Reaching For The Stars

When all the formalities were completed the crew said their temporary goodbyes and made their way back to the saucer. By the time they had settled into their seats the door had closed and the air lock extension had been withdrawn. As Peter switched on the motors a face appeared on the video screen.

“Okay Ranger, you’re clear to go. God luck with the rest of your patrol”.

“Thanks”, Chris replied, “we’ll see you later”.

The saucer rocked again very slightly as it lifted off the surface and this time Maureen didn’t look worried as she had on leaving Earth earlier.

“Bill, can we have a course for Pluto please, non-landing to within five thousand miles”.

“Sure-thing. Coming right up”.

Bill fed the required information into his computer while Maureen watched.

“You can programme the next one, Maureen, and I’ll just check it. You shouldn’t have any problems as you’ve used these NavComs in training school.”.

Only a second or so later the requested information was displayed on a small screen mounted between the pilots seats on the main panel. Peter moved a small switch and at once a light appeared above the course information, which read, “Auto Pilot Operating”. These auto pilot units were a vast improvement over the old ones fitted to conventional aircraft before the landings of `09. The old units had only maintained a fixed speed and altitude on a pre-set course and made no allowance for unexpected airborne objects. The new units did and functioned in much the same way that a human pilot would in any particular situation, but many times faster. Peter and Chris got up from their seats and led the way downstairs.

“How about something to eat while we’ve got time”?. Peter said.

“Good idea, I’ll see what I can rustle up”. Maureen replied, as she headed for the galley. At the saucers current speed the journey to the Pluto region would take nearly three hours and both Peter and Chris decided that this was too long. Chris went back up to the control room and increased the saucers speed. There was a time meter on the panel, which gave the travelling time to a set destination. As Chris increased the speed the numbers rapidly decreased until Chris steadied them at fifty minutes, which would give them time for their meal. Even at this speed the saucer was nowhere near its maximum speed. Just then Maureen reappeared from the galley.

“Grub up, you lot. Come and get it”.

They all got up and walked round to the eating area beside the galley. She had turned out some steaks with chips, peas, mushrooms, tomatoes and fried eggs. The whole meal had taken only minutes to prepare owing to the cooking aids on board. There was no smell as everything was cooked in sealed containers without being touched by human hands, and due to the very efficient air purification system on board. All food was taken automatically from the freezer unit by a sub unit of the main flight computer by pressing the coded keys on a small panel in the galley. It was cooked at very high speed to the degree again set by pressing different buttons on the panel. It was then served up on plates, on the eating bar covered in its own heat retaining transparent film. The cooking units themselves, like the freezer were built into the walls and the “cook” didn’t actually set eyes on the food until it came onto the serving bar ready for consumption. Even though it was only Maureen’s second flight, she was used to operating computer cookers of this kind as practically every kitchen on Earth had one. This had probably been the biggest winner with Earth’s womenfolk than any other part of the very advanced technology.

They were all sitting in the lounge area after a very enjoyable meal when a buzzer sounded from the flight deck. This meant that they were in the region of Pluto and had only a few minutes before returning to manual control. All four went back up the flight deck and took up their positions. Chris switched on the viewing screen and a dark globe appeared on it, which looked to be barren, ice covered and completely devoid of any signs of life.

“That’s Pluto love,” Peter said, “It’s the most distant planet from the sun in our solar system. Its surface temperature is minus 240 degrees and apart from the research base two thousand feet below the surface is completely uninhabited. The camera is showing normal vision rather than telescopic and we’re a little less than five thousand miles above the surface. The scientists who man the base come from Earth, Varianne and Wolf 3 and they do a six week spell of duty and then return home. The planets who man the station change every year, but Earth is always represented as we’re the senior planet in this system.”

Chris switched on the video link to show the interior of the base, and after a short pause the face of one of the Wolfan scientists appeared on the screen.

“Hello ranger, will you be landing”?

“No, not this time,” Chris replied, “we’re just on a routine patrol and keeping an eye open for your mystery craft”.

“Oh, I see, actually our radar picked it up again only a few hours ago. We tracked it round to the far side of the planet then lost it. All we can say is good hunting and good luck. You’ll need it with this one, it`s one elusive craft is this”.

Peter, in the meantime had switched back onto manual control and reduced the saucers speed. Suddenly Maureen sat forward in her seat and peered intently at the main viewing screen.

“Bill, has Pluto got any moons”?

“No, quite a few planets haven’t and that’s one of them”.

At this Maureen looked puzzled and stared back at the screen. Peter glanced round and saw her expression.

“What’s wrong love”?

“I saw a dark shadow on the planet’s surface and I thought it was a shadow cast by a moon, but Bill says there aren’t any”.

At this all three men looked closely at the screen. Bill pressed a button marked “Video Radar” and another screen lit up showing a view very similar to that on the main screen. A series of numbers flashed on and off round the edges of the screen and a thin silver line swept back and forth across it.

Chris turned to Maureen with a look of praise on his face.

“Looks like you’ve accidentally stumbled across our mystery craft. Well done, that’s really good observation.”

Maureen blushed at the compliment, knowing that as a learner she was lucky to get it, even though Chris was a friend. Sure enough, after less than a minute a blip appeared on the screen. Chris and Bill took down the co-ordinates simultaneously and Bill fed them into the navigation computer. Seconds later the course setting flashed up onto Peter’s panel and he increased their speed to close up with the other craft.

“What’s happening up there”? The Wolfan scientist from the base asked.

“I seem to have stumbled on the mystery craft”, Maureen replied, “We’re going after it I think”.

Bill switched on the normal radio transmitter and showed Maureen how to work it. He then began calling the other craft. They all watched the two screens carefully and all of a sudden the blip began moving a lot faster and quickly disappeared from the screens. Chris switched the main view up to intense magnification but still nothing could be seen, and at the same time, Peter was still increasing speed rapidly. Peter then switched the main video link to the emergency channel.

“Calling all units near to sector 7. This is ranger two, Federation Police. We are involved in a pursuit of unidentified craft in this sector, assistance required. Heading for sector 12, if the current course is maintained. Speed is in excess of thirty gowls. Repeat, assistance required”.

“Hello ranger two, this is Commander Elberg, Federation Defence Force. We are on a large-scale military exercise in the sector adjoining yours. We have seventeen defence craft involved and we are heading for your position to assist as required. Please give us any further information as you receive it”.

The blip had now reappeared on the video radar screen and at their present speed the saucer was just holding the other craft. Peter again increased speed to close up with it, and even then the saucer was nowhere near maximum speed. There was a slight gasp from Maureen as the other craft finally appeared on the main viewing screen. It was a cigar shaped object and considerably larger than the saucer. Its type was not recognised by any of the crew, which told them that it was non-federation in origin. Chris began sending out a description.

“Ranger Two calling Commander Elberg, we’ve sighted the craft, it’s a non-federation, cigar shaped and larger than us, distance still in excess of ten thousand miles”.

Suddenly the other craft began to turn broadside on to the saucer, and they could all clearly see the flash of light from the side of the craft.

“Whoever they are, they’ve got laser guns fitted as we have, but at this range they’re just showing their teeth”. Peter said to Maureen.

“They’ve opened fire, normal laser, only a warning shot”. Chris said to the grey haired man on the video screen. Meanwhile, Bill was still trying vainly to contact the alien craft.