SPACE FRONTIER

Captain Robert J. Edwards stepped on to the lift exiting the cafe and pressed the button marked 'D' for dock. This was the day that the starship 'Frontier' would finally leave space dock. It's crew of about one hundred and fifty were aboard and ready to man their respective positions. Captain Edwards slowly boarded the ship and playfully gave the side wall of the ship a couple of knocks with his fist as if to test it's soundness. He stepped through the automated doors, leading to the main corridor and admired the new ship's decor and feel. Slightly more excited now, he stepped towards and entered the ship's lift. Upon pressing the 'Bridge' prompt, the lift made a slight whooshing sound and the doors quickly slid open giving the Captain a full view of the bridge. This ship was built with five levels, the fifth of which contained the senior staff conference room as well as the bridge. Captain Edwards walked towards the center of the room as he saw the staff busying themselves with the ship's computers. First officer, Bill Parks, stepped over towards Edwards and spoke, "Welcome to the Frontier, sir!" "Thank you, . Are all the systems running properly?" "Yes sir, she is a fine ship ready for adventure!" "Splendid, I suggest we not disappoint her."

Captain Edwards slowly made his way to his chair and stared at the blank view screen that loomed hugely in front of him. Before sitting down, he faced his staff who were all huddled near their consoles and flipped the wide-com switch on his armchair. He could now speak and be heard on all levels of the ship. "Good morning, this is Captain Edwards. I know that I can speak for all when I say that we have been honored with the finest ship of the fleet. The encounters and adventures that we face are guaranteed to challenge your mind and put to the test every textbook on space exploration you've read. I expect everyone to perform their duties to the best of their ability, as I am sure many challenges lie ahead. At anytime my mail scanner will be online for those making inquiries, suggestions or appointments with my senior staff or I. Welcome to the Frontier, our new home!"

Edwards switched off the wide-com and sat in his plush but functional chair. First officer, Bill Parks approached Edwards. "Sir, are we ready to leave space dock now?" "Yes we are, notify the base. Lieutenant Fields, please begin departure routine." "Yes sir!" Lieutenant Fields and Lieutenant Charles were stationed at the helm, just a few feet in front of the captain's chair. A slight vibration was felt as Lieutenant Fields activated the engines. The view screen slowly came on and showed the dock's bay doors that the Frontier would soon back out of. A soft grumble was then heard as the ship slowly moved backwards moving slowly towards the bay doors. Staff on the space dock waved the huge ship good luck as it's exterior lights twinkled on and off. The well wishers on the dock's platforms were brief in their good-byes as they left the docks in a hurry. The ship's engines were generating a lot of heat and the space dock would soon become an oven. The docks forced air flush vents were never adequate enough to maintain a desirable temperature when a ship entered or departed.

Captain Edwards spotted a blinking light on his console. This was the navigational sensors, apparently, something was setting the warning indicator. Before he called to Lieutenant Charles, Charles responded. "Captain, the left bay door is jammed. We will not have enough clearance to pass by it. Edwards hit his com to base control. "Base Control, this is Frontier, left bay door is not responding. At current speed, impact is inevitable. Please advise!" Edwards waited for a response tapping his fingers on the chair's armrests. Suddenly a voice boomed over the bridge speakers. "Frontier, this is Admiral Banks of Base Control. Please stand by! " Admiral Banks yelled into his com for his chief engineer, "Mr. Drake, the left bay door is jammed and the Frontier is about a minute from crashing into it!" "Sir, I suggest they halt the ship, I can't release the door in that time". "Are you crazy?! You can't stop a ship that large on a dime!" Engineer, Jane Shore overheard the Admiral and ran over to his desk. She saw the Frontier only seconds away from smashing into the huge steel bay doors on the Admiral's tracking screen. She was running on adrenaline as she was the one who helped design Frontier's new drive systems. If it crashed into the doors, she would have to scrub Frontier's trek and delay gathering data on the new drive operations.

Lieutenant Charles nervously suggested using the ship's aft lasers to full power possibly melting the doors away. However, Captain Edwards shun the notion noting that the lasers would reflect off of the steel bay doors and destroy the ship. Fields yelled out, "Sir, twenty seconds to impact!" Edwards pleaded into the com, "Base control, emergency! Please assist! "Admiral Banks stumbled to his com and blurted, "Hit the brakes, Frontier, there is no other..." Jane Shore interrupted, stepped up to the com and gave Banks a reassuring look. She spoke into the com,

"Frontier, this is Jane Shore, quickly enter the following code into the helm's computer. " Jane ran off an eighteen digit number, "555633881 152962289 as Lieutenant Fields punched it in. The ship was about to smash into the doors when suddenly it disappeared. The ship was dematerialized.

The space dock visitors peering through windows of the bay, gasped as the ship disappeared. Soon they spotted the ship outside of the bay doors. It was seen outside of the right bay door. Admiral Banks took a deep breath and stared at Jane. "What in the world did you execute? " "Simple, Admiral, the Frontier dematerialized and appeared on the outside of the stuck door. " "I didn't know that was operational! I have never seen it performed on that huge an object!" "Yes sir, it was placed on the Frontier for experimental purposes. Such large dematerialization would become convenient and useful for many huge ships and similar objects." "Well you've just saved base control doors and a major starship. I will forward your modification and the event that just happened to the board. I think you are going to make history!"

Virae Three (pronounced 'vi-ra'), is similar to earth's own atmosphere and has sustained life for thousands of years. The civilian policing authorities are usually idle as the citizens maintain a relatively crime free life. Most police calls are for minor events such as a fallen tree or a lost child. However, now the authorities are challenged with perhaps the most terror they have ever faced. It is this horror that they have summoned the help of Space Federation. A foundation that was elected by a galaxy of planets that created Space Federation to assist and mediate problems that arose within and between worlds. It also heads up an exploration department, a section that continues to map out and find uncharted galaxies and worlds.

Bothe Williams, leading authority on the planet Virae, sits in his office and stares at the weather 'insta-radar' view screen. This screen has been his focal point for about two weeks now and his nerves are near shot. Somewhere beyond the atmosphere of this otherwise calm planet was a demonic type entity that had some sought of vengeance. An unexplainable vengeance that has stumped even the most knowledgeable scientist of this world. Bothe called in his assistant, Ray Tryse. Ray manned the communication lines to gather information from scientists and other professors around the world. Ray walked slowly into Bothe's office with no news to appease him. "Sorry Bothe, there is no answers or solutions to this grave situation." "Any news from the Space Federation?"

"Their ship, Frontier, is expected here shortly." "Frontier? Why would they send a new inexperienced ship and crew to a dire emergency such as this?!" "Well I hear that Captain Edwards is heading the trip, certainly you cannot deny his grand track record." "Granted, but this is no event for a maiden voyage. We're dealing with some strange force that is destroying us! Bothe still trembles a bit when he recalls the terror he witnessed while talking to his rookie cop, Carl Slinter. Carl was on the view screen on site on a construction field when the demon appeared. Bothe, looking at Carl on his screen, noticed a huge dark whirlwind of some sought coming up from behind Carl. Bothe asked Carl to turn around and see the mass coming toward him.

As Carl turned around, the whirling mass enveloped the viewScreen and Bothe heard a horrid scream as his monitor went dark. Investigators, sent to the sight, gathered barely any information. Carl was gone and the construction site was barren with not a trace of equipment or life. The ground was wiped clean. Whatever this thing is has struck at least four times a day. The current statistics grow evidently worse. To date, 18000 citizens are missing, 15000 miles of land have been wiped clean including crops, houses and buildings. These numbers will grow when the next strike comes. Frontier was only a half-hour from arrival to Virae 3. Captain Edwards was holding a meeting with key staff members, Bill Parks(First officer), Dr. Will Everts (Medical officer), Dana Brooks (Science officer) and Michael Verne (Public relations). Captain Edwards sat at the head of the conference table and discussed the Virae 3 situation. "Our first mission is quite a job for our first outing. I'm not sure if Space Fed was proper in sending our new recruits into a potentially dangerous venture. Be that as it may, I must ask that you, my senior staff, use all of your resources in resolving and eradicating this unknown object that is wreaking havoc on Virae 3. From the messages beamed in from the planet, I am not sure of our technological strength in withstanding this destructive force. Dana, have you any further data on what this could be?" "I'm afraid not sir, without any tangible evidence at hand, it is merely extreme speculation at this point."

First officer, Parks, swivels in his chair to face the captain again. "Sir, do we have any escape plan intact in case this thing wants to gobble up our crew while on the surface?" "Absolutely, I will not sacrifice anyone. You all will be carrying the QTX transmitter, which has been adjusted for the away team. Should any atmospheric disturbance or surface environment significantly change, your transmitter will activate our transporter system and beam you on board immediately." Rose Munter, worker at the Virae Health department, fumbles through her desk for a pill that will rescue her from an enormous headache. After a long search, she finds the bottle and discovers one left. She makes her way to the water fountain and smiles when she passes an office overloaded with staff. It is apparently someone's birthday and the honoree is being served the first piece of cake. Rose fills her cup with water when she spots her co-worker, Jeff stepping off the lift. "Aye Rose, how is it going? " "Fine, just a little headache."

"Too much Virae happy drink?" "Who me?, don't be silly, I don't touch the stuff. " "Whatever you say, see ya later!" Rose waves him an insincere goodbye and drops her only pill on the floor which manages to roll into the out of order tubes of one of the lifts. "Darn it, just my luck." Rose thinks for a minute and then decides to dart outside and get some more pills from the drug store across the street. Rose jumps on the lift and heads for the lobby. Her best friend, Emma, runs up to her just in from a cross-town meeting. "Rose, you got to come back upstairs with me, I can't wait to tell you..." "Wait a second, Emma, I'm just going across the street for a headache pill." "No, No, it will be too late. That news reporter from T-stretch news is putting me on the air in five minutes through my view screen.

You got to witness this!" "I'll be there, just let me get to the store and run back." "Oh, Rose, you'll miss it, " "No I won't, look I'm running now... " As Rose runs across the street, she stops at the store's front door as her head throbs from the gait across the street. Rose, sees her pills on the shelf and pays for her purchase. She gives the owner a plastic card and he runs it through the scanner. Rose thanks the owner and heads for the door. She quickly looks at a lipstick poster wondering if she should freshen herself up in the event she is called to be on camera. Rose dismisses the idea and tries to open the exit door. "Sir, the door is jammed!" The owner runs toward the door and tries to pull it free. Rose screams as she looks out the side window and sights a huge mass swirling outside. The owner grabs Rose and runs to the steel storage vault.

He knows the evil that lurks outside of his store. His brother became its victim last week. An eerie calm settled and Rose walked out of the huge vault and looked nervously at the storeowner behind her. They finally opened the front door and Rose screamed as she saw nothing outside. Everything was missing. The traffic, the citizens and even the office building she worked in. Rose stumbled backward in a daze and fainted on the ground. The storeowner went to locate his portable transmitter to put out an emergency call. Ray Tryse summoned Bothe Williams into the communications room. "What is it Ray?" "I've got the Frontier on the transmitter!" "Well quick, turn the com on!" "Frontier, this is Virae, please come in..." A few pops were heard before a clear voice responded. "This is Frontier, I am Captain Edwards. "

"We're glad to hear from you Captain, I'm Bothe Williams of the policing unit. We hope you can assist us with our problem. " "I can assure you that my staff will do everything in its power to halt this savage beast that is causing this havoc. Now if you'll excuse me I will ready my away team and we shall meet you shortly. " "We haven't much more time, Captain, we've just sustained another hit. " "Understood, Frontier put!" The away team consisted of Captain Edwards, 1st Officer Bill Parks, Medical Officer Will Everts, Officer Dana Brooks and Public Relation Officer Michael Verne. The team assembled on to the transport platform and beamed down to the Virae police headquarters. Bothe Williams saw the crew materialize in the station and greeted Captain Edwards. "Hello Captain, welcome to Virae 3." "Thank you, I suggest we begin investigations immediately.

Can you lead us to the last site that was struck by this force? " " Yes I can, if you all will follow me to the mobile unit." The mobile unit is an advanced vehicle that seats up to eight people. It's tires, made from the exclusive Virae underwater plant, eviral, can adapt themselves to all driving conditions. The tires fluctuate in size to give the smoothest ride. Shock absorbers are not needed because of the tires ability to cushion even the most extreme potholes. The away team and Bothe Williams climbed into the mobile unit and took off. Science officer Dana Brooks was amazed that a wheeled vehicle could ride so smoothly. "Mr. Williams, " Dana called, "are these tires being exported to other planets? These tires are quite amazing. " "I'm surprised you are impressed with them, " Bothe spoke as he steered the mobile through the streets. "Your world and most planets in your region have long since abandoned wheeled vehicles for the more advanced hovercrafts and flyer crafts." "Yes but these tires could be utilized for ground work not to mention hospital in house transportation. You could bring lots of profit to your world." "I will certainly ponder the possibility."

"Here we are Captain, this is where the last hit occurred. A large office building once stood over there, now it is but a memory." The away team climbed out of the mobile and began surveying the area. Science officer, Dana, took a soil sample from the ground and gave it a laser scan. Captain Edwards walked over to Dana for her quick analysis. "Have you come across anything, Dana? " "Very vague sir, the only unusual particle I detect is old speck of cylac. " "Cylac you say, " "Yes, it's a rather inert ore that was discovered on the planet, Klora, over 300 years ago. " "Could this inert ore become active for any reason?" "Unknown Captain, there have been rumours of isolated experiments but no data has been officially filed for research purposes." "Keep digging for clues until you can gather some significant connection with this killer storm. " " Yes Captain. " Hours passed as the away team searched for any hint or clue. Bothe Williams was becoming agitated at the delayed results. "Captain, certainly your equipment can speed up this process. How much longer will it take?" "I understand your frustration, Mr. Williams but we are dealing with an unknown entity. Our technological assistance still depend on our fact finding missions so that collectively we can come to an idea of what we're dealing with." "I just don't want to see more citizens fall prey to this thing."

"If you can give us a log of all the area hit maybe we can establish a pattern for this... " "CAPTAIN!, " First Officer Parks yells out, "Look ahead!" A large ball of gray mass grows larger as it makes it way to the planet. Captain Edwards feels the transmitter starting to dematerialize himself and his crew. Realizing that Bothe does not possess a transmitter, Edwards grabs Bothe by the shoulders and the two both dematerialize into thin air along with the away team. The ball of terror slams across the site and rips up everything possible. Nothing could have survived the hit. The Frontier orbits the planet and the away team along with Bothe Williams, materialize on board. Bothe is slightly stun by what he sees. He has never been on a starship and is surprised to be on one now. Captain Edwards releases Bothe's shoulders. "Sorry to grab you so rough but this was your only escape route. You would have been annihilated instantly." "No apologies necessary Captain. You've saved my life. Is there anyway I can contact Ray Tryse, my assistant at the remote station? " "Certainly, just give the coordinates to the computer on the deck there." Bothe followed the computer-voiced instructions and was amazed to hear Ray speak so clearly.

"Ray? This is Bothe. " "Where the heck are you Bothe. I thought you were dead, that last hit was right in your last coordinate." "I'm alright Ray, Captain Edwards and his crew beamed me up to their starship just before the hit. " "Sir, I got worse news. Your site wasn't the only one hit, I'm getting calls from sixty-four points around the planet that were hit at precisely the same time. This thing has many offspring and is becoming more intense." "I will inform the Captain meanwhile keep retrieving any useful data. Bye for now!" Captain Edwards returned to the bridge of the Frontier and asked Science officer, Nick Daly for a computer analysis of all storm systems on the planet surface. Parks and Bothe stepped from the lift looking quite expressionless. "Is something the matter?," Edwards spoke up, "Captain, Bothe has just informed me that many masses have hit the planet during the last attack. It appears this thing is dividing itself and striking in multiple locations. Captain, I think we should notify base control for immediate assistance." "You forget, Parks, we are on our maiden voyage. Base Control has been monitoring our every move. " "Isn't it rather odd that they have yet to respond to such a serious situation?" "My guess is they are awaiting our thorough analysis as they are too, stumped by this strange phenomenon. " Bothe interrupted, "My planet is being destroyed at a rapid rate, we must act fast!" Just then Science officer Dana Brooks stepped from the lift and ran over to the Captain.

"Sir, I have some news regarding that soil sample." Dana directed her audience to the bridge's computer view screen. With a push of a button, an elderly gentleman's picture and profile appeared." This is Professor Cyran Markus, a well known professor who was dedicated to environmental issues. He worked his last ten years trying to develop a device that would clean the atmosphere of any and all man made pollutants. Dr. Markus was only a few days away from completion of this device when he became ill and died a few days thereafter. His device was kept in a safe box and never found. His planet, Yuric, went nova fifty years later and the search for the device was canceled and thought to be destroyed. " Captain Edwards rubbed his chin, "Are you implying that this device has somehow come back to haunt us years later? " " Well it's only a theory sir, but I believe very strongly that this device is activated and causing these massive hits on the planet. " "How can you be sure?" "If you recall, Captain, the soil sample I took contained an ore known as Cylac. Dr. Markus was known to have collected cylac for uses unknown. " "But you've said yourself that cylac was an inert particle." "That's true, however when it is taken from it's planet, Klora, it becomes an expanded mass of acid like wind, to a degree that can't be measured by our standards." "But why would this thing appear hundreds of years after it's construction?" "Dr. Markus was unaware that cylac became active only after a hundred years since it's excavation from the Klora mines. This thing then grew slowly destroying only little unnoticed stars before it grew to its current size. "

Dana switched off the computer screen. "Captain, I believe this thing has grown out of control." "That's an understatement, since Dr. Markus never completed the device, it has obviously taken it's half baked circuits and set a course for destruction." "Well now that we have an idea of what's out there, how do we eradicate this thing?"

"Captain, " Lieutenant Charles shouted, "Admiral Banks from Base Control is hailing." "Put him on front view screen, Lieutenant." "Captain Edwards, this is Admiral Banks from Base Control. Information from your ship's transmitter has been blocked for hours due to space interference in your region. We have just been informed of the grave situation on Virae III. Have you a practical solution to the problem?" Edwards walked over to the huge screen quickly. "We have just identified a device that was implemented by Dr, Markus over 200 years ago. We believe this instrument has generated itself and is causing this terror. We have no solution yet and ask for your assistance. " "My staff here at the base will research Dr. Markus experiment and contact you if anything meaningful develops. Meanwhile, maintain a round the clock research and do what you must with my permission. Also please monitor your communication relays to ensure we do not lose contact again." "Will do, Admiral" "Very well, Base Control out."

Mr. Daly came onto the bridge. "Mr. Daly, do you have any report on the computer readout?" "Just one thing, Captain. The masses contain a positive charge of aklyid a rare energy source, which is now extinct. This is the energy this thing runs on." "Can we counteract that energy and drain it?" "I shall check on it sir." "By all means." Daly runs off to the science department. Bothe, looking at a book on time travel, comes up with the idea of going back in time. "Captain Edwards, couldn't you time warp back to the Dr, Markus days and alter this fateful time?" "The ability to travel back in time was banned by base control many years ago. The risk of altering the future by returning to the past was much too great. " "Captain!..." Lieutenant Fields shouts, "There is a message coming in from the planet." "Pipe through the speakers Lieutenant." The bridge speakers buzz with an annoying high pitch screech before the message is played.

"Frontier, this is Ray Tryse, " Bothe quips, "That's my assistant, Captain. " "We need your assistance, there is a huge riot in progress at the Twin Square Parks. It is suspected that the Vanshees and the Trivics are creating the disturbance." The speakers go dead and Captain Edwards turns to Bothe for an explanation. "Bothe, who are these groups?" "The Vanshees and the Trivics are two cults of roughly 20,000 to 30,000 members each. They have been involved in a cold war for decades. They usually blame each other for any natural disaster, as they believe in two different Gods. Each thinks that the other cult is sinful thus prolonging the arguments. My concern now is that this riot may cause much bloodshed as the members of each group call on other followers to assist in the riot." Michael Verne, in charge of public relations, approached the Captain after overhearing their conversation. "Captain, Sir, I think I can calm the two groups diplomatically with a little technological help."

The riot was in full gear. Objects big and small were being tossed in every direction. Bodies fallen to the ground were being trampled over while each faction battled the other. The Vanshee's wore a distinctive green band around their forehead, which was mandatory when they ventured out into the streets. The Trivics used this to their advantage during the riots. Any person donning the green band, were targets for the Trivics. Those without the bands were considered Trivics or their sympathizers and were targets for the Vanshees. Twin Square Parks was just that. Two squared shaped parks that were placed in close proximity of each other. The only thing that separated the two parks was a crystal clear river. The parks are visited each year by vacationers from distant galaxies. It contains mountains with modest heights and greenery. The parks both contain magnificent trees that are the talk of many interstellar nature lovers. Behind one particular tree, a bright beam of light appears. Michael Verne arrives on the planet surface only a few yards away from the clashing in the parks. Verne looked at the mayhem and hoped his plan would be successful. His coordinates were right near the river between the two parks. More and more bodies fell to the ground as the fighting continued. Verne noticed a strong wind blowing up from the river. Zonta, respected leader of the Trivics, remained stationary in the park surrounded by a hundred guards.

He fed messages to his members on different strategies for defeating the Vanshees. His attention was disrupted by a large gray mass that appeared to be coming towards him. Realizing that this was the curse of the Vanshees, he tried to get his followers to retreat by quick word of mouth. The river nearby strangely rose up from it's run and flooded the two parks. The winds were so violent yet isolated that it pounded the river forcing a flash flood over the parks at an alarming rate. The water was now near four feet high on the park's ground. The fighting ceased immediately as members of both groups tried to cling to any object to avoid drowning. The gray mass came down from the sky and was moments away from striking the area. Trees broke and many hung on to them for dear life. Screams for help were loud and numerous as helpless souls tried to fight against the raging waters. Benchi, a Vanshee member, clung to a large wooden park bench when he saw a hand rise from the waters. Benchi grabbed the hand and tried diligently to pull the soul up to safety. After a tug of war, Benchi was able to raise the soul safely on to the raft-like bench. The saved man mustered up enough energy to say thank you to Benchi. The two gasped as they saw a dead body float pass them. The gray ball of energy came crashing down on the parks with howling winds and thunder like noises. More trees snapped and fell off into the waters. The park was dark and cold.

Many bodies floated by shocking those who were barely alive themselves. Tides of water rose up again and then as if by command, the waters calm down dramatically. The sky lit up without a trace of a storm. Benchi wondered if he was dreaming or if he was in his god's world. The world occupied by those who have passed on. The stranger beside Benchi, opened his eyes and was gratified that the dangerous winds had subsided. He saw his rescuer and spoke, "I am eternally grateful for your act in saving my life." Benchi shook the man's hand as others came to the aid of the man. Benchi was confused by the attention the lone stranger was receiving. Soon a large crowd circled the two and much whispering was going on while three men tended to the stranger. Finally Benchi spoke out, "Whats going on here?" An elderly man walked over to Benchi. "You have saved the life of our leader, Zonta and you shall be uplifted in the eyes of the Trivics." "Trivics? But I am of the Vanshee!" The crowd gasped loudly. Benchi, realizing that his blue band had apparently fallen off of his head was shocked to have saved the life of his opponent. Benchi stood up among the crowd and identified himself. "I am Benchi, I am the leader of the Vanshees." The crowd gasped again, much louder than the first time. Zonta stood up and stared at the leader and then turned to the crowd. "Our God has truly sent us a message. He has revealed to me and now to you that we must not fight again.

He is displeased with all of us and with his mercy has given us another chance to redeem ourselves in his eyes. I declare the war over and now embrace a new alliance of friendship and peace!" The crowd roared with approval as many shook hands with each other. Onboard the Frontier, Officer Nick Daly and science officer Dana Brooks stepped on to the bridge. "Captain, Nick and I have just figured out a way to diffuse the storm clouds. " "Please continue then. " "We have discovered that the aklyid charge found in these clouds can be neutralized by beaming negative energy into them." Daly continues, "By using planet wide scanners, we can track the next wave of hits and zap them before they hit land." "Excellent, but how do we zap these negative forces into each cloud?" Dana answers, "Engineer Hosse can install a panoramic sensor into one of the laser banks. Each sensor can be rotated towards each storm cloud and the laser beam shot through each one. " "Will the laser beam be adjusted to carry the proper negative charges? " "Yes, it will be altered significantly so that we won't send anything but negative energy into the targeted areas. " Bothe, slightly excited interrupts, "Will this eradicate every element of this thing?" "Our calculations say it should as long as we strike every cloud during the next attack." Captain Edwards inhales deeply and says, "Then let's not wait another minute, mount your installations and hail me when it is operational. " "Yes sir!" Daly and Brooks leave the bridge to begin.

"Verne to Frontier... please respond. " "Frontier here," "I'm ready to beam up now." "Acknowledged, please stand by for transport." A beam of light surrounds Verne taking him from the Twin Square parks to the ship in orbit. Bothe and the Captain meet Verne in the transport room for the results of the riot intervention. "Welcome back, have you any news to tell us?" The Captain asks. "Yes sir, the mission turned out better than I expected. The event was taped for your view screen by the Frontier's long range scan camera. " "Tell me Mr. Verne, " Bothe began, "Have the riots subsided?" "Very much so. The holographic images of the storm cloud which we are faced with, performed exceptionally well." "Bothe, obviously confused asks, "Holographic images? I don't quite understand. " "Let me explain, " The Captain continues, "Our holograph computers can recreate any person, place or thing with advanced three dimensional optics and a classified element that give the images life and substance. The early computers were limited to a large room only, now with our new long range systems, we can create images thousands of miles away." "That's incredible!" "With that, we created a storm similar to the one that is currently attacking your planet and sent it to the site of the riot. Now, Verne will tell us the outcome." "Yes sir, " Verne continues. "The storm came right on cue and flooded the parks. In a nutshell, the fighting ceased and when the water died down, it was discovered that the leader of the Vanshees saved the leader of the Trivacs! The two sides declared peace and the war ended. "

"Incredible!" Bothe yelled out. "My only question is, did the storm claim any lives?" "No sir, " Verne responded, "As realistic as the images feel and appear, they do not interfere or cause any great harm or injury to anything living. The only casualties were those killed before our intervention. " Captain Edwards shakes Verne's hand. "You planned this admirably and I shall forward my recommendations to base control immediately regarding your promotion. " " Thank you, Captain."

The intercom buzzed "Calling Captain Edwards, " Edwards pushes the com button. "Captain here," "Captain, This is Dana Brooks, the device is ready for operation. " "Very good, now we shall wait for the first sign of another attack. "

Captain Edwards went to his quarters for some much needed rest. Dana would hail him as soon as the storm like clouds appeared. It would be quite a great feeling to have rid an entire planet of a menacing and destructive storm that was created hundreds of years ago. Too bad he could not save the lives of those already lost to the disaster. Edwards sat on his bed wondering whether the laser device would successfully destroy all of the elements. After all, this is the Frontier's maiden voyage, and Base Control was analyzing every move the ship made. His track record with Base Control was nothing to sneeze at. He seemed to defy death with other missions that he orchestrated. He successfully led a one year mission to the Appoy galaxy. One of the planets in that district was about to go nova. Base Control sent Edwards and a crew of about fifty on the starship named Trooper. The mission was simply to remove every sign of life from the endangered planet and transfer them to a world whose atmosphere was similar. The move was available through Trooper's numerous transport abilities to transport large groups of people by mass beaming. Those who opposed leaving their homeworld complicated the mission. It took weeks of intense negotiating before the denizens finally cooperated. The transporting took four months to complete. Edwards returned to Base Control and was granted a six month vacation and a roaring approval from all.

Soon he had discovered that he was being placed as Captain on the Frontier. A spanking new ship with features never before implemented on a starship. He knew that once he rid this planet of these attack storms, the Frontier would be recommended for many more challenging missions. Base Control would not give him such a well equipped ship just to chase after stray asteroids. Even though this one was extremely serious, he knew that there were other capable ships that could have achieved similar success.

Five hours passed when Edwards was awakened by his com whistle. He jumped up to answer. It was Dana Brooks. "Captain... Dana, new storm clouds have been located on the radar. They will hit land in about four minutes. " "In that case commence with the laser project. " " Yes sir!"

In the engineering room, Dana stared at a huge radar screen with twenty dots swirling on it. The dots indicated just where each cloud was descending from. Dana's assistants punched in the coordinates that each negative beam of laser should hit. With the press of a button, the lasers would all together attack the vicious clouds. Edwards came into the engineering department and watched the operations. The clouds were two minutes away from land impact. Dana gave the order and the laser beams were dispatched. One by one the dots disappeared from the radar screen, the lasers were destroying each cloud quite well. Within the minute, all but one cloud remained on screen. Edwards walked over to Dana for an update. "Captain, we have removed all of the clouds except one. Apparently the lone cloud is defying our lasers." "Commandeer Nick Daly entered the room and addressed Dana and the Captain. "That last cloud contains an unusual amount of energy. It charges with positive or negative charges.

I'm afraid we've strengthened that one rather than weakened it." Dana responded, "That thing is going to hit land in thirty seconds, what can we do?" Bothe spoke up this time, "Rather than give it any energy, why not extract both positive and negative charges from it? " Engineer Hosse ran over to the computer control board and quickly entered some figures. A beam shot it's way from the tail of the ship to the lone cloud storm. Dana shouted, "The cloud is slowing down!" Hosse responded, "I've reversed the beaming laser to extract positive and negative charges from the cloud and placed them into our ship's storage cells." Dana again shouted, "The cloud has disappeared, it's outta here!" The engine room was abuzz with shouts and cheers. Edwards stepped towards Engineer Hosse to congratulate him. "Hosse, I commend you on a job well done. " " Thank you sir. I dumped the energy from our storage cells and recharged them with the cloud's energy. Now we're brimming with power ! "

On the bridge, the crew has assembled to bid farewell to Bothe. Bothe, extremely grateful, gives the Captain a symbolic key to Virae. "Captain, I must say I had my doubts when we learned of this maiden voyage coming to assist us, but in the aftermath, I am honored by your crew's wisdom and dedication. I think you will all make great space explorers and I will send my regards to Base Control. " Bothe stands in a spot away from everyone as the transport staff transports him back home. He waves as he disappears from the bridge. Base Control will soon send an army of workers to help rebuild the sites where the cloud storms hit. The rebuilding process is expected to take two to five years. It will take a lifetime for its citizens to recover emotionally from the human loss.

Frontier approaches Base Control after hours at warp speed. Both bay doors open without incident and the ship's engines shut down as the ship floats to the dock about five hundred yards away. Jane Shore, engineer of some of the ship's systems can barely wait to board to find how well her engine designs held up. Edwards met with Admiral Banks in his office. "You've done an excellent job out there, Edwards. " " Thank you sir, but I must credit my fine crew for their ingenuity. They're a fine bunch sir. " "Well I will highly recommend you and your crew for more interesting missions. One that will be worthy of your expertise and commitment." "Thank you sir, I know my crew will look forward to it." "Very well then. Now I think you deserve the rest of the week off while our engineers swamp your ship with performance analysis. Enjoy it! " "I'll try Admiral, but right now my anticipation for my next venture is quite overwhelming!" "Indeed it is, Captain, Indeed it is!"

Edwards boards a spacecraft that will take him to his home nearby. His home has always been on the planet, Alpha six, a small yet appealing world. The spacecraft takes off with nine others looking out of the large ship windows. Edwards turns around for a moment and glances at the engineers crawling all over the Frontier looking like hungry hawks. He wonders what adventure that ship takes his crew to. What adventure will lie ahead and will he be able to overcome the next difficult task. He longed opted for the chance to work in the challenging field of space exploration even though it can push the limits of ship and crew. The Captain that as a teen, helped rescuers locate trapped souls in a building near collapse, now scouts out to assist galaxies on an often perilous journey. This is Captain Edwards.

End

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