Deep Six Chapter 14

[Ed Man]

Door of Opportunity
Chapter 14 Deep Six

After Gabe explained what was going on and where the Seeker was Steve and Mike decided to eat and get some rest in cast they had to pull a 12 hour shift.
About two hours out Luke called in he had found where the escorts of the TL were and was most likely the final battle site of the group. Two Paranid Destroyers and its fighter escorts along with three Xenon Destroyers and Xenon fighters of every model were there hidden in a cloud of smoke, gasses and dust gathered around the final battle site.
The first two Xenon Capitol ships must have been the first battle site of the Paranid and what ever their mission was it stopped at the second site because it was obvious that the Xenon had won because the battle site was picked clean except for parts on the Paranid Destroyers the Xenon couldn’t use.
The TL must have taken a beating in the first battle and the crew abandon ship escaping onto the destroyers and left it on the asteroid hoping to reclaim it or keep it hid from the Xenon while the rest of the fleet went on. That would explain why there are no more bodies than just the ones hid out in the power room and a few floating around the drone had found and stored in the container with the others. Or the Xenon did find the TL and seen it as a empty hull of a ship and left it alone.
No matter what happened Gabe was going to have to wait on Simon to get back in the Seeker before he went to the second site because he needed to reserve every unit of space in his cargo hole to hold the freight the RT and Windfall picks up or the search stops. Besides the main drive engines were one of the last things on the list of repairs.
For now the repairs were concentrated on the core of the TL in engineering section and then work there way out. The main structure of the TL was in tact and solid with just a few places that needed repair it was outer armor that had taken a beating and the damage done in bringing the TL to a standstill.

One of the drones had found a data recorder that showed some of the mission. The Paranid had sent the TL in alone to test the cloaking effect and it worked as the Xenon just flew right by. Then someone decided to blast a lone N out of the sky that was buzzing them to see what happened or by mistake it happened after the Xenon fleet had passed them by and was about out of scanner range. That turned out to be their fatal mistake the two Xenon Capitol ships turned and opened up a flood of fighters on the TL. Before the two Paranid Destroyers could help the fighters had crippled the TL and it was overtaken by the Xenon Capitol ships that blasted into the what was left of the TL then the data stopped.

After the drones had been in the TL for several hours the generator turned on and the TL showed up green on the HUD. Bob made a toast in honor of the event as the crew cheered on. Gabe felt a strong since of pride in his crew and seeing that green TL on the screen.
The eight hour time limit was about up as Bob went to his ship and Gabe jumped away to swap the pilots out and collect the freight. The collections were getting a lot smaller now but with a sector already giving up such a return it was worth the effort and a extra day of searching was planed and maybe more if they decided to go deeper into the sector.
After over twelve hours of Simon trying to hurry the Seeker jumped in and was a welcome site for Gabe.
The repair drones and construction units were transported onto the TL as Bit coordinated the repairs. Parts were transporting over and you could see a little progress as the drones worked like a colony of ants on the TL. Everyone was exhausted now except the girls who had missed their shift so next shift was theirs. Ann was to pickup the engine parts from the second site and transport them onto the TL. While Donna had watch of the ship while the rest of the crew rested.
After some rest Gabe was back up and ready to make the next shift change and Donna and Ann were ready to go as the Nova jumped to make the exchange. Again the loads were very light but they were still finding freight.
As Gabe jumped back to the site and docked with the Seeker. He started thinking about the strange door and who could he ask that may know what it was and the only name he could come up with was Josh Galen.
Gabe didn’t have a way of getting in touch with him personally but he bet Salas did and he had filled a report with him about the Seeker saying how well the Seeker and Nova Hauler were doing.
[Gabe] “Bit send Salas a message and ask him if he can send Josh some data on a door we found in space that’s opens up to closed wall and is showing a weak power source and strange readings of a sup space field.”
Gabe was setting looking over the progress on the TL waiting on a reply when he got a hail on his com. “This is Josh Galen can I board your ship and see the door?”
Gabe looked at the HUD and nothing was there but he had already been down that road before. “Yes you’re welcome onboard anytime.”
Gabe seen Josh step off the transporter pad. “I see you found you a TL that’s a big step up from your current status. Can I look at the door?”
Gabe transported the door into a storage room in the back of the ship. “I transported it into the storage room.” Gabe replied as the two walked back and went into the room.
The ships drone had but it in a makeshift container and as they opened the lid Josh stepped back with a stunned look on his face and just looked at the door. Gabe noticed a tear running down out of his eye and asked. “Are you alright Mr. Galen?”
Josh shook his head. “Yes I’m fine I know where the door came from and I can’t believe its still in tact. What do you want for it?”
Gabe looked trying to decide what to say and started to say he could have but asked. “What is it?”
Josh looked at Gabe. “It’s from the ship we came to your space on.” Gabe had heard the story and stated. “I‘m sorry? But please can you tell me what it is?”
Josh looked down at the floor and back up at Gabe. “This is a room in sup space. It was suppose to have been our safe room on our ship but my Parents never made it inside.”
Gabe looked confused. “I’m sorry and I know they’re most likely dead but could they be in there?”
[Josh] “No you don’t understand your thinking small. Think of it this way have you ever read of how Jesus set the stars in space off the tips of his fingers and holds us all in the palm of his hand?”
[Gabe] “Yes I’ve heard that. But I still don’t understand.”
[Josh] “Jesus can hold everything in his hand He’s that unlimited. We have just tapped into a small amount of truth that he is and can do at will and science has just started to tap into the powers of His universe.”
[Gabe] “I’m sorry Mr. Galen but I still don’t understand can you just tell me what‘s the door does?”
[Josh] “It’s a room large room in sup space. Not compressed it’s a self contained living area with a small bay to build a ship in. The room was never shown to the rest of the world and you’re the first person I have ever told.”
[Gabe] “Do you have the technology to make a door like that? That would be the ultimate safe room.”
[Josh] “Yes but if the door is destroyed everything in the room is destroyed along with it so it does have it a flaw. What do you want for the door?”
[Gabe] “I’d like to have the TL fixed and a door like that but I already fill like I owe you as it is for the ships I have and it was your’s in the beginning so it’s your’s now you owe me nothing. But I would like to see the inside of one of the rooms if I can.”
[Josh] “Thanks but tell me what are you going to do with the dead Paranid in the TL?”
[Gabe] “When I get the TL to a safe sector I’m going to return them to the Paranid for a proper burial service.”
[Josh] “Thanks for the door back. What are you gong to do with the TL?”
[Gabe] “I’m really not sure but I want to us it as a base to operate out of. Maybe repair and sell the ships and parts we find our selves like a mobile repair dock. But right now I just want to get it out of here and in a safe sector.”
[Josh] “Let me work you up a set of plans and I may be able to help you get the TL out of here. Transport over to my ship and we’ll get started do you have time?”
[Gabe] “Of course let me wake up Simon to watch the ship and I’ll be ready.”

A few minutes later Gabe was back on the big ship he was on before with Josh updating a design to rebuild the TL by. The final print was more that Gabe would ever get done but it give Him a goal to shot for.
Josh looked at Gabe and asked. “Do you want my help in getting the TL flying and out of the sector?”
[Gabe] “Of course what will it cost me?”
Josh smiled. “How much can you give me?”
Gabe took out his PDA and started counting and all he had was about 800,000 credits after buying all the drones and equipment to repair the TL. “All I have is 800,000 credits. I spent most of the profits on the equipment to repair the TL.”
Josh pulled out his PDA like he was trying to decide on a price and said. “I can do it for 750,000 credits but I’ll need the ship for three weeks to get it into working order then I’ll deliver it to you. I have a way of getting it to where I need it do you want my help?”
[Gabe] “Yes I want your help.”
Josh had Gabe give him control of the TL and asked him to pull his ships back out of the way and sign over payment. Gabe transferred payment and was transported back onboard the Seeker and retrieved the security drone. Gabe then gave the crew a quick version of what was going on while Bob docked his Nova and Gabe pulled the Seeker back out of the work zone outlined on the HUD while the crew watched.
The repair drones had stopped work on the TL and the big ship came into view as a tractor beam latched onto the TL and a second beam hit the asteroid. The TL lifted off while the asteroid stayed still then in a flash the TL was gone.
Simon looked at Gabe. “Man he has the coolest toys I have ever seen!”
[Bob] “What now Gabe?”
Gabe looked at the crew. “Now we finish searching the sector and move on.”
The search was winding down into its last day when Josh hailed Gabe from in the sector. “We need to talk can I transport you over?”
[Gabe] “Yes I’m off duty.” As Gabe stepped off the pad Josh walked over to a table and offered Gabe some refreshments as the two set down. Josh explaned how the Paranid wanted their ship back and after some haggling with Josh had offered a new Hercules in exchange or 16.5 million credits.
Josh advised against turning down the Paranid that it would only cause trouble in the long run and that Gabe should take the TL or if he took the credits Josh would build him a ship more suited to his needs.

Josh showed Gabe a picture and started describing. “A smaller but more versital ship with the same shielding and better weapons slots than the Hercules that could dock the Seeker or a super freighter inside and two outside. Eight large fighters inside the main dock inside and four medium or small fighters in a bay like the one in the rear of the Seeker made like a parking garage that you pull into and dock. It can dry dock and pressurize half or all of the inside dock and the inside freighter dock. It can hold 20,000 ST units of freight or 45,000 XL units of freight and has two divided cargo hole so you can carry a small station 10,000 ST units or less and 22,500 units of XL or smaller freight at the same time. It can deploy a station or be used a mobile mining station, a mobile base, repair shop for your ships or anything you can think of. It’s half the size of the TL and you can operate it with a lot smaller crew.”

Gabe looked down at the floor. “You know I want it. But you know I don’t have the funds for a ship like that. What will it cost?”
[Josh] “Well we need to talk about that let me tell you what I have already made for the mini TL. I took a Nova body and streached it out as much as I could and still able to dock in in a fighter bay. It holds 400 units of XL freight and has docking clamps that extend out to hook to a fighter or a freighter. It’s my version of a tow truck and it has all the features of your Nova but the handeling is a little sluggish because of it’s size. I raised the rear turret to the upper section to stay out of the way of the docking system other than that it’s about the same as your Nova. You dock the ship and jump with the point to point drive and tow it to your ship for repairs.
After I got the miner from you we come up with our own version using a Mercury Hauler with a front weapons mount like the Split miner. And like a ship I used before it can dock a Disco special designed for mining in the top section of the ship. The Disco has a small rear tractor beam to move rocks out of the way if it needs to and modified front weapons designed for a one shot refinement adjusting to each rock it targets automatically as the Pilot shoots the rocks up for the Mercury to collect.

I’ll give you the new Nova tow ship and Mercury Miner with it’s Disco to go with the mini TL and you give me the Seeker and Nova back and the credits from the Paranid.”

Gabe was thinking real hard but no about not making the trade he was thinking about the crew he was going to need. “I’ll take the trade but how big of a crew do I need now for the TL?”
[Josh] “You can run the TL with the crew you have but I would get a few more hands and you’ll need a crew for the Miner and Disco. You can keep it mining and making credits while your team searches the systems.”
[Gabe] “When do we trade?”
[Josh] “I’ll jump in with it when your ready and let you look it over and make the trade if you like it.”
Gabe set thinking after Josh left how he already felt obligated to Josh and it was about to get worse.