The Red Rover, page 10
part #6 of The Rover Series Universe Series
They continued flying for what seemed like an hour. Despite their technological wizardry, distances never seemed significantly shorter. If it weren’t for his stasis pod, he was certain his facial hair would be completely grey.
“According to the beacon, we’re supposed to be right here, but I’m not seeing anything, Doctor Marius. How ‘bout you?”
He snapped to attention at the sound of Gordie’s voice. He tapped the console, bringing up their location vis-à-vis the beacon signal.
“Hold that thought.”
Marius pushed the reins forward, lowering the nose of the StarForger, giving him a better view of the surface below.
“I’m gonna take her down to get a closer look. You cover my rear?”
“Copy that.”
“All right then. Wish me luck.”
He veered the StarForger left as Gordie held his position, remaining airborne. Marius descended, circling the target location as he diminished the fighter’s power. He activated its landing sequence.
He could feel the landing gears of the StarForger extend as it touched down moments later. He breathed a sigh of relief once he was firmly on the ground.
“Oh boy. Boy, boy, boy, boy, boy.”
The canopy opened as he powered off the StarForger. He carefully released his harness and checked his spacesuit vitals. His oxygen level was currently at ninety-three percent.
Marius looked inside the compartment and grabbed one of the painkillers. He unsecured his helmet, lifting it slightly to expose his neck. He injected the painkiller right into his neck, before re-securing his helmet. He took several deep breaths. Letting the medicine work its magic.
“Nice.”
He tapped his telecommunicator.
“Com check. Can you still hear me, Gordie?”
“I can. Loud and clear.”
“All right. Moving now.”
Marius grabbed his sidearm. He rose out of his seat and looked around. There didn’t appear to be any signs of life within his general vicinity, just a dense navy-blue-like darkness. He looked skyward as the stars were visible. Every few moments, Gordie circled above him in the StarForger.
He secured the sidearm to his hip and climbed down the StarForger ladder to the planet’s surface. He took his time, carefully pressing his right boot against the ground. The dirt on top was loose. He brought his other foot down. His boots were covered above his ankles.
“That’s interesting.”
He slid his boots across the surface. The top layer moved with relative ease, while the granules beneath felt considerably heavier. This was sand.
Marius turned his attention to the enormous sand-covered mass that resided approximately twenty-five feet in front of him. This could only be the unidentified Rover. While he couldn’t be sure which ship this was exactly, one thing was for certain—this Rover was noticeably larger than the Red across the board, in terms of length, width and height.
“Shit.”
He activated his helmet flashlight and trudged through the sand. The closer he got to the mass, the deeper the sand was. The desert was eerily silent other than the modest roar of the StarForger above. He really was in the middle of nowhere.
Marius held his weapon out as he was nearly beside the mass. It towered over him. He reached out, waving his hand across the mass as some of the sand fell away. He holstered his sidearm and used both hands. The more sand he cleared, the more obvious it became that this was the Yellow Rover. The ship had the same stripe that ran across the hull as the Red.
Marius took a step back and looked skyward. Gordie was still circling above. He touched his telecommunicator.
“Gordie, can you hear me?”
“I can. You found it?”
“Yeah. I think we just found the Yellow Rover. Contact Jovan. See where they are. I’m gonna see if there is a way inside.”
“You sure? Because I can come help you.”
“What did I just say Gordie?”
“Copy that.”
Marius turned off the telecommunicator. He looked both ways, not exactly sure which side of the ship was its front. He continued moving alongside the hull, sliding his right hand across it, which revealed more of the Yellow stripe. He leaned back against the ship to take a moment.
Wait a minute. If the whole ship is covered in sand, then it stands to reason that it’s been here for quite a while. Where the hell is the crew?
Marius stepped away from the Yellow Rover. He began walking backwards in an attempt to give himself a better view of the ship in its entirety.
CHAPTER TWELVE
BAD WAY IN
Jovan held the Red Rover just below the planet’s exosphere as Callista sat beside him. She had changed into her spacesuit, leaving him as the only one not wearing one. He continuously tapped the ship’s reins in an effort to remain relaxed. Marius and Gordie had been out of contact for over an hour, according to the ship’s timer.
“How much longer are we supposed to just wait here?” She asked.
“Marius told us to wait for their signal. I’m just following orders.”
“I know, but—what if something happened to them.”
Jovan turned to her. She looked a little on edge, which was understandable.
“Hey, I get it. But if there’s one thing I can say for those two, it’s that they can take care of themselves. I’ve seen it with my own two eyes. We just need to trust them.”
Callista sighed.
“Okay. I’m with ya.”
Moments later, static entered the cockpit.
“Jovan come in. Jovan, are you there?”
“We are Gordie. What you got?”
“Marius says it’s the Yellow Rover.”
He and Callista exchanged smiles. At last, they had some legitimate good news.
“Any survivors?” She asked.
“No clue. Marius is on the ground, but I’m not. But he wants you to come down.”
“We’re on our way.” He turned to her. “At least now we got our confirmation.”
“For sure. Did you know anyone on that ship?”
He shook his head.
“Honestly, not off the top of my head. You still strapped in?”
“You damn right.”
“Okay, here we go.”
Jovan pushed the reins forward as the nose of the Red Rover angled towards the planet’s surface. He activated the ship’s throttle, beginning the accelerating process.
<>
Andrew banged his head back against his seat rest. He didn’t have to be in the cockpit to know that they had been hovering at this altitude for quite sometime. Within moments, the Red Rover began to move vertically again. He clutched his primary weapon as the gravity was bringing him forward. His harness tightened against his spacesuit.
“Well, it’s about time.” He said.
“All right guys, listen up.” Callista could be heard via the ship’s communication system. “Marius says they found the Yellow Rover. So, we’re on our way there now.”
“Callista, do we know if there are any survivors?” Orion said, speaking to her through his telecommunicator. His voice was elevated, almost like he was concerned.
“Not yet. But we should be there soon.”
Andrew looked across the aisle, noticing that Orion’s helmet was somewhat lowered.
“Did you know anybody on board?” He asked.
Orion didn’t respond.
“Orion?”
“Yeah. Sorry. What’d you say?”
“I asked if you knew anybody on board.”
“Yeah. My sister, Delly.”
Andrew’s eyebrows raised. He and Rio exchanged eye contact as she had been sitting directly across from him. Up until now, it hadn’t dawned on him that the other cadets might have family members on any of the other Rovers that had left the Rover Base.
He couldn’t help but think about how Orion was coping with this new revelation. The difficulty not knowing whether his sister was alive or not. Andrew did not envy him.
<>
Gordie held steadily to the reins after initiating the StarForger’s landing sequence. He touched down parallel to the other StarForger. He released his harness as the canopy opened. He stood up. Marius had cleared some of the sand that ran alongside the Yellow Rover and was now standing below the nose of the ship.
He descended the ladder to the surface and hurried to him, stumbling throughout. His decision to run over the sand was not the best idea he ever had. He caught up to Marius and bent over, clutching his knees as he caught his breath.
“You okay?”
“Yeah. I’m good. You see a way in?”
“Not along the body. There may be a way in through the front. Although, I can’t tell if it’s open due to the darkness.”
Gordie returned upright. He scanned the ship’s exterior before turning back to Marius.
“So, we’re gonna need our grappling hooks?”
“I would say so.”
“Shit. I left mine on that alien space station.”
He watched as Marius cleared away more sand covering the ship. The Yellow Rover did not appear to have suffered much external damage. The Rovers in general were built to last. Gordie had experienced that firsthand when they crashed on Araneus.
Moments later, a roaring thunder could be heard in the distance as both he and Marius stepped away from the Yellow Rover.
“There they are.”
The Red Rover was approaching their position. It moved over top of them, casting a shadow.
“Sir, shouldn’t we tell Jovan where he needs to land?”
“For what?”
“Well for starters, what’s stopping him from crushing the StarForgers?”
“I left the ship’s beacon on. Didn’t you?”
Gordie paused, he was speechless.
“I did not.”
“Yeah, you might want to think about doing that from now on.”
Gordie nodded. Far be it from Marius to let a teachable moment go to waste. The Red Rover settled over the opposite side of the Yellow Rover. It began its descent as the ship’s momentum began blowing sand in their direction. They took cover on the StarForger side of the Yellow Rover until they finally heard the Red Rover touch down, rumbling the surface around them. Gordie felt a double tap on his helmet as he turned to Marius.
“All right. Now comes the hard part.”
Marius walked between the two Rovers towards the side airlock with Gordie right behind him.
<>
Orion rocked back and forth in his seat as he could feel the Red Rover descending. He was not taking the information that they had located the Yellow Rover all that well. From the moment he received the news, all he could think about was Delly and whether she was alive or not. His greatest fear had become a reality.
The lights in the cabin changed upon landing. He wasted no time removing his harness and rose to his feet with his sidearm. He raced to the exit before Andrew, June or Rio had even moved.
“Orion!” Rio called out.
He was no longer interested in talking. The only thing that mattered to him now was whether or not they had found Delly. He entered the corridor and continued running, side-stepping Dee-Dee’s android body in the process. He reached the side airlock and went straight for the control panel. He keyed the airlock activation and waited for it to open.
“Orion.”
He turned around to see Rio at the corridor edge as Andrew and June arrived behind her a few seconds later. He turned back to the airlock without saying a word. The airlock finally opened as he came barreling down the ramp where Marius and Gordie awaited.
“Did you see her?”
“Hold on soldier.” Marius said.
“Did you see my sister?”
“We haven’t even gone inside yet.” Gordie answered.
“So, what the hell are we waiting for?”
“Well—for one thing, the entire ship’s covered in sand.”
“Which includes the mission control.” Marius added.
Orion groaned. His blood was beginning to boil. The lackadaisicalness displayed by Marius and Gordie was pushing him closer to going off.
“So, what’s the plan?” June asked.
“Best to get out your grappling hooks. We’ve got a lot of work to do.”
<>
Marius waited in front of the Yellow Rover beside Andrew and Gordie while Orion, June, Rio and Callista could be seen exiting the Red Rover. The four cadets approached as Callista handed him an extra grappling hook.
“Thanks, Callista.”
He secured it to his left arm before activating his telecommunicator.
“Jovan. You good?”
“I am. Witchy’s here keeping me company.”
“All right. If there are any issues, you ping us.”
“Roger that.”
He turned to Andrew and Gordie.
“Once we’re in, you guys’ll hold down the StarForgers. Again, any issues—you need to let us know.”
“Yes sir.”
Andrew and Gordie stepped back, giving Marius and the other four cadets room to operate. Marius raised his left arm, pointing above the nose of the ship. He waited as the other four followed his lead.
“Here we go.”
One by one each grappling hook was released until five lines landed in the sand above. Marius brought his right arm up, gently tugging back on the line to check its security. His line had no slack.
“We good?”
He looked across the row at his cadets, who all greeted him with approving nods.
“Then let’s fly people.”
Marius hit his grappling hook once more as the line lifted him vertical. He could feel his stomach churning from the rapid change in altitude. It had been a long time since he needed to use a grappling hook.
He landed on the nose of the Yellow Rover, alongside the other four cadets.
“Whoa.”
Callista nearly fell backwards. June reached out and pulled her forward.
“Thanks Junie.”
“Always.”
“Everyone all right?” Marius asked.
“Uh huh.” Callista responded.
Marius looked down at his boots which were almost fully covered above the ankle. It was just as he had suspected. The ship’s front shield had been destroyed and the entire mission control was inundated with sand.
“Anybody got a shovel?” Rio asked.
“Sure.”
Marius knelt. He dug his glove into the sand, moving it around until he found something solid.
“I think we’re standing on the dash.”
He took his time moving forward as he pushed the sand sideways as if he were parting the seas. He removed the grappling hook and began tossing sand backwards off the ship, which allowed him to move beyond the dash.
“And I think I found the floor.”
He resumed tossing sand off the ship to provide him with more space to maneuver. He noticed the cadets were just watching him.
“You guys need an invitation or what?”
The cadets removed their grappling hooks and carefully lowered themselves. Marius quickened his pace, trying to move as much sand as he possibly could, so that they all would be able to join him on solid ground.
“Oh my God, this is gonna take forever.” June said.
“Not if we prioritize, it won’t. We work in sections. I’ll carve a path towards the rear. The rest of you, try to clear the dash and along the walls. We need to see if we can get this ship operational.”
“Copy that.”
Marius returned his attention to the sand wall ahead of him. Carving a path was easier said than done. He began burrowing through the sand, moving it backwards as more sand seemed to fill in around him. June was right. At the rate they were going, this would take them days. He sighed.
Why does everything have to be so God damn hard?
He turned back to the cadets, watching them struggle as much as he was. He thought for a moment. He lifted his helmet, breathing in and out. He could see his breath. He removed his helmet and turned it upside down.
“Everybody, stop.”
They all turned to him.
“There’s oxygen on this planet. I can admit, it’s not the best, but if we use our helmets, this’ll definitely go quicker. Although, it’s also cold as shit.”
Without saying a word, Orion removed his helmet. He was followed by Rio, then Callista and lastly June. They each began filling their helmets with sand and tossing it out of the Yellow Rover.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
SOUL SEARCHING
Rio tossed another helmet full of sand off the Yellow Rover before looking back inside the ship. Her ears were throbbing from the desert cold. To her amazement, Marius’ plan was actually working. They were able to carve a path towards the cockpit’s rear exit door.
“Okay. I think that’s enough, how ‘bout you guys?” Marius said.
“Did the door not open?” Orion asked.
“Nope. Power’s out. The only question is, how do we get it working again.”
All eyes landed on Callista as she scoffed.
“Yeah, yeah, I know.”
Callista looked around for a moment. She headed back towards the pilot’s seat and sat down. She leaned forward, blowing some of the sand away from the console as best she could. She looked over it for a few moments and then sat back.
“Here’s the thing guys. I’ve never been in one of these Rovers before.”
“So, what’s the difference?” Orion asked.
“The layout. For one, this ship’s a lot bigger.” Marius said.
“Precisely. So, I’m not one hundred percent sure this ship starts from the pilot’s seat.”
“How’s that make any sense?” June asked.
Callista rose back to her feet.
“Like Doctor Marius said, this ship is much bigger than the Red Rover. So, they would need something solid or dense that could act as a power core to funnel energy throughout the ship. They would never put that directly in front of the pilots, even if they were androids.”
