Jeopardy Chap 3

“Sorry to wake you, sir, but we’re receiving a com. It appears to be automated distress signal point three light years positive 87 by negative 11.”

Jackson sat up and pushed one hand through his hair and the other pressed his face awake. He pulled on a shirt and shorts, and scrambled out of bed in the dark. Rianya pulled the covers over her head. 04:17 showed on the chronometer.

“What have you got, Mr. May?”

“I can confirm a distress signal, Captain, but can’t identify the sender.”

“Have you compared the bandwidth patterns with records from species not originating in this sector?”

“Aye, sir, but it’s unique.” The lieutenant called up a colorful diagram of sound waves. The red wave on top looked more like radio frequency, although clearly a repetitive audio signal. “The blue signals for comparison are all documented civilizations within a twenty-five-light-year diameter of Earth.”

“So, they’re beyond Beta Hydri, not between here and Earth,” Jackson said. He looked at May’s attentive face, then at the display again. “Are they drifting?”

“I pinged their ship; they’re going just under Mach 100, in the general direction of Beta Hydri.”

Captain Jackson stepped back and settled into his chair. His adrenaline was circulating but his brain was begging for a shot of glucose. A space faring species is looking for some kind of assistance, be it mechanical or medical. Normally, he had to consider if the initial meeting with a new species going to be worth the risks, anything from a hijacking, an ambush, an infectious fatal disease, a territory war, supply raid… but this time the most important factor was the crisis on Beta Hydri IV.

“Send a message to Space Admin, Admiral J P Wallace, date today. ‘Encountered an unidentified but unmistakable distress signal. S. S. Maria Mitchell will not detour in light of situation on Beta Hydri Four.”

“I’m not sure I’ve actually sent a com since taking this assignment, but, no angst, sir.”

“Never mind, then. Let Watson do it when he relieves you. An hour or two won’t make a difference. Goodnight.”

“You’re wicked,” Rianya mumbled and tucked her knees to her chest when Tom climbed back into bed and nudged her with his cold feet. He lifted a heavy strand of hair out of her face. “What was that about?”

“Distress call.”

“Are we going to help strangers instead of my people first?” she snapped.

“No.” He stroked her shoulder.

“We’re not going to help them?” She turned over to face him.

 “We would if it weren’t for the asteroid, but my job is to prioritize. Kinnae comes before assisting aliens we don’t know.”

“I’m surprised to hear you say that, but glad.” She placed her hand on his bare shoulder where he could feel the heat of her skin radiate to his own. He yawned and pulled her closer, wrapping himself around her as if she were a body-sized, heated pillow, and kissed her cheek before the personal twilight of sleep took over.

þ

Arriving on the bridge shortly after 07:00, he found the day crew already in their seats with their eyes on their instruments.

“Good morning, everyone. Anything interesting from the aliens?”

“Nothing overnight, Captain,” Chief Petty Officer Watson answered. “We’re getting the same signal with the same Doppler pattern as we were a few hours ago. However,” he continued, “They are closing and should reach us in about 25 hours.”

“Closing? What do you mean, closing?” Jackson planted himself in the center seat and perched his coffee on the armrest.

“The ship is following us, sir," Lee answered.

“That’s peculiar.” Jackson stepped into the nadir and took a look at Lee’s dashboard and imager.

“Recalculate arrival at Beta Hydri Four at FTL-10, 7^th power.”

“Seventh power? Aye sir.”

“I know what you’re thinking. Quixote has it all worked out down there. No seventh power black holes today.” Lee flushed and plugged numbers into his computer. Jackson, too, recalled a jump to seventh power which created a space-anomaly that almost devoured them.

“Negating any other variables that would shorten our trip by 47 hours, Captain.”

“Very good. Increase to seventh power. Rougeau, what’s our power consumption difference?”

Rougeau touched a few pictures on his dashboard.

“A net point three of a gigajoule per hour, sir,” Rougeau answered.

“Any dark matter, asteroid belts, rogue planets, cosmic junk up ahead?”

“No, sir, clear sailing,” he said.

“Engage, then. My experience is that we can never be over prepared, too early, or too cautious.”

Jackson left the bridge for the doyen’s office, what would have been called a ready room on a carrier or battleship. The Maria Mitchell was the first of any Space Agency ship to have an administrative office for the captain and officers. Before that, meetings were always in the mess, his quarters, or a random corridor on the lower decks.

“Quixote to the captain.”

“Good morning, Commander. I haven’t even finished my coffee.”

“My apologies, sir. We’ve had an increase in speed?”

“Is there a problem?”

“No, sir, just confirming your approval. This will consume nearly 30 percent higher energy per hour beyond our current power level.”

“Yes, I want to get to B H Four and get some distance between us and that alien ship. Don’t know if there could be a life and death situation or not.”

“Not a problem down here, Captain.”

“Thanks for confirming with me.” Jackson ended the com and sat down at his desk for a second taste of morning brew.

“Captain?”

“Good morning,” Tom said. He’d skirted out of their quarters early and let her sleep.

“The aliens?”

“We’re stepping up our rendezvous with Kinnae a couple days. The aliens are following us.”

“Thank you. I just wanted an update. We’re going to the mess now.”

“Be in sick bay at 08:00,” he said.

“Yes, Sir.” Her terse voice drew Tom’s attention back to the tiny, metal grille. He should have turned on the visual first thing.

“Sorry. Ms. Rianya, would you please report to sick bay by 08:00?”

“Of course, Tom.”

He turned on his computer unit and gulped a hundred mills of sweet coffee anticipating the intercom to interrupt him again. He glanced out the window at the stars, looked at the door that lead to the bridge, stared at the intercom grille, but he sat in silence. After a full minute, he enjoyed more coffee from his oversized cup and opened the com himself.

“Jackson to Sergeant Wagner.”

“Good morning, Captain. What can I do for you?”

 “Good morning. We have a new intercept timetable with the asteroid, but the aliens sending the distress signal are following us. I’d like you to coordinate and conduct a disaster drill by 14:00.”

“For what scenario, Sir?”

“Hostile takeover and medical contamination.”

“With respect, Sir, didn’t we just do both of those in the last couple months?”

“Can’t be too prepared, to early, or too cautious, Mr. Wagner.”

“Aye, aye, Captain.”

“Attention all hands, this is the captain,” Jackson said. “Mr. Wagner will be conducting a disaster drill for unexpected emergency at 14:00. Please give him your full attention and cooperation. All hands will be at duty stations for the duration until the drill is over.”

When 14:00 came, every hand was at their battle station waiting for an emergency klaxon. A minute went by, and then another. Jackson frowned and banged the intercom.

“Mr. Wagner, this--”

WAAA WAAA WAAA WAAA pounded the eardrums of each person on the ship. The lights on board shifted from bright white to a vivid red-orange.

“Status!” Jackson shouted over the alarm.

“Doctor Adams issued an emergency alert. I’m getting a report from sick bay, Captain. There’s an outbreak of Small Pox virus.” Tom stifled a laugh given that Small Pox was eradicated in the 20th century. It would indeed be an emergency if there was an outbreak of that.

“Rougeau, seal deck three and close ventilation to secure the virus. Lee, all stop, thrusters at station keeping. Watson, compose and submit a report to Space Administration immediately. Prepare a warning buoy in case we have a breach or necessity to evacuate that section to space. And shut off that damn noise.”

“Aye, Captain.” The klaxon stopped but the red lights stayed on. Jackson pounded the intercom and sounded the boatswain.

“Attention all hands, this is the captain. Secure all stations for quarantine, deck three. Secure all stations for quarantine of deck three. Prepare escape pods for departure.

“Quartermaster, ready all EVA suits and save data and personnel records.

“Engineering, stop neutron bombardment and close all fuel ports.

“Sick bay, no ingress or egress of any crew members will take place unless authorized by myself or the chief medical officer. Prepare for sterilization procedure and isolation.

“All departments, prepare status reports and submit to the bridge com. Stand by for additional instructions. Captain out.”