FSE

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CHAPTER 7 An endless source of energy

The furred alien worked assiduously in the duty that he was assigned. He went through commands and dozens of alternate screens as fast as the most precise supercomputer. At the Retcan Battle Cruiser R105, Titan, the Chief Engineering Scientist, monitored our progress very closely.

"They are better than I imagined." The light beige Retcan with brown markings on his face, directed to the Captain with a deep and somewhat aristocratic tone of voice. His light blue, almost silverish eyes resembled those of Captain Silver's.

"Indeed they are." Captain Silver replied. You could notice that same aristocratic tone of voice on her. They both were very alike.

"Their ability to learn, and perform serious and delicate procedures with such ease, still amazes me. It's like they were born to perform these tasks. I still can't imagine how they weren't capable of destroying their attackers many years ago." Titan questioned.

_ _"Many mysteries still surround the Evocanis' origin and reason of existence." Silver added.

_ _"It's clear where they are from, Silver. It's the reason why they drift upon the universe what intrigues me."

_ _"Something that we decided not to discuss, brother. The truth will be eventually discovered, though we might not be around when that happens. Remember we have a mission to fulfill..." Silver stated.

_ _"A mission that we postponed more than a decade ago, I know." Titan finished her sentence. R105's duties were very clear to him. "Still, I don't feel that we should leave them. We've been with them long enough to know how pure and sincere they are, and also that they are alone. You know they are no risk for us."

"I understand that, brother. But you know I have duties comply with. And you know I've broken the rules by making contact with another intelligent species. As much as I would like to be with them forever, that can't be done. What can be done is assure they are safe, and capable to defend themselves. I know they are; they just need the tools to do it."

"I don't know, sister. What if Retcans and Evocanis are meant to be together? Do you think it was just coincidence that we crossed paths a decade ago?"

"As much as I wish that to be true, that cannot happen." Captain Silver was drastic, but her eyes drifted slightly to the side, making noticeable that she was not feeling what she have just said.

"Captain..." Letting out a sigh, Titan continued with the main reason of their discussion. "I've monitored their progress, and everything went well. There was a slight contact with one of the ships, but nothing serious. As short as their flight experience has been, I don't see the reason why they can't help us."

_ _"Good. I will let K9 know this as soon as possible. I want them to do the first reconnaissance flights."

"Understood, Captain."

_ _Many kilometers away from R105; Fx, Andy and I were approaching the D.E Cruiser. Our assignment was fulfilled.

As we got closer to the D.E Cruiser, I had a visual on it, but something odd happened.

"Guys... what the...?" I exclaimed.

"Keep your approach speed, guys. We are getting close." Fx suggested.

As the D.E Cruiser got closer, I noticed how it was in a completely odd angle. We were approaching towards it side, but the ship was almost upside down. I immediately felt disoriented and dizzy. This was another reminder of why in space there is no up or down.

"Align to the hangar, guys." Fx said. We followed his maneuvers until we were aligned. Still, my brain was confused. I left the Cruiser at one direction, and felt like I have held that position throughout the whole flight. I had a hard time adjusting to the fact that I was no longer in that same position.

We watched as the hangar gate opened. Slowly and steady, we followed a virtual runway that extended the real hangar's runway.

The oxygen filled the hangar, and after a couple of minutes, a green light in our panels gave us the ok to exit.

"Are you ok, Husky?" Fx asked as he approached me. He noticed how slowly I got out of my ship.

"No... Something is wrong." I replied dragging my words.

"What happened, baby brother? You look disoriented. Come on, sit down."

"Husky's right. That didn't feel ok." Andy confirmed what I was feeling as he was also disoriented by the maneuver. "I didn't expect the ship to be in this position after we left."

The milk and cookies in my belly didn't agree with the maneuver. But after a while I started to feel better. Soon after, K9 and the Dingoes appeared from nowhere.

"How was it, team?" K9 said. He was smiling and wagging his tail.

"Amazing experience, K9. Thank you for letting us do this." Andy replied.

"Are you ok, Husky? I was worried for you!" He then approached me.

"I've been better. But I'm ok. Sorry for crashing the ship, Captain."

"At least you managed to control the ship. It could have ended worst. I'm glad you're fine, pup. Be careful next time. Come on, let's go. You guys deserve a break."

At the strategy room more comfortable in our D.E uniforms, we were discussing the details of our first flight. Suddenly, K9 brought out something that we never expected.

"Recover your strength, team. The test flights are about to get more intense." K9 said. The room filled with many words of surprise and doubt.

"Easy, guys..." He said, as we slowly went to a complete silence. "While you were in your way back, I received another call from R105." K9 stood from his chair and with a tiny remote he activated the holographic screen at the middle of the table. We all looked at each other confused after seeing what appeared on screen.

"What is that, K9?" Fx asked.

"This is our next assignment." K9 replied.

"What do you mean? What is this thing?" I asked while carefully examining what appeared to be a huge rocky asteroid with a long blue trail of light.

"This was discovered by the Retcans a few days ago. This comet appears to be orbiting a nearby solar system." K9 explained. The image shifted to various angles and close-ups. "And we are very close to it at this moment. Look, the reason why we hurried with the flight tests is because the Retcans want us to help them with an exploration mission."

This was the source of energy that Titan had discovered a few days ago.

"The readings are off the charts, and we need to make sure that it is in fact a reachable Blue Mineral source what's giving these measurements."

"Haven't they sent a scanner probe?" Fx asked.

"No. They won't by now. And the reason is that they want us to take some reconnaissance images ourselves."

"So we are sending our probes?" Kala asked.

"Not exactly..." K9 responded. He minimized the holographic image so we could pay attention to his next words. "I apologize for not being direct. What we are doing is actually flying to that comet. As a matter of fact, you three are." He said, pointing at Fx, Andy and me.

I shook my head in disbelief. I couldn't believe what K9 just said.

"What?! We are flying to that comet?!" I almost jumped out of my chair.

"Wow! This is amazing!" Andy added. He didn't look concerned at all.

"Look, guys. I know this might seem irresponsible to the point were it's crazy, but this is a great opportunity to further test our ships and equipment. This can prove the liability of the D.E Project earlier than we expected. That means that you can all go home sooner, and we can commence the training for the real D.E members."

"Isn't it risky? I mean, we are just test subjects. We haven't received any training on defense and exploration procedures." I questioned K9

"I know what you mean, Husky. But this is a risk that we can take. Remember that the Retcans are asking us to do this. We will not be alone." He was somewhat right. As a matter of fact, it didn't matter at that point; this was an opportunity in a million.

I can't lie, I was excited, but this went far from what I though we were going to do during the D.E Development process. Many things could go wrong, but at the same time there was more benefit for us in the long term.

"Before we start preparations, I would like to ask if you really want to do this. You need to know that I don't want to obligate you, as this will require all of your commitment due to the considerable risk of the operation." K9 seriously asked. "Andy. I know that you would never say no to this, but I need you to be as serious as possible. I love your playfulness, but I would like you to leave that aside if we proceed."

"You can count on me, Captain." Andy responded after a short pause. "If my partners decide to continue, I will put all of my effort. I'll be responsible and careful." Andy replied in a serious tone not common on him.

"Good..." K9 seemed pleased. "Fx, Husky?" He then directed to us.

Fx and I just looked at each other for a while. We thought it through and we both realized that we might not experience something like this ever again in our lives. We both nodded at each other without saying a word.

"I will, Captain." Fx replied seriously.

"Me too." I did the same.

"Very well..." K9 closed his eyes and smiled. With his arms behind his back he continued. "Look guys, I wouldn't do anything that would put you in imminent danger, as I know your limitations. What happened with Husky was something that could be avoided, so please be as careful as possible. I have it clear that we are not a D.E Squad, and there are things that we won't do. This reconnaissance flight to the comet will be a well measured risk, and if we are doing this is because the Retcans suggested that we are capable of it."

With that said, there was no doubt now. We would proceed.

After our meeting, we set course to a location closer to the comet's trajectory. The trip would take around 10 hours. Later that day, we would initiate the second phase of our test flight; the actual flight to the comet.

Back in R105, further planning to the possible exploration mission to the comet was being made. Titan was having a word with Silver. Another Retcan Engineering Scientist had joined the discussion as well.

"Never have I seen such a concentration of Blue Mineral..." A female Retcan said while double-checking the measurement data.

_ _"That is true, Cobalt." Titan replied to his odd looking friend. Her fur was sky blue, uncommon to any mammal life form. This gave a hint of why she was probably named Cobalt.

"A concentration this big is highly uncommon. This is very suspicious. The only way of having such quantities of Blue Mineral, is by having growing fields." The blue female said.

"Are you two suggesting that there is a mineral crop in that comet? I thought we were the only ones capable of harvesting and processing Blue Mineral. Plus; it is a comet. No one could live in such a place." Silver's voice interrupted. She was not facing them, but sitting deep within the darkness of the control bridge, in her Captain's chair.

_ _"I know, Silver. If that's not the case, then we are in front of the biggest naturally formed Blue Mineral concentration ever." Titan replied.

_ _Silver stood up and walked towards her fellows. Appearing from the shadows, walking with her arms behind her back, she slowly opened her eyes and replied. "Another reason why we can't leave this opportunity behind, Titan. That will be the only way to prolong our trip, and subsequently fulfill our duties. I don't want to return to Lusceonis for resources after all this decades without completing the task that we were given."

"In that case, it's your decision. Cobalt and I are ready to start the necessary preparations for a possible recollection mission." Titan added.

"I want to make sure that what we are seeing is true, before I take any decisions." Silver requested.

"I actually sent a probe, Silver. I know that you wanted the Evocanis to do this, but I needed confirmation as soon as possible." Titan confessed. His submissive tone suggested doubt on his actions.

_ _"I kindly ask you to follow my orders without hesitation next time, Commander." Silver replied softly but with an intense gaze directed to Titan's eyes. Silver could be very intimidating, even with her usual neutral and gentle nature. "I made myself clear that I wanted the Evocanis to take part of this. Many times I have said that this would be a perfect opportunity to further place the D.E Project to the test." Silver turned around and headed back to her seat.

_ _"I understand, Captain. I do apologize. We will do as you wish." Titan humbly apologized.

"They will follow as planned. By late this afternoon, they will fly into the comet. Nevertheless..." She stopped without turning around and vaguely gazed at Titan with the corner of her eye. "I want a defense team to keep an eye on our friends in case of something goes wrong."

"It will be done, Captain."

"Good." She turned she continued her way. "Oh, and I want to know what the probe discovered, immediately."

_ _"Right away."

Titan ordered Cobalt to show the data recollected from the probes. A few seconds later, some images of what appeared to be the comet's surface appeared on the bridge's main screen.

_ _ "These images are quite intriguing, I must confess." Titan said. He stood next to Silver's seat. "This is the area where the biggest concentration is." He showed the Captain. A close up of a large area was highlighted in red.

"This is incredible..." Silver uttered to herself.

"Four square kilometers covered in Blue Mineral. And that's not counting the rest that is scattered around the comet's surface. Sounds like a lot, but in reality, the readings that we get are much bigger than what actually could fit inside four square kilometers. We are only seeing a small portion of the Blue Mineral."

"You are saying that there must be more mineral beneath the surface, perchance?"

"I can't be sure, Silver. The only way of knowing that, is by landing on the comet and find it out for ourselves."

"The presence of Blue Mineral is confirmed with these images. Now we have to think how we can reach it. What are the possibilities that we can safely land in that surface?"

"Due to the dimensions of this comet, I would say it's possible. Its diameter is about 4000 kilometers. Plus, it seems to be conformed of solid rock and ice. So landing in its surface wouldn't be a problem."

_ _"What about the atmosphere? If it has one..."

"Regarding its interior atmosphere, there is nothing that we have to worry about. Its temperature is about twenty degrees below freezing point, so that wouldn't be much of a problem. There is no oxygen, but instead, there is a high concentration of helium and carbon dioxide; nothing really harmful to our equipment."

"How would we get in?"

"We will travel parallel to the comet's trajectory, slowly pointing to its northern hemisphere. As we descend, the tail's momentum will slowly pull us into it until we reach the equator. To get out of it, it's just a matter of traveling to the southern hemisphere, and letting the tail push us out of it." Titan explained as a simulated animation showed up in the screen.

Silver stood up again and headed to the main screen as she stared at the blurry image. With her hands behind her, giving her back to the other two Retcans, she stood in silence for a while.

"How much time would it take you to prepare everything, Titan?"

"Give me 48 hours."

"Good." Silver agreed. "One more thing."

"Yes, Silver?"

"I need the environmental suits for the Evos ready by tomorrow."

"Don't worry about it, Captain. It will be taken care of..."

A while after, back at the D.E Cruiser, the ten hour trip was done. We were finally close to the location of the comet and ready to start the second phase of our flight test.

We didn't know what to expect. This didn't feel like a flight test anymore, but an assigned mission that we agreed to fulfill.

More accustomed to our ships, one by one we left the hangar as if we had been doing this for ever. It almost felt like we were a true D.E Squad on a mission.

"Setting course to designated coordinates. Approximate arrival time in 17 minutes."

Fx reported.

"Be cautious. Good luck." K9 replied.

The three of us were in formation as we accelerated to our destination. Many minutes after, we were finally close to the comet. A beautiful ball of blue light started to make itself present in our vision field. It was the comet.

As we got closer we were able to distinguish the comet's shape, and the immense tail that followed it. It was beautiful. It was so hard to believe that such an immense mass was traveling at such high speed. Due to its magnificence, it seemed to be completely immobile.

"D.E, this is Fox01. We are approaching our objective. Orbit is one hundred kilometers from our location. Awaiting instructions."

"Follow as planned." K9 replied.

"Roger that, Captain. Fx, Fox01, out."

The time had come. Our ships were in entry mode. Shields at maximum capacity, entry brakes working at full. Slowly but steadily, we gained speed. The blue glare of the tail started to cover our entire field of vision, until we got blinded by the cloud of ice and dust.

After being in complete calmness and silence, everything around me started to shake at the rhythm of a strong rumbling noise. We were making it through the tail of the comet. Still blinded by the ice and dust cloud, we could only watch how the now active altimeter started dropping at an immense speed. Then, I will never forget it...

The dust suddenly disappeared. Above us, we could see a clear black sky with these rivers of blue clouds of dust and ice. Between some of these clouds, the black space with all of its stars could be seen. Below us was the most amazing view we have ever witnessed; mountains and valleys of black rocks and ice, reflecting delicately that blue glare. We where in...

"D.E, this is Fox01. Mission accomplished. We are in, flying steadily six kilometers above ground. Speed is 850 kilometers an hour." Fx once again reported.

At the D.E Cruiser, K9 stood in front of the main screen analyzing the procedure as close as possible.

"Good job, team. Standby for further instructions." He replied. He then turned to Kala and Zulu which were in control of the monitoring systems. "Status?"

"Shields are now deactivated. The hull of the three ships is intact. Structural damage at zero percent." Zulu replied.

"Systems online and working properly. Gravity shields and oxygen generator working at full. They made it, Captain." Kala added.

"Very well..." K9 replied. "Fx, Andy and Husky. Follow as planned to the designated spot. We need close images of the mineral concentration. "

"Affirmative, Captain." Fx replied.

We had reached where no Evo had ever reached before. Still in disbelief, we made our way to where we believed the major concentration of Blue Mineral was.

As we traveled trough the valleys and mountains, we started descending in altitude and speed. As the view of the ground was getting clearer, I noticed a blue glitter that sparkled in the ice surface as we flew past by it. It was Blue Mineral growing its way through the ice. As time past by, these rogue crystals were getting more abundant and appearing in large groups.

"We are getting close." Fx informed. We decreased our speed to 200 kilometers an hour.

"Look at all those crystals." Andy said in admiration.

"I hope that we are getting the images. I've been taking them since we did the entry." I added as I kept a look at a small sub screen that controlled the Spy Cam of my Wolf500. Suddenly, something got my attention as I looked forward to the end of the valley that we were flying above at that moment.

"Guys, look at that." I said.

"We are almost there. Be in the lookout." Fx replied.

Behind the mountain, we could see a strong blue light being emitted from the ground, instead of the sky. As we finally reached that mountain and got past its peak, that blue light engulfed our ships. It took a time for our vision to adjust, and what we saw was the most beautiful thing that I could ever imagine... It almost looked like a forest of Blue Mineral formations. A virtually endless source of energy...

"In the name of Canis Major..." I whispered in awe.

"This is it... This is amazing..." Andy added. He was as shocked as me.

"Ok... Let's descend." Fx tried to be as professional as possible, but I knew that hesitant tone of voice on him. He was amazed at that natural spectacle.

We flied very low, taking numerous images of the Mineral concentration. We even stayed there more than we were supposed to. This was by far the best thing that I had ever witnessed in my life. I didn't want to go. Neither of us wanted to...

"Captain, the first images are here." Kala informed as the first images started to get to the D.E Cruiser. The images started showing in the main screen...

"My word..." K9's reaction wasn't short of amusement. Kala and Zulu stood next to K9 to admire those breathtaking images.

"Inform R105, Kala. Zulu, we need to send these images to Canis Major as well. Our brothers and sisters need to know what we've been witness of this day..."