ASTRAEA

- A Space Operations Delta Novel -

Episode 01

Space Navy Ship Astraea

written by
Michael Adamczyk
This is a work of fiction. Unless otherwise indicated, all the names, characters,
businesses, places, events and incidents in this book are either the product of the
author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual
persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Copyright © 2021 by Michael Adamczyk

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner
without written permission of the copyright owner except for the use of brief
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However, you may transmit this particular story in its original form
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The electronical form of this story is free of charge.
Any other medium will have different rights disclaimed.

Cover design by Yerai Ibarria

Proofreading by EditorNancy

www.SpaceOperationsDelta.com
Fifteen years.

I’m standing at the window of the shuttle that’s flying from Titan
Main Transport Hub to the wharf in a stationary orbit around
Saturn’s moon. Watching the small dot getting bigger, I feel a
slight rush of adrenalin. It has been a long journey up until this
point, but my feeling tells me that this is just the real start.
Fifteen years.
This number is burned in my mind today. It is February 3, 2322.
It’s been fifteen years since I signed up to the Space Navy, coming
out of school at the age of eighteen. My parents weren’t too happy
with my choice to join the forces, but they sent me video mail
today. I have no idea what it says, since today was packed with a
lot of appointments. But I guess they are proud. Advancing in
ranks throughout the years, they already admitted that it could have
been the right choice, although times were rough and dangerous
sometimes.
That small dot becomes bigger, and in the distance, there are
already some navigation lights visible.
“We’re approaching the safety zone. Will you please take a seat,
Captain?”
Captain. The adrenalin rush intensifies a bit. Yes, from today on,
I’m a captain. The ceremony was a few days ago. Seeing the ship
grow in front of me, sitting there in the wharf, is the evidence for
that title being legit. And it’s not any ship of the fleet; it’s new and
experimental.

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Space Navy Ship - Astraea. My ship.

“Captain, please, the safety protocols demand everyone being

seated.”
I leave the view and take a seat in the rear section of the shuttle.
Fifteen years… and way more to come! I close my eyes, knowing
it’s the last rest for the coming weeks.

---

Stepping out of the shuttle in the hangar bay, I see a lot of people
waiting there. At first glance, there’s about half the crew. A calm
and very determined woman walks towards me.
“Captain, welcome on board the Astraea. I’m Commander
Nishimura Yui. We’re glad to have you on board. If you wouldn’t
mind, it’s tradition when the captain arrives for the first time to
give a short speech.”
Of course, I knew about that and had prepared a little something
for this. I actually started preparing about five years ago, and there
had been a lot of changes throughout the years. Stepping out of the
shuttle and searching for a higher ground, I jumped on a cargo
container. The ship’s still being filled with equipment and is not
ready to take off now, so there are more than enough standing
around. All eyes are now in my direction.

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“Thank you, Commander, for the welcome. Good morning,
Spacemen. Please take a moment to look around you. You will see
new friends, crewmembers, people you can trust your life to. It’s
an honor to command such a beautiful ship, just like it’s an honor
to have this high-skilled crew on board. Our missions may become
hard, and they will take us far away from home, but we can carry
on these tasks together, and I’m grateful for this. We are part of
Space Operations Delta. We are the crew of the SNS-Astraea.
Let’s give this some meaning in the future.”

And with that, I jumped down from the container. The crew
seemed relieved that it hadn’t been a long speech. There are some
captains out there who like to take this moment to talk about
everything they have done. Even I had to endure that once as an
Ensign, standing there for two hours until our new captain finished
talking about the sharp mind that you needed for fishing. But even
though it was short, I hoped they could feel what I wanted to tell
them: that we’re a team and everyone should count on their mates.
At least some of them seem to know each other already, which is
a good sign.
Still remembering the events from nine years ago, I learned how
important it is to rely on your comrades and have a functioning
chain of command. I hope we won’t have to go through something
like that.

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Commander Nishimura brings me to the bridge to introduce me to
the commanding officers on board.

After a long day of meetings with almost every single department

on board and making sure that our equipment and crew are taken
care of, I decide to take a rest. Leaving the conference room and
heading to the crew quarters, I hear some rambling in a corridor.
“Hello?”
A head pops out where a wall plate is missing. “Hello there.” is the
answer.
“You must be Chief Kuipers, right? We didn’t have the chance to
talk today, but first please tell me… what are you doing in the
wall?”
He’s trying a little bit too hard to come out of there and mumbles
some Dutch curse words when he finally manages to stand in front
of me.
“Yep, Chief Daan Kuipers, your quartermaster at your service.
Some call me Pika; it’s short for my nickname Pikallito.”
“Chief Kuipers is fine. So what is a quartermaster doing in these
walls?”
“Well, quartermaster is only one part of my job. I try to optimize
the doors’ coding so they operate more reliably and efficiently. We
had some bruises already because of these vermaledijen doors. To
answer your question, I’m also helping the engineers with the
software wherever I can.”

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I tell him to continue and that I would like to talk about the needs
of the crew later this week before we leave.

Not the first surprise today but a very welcome one. Although
every crewmember has got a main purview, they are also doing
other tasks they are capable of. When you’re out in space and the
people around you are the only people you can count on, it’s pretty
reasonable to leverage all their skills. Some crewmembers were
carefully selected for their different abilities; some were sure to
surprise me on board.

Next week, we are heading out to Jupiter III station on Ganymede

to get the rest of the crew. There’s a research center where some
scientists will join the crew. Although we are a ship operating for
the Space Navy, our missions are kind of mixed. Chief Engineer
Basil Higgins told me about the additional scientific sensors we
have on board. A lot of them are experimental, and our job is to
max out their potential. Although Chief Higgins tried to explain
some of these sensors, I think it will be better to just support the
scientists and let them take care of the equipment themselves.

---

Days go by, and the crew does an amazing job so that we even
have some time to get additional gear ready. Seven days after I set

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foot on the Astraea, this beautiful ship can finally leave the harbor
for its first mission: to pick up our last crewmembers.
It’s my first time trying the captain’s chair; I’ve been avoiding it
the whole week, since it’s so surreal to have this command.
In the morning, the whole crew is operable and everyone is excited
to leave. For some of the crewmembers, it is just another mission,
but we also have some new Ensigns that will have their first
practical lessons on board, just like some others who have never
had a position on a ship.

“Lieutenant, release docking clamps.”

*Clonk.*
“Maneuver engines 25% forward and bring us out here gently.”
While the Astraea starts to move for the first time, after only
theoretical practice and some engine tests, all crewmembers who
could make it to a window are watching the dock passing by. The
engineers and workers from the dock are waving from the station,
wishing this ship, which they have worked on for 1.5 years,
godspeed. Just at this moment, the sun wants to take a look too and
appears behind Titan. What a nice moment; it practically seems
staged.
On we go, first to some function checks near Saturn’s rings and
then off to Ganymede.

6
“Lieutenant Commander, please tell me again about the
specifications of our weapon systems before we shoot down some
asteroids.”
Lieutenant Commander Winfried Snyder, my chief weapons
officer at the bridge, is known for his detail obsession, but at the
same time, he can quickly adapt to new situations, which make him
a perfect fit for the Astraea, since we’re on an experimental
mission with no idea of what might happen.
“Sure, Captain. For short-range defense, we’ve got mark-three
proton beams. The latest version increased the operating range.
Eight are positioned all around the ship for a 360-degree missile
and asteroid defense. We got ourselves some missiles too. Two
launchers at the front have the regular antimatter missiles with
high-speed tracking and non-debris self-destruction. If they run out
of fuel, they self-destruct after 30 seconds so that no missiles or
debris travel through space.
And our main weapon is an experimental railgun. It shoots a
titanium alloy that can be formed into different shapes before the
shot. That way, we are able to change how the rail gun affects the
target, from a very thin rod to ball-shaped and everything in
between. That way, we can cause extreme pressure or large-scale
damage.”

This new railgun is the first of its kind, and although the military
use is obvious, we plan to use it for archeological experiments.

7
Before the scientists are on board, we are not able to operate it,
because the titanium alloy has to be produced right before its use.
That’s why the Astraea has its own smelter on board and can
produce the ammunition itself with the right ingredients. At least
we will be able to test power functionality without ammunition.

“Lieutenant, set course to our practice area, full-speed ahead. Let’s

make use of our inertia dampeners and artificial gravity.”
Since we have some time before we arrive at the navy practice
ground around Saturn, I decide to talk to our second quartermaster
about some changes in the meeting room. Before departure, I had
almost no time to speak to him, not more than just a few words,
and I thought it could be a nice occasion to get to know each other
better.

When he enters the room, I understand why his second task on

board is within the security team. He’s a mountain of a man with
sharp eyes and an aura of determination.
“Hello, Chief Orochenko, thank you for taking your time.”
“Captain.” He nods.
“I want to get to know my crew a bit more so maybe we can use
this occasion for it. Well, I heard you were a Sambo instructor at
the academy.”
“Yes, Captain.”
“You have even won some tournaments. Impressive.”
“Hm.”

8
He’s not very talkative; I decide to try some other topics. “So, I
heard that the crew calls you by a nickname. It’s Beatz, am I
right?”
“No, Captain, Chief is fine.”
“It’s not Beatz?”
“It’s definitely not Beatz.”
I didn’t pick him for the crew because of his small talk abilities, so
I left it there and told him the changes that needed to be done for
better productivity in the conference room. He noted them and
assured me they would be done before we arrived at the Jupiter III
station.

---

While approaching the Navy Test Area around Saturn, the SNS-
Astraea works like a charm. Engines run smooth with this nice
little vibration that the inertia dampeners can’t fully compensate.
The captain’s chair has got the essential pieces of information on
two screens, left and right, so that decision making is less
guesswork like it was in the early days in space. Everything’s clean
and shiny, like a new car ready to be used. All in all, this new ship
type is classy.
“Lieutenant Simmons, open a ship-wide channel.” Lieutenant
Jessica Simmons is a communication officer at the bridge; it’s her
first time on a spaceship. She is the former communications officer
at Navy outpost Tranquillity on Mars. She wrote to me directly and

9
asked for this position, and since she’s got the best references,
answering her was what’s called a no-brainer.
“Channel open, Captain.”

“Astraea, this is your captain speaking. We are approaching Navy

Test Area Saturn. Man tactical stations and get ready for weapons
testing.”

Far enough from the strong gravity around Saturn, we aim at small
to medium-sized rocks in Saturn’s rings. That way we can ensure
that targeting works and the debris from the explosions stays inside
the rings with as little impact with the rings as possible. Since there
are millions or even billions of rocks in the outer part of the rings,
a few less won’t impact it’s overall structure.

“Commander, target a medium-sized asteroid with missiles.”

“Target locked on and missiles are ready.”
“Fire.”
The first rocket ever shot from this ship takes off, accelerating fast
with its light blue-colored trail from its boosters. It just takes a few
seconds for it to reach the target and to blow up in a blueish orange
blast. Some fragments are heading in the direction of the ship.
“Good shot, now load the proton beams to shoot down these
fragments.”

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One by one the proton beams lock on and vaporize the last
remnants of our first test. It is a satisfying feeling to see everything
in action and working as intended.
“Commander, any reports from other stations?”
“Each station reports that the parameters are within the normal
range.”
“Did you see the small power spike during the third proton shot?”
“That could possibly be a calibration issue; I will put this on the
repair list.”

A few more rockets on smaller targets are fired successfully.

“Captain, all parameters nominal. We are ready for the rail gun
test.”
“Helmsman, bring us a bit further away from the rings to the edge
of the testing area.”
“Yes, Sir.”

---

I call the engine room. “Chief Higgins, how are the engines
working? Are you ready for the last stress test?”
“So far so good, Captain. This monster works exquisitely. Ready
when you are.”
“Then give it a go. Commander, run test sequence alpha for the
railgun.”

11
A humming sound traverses the Astraea. The railgun is hidden
inside the ship, and the engineers had to find a way to reduce heat
and reroute heat ventilation. A lot of mechanisms need to work
properly for it to function. The humming sound ends.
“End of test alpha; some outliers but everything in the green,” says
Lieutenant Commander Snyder.
“Then proceed with sequence beta.”

The moment the command is spoken, a shock hits the Astraea.

Rumbling, heavy vibrations, the helmsman Lieutenant is already
at work to compensate for the drift. Communications, which also
monitors the ship’s status, reports that the hull is intact, no impacts,
but we’re losing energy.
“Commander, what’s going on?”
“I enabled test protocol beta and the railgun immediately spiked in
power consumption, Captain. I can’t shut it down.” A channel is
opened to the engine room.
“Chief, can you restart the system and turn off the railgun
energy?”
“We’re already working on it, Cap.”
In all this trouble, my mind has time to think of that nickname for
a split second and if it’s correct to answer like that. Before a
decision is made, the next message interrupts my thoughts.

“Captain, our sensors show a small ship appearing from inside the
rings.”

12
A ship, here? At the weapons test area? “Which kind of ship?”
“I can’t say more; the power spike has damaged some of our more
sensible sensors. But they set course for the Astraea.” The ship is
still rumbling, the screens start to flickering, and an unidentified
ship is approaching. Nice first day.

“Sir, we’re getting called.”

“Maybe it’s another Navy ship that did some unscheduled tests
here. Please open a channel.”
“Channel open.”
“This is Space Navy Ship Astraea. Please provide help. We’re
losing energy and could use a hand.”
There is cracking on the line before the reply: “Seems like this is
your unfortunate day. Discard your rockets into space, and we will
spare your lives. You have one minute to answer. This is Captain
Bargostor, for the record.”
I have never heard of him before, but he sounds serious. An attack
at one of the Navy Test Areas is very uncommon, even extremely
dangerous for everyone who is trying it. They must have been
prepared for all this.

“Captain, our weapons won’t be ready in the next minute, and most
of our power is down. Chief Higgins is restarting the systems, but
that will take up to 15 minutes.”

13
I feel like this was better planned than thought, but there’s no time
to think about it right now. Never would I have guessed that my
first day out in space as a captain could be that eventful.
“What about the secondary systems?”
“Offline.”
Not the best situation to be in. In commando training, you get used
to situations like this, but here, it’s the real thing. There is no
practice, and the crew demands the right decisions. It’s the first
challenge and it doesn’t matter if it’s day one or a hundred days
into this. But I got a plan that could work.

“Commander, if we prioritize a single proton beam, can you get it

online?”
“That could work.”
“Do it, fast!”
We have 30 seconds to answer; maybe I can get some more
seconds. “Simmons, call that ship in 15 seconds. I got an idea…”
Snyder, just as I hoped, acts fast and focused. He’s switching
between consoles back and forth, his eyes rushing over the
monitors. My confidence is growing, he was the right choice.

Let’s try to fight them mentally. “When the proton is online, send
some energy to the other seven, even if it’s just a little.”
The comms channel opens and Captain Bargostor starts: “Now
Captain, what’s your answer?”

14
“I have no idea how you managed to infiltrate the wharf and
sabotage us, but you did a poor job. Our scanners took a hit and
we thought you were a Navy ship, that’s why we didn’t shoot you,
but if you scan us, you can see that they’re online. To ensure our
position, here’s a message. Commander, shoot their bow.” The
single online proton beam locks on to the other ship and shoots.
The impact can be heard over the comms. The line closes.

At the bridge of the pirate ship.

Captain Bargostor is visibly surprised to get hit by the Astraea.

Shouldn’t all energy be down after that test procedure? The bug
they installed at the wharf should have made this new ship an easy
target. Because the railgun was built into a ship for the first time,
the malware was not too obvious for the engineers to find.
“Scan their weapons, now!” shouts the captain to his crew.
“Cap Bargo, I can detect power at all their proton beams. How is
that possible?”
Bargostor knows he can’t keep up with an operable Navy ship; he
fought long enough on their side to know about the capabilities of
these ships. Since he left the Navy, he has grown in anger about
everything related to them. Not only did the Navy steal years of
his life, but they were guilty for the deaths of his wife and son in
his eyes. But he cannot fight this frigate head-first. With a different
strategy maybe, but it’s too late for that. The plan was perfect. He’s
still asking himself how it went wrong.

15
“Bargo, we can’t fight them like that! Even if they can’t move,
they’ve got 360-degree defenses. We can get new missiles from
somewhere else.”
“I know, but not these antimatter badboys, which don’t leave
traces. Dammit! Set course back into the rings, and then get out of
here. Open a channel!”

Meanwhile, on the Astraea...

“Captain, the proton beam got a short circuit after the shot.”
“That means we’re pretty much defenseless. Keep energy flowing
through these lines; don’t let them have a chance to think twice.
Let’s hope they don’t know better.”
All defenses are down again; a thorough scan could reveal that, but
these guys might not be that calm after the first shot. How did they
even manipulate the secondary systems? We need to work on that
later. We have one last chance to show some strength, but then we
will need to comply and hope for the best.
“Commander, is it possible to put more energy into the second
forward proton to appear as if we would fire?”
Comms: “Captain, they are calling us again.”
“Open the channel.”

“I’m impressed, Captain. Next time, you won’t have that much
luck. We will see each other again!” Bargostor cuts the line and
the ship turns around and leaves into Saturn’s rings. Next time, he

16
will be better prepared, he swears that to himself. This small ship
would have been enough for a defenseless capture, but a single
laser can do just that much. Without new rockets, they can’t fight
this kind of opponent. Hiding behind rocks, never again. The Free
Space League could’ve used these missiles, but next time they
won’t try to snitch them; they will fight for them.

---

The next closest Navy ship, a corvette, entered the testing area
around 20 minutes later, offering some help. About two hours after
the incident, all systems are back online. The railgun is still shut
down; that’s something the scientific crew has to take a look at.
Alone in my room, writing the report about this encounter, I think
about Bargostor. Maybe we met somewhere, but I have no idea
where. Anyways, the crew worked perfectly, and I’m glad about
everyone on board.
The doorbell rings. “Come in.”

Commander Nishimura enters the room. “Captain, may I speak

openly?”
“Commander, yes of course, please take a seat.”
Commander Yui Nishimura is about ten years older than me and
could have easily been the captain for this mission. I have read her
record, and it seems she just had some bad luck with her missions,
never being too important to have been noticed by her supervisors.

17
Just before this mission, she was promoted to the commander rank.
Maybe I was helping a little bit with it, but I would never tell her.
“Captain, it was risky not to comply at first and to try to fool these
pirates. But I have to say, it was a challenge that the crew mastered
as a team. You stayed very calm.”
She was at the bridge all the time, managing damage reports while
I tried to work out this ambitious plan.
“Thank you, Commander, but we still don’t know if they were
pirates. Intel will have to find out. The crew did a great job on day
one. Not every day has to be like this, but it’s a good feeling to rely
on everybody.”
“We have to make changes to the power systems so that it won’t
happen again in the future.”
“I’m there with you. You will oversee the changes made and report
them back to me. Anything else?”
“No, Sir, I’m looking forward to working with you.”

The rest of our flight to Ganymede goes without interruption, and

we will be able to gather our last crewmember just a little later than
thought. I even have a chance to take a look at the message from
my parents. Just like I said, they’re wishing me all the best, and
my mom mentioned she met someone called Pika or Piko whom
she had secretly said to store something underneath my bed. Oh
well, Mum, what is it now? Looking underneath my bed, there’s a
small box. I open it and see a small holo-projector that shows my

18
family at our last Christmas we had together. My mum is always
worried I will forget about them. That day, even my sister came to
visit. Immediately, I start to record a thank you letter that will be
sent back to Earth at Ganymede Station. The holo gets a prominent
place on my desk, being the only private piece on it.

I can’t wait for all the new discoveries we will make in the next
months.

END OF EPISODE 01

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Personal note:

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