Anaz-Voohri (16 page)

As the crew rejoiced, Tia sighed with relief and all her fears disappeared into the wonder of flying. She turned her head toward the window, and the blue planet below took her breath away. So beautiful, yet so exposed…
 
How could they ever protect it?

Next to her, Zack also stared at the visible portion of blue Earth, swept with layers of white clouds. “It seems so unreal.”

Before reaching the space station, Tia had to perform the first weapon test.
Torpedoes, her specialty.
As she had done many times in simulators, Tia unhooked herself from her seat and checked the seal of her suit. Then she floated toward the airlock leading to the cargo bay and went through.

When the second door opened, Tia hooked her tether to a safety cable running the length of the bay. With the upper half of the bay wide open, it felt like free floating in space. She looked up at the stars. With no protection other than her pressure suit, she might float away, like in her nightmare.

But Tia couldn’t let her fears endanger the mission. She worked hand over hand along the cable toward the torpedo cannon. When she reached it, she anchored herself to the console,
then
unlocked the ejection tube so it could rotate. She had to steady herself several times, as every move in zero gravity presented many challenges. Tia hoped the firing of the torpedo wouldn’t kick the Shuttle off its trajectory.
One of the many untested theories of this flight.

She switched on the console and tested the tube’s rotation. “Rotation, check...
Identifying target.”

As Tia focused on the console screen, all the time keeping a firm grip on the handle, the moon appeared on the viewer. What better for target practice than the pockmarked, lifeless
moon.
But she also had to test the weapon for precision. Struggling to keep her fears under control, Tia magnified the image of the moon to pinpoint the pre-selected crater, reading the settings as she went. “Target identified... Target locked... Awaiting orders for torpedo launch."

Although Tia couldn’t see them, she imagined the rest of the crew surveying the monitors inside the cockpit. They expected her to succeed.

“You are okay for torpedo launch,”
came
the reassuring voice of Mission Control.
“Whenever you are ready.”

Tia’s gloved hand stopped above the red button on the console. “Here we go." She strengthened her grip on the handle in case of unexpected movement then punched the launch button resolutely. “Torpedo away.”

Something knocked inside the tube, then the slick projectile, like a silver egg, shot out and the cargo bay shook. She hung on for balance and watched the torpedo gliding silently toward its target at great speed.

The pilot’s controlled voice coming through her com system didn’t quite hide his apprehension. “Trajectory correction requested.”

Damn! The firing had unsettled the Shuttle after all.

Chapter Eleven

Tia hoped the trajectory could be rectified, but she couldn’t let her fears endanger the mission. She squinted to follow the torpedo, now just a silver dot in the distance against the blackness of space. No trail, no smoke, no sound, just a silent harbinger of destruction. It would take hours for the projectile to reach its target and many more hours to analyze the results. The Hubble telescope was monitoring the torpedo and would record the impact.

“Calculating Trajectory correction..." Houston acknowledged through her com system.
“Sending data.”

Time for Tia to get back to the cabin.
She didn’t want to be caught in the open cargo bay when the thrusters rectified the trajectory. Her nightmare fluttered at the edge of her consciousness, but she pushed it back to a far recess of her mind. She must focus on returning inside.

Concentrating on breathing in and out, she followed the cable, hand over hand, back to the hatch leading to the crew cabin, careful not to let go. In her com system, the pilot dialogued with Mission Control.

“Correction data received." The pilot still sounded tense.
“Implementing data.”

Cheers welcomed Tia when she re-entered the cockpit, and she was glad to be back inside. The pilot made the maneuver with great success, eliciting more cheers from the crew. Now it was Zack’s turn to test the laser gun for range and accuracy. At least lasers wouldn’t upset the Shuttle like the torpedo cannon did.

*****

A beep from Kavak’s viewer alerted her to an anomaly. What had gone wrong now? Hidden with part of her fleet on the dark side of the moon, she couldn’t see the blue planet through the clear wall of her ship and had to rely on instrumentation.

A young male assistant appeared on her main screen. “Exalted Leader, a potentially explosive module is approaching the moon.”

“Are we under attack?" The lust of impending battle made Kavak smile, but she couldn’t afford any complication. She must stick to the plan.

“Not likely." The assistant consulted his console. “According to trajectory and speed, the target seems to be a crater on the moon surface.”

“Could the projectile go around the moon and come seek us?”

“Unlikely, Exalted Leader.
It will definitely hit the crater.”

“Why would anyone want to blow up a crater?" But more importantly, Kavak wondered who was firing and what kind of explosive they were using. She hadn’t realized the laughable human station had weapon capabilities. Of course, it was only a matter of time, and apparently the stupid substandard race had just armed their little orbiting toy.

“Could they have detected us, Exalted Leader?" Fear tinted the boy’s voice.

Kavak made a note of his cowardice. What had happened to the great Anaz-voohri warrior race? “They don’t have the ability." She couldn’t keep the irritation from her voice. “Always remember that they are no match for our technology." She didn’t add when the lack of maintenance didn’t cause failure.

On her screen, the face of the youth relaxed. “What should we do, Exalted Leader?"

Kavak wondered about the weapon’s target. “Could there be a strategic charge inside that crater capable of blowing up the whole moon?" If that were the case, not only Kavak’s fleet was in danger, but she could lose her perfect hiding place from prying human eyes.

“No explosives that our sensors can detect, Exalted Leader.”

“Still, I won’t take any chances. Destroy that projectile immediately!”

“Exalted Leader, I detect a primitive laser weapon on a small craft. It’s loading up now, also aimed at the moon.”

“That’s too much." How dared these puny humans think they could fight in space? “If they fire, deflect the beam back to where it came from." That should discourage them. When the time came, Kavak would also destroy the Space Station, the many satellites and the orbiting telescope, but for now she needed them in order to study human defenses, no matter how insignificant.

*****

As he initiated the firing sequence on the laser weapon, Zack tried to remember the trick about the butterflies in his stomach. He must not suppress them, but make them fly in formation—easier said than done. Encumbered by his bulky spacesuit, he checked his tether to the cable before focusing his attention on the console.

In his line of fire he thought he saw something move against the dead surface of the moon. Enhancing the picture on the weapon’s monitor, he noticed a small vessel on a collision course with the silver torpedo fired by Tia.

“What’s that?” asked Mission Control. Apparently they observed the event on their own monitors. “This is a secure line, Lieutenant. You can talk openly. What do you see?”

“We have company." Enhancing the image further, Zack recognized the dull golden color, smooth shape and markings. “God help us!” he whispered. “It’s Anaz-voohri." Struggling to remain calm, he asked, “What are my orders?”

“Wait and see..." Mission Control hesitated. “Could they be friendly?”

“Negative. I know these dudes. They are vicious.”

As if to confirm Zack’s point, a light beam surged from the Anaz-voohri vessel and a bright explosion filled the viewer. When the screen cleared, Zack couldn’t see the silver projectile anymore. “They blew up the torpedo!”

“What are they doing now? Our screen is still black.”

“Nothing."
Zack struggled to control his breathing. “They’re just waiting smack in my line of fire, daring me.”

“Good. We’ll give them a run for their money and see if they can dodge a laser beam.”

Zack found the suggestion tempting. The bastards would only have a second to get out of the way. “Wouldn’t that be an open act of war? There could be repercussions.”

“Don’t worry about that. Our military is giving the order. We didn’t start this, they did. Let them know we mean business and will not be intimidated. You have orders to fire.”

Zack relished this opportunity to get back at the Anaz-voohri, but he wondered at the wisdom of it all. Something told him the consequences might be catastrophic. Heart pounding, he adjusted his aim on the alien vessel, locked on the new target and fired.

The next second, a bright flash blinded him. Had the vessel been destroyed? A beam of light zipped by, so close to Discovery that Zack instinctively dodged. “What just happened? Did they fire, back?" In his viewer, the Anaz-voohri vessel, apparently unharmed, still stood in the same spot,
then
it sped around the moon and disappeared behind it.

“Did you miss? Did they dodge the beam and return fire?" Mission Control asked.

“Negative." Zack checked the sensors on his console. “They didn’t move and nothing indicates that they fired anything.”

“I can’t believe it!" Awe tinted the voice of the Mission Control man. “They actually sent back your own laser beam!”

A grizzly discovery.
“Well, now we know our weapons can’t touch them." But Zack feared the incident would make matters worse. Would it endanger his sister, assuming she was still alive? He didn’t want to think about that now.

“No point in extending this experiment any further." Mission Control sounded matter-of-fact. “Just finish the mission, download the supplies and come right back.”

The Discovery crew kept quiet when Zack returned to the cockpit.

The voice of Mission Control wished them a good stay then paused. “The residents of the Space Station probably did not notice your unusual maneuvers. If they ask about them, it was a minor malfunction that caused the change in trajectory. Do not mention our weapons experiment. What happens outside the International Space Station is none of their business.”

“Great!" Zack couldn’t believe governments could be so stupid. This kind of thinking could only bring problems down the line. How could the world unite and arm itself if the most powerful countries kept such secrets from each other? But he wasn’t the one to decide.

The morale went up slightly when Discovery docked with the Space Station. The hatch opened, and Zack floated inside the spherical hallway ahead of Tia and the rest of the crew. Russian and French residents in blue coveralls received them warmly. Despite some language difficulties, Zack understood they yearned for company and a change of diet. Inside the station itself, there seemed to be some kind of slight artificial gravity, and they could remain in a standing position, although Zack had to hold on to the rails to remain still.

They posed for the cameras, shaking hands in greeting. Zack remembered to smile, as the recording would be posted on the Internet on many Russians websites. The station residents didn’t ask any questions about the trip, and the Discovery crew didn’t offer any details. If the cosmonauts noticed anything amiss, they didn’t mention it.

Then
came
the task of unloading the supplies, a light meal, and a few hours of sleep. Warm goodbyes from the residents accompanied them back to the docking port. Once harnessed in their seats again, the Discovery crew
effected
the trip back to Earth with a by-the-book re-entry and landing. But Zack wondered whether the Anaz-voohri would retaliate.

*****

The next day, Tia noticed some tabloids talked about fumbles in space and weapon testing observed by independent astronomers, but the military denied everything, despite evidence to the contrary. The major newspapers, of course, had been discreetly silenced. After such a fiasco, the military brass needed time to rethink their strategy. Knowing the Anaz-voohri watched their every move made them nervous.

After many debriefings and a complete physical, Tia rejoiced when the returning Discovery crew was granted a few days of R&R before being sent on their next assignments. Tia intended to get a tan.

By sunrise, the soldiers had left, and the dorm looked empty. Tia stuffed a few bathing suits, shorts and tee-shirts in a bag, stealing glances at Zack who reclined on his bunk, reading instead of packing. It could be the last time they saw each other. They could be reassigned to separate units and he knew it, yet he didn’t mention it. Tia couldn’t stand the idea of never seeing him again, but refused to take the next step. She’d initiated the kiss, now it was his turn.