Solar Warden, Jakob Waechter [book club suggestions .TXT] 📗

and Owens took the microwave rifle for different reasons, while Ryan and Caine the HK for indoor use with primary high speed ammunition. Newman added five drones to avoid any surprises. They went out. Samuel and Newman activated the follow mode for three drones. The other two they stored in the trunks of two bikes. Five minutes later they were on the entrance of the facility.

This time Owens and Ryan went for the door and checked the entrance out. They went for the corridor and secured it. Then the others followed now with five drones.

“I send now the drones to give us an overview and finally secure connection to Kelsey. So we can reduce the signal strength,” Newman told and opened his laptop.

“If they have radio receiver in here this won’t stop them from listening,” Ryan noted.

“Yes, but they use a different encryption. So we can assume at least a delay,” Newman sent the three drones on automatic survey.

Samuel also opened his laptop. So both had a drone to control by themselves. First they checked the ground level. Then after finishing the top part they went down till the closed power generator doors. The drones spread out do relay the signals with minimum strength. Then they connected to Max.

“It is all clear on our side,” Newman informed.

“I found a strange device which seems to transfer data. This could be a wireless communication device, connecting the two facilities. The scans could not find any frequency. But there is also one in the hangar it seems. Can you check this out? I want both disconnected when I activate our control of the network.” Max had already disconnected the one on her side and let it work with a dummy network which simulated the real one. So she could analyze what the thing does.

“Of course. I report back when we are there,” Newman told Ryan what’s up. He had the probable position of the device marked on a virtual map they had now. Ryan and Owens took the lead. Newman reported back as they reached the destination in the hangar. After some instructions, Newman started to scan. It took not much time to find it. Comparing it with the video feed, Max identified it as the same. Newman started a longer analysis and finally decided to plug it off while scanning it. It did not help much to determine how it functioned.

He connected to Max, again. “I turned the thing off. My analysis did not come further than yours. It is sending and receiving data. But I don’t think it is a data storage. I only have the theory we already had with the quantum communication of the Gray. This means the link should be dead since I fully unpowered it. I will take it for further analysis to the ship. If this really is what I think of, this would be a breakthrough technology which could give us the possibility to communicate to Earth on any distance in real-time.” Newman was exited.

“Yes, I read the report. But we could not figure out the other devices we had. I don’t think with these it works better. Even if we get the device I have, powered to the Icarus, it will be difficult to impossible figuring out how this works when it is a quantum effect with entangled particles. You know scanning it directly will probably destroy the entanglement of the particles. I open now the doors and connect the network to the Icarus. Then we figure out how we continue.” Max typed some commands into the laptop which activated the link to the Icarus and the camera feed. Then she informed Diaz. They opened the generator doors first on their side. As there was no one they opened the other. SW-3 moved with the still unconscious Gray to the lift and then brought him to the cave.

Newman was now with Max in the control room, checking out the working device.

“I think we should take our chances and hack them. Sooner or later they figure out they are not on their real network,” Max suggested.

“Right. With the assistance of the Icarus this could work. I’m not the expert for this. So I will check with Owens the spacecraft and send you Samuel to assist. At some point we have to decide, if we try to get it powered to the Icarus or if it has more use here,” Newman packed his stuff to go up.

“Yes, but with the dummy network it should not matter where it is. So you have to get the portable power supply and adjust it for this,” Max replied.

“True, I will try after the work with the spaceship is done. I guess you, Samuel and me will then fly with Owens up. Till later.” Newman was on the move.

“See you,” then Max called the hacking team on the Icarus. It was quite some work to do.

 

Watkins was in the briefing room with her staff informing the Captain.

“We analyzed a fluid found in the disc ship. This is something which activates some genes, animals use for hibernation. It does a bit more so we need further tests. And finally some animal testing on Earth. But it is obvious in this case, that they use it for space travel. We have seen the sleep chambers. Now we have even working ones. So with the limited space in their ships, hibernation or something more advanced is the only possibility how they can travel more time demanding distances. Else they need a bigger ship like ours,” Watkins reported proud.

“Yes, that could be the case unless they can travel much faster. But then also this option let them travel a longer distance. Can we use this for us? That we could fly with the alien ship to Earth?” the Captain was curious.

“Theoretically. But there must be a lot of tests made on Earth to ensure the compatibility for humans. Maybe we have to alter the formula a bit. However, we should be able to develop this technology, I guess. In a timeframe of five years,”

“If you can get more information out of this do so. But five years does not concern us now. The option to use an alien craft would be nice,” the Captain wanted an option for practical use.

“We can only do some further tests. It may lower the risk a bit. But I would never recommend it for a trail on human,” Sharon a member of Watkins research team said.

“Then do the tests if nothing more is important on the desk. Do you know what they eat?” Fisher asked.

“We found also some fluids that could be their food supply for space travel. There the analysis is ongoing,” Watkins told.

“Good, anything else?”

“No.”

“Then thank you for your report. Good work.”

“You are welcome.” The report was over Watkins and her staff left the room.

 

9 The drill

Newman was now also searching for the communication device in the alien ship.

Still Freeman was lying on a stretcher in the shuttle. His suit was off. He had a blanked as cover. Jones injected him something for faster regeneration and pain reduction. It felt good not like Anderson had reported.

“Hey, someone there?” he called.

There was no one in the shuttle.

“Ah, you are back. I inform Jones,”, one of the pilots radioed.

“How is the situation?” Freeman asked.

“At the moment peaceful. Jones is on his way. He is here in about 10 minutes and will check you out,” came the reply after a short break.

“I am fine. Ready for duty.” Freeman replied and stood up. He was a strong Afro-American, third generation in the US military. Proud of his job, he was eager to go on and show as leader nothing can stop him from his duty. As a former Delta Force member he was drilled to overcome conditional obstacles. But here it would be handled a bit different. The directives were a bit changed. He was now in his t-shirt and shorts checking the tactical information on the screen.

“Wait for Jones it will be a short checkup. There is not much going on. We still wait for the drill to finish,” the pilot replied.

“Drill?”

The pilot told him the situation and stretched the time till Jones was there.

The checkup took a bit of a time and the data was verified with the doctors on the Icarus. Satisfying for Freeman he was now declared fit for duty. He put one of the backup combat suits on, which they had now in the shuttles. Then he went with Jones back to the cave.

 

“Flying this ship should be no problem. We have now everything we need. It’s quite similar to the disc.” Owens was pleased with the progress. He had already figured out most of the things with Samuels assistance.

“Then I have to check one more thing.” Newman used his electronic scanner again and searched around without success.

“What are you looking for?” Owens wondered.

“We found this interesting communication devices. I assume the ship also should have one. Better I ask for Kelsey’s help, now.” Newman opened a panel and plugged in a spy connector, then connected to Max. “Kelsey, do you have any success?”

“Yes, we are getting some data we are analyzing, now.”

“Very good. I also need your help here. I plugged in a spy connector to the ship. I assume they also should have at least one of this communication devices. But I failed to find it with the scanner. It’s probably turned off,” Newman checked the ships diagnostic he found.

“You are probably right. On the ship on Earth we found not such device maybe it’s different on these ships. I try with the team to find out how we can access it. Then locating it should be no problem,” Max made the needed calls.

Then Samuel joined.

“I think I have a clue. Checking the control panel down there led me to the access menu. Hopefully it’s here the same.” Samuel went through the menus. “There it is. Max I found it.” It was not the correct call in a mission. The military protocol was to use surnames. For Samuel it was a bit strange behavior. Now he recognized his mistake. But no one did respond to it.

“Good. I’m scanning. You can go on,” she replied.

Samuel pushed the button on a touch screen. The device activated. But did not send or receive data. The menu showed the option where to connect. There were two. Samuel had a bit problem with the translation. He took his laptop out of his backpack and tried to find a solution. “There are two destinations. I have to figure out what they are. Maybe the base here and one on a different star or both on different star system.”

“Did not the connection down there has a name?” Newman asked.

“Unfortunately no,” Max replied.

“On the Icarus we could compare it with that of the disc,” Samuel suggested.

“They are probably the same. Then it gets us to nowhere,” Newman replied.

“Then the hard way, we search for reference,” Samuel added.

 

The drill was done. They had now an entrance of over two-meter height and three-meter width. Slowly the drill moved to the side. It was controlled from the Icarus.

“Captain, we go in. We will send drones down the lift if possible and return. Maybe a bigger hole would be useful,