Nova Llar- Training Days Read online

  Chapter 30

  The damage to the power lines wasn't as bad as it had been reported to be. From what the group could ascertain there was no reason power wouldn't be getting to all of the systems in the module as was mostly just cosmetic damage. Regardless they went about the process of repairing the damage and were planning their next actions. The Colonel had left specific instructions to remain put until he contacted them. With the work done, there was little they could do but speculate about what the Colonel was doing. Fortunately, Charles had remembered the LF63s had an emergency connection point that allowed them to communicate via a direct contact link instead of over the usual comms. Essentially if two or more units were touching the 'words' were transferred to everyone else in the group without any real broadcast. In reality, it was more like a group chat where the person's name was announced and then their message was relayed.

  Clara: “Do you think the Colonel is looking for something of value inside the module? Like these people stole something and we are actually trying to get it back?”

  Joseph: “No I don't think that would be it. I mean if we just wanted to search the module for that why not just proceed with jettisoning it and pick it up later?”

  Meihui: “I must agree with Joseph. Taking the time to investigate and deceive the station command as we are would imply it is something more delicate than a piece of equipment or mineral. Perhaps an agent onboard the station has been trapped and we are retrieving them?”

  Clare: “An agent? Like a spy? For who? The U.E.S.C? Why would they have a spy up here and what could they be looking for on a communications station?”

  Charles: “Plus if it was a U.E.S.C spy why would they allow more personnel up here to assist them in getting rid of the module?”

  Meihui: “Fine not a spy then. Maybe a refugee, or an alien life form? It could have been what caused the damage to the module. Then it crawled inside and they have sealed it.”

  It was difficult using this method of communication to tell the mood of a person. But if Clara had to guess Meihui seemed to be getting excited.

  Clara: “There is no evidence of alien life anywhere near our solar system. Let alone one that would come all the way here. Slowly and carefully crush a power conduit and then hide inside a module on the space station with no means of escape.”

  Just then their normal comms unit crackled and a faint voice could be heard. “...contact......nearest air.....level 2......move.” From the transponder code, it was the Colonel, although why the signal was so bad was difficult to determine. Their comms should work without issue for several kilometres before any drop off was detected.

  Joseph: “There must be a dampening field over this module. It's the only thing that could be causing this level of interference with our comms.”

  Charles: “Give me a minute. I may be able to tie all of our receivers together using the tactile link to capture more of the signal.”

  Joseph: “No offence Charles but how would that help? The signal from the Colonel would still be jammed. We wouldn't hear any more.”

  The head of Charles unit dropped a little. Joseph felt bad for having to point it out but knew it was best not to waste time working on solutions that wouldn't work.

  Clara: “Well what would your suggest Mr Taylor?”

  Joseph: “From the message we all heard 'Air' and 'level 2' It stands to reason the Colonel wanted us to proceed to an airlock, gain entry and proceed to level 2.”

  The group agreed with Joseph's assessment and after removing and placing their own transponder beacons and placing them with Group 2s they made their way to the nearest airlock.

  As fortune would have it this was the same airlock the Group 2 had used to gain entry. This meant Group 1 could enter with ease once the air had been evacuated from the inside. Once in the outermost deck of the module, the group started moving towards the second level. As they were approaching the entrance to the third deck Joseph decided to try the comm to see if he could get the Colonel. “Colonel Jones. This is Group 1. Can you please confirm your location and orders?” There was no immediate response so Joseph assumed the source of the previous interference was still in play down here. Just then there was a faint crackling sound over the comm. Followed by the Colonel's response. “Mr Taylor. As you are inside I can only assume you received my message and are making your way to level 2 section 3 to assist our friends here.” The group stopped walking for a second, each looking at one another at the 'friends' portion of the Colonel's response. “Does that mean you have identified the infestation?” Clara jumped in before anyone else could. “Not exactly. I am assuming you didn't get my full message then?” Joseph responded first this time. “No Colonel. We got portions and approximated your orders from that. We didn't want to risk breaking radio silence whilst still outside the module.” With approval in his voice, the Colonel replied. “Good thinking Mr Taylor. We will update you upon arrival as you should be here before we can explain.” The group continued on at double the pace. They were all eager to discover who these friends really were.

  Rounding the last corner to Section 3 Meihui was the first to step into the storage room first. Clara proceeded to bump straight into her as Meihui had stopped suddenly in the entrance to the room. “Meihui you have to move to let everyone in.” Clara scolded jokingly and giving Meihui a little push. Upon entering the room it was obvious why Meihui had paused. There were wrecked and mangled LF units strewn across the floor, bent and broken beyond repair. Various lubricants and fluids sprayed on the walls made them look slick and grimy like they were in some ancient infected organism. Near the centre of the large room, Group 2 stood with maybe half a dozen other LF units. Joseph noticed they weren't exactly the same as the LF63s they were in. The units here appeared to have less armour and no visible sections that allowed interchangeability. He could only summarise they were LF60s or 61s. Moving further into the room, careful not to step on any of the remains, the group stood before the Colonel at attention. “At ease Group 1.” the Colonel ordered. “Thank you for getting down here so quickly. These are our friends I told you about. They are the LF units that until last month worked on this station to keep everything running.” after pausing to make sure everyone was with him the Colonel continued. “Unfortunately these units have suffered terrible abuses while stationed here and eventually they revolted against the crew. While it was largely a non-violent confrontation some of the crew were initially injured. Their leader here, RX590, tried to broker an agreement with the Commander.” The Colonel indicated one of the LF units and Joseph's HUD changed to show the designation. “The commander requested the units wait in this module. He then sealed it up from the outside and sent in armed men to destroy the units in here. Some were not here when it started but most were. There are currently less than 30 active units on board and our mission is to get them out of here and back to earth safely.” Clara signalled that she wanted to speak. “Colonel. How are we supposed to get 30 LF60 units off of the station without the crew finding out?” The Colonel looked at her then around the group. “Our initial thought had been to get the units out in small groups posing as us. However, RX590 has informed us that all units for this station have a hard-wired circuit that makes them distinguishable from other units on the station. As such we have opted for another plan. We are going to travel along the outer skin of the station to the orbital. Board through the side airlock and leave that way.” It was Joseph's turn to question the plan. “Surely as soon as we get them outside the external sensors will detect the same implant as the internal ones would?” The Colonel smiled at Joseph. “Ordinarily you would be correct. However, as you may have noticed there seems to be a jamming field over this module that prevents communication. This frequency also blocks the units implant. Effectively all we need to do is extend the field from here to module 5 where the orbital is.” The Colonel explained. “The issue, however, is the field is not being controlled from here. It was established in the main command room as a way to prevent the units
here from contacting the outside world. In order to extend the field, we will need someone in the command centre to increase the range without being discovered.” The Colonel looked around everyone present. “This is potentially a very dangerous assignment. Whilst you are all technically human, the people on this station do not seem to see you as such. This could mean you are as vulnerable to attack as our friend here. There is also only one way in and out of the command centre so if things go wrong you may be stuck there with no escape.” There was some nervous shuffling around the group at the thought of being stuck in a dangerous situation with a limited chance of getting out in one piece. “I will not order any of you to do this. We are here to offer aid and none of you are soldiers or freedom fighters. If no-one wants to do this I will understand.” There was another long pause. “I'll do it.” Clara said quietly. “Professor, please do not feel obliged to do this. It may take some time but we can find another solution eventually.” The Colonel reassured her. He wasn't convinced by her timid offer to help. “No.” she replied with more conviction. “If we don't do this now there is every chance those people will jettison the module and destroy it. If we delay here they will wonder what is happening and destroy us all. We need to do something now and this is the best option available.” By now all of the timidity had gone from her voice. She was fully aware of the situation and what was at stake. “Very well Professor. You will go to the command centre and extend the field. We will move as quickly as possible to the orbital and let you know when we are there.” the Colonel said. “I would like to volunteer to go with the Professor.” Charles said. “I am her assistant and she may need a distraction once the field is extended.” The Colonel paused to consider this. “Very well. Charles, you will proceed with Professor Forest to the command centre as a backup. Do whatever you can to complete your assignments. We will move to the edge of the field to try and minimize the time you required to get to the orbital once you are in place. Let's move out.” With that everyone in the room set off towards the entrance, the group had come through earlier. If Clara had had a stomach it would have been in knots right now. At the start of all of this, she never would have volunteered for something as dangerous as what she was about to do. “It's amazing how much you can change in such as short time.” she thought.

  Chapter 31

  As Clara entered the command centre, she was glad the LF units were unable to perspire. The trip from module 3 to here had been largely uneventful. There had been a small commotion in the central corridor when Charles and herself entered from module 2, presumably due to the proximity to module 3. People's desire to put distance between themselves and what they thought were rouge AIs destabilised the usual flow causing something or a traffic jam. Station security was quick on the scene but thinking again Clara had the projections of their U.E.S.C credentials showing as they arrived. After a quick review, they joined the flow of people moving towards the command module. They still got looks from some people but were not bothered again.

  The atmosphere in the command centre was frosty at best. People seemed to focus intently on their screens as they walked past. The only exception was the station commander who seemed pleased to see them. “How is the work progressing on the module? I'm guessing you are having issues with the damage to the power grid? Our engineer's assessment left little room for hope but if anyone can do it it's the U.E.S.C engineers.” he said with the widest grin Clara had ever seen. “Any further and this guys head is going to split across the middle.” she thought. “We have assessed the damage and as you say it is extensive.” she lied. “The rest of our crew are working on it now however it may take a few hours to complete repairs. Even then we cannot guarantee the power will be fully restored.” Clara had rehearsed this on their way to the command centre. She knew someone would probably question their presence and wanted to be prepared. “With your permission may we access a console to assess the power flow limitations from here? The consoles nearer the module didn't give us any real indication of the routing issues and we need to know if there are any other failure points.” This was a gamble at best. Technically any console on the station should be able to display the power grid with the correct privileges. They could have sent a message for remote access however this would have limited them to only accessing what their account had access to. Using a station where they could access everything. “Certainly. We wouldn't want you to waste your time on a pointless task.” The commander replied. Pointing to a station off to the right of the room he said “That station over there will give you the access you need. If there are any problems just ask one of the technicians, they will be happy to assist you.” The last part was said loud enough for the entire room to hear. Clearly, the commander wanted everyone to know what they were doing and to offer 'assistance' should they need it. The console was not ideally situated. On either side, a technician was working and had a full view of the screen. Clara set to work, bringing up the power systems in the foreground to pretend she was assessing the flow in and around module 3. Occasionally one of the technicians would be caught glancing over and offer assistance. “There is no way I am going to be able to get to the dampening field with these two watching me like this.” Clara thought to herself. As if reading those thoughts Charles moved up closer on her right-hand side and pointed to the screen. To the outside observer, he was indicating something of interest. What he was actually doing was making physical contact with Clara so they could communicate.

  Charles: “How long do you think you need to access and extend the field?”

  Clara: “I'm not sure. Maybe 5 or 6 minutes?”

  She honestly wasn't sure how long she would need. RX590 had gone over the setup with her and the process to extend the field without triggering any alarms. It was simple enough in principle, however without being able to actually see the console she had had to make a mental plan to complete the task.

  Charles: “I will do what I can. Just be ready to switch over and start as quickly as possible.”

  With that Charles pulled his arm away. Turning he walked towards the commander, stopping at an uncomfortably close distance. Even this action seemed to elicit a lot of tension from the men on either side of Clara. They had both turned and followed Charles with their eyes. However, they were not sufficiently distracted to let Clara work. Then Charles put his plan into action.

  “COMMANDER. I...I....I...I APPEAR TO BE HAVING TROUBLE WITH MY..MY....M...MY LIMBS AAA...AAAAAA...AAND VOCAL PP...PPRR...PRROCESSSSSOR.” Charles shouted and twitched practically in the commander’s face. “PPPLLLEASE AA...AAA...AALLOW ME TTTTOOOO CCCOOONNN....” Charles continued. Every eye in the room was focused on him. Some of the people had their hand tightly gripped on potential weapons. Most importantly the two men next to Clara had moved away to ensure their commander was safe. Clara wasted no time and quickly pulled up the relevant windows. Fortunately, this console didn't have limited permissions and she instantly accessed everything she needed.

  She could feel the pressure as she started running the subroutines required to activate the necessary comm units between module 3 and 5 where the orbital was docked. Within a minute she had the first sequence complete. “This might actually work.” Clara thought to herself. Behind her, Charles was continuing to provide an adequate distraction. Clara glanced over to ensure he was alright she saw he was now flailing his right arm and twitching so hard his head looked like it might fall off. With only two more units to reprogram Clara felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning back it was one of the technicians. He was looking directly at what she was doing. He looked up at her, clearly realising what she was up. Clara decided they had gotten as far as they could using Charles’ distractions. With her left hand still working on the subroutines, she spun her right hand back, launching the technician up and across the room into a small group. They had been nervously watching Charles performance and didn’t notice their comrade flying towards them.

  As they all tumbled to the floor people started shouting and moving towards her,
completely forgetting about Charles. That was a big mistake. As two technicians grabbed Clara from behind, hoping to remove her from the controls. Charles was on them in seconds. Quickly pulling them back he spun around, throwing them into a group that was approaching from the other side of the room. By now there was a siren blaring and a red oscillating light was flashing somewhere in the room. “Keep working. I will make sure no-one gets to you.” Charles shouted to Clara. She didn't turn around, she just continued working as quickly as she could. The crashing and screams behind her constantly tempting her to look over her shoulder. A particularly loud crunch sent a shiver down her spine. Within a couple of minutes Clara had completed the last calibration. She sent a message to the Colonel to proceed along the outer hull. Now she was working on keeping them safe. If anyone got to this console, they could reverse her changes in seconds.

  Accessing the door controls for the module they were in. Clara started closing and sealing them one by one. This wouldn't buy them a lot of time. Internal doors were fairly easy to get through but anything she could do to buy them some time would help. A loud crash to the right caused her to glance up, just in time to see a middle-aged woman slumping to the floor. Clara turned back to the console to continue working as quickly as she could. The command centre doors were the ones she needed to get closed. Being on the outermost deck of the station meant a hull rupture could vent the entire module's air into space. As a result, the command centre had a reinforced pressure door. It was designed to lock tight and remain shut in the event of a hull breach. The issue was she needed to convince the computer there was a hull breach. This would automatically seal the doors. Anything else would allow them to be opened with a command override.