The Terran Cycle Boxset

by Philip C. Quaintrell

  They were hoping it was a sign of trust; Kalian was willing to bet the Chief wasn’t the kind of man who had time for hope.

  Kalian couldn’t see where they were coming from. “Is there a reason we shouldn’t trust them? The message says they come as friends. If they’re as advanced as you think they are, wouldn’t they just attack us rather than send a message?”

  The Chief gave him a condescending look. “If I want to see a man I knock on his door first, I don’t just appear in his kitchen while he’s eating breakfast.”

  It was how the ship had appeared from nowhere that had them on edge. The unknown ship hadn’t appeared in the solar system using what they knew to be conventional Solar Drive technology. Since learning about the engine of the crashed ship, the UDC had set up more patrols closer to the sun; after all, it was called Solar Drive for a reason. The only method of traversing light years in a few hours or days required the most powerful source of energy in space, a star. Kalian didn’t know the applied physics of Solar Drive but, like every other child, he had been taught the fundamentals. The ship must fly into the orbit of a star spot on the surface of the Sun, where the strongest magnetic fields are emitted. Using technology re-engineered from the alien craft, the UDC ships absorb the magnetic fields which in turn ignite the Solarcite; the alien fuel charges the engines, creating a thrust capable of faster-than-light travel.

  As great as the technology is, it still has its limitations. With the fuel requiring such strong magnetic fields in order to be ignited, a star must be present. Without a star, the ship would be stranded in space with no way of igniting the fuel. Everyone knew the story of the Paladin, the only ship to disappear in the process of using Solar Drive. It was the third ship in the colonising expedition to Century; it had one hundred thousand people on board, all ready to start a new life on an exciting new planet. The last transmission received before they left was from an officer on the bridge, shouting about a navigational error. Since they never arrived at Century and never returned to Earth, it was assumed they were lost in space with no stars close enough to reignite the Solarcite. That was two and a half centuries ago.

  Solar Drive meant that all ships took off from the surface of a star and arrived close to the next star. Since this technology was taken from an alien race, it was assumed by the UDC that this is how they would eventually re-enter our solar system. But they didn’t, instead, they appeared in the blink of an eye without alerting one human vessel.

  “It’s possible,” Commander Barnes said, “they’ve been sitting there for a while. It wouldn’t be a stretch to assume they have some kind of stealth technology.”

  The Chief waved his hand as if to push the subject away. “This discussion is for another place, Commander. The focus right now is Mr Gaines here. Whatever it is they want with you, son, I don’t want you to make any kind of response or decision without consulting the representative and the security detail.”

  Do you want me to hold their hand too?

  The thought occurred to Kalian that he hadn’t actually been asked if he would go, but he got the feeling that the Chief Commander of the UDC didn’t ask anything.

  Lieutenant Walsh’s voice came back over the speaker on the table. “Sir, a shuttle from Central Parliament has just landed. They appear to have elected Ambassador Sebastian Arlek as the representative for the meeting. I have a data-packet on him for you to review on the way up, sir.”

  The Chief Commander’s face dropped at the name. “I don’t need any data on him. We’ll be right out.” He turned to Commander Barnes. “It’s time to get the ball moving. Send a message back on the same frequency informing our friends of the location and time of the meeting.” He looked back at Kalian. “I think it’s time to find out what they want with you Mr Gaines... what they want with all of us.”

  The commanders stood up to leave the room with him. The Chief ignored Kalian on the way out, but Commander Barnes motioned for him to follow them.

  The Chief Commander’s frustration filled the lift like an angry mob. Kalian opened his mouth to ask about the Ambassador when Commander Barnes grasped his wrist, shaking his head to deter him from saying anything. Kalian had the feeling the Commander had experienced the Chief’s outbursts before and knew when it was a good time to remain invisible.

  The doors opened into the stark entrance that was The Hub’s main foyer. The Chief strode out of the lift with Lieutenant Walsh on his heels.

  As they approached the main doors, Kalian saw a woman in UDC uniform stand up by one of the long benches that lined the walls. After the Chief had gone by she sat back down, resuming her original position. The main doors opened, bathing her in a soft glow. Her features appeared exaggerated in the sunlight. She didn’t look like the other soldiers he had encountered, not even Lieutenant Walsh. Her hair wasn’t cropped short but instead fell just below her shoulders; the copper ringlets shone, reflecting the bright light from outside. Her skin was fair against her high cheekbones and pointed jawline. He couldn’t deny she was attractive. Her eyes stood out the most. In the sunlight, they shone a brilliant green.

  Commander Barnes noticed Kalian’s attention linger. “Ah, good timing. Let the Chief Commander greet the Ambassador, I want to introduce you to someone.” He guided Kalian over to the seated woman, leaving the Chief and Lieutenant to meet Ambassador Arlek alone.

  As they approached, the woman stood up again and saluted the Commander. “Sir.”

  The Commander responded in kind and she stood at ease. The top of her head only came up to Kalian’s eyes but he could tell that he would be a fool to judge her by her height and slight frame alone - as a UDC soldier, she would know a hundred ways to put him on his ass.

  “Kalian Gaines, this is Lieutenant Commander Li’ara Ducarté. She has been selected to be your personal security detail for the mission.”

  Kalian reached out his hand to greet her formally. For some reason, he felt nervous about shaking her hand and his palm felt clammy.

  “Hi... I’m Kalian. Strong grip you’ve got there.” He let out a short, nervous laugh.

  You complimented her grip?

  She pulled her hand away and stared at him for a moment. “Mr Gaines...” As with the other soldiers, she didn’t say much.

  “Please, call me Kalian.”

  She simply nodded in return.

  “Li’ara’s been escorting VIP’s and various government and UDC officials for years. She’s going to stay on your six at all times Kalian, she’ll look after you.” Commander Barnes gave him a reassuring pat on the back. “Lieutenant Commander, could you show Kalian to the mess hall, get him something to eat and drink. The Chief Commander and I are going to brief the Ambassador before you get the green light. After you’ve seen to Kalian, you need to report to Commander Hawkins in the hangar bay, he’s prepping the ship.” He gave Kalian one last reassuring look and disappeared into the bright light of the Nevada desert.

  Li’ara looked Kalian up and down, her eyes darting to specific points on his body. In a few seconds, she appeared to have assessed him for any potential strengths and weaknesses she might need to know in the field. From the look on her face, he had a feeling Li’ara had found more weaknesses than strengths.

  “Have you ever had any kind of survival or endurance training?” She sounded doubtful.

  “I took a self-defence class when I was nineteen...”

  Kalian remembered taking the class hoping it would teach him some mental and physical discipline. Nineteen was a hard year; he had been forced to isolate himself for hours every day. At least once a week he had woken up to find his belongings in a different place to where he had left them. The self-defence class had helped for a time, the concentration required during the sparring matches allowed him to focus. Unfortunately, it was only temporary, like everything else he had tried.

  “So that would be a no then.” Li’ara turned on her heel and headed towards a side door he hadn’t even noticed.

  She made no motion for him to fol
low but he remembered the Commander’s orders about the mess hall.

  They walked in silence until they reached a large empty room lined with tables and benches, it all seemed very sterile to Kalian.

  “Wait here until I come for you. Someone will be along soon with food and water.” Li’ara turned to leave.

  “Wait, where are you going?” He regretted asking a question that had already been answered.

  “I have to meet Commander Hawkins in the hangar bay; he’ll be coming with us to the Icarus station.” She left without saying anything else.

  Ambassador Arlek stood at the central control station, reviewing the current data being relayed by every ship and satellite in the system. There wasn’t a lot of it. The station was covered in holographic readouts and scans that all fed back the same lack of knowledge. The Chief Commander ordered the latest images of the nearest drone sweep to be displayed on the large monitor at the head of the room. Arlek swept his scarlet robes aside as he moved around the station to get closer. The ship was astonishing. It was larger than any vessel made by Central Parliament or even the great warships from the corporate wars.

  He touched the main station’s glass top and brought up the message sent by the aliens. It all sounded good except for the last part. Why on Earth would they want to meet a teacher? The possibilities this meeting held were not lost on him. If indeed these aliens were here to make an alliance, they could finally reclaim the years lost to them during the wars. The aliens could help humanity reach a golden age of technology that they should have conquered centuries ago. That responsibility fell squarely on him.

  And so it should.

  Arlek knew that no one else in Parliament was better suited for this than he. For decades, he had mastered the art of manipulation and political manoeuvring. If there were aliens on that ship looking to make a deal with mankind, then he was going to secure it.

  “What do we know about him?” he asked.

  “There’s not a lot to know.” Hendricks swept his hand across the nearest holograms and displayed the teacher’s file. “He’s got no record. Parents died when he was a kid. He’s been lecturing at the San Francisco University for four years, he’s intelligent but he’s kept to himself, barely has a presence on any of the social networks. All in all, he’s unremarkable.”

  “You’ve spoken to him?”

  “He hasn’t got a clue what’s going on.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “We scanned every molecule of his body on his way through here. There are a few strange markers in his blood that we can’t explain yet, nothing alien, but we’ve got the best going over it as we speak. I saw his reaction when we showed him the message; he was just as shocked as we were.”

  There was something more to Kalian Gaines, there had to be. Arlek hated mysteries. He had spent years in the government uprooting every secret and leveraging every lie. He had anyone who mattered in his pocket, their sources now his own. Information was power and he had positioned himself deliberately to ensure everything passed through his office. How could there be no more to learn about this man? Everyone had secrets.

  “What of them?” Arlek dismissed the data file on Kalian Gaines and looked to the magnificent ship.

  “We know even less, I’m afraid. It appears they were always here, just cloaked.” That was technology Arlek wanted. “Our scans are useless against it. We don’t even know what its armaments are like.” That part seemed to particularly trouble the Chief Commander.

  A young cadet swivelled in his seat and caught their attention. “Sir, they’ve responded. They have agreed on Icarus.”

  “Have it ready, we launch immediately.” Arlek ignored Hendricks’ look and made for the lift - it was time for some answers.

  Without his Info-band working, Kalian had no idea how much time had gone by. He had made one attempt to leave the mess hall but had been turned back by the guard stationed outside. It appeared they had closed off the entire room just to hold him in it. They had brought him food but recent events had caused him to lose his appetite. When he had lost count of how many times he had paced up and down, the door finally slid open to reveal Li’ara.

  “The Ambassador’s been briefed and our guests upstairs have agreed on the location.”

  “When do we leave?”

  “Now.”

  2

  Kalian was led through a maze of corridors and security checks where both Li’ara and he were retinal scanned. Eventually, he found himself in another lift going back below ground level. Li’ara didn’t speak much on the journey and, although Kalian didn’t mind silence, with her he found it uncomfortable.

  “So you’re going to keep me safe, are you?”

  “That’s the idea.” She sounded bored, which surprised Kalian given their extraordinary circumstances.

  “Do you even know what you’re keeping me safe from?” Kalian briefly looked at her to see if he achieved any reaction.

  Li’ara responded with a quick glance but offered no reply.

  Kalian supposed this type of mission must be normal for Li’ara; escorting people into unknown territory with an infinite number of possible outcomes. She didn’t know if they were heading into a fight or a simple conversation. He assumed this was the reason for her calm exterior. Li’ara must be pretty good to even have this assignment. He found himself hoping.

  In any event, she looked prepared for a fight. Since leaving Kalian in the mess hall, Li’ara had met up with Commander Hawkins and changed her uniform. Instead of the all grey UDC garb, she now wore a combat survival suit covered in various plates of matte black armour. Besides her face, there wasn’t one part of her body that wasn’t covered or protected. Kalian noticed the suit fitted her perfectly as if it had been made just for her, with every curve matching her own. He had never seen this kind of outfit on other UDC soldiers, he assumed they were used for missions people didn’t get to see or hear about. Kalian suddenly felt quite vulnerable in just his jacket.

  I’ll be fine; this is a historical meeting of two intelligent species, not some galactic war.

  The hangar bay was bigger than Kalian had imagined. The ceiling was at least three hundred feet high and wider still. Lining the walls were hundreds of small ships, each capable of space flight. Most of them had smaller machines hovering around them, screwing in new bolts or replacing old wiring. The soldiers and pilots milling around stopped what they were doing to watch Kalian and Li’ara walk down the middle of the hangar. He wasn’t sure how many people knew about him and his connection to current events - the guards who brought him here didn’t know anything after all. Kalian straightened his back to appear more confident in the new environment.

  At least look as if you’re supposed to be here.

  The ship they were heading for was obvious; it sat in the middle of the hangar with an armed guard at each corner. Several UDC mechanics were working on what Kalian assumed to be the engine at the back. The ship itself was quite different from the others in the bay. The surrounding vessels were practical in their design with no thought to appearance. This one looked as if it had been polished for days by cleaning mechs. It had been put together using as few panels as possible, making it appear smoother. It still didn’t look as smooth as the alien ship that floated ominously above them. Painted against the silvery hull were the giant white letters of the UDC, with smaller letters that read: FATHOM.

  The ship had bilateral arcing wings on either side that sloped almost to the ground. There was something about the pattern on the wings that caught Kalian’s attention; hundreds of hexagons all fitted together like a beehive. He had seen that pattern many times before in images from his own lectures. The ship had a Solar Drive. The design of this particular ship allowed for the wings to absorb the magnetic fields of the Sun, allowing it to power the Solarcite in the engine.

  “I’ve never been on a ship with a Solar Drive before. I didn’t even know we could make them so small.” Kalian marvelled at the ship.

  He had neve
r paid much attention to the design of ships or any other vehicle, but he could appreciate the advance in technology this particular ship represented.

  “It’s not combat-ready yet but, in a pinch, it’ll get us out of there faster than light.” The reply had come from a deep, rasping voice behind them.

  Kalian turned to find a man wearing similar armour to Li’ara, standing only a couple of feet away. He had his thumbs tucked into the armour on his chest plate. Despite being no taller than Kalian, there was something about the way he presented himself that made him appear larger. Kalian assumed it was his armour; it was thicker in most areas compared to Li’ara’s. It was obvious his armour had taken some damage, however, with several dents and chips visible on almost every piece. The most notable aspect of the man was a tattoo that arced over his shaven head. Kalian couldn’t make heads or tails of the intricate pattern, but it started above his left eye and reached over the top and out of sight.

  “Commander Hawkins, this is Kal-”

  “I know who he is, Lieutenant Commander.” He didn’t take his eyes off Kalian. “I’ve read your file Kalian Gaines, and those are five minutes of my life I’ll never get back.” The Commander started walking round Kalian as if he were a predator circling its prey. “I can’t figure out why an alien species would wanna’ talk to a history lecturer,” he leaned in closer, “but it puts me on edge. You’re gonna stick to her like glue, you do what we say and we’ll all be back in time for dinner.” The Commander took one look at Li’ara before moving away.

  Kalian noticed the nod of her head as if there had been some silent conversation between them.

  They really don’t like me being here...

  Something the Commander had said echoed in Kalian’s mind. “What did you mean, when you said it could get us out of there in a pinch?”