by Jim Laughter
While the dock master’s assistant instructed the pilot to hover, other dockworkers in protective suits positioned cradles to receive the damaged patroller. Picking up the intercom, the dock master called both the debriefing department and the repair chief and told them they were going to be busy.
As soon as the cradles were in position, the patroller settled down. Lights in the control room indicated that atmosphere was being restored to the bay, and as soon as it was safe, an all-clear klaxon sounded. While the dockworkers cooled the overheated ship and secured the lines to change its holding tanks, the hatch opened and a young, harried captain emerged. One look at his expression confirmed the dock master’s suspicions. It was going to be a long, interesting night.
Chapter Three
The debriefing officer looked up from the written report at Captain George Citti seated across the desk from him.
“I’ve read your official report, Captain Citti,” he began as he leaned back in his chair. “Now tell me what you didn’t say.”
“As you know, sir, I’ve been watching a certain closed planet for the last several months,” George Citti began, considering several factors. “I’ve mostly been observing their technological development, and I’ll admit they surprised me.”
“How so?”
“Well, sir, much of the planet has advanced industrial capability,” George answered. “Some of it is limited and spotty. But it’s a planet of nations, some more advanced than others. In the advanced nations, their rate of development is much faster than the norm. They developed laser technology and atomic power at almost the same time. As you know, these technologies are usually developed a generation apart.” The debriefing officer leaned back in his chair and nodded.
“It wasn’t long before I started recording their preliminary efforts at deep-space electrical transmissions. But they weren’t using radio telegraphy as one would expect. Instead, they developed a tight-beam transmission system decades ahead of the normal planetary growth curve. Early interconnecting power grids of enormous power appeared, and shortly after that, broadcasts of cosmic amplitude modulation reached into space. I was fascinated by their leaps in technology.”
Trooper Citti paused to gather his thoughts.
“But you would still say they’re quite a ways from even primitive space exploration and travel?”
“Yes, sir,” George said. “As a whole, sir. At least the travel part. However, taking into consideration their accelerated rate of technical development, it becomes hard to say.”
“Now, what are your gut feelings about what happened yesterday?” the officer asked. “And is it showing up consistently?”
“Here’s the thing, sir,” George answered. “It’s not a planet-wide progression as you’d expect. The progress is centered in one location as if they were being aided in their technological advancement.”
“That is interesting,” the officer agreed.
“Yes sir,” George said. “There are still whole continents on that planet that haven’t discovered elementary locomotion yet. There are tribal areas where people still live in caves and pitched huts.” George paused. “And here we have a central area that will have space-age technology very soon? Something isn’t right, sir. We may have to check this out a little closer.”
“I agree,” said the officer. “We’re going to have to get a lot closer. Possibly send in teams on the ground. Anything else?”
“Early yesterday morning I recorded a directed tight-beam power transmission in the wavelengths the Axia uses, and that we know has been reverse-engineered by the Red-tails,” answered Citti. “Then late in the evening, I was hit with an extremely powerful signal of a similar nature. Almost immediately, some sort of attraction ray started pulling my ship from its stationary orbit. However, it was weak enough for me to overcome with my drive.”
“So you think it was focused on your ship?” the officer asked incredulously.
“Most definitely,” replied George. “As I was pulling free, I recorded a third signal that was on par with our older detector and levitation ray systems.”
“But that development would be several hundred years too advanced for that planet!”
“I know,” agreed Citti. “And from the brief readings I got, it has a range of nearly a quarter million miles.”
“Then it’s best we stay clear for the time being,” the officer decided. “They apparently know we’re out here, and now we have to figure out how to contain them until their social development catches up.”
“On an aside, sir, I think there might be a bigger problem,” George said.
“What?” asked the debriefing officer.
“I think that since they are active in those frequencies,” he added, “cosmic weaponry won’t be far behind, and if they should happen to use that attraction ray incorrectly, I mean aim it at a surface target instead of into space, it could be serious for them.”
“How so?” asked the officer.
“It could destroy their planet, sir.”
The debriefing officer pushed up from his chair and walked around his desk to face George Citti?
“Destroy the planet?”
“Yes sir,” George said. “Several of the nation/states on that planet have developed nuclear weapons.”
The debriefing officer nodded.
“Consider this,” George continued. “What if instead of Axia technology, they’ve somehow gotten hold of a piece of Red-tail equipment?”
“Red-tail equipment? What kind of Red-tail equipment?”
“Well sir, we know the Red-tails use a technology that distorts space and creates the transit tubes they use to invade our galaxy, correct?”
“So?”
“Suppose a Red-tail scout craft crashed on that planet and the natives were able to retrieve it. They might have also been able to activate the equipment, not knowing its true purpose. They might just think it’s a communications array of some kind, which would answer the question of how they’ve developed the tight-beam signal so quickly,” George answered.
“I follow you,” the officer replied.
“Well sir,” George continued, “the Red-tail transit tube isn’t a natural phenomenon. It’s a distortion of space itself. They create their transit tube by tearing the very fabric of space which causes space to fold in on itself, allowing them to traverse incredible expanses of space in hours instead of years.”
“So?” asked the officer.
George could see that the debriefing officer wasn’t understanding what he was saying.
“Consider this,” George continued. “In order to fold space, and then tear the very fabric of the universe would take incredible power. Wouldn’t you agree, sir?”
“I would,” he answered.
“Then what do you think would happen if that technology were inadvertently unleashed on a surface area containing a fifty-megaton nuclear device?”
“I don’t know,” the officer confessed. “I assume it would trigger the device.”
“Much worse. It would cause the atomic power of the nuclear device to fold in on itself, tearing the sub-atomic particles into thousands of other sub-atomic particles.”
Captain Citti stood and crossed the room to the officer’s coffee pot. “May I?” he asked, indicated the steaming percolator.
“Help yourself.” He looked George up and down, not quite sure how to take this obviously intelligent flyer.
“You’re not telling me something, Citti. What is it?”
“Sir,” George answered. “If this is really the technology I think it is, and it would increase the destructive power of a fifty-megaton bomb a thousand-fold, what do you think the destructive capacity would be if it were used against a device with multiple warheads, or even worse, against a military facility with a hundred nuclear devices with multiple warheads?”
“Unseen One, help us,” the debriefing officer muttered.
“Exactly,” George answered. “Given the war-like nature of these people, I guarant
ee you they’re going to use it. They’ve already discovered the tight-beam capacity of the device, which is only the focal point of the technology. But I promise you they’re going to use it. And even though they only think it’s a communications device, if they focus it on a ground-forces facility with a nuclear device, it could start a chain reaction that could destroy their whole planet, possibly their entire solar system.”
The debriefing officer mulled over the implications for a minute. The development of cosmic weapons was always dangerous with underdeveloped planets. And Citti was right. A few had destroyed their own planets and others besides. Such advancements, coupled with a high degree of civility in the social institutions of a planet, usually marked the opening of relations with the Axia. But given the violent nature of the people on this planet, it was likely the Axia would have to intervene to try to save them from their own excesses and to protect their galactic neighbors as well.
Taking George’s report, he sealed it in a courier envelope and handed it to Trooper Citti.
“As soon as your ship is repaired, I want you to take this directly to the Observation Department on Shalimar and tell them everything you told me.”
“Yes, sir,” replied George. He set his coffee cup on the corner of the officer’s desk, saluted, then left the office and returned to the repair bay to check the progress on his ship.
The debriefing officer looked at his copy of the report. This could be one of the darkest events in galactic history, he thought as he flipped through the pages again.
∞∞∞
Painstaking was the only word to describe what the archaeological team was experiencing as they explored the ancient ruins. By chance, a damaged ship had landed and discovered clear evidence of an advanced civilization. That it happened right under their noses caused quite a stir throughout the academic world of Galactic Axia.
A check of Axia records showed no indication of such a civilization, or even a log concerning the planet Horicon. Granted, the Axia had expanded so quickly in its early years that large areas of the galaxy only received cursory examination. But to find that they had missed a whole planet was disturbing, especially since this planet was revealing artifacts of an advanced culture – a culture that predated the Axia by at least a million years; maybe two.
Sifting slowly through the ruins, the archaeologists determined the Horicons were much larger than humans, although no image had yet been uncovered. Doorways and hallways were much higher and wider than humans would ever build for normal use. The supporting undergirding of even their simplest structures were reinforced to hold many tons.
It was also determined that in spite of the Horicon’s extreme advancement, there was still no evidence of any attempts at space flight. In fact, the more the teams dug, the less they learned about the extinct race.
To date, all of the buildings they uncovered had been in near total ruins. With exception to the nearly dead stars around which the planet orbited, it was still a mystery of what had destroyed such an advanced culture. Painstakingly translated written records revealed no clue to explain the culture’s demise. Essentially, it appeared that some time in the distant past the Horicons had simply ceased to exist. Not even their bones remained behind to prove they ever existed.
After removing the debris and ancient flooring from the central building, the team began to explore the next level. Unexpectedly, they uncovered a buried entrance leading downward into what they thought was only a single underground chamber.
The passageway wound downward several hundred yards before ending at the entrance of a large, sealed chamber. They carefully drilled a hole through the massive door and inserted a probe. Atmospheric tests showed that it predated the foundation of the Axia.
Using jacks and portable tractor beams, they slowly opened and stabilized the massive doors. Cursory examinations from the entrance revealed the chamber was only the first of an entire elaborate network of rooms and passageways.
After circulating fresh air into the chambers, the team began their exploration of the newly-discovered complex. They charted extensive mapping so they would not lose someone in the maze or miss any hidden doorways or rooms.
Upon entering one large chamber, the explorers were stunned to find themselves facing what could only be an inert computer. Its massiveness filled the chamber, and the team members noted various lengths of cabling leading off to other rooms and equipment. Its location suggested that it had once played an important function in the city, so everyone hoped that its discovery would help shed a ray of light on the mystery of the ancient Horicons.
Experts from the Mica Computer Institute tried to power up the inert machine. After a week, their efforts proved in vain and the discouraged explorers concluded that they now had a rather large artifact that was only good for viewing. A decision was made to remove it to the Computer Museum on Mica where it would be cleaned and displayed as a simple curiosity.
∞∞∞
The morning was cold but clear when Agnes and Robert Hassel flew Delmar and Stan to Jasper Station. Robert rented a flitter from the agency in Keeler, the same agency he had rented a flitter from over a year ago when he and Delmar had gone on a field trip to Jasper Station. A light coat of frost sparkled on the fields and only gave way where the sunlight had fallen on it for a while.
Delmar pointed out his old farm to Stan when they flew over and seemed pleased by what he saw. The Sabetis had done well during their six months of ownership and had a right to be proud. Agnes knew it had been difficult for Delmar to sell the property but it had been the right decision.
All too soon, they arrived at Jasper Station. Robert landed the flitter in the visitor zone and the boys unloaded their bags and equipment from the storage compartment. After checking in for their flight, they all met at the coffee shop.
Robert mused that it seemed like only yesterday that he, Agnes, and Delmar had met at another coffee shop in Keeler after Delmar received his secondary graduation certificate. The changes in Delmar were almost phenomenal. The boy had both matured and filled out in the last several months.
Basic training was responsible for some of the physical changes but it was the emotional and mental changes Robert noticed the most. Life had already seasoned the boy, and his experiences under fire during his last training flight added much to the process. That Delmar had proven himself during the crisis was both a credit to his training and to the caliber of man that he was becoming. This boy will go far, Robert thought.
“Robert!” Agnes’ voice cut through his musings. “I said do you want to order anything?” Robert blinked and came back to the present. Not only were Agnes, Delmar, and Stan staring at him, but the waiter was there as well.
“Uh, I’ll just have coffee,” Robert said.
“Don’t you want some pie or something?” Agnes asked. Robert sensed a trap.
“Well, it could never measure up to yours, but it might help hold this coffee down,” he said diplomatically.
“Give him a large slice of apple, and put a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side,” Agnes relayed to the waiter. The young man wrote it down with the rest of their order then poured Robert a cup of black coffee.
As he turned to go, the waiter looked hard and long at Delmar, his eyes expressing a sad and distant longing. Delmar recognized the waiter as one of the young men who had stepped out of line at the trooper induction ceremony those many months ago. Delmar wondered what he might be doing now himself if he had not accepted the challenge of the service.
“So what are you two going to be doing after we’re out of your hair?” Delmar asked his in an attempt to make small talk when the young man walked away toward the kitchen.
“Oh, the usual,” Robert answered quietly. He noticed that Delmar seemed preoccupied with the young waiter.
“Did you get much of a chance to talk with Daren and RoseMary the other night?” Agnes asked.
“Not as much as I would have liked,” Delmar admitted truthfully. “It does sound like
they’re doing fine with the farm though.”
Robert noted that Delmar seemed a little reluctant to discuss the farm. Little wonder with all the heartache the boy associated with the place.
“What are your plans, Stan?” Robert asked. “You know you still have a choice of specialty in your field of study.”
“I’ve been giving that some thought lately, sir, and I’m still unsure what is best,” Stan answered. “I guess I’ll wait and see what strikes my fancy.”
“After watching your ability with the computer there in the electronics lab, I think you should go into research,” Delmar offered.
“No, I don’t think so. I have a fascination with the history of computers, along with theory and the why and wherefore of what people do with them.”
“Then you’re going to love the museum on Mica!” Delmar exclaimed. “You could live in that place and never see it all!”
Soon after they received their food, the transport that was to take the boys to Mica landed. It was obvious that it had been in a fight. Scorched paint near the tail revealed a typical pattern left by the searing glance of a heat ray.
“Boy! Look at that burn mark!” Stan exclaimed. Delmar also stared while Robert and Agnes gave it a more practiced appraisal.
“I’d say the other guy probably looks worse,” Robert remarked. Agnes nodded. “There doesn’t appear to be any structural damage.”
Just then, the crew and passengers emerged. It was clear by their expressions which ones were experienced space travelers and which were not. The crew looked happy, which confirmed Robert’s suspicions about the fight. The passengers looked around anxiously as if they were trying to find a safe place to hide. Ground crews serviced the ship while a few of the crew members came into the coffee shop. Delmar, Stan, and the Hassels overheard them talking about Red-tails.
“I thought there weren’t any problems with Red-tails this far into the galaxy?” Stan asked Robert.
“As long as we’ve had trouble with them, it’s been pretty evenly distributed,” Robert answered. “Their home galaxy is perpendicular to our galactic plane, so they can appear most anywhere.”