Chapter 1: Flight of the Red Remoraid

Chapter 1: Flight of the Red Remoraid

“Cabin gravity stable.  Oxygen supply at ninety percent.  Trajectory confirmed.  Lock to central field of gravity in local star system M-57-B.  Speed to full.”

The various dials and switches coloring the central terminal illuminated with flickering lights indicating the ship’s subsystems.  The visual audible guidance program was archaic at best; most modern cruisers had integrated “Teleph” computer systems that would interface with the helmsman’s brain directly through electrical wiring worn on the scalp.

Not so on this old ship.  The outdated Porygon virtual software provided a delayed version of communication.  Hardly on par with the latest Porygon2 software designed for space exploration, the Stellar Navigator on the bridge was an out-of-date cyber Pokemon connected to the main computer through a messy Rattata’s nest of tangled cables.  In spite of this, it was somewhat nostalgic to hear the robotic voice of Porygon resound throughout the cozy command bridge.

“Countdown commencing.  StarPull engaging in two minutes.  Engines one and four performing automatic acceleration.  Adjusting for light speed dilation.”

“Hey, S-Nav!  Can we get some beats?” said a brash voice.  It belonged to a young man with dark black hair seated in the captain’s chair.  He appeared to be bored, sitting somewhat slouched and resting his crooked head on a fist.

“I’m afraid I can’t do that, Mick,” replied the Porygon with a slow and deliberate assertion not unusual for a computer with audible capabilities.

“C’mon, you’ve got the processing power of a MegaPuter to plot these courses.  Turn off your lame voice and play some Thunderwrecker for our jump.”

“Searching database… requested media file found.  Initiating temporary suspension of vocal command to play requested audio file.”

“AW yeah!” said the black haired man as the heavy metal began to blare loudly on the speakers.  He started to drum midair with the incredible crescendo from the music.  Mick loved old songs like Thunderwrecker.  Sure, it was well before his time, several generation perhaps, but the feeling he got in his blood, that pumping sensation of a vigorous mechanical heartbeat was second to none.

“Would you PLEASE turn down that awful noise!?” complained an effeminate voice at his side.

“What?”  Mick asked pointing to his ears.  “Can’t hear you!”

“I said, TURN! IT! DOWN!” she yelled as the entire ship rumbled from acceleration.  The Porygon system complied, lowering the music volume by several dozen decibels.

“It’s gonna be a bumpy ride, Cynth,” laughed Mick.  He turned his head to face her.  Cynthia wasn’t much younger than he was.  Her complexion was fair with few blemishes on her soft face.  She wore a narrow hairband to keep her long dark blonde hair in place and tucked behind her suit.  Her hands were dainty from not having to use them to make repairs, the kind of which resulted in Mick gaining calluses on his knuckles.  “You seem anxious.  Say… this your first time jumping?” he asked calmly.

“N-no!” she replied nervously.  Her light hazel eyes avoided his piercing glare.  “Been doing this plenty of times,” she insisted with a bright smile facing the void.

“Ah!  So you’re a regular veteran, aren’tcha?”  Mick gave her a thumbs up.  “That’s good cause it’s my first time piloting one of these here ‘Starships’.”

“WHAT!?” she bellowed at the top of her lungs in disbelief.

“Haha, calm down.  I was only joking around.”  He tapped at his wrist as if to point at his watch.  “What’s our time until jump, S-Nav?”  There was no response from the main computer.  “Oh right, you can’t talk and play audio files at the same time…  S-Nav, reinitiate audio functionality.  Jeez, whoever designed you had their head halfway up their own arse!”

“For all complaints regarding this unit please contact manufacturer with the following system information: My unique service number is 92373.  I am due for a software update as of last time I connected to the ExtraNet.  My current operating system is –”

“Argh,” Mick bemoaned shaking his head.  “I’ve heard it a million times already!  Shaddap with that system info nonsense.  We all know you’re as outdated as Pokeballs.”

“Commander?” asked the computer with a surprising tone.  Considering it was older Artificial Intelligence barely able to mimic emotion in its speech, the Porygon’s questioning inflection did seem out of place.

“Yeah, huh?”  Mick replied with an air of aloofness.

“Commencing StarPull,” the Porygon said simply.

“WHA—!”  Mick realized he hadn’t even prepared himself for what was about to take place.   He felt an incredible pressure building immediately in front of his chest.  The black void visible through the main window became bright with symmetrical lines of color.  He felt his body snap back in the chair he was seated in.  The pressure was so overwhelming he could not even breathe; the act of pulling air into his lungs was impossible with the forces being exerted on his body.  He wished S-Nav had given him a better warning so he could have taken a deeper breath.  The entire ship seemed to be so far away from him.  He felt like the control panel was being pulled away from him, the lights and switches once at his fingertips were now miles away.

“Gaaaaahh!” Cynthia’s voice from right next to him finally caught up as the ship’s front came face to face with a mighty star.  It was a giant mass of energy, not unlike the sun, capable of burning for billions of years.  The key to life and the key to making interstellar jumps.

“Never seen one of these beauts up close, eh?”  Mick asked after catching his breath.  Truly, it still fascinated him.  The radiant light of the star would be instantly blinding had the ship not been coated with a protective film to disperse both light and radiation.  Even through the filter, the massive amount of near infinite energy was awe inspiring.

“No… never this close…” Cynthia said through her ajar rose painted lips.

“We use the star’s gravity to draw us toward the system.  You can think about it like this: the selected star is giving us a hug and pulling us in.  Gets a little complicated in binary systems such as this one.  Heh.  Good thing S-Nav is a pro at sensing even small forces of gravity and can lock on to a single star from hundreds of lightyears away.”

“Complements on use and operation of this stellar guidance program may be directed to —”

“Shhh!”  Mick hushed S-Nav.  “What’s the current position of both stars?”

“M-57-B is directly ahead at 38.98 million miles,” answered S-Nav.  “The binary star is four light years away.  The barycenter of the two stars is approximately two lightyears to the aft of the Remoraid.”  A large map resembling a digitalized orrery appeared on the main screen.  It depicted the stars and orbiting bodies of the system they were in.  The ship they were in, the so-called ‘Red Remoraid’ on account of its color and shape closely hugged the main star on display.

“Hmm.”  Mick scratched his broad chin.  “How’s about that?  Not one but TWO potential candidates in this system.  Rocky worlds sure are a thing of beauty in this endless black!”

Cynthia perked up as she looked at the screen with wide eyes.  “Homeworlds?” she asked excitedly.

“Eh… Not even close.”  Mick shook his head.  “See the position of this gas giant?  It’s extremely far away from the star and the so-called ‘Goldilocks Zone’ suitable for life.”

“Wait, if it’s far away from the planets suitable for life, isn’t that a good thing?” she asked curiously.

“No.  It means it can’t protect the inner planets from asteroids and other debris.”  Mick pointed toward the cluster of planets circling the M-57-B.  “Talk about a cosmic shooting gallery.  Those worlds are probably hammered with craters.  Life has no chance if its pelted with extinction level impacts on a routine basis.”

“We’re not even going to investigate?!” Cynthia asked with fragility in her voice.

“Hey now… I never said that, did I?” reproved Mick.  “Just call it an explorer’s hunch.”

“System scan complete.  Probability of life is 5.83%.  Probability of complex life is 0.24%.”

“Mmm.”  Mick rubbed his temple and groaned.  “See, those aren’t great odds; even S-Nav agrees.”

“It’s an old computer!  You said it yourself!  It could be wrong.”

“Well…that’s a fair point.  But we’re probably better off skipping this system,” Mick said taken aback by her impressive drive in the face of unimpressive odds.

“Wait what about the alpha star?”  Cynthia asked pointing at the distant orb of energy four lightyears away.

“M-57-A?” Mick asked raising a bushy brow.  “We’d need to make another jump to reach it.  Just cause they’re a pair of stars doesn’t mean they’re close neighbors.”

“I wasn’t talking about distance!”  Cynthia said crossing her arms.  “I was talking about the potential of life on a planet circling that star.”

“Right, right.” Mick nodded.  “S-Nav, if you would be so kind?”

“Affirmative.  Scan commencing of M-57-A.  Stellar composition… normal.  Warning!  M-57-A is a red giant.  Unsuitable for habitation.”

Cynthia looked pale.  “That means…!”

“Yes,” Mick nodded.  “It’s a star entering its death throes at the end of its long life.  Once that thing blows the whole system will be sterilized.”

“…” Cynthia silently stared at the massive sphere of swollen energy displayed on screen.   “What should we do?” she asked after a few moments.

“S-Nav, what’s our timeframe for landing on Planet Five?” Mick asked pointing to the larger of the two rocky worlds circling the non-red giant, M-57-B.

“Planet Five is 96.34 million miles from M-57-A.”

Mick smiled.  “Oh ho, those are some fine figures.  Just about the right distance.  How about an atmosphere?”

“Nitrogen based with oxygen,” informed S-Nav with the faintest hint of optimism.

“Phew.  Lucky break there.  Planet Five have any other features worth mentioning?”

“Negative.  Requires further investigation.  Shall we establish orbit and launch a drone?”

“We have seven on this ship, so sure, why not.  It’s the best chance I’ve seen in a while.”

“Mick?” Cynthia asked.

“Huh?”  He almost forgot she was at his side seated in the co-pilot’s chair.  When he got rolling with his duties as a pioneer he would sometimes lose track of those around him.

“Thanks.”

“Oh…  Yeah, hah don’t mention it.  All part of the job as an explorer you see.  Can’t leave any rock unturned or my name isn’t Mick Northstar!” he said boastingly.

“Psh, grow up Mick.  I’m not calling you that!” she laughed.

“Why not?  It’s my name!” he asked, feeling as though with a single comment she had taken the wind out from his sails.

“Because it’s a ridiculous sounding name for a cargo pilot who thinks he’s a space cowboy.”

“Well, aren’t I?” he asked.

“Negative.”  “No.”  S-Nav and Cynthia answered together.

“Sheesh.  Tough crowd tonight.  Give me a break, will ya?” Mick sighed.  “We’re going to prepare a dispatch while the drone is providing more detailed data on the nature of Planet Five.”

“A dispatch?” Cynthia asked.

“Yeah. Ya know, the term they use in the army —” He suddenly paused.  Mick quickly regretted saying as much.

“Oh, so you’re army?” Cynthia asked, picking up on his slip.

“EX-army,” he clarified.  “None too proud of it neither, so if you don’t mind…”

“Whatever,” Cynthia said indifferently.  “Point is you’ve got skill and a ship.”

He grinned.  “Good.  Well I guess it’s ‘bout time for you to meet the rest of my crew, little lady.”