Nu Trilogy 1: The Esss Advance (13 page)

The Esss had been expanding through this galaxy and meeting no resistance. Hundreds of star systems had been colonized, and scout ships were being sent out in many different directions in search of more habitable worlds. To speed the process of getting any newly discovered systems ready for colonization, each scouting team was accompanied by a planetary engineering team with all of the equipment necessary to transform any worlds discovered into a state where a new nursery would be viable.

Each new system explored was selected initially by the presence of one or more gas giant planets that could be used for refueling the scout party. Any system without a gas giant was bypassed. In these early stages of exploring a new galaxy, the Esss could be picky about what systems they explored. The master chronicler noted each system being bypassed for later exploration once they had colonized all of the “easy” systems where plenty of fuel was readily available.

The Esss had been working inward toward the center of this galaxy. As they entered a new spiral arm, they began to detect unusual electromagnetic waves that did not appear to have a natural cause. These waves were emanating from a single star system. In the experience of the Esss from the master chronicler’s records, this usually indicated the existence of another intelligent life form. Competitors could not be tolerated, but the existence of competitors usually indicated there was an ideal world to colonize in the vicinity.

The master chronicler thrummed loudly from its command chamber, its orders forming a complex melody directing the scout ship toward the new system, bypassing any other prime candidates between them and their new objective.

The
AMC Mantis
was smaller than most of the mobile construction platforms housed at the shipyard. It did not need its own docking area like the
Endeavour
. The small docking bay was designed specifically to handle all of the smaller working craft. It was here that the
Mantis
was directed by the shipyard control tower. In fact, AMC was in the process of setting up its own docking facilities at Rickover. Until these were completed, AMC was leasing docking facilities from UTC Aerospace, the principal contractor in the development of the HG Rickover Shipyard.

The docking bay was located at the extreme end of the main spine of the shipyard, just outside of original core living environment (CLE) that had been towed out from Luna. At the other end of the spine was the C-Type asteroid processing facility, known affectionately as “the CAP.” The CAP had been attached directly to the CLE on the trip out from Luna but had been deployed at the end of the initial section of the spine. As the shipyard expanded, the spine was extended away from the CLE, and the CAP remained at the opposite end of the spine.

The CAP was designed to accept small water and methane-bearing C-Type asteroids up to 500 meters in diameter. As an asteroid was processed in the CAP, water was extracted for human consumption, for hydroponic gardening, and for industrial processes. Methane was extracted to fuel everything in the shipyard, because solar energy was not as effective so far out from the sun. All types of carbon and nitrogen compounds were extracted for use in making everything from fertilizers for the gardens to carbon nanotubes for building new computer components. Most of the silicate-based material was considered a waste product, but any precious metals found were considered a rare bonus.

The last time Sted was at the shipyard, everyone lived in the CLE and worked on one of the four spokes extending out from the spine at ninety-degree angles from each other. The first spoke terminated in the foundry and manufacturing facilities.

When the CLE arrived at the belt near the asteroid 16 Psyche, the tugs that had brought the module all of the way from Luna were deployed to bring in a small C-type asteroid to make the CLE habitable for a larger crew. Once this was accomplished, assembly began on the next section of the spine to place between the CLE and the CAP. This section had been pre-fabricated and stored in the CLE prior to departing for the belt. The construction crew had to extract the spine from the CLE and attach it between the CLE and the shorter section of spine hooked up to the CAP. Then the foundry and manufacturing facilities that were transported by the original shuttle on its maiden voyage were attached to a short spoke extending out from the spine. At that point, the shipyard was officially open for business, because it could manufacture all future parts for itself and for the new interstellar ship that would be started more than a decade in the future.

The other three spokes extending out from the spine were also single purpose. The naval offices, the naval research and development facilities, and the naval shipping control center were located on the wing opposite the foundry and manufacturing wing. This allowed the Navy to concentrate their base security in one wing of the shipyard. Both of the two remaining opposed wings had been under construction the last time Sted was at the base. Now they were both complete. One wing was the actual shipyard facility where the interstellar ship was under construction. On the opposite wing was the new shuttle docking facility, where the Endeavour was securely attached.

The four wings were constructed so that they could rotate on a central hub around the spine if artificial gravity was desired, or they could remain stationary and weightless for specific manufacturing or R&D processes, as necessary.

As Sted floated headfirst through the docking collar into the receiving area of the small ship docking facility, he noticed another significant change at the shipyard. During his last visit, little attention had been paid to the aesthetics of the interior working and living spaces. Now, Sted found himself coming up through the floor of a well-decorated reception area where orientation was pre-selected. There was a thin but functional layer of Velcro-like carpet on the “floor.” The “ceiling” was arrayed with many small LED-type lights surrounding ventilation ducts. The “walls” consisted of pastel-colored, backlit panels with faux windows that had to be framed paper-thin display sheets. Sted didn’t know who had chosen the theme being displayed through the windows, but it was rather odd for his taste. When he swiveled his head around and looked out the windows, he appeared to be in the middle of a field on a dairy farm somewhere back on Earth with cows grazing and an idyllic farm house and barn with grain silos off in the distance.

“Welcome to Rickover, Captain Richardson,” said an attractive receptionist coming around what appeared to be a desk made of the same paneled material used for the walls. The backlighting on the desk had a brownish yellow tone to simulate of lighter colored wood that Sted couldn’t identify.

“My name is Jessica Browning. I came down from the AMC offices to get you settled here until the
Endeavour
departs back to Luna. If you have someone place your personal belongings in the bin next to the reception desk, I will see that they are transferred directly to your room.”

Jessica extended her hand in greeting, and Sted took it firmly in his grasp and lowered himself to floor level while his eyes met her direct and friendly gaze. “It’s nice to meet you, Jessica. I apologize for any surprise or amazement on my face, but this is certainly not what I was expecting!”

In Jessica’s other hand were two boot inserts to be slipped into his under-shoe slots. Sted was sure these inserts had been designed for use throughout the civilian-populated portion of the shipyard. The inserts would pair perfectly with the Velcro carpeting in the weightless portion of the facility but would also support his weight in those areas under artificial gravity from the centrifugal force of the spinning cylinders that made up a significant portion of the living facilities.

“Your reaction is actually quite normal for people who have not been back here for a few years. UTC has invested a great deal in making the environment as friendly and familiar as possible for all of the new arrivals who will be working on the
Voyager III.
” Jessica handed the boot inserts to Sted. Apparently, she was very experienced in greeting newcomers to the shipyard. She placed a hand on his shoulder to hold him on the floor while he applied the boot inserts.

“
Voyager III
? When did the new interstellar ship pick up that name?” Sted asked from his crouched position. This was a new experience, trying to apply the inserts to the bottom of his prosthetic legs. Since his operation and rehab, he had only experienced lunar gravity and the weightless conditions aboard the two small AMC assay ships. He was going to have to adapt to Velcro-walking quickly or look foolish in front of Jessica.

“People just kept stumbling over calling it ‘the ship’, because there are so many other ships here in the yard, and ‘the interstellar ship’ was just too cumbersome. Someone just started calling it
Voyager
after the
Voyager I
and
Voyager II
probes launched back in the 1970s, and the name stuck. Admiral Bain liked the name and made it official just last week by adding the ‘III’ designation, because he did not want to trample on the history of those first interstellar probes. They’re planning to build at least three of these ships over the next couple of decades, and the next two will probably be
Voyager IV
and
Voyager V.
”

Stumbling was not the word Sted wanted to hear at that moment. He got his feet firmly planted, and Jessica, with extraordinary ease and confidence, assisted him toward the exit.

“Cam wants to video message with you privately over our secure channel in the AMC offices,” she said over her shoulder. “We’ll go there first before showing you to the AMC guest suite. You’re going to be with us for the next week or so while
Endeavour
unloads its passengers and gets a thorough engineering inspection after its initial voyage. Lockheed Aerospace has already arranged for you to have a private tour of the
Endeavour
while they’re completing the post-operation workups. I think Lockheed still thinks they can lure you away from us, and they specifically requested your attendance at the party being held tomorrow on board
Endeavour
to celebrate the end of its maiden voyage.”

Jessica led Sted into a corridor just outside of the reception area. The bare metallic walls of the corridor were just as Sted remembered, with handrails for moving quickly along under zero gravity. The floor of the corridor, however, was covered in the same Velcro carpet as in the reception area. Apparently, he had the choice of walking or gliding down the corridor to the spine.

“Do you mind if we free-float down to the spine?” Sted asked. “I think it will take a bit of practice getting used to zero gravity Velcro-walking on my prosthetic legs.”

“Whatever you prefer,” Jessica said as she grabbed one of several handrails and pulled her feet free from the carpet. “Let’s pull ourselves down to the spine and take one of the spine transport cabs over to the corporate torus.”

As they approached the spine, Jessica signaled from her belt comm unit for a cab. Because UTC Aerospace was building the shipyard under a naval contract, the transport systems were designed and developed by UTC’s Otis Elevator division. The spine was 100 meters in diameter. Within it, the equivalent of four elevator shafts were used to shuttle over twenty cabs along the spine and up the spindles to the various facilities. Everyone had a choice of riding in one of the cabs or using the main corridor to “walk” to their destination. Since the entire spine was always at zero gravity, floating and using the handrails was quick and easy. Only during a shift change would the main corridor get crowded.

Because Jessica and Sted were headed along the spine and then “down” one of the rotating spokes to the corporate offices, it was easier to get on a cab right away and select the AMC office destination from the cab’s control panel. The system moved them horizontally along the spine and then vertically down one of the four spindles leading to the corporate offices. The Otis controls selected the appropriate spine and oriented the “floor” of the cab toward the far end of the spindle. As the cab moved, centrifugal forces from the spinning cylinder took hold, and any floating passengers sank gently to the floor of the cab. By the end of the trip, the apparent gravity was equivalent to the gravity on the moon, or one-sixth of Earth’s gravity.

When the cab door opened, Sted was feeling very comfortable, because all of his rehab treatments had taken place at the lunar base, so he was used to moving about in the equivalent of lunar gravity. Also, after experiencing the aesthetics in the reception area, seeing the obvious luxury of what appeared to be a floor in any modern office building on Earth or the moon, he was not totally shocked. The Space Navy would not spend money like this for appearances, but all of the corporations contracting with the Navy definitely would. After all, they wanted their existing contracts renewed and the opportunity to bid on any new ones.

Jessica moved out of the lobby and down a long hallway toward the entrance to AMC’s offices. After being cooped up so long on the small assay ships under zero gravity, Sted could not help but notice how attractive and appealing it was to watch her move ahead of him down the corridor. He just stood in one spot and drank in the sight.

When Jessica turned around with a questioning look in her eyes, she saw the big smile on his face and realized she was the cause. She blushed a little under his gaze as she remembered how long he had been out in the belt in that tiny ship. Of course he was attracted. If he had not been, he would hardly be human!

“Sted? Are you coming?” she asked quietly. “I’m sure Mr. Dunston’s three recorded priority messages waiting for your authentication are very important. It is my understanding that he expects your reply to all three to be on the way back to him sometime in the next hour or two.”

“Oh, sorry,” he apologized. “I just couldn’t seem to get these artificial legs moving. You completely distracted me. How do you walk in this lower gravity and still make a man stop in his tracks because all he can do is just watch and admire? You don’t have to answer that question. I’m sure that it was completely inappropriate on my part.”

“Apology accepted,” she said, as the smile in her eyes move down to light up her entire blushing face. “Let’s go inside the office and get you set up in our video conference room. We can talk about your ‘inappropriate remark’ after you have taken care of business.”