“Hey. It’s Link. Can I come in?” Link asked from the passageway side of my door.
I answered ominously.
“Um…does that mean I have permission to enter your room, Christina?”
On a whim, I motioned to the door and Link was instantly on this side of it.
Her eyes were as big as pizza pans.
“Speaking of pizza.” I said as one extra large with the works appeared on the bed in front of me- pan and all; the aroma of which set my mouth awash and my nose into euphoric ecstasy.
“Buuuut…um….Christina? Nobody said anything about p-p-p-pizza. Gods and Goddesses that smells wonderful!”
“Help yourself, sis. I think we earned it.” I said as I carefully took a steaming hot slice off the pan and tried not to lose any of the toppings.
Link observed my actions and decided to conjure a plate before extracting a slice onto it.
“Gods and Goddesses! This is fantastic! What’s it called again?”
“Pizza. It’s an American staple of parties, general get-together’s, and just about any other reason there is to eat.” I said in between bites.
An urgent knock sounded on my door.
“You better have brought enough of that for the whole class, Christina Everhardt!” Hope Summers demanded angrily.
Link and I- and three extra larges with the works- were now in the Galley. It took a few minutes for our sisters to catch up.
“My word! What is that delicious bouquet?” Prime Minister Tau exclaimed as he entered the Galley behind Hope, Charli, Chance, Greer, Lyra, Simone, and Kitty.
I motioned to the still steaming delicacies.
“My thanks, my lady.” He said as he took a plate then a slice. “Ladies Lokust, Kate, and Cora will be down shortly after they put Pegasus on autopilot.”
“Someone already did that, Prime Minister. Wonder who?” Lokust announced as she, Kate, and Aunt Cora walked in. Lokust stared at me a few seconds before the food caught her attention.
“Oh, my Gods, that smells amazing!”
“I didn’t know that place on Negley still delivered, Christina.” Charli admitted then smiled after taking a bite. “I don’t wanna know what the delivery charge was on this though. God, this hits the spot! I hope you tipped the driver handsomely!”
Charli stepped over and placed a kiss on my cheek. “Thanks, sweetie.”
“You all act like you’ve never had this before… or not for a very long time.” I stated in amazement.
“It was declared unhealthy and unkind to the livestock in the late twenty-fourth, sweetie. It fell out of favor right after that and never made a comeback.” Hope explained. “What the hell did they know?!”
“Well, I, for one, think it just made a big comeback, Hope.” Aunt Cora grinned before she pushed another slice into her mouth.
“Careful, Cora, it may go straight to your Ladies-in-wait.” Hope giggled.
“Or your hips, Hope.” Aunt Cora replied with a full mouth.
“Ya know… This would be really great if we had-.” Chance said as cold, frothy, amber drinks appeared on the counter.
“You read my mind, sister.” I said as I quickly reached for a tall sweaty glass and tasted it. “Hey, not bad.”
I proceeded to empty the glass and placed it back on the counter where it magically refilled itself.
“Oh, God! An open bar. I’m in heaven!” I exclaimed to the laughs of all my sisters.
“I propose a toast!” Lt. Greer announced to get everyone’s attention.
To my astonishment everyone in the room raised their glasses. I hadn’t seen one of them pick a glass up.
I think I like this place.
“To our new friend and sister, Christina Everhardt. May she find our time and company beneficial to her continued well-being, and may she continue to grace us with her friendship, beauty, and wit!”
“Here, here!” They chorused.
I suddenly found my eyesight blurred from tears and my voice failed to add to their revelry.
Instead of fighting it, I silently raised my glass high then downed my second drink.
Everyone began clapping- big smiles on all their faces.
 
 
Oh, my head!” I groaned as I woke up on my right side.
“Not so loud. I have a monumental hangover.” A groggy, female voice pleaded at just above a whisper.
It was still too loud!
Wait, I thought Chance said I had a private room. Who was in my bed pressed up against my back, spooning?
I tensed.
“Oh, relax. So we woke up in the same bed. It’ll happen thousands of more times.” Aunt Cora whispered. “We’re both Antarran; we’re both female, and we both had needs.”
An intense pain flashed through my head as my eyes shot open in shock!
“We ‘had’ needs?” I asked quietly as I scanned the part of the room I could see from where I lay, mortified. Clothes were thrown here and there.
“Oh boy.” I groaned in worry, expecting the worst as I lifted the covers and looked down.
I gulped, seeing nothing but me under there- al natural.
“I suppose you’re going to jump out of bed, turn around, and declare: ‘Oh. My. Goddess!’ several times in hysterics then lock yourself in the lavatory until we get back to base. Am I close?” Aunt Cora predicted.
“You have anything extra that I should know about, Aunt Cora?” I asked quietly.
“Same equipment, differing proportions, Sugar Plum.”
“Then we’re good.” I said as I repositioned my pillow under my head and closed my eyes again.
 
 
“Dammit! They never told me this thing came with a smaller bladder.” I swore as I got up a few moments later and trudged to the bathroom.
 
 
“How’d I get into this little green number?” I asked as I squinted into the mirror over the basin. I continued to inspect myself as I became accustom to the brightness.
“I’d do me.” I said to myself in acceptance with an impish smile as the urge to pee came back with vengeance.
 
 
“You took long enough in there.” Aunt Cora exclaimed as she hurried past me and quickly closed the bathroom door.
“Sorry. You didn’t say to hurry, Auntie.” I grinned.
To satisfy my curiosity about this all being a dream, I decided to kneel on my bed and look out the porthole at the blue streaks whizzing by. This was still so amazing! I thought about how Einstein would absolutely piss himself if he were here.
Someone knocked on my door.
I invited.
Chance and Hope entered with gleeful smiles.
“I want a doorbell like that, High Priestess.” Hope grinned.
“So, you had company last night?” Chance assumed correctly, as she raised an eyebrow to me then looked around the room.
“Oh, sorry.” I said as the strewn clothes disappeared.
A shriek exploded from the bathroom!
“Oops.” I blushed. “I didn’t know Aunt Cora was going to take a shower.”
Hope burst into crazed laughter and needed to hold herself up with the doorframe!
Chance just rolled her eyes.
“We just wanted to alert you and Aunt Cora that we’re diverting to the Tarantis System. We received a distress call claiming pirates were causing chaos in their shipping corridors. It’ll add a few more days to our mission. I didn’t know if you’ve had your fill of Witch Corps, Christina. If so, I think I can talk Aunt Cora into taking you home.” Chance glanced to the bathroom door. “Then again, maybe not.”
“With all due respect, High Priestess. It hasn’t been too bad so far. Boot camp has been a breeze.” I said as my uniform appeared- hat and all. I even remembered to stand on my toes as the heeled boots manifested. “I’d like to help if the offer still stands?”
Chance’s smile lit up like a billion watts!
“It does; even more so now, Christina. So, please convey an invitation to Cora. We meet in the Lounge in fifteen minutes.”
“Copy that, High Priestess.” I said as I saluted her.
“Sweetie? We don’t salute anymore.” Hope giggled while still trying to compose herself.
“You might want to patch things up with Aunt Cora first though. She looks pretty pissed.” Chance’s smile grew even bigger before they hurried away.
“You two put her up to that, didn’t you?” Aunt Cora accused our fleeing sisters.
“I’m sorry, Aunt Cora! I didn’t know you had hopped into the shower. I take full responsibility, Auntie.” I apologized profusely.
“We have another job, don’t we?” She asked as her expression changed to a smile. With a wink and a nod to me, her clothes changed and she was now standing a little higher in her uniform and boots.
“Chance asked me to pass along that we meet up in the lounge in less than fifteen minutes.” I said.
We were standing in the middle of the lounge instantly.
“Norges’ be merciful! What the hell just happened, Christina?” Aunt Cora exclaimed in surprise.
“I guess I brought us up to the Lounge.” I shrugged. “One of these days I’ll get the hang of this Current Mage stuff.” I added. “Maybe you can give me some pointers on using my magic.
“Sugar Plum, not all of us can do that. Only you, Chance, and Savanna can use ‘flue powder’ to travel from place to place.”
“Just the three of us? I thought everyone could do it.” I was stunned and felt my body start to shake.
“Don’t get too freaked, Sugar Plum! We all have our specialties and we’re all Current Mages of varying degree, so there is no ‘standard’. I venture to guess though, that you, Christina Everhardt, Lady-in-Wait to Queen Caroline Norge, are several magnitudes higher than most of the sisters. It isn’t anything to be ashamed of or concerned about.”
I gasped again.
“Did you just proclaim me ‘family’, Aunt Cora?” I asked with my mouth hanging open.
“No, Sugar Plum, I just decreed you a ‘princess’ of Antarra- a ‘Lady-in-Waiting’ to Queen Norge; me. I declared you family yesterday. Please try to keep up?”
I found myself feeling slightly faint and instantly reclining in one of the lounge chairs.
Aunt Cora was staring at me strangely. “How do you do that?”
“When I find out, you’ll be the second to know, Auntie.”
“Oh? And who will be the first, Sugar Plum?” She asked.
“Me.” I said pointing to myself.
“Sugar Plum, you are a very talented witch. Please stop under-rating yourself. Confidence in ‘self’ is the key to understanding. The more you understand about Christina Everhardt, the more you learn about your abilities.”
“I understand the concept, Aunt Cora, I just have to get past the first hurdle.” I replied.
“Oh? What’s that?”
“I still have to prove to myself that I’m not dreaming. When I came from, magic didn’t really exist- at least ‘real’ magic. Sure, we had illusionists, street and stage magicians, but as far as science could prove… real magic was just fantasy. It only existed in the mind- the imagination. Now can you see where I’m coming from and why I’m having a hard time with the 33rd century, Aunt Cora?”
“Well, Sugar Plum, the only evidence I can provide is that you are a very talented witch; this is the 33rd century; and we are definitely in a spacecraft that is the fastest - only second to rumor- when it comes to travel throughout the known galaxy. Oh, and you are among people that love and care for you! Does it sound like a fantasy? Sure. Even I find it hard to believe sometimes… and then someone materializes my clothes on me while I’m taking a shower!”
I sat up. “I said I was sorry, Auntie! All I did was think about cleaning up my room- return the clothes to their owner-.”
“Ah, I had a feeling you’d already be here.” Chance said calmly as she walked out of the elevator.
“She uses ‘flue powder’ just like you and Savanna, Chance. Less intentionally though.” Aunt Cora explained.
“I noticed. She seems to do a lot of things like Savanna, Aunt Cora. Charli has a theory about that and she’s been in Navigation searching her private archives for the possible explanations to prove it.”
“So even in the future, I’m still a freak? Is that what you’re saying, Chance?” I asked, fear tainting my voice.
“I am saying nothing of the sort, Christina Everhardt! Get that idea out of your head right now!” Chance commanded in anger. Her eyes began glowing orange.
“Link was right.” I muttered to myself as I looked off to my right.
“What was she right about, Christina?” Chance asked as I looked back to her; her eyes had returned to normal.
“That our eyes glow orange when we’re pissed.” I answered. “She told me we all do that when we get angry.”
“Those of us that have reached threshold do, Christina. I noticed you doing it the first day we met- when you pulled your wand on mom. Your eyes were bright orange.”
“They were?” I gulped. “Oh my God, I’m sorry! What- what am I, Chance?” I asked as a shiver passed through me. “I mean I seem to be able to do things only a few of you are capable of. That doesn’t seem normal… even by your standards, that is.”
Lyra and Greer were next to walk from the elevator.
“Flue Powder?” Lyra stated calmly as she looked from Chance to me then back to Chance.
Chance nodded.
Lyra smiled, closed her eyes, and shook her head. Greer seemed to seriously appraise me for a moment.
“I trust your hangover has abated, Lady Christina?”
“It has, Lady Greer.” I giggled. She was so…polite. “Thank you for asking.”
“Hey, ‘Sugar Plums’! You two have a good time last night?” Kitty asked, walking out of her suite with a wide smile and Prime Minister Tau in her draft.
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Aunt Cora giggled.
“Actually, I was thinking about it, but you two just, ‘poof’, disappeared.” She said snapping her fingers once. “That ‘flue powder’ is pretty cool stuff. You’ll have to show it to me sometime.”
“If I can figure out how I do it, I’ll show you.” I admitted.
“You don’t know?” Lady Kitty asked, aghast.
“I believe she doesn’t, but Charli has a theory. Hopefully, she’ll bring her findings to this meeting.” Chance confirmed.
“Greetings, ladies.” Link greeted as she and Aquia stepped off the elevator. She appraised me carefully then smiled. Aquia just nodded.
“Feeling better, sister?” She asked me specifically.
“Yes, but I have no recollection of what transpired overnight. I just know I’m a little sore in one less than familiar place and two, more familiar, places, sis.” I answered.
“And you didn’t think to invite me?”
“And what part of: ‘I don’t remember’, don’t you understand, sis?” I responded.
“Actually,” Lyra cut in, grinning from ear to ear- amazingly like the Cheshire Cat in Wonderland. “Aunt Cora and Christina both wanted you to participate, but you had already slipped the bounds of consciousness. For an Antarran, you really need to develop your beverage resistance, Link.”
“Huh?” Link seemed confused.
“She said you need to learn how to hold your liquor, sis.” I translated.
“Actually, that didn’t seem to be the problem. Lady Link needs to pace herself. She was tied with you, Christina, when she dropped. She drank beverage after beverage in such short order that it hit her faster.”
“Hey! It was my first time drinking!” Link protested.
“Actually, it isn’t, Link.” Aquia corrected. “I seem to remember several incidents a few years ago where mom was missing several containers of her favorite beverages, and your name was placed at the top of the list.”
Link blushed, and looked down guiltily.
“Sounds like a Norge to me.” Simone said having arrived in time to hear Aquia’s recollection.
“That she is, Sugar Plum. And I’m very proud of her, too. Christina too, for that matter! Chance? We going to get this meeting underway? Before those ‘old’ people show up?”
“Aunt Cora, I kinda resemble that remark, remember?” I reminded.
“Sorry, Sugar Plum, you just seem so ‘with it’ and more modern than Hope and Charli.”
“Wow, I hear an old crone cackling incoherently again. Hasta’ be Cora, Charli.” Hope sang out as both appeared from the elevator.
“So, nice of everybody to be here on time.” Chance rolled her eyes at her parents. “Let’s get this started.
Everyone found and took a seat.
“As everybody knows, we’ve been asked to intervene in shipping disruptions in the Tarantis System. It has been conveyed that pirates and other ‘mysterious’ marauders are attempting to destabilize that system’s economy. Tarantis has been dealing with several years worth of slumping commerce due to the diminishing purity of their chief export, silk.”
“Christina, Tarantis is an Arachniod society of five billion. Tarantins have two legs and six arms.” Chance informed me.
“Think Tarantula, only Terran-sized, Sweetie. They’re vegetarians’, though. They don’t eat people.” Hope added. “Not usually.”
“So the silk? It comes out their-.” I started to ask, but Hope cut me off
“Yep! You got it in one, sister.”
“Ewwww!” I exclaimed as I made a sour face.
“Can I please continue?” Chance inquired.
“Sure. Go right ahead, High Priestess.” I motioned her to continue with my hand.
Chance glared at me for a second or two.
“Our mission is to dissuade whomever from ransacking the Tarantis shipping lanes so that exports can leave the system and much needed medical supplies can be imported.
“Is that the reason their export quality is dropping, Chance? Some sort of sickness?” I asked.
“It is. For the past several years, a plague of sorts has spread over the four habitable planets in the system.” Chance explained.
“Weak spiders produce weaker silk, sweetie.”
“Mother? I thought we talked about this years ago?” Chance growled.
“Oh, poo. I was just explaining it so Christina could relate.” Hope argued.
“Anyway… This will be mostly an escort mission for our Brooms with Pegasus providing support planet-side where necessary. Any questions?”
“So all we’re doing is flying escort sorties?” Aquia said.
“Mostly, but I think we might also be able to render assistance on the planets, too.”
“How so?” I asked.
“I’m thinking you, Charli, and Link might be just the persons Tarantis needs to solve their health mystery, Christina.”
“Me? How do you figure?” I asked in shock.
“You’re the closest we have to a medical expert.”
“Ah’m an Astrophysicist, not a doctor, dammit!” I growled in disbelief.
“Somehow, I knew she was going to say that.” Hope giggled.
Chance glared at Hope before turning her attention back to me.
“Actually, you’re both; a ‘doctor’ of ‘Astrophysics’, remember? You’re also the only person I know of to experience Gene Replacement Therapy. Maybe you’re Current can help diagnose the Tarantins’ ailment since it knows what to look for?”
“You think someone tampered with the whole subspecies, Chance?” Kitty asked.
“I’m not sure, but there was something in that distress call that has me wondering if the Hoblins might have something to do with it.”
“But the Hoblins never bothered with the Tarantis System in the past.” Hope stated. “There is something about their physiology that didn’t allow conscription.”
“You’re thinking it’d be a really good place to lay low if that incompatibility could be resolved, Chance?” I asked.
“Yes. Which brings us to the next topic of this meeting.” Chance said and paused.
“Everybody? I’d like you all to meet the newest member of Witch Corps; Lady Christina Everhardt.”
Everyone applauded me then took turns hugging me.
“Now to make it official.” Chance said as she conjured her wand.
Had I just conjured mine faster?
There was a loud gasp in the lounge.
“Very good reaction time, Christina. And you even readied it too! Very, very good, my lady.” Chance praised with a bright smile, which disappeared quickly.
“However. I was not challenging you nor was I attacking. Please dispatch your wand?”
I did as asked while blushing profusely- extremely embarrassed.
“Welcome to Witch Corps, Lt. Christina Everhardt.” Chance proclaimed and pointed her wand toward the tip of my hat.
“A three, High Priestess?” Lokust asked.
“A ‘three’ what?” I asked, not having a clue.
“A three o’clock. It’s how we display rank and ability. Chance is our two o’clock and I’m the ten o’clock. Everyone else is between three and nine.” She explained.
I quickly took off my pointed hat and noticed its tip folded over crisply. With one hand, I tried flipping the point in the opposite and various other directions but it consistently returned to three o’clock.
“Interesting.” I mumbled as I placed my hat back on my head. It seemed to fit only one way as I turned it in one direction then the other. “So why am I a ‘three’, Chance?”
“It’s because of the way you responded to those Hoblins. You sensed their presence and handled the situation like a seasoned pro; you purified then reconstituted the conscripts faster, and without any weaponry other than a wand. You also went above and beyond by depositing them all safely on the ground close to where emergency services were waiting. Basically, you have the talents a three o’clock should have, Christina.”
“Oh. Is that good?” I asked innocently.
“What do you think, Christina?” Chance asked sincerely.
I just shrugged my shoulders once.
“I guess? As I said before, I thought I felt some ‘creepy’ thing sneaking up behind me- its objective fixed on doing something harmful. I thought that if I didn’t hold it together, I’d make you and the Corps look bad, Chance. I then felt said ‘creepy’ was intent on taking Pegasus from you… from us. I thought… greedily…that I couldn’t let that happen because I would be stuck on an alien planet with no way of getting back home… to base.”
“Then, I thought, ‘what the hell, if I was going to be stuck here, I might as well go for broke and take out some of my worries and pent-up frustrations on the bad guys.’ Only then did I consider that reconstituting however many innocents in the Engineering bay might not be a good idea and that they should be handled carefully and responsibly- like the victims they were instead of enemies.”
“I see it now, Chance. Good call.” Lokust said, thoughtfully.
“Spoken like a true Demigoddess, Christina Everhardt.” Charli applauded.
“Come again?” I turned to her in shock.
“I think I’ve come across evidence that may just explain your proclivity to Current usage, Christina.” Charli said as she smiled.
“Okaaaay?” I narrowed my eyes a little.
“You’ve spent fourteen centuries inside a very confined container.”
“And I would ask that you all stop reminding me of that morose fact, malady!” I winced as I shivered at the thought.
“Before I go further with this, Christina, allow me to ask several perceptual questions?”
I nodded.
“Could you always see Current? Even before you underwent GRT?”
“You mean HRT, Hormone Replacement Therapy?”
“No. Before you underwent Gene Replacement Therapy. Had you always been able to see the orange auras surrounding all things?”
“No. It was only hours after I got the shot that I started having what I thought were hallucinations of seeing orange auras- right after I had experienced the first of many excruciating, cramp-like pains.”
Charli seemed to accept my answer and continued.
“And at any time after that first sighting of Current, did you interact with it? Um, touch it… feel it?”
“A few days after, Ichi and I were alone in the ‘Garage’. He was working on the Lifeboat and I had just finished the new emitter calculations. As I was walking over to him, I spotted a crucible on the next worktable over. It seemed to be filled with… with Current. I was completely mesmerized by it and pointed it out to Ichi. I thought I was hallucinating again when he told me there was nothing in the container. I reached in and barely touched it. I felt a tingle as it seemed to absorb into my finger. I had Ichi try it and as his finger made the slightest of contact, he retreated in surprise claiming his fingertip had gone instantly numb and that it was spreading up his finger quickly. I carefully touched his finger and the Current absorbed into my finger. Is that what you wanted to know?”
“That answers a few questions, Christina, thanks. Now, I need you to think back to the morning of the Main Emitter Test. Can you recall if there was anything in or around the Lifeboat? Where it was setup for display to us… how it was setup for display… if anything had been added or removed for the display?”
I thought back. Since my rescue, the memories had been retreating into my dreams… well, my nightmares. How I wished that these people- my new friends could see what I saw that fateful day.
 
 

 
 
“Morning, Christina. Ready for the big demo?” Ichi asked as I opened then locked my pack in the desk drawer under my worktable.
“Oh, hey. Anna and Marta from NASA asked to speak to you as soon as you arrived. They said they’d meet you out, beside the Control Room. Sounds like they want to steal you away from me… us.” He said. I detected the slightest bit of red in his cheeks.
I smiled and turned to go meet the two VIPs.
“Oh! Almost forgot. Thanks for shaming the Doc. He finally let the moths escape!” He excitedly reached into his back pocket and handed me a plain, windowed, business envelope.
My eyes widened exponentially as I read the amount of the Department of Defense’s pay check and attached receipt.
“Yeah, I just went up a few tax brackets too.” Chen laughed.
“I better get out there.” I pointed to the door that led outside to the test chamber and Control room.
“Here’s to that being doubled or tripled if they offer, Christina. Go get ‘em!”
 
 
“Ah, Miss Everhardt. Thank you for seeing us. Marta and I would like to ask you a few questions. First, How do you do that? Your hair, I mean. Do you add some every night?” Anna McCorkle asked with a wide, warm smile.
“Actually, I’m participating in a gene therapy study over at Pitt. This,” I grabbed a handful to illustrate, “seems to be an unseen side effect.”
“Well don’t change it! Marta and I both agree it sets you apart.”
“Like nobility.” Marta Green added quickly.
I was stunned! How could they know?
“Miss Everhardt?”
“Yeah, sorry. I sometimes get flashes of ideas at the oddest times. You were saying?” I apologized, trying to cover my reaction to the innocuous statement.
“I hadn’t said anything else. You just froze when Marta added her two-cents. Anyway, we’d like to talk to you about your radical new propulsion system. What made you decide to use a phased ion ‘emitter’ and forego the thrust bell?” Anna asked.
“Dr. Smithe’s prototype already utilized the ion generator before I joined the project. After I found a tiny math mistake, we retested his version of the IPD. All three of us were stunned by the output of that thing.” I said with a smile.
“How much output are we talking, Miss Everhardt?” Marta asked this time. She seemed extremely interested. Maybe she was the lead propulsion engineer?
“Twenty-four thousand pounds at only five percent control signal.”
There was a stagnant pause outside of the Control room that seemed to last a few minutes.
“You did say twenty-four ‘K’ at only five percent, right?” Anna sounded taken aback.
I nodded.
“Mother of God! How can that even be possible, Christina? I can call you Christina, right?”
I nodded.
“Will it work in an atmosphere?” Marta questioned.
“Maybe? Dr. Smithe didn’t discuss any tests within normal atmospheric conditions.” I answered.
“I’ll go talk to him, Marta. Be right back.” Anna said as she turned and headed to Smithe’s office.
Marta smiled at me as we waited. “Have you started to think about your post grad career, Christina?” I’m certain there’s a place for you at NASA. With what I’ve seen so far, I’d gladly recommend you. You could be our ‘princess in the rough’ at JPL.” She said as she motioned to my hair.
I looked to the woman with narrowed eyes.
What did she know that I was missing?
“Look, just think about our offer, but please remember this phrase that I use as a mantra to null the day to day stress.”
“Deorum protegas me, et custodiet me donec inventa est.”
“What’s it mean,” I asked with interest.
“Just a little prayer for protection, calm, and luck. Commit it to memory, Christina. It might come in handy one day.”
“Um…okay?” I agreed hesitantly. It sounded like Latin, I thought and repeated the phrase a few times until I thought I had it memorized.
 
 
Marta and I continued chatting until everyone else had arrived. I remembered inspecting the Lifeboat and initializing its system for Marta since she was curious about its control system.
“Now, how long might this emergency system perform if needed, Christina?” she asked.
“Ichi claims it can suspend the occupant’s life for up to five years if conditions are optimized. This is just the prototype and therefore does not have the battery source my calculations spec’d out.”
“And why not, Miss Everhardt?” Marta inquired.
“Dr. Smithe ordered it a week ago, but we hadn’t received it in time for yesterdays demonstration, ma’am.”
“Okay, Marta. I think I got through to Smithe. He’s agreed to test Christina’s new propulsion system in normal atmospheric conditions.” Anna said as I turned toward her voice.
I noticed our other VIP’s behind her. Dr. Smithe and Ichi were last in the parade of dignitaries and Smithe animatedly motioned for me to unlock and open the control room door.
 
 
“Ladies and Gentlemen. Today’s test firing of our latest version of our Ion Propulsion Drive System or IPDs5 as we call it has been modified somewhat. I have been asked… challenged actually… by Dr. Anna McCorkle to conduct the IPDs5 tests in Earth normal atmosphere.” Smithe paused to address any blatant negative statements.
“So… Everhardt? Start re-pressurizing the test chamber.”
“Yes, Doctor,” I said as I flipped the switch that disabled the chamber’s vacuum pump and enabled the sequence that would gradually let air back into the chamber.
“Re-pressurization in ten minutes.” I announced.
 
 
“Test chamber is fully normalized, Doctor.” I reported.
We had been patiently waiting for the ten minutes to elapse to initiate the IPDs5 demo.
“Everhardt. Bring the MPB online.” Dr. Smithe ordered and I excitedly carried out the request.
“IPDs5 control system coming online, Doctor.” Ichi reported but his eyes didn’t budge from his display screen. “Controller online.” He added as my notification pop-ups went green.
“As we did before, Everhardt. Initialize IPDs5 Emitter.”
I moved and clicked my mouse a couple times and we heard a slightly louder whistling noise through the plywood walls. Like last time, it sounded like a turbine spinning up.
“IPDs5 Emitter online, Doctor.” Ichi confirmed.
“1% control signal, Everhardt.”
I moved my mouse over the thrust control slider, made the necessary adjustments and monitor 1 showed the new emitter start to glow a dull red.
“Load cells are reading four thousand pounds of thrust, Doctor.” Ichi gasped in awe of the sheer power this thing was producing!
Behind me, our two NASA guests also gasped in amazement.
“Chen? Run the joystick around the outer extents to test the array response.”
As he had during yesterdays test of our lifeboat, Ichi slowly moved the joystick on his console around in a circle and closely monitored the test chamber load cells.
“Tracking accuracy within 1% with only a four nanosecond response delay. WOW!” Ichi exclaimed, succumbing to his building excitement.
Anna McCorkle leaned down to my ear.
“So. When can you start? This thing is completely off the charts, honey.”
“IPDs5 Internal Convertor is receiving all of its power from the IPD positive feedback circuit. External MPB load is 0%.” I announced as I composed myself and concentrated on my screen readouts.
“Open External MPB. Let’s see how this responds on internal only.” Dr. Smithe requested.
“External power bus is now disconnected from IPDs5 test unit, Doctor.” I announced.
“So how much can your test stand withstand, Dr. Smithe?” The Marine Major inquired. “I mean if this system is this efficient, shouldn’t we consider putting it in our next generation fighters and transports?”
“Our test chamber is certified to one million pounds of force. Each load cell is rated at over two million, Major Summers.”
“Can we take it up to… say five hundred thousand pounds, Doc?” Major Summers requested.
“Have the deadman cables been attached and tested, Chen?” Smithe asked.
“Everhardt and I double checked them before we started depressurization last evening, doctor.” He affirmed.
“Everhardt? Start ramping up the control signal until the load cells indicate five hundred thousand pounds of thrust. Coordinate with her, Chen.” Dr. Smithe requested.
My eyes met Ichi’s. He smiled and winked at me in support. I had a bad feeling about this and therefore was less confident.
“2% Control signal.”
“Eight thousand pounds.” Ichi announced.
“3% Control signal.” I said.
“Sixteen thousand pounds.” Ichi gasped.
“BPS has stabilized and charging system is tending. IPDs5 Emitter is now self-sustaining. 4%.” I reported.
“Thirty-eight thousand.”
I felt my mouth drop open and my eyes opened in amazement, but I continued with Dr. Smithe’s order. I made another adjustment with my mouse
“5%.” I announced with a slight fear that this might suddenly spiral out of control.
“Eighty thousand!” Ichi announced excitedly.
“6%.”
“My God! Two hundred thousand!”
I began biting my lower lip nervously.
“7%.”
“Five hundred thousand-eight hundred! Hooooly shit, Christina!” Ichi exclaimed!
“Bravo, Miss Everhardt! Dr. Smithe, you have one helluva team here! Dr. Green and I can hardly believe what we’re seeing here! Astounding!” Anna complimented enthusiastically.
“Take it up another percentage!” The Army General demanded. I turned to stare at him for a second. Was he serious? “You engineering types always underrate things.”
“Gen. Mann, I would strongly advise against any further control increase. If my observations are correct, the next percent advancement will more than double the thrust the IPDs5 is producing. Please reconsider your request?” Dr. Smithe insisted.
I felt my heart rate suddenly double as my feeling of catastrophe flew through the roof!
“Doc? The foundation cells are already reporting excessive strain. The whole test chamber might launch if we give it anymore.” Ichi advised.
“Just take the damn thing up another percent, Smithe!” The DOD isn’t paying your project to cut and run!”
I really hated this guy!
“General?” Major Summers called for the man’s attention. “I’m with Smithe on this one, sir. They’ve already established what would seem to be a new benchmark in interstellar propulsion systems. If this IPD produces five hundred thousand at just seven percent, I’m sure even you can figure out the math on what it can really do! Let’s not push our luck.”
“Summers? It’s your butt that this thing is going to be hurtling through the solar system! I’d think you in particular would be curious about its max output!” Gen. Mann argued.
“General, I have complete confidence in this team’s abilities! I’m satisfied this propulsion system is our ticket to exploring our solar system in a relatively short time.”
USAF Colonel Charles Armstrong was busy tapping away on his tablet.
“General? By my calculations sir, this IPD system will produce in excess of four trillion pounds of viable thrust! Hell! That’s enough force to change the orbit of Earth by…” He tapped something else into his tablet. He gulped loudly.
“Point thirty-eight degrees!”
“Noted, Colonel, now take it up another percent, Everhardt!” Mann demanded.
Please don’t do this, general! Please?
As one, Ichi and I looked to Dr. Smithe for his decision. With a very wrinkled brow, he gave a very slow and slight nod.
Shit!
My hand was shaking violently as I reached for and moved my mouse to apply the requested change.
Ichi’s load cell readouts went haywire! Even the test chamber foundation load cells instantly turned red!
“Shut it down!” Ichi screamed as he punched the emergency shutdown mushroom on his console.
The foundation sensors went offline. And I noticed the test chamber physically lurch forward a few inches.
“Shit! She’s breaking loose! Everyone evacuate the Control room!” Ichi shouted at the top of his lungs.
“You Fucking Asshole!” Major Summers grabbed his superior and thrust him through the thin, plywood door. “You are fucking dead meat, Mann!”
The two men crashed out the control room door and our other guests hurried out also.
“Time to get out, Christina.” Ichi said from the doorway. “We’re gonna lose the IPD, but we can build another one. We can’t build another Christina Everhardt.” Ichi commanded.
A loud ‘thud’ and the sound of heavy metal groaning told me that the IPD was probably free and pushing against the test chamber walls.
“Christina! We need to leave!” Ichi urged excitedly.
I had to do something!
An idea suddenly occurred to me.
“I’m resetting the control signal to 0%. I just need to set it and…done! Let’s get out of here! Hopefully there will be something salvageable! I’m right behind you.” I shouted over the disheartening groaning and moaning within the thick test chamber walls.
I hadn’t reached the broken Control Room doorframe when all hell exploded! The ear-splitting squeal of metal finally reaching its breaking point caused me to turn around. I instantly felt myself hitting against something hard enough to knock the breathe out of me. My dazed perspective of the shattering control room building became the moderately cloudy sky and a door… the Lifeboat door, slamming closed in front of me.
A female voice requested a rescue point. Still quite dazed, I heard myself say ‘Antarra’ just before I began reciting Marta’s mantra as I continued to pound at the Lifeboat’s door for help.
It began to get very cold…