CONTACT AND CONFLICT. ALIENS & HUMANS.: Book One in the Space Fleet Sagas

by Don Foxe

  “Mischene?” Cooper asked.

  “The Aster system is eight jumps from Fell. Like you, they have a yellow giant star. Six total planets in their solar system, with three sustaining life, and five inhabited moons. It is the richest system by far, with boundless agriculture, livestock, wild animals, incredible forests, oceans, fresh water, and more minerals, and rare minerals of any solar system in the trade alliance. They even have an inhabited moon with gas mines. They extract a special gas capable of data transmission. Gas-based conduits are 1000 times more efficient than any solid-based system. They have virtually no degradation of signals.

  “Aster Farum 1, 2 and 3 are the inhabited planets. They have been trading and bartering for over 5,000 years. The Mischene are but one of several races who inhabit the planets. They are predominate on Aster Farum 3 and handle the security and protection for the solar system. They have used their trades to build an enormous fleet of ships, including these. Their ships are capable, and, Coop, uncommonly fast.”

  “How fast?”

  “They could have already overtaken The Star Gazer,” Sky said, turning to face him. “These ships have multiple sub-light engines. When combined they can achieve .0035 sl. The only reason I can see for them to remain there is to provide protection for the larger, slower ship.”

  Before Coop could think of a question, she pointed at the monitor and said, “There! They keep changing speed, moving ahead, and then falling back to the larger ship.”

  “How positive are you of their origin?”

  “Fellen software and communications systems are on board those ships. The best we have, or had. The Mischene demand constant upgrades. Considering the last time Fell was contracted by the Mischene, no more than three years ago. The wedge design is not unique, but I’m sure these are from the Aster system.”

  “Do you think Mischene are operating them, or have they been co-opted by the Zenge?” he asked.

  “My opinion . . . Zenge. All the races of Aster Farum are intense, goal-driven, and tough, but they are not belligerent. If the Zenge have taken any, or all of the Aster system, they have a lot more available to them than battle ships. They have the resources to carry a war to the entire known galaxy. They must have attacked the Aster system before Osperantue, or soon after Fell. That’s probably why we weren’t aware.”

  Sky exhaled, not realizing she was holding her breath. “Coop, no fewer than twelve wormhole channels gate in and out of their system. With three planets, and five moons, every day there is activity somewhere within the Aster star system.”

  “The Aster System is the most strategically valuable location in the galaxy. The big ship?” Coop asked.

  “First, the two stragglers,” Sky said, rotating a dial, and the video panned along the largest ship in the group and beyond to focus on two boxy space ships. “These are both Parrian cargo ships. Parria is a two-planet system four jumps from Fell. They have little of value to trade, but they are a hard-working, strong, and honest species. They do a lot of supply hauling for other systems. They act as the primary mover of goods, or they may convoy with a trader’s ships. These two ships would have supplies, from food to technical, and mechanical goods to support the other ships. They can also carry live cargo.”

  “The Zenge could have them along as resupply ships, or to transport captives from The Star Gazer if the ship is too damaged to fly?”

  “Yes, but, Coop,” Sky hesitated, biting her lower lip in thought.

  “What, Sky?”

  “The Zenge eat meat. They eat the people they capture. Those ships could also carry captured men, women and children for the Zenge to dine on.” Sky shuddered. Coop realized by people, she meant Fellen might also be aboard those ships, and destined for slaughter.

  “Armaments?”

  “None apparent. They captured them as cargo and resupply ships, and decided to use them the same way.”

  “Crew?”

  “I would think all Zenge, but without active scanning, no way to tell how many lifeforms, walking around, or huddled in cages. I’ve identified them as CH1 and CH2 on the icons.”

  “The Mischene ships?”

  “Battlecruisers. Designed to patrol, and protect their solar system, but also accompany traders if they are carrying expensive goods, or trying to open a newly discovered region, or one not completely known.

  “The shovel head front of the ship carries torpedoes. It can also fire projectiles. Projectiles can have simple weight, or carry explosives.”

  She was giving a rundown, and anticipating Cooper’s questions. Not simply size and shape, but functional probabilities. Sky was a born tactician.

  “It is connected to the main hull by a tube, most likely systems, and operational sections. The entire ship is 3,500 feet long. The main section is 2,000 feet. The forward armament section and tunnel are 750 feet. The stern is also 750 feet and holds power plants, engineering, and vents for the sub-light engines. While they have wormhole capability, these ships were built for speed within a solar system.

  “Main bridge command is 500 feet aft of the forward tunnel, and sits fifty-feet above the main hull, and has a length of 100 feet. The ship is 1,000 feet tall, not counting the bridge, and 300 feet wide at the shovel head, and 500 feet wide at the main section’s widest point.

  “Besides four torpedo tubes on the shovel head, I count 12 laser cannons, sides, top, and bottom, so six more I cannot see are on the far side. I see one pulse cannon on top. A twin will be positioned on the far side.

  “Coop, the Mischene battlecruisers have hangars, and extensive bays capable of carrying other ships. They could have shuttles, or armed fighters inside.”

  Cooper did not worry about what they might carry inside. Outside was scary enough.

  “The largest ship?”

  “Half the size of the Osperantue cruise ship, and not as spherical. 1.25 miles long and 1.25 miles at the largest circumference. It’s tall and wide, then tapers down to one-half mile circumferences at both ends. An oblong design, with the bottom sheared off, and flat. There is a square bunker on the top. Maybe a bridge, or a communications tower, or both.”

  Coop imagined the ship to resemble a football, or an old world blimp.

  “I’ve counted fourteen laser cannons and three torpedo tubes, but we can only see this side, and the bottom of the ship.”

  “You mentioned torpedoes when you were talking about the Mischene ships. What kind of armament?” Coop asked.

  “Torpedoes, missiles, projectiles of any type can launch through those tubes. There are many configurations. Nuclear, thermal, kinetic, concussive, and I can keep going on. Until we either go active on scans, or they fire something, we can’t know.”

  “Engines, power?” he asked.

  “They’re big enough to have enormous engines, or multiple systems. Their speed, and the Mischene ships maintaining a pace slow enough to remain in contact, indicate they haven’t done anything to enhance power, or they are not in a hurry. I imagine they are more concerned with wormhole travel, and weapons. There is probably a massive invasion force aboard. A ship that size, even taking away space for engineering, hangars, and storage, could carry as many as 60,000 fighters.”

  “We have time left before we start for the Star Gazer. Save as much video as possible on the two Mischene warships, and the big Zenge ship. Designate it mothership. Let’s hope they don’t grow impatient, and send the battlecruisers ahead to attack. If they speed up significantly, we’ll bug out early.”

  Chapter 28

  Six-hours twenty-three minutes after the last communication with the Star Gazer, Angel 7 popped out of space-fold in front of the open hangar doors of the cruise ship. Less than 1,000-feet separated the two ships, and Angel 7 was soon gobbled up by the larger ship.

  “Coop? Sky?” Storm’s questioning voice came over their private channel via the translator rings.

  “Hello, Storm,” Cooper said. “We’re here and safe.”

  “I want you to know,” Storm told them
in an official tone, “I have been professional, and have covered my station, and held my breath. But if you ever go on another mission, and think you can leave me behind, forget it! Storm, out.”

  Over the official coms channel, Cooper said, “Angel 7 to Star Gazer, do you copy?”

  “Copy, Angel 7,” Storm replied.

  “Please ask Captain Poonch to meet us in the Command Briefing Room in thirty minutes. Sky is sending you the upload of scans and video now. We’re on the way, as soon as the bay is pressurized.”

  “Affirmative,” Storm replied.

  “Compliments to Commander Cornitsch for his timing and preparations,”

  Cooper added.

  “Thank you,” Cornitsch responded, listening to the official radio signals. “Nice flying, Captain.”

  “Angel 7, out.”

  The remainder of the day was spent reviewing the information they had gathered. Fresh eyes on the scanned information, and videos provided nothing not initially noted by Coop and Sky.

  Dinner and another round of reviews did not alter anything. At midnight GMT, Cooper joined Sky and Storm in their cabin.

  The updated speed and direction for the Zenge initial Primary ships to reach the Star Gazer was three-days two-hours. (Seventy-four hours) That information, along with the survey of the Zenge ships was forwarded to MSD and EMS2.

  Chapter 29

  Day five for Coop aboard The Star Gazer began with a cold shower and a cold breakfast, and sixty-seven hours to go. To fill time, he made an unannounced trip to the command bridge.

  His unexpected arrival on the bridge created a stir. The Bosine in the command chair nearly jumped out of his skin, but did jump out of the chair when he realized it was Captain Cooper walking into the room.

  “Captain Cooper,” he stammered. “Captain Poonch is not on the bridge. If you wait a moment I will page him.”

  “Please don’t,” Coop said. He took a relaxed stance, hands, and shoulders at ease. He waited while his body language calmed the young officer. “I wanted to speak with the bridge crew, sailor to sailor. I thought I might learn more about the Zenge from those who witnessed the attack on Osperantue. Is this okay with you?”

  “Of course, Captain. You are welcome on the bridge. I will order the crew to answer your questions.”

  “I apologize. But I don’t know your name.”

  “Assistant Captain Sonoritsch, at your command,” and he came to attention. The title translated as Assistant Captain, but Coop interpreted the interpretation as closer to Lieutenant.

  Once again the human was struck by the similarities between species and civilizations which evolved worlds away from each other. Military, merchant marine, or private shipping, sailors held authority with respect.

  “Assistant Captain Sonoritsch, I am basically another tourist aboard your cruise ship. You do not need to treat me with undue respect. I have questions, but no one has to answer any of them. For instant, did you observe any of the Zenge attack on Osperantue?” Coop began his low-key inquiry.

  There were three other line officers on the bridge with Sonoritsch, two male, and one female. Over the course of the next two hours he learned little more about Zenge weapons or tactics, but he learned more about the Bosine and Osperantue.

  Talking with the female officer, he voiced his dismay over not meeting representatives from the other races who lived on Osperantue. From her he learned the races respected each other. The Fray were actually a separate species. She told him the Osperantue races tended to specialize in certain aspects of life, such as the Posine being predominantly agriculturalist. She quickly pointed out no one felt locked into a cultural stereotype. Any citizen could follow any path they felt drawn to. She promised to introduce him to members of each group.

  As a much younger man, Cooper fit easily into a variety of groups. His laid-back personality, good looks, lack of ego, and open curiosity made him welcome, even among strangers. His father taught him the art of patience as a young boy. Listen, do not talk. Ask questions when you do talk, and take a genuine interest in the answers. People like people who let them talk about themselves. Cooper had not grown up a loner. That had been his choice.

  The army, and the loss of friends and fellows during war contributed to his sullen manner. The Space Ranger Project, the number of people he met, and lost there, followed by the break with Elie, were instrumental to his change in personality. The persistent loss of people he knew, the holes created not filled, resulted in the solitary man Adm. Patterson described on the EMS2 dock days before.

  Now, on this alien ship, on this bridge, similar to his on the PT-109, among fellow sailors, he found his humanity rekindling. He was not upset the bridge crew could not significantly add to his knowledge of the Zenge. He was more enticed by what he learned about the crew’s actions during the attack.

  The Star Gazer had been on the planet, moored at the ship’s home dock. This was where the customers came aboard, excited to start an adventure, and departed, excited to share their experiences. The ship was being refitted, and taking on supplies when the Zenge attacked.

  The government on Osperantue already knew about the Zenge, and their rampage through the galaxy. When the Zenge exited the wormhole, the Osperantue officials knew they had no chance of stopping the marauders. Captain Poonch, and the skeleton crew aboard, opened the ship to anyone, and everyone who could reach them from the nearby towns and farms.

  Star Gazer’s main sphere had 800 decks. The ship had 80,000 cabins for vacationers, the crew being quartered on the command sphere. Interspersed throughout the main sphere were dinning rooms, kitchens, theaters, dance halls, and play areas for children, and adults. The ship had libraries and art galleries. Designed to take aboard 160,000 paying guests, and a crew of 4,400 to operate the ship, and serve the vacationers. Between the crew aboard during refit, and those who were able to return, they now had a compliment of 2,011. 242,609 people, 38,317 of them children, were able to crowd aboard the docked vessel. Even 3,018 animals were taken on before Captain Poonch had to close the doors, and take the giant ship into space.

  Planet-wide evacuations occurred, as government, and private space ships took aboard as many bodies as possible, and then attempted escape before the Zenge invaded.

  The Osperantue space patrol acted similarly to Earth’s Coast Guards. They served, and they assisted ships in trouble, but they had limited firepower. Fallenitsch, the female bridge crew member watching the coms console, had tears in her eyes when she talked about how the patrol ships threw themselves in the path of the Zenge, giving ships on the planet time to reach space, and get to a wormhole gate.

  Pansoitsch and Pictor, the males, had been on the bridge during the escape. They described the Zenge attacking patrol ships and civilian ships. Most had limited forcefield protection, and many had none.

  Cooper learned more about the Osperantue. The crew talked about their home prior to the invasion. He learned the majority of people on Osperantue have only a single name. The -itsch on the end indicated they were Bosine from the northern hemisphere. The Osperantue, both species, were family oriented, with multiple generations living under one roof in the town, or village, or farm their families lived in, or on for thousands of years. They loved to travel, but they also loved returning home.

  The Osperantue were driven to succeed, hated the concept of retirement, enjoyed the arts, and loved to try unique foods, and experience exotic cultures.

  Once they accepted Cooper’s curiosity as sincere, the four bridge crew members relaxed, and accepted him into their group. The five of them were seated on the command platform like kids around a campfire, sharing stories. It was not the proper way for the crew currently in care of the entire ship to act, but the couple of minutes of camaraderie raised everyone’s spirit.

  Cooper was aboard an alien ship with five unique races representing two faraway worlds. Thus far he had been lucky enough to spend quality time with only a few, but in only a couple of days, aboard a refugee ship of ali
ens, Coop recovered most of the hope for humanity he lost on a planet with four billion humans.

  Chapter 30

  (Aboard SF PT-109 to Mars)

  SF PT-109, The John F. Kennedy used a laser-crystal space-fold engine which propelled it forward within a bubble of time. Multiple lasers, of varied strength, striking the crystal would also determine the speed the ship traveled through folded space. Genna and Kennedy determined the most efficient combination, and once Captain Cooper boarded the alien ship, and presumably safe, they exited natural space, and headed for the Mars docking station.

  At a current maximum speed of 850,000,000 miles/day (relative to natural space), it would take them three-days twelve-hours and three-minutes to arrival within 5,000 miles of Mars.

  Cooper sent a data-dump to Space Fleet from the 109 before disembarking to join the Star Gazer. It would have taken five hours for information to reach Mars. Kennedy engaged space-fold before a reply could have returned. The coms system on Angel 7 lacked the strength to pick up messages from such a distance. He doubted Space Fleet would send messages to the Star Gazer, until they knew more about the aliens on board.

  Genna hoped the information sent to Admiral Patterson resulted in assistance waiting for them upon arrival. It was imperative they return quickly. Orbital telescopes could detect a Zenge appearance before the 109 exited space-fold. It would not change the mission.

  With three-plus days of travel ahead, Genna returned to the routines she developed with Cooper, prior to first contact. Her open time used working with Kennedy on a brief to explain why Captain Cooper had decided to remain behind. It covered why he had nominally committed Space Fleet, and Earth, to the care and protection of aliens. Imperative the PT-109, with any and all assistance possible, returned quickly, in case hostile aliens arrived to attack the refugees.

  Her time on the bridge was spent in the pilot’s chair, not the command chair. Her rapport with Kennedy was growing stronger.