Stars & Empire 2: 10 More Galactic Tales (Stars & Empire Box Set Collection) Page 16

  “Just remember that,” replied Katherine, looking directly at Tom. “He doesn’t need to do any more!”

  “Relax, Katherine,” Jason said with a reassuring smile. “We’re just going to talk.”

  “That better be all,” replied Katherine, giving Jason a warning glance.

  Jason led the two men into the house and through a door that led to his office. He sat down in his favorite chair and gestured for the other two men to take a seat on the comfortable sofa that was against the wall in front of the window. During the day, the window let in just enough light to make Jason’s office more inviting. “What can I do for you?” asked Jason, looking over at Tom Hayes. “I’m sure you didn’t come all this way just for a social call.”

  “You’re right, Jason. Something’s come up,” admitted Tom, glancing over at General Adamson. He took a deep breath before continuing. “What I’m about to tell you is top secret. Right after Greg and you left the Moon, there was a startling discovery.”

  “I imagine there will be a lot of startling discoveries in that wreck,” Jason replied with a slight smile. “It’s not every day you find a wrecked spaceship on the Moon and an AI like Ariel.”

  “No, it isn’t,” agreed General Adamson, leaning forward. “You did a fantastic job up there, Commander Strong. But now we have something else we need you to do.”

  Jason leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest. He had hoped to spend at least a few more weeks with his sister and brother before going back to work. From the look on the faces of Tom and the general, that wasn’t going to happen.

  “What’s going on?” he asked his eyes narrowing. “What’s Colonel Greene discovered now?”

  Tom took another deep breath before beginning. “Immediately after you left, Ariel made a shocking statement. It was something that Colonel Greene and Lisa Gordon were not expecting and couldn’t believe.”

  “Ariel has a way of doing that,” responded Jason, recalling the gorgeous AI. “She’s not human and doesn’t think like we do.”

  The AI on the Avenger had surprised him on several occasions. Particularly the first time she had appeared in the Command Center and told him and Adam Simmons that Greg and Lisa were trapped behind a sealed hatch in the ship.

  “You remember that she explained that the survivors from the Human Federation of Worlds came down with the Spanish Flu when they arrived here,” spoke Tom, knowing that Jason was familiar with this. They had discussed this in detail during Jason’s debriefing.

  “Yes. The flu spread through their fleet, killing hundreds. They gave up the idea of setting up a colony on Earth and left. That’s why the Avenger crashed. A sick engineer destroyed or damaged their drive systems, disabling the ship as it passed the Moon. The Moon’s gravity pulled it down, causing it to crash in the crater.”

  “The problem was we forgot to ask Ariel where the survivors went when she first mentioned this. Everyone assumed they had gone on to another solar system,” General Adamson said with a troubled look in his eyes.

  “Of course they did,” Jason replied with a confused look. “Where else could they go? There isn’t another habitable planet in our Solar System. It only made sense that they find another solar system with a suitable planet they could colonize.”

  General Adamson shook his head slowly and his eyes narrowed. “We all forgot why they came here. They came here to set up a colony on Earth and to establish a new military base.”

  “I don’t understand,” Jason replied, suddenly feeling uneasy. He looked intently at Tom. “The colony on Earth wasn’t feasible due to their lack of immunity to Earth diseases. They had to go on to another solar system.”

  “That’s not what happened,” replied General Adamson, shaking his head.

  “According to Ariel, these humans never left the Solar System. They’re still here,” Tom spoke in a level voice, gazing into Jason’s eyes.

  “They’re still here!” Jason sputtered his eyes growing wide in disbelief. “That’s not possible. There has been no trace of them on Earth. If they were here, we would know about it. You can’t hide ships as big as theirs.”

  “They’re not on Earth,” explained General Adamson, shaking his head. He let out a deep breath and then continued. “According to Ariel, they went on and built their military base here in our Solar System.”

  “Where?” asked Jason, feeling a chill of excitement run down his back. Was it possible some of these humans were still alive? Was there some way they could be contacted?

  “According to Ariel, the military part of their fleet had always planned on building a new and powerful military base in our Solar System as a means of protecting Earth,” Adamson continued. “They had planned on leaving most of the civilians down on Earth in the new colony and then the military ships would go on and construct their new base. The base would be responsible for defending Earth until we were ready to defend ourselves.”

  Jason could hardly believe what the general was saying. “So you’re saying that somewhere in our Solar System is a fully operational military base of the Human Federation of Worlds?”

  “That’s just it,” Tom broke in, shaking his head worriedly. “Ariel has never heard from nor seen any of their ships since the Avenger crashed. The AI had a few short-range scanners still working immediately after the crash. In recent years, as her power supply dropped, she could only scan the area immediately around the Earth and the Moon. There were even times when she was in a standby mode and was only awakened periodically by the ship’s computer. However, in the one hundred years since the ship crashed she has never detected another ship. It’s as if the survivors vanished.”

  “It’s a shame we don’t know where they went,” Jason commented, feeling disappointed. He would give anything to see one of their warships intact. Even the civilian ships would be amazing. An intact ship could mean so much to Earth’s future war effort against the Hocklyns.

  “We do know,” General Adamson said, gazing intently at Jason. “They went to the asteroid Ceres.”

  “Ceres,” spoke Jason, drawing in a sharp breath. For a moment, he was silent, thinking about what the general had just said. He knew that Ceres was the largest asteroid in the Solar System. “Surely if they’re on Ceres we could detect or see something. Their ships are too big to stay hidden.”

  “We’ve tried searching for signs of artificial structures on Ceres, as well as their ships,” Tom replied with a heavy sigh. “We’ve used telescopes and every detecting device we have. There’s nothing! No sign of their ships or any artificial constructions on or around the asteroid.”

  “Perhaps after the flu struck them, they decided to change their plans and go on to another solar system after all,” Jason suggested. “Not being able to plant a colony on Earth may have left them with no other choice.”

  “Perhaps,” Tom replied, doubtfully. “But I just can’t see them leaving Earth undefended. Not with their knowledge of the Hocklyns and what Earth would be facing in the future.”

  “This all sounds interesting,” spoke Jason, leaning forward and placing his hands on his desk. “Ariel never mentioned any of this while I was there. I want to go back up to the Avenger someday to help with the research, but how does this missing fleet involve me?”

  General Adamson looked down at the floor and then gazed directly at Jason with an extremely serious look upon his face. “We want you to take one of the Raven shuttles that are on the Avenger and go to Ceres. We want you to find out what happened to the survivors of that fleet after they left Earth.”

  Jason sat silently, not believing what he had just heard. His head felt as if it was spinning. Then focusing, he thought about what the general had just said. “Why me?”

  “You’re familiar with the Avenger and the situation up there,” Tom began. “You handled the situation up on the Moon extremely well. We need someone like you to lead this mission.”

  Jason looked at the two and had a feeling they were not telling him everything. “
What else is there? There has to be another reason.”

  Tom looked extremely uncomfortable. He looked over at the general, who nodded.

  “It’s Ariel,” confessed Tom, sounding slightly annoyed “She won’t allow us to use one of the shuttles unless you command the mission.”

  “What?” Jason spoke surprised his eyes growing wide. “Why is she demanding that?”

  “She says she trusts you,” replied Tom, letting out a deep breath. “If there are survivors in Ceres, Ariel feels you will do the right thing. I know you wanted some more time off, but this is really important.”

  “Is she demanding anyone else to go on this mission?” Jason asked with a sudden suspicion.

  “Ariel wants Greg also,” Tom admitted uncomfortably, looking over at General Adamson. “Lisa Gordon and Adam Simmins are also among those she wants.”

  “How many others will there be?” asked Jason, trying to think if he actually wanted to do this. Those shuttles were over one hundred years old, and Ceres wasn’t exactly close to Earth.

  “There will be eight on the shuttle,” General Adamson responded. “We’re still deciding on the other four.”

  “How safe will this trip be?” asked Jason, thinking about what they were asking him to do. It was one thing to fly those shuttles between the Earth and the Moon. Ceres was millions of miles away!

  “Ariel has a group of our technicians going over one of the shuttles, checking all of its systems. It should be ready in two more weeks. She has assured us that the shuttle will have no problems making the trip to Ceres and returning.”

  Jason let out a sharp breath. He felt excitement growing at just the thought of making this trip. This was a rare opportunity to travel far out into the Solar System. He might never get this chance again. Who knew what they might find on Ceres. “If I agree, when do we leave?”

  “We would need you and Greg back up on the Moon by the end of the week,” General Adamson replied. “Both of you will have to go through a crash course on how to fly and operate the shuttle. Ariel claims she can operate the shuttle by remote control all the way to Ceres and back, but I would feel better if the crew could pilot and operate it in an emergency.”

  “Will you do it, Jason?” asked Tom, knowing he was asking a lot. “This mission could be more important than finding the Avenger. There may be intact ships inside Ceres if the base was actually built. Imagine what that could mean.”

  Jason closed his eyes. He knew his sister was going to be highly upset with him again. She knew they had found a crashed spaceship on the Moon. He had been allowed to tell her and Trevor that much, but nothing else. Jason also wondered how Greg would feel about this. He wasn’t sure Greg would be willing to leave his wife and infant son so soon after returning from the Moon. It had been extremely difficult for Greg to be away from his family, not knowing if he would ever see them again.

  “Well?” General Adamson asked. “We’ll do everything in our power to make sure you have everything you need to accomplish this mission safely. We need to know what’s on Ceres.”

  Jason slowly nodded his head. There had never been any real doubt in his mind that he was going to accept. The crucial question now was how was he going to explain all of this to Greg? An even bigger problem was how was he going to explain this to his sister?

  -

  Greg leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, shaking his head. He couldn’t believe what Jason had just asked him to do. For the last two weeks, he had concentrated on his family, getting to know his infant son and enjoying the feeling of being a father. Now Jason was asking him to give that up and go on a dangerous mission from which he might not return.

  “Ceres,” he mumbled, trying to recall what he knew about the distant asteroid. “That’s a long way to go in a one hundred year old shuttle.”

  “Ariel and some technicians are checking the shuttle,” replied Jason, trying to sound positive. “She says we can do this.”

  “Lisa and Adam will be going too?” asked Greg, wondering what he should do. How could he explain this to his wife? He had very mixed feelings about this mission. Part of him was screaming to go; the other was asking what about Elizabeth?

  “Yes, and there will be four others besides them,” added Jason, knowing that Greg was struggling with this decision. He couldn’t blame him. “General Adamson promised that if anything goes wrong, the second shuttle will be used to launch a rescue mission.”

  Greg could feel his heart pounding in his chest. He genuinely wanted to go, but was it fair to his family? The ordeal he had put his wife through when Jason and he had crashed on the Moon was still fresh in his mind. They were just now getting where they could talk about it without his wife breaking into tears.

  “We have to leave by the end of the week?” asked Greg his mind racing. That wasn’t a lot of time.

  “Yes,” responded Jason, knowing that was only a few days away. “General Adamson wants us to go through training on how to fly and operate the shuttle. It should take about two weeks.”

  “Makes sense,” Greg replied slowly with a pained look on his face. “Jason, I need to talk to Elizabeth. This is a decision I can’t make without speaking to her. After what I put her through when our lander crashed, I just can’t do this without her permission.”

  “I understand,” replied Jason, nodding his head. He knew that Greg placed a lot of importance on his family. “I told General Adamson you would have to talk it over with Elizabeth. He has given you permission to tell her about going to Ceres but not much more than that. Greg, if this is going to put a strain on your family you don’t have to go. I’m sure Ariel will understand.”

  “I’ll let you know tomorrow,” Greg said, letting out a deep breath. He knew he would have to have a long talk with Elizabeth. However, one of his greatest dreams was to get to explore space. He didn’t want to miss out on this opportunity. He might never get another.

  -

  Jason was sitting in the copilot’s seat on board the shuttle Ariel had sent down to retrieve him and Greg. Greg was back in the revamped passenger compartment talking to a new group of technicians and scientists that were going up to the Avenger. The scientists were full of questions after learning who Greg was and that he had spent a number of weeks on the wrecked spaceship. Jason was glad Greg was going. He knew that if Greg had decided not to go, his best friend would have regretted that decision later.

  Looking out the cockpit window, Jason saw the Moon rapidly growing in size. He doubted if he would ever get used to traveling at these speeds. A trip that once took days now took only a matter of a few hours. “How many people are currently on the Avenger?” asked Jason, looking over at the young man who was sitting in the pilot’s seat.

  “There are forty-two, plus the eight we’re bringing up on this trip,” the young lieutenant replied. “Colonel Greene is really pushing the exploration of the ship. They’re also cataloguing and looking extremely close at all the wreckage strung across the crater. Some of it has even been brought into the flight bay to be studied.”

  Jason nodded, wondering what he would find when they landed. He noticed a slight change in the shuttle’s trajectory, and he knew they were now descending toward the desolate lunar surface.

  “We did manage to get the other hangar door working,” the lieutenant added. He had been told that during the first few launches only one door would open, leaving a clearance of only a few feet on each side of the shuttle’s wings.

  The Moon’s desolate surface rapidly grew nearer and soon the shuttle leveled off, heading toward a small crater in the distance. Reaching the crater, the shuttle slowly circled and for the first time Jason had a good view of the wreck. It was still difficult to see unless you understood just what you were looking at. He knew that the large boulders and clumps of rocks below were actually dust-covered pieces of the Avenger.

  Jason hadn’t realized until now just how much wreckage was in the crater. It made him wonder exactly how large the Avenger had been b
efore the crash. Looking toward the Avenger, he could see the remains of the crashed ship. It dwarfed everything else in the crater. The wreck was nearly 400 feet long and 200 feet high. Jason’s eyes moved along the ship, looking at all of the closed hatches and noticing several that had been opened. The Federation had certainly known how to build ships.

  “Colonel Greene is waiting for you and your friend in the conference room next to the Command Center,” the lieutenant continued as he watched the instruments on the flight control panel. The ship was being flown by remote control, but he knew enough to take over in case of an emergency.

  The shuttle arrowed down slightly, and Jason saw that the two large doors to the flight bay were open. Moments later, the shuttle entered smoothly and sat down gently on the deck. There wasn’t even a noticeable jar as the shuttle came to a complete stop and the engines shut off.

  Taking a deep breath, Jason unfastened his flight harness and stood up. He was back where all of this had begun over twelve weeks ago. Going into the passenger compartment, he saw the hatch was already open and the other passengers were exiting.

  “Guess we’re back,” Greg said, smiling broadly. He was excited to find out what had been discovered in their absence. He hoped he would get the opportunity to inspect the Avenger’s weapons before they had to leave to go to Ceres.

  He was glad that his wife had agreed to let him come. Their talk had been quite long and comprehensive, but she understood his desire to be part of this. She had made him promise to come back safely.

  “There are over fifty people up here now,” responded Jason, walking over to stand next to Greg. “Colonel Greene has brought a lot of specialists up here to help explore the wreck.”

  He looked out the open hatch and immediately noticed that the flight bay was brilliantly lit. He could see several technicians coming over toward the shuttle. They were probably going to check out its systems after the flight to Earth and back.