Chara and the Planet

Chapter No. 31.

Chapter No.31.

Avenger approached Proxima Centauri b after coming out of warp. The planet appeared to be a lifeless rocky planet with a thin atmosphere of mostly nitrogen.

"That doesn't look very hospitable," Ryan said while looking at the small round object slowly growing in the main view screen.

"Temperature scans indicate that it's tidally locked to its star," Myra said. "I doubt there's any life on it."

"Just as expected," Ryan reacted. "Oh well, at least we know that now."

"I am sensing the approach of a vessel," Alma, Chara's second in command, reported.

"What sort of vessel?" Ryan asked.

"I believe it is a vessel like ours."

Ryan sighed. "Shit!"

"What the hell?" Myra exclaimed. "They must have built another ship like this."

"Come to a complete stop relative to the planet," Ryan ordered.

"Why don't we make a run for it?" Evan asked

"We can't get moving fast enough to escape them."

"They are powering up weapons," Alma said.

"Don't power up our weapons," Ryan said. "They would open fire before we were ready to engage."

"I am receiving a communication request," Alma said.

"Put it on the screen," Ryan said.

A familiar image appeared on the main screen. "Well, Hoffman. It appears that you are both a traitor and a thief."

Ryan recognized that he was talking to Howard Melnick, the Vice Admiral of Space Command. "It was my only option."

"Stand down. I am taking control of your vessel," Howard growled.

"Ah, that would be a serious error. We will resist any attempt to board us. Perhaps it would be better if I came over there so that we could discuss terms."

"Why should I discuss anything. We can easily take your vessel."

Ryan turned to Chara. "Power up our weapons." He turned back to the screen. "If you do, it will result in the destruction of both vessels. Let me come over there and discuss how this can go without both of our vessels being destroyed."

There was a pause before Howard replied. "I will accept that as long as it's only you."

Ryan repressed any emotion to respond. "I will be there in a shuttle shortly." He turned to Alma and waved his hand, a signal for her to drop communications link."

"You can't possibly be thinking that he's going to discuss this situation, do you?" Myra said.

"Look, there's no way we can engage in a shooting battle with them. I'm going to go over there in a shuttle with a Max Torpedo and blast them to smithereens. There's no way they're going to take over these androids."

"How in the hell are you going to do this without getting yourself killed?"

"I'm going to wear a spacesuit with maneuvering jets and exit the shuttle just before it gets there. Hopefully, I can get far enough away to escape the torpedo blast."

"You can't go very far for long in the space suit."

"That's why I want you to pick me up."

"I can do that, Ryan," Chara said.

Ryan pointed at her. "You're too valuable to risk trying to rescue me. I want you to stay here and make sure that this vessel doesn't fall into their hands."

"I understand, Ryan."

"I can use your help getting the torpedo activated and inside the shuttle," he said to Evan.

Ryan and Evan boarded the turbo lift and descended to the hanger deck. Evan went to the weapons storage and wheeled a fusion torpedo to the shuttle and help Ryan move it into the shuttle. "All you have to do is push this button," Evan said, pointing to a control panel. You have four minutes to get the hell out of the shuttle and far enough away before it blows."

"Yeah, I got it," Ryan replied.

After Evan left the hanger, Ryan boarded the shuttle and began the process of evacuating the hanger deck and firing up the shuttle. The hanger deck opened, and he moved the shuttle out of the hanger deck and began a slow deliberate trip to the other vessel. His main concern was how to get out of the shuttle without being seen and in time to get far enough away to escape being destroyed in the explosion.

Ryan knew that he was being observed as his shuttle approached the target. He adjusted his speed so that the shuttle would appear to be slowing to dock. He had kept the shuttle evacuated and a hatch unlatched so that he could make a fast exit. All of this required very minute changes to velocity in order to appear non-threatening.

He pressed the button to launch the torpedo and then began his exit. He was certain that his sudden appearance outside the shuttle would be noticed so he fired his suit's maneuvering jets to propel him under the craft, hoping that it would shield him from detection. As he moved away from the shuttle, he realized that he would be plunging toward the planet's atmosphere. Once he entered it, he would not be able to stop his progress of falling through the atmosphere. He hoped that Evan would notice all of this and come down to catch him.

The torpedo detonated just as it struck the main engines of the Space Command vessel. The explosion created a giant fireball that literally tore the vessel apart like a can opener. The Avenger began to pull back away from the explosion, which was the right thing to do.

He had gotten far enough away to avoid being hit by heavy sections of the destroyed vessel. However, flaming sections raced toward him like angry birds. He had to use his suit maneuvering jets to avoid them, but he realized that it would not leave him enough fuel to avoid plunging into the planet's atmosphere, a process that would essentially burn him up like a falling meteor.

Ryan had thought about his death several times. He was reconciled with it because he had lived a full life and his actions this day had saved his crew of humans and androids. It was his last chance at revenge for all that Space Command had done to him.

Just as he was beginning to heat up from friction, he saw a shuttle approach. It flew under him and carefully matched its speed to his, allowing him to grab on to it. The main hatch was open, and he was able to hand hold pull himself to it and enter. When he made it to the cockpit, he found Chara piloting the craft.

After the shuttle had compressed its atmosphere, he removed his helmet and offered her a rebuking frown. "I thought I told you to stay on the ship!"

Chara gave him a teasing smile. "You're welcome, Ryan, I am the only one with the skill to save your ass."

"Now you've done it," he replied, offering a mock disgusted expression.

"Done what?"

"You've made me owe you for saving my ass."

She smiled. "I am honored to do it, Ryan. You deserve it."

They both laughed, a laugh to relive their excitement of getting away with the craziest stunt ever.