by Doug Farren
Galactic Alliance
(Book 1)
Translight!
A Novel by: Doug Farren
Copyright 2009
1
Attack
[Time - The not too distant future]
“She’s big sir. I make her out to be at least the size of a battleship.”
“Tholtaran warship, we are escorting an unarmed freighter. Alter course immediately or we will be forced to engage.” Captain D’Marco released the transmit button knowing the threat he had just made carried no weight. His ship was hopelessly out gunned.
He noted the lack of response from the approaching warship and began to bark orders. “Comms, order the freighter to alter course; one nine six mark eleven. As soon as that’s done send our sitrep to sector command. Tactical, charge the sledgehammers. If they manage to knock us into normal space you may fire as soon as they are within range. Helm, prepare to roll the ship.”
The state of war between the Tholtaran Republic and Earth had been broadcast to all Human ships and all warships had been recalled to Earth in anticipation of a Tholtaran attack. All nonmilitary vessels had been advised to alter course to the nearest port that would allow them to safely dock.
The ES Nevada had been escorting a large freighter from a Shandarian world when the transmission had reached them. Because of their location, the two captains had decided to continue their journey toward Earth. The Nevada was still many days distant and in deep space.
Captain D’Marco wondered how the Tholtarans were planning to force him back into normal space. As long as his ship maintained an operational stardrive field, it did not exist in normal space and therefore was immune to all types of weapons. The tactical display showed the Tholtaran ship on an intercept course that would put it just in front of the Nevada.
A second after the enemy warship had passed in front of them there was a sickening jar and the captain suddenly realized that something had forced them to drop to normal space. “What the hell just happened?” he yelled.
The tactical officer’s head moved back and forth over his console as he rapidly assimilated the data the computer was feeding him. “Some type of strong gravitational field generator was dropped in front of us sir. It was strong enough to disrupt our drive field. Tholtaran ship is in normal space and approaching at high speed!”
The Nevada opened fire first with all available weapons. Its missiles were swatted away like so many bothersome insects. Its beams produced a colorful display against the Tholtaran shield but lacked the power to do much else. The sledgehammers, as powerful as they were, were unable to penetrate the Tholtaran's superior shield.
The battleship closed the distance then returned fire. It held nothing back. Sixteen beams of concentrated energy crashed into the Nevada's shield. It held for precisely one point four seconds. The beams then encountered the armor plating which dissolved away under the terrific onslaught of focused hell. A few seconds later the hull was breached
The Tholtarans took their time and sliced the Human ship into several pieces. Each piece was then beamed into smaller pieces until all that was left was a cloud of particles.
The battleship turned toward the fleeing freighter and engaged its stardrive...
2
The Breakthrough
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===== June 2048 (Terran calendar) =====
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Anita approached the security checkpoint and presented her badge to the officer behind the desk for inspection. The guard carefully compared the picture on the badge to the slim, 190 centimeter redhead standing in front of him. Satisfied, he handed it back to its owner. Anita clipped it back onto the cord hanging around her neck and placed her right hand on the scanner. Electronic signals flashed between the microchip embedded in the badge and the scanner. Her hand print was checked against the central database and the authenticity of her ID badge was verified as well.
A collection of nearby sensors briefly interrogated the tiny RFID chip located in Anita’s well-shaped buttocks and further verified she was who she claimed to be. In less than a second, a green light lit and a large click was heard as the steel reinforced door to her right unlocked. The guard had observed her throughout this entire procedure. Satisfied that she had passed the security check, he said, “Have a good day Ms. Kingston.”
“Thank you Carl,” she replied and stepped through the door. She paused on the other side long enough to ensure the door had completely closed and was securely locked. She found herself in a short featureless hallway. Several years ago it had once been part of the main hallway but the heavy door she had just passed through had isolated this small section.
Four steps brought her to the massive solid oak door at the other end. She knocked three times then paused for a moment contemplating the label. The shiny brass plate affixed to the door identified the room in bold black letters as ‘Executive Suite - 503’. I really should have them change that, she thought then opened the door.
Although she was the CEO of one of the largest corporations on the planet, entering a private office (even if it was a converted conference room) without waiting for a reply was still considered impolite. However, Anita knew from experience that the person within would more than likely be completely oblivious to any amount of knocking. She also knew he would not answer pages, did not carry a cell phone, and never allowed himself to be bothered by any sort of interruption what-so-ever while he was working. The only way she was going to be able to speak to him was to visit him in person.
The office was quite large and consisted of two adjoining rooms. There were no pictures of family, friends, or nature adorning the walls. The outer office was practically bare containing an unoccupied desk and a single chair. Anita quickly crossed the plush carpet and entered what had originally been the main conference room.
The large, oval, highly polished conference table had been relocated to a far corner and was littered with loose papers and open books. All the chairs that would normally have surrounded such an impressive table had long since been removed. Bookshelves lined one entire wall opposite the table. They were stuffed with technical manuals and reference books, many with small plastic markers sticking out from the bindings. Several desktop computers occupied a long wall-hugging table at the back of the room. All of them appeared to be displaying mathematical equations. An unmade cot could be seen in an out of the way corner. Hunched over a drafting table at the far end of the room was the individual whom she was seeking.
The man was middle aged with thick, shoulder-length, coal-black hair that looked as if it had not seen a comb in several days. He was standing with his back to the door and, as she had expected, had not noticed her entrance. He appeared to be talking to himself.
Not wanting to interrupt his concentration, Anita waited and listened. “If we double the harmonic interface at the fourth level, that should allow a more efficient transfer of power between three and four. The efficiency should then cascade down the complexity tree resulting in an overall drop in initiation peak power. We should be able to achieve this doubling by readjusting the upper-level quint of equation 53 as I have indicated. Please verify.”
Anita walked farther into the room until she could see what the man, still oblivious of her arrival, was working on. The drafting table was, in actuality, a large active work surface measuring two meters in length and nearly a meter in width. It was connected to what was most likely the most powerful computer in existence. The entire surface of the ‘table’ was covered with incomprehensible symbols and equations in very small font.
As she watched, the equations
shifted and several of them changed color. A voice emanating from the table replied, “Changing the upper level quint of equation 53 to establish a doubling of the harmonic linkage between level three and level four as indicated will introduce a fourth spin quotient at level six resulting in a dynamic imbalance. This will ultimately result in a failure at all levels. The calculated effects begin to manifest themselves at equation one zero one. Would you like to see them?”
“But the imbalance can be compensated by boosting the power available at level five as indicated by theta sub alpha three in quint six eight.”
The equations shifted again and there was silence for nearly a minute. The researcher placed his elbows on the work surface, put his hands together palm to palm and then leaned his face into them with his thumbs resting on his chin. He stared into the work surface with intense concentration. The voice from the table broke the silence. “An interesting solution; however, the additional power required at level five negates the increased coupling efficiency between levels three and four resulting in no change in the projected energy requirements.”
“Damn!” the man yelled out, simultaneously standing up and running his hand front-to-back through his hair. He turned around and stared at the floor for a few seconds deep in thought. He took two steps forward and suddenly noticed Anita. A look of surprise crossed over his slightly bearded face. After visibly composing himself he said, “Sorry Anita, I didn't hear you come in. I take it you got my memo?”
“Yes I did. You still haven’t solved the problem?” The man she was speaking to was Jay Kauffman, a 33 year old mathematical genius of unsurpassed brilliance. He stood just over 170 centimeters in height and weighed in at barely 58 kilograms. His weight was usually attributed to his frequent habit of forgetting to eat while he was engaged in solving mathematical problems. So great was his concentration he often became deaf and dumb to the rest of the world.
“No, but I will. I’m sure the answer lies in adjusting the harmonic relationships between the various levels but each adjustment has consequences that must be dealt with. The problem is extremely complex but I‘m sure it’s solvable. I just need the time."
Sitting down in one of only two chairs in the room Anita said, “You’ve been working on this peak power problem for weeks Jay. I was hoping a solution would have presented itself by now. I need to know if the reactor I've had installed is large enough. Not that it could be changed since it's pretty much the largest we could fit into such tight spaces. CAIN, what's your prognosis?”
The question was directed toward the computer. “Unless we can solve the peak power problem,” the voice said. “The reactor will be unable to provide the amount of power required.”
Jay walked over to the room’s small bar and poured himself a large glass of water. After downing a third of it, he added more and walked back toward Anita. “I looked at the specs for the power plant. It’s larger than I thought possible but, as CAIN just said, it’s still not enough. It is capable of easily providing the steady-state power demand but is insufficient to provide the power required to initiate the field. My best calculations so far place the peak power demand during field initialization at around 2.7 gigawatts. That’s over twice the main reactor’s maximum rated output of 1.2 gigs and I don’t know of any short term power source that has the capacity to supply the amount of power we will need.”
Anita sat in thought for a few moments then asked, “How long does this peak power demand last?”
“I’ve managed to get it down to 11.63 seconds,” came the instant response.
“So, in addition to the reactor, we need another power source capable of supplying 1.6 gigawatts for about twelve seconds. That is a problem―especially since the reactor we installed has the highest power output for the compact size we needed. Trying to fit in a second is not only out of the question because of weight and space considerations but even having two reactors won’t give us the needed power.” Anita leaned forward and rested her forearms on her knees, thinking over the problem.
Advanced Space Technologies had originally been founded by Anita’s father back in 2031. The company primarily developed and sold advanced spacecraft propulsion and support systems. After a rocky start, the company had landed a minor government contract in 2037 giving it the capital to start on an expansion project that has yet to end. Anita had been instrumental in bringing the company to its present lofty position.
Her father discovered early on that his daughter had an uncanny ability to remember unconnected pieces of information and to use the data to solve the seemingly unsolvable. She was also remarkably good at handling people and in getting them to work together. To take advantage of these talents he had placed her in charge of the New Technologies Research and Development department in 2039 even though she was only 25 at the time.
At first, the thought of a woman with no formal engineering education being in charge of an advanced engineering department was unacceptable to the members of the development team. However, after they had gotten to know her and especially after she managed to demonstrate her ability to bring the right people together to solve a difficult design problem, she became very well accepted and respected.
When her father was killed in a tragic accident three years ago she assumed complete control of the company. She was now in her mid thirties and, despite being astonishingly beautiful, had never married but instead devoted herself to the company.
After staring at the floor for several seconds Anita abruptly stood up and faced Jay. “The best way to solve a problem is by forgetting about it for awhile. Do you have any idea how long it’s been since you have left the property?”
“I don’t really know for sure,” Jay replied after a moment’s reflection. “Probably several days at least.”
Anita, in fact, knew Kauffman had spent the last seventeen days working, eating, and sleeping in this very building. Jay Kauffman was one of those rare individuals who lost all track of time when engrossed in a difficult problem. He would work until his mind became clouded from lack of sleep or his body finally told him it was time to eat. Reluctantly, he would take a break from his research to take care of these unavoidable necessities. But as soon as he was able, he would return to his work. It was one of the reasons he had been assigned an entire executive suite as his workspace. There was a bathroom complete with a shower accessible from inside the office and a 24 hour dining facility was located just down the hall.
Anita stood up and announced, “Get your coat—we’re going out.” Seeing the look of protest starting to form on his face she added, “No excuses, you haven’t been able to make any headway on this problem for days. It’s time to get away from it for a while. Besides, I’m the boss and I’m hungry.”
Kauffman stood indecisive for a brief moment then gave in. “Why do I need a coat? It’s still summer outside, isn’t it?”
Smiling and chuckling Anita replied, “You haven’t been locked up in here that long. Yes, it’s still summer but it’s pouring down rain right now.”
Kauffman grabbed a light jacket from the coat-rack and followed Anita out the door. The guard looked up as the pair exited. Anita paused just long enough to say, “Carl, please have someone bring my car around to the front.” They rode the elevator down to ground level in silence.
The security officer at the front desk looked up from the monitors in front of him and said, “It’s pretty nasty out there Miss Kingston. Are you sure you don’t want a driver?”
“No thank you Tom. A little thunderstorm doesn’t scare me.” As they exited the building, Jay noticed it was indeed raining. In fact, it was thundering and lightening quite heavily. They were protected from the rain by the large canopy over the main entrance.
Another employee stood patiently beside Anita’s Mercedes 300 JSI and waited silently while she and Jay got into the luxurious vehicle. “Have a pleasant evening Miss Kingston,” the valet said as he closed the door.
After settling into the driver’s seat Anita said, �
�Let’s see—how does Italian sound?” Seeing Kauffman’s nod she continued. “Hey car! Locate a nice Italian restaurant, preferably one I haven’t been to recently.”
A voice immediately replied, “The Best of Italy restaurant is located 14.3 kilometers from here. It has recently received several good reviews.”
“That will be fine,” she replied. A moment later, a small heads-up display appeared with an arrow indicating the direction to take to get to the restaurant. Anita engaged the engine and started off.
“Is that one of the new Proteus driver assistance systems?” Jay asked.
“Actually, this is the original prototype. I just had to try it out as soon as possible. It’s worked so good I never thought to have them install a production model. What do you think?”
“I’m impressed. I’ve heard bits and pieces about its capabilities. Is this prototype tied into the net or is it a stand-alone test system?”
“Oh it’s just as capable as the production models and it most definitely is tied into the net. I have full access to everything from here just by speaking the right commands. The voice processor used to have a few bugs in it but a software upgrade corrected the problem. It’s pretty reliable. Hey car! How much longer will this storm last?”
After a brief moment, the car’s voice replied, “Central weather predicts the bulk of the rain will end by 0430 tomorrow morning.”
“Not bad,” Kauffman replied after a moment’s reflection. The car, he noticed, was remarkably quiet. He could see the powerful bolts of lightning and the rain as it flooded the windshield. Yet, the inside of the car was so quiet he could have spoken to Anita in a whisper and she would have heard him. After taking in the rest of the car’s features he said, “This Mercedes of yours is extremely well equipped. Active sound dampening, Proteus driver assist system, self-adjusting ergonomic seats, integrated head’s up display and, if I’m not mistaken, an ethanol powered drive train. Is all this standard equipment these days?”