Frontier's Reach: A Space Opera Adventure (Frontiers Book 1) by Robert James (beach read TXT) 📗

of buttons, the feel of the lever. It brought back good memories.

In the distance, something appeared before them.

“Slow us down, Jason.”

He did as Tyler ordered, bringing the old cargo ship to a full stop in front of the anomaly ahead of them. No one said a word as they gazed at it in awe. Large spirals of purple and red-colored energy shot from the center of a black aperture.

“It’s…a hole.” Jason had seen nothing like it and wagered nobody else on the bridge had either. It seemed a recurring theme of the day.

“What do you see on the scanners, Conrad?” Tyler asked his uncle. “Something a little more scientific would be helpful.”

Althaus was clearly baffled. “I, uh—”

Jason turned. “Perhaps, Professor Petit, you’d be so good as to look for us?”

Althaus offered him his seat.

Petit smiled in appreciation and sat at the console. “Well, we’ve definitely come to the source of the Iota particles.”

“But what is it exactly?” Marquez asked.

Petit prodded at the controls before him. “Difficult to tell, but from what I can determine with the scanners and the naked eye, we’re observing an energy vortex of some kind. And it’s shrinking.”

“Shrinking?” Tyler said.

“Yes, and quickly.”

“The Iota particles,” Jason said. “They have a half-life. Once they’ve decayed, they’re gone.”

“Just like the vortex,” Petit added.

“So, are you’re saying this vortex was at Nebula TPA-338 and at Frontier’s Reach?” Marquez asked.

“That seems most likely.”

“Okay, but that still doesn’t tell us what it is?”

“No, it doesn’t,” Jason said. “But it would seem to confirm that it has something to do with the Seekers’ ships.”

“Is there anything else we can do to make any more determinations?” Tyler asked the professor.

He shrugged. “No offence, but I’m dealing with near obsolete scanners here. Perhaps if we got closer, I could to take more detailed readings.”

Althaus glanced warily at Tyler.

But Jason’s brother had a determined gaze. “Jason. Take us closer. One-eighth thrust. Nice and steady.”

Jason smiled. When he’d walked onto the Argo, he hadn’t known whether Tyler would punch him or hug him. It had grown over the months to be something in between. Their relationship had come so far, and their bond had strengthened to the point that Tyler was now doing everything he could for Jason to solve this mystery.

“Aye, Captain.” He put in the commands, and the rear thrusters fired, setting the cargo ship on its way.

The tendrils of energy burst from the center of the hole and pulsated as if waves smashing down on a beach at high tide. It was the most beautiful sight Jason had ever seen.

The ship shook around them. “I’m getting a lot of disturbance here,” Jason said.

“Are the scanners giving you any more data?” Tyler asked Petit.

The professor’s eyes darted between all the monitors on the operations console, doing his best to take it all in. “I’m detecting huge amounts of energy being generated from the center of the vortex. However—”

Before he finished his sentence, the Argo rocked hard from side to side.

“Jason, full reverse now!” his brother ordered.

The shaking of the ship reverberated throughout the bridge. Jason’s hands wouldn’t move.

“Jason!”

“We’re caught in an energy wake!” Petit said.

Everyone around the bridge grasped hold of something.

“Jason!” Tyler howled at him again.

Jason snapped out of whatever daze he was in and tugged the thrust lever into full reverse.

But it was too late.

“The forward thrusters are firing, but there’s no reverse movement. We’re being pulled in! I’m going to try the port thrusters!” If Jason couldn’t haul the ship away, he might be able to veer her off. “Firing thrusters now!”

The power of the Argo fought back, her hull clanging and screeching against the force of the giant anomaly. But it was of no use; the hold at the center of the vortex got greater and greater. The ship turned on its axis and spun towards it.

The shuddering was unbearable. Jason’s teeth jangled. He clutched at the helm and covered his eyes. The brightness of the purple and red energy tendrils nearly blinded him.

“Brace for impact!” Tyler roared.

But the impact never came.

Only darkness.

Twenty-Seven

Jason’s stomach grumbled, and a searing pain shot up his neck.

He opened his eyes to the view of the helm console before him.

The vortex…

The bridge was concealed in darkness with the odd flicker of light emanating from the display monitors. From the shadows, everyone appeared to be unconscious. Tyler, Althaus, and Petit, were slumped in their seats, while behind the captain’s chair Marquez lay on the deck.

Jason activated his commband. “Jason to Aly. Can you hear me? Kevin, come in. Is anyone on the ship receiving?”

Nothing.

He stood and walked over to Tyler to check his pulse. He was alive. As was everyone else he examined. He returned to the helm to establish their position, but found it difficult with the scanners down. The rotating starfield out the viewport however told him the Argo was spinning through space.

He put his hands on the controls and punched the maneuvering thrusters. He fired them one by one. It took a few minutes, but he set the Argo back on its normal axis.

A groan made him jump and he turned to Captain Marquez picking himself off the deck.

“You okay? Jason asked him.

“Yeah,” The captain said, groggily. “What about everyone else?”

“Still unconscious.”

“What happened to us?”

“Well, I don’t know about you, but the last thing I remember was the Argo being pulled into the vortex. I must’ve blacked out after that.”

“Me, too.” Marquez approached the helm. “So, where are we?”

Jason got another fright as the lights on the bridge flickered on. He glanced toward the hatchway where Aly stood with her hands inside an open terminal.

“A little warning would’ve been nice,” he said to her.

“You’ll live.” Aly walked over to the systems station.

“What’s the damage down in the engine room?”

“That’s a good question.” Aly surveyed the monitors as they blinked to life. “I haven’t been there yet. The last thing I remember was finding quarters for the Marines before waking up with my head smashed against the deck plating.”

She got a fright of her