Rise of the Altered Moon: Altered Moon Series: Book One (The Altered Moon Series 1) (13 page)

“How’s that?” he asked.

“One moment, please, Captain. Connecting with the main computer system. Powering up flight systems, running preflight systems check. I now have operational control. All systems are standing by.”

“Can you get us underway while I clear the shuttle bay?”

“That is not recommended, Captain. Drifting wreckage may damage the dorsal fin or an engine port.”

“Okay, I’ll go prep an EV suit and work pack, “and you…ah…do whatever it is that you do, I guess. Do you have downtime?”

“Very often I ponder quantum equations to their farthest theoretical conclusions, just to relax.”

“Ah, sounds like fun,” he turned around and flashed the ‘yikes’ expression across his face. “I’m going to—”he pointed his finger at the door, “go now.”

“I will be monitoring your progress, should you require assistance.”

“Thank you, GABI,” he thought for a moment, then added, “It was nice to meet you.”

“Thank you, Captain, you as well.” She shimmered away.

Huh. Captain. Doesn’t that beat all
, he thought to himself on the way to the squad bay.
And I’m still the one cleaning up the messes. How does that happen?
He shook his head at his own question.
Well there’s more to being captain than just sitting in a chair.

He crawled into an EV suit that was on a standing rack in the squad bay and chose a work pack that had a cutting laser, a spreading wedge, and an impact hammer. He clipped the work pack into place on the EV suit and sealed the helmet. Then he moved to the crew cabin and sealed the bulkheads to both the squad bay and the engineering level. When he reached the shuttle bay inner door he switched on the magnets in his boots that would keep him anchored to the deck plates.

Alert claxons and warning lights came on as CJ decompressed the crew cabin. The sound of air being sucked out of the room was almost deafening, even through the helmet. He knew the EV suit would keep a comfortable pressure inside, but he could never shake the feeling that he was walking around in a plastic bag. He disengaged the safety lock and pushed the door control panel.

The scene was surreal as the shuttle bay door swung open. The bright white of the bay walls stood out in sharp contrast to the black of open space. The outer doors were fully open and one end of the grappling arm was tangled in a mess of cable at the near end of the port side door. The other end was deep in the shuttle, which left a three-meter diameter hole all the way to the engine compartment.

Damn…shuttle on a stick
, he thought. He slowly walked across the shuttle bay to where the cable was snagged on the door framing. He switched off his boots and floated up to the snarl of cable, where he secured himself to the frame of the outer door.

He pulled the slender rod of the cutting laser from his work pack and connected the power core. A bright green cone of light extended about ten centimeters from the end of the slender rod. The cable burned away instantly wherever the laser passed through it. In a few minutes, the cable and the grappler arm assembly were cleared from the door framing and hung idly over the shuttle.

CJ released the safety clip, pushed himself back down to the deck plate, and turned on his grav boots as he landed. He went to the control by the main hatch and released the docking clamps that held the shuttle in place. The wreckage of
Lunar Mare
seemed to move slightly in place, indicating that she drifted freely.

“GABI?” CJ called in the comms unit.

“Yes, Captain.”

“I’m set here. You should be able to drop away.”

“Acknowledged. Firing dorsal thrusters now.”

CJ felt a slight vibration as the
Altered Moon
dropped down and away from the wrecked shuttle. The far end of the grappler arm cleared the outer doors first, and then the dorsal fin of the shuttle, the knuckle joint of the arm, and finally the fuselage of the shuttle were clear of the door.

“Good-bye, Wilks. Maybe we can come back for you, someday,” he said. “GABI, I’m closing the outer doors and pressurizing the shuttle bay.”

The rush of air filled the bay until the pressure and oxygen both showed green on the readout panel.

“I have the wreckage on sensors, Captain. We are clear and free to navigate.”

“Set a course back to the life pod at best possible speed. I’ll be on the bridge presently.”

“Aye, sir.”

CJ stepped through the hatch back into the crew cabin, which had pressurized along with the shuttle bay. He sealed the airlock and switched off his grav boots. He stowed the EV suit and work pack back in the squad bay before he stepped onto the bridge, sealing the hatch behind him.

The bridge of the
Altered Moon
wasn’t in bad shape, but it could use a cleaning. Bundles of cables and optic fiber stuck out from two overhead panels that hung open. Nav charts were strewn all over and there was a blast mark on the wall from Gar’s wayward shot.

“GABI?” CJ called out.

“Online, Captain.” GABI materialized next to the nav console.

“ETA with the life pod?”

“Twenty-three minutes, seventeen seconds from intercept, sir.”

CJ picked up debris and papers that had been strewn around and found himself next to a chair in the center of the bridge, surrounded by a half circle of control panels and readout screens.

“Is this the captain’s chair?” he asked her and tried not to act overly excited.

“Yes, Captain. It is called the command station.”

CJ dropped the armload of refuse he had in his arms and scooted over to sit in the auspicious chair. He stroked the chair’s arms then pushed back and gave it a wiggle.

“Ahh, ha, ha…ah…viewer on,” CJ said importantly. The ship’s view screen came on and showed what was in front of them. “GABI, can we see them from here?”

“Negative, Captain. We are still at too great a distance. I can bring up a tactical display, if you like.”

“Yes, please” he said, as he leaned forward and found the chair quite comfortable.

The forward view changed to a map of the quadrant, overlaid with a tactical analysis display. A yellow circle flashed around the life pod icon, which was a short distance away from the icon that represented the
Altered Moon
. Various lines of the readout data were displayed, showing speeds, distances, and scan reports of all sensor contacts. CJ had lost track of time while he absorbed all the information displayed on the readouts, when GABI interrupted his thoughts.

“Captain?” she said.

“Yes. Go ahead.”

“Five minutes to intercept, sir.”

“Roger that. I’m on my way to the shuttle bay. GABI, you have the conn.”

“Aye, Captain.”

CJ got back in the EV suit but this time without a work pack. He sealed up the suit, stepped into the shuttle bay, and locked the pressure door behind him. “I’m in position, GABI” he said through the comms.

“Acknowledged. Two minutes, ten seconds from intercept.”

CJ checked the safety line and made sure there was enough slack to move around the bay.

“Sixty seconds, Captain,” came GABI’s update.

“Copy, depressurizing the shuttle bay.” He used the controls to empty the bay of air.

“Ten seconds…five…four…three…two…one…we are in position, Captain.”

“Opening outer bay doors now.”

The outer doors swung out to reveal a life pod slowly spinning just above the dorsal ridge of the ship.

“Doors are open. Position is good. Bring her up slow,” he said.

The distance closed between the
Altered Moon
and the life pod, as CJ moved in to stop the pod’s spin. He positioned the life pod right side up and activated the landing struts. Three legs unfolded from the pod’s smooth surface. He guided the pod down until the magnetic feet anchored themselves with a to the deck of the shuttle bay. He returned to the control panel and closed the outer doors so he could pressurize the bay and open the pod.

“Life pod is aboard, GABI. Outer doors are closed.”

“We should exit the radiation field, Captain.”

“Agreed. Plot out a course and engage at top speed.”

“Aye, Captain. Course plotted and we are underway.”

Only the slightest vibration could be felt as the inertial stabilizers countered the thrust of the maneuvering jets and main engines. He unsealed his helmet as he went over to pull the rescue lever on the outside of the life pod. A slight hiss told of released pressure as the door sunk in and slid away. A body-sized blur blasted from the opened pod, slammed hard into CJ’s chest, and rode him down to the deck plate. Terrible claws crushed his throat and dug into his scalp. The fierce beast roared.

“TRIGGER, you bastard! I’ll kill you!” Gina screamed as she flew out of the life pod.

“Stop! Stop…Trigger’s gone—” CJ managed to choke out through Gina’s grip on his throat.

She looked for a second and realized that it was CJ under her, not Trigger, and that the shuttle was gone.

“What’s going on?” She eased up on his throat.

“Get off me and I’ll tell you,” he grumbled.

She got up and backed off as he sat up then got to his feet, coughed, and rubbed his neck. Cat came over and helped CJ up when she saw the gash on his forehead. “You all right?”

“Yeah, I’m okay, thanks.”

“Where’s Boss?” Gina asked.

“In med bay in stasis.”

“What happened to him?” asked Cat.

“Shot, twice with a K-13,” he told her. “I didn’t know what else to do for him.”

“You did exactly right.” She turned to Gina. “I’ll see to him straight away, G.”

“Thanks, Cat. I’m right behind you. Where’s everyone else?” Gina asked CJ as she headed for med bay.

“Gone. Let me get out of this EV suit. I’ll find you and tell you the whole story.”

“If everyone is gone, then who is driving the ship?” she turned and asked.

“GABI,” he said with a shrug, as he stopped at the squad bay hatch.

“GABI? She’s a computer.”

“Yeah! Try telling her that,” he said with a little laugh. CJ moved to stow the EV suit helmet, but Gina stepped up to help.

“Let me h—” she held out a shaky hand to take the helmet from him.

CJ put his hand on her forearm, “I got this, Gina, go see to Boss.”

She hesitated, but only for a moment, “Okay.”

“I’ll be on the bridge when you’re ready.”

“Rog—” her voice broke just the slightest bit. She straightened up and cleared her throat. “Roger that, Captain.” Gina gave him a nod and continued on to the med bay.

Yep, I’ll be on the bridge
, he scrunched his face up.
Like I have any clue as to what I’m going to do when I get up there.

*~*~*

Chapter Seventeen

Gina stepped through the hatch and onto the bridge of the
Altered Moon
. The blood stains and burn marks stood out as evidence of what had taken place just a short time ago. What had been home for years was now changed forever. She felt exhausted from the effects of the sedative and the time she’d spent in the cramped life pod waiting to be rescued.

CJ stepped through the hatch; he looked like he’d seen the bad end of a bar brawl. Dried blood marked a trail from a matted spot at his hairline down to his collar; his engineer’s coveralls were stained and spotted with blood about the shoulders.

“You should have Cat look at that,” Gina said, as she nodded her head at his wound.

“Eh…let her look to Boss first.” he waved off the suggestion.

“So…where are we…where are we going…what the hell happened?” Gina crossed her arms, raised her eyebrows, and waited for an answer.

Cat stepped through the hatch right then and carried her med kit. “Boss is in stasis,” she explained, “and I knew the boy probably wouldn’t come down to med bay, so I thought I’d bring the med bay to the boy.” She looked at CJ with a wink. “Let me clean that up, while you bring us up to speed.”

“You should watch the visual log. It will answer a lot of questions,” he said to them. “GABI,” he said to the air. Gina looked over at him, still surprised that he knew of GABI.

“Online, Captain.” She shimmered in as the woman in black.

“Captain?” both women exclaimed at once.

“Who is she?” Cat asked, as she stopped cleaning the blood momentarily.

Gina was livid at first about the captain reference, but then remembered that it was CJ who came back to get them.

“Just…watch the log,” he said. “GABI, will you show us the ship’s visual log starting from eighteen hundred hours yesterday, please.”

“Yes, Captain.”

The visual log came up on the main view screen and played out the events of the past day. Gina and Cat watched intently and asked CJ questions during the playback, which he answered the best that he could. Both women made angry comments when Gar jettisoned them into space. They watched as Boss came to the bridge, eventually gave in, and then called out to GABI.

“I’m still a little unclear on
who
she actually is,” said Cat questioningly.

Gina inhaled sharply when Boss was shot; she closed her eyes and brought her hand to her mouth to stifle a cry. They watched as Trigger and the others ran to the shuttle after GABI initiated the self-destruct sequence.

“…and they just left him lay there,” Gina said through clenched teeth. Her eyes watered and the hand in front of her face curled into a white knuckled fist.

The playback continued to show the events of the crew cabin: how CJ’s head was cut, garnering looks of sympathy from both women when they saw it. The log went on to show how the shift of command took place and how the grappler arm broke free and slammed into the shuttle.

“Serves the bastards right,” said Gina.

CJ felt a rush of sadness when he thought of Wilks being half-dragged by Trigger to her doom on the ill-fated shuttle. “I don’t believe Tamara even knew what was happening.”

“No…I’m sure Trigger thought she would just blindly follow along like a puppy.” Cat smiled sadly as her eyes teared up. “She was such a sweetheart. Never a hard word to anyone and she was always willing to pitch in.”

The playback rolled on to show CJ as he came around in the crew cabin and found his way to the bridge. They watched as CJ took Boss to the med bay and placed him in the stasis bed.

“Thank you,” Gina said quietly to CJ, as she wiped away the tears that ran down her cheek.

Cat gave CJ an approving smile indicating that he did the right thing. The playback showed the interaction between CJ and GABI. They both laughed at CJ’s reaction to GABI’s sudden materialization. He grinned sheepishly and shrugged his shoulders. They watched as the plan to disable the firewall in order to save Boss and them was laid out and executed step-by-step.

“GABI, discontinue playback,” CJ said. “Forward view on the screen, please”

“Yes, Captain.”

A moment of silence passed that even GABI didn’t interrupt. The act of being placed in danger, overcoming that danger, then finding yourself safe once again had to have left a thrilling yet uneasy feeling behind.

“Well I…for one…am glad you were here, CJ,” said Cat.

“I couldn’t have gone back to get you without GABI’s help.”

“Kind of you to point out, Captain,” GABI said. “However, if you had not been here to call upon me, I would have drifted along with the
Altered Moon
, incapable of any action, but thought. I, too am grateful for your presence here.”

“Look, as far as I’m concerned, Boss Keltzer is still the captain of the ship,” said CJ.

“Well, you’re at least acting captain, for now, whether you want it or not,” said Gina sincerely. “Not such a bad one, either. Thank you for all you’ve done for us…for me.” She smiled devilishly, “What are your orders, Captain Crucible Johannson Evermore?”

“Ah, crap, I was really hoping you didn’t catch that,” he moaned and shook his head.

“Don’t worry. Your secret is safe with us,
Captain
.” Cat winked as she finished bandaging his wound.

“Well, first let’s find out where we are going” he said. “GABI, what is our destination?”

“The shortest way out is back the way we came in, Captain. Our current destination is the Krelle system.”

“Keenaw is where we were before, Captain,” said Gina. “It’s got a good hiding spot.”

“Good,” he said. “GABI set course for Keenaw.”

“Aye, Captain.”

“If GABI can fly the ship, then I’ll stand this shift with you CJ—Captain. Gina, you should get some rest,” said Cat. “I’ve fixed you a bed in med bay; I figured that’s where you’d be anyway. Sorry, Captain, with a possible concussion you really shouldn’t sleep right now.”

“No problem. I don’t think that I could sleep much anyway. I can get some of these panels replaced and clean things up. GABI can familiarize me with the ship as well.”

Gina looked a little unsure, so Cat told her, “It’s all right. Go get some rest. We’re going to need our star pilot up to snuff when we get to Keenaw, you know?”

Gina smiled and gave Cat a deep hug. Surprisingly, she turned to CJ and embraced him too. She turned then, waved to GABI, and walked off the bridge, on her way to med bay.

“So, Captain,” said Cat, “not to seem ungrateful, but are you really who you say you are? No secret agent, alien spy, or anything like that? You were just an engineer’s third mate on a luxury superliner?”

“Yes, actually, I AM an alien spy. Sent here to evaluate just how tasty you Humans are. I find the females particularly delightful,” he held a straight face and broke into a smile.

“Great. A smart-ass captain. Fun!” She narrowed her eyes and nodded her head as she smiled.

“Nope, Cat,” he said seriously. “I am just a starship mechanic who has found his way to uncharted territory without a star to steer by.” He thought about everything that happened to him and to the people around him.

“I lost someone…on the
Istraulis
. Katy was her name. She was a great girl. She had to have her streamcast shows and her popped corn.” Her loss seemed so great all of a sudden, as though he had just realized that she was gone. The grief overwhelmed him as hot tears streamed down his face. Cat came over, placed her hands on his shoulders, and held him until his grief subsided.

“Sorry, not very captainy of me.”

“You have to be
who
you are, before you can be
what
you are,” she said sagely.

“Oh, that’s good.” He smiled once again. “Can I use that? You have to be who you are before you can be what you are. I like it. How about you, Cat? How did you end up on the
Altered Moon
?”

“I worked with Gina at the mining company on Drelen, before they went under,” she told him. “Things got bad after the company closed down: a lot of people and no work. No one could afford passage off planet. Drelen became a backwater world. Those who were there couldn’t afford to leave, and those who weren’t there had no desire to go there. I got word from Gina a few months later…said she knew of a job if I didn’t mind bending a law here or there. I couldn’t say yes fast enough. A couple of days later, Boss and Gina showed up in
Lunar Mare
and off we went.”

“So, it was just you four at first?”

“No, well sort of. I didn’t know about GABI until today and Tamara was already here, so five actually.” They both became quiet for a moment. The loss of Wilks was still so fresh. “JP was the next one to join up. Boss hired Trigger and his group to be the insertion team for the scores. That was five years ago. It worked out pretty well. We were never even close to being caught.”

“GABI?” he asked, as he realized she had to know the whole story. “Can you tell us about yourself? How you, the
Altered Moon
, and Boss all came together?”

“I would like nothing better than to embellish upon my attributes, Captain,” she answered. “However, I believe that is a story for Bernard Keltzer to relate.”

“GABI, how long until we reach Keenaw?” Cat asked.

“Five hours, fifty-nine minutes, fifty-nine seconds.”

“Ah, five…fifty-nine…fifty-nine,” CJ teased GABI. “Can’t you just say ‘about six hours’?”

“Yes, Captain, but that would be inaccurate.”

“Oh…
you
…” CJ pointed at her and continued his teasing, “are going to be a bundle of fun to work with, GABI.”

Cat raised one eyebrow and smiled slyly.

“Thank you, Captain,” GABI replied in a dry tone. “I am pleased that you think so.”

A hull breach alarm went off with a blaring warning. CJ and Cat scrambled to find out what was going on.

“What do we do?” Cat yelled over the alarm.

“I don’t know!” CJ yelled back.

The alarm stopped just as fast as it came on and the bridge was back to normal and as quiet as it was before.

“Ahem…ha, ha, ha…is the appropriate phrase, I believe,” said GABI in an I-got-you tone of voice. “A computer is an unemotional machine, whereas I, on the other hand, love a good joke.”

“Okay, okay, like I said, a bundle of fun to work with,” said CJ, as he and Cat relaxed from the well-played practical joke.

“What in blazes is going on?” Gina called over the comms.

“I apologize, Gina, it was my actions that were at fault,” GABI said.

“Sorry, Gina, just an accident,” CJ answered. “Everything’s fine.”

“Well, don’t blow up the ship…Captain.” The comms channel closed.

CJ raised his eyebrows in surprise, but Cat just waved it off. “That's our Gina.”

“Are there any tech manuals on the
Altered Moon
available, GABI?”

“Yes, Captain. There is a readout screen at the command station.”

“Good, let’s see if we can get some of these repairs done.”

“With your permission, Captain, I’ll head back to med bay and prep for the Capt—for Boss’ surgery.”

“Yes, of course, go ahead, Cat,” he said. “I’ll let you know when we get there.”

“GABI, can you run an analysis for me on the MSL
Istraulis
?” CJ asked. “I want to know everything possible about that ship. Project possible outcomes and prep reports for the following scenarios: contacting unofficial resources, contacting MT&T security, and contacting Marlacuer Imperial Guard. Debriefing will be after we arrive at Keenaw.”

“Very good, Captain. I will begin at once.”

“Thank you, GABI, for your help. I couldn’t have pulled it off without you.”

“Nor I, without you, Captain. We make a formidable team.”

“Yes we do, don’t we?” He smiled at her. “Please alert me when we arrive in the Krelle system.”

“Aye, Captain,” she tilted her head to the side, nodded once, and then shimmered away.

CJ sat down a little more seriously in the captain’s chair at the command station. He studied the console in front of him; there was a central view screen flanked by a ship’s status display on the left and a tactical readout panel on the right. Across the top of the central view screen were readout panels showing particle cannon and missile status. On the right end of the console was a six-way view panel that showed various areas of the ship. Next to that were the engine status and life support display panels. The left end of the console contained planetary readout screens, sensor scan displays, and a comms panel.

CJ brought up the technical manuals of the
Altered Moon
. SlyCore hull plating, Rellia K-200 particle cannons, fore and aft missile launchers, thirteen Inner System Engines, dark matter collection ports, dark matter thruster system, a String Field Drive and quantum jump computer, the list of attributes seemed to never end. He was soon immersed in deep study of the unique abilities of this amazing prototype ship.