
Subj : New Beginnings(23)
To   : All
From : Skyhawk #1
Date : Thu Jul 27 1995 23:06:43 PST

                             New Beginnings(23)
                           By Daniel C. Harrison(Skyhawk)
     
     "This wont hurt much. Are you nervous?"
     Candar looked up from the operating table. "I'm scared shitless. Just get
it over with, I have a ship to fly. And I can't do it blind. Try to give me all
the time you can."
     Grayason nodded and stuck the needle in. "This is a little old fashioned
but were going to have to get used to that from now on. You should feel a
lightheadedness then when you wake up, it'll all be over."
     Candar smirked. "I dont like the way you implied that. I'm not ready to go
yet. I'm ready." She ignored the sting of the needle as the drug entered her
body. Almost at once she felt a strange dizziness. Her body involuntarily
relaxed and, she felt as if she were floating. Her breathing began to slow and
she was sucked deeper into the blackness she had entered since she had lost her
vision. Yet, there was something...a light...she turned inwardly toward..a
memory was flickering just out of reach. She drifted toward it becoming a part
of it unwillingly. She was on the deck of a ship..his ship, the "Grand
Creation." Her vision came into focus as she realized, Captain Mark Velfor was
alive again! No! Not alive, for she knew he was dead. On a world
called..Delazar.
     "Candy, get me the readings for this system will you? Those colonists will
be ready to come out of deep freeze pretty soon here and, I don't want to be
stuck explaining why we haven't verified the landing site."
     "Got it, Captain." Candar rechecked the info on her console. According to
preliminary reports, Delazar was an earth type planet. Life was in abundance
but nothing intelligent to worry about. A world free for the taking. The
colonists, all rich people had set out to conquer this world. It had been
discovered only two months ago. It was in all respects, the garden of eden.
Walter Keth one of the wealthiest investors on earth had paid for this trip,
backed by his many supporters. The only ones who werent well to do were the
crew...six of them. Captain Mark Velfor, a seasoned veteran, had been grooming
Candar for command. It was his opinion, she would out do him someday. Being the
Co-pilot, she was his first officer, in charge of all ship personnel and
anything else he didn't want to deal with. Candar liked him. 
     Also on the crew was, Kevin..a young hot shot engineer who so far was
working out pretty well. This was his tenth trip with Candar and, she found him
as competent crewman. With him were, Lorri Shaver, also a top engineer, and
Frank Meeks, an apprentice. He was doing very well considering this was his
second trip. Candar smiled. It was a good crew. The last crewmember she didnt
know at all, Tom Grimes. She had met Tom briefly at a company party years ago,
even danced with him. He had tried to pick up on her but, Candar had learned he
was married and squelched the idea. Nice guy other than that. And, he was a
good aid tech too. His primary job was to monitor the cryo tubes of over 1500
rich bastards who would in short order take the garden of eden and likely
destroy it making as much money as they could exploiting it. Wouldn't be hard
as, Delazar was on the main shipping route. The plan was to make a modern
vacation world. Pretty cool idea, even if it would take decades before the
common man travelled space frequently. By that time, Delazar would be well set
up and ready to assist the weary traveller...taking half their savings in the
process. It was a wild and idiotic plan which could only have been born in the
minds of the filthy rich. It made little sense to Candar or the others but,
Universal Star was paying them for the trip..and they had a job to do.
     "Scanners have located target planet." She reported.
     Mark winked at her. "Target planet? Sounds like were gonna bomb it. Tell
Kevin to decrease power and prepare for orbital insertion. I'm taking us in."
     "Roger." She hit the intercom. "Kev, set up for orbital insertion. Reduce
power to main system."
     "You got it, Candy." Kevin had taken to calling her that when he had heard
Mark doing it. She would have to chat with him about respect to an officer. 
She switched channels. "Tom, this is Candar. Were about to enter orbit, get our
sleeping babies ready to wake up."
     "Party time." Tom came back elated. "Finally get our bonus. Full pay when
we get back right Captain?"
     Mark looked up. "Candy tell him to shut the hell up and do his job. Worry
about party later."
     "I heard him." Tom answered glumly. "No fun up there." He cut the link.
Candar smiled as Mark shook his head.
     "That kid needs to learn his manners. Still, he's got talent. Lots of jobs
for talented aid techs. Plotting trajectory.." Mark altered pitch and, the
"Grand Creation slowly moved into orbit. "Well, looky what we have here Candy?
Interesting." Mark's eyes narrowed. "Long range scans showed no intelligent
life yet, were detecting some weird shaped mounds down there. What could cause
that?"
     "The science report didnt say anything. This planet has never been
surveyed, were the first ship to orbit it." Candar scanned the report quickly.
"No mention is made of these structures. They appear to be hive-like in
nature."
     Mark stared at her. "Hive-like? What the hell are you saying, nothing can
make a mound that big!"
     "That we know of."She reminded him. She continued to scan. "There is no
evidence of life. Our scanners could be off though. We didn't have them
calibrated our last trip out."
     "Costs too damn much." Mark complained. "Company wont pay shit for
maintenace costs. Candar, when you finally start running your own ships,
remember that. You can't trust those executive assholes! Their not pilots. They
pay us well but, they don't give a shit about anything as long as they make
their bottom dollar. Always check your ship! Here I am telling you this and I
didn't get the damn scanners calibrated. Shit!" He stared at the screen. "This
thing must be broken. I'm detecting activity where there was none before."
