The Alpha Choice

by M. D. Hall

  There was no conversation. Speculation was pointless. Failure could not be contemplated, never mind discussed, for the simple reason, they had no contingency plans.

  Ω

  With the Tellurians gone, Tala motioned for Beron to check there no one was lingering outside the room. Satisfied they were alone, she removed a galet from her pocket. Without any words or effort, the doors were secured and the holo-image reappeared displaying the image of Garnoth, only this time in his day clothes.

  It was Tala who spoke first. ‘I take it everything is in place, and I’m not speaking to the Avatar.’

  ‘My dear, I am offended,’ Garnoth, responded, with mock outrage, ‘you have spent far too long amongst creatures with no sensibilities. It will be good to have you back, and yes,’ he smiled, appearing even more sage-like than his Avatar several minutes earlier, ‘in answer to your question, we are in position to execute the next stage.’

  Tala thought about all that had happened, her judgement was as reliable as she had hoped, Hugo Black had been critical to her plans.

  Δ

  The decision of the Te’an Supreme Council came within six hours, and was favourable. Not being surprised, did not detract from Hugo’s feeling of immense relief, but by the same token, he could not suppress a creeping sense of foreboding. These same beings had made a contrary decision, just hours before. Despite the undoubted eloquence of the President, nothing new had been put to them, yet they were prepared to overturn their decision. He told himself they were not unlike some of the more fickle emperors, during the decline of the Roman Empire, who would change their minds on the fate of some poor unfortunate, facing death in the Coliseum, based upon the baying of a mob. His reasoning did nothing to abate the foreboding. Unlike those same notorious emperors, the Te were, if his experience was anything to go by, meticulous and deliberate, and Tala did nothing without a very good reason. He hurriedly buried the feeling, putting it down to jealousy - a trait he did not know he possessed - of the President achieving what he could not.

  When the decision was communicated to the small group of Tellurians, they were, as Tala expected, overwhelmed. However, unbeknown to Tala, Hugo’s misgivings were shared by Liz, who was also unconvinced of the genuineness of the Te’an turnaround. The looks the two of them exchanged were, to any observer, in accord with the feeling of euphoria all around them, only they could sense what the other was thinking, and they knew better than to discuss it amongst the others. There would be time to mention it, and the ramifications, later.

  Matters moved very quickly, once the decision had been made to intervene. The President hurriedly conferred with the other three leaders, promising to update them regularly as more information presented itself.

  Within an hour Tala had arranged a briefing in the room where the President had pleaded Earth’s case to Garnoth. Once the group had got over their initial excitement, she explained that it was necessary to provide them with additional, critical information. As before, the only other Te’an present was the taciturn Beron.

  The woman before them wore a genuine smile. ‘I want you to know, I’m personally relieved the Council saw fit to grant your request. We must act swiftly. Our only options are to fragment the rock into more manageable segments, or deflect it before the failsafe point. The only ship with the capability of deflecting the target, is over three hundred light years away, and by the time it arrives the asteroid will have passed the failsafe point. This leaves fragmentation as the only solution, but a single ship can’t attack the separate fault lines that need to be fractured. In other words, we can neither deflect, nor fragment the asteroid with our nearest ship,’ she did not mention the ship behind the moon.

  ‘We have a number of small ships which, if armed, would be able to fracture the asteroid. A significant amount of work would need to be done to the drive of each ship, and weapons systems would have to be installed. The timeframe will be very tight, but we believe it can be done.’

  ‘Can those ships deflect the asteroid? The President asked.

  Tala shook her head. ‘By the time the conversion work is complete, the asteroid will be much closer to Earth. Deflection at that distance would require substantially more energy than these ships can produce. The only solution is fragmentation, but I should warn you, some remnants of the asteroid will strike Earth, and a few might be large enough to cause significant, albeit not catastrophic, damage.

  ‘Is there any way of determining the level of damage from the debris, and where it’s likely to occur?’

  ‘I’m afraid not.’

  The President’s mind was already racing. Until now he had been a bystander, but as the threat was reduced to a level they could survive, he was in territory he could navigate. There would need to be worldwide planning, on a scale never before seen. They had a timeline to work to and could, by the time of any impact, cancel all flights and shipping. Emergency response time would be taken to its highest level, and instead of people being panicked with thoughts of Armageddon, they would be taught how to improve their survival prospects. Mankind would, for the first time in its history, act together in order to survive. There was another matter he needed to raise. ‘Can we help with the conversion?’

  ‘Te’Corp will handle the conversion. Your planet will supply the crews. We’ll train them and, by the time we are finished, they will be more than competent.’

  Nice touch, thought Michael Conway, crews from around the World.

  Hugo only half listened to what was going on around him. He had no doubt the Te'ans would succeed in averting disaster, just as he was convinced the world leaders would rise to the challenge of minimising the consequential damage. One thing was certain, in a world which had experienced immense change in just three, short years, matters were about to change in ways no one could imagine. There would soon be a new world order, loosely based on the current model, with four powers taking centre stage but, he wondered, what part will the fifth power portray in what’s about to unfold?

  While the first hurdle had been cleared, the cadre - the four leaders - faced the difficult task of informing a population of seven billion, that an asteroid was on a collision course with their planet, and their only route to salvation depended on the intercession of an alien race, who had been walking among them for three years, almost certainly longer.

  However, there was another matter that troubled Hugo enough to take Tala to one side, while the cadre discussed disaster contingency logistics. He spoke so that no one but Tala could hear him. ‘Tala, I knew nothing of these ships, if they were built in TeCorp units, I should have been told.’

  She looked genuinely surprised. ‘I'm sorry Hugo, it never occurred to me you would object. They were initially meant to be a parting gift, from our people to yours. Please tell me you forgive me.’

  He was puzzled, Tala had never been so contrite, this is not like her, he thought, as the trust between them evaporated. He shook his head. ‘There’s no need for apologies.’ She smiled warmly, and suggested they rejoin the others.

  After lengthy discussion, the four leaders concluded that if there was to be an effective containment of the impact damage, everyone had to be informed. The true nature of the risk had to be explained, as it was only a matter of time before amateur astronomers discovered the asteroid, and the panic began. So the question remained, how to break the news that aliens were providing the means to remove the threat? It was agreed, the only way forward was to introduce the Te’ans as the beneficent beings responsible for the amazing advances over the last three years. Only then, would the announcement be made of the impending collision, and the plans to avert disaster.

  Despite the need to remain professional, Tala found it a little strange that the Tellurians, in order to dupe their own people, were adopting the early part of her plan. Perhaps, she thought, we’re not so very different, after all.

  The group agreed that it was essential for people to put a face to their benefactor, otherwise imaginations would run riot and al
l control would be lost. The collision might be averted, but there would still be countless millions who would die in the ensuing panic. The one barrier to the plan was Tala, who was resolute in her refusal to, as she put it, ‘be paraded as an item of curiosity.’

  The President of the EU, a tall imposing Frenchwoman - with impeccable English and a formidable command of Russian and Chinese, both Mandarin and Cantonese; a polymath, as much at home in the arts as the sciences - believed she had the solution. ‘We need to show the world a representative of those who would save us…’

  ‘So far, my friend,’ her Russian counterpart, interjected, ‘you have said nothing more than we all know.’

  ‘Quite,’ came the affable reply, ‘very few have ever spoken to Tala. I propose schooling a young woman to play the part of our charming, but uncooperative Te’an representative. We have enough information and sufficient time, to present an image to the world that will ease their minds. Provided the actor reads from a prepared script and is not subjected to questioning, no one will suspect a thing.’

  The Chinese premier spotted a problem. ‘As the address will be televised to the world, surely, the doppelgänger will be recognised by friends and family?’

  ‘Ah, that is why we find someone from within the security services. The only stipulation must be that her accent is not so strong, it cannot be changed at short notice. We all know how neutral Tala’s accent is, I suspect we may have to call upon our British friends. The young woman would need to resemble Tala, but she might have different hair and eye colouring. It would be a simple matter of providing suitable tinted contact lenses, and an appropriate wig. Once she has made her address, she can return to her old life and her true likeness. No one will suspect because, after her reintegration, we will televise walkabouts showing the real Tala, and ourselves.’

  The President voiced his approval, as did the others. They agreed that Gerry Wye should begin the search to find a suitable candidate.

  As anticipated, a young woman was found from within the British security services. They were very lucky as the ‘double’ had a neutral, regionally uncoloured, accent. The task of getting her to sound like Tala was surprisingly easy.

  Of course, how she spoke was of less importance than how she looked, and in this, as anticipated, she required lenses - her natural blue eyes were hidden behind glasses - and a wig.

  The greatest problem, being noticeably shorter than the original, was her height. This was resolved by her wearing a trouser suit - Tala always wore a skirt and short heels - which hid the double’s exceptionally high heels. Those tasked with staging the public appearances ensured she would remain standing wherever possible, so restricting her movement. Whenever she had to sit, the cameras would remain focused above the waist.

  The agent was fully briefed and made careful study of Tala's movements, previously captured on the security cameras at TeCorp headquarters. Within a week, her transformation into a Tala double was complete. To anyone yet to see the Te’an representative up close, the two were virtually indistinguishable.

  It had been necessary to clear the plan with Tala. Much to their surprise, she was visibly amused at the thought of what they were about to do, and readily conceded that, in the light of her intransigence, she could hardly withhold consent.

  Ω

  Three weeks before critical failsafe, Eclipse exited the Weft, positioning itself in geostationary orbit behind Saturn, and waited. As far as the Tellurians were concerned, there were no rescue ships close enough to help. Of course, that had never been an issue, Eclipse was never a rescue ship.

  For Commander Darl, his main concern was the presence of Garnoth. He was unused to having anyone on board, who was completely beyond his jurisdiction, but his superiors made it abundantly clear, when he questioned the ship’s manifest, that he was not to obstruct the Agency head, in any way.

  On a separate, and more personal, note, it made him distinctly uncomfortable to see Garnoth and his Avatar wandering about the ship together, unnerving his crew and advertising that they were a law apart. Having established their strange symbiotic existence, they began to appear individually. The crew were simply confused, not knowing whether they were seeing the original, or his doppelgänger. If it was Garnoth’s intention to create unease, he was successful; the sightings inevitably led to gossip and speculation, none of which was conducive to the smooth running of the ship.

  The failure of either to identify themselves made perfect sense…why else have an Avatar and announce that this, particular, individual was said Avatar? However, the ploy to preserve the well being of the original, did nothing to assuage Darl’s anger, it suggested there was danger aboard his ship, danger of which he was unaware, and powerless to prevent. If Garnoth believed himself to be safe, his Avatar would remain hidden away in their cabin, and the fact that it was not, represented an unforgivable slur, at least in Darl’s eyes.

  If only he had been aware of the true danger, and what the Avatar was really up to, he would have been too preoccupied to think about minor slights to his ego. But, at the precise moment his ship exited the Weft, he had no idea that events were advancing, inexorably, towards one of two possible outcomes, either one of which would send shockwaves far beyond what any of the participants on the ship could imagine.

  For the moment, while Darl fumed over a perceived slight there were, aboard his ship, three distinct plans unfolding. First, the object of his attentions, Garnoth, was convinced there was a plot afoot, and he was right. His only problem was discovering the identity of the participants, and their intentions, but he was sure his Avatar would uncover the stratagem. The second, had Garnoth’s plotter, in his coldly efficient manner moving, unswervingly, towards his own goal, oblivious to the third plan, his mentor’s intended outcome for him. Unlike Darl and Garnoth, his naïveté was understandable, given the identity of his mentor.

  Of course, none of this was apparent to the majority of the crew of the vast warship. To them, there existed only the need to remain hidden, and be ready for the arrival of the asteroid which, but for Te’an intervention, would never have found itself on a collision path with Telluria.

  The huge ship was well hidden from curious eyes. Even with their improved technology, the Tellurians would not see it. To any observer situated outside the ship, an unhidden Eclipse would be an awesome sight. Despite its relative immobility, it emanated an almost palpable aura of power, which, for so many races had merely been the precursor to dread, followed by inevitable destruction.

  Δ

  As the asteroid grew ever closer, the reaction of most of the Tellurian population surprised even Tala, who anticipated a less constrained response. With the Te choosing to remain apart, it fell to the cadre to inform the world of what was happening, and how total annihilation was to be avoided.

  It was feared that, despite their concerted actions, there would be panic on an almost unimaginable scale. What the cadre did not anticipate was the reaction of people to the scenario of their leaders - usually so keen to disparage and condemn their competitors, an expression which, by the beginning of the twenty-first century, seemed to encapsulate their relationship – standing together, and delivering the same message. Standing together was not, altogether accurate as each leader would remain in their home nation throughout this time, a slightly different real/video setup repeated at each venue.

  There was, it had to be said, an initial fear of the alien Te that rose to the surface, but the sight of Tala’s stand-in, a seemingly normal woman, alongside the cadre on the day of their joint announcement, calmed most. The leaders prefaced their address with good news, everything that TeCorp had provided was credited to the Te’ans. When that information sank in, they pointed out there was more good news to come, so when the danger was outlined, their global audience waited for the promised good news. It came in the form of the plan to save the planet, which by then was no more than their audience expected. The reaction to these benevolent beings was perfect, and panic was avoided. Th
e cadre did not seek gratitude, there would be plenty of time for that.

  ΔΩ

  Preparing for the anticipated non-collision of the asteroid had its fair share of logistical problems, one of which was impact damage from resultant debris. No Tellurian knew that if a single death resulted directly from the asteroid, it would amount to a breach of the Accords, and the Te were not about to let that happen. The pleasant surprise of no casualties, Tala and Garnoth agreed, was likely to engender the gratitude of the Tellurians, essential for the final part of the plan.

  The obligatory warnings triggered some bizarre cults, ascribing mystical significance to the events soon to unfold thousands of miles from Earth. Tala had long since discussed with Te’an legal authorities, the effect of suicides on the Accords and was advised this eventuality did not fall within definition of direct death, envisioned by the document. The only danger to Te’an plans would be if the numbers were significant, thereby souring the feel good factor once the danger had been averted. For their part, the cadre were forced to concede that there were those who, for whatever reason, did not want to be saved, the same mindset finding pockets of support all around the globe. Fortunately, for the architects of both plans, the numbers were a minuscule proportion of the global population. The reactions, on a personal level, did differ: for the Tellurian cadre it was a sad, but inevitable consequence of the danger they faced; for the Te'ans, it was merely a foretaste of what was to happen to all Tellurians.