From the Unknown
Prologue.
It was the year 2122.
Mankind's rapid expansion into space had at last fulfilled its old dream. It had opened many new opportunities, but it also was making the fight for survival more and more dangerous.
There were chances to become rich in less than a year, by choosing the right cargo, the right place for new expedition, the right planet for colonization. But along with these chances, you could be ruined and often pay for it with your life.
Space pirates preyed on newly opened ship lanes. Military technologies got a boost they had never had before. New and more powerful weapons, capable of working in vacuum, along with new, lighter and tighter armors became available. Warpdrives hadn't changed much from the first working model built some decades earlier, but conventional within-system engines got upgraded every three to four years.
United Galactica was a new organization, a response to the lawlessness of the first years of colonization. Its fleet tried to defend its member worlds and establish safety in space, but they couldn't be in all places at once. Expansion progressed faster than they could cope. Anyone who tried to stay within the shelter of the government, soon finds himself trailing behind...
Captain Sidney Gerison knew all this. He was also aware that all their fortunes rode on this one cargo run. They needed to make a profit, or they could say good-bye to their ship.
Six years ago, some scout had checked the system of the green star Trofar. As soon as he returned, there was a decision to colonize the fourth planet of the system.
It was a fruit ripe for harvesting. The planet was .95 of Earth normal. The gravity was 1.08, the oxygen was one percent higher. There was no poisonous gases in the atmosphere. Three large continents were located in temperate climatic zones. Also, Trofar IV had all the required mineral deposits; the system had ten other planets, of which six could be easily terraformed, and a couple of large satellites. The place was screaming for inhabitants.
Trofar IV was also very dangerous, because, at this moment, it was in one of the farthest systems from Earth. There had already been pirate attacks in this system, because its two asteroid belts made perfect hiding places.
Sydney checked the sensors again. All clear. They had already jumped into the system, and now were carefully picking their way through the inner belt toward Trofar IV.
Ketrin Gerison also sat at her monitors, checking the surrounding space. Trofar was developing rapidly, thanks to its near-perfect biosphere. Any incoming ship always made a scan through the asteroids, hoping for some small, rich rock to tow, and 'Ganymede' was no exception. If they got one now, it could really help them survive.
She was ready to give up, since the ship was almost through the belt, when one of the sensors beeped. Not believing it, she first double checked its report, before hitting the alarm.
Five minutes later, all eight crew members were on the bridge, shouting, cheering and kissing Ketrin.
Detailed scans confirmed the first report. It was a small rock, of nearly pure vanadium and iron alloy?. What was more important, it was one fourth the size of 'Ganymede' and they had enough fuel to tow it up to Trofar and put it into synchronous orbit.
"The net value will cover our maintenance for the rest of our lives," Kira Georgia, the team's financial genius, smiled.
Cheers again filled the bridge.
"Not counting the fact that we may get a new ship after this. One with the newest Alderson II engines and twin laser turrets."
"Enough talk," Sydney ordered. "Kira, Ketrin, Benny - prepare the engines for towing. Sairus, you have the bridge. The rest of the boys and I will go harness our baby."
'Ganymede' cautiously approached the asteroid. It was now on the screens, scanned by magnetic, infrared and gravitational waves. No anomalies, except the valuable contents. No energy exhausts. No signs of a trap. Sairus turned away from the pult(?), to fill a cup of coffee.
Four clumsy figures in vacuum suits were visible on visual and other screens, placing magnetic anchors on the asteroid's surface. They rarely talked, saving their battery power.
"Bridge, this is engineering. We are all ready."
"Good." Sairus Macarna replied, then switched channels. "Captain, engines ready."
"Good. Tom has some problems with his hydraulics. He is returning. Summon Ketrin to take your place and replace him."
"Aye, captain." Sairus again switched channels. "Ketrin, come to the bridge. Captain wants me at his side."
"On my way," the scientist replied.
The attack was sudden and completely unexpected. One moment, there were four figures in vac suits; the next, more than two dozen.
Smith died without even seeing the attackers.
Johnson roared and swung his plasma welding apparatus. It wasn't meant to be a weapon, but he caught two attackers in his beam, before lasers chopped him into pieces.
Tom Lance and Sydney Gerison were near the airlock, returning, when the attack started. They tried to reach it, but the pirates got there at the same time. In the airlock, they started hand-to-hand combat. Fierce but brief.
Eight pirates closed the outer doors and opened the inner one, hauling the corpse of Sydney and the unconscious Tom, and proceeded to hunt for the rest of the crew.
Ketrin was the first to be caught. She made the mistake of trying to draw her gun and was shot in the leg.
Sairus reached engineering in time to join Kira and Benny in their futile attempt to fight back. After the shooting ceased, there were five bodies: three defenders and two attackers.
Ketrin regained consciousness, to feel a stabbing pain. She was shocked to find herself still alive. Pirates were not known for leaving any eyewitnesses.
Her eyes opened, and she looked - straight into someone's eyes. Then her vision focused, and she saw the face the eyes belonged to.
Her scream possibly sounded throughout the Milky Way...
Two months later, the space ship "Ganymede" was officially declared missing. It had disappeared along with its crew and cargo, ten thousand colonists from Earth in hibernation, ready to settle at Trofar IV...
It was one of the first. But not the last.
Prologue.
It was the year 2122.
Mankind's rapid expansion into space had at last fulfilled its old dream. It had opened many new opportunities, but it also was making the fight for survival more and more dangerous.
There were chances to become rich in less than a year, by choosing the right cargo, the right place for new expedition, the right planet for colonization. But along with these chances, you could be ruined and often pay for it with your life.
Space pirates preyed on newly opened ship lanes. Military technologies got a boost they had never had before. New and more powerful weapons, capable of working in vacuum, along with new, lighter and tighter armors became available. Warpdrives hadn't changed much from the first working model built some decades earlier, but conventional within-system engines got upgraded every three to four years.
United Galactica was a new organization, a response to the lawlessness of the first years of colonization. Its fleet tried to defend its member worlds and establish safety in space, but they couldn't be in all places at once. Expansion progressed faster than they could cope. Anyone who tried to stay within the shelter of the government, soon finds himself trailing behind...
Captain Sidney Gerison knew all this. He was also aware that all their fortunes rode on this one cargo run. They needed to make a profit, or they could say good-bye to their ship.
Six years ago, some scout had checked the system of the green star Trofar. As soon as he returned, there was a decision to colonize the fourth planet of the system.
It was a fruit ripe for harvesting. The planet was .95 of Earth normal. The gravity was 1.08, the oxygen was one percent higher. There was no poisonous gases in the atmosphere. Three large continents were located in temperate climatic zones. Also, Trofar IV had all the required mineral deposits; the system had ten other planets, of which six could be easily terraformed, and a couple of large satellites. The place was screaming for inhabitants.
Trofar IV was also very dangerous, because, at this moment, it was in one of the farthest systems from Earth. There had already been pirate attacks in this system, because its two asteroid belts made perfect hiding places.
Sydney checked the sensors again. All clear. They had already jumped into the system, and now were carefully picking their way through the inner belt toward Trofar IV.
Ketrin Gerison also sat at her monitors, checking the surrounding space. Trofar was developing rapidly, thanks to its near-perfect biosphere. Any incoming ship always made a scan through the asteroids, hoping for some small, rich rock to tow, and 'Ganymede' was no exception. If they got one now, it could really help them survive.
She was ready to give up, since the ship was almost through the belt, when one of the sensors beeped. Not believing it, she first double checked its report, before hitting the alarm.
Five minutes later, all eight crew members were on the bridge, shouting, cheering and kissing Ketrin.
Detailed scans confirmed the first report. It was a small rock, of nearly pure vanadium and iron alloy?. What was more important, it was one fourth the size of 'Ganymede' and they had enough fuel to tow it up to Trofar and put it into synchronous orbit.
"The net value will cover our maintenance for the rest of our lives," Kira Georgia, the team's financial genius, smiled.
Cheers again filled the bridge.
"Not counting the fact that we may get a new ship after this. One with the newest Alderson II engines and twin laser turrets."
"Enough talk," Sydney ordered. "Kira, Ketrin, Benny - prepare the engines for towing. Sairus, you have the bridge. The rest of the boys and I will go harness our baby."
'Ganymede' cautiously approached the asteroid. It was now on the screens, scanned by magnetic, infrared and gravitational waves. No anomalies, except the valuable contents. No energy exhausts. No signs of a trap. Sairus turned away from the pult(?), to fill a cup of coffee.
Four clumsy figures in vacuum suits were visible on visual and other screens, placing magnetic anchors on the asteroid's surface. They rarely talked, saving their battery power.
"Bridge, this is engineering. We are all ready."
"Good." Sairus Macarna replied, then switched channels. "Captain, engines ready."
"Good. Tom has some problems with his hydraulics. He is returning. Summon Ketrin to take your place and replace him."
"Aye, captain." Sairus again switched channels. "Ketrin, come to the bridge. Captain wants me at his side."
"On my way," the scientist replied.
The attack was sudden and completely unexpected. One moment, there were four figures in vac suits; the next, more than two dozen.
Smith died without even seeing the attackers.
Johnson roared and swung his plasma welding apparatus. It wasn't meant to be a weapon, but he caught two attackers in his beam, before lasers chopped him into pieces.
Tom Lance and Sydney Gerison were near the airlock, returning, when the attack started. They tried to reach it, but the pirates got there at the same time. In the airlock, they started hand-to-hand combat. Fierce but brief.
Eight pirates closed the outer doors and opened the inner one, hauling the corpse of Sydney and the unconscious Tom, and proceeded to hunt for the rest of the crew.
Ketrin was the first to be caught. She made the mistake of trying to draw her gun and was shot in the leg.
Sairus reached engineering in time to join Kira and Benny in their futile attempt to fight back. After the shooting ceased, there were five bodies: three defenders and two attackers.
Ketrin regained consciousness, to feel a stabbing pain. She was shocked to find herself still alive. Pirates were not known for leaving any eyewitnesses.
Her eyes opened, and she looked - straight into someone's eyes. Then her vision focused, and she saw the face the eyes belonged to.
Her scream possibly sounded throughout the Milky Way...
Two months later, the space ship "Ganymede" was officially declared missing. It had disappeared along with its crew and cargo, ten thousand colonists from Earth in hibernation, ready to settle at Trofar IV...
It was one of the first. But not the last.