Stone and the Ravens (Guardian Stone Book 3)
Page 18
"Our regimen on Station One is not all work. Tired minds make mistakes. So you need to be sure you allow time to enjoy the things available on Station for education, entertainment and exercise. You will be setting your own hours.
# Station 1 in Malone Orbit – April 4 – C Day 583 #
The twins awoke refreshed and raring to get started. The training program the previous night had given them information about a variety of things that they could use to establish a workspace. They started sketching a layout that they thought would work. It included several fairly large computer displays that were interactive and three-dimensional. They provided workspace for six and room for spectators to collaborate. By noon the workspace was created and Barana had transformed it into reality.
Goulf said, "If we are going to solve a puzzle, we will have to have a way that fits with how we solve or create a puzzle to look at these signals. Barana, can you show us a variety of ways to look at these signals in one minute clips so we can narrow the visual renditions into something we might work with?"
After about ten minutes of studying the various methods of illustration, Anto said, "Goulf, I have a number that I just wrote down that I think is what we want. Why don't you write down the pattern number that you think we should work with and we will compare notes."
After Goulf wrote his response on a note pad, they compared their notes. The notes both said "Definitely 17 with something in 23." They then asked Barana to remove all illustrations except 17 and 23.
After studying the two patterns for a few minutes, Anto said, "Barana, would it be possible to merge these two patterns and call it pattern 29. The merge points should be at these locations in the contributing patterns." He pointed to three points in each of the two patterns as the merge reference points.
"Yes, that is it." They spent 15 minutes excitedly examining the pattern. "Barana, it looks like the Gorth are using what I see as kind of puzzle pattern to filter their speech. Anto pointed out the puzzle pattern. He highlighted portions of the pattern as he spoke, "What would this look like if the lines I have highlighted were to be realigned in a hexagonal tube shape allowing everything else we see to flow with that reformation. More importantly, what would the result sound like."
Barana reshaped the highlighted lines and played back the sound using the revision as a modified filter for the sound. The result was a voice that repeated "Kamor amma far" over and over again in what can best be described as a pleasant querulous tone. The twins looked shocked.
Goulf then asked if it would be possible to get converted sound tracks on all of the recorded signals to date. Barana indicated that she had already anticipated that request and that task would be completed in about an hour. Anto asked if Hank and Sam were available.
Barana said she would call immediately and find out. Thirty seconds later they were all in the workspace. Hank said, "What's up guys, Barana said you have an emergency."
Goulf replied, "Not exactly an emergency, but this is what the Gorth near Alaok was saying" as he hit the playback switch and heard, "Kamor amma far."
Hank and Sam were stunned. Sam looked at her watch and said, "Your workshop was finished at noon and here it is 1:30 and you already have a solution, I am amazed."
Anto responded, "Well yes and no. We do have a way to hear what is said in their language but understanding what is said is another issue. We have asked Barana to convert all of the signals to date using this filter. We will have a lot of words but what they mean is beyond Goulf and me. We can use this same filter method to reply to their signals but anything we send at this point is likely to be as much gibberish to the Gorth as their signals are to us. This is just the first step."
"Do not demean this accomplishment. It will be interesting to see what the Walters and Orpan kids can bring to the table. I do remember that they understood what was being said in Saban before they learned that language. I am hopeful that that might work here particularly since you have put it in sounds we can hear that are language like. This is immense progress. Well done boys. What is next?"
Anto replied, "I think we would like to see if there are any other words in the message flows among the various swarms. We would like to have as many words ready for the kids as we can."
Chapter 26: What's Going On
Malone Presidential Mansion -
April 4 – C Day 583 - Evening
The planet wide broadcast started on Malone with, "Citizens of Malone, President of the Republic, Alber Woods."
"Good evening citizens of Malone. This evening I have a rather lengthy report to give to you concerning recent events that have come fully to light during the past week and that you need to know about. For at least the past six months, our planet has been the target of an invasion from a planet that we did not even know existed. The invasion was stopped by an outside force that was also unknown. The culprit in all of this was the planet Sitler that lies about 63 light years from Malone. Until recently, Sitler was controlled by a despot from a location that is a much greater distance from here and whose family has caused similar problems in other distant systems. We have also determined that the Rotagillan incursion was provoked by the same despot. This despot, Rema Brondin was using a puppet creating symbiote for which we had no defense. As recently as a week ago, Sitler had an invasion fleet poised about 48 light years from here, preparing to attack. So how did we dodge this event?"
"About six months ago, an exploration unit of the Antoran Fleet with a very advanced technology arrived in this region and observed our conflict underway with the Rotagillans. They saw how we ended that incursion and have had us under observation since their arrival. The Antoran Fleet has a constitution that establishes their primary purpose as the prevention of conflict amongst the various systems in their sphere of influence, that I might add covers, at this time, a distance of some 16,000 light years in this galactic arm. Essentially, in those systems in which they operate, they provide external security and do not permit warships or weapons in space to operate there. They operate in cloaked mode so they can't be seen. In this region, they have had 11 occupied systems under surveillance. That is six more than we knew about, though one of them is the legendary Gorth, that it turns out is real. More on them shortly."
Systems in Malone Region
System
Species
Distance to Malone (LY)
Comment
Alaok
Linan
59
Inhabited
Bear
N/A
7
Not Habitable
Cestin
Gar
91
Inhabited
Corc
N/A
53
Not Habitable
Eagle
Glarin
32
Inhabited
Flat
N/A
14
Habitable
Forsk
N/A
97
Habitable
Gorth
N/A
101
Habitable
Jaunt
N/A
21
Not Habitable
Malone
Human
0
Inhabited
Pared
Saban
49
Inhabited
Phang
Gar
95
Inhabited
Pulse
Human, Glarin
16
Inhabited
Rotagilla
Rotan
42
Inhabited
Setik
N/A
96
Habitable
Sitler
Human
63
Inhabited
Sloop
N/A
9
Not Habitable
Trag
N/A
99
Habitable
Veltor
Human
87
Inhabited
"While conducting their observations, the exploratory unit realized that they would need additional assistance from their fleet, so they asked for reinforcements. An additional 18 vessels arrived in response to that request bringing their total count to 28 vessels, they call them Stations. The 22 smallest of these vessels are 90 miles long by 60 miles across and each houses 20,000 warships, any one of which could take on our entire fleet successfully. The remaining 6 are considerably larger. At the end of this broadcast, the largest of the Stations will uncloak for 30 minutes above the Capital city so some of you can see for yourselves what they look like. Everyone of the 10 systems except Gorth currently has a Station in orbit around their inhabited planet to provide protection from outside sources."
"While observing Malone, they came to realize that Sitler had operatives on our planet to soften us up for invasion. It also turned out that our Rangers had some suspicions and that the Chief of Police of Harris Borough, Charles Sanders was conducting an investigation that suggested alien operatives. The three groups worked together and uncovered the entire plot. Author/Scientist Lorena Wells recently wrote a book concerning the use of Non Organic Sentient Intelligence (NOSI), also called Artificial Intelligence, that the alien operatives revised at the publishing firm to misrepresent the warning inherent in that book. That warning is that a great deal of care must be exercised in the creation and activation of a NOSI to assure that it has a sound ethical base and programing. To do otherwise would represent a severe danger to organic beings. The book as published was a distortion of that message and suggests the opposite. My hat is off to Chief Sanders for his outstanding handling of that case. He and Miss Wells will be on the vid sometime in the next week to elaborate on the case."
"The Antoran fleet had dealt with the symbiotes created by Rema Brondin and her brothers previously in other systems. They were able to deactivate the symbiotes, destroy the manufacturing sites, destroy the supply of symbiotes, depose and arrest Rema Brondin, prevent Sitler's invasion of three additional systems between 87 and 96 light years from here, and find enough evidence to give us a pretty full picture of what was going on. They also reinstated the Republic of Sitler, a government very much like our own. In that process, they found a considerable amount of evidence to determine who was engineering the efforts on this planet and who was directing the day-to-day activities of the Sitler operatives on Malone. His name is General Marson Fist. We know him as my Chief of Staff, Martin Fixte. Two days ago, I asked for his resignation and he refused so I fired him. He was arrested on charges of treason, support of an invasion by an alien power, murder, ordering murder, and aiding and abetting murder. He also made an attempt on several of my associates and me during his arrest. He will stand trial here on Malone."
"All of the Sitler operations on Malone have been captured or destroyed thanks to the efforts of Chief Sanders and his teams. I for one am glad he was there when we needed him. In the coming weeks, I expect to recognize him more publicly. I do not think that he is overly excited by that prospect but you all deserve to see the kind of people we have on this planet that do what they can to protect our way of life."
"I have indicated to the Antorans that we are interested in associating with them in the provision of our external security. Frankly given the events of the past year, we could not begin to do it as effectively. We will shortly begin converting our warships to commercial vessels and we hope to open trade relations with other systems in the region as well as systems much further away. Similar arrangements are under way in the Yannar Hegemony, Saba Systems, Gar/Linan/Glarin region and the Sol/Tau Ceti/Frote region. It is a trade confederacy covering about 58 systems and hopefully soon the systems in this region. This will allow us to better utilize our resources. It just makes sense."
"During discussions with the Commander of the Antoran Fleet, General Henry Stone, he noted that one of the issues that they routinely deal with is the occupational disruptions caused by the transfer of system security to the Antoran Fleet. He noted that they have open recruitment for persons wanting to remain in space in their current roles. Their Stations have persons on board from every system in their sphere of influence that has space travel capability. Not only that, they also have multiple species aboard including Human, Linan, Gar, Glarin, Saban and AI's. They also have a large contingent of persons with telepathic talents aboard every Station. They have training, teaching and medical capabilities far in advance of ours. In two weeks, they can provide education that would take in excess of four years under our system of education. It is truly amazing. Their smallest Stations have a population capacity in excess of 15 million persons, their largest, in excess of 400 million. They tell me that no Station is currently at more than one half of capacity, so there is room for those interested on board. They will post recruitment poles around the planet for those interested in more information. One additional thought on this. Enrollment on a Station is a family affair. The whole family can conceivably go in harms way to protect those who have agreed to that protection. Having said that, I also have to say that life on a Station is one of the safest places to be."
"Finally, I mentioned earlier in this broadcast that the Gorth is a reality. It is an issue that the Antorans are currently addressing and have agreed to keep us posted. They are seeking a permanent solution so that we do not have these periodic visits that many think are merely legends."
"A half hour after this broadcast there will be a special broadcast provided by the Antorans so you can see for yourselves what they are like. The vids will have considerable footage about life on a Station, the Antoran history and cameos about the people. My staff and I have reviewed this material and we are satisfied that it is not propaganda and hype. It fairly represents the operation of that fleet, life on a Station as well as their history. I think you will find the latter most interesting since the fleet has only been in operational mode for less than two years yet is so technologically advanced as to appear magical. There will be a different vid on every night about the Antorans. I would encourage as many of you as can to watch these vids since the Antoran fleet will be a part of our lives henceforth.”
“In a few minutes, if you live near Malone City, even hundreds of miles from here and look up, you will see a Station. There has been much going on. For now, I bid you good evening."
Chapter 27: Recruits
Station 1 in Malone Orbit –
April 5 – C Day 584
Hank and Sam were meeting with Joe and June Carson, Josh and Rose Adams, and Fador to discuss the recruiting currently underway on the planet below. Public acceptance of the recruiting was fairly positive. The citizens seemed to accept the Presidents comments at face value and very little negative reaction was heard. Most of the negative reaction was refuted by other citizens that had watched the vids about the Antorans. Most citizens understood that this was an application process and that not everyone would be accepted. Not surprisingly, a large number of the Malone military were interested. They found it particularly attractive that they would no longer be separated from their families for extended periods of time. The idea of having your home travel with you was novel. The idea that the homes they would occupy were substantially better than most could afford was also attractive.
Joe commented, "The population density on Malone is substantially less than what we typically see on a human occupied world, yet they have a very good technological level. Their early entry into space appears to have had a big impact on clean use of their resources. Earth could learn quite a few lessons form how they do things here. Pollution levels are the lowest I have seen on a
ny of our planets except the new colony worlds, Artemis, Betina, Cecilla, Diana, and Janice."
Josh noted, "So far, about 70% in the in-port military on ships have expressed interest. I think that the rest are on hold because they are not clear how their commands are going to react. We will need to get some clarification on that. There is also a substantial shipbuilding element to consider. It would be nice to be able to transfer entire units and integrate from there."
Rose interjected, "Hank, there is a another factor you will have to carefully consider. Many of these people have thought of the Gorth as a legendary enemy. If you are able to arrive at some kind of more mellow confrontation, they may have difficulty exercising restraint during a confrontation with the Gorth."
"That's a good point Rose, but I am not sure how long the Gorth challenge will last or what kind of reaction will be necessary. So far, I have not had any more itchy feelings but both Sam and I are keeping that sense well tuned. I will be asking the kids to do the same. We clearly have enough slots to fill in quite a number of areas."
"Barana, see if he is willing to join us here at the lodge and see if he wants to bring anyone with him."
"Please do it."
A minute later all arrived at the lodge. "Mr. President, I am not sure how you did this, but when you called, we were discussing this very issue. Your timing could not have been better. First things first though, let me make introductions all around and see where we can go from there."