Andrew found himself standing in formation on a large field, sweat rolling down his back, wishing there was even a single cloud in the sky or for the slightest breeze to break the oppressive heat. The entire crew had assembled and were awaiting the re-launch of the newly retrofitted Sled back into space. Luckily, he was with the other alternates in the back of the formation, their "betters" standing in tight rank in front of them. If not for that, his attempts to quelch his laughter might have been more noticed by the rest of the crew. Something on the front of the old ship had caught his fancy and it was the source of his growing amusement. When he finally lost the battle not to laugh, his muffled giggles drew annoyed looks from the crew nearby.
"Do you mind?" came the annoyed whisper of Charles Oxley. Ziggy bracketed him in red as he spoke. A message, also bracketed in red appeared just out of Andrew’s vision closest to Charles before Andrew dismissed it.
[Charles Oxley, Primary Computer and Kata Implant Specialist, Sledovatel. (Would you like to know more?)]
Charles wasn't a big man, yet his eyes looked huge as they glared up at Andrew through his coke bottle glasses and his unruly mop of sandy curls. He was the man who had been selected for the primary computer and implant specialist slot on the Sled, though it seemed Charles never got the memo he had won. Because of this, Charles seemed to take every opportunity he could to remind Andrew that he was the backup for Charles and not the other way around. Andrew was pretty sure that today's reminder of such, came in the form of Charles standing directly in front of him in formation. Even though the two of them didn’t get along well and Charles could have stood anywhere he chose in the front two rows.
"Sorry man, it's the nose art. A bunch of kids overpacked on a snow sled, it's genius."
"What it is, is vandalism and it has been removed, so be a professional and keep it together!"
"I know, but only makes it funnier as the person assigned to clean it, made the clean spots clearly depict the same artwork. Even the shading is there, even you have to be able to find some humor in that, right?"
"No, I do not Lather, did you forget that my father worked on that ship or that she was our first faster-than-light ship? Or that she far exceeded our wildest hopes and dreams? Whoever did this spit all over her legacy!" his eyes narrowing to slits, almost cartoonishly magnified by his glasses, as he hissed at Andrew.
Yeah, your wildest hopes and dreams, sure? Your parents weren't even together back then.
He must have made a face as Charles added indignantly, "They demeaned the work of my amazing father! Who spent years of his life helping to make the sled…ovatel," Charles winced at his slip up before continuing, "a reality. Not to mention the insult to the great Isa Sledovatel herself. Of Whom I suspect even one in your position, would think of with some modicum of reverence. So, no I really don't find any humor in it. At all!"
Charles flushed a bit as he realized he said the last part a bit louder than he had intended and that the glares once reserved for Andrew were now on him as well.
Yeah, the work of your amazing father. Amazing errand boy, and a mascot more like it. Andrew thought, but responded more congenially.
"Look man before you say it, it wasn't me. I get we wouldn't be here without Isa or this ship. Like you said I do have a good bit of respect for not just Isa, but also for the history behind this grand ole rust bucket." Andrew said, finishing with a smile.
Thomas didn't respond instead, with an over-the-top eyeroll, turned his back to Andrew and put himself back at attention. Trying his best to look professional through his anger.
"Don't worry about him, Lather. He's just angry because he knows there is no way he'd be the primary if the admiral wasn’t hell-bent on you being the alternate or if Professor Katawan were still alive. " Came a loud whisper from his right. It was Gavin, one of Andrew's high school friends and fellow alternate crewmember.
[Gavin Waylyn, alternate pilot, Sledovatel. (Would you like to know more?)]
Gavin's comment earned him a scathing glare from Thomas, but before he could retort he was cut off by the deep voice of Vladimir Nesterov, in his thick Russian accent.
"Will all of you please quiet down? Here comes the captain."
[Vladimir Nesterov, Primary Co-pilot, Sledovatel. (Would you like to know more?)]
"Did you hear that Lather, BDL just told us to quiet down?"
This earned a raised eyebrow from Andrew, "BDL?"
"Brunette Dolph Lundgren," Gaven said with a wan smile.
Andrew chortled, again having lost the battle to try to stay silent thanks to Gavin’s little quip.
"Who is Dolph Lundgren?" Vladimir asked.
"You know the Russian boxer from those ancient Rocky movies?" answered a smiling Gavin.
"Well, the character's name was Drago, and no offense Nest, but you do bear quite the resemblance to Drago. You know, if he had brown hair, " Andrew added with a smile, before he noticed how many of the crew were now openly gaping and/or glaring in their direction.
"Hey Gavin, we should probably, umm get back to attention."
"Sure, but one last thing. The dubbing delay when BDL talks bugs me. I get it's from the implant translation delay, but is there anything you can do to minimize it?" Gavin said with a cheshire grin.
Andrew returned the smile before he turned back to the podium, while he actively tried to avoid eye contact with angry crewmembers and any more trouble his friend might still have had a mind to have made. As he did, he noticed the captain was indeed making his way across the manicured field. Andrew quickly tried to appear as if he had never been out of attention in the first place. If the captain noticed the outburst, he didn’t betray it as he walked by at a well-measured pace towards the podium, his senior officers in a tight formation behind him.
Resting on the field directly behind the podium was the Sledovatel, the smallest and oldest ship in the h fleet. Years ago, it had been renamed in honor of Isa Sledovatel. This was on account of her being the single greatest explorer in Yutan history, it being their first FTL scout vehicle, and the fact that she captained it for over a decade, before her passing.
While she was revered by most on Yuta, the crew had still quickly tired of saying her full last name and now just referred to it as the Sled for short. Which Andrew thought was a fitting title, as it by any standard a beautiful ship. She was mostly aerodynamic and yet was still a bit angular, a bit blocky, and the three giant thrusters on her aft were almost comical. In the ship's current state, it reminded him of a house that was midway through renovations. Much of the old design was still there, but with a few parts that seemed to have been awkwardly bolted on and were clearly new. She was sleeker than the boxy monstrosity of the Hring for sure, but she was far from the beauty of the Orin, regardless of what sycophants like Thomas might say.
Captain Rostron stepped up to the podium and took a moment to order his notes. Andrew always thought the captain looked like a perfect mixture of a great father, a world-class adventurer, and a historic ship captain. As if some mad scientist had created him in a lab instead of being born that way. While he hadn’t known the captain before this mission, the rumors of the captain’s past all agreed that he was each of those things even before he took on this mission. The captain exuded quiet confidence and had an air about him, one that makes you feel like you can trust him to save you from whatever trouble awaits.
Once the Captain had his notes in order, he looked directly at Gavin and cleared his throat. Bringing the entire crew, Gavin included, to full attention.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the crew," his voice with its calm British accent, sounding more like it should be launching a war fleet and not a single small scientific vessel.
"Today marks a momentous occasion, both solemn and splendid. Today, we set forth on the maiden voyage of the newly retrofitted Sledovatel. The journey ahead of us calls to mind the name of our ship's inspiration, Isa Sledovatel, and the journey she and her crew took. As you well know, she was a pioneer who dedicated herself not only to the discovery of this Eden we now call home. She did so with unwavering commitment. As we shall do, she ventured forth into an unknown galaxy and unknown dangers. In doing so, she and her crew ensured that the prime directive of our great nation could take root and we shall help it to blossom. And let us not forget that directive: it is to safeguard humanity from being brought to its knees by the capricious whims of cosmic events by spreading our race across the galaxy.
The intrepid crews of the Hringhorni and Orinasa bravely took up Isa's mantle of exploration and, like her, staked everything on the cause of our prime directive. But as fate would have it, these two vessels have gone silent, and our mission has taken a different turn. No longer are we explorers in the traditional sense, though the historical significance of this ship's renaming in Isa's honor remains. Now, we are rescuers first and explorers second.
Our duty is clear: we must journey to the very place where two alien galaxies are colliding and do so with godspeed so we might have a chance to find their crews safe and sound. We have less than two years to find the Orinasa before her food stores run short and we have a lot of space to cover to find them.
I won't sugarcoat it; this mission carries risk. As I stated this is the nexus of a galactic collision, where the forces at play remain beyond our comprehension. Fortunately, it is also where we are most likely to unravel the fate of our ships. So yes, there is risk and yes there will be great challenges. What I beg each of you to consider is this: between those two ships, more than ten million souls are unaccounted for. So, while whatever silenced their voices may well threaten us too, we must persevere and, if possible, bring them home.
Failure is out of the question, for our government has already declared, that should we too go missing, it will send no more ships to that sector. They are correct to do so, our prime directive is too important, and human lives too precious to continue investing in this galactic dead end. So, as we cannot falter, we shall not, and instead we shall find our wayward brothers and sisters and bring them back home.
Before I continue, I would like to take some time to address concerns that have been raised about our ship's state and age. Let me be clear: she may be old, but she is nimble, capable, and, crucially, time-tested. We've equipped her with the finest folding engine humanity has ever conceived, allowing us to leap back in a mere forty-five minutes. As you can see, she's no rusted relic, and I have every confidence she will not be our mission’s Achilles' heel. Instead, I suspect that in the coming weeks, we shall see that, with the latest updates, she’s one, if not the, most nimble and capable ships in our fleet
As I have stated, we anticipate unforeseeable challenges and therefore this crew must confront the unknown with an unwavering resolve to bring our brethren back to Yuta’s warm embrace. Which means anyone going on the mission must have complete faith in not only this ship but also each other. This should be easy as this ship is the best in our fleet and each one of you represents the best of the best. The 19 rely on your talents to drive our prime directive. Whether that’s out in space or helping to build infrastructure here. So, I implore you; if you have reservations, leave now and contribute to Yuta's growth. Doing so is far nobler than joining us only to falter when we need you most and we have no alternate for your skillset. If you doubt your mettle or resolve for such a mission, there is no shame in stepping away now, only honor."
This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
With this, the captain paused and gestured to the gates of the field. When not a single person twitched, he continued.
"Cheers to all you brave souls! Let us face adversity standing united, unwavering, and resolute. Let us forge ahead and bring our lost brethren back to the embrace of civilization. Our mission is clear. Our purpose and our destiny, if we only dare to seize it, is amongst the stars. Together, we shall succeed, for God and the spirit of Isa Sledovatel guide our way. Onward into the unknown!"
A cheer went up from all in attendance and the primary crew boarded the ship. Andrew along with the other alternates continued to cheer reaching a crescendo when the Sled gracefully lifted off the field and into space.
"That was quite a speech for just kicking off in-space practice. How much you wanna bet that before the mission is fully ready to fold, at least one of those primaries backs out?" Gavin said with a grin.
"Guess we'll see what a few weeks of practice will bring about. Though I’ll take that bet. How about $100 that Thomas will be the first to break?"
*********
Andrew awoke in his bunk on the Sled. As usual, his feet were hanging out one end and his head was touching the wall on the other. Like gnats on a Florida summer's day, dozens of notices floated just outside his main vision. As he dismissed them, his attention was drawn to the van Gogh painting that his damage display seemed to be. His left shoulder was the same warning yellow as before, but the yellow on his head had been replaced by a disturbing red color. That same red now appeared on his right shoulder as well and interestingly his left big toe. Each area now sported word clouds containing words like "fracture", "contusion", and "laceration".
Ziggy, I think I'm beginning to understand what Alex Murphy felt like at the beginning of that super cheesy old movie Gavin made me watch.
[That is illogical, Mr. Lather, you have no severed limbs nor have you received any gunshots. ]
Andrew chuckled at Ziggy's response only to be rewarded with a wash of pain that seemed to have a special way to bounce around his skull.
Ziggy, please reduce the humor in your responses.
[Affirmative. Will attempt to make truthful answers less humorous.]
Trying not to chuckle at his clueless AI, he ignored the response and looked at the lone picture hanging in his bunk. While most of the crew had pictures lining the walls of their bunks, he only had this one and it was of Linnie in a stylish one-piece standing on a tropical beach, her rare smile outshining even the azure tropical waters behind her. As he looked, he absent-mindedly reached for the small trinket hidden under his uniform that hung from a chain around his neck. It was a small part of a folding engine. That for the life of him he could never seem to remember. Even though Linnie must have told him 100 times what it was. His eyes became blurry with tears because he knew how important it was to her and how little he had really paid attention. He knew it was the first part, and most important according to Linnie, that she had modified to help miniaturize the folding engine and make it more efficient. Yet, he couldn’t be bothered to remember its name. The part was her honeymoon gift, given to him right before that picture was taken. It was her original part, the one she made by hand….well the one she directed the robots to make anyhow. Most of its workings were too small to be made by human hands as the whole part was just short of 4cm in length. He was pulled from his daydream by that same perplexing message from Ziggy and the lights dimming to almost non-existence.
[Unexpected Error: Battery malfunction. Charge extremely low]
Suspecting they were still under attack, Andrew quickly braced for impact.
[Battery function restored. Charge 100%. This is the 33rd recorded malfunction. Please see implant specialist immediately]
Wait, did that say 33rd? Ziggy, how long was I out for?
[Yes, and 3hrs 5mins and 46secs, Mr. Lather]
Thanks, Ziggy. Also, you know I’m the implant specialist so you can cut it out with all of that see implant junk.
[Understood, Mr. Lather]
After a tense moment, Andrew relaxed as it seemed that the ship had somehow avoided being hit this time.
Wait, that had to be a dream right? I mean giant energy beam space whale aside, why would I have even been on the bridge? But if it was a dream why is there a systemic power issue?
Ziggy, please tell me that the giant space whale wasn't real and that instead I got injured by my own stupidity and there is some odd electrical issue which is also somehow impacting implants.
[Unknown entity which might resemble a whale does exist. Would you like to see the recording of it?]
[You were injured by being unrestrained while the ship performed a jump and struck an external force.]
[No recent electrical malfunctions have been reported by the Sledovatel systems or crew.]
Ziggy how is that possible?
[The most likely scenario is that the power issues are not from an electrical…]
Ziggy, stop. I mean that whale thing, how is it real?
[The most likely scenario is that it is a lifeform without an Earth origin. I am unable to postulate its evolution as data on the entity is limited. I am also unable to postulate on how its eye-based energy weapons and space flight evolved. As neither has been observed in any other known lifeforms.]
Andrew sighed, Thank you Ziggy that's enough of that. Why was I on the bridge?
[Unknown Mr. Lather, I am unable to access the data from that time.]
Ziggy, any ideas on how the space alien thing's eye beams are impacting our power and are they potentially impacting your data storage systems as well?
[The ship's computer, crew and I have no theories at present, as this is an unknown entity using a previously unrecorded phenomenon. After running diagnostics, I am confident my data storage has not been impacted by recent events.]
Ziggy, the power issue makes no logical sense. I mean you’re powered by the heat of my blood. So, as I don’t feel dead, I have a hard time understanding how an energy weapon outside of the ship could impact your energy levels. Much less you and the ship simultaneously.
[Affirmative, all Ais on this ship have been working on this issue. To date, no logical connection between the entity’s eye-based energy weapons and kata implant power levels has been identified. As implants share no energy storage with any ship systems, it seems illogical that the two would be impacted simultaneously. Yet all the ship's power and my power issues correlate perfectly. They also correlate perfectly with the known alien entity attacks. While we do communicate with each other via electrical impulses, we share no other link. Other than we are all electrically based systems. Furthermore, my and other people’s implant batteries are restored faster than could be explained by normal thermal generation from your or other hosts’ blood, which is yet another mystery.]
"Well, we won't find answers lying in my bunk. At least I hope not," Andrew said as he rolled out of his small bunk and got unsteadily to his feet. It struck him, as he exited the door to his small room, how this room only existed because some engineer had probably been desperately trying to find a place where they could squeeze in three bunks and the unused space between the folding engine room and a maintenance storage room was the answer.
As Andrew entered the hallway, his eyes snapped shut and his arm reflexively shot up to protect his eyes from the bright lights of the hallway. Each light felt as if glass shards had been implanted into his skull by way of his eyes. Andrew wearily waited, hunkered against the wall until he found that his eyes had adjusted enough so that the act of opening them was no longer rewarded with more pain. This small victory achieved, he started to slowly shuffle his way toward the medical bay, his body protesting with each step.
Along the way, Andrew found the lower torso of a svelte man sticking out of a maintenance hatch. The man's coveralls were covered in so much grease that Andrew wasn't sure if there was grease on his coveralls or coveralls on his grease. The man seemed to work with a frantic efficiency as if the world may end if he didn’t complete his task on time. Ziggy bracketed his friend's lower body.
[Chogan Catawnee, Maintenance Officer, Sledovatel. (Would you like to know more?)]
At that moment, the lights dimmed yet again.
[Unexpected Error: Battery malfunction. Charge extremely low]
Andrew braced for impact, an impact that after a while Andrew realized was never going to come.
[Battery function restored. Charge 100%. This is the 34th recorded malfunction. Please maintenance your implant as soon as possible]
Chogan began to wiggle out of the maintenance space saying, "One down, 6 more to go…, “ before cutting himself off from the surprise of someone staring down at him.
"Chogan what's going on? Ziggy….sorry my Kata implant keeps giving me a low battery warning every time the lights dim and I can't imagine how those two events could be remotely related."
Chogan jumps at Andrew's voice but as he sees Andrew his face becomes overwhelmed with one of the warmest smiles Andrew had ever known, "Oh Mr. Lather you're alive!"
“Why are you surprised by that?”
"You took multiple hits to that thing you claim to think with sir. So, yes, we weren't sure if you would make it, especially with medical being overwhelmed with people injured from our unplanned jump. Hmmm, I guess it was more the abrupt stop at the end. As for what is happening. The enemy out there has knocked out our propulsion and has been sending wide beams our way that disrupt all our electronics every time it does so, but otherwise does not seem to damage the crew or ship any further. Though it is complicating matters for Medical. Oh, and yes, I remember that Ziggy is your name for your Kata implant. Anyhow, I'm trying to reroute all the power I can to the jump drive so we might be able to get home before we end up yet another lost ship, sir. "
"Wait, that Whale thing out there is actually real and destroyed our other ships?" Andrew interjected.
Chogan answered as he tucked in a few wires that were unceremoniously sticking out, "Mr. Lather, unfortunately, we still don't fully know what happened to our ships, but that whale thing is real, and we were definitely attacked by it. As there is a debris field found that matched parts from the Orinasa, it is only logical to guess that this entity is likely related to the Orinasa’s disappearance. However, the debris cloud wasn't large enough to fully encompass one ship, much less both. Honestly, we just don’t know, and I doubt we’ll be here long enough to find out. What is funny, is just as those Manus bastards predicted, it appears we have made first contact. I suspect their betting squares likely didn't cover space whales though.”
Chogan’s eyes shot wide with a realization and he continued,
“Sorry Mr. Lather I don’t have time to catch you up on everything. I must do the needful to get our jump capacitors charged. Please sir, will you kindly help me with this panel?". Pointing to a maintenance access panel he had removed.
"Of course, but why does it say Perseverance on the inside?"
"Oh Mr. Lather, I thought you knew that was her original name."
"Was it now? I am also kinda surprised I didn't know that, but I guess even old New York was once New Amsterdam."
"I didn't know that."
Andrew just smiled and started to hum a tune as he knelt down so he could help to lift the panel into place for Chogan. As he started to lift the panel, his left shoulder exploded with depths of pain Andrew didn't know existed causing him to drop the panel.
"Sorry Cho, I won't be able to apparently."
Chogan retorted with a smile "I know you're a desk guy Mr. Lather, but you're also supposed to be my maintenance helper too. I swear can't even lift a three-kilo panel. Maybe do some pushups occasionally man."
Andrew smiled and pointed without lifting his arm too far, "Umm maybe you haven't noticed but I kinda got hit by the ship. Twice!"
Chogan chuckled, "Oh poor ship, I hope you didn't damage her. I already have too much to do, especially with you being unable to do the work of a small child and all."
Andrew started to respond when an image that almost looked like a hologram, yet more substantial and detailed, appeared in front of him. A duplicate image was standing over Chogan as well. The two men quickly got to their feet, Chogan much faster and with less moaning involved. Whatever it was it seemed to be making the lights and their katas flicker like they were at a rave. The image had the appearance of, and Andrew couldn't believe he was thinking this, an elven villainess. Tall and lanky yet also harshly beautiful, with cheekbones so sharp they might be able to cut glass. The uniform she wore, while elegant and regal, was not at all flattering. It wasn't that it didn't fit her well, quite the opposite, it was just clearly not designed with any consideration for her form. Her skin looked to be made of white marble with gold veins running through it and her pupils looked as if they were wrought from pure gold.
Andrew blinked a few times before he looked at Chogan "Ummm Chogan am I seeing things or is there a tall marble elven woman staring at us?"
Chogan distractedly replied while waving his hand through the image "Oh no Mr. Lather, as much as I would love to tell you that you are seeing things. Sadly, this is not true."
Andrew tentatively reached a hand forward to touch it and just as Andrew's hand contacted the image it started to speak, forcing Andrew to recoil quickly as if he had touched a hot coal.
The Elven woman said in a melodious and calm voice, "I am Ioma Lachs captain of the Chennon frigate Beautiful Winds. You have entered Chennon territory in a vessel type that is unknown to us and without authorization. Our scans have revealed that it seems you are attempting to smuggle humans through restricted space. By the power of the Unesisa Rada and with the grace of the god Biaobela, we have disabled your ship, and you are ordered to stand down as we board. Any hostile actions will be dealt with harshly."
Andrew was sure he was going mad as it seemed the voice must be in his head, and he heard no echoes of it in the hallway. To add to this Ziggy wasn't displaying a language it was translating, and yet Ioma still appeared badly dubbed as if Ziggy were. The hologram disappeared and the lights stopped flickering. Andrew started to turn to Chogan when the lights dimmed again.
[Unexpected Error: Battery malfunction. Charge extremely low]
When they came back on there were three elven-looking people, two men, and one woman who seemed to have magically appeared only a few feet from their position. This group also had the appearance of elves made of white marble with gold veins and pupils. Each wore a uniform like the one worn by the woman who had appeared in the hologram. Each was less adorned than that of their captain, and each had a few slight differences from each other in their Uniforms.
[Battery function restored. Charge 100%. This is the 35th recorded malfunction. Please maintenance your implant as soon as possible]
The one who had called herself Ioma was not among them. Andrew and Chogan seemed to be frozen in place and their minds tried to accept that Aliens had just appeared on their ship, when one of the men stepped forward and said, "Stay where you are and don't move. Any resistance will be met with extreme retribution." This time Ziggy was clearly translating the words, though based on the messages Ziggy had shown it seemed the Elf was multilingual in earth languages but could not settle on one for some reason.
[Translating from Esperanto]
[Translating from Farsi]
[Translating from French]
[Translating from Esperanto]
How does an alien know so many Earth languages, much less a made-up one?
Before he could ask the question, the same male elf approached " Hands up. "
[Translating from Xhosa]
Andrew, in a bit of a dazed panic, quickly tried to comply with the order. In doing so he smacked Chogan's hand as he raised his. The impact of Andrews's hand forced the wire cutters out of Chogan's hand and caused them to careen toward the female elf. As Andrew winced, his shoulder blossoming again in pain, the power blinked all but out and Ziggy dimmed to almost non-existence as the female elf lifted her hand and a bolt of electricity arced from it and hit Chogan in the chest. Chogan seized up and fell over, a charred hole through his uniform.
[Unexpected Error: Battery malfunction. Charge extremely low]
[Battery function restored. Charge 100%. This is the 36th recorded malfunction. Please maintenance your implant as soon as possible]
Before Andrew could react, the lights and his kata flickered once more when the tallest of the elven boarding party waved a hand and Andrew's arms were yanked back and in some unseen way bound together. His feet also slammed together and were also bound. This caused him to topple, unceremoniously to the ground. As he tried to scream in pain, he found that he was unable to as his mouth had become fully covered in some bluish crystal.
Andrew was in a panic as he lay there helpless, unable to move. Forced to look at Chogan's glazed-over eyes which seemed to be staring at nothing, as the smell of cooked flesh permeated the room. The smell caused his panic to increase, and he frantically did his best to see what bound him. He saw some strange shackles made of a bluish crystal binding his hands and feet, with a cord that appeared to be made of greenish energy linking them all together.
The tall elf turned to look down at the woman.
"Estred! That was a bit extreme don’t you think? " he said in an exhausted "you didn't again" kind of tone.
"We did say ANY resistance, Gallen", she quickly hissed back with an annoyed smile. Then added, "How was I to know they were so weak?"
Gallen ignored her comment and turned to the other elf, "Sir should I also restrain this one?" pointing to Chogan's body. The shorter male elf responded, "I think Estred has disabled it quite effectively, if a bit overzealously. Get these two to the ship and then rejoin us."
With this, Gallen waved his hand again, and everything on the ship dimmed. Andrew and Chogan float into the air. Gallen walks up to their floating bodies and touches each with only a fingertip as if they were covered in filth.
Then everything went white.