IMAGINATION'S PLACE
FICTION
JOURNEY TO THE LIGHT
By; Speaker Gerald Polley
All rights reserved.
Chapter 34
The next day she got everybody working, grabbed a
shuttle, and went over to the carrier. They were busy
transferring fighters to the asteroid. Eastwood was busy
with that. So a Flight Commander Earhart took charge of her,
taking her down to one of the carrier's storage bays. What
greeted Carol impressed her.
"This," the commander piped proudly, "is a Ranger's
Operations Vehicle Mark 1, it's forty feet long, ten feet wide in the
body, twenty feet wide with the wings. The stabilizer is five
feet high. It has three entrances, the pilot's entrance on the
left side, about ten feet back, the engineering entrance on the right
side, about twenty feet back, the docking hatch on the bottom, about in
the middle of the ship. It comes up in the crew quarters just in
front of the bunks. Let us go aboard. Badge, link up with
the ship and introduce the commander."
"Done!" the badge replied. "Commands for
opening the hatch," her instructor told Carol, "are 'Ship!
Pilot's hatch!' 'Ship! Engineer's hatch!' or, "Ship! Docking
hatch!' Proceed!"
Carol sighed. "Ship! Pilot's hatch!" she
snapped. Instantly, smoothly, a section of the ship's hull tilted
down, revealing steps that came almost to the deck. Another
section swung up. The instructor motioned Carol forward. She
mounted the steps and entered the ship.
"If you look forward," the instructor snapped, "you'll see
the pilot's chair. It is currently in ground configuration.
In flight it will be slightly risen and tilted slightly back.
This is to make it more comfortable for the pilot in tight
maneuvers. Behind it is the engineer's chair. You will note
that your computer banks for navigation are on your left and those for
engineering are on your right. They are so positioned that the
pilot, as well as an engineer if he has one, may check readings without
leaving the pilot's chair. Readings can also be transferred to
the pilot's operation screen by his left hand. Flight controls
are by the right hand. If a pilot is left handed the controls can
easily be moved to the other side. By your left hand are the
weapons controls. You have two pulse cannons mounted in the wings
that fire forward. One mounted in the elevator that fires to the
stern. You have two missile racks carrying five missiles that can
be extended from the hull to launch your weapons. Weapons fire
forward but missiles can be easily programmed to reverse course and
attack a target to the rear. If you look to the rear you'll see
the crew's quarters, toilet/shower, bunk, food storage, just behind the
bunk is the internal hatch to the engineering department. I'll
show you the engine later. It's not much to look at but it's highly
efficient. Well, this is your ship, commander!"
"She's beautiful!" Carol sighed, "She
looks like some kind of recreation vehicle back home, those things
people go out in the country in. I can't wait to actually fly
her!"
"It will be a pleasure also, to take you out,
commander!" a voice answered. "But you'd better get to the
simulators so we can bring that day forward."
As they headed for the simulators Carol asked "What's their cruising range?"
"We carry forty days of fuel," the instructor
answered, "and forty days of provisions. With careful rationing
those could be stretched to sixty. Once a ship accelerates it can
coast, maintain a good velocity, until it desires to slow down.
Theoretically, a ship could go on forever! Unfortunately, the
pilot wouldn't be in very good shape when they arrived. It is
recommended we don't get more than twenty days away from a refueling
supply."
"Understood!" Carol snapped. "You ever flown in combat?"
"Not these ships, ma'am," her instructor answered,
"but I've flown fighters. Despite the difference in size these
babies handle very much the same, except no fighter I've ever been in
could flip over in flight, roll up, reverse thrust, and come at an
enemy. The pilots take a beating doing it, but so far none of
them have been killed."
"Let's make sure we keep that!" Carol suggested. "I
don't want anybody taking unnecessary chances! I've got a
feeling we're all The Republic has out here, and we're going to be
needed."
"I thought that," her instructor answered, "when we
were hurriedly commissioned and sent out. God help them when they
come, ma'am, 'cause we're gonna cut them to pieces! Now, here's
your simulator. As you can see, it looks just like the fore
section. It's not big enough to have an engineering hatch, but
it's got everything else. Now, here's a simulation of a space
suit. It's not like the emergency things you wear on your colony
ship, yours will be custom fitted. You get in the legs, pull down
the body, when the waists meet they'll automatically seal. But
always complete the seal and dog them down. You always practice
in a suit. These don't have certain functions so if you need a
break say so. Suit up!"
Carol got into the suit. For the next four hours she
was too busy and too interested to think of getting out of it.
The instructor started with basic maneuvers but as Carol picked things
up he added stuff quickly. In those first four hours she learned
a lot about the ship and a lot about herself. Finally, the
instructor called "Enough! Good first day ma'am! I have
enjoyed working with you."
"Thank you!" Carol responded. "The pleasure
was entirely mine! You've got my husband this afternoon. Work him
just as hard!"
"Understood, commander!" her instructor answered with a big grin.
Carol went back to other duties. When
she finished as an astronomer she went in to perform a couple of hours'
duty as a ranger commander. Two applicants had already
applied for ranger training. Carol questioned them, assured
herself they were applying for the right reasons, and approved.
She was just about ready to close up when two balls rolled in.
"Excuse us!" one of them spoke, "We understand you
are taking applicants to be marshals. We'd like to apply for
training."
Carol looked at their platforms. "I'm all for
it!" she announced. "But your current mobility is a
problem. Let me work on it. If I can come up with a
solution I'll get back to you."
"Most regrettable," the ball who had spoken answered, "but understandable. We will await your solution."
Carol pondered the problem for some time, but could
not come up with a solution. Her training continued. One
day as she was coming back, she literally ran into someone coming out a
door. "I beg your pardon!" a mechanical voice answered.
"The door should've warned us that two individuals were trying to use
it at the same time."
Carol stepped back. She was looking at a
robot! But it had human proportions. "Wow!" she
sighed. "What are you?"
The robot answered very matter of factly.
"Maintenance droid! We work in the areas that are uncomfortable
for our human counterparts. Not that they could not work in them,
but we are more efficient, and can stay at the posts longer."
Carol was staring at the robot's chest trying to
measure its size with her mind. "Is there something wrong with my
chest plates?" it asked.
"No! No!" Carol answered, "I'm wondering if something would fit inside of you. What's in there?"
"In this area very little!" the robot answered. "What would you want to put inside of me?"
"Organic beings," Carol answered, "the
natives. They want to be rangers, but their current transport
systems would make that impractical. However, if we could modify one of
you and they could be in there, I bet they could operate a ship's
controls just as effectively as a human!"
The droid was silent for several minutes. "A very
interesting project!" it finally commented. "I will ask consent
of the chief engineer to work on it immediately. We have spare
shelves in storage. Please have these individuals report to
engineering tomorrow! We will make it work, commander! I am
honored to serve!"
"Thank you!" Carol praised, "I am honored to
be served! Woo!" she managed as she sat in the shuttle to head
back to her ship, "Those things are just too human like!"
The pilot smiled. "Absolutely, ma'am, but we could
not operate these ships without them. They're just as much crew as any
organic, and anybody that mistreats them, well, they don't last long,
ma'am!"
Carol nodded. Two days later Snapdragon and
Rosebud again applied for training. This time in their new
mobility units! They were immediately accepted. Soon all
the balls working with them had such units.
The days went by. One morning as she went to
go in the simulators, her instructor instead led her to a ready
room. Space suits lined it. The commander pointed to
one. On the back of the helmet was printed Commander Carol.
He began to climb into a suit. Carol quickly stripped off her
clothes and climbed into hers. This one had all the
niceties. The instructor took her out and they walked down
corridors, finally coming to a ladder. "Would you be so kind,
commander," the instructor snapped, "as to open your ship's docking
hatch?"
Carol looked up. "We're going out?" she muttered. "We're going out?"