Contingency Read online

  Chapter 7

  Darius completed his first voyage in a ship he commanded. He'd been through the routine hundreds of times and was amused by some of the crew's reactions. The bridge crews were all peacefully sitting at their stations, and Winter Gussol was checking the ship for any defects. The jump had gone well, and their momentum had pushed them undaunted though space.

  "I would like to inform you all that we are approaching our destination. ETA 10 minutes to contact. Reaction chamber personnel, stand by to decelerate," the captain announced from his place on the bridge.

  The people working on the engineering deck all took to their stations, and the matter–antimatter specialists made their way to the engine room. Blasts made from side components of the ship were to create forces that would stop the ship and pull it out to normal speeds.

  "Standby for deceleration: Immediate approach to Tyrll colony space.”

  “Re-engage reaction now." With that the engineers reactivated the fuel mix, and the ship started to slow down with the rising hum of the side engine components. The stars moved slower until the drone of the engines had brought them to a near stop. The nuclear engines had already started, and the momentum was taken over by the mobility engines. The ship’s antimatter engines silenced their drone, and the ship emerged from among the fleeing stars into normal space. The crew aboard the EFS Vigilante eagerly awaited the captain’s report on their next move.

  Darius looked out towards the planet’s location and saw the reddish-brown circle which was Tyrll. Long-range scans revealed four medium-sized ships in its immediate vicinity. He decided to address the crew before making contact. “It seems that four of the five ships that are a part of our strike team have already arrived. We will contact them and begin proceedings; further information will be supplied as needed, thank you.”

  Coban aligned the ship to the small cluster in front of them and then began flying towards it. The frigate flew swiftly and then slowed down within a few kilometers of the gathering. From his post, Xeran hailed the flagship of the small fleet, the EFS Defender IV. A response was immediately received, and the captain’s voice came through. “Welcome, Mr. Targen and crew. We’ve been expecting you; you’re right on time. With the Vigilante’s arrival, we are now waiting only for Captain Khain and the EFS Keeran. Their mission log predicts their arrival in about five hours.”

  “Thank you for the welcome, Trein, have you contacted the colony?” Darius asked the other captain. “Yes we have, and they are aware of our purpose. They report the latest attack at twenty-six days ago.”

  “That’s not too short a time. If I am correct the Tyrll colony is quite young, are there any orbital facilities?”

  “It had none except for the space tower, which connects the planet’s surface to a point in its orbit. It allows cargo ships to unload without landing.

  “Right. Did you manage to acquire any other information as to the Ameerians’ location?”

  “They didn’t have anything that we didn’t know already. The colony’s intelligence reports that the raiders always pull back into the western nebulae. When they emerge, however, they do not have a specific launching point for their attack.”

  “Very good, we will wait for Captain Khain to arrive, and then we will begin our investigation.”

  “Goodbye, Captain.”

  The transmission came to an end, and the people aboard the Vigilante found themselves twiddling their thumbs. It was as if a great hole had been dug out of their plans. All that had had to be said had been discussed. Verne sent out a bulletin informing the people of their situation. Darius stood up, and after exchanging formalities with the people on the bridge, proceeded to his personal compartment to rest awhile. Everything so far had gone smoothly. There was no reason why things shouldn’t continue to do so.