Phillip Peterson - The Dark Ship

Major Irons was the first to recover. “Lieutenant Rutherford. Give me a precise overview of our position.”

It took a moment before the answer came. “We’re fifty-two light years away from Sigma-7 and forty-five light years from the Karim System. The next star system is a binary star system of the A and G class. No known planets.”

“Distance?”

“Two point three light years.”

Jeff bit his lip. They were in the middle of an interstellar void and without the hyperdrive they had no chance of reaching a safe haven. If the voltage in the Penning trap dropped, they would have to leave the ship in just their combat suits. Jeff got goose bumps. These were high-tech spacesuits with an integrated life support system. He would neither suffocate nor die of thirst. An Armstrong Mark Six space suit could even supply him with liquid food for a certain amount of time. In his combat suit he could drift through space for weeks and slowly starve to death.

Not a great prospect.

“Where’s the next star system with a planet we could survive on?” Irons asked. His voice was matter-of-fact.

“Sigma-7,” Joanne replied.

“Not a single planet with a breathable atmosphere within forty-five light years?”

“No. The best I have to offer is a Mars-like planet.”

“Distance?”

“Six point two light years.”

“Lieutenant Green?”

The engineer grunted. “No can do. We can manage one light year at most. Definitely no more.”

“Corporal Herrmannsson,” Irons commanded. “Give me a medium-range location scan. We need somewhere we can land. A stray planet, a comet, something !”

“Give me a minute, Sir,” Finni answered.

“I don’t want to dampen your mood but the voltage in the antimatter trap is hitting rock bottom,” Green said.

“How long do we have left?” Jeff asked.

“An hour. At most!”

“Corporal Hermmannsson, what’s with the scan? You heard what Green said—time is short.”

“OK, I’ve got a result. Unfortunately not what we’d hoped for. I’ve got an asteroid five light months away.”

“An asteroid?”

“Or a planetesimal. Judging by the size and shape, it’s similar to Ceres in the terrestrial Solar System. Looks like it has high metal content. Interesting! ” His voice rose an octave as he spoke the last word.

“What do you mean?” Irons asked.

“It’s moving very fast. Almost at half the speed of light. Maybe it was hurled out of its system by a neutron star or a black hole.”

“What direction is it flying in?”

“Roughly toward Sigma-7.”

“Lieutenant Rutherford, set a course,” Irons commanded.

“You want to us to set down on that thing?” Joanne asked, dumbfounded. “Even if the asteroid is moving at half the speed of life, it would take us a hundred years to reach Sigma-7.”

“Unfortunately, we have no other option,” Irons said. “Lieutenant Green, please prepare for hyperflight!”

“I’d prefer not to use the hyperdrive anymore.”

“Nor would I, but we don’t have much choice.”

“Yes, Sir!”

Jeff swallowed. Irons really wanted to set down on a bare asteroid. Surely that wasn’t their only option! “If we can’t make radio contact, we’ll never be found.” He made an effort to hide the panic in his voice, without much success.

“With a bit of luck, they’ll find us,” Irons said softly.

“With a bit of luck?” Joanne practically shouted. “Like that’s going to happen.”

“Unfortunately, we have no choice.”

Jeff could just picture it. Sitting in his space suit on a dead asteroid. In eternal darkness, waiting for a miracle that would probably never come.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Owl said. He hadn’t spoken for some time.

“Corporal Owens!” Irons voice was stern. “I want you to send a maximum-strength signal toward Sigma-7. Report our situation and the trajectory of the asteroid.”

“Yes, Sir.” Owl’s voice had dropped to almost a whisper.

“Ready to enter hyperspace. But I wouldn’t bet another dime on that thing. If the horizon collapses during flight…” Green didn’t finish his sentence, but Jeff knew exactly what would happen. Then they would be sitting forever in a mini universe within hyperspace, with no way back. On the other hand, they would be dead meat in any case when the antimatter bomb in the fuel depot exploded in an hour. Perhaps that would be a more humane death than starving slowly on a bare, black lump of asteroid in an interstellar void.

“We’ll give it a try,” Irons said decisively. “Lieutenant Rutherford, enter hyperspace.”

“Course set. Flight time in hyperspace nine minutes. I’ve programmed an exit point close to the positioning signal at an adjusted speed. Activating… now.”

The ship vibrated as the stars disappeared behind the windows. The vibration intensified quickly, and a metallic grinding noise reverberated through the cabin.

“What is that?” Irons asked.

“The horizon hasn’t stabilized. Looks like gravitational gradients are affecting the ship.”

“Will the hyperdrive hold out?” Jeff asked.

“God knows.”

“Lieutenant Green!” Irons barked.

“Sir?”

“Order your men to bring the emergency equipment into the lock. Plus any other tools they can get together in fifteen minutes.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Shall I pack any weapons?” Castles asked.

“We’re unlikely to need any on an asteroid,” Jeff said sardonically.

Irons hesitated. “There are some handguns and grenades in the emergency depot. We won’t need more.”

Jeff concentrated on his controls. The status indicator of the hyperdrive was glowing dark red. Numerous other systems had also failed. The ship had really had it. If only the hyper radio was still working!

Suddenly Jeff slammed forward against his console. If his visor hadn’t been closed, he would have broken his nose. But even with it on, he knew he’d have a big bruise on his forehead.

“What’s going on?” Irons sounded alarmed.

“The hyperdrive!” Green cursed. “The horizon is forming singularities. We have to switch off, or the ship will be torn apart by the gradients.”

“No!” Irons said sharply. “How long still?”

“Two minutes,” Joanne said.

“The drive can manage two more minutes,” Irons said.

“You’re going to kill us!” Green screamed. “We have to switch off!”

“Get a hold of yourself, Lieutenant Green!”

“Jesus!”

The vibrations were getting stronger. Jeff’s teeth were chattering so hard he was sure one would break. He heard a rumbling noise above his head and looked up. The ceiling cladding was beginning to come loose.

“One more minute,” Joanne shrieked. Her voice was so distorted, Jeff had trouble understanding her.

“I’m switching off now,” Green screamed.

“If you shut down now, I’ll shoot you!” Irons threatened.

“For fuck’s sake!” Green screamed, but he pulled his hand away from the console.

“Thirty more seconds!”

The rattling didn’t stop. Dazzling white light flashed outside the windows.

Hawking radiation.

Jeff’s stomach contracted. He had been warned about this phenomenon at the Academy. Individual elements of the horizon peeled away and exploded in a torrent of hard radiation. It was the last warning sign of a collapsing hyperfield.

“Twenty seconds.”

“Major Irons!” Green screamed.

“Hold on!” Irons voice was calm.

Jeff closed his eyes. He could still see the flashes of light and thought he could feel heat of the gamma radiation on his skin.

“Ten seconds.”

The vibrations worsened. Suddenly, an invisible hand lifted Jeff clean out of his seat. Without the belt he would have hit the ceiling. Joanne screamed. More alarm sirens wailed. At any moment, the ship would fall apart and they would be crushed by the debris.