ELITE: Beyond the Rift
Fanfiction by M. Volgrand
(Hope you enjoy it)
Chapter one:Fanfiction by M. Volgrand
(Hope you enjoy it)
The annoying buzzing sound of the communicator ringed in the small room. Normally that would be a bad enough start of a day by itself. However, the place was entirely made of metal, which made every buzz echo like a bell. Sleeping habitats, you know. And, over all this, when its inhabitant have had just about four hours sleep after a long research mission, that morning was just the beginning of a really, really bad day.
A middle aged man rolled over his bed, grunting, and reached blindly with his hand for the communicator. There was a short beep when the communication link was established.
“What?”
“Jan, we’ve received a mission.”
“Goddamnit, Sara, don’t you ever sleep? And couldn’t you tell Dr. Arcannon to give that mission to someone else?”
“No” replied her. “This one is important.”
Jan raised and sat on the edge of his bed, rubbing his eyes.
“What’s going on, Sara?”
“It’s a Mayday.”
“And what is so interesting about it that you had to wake me up?”
“It comes from the Formidine Rift.”
Jan stood silently looking to the green light of the communicator, trying to determine if he had heard correctly. “This doesn´t make any sense, Sara”, he replied, “The Formidine edge is over twenty thousand light years from the bubble. Any mayday signal would not have reached us in time, you must be wrong there”.
“That was my first thought. Any explorer would have sent radio signal to broadcast the mayday in the same system, or would have sent a wide spectrum signal through the Witch Space to reach a few hundreds of light years around him. This one, however, sent a Witch Space probe directly to the bubble with the message.”
That was, certainly, surprising. Spending so much energy on sending a faster-than-light message back to the human bubble, instead of trying to reach any other explorer nearby the source of the signal, was an unusual behaviour. At least, unusual for the standard ‘I don’t want to end my days lost in the loneliness of space’ kind of commander.
“What do you know”
“Usual Imperial Encryption, nothing too fancy”, she responded. “It looks like this commander had a very good reason to send his mayday that way”. Sara made a dramatic pause before adding the last bit of information. “He was attacked”.
“Attacked? He was attacked in a God-forsaken region of the galaxy, farther away than twenty thousand light years from civilisation? He better had a billionaire bounty on his head, if someone was willing to track him there!”.
“You better listen to it yourself”.
There were a few seconds of silence in which Jan imagined Sara was preparing to play the recording through the communicator. A bunch of static was heard first. Over the partially destroyed message, a voice yelled in desperation.
“...here, they are…. Attacked, mayday, mayday! They…. Nowhere, those should not exist!... B1A3, approximate coordinates, minus…. 83. They are… I repeat, they are here! Weapons, they killed my… Crash landing, mayday!”
Jan asked Sara to repeat the recording a few more times just to be sure that he had heard right. “Are you sure this is real, Sara?”
“I am. I have checked it with all the data we have, there is no doubt: This message comes from the Rift, more specifically from the Bovomit region. It was sent approximately 48 hours ago. Doctor Arcanonn has issued a rescue mission. He is asking to any nearby Canonn commanders to head to the origin of the signal and try to rescue the stranded pilot, if he is still alive. However he warns that there is a real risk of enemy presence there.”
“So, he needs an armed rescue operation”.
Jan sat silently on the edge of the bed, covering his face with one hand. Of course, the Canonn Institute was a large organisation, and many commanders would possess a ship capable of performing the mission. So far away from the bubble, every crew would be on their own. It would not matter if a pilot would head there on his own or in a bigger ship with an small crew: In the end, it all came to the vessel’s capabilities and equipment. Out there, your ship is your best friend, commander.
“Let me put this straight: We are talking of searching for a commander in an almost unknown region of the Galaxy, without knowing exactly in which system he is, less what planet, or even the exact surface coordinates. We are talking about organizing a search and rescue operation over 20 thousand light years from the Bubble, and as if that was not dangerous enough, there is a possibility that armed hostiles are present in the zone. Did I miss anything, Sara?”
“You mostly got it” she replied, with a smile able to leak through the tone of her voice. “But I expect that he will have laid a distress beacon and, if able, the message must still being repeated and broadcasted to the nearby systems. In other words, if we get close enough to him, I will be able to track the signal down”.
“It’s very risky, I don’t know if it is worth it.”
“Come on, Jan. Even if it isn’t, just the exploration data will be worth a few million credits.”
“No tienes remedio”, he answered in his birth language. “Insistes tanto porque quieres ir a Formidine y ver si hay vida inteligente. You are a dreamer, Sara.”
“But I'm not the only one”, she replied, singing a well known classical song. “I can hear that you are tempted too. Just you, your crew, your ship, and an unknown region of space filled with legends and misteries.”
“You know, it would be easier to simply stay here.”
“Oh, shut up already, Jan. If Doctor Arcannon asks me again to record two hours worth of the Barnacles' signal and try to decrypt something that makes sense out of it, I will go nuts. And I'm the scientist from the Daunting, you know! I'm a...”
“A field researcher, I know. Hey, why aren't you sneaking into the crash site? Isn't that what you were hoping to find?”
“Yeah, I can't deny it's been very exciting”, she said in low voice, “but since the Imperials took control of the relic... well, there is too much paperwork to access any sample of the alien ship. And there is just this much I can do with my SRV's sensors.”
Jan chuckled when he imagined Sara indicating 'how much' she could do with her hands, despite those communicators didn't have any camera. Or hologram system, for the case. He stood up and walked to the toilet, leaving the door open so he could keep talking with Sara. The man that looked him back from the mirror was, certainly, tired. Despite he was not a very strong man, he was in good shape, taking very seriously his daily training routine to diminish the ill effects of living constantly in low gravity. Brown and very curly hair that, nowadays, was stained with some grey hair locks. Hell, 38 years old? Are you kidding me, biology?
“It's been some time since we got the Daunting out for a ride. I know Billy was doing some missions in Maia. Do you know anything about about Kara?”
“Nay. Last I heard she was in Sol, delivering materials for the construction of the new Farraguts. I don't think you want to go and check?”
“Nop” he replied after washing his face. “Unless you want to see me in a Federal prison planet?”
“Allright, I'll go myself. Where shall we meet?”
“Balandin Gateway, Lugh. I'll send a message to grant you access to the Daunting when you arrive.”
“Perfect. See you soon, captain.”
With a soft click, the communication went to static before automatically switch off. Jan dried himself, thinking for a second how bad this idea was. First of all, most likely, that commander was already dead. Even if they departed immediatly, they would need about 72 hours of non-stop travel to reach the Formidine Rift's edge, add 24 more hours to make a route through the zones with low star density. That would be suppossing that they could find a route with enought scoopable stars so they would not risk to run out of fuel.
And that was just to reach the area. After that they would have to search system by system, hoping to pick up any signal that could indicate they were closer to the stranded pilot. The most likely outcome of that mission would be to come back empty-handed or, in the best case, with the location of the crash site and a report of what may have happened.
But there was something that did really worry Jan. If that commander was attacked... who did that? And why? Why would anyone travel so God-damn far away to hunt someone down? Being honest with himself, despite he loved the Daunting and it was a formidable ship, it was not a dedicated combat ship.
Deja de pensar así, sabes que quieres hacerlo.
Just wearing his underwear, Jan started his daily exercise routine. Being in a coriolis station, where gravity was simulated by well calculated used of centrifugal force, this was a far eaier job than when he was in deep space. Two series of 20 push ups, 20 squats, 20 pull ups, and then ten minutes in the running machine. If he was going to a deep space operation, that one would be the last time in maybe one month that he would be able to do that without using different devices to simulate some down force.
After having a fast shower he reached for his locker, where his modified Remlock Combateer spacesuit was. It was a dark grey armored suit, made of ballistic-proof material. Compared to the basic Remlock suit, this one offered some extra protection to the pilot, as well as some integrated propellers that offered some basic space-flight control. Considering its size, it could look like Jan would need to squeeze inside it, however, nanotechnology permitted the suit to expand an readjust over its owner's body, creating a very tight and comfortable feeling once the process was over. In less than two minutes, Jan was ready to go.
As he left his room he raised his arm, pressing some controls over his left palm, using the fingers of the same hand. The interface of the station appeared in a hologram that protuded from his arm, showing. Using the intuitive menus, he indicated that he was leaving the room he had rented, and after that he reached the hangar's public services. He was indicated that he had been placed in a queue. Not being in a particular hurry, Jan walked upstairs towards the canteen.
When he reached the upper level, the closed metal corridors opened into a huge dome covered with a thick crytal cupule. Jan stopped a second to observed how a ship -a Type 6 transporterr- flew just over his head. Thompson dock was not a really beautiful coriolis station, however, it was an awesome engineering work. The central docking station was huge, measurin 1km diameter. The whole interior was covere in landing pads, most of them presenting a frankling activity of ships docking in and out. Since the Canonn Institute had taken over the station, about one year ago, Thompson had experienced a huge increase of traffic. That included traders, bounty hunters and scientists, as well as some illegal activities. Anyway, it had been very good for the business of the whole system.
Anyway, not a surprise that he had been placed on the queue.
Just when he had sit in the canteen, waiting for his breakfast to be served, a ping sounded in his ear. He reached again his arm contextual hologran to answer the call.
“Hangar control room. Is this commander... Juan Ordonez?”
Jan controlled a frustrated sight. He was trying to say his name correctly, but as always, noone really managed.
“Just call me Jan. I want to leave the station, please proceed to refuel and restock my ship.”
“It will be done, sir. Shall I schedule your departure in 30 minutes?”
“Correct. See you then.”
With a single push on his hand the communication was ended. Coffee was waiting for him.
The Golden Firefly was probably the ship that Jan had used for longer in his career. Focusing his career mostly in transport of critical cargo, this ASP Explorer was simply the perfect choice for the job. For most aspects, the gold-and-orange painted ship was, mostly, Good enought: She was fast enough, had enough cargo capacity, had a good enough shield generator, and could handle enough punishment while in combat. He had a combination of pulse lasers and cannons that was, simply, enough to handle any potential threats he could find in his journey.
However, the Golden Firefly had an astounding jump capability. Being able to cover over 45 Light years per jump, Jan had never neeed more than 10 jumps to get any mission done. Also, having such a jump range made him a very difficult target to follow. Qué grande que eres, Farseer.
As he entered into the hangar where she was landed, a young lad approached him to clarify some paperwork. He stated the exact jobs they performed -some minor repairs- as well as the exact ammount of hydrogen fuel they had pumpe in, and how many credits were charged to his account. Jan didn't really pay any attention as he signed the documentation in a portable computer, an proceeded to board the ship.
The Firefly was not, precisely, a comfortable ship. Certainly the ASP Explorer line was made for long travels, and for commanders that would spend most of his life inside the cabin. Jan had modified his to get the maximum possible jump range. This included removing some commodities such as the captain's bed, the gym and some other stuff that simply made the life a bit more comfortable for the galactic explorer. But he simply didn't need it. Right now, those extra spaces had been repurposed as small cargo areas, or simply left completely empty.
He walked into the cabin. A really big cabin with an amazing field of view. It was not surprising that th ASP Explorer was a really loved ship. What she lacked in style and combat, he made it up with great features that simply made that ship pleasant to flight. Jan sat in the pilot's seat and reached his hand to grab the helmet, that he was still on the floor, exactly where he had left it. As soon as he put it on the ship controls lighted up, as well a the helmet's Augmented Reality's features.
Initiating.
Control systems online, first flight check up.
Controls nominal.
Vital systems nominal.
Thrusters nominal.
Stabilizers nominal.
Communications nominal.
All systems online. Welcom aboard, commander Juan Ordoñez.
“At least you know how to say my name, computer”.
Immediatly all the ship's scanners turned on, showing him multiple signals from outside the hangar. Looking up, he could see orange markings identifying different ships that were flying over his head. The 3d hologram of his surrounding appeared in the center of the control area, showing a very accurate representation of the coriolis station. Jan reached for his contacts' panel and searched for the control tower.
“Thompson dock, this is commander Jan Ordoniez requesting permission to undock.”
“Permission granted, commander,” answered a female voice, “ we are moving your landing pad to the exterior. Please wait for our signal to take off.”
“Roger, control.”
Immediatly, the loud sound of metal locks being released was heard, and the landing pad started moving towards the exterior. The roof in front of the ship opened and lowered, and some hydraulic systems pushed it in position to be lifted to the central cylinder. He was at the end of the station, which granted him a full view of the ships coming in and out.
“Control, I need to send a FTL message to Balandin Gateway in the Lugh System.”
“One second, commander. Stablishing FTL transponder system. You may talk now.”
“Balandin Gateway, this is commander Jan Ordoniez, clearance code 23B35CUW579. I request you provide access to the ship Daunting Mirage to commanders Sara Goddart and Kara Hezal when they hand you over the previously provided access codes. I will be back there within the next 24 hours.”
“Message sent, commander Jan. Is there anything else you require before leaving?”
“Yes. Please the Canonn Institute that we are taking the search and rescue mission in Formidine Rift.”
“Understood. Safe flight, commander, you are free to leave.”
The magnetic clamps were released and, immediatly, the ship controls were transferred to him. With a gentle stroke of the thrusters he left the landing pad and, with a soft impulse of the main thrusters he headed towards the 'mail box'. Controlling the trajectory with the lateral thrusters, Jan proceeded to set a route towards Obsidian Orbital in Maia, where he hoped to find Billy Bales. He would need 12 jumps to reach the Pleiades Nebula, with one stop to fuel scoop on the way. He received the last farewell from Thompson Dock as he activated his Frame Shift Drive.
Frameshift Drive activated.
Five.
Four.
Three.
Two.
One.
Engage.
The huge station of the Canonn Institute faded behind him as the Golden Firefly jumped through the Witch Space.
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Author's Note:
And so, the start of this small (not even I believe that!) writing project. I feel strange to call this a 'fan fiction': I have written several fanfics in my live, and all of them included in some form the characters of the show it was based on. Here I'm taking all original characters into an existing universe. Yeah, it's an strange feeling. I guess that after all I'm dreaming to write an official fiction to Elite: Dangerous.
As you have probably realized, English is not my native language (hence, the jokes about the hispanic origin of Jan Ordoniez (Juan Ordoñez)). I will be very happy if you want to use a bit of your time to point me any recurrent mistakes I may be making. To have lived for four years in the UK teaches you how to speak english, but not how to write a novel in English.
Thank you for reading this. Kudos, commanders!