Discovery of the Saiph (The Saiph Series)

by PP Corcoran

  The bridge crew moved to carry out his orders. There would be time to mourn their dead later. For now, the living took precedence.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Changes

  Orbit of Planet II - Alpha Centauri B - 4.37 LY from Earth

  “Well? What do you think, Captain?” asked Bruce Torrance from his seat on the bridge of the TDF James Cook.

  Robert Lewis regarded the light blue and white planet cantered in the Holo Cube as he contemplated the enormity of the decision resting on his shoulders. This was the third star system that the James Cook, accompanied by the TDF Jacques Cartier, had visited in its search for an Earth-like planet to be man’s first colony outside his home system.

  The first, Sirius, some eight point five eight light years from Earth, had proved to be a dead system. Any planet capable of bearing life became desolate when Sirius B had lost its outer layers when it had collapsed and became a white dwarf, the star’s outer layers spreading through the star system like an unstoppable tidal wave of star plasma and radiation scrubbing clean all before it. The second, Procyon, some eleven point four six Light Years from Earth was deemed unsuitable as none of the system planets were found to have a stable orbit, almost certainly due to the main star’s white dwarf companion, which was close enough to the orbit of the planets to influence them.

  This led the search to Alpha Centauri. One of the brightest stars in the southern skies, it is the nearest stellar system to our own solar system, only four point three light years away. Alpha Centauri is actually a triple star. It consists of two stars, similar to the Sun, orbiting close to each other, designated Alpha Centauri A and B, and a more distant and fainter red component known as Proxima Centauri, where almost a decade ago, humans discovered the Rubicon Cave. Since the nineteenth century, astronomers have speculated about planets orbiting the stars that make up Alpha Centauri. The invention of the Gravity Drive meant Man at last was capable of travel and could observe for himself. The recent clashes in the 70 Ophiuchi system, the loss of TDF Vasco De Gama and all on board and the threat posed by ‘The Others’ to humanity all increased the impetus to settle beyond the home system. Alpha Centauri B is very similar to the Sun, but slightly smaller and less bright, with four planets orbiting it. One was so far from the star that it was a frozen snowball, another was a gas giant, one orbited so close to the star that its surface was molten; and then there was Planet II. The newly discovered Planet II that TDF James Cook and TDF Jacques Cartier were currently orbiting had a mass of a little more than that of the Earth. The planet orbited about 106 million kilometres away from the star, closer than that of Venus to the Sun in the Solar System. The orbit of the other bright component of the double star, Alpha Centauri A, keeps it hundreds of times further away, but it would still be a very brilliant object in the Planet II skies.

  “The geologists say that the planet has just came out of a period of glaciation?” asked Robert in reply to Torrance’s question.

  “Yes, sir. It’s all in their report. Current surface temperatures are equivalent to just south of the Arctic Circle on Earth, at this time, but they will slowly rise in time,” answered Torrance while, he too, regarded the blue and white marble in the display. So reminiscent of Earth. “The scientists tell me that, using the same techniques we used to successfully grow crops during the clean-up of Earth after the wars, the planet should be self-sufficient in food, dependent on population size, in no time. Native life appears to be limited, on land masses, to small mammals not much bigger than rodents, with the largest life forms detected in the oceans, some of them as large as our own whales.”

  Robert came to his decision. “Very well, Commander. Please inform Capt. Papadomas to remain in this system and continue to survey the remaining three planets. We shall return directly to Earth. I need to speak to Admiral Jing so that we can inform the Joint Chiefs that I think we have found a suitable planet.”

  Torrance looked across at the lieutenant at Communications and could see she was already transmitting the instructions to TDF Jacques Cartier.

  Torrance’s attention returned to Robert as he asked, “One more thing, Commander.”

  “Yes, Captain,” replied Torrance

  “Your watch discovered the planet so you get to name it. Have you given it any thought?”

  Torrance had not... at least not till now. He looked again at the blue and white marble, hanging there looking so pure and untouched he smiled slightly, “Janus, sir, after the Roman god of beginnings. Hopefully, we can tend to this world better than we have Earth.”

  “Janus,” Robert repeated and gave Torrance a smile of his own, “I like it. Very well. Let’s be on our way.”

  Torrance gave an affirmative “Aye aye, sir. Navigation! Plot us a fold for home and engage when you’re ready.”

  TDF James Cook disappeared from the Alpha Centauri system leaving TDF Jacques Cartier to stand watch over the system.

  #

  Stickney Base - Phobos - Orbiting Mars

  A harried Patricia Bath was busy having a short lunch when a beep from her wrist Comm demanded her attention. With a wearied sigh, she wondered why she had ever let Senator Rae talk her into taking on the directorship of the newly founded Office of Research and Development. It may have given her control over all the ongoing research into the Saiph but she could not remember the last time she had taken a day off. Her wrist Comm beeped again, this time louder. Oh well, thought Patricia, there goes lunch, as she activated the link. “Dr Bath.”

  “Director, sorry to bother you over lunch. It’s Dr Fredericks. Could I have a moment of your time?”

  Patricia thought Dr Fredericks did not sound the least bit sorry for interrupting her lunch. “How about in my office in twenty minutes or so?”

  “Would it be possible for you to come down to the lab as soon as you can? It is rather important,” asked Fredericks.

  Patricia looked at the salad, that was to be her lunch and stood up. “I’m on my way, Bath clear.” She cut the link and threw the remains of the salad in the recycling.

  Ten minutes later, all thoughts of lunch had vanished as Patricia looked at the two DNA profiles displayed in the Holo Cube. She looked at Fredericks and said in a disbelieving, questioning tone. “Doctor, this can’t be right?”

  Fredericks stood shaking his head. “I know what you mean, Director. But I have double-and triple-checked the samples. The one on the left is from the Saiph database and is verified as that of the Saiph. The one on the right was taken from the remains of one of ‘The Others’ returned by TDF Henry Hudson. I have taken samples from each of the remains and they all show the same results. ‘The Others’ also show signs of Saiph DNA interference.”

  Patricia incredulously said, “There must be some mistake. Our searches of the Saiph database tell us that the Saiph only began to meddle with the DNA on the seventeen planets after they were attacked by ‘The Others’, and that was millions of years ago.”

  Fredericks looked at Patricia, as a professor dispensing a lecture to a wayward student. “Director. Science does not lie. ‘The Others’ incorporate the DNA of the Saiph. Now, I would be the first to admit that when it comes to weapons technology and engineering I am but a layman, but has it never occurred to anyone else that if ‘The Others’ have been around for millions of years, why is their technology not so far advanced beyond ours as we would be from the amoeba? It would appear that what you thought you knew for fact may not be true at all.”

  Patricia sat and stared at the comparative DNA profiles. How could this be? Her brain refused to digest this new information. The scientist in her eventually kicked in. They had to review everything they had extracted from the Saiph database with a fine tooth comb. This could set them back years. Shaking herself mentally Patricia brought herself back to the problem at hand.

  “Is there anything else Doctor Fredericks?”

  With a few taps on his PAD Fredericks changed the image in the Holo Cube. The neck of one of ‘The Others’ was displayed
and Patricia could make out a dark image at the base of the skull.

  “What’s that?”

  Another few taps of the PAD and the image zoomed in. Before Patricia was a rectangular box approximately 2 centimetres by 4 centimetres by 4 centimetres with a dark circle on the surface. Fredericks face settled into a puzzled frown.

  “To be honest with you Director it has us all baffled here. We have taken samples of it and determined that it was made of some type of metallic plastic composite.”

  Now it was Patricia’s turn to look puzzled. “What do you mean it was made of? It’s still there I can see it.”

  “That’s the puzzling bit. According to the tests that we have been able to run on it the object seems to have had a complete melt down and I mean that literally. Whatever it was has been subjected to an intense heat source which has destroyed the inner workings of the object but left the flesh and muscle surrounding it completely untouched. Even more inexplicable we have found what appears to be microscopic tunnelling along the spinal column and into the brain all cantered around the object.”

  Fredericks shrugged his shoulders and let out a small sigh.

  “Our best guess is that ‘The Other’ that this object was retrieved from suffered from some form of spinal damage and the box was a kind of amplifier for the subjects own thoughts. Researchers have long been trying to perfect a similar system that would allow prosthetic limbs to be controlled directly by the user but so far they’ve only had limited success. Perhaps ‘The Others have had greater success, the tunnelling extends as far as the limbs and the vital organs on one side of the object and into what may be the movement control areas of the brain.”

  “Have you found any more of these objects in the other recovered remains?”

  Fredericks shook his head. “Unfortunately all the other remains have been too badly damaged for us to substantiate our conclusions.”

  Patricia looked at the image for another few moments trying to puzzle out its purpose but nothing came to mind.

  “Okay Doctor type up your report and forward it to my office as soon as you can. I’ll send it on to Canberra and we’ll see what they can come up with.”

  Patricia turned on her heel and headed back to her office thoughts of her failure rebounding in her head.

  #

  Patricia sat at her desk with her head in her hands. How could she have been so wrong? It was more of a statement than a question. Following Fredericks’ revelation she had tasked Vince Kealey, her colleague who had worked with her originally to decode the Saiph database, to take her work apart a piece at a time.

  Vince had found the mistake quickly. A simple substitution in the decryption algorithm had completely changed the interpretation of a section of the Saiph language. Where the Saiph had indeed experimented with DNA on other worlds millions of years ago, they had, in fact, written the experiment off as a failure. It was not until ‘The Others’ had turned up in the sky, above their home world, that they realized that something had come from their meddling on other worlds. It was that final revelation that had Patricia sitting alone in her office. ‘The Others’ hadn’t destroyed the Saiph all those millions of years ago. ‘The Others’ had rained destruction down on the Saiph less than a thousand years ago. A blink of an eye as far the cosmos was concerned.

  Patricia thought of all those men and women who had relied on her interpretation of the Saiph database. Those sailors and marines who had ventured out into the far reaches of space sure in the knowledge that those that had destroyed the Saiph were more than likely dust in cosmic history by now not still actively traveling the space between the stars.

  When Valerie Hayes had plucked Patricia out of obscurity and placed her in charge at Stickney Patricia had been young and arrogant. A real fire breather as some of the older researchers had referred to her. Others hadn’t been so kind, wondering who this young upstart that Hayes had forced on them thought she was. Vince had had every right to have been one of those whose nose had been put out of joint by Patricia’s arrival but instead he had sat back and allowed her full reign, helping her when she struggled to cope with more senior researchers and cajoling her when she doubted herself.

  She felt that she had let them all down. Vince. Valerie Hayes. The President. And most importantly the men and women who flew amongst the stars. All those that had had faith in her.

  Patricia touched a control and her Holo Cube sparked to life with the face of the duty officer in communications. “Yes, Director?”

  Patricia Bath took a deep breath, knowing this would be her last action as director. “Get me a secure link to the Office of the President.”

  #

  Office of the President of the Terran Republic - Geneva - Earth

  The news from Stickney Base had been less of a surprise to some than others, thought Rebecca Coston. The military had questioned amongst themselves why ‘The Others’ technology had not given them an insurmountable edge, but they simply got on with their task and did not count their chickens. Many a politician attempted to lay the blame strictly at the door of the now Ex-Director of the Linguistics and Cryptology Division at Stickney Base, Dr Patricia Bath as the media whipped the public into an unnatural fury at the desk jockey who had endangered the lives of those brave sailors and marines. The opportunists had jumped on the bandwagon and the broadcasts were filled with paid mouth pieces spouting their version of the truth and pointing out in retrospect Patricia Bath’s mistakes. Hindsight is a wonderful thing thought Rebecca.

  Valerie Hayes had pleaded with her to refuse Doctor Baths resignation but unfortunately the political heat was just too much and as much as her old friend liked the youthful Bath, Rebecca, with regret, would accept her resignation with immediate effect.

  Not for the first time Rebecca reminded herself how much she hated politics. She genuinely liked Bath it was such a pity. Maybe when the media furore subsided she could quietly kick start her career again.

  #

  Rebecca turned to face the only other two people in her spacious presidential office, admiring the blue and white rotating ball that was the planet Janus. “So, General Joyce, how are we coming along with the refit of TDF Ferdinand Magellan?”

  “Exceptionally well,” replied Joyce. “The yards at Deimos are expanding as fast as they can and, with the added slips, the builders were able to basically redesign the Magellan and employ the modular construction that we’re beginning to see in all our ship construction. The basic dimensions of the ship have remained the same, 1300 meters long with a beam of 250 meters but we have managed to increase the gross tonnage to 250,000 tonnes. The reduction in size of the Gravity Drive engines is freeing up more space for cargo and a crew of only 130 with 6,500 colony personnel. The Admiralty’s plan is to have ten of this type of colony ship shuttling between Earth and Janus to enable the colony to be self-sufficient as quickly as possible. The ships would then be available for use, should we discover further suitable colony worlds.”

  Rebecca gave a small satisfied “Hmm... and when are we likely to deploy?”

  Without the need to refer to the PAD in front of him Joyce answered, “The equipment is arriving steadily and being shipped directly into the cargo areas of the Magellan. The necessary foodstuffs, seeds and the minutia required to build a start-up colony have been in planning and development since the decision to execute this phase of Operation Chrysaor. I estimate they should all be aboard in the next thirty days.”

  Rebecca gave a nod of approval, “Very impressive, General. That only leaves the trivial issue of personnel.”

  “If you remember, Madam President, the Joint Chiefs raised the problem of insufficient personnel prior to your decision, which we fully endorsed, to announce the findings of our initial Vanguard surveys. This led to a surge in volunteers for government service, from colonists to the military, and…” Joyce cast his eyes to the ground in a momentary gesture of respect, “with the loss of the Vasco De Gama, we expected this initial enthusiasm to dry up. However, t
he opposite has happened. The ranks of potential colonists and military personnel have continued to swell, to such an extent that I have had to make more than a few calls to certain key members of industry to reassure them that our automation program to replace skilled workers will bear fruit in the near future.”

  “Good to hear, General. How is said industry holding up, Thomas?” Rebecca addressed the only other person in the room,

  “Remarkably well, Madam President,” replied the Secretary of Finance, Senator Crothers. “With the increase in construction and the shrinking base of available, experienced personnel, you would think that it would leave industry in a bit of a jam. Nevertheless, the promised mass automation is coming online. The various industries have noticed how the machines, in comparison to human personnel, are cheaper to run, never tire, never argue about wages and don’t get sick. All in all, the heads of industry are happier now than I have seen them in a long time.”

  “So, we are on the verge of establishing our first colony.” Rebecca looked again at the planet Janus in the Holo Cube, soon to be the home to thousands, and one day millions, of humans. “Can you gentlemen think of anything else that we may have missed which could assist the growth of the colony?”

  Senator Crothers cleared his throat. “If I may make a suggestion, Madam President?”

  “Go on,” permitted Rebecca.

  Crothers pointed at the image of Janus. “I have never pretended to be a military man,” he said with a slight nod in the direction of Joyce, “but I am a man whose job it has been his whole working life to make things work while making a profit.”

  “Janus is not about making a profit, Senator. It’s about the survival of the human race,” interrupted Joyce angrily.

  “I understand that, General. But humans being humans always perform at their best when there is something in it for them. In the case of the men and women who head our industry – they want profit.” Crothers paused to collect his thoughts, “Our aim is for the colony that we propose to establish to be self-sufficient in the shortest time period, but, as it stands at the moment, the government has to pay for everything that the colony needs and eventually transports. Our finances are finite in any given year. I have been floating the idea with certain trusted friends in industry that the government would be willing to give massive concessions to any cargo line that would be inclined to build ships with Gravity Drives and haul goods to and from Janus. Further, the main contractor at Deimos has suggested that, using the new automated construction techniques, he builds a second yard in the Alpha Centauri system, doubling our construction facilities at a stroke and providing redundancy in the event that ‘The Others’ locate our solar system and destroy our only means to mass produce warships.” Crothers sat back and waited for the President and Joyce to reply.