“Unlimited range, I guess would explain it the best.”
“How fast can it go?”
“The Probe will attain a top speed of many times the speed of light,” the computer said.
“Warp speed, that’s possible?”
“Ah, Star Trek. Yes, the speed of light is not a barrier.”
“What about the other one, the Jump Ship, you called it?”
“Yes, that vessel is an interplanetary vehicle. It cannot attain the great speeds necessary to travel between the star systems.”
“How fast can that one go?”
“It will attain a speed of at least ten or so millions of your miles per hour.”
“Just out of curiosity, what did the Sooaunts travel in to go from here to their planet?”
“Galactic Transports is what they called them, cargo vessels. There are none here though. They were similar to the Probe in performance, but much, much larger.”
“The interplanetary one, the Jump Ship, tell me about it.”
“What do you want to know?”
“How many people will it carry?”
“Up to ten, with cargo and personal supplies.”
“What did the Sooaunts use to get out of the base and travel around in, I mean short stuff? Ah, you know, if they were going from here to someplace on this planet?”
“It depends on how many were going? If more than one, they would use the Jump Ships.”
“And if there was only one?” Tim asked, holding his breath.
“They would use a Pod.”
“What’s that like?”
“Short range, mostly for inner atmospheric travel.”
“How fast will that one go?”
“It depends where you are traveling.”
“If it was down close to the ground?”
“What altitude?”
“You’re not supposed to answer a question with a question, it’s rude.”
“I’m sorry, but I have to know the specifics, if I am to give you correct answers. Which one would you like to know about first?”
“The Pod.”
“It is a single seater, as you would say. It is primarily used for travel within the atmosphere, but it can attain orbit, and then reenter. At sea level it will cruise at about ten to twelve-thousand miles per hour, and for short distances it will reach almost fifteen-thousand. As it goes higher its speed of course increases. It will accelerate to the necessary seventeen-thousand miles per hour to reach orbital speed. Incidentally, the probe will descend to a depth of six thousand feet under water.”
“Geez, I wish there was one of those here.”
“Your wish has been answered; there are two in the Facility.”
“Whooooaa, I thought you said there was only the Deep Probe deal, and the Jump one.”
“You asked if there were any ‘space ships’, the pod vehicle is not considered a space ship.”
“This I’ve got to see.” Tim thought for a moment. “How hard is it to fly?”
“It is not real difficult, although the control systems are quite different from the planes Clank constructed, but I could always be there to assist.”
“Where are they?” Tim asked excitedly.
“In the space port.”
“Where’s that?” Tim’s excitement was still peaked.
“That is where you flew the TT Fighter from.”
“I didn’t see any space ships there.”
“They are stored just above the port. I can show you the location,” Et said.
“Can you transport me there?”
“Of course, do you want to go now?”
“Yes! Ah, does Arty know anything at all about these ships?”
“No, but he has asked, but of course Mr. V has no knowledge of the ships.”
“What if he figures it out and finds them?”
“I do not think that is possible. He is under the opinion; they are located in a separate location, if there are any left behind at all.”
“What if he just happens to stumble into the place?”
“That is not possible. The chambers that store the vehicles are not recorded in the central computer’s memory. Also the codes necessary to activate the fields that seal the chambers are also not in the central computer. Where the ships are sitting is nothing but a rock wall to Arty, ah Clank.”
“I want to go there now, please,” Tim commanded.
*
The apartment dissolved in front of his eyes and in seconds Tim materialized in complete darkness.
“Et,” he called out.
“This is the place you asked for, is there any problem?” the computer answered.
“It won’t do me any good to go stumbling around in the dark, I need some light.”
“Oh excuse me, it has been so long since anyone has been in here,” the computer said as the chamber began to lighten.
In a moment Tim was able to see enough to get his bearings. He was standing in another one of the chambers that made up Whuc Seaacki, but there were some unusual objects in this one. His heart was pounding as he stared at the one just in front of him. It wasn’t the disk shape, or the exotic materials it must contain, but the fact that this ship had traveled away from the Earth that excited him the most.
It was shaped like two saucers put together, with a diameter of at least forty feet and a depth of ten feet. It was a dull metal color, and stood three feet above the floor of the chamber on three stout legs with pads on the bottoms.
“Which one is this, the Jump Ship?” He walked quickly toward the machine.
“Yes.”
“Oh wow!” Tim was stunned. “This thing will go from planet to planet, right?”
“Yes.”
“It could go to Mars, right now?”
“Yes.”
“And come back? How long?” He reached out and ran his hand over the smooth surface, totally mesmerized. “Has this machine been there, I mean Mars?”
“Yes, a few times,” answered Et. “It would take about four hours and forty minutes, to leave Whuc Seaacki, and to establish an orbit around the planet you refer to as Mars.”
“An orbit, what about landing?”
“It would do you no good to land, there is nothing that would interest you there, and the atmosphere would be toxic to you.”
“What about a space suit?”
“What is that?”
“A suit I could wear so I could go out on the surface”
“I have nothing like that.”
“What? How did the Sooaunts explore all the different places, without suits to protect them?”
“I have no idea; it is not in my program.”
“What about the one that’s long range, the Probe? Where is it?”
“In the next chamber,” Et returned.
*
Tim had been excited about the first ship because it represented the possibility that he would be able to go to Mars, or Jupiter, or one of the other planets. Now as he stood looking at the Deep Space Probe, he was so enthralled it was difficult to breath. Here was a machine that had been to the stars. A short time ago, just before the earthquake, he and Ann had been looking up at the stars and fantasizing about going there. Back then it wasn’t possible to think seriously about doing it. At the time it was just a silly fantasy, something to occupy the mind. Now he was standing right next to, and touching a vehicle that had done it, and could actually take him. Tim was so captivated and excited he was shaking.
Et explained the machine and how it worked. The Probe was not shaped like he had expected, but as Et explained; the ship traveled in the voids of space and did not require any functional shapes or smooth surfaces. It was bulky, and built in the form of a cross. It was fifty feet across, and the longitudinal arm was over a hundred feet long. The angles and the corners on the craft were not rounded, but square. Tim commented that it, “Looked like two railroad ties strapped across each other.”
The Jump ship was powered by a fusion engine and could
attain speeds in excess of ten million miles per hour, but the Deep Space Probe was powered by a system the computer described as a gravitational disrupt.
Mr. V had already explained that the space in between the stars and the planets was not a vacuum, like was thought, but was actually filled with a fabric, gravity. The gravity fabric was the reason for the attraction that every object exerted upon every other object.
Now Et explained that the engine of the Deep Space Probe pulled and pushed on this fabric. That’s how it was able to accelerate to many, many times the speed of light. The speed the vehicle could attain was not consistent because the pull of large objects was greater than empty space, so there was no way to give a definite number. Et said that in some cases, slinging around black holes for instance, the probe could reach over one thousand times the speed of light.
“I guess that makes sense. How many can it carry?
“It will carry two individuals, and will support them for approximately six thousand years,” the computer continued.
“What? That doesn’t make any sense, no one can live that long,” Tim interrupted. “And what about all the radiation out there.”
“The passengers are put into suspended animation, they can live that long,” the computer returned. And the vessel is cocooned in an intense magnetic field. It is a beautiful sight, to witness the Probe traveling through the dark reaches of space. It is like a giant ball of Aurora Borealis, all manner of shifting and moving colors.
“How long did it take the Sooaunts to go from their planet, to here?”
“One hundred and eleven years.”
“Bummer!”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Well, they would have to spend all that time just to get here, and then all that time to get back? What about their families and friends.”
“I think you are probably thinking about the problems pertaining to the long travel times. Am I correct?”
“Well, yeah, wouldn’t everyone be dead when you got back.”
“The Sooaunts lived considerably longer than humans do here on Earth, at this time. The suspended animation was necessary to eliminate the need for large amounts of supplies, and to take the drudgery out of the trip. Besides, when an individual chooses a field of study, other things are forgotten.”
*
Tim was curious about many of the new things Et had just told him, but right now he didn’t have time for any detailed explanations.
“What about the Pods, where are they?”
Et directed Tim to an additional chamber that was slightly smaller than the first two. Tucked up into the back of the chamber, were two small black objects shaped like Manta Rays. They were ten feet wide, fifteen feet long, and four and a half feet high, with a wide flat tail
Et explained that there was no need for them to be any bigger, when Tim questioned the small size.
Et said that they were powered by a fusion engine, like the Jump ship. Most important to Tim, it would be possible with a little instruction, for him to pilot one of them. The probe would turn on a dime at any speed,” Et commented.
When Et made this comment, Tim was extremely curious. After the flight in the TT Fighter, with its phenomenal performance, Tim wondered how anything could outdo it. Et explained that the Pod and the Jump Ship, with their fusion engines, didn’t use control surfaces to disrupt air flow to change their directions. Energy from the engine was vectored in any direction, at command, with this type of propulsion.
Tim wondered about someone being in the ship when it changed directions so quick. He had felt the enormous pressures placed on his body, even with the special suit, when he was driving the TT Fighter.
Et explained that the fusion engine was responsible for changing the direction of the mass of the pilot, along with the ship. Et then tried to explain the way the fusion engine could move anything in the Pod as one, and although the concept was believable to Tim, the exact explanation was beyond him.
He asked the computer if he could go inside one of the craft. He heard a soft pop, a whisper of a hiss, and then a section about four feet square hinged up on the back of one of the ray like machines. Tim walked around to where the opening was and stuck his head inside. It was too dark to see anything, so he asked the computer to start the internal systems to get some light. A soft red light emanated from the inside, and as usual, as in all of Timtown, there was no apparent source.
He could see the position where the pilot sat, and asked if he could go inside.
Et informed him that this pod was the property of the Number One, so Tim pulled himself into the interior of his ship. It took him a few moments to get in, turned around, and then situated in the much too large seat. When he sat back a hologram appeared all around him. It made no sense to Tim, just a series of random dots and colored waves.
“What does all this mean?” Tim asked.
“It is information the Sooaunts could read. Do you understand their language?”
“Of course not.”
“Then it should not surprise you that it is unreadable.”
“I guess not, but you said it would be possible for me to fly this thing”
“Yes, but there will have to be some modifications. Would you like to start them?” the computer asked.
“What kind of modifications?”
“The seat has to be made smaller, for one.”
“What about the language? Can you do anything, so I can understand all this stuff?”
“All the systems have to be reconfigured. It would take time, and there is another problem.”
“What’s that?”
“I’m afraid I do not have the capabilities to do that. You would need Mr. V to perform all that for you.”
“Why?” Tim asked, obviously disappointed.
“You are talking about some structural, and computer changes. All the mechanical shops are under Mr. V’s direction.
“Oh damn, now there’s a problem.”
“Yes, Clank is not going to cooperate with that request.”
“Not too likely, and I sure as hell don’t want him to know they exist. I’m going to have to fly it the way it is then. How would I understand anything?”
“I can translate to start with, and the Pod will learn your language, quickly, and then there will be no problem.”
Tim asked about the fact that there weren’t any hand or foot controls, and Et explained that the craft was controlled mentally. The computer guaranteed this was a much better method than manually.
“I know this is going to be perceived as an incredibly stupid question, but how am I supposed to see out of this thing?” Tim asked.
“Not stupid at all, because you need to see to maneuver the craft. It was a good question. The material surrounding the upper part of your body will become transparent when the system is charged.”
“Ah, I should have known.”
“The transparency is one way, incidentally, unless you want to be seen,” the computer explained.
“The persons outside have begun to set up equipment in the canyon,” Et continued. “They have a primitive, mechanical drilling apparatus.”
“How long will it take to program my protection suit for the invisible gig?”
“The gig—as you describe it—is done!” Et exclaimed. There was pride in his voice.
“Okay, how do I work it?” Tim asked as he prepared to go out and deal with the soldiers.
Chapter 23
The Soldiers
Tim stood at the barrier to the outside world contemplating what his plan would be. First, he had to get in contact with Ed Adams because, regardless of what else happened, he had to find out what Ann’s situation was. Ed had guaranteed that she was to be safe, but now he wasn’t sure. Tim needed a contact on the outside he could trust, and if it wasn’t Ed, then he would have to search for someone else.
There were soldiers stationed right outside the force field at the normal entrance, so Tim was blocked. He couldn’t deactivate t
he barrier with the troops there, they would see what was happening and that would just intensify their resolve.
Again, Tim transported back to his quarters to question the computer as to another way out. As he expected, there were many spots he could use to get to the outside. Tim checked carefully at the one exit he chose, to make sure no one would spot the soft blue light. When he was sure that it was safe, he deactivated the force field and walked through. He walked into sunlight, in a small wash, to the east of the normal entrance.
He decided to just walk up toward the canyon rim until he was spotted.
He didn’t have to wait long. A helicopter gun-ship circling high above him, suddenly dipped into a steep dive and dropped rapidly toward him. As the gun-ship roared over him, Tim looked up and waved. The helicopter flew out a few hundred yards, stopped, turned, and then hovered with its sinister nose pointed directly at him.
The helo remained pointed at Tim as he continued to walk up the slope. Within a minute, Tim spotted soldiers coming over the top of the rim in front of him. He waved and headed toward them.
“Stop where you are!” commanded a bullhorn from the troops to the front of him, but Tim continued to walk toward them.
“You there! Stop where you are! That is an order!”
Tim just kept walking.
“Stop, or we will open fire!”
“Fuck you!” Tim shouted back. He was close enough so they could hear him.
“Stop and raise your hands, or we will open fire! This is the last warning!”
Tim figured he was close enough and stopped, but did not comply with the order to raise his hands.
“You get a hold of Ed Adams, we need to talk,” Tim called out.
“We have orders to detain you, now down, or else,” bellowed the bullhorn, its noise echoing up and down the canyons.
“Detain me; you just threatened to shoot me! Make up your minds!” Tim yelled. “You get Ed Adams, otherwise I’m outta here! You tell whoever is in charge, that!” Tim shouted. He was walking through an assortment of medium sized boulders, and short shrub bushes. As he stood there shouting it out with the bullhorn, he surveyed his immediate surroundings. He wasn’t too sure about the armament in the helicopter; whether the protection suit would withstand the big shells was something he didn’t care to find out. He was ready to dive down into the rocks and pull the disappearing thing, in an instant, if required.
*
“That’s the goddamn kid everyone was telling you about!” a Staff Sergeant yelled as he came running up to the Lieutenant that was on the bullhorn.