by Don Foxe
“The analytical left side is strong enough to improve the responsibilities of the older right side of my brain,” Coop surmised.
Engrossed in the holo-information, she nodded. “The left side was allowed free rein during the second test,” she said. “Using the data obtained when you fired left handed, you made each minor adjustment necessary to compensate for environmental or mechanical variants. You hit dead center five of five in less than three-seconds.”
“I’m officially freaky,” he said.
“You’re officially enhanced,” Juri corrected. “I suppose, clinically, more enhanced since you already received physical improvements. We need to return to the compound. I have one last neuron-physical trial. I can remove those neuroprobes afterward.”
Fin Island - Inside
Coop held his head beneath the hot spray of water. The shower removed the chill from the return trip to the compound, but could not wash away the doubts swirling about his own new self. Logically, he understood everything that occurred. Emotionally, he was fighting the fear he had changed into something not entirely human.
He did not startle, but was surprised when the particle-field keeping the water inside the shower parted and a nude Sophia Juri joined him.
The shower’s oversized design allowed the steam to rise, giving a clear view of the woman. Five-six, creamy white skin, and toned muscles. The cornsilk pubic hair so light, it was barely there. Her breasts round, and firm, with long pink nipples and dark red areola. She wore a neuroprobe at each temple. Her hand found his arousal, and her tongue explored his mouth.
Coop lay on the damp sheets, watching the still-naked scientist as she hovered over a portable telemetry pad. They had sex in the shower, and moved to the bed without bothering to dry off in between. That had been two hours earlier.
“This your final trial?” He asked.
In response, she closed down the pad, and joined him on the bed. Gently she removed the four neuroprobes, pulled the two she wore off, and placed all six on a bedside table. “Trials all done,” she said. “You are a perfectly healthy human male.”
“Normal?” He asked.
“Oh, God, no,” she replied, straddling him. “You, Daniel Cooper, are much better than anything normal.”
Over the next three days Dr. Juri completed her reports for Nathan Trent. She spent her nights in Cooper’s private rooms.
On the fourth day she signed a tedious promise to let no one know of Coop’s existence, and a promise in return for her personal wealth, she would make none of her findings public until and unless released from the contract by either Nathan Trent or Daniel Cooper.
Coop did not come to the hover-port to see her off, and she had not expected his appearance.
“Now what?” Coop asked.
He sat in the same leather chair Dr. Juri used earlier in the week. Nathan leaned against the desk.
“I have to return to Toronto, and then EMS2,” Trent answered. “I can’t stay away too long, especially with all of the changes happening. You will continue your physical recovery. You also need time to adjust to how your brain processes information. Dr. Juri believes you should assimilate and begin to accept your new normal within two months.”
“Space Fleet?”
“You need to consider your association with Space Fleet as over, Coop. The changes forced on us by the UEC and Admiral Singletary are not the kind of things you would quietly concede. For now, you remain MIA, possibly dead, definitely vanished. The staff on this island swore oaths to privacy, including remaining away from the mainland until you are ready to leave. Mara and Elliott are not telling anyone. That leaves Pam, Henry Brown, Heidi McCormack and Genna as the only other people who know about Fin Island. Pam is the only one who knows you’re awake.”
“Sky, Storm, Elie and the rest?” He asked.
“What do you think?” Trent asked. Partially because Coop’s opinion mattered, and partly to see how his reasoning skills operated versus his emotional desires.
“I know I want to see them. I miss them. But everyone is safer if they continue to believe I’m out of action,” he replied. “Like you said, I need the time to get one-hundred percent physically, and come to terms with my mental upgrades. I also have a year of global changes to catch up on and investigate.” He held up a hand to stop his friend’s objection.
“Investigate from here, Nathan,” he said. “Elliott is the most wired-in person on the planet. Someone is trying to demolish everything we helped build over the past thirty-plus years. I want to discover who, and why, and what they plan on as a replacement for a United Earth. I can do that from here.”
“Mara can help,” Trent said. “She has a gift for seeing hidden meanings in words, spoken or written.” Trent pushed away from the desk. “The troops who elected to return will arrive at MSD in a couple of weeks. I have final checks on the new Destroyer, Carrier, and the latest squadron of fighters to complete.”
“I’ve seen the specs on the Destroyer, and the revisions to convert the second one to a Carrier Class vessel, but nothing on the new fighters,” Coop said.
“On purpose,” Trent replied. He smiled at someone he had know for decades, and someone he knew was still the same man. “If you saw the new Spirit fighter, there’s no way in hell I could keep you away from the yoke.”
CHAPTER 7
Toronto
Access to the second sub-basement of the building housing the administration offices for the United Earth Council required the highest clearance. Agents strictly enforced Technical Surveillance Counter Measures (TSCM) used to secure the space and the corridors surrounding the meeting rooms located on that level.
The meeting room included a holo-wall screen accessed by a non-connected data pad. Non-connected to any system other than the display wall. The possibility of information intercepted beyond the four walls, short of a human leak, impossible.
The data pad belonged to Dr. Nathan Trent, Head of Sciences. It fell to him to provide the briefing to the others present.
A image of a grey and black torpedo-shaped cylinder without fins or tail hovered before the six people seated in front of Trent.
“I’ll keep the science simple,” he said. “The message and data are what we need to discuss, but you should have a basic understanding of the delivery system.”
The cylinder began to slowly rotate. Impossible to determine a true size without a reference.
“This is a marvelous piece of technology,” Trent explained. “A communication drone with a miniaturized wormhole engine. It’s the same power and navigation system found in galaxy-class vessels used by the Trading Alliance worlds to access and travel via the wormhole channels between solar systems.”
“Weapons capable?” General Karin Spross asked. General Spross, Chief of Joint Military Operations, represented the military branches of the United Earth Council. The Swiss-born military professional’s career garnered four stars and a Doctorate in Military Science.
“This particular drone carried nothing remotely capable of offensive or defensive acts,” Trent answered. “It consisted of the power system, navigational computer, the housing, venting, simple communications array, and a remarkable gas-based data file storage system.”
The cylinder disappeared and a small glass tube filled with a smoky cloud replaced the image.
“The drone’s design allows it to travel through a wormhole approximately four-times faster than a normal ship,” Trent said. “It is designed to speed communications between systems. According to the information retrieved, it was created by scientists in the Aster System, and utilizes a special gas mined on one of the moons located there.”
“Did you confirm the Mischene sent this drone?” Admiral Terrence Singletary asked. Singletary, current commander for UEC’s Space Fleet, represented the para-military branch responsible for initial contact and security involving anything or anyone not from Earth.
“Not exactly,” Trent answered. “This was sent to Earth by Atticus Soren, the P
rophet.”
Aya Ishihara, Japanese, and a great legal mind, represented UEC’s newest division, the Exo-Legal Affairs Department (ELA). With the advent of alien contact, understanding alliances, trade agreements, and the rules and regulations of extraterrestrial societies, now came under her jurisdiction. ELA tasked to build the foundations for legal standing for when Earth negotiated with aliens the UEC understood the ground (space) rules.
The young (late twenties), attractive legal expert interjected, “The Prophet, as in the Mischene holy man responsible for the Zenge?”
“Again, yes and no, and the reason for this meeting,” Trent replied. “According to the communication, Atticus Soren claims his father, Amos Soren, the Supreme Governor of a trading guild that dominates the Aster system, is the man responsible for the attacks on planets around the galaxy. I will make sure everyone receives classified copies of the translated communications. You will need to consider a response.”
“Do you trust the information?” Paris Cassel, Director of UEC’s Security Agency, espionage and counter-espionage, asked.
“I don’t trust anything, but I cannot discount anything, either. I can only tell you what he tells us.”
“Please get on with it, Dr. Trent,” Guy Arcand, representing the UEC’s Board of Governors (Directors), said. “You can save all the tech-talk for notes to the final transcripts. What does the Prophet want?”
The holo-wall displayed a star system. Trent brushed away the star and outlying planets, asteroids, planetoids, and non-relative debris. It left three planets, several moons, and twelve small green spirals twirling in the air.
“Aster system contains three inhabited planets in proximal orbits around a yellow-giant star called Resa Asteri Major. From nearest the star, outward, you see Aster Farum One, [AF1], Aster Farum Two [AF2], and Aster Farum Three [AF3]. The Mischene are indigenous to AF3.
“The system contains five inhabited moons, including the one orbiting AF2 where the data gas is mined. There are three other uninhabitable planets, and dozens of moons and planetoids. The system is circled by twelve wormhole gates.”
“Twelve? Isn’t that a lot?” The question came from the final person involved in the secret and secure briefing. Saleh Abd al-Rashid represented the elected members of the United Earth Council.
“It is and the reason Aster system is considered a major player in galactic trade,” Trent replied. “The ability to access the system constantly by wormhole travel due to the number of gates, and the incredible amount of goods and services created by the eight inhabited planets and moons, make the system wealthy and influential. According to research made using the Osperantue and Fellen data shared with Earth, the Mischene trading guilds run the system, operating for over 5,000 years.”
Trent brushed away everything except AF3, which he expanded.
“The Prophet claims his father’s guild became greedy on a maniacal level. Governor Soren discovered the Zenge and decided to harvest the species to train as warriors. His planned to advance the Mischene dominance from AF3 to the known galaxy. Using religious laws and prophecies, his guild justified the invasion of other worlds as the next step in Mischene manifest destiny.”
“Religion as interpreted by this Prophet?” al-Rashid asked.
“Religion used by Governor Soren to support racial supremacy of the Mischene,” Trent answered. “According to the Prophet, his original responsibility was to act as a spiritual leader for the Zenge. He was sent to convert the species into fanatics driven to support the Mischene overlords. Again, this is coming from Atticus Soren. He claims he actually experienced a spiritual conversion. He came to believe his father’s ambitions morally corrupt, the forced takeover of the Aster system wrong, and invading planets, murdering or enslaving the populations as evil.”
“I have read of similar occurrences of politics and religion causing such actions among civilizations in Earth’s own history,” al-Rashid said. “Though on a much smaller scale. It is not unusual for religious leaders to recognize the corruption of their beliefs, and turn on the politicians.”
“The Prophet, sorry, if I keep using the term,” Trent said. “It is simpler to call him the Prophet, so we do not confuse him with his father. Whether he is or is not a prophet is not for me to judge.”
“We get it, Trent,” Arcand said. “Can we move this along?”
“The communication sent to us includes supporting data for the Prophet’s claims,” Trent continued. “The gas-delivery system provides an incredible amount of storage and no resistance. It is fast, efficient, and compact. Because of the amount of data, we needed two weeks to translate and analyze everything contained.
“We estimate the drone traveled thirteen days from Aster to our solar system. A wormhole-capable ship carrying people would take at least two months to make the same trip. You need to understand the information is at least one month old.”
A second gas tube appeared.
“The information is supported by data we collected from a second drone,” the scientist added. “While PT-109 and PT-99 retrieved the Prophet’s drone, a second one arrived. This one sent by the Mischene loyalists on AF3.”
Until now, Trent and Singletary the only ones present aware two drones arrived from the Aster system.
“The Prophet, Mischene military units loyal to him, and the Zenge commandeered several Mischene battlecruisers patrolling the Zenge system. They launched an invasion of the Aster system, specifically AF3, the Mischene home world. They also took control of inhabited moons, but did not attack AF1 or AF2. The moon Flare orbits AF2 and is the location of the gas mines and the research center where the message drones originated. Ship building and repair facilities are located on the other moons. ”
The display produced images of battlecruisers, placing four around AF3, and twelve spread between AF3 and the two other inhabited planets, with two more, displayed in red, orbiting AF2.
“There are more than a dozen ships displayed,” Trent said. “The green ones controlled by the Prophet, and the red are Mischene loyalists. As you can see, the green outnumber the red by eight-to-one. Some of the green ships are vessels located within the system when the Prophet attacked. These converted or were taken by the Prophet’s forces.”
The holo-image of AF3 replaced the gas tubes.
“Governor Amos Soren is dead. Mischene loyalist military units are under siege. The military commanders dispatched a drone of their own to ask for our help in repelling the Prophet and saving their civilian population.”
Trent allowed a moment for those present to grasp the implication. Both sides in the struggle for Aster system were asking Earth to intercede.
“The Prophet claims no intention of invading the Aster system beyond stopping the Mischene loyalists, the influence of his father’s guild, and releasing the Zenge from bondage,” Trent said.
“He has the forces available to pull this off?” General Spross asked.
“He does,” Trent replied. “He controls the assets assigned to Zenge activities in the Zenge system. He took control of over ninety-percent of the Mischene assets in the Aster system. He now commands the Zenge and Mischene handlers invading other worlds.”
“That could add up to hundreds of ships, and millions of troops,” Singletary said. As the head of Space Fleet, he had access to intelligence collected over the preceding year, including the estimates on enemy forces invading developed and undeveloped worlds.
“What does he want?” Arcand asked.
“A truce and a treaty with Earth,” Trent answered.
“Explain,” Ishihara said.
“The communication is a request that Earth send representatives to the Aster system for the purpose of peace,” Trent said. “To keep it simple, the Prophet claims to have no desire to expand his influence beyond the Zenge system. He wants to return there, with all of the Zenge and those Mischene who believe in his interpretation of the Tahbita, the Mischene holy book. He intends to demilitarize the Zenge, and create a system of p
eace and harmony.
“He requests we act as a mediator between him, the Aster system residents, and the Trading Alliance worlds. He wants us to provide a peacekeeping force on AF3 while the loyalists remove all military and offensive capabilities. He suggests we can help establish laws designed to end subjugation of the other indigenous races.”
“Doesn’t want too much, does he?” Spross commented.
“He wants Earth to establish relationships with AF1, AF3, the moon habitats, and help return the system to a confederation,” Trent added. “Also, to inform the other worlds in the galaxy of the truth, and request time for Aster to recover its footing, without fear of reprisals. Finally, he will supply aid and assistance, administered by Earth and other members of the Trading Alliance, to the worlds harmed by the Mischene loyalists.”
“He suggests Earth should become the major player in ending the conflict that has disrupted the known galaxy,” Ishihara said. “Why Earth?”
“We represent a superior force,” Trent said.
“He’s right,” Singletary added. “We might be new on the stage, but we already proved Earth’s technology and military skills are better than anything the aliens can throw at us. While they have spent thousands of year becoming merchants, we became leaders.”
“The overwhelming sentiment of the population is they do not want the UEC expanding into galactic politics and entanglements,” Arcand said. “We have removed our forces from Fell and suspended agreements, treaties, and even curtailed communications with the two planets we are most familiar with because of those opinions.”
“And we must honor the wishes of our people,” al-Rashid said. “But we must also lead our people. We must consider these requests seriously. One requests a military intervention. One asks for a diplomatic solution. Sending a delegation to speak with the Prophet could be done without fanfare. If we do not like what we see or hear, we can return and continue our isolation as we develop a better understanding of the worlds around us.”