Hey everybody.
For all those who have to work over summer rather than go on holidays: here is chapter 19 of HelgeK's Farnham's Legend.
Again for our new readers, FL is the background story to X - Beyond the Frontier and has been translated from German to English in a mutual effort of a number of people that call the x universe and this forum their second home.
But that is enough babbling from me, here is ch19.
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One day the sun will rise. warm and bright. It will not be just any sun, it will be the lovely yellow star we all desire deep in our heart. We will be looking into the blue sky of our ancestors and we will feel with every fibre we belong here, that we have found again our place in the universe. Then and only then can our people be at one and leave the adolescence of our kind behind.
Guardian (21,7): Fran Foster
Book of Truth
The old Goner had very little time to tell Brennan their plan as he stumbled into him. "We have constructed a replica of your craft," he whispered in the Old Tongue as he disentangled himself. "This we will collide with a suitable bang with a captured Xenon fighter in the next sector. While all eyes are turned an Argon Transporter will take you onboard and smuggle you to safety."
.
If the plan succeeded Brennan would be dead to all of the Federation of Planets. The Goner just had time to pass on a few more details before the Paranid guards intervened and forcibly escorted him from the premises.
It was a plan full of unknowns, such as the co-ordinates of rendezvous points, and Brennan was unclear about the actual sequence of events. Back on Earth they would have rehearsed such a mission until everyone could perform their duties in their sleep but now he'd have to wing it on the basis of his skill, experience and intuition.
Beggars can't be choosers Brennan shrugged, looking around at the Paranid fleet surrounding the X-Shuttle.
"Well, here goes the same old plan," he muttered and slammed the engines to full power. He was riding his luck but the Paranid had refuelled his reactor and there would never be a better time. The X-Shuttle leapt through the escort formation.
"Incoming transmission." Valerie announced and opened a communications window on screen to show one of the Three-Eyes.
"Kulmanckarsat here," he stated tersely. He must be really pissed, Brennan grinned, to not quote the endless trail of pompous titles the Paranid seemed to drag around with them. "Take immediately your assigned position in the convoy, or we SHALL open fire."
"After I've gone through all this trouble? That would be a crying shame don't you think?"
The X-Shuttle broke free of the formation.
"Thanks for the friendly offer but I've decided to head off for Argon Prime without an escort." He almost cut the channel but stopped. "And just a little something to chew on. Ten divided by three is Pi, approximately. Think about it!"
'Well at least I know what a perplexed Paranid looks like,' he grinned as he closed the connection.
"Valerie, project our course on Tactical."
His trajectory took them close to the sun, dangerously close, insanely close to the corona in fact. The sort of course only a madman would set and he was counting on that to win whatever time and space the Goner needed to implement their plan.
He nudged the throttle forward, squeezing every last gram of thrust from the shuttle's straining engines. On a straight course the inertia compensators functioned flawlessly and the Podkletnov Aggregates generated a fluctuation free gravity field, making for a smooth ride. By the time the pursuing Paranid fleet opened fire the X was so far ahead he could dispense with his usual wild, evasive gyrations and just plough on straight ahead.
Transiting near a sun's corona was not a routine event even for an experienced spacer like Brennan and he'd always wondered what it would be like to see a solar flare, close up and personal. But not this time, he was pretty certain his weak shields would crumble at the first kiss of one of those solar blowtorches. Some other time perhaps!
The gravity of the looming star slowly took a firm hold on the tiny craft, accelerating it on a parabolic arc around its furnace mass towards his target jump-gate. The Paranid fleet and the space station vanished behind the huge sun's horizon and a surprise awaited Brennan on the far side of the furnace. Near the jump-gate stood one of the big Argon Transporters but his Gravidar also showed something much more interesting. A small object, travelling at an extreme velocity was practically skimming the burning corona below him.
Brennan whistled, impressed. Its shields must have been incredibly strong to survive the fierce temperatures and titanic magnetic fields that close to the blazing fire of the star. The ship was moving on a mirror course to himself, using the sun's gravity to get a slingshot effect to further boost its speed. 'The Swing-By Manoeuvre' they called it back in the Flight Academy, it was centuries old but no one to Brennan's knowledge had ever pulled it off so close, less than three million klicks, to the surface of a sun.
Without being asked Valerie projected the course and speed of the object, overlaying a yellow marker over its position in the Gravidar. With the slingshot speed boost the ghost ship and if he survived, the maniac flying it would reach the jump-gate a few minutes before him, travelling at the same sort of speed the X-Shuttle could hit.
'I get it!" Brennan murmured. "Valerie, run a comparative data analysis of this ship and the lunatic down there, just to be sure." She ran the data in columns side by side; they were almost a perfect match in size and shape. Even the exhaust flame indicated a crude matter/anti matter propulsion system, although the limited sensors of the X-Shuttle could not verify that for certain, and he would be willing to bet the hull composition matched his own ship, give or take.
By now the tiny ship's outer hull was beginning to glow and amber red and the speed with which it was wrenching itself from the grip of the low solar orbit indicated to Brennan it must be unmanned. That settled it - this was the ship that the Goner, possibly in league with the Argon, had smuggled into this system to fake his death in some sort of collision beyond the gate.
Which meant that the real X-Shuttle couldn't travel through it too; hence the Transporter crawling towards the gate at a pace that would ensure the doppelganger would pass through long before. The Argon Transporter was not as large as some of the hulking hulls he'd seen but it was larger than the Teladi Phoenix and would have no trouble taking his ship onboard. The only question was - how to match relative velocities. Compared to the speed the X-Shuttle was shifting at, the Transporter was practically standing still. Even if the X could turn and brake with its main engine, without breaking apart, he'd overshoot.
Brennan set Valerie to running scenarios and he settled on one that would bring the X-Shuttle down to a manoeuvrable speed just beyond the gate, able to backtrack to his ride. She calculated the whole thing would take about two hours. There was a risk that someone would spot the manoeuvre even though they were on the other side of the sun but it was a calculated risk. He'd prefer to discuss the plan with the Transporter first but breaking the communications blackout would only worsen the odds.
He did not even want to think that he might have got the wrong end of a very messy stick and the corona-cruising ship below was skimming that fiery hell just for kicks.
The decoy ship went through the gate with its hull still glowing like a hotplate someone had forgotten to turn off and the interplay of the chaotic blue and glowing pearl energies of the jump with the ominous red of the cooling hull fascinated Brennan in a curious way, like he was watching his own destruction. But the spell only held for a few short seconds before the duplicate vanished
The Argon Transporter held a course indifferent to his manoeuvrings as he approached it, confirming in his mind that it was part of the plan. At four hundred metres, close enough to read its name, the rear cargo bay yawned open. AP Aladna Hill, he assumed the 'AP' stood for Argon Prime, confirming his suspicion of Argon involvement in the brazen scheme.
As Valerie guided the X-Shuttle towards the gaping landing bay the Transporter began to accelerate and although the course and velocity corrections were child's play to his computer Brennan found flying between the exhaust flames of five thrusters an experience he did not wish to repeat.
Within half an hour the X settled on its landing gear in a capacious hold. Brennan ordered Valerie to stay alert, although even he felt he might be being a little too cautious. The cargo bay itself was both familiar and strange at the same time. Its dimensions seemed in the correct proportions, doors and equipment seemed to be the right size for humans, not squat like for Teladi, and the colours were friendly and warm. Only the air was not as fresh and pleasant as he had experienced with the Teladi and Paranid but even that held a somehow familiar tinge as he jumped down from the cockpit with less than his usual athletic élan. The weeks cooped up in the narrow confines had taken its toll and as he climbed unsteadily to his feet he found himself looking into the round, smiling face of a woman.
Her blonde hair may have been shot through with grey but she positively crackled with energy. Another woman with long blonde hair stood a couple of respectful paces behind her.
"Welcome on board the Aladna Hill. I am Captain Lona Brant."
Brennan nodded a bow and reached for the Argon woman's hand.
"Captain Kyle William Brennan from the X."
She shook his hand. "Ninu Gardna, Cargo Master of the Aladna." she said, introducing the other woman. She stepped forward and extended her hand.
"Your ship doesn't look like a load of Nostrop Oil but that's what my records will say," she smiled. "So long as you don't change me into Nostrop Oil." Brennan smiled, shaking the woman's hand and taking in her fine looks with an appreciative glance.
"Only if we have no other choice!" The Cargo Master shook her head and laughed.
"Captain," said Lona Brant, "I'm dying to hear your story but after what you've been through I'm guessing you want to freshen up first?"
"A few more hours won't really make much difference now," Brennan shrugged.
Brant and Gardna exchanged puzzled glances.
"Hours? I... we measure our time in Stazuras. Actually I shouldn't be surprised, Ninu claimed you come from Earth but up until now I always thought that was all just a children's tale."
She hesitated. "But be that as it may. Captain, we have prepared a cabin for you on board. Just relax, you're safe here, we have thought of everything."
Brennan doubted if it was really possible to anticipate all eventualities but he nodded.
"Thanks, I really appreciate it. And I was very impressed with the precision of your manoeuvring."
"We impressed ourselves too." Brant smiled thinly.
"I hope someone anticipated all the health and safety needs of Special Agent Ban Danna too?"
"Ban Danna, who's that?"
Brennan's brow furrowed with surprise. "An agent of the Secret Service from Argon Prime. I thought this action was being done in collaboration with it?"
The Captain's surprise mirrored his own.
"No, planning and coordination was explicitly ordered by and organised through Noah Gaffelt from Cloud Base and the Crisis Committee of the Guardians. They moved Heaven and Hell and might even have roped in the CEO of the Teladi Trading Company."
She touched Ninu's arm apologetically. "I wouldn't have credited the Goners with being so efficient if I hadn't been involved either."
Ninu's just smiled.
Captain Brant nodded and turned again towards Brennan.
"Captain, perhaps we can carry on this discussion later in more detail. For now, take a break, you've probably earned it!"
"I think you're probably right," Brennan said. "Many thanks Captain Brant."
"It's my pleasure Captain," the older woman replied. "Please follow me, I'll show you to your quarters."
After what he'd been through the next few days jumping from gate to gate were almost like a holiday. Hot showers, sharp razors and a soft mattress on which he could stretch out and sleep - real luxury!
The Aladna Hill travelled unmolested through the Divine Realm of the Paranid, beyond a few cargo scans by Sector Patrol fighters. Their instruments confirmed what the cargo manifest stated. An enormous quantity of the finest Nostrop Oil for sector Cloud Base South East, thanks to a secret device of Boron invention. "A Cargo Cloak," Ninu Gardna said. She did not explain how it had managed to fall into their hands but as the days went by there was plenty of time for long conversations with the rest of the crew and he was able to piece together a lot of answers to his many other questions.
"Let me see if I've got this right." He was on the expansive bridge of the Transporter with Captain Lona Brant; the First Officer, Hal Nedrong; the Engineer; Veithman Wolsh and Ninu Gardna.
The Government of Argon Prime decided on a Year Zero to forget about the Argon origins on Earth?"
They all nodded agreement.
"And those that didn't agree called themselves the Goners, and they are now just a small and dwindling group?"
"Originally they called themselves Gunners, with a 'U' and a double 'N'," corrected Ninu.
"Okay, and for five hundred Jazuras, almost six hundred terran years, your scientists researched the principles of Jump Gates and Jump Drives but have been unable to master them. Why?"
"Why?" Said Veithman Wolsh, the tall, broad shouldered Argon Engineer with tight curled red hair. "Singularity technology is mathematically and technically extremely complex."
"But on Earth, developing Jump Gate technology took no more than two hundred years from the beginning of the Space Age. The Community consists of... how many, three or four intelligent species with scientists working in parallel on the same problem?"
"Hm. Perhaps not as much as you might think," interjected Wolsh. "The existing Jump Gates were built for an eternity. The available space within the sectors of the Community is enormous. There is no pressure to do more than keep research ticking over. Besides, there's no credits in it."
"It's not that bad!" stated Ninu. "No, on the contrary, it is worse!" declared Hal Nedrong sourly." Ninu shot a reproachful look at the lanky Argon and said with twinkling eyes. "Hal, I have seen you do many things without payment, or even thanks!"
The First Officer gazed embarrassed to the floor. "That is entirely different..." he began to explain and then just shrugged. Ninu shook her head, cascading her long blonde hair about her face and laughed. "So, Captain Brennan, how much per hour is saving a life worth?"
Brennan found himself momentarily lost in the beautiful Goner's ocean-blue eyes and luxuriated in the soft and gentle fire stirring in his breast before answering.
"My life-saving services don't come cheap but you do get a one year warranty and a Thirty Day Money Back Guarantee if you're not completely satisfied!"
Ninu almost giggled with amusement, Captain Brant and Veithman Wolsh laughed. Even Hal Nedrong's managed a wry narrow smile.
"To return to our discussion," Brennan continued, "And to summarize again, as I understood it, most Argon think the planet Earth is right out of a child's fairy tale and only the Goners think Earth really exists?"
"We not only believe, we know it is so, absolutely without a doubt. Nathan R. Gunne confirmed it himself in the Book of Truth and he is a respected historical person with the Argon," replied Ninu, suddenly getting serious. "After all they are wearing his name too."
"Does this mean Gunne was the founder of the Goner sect?"
"We rather prefer to be called a 'Knowledge Association.' No, Nathan Gunne was not the founder of the Goner, not directly. Only about two hundred years after he died did his great grandchild Nyana Gunne discover his personal diaries. Together with Martinus Sandas she founded a resistance movement against the misinformation of the Argon Prime government. This was during the Great War of the Nations.
Brennan rubbed his smooth shaven chin and glanced out the bridge windows at the bright stars and shimmering nebulae of the Federation. Ahead he could just make out a star gate. "You always say 'we,' you're a Goner I take it, Ms Gardna?"
Ninu looked as if she could not answer him.
"Our Ninu is a genuine border-liner," said Lona Brant with a good-natured smile. "Right?"
"We could not spread the truth if we never meet the people as friends and equals, not missionaries," said Ninu earnestly, without explaining the Captain's comments.
"The first step has been made. But through you, Captain Brennan, the issue could be decided in our favour, once and for all."
"Hey - I thought you liked me for my winning personality, not what I represent?" He tried to put a sulk in his tone but did not quite succeed.
Ninu placed her hand on his shoulder and smiled. "But I do!"
"And me!" boomed Engineer Veithman Wolsh in his deep voice. "The beautiful ship in our cargo bay has nothing at all to do with it!"
"For me the reward posted by Noah Gaffelt was irrelevant, Captain," quipped Lona Brant in the same spirit.
"That fancy pilot's jacket would be good enough for me," growled Hal Nedrong.
Brennan tried to keep a straight face but it shattered into guffaws and the others joined in. Even Ninu managed a broad smile as her hand lingered on his shoulder.
"Gate passage in two Mizuras." Brant said finally, gasping for air and holding her stomach. "Ninu, Veithman, you two shouldn't even be here, your shift ended more than a Stazura ago. Go away and take Captain Brennan with you."
"Yes Ma'am," said Veithman as he stood up. He was taller than Brennan by a head and came across like a good-natured gentle giant. "Come on Ninu."
"I'd like to know more about the Goner," said Brennan to Ninu as they walked the crew deck corridors, Veithman having already taken the turn to his quarters.
"I will tell you more on the next shift, if you like, Captain."
Brennan nodded in agreement as they stopped at the door to his cabin.
"Sleep well, Ninu," he said without being aware of it he had called her by her first name.
"Good night Captain. Oh and ....." she said hesitantly, "I am glad it is you who is here. You as a person and not just what you represent." She had a twinkle in her eyes as she brushed past him on the way to her cabin. For a moment their bodies touched.
"Thank you," murmured Brennan, watching her as she disappeared down the corridor. Then he entered his own spacious and comfortable cabin.
FARNHAMS LEGEND: Chapter 19 - August 2005
Moderators: TheElf, Moderators for English X Forum
Thanks again... I am enjoying this .
So the game is pretty much like the book..ships can outrun weapons fire
He nudged the throttle forward, squeezing every last gram of thrust from the shuttle's straining engines. On a straight course the inertia compensators functioned flawlessly and the Podkletnov Aggregates generated a fluctuation free gravity field, making for a smooth ride. By the time the pursuing Paranid fleet opened fire the X was so far ahead he could dispense with his usual wild, evasive gyrations and just plough on straight ahead.
Cheers/Thrangar
So the game is pretty much like the book..ships can outrun weapons fire
He nudged the throttle forward, squeezing every last gram of thrust from the shuttle's straining engines. On a straight course the inertia compensators functioned flawlessly and the Podkletnov Aggregates generated a fluctuation free gravity field, making for a smooth ride. By the time the pursuing Paranid fleet opened fire the X was so far ahead he could dispense with his usual wild, evasive gyrations and just plough on straight ahead.
Cheers/Thrangar
This isn't actually a typo but proper british English. The omission of the "o" in it is american English.VincentTH wrote:"Thanks, I really appreciate it. And I was very impressed with the precision of your manoeuvring."
spcheck on maneuvering please. I hope this is just KiwiNZ's typo, not the novella text itself.
Good reading, if I failed to mention it earlier.
, wish I had some days to take 
