive. We
estimate that the disk-shaped vessel had been buried on that asteroid for tens of thousands of years. That’s why I need you and your team…and whoever else you want to take out there…to recover that technology before anyone else.”

  “What makes you so sure that try number, um, five will be any more successful? I mean, we’ve already gone way past third time’s a charm here.”

  “Tuck, this is a chance of a life time.”

  “Yeah, I’m thrilled.”

  “Colonel, Gus may still be alive,” Cassandra said, placing her hand on his knee.

  Tucker fell silent for a moment, “What makes you think that?”

  “Because we received a second signal from the site a few hours ago.”

  “And, you’re just now telling me this because why?”

  “It’s nothing more than the distress beacon onboard Salvage-4. It’s our only hope that the major, and his crew, are alive. They have enough air for three months.”

  “What is it, 15 days out?”

  “If we don’t launch within two weeks, we will miss our window and it will take 23. But yes, 15 now. It took them 12 and every minute we sit here flapping our gums about yes or no, the more oxygen they burn, the fewer minutes they have left.”

  “Okay, General. But there is one more thing you need to promise me.”

  “Name it, Colonel.”

  “You’ll look after my boy.”

  “Yes, I heard about the tragic accident. How’s Bev taking it?”

  “We don’t talk much, but she’s holding up okay.”

  “How is Bennie doing? Any improvements?”

  “No. The Doctors have said he’s stable, but in a coma.”

  “You bring me back that technology, and I’ll see to it your son gets the very best care.”

  “Thanks, General.”

  “So how about it, Tuck.”

  “I get the feeling there isn’t anything I can say or do to change your mind.”

  “Nope-orders are orders.”

  “Then Yes. Now that’s a type-S one, right? Silicone based.”

  “You would think that,” Cass said calmly, “Type-S asteroids mainly consist of metallic iron and iron-magnesium silicates. Not silicone.”

  “Hmmm,” Tuck thought silently for a moment, “Metallic iron…couldn’t their instruments have been just messed up by the heavy magnetics and crashed into it?”

  “No, something grabbed that CSMO and we think they were trying to get away in a panic.”

  “And Gus’s emergency beacon is still transmitting…from the surface.”

  “Swell. Okay, I’ve seen enough. I’ll start assembling the crew. You say I have 10 days before launch?”

  “Sooner if possible, Colonel.”

  “I’ll need all 10.”

  “Why?”

  “Well, I have to sort of break one of my crew out of prison.”

  “Break?”

  “Well, you know…break, buy…same difference.”

  “Who and what was he in for?”

  “Name’s Calvin Jones, kind of got himself into a sticky mess with a little misunderstanding down in Mexico.”

  “Cal? Seriously? You don’t need to tell me anymore…I think I can pull a string or two for you on that one.”

  “General, don’t tell him. Let me, please?”

  “Okay, why not.”

  “Good, because part of my strategy there is to make him think I hold the keys to his freedom.”

  “Great way to build loyalty,” Cass mused.

  “I thought so.”

  “Gentlemen, ladies, I think we need to dismiss.”

  “Great, I was hoping to leave soon. I think I need a drink.”

  “No drinking, Colonel,” Cass waved a finger in his face, “You can’t have one drop until your return.”

  “Oh come on. You’re such a party poop.”

  “One last thing before you go.”

  “What’s that, General?”

  He reached over to his vid-link and buzzed his secretary, “Send in the Colonel’s trainer.”

  “Right away sir,” the comm link answered.

  “Who…who’s my trainer? Why are you both smiling?”

  “Sergeant Samuels, reporting for duty, SIR!” the man said, coming into the room with a salute.

  “Samuels!” Tuck exclaimed, then turned to Cass, “I knew Samuels had something to do with this…didn’t I tell you he was involved?”

  The three walked out the General’s office and the General waited for the door to close.

  Then he picked up his data-pad and made a quick call, “Yes, it’s me. He’s in…of course…he’ll be fine… …don’t worry about a thing…oh and by the way, need a couple of things. Go to Memorial Hospital and see to it that his son, Bennie gets the best care…he’s our candidate today…right…then make arraignments for the Mexican police to turn Calvin Jones’s over to him… ….yes…you heard me, Calvin… …okay, thanks,” then he disconnected the call and sat back with his hands folded behind his head, and feet on his desk.

  * * *

  Chapter 3

  Whidbey Island Naval Base & Space Port

  Oak Harbor, WA

  Day 1

  Earth Date: Aug.10, 2064 0530hours

  “Hup, two. Hup two, Hup, two, three, four,” the sergeant sang in cadence to Tucker running down the track. It was pouring down rain on the Naval Space port of Oak Harbor. Tucker huffed and puffed as he tried to keep up with his trainer. Cass was running along Samuels, keeping up with no problem.

  “Is this really necessary?” Tuck asked, another cigar clenched in his teeth, “In the rain? I don’t see that there’s any use to this, it doesn’t rain in space.”

  “What’s the matter, Tuck,” Cass asked between breaths, “Getting soft?”

  “Soft? No. Not soft, not at all.”

  “Come on Colonel, double time it.”

  “Oh come on now,” Tucker complained.

  “Only three laps to go…now move your lazy ass!”

  “Three!? We’ve already done three.”

  “Wrong, Tuck,” Cass smiled, “We’ve only done one… you’re not gonna let a woman beat ya are ya?”

  “Well, that depends.”

  “On what?”

  “On if there are really three more to go.”

  “Tuck!”

  “What? You were expecting me to say something else, weren’t you?”

  “Knock it off, Colonel. You only have a few days left. Use them wisely,” the sergeant shouted. “Double time it, double time it…two…three…four…”

  Rounding the last corner of the fourth lap, and only fifty feet to go, Tucker poured on the steam, passing both the sergeant and Cass across the finish line.

  They continued to trot to the covered area at the side of the track where they all rested with their hands on their knees.

  “I thought you didn’t like to run,” Cass panted.

  “Never said that, I just don’t like the rain…and hey, you sound great doing that.”

  “Shut-up Tuck,” Cass again panted.

  “Guess, I ended up beating you, huh,” Tucker said, blowing a large puff from his cigar.

  “When you gonna give that up?”

  “That would be never. Why do you keep asking me that?” he paused and then smiled, “Ahhh, you do care about me…there’s no denying it now.”

  Cass stood upright and approached Tucker, “Yeah, I care,” then as she began to give him a hug, she sucker punched him in the gut.

  Tucker doubled over and coughed, “There. Now you’ll know how it will feel after sucking on those things for another ten years.”

  “Oh, yeah,” Tucker coughed, trying to catch his breath, “That was real good, Cass.”

  “Didn’t see that one coming did ya.”

  “Nope, sure didn’t. Now that’s the Cass I remember.”

  “That’s Captain to you, Colonel.”

  “Right, Captain. I won’t forget it.”

  “Good.”

&nbs
p; “’Sides.”

  “’Sides, what?”

  “I don’t inhale.”

  “I have.”

  “Well no wonder you don’t like these, you’re not supposed to breathe these things, you trying to kill yourself? Sergeant, I think she needs an intervention…No, you taste the flavor and then blow it out.”

  “I see.”

  “Now, Sassy Cassie, what say we head over to the showers and get cleaned up before class?”

  “That’s a great idea, Tucker,” Cass smiled, “Too bad the base doesn’t have co-ed huh. And don’t call me that.”

  “Damn.”

  “About what? The showers?”

  “No, that I can’t call you Sassy Cassie,” Tucker smiled, blowing another familiar plume in the air, “Wow.”

  “Now what?”

  “This here is a mighty fine cigar…mighty fine indeed.”

  * * *

  Whidbey Island Naval Base & Space Port

  Oak Harbor, WA

  Day 5

  Earth Date: Aug.15, 2064 0800hrs

  “Now that you have completed your avionics crash course, you’re ready to advance to the next phase,” Sergeant Samuels instructed, “Today you will meet the rest of your crew.”

  “Uh, excuse me,” Tucker said, raising his hand, “Sergeant?”

  “What is it Tucker.”

  “Oh, Um I think that’s supposed to be Colonel to you, Sergeant.”

  “Excuse me, sir…what is it Colonel?”

  “Oh, that does sound much, much better.”

  “Colonel…”

  “Oh yeah, keep that Colonel thing going,” Tucker said, followed by an uncomfortable pause, “Okay, um, I thought I was picking the crew.”

  “Oh that,” the Sergeant smiled.

  “Yeah, that’s kind of what I was thinkin’ too.”

  “Did the General happen to say which mission ID number you get to choose your crew for?”

  “Uh, that would be a no…I didn’t think I had signed up for more than one fun filled trip to the middle of nowhere land and face aliens and crashed space ships…nope, I’m positive I never signed up for more than one glorious trip to hell!”

  “Cass,” Samuels asked, “Didn’t you tell him this was a two year re-enlistment?”