NationStates Jolt Archive

Crossover

Earth was so beautiful from space. For decades now, Anagonia had ventured into space to explore the beauty beyond. Always did the brave men and women of the Republic Space Exploration Administration look back to view their homeworld in its spectacular showcase of creation. It was the one thing that motivated the people to go outward, to continue as a Nation. They all wanted to preserve that beauty, that magnificence that created them. To understand her workings, to discover her mysterious. Most importantly, they wanted to know how she came to be, and to discover space in its equal terms of magnificence and how so wonderful an event could spark the beginning of something so wonderful as life itself.

Not everyone had this belief in mind. Most of the Astronauts in the service of the RSEA were straight-forward military servicemen and women. Creation was the last thing to think about before the mission, and undoubtedly without these individuals within the RSEA nothing would probably get done. Thanks to these individuals Anagonia had created eight space stations, with only four currently being maintained and serviced. Most were Skylab models either enlarged or modified. One space station served as the core of the RSEA mark in space. For twenty years it had been added to and modified from its original Skylab core. Now it looked something like a mix between a miniature science fiction starbase and something from NASA's drawing boards.

RSEA had designated this space station Apollo, honoring the original Space Program that had gifted humanity with the hopes and dreams of going beyond its orbital boundaries. The top of the station showcased a half-dome constructed of various metals inches thick, designated the habitation dome because of the various facilities for crew comfort and research. Connecting the habitation dome was the original Skylab core, now used merely for various medical experiments. Connecting below the Skylab core was a large module with four connecting pods that stored the energy supply and fuel storage for long-range shuttle missions. This Module had been created for the now-beginning Moon Base program, and had been an expensive but worthwhile investment. Below that four Pods connected to a four-way entry-Module to establish the center for Apollo's Ring. The ring was made of other Modules designated for various tasks, including crew facilities and sleeping quarters. Mainly, however, the ring was used for gravity research and as it could rotate under its own power to create the likeness of gravity in space.

Finally a single Module connected the rest of the upper portion to the unfinished lower section of the Apollo Space Station. Here construction continued with crew designated and trained for the task. As shuttle and rocket flights reached the station, more modules and various pieces of the station would be unloaded to continue the construction of the station. Currently only a four-way module was present, being used presently for docking purposes.

The Apollo Space Station was not only a civilian scientific haven. The Republic Military had installed during its construction various devices for orbital "research". One such device was the large dish array at the top of the habitation dome, another array being placed on the side of the Skylab Core. The ring itself was about as twice as large in circumference as the habitation dome, and some of the modules there had been equipped with various military devices to keep track of other nations orbital ventures, and provide the station with some defenses should, in all impossibility, it come under attack from a hostile power. A Buran Shuttle modified for military purposes remained docked at all times to the Apollo to provide an escape craft should any emergencies come to pass, and to provide a safe haven for the military personnel on board should privacy be needed for any meetings with military brass.

From the common observers point of view, the Apollo represented the pinnacle of Anagonian Technological and Scientific Achievement. Military upgrades to the station were kept strictly top secret, and various civilian authorities having traveled to the station were successfully kept in the dark. The Republic Space Exploration Administration had yet to use the Apollo to its full military purpose, and until such a day came every operation was kept under the guise of furthering the discovery of science and space.

All in all the Apollo came to the height of the Empire State Building, its dome easily the size of a stadium, and its ring one times that. Thirty years overall contributed to the relentless effort to finish the foundation of the Space Station, another twenty expected to complete the construction of the Station for its full military and civilian agenda. Eventually it would serve as the starting point for manned missions to Mars and the Asteroid Belt. Currently it served as the fueling point for missions to the Moon. RESA had already came to the conclusion that until technology caught up with the level needed for the advancement of the station that construction would slow and resources stockpiled for the eventual dream of manned missions into deep space.

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The Republic Space Exploration Administration maintained and serviced four Buran Space Shuttles with matching Energia boosters and six STS Orbiter Space Shuttles with matching boosters and tank. Seven launch points on the ground provided the entry for launching the shuttles into space, with the main launching complex being Union Spaceport which housed five of the shuttle fleet. The rest of the fleet was station throughout Anagonia had various spaceport facilities that matched the complexity of Union Spaceport. Launches were common, and almost all were on the Anagonian News Network for the people to see. Obviously the RSEA had its own channel, but popularity for the program went beyond mere complacency. Everyone was knowledge to the risks involved, and most of the population remained transfixed by the space program despite the decades of its existence. To them, it was a constant struggle to move forward and to better the frontier of science and technology. To the RSEA, its was a constant struggle to meet the expectations of the People.

Only once in its history had the Republic Space Exploration Administration lost a shuttle. Thankfully the RSEA always kept a backup shuttle prepped for launch in just such a case, and the crew remained returned to home after a risky rescue in orbit. Colonel David Shane had been the Flight Commander on the Orbiter Excellence when it was struck by space debris in orbit. His ordeal had garnered him a much deserved position within the RSEA, and won him a permanent position to train all subsequent Flight Commanders. Today was no different, the stars as bright as ever as the moon reflected the suns light through the Burans front viewshield. Flight Navigator Alice Valini sat in the copilots position opposite of David's pilot chair, she just finishing her Flight Commander training under David with this last flight into space. The mission profile was simple enough. The Buran had a payload of supplies for the Apollo Space Station and they were to dock and unload, then return after a twelve day stay on board the station.

Everything had gone perfectly, from launch to the Energia's detachment, to their now current position in orbit. Apollo gleamed like a star several thousand kilometers distant, Alice still having the look of wonder that David so long ago grew past. He flicked a switch on the top control panel, then sat back as the autopilot took over all calculations for docking procedure. To maintain the safety of both station and crew, things were kept automated by computer guidance and control. David still kept his eyes on the forward control panel per procedure. If anything were to go wrong he, as every flight commander, was expected to know how to control the craft manually for a safe dock or, if the situation was too dangerous, to signal for a second shuttle to assist in orbital repairs. He wore the blue flight suit of the RSEA, with patches on his shoulder and his name patch on his the left front of the suit. His helmet was donned and ready-sealed in case of decompression. No one took any chances when in the final stages of mission completion.

Alice casually glanced over her control panel, then relaxed as she felt the computer guide the Buran along its expected course. She had joined the RSEA from a civilian background not ten years before. This was her last mission as flight navigator, subsequent missions teaching her how to be a proper Flight Commander under the training of David Shane. She was the usual dream-child of the RSEA, having looked up at the stars and wanted to explore what was out there. Her history uneventful, her training the best. All that was ahead of her was to finish her training and command the STS Orbiter Freedom, named after its birthplace in Freedom Spaceport. Her training on a Buran was required, and most of the systems had been modified on both Orbiter classes to be equal in operation so as no Flight Commander required two courses of training. The only difference between the two was that the Buran was better suited for more cargo and longer flights, which was one of the reasons she couldn't wait for her new command on the STS.

"I've got a red light in thruster control," Alice stated calmly as she checked her right panel. David moved to his command screen to investigate the ships systems. Alice looked at hers, initiating a second investigation per procedure. "It doesn't look like the autopilots effected though."

David grunted, "No assumptions, just absolutes. One mistake could mean the difference between us dying or us succeeding."

Alice doubled her efforts, "Yes sir."

After a moment Alice discovered it was a faulty connecting wire that froze over during the Buran's stay on the ground. The computer system had automatically bypassed the connection for a secondary system, which hadn't froze, and continued normally. She relayed the findings to David, whom nodded and relaxed once more in his pilots chair. Many moments past before Alice finished her backup investigation of the Shuttles systems, then relaxed herself as the computer for the thousandth time informed its human operator that no other system had been effected.

"Everything is nominal," Alice reported in a calm voice. "Computer records indicate only one system is effected.....aaand were good."

David nodded as he looked at the Apollo Space Station get larger and larger through the forward viewshield. "And did the computer automatically reroute power to the backup system?" Alice nodded, "I already said it did, sir." David shook his head, "Connector twenty-six C?" Alice fumbled for a response, as she did not report that piece of information to the Colonel, David catching her before she could reply. "Don't ask how I did it, just know that one day you'll be as fast as me on that screen. If you aren't, you'll die." Alice looked back out the viewshield as her reply.

Several minutes passed before the Buran automatically tilted on its axis to present the side docking port to the stations entry. Slowly, surely, David and Alice watched as the two ports mated and sealed. Alice sighed in relief, David merely chuckled. "There's one thing you forgot."

Alice looked surprised, "I went through every procedure, and did everything according to the book!" David nodded as he unstrapped himself from his seat, sensing Alice's aggitation at his constant pestering. "That you did," David said to calm her, "But you forgot to alert Ground Control." Alice went flushed, angry somewhat, then unstrapped herself from her seat. "I'll make sure not to make the same mistake twice, sir." David undid his helmet, his green eyes piercing hers through her visor, Alice's anger vanishing at the soul-piercing stare. "No problem," David said in a light tone. "I already took care of it."

She sighed as David looked away. Somehow he had a knack for pissing people off then shocking the hell out of them with that stare. Or was it just her?

OOC:

First of Many, Closed.

David gazed out into space through his suits visor. Before him was the awesome image of the Apollo Space Station. The pinnacle of his peoples technological and scientific achievements. The hopes and dreams of millions lay with this station and all it stood for. Sometimes his mind drifted during these spacewalks as he gazed at it, thinking about what could have been and what was. His normally routine mind changed to a wandering adventurer, going through flashbacks through his past and hearing all the words said to him during those brief spans of thought. All the people, all the faces, and everyone who came and went through his career and life. And then, just as suddenly, he'd be back in the moment. His mind already working on whatever task he had been doing before his flashbacks. His hand already turning the wrench that tightened the bolt down to the pod he was repairing.

His breathing was still calm, as it always was. Inside the suit he could hear the beating of his heart. It was quiet, serene, like a personal getaway from all the noises and commotions of normal life. The soft hissing of oxygen flowing into the suit was lost to his ears, his mind totally concentrated on the task at hand. The pod in question was brought up from a second shuttle flight not two days after his Buran made dock with Apollo. It was an extra science lab for the civilians on board the station, but when the STS Orbiter had unloaded it the crew discovered some panels missing. Normally the shuttle crew would take care of repairs, but seeing as a Commanding Officer and experienced Astronaut was already on the Station, and figuring in that Apollo stored ample supplies for repairs in space, David had been assigned to the task as an extra training assignment for the rookies on the Orbiter. There were two of them, one holding onto the manipulator arm and the other on the other side of David observing how the repairs were being conducted.

It had all been routine since David had arrived. Alice had assisted in unloading the supplies, the two split up somewhere in between and were assigned temporary living quarters, and Ground Control came up with tasks for the extended visit. The twenty crewman and women that were assigned to Apollo all came to welcome Alice and him, but were more interested in David and his past exploits in the Republic Space Exploration Administration. For the first two days conversations were exchanged and routine maintenance on the station was done with David's supervision, being the highest ranking officer. He would occasionally surf the internet during his downtime on the labtop assigned to his quarters, but other than that he kept to himself by reading his book and going over mission parameters. He loved to have every detail in mind so that when it happened, it happened by the book and according to plan. Any mistakes and he would instantly recognize them, thanks to both his military training and excellent memory.

"I think that's it Colonel," came a voice over the comm-link in his helmet. David recognized it as the voice of Commander Henry from the STS Orbiter below him. "GC reports that all systems read nominal in the pod."

David gave a short huff, "Never think everything is done after its done. Always check and recheck." He handed the wrench to the trainee across from him, whom held onto the pod while free floating with a tether. "Jimmy, help me look over the pod and make sure we didn't miss anything." Although he couldn't see his face through his visor, Lieutenant Jimmy Hugo gave a small solute with the wrench in his free hand. David saw him as a fast learner and a potential for Orbiter Command, and he had already made a mental note to recommend the Lieutenant for a pre-test to be graded. That is, he corrected himself, if Jimmy didn't miss anything.

"Colonel Shane, I found a loose bolt on panel D Seventeen." David nodded in his helmet, the kid was good. D Seventeen was at the lower half of the pod, and D panels were usually the hardest to spot any problems in. "Go ahead and tighten her to specifications, Lieutenant. I'll check the B and A Panels while you finish that." David heard a confirmation and went to skimming along the pod, slowly investigating the panels. He noted at the corner of his eye that the Civilian Astronaut had climbed the arm to help out. "Frank, tell Jimmy if you see any loose bolts since he has the wrench."

"Yes sir, I'll skim through the C panels." David smiled, good help was so easy to come by these days. "Alright."

It took over an hour for the trio to properly go over the pod, as it was about the size of the Orbiters cargo bay in length and width. David continued to investigate, but saw nothing out of specifications with any of the panels or seals that connected the panels. It was a mentally challenging operation, as anyone doing it had to be extremely compulsive about it. Any slight mistake in sight or knowledge could lead to a disaster later on. David eventually became satisfied with his look-through, and pulled himself along the pods handles to gaze at the "top". He saw that Frank and Jimmy were hard at work on a section of C panels. He must have missed the call-in.

"Hey Frank, whats the problem?" David asked casually, no doubt Ground Control started to gnash their teeth together as if something catastrophic had happened. "I found a seal breach in panel C Six," Frank replied calmly. "Called Jimmy over and were working on it." David raised an eyebrow, he must be getting old to forget someone said something over a highly audible communications system. Just to be sure: "Union Control, can you verify for me that Frank called in the breach?"

He heard a few chuckles, two of which were Frank and Jimmy's. Ground Control came back with a calm reply, "This is Union Control. We have an affirmative on that Colonel Shane. Frank Williams called in the breach." His face turned flush. Without a shadow of doubt, David Shane knew retirement would smack his ego sooner than he thought. He cleared his throat, "Ahhh...thank you. I'll make sure to get my comm's checked when I get back to the station." The previously calm reply from Ground Control turned into a soft chuckle, "There's plenty of spares at the station, Colonel. I'm sure they'll be glad to get you another one. Ground Control out."

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Hours later after the Pod had been installed with the help of the stations manipulator arm and elbow grease, David skimmed over the stations reports for the day. It was nothing similar to a Military Base's reports, or anything like it in quantity. But it was highly descriptive, and straight to the point. One report was filled by a Sergeant who overheard David's call to get his comm's unit checked out. A small portion was dictated to the Sergeants examination of the unit, finding no problem, but adding that just in case he had replaced the unit and sent the old one to be investigated. David was thankful that while everyone enjoyed a good chuckle about it, no procedure was overlooked.

He rubbed his eyes, gently planted on his seat. The station had a small portion of artificial gravity thanks to its rotation. During times of docking and launching, the station was always in a fixed position. But during the usual operation hours it turned slowly created a small reflection of Mother Earths grip on her creation. He slowly stood up, the gravity nothing compared to earths. If he were to jolt up he'd fly into the ceiling like a circus clown, and having done that too many times to count his body had already learned to be conservative in its movements here. A gentle light came from his small quarters, powered by the solar array's at the top of the habitation dome. Behind him his small desk, with seat, that held his laptop and official paper records. In front was a military-style bed with drawers beneath for clothing storage. The bed came with straps so as if during his sleep the station came into docking procedure he wouldn't levitate off.

There was a lavatory next to it, with some kind of washing closet where he could clean himself up. Nothing compared to an old fashioned bath or shower, especially since he had to rub the water with a washcloth during cleaning. The gravity helped to simulate flowing water, usually. But as per procedure all washing closets were set to zero gravity standards. Everything from the bed to the panels matched color, expect the laptop. There was no sense in having fashion in space if you had nothing to enjoy it with. Like his quarters, there were ten others in the habitation dome. The other quarters were smaller and compact, residing in the habitation ring. Something beeped behind him, and as he rubbed his eyes he bunny hopped over to the chair and sat. His laptops screen which had gone to power saver mode turned to life automatically, displaying an accept or deny transmission message. He clicked to accept.

The face of General Henry Samuel Hudson came on the screen, David noting that he was within the walls of Freedom Spaceport per the spaceport insignia behind him. The mans hair was grayish brown, showing age as did his facial features. A mixture of Hispanic and Caucasian, Henry's eyes were dark brown with a dark tanned skin tone. He wore his General Uniform, which was proudly held by his shoulders, and nodded at David. "Good morning Colonel, I didn't expect to see you up so early."

David nodded back, "Morning General Hudson, I got up expecting coffee only to find a tube of it." Henry gave a grin, looking away for a second to politely thank someone for something then raised a coffee mug and took a sip. David returned the grin then but said nothing. Henry set it down, "I'll make sure to offer you a cup of joe when you return. Until then I've got a new assignment for you." David's expression turned serious, expecting some rag-tag mission to a foreign country. He caught himself, releasing the tension in his face, and gave a short smile as he realized those days were long behind him. "You know I'll do my best in whatever way I can, sir." Henry smiled back, "That's the David Shane I remember, caught you thinking you'd get to kill someone." He chuckled, "But today all I have is an investigation."

David gave a frown, "I've been investigating everything on this station for three days now, General. With all due respect, I hope its not another comet." Henry laughed, a hearty one exposing his heritage. He took a sip of his coffee, raising it to David. "Tis the life of the space explorer, David. Get used to it!" He shook his head as he saw David's expression turn sour, "No, Colonel. Its not another comet." Seeing David's relief, he continued. "Something far better. One of the RSEA Long Range Exploration Probes sent back some weird readings yesterday. Something the science wizards couldn't explain. But they know its nothing natural, and they know its heading in one direction."

David raised an eyebrow, caught in the trap fully. Although he had to admit this was better than the comet he was assigned to study a few years back. He leaned closer to the screen, crossing his arms on the table as a seperate window appeared on the laptops screen detailing the object in question and its projected course. After a few moments, David looked back at the Generals window. "Your kidding."

Henry shook his head, "I know what your thinking. The Drekamythian Incident. And no, we know for sure its not that. This-" he eyed something off-screen "-is something completely different and not created by natural means. The probe managed to get a quick reading, automatic action really. And we know for damn sure after reviewing it that that's not space rock."

David looked down for a moment, then studied the readings on the screen. He calculated in his mind the probability for a moment, going over it with science and theory. He was a smart individual, not just a desk-hog. He actually studied and school, it paying off more than once. But right now, the possibility that came to mind was too mind boggling to believe. Yet, as the readings showed, it wasn't natural. Nor was it a fluke. The probe in question had been launched fifteen years ago, with somewhat outdated technology. But it wasn't designed to tell lies, nor was it created to give false readings. It had military technology on board, experimental at the time, and David knew that the probe in question was adequately fit to examine and return readings correctly from space rocks. It was designed to find ore, and to pave the way for asteroid mining. Knowing these facts, David return the stare that the General gave him.

"Maybe its a glitch?" There was always the possibility. After all, in the readings he did notice some odd descriptions and algorithms. He wasn't a computer specialist, but he was trained to operate one. Besides, even though his mind told him the probe was wrong, even though he already went through the details, he just had to be sure before he fully committed to another possible Drekamythian Incident. He noted the General giving a sigh, and a shrug. "I don't know David, I really don't. The geeks at Headquarters say it isn't, swear up and down." He gave a sarcastic chuckle, "Hell, your trained to notice these things too, and I could tell by your expression you know it isn't."

David nodded slowly, leaning back in his chair. "What do you want me to do?"

Having the Colonel's full commitment just by that statement, General Henry Hudson returned the nod and clicked his keyboard. David looked over the window that had the probe findings, now having mission details. He noticed immediately the Top Secret classification. "Shouldn't they know what I'm doing?"

"I'm pretty damn sure they don't need to know yet. This is temporary until I have your findings, Colonel. So don't worry about Constitutional requirements." He motioned at his screen with his coffee mug, "As for your assignment, I expect a detailed report in three weeks. Your extra extended stay has already been explained as a full training regiment for the station and I'm sure everyone will be happy to have you on board. You will use the military shuttle at your leisure, but disguise your investigation as an study on a possible near-earth asteroid. That way, no one asks questions, and when you find your answer we can either have everyone knowing its not from this earth or finding out another target for the Ion Cannons." He leaned close, "But until you have absolute proof, I do not want a soul knowing that either you nor I know a thing about this. Do I make myself clear, Colonel?"

"Crystal, sir." David gave a short salute.

The passing days went by without incident. Every morning the crew would rise to begin work, David coming along to every station to inspect and tutor. He'd teach a few techniques and find himself learning new ones himself. It was a a quiet relief to be back in the Commanding position of a facility, even though that facility wasn't strictly military nor was it anywhere close in size. He'd find himself bumping into Alice Valini a few times along his routes, each time enjoying a few brief moments of conversation before eventually wandering off somewhere else. Each time they talked, however, David found that their conversations became more personal in nature. It was like he was trying to get to know her better, or somehow she prying the information out of him. Either way he found he didn't mind it, not after being single for so many years.

David Shane was born in a regular working family, groomed from an early age to take hold of his destiny and become something significant. Originally he planned an early career as a politician, which he made a decent salary off of and managed to gain a seat in a local territories council. Things were decent as an Anagonian Politician. They were payed a working salary, based on performance and only open to raises should they excel at the popular opinion; most managing a rather good life for themselves. So long as they kept the People happy, they were happy. And David did an excellent job of representing his boss to their Government, eventually garnering a few awards for outstanding service to the People. Then his father and mother died.

Official reports stated they died in an automobile accident. Some tourist from a foreign country had decided to drive under the influence, and eventually found his intentions either blurred or warped. He crossed the road to make a head-on collision, the tourist the only survivor. Diplomatic Immunity was used, and the Foreign Country refused to offer the man up to the rightful end of trail and punishment. David became furious and suicidal. At the age of twenty-four, after six years in the Politician's Shoes, he retired without any explanation. He kept a lot of the anger from that incident in inside, and used it as fuel to join the Republic Army. There he met his inspiration for continuing life, and a teacher to direct the rage within himself. The then-Lt. Colonel Henry Hudson. From there, he learned a lot of valuable life lessons, and a way to come to terms with his past.

He killed a lot of people, and saved plenty more. His service outstanding, his studies in the Military Funded Colleges excellent. He gained a good education and plentiful working skills for whatever future he would take after the Army. No one, not even David, suspected that after twelve years in the service he'd join the Republic Space Exploration Administration. Admittedly he thought himself a maniac, maybe even a lunatic. But again Henry came to the rescue and placed a high recommendation. From there, sixteen years in the RSEA combined with twelve years military service and achieving the rank of Colonel in such a short time created quite a resume' for anybody. And now he was here, at the age of fifty, still looking forty-two.

The Apollo had been under construction during his lifetime, David watching the news broadcasts of every step of assembly. He could literally go to any library and picture by picture put together something that resembled a video instruction manual on how to put a space station together. During the early years of his Astronaut career, he never dreamed he'd be one of the participants in assembling the Apollo. After finishing his two year training on shuttle flight, he was assigned as Flight Engineer on the Buran Space Shuttle Vladinchi. Eventually, after six years of delivering and literally putting together panels and parts for the Space Station he gained an uncanny experience for all things mechanical. His mind changed from one track to a thousand track, always reading up specifications and always going by the book. His hard work payed off and he was promoted up to Flight Commander. From there, as every overly qualified Commander left for better pastures, David stayed put and became someone of great value in both mechanical and physical experience within the RSEA.

His official Position was Fleet Commander, being that he was the specified trainer for Flight Commander's and could operate any vehicle, space-borne or otherwise, maintained by the RSEA. But no one mentioned it, and he enjoyed just being called "Colonel" or "Commander" and having the liberty to go into space on any mission or assignment. Not surprisingly, the Shuttle that started it all for him became the pinnacle of Military Technology in Space. The Vladinchi was permanently assigned to the Apollo, and he dearly considered it his own property. It was the benefit of having such pull, and literal admiration of the entire Administration.

For now, though, David sat back in his desk chair to examine the days reports. It was uneventful and according to plan, just the way he liked it. No surprises, no one dead or injured. Lastly, before heading off to sleep, he tapped into the Military Network and RSEA's Probe network to examine the latest findings on the unknown object. Every time he read the reports through about the object, it maintained a steady trajectory towards Earth. Yet every day he looked at the charts describing the route for the object, it seemed to come closer and closer to the Apollo, almost as if it guided itself. A slight feeling of worry filled David then, thinking of the possibilities again. He quickly shoved them aside and like every night typed up a report describing his findings for General Hudson.

If everything was correct the unknown object would reach orbital vicinity of Earth in the next three days. He added a flight plan for the Vladinchi for tomorrow, disguising it as a training exercise. He wanted to see if the equipment on board the Buran shuttle could find something that other instruments tracking the object could not. Maybe he'd even get a good view of it by using one of the Space Telescopes in orbit. He rubbed his eyes, flowing a hand across his hair afterward and breathing a deep sigh. He sure as hell hoped this wasn't another comet.

David flinched. His eyebrow started twitch. Beads of sweat started to form on his forehead. His eyes fixed out the viewshield of the Buran Shuttle. Never before had he ever seen anything like this, in all his years. It wasn't the spectacular show of lights that sent shivers down his spine, nor was it the weird rotation that the military sensor detected. He didn't sweat because he believed he was in danger, nor did he nervously twitch because he knew now it was alien. Nothing physical about the object such a distance away caused any of these reactions, it was simply the message. In all of recorded history, scientists believed that the first message received by an alien civilization would be either or war or peace. His training in the RSEA had covered this, and all logical scenarios. By far, however, this was no logical, nor sane scenario that anyone could have imagined.

In perfect English, despite the millions of mathematical calculations against it, an SOS had been sent over radio broadcast. No doubt the Apollo Space Station had already picked it up and forwarded it to Ground Control. No doubt News Media Outlets all over Anagonia were frantically getting together the shocking news to their viewers. No doubt his Shuttle was being filmed as it rotated, cargo doors open to face towards the alien craft. His eyes turned back to the crew he brought with him, all of whom had gone pale white. He would have been that way too expect for his prior knowledge. For his sake, he hoped they believed him more experienced than he actually was in this situation. And then he thought of his options.

The alien craft was headed straight towards the Apollo at an incredible speed. It was noticeably slowing, but even then its speed would take it over millions of miles to the space station in over two hours. There was no modern way to either tow the craft or dock the shuttle at those speeds, even with the advancements in space technology. It was just impossible, the only alternative to blast the thing if it didn't slow. Yet in the front of his mind he knew for a fact that an alien race was requesting help from some primitive savages, a giant leap for any space-borne culture David believed. They had to be in some serious trouble, or they could bring serious trouble with them. Either way, with any moral or ethical code, he was obligated to attempt some assistance.

He just didn't know what to respond. The SOS had repeated three times already, and three shades of white appeared on his crew's faces. There was only three of them here, Alice having the luxury of staying on board. They were all veterans in their own fields of work, but rookies in Commanding a Shuttle. That was the training he was giving to them before the SOS, showing them the ropes. Unfortunately the exact reason why he came out on the shuttle in the first place happened to contact him first, and in the most shocking manner. Eventually, however, after the fourth distress call the crew came to life, his co-pilot vigorously going through his screens and read-outs to get a better picture of the situation. The two behind unstrapped themselves and proceeded to the side panels of the Buran control area to see what the newly installed military implements detected. Currently the Buran stored an experimental Long-Range Sensor in its bay, and it was getting its first trail run.

As with all technology, you either had it work or it broke down on you. David had to release himself from the pilots chair and assist the crewman in their task of operating the sensor. He knew how to operate all the civilian equipment by heart, and was trained vigorously on operating the experimental military additions to the station and shuttle. Still, this was new to him, and he had trouble until one crewman found the panel for operating the distance of scans for the sensor. It was never designed to target any one object. The sensor was intended to give a wide-field view of space, showing objects and classifying them without having to target any which one specifically. David had to fine-tune the commands and instructions for the sensor to finally get it to do what he wanted, and when the pictures of the scan showed up on the side-monitor, he understood why the SOS was sent.

The images showing were blurry at best, as the Sensor's inability to designate single targets showed through. However David could make out a shape, similar to a submarines but lacking the physical framework for one. There were gaps in what seemed to be the hull, and what appeared to be engine mounts were currently venting something. David couldn't guess if the wide holes in the hull were intentional or damage. When he tried to fine-tune it again, the entire sensor shut down, and he cursed. The two crewmen went to work in an attempt to revive the sensor while David returned to his pilot chair, noticing that the co-pilot was still working on the details of the SOS communication and how to respond.

David quickly motioned for the woman to hold off on making any official replies yet. She nodded, going back to concentrating on her instrument panel for the time being. He sighed heavily, gazing at his command screen on the instrument panel, tapping it for a second. He then reached up and pressed a button on the top panel. A soft hissing noise came into his headsets earpiece, then the voice of Ground Control.

"Vladinchi, we got your sensor readings and are reviewing them now." David gazed out the viewshield into space, "Ground Control, did you get the SOS broadcast?" To his surprise, there was a long pause. "Negative, Vladinchi. We are not receiving any signals except background noise." He looked over to his co-pilot, whom returned the gaze with a rather surprised expression. "Ground Control, we find that rather funny up here."

He made a head motion towards the panel, and the co-pilot immediately went to her screen and began transmitting the message via the uplink down to Ground Control. Several long minutes passed, enough time for David to observe his co-pilot.

David knew her as Samantha, a well-respected military flight engineer according to her record. She joined the RSEA through the Armed Forces/Space Exploration collaboration that was established to permit military personnel on RSEA ventures. On board the Apollo, she was assigned and tasked to maintain and repair the equipment as Chief Mechanic. During flights such as this one she was usually stationed behind the Pilots seat as Shuttle Specialist. Her record stated her to be about thirty-six, but her middle-eastern complexion hid her age with the beauty of a twenty-two year old. Her eyes, which David never missed, were dark blue probably due to her multi-heritage. Her hair flowed dark raven when she allowed it to, but usually she kept in a proper bun according to Military Standards. Her rank was assigned as Corporal in the Republic Marines, yet from what David had observed the past few days she preferred to be called by standard civilian terms. As with David and the rest of the crew on board the shuttle, she wore the blue shuttle flight suit, her helmet stashed on the chairs holster behind the neck support.

David's attention focused on the communications link as Ground Control came back after a lengthy pause. "Vladinchi , this is Ground Control. Sorry for the wait, but we have a lot of ghosts down here." David exhaled, "We got a lot of that up here, Ground Control. Were just wondering what we need to do about it." Another pause, "I really don't know what to tell you. This was the last thing we expected from a comet."

He resisted the urge to try to smack the person on the other end of the link, realizing that it was impossible. "Come again Control? That reply was kinda garbled."

The person on the other end of the line seemed to want to do the exact same thing according to his voice. "Vladinchi, I'll give you permission to initiate contact. We'll keep the link to open-feed."

"Roger, Ground Control. Vladinchi is switching to open-feed. Initiating contact," David responded as he looked at Samantha, who pursed her lips together. He took it as an expression that history was being made, and she believed herself to be the last person to be a part of it. David felt the same way, nodding slowly, then exhaling heavily. "Alright people, let's see what we can do to help."

He flipped a switch to respond, speaking loudly and clearly into his headset.