by W.R. Edmunds
March 15, 2075: UNSA Station
Sally sat down with a steaming mug of coffee and a danish. Too excited to sleep after everyone else went to bed, she had spent the rest of the night reviewing the different mission files and arrived early at the meeting room UNSA had provided them. Having the research team back together and in command of the flagship of the Ground-Breaker missions was like a dream come true. She, Sally Yeung, was going to be exploring new planets and mysterious alien ruins. It was like one of her father’s science fiction books that she always used to read as a child. Although alien races that disappeared without a trace, leaving behind entire ghost worlds like the initial survey crews had found, generally went poorly for the humans in those novels. But a story without a challenge to overcome would be pretty boring. Besides, those books were all just fiction.
Sally took a bite of the pastry, revelling in the sharp taste of cinnamon, before focusing her thoughts back on the mission files. She pulled up a list of the systems that were mapped in the first exploration phase, grouped together into different mission zones. All of them had stayed up late, poring over the initial survey data, debating which region they wanted to voyage into.
While perusing her favourite exploration areas, her mind turned back to how quiet the Commander had been last night and wondered how he was taking this new assignment. He tried to stay professional as the military leader of a group of scientists and engineers, but Sally could tell that he was steadily growing more exhausted since the incident on the Rimor two years ago. And now he was posted on a ship named after someone who he obviously had cared so much about, a constant reminder of her death. As the head scientist, she was Adrian’s second in command and she knew she should talk to him about it, but she had been unable to tactfully broach the subject. Maybe she could get Joan to speak with him since she was closer to Adrian’s age and had some experience with loss after the death of her husband.
The door whisked open to admit Joan who ambled into the conference room and released a grateful sigh when she caught the wafts emanating from the table in the corner. “Oh, coffee, yes please.”
Sally held up her pastry. “Food too.”
Joan grunted something around the flaky confection she had already stuffed in her mouth while she poured a cup of coffee. After grabbing a second danish, she made her way over to the table, clearing the way for Thomas who had just entered the room. Sally waved at him and received a warm smile in return. While he was quite unassuming in appearance and mannerisms, with a masters degree in both linguistics and bio-systems engineering, once you got him talking, Sally always found he had something interesting or funny to say.
Joan groaned theatrically as she sat down next to Sally and then nudged her in the ribs. “Remind me never to stay up with you kids gabbing away half the night again, my workout was brutal this morning.” Joan stifled a yawn as she stretched back in her chair before returning her attention to her breakfast, throwing Sally a quick question around a mouth full of food. “Did Adrian say anything to you about him being late? I don’t think I ever beat him to a meeting back on L1.”
“No he didn’t.” Sally frowned again and leaned in toward Joan, pitching her voice to prevent Thomas from overhearing her before saying, “I’m a little worried about him. I think –”
The door hissed open and the Commander walked in holding his hands up in defence when he saw the three in the room looking at him. “I’m here, you can call off the search and rescue.” He chuckled as he made his way to the coffee. “After spending most of the night up talking shop I thought I deserved the chance to sleep in a bit.”
“The coffee is really good, way better than the freeze-dry we get on mission, Commander,” Sally said by way of greeting. She thought he looked at her a little sheepishly before he turned his attention to the service tray.
The look had disappeared from Adrian’s face by the time he sat down at the table with a large cup of the steaming brew. As they sat around talking idly and waiting for the others to arrive, Sally thought she must have imagined the whole thing. The idea of the Commander being self-conscious was almost ridiculous.
Soon everyone was in attendance and had taken their place at the table, so Sally brought her attention back to the purpose of the meeting as Adrian started speaking. “All right, the first thing I would like to go over is your individual staff appointments so that you can focus on our meeting from the point of view of your assigned role. This is merely a formalizing of the jobs that you would end up performing on the Bahai anyway, but regulations require a documented chain of command. There should be no surprises here, but if any of you have a problem, you can meet with me privately after we are done today.” Sally nodded in agreement with everyone else before Adrian began listing their assignments.
“Lieutenant Commander Sally Yueng, you will be the science officer and the first officer.
“Lieutenant Commander Kelly Friesen, you will be the communications and tactics officer as well as the second officer
“Lieutenant Commander Penelope Artiz, you will be the operations officer as well as the chief of security. If Kelly, Sally, and I are all incapacitated, you will also be in charge.
“Lieutenant Commander Joan Fischer, you will be the engineering officer.
“Lieutenant Commander Satish Shurma, you will be our medical and bio-systems officer.
“Lieutenant Allain Brodeur, you will be the helm and navigations officer and assist Lieutenant Commander Artiz with operations.
“Lieutenant Thomas Kleppenstein, you will be our linguistics officer and assist Lieutenant Commander Shurma.
Each of the team acknowledged their new positions in turn when Adrian addressed them. Over-all it resembled how they had organized themselves after losing half their number on the Rimor and Sally doubted any of them would have a problem.
“Now that is out of the way,” Adrian continued, “our next order of business will be to examine the load-out on the Ground-Breaker ships since we didn’t have access to these details last night.” While he spoke, he started pushing files to everyone’s comms and showing relevant data on the screens in front of them. Sally pulled up the inventory listing and technical schematics once her comm finished downloading them. They were impressive to say the least. A few whistles of appreciation chorused from around the table as Adrian began speaking again. “After an initial review I think I have a better idea how UNSA plans on having us meet their exploration goals, as extreme as they are.”
“Might I ask, Commander,” Satish said, raising his hand, “what are UNSA’s exploration goals?”
“Three years, four systems. That’s the goal for each Ground-Breaker mission. UNSA has even included bonuses for those that manage to do more.” The mission objective files, which had been kept out of the dossier they were given by Frontenac at the party, loaded into their comms. It was so quiet that Sally swore she could hear everyone reading.
“But that...” Satish trailed off, gaping.
Penelope finished his sentiment. “Commander, that’s just not possible.”
“I agree that it is unlikely,” he said as a few items on the Ground-Breaker manifest highlighted themselves, “but I think UNSA has at least given us the tools to make a respectable attempt.”
Sally saw an asteroid miner, robotic factories, a drive-equipped excursion ship, space planes and a ready-made complement of drones in a quick scan of what Adrian had indicated. The Commander paused to let it sink in. “With the equipment that UNSA is giving us, if we find a high priority target, we can even start an automated mining and construction process before we leave a system, so that by the time colonists arrive, all they would have to do is acclimate.”
The stunned silence changed to a considering one. Sally was amazed that UNSA had managed to convince the Earth to provide such significant resources and distantly wondered what the even larger Ark ships would be like.
But, as interesting as the ships were, Sally really wanted to find out which mission area and systems they would select an
d turned the discussion back in that direction. “So where do we start, Commander?”
The screens flickered and changed to a system map showing a number code for a name as Adrian nodded in response to her question. “We are going to start here,” he said, “at HD 10647 on the outer edge of mission zone six and then work our way Sol-ward exploring systems as we go. Not only is HD 10647 at the outer edge of past exploration runs, making it ideal for a potential forward base, this system has been flagged by UNSA as a priority target.” The map panned to follow the Commander’s speech while their comms brought forward the relevant data from the files.
“The reason this system is of particular interest,” Adrian continued, “is due to evidence of an advanced space-faring civilization and two potentially habitable terrestrials.” Pictures of orbital installations and regular patterned grids on the surface of both liveable planets popped up on the screens. “The initial survey team that visited the system didn’t notice any activity or radiation levels consistent with current habitation, but were required by regulations to keep a safe distance, so we don’t have too much more detail on this civilization’s technology or current whereabouts.” The pictures settled on a spherical object floating in space that exhibited obvious signs of artificial construction. The Commander moved on as information about the alien station loaded into their comms. “The most notable of the orbital installations is a space station located at the solar L5 point of the inner most habitable planet. It is approximately fifteen kilometres in diameter and initial scans suggest that it is completely artificial and not an asteroid capture. So whoever built this was a fair bit ahead of us technologically.”
Allain looked hopefully at the Commander and raised his hand before asking, “Are we going to be able to get some time exploring this station?”
“Yes Lieutenant. I’m sure you and Lieutenant Commander Artiz will have your hands full planning an excursion and selecting boarding parties during the trip out.” Penelope and Allain grinned at each other before turning back to the Commander as he continued the meeting. Sally made a note to be extra nice to them so she could get assigned to that away-party.
“I expect that we will be in this system for a full nine months if not more. Our primary objective will be to set up HD 10647 as a forward exploration base including mineral and fuel mining operations, as well as beginning work on a science station at the edge of one of the asteroid belts. Our secondary objectives will be detailed orbital mapping of the terrestrials, establishing a system resource map of the asteroids, and exploring some of the orbital installations focusing on the large station.”
“Will we have any opportunities for planet-side exploration?” Satish asked.
“Possibly, Lieutenant Commander. If we complete our other objectives, and we decide it’s safe, we will consider performing limited planet excursions. However, any surface exploration would mean diverting some of our marines from other escort duties and the orbital installations will be the priority in such a case.” The Commander looked around the group. “Are there any further questions regarding the selection of this system or the exploration objectives? Keep in mind, we will have a four week flight out to review the details.”
Kelly, and Penelope held up their hands and he nodded to Kelly first. “Go ahead, Lieutenant Commander Freisen.”
“Thank you, Commander,” she said as she lowered her hand, running it over her close cropped blonde hair. Sally was a little jealous that even with a military brush cut Kelly was absolutely gorgeous. “What will be our protocol for communication with Earth?”
“Good question, Lieutenant Commander. Right now, communications are our biggest hurdle and we are going to have to operate autonomously. If a situation arises that necessitates some communication with Earth, we can send our drive-equipped excursion ship back.”
He looked to Penelope. “Lieutenant Commander Artiz?”
“How many marines will be coming with us, Commander?” she asked. Sally had not been the least bit surprised to learn that the muscular Latin woman had been a drill sergeant in the US Army before getting a degree in mechanical engineering through the military.
“UNSA regulations state there must be one marine for every two science crew when exploring xeno-installations, or ground side on life-possible planets,” Adrian responded. “We will be bringing ten marines along which will allow us to easily field up to five small excursion parties or one large one and still maintain a functional crew aboard the Bahai.”
Penelope and Allain passed another look between each other. As operations officers they would be the direct liaisons between the marines and the command crew. Everyone on the team except for Adrian, Kelly, and Penelope were civilians with special commissions due to their skill-sets, and the hard military temperament of the marines would be a drastic change.
Seeing no further questions were forthcoming, the Commander brought up a second star system. “Up next will be Nu Phoenicis.” Sally’s map showed a binary system with a brown dwarf in a stable orbit six AU from the primary and a total of seven planets with signs of atmosphere inside the life zones created by the two stars. The Commander continued. “This system is unusual in that it has no asteroid belts, but there are a lot of barren terrestrials which appear to be rich in resources.” Sally quickly paged through the extensive planet listing which contained hundreds of worlds and planetoids, most of them with very high spectrographic readings for base and heavy minerals. While the cost of extraction would be higher than asteroid mining, the raw mineral value of this system was incalculable.
“Our primary objective is to set up a robotic mining and manufacturing operation here and give the capabilities of our automated factories a rigorous test. While our engineering teams are busy with that, our science and operations teams will be mapping the other terrestrials in the system, starting with the seven habitation-possible planets. Are there any questions?” There were none.
Sally checked the atmospheres of the seven potentially habitable planets and figured that at best they would be strong terraforming candidates meaning it would be decades before the system could support a large human population. However, if the automated manufacturing systems proved themselves, Nu Phoenicis would be able to provide a significant percentage of the raw resources that humanity would need for the foreseeable future.
A third system appeared on the screen and in Sally’s head as Adrian started speaking again. “Target number three is HR 857. Our focus in this system will be a very large terrestrial planet in the life zone around the star at approximately point-eight AU from the primary, currently designated HR 857c. This planet is a garden world with no signs of civilization. The scout crew passed close enough to grab some high-definition pictures and perform a detailed analysis indicating that this is a high-priority world for colonization.” A slideshow of pictures showing a cloud mottled globe looking like it was caught in a perpetual sunset due to its orange star flashed across their screens. Sally recalled seeing some of these pictures on the news between her exploration runs. The planet also had a Saturn-like ring in addition to a few small moons, making it a stunning sight. She could only imagine what that sky must look like from the ground.
Then she noticed the size of the planet and she had to read it again in disbelief as the Commander continued. “When I say this is a large terrestrial, I mean this planet has a surface area about four times that of Earth. Gravity is one-point-five-G and the day cycle is thirty-eight hours. So while this planet will take some time for colonists to acclimate to, our readings show that life here evolved similarly to that on Earth, with chemical compositions in the atmosphere like what ours would have been approximately sixty-million years ago.” Adrian glanced at Satish, Thomas, Penelope, and Allain who had all leaned forward in intense interest as the Commander was speaking. “There will be planet excursions here as samples will need to be collected for genetic analysis to ensure there is nothing that could affect Earth-born life.
“While the crews on the ground are worki
ng, the remainder of us will be capturing an asteroid for the construction of an orbital science station and elevator platform. We will also be mapping the rest of the system, which is otherwise fairly typical, and starting some minor asteroid and fuel mining operations.”
A fourth and final system popped up on their monitors and Sally thought she recognized the name from some of those science fiction books she used to read. “Tau Ceti.” Adrian paused as he enlarged the image and flashed a history of the star into their comms; Sally knew she had recognized it. “At a mere twelve light years away from Earth and having a near-twin to our own Sun, it has garnered intense interest over the years as a possible habitable system. Even after an extensive extra-solar planet search proved there was nothing of significant interest, we still targeted our radio antennas at it wondering and hoping. It seemed that the captain of one of the exploration teams was a bit of a sci-fi buff, recalled the name of the star from a book, and decided to do a system fly-by anyway. What they did find, though, was this.” Sally gasped as the image focused in on the remains of a large space ship. As the picture slowly pulled back it showed technological debris scattered throughout one of the many large asteroid belts surrounding the star. “We aren’t sure what we are seeing and again, with the system exhibiting signs of a space-faring civilization, even a dead one, the scouts kept their distance.”
Sally heard Thomas turn to Satish and say something about a graveyard. Adrian heard it too and interrupted him. “What was that Lieutenant?”
“Sorry Sir.” Thomas looked embarrassed at being called out. “I was on the crew that did the fly by at Tau Ceti. We called the system ‘The Graveyard.’”
“Well, that is a little more ominous than I like, but Tau Ceti has been marked as a system of interest. Seeing as it is in our planned zone of exploration we will be investigating it closer. We aren’t sure what happened in this system, so I don’t need anyone jumping to conclusions. Initial evidence points to a large space battle having occurred here. Our job is to establish how long ago it happened and if we need to be concerned. That is our only interest in Tau Ceti at this time.”
Adrian looked around the room and waited for the mutters to die down. “If there are no questions I recommend we move on to crew selection.”
A disappearing advanced alien race and the remains of a large space battle? Sally had read so many books with those themes. Combined with her knowledge of what had happened on the Rimor two years ago, it was faintly unsettling at how little they knew about what they were venturing into. Try as she might, in spite of her excitement, she could not shake the feeling that something terrible was waiting for them in the depths of space.
April 7, 2075: UNSA Station
“And our top story tonight. Nearly three weeks after the announcement of UNSA’s astonishing next phase of the Sorrenson Drive program provided the organization a much needed boost in popular opinion polls, the flagship of UNSA’s new exploration fleet, the UNSS Bahai, is being prepped for launch early tomorrow morning. The UNSS Bahai, named in honour of Doctor Sahi Bahai – one of the research crew lost on the UNSS Rimor and the famous Robin Hood of Mumbai – will undertake a three year mission to find the alien world which will become our first galactic colony. The Bahai will be commanded by the remainder of the original Sorrenson Drive research team under the charge of UNSA Commander Adrian Daniels and his first officer, the darling of galactic exploration, Sally Yeung. But the command crew is nothing if not an all-star cast of the world science community. With her work on super conducting materials and the Fischer-Helmsley fusion containment system...”
As her picture popped up on the screen, Joan commed off the TV and turned to look out of the window of her suite as the sun set over the Pacific. Frontenac was right; the views from Hotel 347 were breathtaking and more than a little dizzying with the bulk of the asteroid looking like it was floating only a few meters above her head.
Over the weeks since the memorial, the news stations were abuzz with the unveiling of the space elevator and the selection of the flagship command crew including the ‘darling of galactic exploration,’ Sally Yeung. It still rankled that Adrian had selected Sally, who was a decade Joan’s junior, to lead the research team after Sahi’s death. She let out an exasperated snort and shook her head at her own pettiness. She should be happy that people of learning and substance were taking a prominent place in the media, giving children around the world proper role models to look up to. In her mind, the past century’s domination by Hollywood and the media’s fixation with the rich and famous was the reason the Earth was in such a major crisis. Rather than trying to fix the world’s problems and work together, it was all a selfish scramble for fame and fortune. If not for the chance discovery of the ancient alien ship on Mars eight years ago, humanity likely would never have been able to pull out of its downward spiral. Joan thought it was still going to be a struggle, but at least they had a chance now.
She needed to get out and clear her head or she would never be able to sleep tonight. Unfortunately the pool in the hotel had yet to be finished, so going for a swim was not an option. Whenever she had been unable to solve a problem or needed to work through some stress during her time at Berkley, she would head to the beach to swim or surf. The waves and the water always helped her calm down. Well, the gym would just have to do.
After a quick change of clothes, Joan stepped out into the hall and started toward the elevators.
“Hey Joan, wait up!”
She sighed in resignation. “Oh hey, Sally.” Turning around, Joan noticed that Sally was also in her workout gear. “You going to the gym too?”
Sally smiled and nodded. “Yup, I’m just too excited about tomorrow and I won’t be able to sleep unless I physically tire myself out. I know it’s stupid considering that we are just going to be jumping around the Solar system, testing the Bahai’s systems for the first couple weeks, but actually getting to explore an alien world? Can you imagine?”
Joan chuckled inwardly and smiled genuinely at Sally. It was hard to hold a grudge against the petite first officer and her natural exuberance. They reached the elevator and Joan thumbed the call button.
“We’ll also have to make it through another nauseating four weeks of travel time,” Joan said with a wry grin causing Sally to grimace. Being in travel space affected Sally worse than some of the others. “So do you think HD 10647 belonged to the same race that decided to crash a ship on Mars?”
Sally considered for a moment. “I guess it’s possible. The system is certainly within a navigable distance for a drive-equipped ship.” She paused and frowned in thought. “You know, I hadn’t really thought about it before, but I never heard any mention of them finding bodies in the original ship, did you? I think UNSA announced that they found it abandoned.”
Joan’s expression matched Sally’s as she tried to remember back to her first time on the ship at Asimov. She realized that in the excitement of the initial research, the fate of the alien crew had not crossed her mind. She was a fusion engineer, not a biologist, so her interest was in the drive and its power plant. A tone announced the arrival of the elevator.
“Now that you bring it up, I never thought to ask, although it does seem odd,” Joan replied as she led the pair of them into the elevator. “Maybe Satish knows something since he was the first person UNSA let on the ship.”
“I guess, but why would UNSA say it was abandoned and why wouldn’t Satish have mentioned anything?” Sally pressed the button for the floor the gym was on. “With all the work we were doing on the ship’s systems, I never took the time to be curious. One thing for sure is that if there were alien remains, they were scrubbed before we were allowed to go in.”
The pair rode the rest of the way to the gym in silence. Joan made a reminder in her comm to check into the mystery of the alien ship’s pilots.
As they were slowing to a stop, Sally hesitantly cleared her throat before speaking. “Joan? I was wondering if you noticed anything ‘off’ about Adria
n lately?”
“What do you mean ‘off?’”
“Well,” Sally paused as the door opened, taking a quick look outside to make sure no one was around before she said anything further, “it’s just that I think he might be taking Sahi’s death pretty hard.”
Joan’s eyes widened in surprise at the thought that the Commander and Sahi might have been in a relationship. “Why would you say that?”
“They tried to hide it, but they had a thing going on before the accident.”
Joan searched through her memory for anything unusual about the pair’s behaviour before the incident on the Rimor, but she was unable to remember much beyond the schematics and experiments of her work on the drive. “I had no idea. I never would have thought that Adrian would have gotten involved with anyone in his command.”
“Oh, don’t worry, it wasn’t obvious. Probably the only reason I noticed was because I spent so much time in school watching everyone else trying to carry on relationships. When you go to a school where co-ed fraternization isn’t allowed you get to recognize how people hide things.”
Maybe Adrian was right in picking Sally as his second in command. She obviously paid more attention to the people around her than Joan did, but then that was always a problem Joan had.
“At any rate,” Sally continued, “I know that you and Adrian get along well, so maybe you could talk to him about it? I know I should take the responsibility, but I can’t see why he would listen to me. I’ve never lost someone close to me and I just don’t know what to say.”
It caused Joan a brief stab of pain to think about her husband Bill and the accident that took him away. She realized this was the first time she had thought about him in months, the work having kept her too busy to think about the past. “I...” Surprised at the waver in her voice, Joan stopped and collected herself. “Sure, Sally. I can talk to him about it.”
“Thanks Joan. So what were you planning on doing for your workout? Cardio? Resistance? Strength training?”
Joan quickly got her emotions back under control. “Um, you know what, I think some resistance and cardio would be great. Do you want to spar?”
April 8, 2075: UNSS Bahai, L5 Shipyards
“Fuel cables released, tank pressures stable.”
“Reactor performing within specifications.”
“Umbilical sealed and de-pressurized. Begin retraction, L5.”
“Roger that Control, we are clear for mooring separation.”
The sounds of an imminent cast-off washed over Adrian. Data filled the screens around him in his command pod as his comm quickly filtered and identified the most important pieces of information.
“Commander Daniels this is L5 Control, we have greens across the board for launch and are waiting on your mark,” Control’s voice pushed through the hubbub.
“Roger that Control, we are clear for cast-off in five. Four. Three. Two. One. Mark.” Nothing but more green lights greeted the final disconnection of the UNSS Bahai from the shipyard that had given it birth. With a ship this large, the mechanical sounds that Adrian was used to on smaller vessels were lost in the halls of lower engineering.
“Lieutenant Brodeur, take us out slowly and come around on a vector to our departure point.” The Commander’s comm pinged an acknowledgement of the order as Allain started issuing flight plans to Control.
“Commander, there is a priority communication coming in from UNSA Station.” Adrian acknowledged Kelly and brought the message onto the screen, splashing Frontenac’s face in front of him.
“Commander, I see that you have begun leaving L5 yards and I wanted to personally wish you and your crew ‘bon voyage.’”
“We’ll be in-system for a couple of weeks running tests, Sir, so we aren’t going anywhere yet.” Adrian only paid the interruption minor attention as he used his comm to send update requests to his crew. ::Lieutenant Commander Shurma, how is life-support doing after disconnecting from L5?::
“True, but it is not every day that you take the first real steps on a new path for humanity and I wanted to congratulate you on this momentous occasion before the official press conference this evening.” Frontenac looked slightly nonplussed that the gravity of the situation had not overcome Adrian as well.
Satish’s comm reply came back. ::Minor air pressure drops, Commander, but nothing to be concerned about. I have service ‘bots double checking the lines and seals.::
“Yes Sir, Mister Chairman, however we are still navigating within the shipyard, so I need to ensure that we only have our momentous embarkation to speak of during the press conference.”
::Lieutenant Commander Fischer, how is the reactor performing?::
Frontenac looked taken aback at the remark, but covered it well; there was probably a camera crew in the room with him. “Oh yes, you are correct, Commander. It was presumptuous of me to speak with you at this point and I am glad to see that you have UNSA’s best interests in mind, even during such a sensitive operation. I will speak to you at the press conference.” The Chairman signed off and data columns re-populated the space where his face had been. Frontenac should have known better than to contact him during the launch, but over the past weeks the propaganda machine had been in full operation with UNSA coming under increased pressure from lobby groups like the Order of Relativity. It was causing the Chairman to act with less sense than usual.
Joan returned his comm. ::Beyond the fact that our current energy draw isn’t even registering, I would say it’s doing just fine. How’s everything up on the bridge?::
Adrian smiled at Joan’s stubbornly unmilitary conduct before comming back, ::Nothing unusual. We will be feeling some actual acceleration once we pull out of the yards. Let me know if anything changes.::
Joan sent an acknowledgement as an audio update from Lieutenant Commander “Chief” Artiz pushed into Adrian’s comm. “All crew are bunked in for acceleration, Commander.”
“Excellent, Chief. Ensure that your team gets to their acceleration couches as we are about to clear the yards.”
Adrian switched away from Penelope and patched into the general address. “All hands, please prepare for acceleration of point-five-G in thirty seconds.”
The time remaining to acceleration counted down as Allain brought the Bahai around on a vector to their departure zone. Once the counter hit zero, the acceleration alarm sounded and Adrian was pushed gently back into his chair.
“All hands, please be aware that we will be under variable thrust for the next hour as we line up with our coordinates for an in-system transition to high Jupiter orbit,” Adrian broadcast through the ship. “We are turning off the general restraint alert, but please stay near your acceleration couches.”
A red alert blared through the command pod as Kelly’s voice came in on general address. “We have incoming, all hands brace for acceleration.” Adrian was jerked savagely against his restraints, his comm indicating that the ship began a nearly four-G turn.
::Lieutenant Commander Friesen, Report!:: Adrian commed to Kelly as the acceleration squeezed the air out of his lungs. He was bringing hostile encounter data up on his screens when the ship made another hard course change.
::We have two small unidentified craft on an inbound trajectory,:: She replied. ::Make puts them as old CNSA fighter craft – ballistics only, no missiles. Lieutenant Brodeur is keeping us out of conventional weapons range, however they will be able to close with us in approximately 45 seconds. They are keeping in our shadow so L5’s defences can’t target them.::
A brief lightening of their acceleration allowed Kelly to catch her breath as she pushed a press release onto Adrian’s screen. “Sir, a notice just hit the net from a radical group with ties to the Order of Relativity, they claim that they have launched an attack against the UNSS Bahai for ‘unnatural violations of The Lord’s physical laws.’”
Adrian stared at the article disbelief. “You have got to be kidding me.” He quickly paged Chief Artiz. “Chief, this ship is armed, isn’t it?�
��
Penelope’s voice vehemently chimed in. “Yes Sir, it certainly is. We have some top of the line kinetic drivers installed for asteroid repulsion.”
“I think we should test them. I’m turning weapons control over to you; please clear these morons out.”
“Sir, yes Sir!”
“Lieutenant Brodeur, bring us within weapons range.” Allain’s acknowledgement came back and the bridge lapsed back into silence as their resumed acceleration stopped all conversation.
A counter to accurate ballistic range started rolling down on Adrian’s screen. Just before it hit zero, a series of low jolts reverberated through the ship causing amber impact alerts to flash to life – their opponents had sprayed wild fire before confirming lock-on and a few shots had glanced through their deflectors and impacted the Bahai’s armour. The use of uncontrolled ballistics near populated space was against UNSA laws of combat due to the unpredictable effects of kinetic shots continuing on their original trajectories after missing their targets. Violation of this law was subject to capital punishment and as a lawful representative of UNSA, Adrian was well within his rights to exact judgement.
A positive lock beacon flashed on Adrian’s screen as the thrum of kinetic drivers firing echoed through the ship, followed by Penelope on his comm. ::Volley away, impact in three.:: The two kill confirms popped up in the command pod shortly thereafter and Adrian let out the breath that he had been unconsciously holding. It had been years since he had engaged in any space combat, not since Mars.
Shaking himself back to the present Adrian paged down to Joan and Satish. “Engineering – Life-support – status report!”
Both of them sounded simultaneously. “All clear, Commander!” responded Joan. “This reactor is a pig. Even when the kinetics fired it barely registered a blip.”
“No damage to any vital systems, Sir,” Satish reported. “Our deflectors and armour are built to deal with some pretty heavy asteroid hits, so the rounds they fired barely made a dent. The ‘bots will have it patched up before we make it to the departure zone.”
“Lieutenant Commander Friesen, broadcast an in-system kinetics alert on calculated trajectories and get the yards to send out collection tugs on the last known vectors of our assailants. Lieutenant Brodeur, reconfigure our transition to take us to L1.” Adrian shook his head. “And get me Chairman Frontenac on a priority channel.” He sat and waited for the connection to be made. It looked like the press conference was going to be anything but straight-forward.
UNSA Station
“While we in no way condone the violent actions of a few terrorist radicals, we have always maintained that UNSA and their supporters have crossed a line by using this alien technology, which removes our peoples’ souls from the universe in which God gave them birth.” The Order of Relativity’s spokesman sat in a carefully arranged household living room, his expression a fixed mask of confidence and righteousness. “Is it not true that the Sorrenson Drive removes an entire spaceship from this universe so that it may circumnavigate its physical laws? The same laws which God, in his infinite wisdom, created to protect us, I might add?”
Chairman Frontenac tried to exude the same calm confidence but cracks were appearing in his composure. “We do not have any conclusive evidence that the ships are physically removed from this universe, only that they cannot be detected by our current technology while the drive is engaged.”
The Order’s spokesman smiled not unlike a cat confronted with a dazed pigeon on the sidewalk. “So you do not disagree that the drive, whatever it does with the space ship in which it is installed, nonetheless circumnavigates God’s physical laws?”
The Chairman’s smile was a borderline grimace and beads of sweat began popping out on his brow. He caught himself in the middle of moving to wipe his arm across his forehead and deliberately brought his hand down to grip the edge of his podium. “The Sorrenson Drive is a gift. With it we can ease Earth’s over-population problems and bring about a new golden age for humanity.”
“A gift you say?” the spokesman said as he theatrically raised an eyebrow. “And how do we know it is not a temptation from the Devil himself? It has already demanded the sacrifice of the valiant science crew of the Rimor along with those poor souls suffering from your so-called Travel Sickness, and now you wish to offer it more of our people as well? And what of the video that was made during that fatal flight of the Rimor?”
Frontenac’s knuckles turned white on the podium, his face completely blank as he responded, “And what video would that be Mister Spokesman?”
The spokesman looked off screen and then turned back to face the camera saying, “This one.”
The feed was briefly replaced with the video of Sahi confronting Dmitriy’s glowing form and the alien apparition’s warning.
The Chairman gaped in disbelief while the scene from the Rimor played out and then uttered in shock, “Where did you get that?”
“So you do not deny that this recording was made on the UNSS Rimor during that fateful test flight?” Smelling blood, the spokesman moved in for the kill.
“This conference is at an end! Shut this feed off!” A panicked Frontenac turned from his podium and hustled off stage as reporters in the press room on UNSA Station started to clamour questions at him. In the background, the Order’s spokesman showed a look of delicious victory to the camera. The news anchor’s face cut into center screen as the image of the Chairman’s hasty retreat froze and shrunk to the upper right corner.
“That, of course, was a recording from the emergency press conference Between UNSA D-SEC Chairman Frontenac and Order of Relativity spokesman Paul Giornio, broadcast earlier today. The conference took place this morning shortly after an attack against the UNSS Bahai as it was leaving the L5 yards was perpetrated by a group claiming affiliation with the Order. While the Order has denied any relation to these individuals, calling them ‘terrorist radicals’, we have not yet been able to reach UNSA or D-SEC Chairman Frontenac for a comment on the shocking video aired during the conference. This video, supposedly taken on the Rimor during the fatal test flight two years ago, potentially indicates a massive cover-up surrounding the deaths of the UNSS Rimor test crew and a warning about using the alien drive. The Order of Relativity has since released a statement demanding that UNSA stop all use of the Sorrenson Drive in light of this evidence.
“While we wait for UNSA’s already scheduled press conference this evening, we have asked our analysts to discuss how this might impact the exploration and colonization program –”
The display set into the wall winked off as Frontenac started shouting at it, his accent intensifying under the strain. “Maudits épais, on essaie de vous sauver!” Defeated, the Chairman slumped back into his chair and started massaging his temples. “Maybe he is right...”
Adrian winced as he sat forward, his bones still feeling the hour long two-G ride to UNSA station from L1. “I refuse to believe that, Sir. We knew about the risks the drive presented, but we made the correct decision to push forward.” A wave of bitter emotion welled up at his acknowledgment that covering up Sahi’s death was somehow justified. He forcefully repressed it. “We can’t let a few fanatics deter us or else the loss of our staff will mean nothing.”
Frontenac looked at Adrian quizzically for a moment as if wondering what he was talking about before seizing on something and rallying himself. “You are right, of course, Commander. We will not let The Order of Relativity and their like control our course of action, but we are going to have to have to reveal the events of two years ago very carefully.” Frontenac took a hard considering look at Adrian and opened his mouth to say something before deciding against it and shaking his head. “The fact is we are the ones the public will perceive as in the wrong. They broke one of the most stringent space warfare laws in existence in a blatant act of terrorism – which they very quickly denied, of course – but we are the ones who have to explain ourselves without revealing why we were forced to cover up the events
on the Rimor.”
“Maybe it’s time to tell everyone the truth about Earth,” Adrian interjected.
A snort of exasperated laughter escaped from Frontenac as he retorted, “The truth? No, even if I had the ability to make that decision, I doubt the world could handle the truth, not all of it, not yet.” He continued with a despondent sigh, “I am not even sure I can handle all of it anymore.”
Adrian was surprised that the Chairman was being so affected by this crisis since it was Frontenac that had gotten him through worst times on Mars fifteen years ago. He decided that now was not the time to press the issue and changed the subject. “Sir, do you have any idea where they got their hands on that recording? D-SEC was provided the only copy during my debriefing two years ago.”
The Chairman brought himself back from wherever his mind had wandered. “Does it matter? We have some ideas, but it is not something for you to concern yourself with.” He leaned back in his chair and pondered the ceiling as if it might give him some answers. “I should not have panicked during the conference as it all but confirmed its veracity. Not that the media would miss the chance to jump all over it anyway.”
“So what do we do now, Sir? The Bahai is ready and waiting at L1 for in-system trials.”
He brought his attention back down to Adrian and spoke with an expression of quiet certitude on his face. “The only thing we can do at this point, Commander. We continue on.” The Chairman turned away to gaze out of his office windows which currently displayed a wide expanse of stars with the Earth just coming into view as the station rotated. “Nothing has changed. The drive is still our best chance to save our race, however we will have to work harder to prove everything we do is in humanity’s best interest and that our explorers and researchers still support our goals. I think our best course of action is to make it look like we made a simple mistake in judgement and that we wanted to avoid any panic until we established what had happened or opened lines of communication with these aliens.” He released another bitter laugh. “At least that would be part of the truth.” He turned back to face Adrian with a very serious look on his face. “And that brings us to why I brought you here to UNSA Station so quickly. First, I need you to officially tell our staff the truth about the alien encounter on the Rimor.” He then stopped and tapped a pen distractedly on his desk, clearly reluctant to speak. “I also need you to make a statement to the press this evening indicating that the exploration teams support UNSA’s decision one-hundred percent.”
Adrian moved to reply, but Frontenac cut him off. “I know that may not be necessarily true, however you saw the need for the decision even if you did not like it. I trust that most of our staff will respond similarly when you tell them. They will feel betrayed, yes, but they will come around because they know how important our work is. I want you to use that and be honest about what you thought of the decision to cover things up.”
Adrian glowered and stated, “But I’m not to mention anything about the exact reason we came to that decision.”
“I would like you to avoid the topic of Earth’s environmental condition, yes, but in the end the reason we made the decision was to avoid an uproar over an event that we knew very little about and proved to be a single time occurrence.”
He gave the Chairman a long, irritated stare before responding, “You know I don’t like this sort of stuff, Gilles...”
Frontenac’s expression softened. “I know, Adrian, but I always trust that you will do what is best for the greater good.”
Invites for a staff meeting starting in thirty minutes and a press conference in two hours popped up in Adrian’s comm. He sighed without malice as he accepted them, saying, “Only because I’ve had you pushing me around for the past fifteen years.”
April 9, 2075: UNSS Bahai, L1 Station
“And now, for World in Depth. Tonight we will be discussing UNSA’s response to the Rimor video. With us today via teleconference are Doctor Donald Gershwin, author of the critically acclaimed book ‘The Earth Isn’t Enough,’ and Doctor Jenna Lee-Harper, a social psychology professor at Dartmouth. Thank you both for your time –”
Joan issued a sound of utter disgust from deep in the back of her throat. “This is what, the third analysis show tonight? Do we have to watch this?”
Satish turned his attention from the television while the talk-show finished its introductory preamble. “This is big, Joan. UNSA covered up an alien attack and a warning about entering travel space – we’ve all seen those glowing things at one time or another in the past two years. Wouldn’t you have wanted to know if there was a risk they might decide to kill us?” He considered for a moment before adding, “Or tried to talk to us?” as if unsure which would have been worse.
“Sure, but what difference does it make? It doesn’t seem to me like I’m in any more or less danger of being randomly killed since I was hired,” Joan scoffed. “We volunteered to work on an alien space drive – the whole thing could have blown up and vaporized us at any point. I’m also pretty sure encountering unpredictable alien species and trying to talk to them is an acknowledged side-effect of space exploration.” Joan held up her hands, taking in the common area of the UNSS Bahai. “You’re still here aren’t you? So that means that you must somewhat agree with UNSA’s decision and what Adrian said about supporting the goals of the exploration program.”
“Well of course, we knew they were hiding something two years ago, but that isn’t the point of watching these,” Satish rebutted. “We can’t keep the program going if the people on Earth stop supporting UNSA. I want to find out if I should be getting on the next shuttle to Mars to see if my old job is still available.”
Joan grunted in faint annoyance to indicate what she thought about his opinion, but remained quiet as Satish turned his attention back to the television. The author was just responding to a question from the host about his general opinion of the conference last night.
“I think UNSA was appropriately apologetic; they had a difficult decision to make when weighed against the goal of improving life for all of us. Yes, they had a potentially hostile encounter with an alien race, but I think that is something well within their rights to respond to as they see fit – we have charged them with exploring and colonizing the galaxy, after all. I can see the merits of not wanting to cause a panic when they had so little information to work with, I mean, look what is happening now and this is two years later. Obviously these aliens don’t want to start a fight or we would have seen more incidents like the Rimor.”
“But what about Travel Sickness?” the professor replied. “What if it is some sort of alien equivalent of biological warfare?”
The author considered her question for a moment before answering, “As far as I know, nobody has any idea what is causing Travel Sickness. However, from a practical standpoint, these aliens have already demonstrated an ability to kill us outright, so a weapon that puts people in comas seems a bit of a step down. It also doesn’t make sense as to why we have only seen fifteen cases of it, or why four people have recovered with no obvious side-effects.”
“That isn’t entirely true.” The professor turned to consult something off-screen. “Hu Chan – if you recall, he was the first person to recover from Travel Sickness – his family has indicated that he behaved very unusually after he returned home, going so far as to say that sometimes he behaved like a different person. Then he disappeared for a year before resurfacing as one of the richest men in China and hasn’t responded to a single call from his family, even while becoming a folk hero across Asia, giving millions to those worst affected by climate change. I would say that indicates a strong side-effect. Then there are the two of the remaining eleven who came out of their comas but are now being treated for violent psychosis. And everyone has heard the rumours that the unusual trio of sufferers reported in November 2073 have been out of their coma and under lock and key at UNSA since January last year.
The author nodded in acknowledgment before replying, “In th
e case of Hu Chan, the kind of medical trauma that he experienced often changes a person’s personality, and turning someone into a financial genius with a penchant for charity doesn’t seem like the result of a weapon of ill intent. The same argument could be made for the patients who are suffering from some sort of psychotic break. As for the rest, we can’t substantiate rumours of people being detained against their will.” He gave a shrug to indicate the value of hearsay on the matter. “Who knows, these comas may be a result of the aliens trying to find better ways of communicating with us without killing us. In the end, the number of Travel Sickness cases is insignificant given the hundreds of voyages UNSA’s scouting ships have undertaken. We have to trust UNSA is working toward our best interest in a job full of extreme unknowns. Commander Daniels made an excellent point that all of the exploration crews knew these were the exact type of unpredictable events they would be expected to deal with when they signed on and understand why UNSA reacted the way it did. It –”
The professor, shaking her head, interrupted him. “That’s well and good for people who joined the Sorrenson Drive program expecting exposure to these risks, but UNSA hasn’t mentioned what headway they have made in making peaceful communication with these aliens. Until that happens, I don’t see how we can consider pushing ahead with building massive ships that can transport thousands of colonists. What happens if these aliens strike one of those ships and two thousand innocents are killed?”
The author started answering by saying, “D-SEC Chairman Frontenac clearly stated that they are working to find ways to clarify the warning –”
“That is not evidence of making any headway, in fact that is usually synonymous with ‘we have made no progress whatsoever,’” the professor cut him off again. “And Commander Daniels also said that the crews felt deceived by UNSA and wished that they would have told them the truth for the very reason that they expected these risks when they accepted their positions. Keeping this truth from them could have hampered their actions if they were caught in the same situation, or even prevented the communication that Chairman Frontenac said they were pursuing. Bottom-line, UNSA knowingly increased the risk to their exploration teams and researchers. If they’ll do that to their staff, what risks are they willing to assume for a group of regular colonists?”
Against what was beginning to resemble a tirade from the professor, the author struggled to respond calmly. “Look, we have to realize that colonists will not be venturing out without the possibility of substantial danger. Besides, no-one is going to be forced onto a colony ship. At worst this might cause a few people to remove their names from the list of volunteers, and from what I hear, they are already scheduling people into the 2080s, so that might almost be a blessing. Honestly, is there any other organization that you would trust to oversee the expansion of our race throughout our solar system and to the stars? The multinats and governments started a war that lasted nearly fifteen years over colonization and mining rights for Mars and the asteroids – they almost knocked us out of space completely and clearly demonstrated how little they thought of the lives of colonists. It was UNSA that pulled together a common-ground peace between them that has seen two million people brought to live, work, and prosper off of Earth in the past decade.”
“And who’s to say that UNSA isn’t just working to their own ends?” the professor replied vehemently. “What else are they keeping secret from us if they were able to cover up the events on the Rimor for two years? What if –”
Satish changed the channel away from what was rapidly devolving into a shouting match.
“So do you think our jobs are safe for now?” Joan asked.
“Well if our opposition has people like that professor arguing for them, I’m not too worried.” Satish grinned back at her. “I think Chairman Frontenac and the Commander have managed to save our livelihoods for now.”
Joan laughed with him and they sat watching some other news program for a moment before Joan remembered her discussion with Sally about alien remains on the ship. She turned back to him to bring it up. “Satish, do you remember seeing any evidence of the alien crew when UNSA first opened the ship up on Mars?”
Satish moved his attention from the screen back to Joan his lips turned down in thought. “Actually, no, it looked like it had been completely emptied out, no bodies, no personal affects, and no tools or supplies in any of the storage spaces. We all just assumed that whoever was on the ship when it landed, took everything and abandoned it. Even the air was completely sterile Martian air.”
“And don’t you think that’s a little odd?” Joan asked.
Satish considered her question for a moment. “You don’t think UNSA was trying to cover up aliens on the ship, do you? Why would they? And why empty out the cupboards? It just doesn’t make any sense. I also found no evidence that anyone had been on board before UNSA sent me in after they hauled it back to Asimov. I have no doubt that ship had been closed up tight for two-hundred-fifty-thousand years.”
“Yeah, you’re right. I can’t see why UNSA would have hidden the alien bodies, but abandoning your ship on Mars when Earth is just up the block doesn’t make sense either. Maybe Mars was more hospitable to the pilots... I guess it will have to remain a mystery.”
Joan’s comm indicated that they were approaching their departure time from L1. “Well, no rest for the wicked, some of us have work to do.”
April 19, 2075: UNSS Bahai, L1 Station
Sally floated her way through the austere halls of the UNSS Bahai. She understood that the ship was very purpose-designed, but she still wished they had used something other than standard institutional military panelling. Maybe they could fabricate some paint on their way out to HD 10647 and spruce it up, or it would be a very long three years in these boring halls.
Reaching the Commander’s ready-room, the door whisked open in response to her comm. Inside, Adrian was seated behind his desk with a grim smile on his face directed at an incredibly gaunt man in a suit sitting across from him. When Sally entered, the shadow of a smile touched the thin man’s face, but never quite reached his eyes.
Adrian turned to her as the door shut. “Sally, please sit down. I would like you to meet our new chaplain, Father Alexander Grayson.”
A chaplain? A new crew member explained a second unplanned trip back in-system to L1, but she had no idea why UNSA was suddenly assigning them a chaplain. Sally thrust her hand out as the Father tried to stand before remembering he was strapped into a zero-gravity chair. “Sally Yeung. Welcome aboard, Father.”
Grayson gingerly accepted her hand and gave it a brief shake with a considering look in his eyes. His expression seemed more like he was greeting an unwelcome relative at Christmas as he replied in a dry voice, “A pleasure Ms. Yeung.”
Sally pulled herself down into a chair, strapped in, and directed a quick questioning glance at the Commander to which he responded, “Father Grayson is a member of the Order of Relativity. Given the attack which occurred two weeks ago along with the release of the Rimor video, UNSA and the Order felt it prudent to place an ordained member on each of the exploration ships to help prevent any further fanatical attacks.”
The Father cleared his throat with a faint rasp and then nodded in verification. “Yes, not only do we wish to ensure the safety of all of UNSA’s crews, we wish to see firsthand this supposed ‘gift’ in action and determine for ourselves if there is any substantive risk to human lives or their souls. We realized that we were in no position to judge the intentions of UNSA, the Rimor aliens, or these technologies until we had experienced them ourselves. We also wish to ensure that as humanity ventured forth into the unknown, it was not without the Lord’s guidance, wisdom, and protection.” Sally could see Adrian trying very hard to keep a neutral expression as the Father continued speaking. “The precedent is quite established throughout naval history and given the lengths of these voyages and the questions of faith that may be encountered, The Order could not with a clear conscious let any of th
ese ships depart without a spiritual shepherd.”
Sally closed her mouth with a click, hoping that she had managed to catch the gape before it became too obvious. “Um. Well, that is very considerate of the Order and UNSA.” She kept looking at Adrian out of the corner of her eye. ::Is this legitimate?::
::Yes,:: the Commander sent back simply as he became engrossed in the space about twelve inches in front of his nose, prompting Sally to proceed on her own. “As you no doubt know, we are a multi-denominational crew. Is it appropriate to only include representation from a secular Christian faith?”
The Father smiled at Sally as he would a child who needed something obvious explained to them. “Ah. That is a common misconception. While it is true that the idea for our Order originated at the Vatican, our mission is to better understand how God’s physical laws guide our universe and our lives. These are constants which bind all members of mankind and as such, we have grown to offer non-denominational teachings recognized by all major religions. Each of us individually chooses whether our instruction illuminates the hand of the Divine, leads us to Nirvana, or guides us to our Dao. Even these personal expressions of faith are now being called to question by our younger adherents in order to better unify our membership and promote public understanding of our religious goals. Alas, I am old and was brought up as a Christian, so I choose to see the Divine and use words such as 'Lord' and 'God' to describe the source of the physical axioms of life as a matter of personal convenience."
“I see,” Sally drew the statement out a few extra syllables. Adrian was still keeping very quiet while she fumbled through her conversation with Father Grayson. “Uh, such as it is, this is an operational science vessel and, as you said, it is going to be long trip. What do you intend to do to keep yourself busy?”
The Father grinned again as he replied, “You will find that beyond a degree in theology I also have a doctorate in quantum physics. Many of our Order are similarly educated in the physical sciences, as it is through understanding them that we may truly address the real fundamental questions of faith and the universe. The navigational systems of this ship are of particular interest, seeing as how I am given to understand that it involves quantum entanglement to determine the route of any voyage. I must admit that the Sorrenson Drive and its manipulation of gravity also pique my scientific curiosity aside from my theological misgivings.”
Since Adrian was still being of no assistance Sally decided to give in and play along. “Well, you will need quarters in the civilian block and an office, I guess?”
The Father nodded a pert assertion. “Indeed. I will require my own private quarters, an office, and space for a chapel. I think a small area on the bio-deck where it is quiet would suffice for the chapel.”
Sally sputtered, “Okay. Unfortunately, on this ship we all share quart –”
A cough from Adrian cut her off as a chaste expression bloomed on the Father’s face.
“Um, well I guess I could set up a three-to-a-room rotation schedule for the rest of us, but the bio-deck area is public use and it wouldn’t be proper to grant any crew member privileges over –”
Another cough stopped Sally as the Father’s smile grew slightly broader.
“I suppose we could reserve some space for a chapel as long as it doesn’t require undue modification to the bio-deck.”
“Excellent!” The Father beamed. “If we could stop by my quarters so I can drop off my things, we can select a space for the chapel and start introductions to the rest of the crew immediately.” Father Grayson unbuckled and pushed his way over to a duffle that had been stashed in the corner of the office. “Please lead the way Ms. Yeung.”
She winced at the thought of explaining to Joan that Sally had given up their room for the new chaplain as she opened the door and pointed the Father toward the lift shaft. At least he seemed to be able to handle himself in zero-G.
Before she exited the ready room she sent a quick pointed glance back toward Adrian who just smiled ruefully and shrugged. ::Sorry Sally. Nothing I or UNSA could do; each ship is getting one.::
The door whisked shut as she pushed herself off down the hall after the Father.
Adrian’s voice announced over the general address, “All hands please prepare for departure from L1 and pre-transition acceleration in twenty minutes.”