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Gateway 6 Discovery!
Friday couldn’t come soon enough for any of them, and Larsen and Mackay were on the hangar deck well before midday. Captain Moore regarded them with his usual morose expression.
“They’re fast,” he said.
“Yes, sir,” said Mackay. “Um, how fast?”
“Very, for a sublight short distance craft. We measured it at one point six three times as fast as a standard Mark 4C flitter.” Moore regarded them for a moment, then an expression that a charitable viewer might almost describe as a smile flitted across his face. “Okay, go and play with your new toys, the two of you. Don’t break them, or my service crews will get very upset, and when my service crews get upset, I get upset, and you do not want to get me upset. Understand?”
“Yes, sir!” said Mackay.
“Thank you, sir,” said Larsen.
They both saluted and Moore returned it. “You have authority for a maximum threehour flight, beginning thirteenhundred ship time. I promised Captain Janizi that you would make no attempt to leave without her, so don’t make me a liar. Okay?”
“We won’t, sir. We wouldn’t even try, sir.”
“Good. Now go!”
The control positions of the 4DA shuttle, alias the flitter, were familiar to them, but subtly different. Offset to port, and abaft the two main positions, was a third seat with its own specialised console. Larsen and Mackay examined it, handbook in hand.
“The controls are familiar,” said Larsen. “It seems we have a standard M2240 Pulse gun, and an M2180B needle cannon, plus five shortrange proton torpedoes. All controlled from this console, with emergency duplication to both command positions.”
“What do you think of the ordnance, then? You’ve got more field experience than I have,” said Mackay.
“The two guns give us more striking power than, say, two armour squads in the field, and the proton torpedoes enhance that, but the ammunition has to be limited to what we can carry. A troop in the field gets air support for resupply, and we could be on our own. I think I’d sacrifice a little of the speed for more ammunition.”
“Any ideas?”
“Yep. I’ll ask Joe Tanaka. He’s put stuff into more nooks and crannies on standard flitters than anyone else I know. If there’s a way to do it, Joe’s our man.” She grinned. “Joe’s the one who found the damper that Ducalse fitted, remember?”
“Right. Okay, I’ll leave that to you. Both flitters, obviously. We want them as near identical as possible.” Mackay grinned. “Fire up the control console. Let’s have a look and see what’s different.”
The next hour and a half passed so fast it felt like time had been compressed. The two of them were deep in a discussion of the possibility of using the vectored thrusters as methods of missile evasion, that they hadn’t noticed Janizi and Krauss had come aboard. It was only when Larsen backed out from under a console and saw the feet beside her that she realised.
“Captain!” she said. “I do beg your pardon. We were just… ” Her voice tailed off at Janizi’s grin.
“If I’ve learned anything from having you as a grunt, first, then as a corporal, a sergeant, and now as a fellow officer, if I’ve learned anything, Karen Larsen, it’s that you have to know the how as well as the why. If I’m going to entrust my ass to you in a combat scenario, knowing how you operate makes me feel a whole lot better.”
Larsen blinked. “Um, thank you, ma’am.”
Janizi nodded. “Are we ready?”
“As we’ll ever be. Lieutenant Mackay and I have checked out both flitters, and as far as we can tell, apart from serial numbers they’re identical.”
“Fine. I have Colonel Sadler’s authority for a little bit of artwork on them, so think about what you’d like.”
“No contest, ma’am. Dragons!”
“Dragons? Why dragons?”
“Flying beasts that breathe fire, capable of causing great destruction. With our new armaments, that describes us perfectly.”
Janizi laughed. “Yes, I guess it does. Okay, dragons it is. Find some artwork, and Joe Olin’s men over in the paint shop will add it.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
Janizi turned to Mackay, who had been an interested spectator. “What about your flitter, Lieutenant Mackay? Any thoughts?”
“I think dragons sounds good, Captain. Maybe identical artwork in style, but different colours?” He turned to Krauss. “What about you, Michael?”
Krauss grinned. “My vote’s for dragons, too. I like Lieutenant Larsen’s reasoning.”
“Me, too,” said Janizi. “Okay, we’re now unofficially Dragon flight. I’ll ask Colonel Sadler if we can use the designation. I think he might agree. Sort out some artwork, any of you that knows of any, and we’ll discuss it offduty. Say, my quarters, twenty hundred tonight?”
“Your quarters, twenty hundred tonight. Yes, ma’am.”
“We’re just waiting for Perrault and Tamorov now, and they’ll be here by thirteenfifteen. It’s, um, thirteenseven now. Lieutenant Mackay, why don’t you and Lieutenant Krauss go and warm up the other flitter. As soon as the others arrive, lead us out, Lieutenant, as senior pilot.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
The sound of combat boots heralded the arrival of Perrault and Tamorov, who each saluted Janizi.
“Stand easy, you two, and welcome aboard. You’ve each had training on these weapon consoles, I understand?”
Tamorov nodded. “Yes, ma’am. I think I could operate it in my sleep now.”
“Good to hear. Perrault?”
“Much the same, ma’am. I guess that training was pretty intensive. Some of it sublim, so I woke up one morning and just knew what to do.”
“Good to hear. Okay. Tamorov, you go with Mackay and Krauss to the other shuttle, and lead us out. All we’re doing today is letting Mackay and Larsen get the feel of the controls, but I have permission to test fire the guns. Some asteroid miners have kindly donated a couple of rocks for us to shoot at, so you won’t have to dodge return fire, at least not today.”
A few minutes later Larsen lifted off and followed Mackay’s shuttle out into the black of space.
Looking back on it, Larsen reckoned it was one of the most fun times she’d had since she started on flitter pilot training. Janizi was easy in command, letting her pilots get on with the task, Perrault already knew her, and they had mutual respect for one another, and as the afternoon wore on towards their scheduled sixteen hundred finish time, they were rapidly settling down into an easy working relationship.
“I’m going to miss being at the sharp end in a combat scenario,” Janizi remarked as they hung in space watching Mackay’s flitter on an attack run on his second rock. “The view is much better from up here.”
Larsen laughed. “There’s more armor back there than there is ‘up here’.”
“True, there is. But “
Whatever else Janizi was going to say was cut off by the intership link suddenly bursting into life.
“Andromeda bridge to Janizi shuttle exercise group. Come in please.”
Larsen keyed the control and nodded to Janizi, who keyed her mike. “Exercise group to Andromeda bridge. Go ahead, please.”
“Very sorry, Captain Janizi, but we need you back here, stat. Something has come up. Nothing more on an open channel, okay?”
“Roger that, bridge. On our way.”
On the hangar deck, Colonel Sadler was waiting when they disembarked. “Sorry to break up your party, but there’s something we need to discuss. We’ve just had a report from the light cruiser Orion. She’s been poking around among those planets that Esral claims, and she’s found something strange. The Andy is being despatched by Fleet to rendezvous with Orion and we’ll work together to try to find out just what it is that the Orion has found. At flank speed we’ll be there by tomorrow night. In the meantime, the strike team squads have been finalised, and I’d like you officers to discuss who should be with who. Between you, I think you already know, or have worked with, every one of the thirtytwo chosen. Captain Janizi, the list of personnel will be on your ComPad by the time you reach your quarters, so I’ll leave it to you to distribute to the other three. Eyesonly for the moment. Just you four, okay? And the reason for the Andy moving is confidential, too, so keep it under your hats. Okay?”
“Yes, sir. Of course,” said Janizi.
Sadler nodded and turned away, already busy with something else. Janizi turned to the others.
“I don’t know about you, but I want to know now. Get changed, and we’ll meet in my quarters in fifteen minutes. It’ll be cosy, but it will be private, too. Okay? Right, go!”
A lot of the thirtytwo names were familiar to Larsen, and she was glad to see Callaghan and Ewen’s names included. Mackay seemed equally pleased at a Sergeant Jenner, and Krauss at a Corporal Osaibo.
“Okay,” said Janizi. “I’d like Callaghan and Ewen in my squads, mainly because we’re used to each other, and I think you two would like Jenner and Osaibo, right?” Mackay and Krauss both nodded their agreement. “That leaves Corporals Suzuki and Arnold from the Andy, and Walton and Uhula from the Betelgeuse. Suzuki and Walton are the maintenance chiefs. Rather than be too insular, I propose that Suzuki is with Lieutenant Krauss’s team, and Walton with mine. Peter, what about Uhula?”
“Good combat rep, so I’d be happy to have her on our team. Michael?”
Krauss shrugged. “None of the other noncoms are from the Cassy, except Osaibo, and we already have him, so I have no particular axe to grind.”
“Okay, Nikki, we’ll take Uhula.”
“Which leaves Arnold for our team. Right, that’s the noncoms. The maintenance teams are pretty much selfcontained, so we might as well keep them together. The other personnel I think we should split evenly, no apparent favoritism. Okay?”
“Makes sense,” said Krauss, and Mackay nodded.
“You got all that?” said Janizi to Larsen, who had been making notes.
“I think so. In Captain Janizi’s team, Sergeant Callaghan, Corporal Ewen, Corporal Walton, and Corporal Arnold. In Lieutenant Krauss’s team, Sergeant Jenner, Corporal Osaibo, Corporal Suzuki and Corporal Uhula. Other rank names still to be determined.”
“That’s fine. Now, let’s see those other names. Just who have we got?”
When they’d finished, all four of the strike team’s officers were happy that Colonel Sadler had allocated good, experienced personnel to the teams. Janizi glanced at her watch.
“Almost nineteenhundred, and I’m hungry. What say we get some chow and then talk about dragons? Tomorrow morning, I’ll see if we can borrow a conference room and we’ll get the noncoms together and let them know the score. Make sense?”
“Absolutely, Nikki.” Mackay grinned. “Especially the part about chow!”
“Okay, Dragon Flight. Let’s eat!”
They went to the commissary together, sharing a table, chatting generally here where they might be overheard. Dragons were allowed as a conversation topic, and they decided that, once an image had been agreed, Janizi and Larsen’s dragon would be green, Mackay and Krauss’s, red.
“Makes a good callsign, I think,” said Larsen. “‘Green Dragon to base,’ things like that.”
“And the two colours sound different enough not to be confused,” Mackay added. He looked around. “Hey, isn’t that Perrault and Tamorov over there? We can invite them in on the dragon discussion, surely?”
“Definitely. Karen, I think you know Perrault best, would you ask them over, please?”
“Sure thing, Nikki. Back in a moment.”
Perrault looked up and smiled as Larsen approached. “Lieutenant. Something up?”
“On the contrary, Corporal Perrault. Would you and Corporal Tamorov care to join us? We’re discussing artwork for the flitters. Colonel Sadler has given us the goahead. Consensus is dragons, but we’re wide open to design suggestions.”
“Dragons?” said Perrault, and Larsen nodded. “Can you spare me for a couple of minutes, I’d like to fetch something from my quarters?”
“Sure. Corporal Tamorov, will you join us?”
Tamorov looked uncomfortable, probably at the thought of joining a table of officers was Larsen’s thought, but he stood and followed her to the table. Mackay hooked a spare chair from another table, and gestured him to sit.
“Corporal?” said Janizi, “Colonel Sadler says we can paint our flitters in a personal style and we think dragons would be good. Any thoughts? Don’t be afraid to be critical. You’re a third of the flitter crew, half if we count only flight crew, so your input is as valid as ours.”
“To be honest, ma’am, I’ve always loved the thought of dragons. If dragons are our favoured design, I’m all for it.”
“Good man,” said Mackay. He turned to Larsen. “What’s with Perrault? You ask her to join us and she takes off in a hurry. Something up?”
Larsen shook her head. “I don’t think so. She said she wanted to fetch something from her quarters. We’ll know in a moment, because here she is.”
A hurrying Perrault came across, a folder under her arm. “Sit down, Corporal,” said Janizi. “Something to show us?”
“Yes, ma’am. My brother, he’s an artist; only an amateur, but good. At least, I think so, but I’m his big sister and I might just be biased. Anyway, he painted some dragons, and he gave me some of his paintings. I think that one of them might make some good artwork for the flitters.”
“A particular one in mind, Corporal?” said Janizi.
“Yes, ma’am. This one.” Perrault opened her folder and took out a painting, laying it in front of Janizi. The Captain stared at it for a long moment, and then nodded.
“It works for me. I’d like that design on the flitters. I think it will work well in both green and red. Thoughts, anyone?”
There was unanimous approval of John Perrault’s design. Never intended as decorative artwork, the design nevertheless lent itself to being painted along the nose of a flitter. Janizi turned to Perrault.
“Do we need your brother’s approval?”
“Ma’am, he gave me the picture. I guess that makes me the one to approve, and I do.” Perrault grinned. “I’ll tell him, next letter home. I think he’ll be kinda pleased.”
“Very well, Corporal Perrault. May I borrow this? Lieutenant Olin in the paint shop will have to scale it up for the flitters. And I’ve had an idea. Can we frame this, and use it for the wall of the Dragon Flight ready room?”
“Yes, ma’am!”
Next day, none of the combat team noncoms expressed any disagreement to the proposed team makeup. Callaghan expressed the view that the mix was sound.
“It avoids an ‘us or them’ attitude, I think.” He grinned. “Can’t say the same for the officers.”
“Watch it, Callaghan,” said Larsen, with an answering grin.
“Thanks for keeping the maintenance teams together, ma’am,” said Suzuki. “We work well together.”
“That’s what we thought. I prefer to keep that sort of team as a unit. Only thinking of my own ass of course. Keep the flitters sweet, you keep me sweet,” said Janizi. She looked around at the noncoms. “Any questions?”
“Not yet, ma’am,” said Ewen. “We need to settle in first.” The others nodded agreement.
“Okay, go and do that settling. No further duties today, just relax with your squads.”
“Ma’am?” said Callaghan.
“Yes, sergeant?”
“Do we know where the Andy is off to?”
“Not in detail, Sergeant. Wherever we’re going, we should be there by this evening, ship time, so you won’t have long to wait.”
“Yes, ma’am. Thank you.”
“Anything else? No? Okay, dismissed.”
When the noncoms had left, Janizi turned to her officers. “Colonel Sadler wants to see me about this mystery we’re investigating, in about, um, fifteen minutes. Unless he swears me to secrecy, I’ll let the three of you know the situation as soon as I know anything myself. Okay? Right, just relax for now. We might be busy tonight.” She stood. “See you later.”
“How about getting something to eat?” said Krauss. “If Nikki is right, I operate better when I’ve had time to do some digesting. How about you?”
“Makes sense, Michael. Chow it is.”
The three lieutenants were just finishing off their meal when Janizi came into the commissary looking for them. She came straight over, looking as if she had something important to tell them.
“News, Captain?” said Mackay.
“Yes, very interesting news, too. I’ll just grab a sandwich. We’ll go to my quarters, I don’t want to be overheard.” She was off, hurrying towards the sandwich bar, back in short order, signalling them to come with her. In her quarters, she poured herself a glass of water and sat, while the other three draped themselves around the available horizontal surfaces. Kind of compact, these quarters, Larsen thought.
“Well, Nikki?” said Mackay. “What has Orion found?”
“We don’t know, but our team is scheduled to find out. In orbit around the main moon of the fourth planet of the system, is what seems to be some kind of jump gate. At least, that’s what they, whoever ‘they’ are, believe. Orion’s sensors picked up some kind of anomalous activity, a small pulse or something, and went closer to investigate, but Orion is too big to get close, and too small to carry flitters, so they signalled Fleet. Which is where the Andy comes in. We not only have the new flitters, but the estimate is that they’re small enough to go through the gate if need be. That’s if it is a gate.” Janizi paused, looking at her three lieutenants. She laughed. “If you could only see your faces! ‘Through’ is only a possibility. Colonel Sadler wants us to take one of the flitters up close and look at this thing, so we’ll need combat pressure suits, and that includes the flitter crew. I persuaded the Colonel that I’d like to have two qualified pilots on board, just in case, so Peter and Karen will both be on the pilot deck. I’m going to ask you to let Karen be lead pilot on this, Peter. Okay?”
Mackay nodded. “No problem.” He grinned. “Just as long as I’m there.”
“What we’re going to do is come to a total stop, relative to this thing that Orion has found, then get out and look at it. We’re taking a probe with us, and if this gate or whatever it is, is active, we’ll send it through to see what it can find. We’re also taking cameras, and we’ll have helmetcams as well, plus recorders for all known radiation spectra. In other words, Michael, you can take that anxious look off your face, because you’re going as well.” Krauss grinned, and the others laughed.
“We’re also taking Perrault, and the weapons console will be fully live, plus Callaghan, and three others, all fully armed, just in case. That’s the position as I understand it. Any questions?”
“When?” Larsen was first to speak, but the others nodded agreement. Janizi grinned.
“Twentyhundred ship time, today. Or in other words, in just over two hours time. Colonel Sadler wants to see us in, um, seventeen minutes, for a briefing.”
“You said Orion picked up a pulse or something. Do we have any idea of duration, or magnitude?”
“Duration about an hour, magnitude low. When Orion got close, it was inert.”
“Do we know what it looks like?”
“A ring. Aperture about ten meters across, overall diameter, maybe ten meters fifty.”
“And the flitters are eight meters twenty over the thrusters. Tight!” Larsen grimaced.
“Karen, I’ve seen you fly, remember. If anyone can, you can,” said Mackay.
“If a flitter goes through, it will be dead slow,” said Janizi. “I’m not risking team members if I can avoid it.” She looked at her watch. “Time we headed for Colonel Sadler’s briefingroom.”
Sadler was waiting for them. “Has Captain Janizi put you in the picture?” he said, nodding when they all showed agreement. “Good. At the moment, this thing is an enigma wrapped in a mystery. I want it investigated on this first approach by everything short of a flitter going through, or any one of you, either. Find out what you can, come back safe, and we’ll see about sending someone through. That is, of course, if this is actually a jump gate of some sort. If it is, it’s the smallest I’ve ever come across.”
ero
