Chameleon Ch 20

“Status Orange,” Quixote announced. “I need to summon Captain Jackson,” xe said to the bridge staff. “Mr. May, plot a course around the storm. Lee, engines, full reverse.”

“Helm’s sluggish,” Lee said, “but responding.”

“Bridge, sick bay. What’s going on?” Quixote frowned at the intercom grille.

“Chandra? Prepare emergency shelter for the entire crew in sick bay. Prepare radiation prophylactic protocol. We are attempting to subvert an ion storm.”

“Cerebrus,” he called to the Ops table. “Test all electromagnetic generators, and prepare the torus for temporary shut-down. I must go find our fearless leader. I’ll be back momentarily.” With the final comment xe retreated to the doyen’s office.

Xe reversed a chair and sat at the main console. Maria Mitchell hadn’t encountered an ion storm since she launched. Despite the CME originating nine light years away, it had dispersed from a simple solar flare of Eridani 82 to a solar system sized cloud, still traveling as gamma rays, through the galaxy and on to M 31 and Andromeda in several million more years.

“Captain Jackson, you’re needed on the bridge, immediately.” The reptilian commander waited, patiently, nervously, for the captain to respond. The claws at the end of one limb tapped the desk in double time.

“Quixote?”

“Sir, you’re needed on the bridge, right away.”

“I’m on my way.”

“Engineering, Kym, come in.”

“What’s going on, bridge? We’re seeing some weird telemetry down here.”

“We are trying to avoid an ion storm that is approaching our trajectory from Eridani 82. Did you complete the power cell replacement?”

“Not yet, Commander. I just put the dead unit in recycling.”

“Please make haste and speed charge the bank. Have Mr. Painter prepare the fusion chamber for shut down and divert all electro magnetic energy to the generators. Secure all loose objects. We will be losing gravity shortly.”

“Aye, Quixote, understood.”

The door opened and Jackson stepped inside.

“When did hell break loose?”

“Cerebrus caught an amperage spike in the back up power bank, well over seventy-five, and a cell case exploded. Shortly after that when I returned him to Ops he located an ion storm we will intersect in less than forty minutes. It is some eighty-eight AUs in diameter.”

“Where did that come from?”

“Its most likely origination was Eridani 82, nine years ago.”

Jackson sat and tried to focus on the emergency. Neptune’s Nertz, that was a colossal storm. The doorbell chirped, and Bailey had arrived serendipitously with coffee.

“Bailey, you’re my angel of mercy,” Jackson said when she handed the first cup to him. He had one drink and the synapses began to fire.

“Have sick bay prepare for sheltering, reverse engines and plot a course around the storm. And someone needs to field test the EM generators.”

“I spoke to Dr. Chandra, Lee and May are working the helm and course corrections, and Cerebrus is in the Ops testing the EM generators. I have Byrd managing all the engine and braking functions.”

“What do you need me for?” Jackson asked with a shrug.

“Captain, Maria Mitchell hasn’t endured an ion storm. I was certain you’d want to be informed.”

“Absolutely, Quixote. That was a joke.” Jackson returned to the bridge.

“Stone, department status?”

“Sick bay is in preparation, Materials is closed, Engineering is in preparation, the launch bay is sealed, cargo bay sealed, Galley is closed.”

“Mr. May, navigation options?”

“We may be able to beat the leading edge. It’s relatively flat. We can go positive or negative, but not around. Since Tau Ceti is negative, obviously I suggest we go under it.”

“How far do we have to deviate?”

“For safety, about negative four AUs.”

“Is it stable?”

“Its forward motion is stable, but the shape fluctuates. Why I recommend four AUs. It hasn’t vacillated more than three since we’ve been tracking it.”

“I suppose six hundred million kilometers is good enough, at worst a hundred fifty million. Plot the solution and lay in. Mr. Lee, best speed without attracting the storm to our aft.”

“We’ll have to slow to about two hundred fifty thousand kilometers per second. The delay will be several hours,” Lee said.

“Can’t be helped. I don’t want to be toasted or have our hull ripped off our keel.”

“Aye, sir.”

“When we reach within two AU, engage the EM generators. That should make enough disturbance to keep it from following us.” Jackson leaned back a little, looked around, and saw Cerebrus in the Ops alcove. He joined the android.

“Captain.”

“Cerebrus, this isn’t your first post at Ops, is it?”

“No, it’s my third.” Jackson nodded. “I am developing a fondness for this station. It seems to have several different variables all working together.”

“You like a challenge.”

 “It’s an opportunity for my neuromorphic net to expand.”

“And what are your thoughts on this coronal mass ejection?”

“My thoughts, Captain?” Jackson nodded. If the android wanted to expand his net, it needed to stretch a little. “It poses a significant risk of damage to life forms and any objects in its path. If it were to come across a planet without an atmosphere it would virtually sterilize the surface. As for the ship, if it survived the gamma ray onslaught, most systems would shut down, including life support and propulsion.”

“You’re right. What else?”

“Captain, are you unaware or are you testing my knowledge?”

“What else do you know about ion storms?” He and Cerebrus locked eyes, the electric-blue lasers of machine with the lagoon-jade irises of man.

“An ion storm is nomenclature for a class ten solar flare. Primarily the ionized hydrogen particles, no larger than zero point zero one nanometers, travel in an invisible wave at the speed of light, and are roughly ten million degrees Celsius. Once ejected by the star, they will follow Newton’s First Law of Motion. It takes approximately eight minutes to travel one AU.”

“I’m impressed. When do we encounter this phenomenon?”

“We will near-intersect in thirty-four minutes.”

“In that case…” Jackson returned to his chair, shoved one hand through his hair a couple of times, and poked the intercom button, then the boatswain signal.

“Attention, all hands, this is Captain Jackson. A large ion storm is moving directly into our path and we will meet up with it in about thirty minutes. Secure your work station for radiation protocols and proceed directly to sick bay. If you are off duty, stop your current activity and proceed directly to sick bay. I expect all hands to be accounted for in fifteen minutes.”

“Captain,” Lee asked. “Some people might be asleep.”

“Cerebrus, take a roster and ensure that no one is in their cabins. I’ll check all work stations on the lower four decks. Quixote, you will secure the bridge and transfer functions to the auxiliary CIC room. Stone, Lee, report to sick bay. May, report to CIC with Quixote.”

“Aye, Captain, will do,” Quixote assured him.

“Cerebrus, when you’ve ensured all cabins are empty, report to the CIC room and join Quixote and Mr. May. I’ll see you there shortly. Dismissed.”

The S. S. Maria Mitchell was in danger, which also meant that the crew was in danger. He remained calm on the bridge, in front of the officers, but he could hear his pulse in his ears and feel it pounding on his temples. Before he left, he took a long look out the bow windows. Their trajectory was leading them away from Tau Ceti, but it was temporary. In a hundred AUs they could cross the galactic plane again and be on their way. If the storm stayed where it was, they traveled well below it, the crew sheltered center ship, and the electromagnetic generators operated at maximum for the journey, they would make it unscathed.

An unlikely scenario, Jackson concluded.