A/N: Sorry this took so long. I thought I could get some writing in before the holiday. Enjoy!
Chapter 25
"So, you're saying that the ship had that weird transport system?" Mandora raised an eyebrow as she spoke to her friend via the Control Room computers.
"According to the very dusty plans, this was supposed to be a test run. The crew was to travel around the universe and test the system in different locations. Document the positives, negatives, and any suggestions they could come up with. Still there is no evidence or explanation of how the ship got to Third Earth. The planet wasn't even on the marked star map of the crew's supposed travel route," Akshay shrugged.
"That means it somehow travelled across space and crash landed on what was an undocumented planet at the time. If anyone survived the crash, would they have been able to call for help?" The former Evil Chaser wondered.
"Negative. Their radio system was too primitive and the last satellite was close to a light year away," he said.
"They would have been stranded on a relatively primitive planet, having no way to reach out, and people on the planet who probably thought they were the enemy," Mandora heaved a sigh.
"Not a pretty prospect," Akshay said.
"No, not at all. What does command say?" The blonde wanted to know.
"As for the radiation leaking, there is no way to remotely shut down the ship. Someone is going to have to gain access and kill the engines. Once that is done, then removal of the ship could be a possibility. They are debating if the ship should be dug out and towed back to our main base. There's a team trying to figure out if any family remain of those that died," her friend let her know.
"So, someone has to want a death wish? How exactly are we supposed to free enough space to enter the ship? We tried sending Snarfer down a tiny opening, but it was no good. It didn't make it into the actual ship," Mandora gave him a look.
"Yeah, that's not what command had in mind. They're sending a team trained to handle radiation leaks. They're also sending digging equipment to try and clear a door or opening so the team can gain access and shut it down. While you wait for that, I heard back from the expert, who I sent the photos to. He says that metal should rust. He figured a ship that was left in the ground for that long would have basically collapsed upon itself. There should be no ship or engine or anything that would have been immediately recognizable," he told her.
"So, we're looking at a ship that not only defied the laws of Physics but also managed to give Father Time and Earth Science the finger. Any ideas on how they would have done that?" She asked.
"I had a mechanic look at the specs for that first attempt at ship to planet transport. He said it was a very ambitious attempt, but he knew that it wouldn't work for many situations. Basically, the weird door was supposed to be sent to the planet surface via a set of cables covered in special telescoping metal casing. The possibility of it landing off course was fairly great he figured. He said that the cables were a way of making sure that the transporter signal reached the planet, the door would open when the signal transfer was complete," Akshay explained.
"Almost like downloading a file. The person would stand on the transport pad, they would be absorbed and then reassembled in that doorway," Mandora said.
"You can see why this idea was abandoned. We've pretty much stuck to using transports as our main ship to planet. At any rate, the mechanic didn't think it would lead to the ship being able to jump to an uncharted planet and crash landing," he said.
"Who would volunteer for this mission? It sounds like suicide," she shook her head.
"Yeah, I can't imagine being brave enough to try it. Of course, without the first astronauts there would never have been the space program," Akshay pointed out. Mandora nodded knowing he was right.
"How long until the radiation leak team gets here?" She asked.
"Two days. You guys must have caught your big and ugly," he said.
"Yup. Got him contained thanks to Snowmeow and Ma-Mutt and a lot of teamwork," Mandora chuckled.
"Good. We're almost through it. I'll call if I hear anything else," Akshay promised.
"Thanks again old friend. I owe you," the blonde said.
"I'll put it on your tab," he chuckled and then ended the call.
"He seems cool," WilyKit said as Mandora left her seat.
"He is," the former Evil Chaser smiled as the phone rang in the Control Room. WilyKat answered it. It wasn't a long conversation and he announced when he hung up who it was and what was going on.
"Lion-O wants a group meeting in ten in the dining room," he said.
To Be Continued…
