fanfic_name = And Thunder Rolls

chapter = 10

author = Adam Scott

Rating = AP15

Type = Alternative Universe

fanfic = Chapter 10 - Friend or Foe



        "I'm losing power!" "All primary controls have stopped responding!" "SDF-3, can you hear me?!" "I'm going to make an emergency landing in bay three!" "Hello, anybody, please respond!" The Skull-1 had taken a direct hit. This was our third battle in the last day and a half. The Invid were relentless and we had taken heavy causalities. Max was wounded and unable to fly. I had taken back command of Skull squadron while he recuperated. In addition to fighting my way through the hordes of Invid I was also directing fleet tactics. The CIC had been damaged during the last battle and was unable to communicate with the fleet. Breetai and General Reinhardt were still attempting to get it back on-line. Tami was taking care of SDF-3 local flight ops from the bridge and Lisa had been put back in command for the time being and was on the bridge. "I read you Skull-1" Tami's voice came over the Tac-net. No video though. As if reading my thoughts she said "The Primary and Secondary communication towers have been damaged, we only have short range voice communications. Landing bay three is ready for you". I was relieved to hear the last part. At least I might have a chance to land this thing and live.



        Landing bay three was directly ahead of me. I had lost all primary controls and I had to use my Reaction Control System (RCS) thrusters to stay on course. My landing gear wouldn't go down and my engines were stalling. There was no way that I could reverse thrust to slow down. Every few seconds I would have to give another blast from the RCS to keep my nose pointed in the right direction. Finally I was close enough to the bay entrance to attempt a flip. I gave one more long blast to the RCS and turned the ship backwards to the bay. I managed to eek out one last blast from the engines to slow my approach to something the crash nets could handle. Then my engines died completely and everything went black. I was coming in really fast and backwards to boot. All I could do now was brace for impact.



        The plane slams to the deck as I enter the artificial gravity of the landing bay. I hit the crash nets and sparks go flying every where. The smell of burning rubber and metal fills the air. Eventually I stop but not before grinding a gash into the deck the width of my plane and blowing out the windows of the control room located at the end of the bay. I open the cockpit dome and dive out of the plane. I hit the deck at a run as the deck crew comes running with fire extinguishing equipment. I have to get to the bridge. With Skull-1 out of action, that is the one and only place left to coordinate the fleet. The resulting fire from my crash reaches a fuel storage tank and I'm followed through the deck hatch by an explosion. I close the hatch behind me and run as fast as I can to the command lift to the bridge.



        The doors of the lift only open part way and I have to push them the rest. Once I'm through doors it falls and I feel a tug then a pinch on my legs as I fall to the floor. I reach up for the handle to open the door to the bridge but I can't reach it. I try to stand up but can't. My legs are gone, severed by the retreating lift. I start to panic. The fleet will be lost. I must get to the bridge; it's our only hope of survival. "Lisaaaa!" I shout, "Lisa, help me!" Somewhere in the back of my mind I hear her voice. "Rick . . . Rick, it's alright". I continue to struggle to reach the door. "Lisa, please help me!" I scream. Then I hear her again "Rick, it's only a dream . . . Rick's its O.K., I'm right here." I watch as the bulkhead in front of me tears open to the vacuum of space. "Lisa, Please!" I shout again. Again I hear Lisa's gentle but concerned voice "Rick, please wake up, it's only a dream"



        I open my eyes and see Lisa's worried face. I sit-up in bed and wipe the cold sweat from my brow, "You were calling my name" Lisa says with compassion and worry. She places her delicate arm across my shoulders and rubs them gently. "Is everything O.K.?" I nod my head then turn to look at her face once more. Even in the dim light of our bedroom I can see the fiery glow of her emerald green eyes. All I can do is stare into her beautiful face. "Are you sure you're alright?" She asks again. I lean forward and kiss her. Then I wrap my arms around her and hold her tightly. "I'm sorry I woke you." I finally reply. "That's O.K., the baby woke me long before you did. She's been performing summersaults for the last hour." Lisa was eight months along now and I was amazed at how active our daughter could be. We had only learned the baby's sex a week ago and we were still trying to figure out names. We had covered the gambit from A - Z, with out agreeing. Lisa liked Emma but I was holding out for Sarah, my mothers' name.



        It was still early; I wasn't expected on the bridge for another three hours. I lay down, facing Lisa, and try to go back to sleep. I reach out and place my hand on Lisa's belly and feel our daughter kicking and squirming with-in. For some reason my touch always calmed the baby and after several moments she settled down. I pull my hand away which then Lisa grabs it and places my hand back on her belly. "She seems to like it when your hand is there" she said with a smile. I grin in reply, the baby might but I know mama does. Lisa settles back down into bed and I scoot closer to her, laying my head on her shoulder while keeping my hand on her belly. Slumber returns but only lightly. I still wake every few minutes and check my surroundings. Sometimes I wonder if this is all a dream. If it is, I don't want to wake up.



        Two hours later, I walk onto the bridge at the start of Charlie shift. Today was going to be our eighth and final fold. We should have been at this point two months ago but we had a run in with a battalion of Zentraedi who were still loyal to Dolza and were dead set on avenging his death. The repairs from that battle took nearly a month and then afterwards we had to take longer time between folds. Our fold drive had sustained some damage and required more maintenance between folds.



        "O.K., by the numbers people!" I announce to the bridge crew to indicate it was time to start fold operations. Each station sounded off its status. Lieutenant Commander Tami Porter turns around in the Captains' chair at the sound of my voice. "Sir, I didn't hear you come in." She says. "That's alright Tami I didn't want to interrupt the shift" I say with a grin. Tami stands up and stretches. She and I have been trading off twelve hour shifts the last few weeks. We were nearing the end of hers. "Why don't you head home and spend some time with that bride of yours." I tell her. She grins and giggles a little. She snaps a quick salute and then leaves the bridge.



        It was Colonel Edwards shift in CIC today and almost like clock work he comes barging in from CIC. "Admiral Hunter", he says with a sneering grin, "It's time for your hourly brief!" "Why can't he just send in one of the messengers like everyone else", I think to myself. He hands me the palm sized computer pad. As I scan through it I can't help but wonder if he is holding back information. Call it a hunch or just a gut feeling but there has to be a reason why this guy makes my skin crawl. I finish the list of "emergent details" and sign the acknowledgement. Colonel Edwards takes the pad from my hand then walks back into CIC, with out even asking if I was done. He obviously has an issue with me but that is, is of little concern right now. Personal issues have to take a back seat until this mission is over.



        The count down begins as I take my seat. I place my hands on the arm rests and my fingers slide into the grooves that I've worn into the cushions. Each ship folds in turn and then it's ours. I shut my eyes for the brief seconds it takes to make the transition into folded space. I open them again once it's announced that were safely in. I turn the bridge over to the Operations Officer and walk back into CIC.



        Edwards is no where to be seen. I ask the Communications Chief where he went and he shrugs his shoulders. I decide to wander around CIC a bit and see what he's been up to. In the very back of the CIC, surrounded by computer equipment, is a door that leads to the main radar and fire control processing center. There isn't anybody that stands watch back here. There's no reason too. It's just a room full of computer equipment. As I walk towards the door I notice it's ajar. As if someone had just gone through. I open the door, the lights are on which isn't all that strange, but it's really quiet. I know that our radar isn't functional in hyperspace but the equipment should be running anyways, but it isn't. I start to look up and down the rows of computer hardware, each cabinet performing a different function vital to the radar tracking systems. I hear a scratching sound from one of the corners and decide to check it out. The sound gets louder as I approach. I stop short of the row it's coming from. I look around the corner slowly. There's Edwards, he has one of the cabinets open and the components racked out. He's trying to pry a printed circuit board loose. Instead of saying anything I stand there and watch. He's all the way at the end of the row so he wouldn't see me unless he looked really hard. He finally gets the card out and he replaces it with another. He breaks in half the card he pulled out of the equipment then stuffs it into his pockets. He then proceeds to close the cabinet back up. I take this as my cue to leave the room. When I reach the door I realize I need a little more time to reach the front of CIC before he comes out. I shut the door tight then turn the lock just enough that it won't open on the first try.



        My little trick worked. I managed to get to the front of CIC just as Edwards begins to curse and kicks the door open. The chief and I keep our backs turned and chuckle silently. Then I ask the Chief to join me on the bridge for a few moments. I, of course, get Edwards permission first as to not cause any suspicion on his part. Once we are in the relative safety of the passage between the two rooms I stop. I turn to the Chief and relay what I had just seen. He nods his head accordingly and says that he will keep a close I on the situation. We continue onto the bridge and I have him look at the main radar display for a moment and ask some off the wall question to help cover our tracks. The Chief answers it and heads back into CIC.



        I sit back down in my chair and then place a call to engineering. "Dr. Lang, I was wondering if you could have one of your engineers take a look at the Primary Radar and Fire Control Interface for CIC." "Why do you need that done, Sir?" He asks in his heavy German accent. "Let's just say I have a suspicion that it needs looked at and if you would, have them go in through the back door. I don't want anyone else to know you're in there" I say in reply. "Very, well Admiral, I'll put somebody on it right away." I put down the receiver and sit back in my chair. Wondering what Edwards is up to. I seem to have plenty of time to think about it. We won't defold for another ten hours.



        "Prepare for defold", announces the Lieutenant. I had spent the rest of the shift on the bridge. I knew I would see Edwards enough as it is. The fold engines begin to vibrate and shake the ship violently. Ever since that last battle they have. It was worse in defold, when the massive engines fight against the laws of physics to bring the mass of the SDF-3 back into normal space.  The event horizon is in sight. We exit out to the rift in time and space into the inky black of a dead star system.



        I immediately order a radar sweep as the fighters of Skull Squadron launch. Short range radar shows nothing, long range shows only the planet of Fantoma and its one time inhabited moon of Triol. The systems star is dark, its life giving energy long exhausted. Skull reports in and states that there is no sign of life in the entire system.



        Where were the inhabitants of this system? Where was the vast civilization of the Robotech Masters? General Reinhardt walks onto the bridge from CIC. The long range scans were complete. There was life on Triol, buried deep underground. But what kind of life was the question.



        Dr. Lang walked onto the bridge right behind the General. His technicians said that there was nothing wrong with the fire control systems, they did find a non-standard card but after testing, they came to the conclusion that it actually improved firing accuracy and left the card in the system.



        This was not the answer I expected. Maybe Edwards wasn't trying something, or maybe he is and we just haven't figured it out yet. But where would he get technology like that. Granted he's smart but he isn't that smart.  Could he be working for someone? Or is someone working for him? These questions will have to be answered at a later time. Right now we have more pressing matters.



        I turn the bridge over to the duty officer and all three of us go into CIC. Breetai is waiting. Going over the long range scans with a fine tooth comb. He and Exedore are the only ones in the entire fleet that has ever been to this system before. Exedore walks in shortly there after and together we study over and debate the findings.



        "Well, gentleman, it seems that we have a very unusual situation." Exclaimed Exedore. "There is life on Triol but we have no idea who or what it is. The last time Exedore and I were here was nearly a millennia ago by human standards and when we left we were in pursuit of Zor and the SDF-1" added Breetai, "I was not expecting this!" "What was here when you left?" asked Reinhardt. Exedore elaborated, "When we left to find Zor and his disciples, every planet in this system was full of life, except for Fantoma, which is a gas giant. This was a place full of the wonders wrought by Robotechnology and Proto-culture. The Robotech Masters were attempting to discover the secrets of Proto-culture for themselves. Our entire society was run by Proto-culture and Zor was the only being that knew its secrets and how to produce it in mass. The SDF-1 had the one and only operational Proto-culture factory in the known universe. To be honest with you we Zentraedi have no idea what it is derived from or how to produce it". Everyone stood in silence for a few moments, pondering Exedores words.



        Then Dr. Lang spoke, "I have a theory, we know from testing the few samples we have that Proto-culture is a biological based high energy source. It is obviously refined through a high energy bombardment process that changes its molecular structure to a point where it returns more energy than what is used to create it, an over-unity process if you will. If it is true that the only known factory for Proto-culture was aboard the SDF-1 than the Robotech Masters needed to find another source that could generate that same amount of power. It is possible that they tried to use their own sun to manufacture the proto-culture. In theory it plausible but if their process was flawed in anyway then the opposite can occur and instead of over-unity they would achieve super under-unity and the refined material would drain all energy from what ever it came into contact with. If this is what happened then that would explain why the star is dark and this system is essentially dead." Exedore nodded his head in understanding and agreement, the rest of us placed a hand to our collective heads to keep them from exploding. I understood what he said but how he came to that conclusion so quickly is beyond me.



        We discussed our options and what to do next. We finally decided that we needed to check out the life form readings from Triols underground first. Perhaps there are survivors that can explain what happened and know where the rest of their people went.



        I call up Tami, who had taken back the bridge by this point, and explained to her the situation. She understood probably better than I did. She set a course that would have us in orbit around Triol in about eight hours. In the mean time I retire to the Captains' ready room, just off the starboard side of the bridge. From there I have access to both CIC and the bridge. There is a small cot and a desk. On the desk are pictures of me and Lisa and Roy, the Sterling's, Lisa's father and mother, and Claudia. I was a little surprised by it at first. Then I remembered that this was really Lisa's ready room. I was just barrowing it for a while. I lie down on the cot. It's rather comfy. "So this is how she makes it through those long hours on the bridge" I think to myself. "I thought she was just a . . ." Sleep finds me before I finish the thought.



State = Continuará/To Be Continue

feedback = Sí/Yes

email = jscott_73ATyahoo.com