John, Steve’s best friend from school, was now a reporter with the Gazette, the local newspaper.
“They won’t print anything about this, Steve. The Government will make sure of that.”
Something attracted Kate’s attention and looking out through one of the dirty panes of the telephone box, she saw that the car that had been parked up now had its lights on and was slowly driving up the road towards her. Something wasn’t right, and a sixth sense told Kate she needed to get out of the telephone box and get as far away from it as she could.
“Steve, I’ve got to go. I’ll ring again when I can!”
“Sis, are you, all right?” Steve anxiously asked, but Kate had already put the phone down.
Yanking the door open, Kate stepped out, just as the car skidded to a halt and a man leapt out of the passenger side.
“Kate Penrose, stay where you are. You’re under arrest!”
Kate didn’t stay where she was and started running as fast as she could, through an open field gate and into the field beyond.
Chapter 3
Sol 6 Base – September 1969
“I’m a descendant of one of your original colonists? How do you know that?” John asked, his mind reeling with the revelation that Medb had just made to him.
“We know John, because we scanned your genetic code. As for how you come to be a descendant of one of our colonists is a long story. Perhaps it would be best if you ate something and rested for a short while, before I tell you.”
“No, I’m fine. I’d rather hear the story now,” John insisted. “So, when and where were these colonies and why did you colonize Earth in the first place?”
“How we came to colonize Earth,” Medb paused for a moment and then continued. “Well at that time the Aos Si had a large empire which was ruled by a hereditary Triumvirate of the Morrigan, the Badhbh and the Nemhain. The Aos SI had conquered many planets across the galaxy and relied upon its military forces to maintain order,” Medb paused again for a moment or two before continuing. “Not all the Aos Si agreed with our race conquering others and some of the colonists, aided by some of the military forces in those colonies eventually rebelled. The Triumvirate sent military forces to crush the rebellion, but the rebellion spread rapidly to other star systems resulting in a terrible Civil War, which lasted for several generations. Sol 3 or Earth as you call it, was far enough away from the conflict zone to be a safe haven and many people fled there to escape the war, both imperial loyalists and those who had rebelled, who later became to be known as the Varns.”
“When was this?” John interrupted.
“Towards the end of your planet’s last ice age, about 13,000 years ago. Shall I continue?” Medb questioned.
“Yes, please do,” John answered.
“Settlements were built in what you now call Antarctica, the Americas and central Asia. At first the Varns and the imperial loyalists fought with each other, but eventually they realised that if they were all to survive, they had to co-exist and an uneasy truce was established. Then a terrible disaster occurred. A piece of a comet struck what you now call the Atlantic Ocean. That in turn caused a huge tsunami, which destroyed most of the settlements, which had mainly been built on the coasts.”
“When did this happen?”
“The disaster happened about 12000 years ago.”
“Why didn’t you build your settlements further inland?”
“Most of our settlements were on the coast, as we were using tidal power as an energy source on Sol 3.” Medb explained. “We did have other energy sources, but we couldn’t use them on your planet.”
“So, what happened after that?”
“As well as the part of the comet striking the sea and causing a huge tsunami, other pieces of cometary debris bombarded the planet causing further loss of life and also a dust veil which cloaked the planet for years. There were also occurrences of ocean outgassing,” Medb saw that John didn’t understand the term and so explained. “Ocean outgassing occurs when pockets of gasses such as hydrogen sulphide, methane and ammonia are released into the atmosphere from where they’ve been trapped under the ocean floor. As you can no doubt imagine, a large chunk of a comet impacting on the ocean floor can cause this to happen, as can an undersea earthquake. Following all these events, the Aos Si colonists who had survived the tsunami and the bombardment of cometary debris and also the incidents of ocean outgassing, suffered famine. Crops became very difficult to grow with the lack of sunlight caused by the dust veil. Fortunately, our botanists and scientists worked together, both Varn and imperial loyalists and were able to propagate genetically modified crops that would thrive in these conditions and feed us.”
“What about the indigenous population? They must have suffered too,” John said.
“They did. At the time they were mainly hunter gatherers, but there were also small pockets of people that our scientists had been working with, introducing agriculture to them and other skills that would enhance their lives. We were able to help them. The other indigenous people however feared us, thinking that we were gods or demons and wouldn’t come anywhere near us, or touch the food that we left for them. In time, we built new settlements well away from the coast wherever possible and developed new sources of power. Mixed populations of Varns and imperial loyalists lived in the new settlements and in time they intermarried, and the old enmities were forgotten.”
“So, why didn’t that civilisation continue and why have I never heard of it?” John asked, staring hard at Medb having got the feeling that she wasn’t telling him something.
Medb sighed before replying.
“The Aos Si Empire at that time as well as fighting a Civil War, were also engaged in a long war with another intelligent life form, one of the reasons why we knew about Sol 3. For centuries before the Sol 3 colony had been established, we had been surveying all the planets that we knew of, even those far beyond the borders of our empire such as Sol 3. We wanted to know if any of them was viable for colonisation if we had to flee from our home worlds. Our enemy you see was older, more powerful and with technology far, far in advance of ours. We thought that we’d eventually lose the war against them, especially when at the height of the Civil War between the Varns and the Imperials the enemy launched a devastating attack on the Aos Si home worlds,” Medb paused again and it didn’t seem like she was going to continue the story.
“Did this enemy have a name?” John asked.
“The enemy were called the Fomoire, John.” The name sounded familiar to John, but he couldn’t quite place it.
“So, what happened?” John asked.
“As to what happened, well the Civil War ceased and the imperial forces and those of the Varns combined and fought against the Fomoire. We had help too from our allies in the InterGalactic Federation.”
“So, did you win the war against the Fomoire?”
“No, we didn’t John, but neither did we lose it. One day the hostilities ceased. The Fomoire disappeared and we never saw or heard of them again. The Fomoire were nomads, travelling from galaxy to galaxy, taking whatever resources they required from the star systems they moved through.”
“So why then, after the war ended, didn’t anyone from the Empire come back to Earth to see if there were any survivors? I’m assuming of course that some form of communication existed between the settlers on Earth and the Empire. I’m also guessing you’re an Imperial and not a Varn.”
“The war had taken a terrible toll on our race and it took several thousand of your years to rebuild our civilisation,” Medb explained, not confirming that she was an Imperial, John noticed. “During the Civil War, between the Aos Si Imperials and the Varns, an accident had happened at an Imperial laboratory. Even prior to the Civil War, the Empire had often had a problem with some of the planets they had conquered. Not everyone embraced the ideals of Empire and the peace and security that it brought them and from time to time these dissident populations rebelled.”
“I can well understa
nd that,” John interrupted, drawing a sharp look from Medb. Whether it was because of his remark, or because he’d interrupted her again he didn’t know.
“It would have been very easy for the Empire to crush these rebels with the overwhelming military force it had at its disposal, but the Triumvirate were benevolent and had more peaceful ways to limit dissent”, Medb continued and John thought it best not to interrupt her again. “Drugs were used which were introduced into water supplies to keep the people happy and content and enforced birth control was also used to limit population level to manageable numbers,” John shook his head in disbelief.
“That’s abuse,” he interjected, not being able to help himself.
“That’s as may be, but your planet too has had periods in its own history when far worse actions were taken against conquered peoples and in some cases against its own citizens and it will happen again in the future,” Medb responded, calmly John noticed and not angrily as he’d expected. “Shall I continue?”
“Sorry,” John apologized. “I shouldn’t be moralizing.” Medb nodded and continued.
“The Imperial scientists were always experimenting and after the war with the Fomoire, they’d been working on more extreme ways to limit populations. A very virulent form of birth control was developed, which left targeted life forms infertile. It affected different lifeforms in different ways. In some cases, 99% of the population was left infertile and even those who could reproduce were severely limited in the number of offspring they could have. It had been developed into an airborne virus that would be released into the atmosphere of the planet the Empire wished to limit the population of. Unfortunately, a laboratory accident occurred, and the virus was released into the atmosphere of one of the Aos Si home worlds where it mutated. The virus had been developed to only affect those people with certain genetic codes and it shouldn’t have affected the Aos Si, but it did.”
“Some might say that was poetic justice,” John remarked and to his surprise, Medb didn’t chastise him, but merely nodded.
“The virus also spread rapidly and before quarantine measures could be introduced, it had spread to other worlds,” Medb said her voice choked with emotion and tears now in her eyes John noticed. Unable to speak anymore, Medb shook her head.
“Commander,” Morann intervened. “We can return later. I am sure John must be very hungry. Is that not right, John?”
“Yes,” John, quick on the uptake replied. He wasn’t insensitive to others pain and anguish.
“Yes, that would be a good idea,” Medb managed to reply.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
What would you like to eat John Trevaskis?” Morann asked him. The android had removed the space suit that she’d been wearing, before taking John to what he thought must be a refectory. Well, space suit was what John had gathered it was from Morann’s lengthy and very technical description of its function. She was now wearing a close fitting, one-piece costume. Morann had all the curves of a female and John found it very hard to accept that she was an android. Only her use of language, which was very formal and precise, differentiated her from humans.
“Any chance of steak and chips?” John cheekily asked. To tell the truth his mind was still reeling from all that Medb had told him, but most of all he had found it hard to accept that he was a descendant of the Aos Si who had settled on Earth.
“The Aos SI long ago gave up killing other life forms for food,” Morann answered, “Protein is artificially manufactured, and carbohydrates are obtained from plants some of which you will be familiar with, such as grains and potatoes. I feel sure that the meal you are requesting can be replicated. Sit at this table and I will go and see what can be done.”
John sat down at the table Morann had indicated and looked around the refectory. There didn’t appear to be any other humanoids present, but there were a couple of androids. One had hair the colour of Morann’s, whilst the other android had bright purple hair. Both had female forms. A short while later Morann returned, followed by what John assumed was a robot. About two-foot-tall, with a cylindrical-shaped body and two short arms ending in six digited hands. It had no feet and glided along, a bit like the hovercraft that John had travelled on to the Isle of Wight, a couple of years ago. The robot was carrying a tray, on which was a plate which it carefully placed on the table before John. The robot glided off back to where it had come from.
“Blimey, that was quick,” John remarked.
“Why don’t you try the meal John,” Morann said, making no attempt to sit down in the other chair at the table. John looked closely at the meal, which he had to say looked like a very lean steak, with passable looking chips, not as chunky as he would have liked them to be, but more like French fries. There was even a knife and fork on the tray. Well there was no harm in trying the meal, so he picked up the knife and fork, cut a piece off the steak, put it in his mouth and chewed it.
“Is the meal all right, John?”
“It’s delicious,” John said, and it was. In fact, it was the best tasting steak that he’d ever eaten. “Aren’t you eating?”
“No John,” Morann answered. “Androids don’t require food. Our power cells provide us with all the energy that we need to operate efficiently.”
“Silly me,” John said, stuffing more steak in his mouth. “I should have known that I suppose.” He stabbed a chip with his fork and tried that. Well, they weren’t as good as the local chippy’s, but they weren’t so bad either. If he had to survive on meals like this, he wouldn’t go hungry he thought. He realised then that he hadn’t had anything to drink and was now feeling thirsty. “Could I have a drink please?”
“Of course, John. I know just the thing to satisfy your thirst.”
A moment later, the same robot glided up to the table with a jug and a beaker and placed them carefully on the table. Without being asked the robot poured a green liquid from the jug into the glass.
“What is it and how did the robot know to bring it?”
“The fluid is a diluted lime juice with a blend of nutrients in it that will be very beneficial to you John. As to how the catering droid knew to bring it to you, I telecommunicated your wishes to it.”
“What? You radioed it?” John enquired.
“Something like that,” Morann answered and John thought he saw a little smile on the androids’ face, the first real expression he’d seen since meeting her. John took a drink from the beaker and was pleasantly surprised. He liked lime squash, but this was much nicer and very refreshing.
After the meal, Morann took him to what she told him would be his quarters whilst he was on the base. The room was simply furnished with a bed, a chair and what looked like a desk with a screen above it. A door in the room led off into a smaller room, which contained what looked like a shower cubicle and a toilet. There was no sign of a wash basin, however.
“Where’s the wash basin?” Joh asked.
“If you hold your hands under that,” Morann pointed to a small oblong object fixed to the wall, “It will cleanse your hands.”
“There’s no towels, for the shower.”
“After you have cleansed yourself in the shower, it will automatically dry you. There are two buttons, one green to operate the shower, one red to stop it, which will also start the drying process,” Morann explained. “The button on the toilet operates the disposal of waste products and if you’re seated on it will also cleanse you.”
“I don’t think I need all that information, Morann, I get your drift.”
“Get your drift, John. I have not come across that expression before. Perhaps you could explain it to me.”
“It means I understand what you mean, without you having to explain it any further.”
“That’s a good expression, John. A very economical use of words. I will add that phrase to my English language vocabulary. Now, how long would you like to rest?”
Apart for the five hours sleep he’d snatched on the train and whatever sleep he’d had on the Deltoid, John realised t
hat he’d had little sleep in the last few days. John looked at his wristwatch, the first time he’d done so since walking along the road from Penzance and saw that it had stopped. Looking more closely at the watch he saw that the time showing was about the time he must have gone on board the Deltoid.
“I think you’d better let me have at least eight hours sleep, Morann. You know the length of an hour?”
“Indeed, I do. Very well, John. I’ll wake you in eight hours’ time.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~
John awoke refreshed to see Morann standing looking down at him.
“How long have I been asleep?”
“You were still asleep when I came to wake you after eight hours,” Morann informed him. “Medb said to leave you until you naturally awoke and, so I did. More than twelve hours have passed by.”
“Thank you Morann. I don’t feel tired anymore, but I’m starving, could I have something to eat, please?”
Morann took him back to the refectory, where John decided to test whether a decent English breakfast could be reproduced and requested, sausages, bacon, eggs, tomatoes, mushrooms and toast and butter. John soon found out that it could be, when a minute or so later the catering robot brought it to him.
“That’s what I call a decent breakfast, Morann,” John told the android, when he’d finished the meal. Surprisingly he had found that it had tasted very good.
“I have instructed the catering robot, that the meal you were served with is to be categorised as a ‘decent breakfast’,” Morann informed him. “Another good phrase that is economical with words. Now, are you ready to meet with Medb again?”
“Yes, you’d better take me to her.”
Morann took John back to the room that he’d been in and Medb told him to sit in the chair he’d sat in before.
“I must first apologize for breaking off our meeting earlier,” Medb said after greeting John. “To resume the meeting, I’ll first answer your earlier questions. You asked as to why contact wasn’t resumed with your planet after the Civil War and the war against the Fomoire ended. The reason we did not resume contact was that we dare not. As far as we knew the virus, or ‘Infertility Plague’ as it became to be known as, was still active. Obviously, we didn’t want to spread it to what as far as we knew was the last population of Aos Si that hadn’t been affected by it, or for that matter, to the indigenous population of Earth.”
The Sol 3 Agenda Page 3