Intrinsic: Book One of the Terran Cycle

by Philip C. Quaintrell

  The four humans were stood in silence hanging on to every word. They had just heard the biggest mystery to mankind laid out in thirty seconds. Everyone from scientists in Central Parliament to philosophers around both worlds had speculated and made theories on the reason for the crashed ship. Even Kalian had entered into debates in his lecture theatre with confounded students.

  It was just an accident, not divine or destiny, not even by design from some alien race; it was just a fluke...

  “What Conclave are you speaking of?” Kalian was sure the Ambassador’s questions could never end. Before Telarrek could answer, Numanon stepped in towards his leader. The shining bracer on his arm was no longer reflecting every colour as he brought it up to show Telarrek. The surface of it was now glowing blue with alien symbols and calculations that appeared to move across the whole bracer. Telarrek did a quick lift of his head in acknowledgement before Numanon’s bracer returned to its metallic state.

  “There is much your species will be required to learn regarding the complexities of the galaxy and the wider community. We will of course make time for that, but time is against us. We have chosen to reveal ourselves now because of your actions on Alpha NL-2204.” The Ambassador’s face seemed to switch off like a light as he stood dumbstruck. Kalian had no idea the significance of what had just been said. He looked to Li’ara and Commander Hawkins who were just as confused as him.

  “How do you know about that, we haven’t made it public knowledge yet, it’s still in the first phase.” The Ambassador had a hint of aggression in his tone.

  “You are taking your first steps into the galaxy-we felt it prudent to monitor your exploration, for your own safety.” Telarrek’s tone never changed, he was simply stating facts. The Ambassador attempted to take in the others with his shock, only to see confusion staring back at him. Arlek appeared to make a quick calculation.

  “I suppose you’re about to find out anyway. Six years ago we sent a terraforming expedition to a planetary body known only as Alpha NL-2204. It is sixteen thousand light years from here, the furthest we have ever gone. We weren’t going to inform the populace until they had at least completed phase three, that could be fifty years from now...” Kalian couldn’t believe everything he was learning in just one day. They were making a third planet; that would be big news on both worlds. It meant new lands, opportunities, resources of untold quantities and the prospect of an all new economy. It was obvious why it had been kept a secret. Terraforming was a delicate process that could go wrong at almost any point, especially early on. If there was one thing Central Parliament couldn’t have it was to be seen screwing up. They wouldn’t reveal a new planet until it was a sure thing.

  “What does Alpha NL-2204 have to do with you being here?” The Ambassador asked bluntly.

  “You have crossed into Laronian space and are currently terraforming one of their planets. They might not be using it but, by the laws of the Conclave, it is theirs.” Telarrek gestured to Numanon. “We have received word that a Laronian warship is on a heading for your expedition team. We are here to advise you on evacuating your people as soon as possible. At its current speed, the war ship will be at Alpha NL-2204 within one rotation of your planet.”

  “There are seven thousand people on that planet, scientists, engineers, workers, not to mention all of their families! It would take more than a day to evacuate them all. What would these Laronians do if they discovered them, surely they know of us like you do, and they must know how blind we are to our alien surroundings? It’s not like we passed a giant sign that said ‘stay out’ is it?” The Ambassador had lost some of his composure at the thought of causing a war with an unknown alien race.

  “They know nothing of your kind, in their eyes you are an unknown species invading their territory; it will be seen as a hostile action.” Telarrek continued to peer down at the Ambassador.

  “How can they know nothing of us if you do, and they’re supposedly our closest neighbours?” Arlek was pointing off in a random direction, as if that was the way to Laronian space.

  Telarrek hesitated, “We have kept-” his sentence was cut off by the sound of an alarm blasting from the speakers in the walls. All the lights on the central console lit up with proximity warnings and a green holo projection shot up from a console near the view port. Its sudden appearance caught Kalian’s attention; it was a close up image encompassing the Earth and the Moon with the Valoran and the Icarus station in between. What was most interesting about the image was the large green shape situated between the station and the Moon.

  What is that?

  “What is that!?” The Ambassador echoed his thoughts as he shouted over the alarm. Commander Hawkins dashed to the central console his fingers racing over the touch screen. A moment later the alarm shut down leaving the Command Bridge in silence again.

  “Proximity warning, from these readings something huge just dropped out of FTL about seventy thousand kilometres off of Armstrong.” The Commander tapped the panels furiously trying to acquire more information. Kalian looked back at the holo projection; it was easy to see what the Commander was referring to.

  “How big is it?” The Ambassador aimed his question at the Commander but it was Telarrek that answered.

  “It is significantly larger than the Valoran.” He was looking at data on his own bracer.

  “It’s twenty miles long!” The Commander re-checked the scans, clearly shocked at the data.

  From the view port Armstrong was just a small cluster of lights against the Moon’s pale surface. They all had to crane their necks to see the hulking mass floating above them in the distance. Even at a hundred thousand kilometres from the Icarus, the size of the behemoth could not be denied. A good portion of Armstrong was hidden behind its dark mass.

  The exterior hull was a flat black from end to end; the details were hard to make out from this distance but its smooth surface looked to be devoid of any. It was so dark that Kalian was sure they would never have seen it if it hadn’t tried to eclipse the Moon. Against the starry background it would simply appear as an absence of stars. Against the backdrop of the Moon the ship was a simple rectangle with no beauty or intricate design like the Valoran. He wasn’t even sure where the engine was located; there were no obvious ports or extensions. After seeing the Valoran Kalian didn’t think he could ever be awed by the size of another ship, but he was wrong.

  “What the hell is that?” Li’ara’s face was more concern than awe.

  “Is, is that a Laronian ship?” Droplets of sweat were forming on the Ambassador’s forehead. Telarrek tilted his head to the side as he examined the ship through the view port. He gave a quick glance to each of his companions who all seemed to share the same thought.

  “That is not a Laronian vessel,” he paused for a moment as if he had never said the next words. “I have never seen a ship like that.” All the humans turned to Telarrek, even the Commander looked up from his console. A cold dread seeped into Kalian’s gut.

  “But I thought you said the Laronians-”

  “The Laronians know nothing of Earth, they are only aware of an incursion in their territory. The only way they could find these coordinates is if they took them from your terraforming expedition, and as I said, they have not reached Alpha NL-2204 yet.” Telarrek didn’t take his eyes of the foreign ship.

  “It’s just like your ship,” the Commander sounded frustrated. “All our scans are bouncing right off the hull!” Kalian couldn’t believe the turn in events, in less than a day they had gone from having one alien ship on their doorstep to two. He had creeping sense of unease at the thought of the Novaarians being clueless as to its origins. From everything he had heard in the last half hour he was convinced there was nothing they didn’t know.

  Telarrek turned to Numanon, “I want the Valoran to scan every particle of that ship.” It was the first time Kalian had heard some urgency in the alien’s voice, it worried him.

  “Yes my Charge,” Numanon raised both of his lower
limbs activating the bracers. Using his upper limbs he began to type various commands into both bracers like they were a combined keyboard. His voice had the same guttural undertones but Kalian could hear a clear difference in the way he sounded. He began to realise the disc behind his ear was more complex than just a standard translator.

  The ship continued to sit motionless in space. It felt ominous and cold, even when compared to the Valoran it felt alien. Kalian wondered how it must look from Armstrong; the monstrous ship would be blocking their entire view of the Earth.

  “We need to contact The Hub, see if the Chief’s got any more info.” Li’ara was talking to the Commander since he was at the central command console. He gave a quick nod in return and began to set up a link to Earth.

  Lights on every console immediately dimmed and flickered becoming unresponsive to the Commander’s touch. Even Numanon’s bracers failed him as all of the command keys blurred into a haze of distorted blue light. The holo projection beside Kalian lost its cohesion as the image of Earth transformed into tiny cubes of holo energy before dying out completely. A moment later the speakers in the walls exploded with a screeching static.

  “Now what?!” The Commander slammed the palm of his hand on the console hoping to get any kind of reaction from it.

  “I believe we are being scanned,” Numanon’s guttural undertones sounded louder over the static noise. “The Valoran detected an intense neutrino burst before the interference. They appear to be jamming all forms of communication as well.”

  “No shit!” All four Novaarians tilted their heads at the Commander, unsure of the meaning behind his response.

  A second later the static disappeared and the consoles returned to normal. Numanon examined his bracers and began typing again. Commander Hawkins wasted no time going back to his own console.

  He made a slow journey around the centre piece of his command module. He took in the sight of the pilot resting back in the control chair. How long had she sat in that chair, how many countless millennia? Not that it could really be called a chair as she didn’t actually make contact with it. The anti gravity emitters kept her constantly afloat to prevent any sores. He was careful not to step on the plethora of tubules and wires that extended from the floor into almost every part of her naked body. He knew they were vital in keeping her alive as well as connected to every nanocelium that made up the ship. Through her he could re-model the ships interior and exterior depending on their needs. Though alive, her conscious mind was being exercised within a virtual reality, allowing her some freedom despite her apparent constraints.

  At last they had found what they had been looking for. Soon their journey would be at an end and so would her imprisonment. But first he had to deal with them. Thanks to the so called Novaarians, they had been able to locate these coordinates. Moving away from the pilot, the ship reacted to his needs as the floor produced several oval columns in front of him. Though appearing liquid they soon became solid, just above waist height, the nanocelium moulding the shape as it changed matter. Above each column holograms in copper and silver appeared like magic to hover in front of him with no visible emitters. Using a combination of hand movements and his neural link, he easily manipulated the images to see the desired information. There was no mistaking it- they had found them. A silver hologram took shape like water in vacuum and hung above the central column. It showed the image of an upright bipedal mammal in skeletal form, with a picture of the brain enlarged next to it and a karyogram of what was certainly primitive DNA. He felt the weight of an armoured hand grip his shoulder plate.

  “It’s them brother, we found them!” Only Elandar called him brother. They had been friends since they were children, though his memories of such a time were buried under the violence of his adult life. In seconds they had scanned the solar system and collated all the information they required. There was no mistaking it, these humans, as the hologram to his left told him, were the ones they had been searching for. He didn’t even like the name.

  Before giving his next command the column to his right began cycling through a pre-set alarm. Elandar motioned his hand across the column, activating the visual feedback. All the holograms across the entire breadth, changed to form one image of an orbital station between them and the planet. In the middle of the intersecting rings a coppery dot flashed at the top of the central sphere. Elandar enhanced the image, removing the station altogether. The copper hologram now represented one of these humans again in skeletal form. Elandar couldn’t keep the shock off his face. He kept his own composure though, despite the rage building inside him.

  “It’s not possible...” Elandar looked to him for answers, “...It’s too soon.”

  His rage bubbled to the surface as he backhanded the hologram ending it altogether. He should have expected this kind of tampering.

  “It doesn’t matter,” he turned to Elandar gripping both his shoulders. “It ends today, prepare the Eclipse, nothing will escape it.” Walking away, the command module anticipated his needs and produced a throne-like chair for him to sit on. He thought about the individual on the orbital station, “I think it’s time we let the beast off its leash, don’t you?” Elandar met his eyes and knew of his master’s desires. “We will have no use for it soon anyway; let it die with the rest of them.” It pleased him though to think of that particular individual aboard the station, whom the beast would slowly kill first.

  Let him suffer before I end his world.

  Elandar keyed in the commands to the pilot before another piece of information blinked to life on a new column. He squinted at the two words that appeared in holographic form above the pilot: They Are...

  Elandar shut the hologram down like he had all the others. He attributed it to a minor glitch that had most likely occurred during their time in Rem-stores. After all, the pilot had been on her own for thousands of years, allowing plenty of time for ghosts in the machine to crop up without his direct supervision. He left it to Elandar who had always taken the greatest care with her.

  “She’s downloaded everything,” Elandar paused, “They have another planet...” That didn’t surprise him much with their current level of technology. It was inevitable that they would spread across the stars, it was in their nature.

  “When we are finished here, set a course, I will see this war to its end.”

  “I don’t understand, where did this thing come from?” The Ambassador hadn’t prepared for this. “How could another alien ship just appear, don’t we have sensor nets for this exact reason? This isn’t making sense, we don’t know them, and you don’t know them!” His robe lashed out toward the Novaarians. “Forgive me but I was under the impression we were the ones who didn’t know anything!” Telarrek hadn’t taken his eyes off the ship.

  “From these readings,” said Numanon, “They appear to have scanned everything in your solar system in one short burst.” He sounded a little impressed at the technological feat.

  “Yes!” Commander Hawkins clenched his fist in triumph. “I’ve got a direct link to-” He stopped as a console on his left caught his eye. Kalian couldn’t see what he was looking at.

  “Commander?” Li’ara looked concerned.

  “Shit! They just launched something!” He paused as more information appeared on his screen. “Long range sensors put its trajectory-” He paused mid sentence with a confused expression. “It’s heading for the Sun.” He looked up meeting the eyes of everyone on the bridge, all as confused as he was.

  “What are the specs?” Li’ara was entering commands into the holo projector next to Kalian.

  “Unknown, but from these readings it’s the size of the Hyperion!” It all felt surreal to Kalian, he couldn’t imagine a ship big enough to release a projectile the same size as the UDC’s largest vessel. The holo projector transformed into an image of an oblong that slowly became more detailed as long range sensors fed back the telemetry. The majority of the object was a smooth sphere housed in between four structures that griped around
the back. These structures all converged into a long point at the front of the object.

  He turned to the Novaarians who were all huddled round Numanon’s bracer which had produced its own holographic image of the projectile. To Kalian’s eyes it looked to be a far more detailed image with various alien symbols floating around the different sections of the projectile. Numanon’s other bracer began to flash several large symbols across the metallic screen. Moments after that another light began to flash on the Commanders console taking his attention away from the Sun bound object.

  “Wait a minute, there’s something else,” he squinted at the image on the console trying to make sense of the data. “There’s been another launch, it’s tiny in comparison. Within ten feet in size but I can’t be sure, it’s giving off too much interference!”

  Li’ara was simultaneously checking her own console, “It’s heading for us!”

  “Our own sensors confirm the trajectory, it is moving at great speed,” Telarrek looked out in space beyond the view port while taking several steps back.

  “We need to evacuate!” The Ambassador had his hand pressed onto the glass.

  “There‘s no time, get away from the glass!” The Commander reached out his arm as if he could pull them to safety from ten metres away. Everything happened at once then; Li’ara grabbed Kalian with both hands and threw him, using her own body as the pushing force, away from the view port. He heard one of the Novaarians shout as they all jumped as one towards the Commander’s position. The Ambassador was stood frozen in place by fear and curiosity as the light of the Sun reflected off the dark object hurtling towards him.

  Kalian heard the sound of the impact before he hit the floor. It was only brief before the vacuum of space replaced the noise of twisting steel and shattered glass with the tornado of air escaping the bridge. He could feel the tug of the universe pulling Li’ara and himself into its cold embrace. It was hard to tell in all the chaos but at one point he was sure he couldn’t feel the floor beneath him. The chaos was suddenly replaced by pain as his head collided with the nearest console, dropping him into darkness.