Ishimaru Read online

  ISHIMARU

  A NOVEL BY LOUIS EDWARD ROSAS

  Copyright © 2015 Louis Edward Rosas

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN-

  ISBN-13:

  DEDICATION

  To an old friend

  Suzanne De Sha

  who lost her life before her time.

  Godspeed.

  chapter INDEX

  1

  ALL THAT GLITTERS

  Pg 1

  2

  A HARD LANDING

  Pg 26

  3

  THE DESOLATE SANDS

  Pg 43

  4

  THE ALIEN UNKNOWN

  Pg 66

  5

  ONE’S OWN SEKIGAHARA

  Pg 87

  6

  THE LOST BOYS OF MIHAMA

  Pg 106

  7

  THE ENDLESS SEA OF NO DOMAIN

  Pg 130

  8

  FROM OUT OF THE FOG

  Pg 149

  AUTHOR’S ForEwOrd

  This story was originally written in 1997 as a twenty-page screenplay draft under the working title “Lift” during a time of great personal upheaval. It was the very first story ever written by this author which over the years has seen many revisions. It would not be until 2007 that it would be picked up again with new elements added that were inspired by Japanese Taiga dramas that Lift would transform into Ishimaru. Certain characters within this story are loosely based on real personalities or may bear a resemblance to others who are no longer living from the Vietnam War as well as others who have enriched the life of the Author. Any other similarities are purely coincidental. While this is a work of fiction, out of respect for those who have passed on, certain names have been changed. Their mentions are solely meant as tributes to the people, and events that have found new life within this work that is ISHIMARU.

  Chapter I

  ALL THAT GLITTERS

  Not far from now! Man's need for natural resources and precious metals will have exceeded demand spurning the mother of invention that would take us into the next great leap forward in spaceflight technology. These new advances will have enabled Mankind to finally stretch his wings and fly far beyond the confines of the Earth's solar system and into the cold dark reaches of near interstellar space. Along the way, a new industry of old was reborn. Gold! Yes, there be gold in those stars!

  It was a new gold rush for the new era! Vast discoveries were made of deep deposits of precious metals were found on the newly surveyed asteroids and nomadic planetoids that hugged the furthest reaches of our sun’s distant light. Therein what was once considered merely a theory, proved to be a profitable bounty for those who were brave enough or as some would argue, foolish enough to make the dangerous journey into the unknown. These venturous interstellar prospectors who like gold miners before them who extracted the metal out of the Earth would venture far out into space at great risk. And just like home, this too was dangerous work which all too often ended with catastrophic failures resulting in tragedies abound.

  Yet, the lure of instant riches and prosperity stopped no one from avoiding such risk far beyond the nearest human outposts. Many would come, but often some would not return. These were the risks many would face in lure of riches untold. With such scarcity of precious metals on Earth, the space-faring nations of the world invested heavily in proving that gold could not only be found but successfully mined off world. Ever since the discovery of gold in space was made, those same space-faring nations then later large corporate entities with vested interests sent out small fleets of ships known bearing the designation DSMV which stood for Deep Space Merchant Vessels that set out for the sole purpose of prospecting, extracting, and transporting the precious metals found in the gold-laden astral bodies far from home.

  While some space mining crews struck it rich, others were lost or returned home as battered crews aboard damaged ships often needing rescue. In such events, the nearest human operational outpost pending the completion of the Titan-Aurora complex was at Europa Station orbiting the large gas giant Jupiter. Given the incredible far distances, long-range calls for help could easily go unanswered or delayed sometimes leading to the discovery of frozen dead crews still at their posts awaiting rescue if they were even found at all. In such a dire predicament, space miners only hope depended on his emergency beacon or his ships high gain transmitter signal that could be received by a patrolling American or International DSRV (Deep Space Rescue Vehicle) which did regular sweeps in and around the ever-expanding regions of the known prospect fields. The danger lay in the expanse of the unknown, unexplored fields that lay off the rim of explored space that pose a greater risk. But as with every gold rush of times past, opportunists motivated by greed appeared bringing with them violence and ruin. This is the story of the Deep Space Merchant Vessel Fortin on preparation for her return flight home to Earth after a successful haul.

  DSMV FORTIN:

  Vehicle Designation: Deep Space Merchant Vessel.

  Country of Origin: United States.

  Home Port: Homer, Alaska.

  Overall Vehicle Length: 333.8 Meters (1,092ft).

  Vehicle Compliment: Mothership, 1 Delta-9 Scout Ship.

  2 JD23 Space Excavators with self-contained drill rigs & processors.

  Propulsion: 2 Rolls Royce Astro-Blade Pulse Engines.

  1 Inertia Drive for NFTL (Near-Faster-Than-Light) travel.

  Crew Compliment: 12.

  5 Flight Officers,

  7 Space Mining Engineers.

  Primary Mission: Exploration & Extraction.

  Cargo: Gold, Platinum, Rhodium, H3/H4 Compounds.

  Cargo Mass: CLASSIFIED.

  Current Position: Morton Claim Fields.

  Current Mission Length: 93 Days.

  Current Status: Final Prep for Inertia Drive Ignition.

  1900 hours EWT (Earth World Time). Out there in the darkness of far-off space near the edges of the Morton Claim Fields emerged the blinking navigation lights of an oncoming space vessel. The silent vessel’s red & green lights revealed the massive silhouette of the DSMV Fortin. Her current course has her carefully navigating her way out of the dense astral field congested with the hazards of small rocks and galactic debris for open space before engaging her Inertia Drive for the return flight to Earth.

  Commanding the Fortin, was the veteran fifty-three-year-old Captain named Carol Paige of Wichita Kansas. She had previously served as a line officer in the U.S. Space Command before turning to a lucrative career as a merchant captain on gold prospect missions. Joining her on the bridge of the flight deck was her First officer who was an African-American from the suburbs of Chicago named Paul Jackson, The survey officer was a former Russian Space Agency Flight Controller turned space prospector named Andre.’ Piloting the Fortin, was an up and coming merchant pilot of Korean descent from Vancouver named Young Lee. Last but not least, there was flight engineer Mike Connors, formerly of Southern California who lived with his expecting wife Aya in Osaka Japan. We join them now aboard the dark instrument lit flight deck of the DSMV Fortin.

  “All system checks complete. We’re green across the board,” reported Jackson.

  “Ready on Navigation?” inquired Capt. Paige.

  “Aye, Captain. Coordinates set, return course plot entered. Primary ignition clearance in 1500 meters,” reported Lee.

  “Ignition Key entered. Ready to start the clock sequence for Inertia Drive on your call,” updated Connors.

  “Thank you. Let’s go ahead and set the clock for 15. Ready on that Inertia Drive. Jackson; please inform the Engineering Team for the last call on final prep,” ordered the Captain.

  “Aye-Aye Captain,” acknowledged Jackson.

  The first officer pressed the ship-wide i
ntercom button to alert the engineering team.

  “All hands, make ready for Inertia Ignition in fifteen starting now. This is the Jackson.”

  Connors grinned as he could see the merchant helmsman Young Lee in his Vancouver Whitecaps Jersey pointing at him in the colored glow of instrument panels of the dimly lit flight deck.

  “At this rate, we’ll be home well in time before your wife gives birth,” predicted Lee.

  “I sure hope so. I’m in enough trouble as it is for going on this trip in the middle of her second trimester,” said Connors.

  The survey officer seemed somewhat disinterested as he leaned back into his seat and watched subtitled movies in Russian on one of his twin console screens while his right hand inconspicuously pulled out from his trouser pocket what appeared to be a small thumb drive of which he plugged into a small terminal port below his station as he looked both ways to ensure no one noticed.

  Suddenly, a repeating beep was heard from the Survey Station.

  “What’s that beeping?” asked Capt. Paige as she pointed to the blinking light on the orbital survey console.

  “Captain, we seemed to have stumbled upon a mineral-ore-rich hit on an astral body just off the edge of our rangefinder,” reported Andre.’

  Lee and Connors both looked at each other in order to await Andre’s further findings.

  “Say are you sure this isn’t something from one of your Russian Gangster films you know you’re not supposed to be watching on the flight deck when you’re on station?” asked Jackson.

  “No. I tell you it’s a real hit. From the looks of things, it’s really big one, I tell you! It has a high probability of rare metal ore with strong indicators of gold presence. It’s located in an unclaimed area of the ‘Quad-Threes” that some complacent idiot must have overlooked,” replied Andre.’

  “An unclaimed ore-rich astral body in the Quad-Threes? Are you freaking serious?” asked Lee.

  “Could be lucrative, but we’ve already got a good haul, and I need to be home before the baby arrives,” said Connors.

  “Dude, relax already! You said she’s not due for another six weeks. Another day to mark a claim and a bigger paycheck won’t kill you,” argued Andre.’

  “Can you please verify that?” asked Capt. Paige.

  “Yes, come over here and look for yourself. These are state of the art instruments. They do not lie,” persisted Andre.’

  “No. I’ll take your word for it,” replied the Captain.

  Jackson unbuckled his seat restraints and stepped over from his station to lean over Andre’s seat and look at the orbital survey console screen.

  “Looks pretty legit to me Captain, but it’s a bit out on the edge of the Quad-Threes. You might want to think about that,” advised Jackson.

  There again, was that phrase again, the ‘Quad-Threes’ referring to the numbered designation of astral bodies that lurked in that notorious zone of space at the edge of the marked claim fields.

  “What are you guys talking about? I’ve never heard of the Quad-Threes. What’s so special about it?” asked Connors.

  “A lot of ships go missing out there. Instruments act up and other weird stuff. Rumor has it that there’s been some ghostly alien encounters or some shit like that out there which might explain why some ships go missing in that region,” explained Jackson.

  “Ghosts and Aliens huh?” pondered Connors.

  The thought had never crossed his mind. Not at any point in his career had Connors heard of such things yet there he was pondering the strange if not unlikeliest of prospects.

  “Never mind such nonsense! This is big I tell you!” argued Andre.

  “Just how big?” questioned Capt. Paige.

  “By these readings, I would say there is enough to add another quarter million to each crew member’s share!” speculated Andre.’

  Jackson’s ears perked up as he looked over to the Captain.

  “A quarter million more can get you out of that shithole in Osaka and into that Inland Sea view paradise you’re always talking about,” prodded Lee.

  “My Osaka high rise is not a shithole! You try getting a 75th-floor corner view suite on a Merchant 2nd Class salary!” retorted Connors.

  “Okay. So it’s not a shithole. It’s just an out of my price range luxury shithole that you’d still trade for an Inland Sea house in a heartbeat. Am I right? Tell me I’m wrong,” argued Lee.

  Connors laughed as he looked over to Jackson.

  “See what I have to work with?” protested Connors.

  “Hey, I’m just pointing out the facts buddy,” replied Lee.

  Connors silently shook his head as the crew contemplated the exciting prospect of discovering unclaimed gold.

  “So what do you say, guys? Shall we have a look?” asked Capt. Paige.

  “Come on man!” prodded Lee.

  “Yeah, sure. What the hell. Another day won’t kill me,” reasoned Connors.

  “But hey, an extra quarter million will buy you a lot of baby supplies!” laughed Lee.

  “You would have to go there,” quipped Connors. “Hey! Just looking out for you buddy,” replied Lee.

  A moment later, the flight crew of the DSMV Fortin had come to the consensus and agreed to investigate the possible find their Survey Officer had discovered.

  “All right then. Let’s pull the ignition key, cancel the Inertia Ignition sequence clock, prepare to re-engage pulse engines, and set course for our prospect,” ordered Capt. Paige.

  “Ignition Key removed, clock canceled,” relayed Connors.

  “Sending new navigation coordinates over to Helm for lock,” relayed Andre.’

  “Coordinates received. All numbers are entered and locked into navigation control,” relayed Lee.

  “Re-engage pulse engines. Oh, and Jackson, please inform the engineering team,” ordered Capt. Paige.

  “Yes, Ma'am. You got it” replied Jackson.

  The first officer Jackson sat at his console and pressed the ship-wide intercom.

  “All hands, stand down from Inertia ignition. This is Jackson out.”

  Within moments of Jackson’s announcement, a call from the loadmaster station was made to the First officer’s station.

  “Loadmaster Com to Flight Deck. Chief Nunez over.’

  “This is Jackson.”

  “Hey! What’s the big idea? Why are we calling off the Inertia ignition?” asked Chief Nunez.

  “Well, Amigo, something came up. Your engineering team can stand down from final flight prep. Yeah; I know we’re going to be little-delayed getting home,” said Jackson.

  “What are you kidding me? We’re ready to roll over here!” protested Nunez.

  “Relax, Andre’ found us a really big unclaimed hit he thinks will earn us some extra dough. Like a quarter million per share,” relayed Jackson.

  “Quarter million per share? Are you serious? Orale Cabrone! Why didn’t you say so in the first place!” exclaimed Nunez.

  “You guys might want to get the Delta-9 prepped for a quick survey and while you’re at it get your spacesuits ready. I have a feeling you guys are going for a walk,” suggested Jackson.

  “For a quarter million per share? At that rate I’ll go outside and push the damn ship there myself!” replied Nunez.

  “That’s the spirit! Glad you suddenly found your motivation,” remarked Jackson.

  “Ok, let’s do this!” announced Nunez. The flight crew overhearing their deep space mining engineering chief’s reaction burst into laughter. Captain Paige next got on the com:

  “Say, Nunez, we’ll come down there in ten minutes. Meanwhile, go ahead and prep the Delta-9 and both JD23’s for flight,” ordered Capt. Paige.

  “You got it, Captain! Loadmaster Com out,” replied Nunez.

  The flight crew returned to their stations and strapped back into their seats as the twin Rolls Royce Astro-Blade Pulse Engines were engaged. Captain Paige buckled into her seat overlooking the flight deck and donned her black ball ca
p embroidered with gold wings and the patch of the DSMV Fortin.

  “Ok Andre,’ guide us into position,” she said.

  “Piece of cake! It’s the big rock to port over there,” pointed Andre.’

  “Assume a standard survey pattern,” ordered Capt. Paige.

  “Yes Ma’am,” acknowledged Lee.

  “That’s a big sucker isn’t it?” observed Jackson.

  “It’s almost a full planetoid, but it’s so dimly lit, you could almost miss it,” observed Lee.

  “What’s its designation?” asked the Captain.

  “It has a name. Evidently, someone cataloged this as Eros 3117,” replied Andre.’

  “What can you tell us about this rock?” asked the Captain.

  “It’s a standard dwarf planet with enough mass to generate its own gravity and a small magnetic field. It was likely formed by the collision of two larger planetoids whose mass coalesced to form this rock. From what my console reads, it’s mostly composed of iron-ore and has rock and sand on the surface with intermittent patches of ice at the poles and the rims of some of the visible craters. It seems to have a minimal atmosphere composed of carbon monoxide, nitrogen, methane, with trace amounts of argon, helium, hydrogen-cyanide and some smaller proto-carbons. It’s unsuitable for any life as we know it. There’s also evidence of some recent volcanic activity beneath the surface based on the trace sulfur deposits near the surface. That explains the thermal readings I’m picking up which means if you’re wearing an LSS (Life Sustaining Suit) you won’t freeze to death but your time on the surface would be limited,” reported Andre.’

  “You mean to tell me this rock is warm?” questioned Jackson.

  “Not Earth warm, more like a bad day on Mars warm with a Titan atmosphere. You could mine there, but you wouldn’t want to live there even in a protective dome,” described Andre.’