Hercules and Perseus

Another one from the archives…

 

It was her first space flight, and I was determined to impress as the small craft burst through the atmosphere – leaving eddies in the ozone – and into the dark of the vacuum. I glanced across at Jenna, her regal profile shrouded by fine silver hair falling loose about her shoulders. She turned her violet eyes to me, pinning me with her gaze.

“The stars, they’re so vivid,”

Millions of small pinpricks studded the endless night.

“Yeah, ” I replied casually. “No atmosphere to dilute the light.”

I turned the nose of the spaceship towards Venus and engaged the Stellar drive. Hurtling forwards, I spun the shuttle in a slow victory roll. As the burning orb of the sun sped closer, I flipped the visor switch and dark shields slid across the screens. Cosmic Ray Bans.

The infinite vastness of space filled me with raw power. I was the microbe flexing my muscles at the macrocosm. David and a billion Goliaths – powerful, intoxicated with a buzz no recreational substances could ever give.

“Damn!”

“What?” I returned my attention from the instrument console, to the viewer, where Jenna stared, transfixed. The looming shadow of a space frigate blotted out the sun as she hove into our path. The speaker on the instrument panel crackled into life.

“This is Federal Ship Hercules, calling Shuttle Perseus. Identify yourself and your destination, over.”

My jaw dropped as my racing mind drew a blank. Pursuit, I had considered, a frigate, I hadn’t.

“Perseus, identify your destination please, or prepare to be boarded, over.”

My jaw snapped shut as Jenna reached for the transmission switch.

“Lieutenant Commander Jenna Kominski with Lieutenant Jordan Crane, bound for the penal colony on Venus, over.”

She sat back, beads of perspiration breaking on her brow. Seconds ticked by as we waited for the blast that would send us blazing into oblivion.

“Acknowledged, Perseus. Have a good trip, Lieutenant Commander, Hercules out.”

Hercules waggled her wings and promptly accelerated in the direction of Earth.

“Quick thinking,” I grinned.

“Just as well one of us can,” she replied acidly.

“How long before they realise, do you think?”

“Not long. Perhaps we should drop into Venusian orbit, look convincing.”

“Yeah, right,” I said. “How come you get to be the lieutenant commander and I’m only a lieutenant?”

“Cos I’m the one with the brains.”

I thought about a retort, but the thermal fallout in her glower gave me reason to think twice. Discretion was called for here. Discretion, I’m good at that.

Breathing once more, I paused long enough to complete one orbit of Venus, the broiling, poisonous atmosphere swirling beneath us as I dropped to cloud height. Jenna said nothing as she peered, awestruck at the magnificent sight below us. Ideal, I thought, for a penal colony, mining the precious rocks no longer available on Earth.

Bouncing off the atmosphere, I changed direction.

“A quick slingshot off the sun, I think. Get some acceleration.” I muttered.

The shuttle accelerated hard, the stars streaked into wavy lines as we neared light speed. The pull of the sun became stronger and I could feel the craft following the drag of the star hovering white hot in our screens. Killing the stellar drive, I flipped the steering control and the shuttle was drawn inexorably towards the sun. I applied power to the port thruster and the nose pulled further into the seething surface as I turned the little craft on its back. At the twothird point, I re engaged the stellar drive. Combined with the gravitational pull, it catapulted us out of the sun’s orbit and we shot back towards the outer reaches, the constellations now continuous lines as we left the sun far behind.

“No sign of any warships?”

Jenna peered at the scope on her panel. “No. We seem to be lucky.”

“We’ll outrun ’em now, anyway.”

I slowed for Mars. No trip would be complete without a visit to the red planet floating majestically in its endless orbit. I was drawn by it. Always have been. There was something compelling and chilling about the dead planet. Jenna watched, mute, as we slid into orbit. The mood between us had remained icy since the brush with Hercules.

“Jupiter?” I asked.

She smiled, a brief movement of her lips, lacking warmth. “Why not?”

We came across a Federation freighter, its aging hull pockmarked with the ravages of the asteroid belt and countless ion storms. I drew briefly alongside, waggling the shuttle’s stubby wings before dipping beneath its belly, drifting to port and accelerating away.

Jupiter came into view and I somersaulted around Io, past Ganymede and into a brief polar orbit about our largest planet, just to confirm my skills, before throwing my craft into another victory roll in a generally Saturnine direction.

“That freighter,” Jenna began.

“Yeah, what about it?” I didn’t care for the tone in her voice – it worried me.

“If I’m not mistaken, it was one of the old class threes.”

I thought about this for a moment. “So?”

“So, correct me if I’m wrong,”

I winced from the nitric in her voice, I hate it when people say that, knowing damn well they’re not.

“Go on,” I said neutrally.

“Well haven’t they been obsolete for decades.”

“It’s amazing what people run about in,” I said, shrugging the matter off. She had a point, though, and I puzzled about it as I pointed the shuttle at the gap between Saturn and it’s ‘C’ ring, the planet’s mass tugging gently as we passed.

“What are they made of?”

“Oh, particles and stuff,” I replied knowledgeably. “Wanna closer look?”

She nodded, so I arced away from the planet and twisted the shuttle into a lazy spiral around the rings.

Once we were on the outer reaches, I turned the nose of the shuttle around the frozen wastes of Pluto and directed it back towards home.

“Time we headed back, if my calculations are correct.”

“Sure it’ll be safe?”

“Trust me,” I replied.

Preferring not to interpret the scowl she slung at me, I did my best to ignore it, as I took a long sweep around the edge of the solar system, edging steadily towards Earth. If I was right, and I had no reason to doubt it, our persecutors would be long dead. Dust forgotten aeons ago in the wake of a new world. Jenna was in for the surprise of her life.

Earth, the blue green planet, rose out of the blackness, gentle and inviting, welcoming us back. The atmosphere seemed cleaner somehow. Less hazy. I wasn’t sure and it didn’t make sense, but I was certain that the ionosphere was clearer. I shrugged, dismissing the matter and turned into orbit as I disengaged Stellar and glanced across at my companion. “Well?”

“Out of this world,” she said flatly.

“Yeah, thought you’d like it,” I grinned. “It’s not every day you get a free trip around the solar system.”

I mistimed my approach. The reentry was a little bumpy and I cursed my clumsiness, I should have known better. We all become complacent once in a while, I suppose. That was my excuse as I struggled with the bucking craft as it plunged through the stratosphere and burst out of the clouds above a crystal sea.

The sun was shining, reflecting diamonds from the waves as we skimmed a hundred feet or so above them.

“Where are we?”

“Somewhere over the Atlantic,” I replied, looking down at the controls. They were sluggish. “I think I’ve damaged part of the guidance mechanism.”

“No,” she said. “I mean When are we? Those are sailing ships.”

I glanced up at the view ahead, hurtling towards us at unnerving speed. She was right. A flotilla of tall ships, their square sails billowing and white ensigns fluttering in the breeze, were sailing broadside in front of us.

“Good God,” I breathed, wanting to scream. “How the hell did this happen? It isn’t supposed to do this.”

Puffs of white smoke erupted from the lead vessel and floated away on the wind.

“They’re shooting at us!”

“Don’t worry,” I soothed. It didn’t soothe me, so I failed to see why it should soothe her. It didn’t.

“Christ!” I swore as a ball burst through the starboard wing, tearing it from its root. The metal screamed in pain. The shuttle tossed and bucked as I struggled to regain control. A second ball crashed through the screen and embedded itself in the bulkhead behind me, wrecking the remains of my precious guidance system. I would have worried about it if I had the time. As we were now bouncing on the waves, I decided that we had more important concerns.

“Bale out,” I yelled. Jenna didn’t need telling twice and cast me a glance that cemented our relationship – around my feet.

Drowning is no joke. The vivid blue Atlantic was cold and crushing as the shuttle tried to drag me to its doom. I sucked frantically at the icy water, drawing it deep into my lungs. My head felt as if it would burst. The Mark Two Inter Stellar model was never designed to float, as Perseus displayed with alarming alacrity. I don’t remember swimming to the surface. Maybe I didn’t, perhaps I floated. Rough hands dragged me into a longboat, where I lay gasping and coughing sea water in the bilge. I tried to ask about Jenna.

“Don’t you fret, you’re safe now.”

Nodding feebly, I took the voice’s word for it, I felt too dire to worry any more.

Again, I was manhandled as men dragged me onto the deck of their ship, where they unceremoniously let go and I landed with a thump. I Coughed brine onto the scrubbed timber, and lay where they dropped me until I became aware of the presence of a pair of shoes. Polished black shoes with shiny gold buckles standing inches from my eyes.

“One of ’em’s a woman.”

I could almost feel the change in the attitude of our rescuers. A charge rippled through the ship’s company. Bad luck. Superstitious nonsense. Hadn’t done me any harm. I giggled hysterically and coughed up some more water.

“Take her to number one’s cabin. He’ll just have to double up with the mate till we land in Portsmouth.” A cultured voice, unlike the others. Its owner returned his attention to me. “Get up.”

I lay still. A sharp kick in the ribs. I moved in pain. Another kick in the ribs. Struggling hesitantly to my feet, I found myself staring at the captain of the vessel. Immaculately dressed in a Navy frock coat, white breeches and black hat.

“Welcome aboard His Majesty’s Frigate Hercules.” He smiled. “You have just joined the Royal Navy.”

Wordlessly, I stared at him.

I guess that’ll teach me to go joy riding.