Josh Martin: Space Commander

CHAPTER 1

F
riday night was the only night Josh Martin dreaded. It was family dinner night, and he was forced to sit at the table enduring inane small talk for nearly an hour before he was released to the sanctuary of his room and the bliss of online gaming. Tonight was different, however, since it would be the beginning of his campaign of good behavior aimed at prying the keys to one of the family’s cars out of his father’s hands.
He needed a car for his date with Carolyn Forrest. He’d been asking her out for the last month, but she always had some excuse for turning him down. She finally said ‘yes’ after algebra class on Thursday, and in a little over a week all of his dreams would come true. He sat down next to his little brother, George and greeted his parents.
“Hi Mom, Dad. What’s for dinner?”
His mother returned from the kitchen range with a platter of barbequed ribs. “Your Father’s favorite tonight. He’s got an important announcement to make,” she said. She smiled that special conspiratorial smile only lovers know, and her husband returned the unspoken communication.
Josh knew such behavior always preceded something he didn’t want to hear. What adults considered good news was often disastrous for teens. Oh God, what now? This stuff always means something nerdy’s going to happen, Josh thought.

“After we say Grace, darling,” his father replied.
The mandatory rote prayer finished, and the family turned its attention to the head of the table.
Warren Martin leaned back in his chair smiling broadly. “Well, you’re looking at Universal Life’s top salesman in the southeast district for the last quarter.”
Good for you, Dad, but so what?
This news producing no spontaneous joyful response, Warren continued, “First of all, that means a nice bonus in the next paycheck, but best of all, the quarterly awards conference will be at Walt Disney World in Florida.”
George squealed with glee, but Josh was not impressed. The family visited the theme park three years ago. It was fun then, but he’d outgrown it.
“When are we going? When are we going?” George pleaded.
“That’s the best part,” Warren said. “A week from tomorrow.”
“That’s great!” George said.
“Jeez Dad, I can’t go then,” Josh said.
“Why not?” his mother asked.
“I’ve got a date next Saturday night. I’ve been asking this girl out for weeks, and she finally said yes. I can’t go.”
“If she said yes now, she’ll say yes again, son. This opportunity is here and now,” his father said.
“I’m sure she’ll understand once you explain it to her,” his mother added.
“I’ve outgrown Disney World, Dad. Can’t I stay here while you guys go?”
Warren looked at his wife who shook her head emphatically to reinforce his own opinion of the request. “I’m sorry, but that’s not an option. Besides, you need to be there to take care of your little brother while your mother and I are busy at company functions. We’re all going, and that’s final. Now eat your dinner.”

CHAPTER 2

T
he drive from Savannah to Orlando took over six hours due to George’s required stops for restrooms and snacks. The hotel at least had a big swimming pool, and Josh took advantage of the afternoon sun and warm water while his parents unpacked. He needed something to soften the blow of shepherding his little brother through the Magic Kingdom while they attended the first banquet on their schedule.
As he sunned himself on a chaise lounge, he studied the clientele. It was mostly sub-teen kids and their parents. Not one hot babe in sight. What a waste of time. When I think of what I could be doing tonight if I was back home. Oh Carolyn, I sure hope you don’t give up on me because of this. She seemed to be okay with it, but you never know about girls. Instead of hanging out with her I’ll be standing in line with my little brother waiting for a dumb ride.
His mother’s voice interrupted his thoughts. “Come in now, Josh. It’s time for you to get ready to take your brother to the Magic Kingdom.”
“Okay, I’m coming.” He followed his mother back to the hotel rooms and dressed for the afternoon. George was already anxious to get to the rides.
“Hey Bro, make it quick. The lines are a mile long this time of day.”
“Take it easy. We’ve got all weekend.” Josh didn’t feel like he really needed a shower, but he took one just to torment his brother.
* * * * * *
The bus dropped Josh and George off at the entrance to the Magic Kingdom, and George immediately made his preferences known.
“Let’s get over to Space Mountain first. I don’t care much about the other stuff, but I don’t want to miss that, and the lines are always long.”
“Whatever you want.” Josh escorted his brother through the shops and stores of Main Street USA to Tomorrowland where the line for Space Mountain was every bit as long as they’d expected.
“Look at that! We’ll be here for hours,” Josh said.
“It goes fast. Come on, get in line.”
As they stood there Buzz Lightyear came up to entertain the waiting crowd.
“Over here, Buzz!” George shouted, and the character responded immediately. He shook George’s hand and posed with him while Josh snapped a picture with his cell phone. Josh was surprised when the character spoke to him.
“You look very bored. Here, take this and pin it on your shirt. It’ll make the ride much more enjoyable.” He handed him a simple pin much like a political campaign button. Instead of some politician’s picture it bore a black circle with mouse ears on a white background. He stared at it while Buzz moved on to other patrons.
“What’d he give you?” George grabbed for the button, but Josh pulled it away.
“Just a dumb button.”
“Give it to me!”
“No, he gave it to me, and I’m keeping it.” Josh didn’t really want the button, but he enjoyed teasing his brother about it too much to let him have it.
“Why didn’t he give me one?”
“I don’t know. Maybe you’re too young?”
George turned away to sulk. “That’s okay, I’ll buy one in the gift shop.”
Josh pinned the button on his shirt and shuffled forward in the line until it was their turn to board the ride.
“Oh, I see Buzz gave you one of our special buttons,” the cast member seating them pointed to Josh’s button.
“Yeah, do I get a special discount, or something?”
The cast member laughed. “No, but I think you’ll enjoy the ride much more.”
Josh didn’t notice him pressing a button on the side of the sled as it moved away from the boarding area.
The sled seemed to accelerate to a phenomenal speed. Streaks of red and blue light flashed past as they sped toward a white glare. Josh looked where his brother should have been, but he was alone. What’s going on here? This can’t be part of the ride. Something’s wrong.
Suddenly, the kaleidoscope of color vanished, and he found himself in a scene out of a science fiction movie. Men and women in futuristic uniforms worked consoles and moved about the room in a businesslike manner. A large screen in front of him showed a pattern of stars on a black background. Am I dreaming? Did I fall asleep? How could I? This ride really shakes you up. There’s no way I could be asleep, but what’s this if it isn’t a dream?
He looked at his hands and saw his father’s hands. He was also in the same type uniform as the others, yet he was doing nothing while they were busy performing whatever tasks they were responsible for. One of the men approached him and spoke. “Commander, the ship is on course for Gabba Three as you ordered. Is there anything else?”
How is it I know this guy’s name? He’s my Executive Officer, Bob Blake. What do I tell him? Oh well, do what they do on the TV shows. “That’s all for now. Carry on.”
“Yes, sir.” He turned and took his seat at one of the consoles.
I’m the commander of a space ship. I wonder what kind it is? He studied the buttons on his chair’s armrests and found he knew what each one was for. This is really weird! I think this one’ll tell me what I’m the commander of. He touched the button pad, and the screen changed to show the profile of a large spaceship. The caption read, “Royal Truvian Space Force Battle Cruiser Ares.”
Oh my God! This is some kind of warship. He touched the button pad again, and the screen changed to a display of the ship’s weaponry. The list included: four 100 gigawatt laser cannon, sixteen 250 megawatt photon guns, 100 half-megaton multi-guidance missiles, 300 space mines, six FA-493 fighter craft and three shuttle craft. Wow! What power!
He touched the button pad again, and this time it showed the ship’s crew roster. Each group’s listing showed the total number of personnel authorized, the number aboard and a summary of their status. The flying group was fully manned, but 20% of them were on sick call. The missile group was only 90% staffed, but only one man was ill. A company of Royal Marines was aboard totaling six officers and 108 enlisted men.
Another touch produced a listing of the ship’s systems. He selected propulsion, and a diagram of the engines appeared showing all sub-systems running normally. He continued through several other screens he didn’t understand until the star pattern returned.
Awesome! This is better than any computer game. Maybe I should try some stuff? He was about to experiment when the Executive Officer approached again.
“Sir, we just received a message from Royal Space Force Headquarters. It’s on channel five.”
Josh looked at his controls again and found the button for the communications screen. In short order a stern face appeared.
“This is Admiral Goodwin. The Princess Ariadne has been kidnapped by the Dilurian pirates. They are holding her for ransom on their home planet of Dilura. Your assignment is to rescue the Princess and destroy the pirates. I regret we are unable to release any other warships to assist you in this mission. Time is of the essence. The pirates have threatened to kill her unless the ransom is paid within seven Dilurian days. Good luck.”
The screen went blank. Josh sat for a moment staring at the dead display. What am I supposed to do about that? I’m not a spaceship commander. I don’t even know how I got here in the first place. Executive Officer Blake broke in.
“Shall I set course for Dilura, sir?”
I gotta stop this now. “Hey, you guys, I’m not your commander. I’m Josh Martin. I’m just a kid. I don’t know anything about this stuff.” He swept his hands across the consoles and displays on what he now knew was the bridge.
Blake looked at him calmly. “It’s all right, Commander. We understand, but this is no time for one of your tantrums. We’ve been assigned a very important mission, and we need to get going. Might I suggest a staff meeting?”
“No, you don’t understand. I’m just on a silly ride at Disney World. I’m only sixteen years old. I can’t do this.”
The click of keyboards grew silent as all the crew on the bridge turned to stare at him. Blake continued. “You wear the badge of the royal space force and the insignia of a Commander in that force. You’ve commanded this ship for the last four years. Snap out of it, sir!” He pointed to Josh’s chest, and Josh followed his finger to the badge. It was a silver circle with mouse ears. He leaned close to Josh and whispered in his ear. “You have a great crew. Call a staff meeting to develop a plan of action. Meanwhile, we can start for Dilura. Just tell the helmsman to set the course.”
Oh my God! This is wild. I guess I’d better play along with this for a while. What would Captain Kirk say? I got it. “Okay, helmsman, set a course for Dilura.”
“Yes, sir,” a man at a nearby console responded.
That was pretty easy, now for the other part. “I call a staff meeting now in…” He turned to Blake and whispered, “Where?”
Blake responded in a whisper, “The briefing room, sir.”
“In the briefing room.” Once more he consulted Blake, “Where’s that?”
“Follow me, sir.”
Blake led him to a conference room and indicated his chair. Josh sat, and Blake sat next to him. The other officers filed in and took their seats. All eyes turned toward Josh. What am I supposed to say? What would I do if this were a computer game? I know. “What do we know about these Dilurian pirates?”
A female officer at the other end of the table rose. She pointed a device at a screen, and a map appeared. “Sir, this is a map of the area around the pirate’s stronghold. As you can see, it’s situated on a large island in the middle of one of the planet’s oceans. Dilura is a very primitive planet. The people have not progressed much beyond their bronze age. The pirates are originally from Festa, but they were forced to leave when the government there outlawed piracy. They came here and enslaved the native people of this island. The slaves work the farms which supply the pirates with most of their food. They import the things they can’t grow. I should say they steal them. They prey on merchant shipping for most of their needs and for money to buy what they can’t capture. They’re a treacherous, evil lot with no morals at all.” She sat down.
Blake spoke up. “What is their military capability?”
A young officer seated on Josh’s right rose and changed the display. “Sir, they have ten converted merchant ships armed with mid-power laser cannon and short range missiles. They attack merchants with three or more ships causing them to surrender their cargo rather than risk a fight. They are no match for any warship larger than a destroyer.”
“Could they do us any damage?” Josh asked.
“If they attacked with their full force, they could overwhelm our defensive systems until we destroyed at least four of them. In that time they could cause some minor damage. It’s very doubtful they would have their entire fleet available at any one time. Maintenance problems and ships deployed to intercept freighters probably cut the home fleet down considerably.”
“Where would they be holding the princess?” Josh asked.
A more senior officer rose to answer that question. “In my opinion they wouldn’t be holding her on their orbital docking station. It’s pretty primitive, being a captured freighter converted into a dock. I’d say they’d have her at their fortress on the island. They keep a contingent of pirates there at all times in case of attack from the sea. It’s a pretty formidable installation. They have some heavy laser cannon and numerous short range missiles in their arsenal.”
Josh found himself feeling more and more comfortable in the situation. He didn’t have to know anything. All he had to do was ask the other officers for inputs. Hey, why don’t they just pay off the pirates? “How much ransom are these pirates asking for?” he said.
A junior officer answered. “One billion credits, sir.”
“Jeez, that’s peanuts for any big government. What’s the big deal?”
Blake leaned close to him. “Sir, if the King’s Council wanted to pay it, they would have done that by now. We have to find some other approach.”
Okay, so they won’t pay up. We’ll just go in there and blast ‘em. “I guess we’ll just have to attack as soon as we get there,” Josh said.
“It’s not that easy,” Blake said.
“Why’s that? We’ve got ‘em outgunned from what you guys tell me,” Josh said.
“The pirates have threatened to execute the princess if we attack,” Blake said. “We can’t risk it.”
There must be some way to get to those bozos. “What do they want the money for?”
The room fell silent as everyone turned to stare at Josh. The older officer was the first to comment. “That’s a good question.”
“I never thought of that,” another said.
“I don’t suppose they have any kind of retirement plan they’re saving for,” the female said, drawing a ripple of laughter from the staff.
“They definitely need to buy fuel for their ships plus missiles and gases for their cannons,” a balding officer commented.
“I also understand the pirates are very fond of pork, and there are no pigs on Dilura. It has to be imported,” another officer added.
“Why couldn’t they import some pigs and raise their own meat?” Josh asked.
This caused a sidebar conference between the female officer and another young officer. The rest of the staff watched and waited for the result. The female officer finally spoke.
“Sir, they tried that once and the native slaves wouldn’t care for the pigs. They were deathly afraid of the animals for some reason.”
Hey, I’ve seen this plot before in movies. We sneak in disguised as something else and free the princess while our ship destroys the pirates. Maybe pork’s the key. Wait a minute, we can’t go in as canned hams. What could we do? Maybe if I suggest something, the staff’ll figure out the details for me.
“We can use the pork thing to get the job done.” Josh said. “We send in a small group posing as pork traders and arrange for the sale of a shipload of pork. The agents could find out where the princess is and come up with a way to rescue her.”
“Good idea,” the older officer said. “The pork would have to go to the island. They wouldn’t leave it on the orbital dock. We could hide our marines in the shipping containers, and they could attack after they reach the island.”
“Won’t it be cold inside those containers?” Josh asked.
“That’s no problem. They could wear cold weather gear, and they’d only have to be in the containers for a short while,” another officer said.
“I think you’ve got something there, Commander,” the older officer said. “We send a delegation to the pirates aboard a civilian ship to negotiate the pork deal. They find the princess and work out a plan to keep her safe. We load the marines aboard the freighter. When our agents on the island tell us they’re ready, we send in the pork ship with the marines aboard. The marines land and start blasting the pirates while this ship takes care of the home fleet. We destroy their ships and turn our weapons on the island, if needed.”