Attunga - 34. Part 34.

ATTUNGA Part 34.

***

A serious looking Pirramar appeared.

“Thom, in consultation with Habitat Security I'm requesting you make an immediate course change to the coordinates now locked into your flight databanks.

Two days ago seven Cadre ships rendezvoused with a large asteroid and started moving it on a trajectory towards three other ships which were stationed near an even larger asteroid. For the last few weeks K74 has been active in moving asteroids with their Cadre ships, and while most have been brought and parked in close proximity to construction sites, several seem to have been used for experimental purposes and initially we thought this was an exercise in using multiple ships for far faster movement. Ten hours ago the last possible turnaround point for a termination with the second asteroid passed with no sign of deceleration. This lifted our attention because the accuracy of the navigation now indicated the possibility of a collision. That possibility steadily firmed to certainty, leading us to believe the exercise might be to aimed at testing the results of a high-speed asteroid collision. Just seven minutes before I sent this message the speeding asteroid started a course change, which if continued, will bring it in our general direction. There is a critical time horizon defined by the rising possibility of our habitats being targeted, and your ship is the only one logistically able to gather more information.”

Targeted! Wirrin's heart caught at the word but Pirramar was continuing and he mustn't miss out on anything.

“The asteroid in question has a diameter of over seven kilometers and the steady acceleration of 3.4 G indicates a joint effort by four Cadre ships working at the high end of their sustainable capability.”

There was a gasp from Thom who was now sitting at his control console and the view of stars in the visuals moved as the ship began its course change.

“...and our best interpretation of the attenuated signals we are receiving confirms this by showing a convoy of three vessels. To answer any questions you have, this message is accompanied by all our current information and analysis. I will speak again in fifteen minutes after you take action and build your understanding of the situation.”

Pirramar disappeared and a puzzled looking Calen moved close to Wirrin.

“What's going on? Why is Pirramartelling us about K74 collecting an asteroid?”

He'd missed most of the transmission.

Wirrin looked to Thom as he was in a better position to give an answer but he was totally active with his console.

“It's not going to K74. There's a possibility they might be taking it to our habitats and Pirramar wants Thom to investigate because no one else can.”

“Investigate? Is it close to K137?”

“Forget about K137. We're not going there any more. Thom changed our course a few seconds before you came in. Pirramar's made it a priority.”

“For an asteroid? How could that be a priority? We've got all sorts of protections against them.”

“It's no longer just an asteroid.”

This was a serious sounding Thom speaking.

“With the speed it's built up it has the potential to be extremely dangerous. I've looked at Pirramar's data and it shows continuous acceleration since they picked it up and for something that size it's travelling at an enormous speed.”

“Enormous? It can't be as fast as us.”

“No, but it's been accelerating for. ...fifty-six hours. It's …Um! ...It's close. Just under 7K kilokmeters per second and we're just over.”

“But we'll soon catch up to it won't we?”

“If it was directly ahead we'd match up in about two hours but the big direction change reduces our effective speed and makes it over five hours before we're close.”

“Five hours? Couldn't the Comet reach it in that time? The Security AI could take over and change its course.”

“Think Calen. The Comet would be travelling in the opposite direction and they'd pass each other so quickly they'd be out of range in a microsecond. Then the Comet would have to reverse direction to chase it. That would take...Um... About fifteen hours. Look at this.”

A holo image showing the relative positions of the habitats and the moving asteroid sprang into view.

“We have nine Comets including the companion ones with Quambi and these are the most recent positions I have data for.”

Nine blue lights winked into existence, seven close to the three habitats and the other two in their usual position near K74.

“I'll code in the optimum intersection paths for all of them and we'll watch what happens.”

Wirrin was totally impressed with Thom's rapid set up and demonstration of the possibilities for each vessel which showed clearly why Pirramar wanted them involved. Well, it was the strategic kind of planning he trained for.

“See, that's why it has to be us.”

Calen nodded. The visual representation made it obvious.

“I can't believe they're actually aiming at our habitats. No one would do something like that.”

Wirrin couldn't either.

“I know, but the course change makes it a possibility. I expect that at some stage the course will steady and we'll know where it's really going. What worries me is why they made it look like a collision with that other asteroid for two days and then suddenly changed. It's as if they were purposefully misleading anyone who was watching.”

Thom was right. It did have a devious feel to it.

“It doesn't make sense anyway. The multi-spectrum beams on the Comets and the habitats would just vaporise it like they did that ship on earth.”

Wirrin watched Thom shake his head in a very negative manner.

“It's too big Calen. WAY too big. The beams would have practically no effect in the short time they'd be in range.”

“So what about the shell we've been building round Attunga? That's nearly finished and it's the strongest material ever made. The same with Warrakan's surface.”

Wirrin answered this time.

“They're not designed for anything with that combination of size and speed. There's an enormous amount of kinetic energy involved which would all be released instantaneously.”

Calen looked shocked.

“Are you saying there's nothing our habitats can do to stop it?”

“Not that I know of.”

Thom knew though.

“They'll move. I expect the big drives are probably already working, because that way at least two of the habitats will be safe.”

“Why not all three?”

Wirrin asked because he thought it would be hard to collide with something deliberately moving out of the way.

“If the asteroid wasn't being controlled it would be easy. It would just fly straight past, but it is being guided and with over 3G to work with it's far more responsive than the single G the habitats can use. You could say the habitats are three times as unwieldy as the controlled asteroid, the same as this ship is six times as agile as the asteroid.”

“It's not actually moving directly towards our habitats though is it?”

Thom worked with his console.

“Not at the moment. It'll pass by with millions of kilometres to spare on the course they have at the moment and there'll be nothing to worry about if it stays with it. The trouble is they've been changing. Pirrimar's data shows two small changes since he first contacted us.”

“Small changes? Could that be good?”

“Maybe, but I can't be sure because they're both just enough to keep the habitats as a possible destination, and both small enough to be minor course corrections for somewhere else.”

“Somewhere else? Can you check for other possible destinations?”

“I already have and nothing stands out in the time frame we're worried about.”

“What about longer term?”

Thom gave Wirrin a curious look then worked with his console.

“Dingoes! You're right! That last correction makes Jupiter a possible destination. It'll need more course changes to line it up exactly. ...but why would they want to go there?”

“...Maybe it is a collision experiment and they want to hit the black spot.”

“It's an interesting idea Calen, but I don't think so. It would hardly have any effect even if it is travelling so fast.”

“It must have some effect. If it hit the Earth it would destroy the whole atmosphere.”

“Well it would where it impacted but Jupiter's so enormous there's no comparison.”

“What about the moons? Could they be taking it to one of them?”

“I suppose, but what for? ...Has K74 got connections with any of the habitats there?”

“Not from the big search I did. Their main outside connection was the Mars Polar Habitat. There were also some semi-directed habitats on earth but they haven't had anything to do with K74 since the quarantining.”

“How many habitats are there round Jupiter?”

Wirrin knew the main ones but he had to check for a full list.

“... Seven on the moons and three space ones. Callisto is the biggest and the smallest is a scientific community on Metis.”

“Metis? I've heard of that.”

“It's the closest moon to Jupiter. Only 128,000 km away.”

For the next while the trio swapped ideas and talked over what questions and responses to send to Pirramar. With the distance causing a communication time-lag it meant trying to figure both sensible questions and likely answers.

“I've found it!”

The yell grabbed Wirrin and Calen's total attention but to hear the details they had to wait till Thom's concentrated flurry of activity slacked off.

“My scanners just locked on a few thousand kilometres from where Pirramar's data says it would be. I think it's made another course change which Warrakan hasn't picked up yet. I've started tracking but we're not close enough yet for my information to be as accurate as Pirramar's. In another forty seconds I'll have enough motion information for reasonable trajectory calculations and I'll be able to confirm whether this new course is taking it to Jupiter or not. I've also found the three Cadre ships which were waiting at the big asteroid where Pirramar thought there was going to be a collision. I thought they might join the convoy but my calculations show they're heading for K74.”

“Why aren't you using Pirramar's data if it's more accurate?”

“I'm watching it closely, but it's way behind ours so it'll be another ten minutes before I can start checking them against each other.”

Wirrin smiled at Calen's blank look and Thom's fake look of exasperation.

“At the moment we're nine light minutes away from the asteroid and the habitats are twelve, so we get the information sooner.”

Calen pounced.

“That's only three minutes difference. You said ten.”

“... And we're nearly seven light minutes from the habitats so the relay brings it up to ten.”

“Ah. ...Right!”

Thom went active again.

“From this latest data the Jupiter system is definitely the target. To refine it any further I'll need...”

Pirramar shimmied into view.

“Thom, our Habitat Security thank you for your immediate action, and with your current surprisingly high rate of acceleration we calculate a rendezvous in four hours and twelve minutes. Your query about the possibility of the Jupiter destination has been examined and is consistent with the last registered course change. This change however still maintains our habitats as possible targets and will continue to do so for another fifty-eight minutes. With this in mind we have initiated a number of precautionary measures which are now detailed on your secondary viewing screen for perusal and comment. Quambi has been unable to locate any information about why the asteroid is being moved and our direct requests to K74 have met with the usual wall of silence. I will continue to update you every fifteen minutes or as needed.”

The holo shimmered off and the trio looked at each other.

“He didn't really tell us much this time.”

“Well, it sounds like they don't know anything new themselves. I wonder what Yajala has told Sonic and the dolphins.”

“We'll ask as part of our next transmission or it might be part of the details Pirramar sent. We'll look through those first because it sounded like they want our ideas about them. Solution brain ideas most of... What's with the look Wirrin?”

“Thom, can we go any faster?”

Thom and Calen stared in puzzlement. The ship was travelling at record thrust and they all knew it.

“No, you know we can't. ...Why?”

“My brain tells me we should. I'm having bad thoughts.”

There was no comeback or Solution Brain comment. Thom and Calen could see that Wirrin had become deadly serious.

“Pirramar just said that Quambi can't find out why the asteroid is being moved. The only way that could happen is if it's been organised in the blocked areas and without any orders being transmitted electronically. That tells me the Rogue's involved and we have to plan for the worst.”

Wirrin looked Thom directly in the eye.

“I think it might be up to us to stop this asteroid.”

After a moment of silence Thom gave a snort of disbelief.

“I know you don't mean the asteroid itself. Wirrin, there are seven Cadre ships there. We wouldn't have a hope.”

“We mightn't have a choice. Look, four of them aren't manoeuverable because they're connected to the asteroid with those cradle things. You could stealth in and disable one of the convoy before they even knew we were there, and I know you can defend yourself against two of them.”

“It wouldn't be just two. The other four could still deploy their missiles and if they disconnect we'd be completely outnumbered.”

“Disconnecting means they're not controlling the asteroid. That's exactly what we want.”

“Why do you want to go faster?”

“More time to apply any strategy when we match up. Every minute might be important.”

“...Yes, it would be.”

Wirrin felt really pleased. In the course of this short conversation Thom had switched from finding it hard to accept the reality of the situation to the serious analytical mode he used in his training simulations.

Calen still looked disbelieving and horrified.

“We're going to fight those Cadre ships?”

“It looks like it. Wirrin's brainstorms have always been vital and accurate when it's important so we have to treat this one the same way. We'll know for certain in another. ...fifty-four minutes.”

“What will I do? I'm useless in this ship.”

Wirrin felt somewhat the same. If fighting was needed everything would be on Thom's shoulders.

“Calen you're not useless. We'll need all the help we can manage to get through this. Send a message to Pirramar about Wirrin's thoughts while we look through their precautions. He needs to know straight away.”

Calen looks startled but he nodded and set to.

Wirrin and Thom scanned through the information on the screen. Thom had indeed been on the right track as the giant drive engines on all three habitats had been activated and were ready to move at a moment's notice.

Every Comet was on full alert with a full complement of crew, and Sonic and the Enhanced dolphins were in the process of being moved to Turaku's Comet.

The Witness Council was being convened for a Habitat spanning holo hookup.

Pico-factories were constructing heavy duty versions of the multi-spectrum beam defences to augment the basic systems already in place on the outer walls of all three habitats.

The list went on, and when Wirrin saw that all transport and travel between the three habitats was closing down he wondered what would be happening with the general population.

“I wonder how much the word is spreading? People will know there's something unusual happening when there aren't any ferries working.”

“It'll be through every habitat in minutes. The InterWeb will make sure of that.”

“Maybe not. I think the Witnesses will divert attention somehow till they know for certain whether the asteroid's heading for Jupiter or not.”

A quick look showed that would now happen in fifty-one minutes.

“Wirrin, can you get into the basic coding for the operation of the ship? If you can we might be able to go faster.”

Wirrin put aside a thought about construction asteroids being used as barriers for the habitats. That could wait.

“I can get to it easily, but making changes is harder if that's what you really mean.”

“The engines and the grav-compensators are set with maximum levels but if we override them we'll get more acceleration.”

Wirrin nodded but alarm bells sounded in his mind.

“Isn't taking them over their maximums risky? If we damage either system we'll be no help to anyone.”

“They've got safety factors built in. All engines and systems like the compensators have. I don't know exactly what they are for this ship but as long as we don't exceed them we shouldn't cause any harm.”

Five seconds of InfoSystem searching had the information.

“The grav-compensators have a safety factor of five percent and the engines twenty-two.

...Twenty-two percent? That can't be right? That seems way too much.”

Thom look surprised till he thought about it.

“No it's not. It means the engines have the power but they've been limited to 1G above what the compensators can cope with. It means we could go a lot faster but we'd feel it.

Let's see. ...The grav-compensators are the biggest concern so we can't use the full five percent. Four should be okay and we'll monitor them every microsecond with fallbacks in case of any trouble. ...That will give us an extra. ...point nine G.

The engines at twenty-two percent would give us an extra 5.2 G but we can't use that much because we'd soon be unconscious.

Dingoes! If you can change that code we'll get a minimum of one extra G plus as much more as our bodies can cope with.”

“What can we cope with?”

Calen was back.

“Wirrin's going to change the basic codings to make the ship faster, but anything after the first G won't have compensation.”

“Can you do that?”

“Mm! ...I hope so. ...Will it save us much time?”

Thom and Calen watched for several minutes as a bewildering flood of technical data and code flashed across the console.

“Kadaitcha! It's hardcoded. Big problem. ...No! I'll make the pico-factory burn the updated instructions on a replacement circuit. Thom, when it's ready you'll have to power off and swap the circuits yourself manually. ...It's. ...fairly straightforward.”

Wirrin turned towards Thom.

“The pico-factory's finished. Did you work out how much sooner we'll get there?”

“Finished? I thought you were figuring whether it was possible, not actually doing it. Where's this circuit? I'll install it then we'll work out how much thrust we can stand.”

After a short period of zero G the engines powered up again and steadily increased to a new record thrust of 24.6 G.

“Okay, how much more? We have to cope with this for over four hours so I suggest that one extra G should be our limit. We'll be mostly confined to our seats and we'll get there eighteen minutes earlier. If we need to move around or it's too much strain we can ease off. Will we give it a go?”

There were nods all round and as soon as Calen was secure in his seat the heavy hand of acceleration pressed down and in seconds their effective body weight was doubled. They were all used to this, from Thom's delight in giving them bursts of up to 2 ½ G at the start of most of their trips, as well as from the excitement of variable G-force activities which were a large part of habitat leisure activities. The big difference here was the time factor and Wirrin wondered how four hours would affect them. He used his info system to see what Thom was doing to monitor the compensators. Whoo! Heavy arms!

“Thom, can you control the ship properly?”

“It's part of my training but I've never had to keep it up for more than fifteen minutes. I'll hardly have to do anything though, not till we make the match up, and then we'll be out of this high G.”

Wirrin checked. The current acceleration was an incredible 25.6 G. That would change to the 3.4 G of the asteroid. A huge drop.

“Hey! New record.”

That got the expected grin. Wirrin sent a transmission to Pirramar next, explaining how the ship was suddenly flying beyond its normal capabilities and why they felt it was needed, and asking if the AIs knew whether it was sustainable.

The trio settled to a determined type of relaxation with their seats adjusted for maximum support. As well is helping to cope with acceleration pressure they were aware of the need to ready themselves for the match up, especially Thom.

***