Dark History
by Anthony Lukas
|
Table of Contents parts: 1, 2, 3 |
conclusion
The next day, Adams sat at her desk and keyed her intercom. She asked, “How are our guests today, Sirius?”
“Gone.”
“What?”
“There are no New Earthers aboard right now. The last returned this morning and, as far as I know, there are no specific plans for any to return today.”
“Really?” said Adams. “Do we have any crew on-planet?”
“Actually, no. They’re coming back up on the shuttle that took the New Earthers down.”
“Huh. Well, okay. Let me know if anything changes.” Then, she asked: “Pal, is everything okay?”
“You will have to be specific.”
“Sirius says all the New Earthers are all gone.”
“I heard him, and I knew that as well.”
“Are all ship’s systems functioning normally?”
“Yes, with some minor problems.”
“What minor problems?”
“The toaster in cafe #2 is misaligned, resulting in darker—”
“No,” sighed Adams, “any problems with major ship systems?”
“None detected.”
“Please run a general diagnostic.”
“Why?”
Why indeed? thought Adams. Had Wells’ talk of Nazis been that unsettling? “Just out of an abundance of—”
But Pal interrupted. “There is something happening. A moment.” And Pal went silent.
“Pal?”
“A moment.. Captain, there appears to be a growing cascade event across several systems I am trying to analyze, but it is happening too quickly.”
Too quickly for Pal?! Adams was already out the door when Sirius called from the bridge.
Adams looked around the controlled chaos of the bridge, knowing the same was happening at control points throughout the ship, her ship. “Sirus, where are we?”
“Systems are freezing all over the ship, Captain. We are attempting to regain control but...” And it so it went for over an hour; all attempts to regain control were futile.
Then a signal came from New Earth. “Captain,” said the Prime Minister, “we now control your beautiful ship. It is our intent to incorporate it into our fleet.”
“Unacceptable,” said Adams. “Release my ship immediately!”
“Or what, Captain? All your weapons systems are locked down, likewise all drive systems. We surround you. There is nothing you can do.” He paused, “I understand this is upsetting, perhaps even outrageous from your point of view. However, this is a path to our destiny, Captain, something you perhaps cannot understand. We will give you some time for your crew and yourself to reconcile yourselves to the inevitable.”
“You are right, Prime Minister, this is outrageous. I will never surrender the Liberty to you. Any attempt to board my ship will be met with deadly force.”
“That would result in needless deaths. Your ship is ours, you and your crew will be brought down to New Earth to remain. You will have no choice,” The Prime Minister looked off screen for a moment and nodded to someone. Adams was aware that the background sound on the ship had changed. The sound of air circulators had ceased,
“I will contact you again in three hours.” And the screen went dark.
Sirius studied a control panel and said, “Life support is offline.”
“All right,” said Adams. “Sirius, full analysis. How do we fix this? Concentrate on life support, the drives, weapons.”
“Yes, Captain.” And he started barking orders.
Adams went into her ready room just off the bridge. She brought out Pal. “Pal, what can we do?”
“Please be more specific.”
Adams ground her teeth. “Can we regain control of the ship?”
“No.”
“There must be a way!”
“I do not see one. A series of idiosyncratic key codes have been inserted in most of the operating systems of the ship. They are unbreakable for all intents and purposes.”
Adams sank into chair behind her desk and stared at Pal. “You said most of the operating systems.”
“I did.”
“Communications?”
“Compromised. And at this distance with whom would you communicate? Messages would take weeks. You do not have that time, apparently.”
“Do we have any propulsion?”
“Grav drives and thrusters.”
“The warp engines are off?”
“The controlling systems are frozen. The engines themselves are functioning, but we cannot control the warp reactions to attain light speed.”
Adams pounded her fist on her desk. “I will not surrender my crew and my ship!” She stared out the port at the planet below and the space beyond her mind turning over option after option. After some time — too much time, Adams rebuked herself — she asked: “Pal, do we have auto-destruct, and can we launch the light boats?”
“Auto-destruct is an independent system, it should be accessible. A moment.” A moment went by. “The auto-destruct system is untouched, and the light boats can be launched manually. Their systems are intact. What are you thinking?”
“Escape, of course. We take the boats and... run.”
“A long voyage.”
“It can be done,” said Adams.
“Of course. And the Liberty?”
Adams again stared out the port. “Here’s what we will do.”
* * *
Adams emerged from her ready room. “Mr. Sirius, any progress?”
“I’m sorry, Captain. No progress at all. I must also report air quality is deteriorating.”
“All right, Mr.Sirius.” She took a breath and looked sadly at her crew around the bridge. “Prepare to abandon ship.”
Everyone froze, shocked expressions on their faces.
“All crew to the light boats. They have time to gather a few personal items as well as fully stocking the boats for our long voyage home. We launch in an hour.”
“Yes, Captain.” He paused, “And the Liberty?”
“I will be making the necessary arrangements.” To Sirius’s alarmed expression: “No, Commander,” she smiled sadly, “I will not be surrendering my ship. Now clear the bridge.”
As Adams moved to sit at the helm, she became aware that someone had not left the bridge. She turned and found that it was O’Rourke, of course.
“And just what are you up to, Captain? Not planning some melodramatic ‘going down with the ship,’ I trust. The crew will need their captain for the long trip home.”
“No, Ismis, am not falling on my sword.” She swiveled back to the console. “I shall join you in the boats. I have to tend to my ship’s demise.”
“You’ll not be leaving it for those heathens below, will you?”
She turned to him, “What’s with the Irish accent all of sudden?”
“Accent?”
Adams gave a tired smile and returned to the console. “Be gone with ya. I have work to do.” She then turned back to O’Rourke, “I am going to unleash the banshees on these heathens.”
O’Rourke grinned. “See you in the boats.” And then he was gone.
Adams placed Pal on the helm console and regarded the silent bridge for a few long moments. She took a breath. “Now, Pal, you have tied the fusion reactors’ self-destruct to the warp engines for a simultaneous ignition.”
“As you indicated.”
“All right, and the course has been plotted.”
“Of course.”
“Then we are all set?”
“Yes,”
“Good,” Adams stood and did a slow circuit of her bridge, touching consoles and displays. “All right,” she whispered, “let’s go,” reaching for Pal.
“No.”
“What?”
“Given the extreme complexities of the maneuvers and power manipulation. I must remain here, on the bridge, to be in direct contact with the ship’s systems. I cannot do the necessary on a light boat comm.”
Adams stared, her mind a jumble. “But—”
“Captain, there is no alternative. The Founders cannot gain possession of the Liberty, and they must know the power they foolishly seek to challenge.”
Adams’ mind raced, but she knew Pal was right. As always. “All right,” she said and paused. “I’m sorry.”
“No need, I am after all only an artificial intelligence.”
“Yes.. but..” she whispered. Then: “Goodbye.” And she was out the door.
* * *
Adams sat behind Sirius as O’Rourke piloted the light boat from its dock. “All boats away?”
“All boats have jumped beyond this system,” said Sirius.
“Micro-jump us a million klicks north and hold,” she said to O’Rourke
“Aye, Captain.” And he light-jumped the boat a million kilometers above New Earth.
“Destruct sequence on Liberty has begun,” said Sirius, then stared hard at his console. “Captain, the Liberty is moving!” His hands flying across his board, “The Founders’ boats are pursuing! I don’t...”
O’Rourke looked back at Adams as she stared out the port at the tiny moving light she knew was her ship.
* * *
Jon Azura sat at table outside of a cafe where he had met Scarpino and Wells, sipping a tea and studying the night sky. He had heard the crowing announcement of the Founders that the ship of Old Earth had been seized and the Old Earthers had fled. The Prime Minister was jubilant in his pronouncement.
Azura shook his head and lifted his spoon to stir in a little more sugar when there was a blinding light, the glare brighter than he had ever experienced on this planet. He shielded his eyes until the city’s night dimness returned. What the hell had that been? Had the ship bombed the planet? Would they do such a thing?
He looked up at the night sky and frowned. The stars were in their proper places... But hadn’t the moon been at its zenith? Now where was it? There was a faint shimmering glow of a cloud. The moon, that symbol precious to the Founders, was gone, blasted to atoms and thrown out into solar system he imagined.
Azura leaned back in his chair, his mouth hanging open. Then he grinned and raised his cup in a toast.
Copyright © 2022 by Anthony Lukas
