MVOTHT Ch 06



________________________________________ It was finally time and I found the designated Docking bay." Behind the transparent wall was no Tigershark, but a D67 Long Range shuttle. A Commodore with an E Board was standing there and said." Ah Captain Olafson. I am Commodore Wilmer. I am here to brief you and send you on your way. I hope the 67 will be alright." "My Crew won't be coming with me? Sir, there must be a mistake! I am Captain Erica Olafson and I was ordered to come here and get my ship, the USS Tigershark, not a Shuttle!" "I was not informed about the details of your assignment, Captain. I have your order chip right here and was ordered to facilitate your transport from Arsenal IV to Blue Moon." We stood in a long and deserted corridor of huge dimensions. It was the surface level corridor, hundreds of levels above us. On the right side of the Corridor view ports and big service doors leading outside the landing field. From here smaller ships could be serviced or brought outside. The other Side of the corridor was rock of the mountain the base was carved into. transparent Inter Base Transport tubes in equal distances. A series of Pipes and Cargo transport belts under the ceiling. In a similar corridor did Captain Zezz and I take the Scorpion out for testing. It was very quiet down here. I was as confused as could be but I took the Order chip. "thank you Sir. I better check my orders then." As I looked up he was suddenly pale as a sheet and whispered. "Captain, the stories are true. The lower corridors are haunted!" Still a little irritated not to get to see my ship. I said." Sir, what are you talking about?" He slowly raised his hand, pointed at something behind me." A ghost appeared!" I turned and saw a slight greenish remotely humanoid shaped vapor with a slightly more solid darker center where its head was. The vapor was actually wearing a black belt like device and a metallic sash with a round center. It even had a Name tag and the rank of an Ensign. It was Othbeer! From the IBT tubes in the back came a shrieking sound and the fast transport capsule of the Inter Base transport came down the tube with glowing and smoking deceleration breaks! The doors opened and through a cloud of wafting smoke the threatening shape of a huge Y'All stomped, followed by a no less dangerous looking gray Nul. A monstrous human even a little bigger followed. The Commodore's face showed fear. Suddenly the from the rock wall appeared a brown hand and right by the IST a part of the rock wall formed a fourth monster. As Narth in his black robe appeared out of thin air bringing a huge spider along, the poor Commodore was turning the other way. He almost ran into an empty gray Suit without a face in the tight hood and as the Suit saluted and asked him something he actually yelled and I asked." Commodore are you alright Sir?" He turned back and swallowed." What is going on here?" "I don't know what you mean Sir. My crew is arriving." "Good Lord! The Admiral warned me to expect the unusual with you but that was putting it mildly!" He wiped his brow." I cleared the controls of the shuttle, you got your orders and I need to go and get me a drink!" He staggered away to the other IST in the distance. Hans was arguing with Dusty in a friendly tone:" The IBT was on its limit I told you to take the next one!" The Other thumbed with is upper left hand towards Dusty." Sorry Captain I think we broke that IBT over there. Dusty decided to squeeze in and went straight to the floor as the thing tried to decelerate." "Are you okay?" I asked Dusty. "Quite so Ma'am. I just found out how deep those shafts go down and decided to go through the rock rather than fall so far down." Muhammad arrived with a little Indoor Flyer, Elfi and Mao sitting next to him. Mao got out on shaky legs." Remind me never to fly with you again! Two hundred is fast outside but it's murder in a crowded Terminal!" Muhammad laughed." I was perhaps a tad fast but I had it under control and you will fly with me again. I'm the Helmsman." We greeted each other and I gave a hoot about regulations and we hugged and shook hands and the like. Ghost floated closer and said." I decided not to go back to the rest of my people. I was hoping you accept my presence this time as well." His voice came from the metal sash." Mothermachine and Narth devised this Control unit I can actually wear and interact directly with you. My weak Psionics have been strengthened so I can use telekinetics as hands. " "Of course Mr. Othbeer. I just need to read our orders and see why we got a shuttle and not the Tigershark. I put the Order chip in my wrist unit and the projection of the Fleet Admiral appeared and the recording began to speak after I had identified myself with Blue-Blue-Red:" Nice to have you back Captain. Here are your orders: A shuttle will be provided to you to bring you to Blue Moon. There you and those who are with you will board a Space Train. It will take you to Threshold. There you are to board the next available Trans Bridge Express to Bridge Head. The Tigershark is already here. Your Engineering Officer Cirruit is already here, as well as your first officer and most of your crew. Since it would have taken you too long to fly across trans galactic space, we took the Tigershark apart and reassembled her here. I expect your presence here in 12 days, Mc Elligott out."A list was attached showing me who already was with the ship or would join us at Blue Moon "We are going across the Bridge!" Narth said. "M 31 or the Andromeda Galaxy." "Well I guess we better get started then." I said checking the list. The others are already over there." We boarded the shuttle and Muhammad took over for the Midshipman and took us out. The Shuttle was a spacey and equipped with basic comforts. It would take us almost two days to Blue Moon. Blue Moon and the Blue System was the busiest of all Union star systems. It was located almost exactly in its territorial center and served as a main traffic hub. It was home to GalNet Central, The space bus lines had their head quarters there as well as the Union Post Office and hundreds of other passenger, freight,, logistics and shipping service companies. Blue Moon was the largest Space port both civilian and military in the known Universe. Beside all this it was also the central hub for the Union Space train system. The Nul said:" I am very excited to use the Space Train and actually see the Bridge. We Nul know about it and it always was a subject of great envy and respect." I looked at him."I am glad you are with us again, but weren't you supposed to follow your father?" "As you might heard. My father and a delegation have officially applied for membership only yesterday. I have seen much and my father has seen much and we both agreed that it would be the best decision. We think Nul strength will add greatly to the Union and we will benefit from the advanced technology. I asked Admiral Mc Elligott if the chance existed I could be assigned to your Crew. My duties as prince can wait many decades. Besides you need a strong Nul in your crew with all those weaklings like Hans and TheOther." Hans laughed and gave Nul a crashing pad on the shoulder." I could not run my Security department without you." The Nul said quieter." Well with all those weaklings, except Hans! " TheOther said." With Hans and Dusty around I actually don't think we Y'All are all that dangerous. " Othbeer asked ."What is the Bridge?" Narth could not let this opportunity to explain pas and said." One of the greatest engineering feats of the Union and perhaps the Galaxy. As you know the Y'All came three times to this Galaxy before. True they were truly stopped last time and defeated, they send one message saying: We will be back." TheOther tried to nod but moved the entire upper body." Yes I read and learned everything I could about the Y'All since I am awake." Narth continued." Now the Union decided to find out where the Y'All came from and maybe find out who and why was sending them. Perhaps peace could be made and a further attack prevented. If nothing else to carry the war to their doorsteps and end the Y'All threat once and for all. "It was generally believed the Y'All came from Andromeda or at least from that direction. No ship back then could make the entire trip over 2 million light years across empty space. The best range was 5000 Light Years. So a string of Gigamon space Stations was build every 5000 Light years and smaller Megamon Stations every 2500 light years. Eventually 804 space stations were built like a string of pearls all across from the this galaxy to the other. Now the Andromeda Galaxy is much larger than this one and the Union has explored only a very small portion of it. Nine space faring Civilizations from there have joined the Union, and even a war against the Briaar was fought but no trace of the Y'All was found so far." Gatu the Nul opened his frightening maw." To build that bridge in less than 100 years was no small feat at all. Now I understand the entire way across the Bridge can be made via Space train in less than six days!" Again the Ghost asked." I did hear other recruit mention Space trains. These are different from regular space ships?" Narth explained." A quite amazing Terran invention. A tunnel through space is generated somehow. But this tunnel needs a Tunnel generation station and a Receiver base, it requires enormous quantities of Energy and the tunnel so generated can only be made with a diameter of 10 meters. So the vehicles traveling through this tunnel can be as long as desired, but are limited to a diameter of 9.5 meters. Those vehicles have a pulling unit on front and a pusher unit on the end and the freight and passenger units in between. Since they can only go one direction and need two established bases and tunnel booster units if it is a long distance. They can't be used like space ships. Once committed to the traveling process it cannot be interrupted. But the trains cannot be attacked, and travel much faster than traditional space ships." TheOther asked." What happens if the sending or receiving stations are attacked and destroyed?" Narth actually shrugged." This is a question I cannot answer. I only know that the system operates for over 300 years without any accidents or incidents. The actual physics and technology used is a tightly guarded Secret of the Space Train Corporation." ________________________________________