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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Dougal DeKree" data-source="post: 2462664" data-attributes="member: 1353">02 – Game of hazard02 – Game of hazardFrom the speakers a friendly, almost sensual female voice could be heard, counting down “…three, two, one, zero”. After an audible click there was a bright flash, centered at the main booster of the craft and suddenly the whole hangar was filled with blue acrid smoke.Unfazed, Frank was thinking. He sat at his desk, staring at the drives schematics, undisturbed by the technicians running towards the prototype to extinguish the fire and repair the damage done by the malfunction. He was the leading scientist in regards to the ships modified drive and it should have worked. This had been the third test – and all failed. Where had he been wrong? It was only a matter of time to make the drive work – time they didn’t have. This was a rogue project that, if another company found out, could have serious negative effects on his company. His mind began to wander.All began with the latest study about the worlds resources. They were dwindling rapidly because of the ever increasing exploitation by the major companies in their mad race for power. Every one in the higher ranks knew that. But not, how close the end was. The prognosis was far worse than anyone had thought. Within 34 months some important lines of production followed by a breakdown of traffic and trade. Civil unrest would follow for sure.For the first time the companies had joined together in a project aimed to conquer space. So far there had only been short trips to install satellites and a visit to each of the two moons. Other planets, let alone other stellar systems had always been out of reach. Changing that was the main goal of the project. Every company had diverged as much money and as many scientists and technical personnel as it could be managed without the people noticing. To ensure maximum security (and secrecy, too!) a station had been built in a stationary orbit, where the prototype that was being built around the “jump drive” (based on theory alone until now) was assembled. Sadly inter-company animosities began to slow down this vital project after the first initial successes as everyone tried to gain the most out of it. Success has many fathers, failure is an orphan.When Devon Inc. had had enough insights into the functionality of the jump drive, they decided to secretly build their own prototype, outsmarting the other companies. While Devon, as rich as it is, couldn’t afford their own space station, they hadn’t contributed any of their rocket scientists and no drew them together. ASTRA was called to life. An old bunker in a dense, untamed jungle was perfect – too small to draw notice easily and with more than 500km too far from the next human settlement for easy espionage. Everything needed was transported there in secrecy and the project began. Modifying a conventional shuttle usually used for transporting satellites to orbit, the were gaining rapidly on the joined project, getting ahead of it after only two months.That had been half a year ago and now they were so close to their goal. The team had recently been reduced to him, his assistant and three techs, since only one thing was left to do. If only that booster would operate successfully, the prototype could be sent into space to make a first test run. The latest malfunction could only be hidden within the control mechanisms, Frank thought. His was the last part: modifying a standard drive to enable getting off the ground without emitting so much energy that the other companies could detect the prototype until it was too late. As soon as that modified drive was working, his company would win the race for the first manned FTL flight.“We’ll have to exchange those relays again, along with the electro-hydraulic controller!” he told his assistant who was waiting patiently for Frank to react. They were working together for two years now and he had gotten used to Franks way of solving problems. He could sit for hours without reacting to his surroundings at all, consumed by the “riddle” he had to solve. Then suddenly he would give orders to noone in particular, which would usually solve the problem. The issue with this was that Frank tended to forget the orders soon thereafter, already consumed by whatever new obstacle had to be overcome.“Right away, Frank!” he said, already turning to get some technicians that would do the work needed.“How long will it take?” Frank asked one of the techs after they had begun dismantling the various covers. “About 20 minutes, Sir.” “Ok, get on with it.”Then the alarm went off, indicating intruders in the outer security perimeter.Some seconds after Boris and his team had begun scrambling towards the bunker, six armed and armoured marines emerged from it, ready to fire. At seeing the insignia they relaxed a bit, but tensed again when they caught sight of the crashed helicopter.Before any of them could say anything, Boris took the lead in a voice obviously used to giving orders. “Two of you, stand guard for pursuers. The others, do you have any mines or explosives here? Good, start to mine the whole area as good as you can. And prepare to blow the helicopter. If you have any barbwire, spread it. Execute NOW!” After a short exchange of glances the security personnel saluted and began to execute the orders given joined by the rest of Boris team. Only he, Rico and Martha entered the bunker.The complex had been build after the example of the bunkers of the second world war – to make the intrusion of enemy infantry as hard as possible. This included a trench on the outside, a drawbridge and several well shielded automatic guns at strategic positions. It had also been refit with several heavy airlocks one could only pass if authorized or well versed with explosives.“This is much larger than it seems from the outside!” Martha mentioned loudly, when they came into the hangar after passing 6 manned and armed security stations where Boris status granted them the clearance necessary to pass. Immediately Franks assistant came towards them asking about their intents. “Top security. Take me to your boss” Boris barked stony-faced. After a brief look on the rank insignia of the newcomers the assistant shrugged and led them to Frank.“Sir, here is…” “You are in charge here? You were. This is now a military emergency situation and you and your team will follow my orders. Now, can that shuttle get us out of here and when?” interrupted the assistant again. Frank turned with a puzzled look on his face, seemingly unable to cope with the rapidly changing situation.“Who are you?” Frank asked doubtfully.“No time for that crap, geek! We need to go as soon as possible!” Boris took up the dialogue.“Well, there is the door…” Frank tried. “Listen, I am in _no_ mood for games right now, when can we _fly_ away using that shuttle of yours?”“We can attempt a new take off in about 10 minutes. But there is no way you are going with it, since we have personnel trained for that flight and…”“Martha, go and secure places for us! Rico, have a look if you can fly that thing.” “You can’t…”“Ok, contact headquarters and ask about instructions.”“Good idea!” Frank turned towards his comm.-unit but all he got was static noise. “What the hell?”“That is what I tried to make clear, egghead, we are under attack by unknown forces and need to escape since all communications is jammed. All I tried to do is shorten this conservation because we have no time to chat.”“Wait, what game are we playing? What is this about? What skills am I to use in this situation?”Boris stared at Frank unbelievingly at those three sentences that didn’t make any sense at all. The assistant that had waited patiently at the door threw in “Sir, my boss believes we are all some characters in kind of a game where other people decide what we are doing – and that there are different rules for this game, provided by what he calls “systems”. He only mentions this when he is confused though…”“What a wagonload of crap.  Well…”“Sorry to interrupt you, Sir, but there are only four seats in this shuttle – and no steering mechanisms at all!” Rico called over the noise produced by the technicians, repairing at high speed. They had gotten news of what was about to happen from the security personnel and wanted to get away quickly.Boris turned towards Frank again “No steering – how did you plan to fly this thing?”.Again the assistant stood in “Because of security reasons we have room for four people to partake at the flight, but controls as well as computers and sensors for physical measurements and performance tests are not accessible. After the test flight this shuttle will head towards headquarters directly, where all gained information is to be analyzed.”Sighing deeply Boris turned to have a look at the people assembled.“How many people can fit in it if we throw out those seats, Rico?”“If we also dump some useless stuff, we can get eight people in without worrying about total weight.”“Do it. You two listen up” he turned towards the two security guards left inside the hangar “Your job is to delay the enemy as long as possible, else everyone you know will suffer. Understood? Good, now go outside and prepare your defenses. Techs, make sure your job is flawless, you are flying with us.”The techs exchanged happy glances, a feeling the guards didn’t share. Martha stepped up to Boris “You are sacrificing them and my men. You know that, right?”“Yes, but if we don’t get away, no one will come to know what happens here until it is too late. Plus there is only room for eight and they can buy us time.”“Yes, Sir. I only wanted to know if you were the wasteful type of superior or the calculating type.” Turning away she smiled over her shoulder “Oh, and thanks for the ride - I like to live.” “You should wait with that until we are away from here”.Right then the first explosions could be felt from outside. On the surveillance-monitors showing the outer perimeter, a mass of those doglike creatures could be seen. They were numbering in the hundreds and closing in fast. Row after row of anti-personnel mines detonated, barely slowing the advancing mass of bodies. The barbed wire was simply overrun.At 100m distance the automatic guns opened fire, joined by the stations defenders, both security and the remaining marines from Martha’s team. Nearly every bullet hit the throng and dozens of the creatures were wounded or killed. This in turn stopped several others that started to feast on the fallen – dead and alive.Still the swarm was closing in. When the crowd reached the crashed helicopter, the explosives that had been hidden inside it detonated, ripping a gaping hole in the advancing horde. A gap that was filled again instantly.Meanwhile the technicians had finished their repairs and climbed aboard the shuttle, followed by Frank and Boris, who closed the airlock. From the bunkers speakers came a warning and then a countdown. Inside the ship everyone was using ropes to tie themselves to the various attachments, left over by the seats that had been removed. When the countdown reached 30, the ceiling of the hangar opened. About the same time as the attackers reached the defenders.25 seconds. The drives began to heat up, while the computers ran a last diagnosis.The front door of the bunker was shredded by claws obviously harder than steel. The inner defense system activated, filling the entrance with burning napalm and HE projectiles. Still they kept coming and one by one the defense stations were overrun and the airlocks penetrated.When the countdown had reached four, the last door was breached, instantly passed by the first of the creatures. They immediately sped forwards, only to be burned to ashes when the drive ignited.Roaring, the shuttle took off, unreachable by the pursuers.Frank smiled silently – so the idea had worked. Good, he had given it a 40 percent chance of success. But better not mention that to anyone…Out of harms way, the passengers with a window seat looked out. The entrance of the bunker was a mess of purple slime and a mass of those creatures struggling to get some of the “food”. Mercifully they gained height quickly so this gruesome sight only lasted for some seconds.“Rico, try to contact headquarters, when we are about five kilometres up in the air.” Boris said through clenched teeth. The acceleration of 6g was hampering any movement bigger than speaking or lifting a finger.“Sure thing. Oh, just in case you want to know, that other ship is in sight. It’s huge!”“I know that, just let’s hope, it doesn’t view us as threat.”“No, it seems it’s not reacting to us. I’ll try to contact someone now. This is…damn!”“What?!”“We have no contact, but as I opened a channel, one of their turrets spun towards us. Now it’s firing. Sh**! Prepare for impact!”One violet balls of energy grazed them, thoroughly rocking the craft and sening showers of sparks into the cockpit.“Shut down all comm-units! I assume that was only a warning shot. Else they could have blasted us to oblivion right after the start.”“Communications are offline anyways. Let’s hope you are right. And let’s hope that those red LEDs don’t refer to any vital systems…”“No, the life support is undamaged” Frank remarked from the back of the cabin. “On the other hand it could be hindering that we seem to have lost our outer hull. Reentry into the atmosphere can not be done without the thermal protection shield that had been applied to it. Also that other red light indicates a malfunction in the autopilot. We will have either a short experience or a fascinating voyage.”“What do you mean?”“Well, the program starts when we are in zero gravity. The idea was to do several short spacejumps with this shuttle, validating the calculations as to how fast this drive will bring us how far. If all runs well, we are back at the starting position about a week from now.”“You mean, we will fly somewhere, can do nothing about it and it will take a week before we are back?”“Oh, that would be the case, if we had no malfunction in the autopilot, I can assure you. The calculations have been done several hundred times…”“This has never been done before?”“This is a prototype, remember? But no worries this will not happen.” Frank said with a smile lost in thought.“No worries? You were talking of “a short experience”?!”“Oh, right. Well, we have three options. First, we could jump into an object, like a planet or a sun. Second, all could turn out right and we are here in a week – sadly we are all suffocated by then, the life-support system is designed for four people, not for eight. The last option: the autopilot uses a malfunctioning coordinate system for the several subsequent jumps and we come out somewhere no human has ever been before. That would be thrilling…”“Thrilling? Stop those comments or we are only seven people soon” Martha bawled at Frank.“Now, now, we have to think this through.” Boris interfered. “We are dead instantly or we suffocate, right?“Yes.”“What about those environmental suits in the lockers?”“They have air for eight hours. But we only have four.”“Martha, Rico, do we have any tranquilizers or something like that?”“Oh, we have stuff to cause artificial coma aboard!” Frank said merrily. After noticing the looks he got from the others he added “For emergencies, just in case!”“Ok. So I say, four of us use the suits, while the others are put to sleep. This way we save the most oxygen, which may keep us alive long enough to survive this. I need Frank and Rico awake, Martha and of course myself. So, Martha, help the techs and Franks assistant with going to sleep.”“Wait!” Franks assistant blurted out “Why us? Why me? You can’t…”“We are the ones who have weapons, so shut up and keep still.” Boris retorted icily.Less than a minute later, four passengers were kept comatose, while the other four had put the suits on.Another minute later the shuttle had aligned itself to a vector directed by the autopilot and the biggest part of the ship, the jumpdrive, began powering up. Again a countdown began, this time at ten seconds.Rico stared at the stars, fascinated by the view. Martha checked her gear one last time. Boris wished good luck to everyone. Frank tried to compare the stars he could see with the stellar constellations he knew from the astrogation meeting.“Three, Two, One…”Without a sound, the ship disappeared in a bright yellow-white globe of light.</blockquote>

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