The Void by Brett J. Talley

Author:Brett J. Talley
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 2012-07-07T11:25:37+00:00

Chapter 13

When everyone reconvened on the bridge, the screens above revealed the horror to them all. They said that seeing was believing, but Aidan knew that what they saw was impossible to comprehend and thus impossible to believe.

“This is our best representation of what we are dealing with. Even with the lasers, we can't know the exact location of the event horizon and we need to be very careful moving forward. The computer has charted a path to the derelict and I have every reason to believe it is a safe one, but we should all know the dangers.”

“What's our present situation?” Gravely asked.

“Secure for now. As long as we stay here, we'll be safe.”

“And the other ship?”

“Well, Captain, I have some bad news. With the help of Dr. Kensington, I was able to recalibrate our sensors. Get a little bit more out of them. It's not much, but I learned a few things.”

Aidan tapped a control panel and the screen zoomed in on the derelict vessel. An ever-decreasing number appeared in the upper right-hand corner, though what it counted down to, only Aidan knew.

“Our initial readings told us that the ship was stationary. We now know that was incorrect. In fact, while at no great speed and apparently under no control, the ship is moving. Drifting, to be precise. And it is headed there.” Aidan gestured to a massive black hole at the top of the screen. “The number at the top of the screen represents our best guess at the distance from the ship to the event horizon. It is my estimation—and once again it is impossible to know for sure—that the derelict will cross the point of no return in approximately thirty-six hours. At that moment she, and everyone aboard her, will be lost.”

Captain Gravely stared up at the screen, watching the computer's graphical representations of two dozen black holes spinning in mid-space, black on black. Perhaps it was best, she thought, if the other ship was unsafe. It made the decision to stay or go all the easier. “Mr. Connor, what do you suggest, given what we know?”

“Well, Captain, although I can't say that our current location is the one I prefer, our ship is at least safe. That ship, however, is not. Our options are few, but if we are going to try to save the ship or its crew, we will have to send a boarding party. And while I can give estimates and say with some degree of certainty that we have time on our side for now, much of what I am giving you is little better than a blind guess. I believe we have a day and a half until that ship slips into the void. Could be less, could be more. But once it happens, that's it. If anyone is on board when it goes, there will be no getting them back.”

“Any signs of life? Communication? Energy spikes?”

“No communication, Captain. The computer's been hailing them continuously since we arrived. Nothing. As for of signs of life, we don't have that kind of equipment.

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