by T J Bryan
Farn nodded. "Admiral, can you explain your 'avoid fight' comment. If we go to New Horizons there is no way we can avoid combat."
Abel responded, "Farn, just avoid engagements you cannot win. Don't pick a fight. We will discuss your mission in greater detail tomorrow, but Farn I want you and your crew to survive this voyage. While it is important to support New Horizons in some manner, even if that support is as small as two ships, I want you and your ships back and intact. Gather intelligence and come home. Your assignment will be only for a month in system. We need information. In particular we need to know how Megra fight as a fleet. How often do they rotate ships in and out? What of their weapons complement? Do they have offensive weapons other than torpedoes? Have they established a base in human space? The list of things we do not know is enormous while the list of what we do know is quite small."
"What about De Magnete Sir?"
"Executive Operator Sohail has been asking for an alliance as we have with Wu. But at this point we simply lack the assets to protect the Commonwealth, Wu, and the knot line allies dependent on Wu. If the Megra were to attack any of our allies in force we would be hard pressed to defend against them. We certainly are committed to their defence, but at this time we cannot take on another dependent ally."
"Will I be able to speak to Sohail?"
"Yes. He is anxious to meet with you. The ship De Magnete is too badly damaged to return to New Horizons and he has asked that he accompany you back to New Horizons. I wanted to clear that with you before I give him an answer."
Farn was reluctant to take on a passenger, but the Executive Operator Sohail was not exactly a passenger and on the long voyage she might learn additional information that the formal briefing documents failed to cover. "No Sir. I have no objection."
Moments later May brought their curry shrimp and two bottles of Old Nelson's.
The two days at the Habitat had been intense with reviews, plans, a few drills, and the loading of munitions for the voyage. Farn was grateful that Abel did not steal any of her seasoned crew as he usually did to spread experience around the fleet. She knew she was lucky this time. Farn had spent considerable time reviewing Captain Marx's test results on the new mines and knew that they would be useful in protecting static emplacements as she was likely to find on New Horizons. Additionally she loaded another of Nomi's experiments, but this time it was fully automated and did not require Nomi's particular attention.
Farn spent her late evenings with John Beckely but she was so exhausted she simply curled up with him and fell asleep. There would be time for romance when she returned she though and was grateful that Beckely seemed to understand.
Two days later, with Executive Operator Sohail aboard, and without fanfare New Hildr and Mist set out for New Horizons and their meeting with Megra.
Chapter Eighty Eight
Jamon System - Collegium, Admiral's Office - Year 3247. October 17 ET: 13:38
"Abel, I have tried to understand Nomi's equations and I can almost see what she is proposing, but frankly I don't really understand it at all. Dilli seems to have the best grasp of her theoretical work but even he seems unable to articulate the essence of her breakthrough in physics. Now don't get me wrong. Nomi is on to something remarkable, perhaps the greatest scientific advance in a century or more, but at this point I need more study. Unfortunately Nomi considers me 'slow witted.'
"Professor Ollon, I know this may be inconvenient, but if what Dilli tells me has even the most minute chance of becoming reality we must explore it further. Please continue your work and I know that Nomi means no harm in her comments."
"Yes. I have known Nomi since she was about 10, I think. I understand her quite well, its just her theory I wish I understood better."
"Can you try even a simple description for an old fogey like me?" asked Abel wondering for a moment what a fogey might be.
"Well, I will try. But there are whole aspects of her theory which she explains in her equations, that I cannot at this time fathom. Just the basic theory is simply mind boggling."
Professor Ollon took a breath. "The great sage Einstein had us imagine that space was like a vast thin rubber sheet. If you placed marbles and bowling balls on the sheet the rubber the sheet would bend down around them. That was his useful analogy for gravity wells. And one that has held for thousands of years. It's a useful mental construct."
Abel recalled a vid in basic science class that had explained this idea, but he had slept through most of the presentation.
Ollon continued, "Now imagine this change to that mental construct. Imagine that the rubber sheet is covered in a thin sheen of oil."
"Yes," replied Abel.
Ollon continued. "Now what happens to the oil?"
"It would ooze down the rubber sheet toward the marbles and bowling balls."
"Correct," responded Ollon. "Now in your mind remove the rubber sheet but keep the oil. But imagine that the ghost of the rubber sheet still directs the flow of the oil."
"Glad the ghost is there or all the oil would drip to the floor." Abel thought he had made a joke, but Ollon frowned.
"Now imagine that that oil is gravity itself. Tangible, flowing, tactile, perhaps not in our dimension or perceived reality but still very real, very physical."
"And?"
"Now lets say you go to the bottom of the bowling ball well and capture that oil or gravity and put it into an 'nth' dimensional jar as it flows to another dimension. You will have captured gravity."
"I think I follow Professor. So Nomi thinks she can capture the essence of gravity in some kind of container or jar?"
"Correct. Now imagine that we placed the jar near our black hole and gathered a speck of the enormous gravitational pull of that singularity and the somehow retrieved the jar."
Abel thought a moment, "Ok. I understand."
"Now imagine you take that jar full of an intense gravitational oil or field, stored in an nth dimensional container and then you place the container say on an asteroid like Dio."
"Ok," replied Abel.
"Now, imagine you smash the bottle or jar. And unleash the gravitational force you captured from the black hole."
Suddenly Abel understood. "Why you might damage Dio."
Ollon looked very serious. "No Abel, you would simply eliminate Dio. It would cease to exist. It would implode onto itself. It would become a tiny black hole itself."
Two hours later Abel and Emmitt sat in the Admirals office.
Emmit spoke, "To build a test bed for Nomi's theoretical construct will take just about every resource we have in the Habitat. The entire project is immense and the effort in manpower, time, and materials is sure to disrupt our other efforts. It will even have an impact on every man woman and child given the resources required."
"How long to build the basic contraption? The bottle or jar."
Emmitt responded, "Abel this is just a theory and like all theories it might not be true and even if it was our ability to take advantage of it may simply be impossible. Nomi's 'nth' dimensional jar is a huge undertaking and the engineers who designed the thing are not entirely certain they understand Nomi's design."
Abel responded, "Yes, but they do have a design."
"True, but building it will be a huge undertaking. I am not sure it is worth the effort given our immediate and pressing needs for the OCN.
Abel thought for a moment and decided, "How long to build it?"
Emmitt was clearly frustrated with Abel's insistence that they proceed to build Nomi's apparatus. "It will take four years." Emmitt sighed and he knew what Abel was going to say next.
"Build it in two."
"Ok, ok. In two years is impossible and four years was a stretch. But I'll talk to the fabricators and see what can be done. But Abel that's only one problem. You have to get the jar out to Obsidian and then back again. Pulling something out of a black hole is impossible. Once anything is in its' grip it is hopelessly gone. And then there is the huge question of how to handle the
jar when it returns. Is it unstable? Will it leak? Can we even move it about given it might seem to have a mind of its own."
"Emmitt, first we build the jar. And as we build it we work on the other issues. I suspect that Nomi may have some suggestions in that matter as well. But first we build the jar."
"Our munitions development effort will grind to a halt. You know that."
"Yes, but as for the missiles without algorithmic engines we can make no progress. I intend to send a ship to Moschus to see if we can purchase the computer systems we need. That will take six months at a minimum. And as for both anti-matter torpedoes and sand casters we have made no progress and continued effort in that direction without some fundamental change is a wasted effort."
Abel waited to see if Emmitt was finished. "Emmitt lets proceed with Nomi's project."
Emmitt stood. "I pray you are right Abel, because our future, and perhaps the future of human space will depend on your decision. God help us if you are wrong."
Abel replied, "God help us Emmitt if we are right."
...
Wu System - Loading Dock, Sigrún - Year 3247. October 18 ET: 13:38
Captain OM Marx stood in the hold of Sigrún overseeing the loading of the last of the new mines. He glanced at the time on his inter-tab and realized that they were slightly behind schedule, but the 110 mines paid no attention to time and rushing them might well be a quick invitation to Valhalla.
Silvi stood at his side. She noticed the time, but the trip to Dong Son from Wu via Cranmore was almost 50 days and a hour or two delay would not matter. The mission was to last thirty days in system and the Sigrún was to lie in stealth and rely on passive probes to gather information. If attacked she was instructed to run and prior experience with the Megra indicated that a SAR was about 10% faster than a dumbbell. Captain Marx intended to return to Jamon via the return knot line to Cranmore which would put him back at Wu Station in another 35 days. The other return knot line entered Wu via Severan but the trip took six months of tunnel time A major challenge on the mission would be that if the return knot line was the shorter one and back to Cranmore, then Sigrún would have to pass through Pope Leo. Farn's reconnoitre of Pope Leo had indicated that the system might well be occupied at this time by Megra. Both Silvi and OM Marx recognized this as a major risk in their intelligence gathering plan, but time had to be traded off against risk. The information that Sigrún would gather was critical and that information was needed now.
A hour later Sigrún embarked from Wu Station and headed towards Nelots with a planned quick stop in Jamon and then on to Girots and Cranmore. Prior to leaving the Wu system Sigrún gingerly placed twenty mines thirty kilometres inside the entry portal to Wu from Nelots. In addition he placed a beacon announcing that all ships entering Wu system should hold their position at the entry portal and await inspection by a Wu Revenue Cutter. The beacon also was programmed to keep repeating the warning 'Danger Mines," over and over again.
Sigrún then moved laterally to the Nelots entry portal and transited through the tunnel and into the Nelots system.
Captain Marx stood on the bridge as they entered Nelots system. Paul Samulson was his pilot and one of the few pilots with an astrogation certificate. Passage through Nelots had become commonplace and there were few risks of navigation errors, but as always caution was required.
"Ping the probe Mr. May and initiate a full scan of the system please. Check the mailbox."
Mary May was his new defence specialist and she was very green having completed her qualification only nine weeks ago. Captain Marx was always annoyed when Abel, or now the new Naval Personnel Department, took one of his best crew and replaced them with a green sapling. Captain Marx understood the necessity of these crew rotations but still they annoyed him greatly.
"Incoming." Mary May said with a quaver in her voice. "I have a ship incoming from Girots. Not a dumbbell, I know that. It's not a dumbbell."
Captain Marx was tempted to take a few steps to the defence station and take a look at the scan status, but decided that such an action would damage Mary's self confidence. Marx knew she was qualified at her work and that only time and experience would make her a valued crew member. Marx sat in his captains chair and waited for an update.
"I have a signature. It's the Theans Sir. Incoming from Girots. Travelling fast and headed for Wu."
"Hail the Theans. Welcome them to Nelots and ask their intentions."
"Thean ship, this is OCN SAR Sigrún welcoming you to Nelots system. Please state your intentions. Once again..."
As Mary May hailed the Thean ship Captain Marx began to wonder why they had returned and were on their way to Wu station this early. If he remembered correctly they were not due for a return trading mission for another two months. Either they had something important to trade or they were on some other urgent mission.
Moments later the command con speaker squawked. "OCN Sigrún, We are Theans. I Defectless. Theans must meet at Wu station. Homeworld under attack. We seek alliance and support of OCN Fleet. Our need is urgent."
Captain Marx thought a moment. If the Theans needed help, and there was little of that to go around, then Wu was not the right destination. The Theans would need to consult with Admiral Stoneman and others rather than Toni Hamilton the Area Commander of Wu.
"Give me the comms Mr. May." Moments later Marx picked up the mic. "Thean ship this is Sigrún. Requests for assistance must be made in Jamon System. Our First Admiral is there. Wu station is not appropriate. I suggest you redirect your ship to Jamon. We will escort you to ensure a safe passage."
Almost five very long minutes passed before the Theans replied. "Yes. We have map for Jamon. We follow. Our homeworld is under attack. Megra attack. We seek help."
Captain Marx thought to himself no matter how much we expand our fleet and capabilities our obligations keep outrunning our resources. The OCN seems to be on the wrong side of the balance wheel every time another system appears begging for help.
"Mr. May I want a full scan on that Thean ship and charge the plasma cannon capacitors. I want a full watch on their ship at all times. They are very probably friendly, but we take no chances."
Moments later Mary May replied, "Full scan complete Sir. No discernable weapons signatures except small bore plasma cannons. No anti-matter traces.
Eight days later Sigrún, together with the Thean ship Superb, pulled into the Navy Dock of the Habitat. Abel and a Marine contingent awaited their arrival. Abel had wanted the Theans to arrive in private but somehow word had gotten out and a teen stringer for Stephen Klein's mid day news broadcast was there to record the arrival on vid. Apparently Captain Marx had cautioned the Theans about proper decorum in the Habitat and as they entered the dock they were draped with a poncho like garment. A simple square of cloth with a hole for the head.
Abel was struck by the distorted bodies of the Theans and even dressed in their ponchos they began to strike poses on the cold deck. Abel had read in the dispatches from Wu that such poses were some form of non-verbal communications between the Theans themselves, but he found the behaviour odd. Abel quickly escorted the four Theans to the State Visitors House accompanied by four fully armored marines. Abel was simply being cautious with these new visitors. As soon as they had climbed the short staircase to the main reception room the Theans shed their ponchos and struck several odd poses.
Mita Park, younger sister of Captain Park of the SAR Göndul, was the greeter and liaison for the guest house. Abel knew that she had been forewarned about the Theans appearance and their nudity, but he could clearly see that she was shocked. The Theans seemed not to notice. Abel thought to himself that we here in the Habitat probably look quite odd to the Theans.
Before the Theans could be escorted to their rooms Defectless demanded that they immediately begin to discuss an alliance and a defence pact. Abel would have preferred to wait for the morning but Defectless was insistent.
Mita Park interrupted, "Please step into our conference
room and I shall notify the Chairman of your request. Admiral Abel will you escort our honored guests to the second floor conference room."
Abel motioned the Theans toward the stairs and soon they entered the quiet and secure room. In addition to a conference table that sat eight there were comfortable overstuffed chairs, several end tables, and a counter laid out with fruits and cheeses as well as a tea urn.
Abel motion toward the chairs and indicated that they might sit, but they remained standing.
Abel began the discussion. "Captain Marx informs me that your homeworld is under attack. Will you please explain?"
Defectless struck a pose which reminded Abel of an old painting of some saint nailed to a cross.
Defectless began to talk. "64 of your days we were probed many times. There were many probes. Dozens of probes. 40 days invasion by Megra ship. We are traders, and we have no ships with defence. Our shipping was destroyed in two days. We run to Wu to seek help. Our system is at the mercy of Megra and they have no mercy. Our people are dying."
As Defectless spoke, Abel realized how little was known of the Theans other than their misplaced genetic engineering. Abel was not even certain of where their homeworld was located or even how to get there.
Abel waited for Defectless to continue, but rather than speak he struck a series of poses followed by his companions doing the same. Able though to himself I am going to need a picture dictionary of these non-verbal communications.
Abel spoke, "You are welcome here Defectless and your companions. However we know so little of your homeworld that I can give you no assurances of assistance. We simply lack the resources to protect Wu and our homeworld. But let us talk and find some way in which to help."
One of the male companions, who Abel thought from the dispatches might be the one named Matchless struck another set of poses followed again by Defectless assuming the nailed to the cross pose.