Out of the Depths - Fiction - FreeSpace 2


Prologue

Out in the vast gulf between the stars, the object moved. Not a natural object; it had been built, not created. It did not attempt to traverse the unimaginable distances that still lay ahead of it with jump nodes, for there were none. Instead, it traveled through normal space, using normal drives. Some might call the endeavor crazy, insane - indeed many already had. But it was not an act of insanity.

It was an act of desperation.

Part One

Deep inside the Arcadia-class research station at Alpha Centauri, someone screamed.

"Nooo!! That's not what you're supposed to do, you stupid piece of junk! That shouldn't be happening! That CAN'T be happening!"

The commander removed his gaze from the livid scientist beyond the glass. Trying to hide a tight grin, he moved down the corridor. Behind him, the screaming continued to emerge from the lab. "This is impossible! Radio waves will NEVER move faster than they always have, no matter WHAT kinds of subspace fields you encase them in! I don't care if God Himself..."

Commander Jakob Ryner shook his head. Back when Bosch and the NTF had tried to make contact with the Shivans using their ETAK project during the Second Great War, they had made numerous breakthroughs in the field of communications. When the GTVA scientists looked through the retrieved data on ETAK, it looked like it might hold the key to faster-than-light communications without using subspace nodes. Since progress on the Sol-Knossos Portal, as it was known back then, was uncertain at best, it seemed wise to pursue this avenue of research as well. Even if the Portal did work, being able to communicate using FTL transmissions would be a tremendous boon to the GTVA.

So the Alpha Centauri Installation was decided upon as the ideal location for research into the matter, given it's relative proximity to Sol (Communication with Sol had been attempted from Alpha Centauri previously, but the signals - if they managed to reach Earth to begin with - were never successfully returned. It was theorized that there was too much interstellar radiation between Alpha Centauri and Sol to allow the passage of radio signals). Top scientists and researchers from all over the GTVA were transferred to the Installation, except those already working on the Portal, of course. The research began, but that's about all it did. The scientists quickly discovered numerous problems with the idea of FTL communication, and from what little the commander could understand of the weekly so-called 'progress' reports, it looked like the research had just about reached its limit - almost before it really began.

Of course, he thought, trying to ignore the screams still coming from the lab far behind him. I don't need the weekly reports to realize that...

"Ops to Commander Ryner," spoke the intercom nearest him.

He walked over to the wall-mounted unit and pressed his finger to the scanplate that simultaneously identified him and acknowledged the page. "Ryner here, go ahead."

"Commander, the Hawkeye's picked up something on radar. Command is dealing with the situation; but you might want to be here."

"Thanks, I'm on my way. Any indication what it might be?"

"Not yet, sir. The contact is out beyond that asteroid field and isn't broadcasting any IFF, so they haven't been able to get a clear reading."

A pause.

"I see. Ryner out."

Interlude

On the object, relays clicked as sensors began to detect the patterns for which they had been programmed. These sensors sent signals to pre-programmed destinations, but many pathways had been damaged or destroyed during the long journey. Much of the functions and pre-programmed instructions were not carried out. The central computer core did not know of many of these malfunctions, however, for it's diagnostic pathways had been damaged as well. So the object sailed on, unaware that its destination would soon be passed by.

Spoiler warning! Reading beyond this point will spoil certain surprises in the mission!

Part Two

Private First Class Peter Daust was reading an old Command Briefing about the Capella fiasco that he'd requested from the computer. He wanted to write a fiction novel of sorts, depicting what had 'really' happened at Capella. It would be full of surprises, and he had this great plot where it had actually been a secret GTVI unit that had caused the Capellan sun to go supernova to prevent the Shivans from completing their mega-project in Capella. He hadn't quite figured out what that disastrous Shivan project was yet, but he'd think of something, he just needed...

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!

Slapping the offending comm unit's cutoff, he looked at the caller's identification. Oh great, he thought. Just as I was getting warmed up. "Daust here."

"Pete, Lieutenant Keidar here. Get your gear ready pronto, we're heading out."

Sigh. "Yessir. Are we expecting any action?"

"Don't know yet, Private. There's an unidentified Orion a ways out that's not answering to hails. Hasn't done anything hostile yet, but you'll get the details along with the rest of the team en route. Shake a leg; we leave in five. Out."

Oh joy. At least it isn't cleanup duty, thought Daust as he went to get suited up. An unidentified Orion, though...that's serious. Tossing his uniform top on, he headed out the door of his quarters towards the docking bay. Outside the airlock doors, he quickly opened his bio-coded equipment locker and took out his hazardous environment suit and pulse rifle. Slipping into the coverall-like suit, he watched as the memory-metal straps from the breastplate expanded, found their backplate counterparts, merged and tightened. Amazing, he thought. The new memory metal suit connections were supposed to save time getting suited up before missions, avoiding the usual fumbling for straps and connectors. Privately, he thought that the developers had exchanged one problem for another - the time he saved in getting his suit on with the memory metal he usually lost gazing in fascination at the otherworldly process.

Slinging his pulse rifle over a shoulder, he glanced at his watch. 35 seconds left, he thought. Plenty of time. He strode through the airlock doors and into the prep room.

The rest of the team members were already there, going through the standard pre-mission checklist; suit integrity, weapons charge, etc. Daust paired up with another marine, James Denon, with whom he had been on a few missions before, for the final buddy-check.

"Everybody set?" asked Lt. Keidar once they had stopped shuffling around. Heads bobbed around the room. "Good. Get on board the Stork then, and be quick about it!"

Once everyone had settled aboard the Argo-class transport, they all looked expectantly at the lieutenant. As the transport left the docking bay and headed towards the jump-out point, he cleared his throat and lit up the briefing screen. "Ok, listen up, people. Ten minutes ago the AWACS ship Hawkeye reported an anomalous contact about 25 klicks out." Icons on the screen followed along with his words, indicating the positions of the installation and the contact, with an asteroid field in between them. "The contact was situated beyond our local asteroid field and was not broadcasting any IFF signals, so a patrol was sent to investigate. When they cleared the asteroids and closed with the ship, an Orion-class destroyer, they were able to read the ship's ID." Here the lieutenant paused to make sure he had everyone's undivided attention. "The ship has been identified as the GTA Hope."

The marines were quiet for a moment; not completely realizing what had just been said. Then, as the Stork made the jump into subspace, the exclamations began.

"GTA?!"

"Don't you mean GTVA?"

"That can't be!"

Daust sat quietly, watching the lieutenant's expression of mild amusement. He just loves surprising us with this kind of stuff. The lieutenant signaled for quiet. "We don't have much time before we arrive at the location of the Hope. Command is postulating that the Hope is some sort of Great War relic. She may have lost her subspace drive in the middle of a jump; we don't know. Our job is to board her and download her logs. In the unlikely event of survivors, they have top priority. If there are hostiles on board, there is to be no lethal force used until and unless a teammate's life is in immediate danger. All effort is to be made to capture any and all hostile forces alive, with one exception. Shivans are to be sent back to where they came from, namely hell." Grim smiles broke out on the faces of the marines at this. Keidar continued, "Command, as usual, will update our mission goals as the situation becomes clearer. That is all. Any questions?"

Daust spoke up. "Sir, if there are survivors, we only have our medic."

"I know, and so does Command. They have a hospital ship standing by in case we need her services. Any other questions?" The transport dropped out of subspace. "No? Good, 'cause we're here. Lock 'n load, people, it's show time."

Daust started going over his equipment again. "Well this is a change from our usual run-of-the-mill missions, eh?" quipped Denon from beside him.

"Sounds like it, doesn't it?" replied Daust distractedly. He was looking into the cockpit, straining to hear the pilot talking over the comm.

"Command...need...come to a stop...board her."

Command's voice was amplified over the comm. "You got it, Stork. Alpha wing, I need you to disable the engines on the Hope so the Stork can board her."

Interlude

The central computer was beginning to warm up. It had been virtually inactive for so long that it had grown cold, but recent events had required its attention. Sensor modules were picking up four tiny objects nearby, possibly fighters. The computer assigned them designations TINY1 through TINY4. They were broadcasting a friendly IFF, so the computer did not send a command to the weapons module to open fire. Some connections between the weapons bays and the module had been damaged, however, so the weapons' local sensors fed targeting data on the ships to their weapons. They opened fire erratically, but did not cause any serious damage to the four ships, as they were moving rapidly. The computer tried to get a CEASEFIRE command through to the weapons themselves, rerouting through various pathways, but to no avail. They were cut off from the rest of the ship. There was nothing more the computer could do, so it dismissed the rogue weapon bays as irrelevant.

Sensor modules then detected two more ships nearby. Both of them were larger than the first four, and they, too, were broadcasting friendly IFFs. The computer assigned them designations SMALL1 and SMALL2. It then requested more information from the sensor module, but there was a limit to how much could be detected using passive sensors only. The computer had not yet received the command from the bridge to enable active sensors. But passive sensors detected a number of things. SMALL1 had begun using active sensors to scan the object. TINY1 through TINY4 had opened fire on the object's engine control module, apparently with some type of disabling weapon. And now that the object's engine had been damaged, it was moving slower. The object came to a complete halt as the engine control module was totally disrupted. And now SMALL2 had begun what looked like a docking maneuver with the object.

Part Three

Peter Daust, PFC, stood behind the lieutenant, who stood in front of the airlock doors. He gripped his weapon tighter as the Stork made contact with the docking port on the Hope. The craft shuddered slightly, and was still. He hadn't been nervous on the way, but he was now. Two thousand, he thought. Two thousand potential hostiles. At least they're no Shivans aboard. None that the Hawkeye was able to detect, at least...but why are they reading as faint signals? Maybe they're shielded. Or maybe they're dying. Oh well, at least they're human and Vasudan...

"This is Lt. Keidar heading the boarding party, we're opening the airlock now..." There was a hissing sound as the doors began to open. Daust glanced down at the atmospheric readout inside his helmet, watching the pressure flutter, then stabilize. "After me," said Lt. Keidar as he stepped into the Hope. Daust and the rest of the boarding party followed, alert.

Daust looked around the room. There was no debris on the floor, no bodies, no nothing. Ok, he thought. I didn't expect it to be quite this clean... Keidar spoke into his comm. "Command, we are on board the Hope. We have entered a deserted ship. There are no bodies; everything looks to be in order..."

"Hawkeye, where are those life signs on the Hope located?"

"Mostly in the cargo hold, but there are a few in the bridge and engineering areas."

Keidar spoke again. "Okay, we heard. The bridge is the closest, we're heading there first." He looked around again, then turned to his squad. "Ok, split up. Group Two, check out the cargo holds and report back. Group Three, head down to engineering. See about getting these engines fixed. Group One and medic, you're with me. Let's head on up to the bridge."

Daust was Group Two leader, so he gathered his team together. "Switch to Group frequency and check in."

After the flurry of checks, he said, "Ok, let's head down to the cargo area and see what we shall see."

The walk through the great ship was eerie. Everything was in its place, but it felt like a deserted ship. They encountered no one on the way. After this mission I'm going to have to find me a nice crowded bar...

He heard the lieutenant on the squad frequency reporting to Command. Cryogenic units! The Hope is a sleeper ship! Now it's beginning to make sense...

And as they reached the cargo bay doors, Daust knew what they would find beyond. He toggled the door control, and watched as the massive cargo doors irised open before him, revealing row upon row, stack after stack, of cryogenic units, each one with a light on it. Some were a steady green. Some were blinking red. All were occupied.

Someone whistled.

"Wow!"



Copyright 2001 Michael Cohen blah blah blah :)