Space Corps - Explorer (Book 1) (9 page)

Chapter 17

What Makes Us Human

Ashley couldn’t believe her eyes.

Despite everything that happened during the battle, the alien vessel wasn’t done. The three weapons went dark and stayed dark, but the ship itself lifted even higher off the surface of the moon.

“That was everything we had,” Holt said.

“And it still wasn’t enough,” Tran added.

The engines of the alien vessel grew bright. A flash of light came out of them, but the ship didn’t go anywhere. Then the light from the engine faded away into darkness.

Ashley didn’t know what to think.

A member of the scanning team said, “We’re no longer able to read any energy signatures on their ship. We think they might actually be done.”

Ashley asked, “There’s no energy signature? Not even enough to run life support systems?”

The members of the scanning team shook their heads.

She was torn, but Ashley knew what she needed to do.

“All crew,” Ashley said into her radio, “This is the admiral. I want all available crew to check in with the bridge. We need as many people as possible to suit up and prepare to offer the alien vessel assistance. All medics are to report to the medical bay at once.”

Putting down the radio, Ashley turned to the bridge crew.

“I know we were just in battle against whoever is inside that ship, but we’ve won. We need to do the right thing.”

A few crewmen nodded before the pilot led the Explorer closer to the alien ship.

All across the Explorer, men and women put on suits to protect them in space. Those that didn’t have suits prepared any supplies they could find to aid in the rescue. Not a single person stood around with nothing to do. As military, the crew had a duty to destroy anything that threatened their nation. As human beings, the crew had the urge to help those that needed it.

A crack formed on the outer hull of the alien craft.

“Harris,” Ashley said, “is there any way we can get in there faster? It doesn’t look like we have much time.”

The crack on the hull circled around the alien craft several times. When it finally stopped, the ship collapsed in on itself before exploding.

Debris hit the Explorer and the moon like rain. Three smaller explosions came from the center of the wreckage. When it all finished, the explosion didn’t leave a single piece of the alien vessel larger than a pebble.

Ashley threw herself into her chair. A part of her felt glad the alien threat was gone. Another part felt saddened that she caused the deaths of the first aliens to make contact with mankind.

Seeing the weight of the world on his friend’s shoulders, Harris said, “Ashley, you did exactly what you had to do. We all have our duty. You did yours. You should be proud of that.”

Never since her promotion to Admiral had Robert Harris called her by her first name. Ashley couldn’t help but notice. The human being inside of her didn’t mind. In fact, it almost appreciated the personal touch. The officer inside her didn’t like it, but would let it slide for just one occasion.

Ashley stood and walked up to her pilot. “Rob, you and everyone else on this ship, did a great job. I just want to say thank you.”

For a few brief moments, Ashley felt humbled by the quiet, but warm, clapping of the bridge crew. When the clapping stopped, Ashley put back on the face of an admiral and commanding officer of a US Space Corps starship.

“But of course, we’ve got a lot of work to do,” Ashley said. “Harris, lead us to the Guardian.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Comm., I want the Protector to meet us by the Guardian. We may need their help getting it docked.”

“Yes, sir.”

The admiral looked over at Lieutenant Card. “I would also like you to inform medical that they need to prepare for incoming injured.”

While they had to chase it down a bit, the crew of the Explorer caught up with the battered Guardian.

It took several minutes, but the Protector matched the speed and direction of the Guardian. Working with skilled hands, the crew of the Protector managed to connect tow cables to its sister ship and slow it down. Gaining confidence, Commander Gibbs ordered his pilot to take the ship toward the Explorer.

A mistake.

Changing direction put a lot of stress on the tow cables. The stress on the tow cables put too much stress on the hull of the Guardian. A crack formed on the bottom of the ship as it began to buckle under the pressure.

Commander Gibbs didn’t have a choice. The Protector could only stabilize the Guardian. Anything more risked further injury to the ship and its crew.

Without receiving orders, Harris knew what he had to do. Grabbing the controls, he prepared to bring the Explorer underneath the damaged ship and slowly move toward it. Once close enough, the robotic arms of the docking clamps could land the small vessel.

Harris stopped. “Admiral?”

“Yes, Lieutenant?”

“May I leave the docking of the Guardian to Ensign Gonzales?”

Ashley’s face grew stern. “Is she ready for that? She is still training.”

“I’m sure of it.”

“And you trust her to do it?”

“Admiral, she has my complete trust.”

“If she has your trust, then she has mine,” Ashley said with a slight grin. “Ensign, get the Guardian docked. We have injured we need to attend to.”

Gonzales beamed. She knew that if her commanding officer thought she was ready, then she must be. Even so, she couldn’t keep a slight tremble from showing in her fingers.

Although more difficult than she thought, Gonzales managed to move the Explorer close enough to the crippled vessel that the docking bay team could work its magic.

Two gigantic arms reached up from the hull of the Explorer. Ever so gently, they grabbed the damaged vessel and pulled it into its spot on the outside of the Explorer.

When the Guardian docked, the Protector flew over the Explorer and lowered itself down. It didn’t need the docking clamps, so it just kept going until it touched the hull.

Once docked, a large port opened on the bottom of the Protector and top of the Explorer. A ramp rose between the two ships so the crew could step into the docking bay.

The port for the Guardian needed care in opening. Before they could allow the port to open, they had to ensure that the ship was still pressurized. Without contact with the crew, a special scanning operations team needed to investigate with a wide array of mobile equipment.

At last, scanning ops gave their approval and the port opened.

Up the ramp, the medics flew. No one in the docking bay knew what to expect. When they heard several coughs coming from the vessel, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. They couldn’t be sure how many, but they knew that at least some of the ten-man crew still lived.

The four medics exited the vessel with a man strapped down to a stretcher. Their magnetic boots clanged on the floor, and they ran as fast as they could manage toward the medical bay.

With a much slower pace, the remaining nine crewmembers of the Guardian walked down the ramp and into the docking bay. Several suffered burns. Others bore small cuts caused by flying debris. All had the stench of smoke on their clothing.

Commander Gibbs walked up to the commanding officer of the Guardian. Reaching out his hand, he said, “I want to be the first to thank you. I can’t even begin to tell you how much help you gave us out there.”

The officer looked at it, but didn’t take the hand of the commander. His eyes were blank. His face was straight. He took in several deep breaths of air, but didn’t seem able to accept that he was safe.

When he served in the Navy, Gibbs had seen that solemn look before. It was the look a man earned by staring death in the face and surviving. Gibbs wanted to say something, but was cut off.

“Commander Gibbs,” said a crewman of the Guardian while offering a salute, “the man the medics took away… You’ll want to see him. The admiral needs to see him.”

Confused, Gibbs said, “Is he that badly injured?”

“Well, sir, he is injured, but there’s something more you should see.”

“What is it?”

“Terrible,” said Commander Cole.

Chapter 18

Dust

Weeks later, the crew of the US Space Corps starship, Explorer, found itself back on Earth. The ship needed extensive repairs before it would be capable of taking on another mission. While in space, the crew suffered the loss of muscle. Because they didn’t experience gravity while on their mission, their muscles didn’t need to work as hard. When their muscles went unused, they weakened. For that reason, the crew went on leave, a vacation back to Earth, where they could relax and share what they learned.

“And now,” the President said before a large crowd in front of the US capital building, “I have the distinct honor of presenting to you Admiral Ashley Sorrells, Commander Ryan Gibbs, and Commander Stephen Cole.”

The crowd erupted in applause. Americans always regarded men that traveled to space as heroes. Now, the three Americans walking toward the stage not only traveled to space, but they had fought and defeated an alien threat.

Ashley walked with her head held high. She couldn’t be certain, but she thought she heard the distinct tone of her father’s whistle above the rest of the crowd. She couldn’t see him if she tried, but she knew her parents were in the audience to cheer her on.

Gibbs took slow and long strides on the way to the stage. As images of the Explorer, Guardian, and Protector flashed across the screen behind the President, he couldn’t hide his sense of pride. His thin smile fit nicely with his crisp uniform.

Cole made each painful step with a sense of purpose. His limp showed how much strength he lost due to the mission and due to his injuries. In the crowd, he knew his wife stood, cheering. He knew that when he left the stage, she would still be there. Finding strength in that, he didn’t mind the pain.

It didn’t seem possible, but when Ashley and the two commanders took to the stage, the crowd grew even louder. The President really had to try to regain control of the crowd.

The crowd could still hear him through his microphone, but the President turned to the three officers. “Admiral, commanders, the nation is impressed with what you did over the past few months. We’ve always expected great things from the Space Corps, but you went above and beyond our expectations.

“In honor of your bravery and dedication to your mission, I am pleased to present all of you with the Medal of Honor.”

To each of the officers, the President offered a firm handshake and a medal. When finished, the President turned back to the podium.

A man on the left side of the stage walked over and stood next to the President.

“I present to you now,” said the President, “the ambassador from China.”

The ambassador moved toward the officers as the President stepped back. In clear English, the ambassador said, “I am humbled today to be in the presence of such amazing people. It is because of the actions of the fine men and women of the US Space Corps that we have any of our crew from the Fu Zing safely back in China. If it were not for their actions, the entire crew would have been lost.”

The ambassador stopped for a moment to adjust his tie. “If it were not for their actions, we can only imagine what would have happened to our lunar colony. I am proud to say that United States and Chinese space relations have never been stronger.”

Reaching into his breast pocket, the ambassador removed a small box. Inside sat a bright silver medal. “Admiral, on behalf of the crew of the Fu Zing and the Chinese people, I would like to present you, and every member of your crew, with the Medal of Alliance.”

Ashley was proud to accept the medal. When the audience erupted in applause again, she couldn’t help but blush. In her mind, she had only done her duty.

“I am also glad to announce,” said the ambassador, “that the United States and China are planning to work together for our future in space. As we saw, there are others out there. Again, as we saw, they can be a threat. We will face this threat, but we will face it together.”

When the ceremony ended, the President and Ashley allowed soldiers to escort them to Air Force One, the President’s personal airplane. Before long, they were in the air and headed for Texas.

The President and his wife sat next to each other. Ashley sat across from them with the Press Secretary. The Press Secretary had a laptop on his legs, and prepared to write anything said to him. The President put up a hand and shook his head, causing the Secretary to close the computer.

“Now, Ashley,” the President said, “why is it you needed me to join you at Johnson Space Center?”

“There’s something you have to see, Mr. President.”

“And you couldn’t have just brought some pictures or a video?”

Ashley shook her head. “Central Command insisted you see it personally. Honestly, it’s pretty hard to believe.”

At the Johnson Space Center, several armed guards escorted them down deep into the ground.

None of the people on the elevator had any idea how far down they traveled, but they knew it was several stories. They could feel the speed of the elevator, but some time passed before they reached the bottom.

Once at the bottom, Ashley and the President met more guards. All of the men looked huge. Although she was their commanding officer, Ashley still had a hard time staying calm around them.

Coming from around a corner, Commander Gibbs stopped to salute Ashley and the commander in chief. “Is he here to see the remains, sir?”

Ashley nodded.

“Right this way, then.”

Gibbs led the pair through several metal doors. Each was incredibly thick. Before one would open, the previous door had to close. Every few feet, the housing of a camera showed itself. Every door posted guards, but none moved as the group passed by.

Finally, the group arrived in a small room. The room was empty, but had a large window showing a man lying on a bed.

Covered by sheets and a thin hospital gown, the man already looked weak. Sweat covered his body and plastered his hair to his forehead. Dark spots looked like holes all across his skin. His eyes kept closed, but he bore dark circles under them. His chest rose very slightly with every breath and allowed him to speak very softly.

“What’s he saying?” the President asked.

Commander Gibbs flipped a switch on the wall to activate a speaker so they could hear the man.

“The system belongs to us. Stay on your planet. You have no choice.”

With a thick, raspy voice, the crewman kept repeating the same thing.

Shocked, the President asked, “What happened to him?”

Exiting the room, the group walked down the hall. They walked through several more doors until they came to a gigantic room. Men in white coats rushed around from one station to the next. In the center of the room sat a clear box with hundreds of cables attached to it.

“What is that?” the President asked.

“That,” Ashley said, “is what happened to the crewman on the hospital bed.”

The President rushed up to the box. Inside stood a thin stand. On the stand sat a metal tray. In the metal tray was a pile of green dust. The President didn’t understand.

“I know it’s just dust,” Gibbs said, “but it wasn’t always that way.”

Ashley said, “That dust used to be a gel. When the alien ship hit the Guardian, the crew said some kind of energy passed through the hull. Shortly after, the green blob just formed in the air.”

Seeing the President’s face, Gibbs said, “No, we have no idea how it formed or how it got through.”

“But it did,” Ashley continued. “After it formed in the air, it fell to the ground. When the lights went out, the crew couldn’t keep track of it. Somehow, the blob got into the crewman’s mind. They say he collapsed for a few seconds before standing and saying exactly what you heard him say a few minutes ago.”

The President considered the information before asking, “If it was a gel before, how is it now dust?”

Ashley replied, “We don’t know. A team of doctors went in to take it out. When they removed it, it dried out instantly and turned into dust. What you see in the tray is what they were able to recover.”

“Admiral,” the President asked, “if you had to guess, what do you think this means?”

“I think it means it’s not over.”