Encounters 1: The Spiral Slayers

by Rusty Williamson

  The Loud explained what they had come up with and the participants were suitably impressed. It was a graviton bomb or grav-bomb. Although testing would be needed to be certain of the theories and precise yields, it was believed that base level yields would be in the 4000 to 6000 megaton range with upper end yields of 3000 to 4000 gigatons. An 8000 megaton yield would vaporize Aster’s largest moon, and maximum yields of 4000 gigatons would knock out widespread groups of comets pulled loose from the ice cloud. Development would begin immediately and initial testing might begin as early as next month. If the new grav-bombs were going to be placed near the ice cloud, they needed time to get them there and set them up.

  Someone suggested that a path might be cleared for the black hole to pass through, but this was shut down when it was pointed out that the ice in the ice cloud was constantly moving and rotating all at different speeds.

  Aster’s rings would still be a problem—it was estimated that twenty percent of the ring material was just big enough to potentially wipe out a good section of a city. An idea from the Loud that might deal with this: a dozen large graviton enhancement devices, similar to the Umbrella Ship gravity engines, would theoretically divert the rings, forcing them down and into the gas giant.

  ---

  Day Three…

  The third day opened and the spotlight turned to Evelyn and Brandon Eden and estimates on getting Hideaway up and running, implementing ship upgrades, and new ship production.

  After lunch, the Edens wrapped up with preliminary estimates for converting both the Anderson and Bentley shipyards for warship construction.

  ---

  The meeting broke up a little early because Radin and Burnwall had asked the seventeen people at the conference table to assemble in the command center’s large viewing room at 5:00 PM. The eighty-two observers and the various aids had also been instructed to assemble in various areas where they would also have a view. No one knew why, but figured that it was important. Once they were all assembled, Radin asked them to find a place where they could look out of the large view ports.

  At first, nothing happened, but then a Leviathan Battleship came into view and began traveling past the window, then another and another and another. Formations of L-fighters streaked past traveling between the large ships. After several minutes, all forty battleships were visible. They were in a formation that allowed all of them to be seen and they seemed to fill space itself. It was a monstrous show of force and it was powerful and very impressive. It was just the morale booster everyone needed at this stage.

  Radin had also requested Bugs’ presence and Adamarus, Leewood, Radin and Woodworth stood around the avatar, watching the overwhelming sight.

  Harrington came up and merged into the group. After a few minutes, she bent over, and speaking over Bug’s shoulder in a voice just loud enough for the group to hear, she said, “Bugs, tell me now what chance you think we have against the alien.”

  Bugs did nothing for several seconds, then he turned and said, “No chance. We have no chance at all against the alien.” The show of force had not changed its mind.

  Chapter Nineteen – Private Disclosure

  “Communicating with an alien ‘human’ species would probably be fairly easy, although you can never be sure. This is because mammal brains all work in the same basic way and at about the same basic speed, and nature’s blueprint for mammals is the same here on this planet as it is seventy-eight billion light years from here. However, communicating with an alien of a different species could be very tricky. The brains of other species work in different ways as well as different speeds. Obvious differences will come to light right away, but subtle differences may slip by unseen, or they may be caught and seemingly corrected while, in fact, they are not. Layers of falsehoods and misunderstanding can easily build unnoticed until sooner or later the layers collapse under their own weight.”

  Dr. Lorraine Harrington

  Lecture on The Dangers of Non-Human Alien Communications

  Source: The Archive

  After Radin’s “show of force” demonstration, everyone seemed to have more of a spring in their step. Adamarus, however, had returned to his room feeling spent. He did not turn on the lights…the dim light coming through the cabin’s view ports painted everything in a half light that fit his mood. He collapsed onto an overstuffed recliner, leaned back in the dark and closed his eyes. He was too tired to focus on anything in particular and he let his mind wander at random while he drifted into a state that was neither asleep, nor awake.

  Actually, things were going well, he mused.

  He kicked off his shoes.

  Considering…

  A laugh almost bubbled up to the surface.

  Considering…an alien ship powered by a black hole as big as a small solar system was coming directly at them at almost the speed of light, the same ship that had destroyed a civilization a thousand years more advanced and had done it in a single day. And now it was coming to pay them a visit.

  That pretty much summed up the number one problem on their list of problems.

  This time the laugh made it, escaping from Adamarus’ lips as a sharp bark, breaking the silence of his dark room.

  He forced his mind to go blank. The blackness behind his eye lids swirled and flowed…

  He remembered how Leewood had asked Bugs about the ”super bomb.” Bugs had answered “no” because of the way the question was phrased. No, that wasn’t right…it was because of the sentence uttered before the question. The Loud took any kind of time qualifier and extended it until another was in some way indicated. They would have to be very concise in the way they phrased their questions from here on out.

  Adamarus rubbed his eyes and wondered if anything else had been misunderstood and answered incorrectly in this way. Unconsciously his hands squeezed the chair’s arm rests as an uneasy feeling coursed through him.

  It had certainly taken the wind out of all of them when Harrington had asked Bugs if he still maintained that they had “no chance” against the alien. Once again it had answered, “You have no chance at all”…“No chance at all”…“No chance at all”…how could it be so certain? It knew nothing of the aliens. It had not seen the alien weapons used on the Loud’s home system. That the aliens had harnessed a black hole to power their ship was a huge point in favor of the Loud’s view, but it seemed to Adamarus that Bugs was basing it on more than just this.

  Adamarus immediately looked for some “qualifier” within Harrington’s question that might have skewed the Loud’s answer but could find nothing.

  He remembered that after he had corrected Bugs’ answer about the bomb, something had bothered him…almost panicked him. What had he been thinking? Again, he came back to Bugs’ “no chance at all”—how could Bugs be so sure? Bugs had said that the Loud knew nothing about the alien, so…

  Adamarus’ eyes opened wide and he bolted upright.

  What if, when they asked Bugs what the Loud knew about the alien, some “time qualifier” had been mentioned beforehand! That would be ridiculous, he thought. He settled back into the chair but couldn't relax. Well, it'd be easy enough to check. He moved to the computer console and drilled down into the Archive's data. After several minutes, he pulled up the transcript of that first meeting after the Loud ships had returned. After scanning it, he was a little surprised to find that there was only two places where they had asked that question, and he read them carefully.

  Leewood: “Bugs, what can you tell us about the attack on your solar system??”

  Bugs: “Not much, I’m afraid.”

  Adamarus let out the breath he hadn't realized he been holding but then shook his head. This question asked about the 'attack', not the aliens. He scanned further down and found what he wanted.

  Leewood: “So, you do not know who the aliens are, where they came from or why they attacked you?”

  Bugs: “No.”

  Adamarus quickly looked at the transcript above these entries for any kind of ti
me reference and saw it at once. Running everything Leewood had said together would read:

  Leewood: “So between the time the alien was first detected and the time the ship left to come here, your world learned nothing else about the alien? You do not know who the aliens are, where they came from, or why they attacked you?”

  Bugs: “No.”

  Adamarus felt his insides twist. He stared at the screen in incredulity.

  He reread the question and the answer and the time qualifier: “…between the time the alien was first detected and the time the fourth ship left to come here.” This was not good.

  Adamarus rubbed his eyes trying to throw off the fatigue. He scanned through the rest of the transcript as well as the transcript for the 2nd meeting praying he'd find something more solid. No, they had really only asked the Loud that one time: ”You do not know who the aliens are, where they came from, or why they attacked you?” And if you applied the previously mentioned time period to it, Bugs would not even know an alien approached!

  The room seemed to swirl around Adamarus. This is crazy, he thought. This can't be possible.

  He got up and left his cabin.

  ---

  He found Bugs’ in the main hanger discussing improvements to the maser cannons with Radin. He walked right up and inserted himself between the two, interrupting their conversation. “Bugs, do the Loud know more about the aliens or their ship or their motives or their actions than you've told us?”

  Bugs just stared at Adamarus for almost thirty seconds then replied, “We have answered every question you have asked us.”

  “Do you know more than you have told us?” Adamarus asked again more sternly.

  Again, Bugs paused for many seconds before replying. “What other questions do you have?”

  Adamarus exploded. “Damn it! That IS my question! Answer it! What the hell is wrong with you?” Adamarus hollered at Bugs. Half a dozen people scattered around the hanger heard this and turned towards them.

  Bugs looked around at them then said in a lowered voice, “This discussion should be continued in private.”

  Bugs, Adamarus and Radin left the hanger and found an empty conference room. They went inside and closed the door. Adamarus and Radin faced Bugs and waited.

  “We know more,” Bugs said without further pretense.

  Adamarus demanded, “Exactly what? Tell us.”

  “It is a substantial amount of information, Adamarus,” Bugs replied. “Around 800 years’ worth.”

  “What?” Adamarus asked incredulously.

  Radin was beside himself. He leaned in towards Bugs and yelled, “You told us that you knew nothing about the aliens! You…you lied to us? Why, Bugs? Why?”

  “We did not lie,” Bugs said. “We did what…”

  Radin lost it and screamed at the avatar, “You said you knew nothing, had no information! Now you say…you say…”

  Adamarus grabbed Radin’s arm and pulled him back, “Radin, listen to me. Listen to me! Strictly speaking, based on the way we phrased our question, Bugs told the truth. But…I do think this is total bullshit.” He turned to Bugs, “You knew that we needed all the information you had. Why did you withhold it from us?”

  Again, Bugs paused for many seconds before answering. “We did not believe that you could handle the truth.”

  A chill went up Adamarus’ back and now it was he who paused for many seconds. Then, “I will call an emergency meeting and you will tell us everything you know. Everything!”

  “Okay,” Bugs’ avatar actually seemed to slump a little, “but, I strongly advise you to keep this meeting very small—no more than absolutely necessary. Once you’ve heard what we know, then you can decide how many people should hear the truth.”

  Adamarus stared at the Loud as a sick feeling spread through him.

  ---

  Adamarus and Radin were pretty sure where Leewood could be found and decided to go up one deck and check there before trying to raise him on the com unit. They found him just where they thought they would – in the One4U. He was sitting at the bar having a drink with Harrington and Evelyn. They walked up behind the group and Leewood sensed them and turned. His eyes crinkled in a smile, “Gentlemen! Have a seat,” he turned and raised his hand to get the bartender’s attention.

  Adamarus reached up and caught his arm stopping him. He leaned in and spoke in a low voice, “We need to talk.”

  Leewood started to protest, but saw something in Adamarus’ eyes—his smile faded a notch, “Okay.” He took another sip of his drink then got up, “Ladies…if you’ll excuse me, duty calls…I guess.”

  ---

  In Adamarus’ cabin, he had just finished telling Leewood all that had transpired. Leewood was still for many seconds, using all his will power to contain the fury raging inside him. Leewood had never trusted the Loud and regardless of how he had phrased the questions he had asked, Bugs damn well knew that they had needed all the information available on the alien. Moreover, in all the time since their initial conversation on the alien…all their meetings on the subject…all the questions they’d pondered…how could Bugs sit there quietly offering nothing? Finally, “Bugs said it wasn’t sure we could handle the truth, huh?” He looked over at Adamarus then Radin. “That’s exactly what Bugs said?”

  Radin nodded, “That’s exactly what the tin man said.”

  “And when you asked it what it knew…what did it say?”

  Adamarus looked away, “It said it was a substantial amount. It said, ‘800 years’ worth.’”

  “That’s pretty damn scary,” Leewood said. He rubbed his temples, “And it said to keep this meeting to a minimum, and after we’d heard what it knew, we could decide who should know?”

  “Yes,” Adamarus said, “I got the impression that it was a bombshell.”

  Radin nodded, “Yeah.”

  Leewood’s initial fury and outrage had turned to resignation…then to dread. “I guess we need to call the boss.” Leewood grabbed his com unit and issued a short message to President Wicker. It simply said, ‘Urgent. Contact soonest,” and he marked the security level as Red Raven and sent it.

  Adamarus had moved to the window. He crossed his arms as he looked out at the spectacle of Cinder’s horizon. “Bugs has maintained all along that we have ‘no chance’ against this alien. I guess we’re about to find out why.”

  “Who should attend this meeting?” Leewood asked. “We should have recommendations ready for Wicker. We have no idea what we’re going to hear so…as Bugs said, an absolute minimum for now.”

  Adamarus left the window and sat down next to Radin. “But at the same time, we need the right people there to analyze and evaluate this new information, ask the right questions and make decisions.”

  Leewood rubbed the weariness from his eyes, “Well…the three of us to start with – we’re already cursed…” both Adamarus and Radin barked a laugh and muttered agreement, “and of course President Wicker.”

  Adamarus nodded, “I guess we’ll need minimum coverage for all affected areas…whatever they turn out to be. We have military and political covered, so that leaves science and technology…oh, and definitely a communications expert, the interspecies type.”

  Leewood said, “Harrington then.”

  Adamarus pinched the bridge of his nose. “Yes, Harrington, and for the sciences and technology…Van Loader, I guess?” Adamarus said this reluctantly. Dr. Gerald Van Loader was considered Amular’s reigning genus, however, the man was the most arrogant, condescending person Adamarus had ever met.

  Leewood frowned, “Yeah, I guess that’s a given…but let’s have Donnelly as well.”

  Adamarus nodded agreement, “Good idea.” Donnelly could serve as a buffer between Van Loader and everyone else. Also, Donnelly could serve as a translator –Van Loader loved to talk above a person’s head.

  Radin, who’d been silent, asked, “What about Woodworth?”

  Adamarus and Leewood thought about this for a moment, then Leewood s
aid, “I can’t see any reason to have Woodworth there…not initially anyway.”

  “No,” it was Adamarus, “I say we stick to our initial list.”

  “Sounds good to me,” Leewood said. They both looked at Radin who nodded agreement.

  Adamarus shook his head wearily, “We have a full day planned for tomorrow, don’t we?” he said giving Leewood a significant look.

  Leewood thought for a second then said, “Tomorrow’s meeting agenda includes discussing our strategy for using the mines, and then we planned to move on to the main defensive options and backup contingencies.” Leewood noticed the way Adamarus was looking at him, “Ah shit, perhaps all a waste of time, huh, depending on what Bugs has to tell us.”

  “Exactly,” Adamarus said.

  At this point, Leewood’s com unit buzzed. It was Wicker. Leewood briefed him on what had transpired and a meeting was set for 6:00 the next morning. The President agreed that some excuse was needed to postpone tomorrow’s meeting. Leewood said they’d take care of it and signed off.

  “Well, hell,” Leewood slapped his hands on his knees, “How can we postpone tomorrow’s meeting at this late hour. Damn it!” He stifled a yawn, “We need to keep this whole thing under wraps…so what damn reason could we possibly give for postponing?”

  They thought about this for a while, then a smile slowly spread across Adamarus’ face, “Damn, I just might know how to do it.” He pulled out his com unit as Leewood and Radin leaned forward with curiosity. Adamarus winked at them, “Just need to have a word with a couple of new friends… Hello? Please connect me to Master Sergeants Flannery and/or MacAfee.” He got up and walked over to the window again as he waited for the connection to be made. Mac picked up and Adamarus spoke quietly to him for several minutes. When he was done, he disconnected, then turned and said, “Alright, tomorrow’s meeting is taken care of…in the morning and all day if we need it.”