The Knockabouts Read online

  “This isn’t a lab setting, design board, or a test bed. It’s more than just a ship evaluation. It’s the real thing and that means there’s a lot going on beyond the specs and numbers. They’ve survived ten years shipping that crate through the real galaxy and all that goes with it. That’s with all the work and whizz they’ve put into her. That means something.”

  “And that something is?”

  “They know how to survive.”

  “All right. I’ll tell them they have the contract. We’ll leave for Vachsblad tomorrow.”

  . . .

  “You tell us who we’re working for? Teller asked after taking a sip of jama. It wasn’t caffeie, but it also wasn’t a bad substitute. It was the closest thing the restaurant served to the real thing.

  Ursula looked away from the rain that pounded on the window next to her seat. “Altairie. A group in Systems branch to be specific.”

  “Corporate? Syndic at that. Not to scan a gift ship, but don’t they have their own system in place for this sort of thing?”

  “Yes, but they are concerned about corporate espionage from without and within. They have an important project that is nearing fruition and are worried details may get loose. Jessop and I are also outside hires, and for the same reason. I am to oversee delivery of data cases accompanied by two of Altairie’s security personnel. Handpicked I am told. We deliver the cases to designated parties at several locations. Security personnel escort the secured cases and me to the various destinations. No one will have access to the data or have knowledge of our task but the board and their staff members. They want this to be as discreet as possible.”

  “Fine by me. A job that’s fully legit for once. Where are we going?”

  “Assuming you mean once the data is aboard, I cannot tell you because I don’t know. We’ll be briefed once we are ready to depart Vachsblad. The locations and the travel time will be conveyed shortly before we leave.”

  “And if we don’t agree to the terms at that time?”

  “You will be bound by the non-disclosure agreement you agreed to earlier. You will not reveal any particulars to anyone even if you decline the job.”

  “Will we be compensated for our travel to Vachsblad if we decline?”

  She shook her head. “I doubt it, but I would think a corporation of Altairie’s stature would not offer unacceptable terms. It would increase the likelihood of exposure.”

  “All right.” Teller looked to his partner. “What do you think?”

  “Confirmation on Vachsblad?”

  Ursula looked confused. “I don’t understand.”

  “We’ll need some kind of confirmation that we are actually working for Altairie once we arrive on Vachsblad. That’s what he meant. Once burned….”

  Ord nodded.

  She smiled at the big man. “Certainly. I’ll see to it when we get there. Most prudent.”

  “Looks like we have a deal. Except for two things. Price and currency.”

  Negotiations did not take long. The terms of the contract were generous and both sides knew it. Twenty thousand Carperan Bank credits total, ten percent up front, for transporting data cases from the planet Vachsblad to several undisclosed locations. They would receive reduced compensation should they be behind the schedule set by Altairie and in the unlikely event they were under time, there was a one thousand credit bonus. The specified time schedule was almost certainly going to be tight, but Teller and Ord felt confident they—and ARC Lance—were more than capable of meeting it.

  Physical data transport was a common practice. Beamed communication was adequate for in-system or on-planet, but not at interstellar distances.

  In Space Actual—also called realspace in common parlance—nothing could move faster than the speed-of-light. A communications beam traveling at that speed would take one standard year to reach a station one light year away. Compared to a vessel in slipspace transiting at approximately one light year per hour, broadcast beams were not a very practical or timely way to conduct business.

  A far more rapid and secure way was automated and unmanned message pods for unsecured communiqués, dropping out of slipspace to send burst transmissions before returning to slipspace and continuing to repeat the process elsewhere. For other communications, many governments and other entities that sought more privacy and security used precision message pods with heavy encryption sent to specific coordinates for rapid recovery by waiting space vehicles. This method was more secure, complicated, and expensive, but still vulnerable to interception. For ultra-sensitive or secret communications, the use of speedy message runners with security personnel and flight crew or larger military vessels was common, yet even this was not perfectly secure.

  . . . . .

  . . . . .

  2

  Meet the New Boss

  . . . . .

  Excerpt from, Cap’n Cosmos’ Guide to it All, the Interstellar Guide for Endeavoring Spacers.

  Cap’n, what is slipspace and who is Raker Effect?

  -Xlurg Darp’o’g jr.

  Xlurg, great question! So great, it has more than one answer, but we don’t know all of them yet. Confused? Join the club. I’ll try to explain.

  We’ll start off with slipspace.

  In short, it’s a shortcut. It’s like cutting through someone’s yard to get somewhere quicker. The thing is, we don’t know what it is. It’s there, we know that much. We can travel through it, we know that too. Some say it’s another dimension, others think it’s a spirit realm, some say it’s warpspace, others dark space, still others say otherspace, a few say it is nothing, and on and on. The Cap’n has his own ideas, but that’s not what’s important. What is important is how we use slipspace.

  Part of how we use slipspace also answers the second part of your question. Raker Effect isn’t a person, it’s something we use to be able to transit slipspace.

  Raker was the man who discovered how to use ancient technology to enter and travel through slipspace using the Raker Effect generator and exit using the generator’s Emergence System(ES in spacer lingo). Even though he didn’t invent the device, he figured out how it worked and they named the effect brought about by the device after him. By using the Raker Effect generator(RE gen or REG to spacers), the galaxy became much smaller. It became smaller because moving into slipspace allowed travelers to go very far in a short period of time, farther than anyone could no matter how fast you went in Space Actual, the name we give our universe. As mentioned before, slipspace is a shortcut, but we can only use the shortcut if we are clear of major gravity wells and have a Raker Effect generator. Without a generator, beings from our universe cannot exist in slipspace, so it’s pretty doggone important.

  Imagine a being cutting through someone’s property to get somewhere faster(not that the Cap’n advocates trespassing). Imagine the landowner catches this being and shoots him with a blaster of infinite power and absolute accuracy and the being explodes into nothingness. Kablooey! All gone. That’s what happens if a Raker Effect generator fails while in slipspace, and to be honest, I wish it would happen to my neighbor’s dog who poogs in my yard on a daily basis… but that’s another issue.

  . . .

  The next day Ursula and Ned boarded the ARC Lance for the trip to the planet Vachsblad in the Faeros system. They would ride on the command deck, at least until they entered slipspace.

  While in military service, the Lancer class ships had as many as seven personnel on the flight deck. A two-being piloting team facing forward, four personnel manning a pair of stations situated along each bulkhead port and starboard, plus a commander operating from a seat in the middle of the deck behind the piloting team.

  No longer a warbird, ARC Lance didn’t required such numbers to operate her and Teller and Ord more than sufficed as crew. The command chair was long gone, replaced with a cubicle for storage and equipped with an active chart and navigation display on top. A pair of seats facing forward abutted the console overlooking the pilot and copilot seats.
Raik and Jessop sat there.

  Ursula looked around with apparent interest. “I’ve never been on the command deck during a flight before.”

  “Pay attention and you’ll be able to do the flying next time,” Teller said as he looked over readings on the control panel in front of him.

  “I’m sure it’s far more complicated than that.”

  Teller laughed. “We pilots count on people believing that.”

  His statement caused Ned to laugh as well. “He’s understating the facts, but flying is just one aspect of a spacer’s job. It’s not that flying doesn’t require skill and experience, it’s all the other things that go along with getting a starship from one place to another. Then again, a talented flyer brings a lot to the table.”

  Teller glanced over his shoulder briefly. “You’re not just an engineer. You’ve done time as a spacer.”

  “Have my Syndicate and Confederation certifications as a captain on light starships. Flight engineer certs on all starship classes except some of the newest military vessels.”

  “Figures. I didn’t peg you as a design bureau brain. You spend much time in indie rigs like this?”

  Jessop smiled. “You could say that, but it’s been awhile.”

  An almost shiver-like vibration moved through the ship as the engines came to life. The Liftstars were fully online within a few minutes.

  While not well-known outside those that worked the lifting platform trade, Flytethrust’s lifting technologies division was known for engines that came on swiftly, produced considerable thrust for their size, responded to thrust adjustments faster than any competitor’s products, and were exceptionally reliable while in use, each a huge plus for the job. The price and downside of such performance was considerable and frequent maintenance, a task that kept Tell and Ord busy.

  “We’re clean across the board,” Teller said giving the panels one last sweep. “You concur?”

  “Clean,” Ord replied.

  “Then let’s get this show in the air. Checklist. Key traffic control request and landing bay clearance.”

  Ord deftly punched keys and watched the panel. After a moment he said, “Traffic control, up and we’re in queue. Medium freighter lifting out now, then us. Landing bay clearance, granted.”

  “Good. Counter Inertia System and Repulsor slash Inertial Compensator.”

  “CIS-RIC, up.”

  “Good. Astrogation System. Galactic coordinates for Vachsblad inputted?”

  “AS, up. Vachsblad coordinates confirmed.”

  “Good. Raker Effect generators.”

  “REG diagnostics read one hundred percent.”

  “Good. Emergence System.”

  “ES diagnostic, one hundred percent.”

  “Good. Shields.”

  “Shield emitters are charged and ready.”

  “Good. Any weather changes?”

  “No. Still wet, winds from right quadrant, three-seven klicks per hour.”

  “So, a calm and pleasant day on Maelstrom.” He looked over his shoulder at Jessop and Raik. “Not too late to cancel the trip. See the sights?”

  Ursula laughed. “Perhaps next time.”

  “We’re off then. Bringing repulsors up.” A barely audible humming noise entered the flight deck and the Lance lifted a short distance off the landing bay floor. “Gear up.”

  Ord flipped a series of switches and the sound of servomotors turning over drowned out the repulsors as they brought up the landing skids and forward strut. The servo noise changed, and then a clunking noise finished off the process as the gear and doors locked in place.

  “Gear up and locked,” Ord said.

  Teller used the repulsors to move the Lance from her berth toward the first set of landing bay doors. As they neared, the doors retracted left and right and closed behind them as they entered the exit pad.

  Teller spoke over his right shoulder. “Getting out of here is always interesting. We’ll be flying into a wall of water, so don’t be alarmed if the view through the transparencies make it seem like we went submarine. We’ll push through it and be in clear air before you know it.” He looked back to the instrument readouts. “Ord, Terrain Guidance System.”

  “Wouldn’t shields help with the weather?” Ursula said to Jessop.

  “It might with a conventional ship shaped like brick, but shields are as aerodynamic as a wall and limit airspeed. This old girl is pretty slick. Put her nose into the weather and punch the thrusters is the best way to do it.”

  Teller glanced over his shoulder again. “You’ve crewed one of these before?”

  Jessop nodded. “Back in the day.”

  “TGS, up. Sensors, up,” Ord said.

  “Got it. Open the outer bay doors, pal.”

  The doors retracted, revealing little but the torrential rain pelting the walls of the spaceport. The splatter and spray beaded up on the transparencies of the flight deck. Using repulsors and minimal thruster power, Teller moved into the storm. The doors to the bay closed as soon as they were clear.

  “Going up with repulsors,” Teller yelled over the sound of the sound of the rain. “We’ll get well clear of the landing port before we get rolling. For some reason they don’t like having holes burned in the place from vehicle thrusters.”

  Pilot and copilot watched their instruments carefully, while Jessop watched them. Less than a minute later, Teller pushed the thruster controls forward and the Lance punched a hole through the weather. A short time later, they were clear of the storms and clouds, pushing into space, the CIS-RIC negating nearly all of the G forces they might otherwise have to endure.

  ARC Lance cleared the atmosphere of Maelstrom, but in order to transition into slipspace, a number of requirements needed to be met. First, the Lance would need to clear any major gravity wells, the gravitational field surrounding a body in space, such as a sun or planet. Next, the Lance would need to produce a Raker Effect field strong enough to allow the ship to move into slipspace. A stationary object could move into slipspace if it had immense power to produce a tremendously strong field. Conversely, an object moving at very high velocity would need just a very modest field to make the transition.

  Teller pointed the Lance’s nose at open space and watched the instruments.

  “How fast will this thing get into slipspace?” Jessop asked.

  “Thirty chrono units, give or take. Conditions permitting of course.”

  “Thirty units? I didn’t pull the panel off your Raker Effect gen. I’m guessing it’s not stock under there. Did you say generators during preflight? Generators, as in multiple?”

  “That’s right. It’s special.” Teller said with a smile as he looked at the navigation readouts. “We’re on course for Vachsblad. As soon as we’re clear of the grav well, we’ll be on our way.”

  Jessop shook his head and leaned toward Ursula. “A dual Raker Effect generator setup in a rig this size… not common, not common at all,” he said quietly.

  She looked mildly alarmed. “Is that something dangerous?”

  He smiled. “If this were a first test of such a system, I’d say affirmative, but they’ve been using it for some time I would guess. I’d also guess this is a pretty hot bird.”

  “An adequate choice for the job to come?”

  He smiled again. “More than adequate I should think.”

  One-half of one standard hour later, Teller announced, “We’re transitioning to slipspace. Hold on to your hats.”

  Ursula went wide-eyed in alarm as Ord reached for a covered switch and placed his massive thumb on the bottom edge.

  Teller surveyed the gauges one last time and then looked at Ord. “Let’s jump, pal.”

  Ord’s thumb flicked the cover up in a practiced move, his digit settling on top of the switch. A downward flick threw the switch and a growling tone accompanied by a high-pitched keen sounded briefly as the space outside the view panels turned into a shimmering yellow-orange glow, the tell-tale sign of a Raker Effect field.

 
; Ursula let out a breath. “Your comment concerned me.”

  Tell chuckled. “A little added drama to spice up the trip. It’ll be the last for eight hours or so. Feel free to get up and move around.”

  The interior of ARC Lance was tight and cramped. Built as a warship and sharing the utilitarian orientation of working class vehicles, crew comfort was not at the top of the designer’s priority lists. The walkways were narrow, requiring normal sized Humans to turn sideways to pass one another, and necessitating the vacation of one party should Ord traverse through a passage and encounter another.

  While not completely lacking in amenities, Lance was by no means luxurious. She had a single latrine with cleansing stall, sink, and commode; a pair of two-tiered bunks, an oversized single rack, and storage space in a small crew room; and a common room with galley station, loungers, vid deck and screen, gaming console, e-reading modules, and a small gaming table with seating for playing physical entertainments such as cards or board games and equally suitable for meal service, all mixed in with storage containers, spare parts, and shipping containers secured wherever there was space.

  A cargo hold took up the bulk of her interior space. Measuring ten-by-ten standard Carperan meters, roughly the length of ten long strides, ARC Lance could not haul large bulk shipments, but that was never her purpose. In military service, the entire area aft of the command deck could be utilized as a cargo hold or for any of an incredible number of purposes with an equally incredible number of configurations. As a light transport and transit vessel, Lance needed to house a crew and provide living and workshop areas, and with that in mind, so was her interior space configured.

  . . .

  Once in slipspace, there was little to do as far as monitoring the ship’s systems. Periodic scans of the readings across the control panels and diagnostics on the Raker Effect generators was the extent of it. Should a minor problem or signs of impending system failure arise, they could drop out of slipspace before the RE field collapsed, manually or automatically via the Emergence System. Should something sudden or catastrophic occur and bring down the RE field, there was little to do, simply because they would be dead.