Wings of Steele - Destination Unknown (Book 1) (30 page)

The
Captain rose from his seat at the table, "Jack?"

"I'll
be right behind you. I need to deposit this," he pointed at
Maria's
bottom, still slung over his shoulder. Gant nodded, turned and left.

Shoot,
thought Jack, I was really looking forward to putting a
rosy
color on her butt. Jack made his way onto the dance floor and cut in
on Paul who was dancing with Myomerr. He knew if he was going to fly
he would need a copilot "You sober?"

"Sure."

"No
questions, just meet me on the bridge, ten minutes. Ok?"

"You
got it."

"Thanks,"
Jack turned and hustled through the crowd, the protesting
Maria
bouncing on his shoulder. "C'mon Fritz!" The Shepherd slid
through the undulating throng with little apparent effort.

PRINCESS
HEDONIST: WRECK OF THE ELIZA MERU

Paul
Smiley stood in the corridor outside the entrance of the bridge
and
waited for Jack. He wondered what he was there for. He leaned back
against the padded corridor wall, arms folded and closed his eyes.
The pilot-warrior within him began to speculate about circumstances
that would bring him here late at night. If he had been back on his
carrier, Shenandoah, he would know what to expect. At the very
least, he'd have heard some scuttlebutt, but here... Paul opened his
eyes at the swish of the elevator doors. "Hey, Jack. So, what's
the story?"

Jack
stepped out of the lift alone. "Well, I'm not so sure, it
was
kind'a sketchy, so I'll let Gant fill us both in. C'mon, we'd better
get in there." About to enter the professional side of the
interstellar traveler's world, the two pilots did an unconscious
tuck and primp to neaten their already spotless appearance.

Jack
touched the numbered keypad and the door slid open with a hiss,
admitting
them to the bridge. The lights in the command room were muted,
almost to the point of being cozy, but it was actually so the bridge
crew could read their instruments and see their consoles better. The
two pilots stood just inside the entry and waited to be officially
noticed and admitted. The room containing the bridge was shaped like
a half moon, the entrances from the corridor on the flat side. A
domed ceiling met walls without seam, providing the perfect surface
for a panoramic vidscreen.

Ceiling
and walls, except for the flat side, sparkled with points of
light
like the planetarium Jack remembered from his childhood. Science and
navigation vid-stations lined the curved left and right walls while
the ships communication station occupied a huge console in the
center of the
balcony
overlooking the
pit
.
Th
e
pit and the balcony
were not so far away as their names implied. In fact, the pit was
only about eighteen inches below the balcony, much like a sunken
living room.

The
pit was where the actual physical control of the Princess
Hedonist
took place, three helm stations, a security station, and in the
center, the Captain's Command Chair. The CCC, as it was commonly
called, held three vid monitors, so at anytime the Captain could
view any three vital work stations at a time, checking operations in
progress or even intervening if necessary.

The
two pilots watched the teamwork on the bridge and admired the
efficiency
and diligence. They watched the crew, studying their consoles, faces
bathed in the multicolored light of the vidscreens, "In range
of the visual pick up..."

"Good,
on screen," said Gant.

"Yes,
sir. Video in four... three, two, one." Where the forward
floor
length view-screen had previously shown only distant stars and empty
space, a small ship wavered into view.

"Focus,
please." Gant's voice was almost fatherly.

Jack
and Paul stepped forward in a reflex effort to get a better
look
at the ship which seemed so lost amongst all those stars. One of the
crew caught their movement in her peripheral vision and looked up
from her work station. "Officers on the bridge," she
announced. The two pilots became a momentary center of attention as
bridge personnel glanced up from their work.

"Come
in, gentlemen," said Gant, "we've just reached visual
range."
The
view-screen image became clearer as the crew adjusted focus, and the
Princess Hedonist drew closer to the drifting craft. "So far
we've had no communications contact with the Eliza Meru. Either
they're unable to transmit, or there is no one left to transmit.
We'll find out soon enough."

Paul
pointed to the screen, "What's that weird glow behind her?"

"Science…"
called Gant.

"She's
trailing what appears to be a mixture of atmosphere and fuel
sir.
It's a pretty bad leak."

"Any
signs of life?"

"Can't
tell at this range sir, but some of her systems are still
operating
or she would've run out of atmosphere long ago."

"Thank
you, Ensign." Gant turned to his own command panel and pushed a
comm
button, "tower?" The flight bay's control tower,
acknowledged their presence and Gant ordered the work craft readied.
He turned back to Jack and Paul, "You two ready for a little
flight?"

"Sure."

"Good.
We want to check for occupants and after that shut her
completely
down. Don't waste any time, we don't want to linger in this area.
Ok?"

"No
problem," said Jack.

"Good.
The engineers going with you will meet you in the bay. While
you
suit up they'll brief you on recovery procedure. We'll be watching
you from here. Don't use ship-t0-ship communications unless it's
really necessary."

Jack
and Paul left the bridge and headed for the air tunnel station
on
the bridge level, knowing it would have the least traffic. They
carried with them, the uneasy butterflies caused by the unique
combination of excitement and the uncertainty of the unknown.

As
the air car whistled along, neither man spoke, both lost in their
personal
thoughts. Even when they passed through the upper reaches of the
trees in the Ecosphere, an impressive sight, neither moved or spoke.
Jack glanced over at Pappy, his head rested back comfortably on the
padded headrest and his eyes were closed. He looked to be totally
relaxed. Jack took a deep breath and did the same.

■ ■ ■

The
flight bay was a hub of activity. A ten person work craft sat on
the
loading ramp, its systems already up and running. Mechanics scurried
about and technicians made last minute checks of special equipment.

Jack
and Paul were ushered to the ready room, fitted with atmosphere
suits
and given sidearms. On their way down the ramp, Jack looked more
closely at the work shuttle. It looked weathered and beaten. "Geez,
what a piece of junk!"

Another
form in an atmosphere suit, stepped out of the hatchway of
the
craft, "True, she's not much to look at, but she's got a good
heart." He extended his hand, "Trigoss, Chief Engineer...
our tech is already aboard." They all shook hands as they
stepped through the entry hatch. "This is our spare tractor,"
said the Engineer as he affectionately patted the inside of the
hull. "We had a newer one but no one seems to know what
happened to it."

"Mechanical
problems?" asked Pappy.

Trigoss
shook his head as he closed and sealed the hatch behind
them.
"No, missing."

"Missing?!
How in God's name do you lose a shuttle craft?"

Trigoss
was a short, burly figure, with hands like hams. Because of
a
heavy olive complexion, no hair and a short, flat nose, he somewhat
resembled a reptile... sort of. He rubbed a sizable hand across his
forehead. "Well, not lost. More probably stolen."

Jack
was having a difficult time fathoming this and he was hoping he
wasn't
being dense. "Why, how, would someone steal a shuttle? I mean,
what would they do with it? Where could they possibly hide it? This
bay is
big
,
but there can't be that many places to..."

Trigoss
was shaking his head and waving his hand. "No, Commander,
not
like that. Steal as in starting the engines and leaving in it."

"Oooohhh."
Now he did feel dense.

Paul
made him feel better. "Well that would be pretty stupid
though
wouldn't it? Their range is fairly short."

"True,"
agreed the Engineer, "but there may have been a predestined
meeting
coordinated. Leave, cruise a short distance, then wait. A little
risky but usually successful."

Curiouser
and curiouser
thought Jack as he climbed into the command
seat.
Paul drew the copilot's seat. For Jack it was a natural inclination,
and if Paul had any objections to it, he kept them to himself. The
controls were laid out almost identical to the regular shuttles and
neither pilot had any trouble acclimating to the ship.

The
tower cleared the little ship for takeoff and Jack taxied it
slowly
toward the open bay door and the void beyond. At the door, Jack
gently tapped the thrust button on the control stick and it sent
them slowly out into space. "Gear in?"

"Done,"
replied Pappy, flipping the switches. Jack throttled up and
headed
for the drifting Eliza Meru.

■ ■ ■

Trigoss
stuck his head into the cockpit, "Circle 'round her one
time,
give us a chance to decide the best place to board her. Ok?"
Both pilots affirmed the request.

The
Eliza Meru was at one time a beautiful and graceful ship. Sleek,
comfortable
and fast for a private ship. She was now twisted, broken, and
blackened. "Christ..." murmured Paul, "what happened
to her?"

Trigoss
stood between the seated pilots, "Doesn't look natural,”
he
said, rubbing his chin. He turned to the rear of the shuttle, "What
d'you think Marcus?"

"I've
got traces of mercury and argon coming up on the scanner," came
the
answer.

"Mmmm..."
Trigoss nodded thoughtfully.

"Holy
cow, look at that!" Pappy's eyes widened as the shuttle
coasted
around the stern of the Eliza Meru.

"Jesus..."
added Jack, his voice barely audible. Massive blast holes
raked
the stern. One of the ship's twin engines no longer existed. The
other trailed its vitals and fuel behind it. A twisted hole in the
hull just forward of the engines, trailed atmosphere vapor.

"Pace
her here." Trigoss pointed to the hole forward of the engine
section.
"And hold us steady above her hull."