thickly padded gray command chair at
its center.
“Mister Kri are departure stations manned?”
“Yes, sir. The ship is fully manned. All crew members
are present and accounted for. The ship is ready for departure.”
“Very well. Release all docking clamps and engage
engines. Back us out of dock and into open space.”
“Aye, sir.” Kri turned and began giving relevant
orders. The ship shuddered slightly as the moorings were retracted and the ship
floated free in the massive shipyard. Slowly, Rampart slid out of the berth
where she had undergone refit and moved into open space. The shipyard facility
stretched both port and starboard for nearly a kilometer, lined with similar
docks for ship construction and refit. Kri said, “Sir we are clear of the
shipyard. All stations report ready to navigate.”
“Very well. Plot a jump to the cometary shield at
these coordinates,” Stokes said and sent a series of numbers to Kri's station.
This was an expected order. The Rampart would first
make a several light hour jump to prove her faster than light system and to
verify her ability to operate away from the support structures that existed
around Lashmere.
Kri punched the coordinates into the executive officer
station and then he said, “Plot jump to coordinates displayed on screen.”
Simmons said, “Aye sir.” She relayed the order to the
helm, and the litany of repeated orders went back and forth across the bridge
as the jump plot was verified and the engines spooled up for the jump.
The Rampart left Lashmere orbit and arrived at the
comet shield less than an hour after her moorings had been retracted. Her
arrival was equally anticlimactic.
“All systems report normal, Captain,” Kri said. “The
point to point drive functioned perfectly.”
“Very well. Miss Simmons, do you see any indication of
any kind of problem with us plotting a five light year jump?”
“No, sir. The power consumption curve is exactly as
expected. We have plenty of fuel for the trip.” Fuel, in this case, was a
controlled mass of highly energetic isotopes that formed in the radiation belts
of most gas giant planets. The isotopes were sifted from the belts with huge
electromagnetic scoops that then passed them into holding tanks that held them
'compressed' between magnetic fields and prevented their decay until it could
be used to fuel the massive energy requirement the point to point drive needed
to function. Fortunately, Lashmere had two gas giants, both of which could be
used to harvest the isotopes. The remaining power systems, including the main
gun, were powered by a pair of fusion reactors situated along the central axis
of the ship.
Stokes said, “Position report.”
“Sir, it looks like we have arrived within five
hundred meters of our expected arrival coordinates,” Simmons said. She tapped
at her console a bit more before continuing. “Sir, our orientation is oddly
deflected.”
“Define oddly deflected, Miss Simmons,” Stokes said.
“The specifics are that we are pointed twenty-six
degrees relative to the plane of the ecliptic. I'm trying to run through the
possible interactions with our point to point drive.”
“Very well. While you work that out, we will spend
some time exploring the area. Mister Kri, engage sublight engines and begin
moving towards the cometary cluster just off the port beam. Also, shift from
system bearings and coordinates to galactic bearings and coordinates.”
“Aye, sir. Shifting coordinate system now. Helm engage
engines and make for two-five-five by zero-one-eight.” The system for
navigation used by most Lashmere ships was originally based on a system that
placed the Lashmere star at the center of all plots and as such was relative to
the Lashmere system only. Since they were traveling outside the Lashmere
system, the Rampart had adopted a system that placed the center of galactic
rotation as the center point of all their navigational
its center.
“Mister Kri are departure stations manned?”
“Yes, sir. The ship is fully manned. All crew members
are present and accounted for. The ship is ready for departure.”
“Very well. Release all docking clamps and engage
engines. Back us out of dock and into open space.”
“Aye, sir.” Kri turned and began giving relevant
orders. The ship shuddered slightly as the moorings were retracted and the ship
floated free in the massive shipyard. Slowly, Rampart slid out of the berth
where she had undergone refit and moved into open space. The shipyard facility
stretched both port and starboard for nearly a kilometer, lined with similar
docks for ship construction and refit. Kri said, “Sir we are clear of the
shipyard. All stations report ready to navigate.”
“Very well. Plot a jump to the cometary shield at
these coordinates,” Stokes said and sent a series of numbers to Kri's station.
This was an expected order. The Rampart would first
make a several light hour jump to prove her faster than light system and to
verify her ability to operate away from the support structures that existed
around Lashmere.
Kri punched the coordinates into the executive officer
station and then he said, “Plot jump to coordinates displayed on screen.”
Simmons said, “Aye sir.” She relayed the order to the
helm, and the litany of repeated orders went back and forth across the bridge
as the jump plot was verified and the engines spooled up for the jump.
The Rampart left Lashmere orbit and arrived at the
comet shield less than an hour after her moorings had been retracted. Her
arrival was equally anticlimactic.
“All systems report normal, Captain,” Kri said. “The
point to point drive functioned perfectly.”
“Very well. Miss Simmons, do you see any indication of
any kind of problem with us plotting a five light year jump?”
“No, sir. The power consumption curve is exactly as
expected. We have plenty of fuel for the trip.” Fuel, in this case, was a
controlled mass of highly energetic isotopes that formed in the radiation belts
of most gas giant planets. The isotopes were sifted from the belts with huge
electromagnetic scoops that then passed them into holding tanks that held them
'compressed' between magnetic fields and prevented their decay until it could
be used to fuel the massive energy requirement the point to point drive needed
to function. Fortunately, Lashmere had two gas giants, both of which could be
used to harvest the isotopes. The remaining power systems, including the main
gun, were powered by a pair of fusion reactors situated along the central axis
of the ship.
Stokes said, “Position report.”
“Sir, it looks like we have arrived within five
hundred meters of our expected arrival coordinates,” Simmons said. She tapped
at her console a bit more before continuing. “Sir, our orientation is oddly
deflected.”
“Define oddly deflected, Miss Simmons,” Stokes said.
“The specifics are that we are pointed twenty-six
degrees relative to the plane of the ecliptic. I'm trying to run through the
possible interactions with our point to point drive.”
“Very well. While you work that out, we will spend
some time exploring the area. Mister Kri, engage sublight engines and begin
moving towards the cometary cluster just off the port beam. Also, shift from
system bearings and coordinates to galactic bearings and coordinates.”
“Aye, sir. Shifting coordinate system now. Helm engage
engines and make for two-five-five by zero-one-eight.” The system for
navigation used by most Lashmere ships was originally based on a system that
placed the Lashmere star at the center of all plots and as such was relative to
the Lashmere system only. Since they were traveling outside the Lashmere
system, the Rampart had adopted a system that placed the center of galactic
rotation as the center point of all their navigational
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