Salvage-5: Another Mission (First Contact) Read online

  Cass snatched the pen and stuffed it inside her vest pocket, “Sorry, Commander; still kind of foggy.”

  “Well, it’s a good thing you’re not flying then, isn’t it?”

  “Oh, I’m flyin’ alright,” Cass said, spinning her finger in the air.

  “Have I ever told you how important it is to not fly with a hangover?” Tucker leered, “I mean, didn’t we go over this issue the last time we were getting ready to rocket to Mathilde at nearly one tenth the speed of light...I mean, those forces are tough enough on our bodies without having a hangover.”

  “Zip it, Tuck...I’m not in the mood,” Cass sneered.

  Tucker offered Cass a sick-sack, “You sure you don’t need one of these?”

  “I think it was you who needed one of those, last time, smarty pants.”

  Buster leaned forward to Sam, “I think it’s going to be a very long trip.”

  Sam glanced back at Buster, “Yeeeup.”

  “What?” Tucker shrugged. “You ain’t seen nothing yet.”

  Cass held her head as the ship settled into orbit. She looked out her right window and nearly lost it seeing how high they were. The Earth glistened like a giant blue and white marble rolling leisurely past their ship.

  “We’re coming up on the other two SSV’s, Sir,” Sam reported.

  “Open ship to ship.”

  “Channel open, Sir.”

  “Captain Hargrove, Captain Yakovna. Set speed to 20,000 KPH. Assume formation Alpha. SSV 5 in the lead, SSV 7 to port and SSV 6 starboard, separation one hundred meters. Set course to the CSMO. Cass? What’s our distance out?”

  “Target is 5,000 kilometers dead ahead, Commander,” Cass reported.

  “Open channel to the CSMO.”

  “Ready, Commander,” Sam nodded.

  “Thanks for your help, Captain,” Cass shot a glance, “But I got it already.”

  “Just thought I’d offer some help, you don’t look so good, Major.”

  “I’m fine already!” Cass snapped.

  “Okay, okay...Sorrrry.”

  “This is Sergeant Samuels of CSMO 253 Mathilde-2, I read you, go ahead, Commander.”

  “Sarge, when did you get up here?” Tucker asked.

  “I took a shuttle up about six hours ago with Dillan.”

  “Hey, how’s the ol’ foreman doing these days?”

  “Well, you can ask him for yourself, he’s right here,” Samuels said over the comm system.

  “Dillan,” Tucker smiled in return, “glad to have you on board this CSMO’s maiden voyage.”

  “Thanks’ Colonel, much obliged.”

  “What’s your ETA Colonel?”

  “Cass? Would you be so kind as to tell our Sergeant when we’ll be arriving?”

  “Sure, Tuck, er, Commander...We’re about seventeen minutes before we reach the CSMO.”

  “You heard it for yourself, Sarge,” Tucker said, “seventeen minutes. You ready to receive our little posse?”

  “Affirmative, Commander. Our landing bay is wide open and ready to receive all SSV’s.”

  “Very good, my good man. Stand by on this frequency.”

  “My, my, Tucker, aren’t we in a super good mood,” Samuels said over the wireless. “What gives?”

  “Oh nothing.”

  Cass leaned over to Tucker’s mic, “He proposed to me last night, Sarge! We’re getting married when we return!”

  “He did? You are? Wow...way ta go, Commander...nice job!”

  “Relax, Sergeant,” Cass answered, “No honeymoon until after the mission.”

  “What? Are you kidding me? He actually said after?” Samuels asked.

  “Oh, don’t worry, Sergeant. He got me a ring and everything.”

  “Do you have witnesses?” Samuels asked over the comm link.

  Tucker squinted at the speaker Samuels’ voice came out of, “Yeah, there were plenty of witnesses...like about fifty.”

  Samuels chuckled for all to hear, “Did popping the question in a public place backfire on ya, Commander?”

  “Shut it, Samuels. Just get the CSMO ready for jump when we get there.”

  “Don’t worry, Sergeant,” Cass added, “I’ll see to it that this goes down. You can count on that,” Cass turned with a slow nod toward Tuck.

  “What?” Tucker shrugged in return, “Hey, if I wasn’t serious, I wouldn’t have asked, you know that, right?”

  “Uh huh,” Cass slowly answered.

  “Commander,” Samantha interrupted, “I have the CSMO in visual range.”

  Tucker turned his attention forward, “All SSV’s reduce power to engines, set speed to 500 KPH and line up for landing procedures...Captain Hargrove, You’re up first. Captain Yakovna, you take second position, and I’ll bring up your rear.”

  “You’d better leave her rear alone!” Cass muttered under her breath.

  Slavena snickered through her comm link, “Commander, you’re an engaged man.”

  “What?” Tucker shrugged.

  “You are landing in behind my zhip, you should go firzt, it’d be like zpooning for my gosh sakez, Commander.”

  “Your sense of humor continues to evade me, Captain Yakovna,” Tucker replied, “Just dock your damn ship after dash 7, ’kay?”

  “Aye, aye, Commander,” Slavena somberly answered.

  Tucker laughed out loud, “Gotcha!”

  Cass slapped his arm, “Quit flirting with the Russian Captain, Tucker!”

  “Sorry,” Tucker said, recoiling from Cass’s playful slap.

  “Yeah, I’ll make you sorry, alright,” Cass sneered.

  Tucker cleared his throat, “Final approach speed is 40 KPH. At 50 meters match CSMO speed and hold over pad.”

  “Roger that, Commander,” Hargrove answered. “Slowing to 500 KPH, and on final vector to CSMO...Slowing to 25 KPH, matching CSMO speed...We’re locked over Pad 1...Z minus 25 KPH to landing...skids lowered and locked...and skids down in 3...2...1...mag-locks activated. We’re down, Commander.”

  “Power down your systems and secure to landing bay,” Tucker ordered, “Captain Yakovna? Looks like you’re all lined up? You ready to touchdown?”

  “Yez, Commander. Matching CSMO speed, Z minus 25 KPH, skidz down and locked.”

  Tucker watched as the sleek salvage vessels disappeared inside the CSMO.

  “Skidz down and locked, Commander.”

  “Good job, Captain. Power down your systems and secure to landing bay.”

  “Commander,” Sam nodded, “We’re over pad number 3 and ready to land.”

  “Whattya waitin’ for, Captain? Drop your skids and take us down.”

  “Z minus 10 meters at 25 KPH...and in 3...2...1...skids down, mag-locks engaged! We’re down, Sir.”

  “Sergeant Samuels?” Tucker asked.

  “Aye, Sir. Rolling landing bay doors. Doors closed, full pressurization in ten seconds...”

  “Oh, for crying out loud, open the cargo bay door and let’s get to the bridge already!”

  “You’re da boss,” Sam smiled. She pressed the cargo bay open sequence and then quickly held her fingers in her ears. She forced a yawn as the cargo bay opened and the pressure equalized in the Salvage-5 cabin.

  Tucker knocked the side of his head and shook off the pressure, “That’ll grow hair on your chest if nothin’ else will.”

  “Tucker,” Samantha grinned, “I don’t need any hair on my chest.”

  Tucker’s eyes settled on Sam’s chest until Cass punched his shoulder.

  “What? Oh, never mind,” Tucker smiled, “I know when to keep quiet.”

  “Do ya, now?” Cass balked.

  “Come on, let’s float on outta here. Captains, meet us on the CSMO Bridge after you have secured your ships,” Tucker ordered, “All ships sign out.”

  Tucker and Major Phillips headed to the CSMO Bridge while the rest prepped the landing bay for the jump ring.

  Tucker glanced around the CSMO Bridge, then strapped himself into one of the seats with the best
view.

  “Hargrove? Good to see your ugly mug again.”

  “Likewise, Commander,” Hargrove said, strapping down in the pilot seat.

  “Take us to 45,000 KPH, and the Mag-ring.”

  “Aye, aye, Commander,” Hargrove said, pushing the control stick forward, “Accelerating to 45,000 KPH, course set to Jump-ring.”

  “Buster, you got that Jump-ring configuration completed yet?”

  “Uh, yeah...sure.”

  “Okay, I’ll bite. Why are you just sure?”

  “Well, Commander, I’ve been running some calculations and I think I can get us to the asteroid in a little less time than we had planned.”

  “Hargrove, how much time do we have before we get to the ring?”

  “At 750 kilometers per minute,” Buster answered before Hargrove could even think about it, “the Mag-ring being 20,000 kilometers away, we have 27 minutes before jumping,”

  “Okay, so, again, I ask what is your plan?”

  “Simple, we move all three Mag-rings in tandem with each other. They can be linked together and propel our ship at three times normal jump velocities, shaving about four days off of our trip.”

  “So, you’re saying we daisy-chain the Mag-rings? How close would they need to be in order for your new formula to work?”

  “No farther apart than 30 meters, Commander.”

  “Okay, how much time do you need to bring the rings together?”

  “A couple of hours?”

  “Is that a guess, Lieutenant?” Sam snickered as she floated in the hatchway of the CSMO’s Bridge. “Salvage-5 is secure, Sir.”

  “Not sure I want to take a couple of hours for an experiment, though it does sound like a cool test. Might be best to save it for another day?”

  “Commander,” Slavena reported in Tucker’s headset, “I’ve got a port locking clamp zat won’t turn green for me. I think it eeze jammed.”

  Tucker held his hand up. “Stand by, Captain,” he turned to Hargrove, “Reduce speed to 20,000 KPH and begin a circle pattern. Looks like we have an issue in the landing bay, and since we can’t jump until we get a stuck clamp to show us some greenage, we’ll not be jumping.”

  “Does that mean I can align the Mag-rings, Commander?”

  “Yes, Buster. You’ll get your way this time, but only because Captain Yakovna needs our help.”

  “All right!” Buster squealed.

  “Just contact mission control and let them know what you’re doing.”

  “You got it, Commander.”

  Tucker unbuckled his harness and pointed to Cass, “Come on, let’s check out Slavena’s locking hardware.”

  “What’s the matter, Colonel?” Cass smirked, “You afraid to go in alone?”

  “Damn right I am!”

  “Come on, lover boy, I won’t let the big bad wolf blow your house down. Or anything else!”

  “Huh?”

  “Oh never mind!”

  “Major! I’m shocked.”

  Tucker and Cass made their way to the landing bay. Slavena was wrestling with a spanner wrench, trying to find some leverage in the weightless environment.

  “Oh good, Commander,” Slavena said, looking at the two, “You’re here. I can’t zeem to get enough leverage to lock this foot.”

  “Here,” Tucker said, maneuvering under the ship to Slavena’s side, “Cass, get on her other side and we’ll hold her like a vice.”

  Tucker reluctantly placed his hands on Slavena’s hips, along with Cass’s hands.

  “Umm, I ztill can’t do it. You’ll have to puzh harder.”

  “Hold still, already!” Cass complained.

  Tucker braced one foot on the bottom of the ship as he floated upside down. His other leg wrapped around the landing strut, while Cass’s foot was firm on the landing pad, her hands on Slavena’s buttocks, Slavena contorted her body against Tucker and Cass, grunting with all her force to turn the handle into the lock position.

  Just as Slavena began to turn the control she yelled out, “Oh yezzz! Puzh harder, puzh harder!”

  Buster interrupted them over their wireless, “Ummm, did I catch you all at a bad time?”

  “Never mind, Buster,” Tucker panted, and continued to push on Slavena, doing the best he could to hold her in place without laughing, “What is it, whiz-kid?”

  “I just called to let you know, mission control has approved our tandem ring jump, Sir...that is all...I’m in the process of writing the link-up code now. I’ll have it ready in about twenty minutes, Sir.”

  “Just... ungh! keep...huh…up the... unnngh!... good work,” Tucker said, as the two continuing to lunge on Slavena.

  “Oh yezz you two, yezz! Almost…zere… That’s it! I got it!” Slavena shouted with glee.

  “Um...” Tucker could hear the blush in Buster’s voice, “I’m signing off now, uh, Sir.”

  The three relaxed their grip on each other, Slavena gave Tucker a smiling glance, and then looked over at the Major, “Thank youz, thank youz both for your helpz.”

  “Sure thing, Captain,” Tucker offered, “Anytime.”

  “I saw where you had your hands, Mister,” Cass said, moving out from under the ship.

  “What? I was just helping...”

  “Better quit while you’re ahead, Commanderz,” Slavena smiled.

  “Yeah, if you know what’s good for ya, you will,” Cass nodded with Slavena.

  “What? I’ve done nothing wrong here.”

  “Right,” Cass nodded, “Come on, let’s finish securing the landing bays and get back with the others.”

  “Good ideaz,” Tucker said, using a horrible attempt at a Russian accent.

  Cass and Slavena shook their heads as the three floated to the primary landing bay control panel.

  Slavena tapped at the command console and the three compartments became separated by two walls rising out of the floor.

  “Thiz helpz keep landing bay zafe,” Slavena explained. “Newly dezigned bulkheads are used to separate the landing bay into three separate padz.”

  “So, if any of the clamps fail, the ship won’t crash into another docked ship,” Cass added.

  “I know, I know...I went over the briefing just like you did,” Tucker said, being unimpressed with their commentary.

  The bulkheads rose to the ceiling and then stopped, making a metal thunk as the walls locked into position.

  “Shall we?” Tucker motioned toward the CSMO’s Bridge.

  “After you, lover boy,” Cass said, giving him an elbow as she floated by.

  “OW! Hey? What did I do?” Tucker asked, rubbing his rib cage.

  * * *

  Chapter 5

  CSMO 253 Mathilde-2

  Location:

  Earth’s Orbit

  Earth Date: 10/22/2065 2064 04:00

  Mission Objectives:

  DEPLOY CSMO AT ASTEROID 253 MATHILDE

  JUMP ASSUALT TEAM TO 52 EUROPA

  INFILTRATE ALIEN NOOSPHERE

  RESCUE HUMANS

  COLLECT ALIEN COMPUTER CORE

  DESTROY NOOSPHERE COMPLEX

  “Commander,” Buster announced, “I have the jump rings aligned. We’re ready to go up here, Sir.”

  “Well, it’s about time, Lieutenant,” Tucker said, floating forward onto the bridge.

  “Oh, you’re here already.”

  “Well, what did you expect? You said two hours.”

  “Right you are, and ready we are, Sir.”

  “Captain Hargrove, proceed to jump ring, increase speed to 45,000 KHP.”

  “Aye, Commander. Increasing speed to 45,000 KPH and on course for parallel ring jump.”

  “Stations ready, everyone,” Tucker ordered.

  “Jump ring alignment confirmed, course is set for jump to 253 Mathilde, ETA eight days,” Cass reported.

  Buster took his calculator and quickly computed, “Eight days, three hours, and twelve minutes.”

  We’re coming up on our threshold in one minute,” Hargrove reported,
“Confirm parallel jump ring is at full power.”

  “Confirm jump rings at full power, Captain,” Buster nodded.

  “30 seconds!” Cass counted.

  “Board is all green!” Hargrove began.

  “15 seconds!”

  “Red lights! Red lights! Red lights!” Hargrove shouted over an alarm that sounded.

  Cass pressed several buttons on her console and looked up at Tucker, “We’ve got a red light in docking bay two! Abort jump! Abort jump!”

  “Too late,” Buster shouted, “we can’t power down the ring in time.

  “...We’re too close to change course!” Samantha yelled over the inertial turbulence, “We’ll have to ride it out!”

  “Prepare for spatial distortion! Approaching Mag-Ring now...in 3...2...1 Hold on everyone!” Hargrove cried.

  The CSMO elongated and snapped through the three tandem jump ring threshold, disappearing from Earth’s view in an instant.

  A large thud vibrated throughout the suddenly shaking CSMO.

  The crew regained consciousness with a peculiar buzzing in their ears.

  “Report!” Tucker ordered, shaking his head.

  “H-Hargrove h-here, Sir...we’re in one piece and at one third the speed of light.”

  “Nice job, Lieutenant,” Samantha praised.

  “Well, before we start handing out congratulations,” Tucker asked, “what was that red light all about?”

  “The red light came from the rear landing pod,” Cass said, reading her console. “The middle bay to be exact,” Cass answered.

  “Guess we better go have a look,” Tucker said, unbuckling his harness.

  Cass followed with Slavena and Samuels, Hargrove looked up at the departing crew, “Umm, we’ve got another problem.”

  Tucker shook his head and stopped at the bridge hatchway, “I hate it when he starts his sentences that way.”

  “We’re off course.”

  “Okaaaay,” Tucker shrugged, “How far?”

  “Very far, Sir.”

  Tucker turned and floated back to Hargrove’s console, “Mind expounding upon that, Captain?”

  “We’re going to miss 253 Mathilda by forty-five days. I don’t even know if we can course correct at these speeds. If we try, we could just…”

  “Sir?” Buster cut in, “I think something shifted causing our center of mass to change, throwing us off course.”