Solar Search

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 2Followed by the two men, Tara walked into an artificial cave cut deep into the crater side. It curved slightly until the entrance was out of sight before it came to an abrupt end where the lights stopped and a rock face blocked the way.

She stopped and turned to the others. "What do you think?"

"We've come too far," Vic said. "We should look for some side tunnel off this one."

"No, I believe we can continue. This face is not what it appears. Can't you see that slight movement?" Nolan said.

Tara studied the area ahead but it appeared to be just a basic slab of rock. No, wait a moment! When she concentrated on one point rather than just moving her eyes around, it did appear to vibrate slightly. The longer she concentrated the more pronounced the movement became.

"Reach forward and touch the surface, Tara," Nolan advised

She did and gave a gasp for her hand did not touch the surface. Instead it went through it. Her gloved hand hindered her sense of touch but it felt exactly like putting her hand in a bowl of warm water.

Nolan reached forward and grimaced. "I can feel only solid rock but you appear to have no hand with the rock closed in around your wrist."

"A force field is around your hand," Vic said. "What can you feel, Tara?"

"Not a lot but by glove appears to be immersed in sort of an oozy mud."

She could see nothing beyond her wrist but did feel a slight pressure on her glove. She wriggled her fingers and found they moved quite freely. At that point she felt nervous so pulled her hand out. When she did so, the surface before her returned to look like the original rock face.

"I'll try." Vic said. When he reached in, his glove disappeared into what seemed to be vertical mud. It was strange but with only low gravity, perhaps this was normal for Little Moon. He pulled his glove out again and grinned at Tara. "So it accepts us two but not Nolan."

"I'm a civilian and was probably not expected to be here," the scientist replied.

Tara frowned. Perhaps it was like the safe back on Vanguard's flight deck. There must be a reason why both Vic and herself had access. She suggested this to him and they decided to both reach in together from opposite sides.

"Ready?" Tara said.

Vic nodded and they both reached into the rock. Tara felt nothing so she reached further in until the rock reached her elbow where she wriggled her fingers and finally her whole hand. There was something hard there! Using her thumb and forefinger she felt around. It appeared to be a small doorknob.

"I've got one too," Vic replied after she told him what she had discovered.

"Okay, on three let's attempt to turn them clockwise."

The result was quite spectacular. The rock just disappeared and before them was a round airlock with an old-fashioned wheel in the middle. Vic reached forward and turned it before swinging the door out. Inside was a typical looking airlock about ten metres long with seats on both sides and boxes to place clothing in. At the far end was another door with a red light flashing above it.

A female voice typical of those used in military facilities spoke. "This is a restricted zone. Please stand before the scanner for an iris test."

Tara stepped on a rectangular pad that lit up in the floor and looked into an instrument that fitted over her eyes. She shuddered for a second but the expected blue flash of an ordinary scanner did not eventuate. Instead a three dimensional face appeared before her. It was Admiral Tabriz Majorna who looked directly into her eyes.

"Welcome, Captain Tara Fye. Nobody else will be able to see or hear me. This is a prerecorded message made on Inner Galaxy Date 3794.2.35…" The digits were for the year, month and day that humans used throughout the known worlds. This had replaced an ancient calendar three generations before.

Tara gasped for the date was now 3796.8.34. The date of the recording was made almost two and a half years before when she was still a student beginning her final year at the academy. It was embedded in her mind for another reason though, for it was three months after she had been involved in an almost fatal attack on a civilian hydroplane flying between two continents on Earth.

Her mind flashed back…

*

The solo trip was the last practical task before Tara gained her Atmosphere and Space Flying Officer's Licence but in many ways was really just a routine for remote controls could land the cruiser without even a pilot. Cruiser 17 floated below the Vanguard 9, before she manually fired the engines and accelerated ahead of the spaceship. She would orbit the planet once before descending through the atmosphere and landing at the space base in desert lands of the Federated States of Earth, her homeland.

She was about to enter the descent stage when a worried face appeared on the control monitor. It was a man in a civilian hydroplane captain's uniform.

"Flight V678 of Global Airways is issuing a Code Blue to any nearby military or civilian aircraft. We are under attack by a needlecraft. Our co-ordinates are being transmitted as I speak but I don't expect to remain broadcasting."

"Your message is received V678. This is FSE Armed Forces Base 16. We are sending orbiting drones to your position but the estimated time of arrival is twenty minutes," replied a second voice while the visual remained on the civilian pilot.

Without warned, the picture turned to static and the audio went silent. This was tragic but not unexpected for the entities always jammed electronic broadcasts before an attack, in some ways it was lucky the pilot got a message out before this happened.

Tara touched a pad and attempted to reply but found her own transmitters were jammed.

"Computer," she said. "Please indicate where Flight V698 is in relation to our position."

A three dimensional map appeared that showed that the hydroplane was on the edge of space and at its maximum altitude but fifty kilometres closer to the surface than herself. As usual, it would remain in a sub-orbit before descending back through the atmosphere to its destination in Asia. Further information showed it was a Global Airways Silverthread hydroplane carrying six hundred and twenty passengers.

"What aircraft military or civilian are within ten minutes of V678's position?"

"There are none. V678 is flying over the ocean seven hundred kilometres from the nearest spaceport."

"How far are we away?"

"We can reach the position in six minutes if we take an intercept course and increase speed."

"Are there any external audio or video communications available?"

"Only with the needlecraft."

Tara grimaced. "Connect us," she ordered.

A white ball the size of a human head appeared on the screen. It had wide eyes and sort of mouth but no other features. "Yes, human woman," The voice was precise and appeared to be directly in her mind instead of being heard,

"This is Flight Officer Tara Fye of Cruiser 17 attached to Vanguard 9 of the FSE Defence force. Under Protocol 89 of our interspecies cease fire agreement you are illegally hindering the progress of a civilian hydroplane. Please reinstate their communications and withdraw immediately to your mothercraft."

The entity almost grinned as it stared, unblinking at her. "I am impressed, human girl. Perhaps one day when I metamorphose into human shape we could get together for some inter-species fun."

Tara flushed. She had heard of human women being abducted and violated by these creatures in human form. Many of the women had been terrified and often never recovered their ordeal.

"You have three minutes to withdraw," she spat. "Your vessel is within range of my weapons."

"That you won't fire without authorisation," the creature replied but Tara sensed a slight tremor in the voice. "With no communications to anyone except myself, there is no way you can obtain it."

"You're wrong," Tara replied. "In situations such as this I am permitted to act on my own initiative." She stared at the screen with stubborn determination filling her mind. "I guess that is something your species is not capable of understanding. It is now two and a half minutes."

The screen went blank and the cabin filled with an ear-splitting scream. Her electronics were being overloaded. If she did nothing, within less than a minute she would have catastrophic failure that at this height, would cause the cruiser to plummet down and burn up in the planet's atmosphere.

"Fire a spiroray beam at the needlecraft now in visual range," she ordered.

There was a sort of swishing sound, an agonising wait of about ninety seconds before the outside monitor came on. It showed a yellow beam curving down, a silver needlecraft turning red and only a kilometre behind a delta winged Silverthread hydroplane.

Less than five seconds later, the needlecraft just dissolved into nothingness and, at the same moment all communications were established and a relieved looking captain of Flight V678 appeared on screen.

"Thank you. Our data shows that you are Flight Officer Tara Fye from Vanguard 9 Cruiser 17. It was a close call. Within five minutes our Silverthread would have lost all control and we would have plunged to our death in the atmosphere below." The man smiled. "Your quick thinking saved six hundred and twenty-nine lives today. Our crew and passengers are indebted to you, Flight Officer Fye."

Tara smiled even though she was sweating and her hands trembled in reaction to what had happened. "All part of our service Captain Asponstic," she replied, having read his name on another data screen. "I'm glad I was in the right place at the right time. Have a pleasant journey."

"You too, Tara. My report will include our gratitude at your immediate response that saved all our lives."

The screen flickered and a man in military uniform appeared on screen. By the look of all the pips on his uniform he was a high ranking one.

"This is Vice Admiral Gustang Herzing speaking to Flight Officer Tara Fye, I believe."

"Yes Sir." Tara's heart thumped.

"Upon landing at Base 16 you will be transported by hovercopter to Supreme Headquarters where you will report on the destruction of a needlecraft entering our airspace and why you failed to receive prior permission before destroying this craft."

Tara gulped. "Yes Sir."

Vice Admiral Herzing grim mouth broke into a slight smile. "Used the Own Initiative Clause, did you Flight Officer?"

"Yes Sir. There was no time…"

The man nodded. "Good work Flight Officer Fye. See you at the briefing."

The screen changed to a test pattern and for several seconds she did nothing but stare at the screen as a mixture of emotions pouring through her body and tears formed in her eyes.

*

An alarm buzzed and everything went silent, the computer turned to static and Cruiser 17 shuddered.

"Start emergency override," she gasped and her thumping heart relaxed slightly when a small screen that was normally blank, flickered slowly into life.

"Run a diagnoses of the main computer," she ordered.

The audio voice was different but still worked. "A low powered external pulse beam has entered the system. Life support has not been affected but automatic navigation and power systems have been sanitised."

"You mean damaged?"

"No the pulse beam has destroyed the main computer. Life support is under auxiliary control and Cruiser 17 has gone into fail-safe mode."

This was a system used in an extreme emergency.

"Can I contact base?"

"All external communications are off-line."

"What is working?" Tara gasped, forgetting in her anxiety to use the correct words.

Luckily her message was understood. "Life-support, manual controls and navigation are functioning. An emergency distress signal is being transmitted but video is off-line."

Tara thought back to the emergency procedures and went though the list as directed in training school. Most replies just stated that the procedure was off-line. She had enough oxygen, water and food for three days but unless the cruiser's orbit was changed it would lose height in fifteen hours and increasing acceleration would burn them up in the lower atmosphere.

"Do we have power?"

"Emergency engines can be started manually. All automatic systems have been destroyed."

Tara reached for the emergency head helmet with sealed in air supply and sighed in relief when warm air circulated around her face. The craft sort of rumbled and several manual override dials lit up. In the short term she was safe but she did not have enough power to return to Vanguard. A buzzer beeped and fuel gauges showed low fuel. She turned and gasped for out the small rear porthole she saw a long stream of white vapour. A fuel tank must have been hit and hydrogen was being vaporised as it escaped. Even with the self-sealing fuel tank skin, by the time the leakage was stopped most of the gas would have gone.

*

The next ninety minutes were the most terrifying in her life as every second was used trying to maintain that slim margin of descent from between bouncing off the atmosphere back into space and no chance of survival, to plunging too deep and burning up in the atmosphere.

The calm computer voice was like a friend for there was still no outside communication and only the manual override dials were online.

"Your descent is too steep and speed is dangerously high," the computer said.

"Right," Tara muttered and pulled back on the old fashioned joystick that was normally never used. At the same time she tapped foot pedals and watched the dials. Several were in the black zone indicating danger while the stabiliser dials oscillated wildly. The whole cruiser juddered and an ominous creaking sound vibrated throughout the craft.

"Landing booster brakes are offline," the computer reported as a series of blue lights flashed and a high-pitched siren wailed.

"Suggestions!" Tara snapped.

"We are within range of Selmore Emergency Landing Field but our speed is building and will be too fast for a safe landing. Alternatively, the cabin can be jettisoned and manual parachutes used to slow your fall. Both suggestions are potentially fatal for a human body."

"Thanks," Tara muttered.

"Glad to be of assistance," the computer replied in an abnormally cheerful voice. Damn thing but it was only a computer after all.

The cruiser continued to vibrate and three temperature gauges began flashing deep blue and flickered orange, indicating imminent danger. Tara glanced outside and swallowed for the stabiliser fins that were in view had turned red and appeared to bubble. Also she could smell burning and putrid smoke poured out of several cockpit vents.

"I am aborting," she muttered and used both hands to reach for two levers on each side of the seat. There was a hiss as a glasslike canopy dropped around her. At the same time the cockpit roof blew off. For a second she could see only purple sky meaning she was far too high for an emergency evacuation.

There was a roar as she was propelled outwards with G-force pressure that would have broken every bone in her chest if it wasn't for her spacesuit. Piercing pain cut through her head as she saw the cruiser hundreds of metres below her exploding in a ball of orange flame before she was jerked upwards.

She managed to look up and saw three gigantic parachutes coloured in red and yellow stripes above her. She was swaying and pitching until she reached out, found the control handles and used all her skill to control the parachutes as desert land rose up beneath her.

She was dropping far too quickly! One of the three parachutes, the one on her right had collapsed with just shreds of fibre flapping in a tangle of ropes.

Desperately, she tried to use the controls to cut it away before it entangled the next parachute. It worked but now she was spinning and becoming disorientated. She felt violently ill but succeeded in swallowing vomit before a blue haze crossed before her eyes and she remembered no more!

*

The voice sounded a million kilometres away and pale pink walls around floated into view.

"Doctor Lymont, Tara's eyes fluttered. I think she's coming out of the coma. Shall I increase the fluid intake to place her back under?" asked a woman's voice.

The person who replied was also a woman and Tara saw a blurred face peering at her while somebody held her hand. "No nurse, I think it is time to awaken her. Change the dosage to setting C6 so she has a more comfortable awakening."

Fingers appeared and opened her eyelids and a bright light shone into first one then the other eye. She blinked and cried out. "It's too bright!" before flopping back when something pricked her arm.

She opened her eyes to find herself lying on a bed with a woman standing beside her.

"Hello Tara. Just try to relax. I'm Doctor Susan Lymont and you're at Oceanview Memorial Hospital in Jarquoit."

Jarquoit! That was over a thousand kilometres from where she would have landed in the desert.

"You have been in an induced coma for three weeks now but it is time for you to awaken. Can you remember anything?"

"Just coming down and seeing one of the parachutes above me collapsing. I knew I had to cut it away before it entangled the other two 'chutes." She attempted to sit up but guiding hands pushed her gently back on a pillow. "That's it, I'm afraid."

"You may feel drowsy but that is normal."

A mirror was held before her and she saw her reflection with a bruised right cheek and blackened eye. Her lips looked cut and when she ran a tongue across them she found they felt swollen. Further up, her head was bandaged and it appeared that her hair on the left had been shaved off. She held an arm up and noticed it was encased in a silver metallic balloon.

"You were seriously wounded and needed operations on your arm, chest and brain. Thanks to modern technology you are now well on the mend and should make a full recovery." The doctor smiled. "You are quite a hero you know, having shot down that needlecraft and saving all those lives. Everyone wants to speak to you but we'll restrict them in the meanwhile, shall we?"

*