Flipspace: Astraeus Event, Missions 4-6

By John Steiner

Oh Fortuna
Flipsace 4

During a deep space rescue, the Mockingbird receives emergency dispatch orders for the Fortuna asteroid. Colonel Rama is warned of Russian Federate and Remote Space Conglomerated Industries vessels. The Fortuna Foreign Relations Office invites Mockingbird’s senior officers and Federation command officers to an embassy dinner. The two Earth powers are asked to defend Fortuna from RSCI clandestine ops. Lt. Cipactli Arroyo-Diaz, and his team are invited to a “friendly” game of soccer with Russian security. Stanley Goddard runs into an old nemesis in the form of a Federation Logician.

Threshold
Flipspace 5

The freeze on FTL exploration is over. Mockingbird is dispatched to the exo-planet, XJ-372495E to relieve an outpost team established by the Astraeus. They discover no response from the base, and fear the same fate befell the station as the FTLV. Col. Rama and crew land to investigate the small wind-blown base. Todd Nathanial Ash, Mockingbird’s genetic specialist and Seti team member draws animosity from the science team leader. He and Cpt. O’Connell uncover signs of extinct civilizations, found by the first team, and learn what happened to outpost crew. That’s when things get dicey.

When It Rains
Flipspace 6

Only 42 light-years away, the exo-solar planet, Henry Draper 40307G has yet to be visited by humanity. That changes, when the Mockingbird arrives with an astronomical survey team. Deploying probes and deep space telescopes, the science team stumbles upon intelligent aliens on sixth planet. Colonel Rama orders the crew onto alert. Captain O’Connell and his Seti team, clash with ISO scientists while studying the surface life. The crew is shocked again, when a derelict spacecraft is found in a Lagrangian Point beyond the planet’s moon. How many S.E.T.I. encounters they face is uncertain.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Melange Books, LLC
• Release date: Sep 4, 2014
• ISBN: 9781612359557

John Steiner

John Steiner earned his Associate of Biology at Salt Lake Community College, where he is currently working as a tutor in math and chemistry. He exercises an avid interest in history, science, philosophy, mythology, martial arts as well as military tactics and technology.

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OH FORTUNA

Mission 4

Chapter 1

Between a Rock and a Cold Place

In what could barely be called an orbit, ISS Mockingbird made slow circles around the asteroid, Themis. It measured almost two-hundred kilometer in diameter. Named for the god of natural law and order, Themis proved to be a natural, albeit coincidental choice for raw materials to be used for spacecraft. Among them was the ill-fated Astraeus. When one of the asteroid’s remote operating bases declared an emergency it gave Sumitra Ramachandra a momentary chill.

But Colonel Rama hid that away, as she floated in Mockingbird’s small Combat Information Center next to Major Fitch. She listened to comms of suited crew members deployed to render aid. Two of the Ghostwalker Security Force operators were among them. The Mockingbird was several kilometers above the station, which served as an outlier base of operations to the asteroid’s main complex. Maggie, the ship’s AI had been quick to detect the point of decompression. It was a rupture in the facility’s operations compartment, possibly from a micrometeorite impact.

It looks like zey’ve secured ze breach with emergency patches, Lieutenant Sveindottir, the ship’s senior engineering officer reported from the top of the dome.

Can you assess the conditions inside? the colonel asked, having not yet taken the Operations Command Station. We’re still having trouble connecting to their network.

Through Mockingbird’s external cams and sensors, Rama watched, as Tech Sergeant Wei Jin used a technical assist glove worn over his suit. He placed his palm on the surface to get readings through the dome. A secondary view inside Kevin Wei Jin’s helmet let Sumitra see his subtle head shake.

It’s not good, Colonel, Wei Jin reported. Pressure’s down below half an atmosphere. We’re going to need the flight surgeon and a couple med-rigged Hummers down here.

Copy that, Sumitra acknowledged, and turned to operations. Tell Captain O’Connell to suit up and deploy, and get Sup-Dep to config two Hummers for medevac EVA.

Colonel Rama shifted the view in her ocular augments again to that of the Supply/Deployment Bay interior. She watched, as crews there hustled to reconfigure a pair of Humanoid Modulated Robots for medical emergencies in vacuum.

Sergeant Macready to Mockingbird, One of the Ghostwalkers called in. We’re at Personnel Airlock Two, and everything seems secure for entry.

Stand by on entry, Operations answered back, once Rama gave her a head shake.

Sup-Dep to CIC, medevac Hummers are ready. We’re waiting on the captain.

He still hasn’t answered to confirm your orders, Ma’am, Operations advised.

Is he in the med lab, Colonel Rama asked.

Yes, Ma’am. He’s lying on a surgical bed like he’s asleep. None of his field kit is out, nor is he prepping the med lab to receive casualties. Should I get security down there?

"I’ll handle the flight surgeon, Sumitra called out a tad loud, and then dialed it back with a staying hand to the Operations officer. But thank you. Major, you’re on OCS."

Colonel leaving CIC, Chief-of-the-Bird Anders announced, as she departed.

At the Z-axial corridor, Sumitra descended to Deck Four and maneuvered in free-fall for the med lab through the Spectre Facility Bay. Captain O’Connell still lay on the right side surgical bed but not strapped in. In a brief moment of alarm, Sumitra inspected Malcolm’s still form for any sign of injections, IV’s or more mechanical means of self-destruction. If he was breathing Sumitra couldn’t be sure. That didn’t cause the colonel much concern, however, contrary to normal, due to his fluorocarbon nano-cage oxygenation augments throughout his blood and tissue. None of the med lab’s stations or equipment was on. The entire compartment was as dead quiet as could be, aside from ship utilities behind the walls and Spec Fab she passed through.

Captain, Colonel Rama inquired, and repeated louder, Captain!

Nothing, save for a faint movement under his eyelids. Rama didn’t think O’Connell’s ocular augments included displays or remote access.

Captain, this isn’t the time for pranks. Rama hardened up her voice a little. We have an emergency on Themis, as you were well informed of before we got here. That now includes the prospect of a medevac of civilian astronautic personnel.

His closed eyes moved again, but in a way Sumitra thought he was reading.

Lieutenant Tyson seemed to think security was in order. That’s a potential reputation you want to avoid in a small crew...tens to hundreds of millions of kilometers from anywhere, much less if we were to ever go light-years out from home again.

I was studying the two Themis worker’s augments, O’Connell decided to reveal to her.

Ah, it speaks, Sumitra chided without humor slipping into her tone.

Maneuvering off the table and rotating in air, the deft flight surgeon brought his legs down toward the floor to face her, eyes now open.

Sorry Colonel, Captain O’Connell apologized in haste. I started my little crash course once we got the call. I went through Themis’ station roster and work schedule. Then I went through their medical files to best prepare for whatever conditions might come up. One of the two employees slated for work this cycle has a persistent genetic condition that could cause minor complications with his augments if there were a spike in solar emissions.

You’d think he shouldn’t have any, Colonel Rama remarked, as the captain gathered up what he needed in urgency, and added, Couldn’t the problem be written out of his genome?

It’s a jumping gene, O’Connell answered, with his face behind a hatch he opened to one of many drug storage compartments. His geneticist probably got it out of the vast majority of cells, but there’s always the chance they missed a few, if it’s an extremely rare condition.

Why does being rare mean anything? Rama asked. And how were you reading anything?

Common and well-known conditions get more focus for research—the Squeaky Wheel phenomenon of medical science, O’Connell explained. Now that the bulk of common genetic disorders are treatable you’re seeing a slow shift of emphasis toward less frequently occurring inherited illnesses.

Yet, he was medically cleared for off-planet duty and augmentation? Sumitra challenged.

It might be rare enough to escape screening, and didn’t cause him any problems until he got out here. There’s a bit of a game among some geneticists to discover new disorders.

Morbidly fascinating, Sumitra commented.

Ah! Malcolm declared and scooped up a vile. And what I did was memorize the file without trying to comprehend it, and then take my time in recall, one of the perks that comes with a Xerces Twenty-Seven neuro-stimulator. That’s it! Alright, Colonel, I’m off to Sup-Dep.

With Captain O’Connell back on the clock, Colonel Rama returned to CIC. She tapped into Sergeant Macready’s ocular feed, while tracking O’Connell’s EVA descent to the work station. The Ghostwalkers, Sergeant Dean Macready and Senior Airman Oleksiy Basar were in their combat pressure suits but were not armed. Instead, they carried hand welders, multi-function power tools, intelli-foam canisters for patching bulkheads, a roll of solid paneling for larger breaches and an old fashion pry bar.

Mockingbird to Lieutenant Sveindottir, Rama called. I’m about to give the flight surgeon and security a go for entry. Is that patch reinforced yet?

Yes, Colonel, she answered. It vill hold and my team is on standby just in case.

Copy, Rama acknowledged, and then switched over to O’Connell and Macready. Rescue op is a go. O’Connell, stabilize any patients and get’em out quick. We can’t be sure how stable it is in there.

Roger that, Ma’am, O’Connell confirmed, as she watched him take a pry bar.

Sumitra was reminded that the flight surgeon used to be a firefighter in two separate periods of his life in the twenty-first century. They reached the operations room to find the doors not functioning. Sergeant Macready and Airman Basar configured one power tool for cutting and the other into an expanding wedge. Captain O’Connell worked the pry bar with practiced, firm hands, and even while under Themis’ micro-gravity.

After a couple minutes, the three men and two medevac Hummers entered to find both men lying on the floor on their sides bracing each other. From Macready’s view, Colonel Ramachandra noticed O’Connell’s head nod within his helmet, before he knelt down to get readings with a medical glove.

Good work, boys, the flight surgeon congratulated under his breath, and then said at normal volume, "They deployed their cryptobiosis injectors, Colonel, and huddled up to delay the freezing of body fluids. I’m not seeing any spinal or cranial damage, or signs of ruptured blood vessels. We’re starting evac now. We should have them onboard Mockingbird in under twenty mikes."

Colonel Rama watched as the rescue operation made EVA escape velocity back to the ship. Once cycled through a cargo lock, O’Connell and the Hummers hustled their patients to the med lab. The flight surgeon started metabolic and neurological resuscitation with assistance from Maggie, via the robots and Airman Basar.

Colonel, Maggie addressed through the Air Variance Resonance system, We’re receiving new deployment orders from ForCom. They instruct us to make our best speed to the Fortuna Asteroid.

If Mr. Goddard can do another of his intra-system flips we could be onsite and matching local velocities in under a day, Major Fitch commented.

There are no details as to the mission, or any sealed orders contained in the transmission, Colonel, Maggie went on. However, an advisory has been included, detailing an inbound ISV strike group from the Russian Federation and warships from a subsidiary company under RSCI. Do you wish to elevate Threatcon at this time?

Yes, Maggie, take us to Threatcon Alpha, Rama concurred via her order, and then ran off more. Comms, log any high level Federation and RSCI signals, and start a sweep through civilian news transmissions for reports involving Fortuna. Ops, between the flip make active sweeps for ISV traffic, and maintain NATO standard skin colors. Weapons, run diagnostic on our launch bay payloads, the Spectre and Flashpoint Defense. Major, take OCS and land us on Themis Station. I can’t very well take O’Connell’s patients into a combat situation.

Chief Anders again announced Rama’s leaving the CIC. Sumitra originally planned to go to her quarters during the spatial flip to study the warships advisory in more detail. Yet, a glimpse of excessive green down the rearward corridor of Deck Four, caught her attention. It was the hydroponics bay, and wild leafy vines half-filled the open door as if reaching out of the compartment.

Jesus Christ, Mr. Ash, Sumitra cursed under her breath. What did you do now?

Colonel, Maggie spoke through thin air over Rama’s head. "Mr. Goddard has submitted his flip window calculations, and Mockingbird’s landing window for Themis Station is plotted. Awaiting your orders."

Standby five minutes, Sumitra answered, and propelled herself toward hydroponics.

Waving away lightly assailing greenery, Rama encountered a dense jungle spilling out of several acceleration tanks swaying in the absence of gravity. She saw no sign of Todd Nathanial Ash.

Mr. Ash! Colonel Rama called out, while looking up and around.

Hoah! Colonel Rama heard Stanley say from behind her. He wasn’t kidding. No wonder he rushed over for help. It’s like Day of the Triffids in here!

Triffids, Rama queried, waved her arms and legs into a rotation to face him.

Ah, never mind, Stanley dismissed, and eyed around her. Yeah, we’re going to need some help to contain all this.

Maggie, locate Mr. Ash, Rama called out.

Mr. Ash is on his way to hydroponics, Colonel.

Told you I was good, Todd shouted out, before he realized who else waited for him. Aw shit.

Mister. Ramachandra wound up her disciplinarian voice. We’re delayed from a landing to off-load survivors, to be followed by an emergency flip to Fortuna under Threat Condition Alpha. This is a free-fall and acceleration hazard. You had best explain yourself.

Ah, damn, sorry, Ma’am, but this is what I mentioned in my proposal to boost our renewable food growth, with improvements for materials collection and power from Stanley’s modifications.

We’re to eat vines and leaves, Mr. Ash?

No, Ma’am, Todd answered with an uncharacteristically crisp formality. The vines are for secondary resources to fuel the meat growths and provide a few things Captain O’Connell needed.

He’s not a witchdoctor, Sumitra scolded, unsure what medical purposes the greenery behind her served. You said something about bio-manufacturing techniques. I don’t recall any mention of giant weeds taking over my ship.

Some of the drugs and compounds he requested are produced by the plants themselves, Todd explained to a stony-faced Ramachandra. But others are made by bacteria, protists and a few artificial organisms of my own design. A number of those inhabit some of the flora I engineered. There’re also a few imports we couldn’t fit into our environment and power budget before. I got a few GMOs that can synthesize materials for certain ship systems. It’s just I expected more time to figure out how to regulate the growth within the tanks and stabilize their tissue integrity.

Or, apparently, Colonel Rama reminded with an icy tone. How to keep this stuff from snapping loose to cause problems during engine burns. I want this bay squared away in two hours, or I send you packing back to the Pan-American Combine, Mister.

While Sumitra hadn’t specified, she counted on Stanley to help Todd out before returning to the Reactor Room to manage the Flipspace Device for the transition to Fortuna. She resumed climbing toward her quarters to strap in. There, Sumitra began piecing out what capabilities the Russian Federation and RSCI would bring to bear on the asteroid.

Chapter 2

Odin’s Eye, Thor’s Hammer

Colonel Ramachandra delayed her in-person inspection of hydroponics until after the intra-solar flip, and engine burn to match Fortuna’s orbital velocity. Using Mockingbird’s internal cams before the flip, she already knew Mr. Ash had things back in order. But her physical presence iterated that importance to the genetics hacker. Sumitra’s silver irises scanned the scene without expression.

For his part, Mr. Ash looked to have been sweating bullets prior to her arrival, and must’ve wiped that off prior to assuming the zero-G position of Attention on her entry. Having reread his submitted proposal, she recalled the startling array of ecological enhancements Todd had planned for the hydroponics bay. As such, Ramachandra brought relief in announcing he had passed inspection.

Colonel, Maggie prompted overhead. You’re requested in CIC.

Thank you, Maggie, she answered and left Mr. Ash to his official duties.

When she entered the Combat Information Center Maggie closed the door. Only then did Chief Anders reveal why she needed to be present.

We’re still two thousand kilometers from entering Fortuna’s outermost orbit, Anders reported. Maggie detected gravitational distortions consistent with a spatial rotation.

Bringing up the sensory log, Ramachandra studied the warping of starlight behind the event. It was coupled with computer imposed arrows to signify the displacement of local space. She found several bright specks within, centered on something else quite a bit larger. Enough so, that the vessel’s structural features were recognizable at its extreme range to the Mockingbird.

It’s a Federation Carrier/Assault Vessel und its strike group, Lieutenant Vogel, who was on OCS watch, added in his German accent. Zey entered within five-hundred-thousand kilometers of Fortuna. Two of ze targets we can’t identify, but we know zey aren’t decelerating with the rest of the strike group. We didn’t get any missile lock signals or probe transmissions from either of zem.

You won’t, Colonel Rama stated, while studying their trajectory. They’re Asmodeus class destroyers. It’s believed that AI’s are the only crew, so they don’t need internal environments or many supplies. There’s not a living person aboard. It lets them do engine burns at 70 G’s or better.

It also means the Russian Federation is way ahead of us in upgrading their cosmonautics forces with FSD’s, Anders observed, and then realized something. But how’re the AI ships able to follow? It’s my understanding that AI’s aren’t that much better at handling spatial flips than people without a Logician’s neural augmentation.

I’ll have to ask Mr. Goddard about that, Rama replied. But I’m guessing the CAV can enclose a volume large enough to move the entire strike group.

Sumitra described the origins of the Autonomous Strategic Multi-Operational Deterrence Expeditionary Unmanned Ship, as best understood by NATO’s intelligence reports, "The speculation had been that subsidiaries of Remote Space Conglomerated Industries expanded their reach inward to make raids against remote bases and privately held assets from the asteroid belt on out.

"RSCI statements claimed that said reports were ‘random acts of piracy.’ Allegedly, Sumitra emphasize. The PR firm’s communique went on. That, ‘If any company