To the Stars V-1 by D.W. Patterson

Author:D.W. Patterson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: hard science fiction
Publisher: D.W. Patterson
Published: 2020-10-19T16:00:00+00:00

8

“Maybe we should just take one of the shuttles and take our chances. We can leave the ship on automatic and recover it later when it has put enough distance between itself and the wormhole mouth,” said Olson.

“If we could pilot a shuttle and if the ship reaches a safe distance before that mouth explodes.”

“Well then more reason to get out.”

“I can't leave the others,” said Sheila.

“We don't even know if they will ever recover, maybe they are already dead.”

“We recovered and I expect they will also if we keep the ship in one piece. It's like hibernation, they aren't dying.”

“But we can't take those particle flares much longer. What can we do?”

“We can hope that we put enough distance between ourselves and that mouth before it explodes.”

Less than two hours later there was another radiation alarm. Watching the wallscreen Sheila could see the wormhole mouth shrink and then rebound in size.

Collapse, that's how it generates the energy necessary for these particle storms.

She looked at the power readings, they were at fifteen percent.

Not enough to make a jump. Not enough to make much of a run on the fusion engines but we've got to do something.

Then the wormhole mouth brightened considerably.

“Olson turn the ship one-hundred eighty degrees!”

Olson started to ask why but after several days with Sheila he knew she was always right. So he didn't hesitate to move to the attitude rocket console and have his Emmie program the burn.

Sheila was already at the console controlling the front magnetic generator. The generator created a magnetic “bubble” in front of the ship to guide any charged particles around the Iapyx when it was in flight. The generator along with the front mass-plate stopped almost all particle incursions when at speed.

As the ship came around the particle storm hit. The wallscreen lit up in an aurora of colors as the charged particles slammed into the magnetic field lines giving up some of their energy as visible light. Repeatedly, over and over as in waves the lights danced in front of the ship until finally, they diminished.

“Hear that Olson?”

“What Sheila?”

“No radiation alarms.”

“What's the power levels?”

“Twelve percent and building.”

“So we made it,” said Olson grinning.

“Not yet but our chances just improved.”

Hours later the wormhole mouth, invisible without magnification on the wallscreen, started its last flare. As it collapsed and evaporated it released all its mass as an energy stream of light and particles. Momentarily brightening to a brilliant star-like intensity it was just as quickly gone. The particle shower hit the Iapyx seconds later. If not for the distance and the magnetic and physical barriers the rain of particles would have destroyed all life aboard and much of the electronics. As it was the ship and crew came through with only a few percent loss in power levels which was well over twenty-five percent now.

Sitting in the coffee shop Sheila was explaining to Olson why they should now make for Trilos.

“It's the closest star system to our location. I propose to make a short jump there.

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