by Doug Farren
“And you have ships larger than this?” Shoemaker inquired.
“Oh yes, some are considerably larger.”
“May I ask what your power source is?” Kauffman piped in.
“Let me answer that question when we reach our next destination, the main engineering section.”
The captain took them down the passageway then down an elevator and finally through another passageway where they eventually stopped in front of a hatch. The Shoomut entered a code into the keypad and the door slid aside. The group found themselves in a control room filled with computer driven displays. There were about a dozen Tholtaran’s in the room and they all turned to see who had entered.
“This is our main engineering control center,” Shoomut explained as he approached a crewman sitting at a console. “This console monitors the power output and condition of our auxiliary power reactors. To answer your previous question, these reactors are based on thermonuclear fusion.”
Jonathan’s head had been in constant motion as he tried to take in every part of the room. He suddenly snapped his head around and said, “Fusion? We use fusion reactors for our power source as well. I would have thought that an advanced civilization would have mastered matter/anti-matter reactions for power production.”
“Anti-matter is difficult to produce and hazardous to store aboard a ship. Fusion is the preferred power source for all known advanced space-going civilizations.”
Jay too had been glancing in all directions. Ever since hearing that they would be given a tour he had had a burning desire to see only one part of the ship. Finally, he could contain himself no longer. “Can we see the stardrive?”
“Of course,” Shoomut replied. He led the way over to a window which overlooked a cavernous room filled with large pieces of equipment. Some of the machinery looked familiar but the vast majority was unidentifiable. One device, however, was instantly recognizable to Kauffman’s sharp eyes. Below him was a spherical device which could be only one thing—the Tholtaran stardrive.
“What I wouldn’t give to study that drive!” Kauffman remarked. “How fast can your ship travel?”
“I’m afraid I can’t allow you to see the technical details of the stardrive at this time,” Shoomut replied. “But I can tell you that this ship is capable of reaching speeds of over 1,000 times that of light.”
“Over a thousand!” Simatowski exclaimed. “May I ask another question?”
“Of course.”
“I couldn't help but notice that your ship has a normal gravity field. Can you manipulate gravity?”
“I'm surprised that question didn't come up sooner. Yes, we can generate artificial gravity fields. It is one of the technologies we could share with you once your world joins the Consortium. Our time is nearly up and I have one more place to show you. Come.”
Jonathan had to gently pull Kauffman away from the window where he had been staring at the alien stardrive and repeating the same thought over and over in his head: A thousand times the speed of light! A thousand times the speed of light! The implications were staggering.
A few minutes later the group found themselves in another compartment. It was a small room with several consoles built into the walls. A small table with six chairs occupied one side of the room. Each of the seating positions sported a computer console and a small display. As they entered the compartment, a door opposite the one they had just come through opened and a Tholtaran carrying a box walked into the room.
“This is one of our science labs,” Shoomut explained. “This is Commander Thulant, my chief science officer.” Shoomut then went on to introduce the three Humans.
Thulant set the box down on the table. This Tholtaran appeared to be of a different sex than the others they had previously seen. She (if the vernacular was correct) was taller and thinner than the captain. She also appeared to have two very human-like breasts in the correct position between which hung a translator. She turned toward the group of humans, turned her left hand palm up and bowed her head slightly. “I greet you in peace,” she said. Jay noticed that her native voice was pitched higher than Shoomut’s adding to the impression that this was a female of the species.
“It is very fortunate for your planet that you have managed to develop a stardrive earlier than anticipated. Commander Thulant has some very interesting information to share with you,” Shoomut said. “It will show you our good intentions and also perhaps provide some incentive for joining the Consortium.”
Thulant had taken a seat at the table and after Shoomut’s introduction said, “Please have a seat.”
After everyone had been seated she turned to her console. The lights dimmed and a three dimensional hologram of the Earth appeared over the table. Quickly, an area on the planet zoomed into closer focus and a red box appeared on the display. “Are you familiar with this area of your planet?”
“It’s the central portion of the United States,” Captain Shoemaker was the first to reply. “Arizona or Montana if I’m not mistaken.”
The image zoomed in a bit more until details started to show. As the point of observation grew closer Jay finally recognized where they were headed. “That’s Yellowstone National Park.” The image froze as he verbalized this.
“Correct,” Thulant said. “It is a volcanically active area which provides entertainment for a large number of visitors every year. It is also an extremely dangerous threat to the viability of your planet’s ability to sustain life.”
“What!” Shoemaker exclaimed.
“You’re talking about the Yellowstone super volcano right?” Kauffman asked. When he noticed the stares of his fellow Humans he added, “I watch a lot of shows on the science channels. One of them was on the Yellowstone super volcano. There’s no threat of an eruption though for any time in the foreseeable future.”
“Your analysis of the threat is based upon incomplete information,” Thulant replied. “Our instruments are capable of scanning far deeper into your planet’s crust than you are currently capable of. I assume you are aware of the past history of this volcano and the consequences of an eruption?”
Kauffman found himself in the uncomfortable position of being the only one able to answer. “If I recall, the Yellowstone super volcano has explosively erupted a couple of times in our distant past. One explosion was powerful enough to destroy part of a mountain range. If the volcano were to erupt again it could conceivably destroy everything within a hundred kilometers of the caldera and send a cloud of ash into the atmosphere thick enough to trigger a nuclear winter.”
“I’m not sure I understand what you mean by ‘nuclear winter’,” Thulant answered and instructed the computer to graphically illustrate the effects of an eruption. “But I believe you understand the effect such an explosion would have on your planet’s ecosystem—observe.”
A simulated eruption of massive proportions appeared on the hologram. A red tinged oval appeared and a massive cloud of ash was shown moving eastward across the United States. “Everything within the red oval will be destroyed. Areas many hundreds of kilometers from the eruption will be covered with ash several meters thick. The atmosphere will become darkened and temperatures will plummet.”
“Are you implying that the entire Yellowstone National Park is in danger of erupting?” Shoemaker asked.
“According to our scans, the recent major earthquake on your Western coast has weakened the tectonic plate near the super volcano. The movement of your tectonic plates will create a situation whereby the volcano could explosively erupt at some time in the near future.”
“When?” Kauffman asked.
“Current estimates based upon the latest data indicate that the volcano may erupt anywhere between 32 and 37 years from now. The devastation will be significant. A caldera nearly 75 kilometers in diameter will be formed. All life within 130 kilometers of the caldera will be destroyed. Your planet will be covered by an ash cloud which will reduce the surface temperature significantly. Photosynthesis will not be possible for a
large area of your planet for at least a year. The loss of life will be catastrophic.”
“How were you able to get this level of detailed information?” Shoemaker asked. “Do you have a satellite in close orbit?”
“We do,” Shoomut admitted. “You are an interesting species to observe.”
“I think the presence of an alien spy satellite orbiting the Earth is going to make a lot of people very nervous,” Shoemaker replied.
“Now that you have achieved faster than light status the satellite will be removed.”
“You must be telling us about Yellowstone for a reason,” Jay interrupted before the conversation could stray much further. “Would you have sat back and watched the volcano explode without warning us had we not developed the stardrive?”
“Not at all,” Thulant replied. “I can truthfully say that your race would have been contacted in plenty of time even if you had not developed starflight.”
Simatowski, who had been preoccupied with the devestation the super volcanoe would be causing, caught something in what Thulant had just said. “Wait a minute – plenty of time? Plenty of time for what?”
“To significantly reduce or even prevent the disaster,” Shoomut piped in as the hologram faded and the lights returned to normal. “There is a way to circumvent this impending explosive release of energy. The technical details of how to safely accomplish this are contained in the devices you are about to receive. I have been assured that the technology required is not beyond your planet's capabilities.”
Thulant stood up and reached into the box she had brought into the room earlier. She held a small, gray device measuring about fifteen centimeters wide, seven centimeters tall, and one centimeter thick. The top surface held a lighted display with three small buttons under it. “This device contains the message to your world leaders. It also holds the information on how to avert the eruption of the Yellowstone volcano and a brief description of each of the current member races of the Consortium. This information is stored in thirteen of the major languages of your planet. The operation should be self explanatory.”
Captain Shoemaker took the device and looked it over. “Seems simple enough. It’s menu driven.”
“We have tailored these devices to be usable by your culture without difficulty. This box contains 300 devices. Another box containing four short-range faster than light transceivers will be transferred to your ship before you leave. These transceivers will allow you to contact us at any time. The operation of the transceivers is also quite simple. Do not attempt to disassemble these devices. Tampering with them will result in their destruction. The power supplies will allow each transceiver to operate continuously for about ten days.”
Captain Shoomut stood up and announced, “I will escort you back to the airlock. Captain Shoemaker, if you would supply us with a list of items you need to make your journey home more comfortable, I will arrange for those items that we have available to be delivered to your ship. Once your supplies have been loaded we will disconnect our transfer tube from your airlock.
“My ship will remain in the area for up to four months while your governments decide what actions they will take. If we have not heard from you by the end of four months we will leave a communications relay station behind. You will be able to send and receive messages but the time-lag might be significant.”
“But, I have so many more questions to ask,” Jay blurted out. “I’d like to…”
“I’m afraid I cannot answer any more questions at this time,” Shoomut interrupted. “The governments of your world need to decide if and when Earth will become a member of the Consortium. I too have many questions I would like to ask, especially of you Mr. Kauffman, but now is not the time.”
“Myself? What kind of questions would you ask of me?”
“All in good time Mr. Kauffman. Now, if you will accompany me.” Captain Shoomut made it clear that no further discussions would be allowed and he led the small group back to the airlock. At the door he stopped and extended his hand to each of the Humans. “I am honored to have been chosen to make first contact with your race,” he said as he shook hands. “I will be eagerly awaiting the response of your government.”
Thulant had been tagging along with the box of data devices and handed it off to Jonathan as they turned to leave. Captain Shoemaker was the last person to shake Shoomut’s hand and replied, “History has been very good to me. I too am honored to have been the one to make first contact with your race. I hope to see much more of your Consortium in the future. I will have a short list of items sent to you within the hour. Good bye Captain Shoomut. Until we meet again.”
“Until we meet again.”
The airlock door cycled and the group made their way back into the zero-G environment of their own seemingly primitive ship. Two hours later the two ships separated. A short time later, with fuel and reaction mass to spare, the Starfire fired its main engines and started off on their now shortened journey home.
15
The World begins to change
Anita had been on the road for less than five minutes when her cell phone rang. The ring tone indicated that it was an emergency call originating from AST. It had been a long, tiring day and she had been looking forward to spending some quiet time at home. “Hey car,” she said, her voice flat and depressing, “answer incoming cell call.”
The car’s voice processor correctly interpreted her command and a moment later a light on the dash came on indicating the line was open. “This is Mrs. Kingston. What’s…”
“Anita!” Kyle's excited voice interrupted. “You’d better get back here ASAP! It’s about the Starfire.”
Anita made a quick right and swung around the block heading back toward the corporation as she replied. “What’s going on? Are they okay?”
“They’re fine, but I don’t think it’s wise to talk about this over the phone. I know this line is supposedly secure but this is just too big to risk anyone overhearing this conversation.”
“I’m heading back now. Be there in about five minutes. Where are you?”
“I’m in the space operations center.”
Six minutes later, Anita walked into the dimly lit space operations center and an overly-excited Kyle practically ran to meet her. “It’s fantastic! Another ship has appeared out of nowhere and has made contact with the Starfire. It…”
“Another ship?”
“Just listen.” Kyle rushed over to his console and clicked a key on the keyboard. The message Captain Shoemaker had recorded announcing first contact with the Tholtaran’s flowed out of the speakers. When it had ended, Anita stood in shocked silence.
“Well? Isn’t it fantastic! Contact with an alien race. We’ll all be famous.”
Anita was still in shock as she slowly lowered herself into a nearby chair. After a few more seconds she managed to say, “I would never have believed this would happen. This is going to change everything.”
She glanced up at the radar that had been maintaining a lock on the Starfire and for a moment wondered why only one target was showing up. Before she had the chance to ask, it occurred to her that at this distance the radar could not distinguish two such closely spaced targets. When she looked away from the radar screen she had the distinct feeling that she was missing something important. It was one of those feelings one gets when your subconscious has made a discovery but has yet to inform the conscious mind about it.
Anita kept looking back at the radar image, not saying anything, letting her thoughts roam free. Suddenly, it hit her. “Why didn't I think of that before,” she wondered out loud.
Kyle had been watching her, waiting for some type of reaction. Her statement was not what he had expected. “Excuse me? Think of what before?”
Anita pointed to the radar image and replied, “So far, we’ve been able to keep this whole thing secret. As far as the public knows the Starfire was destroyed by a drive system malfunction. We’ve been very lucky that nobody else has spotted them on deep space rada
r. It's only a matter of time before the asteroid detection network picks spots them. The Starfire is on a direct heading towards Earth and the automated system will sound all sorts of alarms. It won't take them long to figure out that it's a ship and not an asteroid.”
“True, but the odds are still pretty slim at their current distance and direction,” Kyle replied.
“There’s something else to consider as well. I must inform the authorities of this discovery. They need to have as much lead time as possible in order to prepare the world for contact with an alien race. Once I make the call, it won’t take long for the knowledge to be leaked. Our secret isn’t going to be a secret much longer.” Anita sat in thought for a few seconds then suddenly stood up. “I’ll be in my office.”
On her way to her office, Anita used her cell phone to call the on-shift security supervisor and instructed him to call in the entire force. She ordered him to lock down the facility and to triple the security at the main gate. She spent the rest of the short walk thinking hard and by the time she sat down at her desk she knew what she had to do.
Anita took a deep breath, picked up her phone and dialed a number that only a very few people had access to. The phone rang once and a voice on the other end said, “Agent Donovan.”
Anita knew her name and number were being displayed on the receiver’s phone and her dossier had most likely automatically popped up on a nearby terminal. “This is Anita Kingston, CEO of Advanced Space Technologies Incorporated. I must speak to the President immediately.”
“It is late Mrs. Kingston. The President retired an hour ago. Can it wait or can I have you talk to someone else?”
“I’m afraid this matter needs his immediate attention. Consider it a matter of national security. I will need to establish a secure connection as well.”
“Very well, one moment please.”
The line went silent for about a minute then another voice speaking in a whisper said, “Mrs. Kingston. I hope this is important.”