Beacon of the Gods

By Robert Merritt

Three human civilizations in the galaxy have combined to form the Star Union. The three branches of the human family discover that they share a common interest in the star Deneb. The members of the Star Union possess folktales that are eerily similar despite the distance between the three star systems. Shortly after the union of the three societies, unidentified signals were detected from the Deneb region. An exploratory vessel was sent to investigate the origins of these transmissions. The expedition reported its safe arrival, then vanished. Now, almost a century later, new evidence has surfaced that reopens the concern about the events surrounding the missing expedition. A robotic scout sent to the Deneb star system has suddenly gone silent, so the Star Patrol dispatches a survey vessel to uncover the fate of the scout and the missing explorers. Will this investigation of the mystery in a new area of the galaxy reveal a bright future for the Star Union, or a warning of an impending shared fate?

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Dec 21, 2017
• ISBN: 9781546222095

Robert Merritt

Robert S. Merritt is a retired educator from Massachusetts. Writing has always called to him and now he is living that dream he and his wife Kathy make their home in Lakeland, FL.

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© 2017 Robert Merritt. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 12/20/2017

ISBN: 978-1-5462-2210-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5462-2209-5 (e)

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

CONTENTS

Chapter–1

Chapter–2

Chapter–3

Chapter–4

Chapter–5

Chapter–6

Chapter–7

Chapter–8

Chapter–9

Chapter–10

CHAPTER–1

T he day was warm and sunny as the man in the blue and silver uniform strode along the walkway. Captain Winston Becker known to his associates as Kim, hurried to his appointment at the headquarters of the Star Union Patrol. The summons was unexpected and Kim Becker wondered why he had been plucked from his post at the Star Patrol’s Cartography Bureau. Working here allowed him to spend his adult life living his passion, exploring the galaxy. Expeditions to visit and chart new star systems had filled his days as an officer in the Star Patrol. Now he was busy preparing new star charts to serve as navigational aids for the next generation of Terran explorers. Captain Becker thought over the surprise order again. Admiral Tura Vespa was the Commander of the Star Patrol’s Operations Division. Admiral Vespa was a Vegan, one of the two other branches of the human tree that the Star Patrol had discovered as it investigated distant stars. Terrans had been unprepared to learn that other humans inhabited the galaxy. The finding of other human beings created a sensation back on Terra a century and a half ago. Today, the extended human family was spreading across the universe in ever-growing waves. The Star Patrol led the way. Charting new stars and planets, ensuring safe navigation and law enforcement were the duties of the Patrol. It was important and satisfying work. Kim Becker had devoted his life to this great mission. Captain Becker reached the imposing structure that was the headquarters of the Star Union Patrol. He was directed to the proper section of the busy complex and found himself at the Operations Division’s wing. Kim Becker presented his credentials and the order summoning him to the office. An orderly asked Captain Becker to be seated for a few minutes. The Operations Center was a busy place with staff moving in all directions. Visitors came and went in a steady parade. Finally, the orderly returned and handed Becker an electronic pass. Instructing him to wear the pass around his neck, the orderly beckoned Captain Becker to follow. The pair journeyed along several corridors before arriving at a heavy looking door. Kim Becker was surprised to see the entrance guarded by an armed Star Patrol Marine. The sentry carefully examined the passes then came to attention. He nodded and pushed a button. There was a soft buzz as the heavy door slid open. The orderly hurried inside leading his guest along the corridor to another locked door. The orderly placed his finger in the identification slot then pushed a button on the wall. Once again, a soft buzz preceded the opening of the door. The orderly indicated a row of chairs.

‘Captain Becker, please wait here. The Admiral’s staff knows you are here and someone will fetch you shortly.’ With that, the orderly vanished. Kim Becker studied his surroundings as he waited. The office was standard Star Patrol style. There was a computer-equipped desk with a large view screen on the side wall opposite the chairs. Another door was located to the side of the desk. The walls were devoid of decorations. As he waited to be fetched, Kim Becker thought over what he knew about Admiral Vespa. He possessed a formidable reputation in the space service. He was said to lack patience and was quick to relieve anyone who did not meet his high standards. Under Admiral Vespa’s prodding, the Star Patrol had become leaner and more efficient. Several senior officers in the Star Patrol had chosen to retire rather the serve under the energetic new leader of the space service operations division. As these thoughts filled his mind, Kim Becker noticed that the rear door had silently opened. A young Lieutenant stood there eyeing the visitor. The young man coughed then gestured for Becker to enter.

The Lieutenant came to attention and spoke. ‘Captain Becker, welcome to the Operations Center. Admiral Vespa will see you now, this way please.’ The aide led Captain Becker to another heavy door. The young man used his identity badge to open the door and stood to the side as Becker entered. The door slid quietly back as soon as Kim Becker cleared the doorway. A tall angular man waited behind his computer desk. As Captain Becker approached, the Admiral offered his hand. Like all Vegans, he was dark skinned with small dark eyes. His gaze appraised Becker as he stood in front of the desk. Admiral Tura Vespa’s grip was powerful and his dark eyes looked sternly at Kim Becker.

The Admiral pointed to a chair. ‘Captain Becker, I am pleased to meet you. I had my staff comb the Patrol’s personnel files to locate a group of experienced and talented officers for a special mission. For the moment, Captain Becker, you are at the top of my list, but we shall see.’ Tura Vespa sat folding his hands on the computer desktop. He studied Becker for a moment before continuing. Vespa nodded then touched a spot on the desk console. The view screen on the side wall lit up. Admiral Vespa pointed to the screen. ‘Captain Becker, I have selected you to command a sensitive mission.’ The image of a star chart appeared on the screen. The Admiral waved a hand pointer. ‘Here is the star Deneb. It is 1,500 light-years from Sol. It is a blue/white super giant star, one of the largest in the whole galaxy, in fact. Deneb is a spectral type A-2 star about 200 times larger than Sol. We have only recently managed to send a robot scout to make a preliminary investigation of the Deneb area. The scout reported that it had arrived safely and began transmitting data. Operations proceeded normally for several days. Then the robot reported a collision with an unidentified object. The scout’s signals started to become disjointed then ceased altogether.’ Admiral Vespa paused to take a drink of water before continuing. ‘Normally this would not arouse any apprehension; things like this are part of the risk of exploration. However, some weeks after the robot went silent some startling new information came into our possession.’ Tura Vespa took a deep breath then spoke softly. ‘Captain Becker, have you ever heard of an early Terran explorer named Sir Reginald Carter?’

Kim Becker grinned, ‘of course I have, sir. Sir Reginald Carter is one of the most famous people in the history of the Star Patrol. He led several expeditions to new stars.’ Kim Becker became thoughtful, ‘I believed that he commanded the vessel that first contacted the Vega star system.’

Admiral Tura Vespa nodded, ‘you are correct Captain Becker.’ Admiral Vespa sniffed, ‘I suppose I owe my current job to Sir Reginald. In any case Captain Becker, we have only recently discovered that Sir Reginald Carter was involved with an expedition to Deneb when his ship vanished.’

Captain Kim Becker sat upright in his chair. ‘Sir, that was almost a century ago! I had no idea that the Patrol attempted to reach out so far from the Star Union.’ Becker thought for several seconds, ‘they lacked the necessary technology for such a deep space voyage in those days.’ Becker looked puzzled, ‘why would Sir Reginald Carter undertake such an extra ordinary journey?’

Admiral Vespa shrugged, ‘I don’t know-yet. It was an almost impossible mission in those days. For reasons unknown today, the Patrol’s command staff sanctioned the effort.’ He drummed his fingers on the desktop for several seconds. ‘Captain Becker I have chosen you to lead a new expedition to the Deneb star system. If you accept the assignment, then tomorrow you will return here to meet someone with some sensational information about the expedition of Sir Reginald Carter.’ He eyed Becker closely, ‘this will be a very dangerous voyage Captain Becker. We will be pushing the limits of our capability; your ship will be on its own. Help will be a long way away. Do you accept the assignment?’

Kim Becker never hesitated ‘yes sir, I do.’

Admiral Vespa nodded, his features grim. ‘Very well, Captain Becker. I will have my staff draft the necessary orders at once. Be here tomorrow morning at 0800.’ Tura Vespa rose and offered his hand again. ‘Thank you Captain, I expected that you would rise to the challenge. I will see you tomorrow.’

Kim Becker was shown back to the main lobby. He spent the rest of the afternoon at the Star Union Patrol’s archives. There was plenty of information on the great Sir Reginald Carter. The man’s accomplishments were legendary. He helped test the first graviton propulsion system that allowed travel faster than the speed of light. Thought for centuries to be impossible, the development the uniform inflation field broke the barrier. The expansion of the molecular field exerts a negative pressure in space using the force of gravity to push rather than pull. This startling discovery permitted the acceleration of an object to speeds greater than light speed (LTS). A space ship going faster than LTS is out of the physical universe so the normal laws of physics do not apply. Even the passage of time is not disrupted. Interstellar journeys became possible and later routine. Sir Reginald Carter led the initial expedition to the Vega star system located some 25 light-years (LY) from Sol. His discovery of a flourishing human civilization stunned Terra. The Vegans were much like the Terrans, with only slight variations. The powerful radiation of their blue/white star forced the Vegans to possess dark skin and small dark eyes. Other than these physical characteristics, they were virtually identical to Terrans. The Vegans were equally surprised to receive visitors from another star. They had enjoyed local space travel for some time, but had not been able to crack the LTS barrier. The two branches of human development soon reached an agreement to work together and the Star Union was formed. A short time later, another Terran expedition encountered a third branch of humanity in the Altair system. The Altairians resembled the Vegans rather than the Terrans. They were also dark skinned with small eyes generated by living just 16.7 LY from Sol. The Altairians were just developing planetary flight so the arrival of the Terrans came as a shock. The Terrans and the Vegans reached out to welcome the third member of the human family into the Star Union. The three human groups eventually merged into one homogeneous civilization. Today, all were equal members in a growing galaxy-wide culture. The name of Sir Reginald Carter was revered across the entire Star Union. If these activities were not enough, the intrepid Sir Reginald Carter also did the preliminary mathematics leading to the current sub-space navigational system. The records indicated that just under a century ago Sir Reginald Carter led an expedition to explore deep space. The files were vague about the exact destination of the expedition. Carter’s vessel the Fortune, had vanished without a trace or any sort of distress signal. The more Kim Becker studied the records, the more puzzled he became. It made no sense for an expedition to simply depart into deep space in such a manner. They had to be going somewhere and they had to have a reason for such an undertaking. Becker thought back to what Admiral Vespa said earlier. Carter had gone to Deneb some 1,500 LY from Sol. Such a journey would be extraordinary today, in his time it was almost suicidal. Captain Kim Becker frowned as he considered his prompt decision to accept command of this expedition. He suspected that Admiral Vespa knew more than he was willing to admit. The voyage to Deneb would be a lengthy one and they would be completely on their own as Admiral Vespa had pointedly mentioned. The accident to the robot scout was troubling as well. These robots were built tough and seldom failed. Yet, somehow, this one suffered a collision then went silent. Kim Becker was a somber man as he returned to his quarters.

The next morning found Captain Kim Becker back at Admiral Vespa’s office. Captain Becker was shown immediately into the private chambers. Admiral Vespa welcomed Becker then introduced him to a lovely young woman in her twenties. She was a Terran about six feet tall, slender with black hair and large blue eyes. She was dressed in civilian clothes and nodded coolly as she shook Becker’s hand. The Admiral informed Captain Becker that the woman was Dr. Jackelyn Montoro, an astrophysicist at the prestigious Institute of Astronomical Research here on Terra. There was no finer center of scientific knowledge anywhere in the Star Union. Kim Becker’s work with the Star Patrol’s Cartography Bureau brought him in to contact with data from the Institute of Astronomical Research, but he had never met any of the staff until now. Admiral Vespa invited his two guests to sit around a low table. When the three were comfortable, Admiral Vespa looked at Jackelyn Montoro with an expectant air. ‘Dr. Montoro I have been informed that you have acquired some important information about the final expedition of Sir Reginald Carter nearly a century ago.’ Tura Vespa sat back his arms folded across his chest.

Jackelyn Montoro took a deep breath. ‘I have been involved for some time with a research project relating to using light waves as a medium for communications. The Star Patrol is interested in developing a system for signals separate from the current the sub-space transmission method. Over a very long distance, light waves communications will not be effective. However, in shorter range situations using light waves will offer a fast, secure channel for fleet communications.’

Admiral Vespa nodded, ‘you want to piggyback the messages to travel with the light waves across space.’ He thought for a moment, ‘that would offer a much more rapid passage of signals especially over a shorter distance. There would no trace in the normal communications mediums so the message would remain undetectable to current technology.’

Jackelyn Montoro smiled, ‘that is our goal Admiral.’ She shook her head, ‘making it work has proven a challenge to say the least.’ She sat forward placing her hands face down on the table. ‘Recently the Institute was approached by a descendant of Sir Reginald Carter. This gentleman is connected to Sir Reginald Carter through Carter’s granddaughter. The man was conducting an inventory of the family archives and discovered some unusual information. Sir Reginald apparently left a record tape for his wife in the event he did not return from his last expedition.’ Jackelyn Montoro paused for a moment, ‘it appears that he suspected that he might not survive this voyage. Sir Reginald’s wife never disclosed the contents of that final record. The old record tape remained unnoticed in the family’s possessions these many years. The current family member thought that the record tape might have some historical value so he offered it to the Institute of Astronomical Research or as we call it the IAR.’ Jackelyn Montoro gazed at the two Star Union Patrol officers her eyes wide. ‘That record tape stunned the staff in the Historical section. It appears that Sir Reginald Carter was not on a voyage of exploration. He was carrying out a top-secret mission for the Star Patrol.’ Dr. Montoro looked at Admiral Vespa with a glint in her eye. ‘Admiral, when you grew up in the Vega star system did you ever hear tales about the so-called Night Demons?

Tura Vespa laughed, ‘oh my yes! Everybody heard those stories; strange lights in the night and unexplained sightings of objects in the sky. There were even claims about strange looking beings that suddenly appeared then just as suddenly vanished into thin air.’ He shook his head, ‘there has never been any evidence that I know of to support these wild rumors.’ He regarded Montoro with amusement, ‘don’t tell me Sir Reginald Carter was pursuing these mythical creatures!’

Jackelyn Montoro grinned, ‘did you know Admiral, that on Altair they have similar stories? It is striking how close the details match the stories from Vega. Yet, Altair and Vega are nine light-years apart!’ She turned her gaze to Kim Becker. ‘Captain, do you recall the ancient tales here on Terra about unidentified flying objects, the so-called, UFO incidents?’

Kim Becker became thoughtful, ‘yes, I do remember reading about such things starting back in the old Twentieth Century. As we explored the solar system there were some unexplained possible contacts then the whole thing died out.’ Becker pointed to Admiral Vespa, ‘I agree with you, sir. There has never been any actual proof of non-human life in the galaxy.’

Jackelyn Montoro sat back draping her arm over the back of her chair. ‘Up until three months ago, I would have agreed with you both.’ She sat upright, ‘today I am not so sure. Back in Sir Reginald’s day, the Star Patrol detected unusual signals from time to time. The unidentified signals were not pulsars nor were they microwave radiation signatures. The signals appeared to be sent in groups, as if in code. The last of these strange signals coincided with the creation of the Star Union agreement between Terra, Altair, and Vega. The Star Patrol gained a general track on the origin of these odd transmissions. They came from the direction of the star Deneb.’ She looked around the table at her two companions. ‘Sir Reginald Carter was sent to investigate the source of these messages, if that is what they were.’ Jackelyn Montoro took a deep breath, ‘I became involved when it was theorized that the unidentified signals the Star Patrol detected were not radio waves at all, but leakage from messages transmitted via light waves.’ She smiled at the pair of Patrol officers. ‘If this theory turns out to be correct, there is another life form out in the galaxy and for centuries they have been monitoring the development of civilization on the three star systems with human life. There are some at the IAR who link the ancient tales of alien visitors with this new discovery. The similarity between the stories here on Terra with those on Altair and Vega is disturbing.’

Admiral Vespa coughed, ‘are you telling me that the Star Patrol is really going to go hunting for aliens who can appear and disappear like that’ he snapped his fingers. He frowned, ‘frankly Dr. Montoro I find this line of reasoning very flimsy!’ He glared at Kim Becker. ‘Captain Becker what is your view on this’ Vespa hesitated, ‘fairy tale?’

Kim Becker’s thoughts were whirling around his brain forcing him to pause. Then he spoke slowly, ‘I think sir, that if there is chance that we are being watched by aliens and if they can do these things, then they are well advanced. In that case, we better find out what we are up against.’ Captain Becker rubbed his chin, ‘there haven’t been any recent reports of any unusual sightings that I am aware of.’ He regarded Jackelyn Montoro with interest. ‘What does the Institute of Astronomical Research want the Star Patrol to do?’

Jackelyn Montoro smiled, ‘I think you already know Captain Becker. The evidence points to the star Deneb. We know that Sir Reginald Carter’s ship the Fortune made it to Deneb. Then nothing was ever heard again. Now a robot scout arrived at Deneb and that vessel has ceased communications. We believe that it is time the Star Union learns if we have other neighbors in the galaxy. Deneb appears to be a good place to start. We also better discover their intentions.’

Admiral Vespa sighed, ‘Some time ago I was directed to undertake the necessary preparations for this expedition.’ He shook his head, ‘it sounds to me that some laboratory geniuses have gone overboard and now the Patrol will waste a lot of time, equipment, and human resources to pursue what amounts to ghosts!’ He glared at Jackelyn Montoro, ‘if there really were any superior aliens a century ago then why didn’t they reveal themselves to us? If they had hostile intentions, then they could have destroyed us easily.’

Kim Becker spoke softly, ‘we don’t know the whole story, sir. The aliens may have had their own agenda, or perhaps they became distracted for some reason.’ He looked at his superior. ‘Sir, you offered me command of a ship for a special mission. I would love the chance to explore the Deneb region of the galaxy. We have no accurate data from this part of the universe. If there are no aliens hiding behind Deneb, he grinned at Jackelyn Montoro ‘then we can at least increase our information base.’ Kim Becker became serious, ‘if the Institute of Astronomical Research is correct then the sooner we know the better, sir.’

Admiral Vespa shrugged, ‘I already have my orders Captain, so this mission will go forward and you will be in command.’ He turned his gaze to Jackelyn Montoro, ‘what contribution will the Institution of Astronomical Research make to this expedition?

Jackelyn Montoro replied at once, ‘we will of course, make all of our data available to the Star Patrol. We will also provide a small staff to go along on the voyage to handle the scientific work.’ She smiled, ‘I will lead the IAR team, and I am going along with you Captain Becker.’

Kim Becker smiled back. ‘I am happy to hear that Dr. Montoro, the IAR and the Star Patrol will make a good team I expect.’ He looked at Admiral Vespa, ‘orders, sir?’

Admiral Vespa looked back and forth at his two companions then slowly nodded. ‘I will make the necessary arrangements.’ He paused, ‘Captain Becker I need you back here this afternoon. Dr. Montoro please return to your work at the Institute, I will contact you shortly.’ The meeting ended.

That afternoon Kim Becker returned once more to Admiral Vespa’s office. This meeting was very business-like. Two aides from the Admiral’s staff were present as well. Tura Vespa wasted no time. ‘Captain Becker you will take command of the research ship Centurion. Due to the limited size of your vessel, before you sail we will dispatch a class C robot supply ship loaded with additional equipment and supplies.’ He indicated his assistants, ‘my staff will be responsible for the arrangements so you can focus on preparing your command. I have selected a top-notch collection of officers to help you. You may interview them starting tomorrow. The Centurion is your ship so you will have the final say about all manning decisions. You may select the remainder of your crew after the officers have been appointed. The Centurion is a proven design with a good record of exploration missions. She is currently completing a full rebuild at the Luna space dock. She is now the last word in technology, the Star Patrol has nothing better for this type of mission.’ Admiral Vespa paused then continued thoughtfully, ‘I remain doubtful about the existence of aliens, but we won’t take any chances. On orders from the Fleet Commander, the Centurion has been modified to carry a limited array of defensive weapons systems. In addition, I am assigning a section of Patrol Marines to your ship.’ He gazed at Kim Becker with a stern expression, ‘this is a scientific mission so I am confident that you are the best choice to command. Your previous experience in exploring and charting new star systems should equip you well for this task. I do want some officers on board with advanced tactical training, just in case. Tura Vespa smiled, ‘If you find yourself in a hostile situation you should rely on the advice of your battle specialists.’ Admiral Vespa sat back in his chair, ‘questions, Captain Becker?’

Kim Becker referred to some notes he made in his hand data recorder. ‘Sir I want some experienced cartographers aboard and I know exactly who I want. Dr. Montoro is an Astrophysicist so I will allow her to select the science team.’ Kim Becker looked at his superior intently for several seconds. ‘I would like some written instruction regarding my options in the event we encounter aliens. I need to know if there are any rules of engagement. The Centurion is not a warship. We are going to a place no human has ever seen except Sir Reginald Carter and he apparently died there. A ship like the Centurion has little military capability. I remind you sir, that while all Star Patrol officers receive training for any situations including battle, nobody in the Star Patrol has any serious combat experience. If we confront trouble my tactical experts will be just as much novices as I.’

Admiral Tura Vespa’s small eyes glittered hotly. ‘I am aware that the Star Patrol has never been confronted with a genuine battle situation. However, the Patrol has dealt with pirates and some well-armed criminal groups from time to time. Your Executive Officer has taken part in two military type situations before. Your marine section Commander also has seen some planetary action. I also know that those officers tend to have strengths in various areas of the service. Your work in the cartography section for example. You have had limited experience in day-to-day service aboard ship. You did command a survey vessel for two years and I see in your service record a few short assignments on board several general patrol ships.’ Admiral Vespa’s tone became hard. ‘You have received no tactical training since you were at the Star Patrol Academy. You have never attended any of the tactical courses at the staff college.’ Vespa sniffed, ‘I selected you to command the Centurion because I firmly believe that this mission will be scientific in nature. If I truly suspected that you might meet hostile aliens, I would never permit civilians to go along. As a precaution though, I will provide you with the necessary defense capability and the experts to use it correctly.’ Admiral Vespa tapped his fingers impatiently on the desktop for several seconds. ‘I will give you specific orders regarding your options in the unlikely event of a hostile encounter. As always in deep space, the final decision will be yours.’ He grinned, ‘I have confidence in you Captain Becker so I trust you to do the right thing if the time comes. Anything else, Captain?’

Kim Becker nodded, ‘yes sir, what will the robot supply ship be carrying?’

Tura Vespa responded, ‘the robot supply vessel will carry additional supplies, heavy equipment, and spare drones to allow you to explore areas where it is too dangerous to use the ship.’ He pointed to his two assistants, ‘my staff will discuss the details with you Becker. Now tomorrow your officers will arrive so you may interview them. The Centurion’s rebuild at the Luna base is nearly complete. The day after tomorrow I will take you to look your command over.’ Tura Vespa stood, ‘anything else Captain Becker?’

Captain Kim Becker shook his head, ‘no, sir. After the conference with your staff, I will meet with Dr. Montoro. I expect that she will want to have some equipment stored on the robot supply ship.’

Admiral Vespa nodded approvingly. ‘I agree Becker, so I will turn you over to my staff.’ With that, Captain Becker and the two assistants left the office. The remainder of the day was spent completing the endless details that trouble the preparation of long voyage. It was late that night before Kim Becker was able to hit the pillows.

Early the following morning, Captain Becker was back at fleet headquarters. Admiral Vespa wasted no time on pleasantries. The introduction of the ship’s prospective officers started at once. Commander Morgan Reiss was the first candidate. She was a Terran in her forties, tall, slender with blonde hair and a medium build. Her service record was impressive to say the least. Graduating first in her class at the Star Patrol Academy, she went on to a string of successful tasks. Commander Reiss has already commanded one small vessel and had served as Third Officer on a Battlecruiser. Later she served as Science Officer on one of the brand-new Constellation class deep space cruisers. While doing so she took part in a confrontation with a group of space pirates who fortified their concealed base. They even managed to arm three ships and chose to fight it out with the Star Patrol. This was as close as the Star Patrol had ever come to battle. She had completed all of the command courses at the Staff Training Institute including top marks in the tactical training program. Morgan Reiss was relaxed as she faced her interviewers. Her answers were short, precise, with no hesitation. When asked why she volunteered for this mission she replied that any chance to explore a new portion of the galaxy was an exciting prospect. In addition, Commander Reiss explained that her background in scientific research missions had been limited so this offered her an opportunity to grow professionally. The record Commander Reiss had built impressed Captain Kim Becker, but he liked her attitude towards this mission even more. Commander Morgan Reiss was a thorough professional with the ability, experience, and coolness to meet any unexpected challenges this extraordinary voyage might present. Kim Becker offered his hand, ‘welcome aboard the mission Commander.’

The next officer was Lt. Commander Alan Tanaka of the Star Patrol’s Engineering Service. Lt. Commander Tanaka was in his early fifties, short, slight in build. His eyes gleamed brightly as he studied the two other officers. Alan Tanaka was a Terran and his service record was nothing but top marks. He had served on every major class of vessel in the Star Patrol fleet. He knew engineering top to bottom and possessed plenty of experience in space. He would make a terrific asset to the Centurion’s officers. Commander Tanaka expressed a high level of interest in serving on deep space voyage of unusually long duration. Kim Becker nodded and accepted Alan Tanaka as his Chief Engineer.

Doctor Karata Bashara was from Altair. Like all of his kind, he was dark with small eyes, of slender build and moved like a cat. He came from a long background in the Star Patrol medical service. He had authored several papers on the medical problems associated with deep space missions. He volunteered immediately after hearing of a planned voyage of great length. This he stated, would provide him with the practical experience to compliment his studies of deep space medicine. Dr. Bashara seemed surprised when Kim Becker bluntly asked him about experience dealing with battle wounds. Dr. Bashara thought for a moment then replied that he had little actual contact with victims of violence, but he had the necessary training. The Doctor assured his two questioners that he could handle anything that developed.

Later that morning Admiral Vespa and Captain Becker reached agreement on the assignment of top officers for the voyage. In the afternoon three additional watch officers, two assistant engineers, a communications officer, and two ensigns fresh from the academy completed the wardroom of the Centurion. These eleven officers would be responsible for helping Captain Becker complete the mission. Over the next week, the rest of the twenty-member crew would be interviewed and recruited. Admiral Vespa promised that the marine section would be arriving at the end of next week. The Admiral assured Captain Becker that Dr. Montoro was completing the assembly of her scientific team for the voyage. Kim Becker insisted that he get to meet each member of the science team before they embarked. As requested, Kim Becker received the services of two experienced members of the Star Patrol’s cartography section. All of this cleared the way for the next day’s event. Admiral Vespa brought Captain Becker to meet the most important member of the expedition-his ship.

The Admiral’s shuttle was fast and very stylish. It did not resemble a standard Patrol design. As Captain Kim Becker examined the plush interior, Admiral Vespa remarked that he enjoyed working with small ship design and this shuttle was one of his creations. A Star Patrol ensign served as pilot for the short flight to the Luna base. Kim Becker looked with pride at the cluster of lights that marked the Luna settlement. Here was the start of Terra’s exploration into space. Back in the twenty-first century, Terrans built the original moon colony. Today much of the surface and even more below the surface had been developed as any city on Terra. Kim Becker’s first assignment after the academy was here at the Star Patrol’s Luna base. Seeing Luna again was always a thrill for Kim Becker. The Star Patrol’s facility was an extensive base on the far side of the earth’s moon. Floating in orbit was a huge space dock. It was built in matching sections allowing the dock to grow or compress to service any size of vessel. Unlike the large commercial space docks in Earth’s orbit, this facility was designed for Star Patrol use only. Kim Becker observed as small craft zoomed around the busy site. Individual workers in space suits floated about moving slowly with hand held propulsion units. Captain Becker saw a large planetary landing ship nearing completion in one of the cavernous bays. Admiral Vespa indicated the troop lander, ‘that is for deploying Patrol Marines directly to the surface of any world that will support human life. The streamlined design allows for entry into the planet’s atmosphere and a gentle landing. This will be much quicker than depending on shuttles to travel back and forth to transports in orbit. What is unique with this new design is that the ship lands horizontally rather than vertically. This will permit the rapid discharge of the marines and their equipment. Tura Vespa smiled, ‘your marine detachment is right here at the Luna base.’

Kim Becker nodded, as he looked the troop transport over. Then his eyes spotted his true interest. Secured in the far bay was the sturdy outline of a Star Patrol survey vessel. Kim Becker knew the survey class ships well. He had served on several in his duties in exploring new star systems and planets. Later, he had commanded an earlier design of this type of vessel. The Centurion was about seven years’ old, but looked almost new as the dockworkers finished their tasks. Short, somewhat stubby, and rather round, the survey vessels would never win any awards for beauty. The circular command bridge bulged upward from the forward section. The powerful thrusters stuck out from the rear in a large box shaped structure. The matter/anti-matter pods hung below the round hull like huge skids. They needed to be some distance from the ship to reduce the crew’s exposure to radiation. These vessels were intended to be tough, reliable, and useful. The wide hull was crammed with scientific sensors and equipment of all kinds. The ships carried sufficient fuel for very long voyages and their power plant was designed to be extremely economical. Kim Becker recalled the limited living comforts aboard the ships and wondered about the length of this voyage. The young shuttle pilot swung the craft around to the far side of the space dock then smoothly eased up to the airlock on the space dock structure. Admiral Vespa led the way through the airlock to the interior. A dock supervisor was waiting to greet the Admiral. The two men knew each other and shook hands. Tura Vespa introduced Captain Becker to the dock master. The man led the two Star Patrol officers along some corridors then into a small compartment. The Centurion was moored right outside and a small viewing port was filled with side of the ship. The dock master touched a spot on his desk and a view screen on the bulkhead lit up. The design plans of a survey ship appeared.

The dock master wasted no time. He used a laser pointer to illustrate his words. ‘The Centurion has received the latest equipment for research and recording data. The power plant has been totally upgraded to the latest specifications. We have added two C-type pulse lasers as ordered by fleet headquarters.’ He looked at Admiral Vespa, ‘I know you hoped for more, but the ship’s hull would not take the strain of anything bigger. In any case, the Centurion can at least defend herself in an emergency.’ The dock master eyed his guests, ‘it has aroused considerable gossip as to why a survey vessel needs to be armed.’

Admiral Vespa simply stared at him, ‘please continue with the briefing.’

The dock master sighed, ‘in accordance with your orders, we have installed above average living quarters for the crew. Each crewmember will have their own bunk in two person cabins. Each senior officer will of course have a private cabin.’ He smiled at Kim Becker, ‘I take it sir, that you are the Centurion’s Captain?’

Kim Becker nodded.

The dock master continued, ‘sir, you will have a day cabin attached to your private quarters. This can also serve as a briefing room. We created a comfortable crew lounge as per instructions.’ The dock master paused, ‘these modifications have reduced the cargo capacity of the vessel so you will not be able to carry as much equipment as you might normally on a ship of this size.’

Admiral Vespa nodded, ‘we knew that so we have made other arrangements. What about powering the twin pulse lasers?’

The dock master shook his head, ‘the pulse lasers get their power directly from the ship’s engines. When the pulse lasers are fired, this will reduce the vessel’s speed by about 10%. In addition, recharging the lasers will also detract from the ship’s speed.’

Captain Becker asked, ‘how long will it take to recharge the pulse lasers?’

The dock master thought for a moment, ‘if they fully discharged, one at time about six solar hours, if you want to recharge both at the same time about ten hours and that will reduce the ship’s power rating by a good 25%.’ He glanced at his companions then shrugged, ‘the Centurion was designed to do survey work, not as a warship. I am afraid this is the best we can do within the allotted time.’

Admiral Tura Vespa answered crisply, ‘I think you have done well. The ship looks fine and I expect she will be fully capable of completing this mission.’ He eyed the official, ‘how soon will she be ready to leave dock?’

The dock master consulted his hand data recorder, ‘I expect the day after tomorrow if nothing unusual develops.’ He pointed, ‘we will warp her out of the bay then ease her into low Luna orbit for refueling and loading stores.’

Admiral Vespa nodded, ‘that will be satisfactory I think.’ He looked at Kim Becker, ‘are you ready to inspect your new command?’

Kim Becker smiled with eagerness. ‘I am very ready, sir.’

The dock master led the way through the flexible tube connecting the space dock to the Centurion’s entry port. Kim Becker stared around at his new home for perhaps the next several years. The solid bulkheads spread out in both directions. The deck under his feet vibrated to the beat of heavy equipment from the dockworkers. Men were passing back and forth, each intent on his own task paying no attention to the three visitors. The dock master led the tour. He first brought them to the engineering section at the vessel’s stern. Here were the massive matter/anti-matter engines with the