Magwave (The Rorschach Explorer Missions Book 2) Read online

  CONTENTS

  DEDICATION

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  NOTES TO READERS

  PROLOGUE: PREMONITION

  CHAPTER 1: BUMPS AND BURSTS

  CHAPTER 2: STING LIKE A BEE

  CHAPTER 3: INQUISITION

  CHAPTER 4: WATCH YOUR SIX

  CHAPTER 5: POSTMORTEM

  CHAPTER 6: BIRD CALLS

  CHAPTER 7: HUNTERS OR FORAGERS

  CHAPTER 8: WOLFPACK

  CHAPTER 9: SENTINEL

  CHAPTER 10: KILL ZONE

  CHAPTER 11: QUEEN ON DECK

  CHAPTER 12: MIND’S EYE

  CHAPTER 13: ICARUS

  CHAPTER 14: OVERLOAD

  CHAPTER 15: SYNC UP

  CHAPTER 16: BUMPY RIDE

  CHAPTER 17: CLEANSING

  CHAPTER 18: LYING EYES

  CHAPTER 19: SCATTERED

  CHAPTER 20: DESPERATE MEASURES

  CHAPTER 21: RIDE OR DIE

  CHAPTER 22: A NEW DAY

  CHAPTER 23: COMING IN HOT

  EPILOGUE

  PARASAUR ILLUSTRATION

  GLOSSARY OF TERMS

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  COPYRIGHT

  DEDICATION

  To my brother, Brendan, and my sister, Patricia.

  It has been a long time since we transformed bunk beds and boxes

  into boats, airplanes and spaceships for all sorts of imagined adventures,

  but a brother couldn’t have asked for better crewmates, back then and now.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  I am fortunate and grateful to have received some amazing support from a number of people in the creation of Magwave.

  This includes David Gatewood, my editor, and a number of expert volunteers who helped vet the story’s physics, medical and radio-related content. While I bent (or ignored) reality in a number of spots when crafting the story, I tried to incorporate their guidance and suggestions in many other places. For their help in this regard, I’d like to thank the following people for their contributions: retired electrical engineer Collin Matheny, retired vascular trauma surgeon Christopher Morin, physics professor Alex Small, amateur radio enthusiast Karl Bridges and mechanical engineer Brian Fentress.

  Separately, I owe thanks to science fiction fan Jeff Baker, as well as proofreaders Lisa Weinberg, Paulette Jones and Cheryl Hollenbeck. Beyond their review of spelling, punctuation and grammar, each provided valuable suggestions that improved the storyline.

  Next, I would like to recognize my cover designer, Asha Hossein, for not only enhancing the front cover I created for Magwave, but also for her artistry in crafting the full paperback and hardback covers. I’d also like to extend my gratitude to Amber Colleran, for designing the interior layout of the printed editions of Skywave and Magwave to incorporate a look and feel that meshes well with the covers.

  Similar thanks are due to computer graphics designer, Keith Draws, who turned my descriptions of the Rorschach Explorer into stunning CGI images that can be viewed on my author website. Speaking of that website, I’d also like to thank my web designers, James Lee and Kevin Maines, for continually improving the site as I add more titles.

  Last, but in no way least, I would like to thank my wife, Bryson, and my sons, Michael and Stephen, for their continued support. During the writing of Magwave, there was a lot going on in our immediate and extended family that made the last seven months challenging for all of us, but we weathered the challenges together. As always, Bryson, Michael and Stephen exhibited the essence of being good to one another throughout it all.

  NOTES TO READERS

  Greetings, friends, fans and new readers! Thank you in advance for choosing to read Magwave, book 2 in my new sci-fi thriller series, the Rorschach Explorer Missions.

  For those of you already familiar with the series, you will find Magwave is a continuation of the storyline first hatched in the series novella prequel, UMO, and further explored in book 1 of the series, Skywave. Hard science fiction fans among you will hopefully enjoy the blend of adventure/fantasy and science, but a word of caution — you’ll need to suspend your disbelief to fully enjoy Magwave. While I endeavored to bolster the science in the story by soliciting feedback/incorporating suggestions from volunteer scientific experts/enthusiasts, it’s still fiction and many of the elements of the story bend, stretch or ignore reality.

  If you are new to the series and haven’t read UMO and Skywave, not to worry. I’ve incorporated enough background from the previous two stories to allow Magwave to be read as a stand-alone story. However, to fully appreciate the storyline and character relationships, I’d strongly recommend at least reading Skywave prior to starting Magwave.

  As a heads up to both sets of readers, I’ve created a few reference tools to aid in your enjoyment of Magwave. First and foremost, with the help of a skilled CGI designer, we created a dozen different angle depictions of the Rorschach Explorer spacecraft that can be viewed by clicking here to visit my author website. Once you’ve arrived on the Rorschach Explorer gallery page, just click on any of the thumbnails to view and cycle through larger-sized images. You may find these images useful to visualize the ship since a significant portion of the story takes place on Rorschach.

  In addition, I’ve included two appendices at the end of Magwave. One is an illustration that depicts the crested head of a Parasaur dinosaur, a proxy for the appearance of the crested head of the aliens identified in the story as Callistons in some spots, and the Suhkai in others. The second appendix is a glossary of terms and acronyms that appear in the story and their associated meanings.

  Finally, a separate heads up for those of you familiar with my other series, the Anlon Cully Chronicles. You will be happy to learn there are expanded cameo appearances by four characters from that series in Magwave: Anlon Cully, Pebbles McCarver, Jennifer Stevens and Antonio Wallace.

  To all readers, I hope you enjoy the space exploration adventure presented in Magwave and look forward to the next story in the series targeted for release in 2020.

  PROLOGUE: PREMONITION

  Set of In the Spotlight

  BCON Studios

  New York, New York

  July 1, 2019

  The television camera zoomed in on Carlton Rawlings. “It’s a mistake, I tell you. A horrible mistake that will end in tragedy.”

  “Why?” asked Nigel Ewing, the British host of In the Spotlight. “Why are you so convinced?”

  The ninety-two-year-old retired astronaut waved off the question. “What’s the point of rehashing it again? Amato won’t listen. He’s launching his bird next week come hell or high tide.”

  “Don’t you think it’s important to go on record?” Ewing asked. “Not for your colleagues, not for Amato. But for people all over the world who’ve fallen under his spell. They haven’t heard from you. They don’t know the significant issues you’ve raised.”

  A smirk formed on Rawlings’ face. “The average person doesn’t care about the risks, Nigel. To Joe Billy Bob, this mission’s a made-for-TV drama about space bees and giant lizard men.”

  “That may be true for some, but not for our viewers. They want more than fairy tales. They want facts. That’s why millions tune into my show.” Ewing explained that many of his viewers had expressed reservations about Augustus Amato’s decision to accelerate the launch of his state-of-the-art spacecraft, the Rorschach Explorer1. “They agree with you, Colonel. They think Amato’s change in plan is reckless.”

  Rawlings frowned and lowered his gaze. “It’s just so stupid. I can’t understand why he would push up the launch window, or why NASA would support his decision.”

 
; “Some have suggested NASA is reluctant to appear uncooperative after Amato exposed their cover-up of the Cetus Prime mission and the existence of UMOs.”

  “Would not surprise me one iota.”

  “Others believe Amato’s sincere, that he really believes the recent activity of UMOs on Callisto signals the return of the Callistons, your so called lizard-men.”

  “Whether he’s right or wrong doesn’t matter,” Rawlings said. “What matters is creating a mission plan that gives you the best chance of success and sticking to it. That’s where Amato’s gone off the rails.”

  The host paused to adjust his cufflinks, allowing Rawlings’ comment to linger before he shifted the focus of the interview. “You don’t think much of the Rorschach Explorer crew, do you?”

  “No. I do not.” The former Apollo astronaut, a man who’d walked on the Moon, stared at Ewing. “They’re beaks and talons, Nigel. A crew of misfits.”

  The camera switched to a close-up of Ewing, listening to Rawlings with studious intensity. “Many don’t share your views about the crew,” Ewing said. “Take Colonel Morgan, for instance. A lot of people, both inside and outside of NASA, respect his experience and leadership.”

  Zooming out, the camera brought both men into view. Rawlings leaned forward and laughed. “The man’s in his mid-sixties, Nigel! He hasn’t been into space since the late 1980s. Look, I know Paul Morgan’s a legend inside the halls of NASA, and I know he was close to the Cetus Prime crew, but that doesn’t make him the right man to lead this mission. Let’s face it, his selection is more sentimental than it is rational.”

  The camera didn’t pick up the thin smile on Ewing’s face. Instead it zeroed in on the ranting astronaut.

  “The same goes for his co-pilot, Julia Carillo. Her last shuttle mission was the same one that put Morgan behind a desk for the last fifteen years of his NASA career. Truth be told, a lot of my fellow astronauts blame her for the disaster that cost both of them their wings. Hell, nowadays she spends her days teaching teenagers to build toy spaceships. Why on Earth would Amato pair the two together? Why didn’t he select active-duty astronauts? Ones with long-duration mission experience on ISS? I’m told Amato was offered carte blanche to select any astronauts he wanted from NASA’s roster. He didn’t pick a single one of them.”

  Ewing held up his hand. “That’s not entirely accurate, is it? Dr. Shilling’s an active NASA employee.”

  “The beekeeper?” Rawlings laughed. “Bob Shilling’s an animal behavior researcher, not an astronaut. Though, I will concede, he’s the most qualified scientist Amato could have chosen to join the mission.”

  Ewing looked over the astronaut’s shoulder to see his director smiling. He winked at her before lobbing his next softball. “But he’s never been into space, isn’t that right?”

  “That’s absolutely true,” Rawlings said with a nod. “And sooner or later, that will pose problems.”

  Ewing transitioned to his next question. “So that means three of the five crew members are still in their nappies. Neither Dr. Walsh nor Mr. Joshi have been into space either. True?”

  Rawlings gritted his teeth. “Don’t get me started on those two. A JPL washout and an amateur astronomer. They’re completely unqualified.”

  “I’m shocked you think so little of Dr. Walsh. She designed Rorschach’s unique engines and radiation shield. Amato has said she knows more about the ship’s systems than anyone other than the mission director, Dr. Fulton.”

  Rawlings pounced. “She’s also a hothead who quit NASA’s Juno team because she didn’t get her way. Answer me this, Nigel. Would you want that kind of temperament in your flight engineer when things go sideways on them?”

  “The way you say that, you seem convinced the mission will go sideways.”

  “Oh, it will. Mark my words. I’ve been around the space program for too long. No NASA mission has ever gone according to plan. And when Amato’s mission starts to fall apart, Miss Walsh is going to curl up in a ball and suck her thumb. Just watch.”

  “And Mr. Joshi? You feel he’s unqualified as well?”

  “Ha!” Rawlings pounded the arm of his chair. “He’s less qualified to be part of Rorschach’s crew than a C-minus high school physics student.”

  “That’s a bit harsh,” Ewing said. “After all, Mr. Joshi was the one who first noticed the radio signals that led Amato’s probes to Callisto. He’s the one who deduced where to look on the moon to find Cetus Prime. Amato has stated numerous times that he considers Ajay the person most responsible for all of the discoveries they made on Callisto.”

  “All true.” Rawlings nodded. “But how does that qualify young Mr. Joshi to serve as communications officer for Rorschach? This is the big leagues. He doesn’t belong. Even more so now that Amato’s cut their training to push up the launch.”

  Ewing’s mouth opened to ask another question, but this time Rawlings needed no prodding. The astronaut looked into the camera, his eyes black and his stare cold. “They’re going to die out there.”

  CHAPTER 1: BUMPS AND BURSTS

  Flight deck — the Rorschach Explorer

  175 million kilometers from Earth

  August 27, 2019

  Dr. Kiera Walsh shielded her eyes and took in one last view of Earth. The twinkling light was barely perceptible through the halo of the Sun’s rays, but she could just pick it out to the right of the fiery orb.

  While her shipmates lingered at the flight deck window to wave final goodbyes, Kiera turned away and walked to her station. Strapping into her safety harness, she checked the mission clock on her console monitor. T+49. That meant another one hundred days of space travel to Callisto, and for the next seventy of them, the only vista they would see from the flight deck would be an endless black filled with stars.

  As awe-inspiring as that view had been to Kiera during the first few weeks of their journey, it had lost its magic by week five. And now there would be nothing to break the visual monotony until Jupiter began to morph from a dot of light into a planet at around T+120.

  That hadn’t been the initial plan. Originally, when they expected to launch in January 2020, their flight plan included a slingshot around Mars on their way to the Jupiter system. But once the launch date was moved up, Mars’ orbital position put it well out of reach.

  There was still a chance Rorschach might cross paths with the dwarf planet Ceres as they exited the asteroid belt, but only if they sped up to make up for the time lost during these idiotic loops to catch glimpses of Earth.

  Though Kiera knew the real purpose of the loops was to perform shake-out testing on the fleet management system, she couldn’t help but view them as sightseeing interludes for the benefit of Ajay Joshi and Dante Fulton. Dante, back at Mission Control, wanted to capture video footage for the Expedition to Callisto television show chronicling their mission. Ajay wanted them because, well, he was a goofball.

  As if to prove her point, Ajay currently had his hand pressed against a pane of the flight deck windows, fingers spread to mimic the letter V. “Live long and prosper, fellow Earthlings,” he said.

  Kiera rolled her eyes. “Colonel, can we just get on with the test, please?”

  Colonel Paul Morgan slid into his seat at the commander’s station directly in front of Kiera’s post. “Yeah, I guess it’s time to get back on track.” He turned to the co-pilot, Major Julia Carillo. Prepare to swing the fleet around, Julia.”

  “Roger that,” Carillo said.

  “Unpucker from the window and buckle in, Ajay,” said Kiera.

  Ajay turned and saluted. “Roger dodger.”

  As he took his seat at the communications station behind Carillo, he turned to Dr. Robert Shilling, who occupied the center post in the second row of flight deck stations, between Kiera and Ajay. “Do you think our UMOs miss Earth?”

  “I doubt they have emotions,” Shilling said. “If they do, they haven’t shown them to me.”

  Another eye roll from Kiera. Geez, the way Shilling talked about
the UMOs —electromagnetic balls of light known to some as unidentified magnetic objects and to others as space bees — you’d think he had a direct line to God.

  Kiera shook off the scientist’s sanctimony and cycled through the ship’s cameras on her console monitor until she hit upon the feed from Cam-8. The rear-view video image showed thousands of golf-ball sized lights flitting around in space aft of Rorschach. “Looks to me like they’re hungry.”

  “They always seem to be hungry,” said Shilling.

  Kiera felt the familiar urge to walk over to Shilling’s station and slap him across the face. No shit, Sherlock. That’s why I pointed it out.

  “Colonel,” she said, “I think we should feed them before we resume our heading.”

  “No, no, no. I don’t think so,” said Shilling. “Remember, we don’t want the tail to wag the dog, now do we?”

  Words balanced on the tip of Kiera’s tongue: If it’ll bat your pampered ass out into space, I’m all for a wagging tail.

  Her mental image of Shilling tumbling into space was disrupted by the colonel. “You still think we should finish the loop before we feed them?”

  “Yes,” said Shilling. “If Dr. Walsh has properly addressed her software bug, we shouldn’t have any more problems.”

  The problem isn’t my software. It’s the damn UMOs.

  Kiera had heard enough. “Listen, if you had properly trained your little space bees, limp dick, I wouldn’t have needed to reprogram the fleet software.”

  A smirking Shilling turned to face her. “How charming.”

  “All right, you two, knock it off. That’s an order,” Morgan said.

  At issue was the recent behavior of the UMOs accompanying the Rorschach Explorer and its fleet of sixteen unmanned probes. Before Kiera met Shilling — before she knew what he was really like — she had been in support of Augustus Amato’s decision to include a colony of the electromagnetic aliens as part of Rorschach’s fleet.

  The aliens were strongly attracted to the stream of ions ejected by Rorschach’s engines, as well as to the very-low-frequency radio waves in the engine’s output. As a consequence, when the engines were active, the UMOs formed into a swirling ball aft of the spacecraft and absorbed the propulsion system’s byproducts. In so doing, they created a magnetic bubble that exhibited unusual properties, including a bow-shock-like push against Rorschach and its probes that resulted in a dramatic boost in spacecraft acceleration. In addition, the magnetic bubble appeared to largely neutralize the g-forces associated with dramatic changes in speed. It was almost as if the UMO bubble was somehow capable of nullifying the fleet’s mass, making it possible for the spacecraft to accelerate to mind-boggling speeds without experiencing the g-forces that would normally rip the ship apart and kill the crew.