Artifact Prologue
Artifact
Author: J Carrell Jones
Table of Content
Prologue – 60 Years Ago
Prologue – 60 Years Ago
Captain Tan Rogers raced to the Communications room. The aft drive had been compromised and the backend of the ship started collapsing in around itself. Something with a very strong gravitational force had pulled the artificial blackhole out of its containment field. The ship’s system couldn’t react fast enough to correct the problem, thus dooming the ship to disaster. Rogers, breathless, said entering the room, “Mr. Piper“. A young man with sandy brown hair and a pale complexion looked up. Fear was written all over his face. He swallowed hard as the ship started an approximate of lisping. The overhead lights had turned amber minutes ago and the klaxon alarm was a constant reminder that death was near.
“Yes, sir!” Piper said.
Rogers handed the young man a note. “Send this tight beam to Command Proper Priority Omega. Place it in a loop and head to the nearest escape pod.”
The young man accepted the note with sweaty palms and nodded. This was it. He read it and understood. Up until now the mission had been a bust, but this would ensure some hope of rescue. “I’m on it, sir.”
Rogers nodded and left. A lump formed in the back of his throat. He headed back to the command center. Once he entered the command deck he said, “Sound Abandon ship.” He sat at the pilot’s station. “Densel,” he said over the klaxon. “Godspeed.”
The first officer stood next to Rogers. “Sir, it wasn’t your fault.”
“I know, but . . . this is my ship.” Tears welled up in his eyes. “Besides, someone has to stir the McCain away from the pods.”
Densel hesitated.
Rogers looked up into his First Officer’s eyes. “Antonio, please. Martha and the kids are waiting for you. They . . .”
“May never know.” Densel finished.
“Antonio, please. Take the chance. Please.”
The First Officer squeezed the shoulder of his Captain. Then without warning he embraced him in a strong hug.
Rogers gave him an equally strong embrace. “Give Martha and my grandkids my love.”
Densel nodded. Wiped his eyes and ran to the waiting Command Escape Pod. The rest of the Bridge crew were secured and silent.” Densel looked back one last time to see his Captain strap in.
Rogers wiped the tears from his eyes as he clicked into the pilot’s seat. He monitored the distance to the closest pods. Eighty were still attached to the hull. He pressed the Ship Intercom button. “All hands, all hands. This is the Captain speaking. I am releasing all remaining pods in sixty seconds. Hurry.
Densel secured himself in the command chair and pressed the release. A second later he felt the downward push of acceleration as the escape pod distanced itself from the McCain. He switched on the main overhead viewer giving everyone on board a look at the McCain as dozens of little and large cylindrical objects speed away. When the last of the pods were released the McCain’s aft was already a shrinking mass of knotted metal. With each second it got smaller and smaller.
Rogers had to override the ship’s safety protocol to gain control over the bow engine. He pulled on the Nav stick and instructed the computer to begin emergency phase forward motion. Some of the closer escape pods might get sucked back into the ship’s gravity wake but it couldn’t be helped. He needed the McCain to be at least a hundred thousand kilometers away from the bulk of the escape pods before he destructed the ship. The acceleration pushed him further in the Pilot’s chair. “It dies with the McCain,” he whispered as he entered the destruct code.
Densel watched the monitor intensely. The McCain was still broadcasting its Mayday. A message that was partly true, yet partly a lie. He clicked on the audio and piped it on the speakers. “Mayday, Mayday,” He heard Lt. Piper’s voice. “This is the McCain. Engine failure by heavy gravity anomaly 30 light-years away. Not there before. Request rescue. Artifacts found on planet surface. Repeat. Artifacts found on planet surface.”
His home of over ten years was crumpling before his eyes. Thirty minutes and at about a hundred kilos away later the hull buckled and the ship started to horseshoe. He wiped at a tear running down his cheek. “Gonna miss you, McCain.”
Then in a flash of brilliant white light the McCain was gone. A minute later the escape pod was hit with the shockwave and tossed out passed a low planetary orbit into deep space. The alarms sounded and the pod lost main power. Battery reserves kicked in and the pod was flooded with amber light. The inertial field re-engaged, flickered, then held. Densel felt like his stomach yanked against his ribs. He heard the unsettling but familiar sound of several crew members throwing up. Thank Goddess the pod maintained some gravity and kept the mess on the floor. A few moments later the pod stopped accelerating. Densel tapped at the medium LED panel at his side. He instructed the pod to maintain an orbit around the planet. Once the computer beeped an acknowledgement Densel settled himself in for a long surreal wait. He sent out a wide spectrum broadcast requesting all pods to report in to him.
The Pod had a total of four sections and was capable of sustaining them for five years at normal rations. It was equipped with four medical stasis beds and six crew stasis chambers. The top section was command and control. The second section was the sleep area. The third was the galley and living area with the fourth being used for storage, suits, tools, and supplies. There were twelve in the pod. Densel ran the numbers through his head. Ten asleep, two awake, for five years. If that soon. No one injured. That was a plus. Seven women, five males. Two males and five females gay with two of the females rumored bi. Pretty much everyone liked each other. That was a plus, because, now they would be in this Pod for three years. Maybe more. The message went out Quantum Assist, which meant Earth would be getting the message in several days. It’ll take the Alliance a year to send a rescue, of which may take two, three, four, or five years to reach them. It was a good thing everyone liked each other. They were in for the long haul and had no choice. “Is everyone okay,” he finally said aloud. He received nods. No doubt they all went through some mental calculations and came to, hopefully, a similar conclusion. They were fucked, but not by that much. He checked the inventory for several things: Birth-control pills. Plenty. Grog? About three years at 750 ml for four members per day. And weapons. Two low velocity impact pistols. The computer had already identified him as Pod Commander, so his thumb print and voice command would allow him to fire the weapons. The second pistol was locked until he instructed the computer otherwise. It was a good thing everyone liked each other – he hoped. He tapped at his chair LED and read all the pods that had reported in. He activated a locator pulse and noted the nearest pods. Twelve within 50 kilometers. Fifty at more than 100 and the rest out passed 1200. He was now the Fleet Commander to a hundred tiny vessels floating in space. The biggest smallest fleet this side of the galaxy. “I’m hungry,” he said while unsnapping his harness. “I think we should eat before we settle in for a long, long, long, wait.”
Several females and one male had been crying. The scene of the McCain crumpling, then exploding had been a bit much. Some wiped their eyes and nodded. Densel heard a collective unsnapping of harnesses. And thus, hour one began.