Carter - Quantum topology

CONTENTS

QUANTUM

K.A. Carter

For more information visit kacarterwrites.com

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places. and incidents are either products of the author's imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, without permission in writing from the author.

Copyright 2019 by the author.

Cover design by The Cover Collection

Dedications

Special thanks to Keith Carter, my father, for cultivating a creative mind during my childhood and exposing me to science fiction. Also thanks to my Sub it Club, that have been there in many ways, helping to mold my skills.

Chapter 1: Jericho

T here were cackling screams from the terminals, and the air started to taste metallic It meant the life support was failing. Only a power tool in hand and an old piece of hull gel that was far too long expired to be useful. Alfred Jericho kept from gritting his teeth at the misfortune that appeared to creep up on him. Creep up on his crew.

Cap we dont have much more time on those power cells, said Scud, one of the ships engineers. The longtime friend stood typing away at the console just next to the Captain, the keystroke aftersounds chiming at a low frequency.

Lying on the floor of the bridge, the captain paused from his work to look up at the panel he was attempting to reroute. The hull gel squeezer in his hand thin to its last tiny bit of uselessness. Although a nonflammable agent for superconducting, the gel was preferably implemented in design and construction. Given that the Gilroy was bought secondhand, Jericho figured the lack of gel contributed to whatever happened.

Itll have to last a little bit longer. Find Gideon, said Captain Jericho. This panel is oscillating between here and secondary flight controls.

The noise in his ears was a mixture of split fibers sparking and the sound of his crew on the bridge in a panic. No one knew what caused the Gilroy to become a floating death trap. One minute your hauling salvage the next, your cargo hold gets a nice thump from the inside. That thump cause more damage to the an easily rattled bucket of bolts. Jericho knew that this was one of those times to be a model of cool-headedness. However, there were only so many problems he knew how to solve. CPF? Sure, short on pay? Thats alright, even Pirate raids? Hell, bring it on, but fixing a ship on the fly? That one slipped his mind. Unfortunately, he didnt think it solvable even by Scud or Gideon. He had gotten by on luck and safe haven patches for so long he figured it was a consistency by now. Only to be proven wrong at the worst possible time. When hes carrying some pretty profitable salvage.

Pirates were infamous in the Zorai sector. If you were mal-equipped, their scanners would find all of your ships imperfections from the flickering light in the galley to the broken secondary com-link on the bridge. The Gilroy had jammers but it wouldnt matter without central power.

The fear lingered in the Captains mind. Hed only crossed paths with them so many times that the thought of them made his stomach cringe. Jericho thought himself cagey, but how many times beating the odds until you get caught slipping. Pirates werent the dumb slugs the federation had made security ads out of them to be. Jericho had seen some of the many species and each group he crossed typically had smarts. Tactical armor, ships with decent shields.

Scud handed the captain a small handset the size of a nutrition bar. Our hull is intact but the only way we wont become a floating iceberg, is if we get main power back on.

Captain Jericho paused for a moment. Any idea how much time we have? I dont know how much longer the crew can take waiting to die. He looked toward the thin woman at the helm, Freya and the sensor operator, Luke, behind Scud.

The main power from the core got cut. We can reroute a few systems here since it aint off, but once it shuts down its gonna coldfast. Scud replied. Jericho wiped his forearm across his chin as if to ease an itch; to put settle to the scruffy beard that covered a slight jaw.

He reached over and shoved a hand module into the wall where it fit snug, the hull gel insulant easing the push.

Gideon made his way in between the terminals and seats towards the captain. I figured Id help you up here with some of the panels, said Gideon with haste. He was out of breath. It was as if he ran all the way from engineering.

Integrated panels were everywhere. Each contributing to operations that controlled temperature, logistic processing, door controls, the whole ship. Most of them scattered in sections of corridors and the doors that connected them. The Gilroy wasnt the biggest ship but it had kept sturdy through some tough times.

Gideon rested his hip aside one of the consoles to catch his breath. He was ready to say something; something important.

We need to speed this up captain, the ship could go into shutdown at any In one split second system failure alerts rang the ears of everyone onboard. The system VI accompanied with a soft voice on the ships com giving irony to the crew for programming it that way.

Jericho leaned back for a moment; sounds dissipated as he glanced at the crew on the bridge. They were not just shipmates, but family. Scud and Gideon at the corner of his eyes. Keon, the young salvager in training, was practically passed out. The ships helmswoman, Freya and the undesignated doc, Mellor were the only ones standing. Cringing at the thought losing them in such an absurd manner. This be the last thing they see brought a pain to his eyes.

This cant be the end , he thought.

With sirens still blaring and the crew of twelve all on the bridge, choices were at a minimal. However, Jericho knew he had a choice in the matter. One that he would most likely regret but was an alternative. An alternative that included them being alive. That was enough.

Gideon squinted through his holospec glasses. Youre not thinking what I think you are Cap. Tell me youre not and I can die in peace, said the keen engineer. In the same moment, Scud motioned toward Freya at the inutile helm controls. He stood calmly at a button that was placed at the bottom of the helm control console. It was an uninitiated pulse beacon. In theory, it could pick up the closest ship. Sadly, any ship. Even prates.

Scud was the one crew member that spent the most time with the Captain; before he became a Captain. For him, Jerichos idea was better than any other of the crews.

Jericho stood up in a quick motion towards the rest of the crew, patting Gideon on the shoulder on his way past him. Before anyone could focus their attention, Scud pressed his finger against a small flat haptic button by Freyas tatted hand next to the helm controls. It flashed red-green-red following a small but distinct beep; and by then everyone was focused on the Captain.

Listen up everyone, Jericho said with base in his voice. Im sure you all get that we dont have much time on this boat. Air is out and as you can tell, its only a matter of time before it gets freezing. So, I made the call. Scud just hit the signaling beacon

Someone should pick us up, right? said Mellor.

Thats what Im counting on replied the Captain.

Captain for all we know a damn pirate ship could bear down on us said Freya, butting in with a fearful tone.

Or we can manage to get passage on a Federal ship, CPF has been very active in this sector. If thats the case, Cap and I will do the talking said Scud sternly.

Jericho took a micro glance at his brazen friend and shipmate next to him. Thats what were hoping for said the Captain. This is our best shot, and unless you want to be icicles or have a better idea, this is what were going with.