Last Stand Page 15

  Inside the Bennu’s cargo hold, Jarrod and Ellie stepped from the sled to allow it to resume its work. Ellie directed Jarrod to a hatch at the forward end of the cargo bay. Reaching the corridor beyond, Jarrod glanced around. The time he had spent in the training pod had included a tour of the vessel and Jarrod found much that looked familiar to him.

  Soon, Jarrod was guiding Ellie through the ship as much as she was guiding him. Reaching Deck 3, they turned left and soon reached the doorway to Jarrod’s quarters. “So where are your quarters, Ellie?” Jarrod asked. She merely smiled at him, pointed to the name plate beside the door then entered the rooms beyond. Jarrod looked at the name plate. Sure enough, he thought, our quarters!

  Jarrod looked around the spacious and comfortable living room of their quarters. Harlu Az and the Bennu’s nanite coloniess had been busy reconfiguring the ship to support its new human crew. Ellie signaled Jarrod with a curled finger to follow her into the next room. The bedroom was spacious as well. Of course, why shouldn’t it be? he thought, our crew isn’t very large. No reason we can’t be comfortable.

  Ellie led Jarrod into their bathroom. A sonic shower as well as a hydro-shower. All the comforts of home! The closets are kind of small… Of course! With our nanite clothing, we don’t require much in the way of closet or dresser space!

  Jarrod began to step back into their bedroom but Ellie placed a hand on his chest and stopped him. She took a step back and smiled at him. The nanites that formed her uniform began to shimmer then flowed from her body to pool on the floor at her feet. Soon, she stood naked before him. Ellie turned to enter the hydro-shower only to pause and cast a come-hither gaze at Jarrod over her shoulder. Jarrod smiled in return then tapped the controls of his uniform’s nanite colony. His nanites flowed from his body until he was naked as well. The shower was warm and gentle. So was the young women with him!

  **********

  Jarrod and Ellie rose early the next morning and got ready for their day. They stepped over to where they had left their nanite colonies and encountered a quandary. Neither could remember which colony was their colony! After a few seconds of trying to figure it out, they shrugged their shoulders and simply stepped onto the nanite pools.

  Nothing happened. The nanites simply remained on the floor where they had flowed, two dark circles of inert material. Jarrod and Ellie chuckled then swapped places. The two nanite colonies came to life, flowing up the legs of the two humans, and began to form the uniforms they had been programmed to replicate. Seconds later, Commander Jarrod Caulder and Lieutenant Eliana Rei were dressed and ready to report to the Bennu’s bridge.

  This time, Jarrod led the way. The training he had received had familiarized him with the vessel’s layout and he wanted to test his new knowledge. A minute after leaving their quarters, they reached the primary elevator to the ship’s bridge.

  The elevator doors opened on the port side of the bridge and Jarrod and Ellie paused as they got their first look at the Bennu’s bridge. It was a testament to Z’Laan technology. The Z’Laan nanites had reconfigured all of the controls, displays, and command interfaces to resemble those on a Terran ship’s bridge and allow the humans to read and operate them with a minimum of training. The consoles and seats had been altered to fit the human crew.

  Captain Mac Bradley saw them standing in the elevator and waved them onto the bridge. He rose from his chair to greet them. “Welcome to the bridge, Commander Caulder! Your station is over here, sir.” Bradley pointed to a seat and console to the right of the captain’s chair. Jarrod stepped over to examine the setup then sat down in his new chair.

  For a few seconds, it felt as if the chair had come to life beneath him. Jarrod quickly realized that the nanite covering of the chair was adjusting to the shape of his back and buttocks to make him comfortable. He noticed Bradley trying not to chuckle.

  “I practically jumped out of my skin when my chair did that,” said Bradley with a grin. “These nanites can be a bit unnerving at times!”

  “I know what you mean,” said Jarrod returning Bradley’s grin.

  “Hey, check this out,” Bradley began. “We’re use to having multiple monitors that display what is outside the ship, right?” Jarrod nodded. Bradley pressed a button on his console and the front bulkhead of the bridge seemed to vanish! They could see the work being done on the hangar floor to prepare the Bennu for launch. Then data and screens-within-screens showing other exterior scenes from outside the ship appeared.

  Jarrod stepped to the front of the bridge and reached out his right hand. The bulkhead was still there, but now was acting like the primary view screen on a Terran vessel! He looked back at Bradley and asked, “Nanite tech?”

  Bradley nodded, “Yep! The forward bulkhead is impregnated with nanites. They can make it appear opaque, transparent, or look like a series of monitor screens. There are a number of sensor suites scattered around the exterior of the ship that feed data to the nanites, which interpret the data into visual displays we can read. Pretty awesome, eh?”

  “Yes indeed!” Jarrod replied, examining the bulkhead up close and at a slight angle. “Awesome!”

  “We still have a couple of hours before launch. Why don’t you do a walk around, get to know our new vessel, then report back by 0900 hours?” Bradley suggested. Jarrod and Ellie nodded their thanks and left the bridge via the secondary elevator on the starboard side of the bridge.

  Jarrod and Ellie wandered through the vessel’s corridors, occasionally stopping to talk with a crewmate or to look into a compartment. Along the way, Jarrod noticed a number of the nanite colony Z’Laan replicas. He noticed that each had a large, black letter on the front and back of its uniform. Curious, he stopped one of the units to ask it about the letters.

  “Greetings, Commander Caulder and Lieutenant Rei! How may this unit assist you?” it asked. Its voice lacked the personality of Harlu Az’s avatar had and its nanite skin was a dull gray, apparently lacking Harlu Az’s hue-changing ability.

  “I’ve noticed that you and the others like you each wear a different letter on your uniform. Who assigned these and what do they stand for?” Jarrod asked.

  “Captain Bradley assigned the letters and designations, commander,” the unit replied. “Normally, units like me communicate through our nanite network and do not require designations amongst ourselves, however, the captain found it difficult to address us without some assigned designation. He spoke with the avatar of Harlu Az and found that there were 25 of us units aboard this vessel. Captain Bradley asked that one more unit be constructed then assigned us designations.”

  Jarrod thought a moment then said, “Oh, the phonetic alphabet…alpha, bravo, charlie, delta, and so on!”

  “No commander,” the unit replied. “Alvin, Bradbury, Chaplin, Dewey…”

  “Stop!” Jarrod ordered the unit. He was barely able to hold back a laugh. Jarrod knew McLellan Bradley entirely too well. Bradley had a quirky sense of humor and predilection for old movies and practical jokes. Jarrod could see where Bradley was going with this. “So, your letter is ‘Z’ and your designation is…”

  “Zeppo, sir,” the unit replied. “May I be of further assistance to you or the lieutenant?”

  Jarrod was fighting back the laughter now. “No, Zeppo. You are dismissed.” Jarrod waited until the unit was well down the hall then let the laughter flow freely.

  “What’s so funny?” Ellie asked. Jarrod spent the remainder of their tour of the ship explaining Bradley’s warped sense of humor.

  **********

  A day later, Jarrod went to the Bennu’s dining hall to grab a bite after his latest session in the training pod, he ran into his friends, Ian Huntington-Smythe and Maria Esteban-Smith. They waved him over to their table and invited him to sit with them.

  “It’s good to see you again, old man,” said Huntington-Smythe. “Between med-bay and training pods, Maria and I thought we’d never get to see you again!”

  “C’mon, Ian, Jarrod’s had other distrac
tions of late,” said Maria with a knowing smile upon her lips. Jarrod blushed slightly at the reference to his relationship with Ellie. “Look, Ian, he’s blushing!!!” Jarrod blushed some more.

  “Good for you two,” said Ian. “So what is the latest news on your health, Jarrod?”

  Jarrod paused between bites of the excellent cheeseburger he’d ordered and answered, “According to Harlu Az, I’m fully cured. The radiation poisoning is gone and I haven’t felt this good in years!”

  “I suspect there is more to Z’Laan medicine than our Gray friend is telling us. I have noticed that I am also feeling better after undergoing a ‘routine examination’ as Harlu Az called it,” Ian said. “All of us do.”

  Maria anticipated Jarrod’s next question and answered it before he could ask. “All of us, even those going back to Camadin Station, went through a routine examination in one of the Z’Laan medical pods. Turns out, a number of us were suffering from some pretty serious illnesses that our own medical scanners hadn’t discovered yet. At the very least, we all feel younger and healthier than we have in a long time. At most, some of us will get to live longer, healthier lives thanks to Z’Laan medicine!”

  “So what do you two think of the Bennu?” Jarrod asked his friends.

  Ian nodded to Maria to tell her to go first. “She’s a sweetheart!” Maria said. “And a joy to navigate and pilot. The training program I went through felt like it took a year when in fact it was only a couple of days. But it sure prepared me for flying this beauty.”

  Ian chuckled and rolled his eyes. “You two bloody well got off easy on training. I’ve been through two sessions in the training pods, enough to give me the basics. But as an engineer, I need to learn more in order to fully understand Z’Laan technology. Of course, I can rely on the bloody nanite Z’Laan replicas for most of the work now, but it’s not enough. I’ve got several more sessions scheduled in the training pods as time permits.”

  “Look at it this way, Ian,” Jarrod began, “you’ll be the engineer who’s best qualified to write the book or books on Z’Laan technology when we get back home!”

  “Well, old fellow, I would say we need to win the war against the Azairi before I can afford to spend any time writing books. Meanwhile, I must leave you fine people. I have an hour scheduled in a training pod then will be on duty thereafter,” Ian said as he rose from his seat and gathered his meal tray. “Good to see you again, Jarrod! Jolly good to see you again. Cheers!”

  After Ian left, Maria leaned forward, closer to Jarrod. “So tell me! How are you and Ellie doing, Jarrod?”

  Jarrod smiled and answered, “We’re doing fine. We’re rooming together…with all that implies.”

  Maria wiggled her eyebrows up and down. “You getting serious?”

  Jarrod blushed again. “Yes, but I don’t know if it’s time to ask any pertinent questions yet.”

  “Jarrod, we’re in the middle of a war. A war, I might add, that we are losing at the moment!” said Maria. “Take advantage of whatever time you two may have left. The future isn’t promised to anyone. As I recall, in addition to all of his other duties, the skipper is authorized to perform wedding ceremonies!” She looked at her comm-unit sitting on the table. “Oops! Gotta run or I’ll be late for bridge duty.” She rose, leaned over, and gave Jarrod a peck on the cheek. Then, she gathered up her comm-unit and tray and left. Jarrod Caulder sat in the mess hall for almost an hour nibbling on his meal…and doing a lot of thinking. After lunch, Jarrod made his way to the bridge and reported to Captain Bradley.

  “Well, Jarrod, do you feel up to speed on our new vessel now?” Bradley asked.

  Jarrod held his right hand out, fingers open, palm down and rocked it from side to side in the age old “so-so”gesture. “Good enough, Skipper. Although, I think I’ll be spending a little more time in the training pods as time allows.”

  Bradley smiled and said, “Well, don’t feel like the Lone Ranger, stranger. I think all of us feel the same way. But I’ve gotten to know our merry little band well enough to know they’re solid and will do alright. And we’ve got Harlu Az and the Z’Laan drones or replicants or whatever they are.”

  “I’ve been meaning to speak with you about them,” said Jarrod. “You know, about your warped sense of humor when it comes to naming them. I’m almost afraid some crew member will bust out laughing at some crucial moment when they address one of the things.”

  Bradley tried to feign innocence then admitted he’d thought the same thing. “But then I realized by naming them with such innocuous names, I ‘humanized’ them and made them less alien to our crew. It’s certainly better than having them wear numbers on their torsos like prisoners used to do. Even Harlu Az has been calling them by their new names.”

  Jarrod decided now was the time to change the subject and so he asked, “How did your physical exam go? Any surprises?”

  Bradley nodded. “They use Z’Laan nanites in the process, of course. Well, those little buggers even rebuilt my missing pinky.” He held up his left hand and wiggled the little finger. “Then the damn things started attacking my tattoos. I blew my lid when I saw what was happening and had some choice words with Harlu Az. So they put ‘em back!”

  The two old friends shared a laugh then turned their attention to command matters. Bradley briefed Jarrod on the ship’s course and status then showed him the captain’s console. “Any questions?” Bradley asked.

  Jarrod looked around the bridge, shook his head, and replied, “No, I don’t think so, Mac. Are you ready for me to relieve you, sir?”

  “I am indeed, commander. You have the conn, sir!” replied Bradley as he stepped away from his station. Reaching the elevator doors, he called out to the bridge crew, “Don’t let him run us into any planets, asteroids, or supernovae while I’m sleeping, gang!” Laughter filled the bridge as Bradley boarded the elevator to head to the mess hall.

  Commander Jarrod Caulder paused for a moment and took in the bridge and the crew then sat in the command chair. “Steady as she goes, Lieutenant Esteban-Smith.”

  “Aye, sir!” the pilot/navigator replied. “Steady as she goes.”

  **********

  Jarrod was off duty several days later as the Bennu began its approach to the Z’Laan home star system. He and Ellie had just finished jogging through the corridors of the ship when the ship’s battle station’s alarm sounded. Their nanite colony uniforms quickly morphed from exercise sweats into duty uniforms. In doing so, the nanites absorbed the sweat from their bodies. The couple exchanged a quick kiss then went their separate ways, Ellie to the med-bay and Jarrod to the bridge.

  On the bridge, Jarrod made his way to his station. “What have we got?” he asked Bradley as he reached his console.

  “Long range sensors have detected a massive gravimetric field… and what appears to be debris from a vessel on the outer edge of the system,” Bradley answered. “We don’t know if it was attacked or suffered an accident, but we’re not taking any chances. Battle Stations!”

  “Understood, sir!” Jarrod replied. The familiar battle station alarm klaxons and red lights continued to sound and flash throughout the Bennu. Harlu Az and Huntington-Smythe had modified the Z’Laan vessel to incorporate standard Fleet warnings and signals. Two minutes passed. Jarrod scanned his board then said, “All stations staffed and battle ready, Captain!”

  “Roger that,” said Bradley. “Pilot, take us in slow and bring us to within a safe distance to the field. Sensors, continue to scan the field, the debris, and space around us. Call out any bogies or anomalies.”

  “Aye, sir!”

  “Aye, sir!”

  The Bennu edged closer and closer toward the cloud of debris and the gravimetric field. Soon enough, both became visible on the forward view screen. Millions of pieces of debris of all sizes hung in the debris field, testament to the destruction of a large star vessel. And all of them were being drawn slowly towards one point in space. The Bennu’s sensors could now define the boundaries of the gravi
metric field.

  “Captain, we’re as close as we dare get to the gravimetric field. Sensors are able to identify some of the debris. Composition appears to be standard Terran-built materials and components. We’re cross referencing identifiable components with the Terran vessel data base downloaded from the Phoenix.”

  “Any signs of other vessels in the neighborhood?” asked Bradley, his eyes rapidly scanning the monitors around the bridge.

  “No, sir!” the sensors officer answered. “We’re are picking up significant evidence of severe gravimetric stress on many of the larger pieces of debris. It’s possible that the vessel passed within the field’s sphere of influence and was ripped apart by the gravity within.”

  “You sound like you have another possibility in mind, lieutenant,” said Captain Bradley.

  “Yessir! It’s quite possible that the ship detonated a gravimetric mine…with the same results,” the lieutenant operating the sensors reported.

  “Harlu Az, did your people use gravimetric mines?” Bradley asked the Z’Laan avatar.

  Harlu Az nodded slowly. “Sadly, we did. The energy signature we are reading appears to resemble one from the detonation of such a mine.”

  Bradley looked over at Jarrod. The only Terran vessel known to be near or heading towards the Z’Laan homeworld was Professor Caulder’s vessel. Jarrod looked a little pale but was otherwise composed. Bradley rose from his chair and crossed over to Jarrod’s station. Placing a hand on Jarrod’s shoulder, he said quietly, “Hang in there, buddy. We don’t have all the data yet.” Jarrod, his eyes locked onto the debris field visible in the primary monitor, only nodded in reply.

  The sensor officer took that moment to speak. “Captain, we’ve located a couple of life pods on the far side of the debris field!”

  “Take us around the field and bring us in close to the nearest one, Maria!” Bradley ordered his pilot/navigator.