I powered up the coils and fired a test shot before engaging the enemy. The guns worked perfectly. We were traveling at just over half light speed. It was the fastest we had taken a Defender since they had been in service.
The timing of firing the coil guns had to be precise. There was no way I could do it myself. The battle computer and sensors would have to earn their keep. I punched in the target and the weapon to use and the computer immediately responded with a precise countdown timer.
I told the others we should all be proud of the risk we took to get to that point. It was our shot... our attempt at glory for all Mankind. The counter quickly descended to zero as we came within half a kilometer of the alien fighter. The four coil guns fired their rounds as we sped past our opponent.
The fighter countered with its gravity weapon which caught us with a glancing blow. All but one of our BHD drives and one of our sensors were knocked offline. If those were lost it would be a death sentence. In addition, the active skin shut down and the hull of our ship had been heavily twisted... but, it held.
Our one shot at fame had clipped the tip of the fighter’s nose greatly reducing its speed. Moments later the two BHD warheads closed in for the kill. Two bright flashes again told the story. For the first time in months our planet was no longer under the immediate threat from the alien forces.
We had survived our kamikaze run only to find we were faced with a new danger. We were quickly approaching the Asteroid Belt with only one BHD and no active skin.
Our pilot began a slow turn to change our trajectory. Without the active skin we would not be able to flip and use the BHD to decelerate. The change in inertia would crush us.
We would instead plan a wide arc turning upwards away from the Asteroid Belt while maintaining our momentum. The turn would put us under two and a half G’s of force for the next three hours. The force was extremely uncomfortable but not life threatening. We all knew it would be over with soon, so no one complained.
The ride home was long and slow. Without the active skin we had to decelerate slowly and drop through the atmosphere at a snails pace. More than 20 hours had passed before we were safely on the ground. We touched down on the tarmac and opened the rear door. Our Defender was no longer capable of hovering. Support teams raced out to remove us from our damaged craft.
We were hurried back into the hangar riding on golf carts as several tugs connected themselves to Defender A15 to get it out of sight. I took one last glance back at our ship as the hangar door closed behind us.
We were met in the hangar with cheers and applause from the ground crews as well as from the other seven Defender teams. It was a humbling display. Our moment of glory soon came and went as we were then moved to the elevator for our ride back to the chamber.
When we arrived we were immediately taken into a conference room for a short debriefing. General Buck, David Brenner, Paige, Bigg, Whip, and Pop were all in attendance. The briefing turned out to be more of a celebration with everyone thanking us instead of asking questions about what we had done.
Instead of a handshake David Brenner gave one of his embarrassing hugs. This time however, I was happy to receive it. I thanked my Great Uncle for the opportunity he had given me. I thanked him for all he had done through the years to safeguard us all.
I had just flown halfway to Jupiter to risk my life doing battle with an alien invader and yet I was still humbled before him. I had only been able to do what I had because of his commitment, dedication and genius. He was the real hero.
With the immediate alien threat gone my A15 crew was given a two day pass to do whatever they liked, so long as it was still confined to the chamber. I took the moment to turn to Paige. We embraced in a long passionate kiss. When we stopped I stood for a moment staring into her eyes.
I then dropped to one knee and asked her to marry me… right then… right there. I did not have a ring to offer, but I would get one as soon as I could. She was shocked only for a moment before she responded with a resounding yes!
Everyone in the room applauded. General Buck then stepped in and rewarded my moment of bravery by allowing us to go anywhere we wanted for our honeymoon. That included sites outside the chamber. He added one extra day to our pass for travel time.
Within the hour the chamber chaplain was called in for the ceremony. The exchange of "I Do"s was short and to the point. I was then rushed into another room for the ghastly removal of my reclamation suit and a thorough hosing down.
The Techs warned me that I would have to watch myself when it came time to go to the bathroom. After my time in the suit my body would have a tendency to want to go wherever I was and whenever I felt the urge. I assured them I would stay on top of it.
Another Tech brought one of my uniforms that they had quickly cleaned and pressed. When I put it on I was surprised to find out how baggy it was. I had lost 36 pounds during my short time in the reclamation suit with Paige being in charge of my nutrition. It felt a bit strange without having the gel surrounding my body, naked almost. I was assured I would get used to it.
We were then hurried back through the tunnel to Regents Field and put on a plane to Hawaii. General Buck let us know that an aid would be waiting for us in Honolulu with orders to purchase clothing or anything else we needed. I assured the General that we would not be in need of clothing for which I received a friendly smack from Paige. The honeymoon was short, but I was a happy happy man.
Upon our arrival back at the chamber the Techs immediately escorted me to a room where the reclamation suit was re-applied. I had only been out of it for three days and yet I had the same funky feeling I had when it had first been put on.
I was then taken to a briefing room where a discussion was ongoing over the approaching advance fleet and what we might do to stop it. As I sat in my chair the questions came fast and furious. It was as if everyone thought I would have immediate plans as to what we should do.
I had just spent three days with my mind in the clouds. Battle strategies were the last thing I had thought about. General Buck quickly stepped in taking over the discussion.
The others attending were told to allow me a little time to re-acclimate to the situation as I was just returning from my honeymoon. I thanked the General and began to scan the material on the holo-display in front of me.
The newest estimate was 116 days until the two large alien vessels arrived. New data suggested that they were traveling at 70% of light speed. Faster than we had been in a Defender thus far. Our scientists were unable to answer the question of exactly how fast we could go.
The BHD would just continue to accelerate once full throttle was applied, but it would take time to reach light speed and we had not had the chance to travel in a straight line for that length of time.
They were also unsure of what would happen as we approached the speed of light. No one had been there to know what the affects were. There was speculation that it was precisely the reason why the alien ships were unmanned.
I thought it was nothing more than scientists gone wild with their theories. I had just traveled to 54% of light speed with no ill side affects. The discussion soon broke down into raised voices with the Planners and Tacticians trying to talk over one another. Again General Buck stepped in to cool things down.
With a moment of silence I took the opportunity to speak. I asked why we had not sent a scout ship out towards the incoming fleet. The room was silent until one junior analyst spoke up.
They had decided against it with the threat of alien fighters out there. And with the alien fleet at the distance they were and by the time we could get a ship out there it would only give us a few days of intel if we were able to achieve it at all.
I then volunteered to take a crew on a mission to the incoming fleet. A quick calculation told me that we could be there in about six weeks giving us about two months of close-in intel. And with our instantaneous communications link I could relay live data and receive live orders while all the time keeping our ship at a safe distance.
The Planners and Tacticians once again erupted in a battle of whom could talk the loudest. The General banged his fist on the conference room table and demanded attention. The room went dead silent.
General Buck then gave the order. I was to assemble a crew and take a Defender on a scout mission to gather intel on the advance fleet. All resources necessary were to be geared towards making the scout mission a reality. It would launch that afternoon. The General then turned to me and suggested I go say a quick goodbye to my new bride. I would likely not be seeing her again for at least three months.
I was dismissed and immediately made my way to the lab where Paige was hard at work on creating new pairs of entangled particles. I gave her the news and was first greeted with a look of disappointment. But it was war and she was fully aware of its consequences. We again said our long goodbyes followed by a prolonged kiss.
I next headed for the DSim where Whip, Bigg and Pop were training with their substitute pilot. I gathered them and their handlers in confidence and told of the impending scout mission. I then told them they would be accompanying me.
Pop let out a yell and the group came together for a big celebratory hug. I told them the mission was classified and that they could not mention it to anyone. They were all to report immediately to room D446 for a briefing.
I gave Red the bad news. His crew was being reassigned and he would be given a new crew to train starting in the morning. I had been in need of a bit of maturity and Red had been a catalyst for that happening. I shook his hand and thanked him for pushing me the way he had.
After our briefing we were each sent to a Tech to have our reclamation suits checked and the gel in them freshened. I had just been through the process so I was able to leave immediately for Regents Field to look over our new Defender.
This one had been outfitted with Pop's enhanced Sodium feed. When I arrived the support crew was busily jamming it full of enough supplies to last us for up to six months.
The ship would be loaded with 80.000 rounds of coil gun pellets, 16 BHD warheads, enough Sodium to keep us powered for six months, spare parts such as a dozen extra BHD rings and a spare self starting micro-reactor.
I received a private message from my Great Uncle wishing us well. He added that he was responsible for the spare reactor being placed aboard and that he hoped we would be able to make use of it.
The stations were organized with myself and Whip seated up front and Bigg and Pop behind. From their flight chairs back would be packed with supplies. I was then shown something that I had not seen before. Four space helmets were being carried on-board. I asked the crewman who was handling them and was told they were new and untested.
They attached to the reclamation suits and would allow us to go extra vehicular if need be. He said the instructions and information on them was being uploaded to the ship's computers as we spoke.
I was soon joined in the hangar by my crew and their handlers. We walked aboard and were connected into the flight chairs that would be our homes for the next three to four months. As soon as the handlers departed the support crew once again began their work of packing the ship with as much supplies as they could. Every spare bit of space had been turned into storage.
We were also recipients of the first in-flight repair manuals should we have a mishap while on our mission. I had confidence in the ability of my crew to make any necessary repairs should the need arise.
We also had the instant comm link back to Battle Command should we have any questions. I took pride in the fact that it was my wife's work that had made the mission practical.
I knew I would be spending many a bored hour daydreaming about her as we hurled through space at near light speed. The thought came with as much dread as it did excitement.
A half hour later the rear door had been closed and we were busily going through our pre-flight checks. Everything was a go. I powered up the BHD and brought us to a hover. Each of our screens were then filled with a video. It was the President with a farewell and good-luck speech.
We each nodded to the holo-screen in front of us as the video feed ended. I usually stayed away from politics, but for some reason I felt the speech was good for the others to hear. It would be a long mission and any reinforcement of its priority would be appreciated once we reached the cold blackness that life was away from our Sun.
The go ahead was given. Defender A55 taxied out onto the tarmac, tilted upwards and within seconds we were entering the blackness of space. I pressed a holo-button to engage our pre-loaded flight plan. I asked for a station status from each of the others. Once completed we had no set orders for the next six weeks.
Our increased power from Pop's feed modifications left us with extra power to apply to our active skin. The computer was programmed to make minor course corrections to avoid any sizable asteroids, but our ability to withstand larger hits added a bit of extra comfort.
With nothing to do for six weeks the conversation quickly turned to my recent honeymoon. I did my best to deflect inappropriate personal questions and to not dignify them with an answer. It was all in good fun, but it was personal just the same.
It had taken just 32 minutes for us to once again reach half light speed. The Defender continued to accelerate. The conversation soon died down with Whip poring over the new helmet manuals while Bigg played holo-solitaire.
Pop dug into the application of his new Sodium feed which left me to daydream about Paige. I had a timer set on the hour as a reminder for us to check in with command.
The dings of the reminder after the first hour broke me out of a vivid daydream with Paige and I on a snow-ski adventure. The slopes had been perfectly manicured and then covered with four inches of fresh powder. I did a quick station check and sent the results to Battle Command. After completing the first hourly check I automated the reminder to free us from the manual task.
As I continued with my daydreaming Pop alerted me to the fact that we had just passed through 74.00000% light speed and were continuing to accelerate. We were now moving faster than any man had ever traveled.
I chatted for a moment with Battle Command asking if they had noticed our speed. They had. The scientists and engineers were all elated and had been hashing over the theories of what would happen if we actually made it to light speed.
No test by man had ever shown that it was possible to travel beyond that threshold. There were theories about time travel and warping space and time but nothing had ever been proven. Defender A55 and its crew would possibly be the first to find out.
It wasn't long before we passed beyond the heliosphere into outer space. I adjusted our sensors to fill the inner walls of our ship with the view that we would see from outside.
The blackness was as black as the ride from the chamber to Regents Field. But... the stars... the stars were brilliant with the Milky Way being spectacular. No image I had ever seen on the ground could do it justice.
We soon passed through 83.00000% light speed and continued to accelerate. Our estimated six week journey to the incoming alien vessels had dropped to five weeks and then four. Again the scientists and engineers on the ground were elated. The feed of data across channel 1647 had them continuously glued to their monitors.
Five hours into our flight we passed through 96.00000% light speed and the acceleration continued. All systems were functioning perfectly. There had been no noticeable affect on any of the crew or with the ship itself.
Other than the occasional blip on the screen of the active skin encountering a pebble there had been nothing out of the ordinary displayed. The active skin was performing just as the scientists had predicted.
The ship itself had only made one minor course correction to avoid a collision. The rock was roughly one meter wide but a course change was done as a precaution.
After five hours and forty-seven minutes we trickled through 99.00023% of light speed. The instruments still showed acceleration. For the next seven minutes we all watched silently as the digits slowly approached 100.00000%. Bigg commented that the view out back of the ship had taken a noticeable turn in color with the Sun first going orange, then red and now a dark red.
It was a strange site to see your own Sun from that distance. It had become just another large star. The fact that it seemed to be dimming was a bit disconcerting.
As our speed gauge reached 100.00000% the visible light from our Sun snuffed out. The surrounding stars had turned a deep red and the ones surrounding those had gone orange in color.
Straight behind was nothing but pure black. For 23 seconds the gauge stayed at 100.00000%. It then began to count back down.
I had everyone do a complete station check but all the numbers looked good. I then asked Battle Command what they could make of it and did not receive a response.
Apparently reaching light speed was having an affect although we had no idea of what it was. The accelerometers continued to show positive numbers but the speed indicator continued to slip.
We were soon back to 96.00000%, then 83.00000% and then 74.00000%. The speed continued to drop and we had no explanation as to why. That was when Whip let out a giddy screech. At that moment I almost soiled my reclamation suit... even though it would not have mattered.
I quizzed Whip on her discovery and was told to wait a second. She worked feverishly at her holo-display. After a brief delay the 71.00000% on the speed indicator turned to 129.00000%. We had passed the speed of light and were continuing to accelerate.
Whip had dug into the console software and found a programming error that had limited the speed indicator to 100%. A quick live patch and we now had our true speed. We all sat staring in amazement before anyone spoke.
Bigg had taken notice of the fact that our trip counter now displayed that we were only two weeks from encountering our target. The black void of stars continued to grow larger from the view behind the ship. The reds and oranges did the same as the view continued outward.
We had lost our communication with Command when we passed through 100%. Even the entangled particles had not been able to break the barrier. After eleven and a half hours we broke through 200% and continued to accelerate. All instruments continued to read as normal. Our trip counter was now down to ten days and continued to shrink.
As we all sat watching our monitors the reclamation suits injected a pre-programmed sleep aid into our systems. Within seconds we were all fast asleep. Our Defender continued to accelerate.
We awoke six hours later from a stimulant and were quickly again fully alert. The speed indicator showed 308.54672% and the trip counter had dropped to 34 hours 16 minutes.
I ran a quick calculation of when we would need to start our deceleration and what the trip counter would be after that adjustment. We had 16 hours before we dropped below light speed and 22 hours before we occupied the same portion of space as our alien invaders.
Suddenly that long dull boring mission had turned into one where we were wishing we had more time to prepare. I consulted my crew and we came to the decision that we would adjust course to be well to the right of the incoming ships.
We would also turn off the BHD and drift silently past our target before re-engaging. With a little luck we would be able to gather intel from behind them without being detected.