Rise of the Altered Moon: Altered Moon Series: Book One (The Altered Moon Series 1) (18 page)

The trip to Luminar took them to the nearby Pristien star system, which held only four planets and two moons in its solar family. All of the planets in the system were of a rocky nature, with various atmospheres and landmasses. Luminar was a life-bearing planet in all rights, but a Human being wouldn’t be able to stand next to a Luminarian and live to tell about it.

The planet was named for the luminosity of the surface features: glittering white landmasses of frozen water and ammonia mixed with the azure blue of liquid methane lakes, and the black seas of hydrocarbons flashed with gold highlights. The alien creatures that lived among the frigid shorelines and toxic fluids never showed any sentience, but they were alien life forms nonetheless.

Luminar’s ring system, which surrounded the super-bright planet, was a sharp contrast to the planet itself. The large, chunky masses of dark rock looked like storm clouds stretched across a bright sun.

“All right people, you know the drill,” CJ called out. “Let’s get started.”

“Aye, Captain,” came their answers. Boss and Gina headed out in
Moonshadow
while CJ and the others ran the perimeter in the
Altered Moon
. The results of their efforts were as much a disappointment as their last stop was. Another day of the search gone by and they still had no more to show for it than they had when they’d started.

“
Moonshadow
, how do read?” CJ called ship to ship.

“Loud and clear, Captain,” answered Gina.

“Bring her home, G, let’s wrap it up.”

“Roger that, Captain, coming home.”

“As soon as they’re aboard, GABI, set a course out of the system,” ordered CJ.

“Understood, Captain.”

Another destination down and several days to another destination yet ahead, the tediousness of the system-by-system search, with all hands on duty, piled fatigue on the already-stretched crew. A sense of uncertainty and doubt loomed.

With all crewmembers on board, GABI sent the ship on her way out of the Pristien star system. The next jump point was Arzia, the central system of Alliance territory. It had the potential to be the most troublesome stop yet. They were bound to run into Alliance patrols at the very least, with a good chance of battle cruisers throughout the system.

CJ, being more wired than tired, took the next command shift as well so he could study the navigation charts on several specific areas of space. He plotted out where starship accidents had taken place, while GABI monitored autopilot and their progress to the edge of the system. He put together pieces of information from news streamcasts, navigation reports, and even bits and pieces from their ‘surveillance footage.’ The points on the nav chart started to build up in one particular area of space.

Belts of high-level gamma radiation filled the sector of space between the Glimmerocks asteroid field and the Shining Sisters binary star system. The majority of accidents happened at that point along MT&T’s travel routes, almost exactly where the
Istraulis
was attacked and destroyed. CJ felt a surge of anger as he came to realize that MT&T was far more likely the culprit instead of the victim.

“Whoever you are, I will hunt you down,” CJ said angrily to the huddled group of dots on the nav chart.

“Captain?” GABI’s disembodied voice came over the comms unit. “Are you in need of assistance?”

“No, GABI, I’m fine, thank you. What’s our ETA on jump to Arzia?”

“Thirty-two minutes and seven seconds.”

“Very well, initiate jump upon exit of the system,” he said. “Then bring us to full stop at the far end.”

“Aye, Captain.”

CJ plotted all the MT&T offices and headquarters throughout the Marlacuer Empire and categorized them by size and importance. He outlined the position, size, and complement of the various MT&T locations on his datpad; then he ran estimates on the chance that classified information was secured there. By the time GABI completed the quantum jump, CJ had gathered a few pieces of the puzzle pertaining to their current situation. Now he just had to figure out how they fit together, if they fit together at all.

“Captain, long-range sensors have picked up two Arzian Alliance patrol ships on an intercept course,” GABI informed him.

“That didn’t take long,” he said. “Maintain our position and standard operations. Squawk West Becreth ID code on all frequencies. CJ hit the comms panel icon for Gina’s quarters. “Boss, we’ve got company.”

“Understood, on the way.”

CJ hit the 1MC icon on the comms panel. “All hands, action stations! All hands to action stations and stand by.”

Cat came through the hatch a couple of minutes later and manned the tactical station. Boss and Gina followed a few minutes after her and took their positions at flight and science stations.

“Two Alliance patrol ships,” CJ said. “We weren’t here five minutes before they popped up on long range. We’re at full stop and I’ve squawked the commercial ID.”

“I’m surprised they haven’t hailed us yet,” said Cat.

Almost on cue a hail came from the two approaching military patrol ships. “Attention commercial vessel, this is the Arzian Alliance Star Guard. Identify yourself; state your purpose and destination.”

“Arzian Alliance, this is Captain CJ Evermore of the
Altered Moon
, under contract with the West Becreth Trading Company. Our destination is the Royal Bazaar on Arzia Prime by way of Arzia Octonus in search of Carellian artifacts.”

The crew held their collective breaths as the minutes passed. Was the reach of MT&T long enough to reach them even in Arzian space?

“You are cleared to enter the Arzian star system. Any artifacts for trade must be registered with customs officials at the central star port on Arzia Prime.” The two Arzian Star Guard ships pivoted slightly and flew off on a course that barely cleared the
Altered Moon’s
wings.

“Man, they really cut it close there,” said CJ, as he watched the armored ventral hull plating fill the view screen.

“They just want us to know whose sandbox we’re playing in,” said Boss. “Nice adlib about the Carellian artifact, Captain. It probably sold the story.”

“Thanks, Boss. I found a reference to Carell, the original home world of the Union of Allied Worlds, in a historical article on the rise of the Arzian Alliance. There’s quite a market for Carellian artifacts, if we actually had any.”

“You never know what you may find in the deep dark of space,” GABI said in a cryptic tone with a raised eyebrow and sly smile. Everyone on the bridge slowly slid their eyes sideways to look over at GABI.

“How right you are, GABI,” CJ agreed, as he spun the captain’s chair back around to face the view screen. “So let’s go take a look. Boss, get us a bearing on Arzia Octonus. Gina, power up the flight systems and prepare to get under way.”

“Arzia Octonus bearing three zero five by thirty-two, one point two three million kilometers out,” reported the S.O.

“Lay in a course, G, space normal speed,” said CJ.

“Space normal speed to Arzia Octonus, aye, sir.”

“Let’s see what the next stop holds in store for us,” CJ leaned back in the captain’s chair.

The Inner System Engines roared to life as the
Altered Moon
ferried her crew across the star-strewn black sea of space.

*~*~*

Chapter Twenty-Three

Gina was at the flight station when the
Altered Moon
came up on Arzia Octonus. She pulled one her favorite flight maneuvers when it came time to drop speed and enter orbit around the planet. The ship spun about and inverted in one quick move as Gina used precise thruster blasts to face the ship back the way they came. She fired the twelve secondary ISE’s to counter the ship’s momentum and bring her down to maneuvering speed. She returned the ship back to its original heading and attitude just as quick and just as smooth.

“Braking maneuver complete, Captain,” she reported. “Coming up on Arzia Octonus.”

“Yes, I think we noticed that, Ms. Riley,” CJ said, referring to the speed at which the star field had streaked across the view screen…twice. “Standard orbit, if you please.”

“Standard orbit, aye,” she replied with a hint of satisfaction.

“Captain, I’m picking up a marker beacon on the far side of the planet,” Boss said, as they entered the planet’s orbit.

“A warning beacon?” CJ asked him.

“No, sir, undesignated.”

“Let’s go check it out,” CJ said, “but, let’s go in careful. Energize defense fields, Cat.”

She manipulated a control panel, “Defense fields are energized and secure.”

Gina maneuvered the ship across the planet toward the source of the unidentified beacon.

Arzia Octonus had a rocky surface covered with pockets of sand and stony rubble. The atmosphere was toxic but the pressure and gravity were within Human tolerance ranges. The planet was once the seat of power for the Union of Allied Worlds before the rise of the Marlacuer Empire. The toxicity levels of the atmosphere came from over industrialization. Decades of pollution poisoned the air and killed off the plant and animal life. Humans built domed cities in an ill-fated attempt to stay on their home world. Eventually the government moved to a different world and Arzia Octonus was abandoned.

After the fall of the Union to the Marlacuer invasion, the planet was forgotten. A century later archeologists began to return and excavate the buildings that the elements had turned to ruin slowly over time. The artifacts struck a chord with the newly formed Arzian Alliance. The people of the Alliance fought off the Imperial armada to retain a territory of six star systems. Relics of the time before the war had special meaning for the Arzian culture and the market was lucrative, but excavation was costly due to the poisonous nature of the atmosphere.

Operating against the Arzian Alliance safety regulations would cut two-thirds of the operating costs off any excavation, if one was willing to risk incarceration or destruction for their efforts. Working on the wrong side of the law could cost you your money, your freedom, and even your life. The instinct to protect those things was strong in those who were willing to run such risky ventures. So, it didn’t matter if you were in a military ship, security force, or a private vessel that just happened to wander in at the wrong time, the response to surprising such people in the middle of their business was the same: being attacked by them.

The
Altered Moon
came up over the planetary horizon which brought into view a group of five ships in a stationary position over the planet.

“What the hell?” Gina exclaimed.

Surprised exclamations spread across the bridge as the crew of the
Moon
realized the other ships hadn’t registered on the sensor scans. The surprise must have been equal on the bridges of the unknown stealth ships as well, as two of the ships immediately broke off and came straight at them.

“Weapons lock, Captain!” hollered out Boss.

“Raising shields,” said GABI

“Shit. Evasive G, now!” CJ ordered. “Get us around the planet. GABI, shift all power to defense and helm. Cat, power up main cannons and load fish five. Boss, ready the Moonshine.”

“Fish five, aye,” answered Cat, as she loaded the preset missile selection of two EMPs, one thermafusion, and one cyrofusion into the firing tubes. “Cannons are online and fish are loaded!”

“GABI, get me some kind of targeting lock on those ships,
fast
,” CJ shouted.

The two ships that advanced on them looked like sleek and flattened-out black triangles with red markings. The speed of their acceleration closed the distance to the
Altered Moon
in a matter of minutes. Searing streaks of deep red shot out from the attacker’s ships looking for impact on their target. Two of them that found their mark lit up red-colored ellipses on the
Moon’s
aft shields. Four dark cylinders followed by jets of red flew out of the two ships and bore quickly down on their prey.

“Four missiles coming in hot,” Boss called out. “Bearing one seven five by two ten.”

“We can’t outrun four,” said Gina, her pulse racing.

“Time to impact?” asked CJ in a hurry.

“Eighty-two seconds,” answered Boss.

“Captain, the dark matter emitters…” GABI suggested.

“Yes, of course.” CJ seemed to catch on instantly. “Gina, hard about! Power up the DMITS on my command.”

“Aye, sir.” She executed his order.

“GABI power down all systems,” CJ ordered. “Gina, go to DMITS now! Boss, fire the Moonbeams in front of the missiles.”

The
Altered Moon
spun about in place and suddenly went dark as the DMITS took over flight control from the ISEs. A blue shimmering light came from the hull plating that ran along the main fuselage from bow to stern of the ship as the dark matter emitters released a stream of the focused particles. A cloud of concentrated dark matter began to build up in space between the missiles and the
Altered Moon
.

The nature of dark matter was to fill the voids of microscopic space in between the micro particles of physical matter. When the dark matter particles were concentrated, they were forced to seek voids at the molecular levels in order to break down the bonds that held the physical matter together. The time it took to build up enough concentration, however, could be as long as thirty seconds, which in battle was an eternity.

The crew waited the agonizing seconds for the dark matter particles to build up around the closing warheads. The four pursuing missiles began to wobble in their trajectories as their panels disintegrated and fell away. Two of them collided, resulting in an explosion that consumed the other two and caused them to ignite. The detonation of the missiles mixed with the expansion of the dark matter and tripled the raw force of the explosion. A flash of blue-white light erupted from the center of blast cloud and immediately blew outward in a globe-shaped shockwave of energy.

The
Altered Moon
was blasted seven ways from Sunday as it was caught up in the massive shockwave and tumbled helplessly through space. The constant out-of-control spin threw the inertial stabilizers into overload. A malfunction at these speeds would result in the crew being crushed to death in their seats or thrown against a bulkhead. The forces exerted against them at this point made movement and breathing difficult.

“GABI…bring…the ISEs…online…” CJ squeezed out enough air to say. “All power…to…inertial…stabilizers…”

“In progress, Captain,” she replied. “Inner System Engines are offline. I am rerouting control functions and power now. Auxiliary conduits are engaged…engines are online…rerouting power to inertial stabilizers.”

The pressure and vertigo eased as the
Altered Moon
powered through the diminishing energy wave. The chaos from alarm klaxons and warning notifications mixed with the ringing in their heads from being thrown around during the ‘atmocoaster ride from hell.’ CJ leaned forward as soon as he was able and looked around the bridge of his ship.

“Anyone hurt?” he asked. “Boss, Cat, Gina? GABI, is there any damage?”

“I’m okay,” said Gina hoarsely. “Flight systems…are online, amazingly.”

“I’m good, Captain,” Boss said.

“Cat?” CJ asked again and turned to look in her direction.

“Got a gash on my lower left leg, Captain,” she answered, “but, the bleeding’s stopped and I’ve got it wrapped already.

“You need anything?” CJ asked, as he rose from the captain’s chair to count all his bones and check on Cat.

“No, sir, I have a med kit here.”

“Boss, anything on sensors?” CJ asked, while he helped finish off Cat’s bandage.

“Nothing on scans and no sign on visual,” reported Boss, “but, we didn’t pick them up before either.”

“GABI?” CJ asked, indicating a request for the damage report.

“Shields are down to eighty-two percent,” she said. “Five power junction modules have shorted out and will need to be replaced. Fuel plate levels are at twelve percent. It would be advisable to replace them immediately. Total repair time is approximately four hours and twenty-two minutes.”

“What’s our position, G?” CJ asked.

“Twenty-eight thousand kilometers from Arzia Octonus, Captain.”

“Give me a visual on the planet, S.O.”

“Aye, sir.”

The forward view screen changed from the star field that was in front of them to the image of Arzia Octonus. Not a sign of the explosion was left behind after the blast dissipated.

“Full magnification on the blast area,” said CJ.

The view shifted from the whole planet to just a part of it off to the left side of the screen.

“No pursuit,” pondered CJ. “Either we got them with that blast or they think that it got us. Options and opinions?”

“The presence of those ships lessens the likelihood that Nelson is down there,” Boss said, “and I am concerned with the size of that blast. It was bigger than what those four missiles should’ve been able to produce.”

“They were molecular decay warheads,” said GABI. “Decaying molecules and concentrated dark matter could result in an explosion of that magnitude. I must apologize, Captain. I did not accurately predict the size of the detonation. I put the ship and crew in danger.”

“Well, I’m glad you have the opportunity to learn from your mistake, GABI, as we are all still alive, thanks in part to your efforts to regain control of the ship,” CJ said. “I was under the impression that molecular decay technology was outlawed.”

“Only in the Marlacuer Empire, Captain,” she explained. “No such ban exists in Arzian territory.”

“Captain!” Gina called out, as she pointed at the view screen.

Fifteen points of red lights could be seen pulling away as the five stealth ships left the area.

“Well now, would you look at that,” CJ said.

“Must have been too much risk of attention after the explosion” said Boss. “We should take the time to check out what they were so interested in.”

“Agreed,” said CJ. “You and Gina take
Moonshadow
down to run a surface search. I’ll stay here and replace the fuel plates while GABI runs the orbital scans. I should have that finished by the time you get back.”

“Captain,” Boss replied. “It will be easier for you to get around on the planet. Especially if for some reason you have to get out of there fast. I can replace the fuel plates easy enough with Cat’s help and GABI can monitor both sensors and ship operations without batting an eye."

“You’re right Boss, I’m used to thinking like an engineer’s mate.” The amount that the captain of a ship had to be aware of was far more than CJ ever realized.

“It’ll come to you, Captain,” Boss reassured him. “Just think of the needs of every station, every ship and crew operation. That will usually lead you in the right direction.”

“Oh, is that all? Nothin’ to it,” CJ replied wryly and acted like it was all taken care of. “Gina, standard orbit please.”

“Standard orbit, aye,” she replied.

“Cat, get that injury looked after,” CJ said.

“Aye, sir, I’ll have the doctor take a look at it.” She smiled to let him know it was a joke.

“Be sure you do,” he joked back. “Boss, you have the conn,” CJ moved to the hatch, “Gina, shall we take
Moonshadow
out for a little spin around the planet?”

“Aye, sir, I’ll take any chance to pilot
Moonshadow
,” she said with a smile.

CJ and Gina were clothed in biosafety level-three suits that protected them from the toxicity levels of the atmosphere. Their helmets and gloves hung by the airlock door of the cargo bay on the bottom of the ship. Gina brought
Moonshadow
up slowly over the landscape, which gave them and the sensors time to react to any surprises. The beacon was gone now, but the position that the stealth ships were in had been marked at their earlier encounter. Gina circled over what was clearly a recent excavation site. There was no sign of craft or personnel and no thermal indications on the sensor scans.

“Looks clear,” CJ said. “Nothing on long range either. We may have spooked ‘em…must’ve thought we were Alliance, or some such. Set her down a short ways from the main site just to be sure.”

“Aye, sir,” she answered, as she banked
Moonshadow
around a small rock outcropping and set her down one hundred and fifty meters from the site.