Stolen Worlds

by Bob Blink

  He figured they were about an hour's walk from the strange barrier they could see hanging over the crater. Even from here they could see vague shapes underneath the covering, which apparently mimicked the ground when viewed from overhead, but close up and edge on, one could see through to a limited degree. Five of them would make the trek as close as they could get. Paul Cameron would remain in the vehicles. He was in poor shape, and Morales knew he wouldn't be making it back alive. Unfortunately they couldn't do much for him, and for the most part they kept him mildly sedated to ease his discomfort.

  As they approached the crater they would have to be alert for anything that might detect their presence, yet they wanted to get pictures and video they could send back to base. They'd already transmitted a description of what they had seen so far, in case something happened and they didn't have an opportunity later. A grim thought, but seeing what was here, not beyond believable. They had unpacked the M16s, and each carried a weapon and three spare magazines of ammunition. The rifles were clumsy to hold and operate while in the heavy suits, as no changes had been made to make them more compatible with their current attire.

  "Hand signals except in a serious emergency," Morales directed. They were close enough that their radios would be detectable if anyone around here was monitoring. "Let's go."

  They formed a line, separated by about ten feet, carrying the rifles and moving slowly toward the edge of the barrier, making use of what cover was available. Morales took a zig-zag route trying to keep small ripples in the land and the edges of mini-craters between them and the secret facility ahead of them.

  Walking across the uneven surface through the varying depths of dust was harder work than anticipated, but soon enough they were within ten feet of the barrier. It was nearly transparent at this range, but one could identify a clear boundary where it began. Orders from the base were not to penetrate the barrier given they could see through it. Any attempt at penetration would likely give their presence away, which would probably mean their deaths, and a loss of whatever insights they had gained.

  Spreading out parallel to the barrier, Morales couldn't believe the extent of whatever the facility might be. Close to the edge, just inside the barrier were a series of towers that looked as if they would encircle the entire area. If the satellite data was correct, that meant roughly a twenty-mile diameter circle. Strung from tower to tower was a metallic looking ribbon in the form of an open "V", with the opening upward. From the base of each tower was a very thick pipe or cable that ran radially inward to the collection of structures they could see in the distance. He guessed the closest was a mile away.

  At first he thought it was a parking area for the alien's ships, but now, examining the distant area with the highest power of his special binoculars he was convinced it was indeed the ships, but they were carefully placed and interconnected to form a facility whose function he couldn't even guess at, beyond the fact it probably had some role in the change of the Earth's orbit. His guess was that the aliens didn't come and build a facility, they came with it pre-constructed in modules that were ships, and then linked together so they could quickly go operational. Most of the ships were of a similar size, but he spotted a couple along the outer fringes that were four or five times larger than the others. He also could see small moving figures, but the distance was so great he couldn't make any estimate of their size, nor get any images that would reveal what they looked like. But the aliens were clearly here.

  The construct was so large they couldn't begin to see the far side, and they had to assume the apparent symmetry was followed making the distant perimeter a copy of what was before them. There was no chance of making a circuit around. That would increase their chances of being discovered, and guarantee they'd never make it back to the base.

  After thirty minutes of picture taking and filming, Morales signaled it was time to head back to the moonbuggies. It seemed that they had done so little. To have struggled for days to get here, and then a few brief minutes observing from outside seemed a bit wasteful of their efforts, but they had discovered what was most important. The anomaly the scientists had discovered was indeed a base, and if they were right, the only one on the moon. They had to get that information back to Earth so decisions could be made how to proceed.

  They made their way back, arriving covered with the accursed dust, only to find that Cameron had passed while they were gone. Gene and David placed him in his suit in the back of their trailer, while Morales and Boyd made the transmission back to base. They were fortunate that the satellite was in view, and their laser from within the shadowed gully unobservable. They relayed their observations and the pictures and video that everyone had taken. By the time they were done, it was dark.

  "Time to go," Morales directed. "We want to get back into the sun so we can stay on panel power and don't have to navigate this unknown territory in the dark." Fortunately, they could follow their tracks in as the last day had been without incident and by then they should be well into the light.

  Chapter 16

  Cape Canaveral

  Space Launch Complex 40

  [While the lunar crew proceeds to Fermi Crater]

  "We are T-Minus thirty seconds and counting," the voice from the loudspeaker mounted high on the wall announced.

  Bud Hollister glanced around the sparsely populated room as the launch approached. Other than himself, the Vice President, and General Easystone, there were very few observers for this rapidly prepared launch. Well, that was the way they wanted it. He knew, as did the others, that the payload on the massive rocket gleaming in the sunlight a couple of miles away and shown standing proudly on the series of monitors scattered around the viewing area, would under normal conditions never have been approved for launch. The risks in the event of a launch failure were simply too high. Ten, five megaton nuclear warheads weighing roughly three thousand pounds each, and a variety of associated gear were tightly packed into the fairing, replacing a series of military scientific satellites that had been slated to go on this vehicle. But, conditions were different given the grim future facing humanity, and they were doing things that would normally have been considered unthinkable.

  "That's one hell of a rocket," the Vice President said, alternating his glance from the monitor showing the booster with a trail of white, vented oxygen trailing away and the count-down clock which was rapidly approaching the moment of truth.

  "A Falcon Heavy," NASA's Director explained. "One of our heavy lift vehicles. It has about two thirds the lift capability into Low Earth Orbit (LEO) compared to the old Saturn V which supported our early moon efforts. Only NASA's Space Launch System is more powerful with about 25% more capability into orbit with the current version."

  "Why aren't we using that vehicle?" the VP asked.

  "This was available and already on the pad. It would have been launching in a couple of days with a different payload if we hadn't appropriated it," General Easystone explained. "The satellites it was destined to carry were to study the situation of our changing orbit, but that is far less important than being in a position to fight should we need to."

  The Vice President nodded and wished he weren't here, but the President had directed otherwise. It wasn't as if he could do anything to help, if something went wrong. It was the possibility of failure that bothered him. Ten nuclear warheads. He could see them scattering around the launch site if the liftoff went sour. He recalled a vehicle from many years ago that tilted, went into a flat spin, and spit out its payload, a weather satellite if memory served. They'd been assured that the warheads couldn't detonate, but he didn't completely trust such assurances, and even if they didn't, he knew that the warheads were radioactive. He hoped they were Uranium based rather than Plutonium, which his college chemistry had taught him was not only very radioactive, but poisonous as well.

  The Vice President had been present for the discussions regarding the choice of weapons to deploy, as had been a handful of experts on the devices.

 
; "Perhaps smaller warheads would be more appropriate," one of the experts had suggested. "We have a great many of the smaller devices, and they would provide greater flexibility and more chances for some to get through."

  "We don't have the launch vehicles for so many," General Markham countered. "Since we can only launch a limited number of warheads, it would be better to send devices as large as we are able. These we have selected are within the capability of the rockets we currently have at the base. Remember, this alien facility is huge, and we don't have any experience with how resistant it might be."

  "It's too bad we don't have any neutron bombs," another of the group suggested. If we could take down the aliens but preserve the facility, we might be able to learn a great deal. They are obviously well advanced from where our technology sits. Maybe the Russians have some. Our last neutron devices were decommissioned some years ago. We might want to ask."

  "Even if they do, I don't see them as an option," General Easystone had said. "Neutrons can be slowed and absorbed, and we don't know that the aliens aren't set up for such a thing. There is nothing we know of that can withstand a nuclear blast, and we will only get one chance at this. Our surprise attack, if we actually launch it, must have the maximum chance of success. I would like to preserve the equipment for study as much as anyone, but it is simply far too great a risk to proceed with less than the maximum force we can deliver."

  That had ended further discussion, and the huge five megaton weapons had been chosen.

  "Five, Four, Three, Two, One, and we have liftoff," the launch control officer announced.

  The Vice President had seen the massive plumes of flame and smoke coming out of the vehicle as the last seconds of the countdown passed, and now belatedly he felt the shudder and shake as the force of the powerful engines made itself felt here, a couple of miles away. On the screen the vehicle looked like it was stuck on the pad, but then, ever so slowly, it began to move upward. Soon it was clear of the tower and accelerating ever faster. He breathed easier as it rose into the sky. At least if something went wrong now, it would be some distance away from them.

  Bud Hollister was studying the tracking profile on the screen, which showed the planned track against the actuals that they were getting from telemetry and the various tracking devices scattered around the Cape.

  "We're looking good," General Easystone remarked. He'd been following the plots along with Hollister.

  "So far, so good," Hollister agreed. "I'll feel better once we attain low Earth orbit."

  "What happens then?" the VP asked. "He wasn't much of a space enthusiast, and now wished he'd been more proactive the past couple of years.

  "The booster is supposed to separate us into a specific orbit with a given orientation," Hollister explained. "Of course, there are tolerances on that, and it's never spot on with what is optimal. Our people in Houston at the Johnson Space Center will be taking control of the payload once it is separated from the booster, and they'll take some time to determine the attitude and orbit. Based on what they learn, a small reorientation burn might be performed so that the solid motor attached to the payload is aligned just the way we want, and then they will trigger the translunar injection burn. That will send us off toward the moon."

  "When will that happen?"

  "The orbit we will be separated into is around an hour and a half from now. They will need half an orbit for any touchup reorientation maneuvers, and then on the next orbit they will normally fire the solid motor. All that assumes nothing unexpected develops."

  "Then three days to the moon," General Easystone said.

  Hollister nodded. "Pretty close, with a couple of small touch up maneuvers using the liquid motors if needed, and then just over three days from the translunar injection maneuver, they will fire the liquid motor again to place the spacecraft into lunar orbit. It will make a couple of orbits while they optimize everything for the de-orbit maneuver, which will then drop it down toward Tranquility base, and we will be finished."

  "Since there's no air on the moon you can't use parachutes or the normal means of slowing it down, so I assume it's a powered descent as well?" the VP asked.

  "That's correct."

  "And how do you stop these nukes if those rockets have a problem?"

  "Abruptly," General Easystone replied.

  Bud Hollister shot him a sharp glance.

  "You aren't concerned that these aliens might spot it?" the Vice President asked continuing his endless series of questions.

  "We can't stop everything, and they know we make periodic deliveries. Hopefully they won't attach any special importance to this one if they spot it."

  "If they are even around," General Easystone added. "Our suspicions have yet to be confirmed. The group making the on-site survey still has a few days to go before they reach the point with the anomalous magnetic field."

  Another announcement came over the speaker system and the NASA Director grinned.

  "There we go. The mission will be handled off of Houston from this point. They've just had a successful AOS right on schedule, so the orbit has to be very close to nominal.

  "AOS?"

  "Acquisition of Signal. The ground station in Alice Springs, Australia that will be the key control station for the mission, acquired the payload telemetry signal exactly when and where they were supposed to. The risky part is over now. We might as well head back to Washington. Air Force Two will allow us to monitor the translunar insertion burn as we fly, and after that it will be mostly three days of waiting."

  Chapter 17

  The forces involved to move planets were immense; beyond the ability of the mind to accurately categorize them. One defined the forces in terms of orders of magnitude rather than scribing the numbers that defined them in normal script. The zeros involved in doing so would have caused the meaning to be lost which would have made understanding the reality impossible. The forces could crush a million starships without even making a noticeable reduction in the power that was available.

  And yet, the result was so very tiny. The acceleration was miniscule, nearly immeasurable. It would have been impossible to sense if not for the ultimate effect that would be induced as a result of the continuous application of acceleration.

  Of course the mass to be moved was incredibly large. Larger in zeros than even the force, by a considerable number. That made the movement of a pace that long, long periods of continuous application of the energy being tapped from the underspace realm would be required to accomplish the ultimate goals of those directing the power.

  The machinery required to accomplishing these lofty goals was surprisingly small, but because of the design certain restrictions had to be followed. The magnitude of the acceleration was a simple on or off, and not adjustable, at least with the version of equipment they were using. A slow ramp up of the force could potentially cause an instability that would damage the drivers. Direction could, and in fact had to be, tuned periodically to maximize the desired effect. The tuning would require the most attention during the first cycle around the sun, that function gradually being turned over to the automatic control of the AI that coordinated the efforts of the various units.

  Of course, the smallness of the equipment was more than offset by the immense size of the underspace drive required to move an entire planet with its moons. That drive would be brought into operation once the sun was a mere spec in the sky, not much different than the other stars. Underspace energy was limitless, and the physics of movement almost contradictory, but it allowed faster-than-light movement without which, none of this would be possible. It had taken his race over a hundred generations to tame the unfriendly regions and bring them into productive use. Because of the size of the underspace drive, and the concern of premature detection during assembly, the equipment had been constructed on the planet's overly large moon, and then in a spot where the primitives had little chance of spotting it.

  For Argwat this was merely a job. It was the fourth time he had joined a crew
such as this to relocate a world. It would take roughly two hundred of the local years, one-eighth of his lifetime, to accomplish the goal, but this would be his last time, and from this point on he could retire on any planet in the home system and live in comfort. He would also be able to reflect with pride on his accomplishment. Four more worlds added to the home system. This would be one of the last, giving them sixty worlds in the same orbit around their sun, spaced equally, and providing the race room to grow for the foreseeable future.

  The arrangement had taken some planning. To eliminate disturbing gravitation attraction from other worlds, they had cleaned out their solar system before beginning the project. All the worlds save two very small ones were relocated to a nearby star which now served as the in-space manufacturing center for his race. Even their starships were manufactured there. The two small remaining worlds were moved to very distant orbits, and served as spaceports for ships coming and leaving their system, located far enough out from the gravitational singularity of the sun that underspace drive could be activated just outside the orbit of these planets.

  This Earth was nothing special. For one thing it had too much land wasted by being covered in water. Water was a precious resource, but it was also readily available in the home system. But it was something that was easily corrected, and in fact the sterilization process when the planet moved closer to the sun would boil off a great deal of the excess liquid, eliminating the need to deal with it once the planet arrived at its final destination.

  They had taken the world despite certain shortcomings because it was rich in key resources, and they were farther from home than they had ever traveled before. There had been argument among the crew, but finally, worried they could go on for many more years without finding a world that was perfect, they agreed they would be able to get most of their fee with this world, and be back home that much sooner. Like him, most of the crew were on their last trip. There was some question whether there would even be more trips, as the sixty world requirement would soon be filled, with a couple of spares to be disassembled for materials, when they finished this mission.