Part 1: A Research Mission?
It is a very lonesome system, there is not one soul for atleast nine light years. Not even the dreadful theif Captain Hector dared to wonder so far off civilization.
I have been working for MXP (Murinu Exploration Program) for about two years now. This is not a branch of the Murinu government but an indipendent organization who's purpose is purly science, exploration and colinization. MXP had recently dicovered a cluster of planets jutting out of the south-east crescent. They estimated there was five star systems, give-or-take one. MXP wished for me to explore all I could, and sample the planets which held oceans and/or oxygen. I accepted. My name is Captain Dave Tylor; my story begins here.
Eight days ago my copilot (Commander Jannet Deigoff) and I took off from an Igadzra starport (we had special allowance) and headed out, leaving the known galaxy. Since then we have been to one system, finding only a blazing blue sun, and a gas planet. This was three days ago, and only minutes earlier we finished our second hyper jump.
"Okay Captain," Jannet says "I'm ready to send the report back to MXP, what do we have?"
"Let's see" I replied "Entering star system KJ-009203D, we have one -25 magnitude yellow star but no planetoids or moons."
"Boy," she said "that's pretty boring. Okay I got it all down and sent."
"Good," I said "then we should be leaving this system by the end of the day, we'll just let the engines cool a bit."
I got off my seat and walked down to the back of the ship.
"You want anything to eat while I'm down here?" I yelled
"What? Oh! Nothanks Captain, but uh, you should come up here and look at this."
I dropped the bag of chips and hurried up to the cockpit.
"what is it commander?"
"Just go and look at your scanner" she said. I sat down with curiosity and exitement. hit the scan button and something came up, it read: 'unknown craft, 2:00 o'clock, 1 mile north east'. I looked out the window; Glowing in front of my scout ship, the Indiana, was a strange white light, not moving, just sitting there calmly. I felt a sensation of energy flow down my body. I began to calm down. This craft ahead, I could tell was watching me, studying me. The hair on my neck rose. Then fascination with this object started to grow. "Did you feel that, commander?" I asked. She was quiet for a moment.
"Yes...yes I did" she said softly.
"Are you alright commander?"
I opened the computer and sent a message to MXP:
'This is the Indiana requesting permision from HQ to advance on unidentified flying object in system KJ-009203D'
I waited a moment while the computer was sending the message. The strange light was still there, not making a move.
The computer beeped. HQ had replied.
'MXP HQ to Indiana: permission granted. Do not under any circumstances engage in combat with this craft. Send target report back here.'
But before I moved toward the craft I tried one thing: communicating.
'Greetings. We mean no harm. My name is Captain Tylor. My ship, the Indiana is only a research vessel. We are curious of who you are.'
I sent the message and waited a few minutes. No response came. "hmm, they must not know the common speech." I pushed the throttle forward a little bit and my scout ship began to move. I came closer and closer intil I was only about two hundred fify meters away. It was an amazing sight: a large disk-shaped craft, covered in lights that were slowly changing color: Orange, yellow, white, blue. This order kept repeating like some kind of coded message. And then in a second it sped away going atleast mach 10.
I had this sudden urge to chase it. And with exitement I thrust the throttle forward, speeding after it. Then suddenly the object stopped. I could tell what was happening. It was preparing for a hyper jump. It turned and faced north-east. I quickly began to charge up the jump engines. The craft blasted out of the system, me close behind.
for four days we were in the jump and by the end of the first the unknown ship was out of sight. "Are you almost done with that ship report?" I asked Jannet. "Almost, sir."
"We've been in this jump four days now, I'm beginning to think there is no---" the ship computer cut me off: 'Proximity alert! proximity alert! sensors indicate star system ahead.' I aborted the jump as three small planets came into view. One was blue and green, the two others were tan, as if desert planets. As I came closer all of my computer systems went hay-wire, and a loud screeching noise echoed through the ship. Then everything shut down. My engines, my computers and my com station.
"Oh @#$%" I said as fear rushed through me.
"wha-what's going on?" Jannet asked, her voice shaking.
"I don't know, I think we entered some kind of magnetic feild."
"Wait," Jannet said, "do you feel that?"
"Yeah." I replied.
The Indiana was slowly moving toward one of the desert planets. "We're in a tractor beam." Then I got that strange feeling again, liking something was watching me, looking at my every move. Then a feeling of tiredness came over me, and I felt myself slowly drifting into a deep sleep. I figure Commander Janet was to, because she didn't say anything, but I didn't care, all I wanted to do was rest.
I woke with a start, there was a whispering inside the ship. I looked behind my chair, and there was jannet, I couldn't see her face, her light brown hair was swung over her head blocking my sight. She was chanting some prayer. "Commander?" I whispered gently, "are you alright?" She didn't answer, I don't think she noticed me. The Indiana made a violont jerk. I was thrown down the hull of the ship and I felt myself hit the cargo bay with a loud bang. A throbbing pain exploded on my face and forehead. I was sure my nose was broken on impact. What was it that threw me? gravity. We had entered the atmosphere. The G-forces slowed down a bit, and after a minute or two I felt the Indiana make a soft landing. I lay on the cold medal floor, dazed and afraid. What was coming next? what was it that pulled me down here with a tractor beam in a star system no one even knew existed? Was who ever did it hostile, or friendly?
I didn't know what to expect.
(This message has been edited by Alvin (edited 07-31-2003).)
