Chapter 22: Battening Down
Captain Brezinski allowed the discussion to continue for another half-hour. She then unconsciously slipped into her command mode of speech and delegated responsibilities. Her first priority was to silence the long-range radar drones. She wanted their ship to emulate a silent running submarine which was in the listening mode. The drones were to listen for any radio signals from radar or communication equipment and relay the information in a narrow band communication signal back to the ship. All possible radio noise from the ship was to be eliminated. Mike and his crew were given the responsibility of evaluating emergency repairs to The Guardian. She wanted a plan for the quickest possible repair and a second plan for more definitive repairs. Doc Jules was given the responsibility for adapting their emergency preparation protocols. Eric-Peter was assigned the task of developing the protocol for adapting the neuro-navigational unit. The Chief was assigned the responsibility of inventorying their potential defenses and possible offensive weapons. Brother Simon was to investigate the apparition and the nature of the message.
Captain Brezinski discharged them at 0510 hours and said, "I feel time is critical and I want your reports ready by 0700 hours. We will have a general meeting to review the reports and inform the entire crew of our situation at that time. You are dismissed and I wish you good speed and good luck on your tasks."
Brother Simon on his way out placed his hand on Captain Brezinski's shoulder. He very gently said, "God will bless you and guide you in this time of need."
Captain Brezinski placed her hand over his and replied, "I am afraid that I will need all of the help that I can get. Thank you for your support and your prayers."
Captain Brezinski sat quietly and collected her thoughts. She knew the threat was real, but the calmness that she felt with the presence of the apparition persisted. For the first time in her life she prayed, "God of Brother Simon, I do not know you or understand you, but I ask for your help in this time of our need."
Captain Brezinski had Tom summoned to her office. She quickly dressed while waiting for him. When he arrived she simply told him that they were in danger. He was assigned the responsibility of turning the long-range radar drones into passive listening devices. She explained her desire for their ship to run silently. He wanted to know what type of electrical noise she was most concerned with. Captain Brezinski admitted that she did not know, but that they should assume any radiation could be detected. Tom sat at the communication console and began programming the radar drones. He had to completely shut down their systems and then activate only the receptor circuits. He then modified the feedback protocol to limit the broadcast. His goal was to have the radio transmitter active only during brief periods and to transmit information in a short pulse. A survey of all communication energies within the ship was undertaken. All direct radio connections were re-routed and made low energy signals which had to be switched through the main computer. This slowed transmission slightly but also significantly decreased the energy radiating from the ship.
At 0700 Captain Brezinski opened their emergency meeting by reviewing the apparition and the messages. She then defined the framework for the meeting. "All reports are to be presented without interruption. Discussion and questions will be allowed after the reports are complete. I, as Captain, have the final responsibility for decisions, but I will need input from everyone." She then turned to Mike for his report.
Mike said, "Captain, we can temporarily patch the ship and install a simple set of oxygen tanks in 36 hours. The minimally functional life support system will require at least 60 days. A full restoration of the damaged system will require several years of work. The low speed directional thrusters are simple hydrogen-oxygen rockets and appear to be functional. Filling the tanks and performing a minimal operational inspection will require at least 24 hours."
Captain Brezinski thanked him for his report and asked Doc Jules for his report. He was amazingly brief and reported that other than making sure that all hatches were battened down, stopping their rotation and returning to the arachnoid was essential. A habitation unit would be adapted for Martha and the baby.
Captain Brezinski asked the Chief for his report next. The Chief responded in his brief military style, "Captain other than the mass of ice protecting us we have no defensive capability. Our offensive capability is limited to our small laser drones and rockets, in addition we have two remaining nuclear warheads."
Captain Brezinski turned towards Eric-Peter and nodded for him to proceed. Eric-Peter explained that the neuro-navigational unit was based on the complex circuitry contained in the crystalline lining of the helmet. An integration protocol was used to merge directly the pilot’s neural circuits with the navigational and weapons systems. This produced an integration of mind and machine. He described briefly the protocol required to obtain this level of integration.
Captain Brezinski nodded acceptance of Eric-Peters report and asked Brother Simon for his report. He said, "The apparition that appeared to the Captain is apparently a method of communication used only by the Ancient Ones. I am unable to obtain any further information on whoever the Ancient Ones are. The validity of the Captain's experience is proven by the sudden appearance of the data on the neuro- navigational unit."
Captain Brezinski summarized the work Tom was doing and opened the conference for discussion. Tom volunteered for the fitting of the neuro-navigational unit. Captain Brezinski thanked him, but added, "I would expect that we will find that the helmet is destined for my head." After answering the few remaining questions to her limited ability, the Captain issued her orders. Mike was to perform the emergency repairs and when those were completed to continue on the construction of a reasonable life support system. The rocket tanks were to be filled ASAP. The Chief was instructed to ready the nuclear warheads and to prepare all drones. She ordered the rotation of their ship stopped using a 24-hour protocol. Return to the arachnoid was to be accomplished at that time. Fitting and integration of the neuro-navigation unit was to be completed ASAP. She closed the meeting by appointing the Chief as second in command for military operations. She explained, "The Chief is the second ranking person on board for military matters because all other officers are non-line-officers. He is vested with this authority only for military decisions."
The test fitting of the helmet showed it was much too small for the male crew members and did in fact fit Captain Brezinski. Eric-Peter asked Doc Jules to be involved with his development efforts. He wanted to make sure that the Captain's safety was not compromised. When Doc Jules reviewed the initial plan he was upset that it required the Captain to be inside "The Guardian" and outside an airlock. He asked if there was any way to connect the helmet to their computer so that the integration could be performed in his clinic. Eric-Peter examined the connections between the helmet and the ship. The connectors were very complex and when he accessed the auto supplier program it provided a 48-hour estimate for construction of an acceptable patch. When Captain Brezinski was given the option of improving the safety by waiting an additional 48 hours she declined saying, "We must get on with this."
Doc Jules reviewed the safety issues with the Captain and the need for preparing her scalp by first shaving it and burning it slightly. He explained, "The unit requires a low resistance for the electrodes to work which means the normal insulating properties of the hair and outer layer of skin have to be removed." Captain Brezinski nodded her acceptance and told him to proceed. Doc Jules used the barber's shears to first crop her hair to a short bristle. The Captain was aware of her dark hair falling around her shoulders. Her femininity was assaulted by the loss, but her conscious thoughts ignored the loss and concentrated on her task. Doc Jules then carefully shaved her head using first a hot towel and then a soap gel to soften the hair. He carefully dried her scalp buffing it slightly with his towel. He advised her that the solution would cause a slight burning sensation. He applied
the mixture of DMSO, zinc acetate and acetic acid to her scalp.
She winced only slightly with the burning sensation and replied, "I am glad you doctors define pain as being always on the small side. I suppose if you told us the truth we would avoid you even more than we do now."
The Captain's scalp quickly turned from a pale white to a bright reddish hue. After several minutes the burning sensation moderated. When Captain Brezinski tried on the helmet again she noted a not unpleasant tingling sensation that seemed to sweep across her scalp. When she explained this to Doc Jules he nodded his approval and replied, "It appears that the protocol is working so far."
The space suit was several sizes too large for Captain Brezinski and she needed some help navigating through the airlock. Doc Jules and Eric-Peter followed her into "The Guardian" and helped her settle into the seat. The seat began to change as soon as the helmet was connected. It adapted to her size with the controls moving into a closer position to compensate for her smaller size. The sudden motion was disconcerting to Captain Brezinski. Doc Jules noted the startle response with her increased heart rate and respiratory rate. He was pleased that she returned so quickly to her baseline. He wished he had a more complete monitoring system, but reminded himself of his grandfather's saying, "If wishes were horses, beggars would ride."
Captain Brezinski soon felt comfortable and told them to proceed. Eric-Peter began phase one integration. The visor closed and suddenly Captain Brezinski's world was engulfed in an unbelievably intense red color. It seemed that the richness of the red soaked into her being. As soon as she became comfortable with the redness it changed. Her visual world was now a very deep blue. The color reminded her of the sky from a top of a mountain. This color again saturated her senses to the point that she could feel the blueness. Suddenly a vivid yellow color engulfed her. She could actually feel the softness of the yellow flower petals. The colors began changing much faster with different shades of intensity. The colors started blending together forming thousands of different colors. The colors were now replaced by shapes; simple geometric line drawings which quickly evolved to three-dimensional shapes. The shapes became colored objects which began to slowly rotate and move within her visual field. This movement intensified and the size of the objects diminished. She was working hard to keep up and more concentration was needed to follow them. About the time she felt that she could not keep up her visual field became a calm pale pink color.
The colors were now replaced by odors. She became aware of multiple changing odors. Some she could identify, others were completely foreign. Occasionally an odor would present and produce a very vivid memory. She was awash in odors and then they stopped. Now she noticed that her suit was much too warm and different parts became almost hot to the touch. The intensity of the heat increased to the point she began worrying. The heat moderated as quickly as it came and was replaced by first coolness and then frank cold. She was shivering and again the cold spots moved around her entire body. This in turn was replaced by a mild tingling sensation. This electrical feeling increased in intensity until she was unsure if she could take the pain. The pain at times seemed to radiate from within her and at other times seemed to originate on her skin. She tolerated pain well, but it reached the point she wanted to cry out and stop the integration. It stopped.
Now she began to appreciate a clicking sound; first her right ear followed by a similer stimulation of the left ear. At times the clicking seemed to come from both ears. The frequency of the clicks changed as well as the sound quality. Soon she was hearing a more complex beeping sound. The nature of the sounds continued to evolve until she was recognizing specific sounds. Simple sounds like train whistles evolved into bird calls and musical instruments.
Captain Brezinski realized that she was sensing actual words. It was not as if she was hearing them as much as feeling them. The words continued to flow over her both in English and in Russian. Soon these words were replaced by new sounds that she could identify by feel. She was now learning the language of "The Guardian". The words continued coming at a rapid rate sometimes accompanied by a corresponding Russian or English word. She lost all awareness of herself and was consumed by the interplay of words. She was not just hearing the words, but was feeling and seeing them. At first she was not sure if she was imagining the images, but as they became better defined their reality solidified. She was now aware of an integration of these sounds and her visual fields. The complexity of the images increased. Soon she was visualizing complex scenes from a very foreign world. It was a military world, familiar yet unfamiliar. The complex nature of the armaments and the variety of space ships was in contrast to her traditional naval experience. The discipline and order were familiar. She felt as if she could stay forever in this state. It ended. The visor opened and her present reality returned.
She heard Doc Jules asking her if she was all right. It took a little time for her mind to compose the answer. Doc Jules was saying something about her needing a rest period. She was tired, so tired that her mind seemed numb. She did not want to leave the world that she had been connected to. The doctor's persistent nagging gradually forced her to become more aware. Her thoughts cleared to the point that she could agree with the need for the rest. She allowed them to assist her back to the quarters in the emergency module. As she was helped out of her suit, she noticed the wall clock and realized over 2 hours had passed. She gradually resumed her position of command and began asking for updates on their situation. Doc Jules and Eric-Peter were much more interested in her experience. It took a little while to satisfy each other's concerns and then they allowed her to sleep. The two hour rest seemed to pass instantly. When Doc Jules gently aroused her it took her several minutes to regain her sense of reality.
Doc Jules asked, "Captain, are you sure that you have recovered enough to proceed?"
Captain Brezinski responded, "I feel this horrible urgency so we must move forward. If you think that I am compromising the mission because of my fatigue, you must insist that I rest."
Doc Jules admitted that from a physiological viewpoint she was stable and could proceed. Eric-Peter began reviewing the phase 2 protocol as they helped her back into her suit. She navigated the airlock without assistance and assumed her place. Doc Jules checked his monitoring equipment status and reported everything above minimums. Captain Brezinski told Eric-Peter to proceed.
The visor again closed and Captain Brezinski's world became centered within. She now responded to the verbal commands to move first her feet. The verbal commands were then accompanied by a visual display. She would follow the visual display moving her feet and legs through the virtual reality space. Calibration of her hand and arm motions followed. The specific small hand and finger motions required more time than all of the other motions combined. She advanced to the point where she assumed both the foot and hand controls. Her simple movements through virtual reality were replaced by a flight simulation. She did not understand the engineering or mechanics of the controls. She did understand flying both in the air and in the sea. She adapted quickly and gained control of her simulated ship. As she reached the point of mastering control of the ship in the virtual world she began to sense the tingling sensation.
As in the previous session the tingling progressed to actual pain. She worked hard to ignore the sensation and maintain control of the ship. The pain gradually transitioned to a burning sensation accompanied by the odor of burning flesh. The disgusting smell was more distracting than the pain. The simulation continued and she fought to maintain control. The pain resolved but was replaced by a need to urinate. This urinary urgency increased to the point she was sure that her bladder would burst. Concentrating on maintaining smooth control, when every movement increased the pressure on her bladder, was progressively more difficult. Gradually this urinary urgency was replaced by rectal urgency. She wanted to stop and take a crap in the worst way. She knew t
hat she was about to have a horrible case of diarrhea and if she did not get relief, she would soil her suit. The colonic contractions produced such pain that she broke out in a sweat. She maintained control of her virtual ship only by mentally separating control of the ship from herself.
The pain and urgency resolved and were replaced by a mild sense of hunger. She welcomed the relief this provided. Hunger was soon accompanied by thirst. These senses are not saturated as easily as others. As her sense of hunger and thirst progressed they became an obsession. She was so dry that her skin felt brittle. Thoughts of food and water kept intruding upon her consciousness. The realization that she was dying of hunger and thirst finally caused her to lose control. The sensations vanished.
The flight simulation resumed and she could hear joyous music. As her sense of joy progressed to a near state of euphoria she found it very difficult to avoid over controlling the ship. Gradually the euphoria like state transformed into a state of sexual excitement. She became aware of her breasts and the aroused sensitivity of her nipples. Rhythmic contractions of multiple organisms made her loins ache. Her mind wanted to wander to the almost vacant zone of physical fulfillment. She had never felt such sexual satisfaction and need before. Maintaining control of the ship was as difficult now as it had been during the pain stimulation.
The simulation ended and the visor lifted. She was more aware of her surroundings and responded more normally to Doc Jules nagging questions. When she was satisfied that the ship was stable and Doc Jules was satisfied that she was stable they returned to the habitat. Over 3 hours had passed. After removing the suit Captain Brezinski said, "Now I understand how Tom felt, I need a shower." The warm shower was refreshing but her nipples remained sensitive to the spray of water. Her rest time lacked the drug induced stupor qualities of the first one. She slept only lightly and awoke easily when Doc Jules called.
Captain Brezinski was much stronger and dispensed with the doctors nagging questions and examination quickly. She was more confident despite her failure of maintaining control throughout the simulation. She instinctively knew that it was essential for her to be pushed to failure. The helmet and suit were becoming more comfortable. It was as if they were adapting to her. As they entered through the airlock into "The Guardian" she was pleased to see the first of the repair plates partially covering the large wound in the ship. She resumed her place and after Doc Jules finished playing with his monitors she nodded for Eric-Peter to resume the integration. Phase 3 began.
Captain Brezinski was immersed in a virtual reality as soon as the visor closed. She had control of her ship in a void. She practiced routine maneuvers preparing for the simulated combat that she knew was coming. Her first challenge was an attack drone with limited self defenses. She was provided with technical and tactical information through direct stimulation of her short-term memory. She sorted out possible strategies quickly and moved to the attack. Her goal was total destruction without allowing time for the drone to signal danger to other targets. She maneuvered her ship outside the projected detection zone of the drone. A photon torpedo was selected. The intense electromagnetic energy released would destroy all electrical components immediately and prevent any communication. A complete alignment of the torpedo track and the energy track of the drone was essential to prevent detection by the drone. Captain Brezinski aligned her ship to the rear of the drone and carefully adjusted the ship's attitude until alignment was correct. She felt as much as saw the indicators flashing that the target was locked on. She activated the weapon and launched it instantly. Passive tracking of the torpedo by her instruments followed it until impact. The intense electromagnetic radiation documented destruction of her target.
New adversaries continued to present themselves with ever more complex defensive and offensive weapons. The integration of Captain Brezinski's natural skills and previous training with the tactical and technical information provided by "The Guardian" was producing a potent weapon. The opponents soon exceeded this combined capability. Captain Brezinski felt pain as her ship was damaged. She could smell the smoke of the fire. Control of the ship became increasingly difficult and she attempted to retreat. Her screen and all sensory input went blank with the destruction of her ship. The lack of input produced a sense of loneliness that was so intense that she would have much preferred the previous simulations of pain. After an unknown amount of time the simulation began again. This time she better understood her limitations and knew that buying time was the best she could do.
She began a game of cat and mouse with the more powerful opponent. She was the mouse. She flirted with danger by entering into sensor range. The ship had to use resources and divert from its mission in an attempt to neutralize her. She kept pestering the larger ship much like black birds will pester a crow. Finally her opponent began to ignore her incursions and continued on its mission. Her weapons were not powerful enough to overpower the main protective shield. Her technical information revealed that the control thrusters created tunnels in the shield energy. She waited until a thruster became active and fired her phazer bank into the tunnel that was created. At the speed of light an explosion within the thruster produced enough damage to slightly limit the ship's performance. The simulation ended. There was no reward for a job well done. She knew intuitively she had done her best.
The next simulation began with a similar scenario. This time her opponents mission was defined; a large population center with significant manufacturing capabilities was to be destroyed. Her mission was to prevent this destruction. She began her attack as before. The superiority of her opponent's defensive systems allowed for a much shorter game of cat and mouse. The ship ignored her incursions and continued on its mission of destruction. Captain Brezinski was unable to detect a significant weakness in the ship's defense shield. Her attempts at delaying were not working. Her analysis revealed that only the combined energy of all weapons plus the impact energy of her ship would be enough to penetrate the shield and produce significant damage. She made her decision. She armed all weapons systems and began accelerating to full power. She aimed her ship at the aft starboard control thruster. As she neared the energy shield she fired her entire arsenal as quickly as possible. Her most potent weapons made only a minuscule hole in the shield. It was enough for her to penetrate with her ship at high velocity. Classical Newtonian physics then prevailed. Her ship collided with the massive opponent transferring its momentum to the area of impact. The resultant explosion of her energy system contributed to the destruction of the control thruster. Unlike her first failure the destruction of her ship did not result in blankness. She felt as if she was continuing. Her sensory input seemed to expand. Definitive objects could not be identified but she became aware of an expanded sensory world. The feeling was not unpleasant.
Captain Brezinski was aware of herself only after she was presented with a menu of options. She realized that she had passed onto the next level of training. The options ranged from solo combat, to battle command and had topics such as fifth dimensional navigation. She chose a category of Battle Command. The simulation placed her in command of a small fleet in confrontation with a similar size opponent. She no longer had to control her individual ship. Instead she was required to visualize the group has a whole. The initial simulations were relatively simple and progressed slowly. She was reminded of the submarine simulations of her command training. The complexity built rapidly as did the speed of decision-making. She was receiving input on the status and capability of her own ships and estimations of her opponents. She felt a loss of each ship almost as a physical pain. As the battle progressed the stimulation increased in speed and quantity. She soon was struggling to keep up. Suddenly everything went white and she lost consciousness.
Doc Jules was becoming increasingly concerned because of the Captain's rapid heart rate with a rising blood pressure. He had no idea when Captain Brezinski was experienci
ng. He knew her body was responding to an immense stress. He was about to have Eric-Peter stop the integration session when Captain Brezinski developed clonic contractions suggesting a grand mal seizure. As Captain Brezinski's body went rigid Eric-Peter discontinued the integration protocol. Doc Jules began trying to support Captain Brezinski's extremities to prevent injury during her violent contractions. There was no way to evaluate her airway much less protect it. As soon as the violent thrashing subsided, he and Eric-Peter half carried half dragged her through the airlock and back to the emergency habitat. Doc Jules struggled out of his helmet and suit as quickly as he could while Eric-Peter supported the Captain's head. Doc Jules then removed the helmet from Captain Brezinski. She was pale with very blue lips but still breathing some. He grabbed the angle of her jaw and pulled forward. By moving her jaw forward he opened the air passage behind her tongue. Her breathing came much easier and her color gradually improved. Eric-Peter worked to remove the space suit. Doc Jules used his emergency kit to provide supplemental oxygen. He started an IV. Captain Brezinski responded to the pain of the needle stick. Before Doc Jules could inject her with a strong sedative to prevent further seizures, she started talking. Doc Jules was poised with his sedative, ready to push her back to a state of unconsciousness. He decided to listen and see if she was rational before proceeding. She was trying to say something about not being ready to assume command of a fleet. She was becoming coherent and Doc Jules decided to keep his medicine at the ready, but to give her a chance to recover on her own.
Doc Jules realized that the Captain was actually laughing as she explained her foolishness in attempting to jump from command of a single ship to command of a battle fleet. Despite the seizure she no longer had the tremendous fatigue that was evident on the first phase and to a lesser extent on the second phase of integration. Doc Jules tried to explain the nature of the post ictal phase that follows a seizure. Captain Brezinski was not acting post ictal. Despite her five hours of simulator work and a major seizure she appeared strong. Doc Jules was at a loss to explain his findings. Captain Brezinski said, "During the first phase it felt as if I was being drained. The second phase was much more demanding, but I did not experience as much of the mental draining. This last phase obviously exceeded my limits but instead of feeling drained it was as if I was being nourished."
Doc Jules insisted on a four-hour rest period prior to resuming her training. Captain Brezinski knew better than to argue. She rested and possibly even slept some. Her mind was busy analyzing the power that existed with the interface. Working in synergy with "The Guardian" produced a "runners high" that exceeded anything she had experienced before. Her concern for the danger that they had been warned of did not diminish, but her confidence in meeting the challenge had grown significantly. If only they had enough time to finish their preparations.