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running around."

Chapter 4

    Six hours of discussions between Rodriguez and the major had passed before the ion engines were powered up.
    I spoke. "We going home?"
    Rodriguez replied, "We are going somewhere, Sir. Let's hope it's home. We should know in about eight hours if the Targ system shows on the sensors."
    The ride back towards the Grid had me on the edge of my seat. Were we headed in the right direction? Had Rodriguez made the right decisions with the mappings? I sat with my elbow on the armrest and a fist balled up under my chin. A countdown clock ticked away on the view-screen.
    Rodriguez spoke. "We have a system coming on the sensors now. Yellow sun. Multiple planets. We have a match, Sir!"
    Cheers rang out on the bridge. But our problems were far from over.
    Lieutenant Goddard spoke. "Captain! I have signal from the Grid. But we can't answer it, Sir. Our comm remains offline. I have run the comm processors through a full reboot several times, but that virus has managed to somehow stay entrenched."
    I replied, "Well, we should be able to get some techs from the Grid to clean it out, shouldn't we?"
    Goddard shook his head. "We have a problem there also, Sir. Our beacon is part of the comm system. Those Grid guns will not recognize this ship coming in. And, if I was the captain of the watch, I would not let us dock without first establishing comm with us. You wouldn't want a ship coming back with a load of hostiles on it, Sir. Having comm up is imperative."
    I waved my hand in the air. "So, we pull up short of the guns and wait for them to send out a shuttle. If it takes an extra fifteen minutes for us to get verification, we can spare that fifteen."
    Again the lieutenant replied, "Sorry, Sir. Protocol requires comm. No comm, no shuttle dock either. We might sit there for days before they attempt to do anything."
    I dropped my arm. "I don't see that we have a choice, Lieutenant. Rodriguez, take us in just short of gun range while we figure this out."
    Frost then spoke. "Sir, the Targ system is in between us and the Grid. Why don't we stop there and see if we can get those harvesters free?"
    York stepped in. "We can't talk to the harvesters without comm."
    Frost frowned. "I guess that's true. OK, how about we see if we can lure the Targs away so that the harvesters can leave on their own? Our main goal is to get those harvesters out, is it not?"
    The Captain spoke. "A diversion just might work, Mr. Grange. The discovery of those holes drew the Targs to the area. Maybe we can give them something more exciting to look at elsewhere."
    I replied, "I like where this is going, but how do we draw them off without exposing ourselves? If they see another ship, the Gontas will not be far behind, and we are in no position to fight them."
    York spoke. "Sir, what if we hijack a small asteroid and send it hurtling down to the surface in an unpopulated area?"
    Frost cut in. "Oh, that could be fun, Sir! A splashdown in one of those oceans would be cool."
    I replied, "We aren't looking for spectacular, Frost. Just something to grab their attention. Besides, if we drop something big in their ocean, it would probably cause a wave big enough to wipe out a few coastal cities. I think the Targs have suffered enough. Captain, I think we have our perfect distraction. When we enter the system, have your team search out a suitable rock to throw down at the planet."
    The Captain directed her crew. "Goddard, since comm and nav are offline, why don't you and Lieutenant Commander Thigs scan the system data for a suitable target. Calculate what we might use that would offer a substantial impact with only localized damage."
    As Goddard and Thigs made their way to the sensor consoles, I walked to the cafeteria with York and Frost. After loading a magnetic tray with a load of slop from the twenty-four-hour chow line, I sat down at a metal table on a long bench. The food tray snapped down as it clung to the table underneath.
    I pulled up a forkful of