Realms of Sci-Fi

The Encounter

The mining ship Endeavor pitched sideways at a forty-five degree angle, skimming over the surface of a barren planetoid. As a class five flying saucer, the Endeavor's seamless outer hull was a flawless metallic silver and only broken by the glowing red and blue lights along its outer rim where the gravity focusing arrays of its primary propulsion were located.

In the heart of the vessel, the bridge was centrally located to have the most protection in case of asteroid collision during mining operations. The bridge was laid out in a circular pattern with the Captain's chair in the center. Individual display screens were set flush in the walls above the control console of each duty station.

"Approaching the asteroid now, Captain," Helmsman Corey Dillard reported. The blond man was clean shaven and wore the dark green uniform of the Navigator Academy.

"Right. Put it on screen," Captain Terrance ordered. At fifty-five years old, Terrance was the oldest member of the crew and had been a Captain for fifteen years. The plain, deep blue uniform he wore didn't display any of the medals or campaign ribbons he'd earned during the Saturn conflict of 2217 as he didn't feel like being a constant reminder of the three year war, especially when some of his crew had been on the other side.

Enthroned in the center of the bridge, Captain Terrance waited for the interior hull of the bridge to be covered in the holographic projection of outer space. When the emitters switched on, the walls vanished, and the blackness of space surrounded the bridge stations as if they were floating unprotected in the void.

"Aye. Here it is, our baby. But-," Corey stopped talking partway through as his eyes were locked on the hologram in front of him.

"Enlarge visual," Terrance ordered.

Corey typed a few keys on his control console, and the floating rock in the distance sped forward as if on a collision course, halting only when it filled the entire forward section of the holographic projection. Attached to the surface of the asteroid like some kind of insect was a golden vessel. The outer hull of the unknown ship was segmented, and jointed support struts extended from the flanks to anchor the craft upon the asteroid. Even in dim light of distant stars, the metallic hull glittered.

"Someone's trying to steal our asteroid!" weapons' officer Keller shouted.

"There's no need to yell," Terrance reprimanded. His voice remained neutral, and he didn't even look toward the offending officer.

"I'm sorry, Sir," Keller replied instantly.

Terrance nodded his acceptance and dismissed the matter by changing the subject.

"Natalie," Terrance said to the science officer. "What are the sensors telling us about this visitor?"

Natalie Mackenzie had her head bowed as if asleep, and her long brown hair hung loose and nearly covered her face. Her eyes were closed but moving. The cybernetics of her right hand were plugged into the wiring of her console, linking her mind to the ship in such a way it was impossible to tell where one ended and the other began. Her silver uniform identified her as being part of the newly formed Cyber League. Many didn't trust those with cybernetic parts as they were regarded as being unnatural, but their effectiveness in ship operations was undeniable, even by their critics. The League had been created to integrate augmented people into society and avoid any possible conflicts caused by either ignorance or intolerance.

"No active shields," Natalie reported, her voice slightly digital as a result of a faulty audio chip maintenance had been unable to repair. "No weapon systems recognized. Power emission are low, but nothing like this ship is in the computer records. We have no way of knowing if this is standard for this type of vessel or not. Analysis of the asteroid around the vessel detects signs of recent mining operations, and raw ore is concentrated in a large chamber in the lower decks of the craft."