Discovery of the Saiph (The Saiph Series)

by PP Corcoran

  Whoever was left in charge on ‘The Others’ side decided to beat a hasty retreat. The remaining ships reversed course, only to find that Adm. Jing had moved his ships from behind the gas giant and positioned them to block the Buzzards’ escape.

  The remaining two Buzzards did not even slow down or attempt to change course. They accelerated headlong towards Adm. Jing’s waiting seven Nemesis battleships, five Vulcan heavy cruisers, six Talos light cruisers and seventeen Agis destroyers. The human ships ensured that the Buzzards joined their recently departed friends in short order.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Unexpected Guests

  TDF Cutlass - Messier 54 Cluster

  Survey Flotilla One had been in the Messier 54 Cluster for only twelve days when the news of the second battle of Garunda reached them. Rear Adm. Papadomas fleetingly considered halting his expedition to make contact with the inhabitants of Planet A and their colony on Planet B and return to Charon Base. But Christos could see no real purpose in that, so his small survey flotilla of three Vanguard class survey ships, one Persai survey ship, two Talos light cruisers and two Persai battle cruisers continued on mission.

  Christos was in his private quarters, going over the information that his flotilla had thus far gathered on the Baldies and their civilization. He felt a smile appear on his face. He really should stop calling them ‘Baldies’, but every time he mentioned it in the presence of Ambassador Schamu, it made the ambassador physically wince, so it was so worth it!

  Back to work, he chastised himself. Twelve days of frantic work had produced some solid results. He amended his initial plan slightly. He had two of the Vanguards, TDF James Cook and Henry Hudson, work over the asteroid belt and outer planets. The remaining Vanguard, TDF Jacques Cartier would provide over watch for the Persai survey ship, commanded by Sub Leader Verus, as it moved in close to first Planet B, then the Baldies’ home world of Planet A. He held his own cruiser, TDF Cutlass, and the Persai battle cruiser, Vitachi, in geostationary orbit around the outermost planet of the system. He remained ready, at a moment’s notice, to come to the aid of either pair of survey ships if they ran into something they could not handle.

  The reports from the two Vanguards had shown that the Baldies had begun mining operations of the system’s asteroid belt, but apart from what looked like smelters and other limited industrial habitats with limited populations there was no form of militarization present and no indication that the Baldies were worried about visitors from other star systems skulking around.

  On the other hand, the report from Sub Leader Verus in relation to his close approaches to Planets A and B made fascinating reading. When Capt. Ruth Witsell and the TDF Vasco De Gama arrived in the Messier Cluster five years or so ago, following a fault in their navigation computer, they found Planet B in the initial stages of colonization by the inhabitants of Planet A. Eavesdropping on electromagnetic transmissions had produced an image of what were now known as the Baldies. Approximately 168 centimetres tall, wearing a tan and brown uniform with emblems at the waist. A small circular mouth with what appeared to be three slits on either side of where a nose should be. Two eyes set widely apart above the slits, with no apparent ears on the head. Two arms with double jointed elbows and shortened forearms, and no visible body hair – hence the term that the crew of the Vasco De Gama had come up with, Baldies. What sealed Saiph DNA tampering was the fact that the Baldies had five fingers.

  At the time of the Vasco De Gama’s visit, it was estimated that the Baldies were at a level of technology roughly equivalent to that of Earth prior to World War Three. Their ships were powered by a low-power ion drive, which meant that a one-way trip between Planet A and Planet B took around eleven months. Using similar propulsion methods meant that a trip between the inner planets and the industrial habitats in the asteroid belt could take up to anywhere in the region of three years. Planet B’s estimated population was at the time in the low thousands, which was why it was chosen by Capt. Witsell as the site for a landing by her marines and a survey party, to take soil and plant samples, which confirmed Saiph interference in the natural progression of life. Capt. Witsell never visited Planet A, preferring not to risk contact with the Baldies without the nod from the politicians.

  Sub Leader Verus had been able to use his highly stealthy survey ship to slowly close with Planet A, until he reached a point where he could launch small reconnaissance drones to better observe the planet and its surrounding space. What his drones had discovered was a flourishing artificial orbiting network of space habitats, serviced not only by ships moving to and fro from the surface of the planet but two space elevators. Massive constructions which were anchored to the surface of the planet by immensely strong nano fibre cables, which reached up into orbit and connected with a large cargo handling facility located in one of the planet’s Lagrange points, a point where the gravitational pull of the planet was cancelled out by that of its orbiting moon. These space elevators had been theorized on Earth, but with the disruption caused by the third and fourth world wars they had never been built, even with general agreement that it was probably the cheapest and quickest way to get large payloads to and from orbit.

  As far as population and governance went, current estimates put the planetary population at around the eight billion mark, which was probably why the Baldies were beginning to establish colonies on Planet B. From what was known of the political setup, it appeared that there was a centralized planetary government but, and he found this next point rather unsettling, it would appear to be a very militaristic one. All news broadcasts were made by Baldies wearing the same brown and tan uniform and all the broadcasts ended in the same way. An image of an elderly Baldy, in uniform, accompanied by what he could only assume was some form of national anthem. Until the translation computers could provide accurate interpretations of communications, he could only guess and he was not willing to bet the success of this mission on guesswork.

  All this information was passed to Ambassador Schamu and his staff. If the ship scuttlebutt was to be believed, then he was as worried about the Baldies being a militaristic society as he was.

  The urgent beeping of his terminal and a flashing red light interrupted him. He reached over to accept the emergency signal. The unsmiling face of Capt. Mkhize appeared.

  “Admiral, we’ve just received a courier drone from the James Cook. Captain Torrance states that while conducting operations in the asteroid belt he has come across a vessel in distress. He states that it appears to have suffered micro meteor damage to its engines and is venting atmosphere. The vessel is transmitting a repeating message in what has been identified as the language of the Baldies, but Capt. Torrance believes that the message is so weak that it has little chance of reaching one of the Baldy installations before the vessel’s atmosphere is completely vented into space.”

  He could tell by the look in Mkhize’s eyes that he was thinking the same thing that he was. A spacer’s worst nightmare. A long, slow, cold death in space as the air in the suit ran low, the batteries supplying heat beginning to fail and the cold chills the body to its very core, before eventually the carbon monoxide scrubbers fail, darkness closes in and the body slips into unconsciousness. No life form, with a conscience, could allow that to happen to another.

  “Send to the James Cook. You are to move to intercept the vessel in distress and render any and all assistance which in your view is required. Any surviving crew of the vessel are to be treated with the utmost respect and brought aboard the Cutlass at the earliest opportunity.”

  The relief on Mkhize’s face was obvious. “Thank you, Admiral.”

  “And oh, Vusumuzi, could you inform Ambassador Schamu that we may be having extra guests for dinner this evening.”

  Mkhize let out a loud belly laugh that took him a few seconds to get control of. “My pleasure, Admiral.”

  #

  Christos and Ambassador Schamu stood together in the small, but well equipped, medical bay of TDF Cutlass. They wa
tched Dr Richards fuss over the three patients, each lying in beds surrounded by medical equipment. The beds were occupied by surviving crewman of the Baldy ship, the same ship TDF James Cook had aided. The bodies of the other eight crewmen were currently in the Cutlass’ makeshift morgue. Christos caught the Doctor’s eye and she came to stand beside him while keeping her eyes on the patients.

  “You asked to see us, Doctor?” said Schamu in a way that could only be interpreted as that he had better things to be doing than stand in the medical bay.

  Dr Richards let out a small sigh. “The Baldy…” Christos noted a frown appear on Schamu’s forehead at the Doctor’s use of the slang term; he tried to hide his smile. “My apologies, Ambassador... The patient on the far left is recovering from his ordeal well; he is awake and our translation program is advanced enough that we are able to tell him where he is and that he is in no danger. He should be fit enough to be discharged by the end of the day. Unfortunately, the other two are in a bad way. I’m keeping them sedated. They suffered severe lung and brain damage. I simply don’t know enough about their physical make up to do much more than keep them alive.”

  Ambassador Schamu gave the doctor a stern look. “That is not acceptable, Doctor.”

  “Acceptable or not, Ambassador, it is a fact. Unless those two patients get medical attention from their own people within the next twenty-four hours, their chances of making a full recovery are slim at best.”

  Christos looked from the doctor to her three patients and then back to the doctor. “Is it possible for us to speak with the patient who is awake without overtaxing him?”

  Richards folded her arms and regarded the Admiral and the Ambassador like a primary school teacher. “I don’t see why not, Admiral. As long as you understand that if he does show signs of stress, I may have to intervene.”

  “Thank you, Doctor. That will be all for now.” And with a nod, Richards left Christos and Schamu alone and returned to her patients.

  “Well, Ambassador. I suggest you begin questioning our visitor as soon as you can, for in twelve hours the Cutlass will be in orbit of Planet A and these patients will be offloaded to receive the medical attention they need.”

  To Christos’ surprise, the Ambassador did not seem fazed at all. “I may seem a bit stuffy at times, Admiral, but even I would not let harm come to anyone for the sake of political expediency. If you’ll excuse me, I have a lot of work to do and little time to do it.”

  Christos was left standing on his own as the Ambassador made his way over to the conscious Baldy. A large smile appeared on the Ambassador’s face as he stretched out his hand in welcome to the confused Baldy. Christos shook his head in amazement at the change in the politician’s demeanour as he turned to leave the medical bay and make his way back to his quarters. He had work to do as well if he was to be ready in twelve hours.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  They're Coming

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

  Rebecca Coston entered her office to find her invited guests already waiting for her. “My apologies, ladies and gentlemen. But for some reason some senators believe that the longer they go on, the more likely I am to give them what they want. They obviously don’t know me very well.” That got a smile and a few chuckles from Rebecca’s guests. “Please sit. We have a lot to get through, so I suggest we just hit the high points.”

  As Rebecca took her seat at the head of the small conference table, she regarded each of the invited guests in turn.

  Secretary Gillian Rae, Head of Research and Development. With the sharing of technology between humans, Garundans and Persai, her department was expanding every day and some of the technology that was being shared, such as the Persai shield initiative and nano technology, could change the way humans lived their lives.

  Secretary Olaf Helset. The Terran Defence Force had been expanding steadily for the past five years, but with the latest ‘Others’ attempt to destroy Garunda it had left the First and Second Fleets weakened; but the main point to come out of the attack on Garunda was the determination of the new Commonwealth Union of Planets to act to protect its members. The size of the Vulture ships had been a shock – but as Rebecca understood, the hybrid courier drone/anti-ship missile had evened out the firepower imbalance, and Research and Development were already rushing through a tailored design for mass production.

  Ambassador Aaron Beckett, the man who helped her design the framework for the Commonwealth Union, and was instrumental in its success, was convinced by Rebecca to retire from retirement and be her messenger to both the Garundans and the Persai

  Governor Thomas Crothers, Governor of Janus. Rebecca’s one time Secretary of Finance in whom Rebecca had entrusted the establishment of mankind’s first colony world, Janus. In under five years, Crothers had taken it from zero to a colony with a population of over twenty million. A thriving, industrial world that now had its own shipyards, producing starships for trade and commerce and of course was home to Second Fleet under Vice Admiral Lewis.

  Rebecca could see the day fast approaching when Janus would be independent and she would be addressing President Crothers.

  “So to business, ladies and gentlemen. Aaron, I’ve managed to catch some of the reports coming back from Messier 54, but why don’t you bring us up to speed on Ambassador Schamu’s progress to date.”

  Aaron cleared his throat, and at the touch of a control the Messier 54 system appeared in the Holo Cube in the centre of the table. “Madam President, we now know that Planet A is actually called Alona and Planet B is called Geta. Following a series of major wars on Alona, the military forces carried out a coup to stop further bloodshed. Military leaders in each country then came together for the greater good, under the leadership of General Paxt, later declared Emperor of Alona. Every adult male and female must spend three years in a branch of the military, performing tasks for the greater good of the people. If someone chooses not to join the military, then they are not considered a citizen of the empire and as such have no voting rights.” The Ambassador took a breath then continued. “Although governed by an emperor, this position is not hereditary. On an emperor’s death, the next emperor is elected by the governors of each ‘District’, who in turn are elected by the citizens of their respective Districts. Local law and statute is decided by the governor and his advisors. National law and policy is decided by the emperor. The system has been in place for three hundred or so years and the people seem content. Alona began to explore Geta eighty-five years ago but serious colonization is only now beginning. Ambassador Schamu puts that down to population expansion.”

  A loud “hmmmm…” came from Gillian Rae. “So the military runs things in the name of an emperor. I don’t know if I like the sound of that.”

  Aaron nodded his head in agreement. “If that was the way it actually was, I would agree with you. But over the years, society on Alona has developed to such an extent that the military isn’t what we would regard as a military at all. It has diversified so that it is responsible for everything from education to health to industry. If it’s a dictatorship, it’s a very benign one.”

  Rebecca interrupted him. “What progress has the Ambassador made in securing political links with the Alona?”

  “So far, Ambassador Schamu has gotten agreement for a single embassy to be established that will look after all the concerns of the Commonwealth Union. It is my understanding that this has been agreed to by both Garunda and Pars.”

  Olaf Helset raised a finger and Rebecca nodded for him to go on. “For them being militaristic, according to the dispatches that I have read from Admiral Papadomas, they appear to only have a small number of in-system gun boats, which are used for anti-pirate operations. Papadomas reports that there does not appear to be any form of sensor network in operation that would alert them to the presence of any alien ships entering the system. Do I take it then that the Alona are not aware of ‘The Others’ or of the Saiph?”

  As Aaron
started to reply, Rebecca raised a hand to stop him. “I’ll answer that, Aaron.” Rebecca touched a control and the image in the Holo Cube changed to show the Earth at the centre and two lines reaching out. One line ended with Garunda and the second line ended with the Pars.

  “At this juncture I, in consultation with the other leaders of the Commonwealth have decided not to alert the Alona to the fact that sometime in their past their planet was visited by the Saiph. As far as any potential threat from ‘The Others’ is concerned, Messier 54 is fifty thousand light years from Earth. ‘The Others’ attacked Garunda which is 49.41 light years from Earth and the original Persai home world which was 34.36 light years from Earth.”

  Two more lines appeared in the Holo Cube. “We have encountered ‘The Others’ in 70 Ophiuchi, 16.59 light years from Earth and at Delta Pavonis, 19.92 light years away. The Persai are 6,400 light years away and have had no contact with ‘The Others’.” Rebecca looked around at the others in the room, meeting each person’s eye before going on. “This has led the leaders of the Commonwealth to the conclusion that ‘The Others’ originate from one of the star systems listed in the Saiph database no more than one hundred light years from Earth.”

  Olaf nodded slowly, “The Joint Chiefs have come to the same conclusion, Madam President. According to the Saiph database, not counting Earth, they visited eleven star systems. We can discount four of those systems as being the home of ‘The Others’ because we have either run into them there or, in the case of the Garundans, it’s a home planet of a Commonwealth member. That leaves us with seven systems. If I may, Madam President?”