Curious Sols (The Sol Principle Book 1) Read online

  Tonight, the halls were fairly empty. Most of the crew were gathered in one of the observation rooms, or running primary system checks. One family, apparently running behind, passed by Wispy as they headed for the upper observation room. A young boy broke off from his family for a second, seeing Wispy, and ran over. He hopped up and down and made a few strange sounds, which typically would be followed by Wispy turning a bright pink or other colors and then flying away down the corridor.

  Wispy, however, continued hovering down the corridor, seeming to ignore the boy. He started to protest as if cheated out on a fun game, but before he could continue his mother had roped him back over to the family. Within a few moments, Wispy had reached one of several lifts located throughout the ship.

  Taking the lift down several levels, Wispy continued on its way, down another corridor. At the end of the hall stood a door with a plaque reading, “Mid Ship Access.” A circular glass panel was set in the wall above the plaque like every other doorway on the ship. A few strands of energy sparked from Wispy striking the panel, activating a code, and opening the doors.

  The opened doors revealed a small room with three passages. One passage lead either right or left of the entrance doors and a third was above. An open lift took passengers to the next level, or if needed an old fashioned ladder ran up the wall. Wispy required neither, however, and floated up to the ceiling and through the passage above. The passage ran for ten meters before opening into a larger room. A faint background hum, from the shield energizes, indicated this room was near the exterior of the ship. Great metallic beams, like masts, ran perpendicular from the exterior wall of the room inward to the center. Resembling trestles, they were latched in place by great couplings.

  A mid-size computer workstation was located in the room. It was encased in protective shielding typical of engineering workstations or those intended for space work. Wispy floated over to the workstation. Much like the door panel, strands of electricity sparked from the ball of light and struck the control panel of the workstation.

  A voice from the workstation quickly stated, “Warning, safety protocols off,” before being silenced.

  After a minute of sparking the panel Wispy paused, then headed back to the opening in the floor. Retracing its steps, it headed out the Mid Ship Access door and down the hall. A few minutes later it was up the lift and back to the family quarters. Inside, the rooms were empty, the Quinns still partaking in the stargazing festivities above.

  Wispy settled back down on its charger, the glowing light surrounding it faded as it powered down.

  #

  Sleeping in was one of those special times that happened once a week aboard the U.S.S. Columbus, a hold-over from past decades when one day out of the week was reserved for religious observance. Years ago, he would have been up early getting ready for services, but that was a lifetime ago it seemed. Now, with the family up late last night, everyone would rise haphazardly through the morning.

  Ashley was already up of course. She didn't seem to have the need to sleep in, always on the go. Though having an empty bed when you wake up wasn't always desired, it did have the benefit of usually resulting in a good cup of coffee and a bagel waiting on the kitchen counter. Neither of them had the time, nor desire to do old fashioned cooking, but both of them had their specialties. Ashley's was breakfast and his was barbeque, or at least what kind of simulated barbeque he could fix on board a spacecraft.

  After getting dressed, John headed to the kitchen area. Ashley was holding her reader, swiping her finger across the portable glass panel as she likely sifted through the latest scientific journals. Looking up at him she smiled. With a wave she pointed to the coffee and blueberry bagel sitting on a counter.

  “Thanks, and good morning,” he responded.

  “What morning?” Ashley countered, it's almost noon.

  Jonathon looked at the time on the wall, “I'm surprised you didn't kick me out of bed already.”

  “I think yesterday necessitated some extra rest, don't you?” she quipped. “The kids are already up and out. Jessica is out playing over at Mary's and Stephanie almost got up before me. I came close to putting a hold on visiting friends, but I think your talk last night has her back on the right track. The readout on the medicine cabinet has her taking ments again on schedule.”

  John started to raise an objection, but then stopped and nodded his head. “It's hard not to reign things in, but that can backfire too. I have to think balance. At least that's what her overpriced doc told me back in D.C.”

  Ashley moved over to him and put her hand over his shoulder, “You know, we didn't get to talk about this ghosting from yesterday. Now that the kids are gone, what happened?”

  “Ghosting,” John affirmed, “I guess that's a fitting way to describe it.” He took a sip of his coffee and started to walk around the kitchen's island counter.

  “Well, I was stuck inside my office and couldn't figure a way out of it. The door was jammed, Ksync wasn't working. For some reason, I got the bright idea to try to reach Jessica on her NEUBI. We were right in the middle of class when the power dropped, and knowing her, she was likely still wearing it. There weren't any other options, so I tried the ridiculous, trying to reach her through my neuroband. I didn't think it was going to work, but before I knew it, I was projecting myself down the hallways to her room. The next think I know I was having a conversation with her and telling her everything was O.K.”

  John stopped walking around the island, “Ashley she gave me a hug, and I could feel it, at least for a moment. She also was able to talk back to me. I mean she’s not supposed to be able to do that on a NEUBI band, right?”

  Ashley seemed to be trying to wrap her mind around what he was saying. She looked as though she was going to ask a question, then stopped. A second time a question almost came out, then she stopped once more.

  “So, she was able to talk back to you and give you a touch that you felt. You're sure you felt that, not imagined?” Ashley was able to get out.

  “Yeah, I mean I know the difference from our trials back in the lab,” John confirmed.

  “Then there has to be something else going on here, there's definitely some uncontrolled variables that need teasing out,” Ashley started into her scientific speak.

  “Well, it's almost the opposite, Ashley,” John replied. “It's like I was more in control than ever. Things were focused, and I felt much more engaged than during our trials.”

  “Being cool under pressure is your specialty,” Ashley bit her tongue. “Don't let it go to your head.”

  John pointed to himself and raised his arms questioningly.

  “I mean the obvious change though would be your physical state, cool or not, your body is pumping corticosteroids, like plasma out an engine vent,” she explained in her own way. “It's a place to start at least.”

  “OK, well if the kids are away,” he danced his way over to her, “then the parents can play.” Putting down his coffee, John put his arms around Ashley and pulled her slightly with a dance move.

  Turning her head back to him she added a condition, “Just so it's playing in the lab, with the neurobands...”

  John put on his best look of denial and distraught before swinging her around again.

  #

  Kevin was locked in combat with three Banshee Wailer drones. The rest of the patrol had been jumped and wiped out, except for Stephanie. Two of the drones were laying down crossing fire and Steph was about to run right through it. With some quick thinking, he looped behind his aggressor and took it out with his pulse cannon. Throwing his drone into a dive, he punched the afterburners while lining up an intercept course. It was either Stephanie or him. One of them wasn’t going to make it out…

  The chirping of his Ksync erased the dream he was having. It was replaced by the darkness of his bedroom. Scrolling across the screen of his Ksync was a message, “I’m outside in the hall. Come quick. Steph.”

  Kevin jumped out of bed and nearly injured h
imself several times while trying to get dressed. Looking at his Ksync again, his mind fought through a haze and recognized that the time was just after six in the morning. On a Sunday! What was she thinking?

  He labored to sneak through the living room and out the main door without causing a stir. Kevin stepped into the hallway and was immediately grabbed by his shirt sleeve.

  “C’mon,” Stephanie whispered with vigor. “If we’re going to find out what it’s up to you’re going to need to move faster.”

  “Find out what?” Kevin barely managed to ask as he was yanked to jogging speed down the corridor.

  “Shhh,” she replied, while glancing at her Ksync. “I planted a tracker on that annoying pet of Jessica’s. I know that it’s up to no good, constantly sneaking off. What kind of pet sneaks off into the night?”

  “I don’t know,” replied Kevin as they continued to jog down the corridor, “a cat?”

  Reaching the lift Stephanie smacked Kevin gently on his arm. “Smart-aleck. This thing isn’t a cat. I don’t trust it. Never have.”

  “So where are we going?” asked Kevin.

  Looking at the map on her Ksync, Stephanie replied, “It’s headed to the galley.”

  A short trip up the lift and down another long hallway led both of them to the ship’s main galley. Rounding the corner, Stephanie took cover behind a cart of silverware. Kevin took up position behind a large plastic potted plant. In the distance both of them spied a small glowing ball hovering across the dining room. It glided over the doors leading to kitchen and out of sight.

  “What kind of trouble could it be causing in the kitchen?” asked Kevin.

  “You never know with these gadgets,” Stephanie replied in low tones. “Probably put together in Hong Kong with Singapore software. This thing could have all sorts of sleeper code in it, just waiting to wake up and take us all out. What better way than to poison us all?”

  “Don’t you think the cooks will notice?” Kevin asked.

  “Not if it goes stealth mode,” she replied. “Sneaky little bugger. Hey, shhh. It’s coming back.”

  The soft whirring of the orange ball returned and grew louder as it approached them. Peering closer, the ball had a small silver tray resting on top of it. One good whiff and both of them smelled what rested on the tray… pancakes. Wispy floated by them and down the corridor without stopping. If anything, it almost seemed to whistle a little tune as it flew down the hall.

  Stephanie looked as though she could cry before her emotions quickly swung in the opposite direction. She dropped to the floor on her bottom and then rolling onto her side laughing. Kevin, seeing the look on her face, fell down to his knees and burst out laughing as well. The two of them laughed for almost a minute before saying anything.

  “How do you put up with me Kevin?” Stephanie managed to get out, still laughing, but with a hint of sadness in her voice.

  Kevin detected the hidden note as he had heard it many times before. “Never a boring day Steph,” he responded. “There’s no one like you.”

  Stephanie scooted over to Kevin. She leaned up against him and whispered, “You’re one of a kind too,” she said, then gave him a kiss.

  “So should we warn you sister about her pancakes?” Kevin needled her.

  Stephanie gently elbowed him in the ribs. “Are you kidding?” she replied. “I’m going to grab some syrup and butter. You go rustle us up a stack. Meet ya at the orange juice machine.”

  The two jumped up and bounded into the dining hall, smiles on their faces.

  #

  Swiping the door's control panel, Ashley opened the entrance to her computer lab. Walking in, she immediately went to the main computer workstation and began entering instructions. John on the other hand, moseyed around the room looking at various machines and gadgets that dotted the lab.

  Noticing his wanderings, Ashley commented, “Don't start playing with the toys John, at least not the shrink ray. We wouldn't want the wrong part of you becoming microscopic.”

  “You have a shrink ray!” John replied, clearly missing the point of her sarcasm. “Hey wait a second,” he added as her comment started to sink in.

  “No we don't have a shrink... ray,” Ashley said, pausing after “shrink” and “ray” in an attempt to deliver another jab. “I'm sure if we did have one though, you would be the first person to find it and shrink something important.”

  John looked as though he was about to counter with his own remark until something else caught his eye. “What's that thing attached to the neuro-generator?”

  Ashley finished inputting her commands and faced him.

  “With any luck, that's the next step in neuro-technology,” she answered. “I've never been a huge fan of headbands, not my favorite fashion accessory, mind you. That device is my ticket back to fashion sense. Right now I have figured out how the person receiving thoughts can go bandless,” she explained ending in a broad smile.

  Ashley walked over to the experiment resting by John. “The problem I'm having right now is transmitting thoughts without a neuroband,” she added. “I’ve almost worked out how to avoid the need for this specialized device too. Just about any workstation should be able to transmit to a person not wearing a neuroband. I guess for now, the sender will have to stay hard wired so to speak.”

  “So what happened yesterday may not even be that important,” John pondered out loud.

  “No, it's very significant,” Ashley disagreed. “You both may have been wearing different kinds of neurobands, but the important fact was you communicated way beyond the known range without computer assistance. This machine just allows a link without a neuroband, but you still need a computer to process and replicate thought. What you two did was unprecedented. The closest thing like it, if I remember right, was a bio-neuro tech experiment that Dom ran three years ago....but that didn't end well.”

  Twice in two days Jonathon cringed at the mention of that name. This time, the reaction was a bit more noticeable.

  “Oh, never mind,” Ashley quickly closed the subject. “How should we go about testing this?”

  “I suppose we could try to recreate the conditions I was under,” John replied all too happy to change the subject.

  Taking his neuroband out, he prepared for an afternoon of prodding, poking, and pondering.

  Chapter 9 Hoist the Sails

  Sunday was a slow day which was put to good use running system checks throughout the ship. Most of the ship's crew were off-duty, recharging their own batteries by socializing with family or perhaps relaxing at the Chiller lounge. The skeleton crew that was working focused on diagnostics and maintenance of the ship's systems.

  “All energize systems are normal, Captain Sterling,” reported Ensign Williams via the bridge console screen.

  “Very good,” responded the captain. “Finalize your reports and transfer systems to automatic. I believe that fiancée of yours would appreciate a few extra hours of your time.”

  “Aye, Captain,” acknowledged the ensign, “Thank you.”

  The captain closed out the video and opened a full screen image from the Mars tracker feed. Her mind drifted for a moment from Mars back to Earth as she thought of the past.

  Anita Sterling came from a long line of ship commanders. Her family traced their line of naval history back to WWI, the war to end all wars. Though during her life she had not faced such conflict, it was filled with its own share of battles. Most of them were skirmishes between nations fighting over a dwindling source of resources. If it wasn't a battle over resources, it was likely a deadlier fight with Mother Nature. The freakish disasters that could sink a city in floods or level a village by winds had been steadily increasing over the past decades.

  Her last assignment was a search and rescue across the midsection of Florida. Thousands of people had died in a massive hurricane that left almost a sixth of the state's low lying areas underwater. Disney World was practically beachfront property now, but instead of housing thousands of tourists
it was home to hundreds of flood victims. The horrors she had witnessed, the tears shed by families ripped apart, and the lack of funding to rebuild ripped at her heart. It was a true blessing this assignment had become hers.

  The U.S.S. Columbus was filled with the best and the brightest for a noble task, carrying the hope of a nation with her. Thousands of desperate voices cried out for the opportunities of their forefathers. Anita was in charge of that hope. She watched over her ship, not just for the families and people on board, but as the beacon of hope that must be lit on Mars. When they settle outside of New America they will send back to Earth a light so bright that all can take solace.

  A different sort of light with a warning tone brought the captain back to the present.

  “Captain!” alerted the ship's navigator, “we have an emergency sequence running in the external systems station.”

  Rushing over to the navigator Captain Sterling directed, “Specify, ensign. What's going on down there?”

  Ensign Warren slung visuals across his workstation like a speed shooter until finding the culprit.

  “It's the sail couplings, Captain,” he announced. “The safeties have been unlocked and the emergency eject protocol has been initialized.”

  “What?” choked the captain, “what in the Nine Hells is going on?”

  Side-stepping the navigator, the captain swiped her hand across the vidcomm panel next to him giving her command access. Tapping the all call tab she made a ship wide announcement.

  “Emergency crews to workstations. Emergency crews to workstations. This is not a drill!” directed the captain. At the same time a ship wide alarm set off, notifying the crew of the emergency status.

  Quickly flipping the vidcomm off all call, Captain Sterling opened a private channel with tech officer Mercedes. A visual opened of Glennay standing in the dining room of her quarters.