by Norman Fitts
The Encounter
Copyright © 2007 Norman Ray Fitts
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 1-4196-7390-4
ISBN-13: 978-1419673900
The Encounter
Norman Ray Fitts
2007
CHAPTER ONE
An intergalactic research vessel passes through a void formed slightly out of phase with the physical universe. It’s completing a journey, ending millions of light-years from its point of origin. An alien envoy, on a diplomatic mission, could offer the dawn of a new beginning to an unsuspecting world, a world known to its inhabitants as Earth.
The small vessel's central chamber was silent and dark, the only illumination coming from an array of flight control displays. The lone female occupant lay on her back trying to relax. Her dark eyes, jet-black hair and very pale skin gave her an almost porcelain doll look, stunning by human standards. Her eyes were focused on the overhead. She kept repeating the name “Margaret” over and over in her mind. Her given name was “Palatrum” but she liked the sound of Margaret. Other names, from other worlds, weren't as elegant. For the human surname, she'd settled on O’Donnell. This would be her name for the duration of this mission.
She thought about her family and about her assignment. She turned her head and focused her attention on the engineering console's shifting pattern of lights. The main engine status indicators were about to change. The ship's computer announced the impending main engine shut down. She was needed on the ship's flight deck. She pushed herself off the pallet and made her way across the dimly lit cabin. She slipped into the left hand seat and felt it alter its shape to fit hers. The proximity detectors were about to disengage the main drive. She gripped the armrests anticipating what was coming.
Numbness invaded her body through her fingers and toes. She closed her eyes, held her breath and waited for the lack of sensation to pass.
The ship dropped below light speed. The protective bubble dissipated and a field of stars filled the forward monitor. Flexing her hands and feet, she looked at the ship's sensors. Narrowing the range produced familiar patterns. She asked for flight control and the computer passed it off. This close, she preferred to fly the ship herself.
***
In an unrelated event a universe away, her father, the Chancellor of the Tylotheian Empire, made his way back from a meeting with a political adversary. The three-vehicle procession moved along the nighttime street of a large, alien city.
Two moons highlighted buildings that reached thousands of feet into the air. The street was empty. A halo effect, with no apparent source, provided light. The lead vehicle bore the Chancellor’s standard. A flash, and a bright ball of energy enveloped the center portion of the Chancellor’s vehicle. The two remaining vehicles were instantly enclosed within a bright blue protective shield.
Remnants from the lead vehicle careened down the street. Two other bright balls of energy erupt harmlessly on the shield. At the last moment the Chancellor had decided to ride in the second vehicle with two of his Ministers thus avoiding the assassination attempt.
The three men were shaken by the attack. All three moved back from the windows.
“I think it’s over.” The Chancellor takes a moment. “Who did we lose?” he asked.
One of the Ministers pressed a button on a console to his left. “Report…”
An answer came back in a man’s voice across the com-system. “No survivors from the lead vehicle. The shield is holding. A thermal scan of the area shows nothing. Probably fired by remote. We were fortunate there was a momentary delay between the first one and the last two. Back up is on the way.”
The Chancellor sat for a moment considering the last few minutes. “He agreed to this meeting too easily. In the back of my mind I was expecting something like this.”
“Changing vehicles saved your life”, said the other Minister.
“But not my driver.”
“Tacrae was a good man, but it’s your safety that matters”, came the reply.
“No, if they’ll come after me, they may go after my family. Have them moved to the Ministry. Have Central Command inform my son.”
The Minister, next to the communication console, delivered the message.
“It’s my daughter I’m concerned about. She’s off world, part of a diplomatic contingent to a planet called Earth. Its inhabitants call themselves Humans.”
“Earth?” The second Minister pondered the name. “The Portal.”
“The Drigonians have taken an interest”, continued the Chancellor. “If they decide to move, the Humans can’t fend them off without help. If that happens...”
“They establish a presence on our frontier and we lose the portal.”
“We can’t afford to let that happen. She’s there to coordinate events, depending upon the decision of the Council. But right now, the only thing I care about is getting her safely back.”
***
She had no way of knowing it, but those distant events would impact her life, and perhaps the course of human history, and change it forever.
Using a long-range scanner, she watched her destination on the forward monitor. The small blue-green ball, orbiting three away from its sun, was one of hundreds of inhabited worlds populating the outer reaches of an empire encompassing dozens of galaxies.
This world's technology had reached a point, where a little help could springboard the Human Race to a new level of existence. The stumbling block was human social development. How would its people, who couldn’t get along with themselves, deal with the shock of an entire universe filled with strange and very different cultures?
She'd witnessed this awakening before. If the timing were right, the population would unite to deal with what was coming. If not, order could give way to anarchy and the entire social structure would collapse. Hence, the decision to make contact was a serious one and couldn't be made lightly. Now however, with the Drigonians in the picture, the whole timetable had to be advanced.
A short time later the small research vessel slipped into Earth orbit. Its destination the western hemisphere, a place referred to on Earth as North America, specifically the Upper Texas Coast.
***
Chatter from Houston’s Bush Intercontinental Airport tower filled the cabin. The ship was cloaked and passed undetected by Air Traffic Control. Invisible, but still very solid, she’d plotted the traffic patterns, and then maneuvered her ship around the incoming and outgoing flights.
A wooded area, adjacent to the airport, would provide cover. Her ship was small and oblong. It moved slowly above this living canopy. Just ahead, a hole in the tree cover she could slip through. The ship moved in that direction. She hovered for a moment, lowered her ship into the woods, and then gently set it down.
She replicated the clothing, and other things she needed to blend in, and then changed her clothes. Images of her family kept popping up in her mind as she moved about, shutting down and securing her way home. She’d finally stopped, stood quietly with her eyes closed and allowed the visions to pass. It was her way of refocusing her thoughts on what lay ahead. After a few moments she opened her eyes, took a deep breath, and then finished the task at hand.
The hatch opened. She stepped out dressed in blue jeans, white canvas shoes, and a pale blue shirt. She carried a large, dark blue shoulder bag. Because of Earth's very thin atmosphere, her first breath on this alien world was deep and sustained.
The ship was cloaked and the open hatch appeared to hang in mid air. Stepping away, the opening disappeared leaving no trace of anything. She glanced around. This would do for a while. After another deep breath she walked away from the landing site.
She'd memorized maps of the local area. At the edge of the woods she paused. A wide
expanse of open ground lay between her and Will Clayton Boulevard. The cars were end to end. She'd wait here, just inside the tree line, for the traffic to clear. The fewer people who saw her leave the woods, the better. Kneeling down, she sat on the ground and watched. The prolonged exposure to the vortex, and the small confines of her ship, had drained her. She stretched out and closed her eyes. In a moment she was asleep.
***
The light of afternoon faded into black and stars filled the nighttime sky. The prevailing winds changed, as did the landing patterns. A heavy jet, making its approach, passed close overhead. She was instantly awake and sat up rubbing her eyes with the back of her hands. Collecting her thoughts, she looked at the watch on her wrist, then stood up and stretched her arms over her head. The nap was much too short and hadn't really helped very much. If anything, it had increased her need for rest.
The traffic was all but gone now and she had the cover of darkness. She picked up her bag, quickly crossed the open field to the road and paused on the eastbound side. A car passed. She crossed the road, and the median, to the far side. Looking west, there was a car rental sign glowing in the distance. She had spotted it from the air. She needed transportation and started walking west along the side of the road.
The rental sign loomed larger and larger. The cool, night air chilled her. She rubbed her arms with her hands. She should have replicated a jacket. Headlights approached from behind. The car slowed down and came to a stop beside her. The driver leaned over, lowering the passenger side window.
He was in his forties wearing a business suit. "You need a ride?" He asked.
She leaned down. "Ah, no thanks, it's a nice night for a walk. Thanks anyway."
"You sure", he cautioned, "there's a lot of crazies running around out here at night. A pretty little thing like you can't be too careful."
"I'll be careful. Thanks anyway."
"Okay... You're sure?"
She nodded. "Thanks anyway."
The driver leaned back and the car accelerated away. She watched the tail lights disappear down the road. She was already having second thoughts about the ride. She was cold. She rubbed her arms and continued on.
The lighted car rental lot had the usual selection of compact and mid-sized cars. She paused to look over their inventory. A blue car in the back caught her eye. She walked up to the glass-enclosed office. The young man behind the counter was eating his dinner. She moved along to the doors. It read, "PUSH" so she did. The rental agent looked up and did his best to dispose of his half eaten roast beef sandwich.
Margaret smiled as she entered the office. "Don't do that on my account. What have you got with a little get-up-and-go?" She loved the way these people talked.
He looked past her. "Sorry, I didn't see anyone pull up. Get-up-and-go? Well..." He turned and looked up and down the key rack behind him. "Let's see." He looked back, "How much get-up-and-go we talkin' about?"
She walked to the end of the counter. "Back there in the back, how about the blue one?"
He turned back to the keys. "The Mustang, lots of get-up-and-go." He took down the key, turned and brought up a contract on his computer screen. "I'll need a major credit card and a valid driver's license, please."
She walked back to him. He couldn't keep his eyes off her. Being stared at always made her a little nervous. She opened her bag to get what he asked for.
"You just fly in", he asked?
"You could say that." She handed him an American Express Gold Card and her driver's license. "Will this do?"
He took them. "Yes ma'am, that'll do just fine." She watched him run the card. He got an approval and printed out the slip. "We need to fill out a few things. Would you like the insurance?"
"Sure, why not." She watched him type. "What else?"
He picked up her driver's license. He studied the picture, then her, then the picture again. "Is everything on here correct?"
"Yes, it is."
He kept staring at her. "I see you're from Baltimore. How long do you need the car?"
"About a week."
"Planning to stay with us a while?
She pointed to the screen. "Could we finish, please? I'm really tired."
"Right, sorry." He filled out the rest of the contract, taking the information from her license. "There, that's got it" He printed out the paperwork, passed it to her and offered his pen for her signature. "Sign in both places at the bottom, please."
She took the pen and signed the contract. "Is that it?"
"That's it", he said. "You want me to bring it up for you?"
"Thanks anyway, I can do it."
"You're sure?"
She nodded.
He folded her copy of the contract, put it in an envelope and handed it to her with the keys, "be sure the contract stays with the car."
"I will, thanks." She put the envelope in her bag, and picked up her license and credit card.
He wanted to continue the conversation but their business was done and she didn't seem very interested anyway. He smiled. "Have a nice night."
She smiled back, picked up her bag and left the office. He watched her through the glass until she was out of sight.
You just never know what's gonna show up here at night, he thought, going back to his sandwich.
The Mustang was parked at the back of the lot. Margaret walked up to the driver's side door, unlocked it and got in. She shut the door and looked over the controls. She opened the glove box, put the contract inside and shut it. This wasn't the first time she'd rented or driven a car on this world, just the first time in a while. She inserted the key and turned it. The car came to life. She looked at the shift lever for a moment, put it in reverse and backed out of the parking space. Now, she thought, they drive on the right side here. She shifted into drive, pulled around to the exit and left the rental lot.
She moved from lane to lane getting a feel for the car. The Mustang cruised along Will Clayton toward the airport. The traffic was light. She crossed an overpass and dropped down onto JFK Boulevard heading south toward the Sam Houston Parkway. The highway lighting, and the lights from the airport complex, obscured the nighttime horizon. It was a clear night and higher in the sky an ocean of stars were visible. She let down the window, leaned her head out and looked in the direction of home. She was a little homesick. She hated that. She was a scientist. It didn't seem professional, somehow.
She had just covered a distance of five million light-years in little over a week, Earth time. That explained the slight state of disorientation she was feeling, jet lag on an intergalactic scale.
This distant area of the universe had been explored by her ancestor’s centuries ago. It held little interest for her people until the discovery of the portal brought them back.
Her family had been involved with the scientific community for generations. Her Great Grandfather had been part of the research group that finally proved the theory that overlapping energy fields held the universe together. He also discovered a small, open, seam apparently caused by the ever expanding nature of the universe itself, and that passing through this tear in the fabric of space, folded time.
When you go up against the powers of nature your victory is seldom, if ever, complete. This Time Portal turned out to have very limiting characteristics. Lateral movement, from the point of entry, was restricted too less than a light-year. After that you ceased to exist. Travel into the future wasn't possible at all. Apparently the future was constructed one moment at a time with each new moment generating the next. If it hadn't happened yet, you couldn't go there. Finally, at about a hundred thousand Earth years the thread of energy tying the vessel to the present became an elastic cord and recoiled, with devastating effects to the ship and crew.
The first portal was thought to be unique until the discovery of this second one in Earth’s solar system. The first one was located near a planet too young to support life. This one proved to be much more interesting.
All current time travel research was
centered on the development of a more stable link to the present and a way to expand the diameter of the tunnel.
How it worked hadn’t concern her. She had used the technology, within its established limits, to better understand the social evolution of this species. Understanding what motivated a culture allowed for more than just an educated guess at what effect a first contact could have.
She watched the Sam Houston Parkway pass overhead and turned east onto the access road. Her family again consumed her thoughts.
While she was still a girl growing up at home, her father had headed one of the research groups assigned to document early life on Earth. She had been allowed to accompany him on numerous field trips. These trips had always been something she looked forward to.
After her father moved into politics, she continued in his scientific footsteps. This pleased him very much. Her older brother had become part of the military and her younger brother was still at home.
Earth’s history, past and present, had been chronicled in detail. From a cloaked vessel she had observed the cultural change from that of roaming nomads, to that of a collective and educated society.
The rise and fall of the Roman Empire, the journeys of Columbus, the American Revolution, World War Two and more recently the fall of the Soviet Union were all observed. These, and many more moments in history, had been recorded as a living record of humanities passage through time.
Where a cloaked vessel had a minimal effect on the time line, to physically walk around in the past could very well affect the planet’s future. That never happened. It was a rule that was never broken. When she could be out and about, being fluent in a hundred different human languages and dialects, made mixing with the locals fairly easy.
The portal added another layer to the decision making process. Because of the portal, nowhere else had so much time been invested in getting to know, and understand, a species prior to making contact. Over the years this project had become very personal to those involved. But time had run out and this visit would bring about the culmination of a series of long-term projects. It would determine if the Human Race would join in the battle or perish in the crossfire. In the end the safety of the Empire would come first.