Starfleet Fiction by Michael Layne
written ?? - set August to October 2287
SOL SYSTEM
Two shimmers in the starfield raced for the edge of the system. Two pale ghosts-- barely even discernible images-- the visible manifestations in realspace of two starships wrapped in the otherspace of their warpfields.
In the lead was U.S.S. Gandalf, NX-602-- third ship of the Wizard-class test vessels, currently 125,000 tons, thirty crew... Nearly seven years before, it had been Gandalf, a single Shuvinaaljis FTWA-1 mounted on her secondary hull, that had first proven transwarp drive worked, that had led to the construction of the great battleship Excelsior. But the FTWA series, while impressive, was large and relatively inefficient (as the first of something generally is), and Starfleet really needed a transwarp drive sized for cruisers, frigates and destroyers. Enter Leeding Engines, Ltd., Shuvinaaljis' major competitor. Their FTWG-1 was completed too late for Excelsior, but, with the dimensions and mass of the familiar FWG series, could be installed on ships smaller than a battlewagon.
Starfleet's board of Engineers liked the more compact design, and it was decided the FTWG engines would be fitted to two ships then under construction-- Ti-Ho (later renamed Atlantis while still under construction), an Enterprise-class heavy cruiser building at San Francisco Navy Yards (Starfleet Division) in orbit around Terra, and the Avenger-class frigate Yeager (already intended as a test ship for advanced computer and sensor systems) under construction in Lockheed Shipbuilding's yard above Mars. A pair of FTWG-1s were also mounted on U.S.S. Gandalf, which was now blazing new trails... and, incidentally, setting new records. Even as she accepted congratulations for setting these records, Captain Jill Ingram would be insisting her goal was information on the transwarp flight regime, records were just incidental byproducts. Today, U.S.S. Gandalf was going to set a new incidental byproduct...
There was no third ship in the formation, but U.S.S. Charger, NCC-4000, was using the call-sign '"'Chase One'"' today. Larger but lighter weight than Gandalf, Charger was the lead ship of the relatively new Charger-class destroyers, being used as a chase ship in the transwarp flight test program. In the same way that Gandalf was a spiritual descendant of those long-ago machines that had dropped from beneath the wing of a B-52 or lifted from the back of a Boeing 747, Charger was the modern version of the jet fighter that kept a watchful eye-- as long as possible-- on the experimental aircraft.
'"'Warp 10...'"'
Gandalf was telemetering all manner of data to Charger, of course, but crewmembers sometimes notice things instruments aren't programmed to detect, and it can be comforting for a test crew to be reminded they're being watched over by people as well as machines.
'"'Looking forward to doing this yourself?'"' Commander Robert Ortega asked the two men standing by the destroyer's center seat.
'"'Right,'"' both answered. Captains Jerry Conner of Starfleet (Prospective Commanding Officer, U.S.S. Yeager), and Andrew Marshall of Lockheed (Trials Captain for Yeager) traded glances and grins.
'"'Remember,'"' stated Marshall. '"'I get her first. Builder's trials come before Starfleet Acceptance Trials.'"'
'"'Which means the bugs are your responsibility to get out before you hand her over to me,'"' Conner reminded him.
'"'Warp 10.5...'"' came the voice over the bridge speaker. Gandalf was an annotated blip on the tac display there on the main viewscreen.
'"'We'll have her ready before SFONY,'"' Marshall promised, '"'Before Ti-Ho, pardon me, Atlantis-- comes on-line.'"' There was a certain (generally) friendly rivalry between the builders of the first two FTWG-powered starships that would enter operational service. Being first might mean an increased chance at more contracts, to build new transwarp ships, and to convert older craft to the new drives. The fame would be an incidental byproduct.
'"'Warp 11...'"'
'"'I still think she should've been called Enterprise,'"' Conner stated, referring to the much-renamed Atlantis. To these people, the starships were individuals, almost as much as the men and women who crewed them. On 2/2206.25, near the short-lived Genesis Planet, a dear friend had died in action, and Conner and Marshall both wished she could have taken more than the half-dozen Klingons with her when the scuttling charges had blasted apart her primary hull. Neither really believed in human reincarnation, but both felt it was quite possible for a ship's spirit to live on in the next hull to bear her name. It had happened, so to speak, with three U.S.S. Yeagers so far, and Conner had every intention of making it four. He and Marshall both wanted to see the Enterprise live on.
'"'Warp 11.5...'"'
Commander Ortega was starting to look a little tense. Though considered a fast destroyer, Charger was only rated to Warp 12, and, in the course of testing the latest modifications to the FTWG-1 system, Gandalf was going to leave him behind, like an old SR-71 Blackbird outdistancing her F-104 chase planes.
'"'Warp 12...:'"'
Learned people had spoken of esoteric capabilities for transwarp drive-- such as shortcut through parallel dimensions via artificial interphase, a little like the '"'Infinidrive'"' theories of Ty'elle Dujhar, and bypassing the energy barrier at the galactic rim by generating a wormhole effect. The greatest utility of the transwarp drive thus far, however, was its use as a speedier version of the familiar warp-drive. There'd been some small but aggravating difficulties with the engines, but this latest fix was expected to solve the problem. These were supposedly production engines, with certain design differences from the prototypes. Design differences meant new bugs, which in turn meant schedule slippage. Originally, as a technology demonstrator for the ADREFT (Avenger Design Refit) program, Yeager was to have mounted a pair of FWG-1s. Fairly soon, this was changed to FWG-3s (the same as the second block of the new Indomitable class was getting), with the same energy output, but higher performance. Then, at Lockheed and Leeding's suggestion, the specifications had yet again been changed. The FTWG-1s generated no more energy than the FWG-1 (or -3), but offered substantially increased performance. The main catch was that the engines existed in prototype form only, and final development and testing would have to run concurrent with production-- an unusual procedure for peacetime.
None of this really advanced the ship's delivery date, not that that had been the only schedule slippage on Yeager. Critical subassemblies had been intentionally damaged, and Lockheed and Starfleet Security were both hunting saboteurs.
'"'Warp 12.5...'"'
Gandalf was pulling further ahead of Charger now, but this was still familiar territory for Ingram and her crew, who'd passed 12.5 on several previous occasions. Conner thought of Enterprise, which had reached Warp 14.1, and Pathfinder, which had reached Warp 14. But Enterprise had reached that speed when the emergency bypass valve for her antimatter integrator had been fused through sabotage, had maintained it for a fairly short time, and had nearly blown up as a result. Pathfinder had had most of the circuits in her center nacelle blow out at Warp 14, had dropped out of warp, and only survived because her helmsman had dumped most of her kinetic energy through her shields-- a dangerous procedure, but quite preferable to the alternative. Yeager should be able to reach Warp 14 routinely (well, semi-routinely...).
'"'Warp 13...'"'
Conner imagined himself over there in Gandalf, watching the warp-meter's digits climb toward the edge of the flight envelope. '"'You'll get your chance,'"' he reminded himself.
'"'Uh, oh...'"' the voice of Gandalf's helmsman, over the subspace link, was followed by Captain Ingram's command, '"'Helm, emergency--'"' The voice transmission cut off in a crash of white noise, and all telemetry channels went down.
Thousands of kilometers ahead, matter and antimatter met and annihilated one another. A perfectly spherical ball of fire blazed up. For her last bright microsecond, U.S.S. Gandalf outshone all the other stars in the sky.
HELIUM, MARS
'"'Almighty ruler of the All
'"'Captain Conner?'"'
'"'Can it wait?'"'
'"'Captain, I thought you'd be interested.'"' Steve MacCleary of Leeding Engines Limited sidled closed to where Conner stood among the Starfleet, Lockheed, Leeding and Daystrom people assembled to pay their respects to Captain Jill Ingram and her crew. '"'We think we know what went wrong...'"'
'"'You think--'"'
From this distance, the geodesic framing members of the Lockheed Company dome were invisible, like the individual wires of a screen door. Nothing seemed to stand between Conner and the Martian sky and desert. Four shuttles were coming over the horizon now-- a standard SW-7 in orange, and three variants on the SW-7 design in more conventional paint schemes. Conner watched one of these break away as they neared the dome.
'"'Yes. Telemetry analysis shows the warp bubble-- er, where're your XO and CEO? They'd be interested--'"'
'"'Up there.'"' With a roar audible even through the thin Martian air outside the dome, the missing-man formation overflew Helium.
McCleary nodded. '"'Yes, the flyer's traditional salute to a fallen comrade...'"' Then his brain processed some of the data his eyes had sent it. One of the three shuttles had been painted orange overall, and he knew of only one all-orange shuttle-- Glamourous Glennis, formerly of the U.S.S. Heimdal, now transferred to U.S.S. Yeager. '"'Your XO knew Captain Ingram...'"'
'"'Mike and Ken both served with her in the Ark Royal. I'm down here representing the Precom Detail at this service, and they're up there doing the same. Wait till they get downside. They'll have questions.'"'
The somber notes of '"'Taps,'"' played not by synthesizer, but by a live bugler in Starfleet maroon, filled the Lockheed-Helium dome as the shuttlecraft Glamourous Glennis, Trailblazer and Molokai vanished into the distance.
LOCKHEED-HELIUM YARD, MARS ORBIT
'"'...it is the considered opinion of this Board of Inquiry that the loss with all hands on 2/2207.13 of U.S.S. Gandalf can be traced to a software malfunction in the transwarp control computer...'"'
It had taken longer than McCleary's initial over-optimistic estimate, but it hadn't been the nightmare Starfleet and the private contractors alike had feared. It was bad enough-- the contractors nervous, the press editorials accusing, Federation legislators using the accident as an excuse to grab headlines and Urge Something Be Done... Shuvinaaljis executives speaking of how, of course they shared their colleagues sorrow, and of course would be glad to aid in the investigation, and just happening to remind the public that there had never been one fatality from an accident with a Shuvinaaljis transwarp drive... and, of course, there were thirty people dead and an expensive starship blasted to rather elementary particles...
'"'When, at Warp Factor 13.1, an oscillation was experienced in the warp field, the automatic control system reinforced, rather than canceled this oscillation...'"'
Worst-case would have been a repeat of the ancient Challenger Board of Inquiry, with months to reach a conclusion, with a two-year hold on completion of both Yeager and Atlantis, while the Federation Council's politicians conducted their own independent investigation, busily making headlines at the expense of Starfleet, Lockheed Shipbuilding, Leeding Engines Limited, and Daystrom Data Concepts. '"'No, amend that,'"' Conner reminded himself. Worst-case would be all of the above, followed by cancellation of the transwarp program. As he recalled, the Challenger accident had come dangerously close to ending the United States' manned spaceflight program back in the 1980's.
'"'...the oscillation, conducted through the ship's structure, damaged both linear warp-field generators, precipitating uncontrolled warp dropout which resulted in departure of the ship from controlled flight and catastrophic structural failure.'"'
Surprisingly, it had been a rather standard Board. Conner looked over at the other witnesses and observers-- his Lockheed counterpart Andrew Marshall, Commander Ortega of the Charger, Prospective Executive Officer (PXO) Michael Layne, looking like a refugee from an earlier century with his metal-rimmed glasses (allergic to Retinax-5), bearded Prospective Chief Engineering Officer (PCEO) Ken Wright, Prospective Chief of Security James Campbell, probably wondering if it had been sabotage, and the manufacturers' reps... Lockheed, as prime contractor for both Gandalf and Yeager... Leeding, which had built the transwarp engines,,, Daystrom Data Concepts, which had supplied most of the computers (There was Wulf Rugel, but where was Dr. Zadok?)... Yatara Urikisha, which had provided some of the special system hardware interfaces... and Conner even thought he recognized one of Shuvinaaljis' field representatives in the audience.
The press, of course, started on them just outside the meeting room.
'"'Why wasn't anyone blamed for the disaster? Is this some kind of cover-up attempt?'"'
Conner was reminded of something Chuck Yeager had allegedly told a magazine reporter once: '"'I see you're a typical reporter, which is not too smart...'"' Of course, Conner didn't say this, but he reminded the newsman, '"'This was a Board of Inquiry to determine the facts, to find find the probable cause of the accident. Any actual indictments would not be returned by such a body. You'd probably be better off talking to one of the Board members or to a legal officer. Me, I'm just a witness.'"'
'"'How did it feel to see thirty of your friends die?'"'
'"'How would you feel if thirty of your friends got blown up in front of your eyes, Sanderson?'"' Lyndra Dean of Proxima News Service intercepted before Conner could go for the offending reporter's throat. Straightening her holocamera, she added, '"'That's assuming you could scrape up thirty friends to blow up, of course. I really should get a couple of of frames of Jerry tossing you through the station wall! Jerry, where does the Mark V program go from here?'
Conner respected the Andorian reporter from PNS, who'd not only covered the christening ceremony for Yeager two months ago, but had been the voice of reason the last time Starfleet Command had nearly cashiered Admiral Kirk. (How was Kirk going to get out of the corner he'd painted himself into this time, though? To convince SFC to give him only a light sentence this time, he'd have to save a major Federation world from certain destruction or something...) The PCO of the first transwarp frigate, however, was not the man to answer questions on whither the program.
'"'Well, it's not entirely up to me, Lyndra, but--'"'
'"'The program goes on,'"' put in Captain Joseph Feinstein, official Starfleet liaison officer to Lockheed's Sol IV Yards. '"'We know what happened, and why. We will make sure it does not happen again, and we will continue with the transwarp engines and the Mark V Avenger. There may be some schedule slippage, but Yeager will continue her tests and will commission.'"'
Gratefully, Conner noted that Feinstein was getting all the questions now, in the absence of the regular Starfleet PIO, and was '"'drawing the fire'"' of the media correspondents while the rest of the Starfleet people and some of those from Leeding and Lockheed were slipping into a turbolift.
'"'Thanks, Joe!'"' thought Conner. '"'You'll be remembered in one breath with Horatius at the bridge, Leonidas at Thermopylae and the third Yeager at Wilf's Planet!'"'
'"'Did you see Dr. Zadok back there talking to T'Prenn?'"' asked MacCleary, '"'I wonder if somebody's told her how many people she's killed?'"'
Conner was just estimating trajectory for scream-and-leap as the onboard press representative uncloaked and went to battle stations. '"'Oh, I think she knows, I think she knows, Mr. MacCleary!'"'
Conner thought so, too.
The program goes on.
Floodlit by light panels, beneath a large mylar banner urging, '"'DO GOOD WORK!'"' Yeager hovered there in the orbital drydock, Work Bees and spacesuited individuals moving about on and over her light-gray hull. Officially launched two months back with great fanfare, she'd already been out of dock a few times-- on maneuvering thrusters and impulse power. She had yet to exceed lightspeed.
Simultaneously, Yeager was an old ship and a very new one. Begun here at Lockheed's Sol IV orbital facility as a SURYA-class frigate during the Four Years War, she'd been 43% complete when construction work on her had been halted, due to apparent materials bottlenecks and changes in construction priorities. She was towed from her building dock on 1/9705.04 to free the dock for other work, and no formal launch ceremony was held. Later in the month, she was towed from Mars to the Quadrant Zero Reserve Fleet near Luna for layup. She remained there, '"'mothballed,'"' for twenty years.
The ADREFT program for upgraded Avenger-class starships brought about a requirement for an ADREFT technology demonstrator. By then, numerous Surya-class frigates had been upgraded to the Avenger class and Ardent (NCC-1886)-- which had been similarly laid-up partway through construction-- had been de-mothballed and completed as Southern Cross of the Avenger class. Like the completion of Southern Cross, the restart of NCC-1893 (originally to have been named Gallery) was advantageous from a budgetary viewpoint. As the construction had never been formally canceled, this was technically completion of existing construction, something easier to fund than a new construction start, despite the ship being started as one class and completed as another.
At the request of some influential Federation Security Council members, the name Gallery had been authorized for a new-construction starship of another class shortly after construction had been resumed (similar to the case with Ardent/Southern Cross). At the urging of ADM David Hansen, acting CO of the third Yeager during her last valiant battle at Wilf's Planet, and now head of Starfleet's Bureau of Ships, NCC-1893 was assigned the name Yeager.
Yeager was getting a reputation already as '"'the most-constructed ship in Starfleet.'"' Conner looked forward to helping make quite another-- better-- reputation for the Yeager.
Some of the newest set of modifications to the transwarp engines were already underway-- Leeding was trying to ensure a warp-bubble oscillation would have less chance of damaging the warp generators. Conner remembered his POX and PCEO had both made suggestions on the engineering fix-- the Prospective CEO was an expert engineer, and one of the Prospective XO's graduate degrees was a Doctorate in physics from the prestigious Vulcan Academy of Science. '"'I've got the best-educated crew in the fleet,'"' Conner, who held a Masters in Astronomy from the same famous Academy, thought. '"'Even the Chief of Security has a graduate degree in biology!'"'
The PCEO was over at the ship, conferring with the contractors. '"'If he were here,'"' Conner mused, '"'he'd be trying to find an excuse to rub Lyndra's feet!'"' Attaching herself to the Yeager officers when they'd left the turbolift, Dean had been pleased not to have to compete with a dozen or so other press representatives. She hadn't been so pleased when Conner and Layne had asked not to be quoted. She didn't exactly fit Chuck Yeager's classic definition of '"'...a typical reporter, which is not too smart...'"' and didn't exactly agree with Mark Twain's sentiment when he said he hated to take a job as a reporter himself, but he couldn't find honest work.
The POX was in Lecture Mode. Years of briefing VIPs as an Intelligence Analyst, and his association with the Royal College of Arms of Avalon (Ceberhardt III) during his tour on the staff of the UFP Consul there, had helped along Layne's tendency to turn pedantic. There were times when Conner's '"'Number One'"' seemed almost Vulcan, but then Layne would get quite emotional about something or other and ruin the impression.
'"'Yeager's light-gray because of the thermocoat. In early 2217, Starfleet stopped putting the regular thermocoat on ships above 80,000 tons. The stories going around at the time said it was because the ships looked better in off-white bare-alloy, but the real reason had more to do with saving mass and credits. Yeager's is an energy-dispersant ceramic laminate to give us a little more protection against burn-through of our deflectors.'"' Noting Dean's expression, he grinned. '"'Nothing classified about that-- some articles on it appeared in 'Proceedings of the Starfleet Institute' last year, and there was some spirited comment and discussion in the 'Comment and Discussion' section.'"' Including a number of letters he'd written. '"'I can give you the numbers of the issues if you need them for research. You may have noticed Pathfinder's light-gray as well now.'"' The big dreadnought was in for some refitting at the Lockheed facility. '"'She's picking up thermocoat as part of her first refit.'"'
'"'That's the Service Life Extension Program?'"'
'"'No, just a regular yard period. They want to apply a few of the lessons learned with Ascension to some of the Federation-IIs. This block of Fed-IIs isn't due to be SLEPed for a few years yet. Interestingly, the article that got the ball rolling with the dispersant armor wasn't in 'Proceedings,' but was an article by Captain Conner, who was Lieutenant Conner at the time, on the SLEP program for the Constitutions and Enterprises. It appeared in a publication called '"'The Rainbow Bridge.'"'
Dean nodded (a human custom she'd learned to use when talking to Humans). '"'I've heard of it. Its editors do a good job. But isn't the Chiokis Yard on Andor claiming to have originated it?'"'
'"'They've claimed it, but their claim came out nine months after the Captain's article. They should've at least given him a little credit.'"' He sounded a little bitter, Dean noticed. '"'All right, so I can be a bit cynical at times. Remember the tales I told you back before the launch of the Leeding-Shuvinaaljis competition? We good guys can play hardball as tough as any Klingon!'"' He shook his head. '"'One of my pet worries is that someday we Feds are going to run into some folks that'll make our cut-throat corporate pirates look like pikers.'"'
'"'I doubt such a people would survive long enough to get spaceflight,'"' Lyndra theorized. '"'Looks like Leeding's ahead of the game with the FTWG. That is, until Shuvinaaljis build their own FTWG clone. Have to do some digging there. Like one of those old murder mysteries...who would profit by what's happening here? Is there any truth to the speculation that the thermocoat's using whisker-reinforced carbon-composites with sensor-absorbent properties?'"'
Layne's grin returned. '"'Officially, I am not the one to confirm or deny such speculation, but, since this talk is off-the-record...'"' He made a dramatic pause. '"'That's a very interesting question, Lyndra.'"'
Outside the dome, the stars barely twinkled through the thin Martian air. Despite the environmental-control system, some of the outside cold seemed to make it into the bubble. In the night period down here at Lockheed-Helium's ground facility, the dome was lit only by dim red lights that to Lieutenant Campbell made everything seemed dipped in blood.
'"'Appropriate,'"' thought the Security Officer. '"'If I'm right, the guy I'm following has the blood of thirty people on his hands.'"' He silently shifted position slightly behind the sandstone boulder, trying to get a better view of Frazer and whoever this other fellow was. Frazer, he knew, was one of Mac Clearey's engineers, but this other man was someone Campbell hadn't seen before. Possibly a heavy-worlder like Campbell from his build-- and if so, a real handful in hand-to-hand combat, at least for puny 1-G folk. '"'But he'll still go down under a phaser stun,'"' Campbell thought. The weight of the type I-B in his pocket was reassuring.
The recreation dome was nearly deserted this period of the night, but had no access restrictions, which made it a good contact point. He'd figured on tailing Frazer to a dead-drop. Finding the agent's contact was an unexpected bonus.
'"'The cash is in the account,'"' the contact man murmured. Campbell adjusted the gain on the directional pickup that fed their conversation to his recorder and earplug. '"'Twenty kay, as agreed, but Grandfather wants another delay...'"'
'"'How much of a delay? After the Gandalf blew up, security tightened up big-time. Further hardware difficulties might be impossible to arrange. ...At least for twenty kay...'"'
'"'I don't like it when a man quotes difficulties and prices in the same sentence. You're in a rather precarious position to be raising your fee.'"'
'"'You burn me, you burn my cell, and then what? These people are as efficient, in their own way, as your bosses. No more delays, and they'll catch up, and Yeager will be the first of many. I don't think thirty kay's too high a price to pay for putting off that day.'"'
'"'I'm not authorized...'"'
'"'I know you're not, messenger boy, but you report to someone who is. Thirty kay is cheap for-- how long?'"'
'"'A standard month. If the project has enough of a cost overrun, the big bosses may even consider termination.'"'
'"'Which,'"' Campbell couldn't help thinking, '"'Could apply to saboteurs as well as Starfleet projects.'"' Saboteurs who got too greedy tended to have fatal accidents. He'd probably be saving this guy's life by busting him. '"'Too bad.'"'
'"'Tomorrow, third spot.'"'
Campbell doubted the starship drivers like Conner or Layne, or the mechanics like Wright, ever experienced anything as satisfying as this sport of hunting people. The paradox of only enjoying life when he was putting it at risk never occurred to the Security man. This was just his job, and a very satisfying job it was. Also, it'd be nice to show the local Security folks-- both Starfleet and the Lockheed company security-- how it was done.
He drew his phaser, made sure it was on '"'stun,'"' removed his earplug, and straightened up from his crouch behind the boulder.
'"'Drop the phaser!'"' a voice from behind him hissed.
'"'Whoever it, they're good,'"' Campbell thought. '"'I didn't even hear them back there!'"' He heard a slight rustle of vegetation, and estimated he, she or it should be within striking distance.
'"'I said, drop it!'"'
'"'Amateur!'"' Campbell wouldn't have bothered with a second warning. '"'Well, this is what separates the pros from everyone else.'"'
His foot hit empty air, and, just before the universe exploded about him, Campbell could've sworn his opponent said, '"'You lose.'"'
The ground came up to hit him.
Part Two
'"'Making Warp 10 now, sir,'"' Chief Helmsman Kraiggearra t'Ack'shyna Kraikginchsha reported. '"'Steady on 210 Mark 45.'"' Her instruments showed Yeager straightening out of the ascending reversal.
'"'Sensors indicating all clear ahead,'"' Layne reported from the Navigator's station just to the starboard of Helm.
'"'Time, T'saan?'"' Conner asked from the center seat.
'"'1.1 seconds from Warp 7 to 10, Captain,'"' reported Science.
'"'Engineering, any squawks?'"'
'"'Everything holding steady, sir,'"' reported the Assistant Engineer.
'"'All right. Helm, take us up to Warp 12.'"' Conner did not hold with the practice of calling female officers '"'Mister'"' (Kraikginchsha obviously was no '"'mister'"'), and in this case, her title was shorter than her name.
'"'Boosting to Warp 12, Captain.'"' The Chief Helmsman's fingers touched certain of the computer-generated touchpads on her work station, and the hum of the drives changed. Beside her, Layne rechecked the celestial map on the astrogation quadrant between Helm and Nav.
'"'Warp 11...11.5...12...Holding at 12, sir.'"'
'"'Engineering, how's the warp bubble?'"'
One of Engineering's displays showed the warp field's distortion of the local space-time matrix. On acceleration to Warp 12, the X-axis contraction from the Primary Flux Stage had intensified slightly-- symmetrically, of course, along Y and Z coordinates, since velocity had been increased after Yeager had come out of the reversal. Y and Z distortion from the Power Flux Stage had altered, too. The bubble of hyperspace insulating the ship from real space and enabling her to exceed lightspeed was dynamic by nature, and was only completely symmetrical when Yeager was at rest. Induced distortions propelled the ship forward, and induced minor fluctuating distortions changed her heading. The wrong kind of distortion, or uncontrolled fluctuations in the field, could kill her. A computer regulated the field. A human supervised the computer.
'"'Stable, Sir,'"' that human reported. '"'Holding like--'"' He never did tell the Captain just what it was holding like, because, abruptly, some of the precise green curves turned fuzzy yellow and red. '"'Uh, oh! I'm getting some oscillation here. I thought--'"'
Was this a repeat of the Gandalf's last moments? Ingram had reacted too slowly. Conner knew that if she'd only been a little faster, she'd still be among the living. He had no intention of joining her where she was now. '"'Helm, emergency dropout!'"'
One of Kraikginchsha's eyebrow's raised slightly. Warp dropout from these velocities was not a standard procedure for Avenger-class starships. This factor did not measurably delay her dropping the Yeager out of warp. Behind and beside her, she could hear the snap of the crew seat restraints being closed. '"'Executing emergency dropout.'"'
'"'Hull stress increasing--'"'
Red lights flashed on several of the Engineering displays, and critical points on the Avenger-class schematic on one of the panels turned an ominous crimson as Yeager precipitated into Realspace. '"'Captain, I'm reading major structural--'"'
The viewscreen flashed white, and the readings at all crewstations froze.
The starry blackness of space returned to the screen, but with the accompaniment of the first bars of a dirge old when Chuck Yeager had been young, the words scrolled up across the starfield: '"'GAME OVER.'"'
'"'Congratulations,'"' came the Test Conductor's voice over the bridge speaker. '"'Ladies and gentlemen, you are dead. Care to drop in another token?'"'
'"'Not today,'"' said Conner. '"'We'll be taking a look at this flight again in the Briefing Room.'"' The bridge crew were opening up their seat restraints and shutting down the stations. He noted Kraikginchsha's gaze narrow as she stood up at the helm station, and thought of the recordings he'd heard of the last words of airplane and spaceship pilots who's tried desperately to save their machines until the ground came up to hit them. Far, far more often than a simple scream of terror, the last reaction of those departed pilots seemed to have been a frustration at running out of time, altitude and ideas, or at lacking enough of one or both of the first two for the last to succeed. A human might have sworn, but Kraiggearra Kraikginchsha tried to act with if not the logic of her father's Vulcan half, then her Romulan mother's stoicism. She succeeded-- much of the time... As the crew began to file out through the bridge simulator's door, she seemed to come to a decision. A few steps brought her to the center seat and Conner.
'"'Captain, sir? If I make speak plainly?'"'
Conner nodded. '"'Go right ahead.'"' Here it comes! he told himself. (Had Kirk had problems like this with Saavik?)
'"'Sir, I do not feel this was a valid training exercise.'"' She paused a moment, as if to give him time to say that, yes, it was, or to order her to shut up. When he did neither of the above, she continued, '"'First, the difficulties with the warp-field generators and the engineering control computer have been corrected. This scenario was impossible. Second, the ship was non-recoverable from the situation. Simulation of such a situation would seem to me to be as sensible as simulation of collision with a large planetoid-- a waste of effort and resources.'"' Was that a ghost of a smile playing at her lips? Conner remembered Layne insisting the Chief Helmsman did so have a sense of humor.
'"'To take your points in order, Helm... First, we have not corrected all the difficulties in the Mark V. We have only corrected those we are aware of. Before the loss of Gandalf, we didn't consider the set of circumstances that brought about her loss to be possible-- or at least, likely, but there are almost certainly other things that can go wrong, that could also destabilize the warp bubble. Consider this a simulation of one of those other things.'"'
'"'Second, I'm not sure the situation's unrecoverable. Admittedly, there's nothing in the standard Avenger's procedures concerning dropout from these speeds, but do you think those manuals were brought down from on high by an archangel?'"' Conner noted one of her eyebrows rising in perplexity, but went on. '"'People write those manuals, Kraiggearra. And people amend them. Find a solution to this problem, and you're helping to write the manual for this newest generation of frigate.
'"'But if the problem has no solution?'"'
'"'I find that hard to believe. There's the case of the Pathfinder--'"'
'"'STARFLEET, HO!'"' came a voice from the doorway. '"'Permission to come onto the bridge?'"'
'"'Granted.'"' Conner recognized that voice. Commander Ty'elle Dujhar had charge of the Pathfinder's warpshuttle Trailblazer, and, while there may have been some more colorful characters in the galaxy's spaceways, they'd be hard to find.
One possible candidate might be Grin'elle Kriet, described by many as '"'Ty'elle's partner in crime.'"' He wasn't that hard to find today, being just behind Dujhar. Both of them were Camazotians-- quite similar to Terran-stock humans on the outside, but quite different internally. Both had served with Conner and Layne back in Heimdal. Back then, Kriet had been a navigator, rather than an engineer, and Layne had really been amused at his instructions one day when they had been required to orbit a black hole during a rescue mission: '"'If the black hole is on your left, turn right. If the black hole is on your right, turn left. Anyone who does not understand these instructions should be transferred immediately before he gets us all killed!'"'
'"'Well, speak of the devil!'"' Ignoring Kraikginchsha's uncomprehending expression, Conner welcomed aboard the bridge simulator Dujhar, Kriet, and Pathfinder's Assistant Engineer-- Quaver Rhapsody, almost as human as the other two, and at least as eccentric a genius.
'"'Quave, didn't Pathfinder drop out once from Warp 14?'"'
Rhapsody nodded. '"'That was the time the center nacelle blew out while we were chasing after the Trailblazer. Remember Ty'elle? That AI computer decided to try a high-speed run...'"'
'"'Yeah,'"' said the Camazotian.
'"'You dropped out from Warp 14?'"' asked Kraikginchsha.
'"'Yeah,'"' said both Camazotians.
'"'We dumped from Warp 14,'"' clarified Rhapsody, pulling a hand computer from his belt. '"'You see the field was set up thusly...'"' He tapped the keys, and numbers and symbols appeared on the small screen.
'"'But your gravitational stress curve...'"' Kraikginchsha had her (almost identical) minicomputer out by this time.
'"'That can be kept under control, though it's admittedly tricky given Pathfinder's configuration...'"' He looked over at the simulator's science console. '"'Switched off! Drat! Come on, I know where there's a terminal with graphics capability. It's a matter of managing your energy flow...'"' The two of them headed out the door.
'"'What was all that about, Jerry?'"' Dujhar asked.
'"'Oh, just some revision work on the manuals.'"'
SECURITY
'"'Lieutenant James Campbell. Chief of Security... er, pardon me-- Prospective Chief of Security, starship Yeager...'"' Lieutenant Commander Ross Corbett peered at the seated prisoner through the transparent plastic of the Starfleet I.D.. He framed Campbell between two of the infostrips laminated into the smart-card as though they were sighting marks for some weapon that could instantly dematerialize its target. '"'It would be a starship Security Chief.'"'
Campbell had been through this sort of thing before-- but generally as one of the standing interrogators rather than the seated interrogatee. He could already tell he was going to have an interesting time with Corbett. The female civilian standing near Corbett didn't look quite so grim, but she was likely the '"'good cop'"' to Corbett's '"'bad cop...'"' At least that's how Campbell would have set it up. He recognized Corbett as Starfleet Security, and, though he'd never been introduced to the woman, he'd seen a hologram of her labeled as '"'Arielle Marquardt, Chief of Security, Lockheed-Helium Facility,'"'
'"'Aren't you going to threaten me or something?'"' he asked them.
'"'We shall, if it makes you feel any better,'"' the woman promised, more than a trace of French accent in her Galacta. '"'But first we shall simply ask you what you were doing in that dome.'"' Beside her, Corbett crossed his arms, as if to advertise his doubt of any statement Campbell was about to make.
'"'I was after a saboteur,'"' Campbell explained. Maybe if he was just reasonable about this...
'"'A saboteur...'"' Marquardt nodded. Corbett moved over to one side where Campbell couldn't keep track of both of them at once.
'"'Yes. There's been damage to some of Yeager's control circuits, to the electrical distribution system, to the intermix flux sensors...'"'
'"'And to the Gandalf,'"' put in Corbett, from Campbell's left. '"'We know. But do you know how much trouble you're in Lieutenant?'"'
'"'Whether I do or not, I'm sure you're going to tell me.'"'
'"'Lockheed Company security and Starfleet Security, working together, have been closing in on these saboteurs for three standard months,'"' Marquardt stated. '"'We were observing Frazer's meeting with his contact...'"'
'"'And we were intending to trail the contact back to his boss,'"' Corbett finished, '"'When you, you Neanderthal, decided to bust him!'"'
'"'Did you get them?'"'
'"'Yes, but the chain ends with the contact. We have the puppets, but not the puppeteer.'"' Marquardt shook her head. The contact is not talking, and Frazer knows only the names--'"'
'"'Campbell doesn't need to know that!'"' Corbett interrupted.
'"'Frazer knows only the names of the members of his cell,'"' Campbell volunteered, hardly surprised Frazer had decided to talk. '"'Block contacts at cell level, chain further up.'"'
Though he agreed with the conclusion, Corbett did not appreciate hearing it. '"'Trying to tell me my job, Lieutenant? What do you think gives you the right to go snooping around, screwing up weeks of work by professionals?'"'
'"'That sabotage was done to the Yeager--'"'
'"'And to the Gandalf. Look, I don't care if you've got some kind of official writ from your Captain authorizing you to investigate... These starship captains all think of themselves as minor kings, but they're not all that important! Especially your Captain Jerry Conner, who happens to be the most junior Captain on the Lineal List, and who was very lucky to get a frigate instead of a tug or something.'"'
'"'Ross, you are perhaps being too hard on the officer,'"' Marquardt was off to Campbell's right, the gentleness of her voice and her open hands signaling reason, in contrast to Corbett's tirade. '"'Your training in your specialty of starship security, we acknowledge, Lieutenant Campbell. But this is not the same as what you were trained for. I am willing to think you meant well, but, out on an unexplored planet, how would you feel if a well-meaning investigator interfered with security of one of your Yeager's landing parties-- or '"'Away Teams,'"' as some of you are starting to call them now-- and endangered two of your security specialists?'"'
Corbett's pointing finger seemed a substitute for a dagger thrust. '"'That's right, Mister. When you spooked Frazer's contact, he ran right over one of my men, and slammed one of Arielle's people into a rock. It took three of us to pin him down-- he's a strong one!'"'
'"'I could've taken him. Who stunned me?'"'
'"'I did,'"' Corbett admitted. '"'After warning you. Twice.'"' He did not add that had he been a few centimeters closer, Campbell's kick would have connected.
'"'He saw an armed man stand. He could not see your face--'"'
'"'I don't need to justify my actions to this man, Arielle.'"' He leaned forward toward Campbell. '"'Maybe you could have taken him, but that wasn't your job!'"'
Struck by the similarities between this and some of the fiction on his bookshelf, Campbell smile tightly. '"'In other words, get off the case or you'll lift my license?'"' He saw Corbett's eyes go up, and saw Marquardt actually grin.
'"'You cannot truly be ordered 'off the case,' M'sieu Sam Spade, for you were never truly 'on it' to begin with. But tell us, please, how you came to be following Frazer, how you concluded he was a saboteur. You may have seen things we missed...'"'
Unlikely!'"' interjected Corbett.
'"'I'll show you unlikely,'"' thought Campbell. As though giving a briefing, he outlined his follow-up of clues in the sabotage case, concluding that Frazer seemed to be in charge of a cell of agents in the pay of Klingon Imperial Intelligence, which had sabotaged several of Yeager's systems.
'"'And we're rounding them up now,'"' Marquardt told him. '"'Frazer has confessed to sabotaging all the hardware you mentioned. The danger is over. Go back to your training of your security specialists, Lieutenant, and leave the investigation to us and to the hard-boiled detectives of your books.'"'
Puzzled, Corbett looked at his partner. '"'Hard-boiled?'"' He switched his attention back to Campbell. '"'I'm keeping your recorder's data-disc. Evidence. And you may be summoned as a witness when this comes to trial, or asked to give a deposition if you're out there someplace on the edge of the Galaxy at the time... I expect this to be your only further involvement in this matter. Do you understand me?'"' His finger was pointing, weapon-like, again, and Campbell felt an irrational urge to grab it.
He didn't, of course. He just answered, '"'Yes sir,'"' and caught his ID card as Corbett tossed it back.
Corbett followed that up with Campbell's intelligence-gathering equipment (minus its recording disc), and ordered, '"'Get out of here!'"'
No apology was given for his stunning or questioning, but then, Campbell hadn't really expected one.
As he left, he couldn't help feeling they were missing something.
Sam Spade? thought Campbell, wryly. Personally, he'd thought of himself more as a latter-day Dixon Hill.
USS YEAGER WARDROOM
'"'Straight-line speed isn't everything, you know,'"' said Quaver Rhapsody. '"'It didn't exactly help those Italian cruisers during World War Two, back on Terra!'"'
'"'Well, if you mean Zara, Pola, and Fiume, I don't consider it any real reflection on the fighting qualities of the ships themselves that they were sunk by the Valiant and the Warspite at Matapan.'"' As Layne got started, Dujhar gave Rhapsody a '"'Now You've Done It'"' look. '"'Even heavy cruisers are not really expected to withstand fire from 380 mm-gunned battleships at 3.7 km! And the 34.2 knot speed they reached on trials was without the weapons or turrets installed. When they received their armament, their displacement jumped by 2830 tons, to 13,800 tons, and their sea speed, with a normal load of fuel and ammunition, dropped to 29 knots-- not enough to really keep them out of trouble if they were caught by foreign cruisers! Oh, I agree, speed isn't everything! But when you combine it with maneuverability and decent firepower, you've got the classic frigate, like Constitution or Constellation-- able to outrun anything she can't outfight, and to destroy anything that can catch up with her. And we aren't just talking about the top end with Yeager, though a high dash speed can come in handy! We're talking about the ability to sustain warp-speeds earlier ships could only reach for limited periods. A higher speed-of-advance, with all that implies for sprint-and-drift operations searching for cloaked ships. Quicker response time to crisis spots. In survey work, reduced transit times between systems...'"'
'"'It'll be almost like the quantum jump in warp capability we saw when they discovered what dilithium could do!'"' Kriet agreed. '"'Provided the Federation Council doesn't scuttle it.'"'
'"'If they do, It'll be because the press persuaded them to,'"' theorized Dujhar. '"'Look at what's been going down lately... This whole mess with the Genesis Project... Excelsior's teething troubles... and the Rittenhouse scandal isn't that long ago... Face it, gentlemen-- Starfleet's troubles are news!'"'
'"'Oh, I saw one decent reporter, at least, back during and just after the Board,'"' Rhapsody stated, '"'But how did an Andorian get a last name like '"'Dean'"'?'"'
Conner looked thoughtful. '"'The way I understand it, her parents were political refugees from Charlemagne.'"' Charlemagne (Aquilla Scorpii IV) had been settled a century before by dissidents who'd rejected the UFP's peace treaty with the Romulans.
Rhapsody's eyebrows went up. '"'Dissidents from dissidents?'"'
'"'Uh, huh. Like some of my ancestors back in West Virginia, who seceded from secession! Anyway, their ship had been sold to them by Captain Stobor-- one of Harry Mudd's occasional business partners...'"' Nods from the others told Conner everybody in the wardroom had heard of Captain Stobor. '"'It suffered some major mechanical difficulties while making an emergency landing, and, when a tramp freighter responded to its ELT signal, they found only one survivor-- age two.'"'
'"'Lyndra... But what about her relatives?'"'
'"'Her parents had been killed in the crash, of course. Those relatives back on Charlemagne didn't want anything to do with a dissident's daughter, and the branch of the family back on Andor tried to pretend the branch that emigrated to Charlemagne didn't exist. Finally, she ended up being adopted by the Captain and the Purser of the Mike W. Barr-- the tramp freighter that had found her, and, when she reached her legal majority, she adopted last name-- Dean-- out of gratitude.'"'
Layne took up the tale there. '"'As a postscript to Jerry's account, when Lyndra became a well-known reporter for PNS-- especially after serving as a war correspondent during the Paxton III/Paxton IV war out in the Triangle-- both branches of her clan invited her to rejoin. She turned them both down. Last I heard, the branch on Andor's still trying.'"'
'"'And she's still turning them down,'"' Conner finished. '"'Interesting person. In fact--'"'
The intercom beeped. '"'Communication for Captain Conner.'"'
'"'Put it onscreen, please.'"'
The wardroom screen lit up with the face of Lieutenant Commander Corbett, who informed all concerned, '"'We've caught your saboteurs, Captain Conner. Your Security Chief can go back to practicing getting killed by monsters.'"'
'"'Thank you, Mr. Corbett. You've done good work. I understand your recommendations, and I'm sure you'll be properly rewarded. Have a nice day.'"'
At no point had Conner said he'd obey Corbett's recommendations, and his idea of a proper reward for Corbett included dishonorable discharge, immediately preceding capture by the Klingons.
To the others, as Corbett's satisfied face vanished from the screen, he said, '"'Sounds like my Security Chief had a moderately adventurous night! Now about the suggestions to ensure quality control, I think you have an excellent suggestion, Ty'elle. Too bad the Rockwell, and especially Morton Thiokol's folks didn't have opportunities like this back in the 1980's.'"'
'"'They're going to yell and scream...'"' Layne pointed out.
'"'While jumping up and down,'"' clarified Rhapsody.
'"'Should be fun to watch,'"' added Kriet. '"'Commodore Neighbors will like it. She's already getting impatient for Yeager to commission 'cause she knows you'll be assigned to BATRON 11.'"'
Commodore Linda Neighbors, described by Admiral Christopher Smith ('"'perhaps a little broad in his generalizations,'"' according to Yeager CEO Ken Wright) as '"'the heart-throb of every male officer,'"' was CO of the famous Eleventh Battle Squadron, '"'flying her flag'"' (as the old nautical expression went) in the Enterprise-class cruiser Heimdal (sometimes misspelled Hiemdal by people who should've known better), also serving as her own flagship's Captain. Everyone in Yeager's wardroom had served with Commodore Neighbors at some time or another, and considered her as competent as she was beautiful. Pathfinder was already a part of Neighbor's squadron. For Yeager to be requested to join it was indeed a high honor.
'"'Controlled dropout from Warp 13?'"' asked Andrew Marshall as he entered the wardroom, doors hissing closed behind him. '"'Is this one of your ideas, Mr. Dujhar?'"'
'"'Only if it works, sir,'"' stated the shuttle commander. He felt almost as if he were back in the Academy classroom, with Commander Andrew Marshall making sure that, if he wasn't awake, he could at least answer questions properly in his sleep. '"'Captain Conner and Mr. Rhapsody have been in touch with Doctor Tyler. Systems Command expects to run full-scale simulations later on today, but the preliminary work looks hopeful. Now, of course, the Infinidrive--'"'
'"'Enough already about the Infinidrive!'"' Marshall, like most flight-test personnel who'd heard of Dujhar's proposed interdimensional propulsion system, thought it too dangerous. Andrew Marshall was a part of Lockheed Shipbuilding's Advanced Projects Division-- the modern-day descendants of the geniuses who'd designed the SR-71 Blackbird with slide-rules and its successor, the Aurora, with primitive electronic calculators. He had plenty of respect for advances in the state of the art, for new discoveries that would expand the flight regime of interstellar vessels, but he considered the Infinidrive '"'way-out'"' even by the standards of the '"'Skunk Works in the Sky.'"' The next ten minutes or so were spent in technical discussion of the proposed emergency dropout procedures.
They even told Marshall about Dujhar's '"'quality control'"' suggestion. Marshall did not yell, scream, or jump up and down. He liked it.
CAPTAIN'S CABIN
Lieutenant James Campbell was acutely aware of not only the shipyard sounds of equipment being installed, modified, and tested, but also of the whir of the ventilators, the hum of pumps, all of the little background noises so present in even a berthed starship that her crew didn't notice them unless they changed. These sounds would become as familiar to Campbell as the beating of his own heart. If I stay with the Yeager, he thought disconsolately. If I still go out there to '"'where no one has gone before'"'-- if I still do what I joined Starfleet to do... he wasn't so sure he'd get to do it now. Captain Conner hadn't looked too pleased to hear Campbell's report. He might end up standing guard duty on Precipice or helping count herd beasts on Atka...
In frames on the bulkhead behind the Captain were diplomas indicating postgraduate degrees in astronomy and Command Studies, and certificated of commendation... There was a curved sword with a luminous red gem in the hilt... And there were paintings of Heimdal underway, and of Yeager cruising near a Jovian planet. He recalled Yeager was scheduled to exceed lightspeed for the first time tomorrow.
'"'And that's it?'"' asked the Captain.
'"'Yes, sir,'"' and he waited for the torpedo to hit.
'"'Mr. Campbell, you didn't hear Mr. Corbett behind you because you were so intent on listening to Frazer and the other agent?'"'
'"'Yes, sir.'"'
'"'Did you learn anything from this little adventure?'"'
'"'Yes, sir!'"'
'"'Good. I hope it'll keep you from getting killed out in the field. Good Security Chiefs are hard to find, and I'd hate to have to break in a new one. Now, I know you won't try any more stunts like this, and don't get caught next times. Remember, you represent this ship. Dismissed.'"'
YEAGER BRIDGE
More than a little enviously, Kraiggearra Kraikginchsha stood just behind and to the left of the Lockheed helmsman seated at what the Vulcan/Human/Romulan considered '"'her'"' crew station. This was no drill, no simulator console, and someone else would be handling the helm when Yeager became a real starship. She didn't let her disappointment show-- at least not as much as did her Captain or First Officer, also standing near Lockheed counterparts here on the frigate's bridge.
Another small group of people were not at all envious of the test crew. These were the executives from not only Lockheed but Leeding, Daystrom, and Yatara Urikisha-- the modern-day equivalents of the infamous executive who in 1986 had cleared the Challenger to launch in spite of known problems. If Yeager emulated Gandalf or Challenger today, the losses would not simply be numbers on screens in these people's boardrooms. The losses would be more immediate, less abstract. It had taken Commodore Neighbor's influence with Rear Admiral Susan Bolick, who had friends on certain committees in the Federation Council, but today, in effect, the people who'd said the O-Ring design was good enough were riding the Challenger... Oddly enough, some of them didn't consider it an honor...
'"'Warp point eight...'"'
Captain Conner quit pacing and settled into one of the the '"'supernumerary'"' seats on Yeager's bridge. Good idea, these-- VIP's didn't have to stand or take the Captain's seat. Extra seats like these might become standard equipment on starship bridges-- if not in this generation, perhaps the next...
'"'Warp point nine...'"'
Yeager seemed to gather herself for the leap, like a swift jungle cat about to spring. The Lockheed helmsman touched interactive displays as Kraikginchsha looked on enviously and the frigate prepared to do what two centuries ago would have been considered science fiction.
It really did seem like a sudden leap, or the crashing of some sort of barrier. The ship didn't shudder in a physical sense, but the stars onscreen suddenly coalesced into a single, central flash of cold light, then shifted back to the normal starfield as the sensor suite compensated for the visual distortion.
'"'Warp one!'"'
A wide grin lit up Marshall's face. For every ship, this first time was a very special moment. '"'Ladies and Gentlemen, we're a starship!'"'
'"'Warp 1.1...'"'
'"'Engineering, how's the warp bubble?'"'
'"'Slight instability at transition, but it's holding steady now.'"'
They'd been expecting something like this-- due to the FTWG-1 engines, Yeager's warp-bubble was slightly different from a standard Avenger's. Most of the simulations had predicted a slight instability might be encountered at Warp One, but should damp itself out just beyond that speed. Gandalf had reported a similar phenomenon. At Marshall's order, Yeager maintained Warp 1.1 for a short time while the instability was evaluated. Then the warp-indicator began to climb again. Today the new starship wouldn't be pushed anywhere near her limits. They'd run handling tests at various speeds, comparing her handling qualities to not only those of a '"'stock'"' Avenger, but to those of the computer-model used in the simulations at Lockheed, Leeding, and the Starfleet Bureau of Ships. More than propulsion and handling would be checked. Sensors, communications, emergency systems, life-support and auxiliary equipment would all be checked. Before you can safely stretch the envelope, it's useful to know where the edges are.
HELIUM,MARS
'"'Doctor Harold Leedstrom never was the most popular man at Shuvinaaljis. But for all his vanity, Leedstrom was a genius. He was one of the designers of the FWH-1, and he was convinced that a combination of an advanced warp engine and the data-handling capability of Daystrom's new multitronic computers could enable a ship to sustain speeds of Warp 10. When he was dismissed from Shuvinaaljis in 2180, he took his entire design team with him, and founded Leeding Warp Technology, which later became Leeding Engines Limited. They took out one of those low-interest government loans the Federation was making to encourage competition in the warp-drive industry, and they actually made it work! Almost from day one, they had a good working relationship with Daystrom Data Concepts. In 2185, they put their new FWC-1 warp engine and DDC's M-3 computer in Starfleet's loaned research vessel U.S.S. K'reE, and got a cruising speed of Warp 8 and a top speed of Warp 10.
'"'Suddenly, people were taking Leeding seriously. Granted, the Vulcans couldn't take it personally, but some of the Human and Tellarite executives at Shuvinaaljis just might have, because the competition between Shuvinaaljis and Leeding got really intense-- virtually tradewar status. Many of those rumors of theft from corporate data systems turned out to be true-- on both sides. Some research personnel were found dead in their offices at Leeding, which intensified things even more.
'"'In early 2205, Dr. Leedstrom was found dead in his home in Sydney. He appeared to have shot himself in the head with a small pistol-- a 9mm ASP from his small collection of antique weapons. The authorities called it suicide, but there are still people who think it was an especially clever murder. After that, the tradewar sort of died down, but the intense competition's still there. It just isn't as visible...'"'
Dean touched a key, and Layne's voice cut off and his picture vanished from the portable viewer's screen. She slid the holocrystal from the unit, reinserting it into its sleeve on the table beside her. She'd done some checking of other sources, and, from all she could determine, Layne hadn't been exaggerating when he'd talked about this months ago, just after Yeager's launching. Some of her other research indicated advance orders for the Leeding FTWG-1 already substantially outnumbered those for the Shuvinaaljis FTWA-1. Just this morning, local time, a Shuvinaaljis press release had confirmed rumors the company would be introducing its own version of the FTWG-1 in the near future.
With Leeding's head-start, though, Shuvinaaljis would take awhile to catch up, even after the Gandalf accident... Unless of course, there was a Yeager accident...
Part Three
'"'I'm sure I speak for all of us here at Shuvinaaljis when I say that I hope and pray with all my heart that there isn't a Yeager disaster. The Gandalf has shown us the results of undue haste-- thirty lives sacrificed, some say, to political expediency or corporate one-upmanship.'"' Noting several reporters about to exploit that last statement, Straussman quickly added, '"'Of course, neither I nor my employers hold that opinion.'"'
Dean had learned some time ago to be wary of statements prefaced by '"'of course'"'. And, while Scott Straussman seemed technically competent, she'd heard about him. Like the Terran ferret he slightly resembled, he had a knack for getting out of tight spots, and for striking viciously and quickly. A survivor of life '"'in the fast lane'"', he seemed to define '"'upward mobility'"' as reaching your goal even if you had to do so by climbing onto the piled-up bodies of your erstwhile teammates.
One wall of the briefing room was currently a holoscreen, looking into one of the Shuvinaaljis plant's assembly bays. There, still in its assembly jigs, in the '"'clean-room'"' conditions only economically attainable in space, rested a familiar-looking gunmetal-gray nacelle. Shuvinaaljis, the company that had built the FWC engines used by the famous Enterprise during Kirk's original 5-year mission... that was building the FWA engines for the Mission-class couriers, the Scorpio-class corvettes, and the new Standard-B warpsleds... Shuvinaaljis, which had developed the first transwarp engines, had now developed a medium-sized transwarp engine for cruisers and frigates. Straussman's press statement, while never actually saying so, tried hard to give the impression the FTWG was a Shuvinaaljis discovery Leeding had '"'borrowed'"' and rushed into production before working the bugs out.
'"'While, here at Shuvinaaljis, we're on the cutting edge of Federation technology with programs such as the transwarp and the Standard-B, we don't push our projects faster than they need to be pushed. The ruggedness and reliability of our old FWC design is legendary, and we hope for our new FTWG to gain a similar reputation. Ladies and gentlemen and other beings, Shuvinaaljis does not compromise on safety. I hope the Federation Council remembers this when it comes time to refit the Enterprises, Avengers, and Coventrys.'"'
You don't want the transwarp frigate program killed, Dean thought. Or, rather, you just want the FTWG-1 part killed-- so you can promptly resurrect it with :'"'Shuvinaaljis'"' on the nacelles rather than '"'Leeding'"'... This whole thing has been mighty convenient for you, hasn't it?
USS YEAGER
Luckily, Yeager would not be breaking completely new ground here. She was the first ADREFT Avenger, true, but in so many ways her manning requirements were those of an Avenger, and the organization of her earlier sisters could serve as a model. There were just enough differences to keep the POX on his toes. And he had to allow for various extraneous and sudden requirements. One day they might be conducting survey operations of an uncharted world, the next beaming down Marines to guard a dilithium cracking station; one day they might be searching for pirates, the next providing medical relief to a plague-stricken colony world. There had to be people for all sorts of tasks -- often on little or no notice. Starfleet was proud of the versatility of its major ships, and Yeager would have a lot to live up to.
In the Security Office Lieutenant Campbell was looking at a similar problem from another viewpoint, his fingers moving over the keyboard, calling up various files. The XO had to set up duty rosters and match people to battle stations. The Security Chief was concerning himself with individuals. He knew by name and reputation some of the people who'd be joining Yeager.
He knew, for example, that Ensign Hammer (Security Specialist) was a crack shot with a phaser, but was also slightly trigger-happy. He knew that Ensign Sanchez (Technology Specialist, Engineering) would try to build a still, that Ensign Dumbjohn (Shuttlecraft Support, Operations) was accident-prone, that PO2 Hardplace (Personal Weapons Specialist, Security) was Iotian and would bring aboard a '"'non-firing replica'"' Thompson submachinegun. He could predict that E1C Zrr'FssT (Lab Tech, Space Sciences) would celebrate getting starship duty by guzzling orange juice all night, and would appear at Captain's Mast the next day severely hung-over, fur ruffled, ears drooping, expecting the several days' extra duty and lost leave-privileges Captain Conner would decree... And so on and so forth-- not for two-hundred-odd names, of course, but for a significant fraction of them. Campbell wasn't telepathic (well, not much... ). He'd just served a number of years in Starfleet, as an enlisted man and then as an officer, and contrary to popular belief, being a Security man involves more than simply being attacked by monsters.
SHUVINAALJIS WARP TECHNOLOGY
'"'Yeah, I know, Mark,'"' Straussman agreed, settling back in his chair in his upper-middle-management office. '"'And I'll write her a memo reminding her that developing and building the finest warp engines in the known universe is only half of what Shuvinaaljis must do. Selling them's the other half.'"' That, Straussman was convinced, was why a Vulcan-owned firm such as Shuvinaaljis had Humans such as himself on the payroll. In the arena of corporate tradewar, pure logic sometimes wasn't the answer. And if we can best look good by making our competitors look bad, Straussman thought, so be it. Hadn't Urden Victa himself-- head of Shuvinaaljis Warp Drives-- said, months ago, that he wished something '"'would cut down Leeding's lead-- an accident or something...'"'? Well, you're getting it, old man! This ought to be good for a promotion, when the Federation decided Leeding's FTWG was unsafe-- after losing two ships and hundreds of people-- and was faced with the choice of either huge delays in a Warp 10+ Starfleet, or an alternate source of transwarp engines.
This office was as secure as Shuvinaaljis' corporate counterintelligence could make it, and Straussman himself '"'swept'"' it periodically with a handheld sensor, just to be on the safe side. He and his aide considered it a safe enough place to speak of their plans.
'"'Belle brought up the matter of a bonus, and I figure that if she wants one, so does Sydney.'"' Belle and Sydney-- two real first names of long-ago Terran spies, were used here as code-names for Straussman's agents.
'"'If this goes off the way it should, they may deserve a bonus,'"' Straussman agreed, getting up. He felt in a good enough mood to punch up scotch for both of them from the office's autobar. '"'But, on the other hand, we don't need any more loose ends dangling out there after the Federation revokes Leeding's contract...'"' Thirty lives had been lost in the Gandalf. If all went as planned, two hundred more would be lost in Yeager. He was now suggesting two more be added to the death list-- two potential security leaks, disposed of once their usefulness was at an end. It wasn't as if these 232 were people, after all... Just statistics...
'"'Right!'"' Mark had been hoping Straussman would say something like that. '"'I'll see to it.'"'
'"'Remember, I take good care of my friends!'"' Behind his smile as he handed Mark a tumbler of scotch, Straussman's thoughts turned to the best way of '"'throwing his aide to the wolves'"' if it came to that. An ambitious executive could afford no real friends.
USS YEAGER
No planetary evacuation, this, but scheduled wargames. But for construction delays, Yeager might have been in commission now, among the departing flotilla...
Conner didn't dwell on it. There'd be other exercises-- and, better yet, operational missions-- other chances for Yeager to prove herself.
His ship wouldn't be the only one left behind at Mars, of course. Charger was still designated as chase ship for the transwarp frigate trials. Several ships-- including a big Chandley-class heavy frigate-- were still in various stages of construction. The Constitution-class cruiser Maat, recently de-mothballed, was docked for her upgrade to Mk-IV Constitution. In another dock floated Isandhlwana, a variant of the workhorse Loknar frigate and, behind her, the familiar gray three-engined shape of Pathfinder.
As the girders of the dock began sliding past on the viewscreen, Conner noted some activity over at Pathfinder.
USS PATHFINDER
It's not my fault! thought Dujhar as the doors hissed shut. It isn't my fault the sabotage of the Yeager and the delays because of those labor problems at some of the subcontractors put the Yeager so far behind that they temporarily diverted some of our work crews to the frigate a few weeks back! Oh, the lost time was being made up now, and Pathfinder would be ready to go-- just too late for the wargames. And while '"'Thundercat'"' and Conner were old friends, not being able to operate with the fleet was irksome. He knew he'd have been more than a little disappointed if Trailblazer hadn't been asked to participate...
'"'Main Hangar Deck!'"' he told the turbolift. As the car sped down through the dreadnought's system, he thought of Commodore Neighbors' request. Trailblazer's sensors were only slightly inferior to those on dedicated science shuttles, and the warpshuttle had a propulsion package very similar to the Standard-B warpsled fitted to Glennis. Intended for relatively short, high-speed recon and courier missions, Glennis' habitability had always struck Dujhar as distinctly inferior to Trailblazer's. And, spending days out there on this exercise, they'd be glad of those extra comforts. Originally Neighbors had wanted Glennis and Molokai out there too, but Molokai was out on special operations near a nebula and Glennis, like Pathfinder, was '"'in the shop.'"'
The doors hissed open and Dujhar strode through the airlock and out onto the black and gray no-skid of the main Hangar Deck where, in the glare of overhead light-panels, Trailblazer awaited him.
Hello, Lady! he thought silently to the warpshuttle as he walked up. This must be how '"'Thundercat'"' and before him Captain Valev Nibor, had felt when flying over to Pathfinder via travel-pod. Just as she was his first command, he was her first commander, having taken delivery of her at the builders, as Conner would with the Yeager once builder's trials were finished. Well, he'd have little enough time with her, relatively speaking. Word through the grapevine was that he was being groomed for a starship command-- likely an older destroyer like Alaric or Roarke's Drift, or a scout of some type. Eventually he'd hand Trailblazer over to someone else, and go on to his new ship. As he thought about it, a premonition of sorts touched his thoughts, like a brush by a passing ghost. You'll be the only commander this craft ever has, it told him. He shuddered ever so slightly. Why had he thought of that, of all things?
Beside Trailblazer's bow waited Lieutenant Montor Barrington, his second-in-command, and Ensign Casolapia, his Medical Officer. With them stood a woman Dujhar thought he remembered from someplace. She was wearing Starfleet maroons, but the braided style of her light-brown hair looked like something from Terra's 14th Century. Possibly, like Barrington, she was Avalonian-- from that Federation member world where knighthood was still in flower.
As he got closer, he recognized her-- Captain Rhianne Llewelyn-Clark of Isandhlwana, wearing both her IDIC and the medallion of the Order of the Wounded Lion, an Avalonian fighter's award ranking just below Knighthood. He'd met her at the BATRON 11 party down at Olympus Mons. Her ship wasn't in the BATRON, but she and some of her crew had been invited by Commodore Neighbors. Figuratively and literally, she was presently in the same boat as Captain D'Arque, except that Isandhlwana wouldn't be finished with her SLEP till the week after Pathfinder was due to leave. Reliable rumors said the frigate was modified for ELINT operations in the Triangle, and some of the citations of Isandhlwana's fistful of unit awards were sufficiently vague to support this. Dujhar figured that Llewelyn-Clark's disappointment at not being in the wargames was matched only by the Fleet commanders' at not having available a Loknar with state-of-the-art scout capability. What was she holding there? It looked like an open-face helmet-- much like a Security man's-- olive-green with blue duct-tape in diamond patterns on the front, back, and sides.
'"'It's a scout helm, of course,'"' she told him.
'"'Very appropriate!'"' Barrington assured him. '"'After all, we'll be scouting for Blue Fleet...'"'
Even Casolapia seemed to be in on it, for she grinned and added, '"'In a sense, it's also Isandhlwana's favor.'"'
'"'Favor?'"' He had a hunch he should be understanding this, but the data was coming in too quickly and unexpectedly. Ah, yes... He remembered Barrington's tales now of jousting knights tying their Lady's veil about their lance before the tourney... '"'But what's a scout helm?'"' He had a hunch as to what Barrington would say...
Barrington didn't disappoint him. '"'A helm worn by scouts.'"' Seeing more than that was required, he added, '"'In some of the battles in that yearly War the SCA relocated to our planet from Terra...'"'
'"'Scouts determine the enemy's position,'"' related Llewelyn-Clark. '"'They're fast and mobile, being unarmored and unarmed, but they are also easy to kill. A fighter need only get within weapon reach--'"'
'"'...And tell the scout he's dead!'"' Dujhar finished, nodding. Some of what Barrington had once told him of came back to him now. '"'Yeah, that about describes the Trailblazer!'"' His shuttle was technically armed with a probe launcher aft that could, in an emergency, fire light photon torpedoes, but Dujhar privately had doubts about its effectiveness versus anything over corvette-size. Trailblazer was a scout. Isandhlwana was more of a lightly-armored fighter acting as a scout. He hoped that whatever ship he eventually got command of would require more than '"'Thou art dead, Milord!'"' (Grissom hadn't required much more than that... There must be some way to make the Gagarins more survivable!) Aloud, he stated, '"'On behalf of the Trailblazer, I would be honored to carry Isandhlwana 's favor in this coming tourney, Lady Rhianne!'"' That last wasn't just being polite-- the frigate's Captain, he'd heard, was minor nobility on her homeworld.
'"'On behalf of Isandhlwana, I thank thee, Commander Dujhar!'"' said Llewelyn-Clark, making a very creditable effort at a curtsy in a knee-length Starfleet skirt as Barrington handed Dujhar the helmet (which was heavier than it looked). '"'And I'll be on my way, for thou hast a warpshuttle to launch!'"' Evidently, like Barrington, she found herself lapsing into Avalonian dialect on occasion.
'"'Like the lady says, we've got a shuttle to launch!'"' Dujhar looked down the side of the shuttle, noting the tiedowns were already unshackled, and the umbilicals disconnected. '"'What's our status, Montor?'"'
'"'I've done the walkaround, and everybody else is aboard,'"' Barrington reported.
'"'All right, let's put the gossip on hold and light this candle!'"' Dujhar had recently watched-- for the nth time-- an old Terran flatscreen video based on a book by Tom Wolfe.
Ten minutes later, Trailblazer was backing out of Pathfinder's hangar. Scout helm in his lap, Dujhar leaned back in the commander's seat. '"'Wargames, here we come!'"' Too bad the Pathfinder and the Yeager were in for a boring two weeks.
USS YEAGER
Captain Conner grinned. '"'Looks like the rumors are already up to at least 13... Is this off the record?'"'
'"'Yes, Jerry.'"' Even if it had to be, she'd get some early warning, be ready when Yeager reached that point in her trials. That would be on the record.
'"'Next week. The 14th...'"' He held up a cautionary finger. '"'I didn't say that. Neither did 'a Starfleet Captain,' 'a highly placed Starfleet source,' or any of those other folks.'"'
'"'Nobody at Lockheed said anything, either,'"' stated Andrew Marshall, seated beside Conner at the table.
'"'But this can be on the record, if you wish, Lyndra.'"' Conner took a sip of his coffee before continuing. '"'Some people see Warp 13.1 as a mark to beat, as if this were some attempt to set a speed record, or, worse, just some death-defying stunt by thrill-seekers. It isn't, any more than the last flight of the first starship Yeager was! You've read Logan?'"'
'"'Commodore Andy Logan's autobiography? Certainly! It was terrible the way the scriptwriters mangled the story of the old Yeager's last flight...'"'
Several starship generations ago, back before the Romulan War, the Bonaventure-class starship Yeager had been old even then, replaced in exploration and defense by newer classes. Earlier in her career, Yeager had accomplished some legendary things, as pioneers tend to do almost by the very nature of pioneering. Other ships, other crews, had died, for such is also the nature of pioneering, but Yeager had lived. And now the archaic-looking first-generation starship was far older than those who crewed her... older, even, than those who'd said her day was through.
But the Yeager had been '"'put out to pasture'"' at the Centauri Test Range, testing new drives, sensors, and such. When Andy Logan had been given command of her, there was a new class of ships on the way-- the Marshall-class destroyers, which would have the unheard-of top speed of Warp 3.8! Their cruising speeds would also be higher than those of anything Starfleet had in service. No one knew it yet, of course, but the Marshalls were destined to make a crucial difference in an upcoming war, and to be Starfleet's workhorses for over half a century. Yeager received a new warp engine, prototype of those destined for the Marshalls, and the job of testing it out. This was done, as would be the transwarp testing over a century later, in slow, easy steps. They weren't there for spectacle. They were there to define the operating envelope of the next generation of starship engines.
Dean knew the story of how onto the Range had intruded the starship Dunsel, a heavily-modified Tellarite packet-boat manned by an oddball crew that included the Orion and Tellarite geniuses who had '"'hot-rodded'"' the vessel. Range instrumentation had indicated Warp 3.82-- a speed it was still making when-- apparently accidentally-- it collided with one of the range-marker buoys. The geniuses' secrets had died with them. Contrary to at least one later depiction, Logan had not stolen Yeager from her dock and charged off to break Dunsel's record. (In his autobiography, Logan had asked, '"'Since when does a Captain have to steal his own ship? Likely, he and Kirk could have had some interesting discussions...) Instead, the test program went on. Gradual steps, and, sooner or later, they'd incidentally exceed Dunsel's Warp 3.82.
Yeager's problem didn't occur at the ragged edge of her new envelope. She'd been up to a higher speed earlier in the week. But now, at Warp 3.4 something went wrong back in the new engine, and the engineer's panel lit up with red warning lights. Similar emergencies had been thought of, procedures devised, simulated... It didn't help this time. The engineer was good, but his ideas didn't help, this time. Quickly running out of time and options, Logan had ordered, '"'Y'all brace for dropout!'"' and had given other orders to his helmsman. A protective cover was flipped up and out of the way, a switch thrown from SAFE to ARM... and then a button pressed that fired explosive bolts and triggered explosive cable cutters at the aft end of Yeager's crew section... The automatic warning klaxon blared, like the starship screaming in pain at the own traumatic amputation... The crew section blasted free of the unmanned engineering section, seeming to vanish as it exited the warp-bubble... just a split-second before the engineering plant exploded. Yeager's crew section dropped into normal space, her early-generation shields keeping the flare of annihilation at bay. Battered... scorched... this piece of starship would never fly again, but it had accomplished its mission-- it had saved the crew. Telemetry analysis found the problem in the engine. Another ship-- Heimdal-- proved the fix worked, and the Marshalls were built as planned. One of them would be named Yeager...
'"'This isn't a stunt,'"' Conner pointed out, '"'Not any more than what the first Yeager did-- or what General Yeager himself did-- was a stunt. We're on the verge of a revolution in starship performance equivalent to the introduction of dilithium, or what supersonic flight was for aviation. People are already talking about 'Transwarp Factors,' and suggesting that the next generation of ships will routinely travel at speeds today's can't reach at all. But it has to start somewhere. It's starting with the Gandalf, Excelsior, Atlantis, and Yeager.'"' Conner paused, a little embarrassed.
'"'How about you, Andy?'"' Dean asked. '"'Do you share Jerry's dream?'"'
Marshall did, but was reluctant to admit it. '"'Me, I do it because it's my job!'"'
STARFLEET BUREAU OF SHIPS
Marshall's practiced eye took in all this, and Doctor Tyler's nod at the data flashing on the display. He tapped the pause button, freezing the display.
'"'This is where we initiated dropout. Watch the flux readings...'"'
The recording resumed, the lines of the warp-field abruptly vanishing. Some digital readings instantly became far greater, shifting from green to red. Bar-graphs slid out to near the limits of their range, their outer portions amber or red. On a diagram of an ADREFT Avenger, red stress warnings flashed at critical points.
The ship onscreen stabilized at sublight speed, weathering the high speed warp dump.
'"'Jerry's and my people have both tried it,'"' stated Marshall. '"'It works here in the computer. It works in the simulator...'"'
'"'...and you've dropped the ship out at low warp-speeds,'"' finished Tyler. A former Starfleet officer, he'd gone into ship design when injuries had forced his retirement from regular duty. As Marshall and Conner would do, Tyler had once sat in the center seat of a starship bridge. Ships weren't just statistics to him. '"'Really, you need some practice dumps at reasonably high speed to confirm this. We've got a sharp break in the curves here at Warp 10...'"'
'"'Yeah...'"' like Tyler, he knew that the computer simulation was only as good as the data supplied, and the assumptions of the programmers. As far back as the days of propeller-driven fighters, real life had dealt test pilots surprises the engineers and their calculating machines had never considered. '"'But MacClearey says we're far enough behind schedule. When I suggested the practice dumps, he asked, 'Don't you trust your computers?' and asked when I wanted to hand her over to Starfleet? Next April?'"' He grimaced at the recollection, then brightened. '"'He's going along if we have to drag him aboard!'"'
LOCKHEED-HELIUM
And a large sum, thought the agent, in a numbered account in a bank on a certain Orion tradeworld out in the Triangle. There hadn't been time to properly test it, but the agent was a sufficiently good computer programmer, and had sufficient knowledge of the transwarp control system, to be confident that tomorrow Yeager's warp-bubble would destabilize and collapse, destroying the ship and Leeding's hopes of building the engines of a Warp 10+ Starfleet.
Part Four
'"'Punch a hole in the sky...'"' No, Chuck Yeager hadn't been asked to do that on October 14, 1947, but, like the line '"'Play it again, Sam'"', that hadn't really been part of that old film in Conner's collection, the apocryphal line had become a part of folklore. Originating, ironically, in another ancient film-- '"'The Right Stuff'"'-- this particular piece of folklore had become associated with starships named Yeager.
'"'Better the sky than the ground!'"' added Captain Rhianne Llewelyn-Clark from beside Kriet. '"'Though there's little enough of that where we're headed!'"'
The Centauri Test Range it wasn't, but the block of sky set aside for Yeager's warp-speed builder's trials began about 30 AU out from Sol, out of the ecliptic and well away from regular shipping routes. During test operations, it was interdicted to all unauthorized shipping. No one worried about Klingon '"'tattletales'"' this far inside the Federation, but merchantmen-- including an occasional intelligence vessel-- had been known to wander onto the range, so a pair of Solar-class cutters and an old Bode-class scout had gone out ahead of Yeager and Charger to sanitize the area.
'"'Light-hours and light-hours of nothing but light-hours and light-hours, Commodore,'"' Robert Ortega agreed from the destroyer's center seat. Llewelyn-Clark's rank-pin bore the three medium stripes of a Captain, rather than the single broad stripe of a Commodore, and Ortega's had the two medium stripes of a Commander, but Ortega was the Captain of Charger. And a ship can have but one Captain.
Charger's bridge had no vacant seats, but neither of the guest officers minded having to stand. Ortega had a hunch those two would have made this trip standing on their heads if so required.
LOCKHEED-HELIUM ORBITAL FACILITY
A professional agent would have found a way not to accompany Yeager on what that agent had worked to ensure would be her final flight. Rugel had done that. But a professional would have found a way to actually make himself ill, to back up his story, or would have at least remained in his quarters, feigning illness. But Rugel wasn't about to go to the trouble and discomfort of making himself sick, and felt too restless to stay in his quarters. He left them, heading for Communications, where he could hear of the terrible accident firsthand, and show off his acting skills by being suitably shocked.
His inexperience and his misplaced sense of the dramatic were the first two parts of his undoing. They got him out into the corridor, where Sergeant-Major MacLean spotted him, and greeted him loudly by name. In a cross-corridor, Lieutenant James Campbell and the Andorian woman he'd been talking to both turned at the sound of Rugel's name.
'"'Rugel, I want to talk to you...'"' began the Yeager's Chief of Security.
There was, of course, no change in the background music, there being no background music. This wasn't one of the spy dramas Rugel had viewed, but reality. What his inexperience and his sense of the dramatic had gotten him into, his guilt finished up. They were onto him! A professional secret agent might have talked his way out of it. But Rugel committed one of the cardinal sins of the agent's trade. He panicked.
They're onto me!
Wulf Rugel bolted and ran.
USS YEAGER
'"'Engineering ready...'"' reported Colleoni, rechecking the power plant telltales on his bridge console. Wright was down in Engineering Central with various Starfleet and contractors' engineering personnel.
'"'Helm ready...'"' Mowbray reported.
'"'Nav ready...'"' reported Thrav from just to Mowbray's right.
'"'Aux Conn ready...'"' reported Layne over the intercom.
Counting the Starfleet officers and crew-- just a fraction of the complement Yeager would accommodate after commissioning-- and the people from Lockheed, Leeding, Daystrom, Yatara Urikisha, Smith & Smythe, Rolls-Royce, Plessey, Raakuv, and the other contractors, there were two hundred people aboard the frigate.
Marshall looked over at the VIPs, at the worry of Leeding's Steve MacClearey, and the anticipation on the faces of Doctors Bonnie Sinclair (Lockheed), Jenna Zadok (Daystrom Data Concepts), T'Prenn (Yatara Urikisha), and Sir Alistair Craig-Thomas (Plessey).
Beside him, Conner nodded. '"'Let's do it, Andy!'"'
Andrew Marshall touched a button on his chair arm. When he spoke, his voice echoed through the frigate's eleven decks:
'"'All stations, stand by for warp-speed.'"'
LOCKHEED-HELIUM ORBITAL FACILITY
'"'Yes, sir. After all, you're Starfleet's Chief Security Officer at this yard and--'"'
'"'And I'm about to put you in hack pending trial for deliberate disobedience of my orders!'"' Lieutenant Commander Corbett snapped. '"'Campbell, not only are you wasting your time and mine with this hunt for imaginary saboteurs, but now you've managed to drag a senior noncommissioned officer of the Marines into this, and a member of the press!'"' He leaned forward slightly over the desk, fixing Campbell in his glare. '"'You've progressed from a medium-size nuisance to a major embarrassment, and I don't like embarrassments!'"'
Campbell had come to some very positive conclusions regarding Corbett. He positively disliked the man.
'"'You don't seem to realize we caught the saboteurs--'"'
'"'You caught some saboteurs,'"' Campbell interrupted, '"'who made a full confession to sabotaging some hardware, but not software...'"'
'"'So what?'"'
'"'So Gandalf's loss was triggered by a software glitch, which may very well have been enemy action, not error. So Yeager's out there right now with similar software, but without one of their programmers. Doctor Rugel was scheduled to ride the ship today, but was a no-show at the dock. When Sergeant MacLean, Ms. Dean, and I spotted him in this station and tried to talk to him, he ran! Why would he run?'"'
Plainly, Corbett didn't like such questions. '"'To get away from someone like you, I might run, too. Luckily, where you're headed, I won't have to see very much of you...'"'
Two decks distant from this conversation, Rugel paused to enter a commcode at a wall intercom panel.
'"'They refused the requisition!'"' he reported. '"'We'll have to special-order the items!'"' He paused a moment, then hung up and headed off down the corridor, no longer running, but walking rapidly. He'd realized running attracted attention, and he'd apparently lost his pursuers.
After a moment, MacLean edged out of an alcove where he'd been hiding, and headed in the same direction.
Pulling his minicomp from his belt, the Sergeant-Major set it for communicator emulation, and entered the commcode he'd noted from his hiding place.
'"'Communications, Averill...'"' said the voice from his unit's speaker. MacLean switched off.
On the station's control level, Haley Averill tried to keep an unconcerned look on her face. Likely, that was just a wrong commcode, but it seemed to underscore the problem Rugel had just warned her of.
How could things have come apart like this? Well, they could sort that out later. Right now, it was time to activate the emergency escape plan...
No one in Communications noted anything unusual about one of the operators keying in instructions on her computer terminal. Lockheed-Helium's communications systems, internal and external, were managed by computer, under supervision of people such as Averill. The program she was calling up, though, was an unusual one. Lockheed-Helium's computer system had numerous safety and security features designed to prevent what Averill was about to do. This program, though, contained provisions specifically designed to bypass them. The effects wouldn't be permanent, of course, but would last long enough.
The computer consoles in Communications didn't employ voice activation. Not only was there enough voice traffic routed through here to give even the best voice-recognition system problems picking out commands from background, but Communications handled a lot of digital traffic not suited for verbal input, and a good operator could key-in data and commands faster than they could enter it by voice.
To Averill-- code-named '"'Belle'"' by Straussman-- it offered the additional advantage that no one could tell what she'd just brought up and ordered to run. Even onscreen, the commands looked innocuous. She blanked the screen and, making an excuse to her shift supervisor about going to the head, she left Communications.
Campbell's communicator beeped.
'"'Well, answer it!'"' Corbett snapped.
Wondering if this would be the last time he performed this mundane little chore, Campbell pulled out his communicator and flipped it open.
'"'Campbell...'"'
'"'Jim, this is Mac. Our boy just made a call to Averill, one of the Communications operators.'"' He reported what he'd heard Rugel say, and added, '"'He seems to be headed for the hangars. Any luck at your end?'"'
Reaching over the desk, Corbett grabbed the communicator, and barked, '"'Sergeant-Major MacLean, this is Lieutenant Commander Corbett. Discontinue whatever you're doing, and report to the Security Office on the double!'"' The office door hissed open, but Corbett was too engrossed in his tirade to notice. '"'That is an order, Sergeant-Major! Acknowledge!'"'
'"'Aye, aye, sir!'"' came MacLean's reluctant voice.
'"'A second group of Klingon agents, indeed!'"' Corbett shook his head as he snapped the communicator closed.
'"'The Klingons use backup systems, too, Ross, or it could be corporate agents.'"' Campbell and Corbett both jumped at Arielle Marquardt's statement. Standing with her in the doorway were Lyndra Dean and a rather harried-looking Security Lieutenant (junior grade).
No one entered Corbett's office unannounced-- or, rather, no one had, until today.
'"'Ms. Dean makes a very convincing case for corporate agents,'"' Marquardt related, '"'However, we have another problem. Thirty seconds ago, all our internal and external communications went down. It is likely this second sabotage plot is very real, and we just lost our chance to warn the Yeager.'"'
Jesse Nearmarsh, Federation Councilman from Benicia, reminded Commander Llandhe t'Reilri, Chief Security Officer and Acting Executive Officer of USS Pathfinder, of an actor playing before an audience. A ham actor, very conscious of the holocamera and the huge number of viewers.
'"'Look at the billions of credits wasted on this... warship...'"' To Nearmarsh, the term must have seemed an obscenity. '"'This sharper, more expensive sword to put in the hands of Starfleet militarists out to conquer the galaxy...'"'
Nearmarsh's face scowled from one of the viewscreens on Pathfinder's bridge. Only a skeleton staff was up here right now, and, with the ship powered down, there was a minimum of monitoring to do. Impatiently, the few bridge watchstanders waited for Nearmarsh's interview to finish up. Next on would be an interview with Yeager's Captain Jerry Conner, recorded late yesterday, rather than live.
'"'It is with open hands that we should greet the peoples of the galaxy, not with hands holding deadly weapons!'"' Nearmarsh pontificated.
'"'Yeah, you'll make a better target standing there with hands outstretched...'"' muttered Lieutenant Kazar Kazsis, one of the Science Officers.
As the Councilman went on complaining about the expense of ships like Yeager and Pathfinder (money which obviously could be better spent on agricultural subsidies for Benecian farmers...), the dangers of transwarp (remember the Gandalf!), and the provocation such vessels were to the peace-loving Klingons and Romulans, t'Reilri found herself thinking along lines similar to Kazsis'. As long as there were people out there who found it easier or more satisfying to take or to destroy what others had built, there'd be a need for ships such as Yeager and Pathfinder, to help discourage such people from taking or destroying, and, however lofty its ideals, Starfleet could not be a purely exploratory force operating unarmed yachts. If the Nearmarshes won, would Captains routinely surrender their ships to the enemy? Would the Federation become a nation of pacifistic sheep, to be preyed on by interstellar wolves? Not in this generation, t'Reilri vowed.
Beside her, First Lieutenant Fang Lord Jagged, the ship's Marine Detachment Commander, stood with teeth bared-- almost friendly-looking until you realized what the '"'smile'"' on the carnivorous Kzin's face signified. '"'Never trust a smiling Kzin!'"' the old saying went.
'"'I thought the Back-to-the-Earth Movement died at the Second Babel Conference!'"' stated Lieutenant (junior grade) Trudye Horton, the Assistant Security Officer. T'Reilri recalled, though, that it had been a Benecian who'd started that Movement...
'"'Is he in the pay of the Klingons?'"' hissed Fang.
Horton shook her head. '"'No, he really believes it. If anything, it makes him more dangerous!'"'
'"'I'd like to punctuate his sentences with photon torpedoes!'"' the Kzin insisted. T'Reilri could understand that feeling.
Abruptly, the picture unraveled into multicolored snow, and the sound into a screech that caused Humans and nonhumans alike to wince.
For a second, t'Reilri found herself wondering if somebody really had dropped a photon torpedo on the obnoxious Councilman.
No, this wasn't going to be quick or easy. The saboteurs had known exactly where to hit, to paralyze those systems Security normally relied on to help them track down intruders.
MacLean hoped Campbell-- now accompanying Marquardt and two Lockheed security guards-- was taking mental note of the problems, with an eye toward ensuring Yeager could better respond to such an emergency. The Sergeant-Major himself would be reporting on this-- and making suggestions-- to Commander t'Reilri.
Right now, he was accompanying Corbett and two enlisted Starfleet Security men. The other three wore their body-armor-- a bodysuit, plastimetal vest, and helmet. The suit could turn a knife blade or slow or stop bullets, and offered some protection from phasers. The vest and helmet were even better versus impact, blades, and projectiles, and a built-in iridium mesh projected a surface energy-field that would enable the wearer to survive a direct phaser hit on any setting but '"'disintegrate'"'. The armor was custom-made for each wearer, so MacLean couldn't just grab one off the rack. Nor had it been practical to contact Pathfinder and have his own suit beamed over. At least, like the others, he now carried a phaser-IIB, set on '"'stun'"'.
Where were Rugel and Averill, and what would they try next? Why jam communications unless...
'"'Sir, I think they're going to try to leave the station! Either down to Mars or--'"'
'"'Exactly, Sergeant!'"' snapped Corbett, who'd just come to the same conclusion. He touched a button on his wrist communicator. '"'Corbett to all units. I think they may be trying to leave the station. Secure all transporter rooms, airlocks, and hangar bays.'"' He turned to the Sergeant-Major and the two enlisted men. '"'They'll find it a little harder than they figured on...'"' He keyed his wristcom again. '"'Have somebody get a manual lasercom or even a blinker message to Pathfinder or one of the other ships. Have it move clear of the worst of the interference and warn Yeager not to attempt speed trials and to return to base!'"'
MacLean nodded. Corbett was not dumb-- just stubborn and unimaginative, and not about to run the search from his office when he could be out there himself, phaser in hand. If he were lucky, these traits wouldn't kill him.
'"'Sir, we're not far from Transporter Two...'"' MacLean suggested, wondering for a moment if Corbett would perversely refuse to check it out. He found himself wishing for master commands to lock out the transporters, for some of those little portable combat transporters... but this was a civilian space station, not a Marine base.
'"'We'll look into it, Sergeant!'"' Corbett agreed, possibly wishing for the same, or just for these problems to be happening in someone else's jurisdiction.
A Starfleet Security man lay silent and unmoving on the deck in front of the door to Transporter Room Two, his phaser-IIB still holstered on his belt. Ordering one of his men to call for a backup and a corpsman, Corbett unlocked the door with his electronic master-key. MacLean was about to suggest they have Engineering pull the transporter breakers, when Corbett decided he'd waited long enough, and tapped the door-open plate.
As MacLean later described it, Corbett's entrance was '"'straight out of Rigel Vice'"'. As the door hissed open, Corbett took low-man position, while MacLean, still wishing for some body-armor like Corbett's, saw what was going down and took high-man without waiting for orders. Their phasers were still on '"'stun'"'.
Split seconds seemed like minutes to MacLean. He had time to note the transporter console-- activated and with an automatic timer switched in-- and the six-pad platform... the two people-- one in civilian clothes, one in Starfleet maroons-- sprawled dead or unconscious on the deck... Averill pausing between the console and the platform, a phaser-IB in her hand...
'"'Hold it!'"' ordered Corbett.
The beam caught him squarely in the chest, and not even Security armor will protect from a direct hit by a phaser set on '"'disintegrate'"'. In an incandescent magenta glare, Corbett flashed out of existence, dead before he had a chance to realize it.
MacLean staggered back, momentarily stunned and dazzled by Corbett's close-range disintegration, and Averill's second shot missed him and the Security men to blast out part of a wall behind them.
His phaser-IIB held forty shots on '"'stun'"'. On '"'disintegrate'"', it held ten, to the five possible from Averill's smaller IB. And Averill had used two of her five shots... But Averill wasn't here for a shootout. She was here to escape, and it was up to MacLean to make that escape impossible.
Colored spots dancing before his eyes, he reset to '"'disintegrate'"', and, as the familiar transporter hum began, he fired-- not at the figure dashing onto the transporter pad, but at the console itself.
A large portion of the console flared into disintegration, and sparks flew from the remainder for a moment before the breakers tripped. The transporter system's automatic safeties shut it down. Slightly dazzled herself now, and a little disoriented from the aborted transport, Averill dove from the platform, taking cover behind the wrecked console. The flashing beams of the Security men's phasers were far enough away to miss.
Smiling grimly, MacLean reset his weapon to '"'stun'"'. With the transporter down, the only way out of that room was through the door he and the Security men were now covering. They had energy reserves, they had backup personnel on the way, and, most of all, they had time.
'"'You can hide,'"' he called to Averill, '"'but you can't run!'"'
SHUTTLE TRAILBLAZER
Eager to get back to Mars and begin telling war-stories, Dujhar decided to have Trailblazer cruise home at relatively high speed, deliberately staying out of the standard traffic lanes to minimize both collision risk, and the amount of outside course instructions. Only near Lockheed-Helium did Trailblazer slow and begin acting like a normal warpshuttle. It was a dull finish to an interesting cruise. Dujhar found himself wishing for something interesting to happen. It did.
This was not the Helmsman's idea of fun. Mr. Elson tapped his headset. '"'Sir, I've lost Lockheed-Helium Approach Control! Their signal broke up!'"'
'"'No longer getting clear signals from Lockheed-Helium's RF and subspace beacons!'"' added Montor Barrington from the Navigator's station just to Elson's right. '"'My instruments indicate heavy QRN or QRM... '"' By that, he meant natural or manmade interference.
'"'Confirmed!'"' Communications reported, '"'Signals appear to be jammed at the source, sir.'"'
'"'This couldn't be part of the exercise, could it?'"' Dujhar asked. '"'Or maybe some sort of drill by local forces?'"'
The Vulcan at the Communications panel raised an eyebrow. '"'Most unlikely, sir. Interference of this nature and magnitude near an inhabited world with this traffic density would logically be precluded by safety considerations.'"'
'"'And be too dangerous, besides!'"' Dujhar added. '"'Which leaves enemy action! Remember when Kirk stole the Enterprise? Let's watch for any bay doors opening! Red Alert!'"'
USS PATHFINDER
'"'All local communications are down or are being jammed,'"' came t'Reilri's voice from the turbolift's speaker grille. '"'Laser message from the Lockheed station indicates they have at least two saboteurs at large over there. Likely, they'll either head downside to Mars, or--'"'
'"'Outside! Right!'"' And there were several small warp-capable ships in and around Lockheed-Helium-- including the warpshuttle Glamourous Glennis, just out of the maintenance shop, fueled, and likely the fastest shuttlecraft in known space. '"'I'll be there momentarily!'"' When he said it, he meant it. Excelsior's Captain Styles had asked about Yellow Alerts in dock while lying on his bunk. Pathfinder's Captain D'Arque, though, had asked in the turbolift, on his way to the bridge.
The turbolift doors opened, and as he jogged into Pathfinder's command center, he heard someone announce '"'Captain on the bridge!'"'. Ebon D'Arque was still getting used to being called '"'Captain'"'.
As though they'd practiced it for years, t'Reilri vacated the center seat on his approach, just in time for D'Arque to arrive and seat himself. The doors of the other turbolift slid open, and three more crewmembers-- including the dreadnought's Combat System Officer-- dashed to their stations and began bringing systems up. He noted that not all bridge stations were manned yet, and remembered that most of the crew was on shore-leave, and the ship's variable-geometry gunships-- with most of their pilots-- were at Lockheed-Helium's dirtside facility, and weren't on anything resembling alert status.
'"'Status?'"' he asked t'Reilri.
'"'Ship is in Condition Yellow, modified General Quarters One.'"' As t'Reilri reported, she watched control boards flick into existence at the crew stations, telltales light up, screens come on. The consoles on Pathfinder's bridge were of the same design as those in Atlantis and Yeager. The boards had no physical instrumentation, and appeared a smooth, solid black when turned off. All switches were computer-generated touch-pads, which allowed each console to perform any function the user asked the system to display. T'Reilri knew this impression of Pathfinder '"'coming to life'"' was partly an illusion. The dreadnought was in the position of an intensive-care patient still on full life-support. Unless Pathfinder's own '"'heart'"' began beating, the ship wouldn't be going anywhere. '"'However, we have only a skeleton crew of forty-two effectives inboard, and we're still on shoreside power. The plant's still effectively in cold-iron status, though I've taken the liberty of having Mr. Rhapsody begin emergency lightoff.'"'
'"'How long till we're ready to answer bells?'"'
'"'Ten minutes, Captain.'"'
'"'Additional laser message from Lockheed station, sir,'"' Kazsis reported from Communications, '"'URGENT YOU SORTIE TO CONTACT Yeager STOP WARN THEM NOT REPEAT NOT TO ATTEMPT SPEED TRIAL END MESSAGE.'"'
'"'Aye, sir! What's our local picture, Mr. Lindsey?'"'
'"'We're blocked forward by Isandhlwana, ma'am,'"' the Helmsman reported.
'"'And Z-minus?'"'
'"'This model of drydock has some major lateral structural members down there. Insufficient clearance. We'll have to back out...'"'
'"'On the RCS thrusters! Mnekha! We can continue impulse lightoff while backing...'"'
'"'Communications?'"' D'Arque asked.
Kazsis turned partway in her seat. '"'I'm transmitting the message, voice and digital, on the guard frequency. No acknowledgement yet.'"'
'"'Any word from local defense forces?'"'
'"'No, sir.'"'
'"'Put a com-laser on the Olympus Mons ground station, and squirt them a situation report. They should be scrambling anyway, with this going on on their doorstep!'"'
'"'Aye, sir!'"'
The station was unarmed, and they'd heard nothing from any of the remaining guard cutters. No major starships were handy at Mars to supplement Pathfinder, thanks to the war games. '"'Combat, have we a clear firing arc in case we need to cover the station's launch bays on this side right now?'"'
'"'Forward arcs are partially blocked by Isandhlwana and the administrative complex, Captain,'"' Combat System reported, watching the WEAPON-READY lights come on in front of her, '"'But only for the first shot...'"'
Captain and First Officer traded quizzical looks, neither really sure of how much the Combat System Officer was joking. T'Reilri, for one, had never entirely trusted gunners. She had the impression they tended to consider the Universe to be a large video-game populated by various types of targets.
'"'That shouldn't be necessary,'"' the Captain tapped a button on his chair arm. '"'Engineering, we need maneuvering power. Now.'"'
'"'I'm working on it, sir!'"' came Rhapsody's voice. '"'I can't help it if it takes a little while for the hamsters to get up to speed!'"'
'"'Everybody's a comedian today!'"' complained D'Arque.
A few steps took t'Reilri over to the currently-unoccupied bridge Internal-Security station. A couple of seconds' work got her a secure line to Engineering Central Control.
'"'Quave, this is Llandhe...'"'
'"'I just told the Captain--'"'
'"'I know what you just told the Captain. I also know who helped Ty'elle Dujhar with his Infinidrive calculations-- something the press would love to find out! Ssuej-d'ifv, Quaver?'"'
In Engineering Central Control, Rhapsody nodded, even though it was a voice-only link. '"'Ssuaj-ha, Llahei!'"' he replied, also in Rihannsu, and added the Galacta translation, '"'Yes, ma'am!'"'
Parallel-processing thoughts of propulsion plants and female canines, he turned from that console and stepped over to a nearby one, stepping up beside the operator, who was watching the computer run through the start sequence.
'"'Desperate times require desperate measures!'"' he stated, misquoting somebody famous (he wasn't sure just who...). The system wasn't intended to support what he did now. It was more than a little unsafe to over-ride some of the built-in safety features the way he was doing, but bringing the power up on manual control shaved precious minutes off startup time. It also shaved several thousand hours off the time-between-overhauls of some key components, and would require a full diagnostics check later on.
'"'This is a desperate emergency,'"' he told his skeleton crew. '"'I don't want to see any of you try this during normal operations, or normal emergencies!'"' For the fourth time, the system notified him this step would damage the equipment, and, for the fourth time, he keyed in an over-ride code. Several lights changed to green. One important light flashed yellow.
Timing it perfectly, Rhapsody kicked the base of the panel, just as the light was about to turn green anyway. Appearing to ignore the wide eyes of several junior engineers who'd witnessed this, he reported on the JA (the Captain's Battle Circuit), '"'Hamsters are running. You can disconnect shoreside power, and we're ready to answer backing bells on the RCS. Impulse in ninety seconds.'"'
The docking tunnel was already retracted, the dock's tractor beams switching off now to leave Pathfinder floating freely. Some miscellaneous cables were still reeling in, as a boom carrying a bundle of thick cables, strobe-lit, swung away from the secondary hull. At the dock's aft sill, a rotating beacon came to life. On the starship's hull, RCS thrusters flared. Pathfinder began to back out of the giant dock. Days from flight-ready status, Isandhlwana signaled, '"'GO Pathfinder GO!'"' A last Work-Bee flitted out of the way of the dreadnought's stern.
On the bridge, Captain D'Arque, First Officer t'Reilri, and the bridge crew watched the dock girders slide by onscreen. So slowly...
'"'We're too late!'"' cried Marquardt. '"'Malloy, call a medic for these people!'"' Nine shipyard employees lay on the deck like discarded rag dolls. But rag dolls don't bleed... '"'Campbell, what are you doing?'"'
'"'My job!'"' Yeager's Security Chief called back at her, heading for a modified Work-Bee. '"'I think it's called '"'hot pursuit'"'... I'll need a driver!'"'
Ahead of Rugel, the doors rolled back to reveal the dark sky... and a blue-white rectangle with underslung squarish pods. Red and green lights blinked at its sides, and a brilliant white strobe flashed from its dorsal surface. '"'NCC-2121/1'"' read the pennant-number emblazoned on the bow, and below the numbers was spelled out the name: '"'Trailblazer'"'.
Bow-on, it waited for Rugel.
SHUTTLE TRAILBLAZER
'"'He's really getting into the part!'"' whispered Elson to Barrington.
'"'Verily!'"' agreed the Avalonian, who'd somehow expected Dujhar's greeting to be, '"'Hi, dude! Let's party!'"'
'"'Stupid threat!'"' came Rugel's voice, indistinct through the interference. '"'You'd die, too!'"'
Still in the Clint Eastwood accent, Dujhar intoned, '"'I am a Camazotian warrior. I'd rather die a thousand times over than let my foe escape!'"'
Elson and Barrington didn't say a word aloud, the looks on their faces speaking volumes. Neither had heard of this Camazotian warrior's tradition before. Neither had Dujhar.
USS YEAGER
'"'Warp One...'"'
USS PATHFINDER
'"'Impulse, docking mode. You already have your course.'"'
The giant gray starship wheeled onto her new heading, strobes flashing.
'"'Light off all active sensors!'"'
'"'Aye, sir!'"'
'"'Communications...'"'
'"'Still trying, sir!'"'
LOCKHEED-HELIUM ORBITAL FACILITY
As Campbell took a seat in the cabin, Marquardt lifted the small craft off, moving up on the hovering Glennis' starboard side.
Setting his phaser on '"'stun'"' and wishing he'd had a chance to check out some protective gear, Campbell extended the airlock and waited for a green light.
SHUTTLE TRAILBLAZER
Switching in an aft camera, Dujhar saw the familiar saucer and three nacelles, decorated by flashing strobe beacons. Directly aft of Trailblazer, Pathfinder was rising into position.
Ahead of Trailblazer, they could see a Lockheed '"'Jeep Bee'"' docking with Glennis.
SHUTTLE GLAMOUROUS GLENNIS
Rugel had heard him coming, and was up with phaser-I ready. But when he pressed the firing button, nothing happened. With a curse, he tossed the dead phaser aside, and swung at Campbell. The saboteur wasn't much of a hand-to-hand fighter, and it didn't take Campbell long to subdue him.
Campbell tossed the dejected saboteur into one of the pilot seats and, covering him with a phaser-IB, kicked Rugel's phaser (power-cell dead, he'd later find) away. Abruptly, Rugel's eyes widened, and his mouth dropped open, as if he'd abruptly seen a Doberman step up behind a tiny, noisy poodle.
'"'Don't try it!'"' Campbell warned. Worried about a trick, he didn't turn, and didn't see Pathfinder rising into position just aft of Trailblazer.
'"'You've got me, but your friends in Yeager should be dead by now!'"' snapped Rugel, regaining a little of his bravado.
At this point, according to Campbell's later report, '"'it became necessary once more to subdue the suspect'"'.
USS YEAGER
Conner looked over at MacClearey's white hands, tightly clenched on the bridge rail, and back at the screen.
'"'13.1...'"'
This was it. This was where Gandalf had been lost...
Turning partway in his seat, Marshall smiled. '"'Jerry, we--'"'
'"'Warpfield instability!'"' Engineering reported, crisp green lines on the display turning fuzzy and red. A klaxon began honking.
'"'Helm, emergency dropout!'"' Marshall ordered. Just like in the simulator, except, this time, if you screw up, there's no retrying it... So don't screw up!
'"'Emergency--'"' Abruptly, the Helm panel flickered, and the controls and instrumentation winked out. Mowbray's fingers moved to where the buttons would have been on the featureless black glass panel, as his eyes widened. This hadn't happened in the simulator. '"'Sir--'"'
Technically, Conner had no right to do this. Technicalities could be sorted out later-- if there were a '"'later'"' for Yeager, Conner, and Marshall.
He didn't ask permission. He didn't follow any of the formalities. He touched the button on Marshall's chair-arm and ordered, '"'Kraiggearra, emergency dropout!'"'
At the Helm console in Auxiliary Control, Kraiggearra Kraikginchsha's fingers found the touchpads of her panel. Two hundred lives were in her hands. With a silent prayer to the Elements, she dumped the ship out of warp.
LOCKHEED-HELIUM ORBITAL FACILITY
Reinforcements had arrived, in full Security body-armor. No Security officers having shown up, MacLean found himself still in charge on-scene.
A phaser beam flashed from within the room, narrowly missing two of the new arrivals. Part of a wall blew out, and the pair hit the deck at once.
Smiling grimly, MacLean nodded. '"'Five! Now! Cover me!'"'
He charged through the doorway like a grav-ball player going for a goal. He saw Averill point her phaser-I, press the firing button... If he'd miscalculated, and she had another weapon, he'd be joining the dead Corbett.
She pressed it again and again... She was still pressing it when MacLean's stun beam took her down.
Standing over the unconscious saboteur, he motioned the Security people in. He looked down at the unconscious Averill, and plagiarized a line from an old, old motion picture.
'"'That's a phaser-IB, and you've had your five.'"'
USS CHARGER
'"'Telemetry down...'"' Communications reported, wincing at the '"'white noise'"' that made it through the filters.
Too stunned to say anything, Ortega, Kriet, and Llewelyn-Clark met one another's eyes. My Gods, their expressions said, We've lost another one! Two hundred lives... Billions of credits... friends and relatives, left behind to sing sadly of those in peril out in space...
Looking over the Science Officer's shoulder, unaware of the echo of (cinematic) history in his words, Kriet stated, '"'You're damned right it is!'"'
'"'Telemetry coming back up!'"' reported Communications, looking as though she'd heard a ghost. '"'Er, message from Yeager, sir... HAVE EXECUTED CONTROLLED DUMP FROM WARP 13.1 STOP ZADOK BELIEVES SOFTWARE SABOTAGED STOP ADVISES YOU SIGNAL LOCKHEED-HELIUM HOLD RUGEL FOR QUESTIONING STOP RETURNING LOCKHEED-HELIUM ON IMPULSE END MESSAGE.'"'
Onscreen, Yeager drew into visual range, a bright spot of light swiftly growing into a tiny Avenger shape. At maximum magnification, they couldn't make out much detail, but the ship appeared undamaged.
'"'Incoming message from Lockheed-Helium, Captain: IMPERATIVE YOU DO NOT REPEAT DO NOT UNDERTAKE SPEED TRIAL STRONG POSSIBILITY OF SABOTAGE...'"'
SHUVINAALJIS WARP TECHNOLOGY
LOCKHEED-HELIUM ORBITAL FACILITY
'"'Straussman has a third agent in this place!'"' Campbell concluded. '"'I'll--'"'
'"'You'll concentrate on training your Security people, Lieutenant!'"' advised Marquardt. '"'You've got a new ship, a chance to make a difference! Keep those people from being killed like the stereotype Security specialists!'"'
'"'But--'"'
'"'Unless, of course, '"' Her voice lowered, '"'you wish to give up your post in Yeager to take Corbett's place? I could speak to Admiral Smith. It might mean a promotion...'"'
'"'Er, no, no... Like you said, I've a Security team to shake down, a ship to protect...'"'
'"'I thought you'd say that! The identity of this third agent may come out in the trial, but if not...'"' She didn't need to say more. The vicious gleam in her eye said it nonverbally. Her station's security had been penetrated, subverted. Her people had been injured, some killed. Vengeance is mine, saith Arielle Marquardt. The lord can have what's left. If anything.
USS YEAGER
The '"'Whalesong'"' crisis of 2/2209.21 had found Yeager moored in Spacedock, partway through her Final Acceptance Trials. Placed '"'In Service'"' by Starfleet Command nearly a month ahead of her scheduled commissioning date, Yeager was prepared to sortie from Spacedock, together with Excelsior and Intrepid, to intercept the alien probe. Just what Fleet Admiral Smith would have done then, Conner still wasn't sure. (Layne had speculated, very privately and very much off-the-record, that perhaps Fleet Admiral Smith hadn't been sure, either...) In any event, Smith had waited just too long. As the ships had been about to leave, the probe had shut down all but emergency power in Spacedock and in the ad-hoc squadron about to depart.
The Yeager crew had waited helplessly, in the dim red glow of the emergency lights, as Admiral James Kirk and his command crew-- aboard the captured Klingon scout H.M.S. Bounty-- had made their perilous time-trip to resolve the crisis. When the departing probe had restored power to Spacedock and the ships within, Conner's crew had discovered no real damage, but Conner hoped this incident wasn't an omen of Yeager's future effectiveness.
Kirk's court-martial had delivered its verdict yesterday. To Conner, Kirk's demotion to Captain seemed more a reward than a punishment. And, though Kirk didn't know what ship he'd be getting, Marshall had already passed on to Conner and Layne a news item from his counterpart at the San Francisco Navy Yard. The much-renamed transwarp cruiser, still in outfitting, was being renamed yet again, and her pennant number changed. Though Layne did not like the change of pennant number to NCC-1701-A, he agreed with Marshall and Conner that it was '"'about time'"' Starfleet got another Enterprise!
Neither Conner nor Layne had attended Kirk's court-martial, being too busy with preparations for another event occurring later on the 14th. On the anniversary of Yeager's first supersonic flight in the X-1, Conner had read aloud his orders and put USS Yeager in commission.
On the main viewscreen, Conner watched Saturn recede behind them. They'd stopped at Titan to beam aboard some last-minute additions to the crew, including Chief Medical Officer Carole Sowards. Her predecessor had volunteered for some sort of secret mission for Starfleet Intelligence Command, and hadn't returned. All that Layne's contacts in SFIC had said was that Dr. Hali was '"'Missing In Action'"'. And now Conner had heard Dr. Sowards would likely be detached within the year on '"'special study leave'"'. Almost on commissioning day, somebody had pulled strings and pirated one of the Yeager's med techs, and, even now, the ship was still one short... He hoped Yeager's Medical Department would eventually have some good luck.
Aside from that, the Departments seemed to be doing well. Layne was still '"'wearing two hats'"'-- Executive Officer and Chief Navigator-- but that would hopefully last only until Command sent him an experienced Navigator. Chief Helmsman Kraiggearra Kraikginchsha was in a class with Sulu, Clark, Foster, and Koleman-- despite her youth, a master shiphandler. The amphibious Mr. Skhraud-- a last-minute replacement-- was doing amazing things with the ship's computers. Justine Adalia Stardust, who'd come up to Conner and Layne in a Martian shopping mall and requested reassignment from her base duties to the Yeager precommissioning crew, was managing Communications with Uhura-like effectiveness.
Conner had heard reports of a Vulcan sect, dwelling in isolation on their dry world, who, while respecting Surak's Reforms, were custodians of Vulcan's considerable store of military knowledge. Vok, a member of this '"'High Vulcan'"' sect, had come highly recommended as a Combat System Officer.
Another Vulcan, the lovely T'saan, was Chief Science Officer. Her staff included Caitian astrophysicist T'rell, and Clive Valance, an alien-cultures expert who'd left Starfleet for the private sector years before, but who had requested return to active duty if it could be in the Yeager.
Ken Wright was Chief Engineer, with a Department that seemed to be nearly half Andorian. Spyik Reid, as Recreation Officer, was already asking what sorts of sports and recreational activities the crew liked-- and was getting some surprising answers. Helping him get the recreational systems up and running was S'stormok, an Efrosian Warrior-Priest who was officially a researcher in computers and weapons systems, but who seemed to dabble in virtually everything.
Campbell, of course, was Chief of Security. He seemed to be developing a knack for showing up with the right type of equipment when trouble threatened, and worked well with Duel Sigmon, commander of Yeager's small Marine detachment.
Not a very mundane crew, but Conner preferred it that way. He had a feeling the unusual qualities of these 334 people would come in very handy out there on the frontiers. If they were lucky, this was the last time in at least a Terran year that Sol's light would reflect from Yeager's gray hull.
The center seat of a starship... the goal he'd sought all these years. Your dream hasn't exactly come true, he reminded himself. It's only begun! He looked over at the bronze plaque in the starboard turbolift alcove:
U.S.S. Yeager
'"'Ad Inexplorata... '"'To the Unexplored'"'...'"'
But, before heading off into the unexplored, they'd be visiting the Arcturus Test Range to run some tests on their sensors and weapons system, and to have Yeager's sensor and drive signatures recorded. Well, it was time to get a few Yeager traditions tested, too...
'"'Mr. Layne?'"'
'"'Yes, Captain?'"' The XO, currently in the Navigator's seat, just to Kraikginchsha's right, looked back at Conner.
'"'They told us we could '"'write our own ticket'"' for the trip to Arcturus, so long as we arrive on time. Bring up that special course.'"'
'"'Sir?'"'
'"'The one you and the Helmsman plotted in your spare time!'"'
'"'Oh, that one, sir!'"' One of the screens lit up with a course projection. '"'As you can see, it doesn't follow the regular traffic lanes at all, though it doglegs here, to bypass one of the routes, and here, to keep us out of this major subspace communications link... But it gets us there well ahead of the usual routes...'"'
'"'We'll use it!'"' Chuck Yeager would have understood the anticipation in Conner's voice. So would have Jill Ingram. '"'T'saan, does an official record exist for a Sol-Arcturus transit?'"'
'"'Not to my knowledge, Captain.'"'
'"'It will, after this trip! Helm, take us to Warp Seven till we're outsystem. Then we can come up to cruising speed...'"'
In a polychromatic flash, starship Yeager was outward bound.
Acknowledgements
The Wizard class starship originally appeared in STARDATE magazine, Volume 1, Issue 8, October 1985. My apologies to Blake Pardoe and Dale Kemper (the class' designers) for blowing up the Gandalf.
The Charger class destroyers appeared in STARDATE magazine, Volume 3, Issue 1, February 1987, designed by Josh Spencer.
Heimdal, Pathfinder, Alaric, Maat, Southern Cross, Avenger, McAuliffe and, of course, Yeager, are (as of this writing) all active chapters in Starfleet. Shuttle Trailblazer's crew now operates the science scout John B. McKay.
'"'For Those Who Peril Out in Space'"' appeared in the short story '"'Ordeal in Space'"' by Robert A. Heinlein. Said story was copyrighted 1947 by Hearst Publications.
The character Lyndra Dean was originated by D.C. Comics in their '"'Star Trek'"' comics series. The conclusions on her origin and background are those of the author of '"'Builder's Trials,'"' and in no way should be construed as being those of D.C., or of necessarily making any connection between the D.C. comics and Starfleet.
My sources also included the Avenger blueprints, several naval history books, and plenty of FASA stuff.
Yes, I'm using the FASA dating system, though I may end up shifting to Rosenzweig's dating system in future stories. For those of you using FASA's dating, the events in the preceding story take place in August through October of 2222. On the Rosenzweig timeline, they'd be August to October of 2287.
And my thanks to the Great Bird of the Galaxy, without whom I'd have been writing of a different starship, if at all.
END