Space Pioneer 2 - The Titan Plot - 8. Chapter 8

Jeff went back on the bridge. The men continued the system check.

Lest entered the bridge an hour later.

“Corr, run a calculation. I want the minimum time for take-off and climb to orbit from Rho 59,” he said. “Assume the ship is in standby mode on the ground. Hulton, check out Rho 59. Find a suitable landing place away from the spaceport. Jeff, plot a course from Rho 59 to Calisto Imper. It’s an old spaceport and stopover for ships. Plot three space jumps to lay a false trail. Run the flight on the simulator and refine the route.”

“Do you think we need to run?” Hulton asked.

“Not if Forrit and Galven get my plan under way,” Lest said. “But better leave nothing to chance.”

“A plan?” Jeff asked.

“They’ll tweak the engines to enhance the ship’s speed. We’ll arrive earlier at Rho 59 by approximately eighteen hours, almost one day. We’ll unload the cargo in standby mode and take off as soon as we can,” Lest explained.

“Quanac might already be there and waiting for us,” Jeff said.

“I don’t think so, but I won’t take a risk,” Lest said. “That’s why we won’t land in the spaceport. We’ll unload the cargo elsewhere. Quanac will find a way to seize his crates.”

“Take-off will be cumbersome,” Corr warned. “The tweaking of the engines might cause a few damages to the ship.”

“I know. Figure this in,” Lest replied. “That’s why we’ll make a stopover on Calisto Imper. We’ll check on the ship before continuing to Cyrus. It was Galven’s idea.”

“I can’t find Calisto Imper in the sector manual,” Jeff said.

Lest went to the console. “Try the other way round. Imper Calisto. It’s an old Alliance outpost.”

“I found it,” Jeff said. “It’s a stopover for ships en route to the main planet of the Empire of Titania. A newer spaceport on a platform is in close proximity. The new spaceport is mainly used now, but the old one on Imper Calisto is still being operated.”

“Perfect,” Lest said. “What about a possible landing place on Rho 59, Hulton?”

“The maps and images are outdated,” Hulton said. “I don’t know if we can rely on them. There’s a plain south of the spaceport that would allow a landing, I think.”

Lest walked over and looked at Hulton’s screen. “It’s very close to the spaceport. Not ideal,” he said.

“The planet is mountainous, the surface torn open everywhere. Rho 59 was mined intensively in the past,” Hulton said. “I guess the plain was the storage place. It’s the best place I can come up with.”

“Okay, we’ll deal with what we have. Plot a course to the plain and figure out an optimal landing maneuver,” Lest said.

The men on the bridge had just finished their jobs when Galven called from the engine room. The tweaking of the engines was done and Galven gave his go to enhance the ship’s speed.

Lest crossed his arms in front of his chest.

“Alright,” he said. “Corr, maximum speed.”

“I must go back on the bridge,” Le’Ton said.

They had been sitting in silence for a while.

“I guess you must,” Chen said. He drew his hand back.

“Why are things never simple?” Le’Ton asked, rising to his feet.

“Life is a challenge,” Chen replied with a smile, rising from his chair. “Take me back to my room. I must not distract you any longer.”

The two men left the gaming room.

The engines were doing fine. Twenty-four hours had passed.

“How long until arrival at Rho 59?” Lest asked.

“Six hours, thirteen minutes,” Hulton replied.

As if on cue, an alarm went off.

Galven called from the engine room. “Engines overheated,” he said.

“Can we go for another six hours?” Lest asked.

“Slow down one percent,” Galven advised.

Lest gave the command and Corr slowed down the Horus.

“How does it affect flight time?” Lest asked.

“Eight hours, twenty-three minutes until arrival at Rho 59,” Hulton replied.

“About sixteen hours ahead of time. Still good,” Lest said.

The alarm stopped ten minutes later and the Horus continued on its flight route. The alarm went off again one hour later and they had to decelerate the ship again. Corr accelerated the ship when the engines had cooled down and decelerated it when the alarm went off. It was a back and forth for hours. The men were tired, but none of them left the bridge.

“How long until arrival?” Lest asked.

“Two hours, four minutes,” Hulton replied.

“Ten hours ahead of time. Still good, but not how we planned it,” Lest said.

An hour went by.

“Arrival at mesh out point in fifteen minutes,” Corr said.

The Horus dropped back into real space and the overheated space jump engines were set to cool down.

“External sensors made out Rho 59,” Jeff said. “I’m sending the images to the main screen.”

The main screen showed the dwarf planet. The pictures were coarse but were soon getting better. The dwarf planet was made of gray rock and looked scarred and torn.

“Le’Ton, scan the area,” Lest said. “Any activities on the planet or in space?”

“No activities detected,” Le’Ton said a minute later. “But the planet is still too far away to say for sure.”

The Horus finally reached the dwarf planet and went into orbit. The computer systems were scanning the surface. They detected no activities on the ground.

“They’re either not there or their ship is in full stealth mode. Whatever. I don’t care. We’re ready for landing. Corr, initiate the landing maneuver,” Lest said.

The Horus was descending. The ship entered the dwarf planet’s thin atmosphere

“What about the Titans?” Jeff asked. “Will you throw them out in the plain?”

“We have enough life supporting suits on board,” Lest said.

“Don’t do it, captain. Quanac will kill them. Spare at least Chen. He’s innocent,” Le’Ton begged.

“I can’t spare him, Le’Ton,” Lest said sternly. “I don’t want Quanac going after us. Life is cruel sometimes.”

Le’Ton opened his mouth to protest, but Lest silenced him with a wave of his hand. Le’Ton turned back to the console, his body tensed and his shoulders slumped. The others looked between Le’Ton and Lest, but then turned back to their screens.

A dreadful silence was hanging on the bridge. It was interrupted by another alarm going off.

“Ship approaching,” Corr shouted.

The men raised their eyes to the main screen. A huge spaceship came into view. It was entering orbit. The ship was a Titan warship, vast, black, and menacing. It was not in stealth mode.

“The computer is getting weapon signatures,” Hulton said. “28 missiles and six plasma bombs. Primed, ready to fire. A gigantic attack potential. They can blow up Rho 59 in a second.”

Lest straightened. “Corr, cancel descent at once. Immediate climb back to orbit. A higher altitude than the Titan ship. Follow the Titan warship,” he commanded.

Corr initiated a steep climb. The Horus climbed above and behind the Titan ship. Corr re-programmed the flight computer and the Daglon warship automatically followed its target.

“Identify the ship, Hulton,” Lest commanded.

“A Titan warship, class C7C combat vessel, the same type we saw near Alpha And. A Titan military vessel,” Hulton said.

“Any sign they’ve detected the Horus?” Lest asked.

“No,” Corr replied. “We’re in full stealth mode. All shields are on and functioning 100%.”

Lest was watching the Titan ship on the main screen. It was passing over the planet, but didn’t descend. Lest narrowed his eyes. “They’re looking for something. Scan the planet again, Le’Ton,” he said.

“Nothing,” Le’Ton said after a while. “Any ship down there is either dead or in full stealth mode.”

The maneuver came unexpected. The Titan warship turned sharply and descended towards the spaceport at tremendous speed. The Horus computer responded and re-calculated the course. The Daglon warship followed the Titan ship and adjusted the speed.

“I’m getting signals from the ground,” Hulton shouted. “Plasma missile fired from the ground, targeted at the Titan warship.”

“Computer has located a ship on the ground in the spaceport area,” Le’Ton reported.

The missile was fast. The plasma load hit the Titan warship only seconds later. An orange glow enveloped the ship. The glow faded and dissolved quickly.

“Their shields absorbed the plasma load,” Corr said.

The Titan warship moved on, unaffected by the hit. Another plasma shot came from the ground. The Titan ship shot back instantly. A plasma bomb hit the old spaceport and blew it up. A huge ball of plasma fire was spreading in all directions.

“Sensors say 6,000 degrees Celsius,” Jeff said.

The fire went out soon due to the planet’s thin atmosphere. The spaceport had disappeared and the area was black and burnt. Charred and molten remains of steel construction completed the sight. The men were gazing at the main screen.

The Horus was shaking heavily. The event shook the men out of their trance. Lest lost balance and flung himself in his chair. The men strapped in automatically.

“Gravitational shock wave,” Corr said. “The Titan ship has activated space jump mode.”

The Titan combat vessel dropped out of real space and the Daglon warship was seized by the massive drag. The ship was swerving. The flight management system attempted to level the flight, but didn’t manage to balance the combined effect of the space jump shock wave and the dwarf planet’s gravitational pull. The ship left orbit and entered into a spiral descent towards the planet.

“Ship’s falling,” Hulton shouted.

The flight management gave another acoustic alarm, but the system failed to stop the ship’s fall. The falling ship was picking up speed. The surface of the planet came rapidly closer.

“Corr, level the ship,” Lest shouted at the man who was staring at the warning messages on his displays.

Corr winced at Lest’s shout. He bent forward and shut down the primary flight management system. Another alarm went off and the standby system came on. Corr was hastily keying in codes. The ship responded. The flight computer leveled the flight and initiated a steep climb to orbit. Ten minutes later, the Horus was orbiting Rho 59 at a regular speed.

The men unstrapped.

Lest rose to his feet and went to the console. He patted Corr’s shoulder. “Good work, Corr,” he said.

Corr looked up. “Thanks, captain,” he said. Sweat was covering his face.

“I think our mission became obsolete, captain. Titan military found Quanac. The old spaceport and its surroundings have practically disappeared,” Hulton said.

“Correct, Hulton,” Lest replied. “Le’Ton, set course on Imper Calisto. It’s time we get out of here.”

Lest went to the console, hit the intercom button and informed Doctor Midad, the engineers and the Titans on their new course.

The Horus touched down on Imper Calisto. The crew had reprogrammed the ship’s code for security reasons, but spaceport staff was not interested in the men and the ship. The few men stationed on Imper Calisto were jaded and bored and not even the arrival of the Daglon warship shook them out of the lethargy. The Horus crew did a couple of checks, then the ship took off and set course on Cyrus. Lest decided to take the Titans back to the planet. Ion and his companions were confined to their rooms, but Lest made an exception for Chen.

Le’Ton hit a button in the wall. The door opened and he stepped in. Chen was already waiting for him.

“How about a game in the gaming room?” Le’Ton asked.

“I’d love to play,” Chen replied with a smile.

They left the room and strolled down the corridor, then entered the gaming room. They sat down, but didn’t start the game.

“Life is a challenge,” Le’Ton said. “I was thinking, Chen.”

“Yes?” Chen asked.

“We’re flying from Cyrus to Daglon for a three-weeks vacation. I was wondering. Would you like to come along?” Le’Ton asked.

“I’d be glad to,” Chen replied, smiling.

The Horus touched down on Cyrus and Ion and his companions got off the ship.

“You spared our lives, captain. We’re in your debt. I give you my word as a Titan warrior. You can count on us whenever you need us, Captain Lest,” Ion said.

Lest gave a nod. “Things are often not what they seem. Sometimes we fail to see the grand scheme of things,” he said. “I was too much involved in this plot, else I would not have let you go."

“Quanac’s mission was doomed from the start, but the mission wasn’t meant to become nefarious. Quanac intended to bring about a positive change. The Empire will now turn back to outdated and antiquated views and attitudes. This will only stir more riots and revolts in the future,” Ion said. He paused. “Where are you going now, captain?” he asked.

“Home to Daglon for a vacation,” Lest said.

“At least you have a place you call home,” Ion said.

The Titans departed. Lest looked after them.

“The universe is vast and we’re just a speck. A speck plowing through space,” he said.

“However minor our actions, they have an influence and make an impression. They truly make our presence felt,” Jeff added.

“You’re absolutely right, Jeff,” Lest said, placing an arm around Jeff’s shoulders. “I wonder what is coming next.”

“I don’t think of the future,” Jeff replied. “But I look forward to our visit to Daglon.”