The two full admirals stood a moment, facing each other in front of the expansive window.
Camus’ cool, gray eyes glistened. “Fill me in.”
Delmar offered his colleague the seat across from his desk. “Last year, our remote star watchers observed F and G class stars suitable for the evolution of life in Mel 111.”
“Of course, the open cluster of Coma Berenices. I read the reports.” Camus gently tapped his swagger stick on the side of his trousers, and kept the slow beat going, no doubt because he know it irritated Delmar.
Delmar pulled up an e-doc on his projector. “Several months ago, I sent one of our long range corvettes, the Demos, to explore that region. Early this morning we received this ECCO message.”
Camus lifted his eyes to view to the projected document.
PRIORITY - ECCO CENTRAL - PRIORITY
FROM: DEMOS.
TO: COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF, PANHELION EXPLORATION COMMAND.
SUBJECT: ELECTRO-MAGNETIC SIGNALS.
~~~
E-M SIGNALS FROM SAPIENT ALIEN LIFE FORM. ORIGIN IS A STAR SYTEM CB2 IN MEL111. NOW ALTERING COURSE TO INVESTIGATE SAME. CAPTAIN EMILY SAVILLE REPORTING.
He let out a soft whistle and glanced back to Delmar. “That is news, but it’s not a complete surprise. For months now, New SETI’s statistics have suggested an encounter with sapient aliens is overdue.” Camus wrinkled his forehead and continued. “This message is two days old. Did they find anything?”
Before Delmar could answer, the pleasant feminine voice of the e-secretary captured the attention of both men. “Commander Eisler is outside. He says he has an urgent message.”
Delmar tapped the portal open icon on his desk. “Come in Eisler. Admiral Camus and I were just discussing the Demos message. What have you got?”
Eisler acknowledged Camus. “Good afternoon, Admiral.” With a swing of his arm, he held out a doc-projector and handed it to his admiral. “A second message from Demos.”
Delmar snatched the projector and returned to his chair while Eisler stood at ease. “Dear God,” he said, almost breathless in surprise.
“Now what?” Camus shifted his view from the window to the projection.
“A flash message.” Delmar blinked hard as he read the projected the text.
FLASH - ECCO CENTRAL - FLASH
FROM: DEMOS.
TO: COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF, PANHELION EXPLORATION COMMAND.
SUBJECT: ATTACK BY UNKNOWN ENEMY USING DIRECTED ENERGY WEAPON.
~~~
BEAM SOURCE LOCTAED IN STAR SYSTEM PREVIOUSLY REPORTED IN MEL111. OUTER HULL BREACHED. INNER HULL INTACT. NOW ON EVASION COURSE. WILL AFFECT REPAIRS AS SOON AS SAFE TO DO SO. CAPTAIN EMILY SAVILLE REPORTING.
Camus sprang up from his chair. “Enemy contact! And taking fire from directed energy weapons? Damn, they’ve really knocked over a nest of some sort. You’d better order them to back away until we can assist with something heavier than a damn corvette, Jestin.”
“Exactly my thoughts, Andre. What can you send to help Demos?”
Camus rubbed his chin for a moment and meekly answered, “Not much. Most of our fleet is on a routine defensive exercise and patrolling on the wrong edge of the Oort Cloud. The remainder is in port for scheduled maintenance. The cruiser Vesper is nearest the best departure point, but even at flank speed she’s five to six months away from Mel 111.”
“Vesper?” A shocked Delmar gazed at his guest with an incredulous stare. “She’s lightly gunned and hardly ready to take on our first hostile alien contact!”
“I know, but she’ll have to do. I’ll have her divert immediately to the Coma Cluster in support of Demos.”
“Sir.” Eisler eased his stance. “Is there a reply to Demos?”
“Tell them, priority immediate, to loiter at a safe distance until Vesper arrives. I don’t want her to engage under any circumstances. Also, ask Saville if she can determine the exact location of the threat.”
Camus glanced at the floor. “This had to happen someday. At least we have the tactical jump on the aliens if they’re still bound by their technology to sublight speed. Did any of Saville’s reports say whether or not the hostiles have warp drive?”
Delmar eyes darted from Camus back to Eisler. “God, let’s hope they don’t. Eisler, ask Saville about that, and when Vesper arrives I don’t want these... whoever they are listening in on our message traffic. Order Demos not to attempt communication with Vesper by E-M when she arrives.”
Eisler cleared his throat. “If Demos runs radio silent, Vesper won’t be able to communicate directly with her.”
Delmar put his clasped hands on his desk and eyed Eisler. “Precisely, and the aliens can’t intercept her signals. Tell her ECCO central will act as relay with Vesper. That’ll keep both ships under cover, and we’ll be fully informed.”
He returned his gaze to Camus. “Andre, Vesper’s not your most powerful ship. You should also send Aurora with her greater firepower.”
Camus’ face turned red and in a barely audible voice, he said, “Aurora is too far away. She’s in the Hyades cluster.”
“What? The Hyades Cluster?” Delmar sat up in his chair. “What the devil is she doing there?”
“We sent Aurora to Niobe to support Pegasus as a show of force to help Drumond with his negotiations.”
Delmar bolted from his chair. “You kept me and the Senate in the dark about this?” He dashed around his desk and stopped eye-to-eye with Camus. Shaking his finger, he shouted, “You are interfering with the Panhelion diplomatic corps. I intend to put this in the strongest possible terms to the President of the Panhelion Senate.” Delmar’s nostrils flared, and his breathing deepened. “This time, Andre, you’ve gone too far.”
“Sit down and calm yourself, Jestin. There’s no need to go nuclear. Aurora is only a back-up.” Camus’ ears flushed as he diverted the discussion. “Right now we need answers from Saville.”
Delmar wasn’t about to let the discussion be sidetracked. “And now Aurora may be needed in the Coma Berenices Cluster.” His rage boiled just below the surface. “Your ill-considered decision places the advantage with the aliens.”
Camus looked away with a sheepish expression.
Delmar reached flash point as the heat of anger rose to his face. “Andre, you’ve made a mistake of monstrous proportions. This will torpedo our relations with the Niobians and may well have jeopardized the Panhelion.”
“It’s time to put our cards on the table,” Camus growled. “For some time now, I’ve known you had a sub rosa motive for sending Pegasus to the Hyades Cluster. You didn’t do it for any scientific reasons. Your phony explanation about exploring the anomaly was an excuse. I had my staff research the records after you mentioned the Themis. You sent Pegasus to find a weapon—a weapon named Prometheus.”
Delmar grimaced and sighed. “True, but I wasn’t certain Prometheus existed, and since we’re hanging out the dirty laundry, your hands aren’t clean in this matter either. I know you planted a spy on board Pegasus. The Senate won’t look kindly on such mendacity.”
Arms crossed, Camus’ face broke out in a sarcastic smile. “When belligerent, CB2 aliens come calling, the Senate will look favorably on whoever can defend the Panhelion, and I intend that it be me and my command. When I defeat these hostiles, the Senate will shower me with power that even Caesar would envy.”
“Spare me the histrionics, Andre. You mean if you defeat them.” Delmar returned Camus’ stern glare. “You may well need Prometheus to do it, and Drumond is the one who can deliver it.”
“If the Niobians have Prometheus, I’ll use the power of Aurora to take it from them. I won’t need Drumond,” Camus snorted. “Then my ships will use it to defeat the CB2 aliens.”
Delmar blanched. “You would turn the Niobians, the very people who have Prometheus, against us? That’s not an imaginative strategy. Besides, if the Niobians have a weapon with that power, they may use it against you.” Delmar crossed his arms and smiled at his rival.
Delmar replied with a scowl. “I remind you that the Panhelion Senate appointed Scott Drumond as our ambassador to Niobe. He has established excellent relations with them. Let that play out, and you’ll have Prometheus without bloodshed.”
“Drumond, that feckless baggage?” Camus sneered. “If the fate of humanity depends on him we’re doomed. He can’t deliver Prometheus in a week or even in a year.” He placed his swagger stick in his palm and twirled it with the thumb and forefinger of his other hand. “I can’t wait for diplomacy to grind the grist of political niceties into concrete action. Now that your scout has engaged hostile alien life, there’s no time. We have to get Prometheus aboard Aurora and have her join Vesper in Mel 111.”
Camus swallowed hard and rattled on. “If these belligerents haven’t yet discovered how to travel in warp-space, we must defeat them before they find out how to leave their home star system. Once they make that leap, they might well be at our doorstep within the year.” He slapped this swagger stick on the tabletop. “We must annihilate them in their home system, on their own planet, and if I have to destroy Niobe to get the weapon that will defeat them, I’ll do it. The Panhelion and the human race come first.”
“I think I know how your priorities stack up, Andre. And if I’m right, heaven help us.”
Niobe
~~~
From the darkness of space, the great warship Aurora slipped undetected into orbit high over the Niobian night sky, offering only a faint, reflected glint to those on the planet’s surface. Her orbital path avoided the smaller, unmanned Pegasus making her own rounds over the blue-green planet.
Perched on the refectory terrace, a jasmine covered pergola sheltered Scott and Ariela from the morning sun. They sat together on a cushioned glider mischievously teasing each other. She coaxed an occasional grape into his mouth, while he teased her by inserting tiny flowers into her hair, flowers she brushed away with feigned indignation, provoking his subdued laughter.
Their tête–à–tête came to an abrupt end when a voice called out to Scott.
A moment later, flushed and breathless, Klaas rushed up to them. The large Dutchman arrowed toward Scott as if chased by Lucifer himself. “I’ve been searching everywhere for you, Skipper. The Aurora is in Niobian orbit.”
Scott went slack-jawed for a moment as he formed a mental image of the powerful starship gliding unseen above them. “Say that again.”
Klaas took a deep recovering breath. “It’s true. They signaled us ten minutes ago on the guard channel.”
“How did they find their way through? I mean we only found the entrance by skill and incredible luck.” Scott arched his brows in shock and sank into a depressing silence.
“What’s the Aurora?” Ariela asked.
“It’s a warship, the most powerful in the Panhelion fleet.” Scott stared into the distant sky. How did Aurora find the entry to the time gradient? In a flash of insight, the answer came to him. It was all too clear: Marie had sent the coordinates to Defense Command. Not clear to him was was how she managed to get the information to Admiral Camus without alerting Admiral Delmar. If she had sent the information to Entangled Operations, they would have sent it to Delmar, and he’d have alerted Scott.
He rose, took Ariela’s arm, and lifted her from the glider.
She hurriedly gathered the remains of their meal. “Why would a warship come here?”
“Only one reason,” Scott said. “Admiral Camus wants Prometheus, and he sent Aurora to get it.”
The color drained from her face. “We must let Proconsul know right away.” Her tight grip on his arm betrayed her need for the comfort of his closeness.
“I agree.” Scott forced his words through the dryness in his mouth. “And after we give Proconsul the news, I must let Admiral Delmar know.”
Klaas’ eyes moved back and forth as he first viewed Scott then Ariela. His glance settled on Scott. “Aurora’s captain requests you bring Pegasus alongside his ship without delay.”
“Our diplomacy takes first priority.” Scott’s hurried words underscored the urgency. “Proconsul must hear the news from me.”
When they reached Wimund’s office, Ariela stepped up to the portal and flicked her hand over the sensor. The portal opened, and she entered with Scott a half step behind.
The sound of their entry startled Proconsul, who stood next to his desk in conversation with a thane dressed in a light blue chiton. In a hushed voice, Wimund ended the conversation, and the thane made a polite bow and discretely slipped out through a side portal.
Wimund extended his arm toward a pair of chairs, inviting them to sit. “Ambassador Drumond, a pleasure to see you, and you, Ariela. Now, how should I interpret your sudden appearance?” He stepped behind his desk.
“Scott has news for you—news that’s better discussed in private. Please excuse me.” Ariela left through the side portal.
In deference, Scott waited for the proconsul to sit before he eased himself into one of the chairs. “I apologize, and thank you for indulging my impertinence, but some disturbing news reached me. I’m sorry to say it may complicate our diplomatic relations.”
Wimund leaned back in his chair and placed his hands with interlaced fingers on the desk. “Ambassador Drumond, we’ve always had open and honest discussions. What is this disturbing news?”
“I can’t say exactly why, but....” Scott swallowed hard and spoke in a low voice. “The Panhelion has sent a warship, the Aurora. She orbits Niobe as we speak. Her captain has requested I join him immediately. As soon as you and I finish, I’ll return to Pegasus and then dock with his ship.”
“Their most powerful warship, you say?” A sardonic smile formed on Proconsul’s lips. “Earth must consider us very dangerous indeed to accord us this honor.”
Scott frowned at Proconsul’s response. “How is it that you didn’t know?”
Proconsul shook his head. “Our peaceful nature and the gradient. It never occurred to us to actively search for outsiders. The recorded message you heard when you arrived was placed there in case anyone from Earth did find the opening.”
“It’s possible Aurora brought the inspection team we spoke of earlier.” Scott didn’t believe his own lame explanation, but he hoped it would put an agreeable slant on the discussion. “Or this may be nothing more than a courtesy visit.”
Proconsul’s jawline tightened. “I’d like to think that’s true, but I have a responsibility to Niobe. Until I know why this warship from Earth is here, I must be cautious. You would do the same in my position, would you not?”
Scott swallowed hard again. “In all truthfulness, I would, but I also advise calm. There’s no need for hasty action. Once I reach the Aurora, I’ll know more about her mission. If you wish, I could carry your message to her captain.”
“Of course. I’ll draft it immediately.”
“I’ll take Lieutenant Zirkel with me, to be confined in Aurora’s brig. There’ll naturally be an inquiry into the murder of Lieutenant Vogelein.”
Proconsul cast a wary eye in Scott’s direction. “Last week I met with our Council of Thanes. We considered your various proposals for our relations with the Panhelion. The appearance of a Panhelion warship makes most of our conclusions moot.” With his forearms resting on the desk, Wimund leaned forward and centered his strong gaze on Scott. “Ambassador, please use whatever influence you have with the captain of the Aurora to ensure him of our peaceful intent. All this will be in my dispatch. And please, if you can, above all try dissuade the captain of the Aurora from military action. It’s vital that he heed our warning.”
“Aurora’s captain may take a warning as a threat.”
“Ambassador, there is no duplicity in the desire of the Niobians for peace. Our ancestors left Earth to find a place where they could create a new society,
where our people would be left alone to live in a society free from the dominance of one by another. They believed that the time gradient would protect us from outside forces, but in case that proved false, they also gave us the knowledge to protect ourselves.”
Scott’s visage grew somber. “Proconsul, if ever events demanded an honest discussion, now is the time. I believe you’re speaking of Prometheus. I don’t know the exact details, but I do know it has to do with a spherical arrangement of carbon atoms known as fullerenes. You’ve withheld far too much from me, but now, for all our sakes, I suggest you drop the facade and give me the whole truth.”
Wimund took a deep breath. “Yes, it’s time you knew about Prometheus, and you are correct. It makes use of what were called in ancient times fullerenes. At the beginning of the nuclear war, our ancestors left Earth with an antimatter discovery, one based on secret research for the military of the United Sovereigns. The project name was Prometheus.”
Scott nodded his familiarity with the word. “I know the legend. Prometheus stole fire from the gods and gave it to mankind. His punishment was eternal torment. The legend is considered a metaphor for the human quest for scientific knowledge and the risk of its misuse.”
“Quite right. Our ancestors considered their discovery so fearful that they took it far from Earth to prevent it from ever being used in war. When they discovered the opening in the otherwise impenetrable time gradient, they believed they had found a shroud, a shield, powerful enough to protect them from the outside universe.” Proconsul paused and solemnly made his way to the window. He gazed out at the conifer forests of Niobe. “Prometheus involves spherical structures of carbon atoms, fullerenes as you call them. It confines antimatter inside spheres of the carbon atoms.”
Scott’s eyes grew wide. “It makes sense. You charge the carbon structure electrically in a way that suspends the antimatter inside the carbon sphere. When the sphere loses its charge, the antimatter reacts with the matter, and both are annihilated in an enormous release of energy.” He let out a low whistle.
Shroud of Eden (Panhelion Chronicles Book 1) Page 20