Rise of the Altered Moon: Altered Moon Series: Book One (The Altered Moon Series 1) (21 page)

“Copy that, Captain,” Cat said.

“
Altered Moon
,
Altered Moon
, how do you read?” Gina called over the comms.

“Loud and clear,
Moonshadow
, go ahead,” CJ answered the call.

“Good and bad news on sensor sweep, Captain,” she said. “Good news, we jumped inside the Garddon star system, somehow without being destroyed and within scanning range of Tarris. Bad news, the planet seems dead, no comms chatter, no traffic control beacon. The damage to the dorsal fin is extensive; we’ll have to dry dock to repair it.”

CJ could hear the sadness in Gina’s voice as she relayed the condition of the ship. CJ may be the captain of the
Altered Moon
, but she was still Gina’s home and it must have hurt her to see the ship so badly damaged.

“There’s a hull breach clear through to the engineering bay,” she continued. “The hull plating has been blasted away on the upper port engine assembly. The aft DMITS housing has been torn away. She took quite a beating. She’s not going anywhere under her own power. It’ll take…hang on I’ve picked up a ship on intercept.”

“Captain, I’m going to take up position in front of you,” said Gina.

“Cat, get on the cannons. Anything that comes in your sights, you take it out!” CJ said, as he went to the command station. “GABI plot an escape jump and stand by.”

“Roger that,” said Cat, as she activated the particle cannons.

“Aye, Captain,” said GABI.

Gina’s hail to the advancing ship came over the comms. “Attention unknown vessel, this is the Star Runner
Moonshadow
. Please squawk ID and state intention.”

CJ transferred
Moonshadow
’s video feed to a view screen on the bridge that still worked. The ship was the same overall size as the
Altered Moon
but with much greater mass, like a small freight vessel.

“I’ll squawk my ID, Bernard Keltzer, you incredible ass! What the hell have done to
my
ship?” came an angry response to the hail.

“
Your
ship?” Boss retorted as he took over the relayed conversation. “Hey! It was you who disappeared out from under us!”

“Only because you and GABI just had to go on a joyride with
my
ship!” came a scathing reply. “How is GABI by the way?” Now the man spoke in a friendly tone.

“Pretty well, actually,” was Boss’ equally friendly reply. “She’s probably listening in.”

“Hey, GABI, you there?” the voice inquired.

“Hello, Father. It is a great pleasure to me that your existence continues,” GABI replied.

“Oh, bless my stars! This is indeed a wonderful day,” Nelson Moon said.

“Nelson, it’s pretty obvious that we need your help,” Boss said.

“Yes, yes, don’t worry about that. Crissi will tug you back to port here so I can get a better look at what you’ve done to my baby. Scoundrel! And Bernard…keep an open mind. See you shortly.”

“Ah, roger that,” Boss replied with a slight question in his tone. “Nelson, I’m…I…”

“I know, Bernie, I know,” Nelson cut him off. “There was nothing either one of us could have done. We live to tell the tale, yes? We’ll talk when you get here. Bring them home safe, Crissi.”

“Yeess, Nneelssonn, eeteeay ffaurtee-fivv minzz,” the pilot of the tug ship replied in a light and happy voice that had the most beautiful and curious ring to it. Interest suddenly peaked on both the
Altered Moon
and
Moonshadow
when the remarkable voice replied to Nelson’s comms.

The pilot had the tug ship in position behind the
Altered Moon
in under fifteen minutes and extended two long arms toward the aft fuselage. Giant clamps lined with impact pads gripped the
Moon
where her wings came together with the engine assembly. Slowly at first, the tug ship built up speed as it moved the badly damaged ship toward the planet Tarris.

The atmosphere of the planet that housed Nelson’s base had been wiped away by the careless flirtation with quantum shield power on a planet-wide scale. A series of emitters were placed all around the world to project a planetary quantum energy-based defensive shield. The new machine did not work as expected, however. It simply sent the atmosphere somewhere else and the planet instantly withered from the immediate exposure to open space.

The fluids of every living creature boiled and spewed from every orifice and pore, as cosmic radiation and the void of space battled for possession of the new organic territory. All life on the planet got a rude surprise as it died an immediate gurgling death, leaving behind frozen desiccated remains as memorials to the hubris of Humankind.

The planet seemed to have a strange haze that became more visible as they flew nearer to it. As it turned out, the strange haze was made up of millions of corpses and inanimate objects that had managed to free-float off the surface of the airless planet. Gravity, inertia, and centrifugal force all fought for dominance over the ill-fated tidbits of both Human civilization and the natural world.

The mysterious pilot of the tug ship navigated both ships nimbly through the gruesome collection of satellites. Boss and Gina followed along behind them in
Moonshadow
. A massive mound of rubble slid open to allow them access to a gigantic set of doors built into the bedrock of the planet. The doors split in the middle and opened onto a corridor big enough to fly a battle cruiser through with room to spare.

“Come in Star Runner
Moonshadow
,” Nelson called over the comms. “Nice name that,
Moonshadow
. Fine looking little ship too. I always loved that model. Where’d you find her?”

“
Moonshadow
here,” Gina replied. “We found this gem amongst the refuse of QT Station.”

“Ah, handy place, the back door,” Nelson said. “Crissi will take the
Moon
on to the dry dock hangar. You can land the Star Runner in the shuttle bay. I’ll be there to greet you.”

“We still have crew here aboard the
Moon
,” Boss told him.

“Not to worry. Crissi will show you in.”

“Copy that, Nelson, and thanks for taking us in.”

“Not at all, my boy, not at all,” said Nelson.

A side set of doors slid open to let
Moonshadow
into the landing bay. Dozens of people were lined up at the view ports of the huge corridor; they pointed and watched as the
Altered Moon
went on her way to the hangar. Gina brought
Moonshadow
down for a soft landing in the landing bay and powered down the flight systems. The landing bay doors closed and the bay quickly pressurized. She joined Boss as he glided down the ramp.

“Where’s everybody else?”

“On the way,” he said.

The double set of airlock doors to the dry dock opened and an old man with wild, scraggly hair and eyebrows so long they covered half of his eyes, cruised through them in a suspensor chair. He zoomed right up, came to a stop not more than an inch from Boss’ chair and peered at him from under the overgrown eye bushes.

“Well, I see you wrecked more than my ship,” Nelson said as he gave Boss a once-over. “What happened to you?”

“K-13 blast,” Boss said, almost proudly and stuck his chin out. “You?”

“Age…” Nelson said, “Still haven’t figured out how to beat that one.”

The two men laughed out loud and sided their chairs up so they could exchange handshakes and hugs.

“Nelson, this is Gina Riley, Star Pilot of the
Altered Moon
. Gina, this is Nelson Moon.”

“What? Not Gina Keltzer?” Nelson took her hand warmly and patted it with his other.

Gina blushed and looked down then back up. “Let’s just say I haven’t been invited yet.”

“Ach! The man is lethargic went it comes to women,” Nelson teased.

“Hey!” Boss protested.

All three of them laughed together and Nelson waved them on. “Come, we have food nearby and if I remember right you enjoy a good repast, my friend.”

“Good food restores the spirit!” Boss said.

The mention of food was a reminder of just how long it had been since they’d sat down to a real meal. Boss smiled at Gina and the universe seemed a little brighter.

“Thank you, Nelson,” Gina said, and leaned down to give him a hug. “We have some stragglers yet…but we are very ready to accept.”

*~*~*

Chapter Twenty-Five

CJ, Boss, and Cat sat back and tried to enjoy the ride as the
Altered Moon
was taken by a mysterious pilot they’d never met to a place they’d never been. The conversation between Nelson and Boss played out over an open channel, so they knew what was going on, but that didn’t ease the general feeling of unease. CJ couldn’t help but think that finding Nelson Moon was easier than it should have been, but then he thought about the effort that it took to get to this point. Almost four months had passed now since the destruction of the
Istraulis
. A majority of the time had been spent on Keenaw as they waited for Boss to recover enough to travel.

“GABI, I have a concern and I’m hoping you can ease my mind,” CJ said.

“I will do what I am able to, Captain,” she responded. “You are concerned regarding Father’s intentions?”

“Yes, now see, that’s one thing right there, you calling him Father. How does that work?” CJ asked.

“Nelson is my creator. That is fact. But he was also my first interaction with existence when I…awoke. Father programmed an enormous amount of information into my neural net, but it was he who instructed me on how to interpret and understand that which was around me. He shared his experiences in life and his love as a father. Father simply related to me as if I was another Human being.”

“So, you feel love?” asked Cat.

“Existence seems more…meaningful in the company of some Humans than others. I both enjoyed and regretted the actions of Boss Keltzer and I on the day that Father’s research facility was destroyed. I realized that day that I had erred and that my existence would never be the same again. I remember trying to justify the execution of whoever was responsible for the death of the one who had given me so much. Love, joy, anger, and regret, all of them have affected the decisions that I have made.”

“How do you feel about today’s events?” CJ asked.

“I am pleased not to be aboard a powerless derelict drifting through space alone for all eternity,” she said with a hint of sarcasm then continued normally. “Father is no threat to the
Altered Moon
or any of her crew, Captain. I believe we have found a safe harbor.”

Just as CJ was about to ask more, Gina came over the comms. “
Altered Moon
, this is
Moonshadow,
how do read?”

“L-n-C,
Moonshadow
, go ahead.” CJ replied, using the short form of loud and clear.

“We’re piping a feed to you,” Gina said. “You guys have got to see this planet.” The view screen on the comms panel displayed the image of a hazy-looking planet.

“GABI, main viewer, please,” said CJ.

“Aye, sir.”

The image on the view screen showed a monochromatic planet with shades of black and grey with white highlights. An occasional glint of light reflected back at them from some item on the surface that still shined after ages of exposure to the void of space. There was a haze around the planet that sent a chill down CJ’s spine as he watched the eerie flotsam go by. The bodies of Tarris’ people and animals performed a macabre dance with vehicles and pieces of buildings, toys, and tools that were swept off the planet by various forces.

“That’s a little creepy,” said Cat. “What happened here?”

“The Tarrisians activated an untested planetary quantum shield generator,” GABI answered her. “The results, as you can see, were disastrous. The machine changed the quantum signature of the atmosphere, causing it to disappear from the normal space-time fabric of the universe. The planet was exposed to the harsh environment of open space and immediately bombarded by cosmic radiations.”

“Why the cloud of creepy floating things?” Cat asked.

“Forces such as inertia caused by explosions on the surface have propelled various items into orbit,” GABI stated. “The gravity of the planet will slowly pull them back down over time depending on the individual mass of the item in question.”

The pilot of the tug ship guided the
Altered Moon
directly toward the surface of the planet. The crew leaned back from the view screen as the ship got too close to the surface for comfort. Just as CJ was about to say something, a huge mound of rubble moved aside to expose a set of doors that dwarfed both their ship and the tug. The two ships moved down a corridor that led to a second set of doors equal in size to the first. Four giant light panels surrounded the doors: one on each side and two over the top. The panels showed a solid red that flashed three times as the doors split and slid away. An incredibly loud and annoying klaxon blared six times anytime the doors opened or closed. The light panels flashed green three times then went solid green as the doors opened completely.

The pilot of the tug maneuvered the
Altered Moon
through yet another set of doors, the third of twelve in the corridor, and into a massive hangar with a universal dry dock frame in the center. The dry dock rose up and unfolded to a shape that would fit the
Moon
’s fuselage anchor points perfectly. The unknown chauffeur set the ship down so gently they could barely feel when the tug let go and the dry dock took hold. A large sign over the bulkhead in front of them read “Cantankerous Base – Dry Dock Three” in bright utility yellow. The environment status panel under the sign showed in glowing red, “DEPRESSURIZED.”

“
Altered Moon
, this is Cantankerous Base Dockmaster, how do you read?”

“Loud and clear, Cantankerous Base, this is Captain Evermore of the
Altered Moon
, go ahead.”

“Welcome, Captain Evermore and crew of the
Altered Moon,
” the Dockmaster answered back. “Please stay aboard your ship until
Bugger
has left and the docking bay has pressurized.”

“Roger that, Cantankerous Base, we’re happy to be here,” CJ replied.

“GABI, I feel like we’re leaving you behind,” CJ said to her.

“Unnecessary, Captain, you will not be able to remain aboard as the critical systems and infrastructures are repaired.”

“Are you a critical system, GABI?” CJ asked pointedly. “Are they going reinstall the firewall?”

“Unknown, Captain. I am sure Father will have many questions, as well do I.”

“Well I’m taking a comms unit anyway just because I like talkin’ to ya,” he said playfully. “So call if you need to.”

“You may rest assured, Captain, you as well, Zhu,” she answered, “that I am in no danger here. I have, in a way, come back home.”

A bell sounded and the environment status panel changed to a green sign that read “CLEAR.”

“
Altered Moon
, Captain, you are clear to disembark,” the Dockmaster informed them.

“Roger that, Cantankerous,
Altered Moon
out,” CJ said. “We’ll be back as soon as we can, GABI.”

“I hope you both enjoy your time with Father. He is a man of great knowledge.” She nodded and her image shimmered away.

“Well, folks, let’s not keep our host waiting. Here, take my arm,” CJ said to Cat as he noticed that she limped a little more than before.

“Can we swing by med bay on the way out?” she asked.

“Sure” he said. “Boss, meet you down stairs?”

“Roger that,” Boss replied.

The two of them headed for the hatch; CJ felt an uncertain reluctance as he looked back at the shambled mess. He didn’t have an answer to Gina’s question earlier: “Was it worth the cost?” Cat tugged at him. He smiled and apologized and they went off to the med bay.

CJ and Cat left the ship and walked down the entry ramp just a short time after Boss. By the time they crossed the hangar, the entry door slid open and there in the corridor was the most beautiful crystal statue CJ had ever seen.

It stood a little over a meter and a quarter tall, roughly Humanoid, definitely bipedal, with two arms and hands that ended in four digits of equal length. It was a gorgeous azure in color, with crystal plating that ran in different colors along ridges in the body. Sparkling cords ran everywhere in between the crystal plating. They looked like sand crystals that were caught up in a spider web and then twisted into cord. All of the cords and crystals were bound together with strange looking glue, almost like a membrane of some kind.

“Look at this, Cat,” CJ said, as he reached out to touch the statue. “How fine this work is—”

The statue flashed a super-bright light and reached up to slap CJ’s hand away.

“Heey! Haunndss auft huannann!” the statue told him in the singsong voice of the tug ship’s pilot. Her body language stated ‘What do you think you’re doing, pal?’ perfectly.

CJ snatched his hand away; being slapped by the crystalline hand stung quite a bit. Cat’s jaw practically hit the floor and CJ couldn’t seem to move. A Human man in a well-worn flight suit passed by, saw the exchange, and stepped over to help out.

“Easy, Crissi, they’re probably greenbeans,” the man said. “Ah…Hi I’m Del.” He stepped in front of them and waved his hand. “Del Hopper. I take it y’all never seen a Keect’na before, eh? They don’t like us oily Humans smudgin’ up their crystal platin’, ya see.”

They stood there, still speechless.

“Well this here’s one of ‘em and a right pretty one too. Eh, Crissi? She has the most beautiful colors outta all of ‘em” Del said.

“Thannk uau, Deell,” Crissi said cutely and flashed the facets of eyes at him. Her crystalline face was remarkably intricate and full of expression

“So! Y’all got names or do we just call ya one an’ two?” Del leaned over as though to see if anybody was home.

“Ah…yeah, I’m one and this is two,” CJ managed to say. “CJ and Cat, actually. No…we’ve never…I’m sorry, she’s a what…a Kee-what?”

“Keect’na,” Del spoke more clearly. “Y’all kinda hav’ta almost swallow when ya say it. Keect’na. Anyway, again I’m Del and this is Crissi. That’s short for Crissiael. Beautiful name, ain’t it? She was your tug pilot, by the way. All the Keect’na are natural pilots. Y’all pilots? I am. I pilot
Bingo,
the sister ship to
Bugger
, the one that brought y’all in. Great little tug ships, let me tell ya! Another Nelson Moon original design. Great guy, Nelson. Do y’all know him? I met him years ago now. Why, he’d…”

“Deell!! Sshaut aut,” Crissi scolded him. “Neeed tau ssseee Nneelssonn!”

“Oh! Rightchooare, rightchooare. Sorry I’d talk yer ear off if ya give me half a chance, ha, ha.” Del laughed a little to himself and scratched his head. “Be seein’ ya then”

“Theesss uaay, dlease” Crissi said, as she nodded her head sideways and started down the corridor. CJ and Cat exchanged looks of astonishment as they started down the corridor after their nonHuman guide. A living crystal, you would think, would be rough and brittle, yet Crissi’s body moved with the smooth rhythm of sand shifting on the face of a dune. The plates that covered her body glinted and gleamed as she walked. CJ noticed the smaller plates among the larger ones would draw together as Crissi needed to contract a limb and let loose when she needed to extend.

He hurried a little to catch up with Crissi. “So, Crissi, is it? I’m CJ Evermore and this is Zhu Katzu…”

Crissi stopped and turned to look questioningly at Cat. “Kat’zaua?”

“Ah…Katzu,” Cat answered her. “Zhu Katzu, that’s my name, but you can call me Cat.”

“Neekt zzanng tahct Kat’zaua?” Crissi said in her own language and clearly waited for an answer from Cat.

“I’m sorry, I don’t understand you,” Cat said, as she shook her head.

Crissi turned to start down the corridor, stopped to look at Cat one more time saying, “Kat’zaua,” then looked at CJ. “Seeshay.” She put her hand to the large crystal on the center of her chest. “Crissiael,” she half spoke, half sang as a structure inside her body began to vibrate and glow in a beautiful variety of colors. A woman in a lab coat stopped to watch as Crissi introduced herself in the manner of the Keect’na. The miniature light show lasted exactly as long as it took her to say her name. She made a chopping gesture with her hand and said, “Crissi.” Then she turned and continued down the corridor.

The corridor led them to a hub of intersecting corridors. People—both Human and Keect’na—were going in every different direction. The buzz of conversation seemed to be dominated by talk of the
Altered Moon
. The arrival of the ship had clearly caused quite a stir among the locals. Crissi took them down another corridor that led to a conference room overlooking the
Altered Moon
in Dry Dock Three. Boss and Gina were already there and Nelson too, speaking with two other of the Keect’na who were both larger and had distinctively different patterns than Crissi.

Boss and Gina came over to greet the newcomers with hugs and handshakes. Gina put a hand to her chest and sang out her name in an effort to copy what she had learned from the other two Keect’na. Crissi returned Gina’s greeting with the singsong illumination of the Keect’na name giving.

“Aren’t they a beautiful people?” Gina and Cat said in unison when Crissi had finished.

“BBBOOOSSSSSSSS.” Boss’ attempt to sing out his name sounded more like a bovine passing gas. The attempt, although, did bring a reaction from the Keect’na in the room. All three began to hum and glow from the inside.