Chapter Nineteen

Everyone on the bridge turned in surprise when Kepler whooped. The captain gave him a sharp look, but did not say anything.

“My apologies, Captain.” Kepler said, blushing in embarrassment.

“I assume this means you have news?” The captain asked. He eyed Ensign Kepler with just a touch of humor in his expression.

“Yes, sir, I think I do. I may have figured out how to break through the interference in the ionosphere. It should, at least, let us scan the surface.” Kepler bit his lip, trying to hide his excitement. He loved a puzzle, and this one had been a tough one. The lives of the kids on the drop ship might also ride on the answer, which had only made Kepler want to solve the puzzle of the ionosphere even more.

“Very good, Ensign, you may proceed.”

“Thank you sir. The key to the whole thing is to determine the frequency of the existing interference. We should be able to do this by pulsing phased radio…”

The captain interrupted Kepler with a raised hand. “Ensign, I meant that you can proceed with your plan. I don’t need to know how it works. Just make it work.”

“Yes sir. It will only take a few moments to ” Kepler nodded excitedly and turned back to his console. He typed in a short program telling the computer what to do and sent the command to the computer core. Kepler imagined that he could hear the humming of the pulsing radio waves streaming down on the planet from the ship’s communications array.

The captain watched the planet on the main viewscreen with interest. He smiled when the pearly white atmosphere began to change color. The white gently bled into a cool green, and then to a soft blue. He looked over his shoulder, pleased that Ensign Kepler’s scheme seemed to be having some effect on the interference keeping them from rescuing the kids from the drop ship.

“Any idea how long this may take, Ensign?” The captain said, turning to address the pleased-looking, young officer.

“It depends on the modulation. If the interference in the ionosphere changes too rapidly, it may not work at all, but if it stays the same then it should not take more than ninety minutes.”

“Excellent work, Ensign,” the captain said. “Inform me as soon as we have an answer.”

Kepler watched his console intently as the ship beamed different radio frequencies at the planet, watching the shifting colors. If the computer could generate the right combination of radio waves the ships sensors would be able to penetrate the interference. Given enough time, the interference could be eliminated completely.

Kepler felt good. For the first time since the accident with the drop ship, there was a chance to save the children.