by John Walker
By far, security topped the charts of what the people wanted. Warren blamed it on television and cinema, creating a culture of paranoia. Horror films of the nineteen-fifties certainly helped breed the mentality then writers built from there. Even novelists dating back to HG Welles fostered fear in the general populace.
The Agency was run by a council of appointed officials from each participating nation. They unanimously voted on the creation of a fleet of defensive vessels, which resulted in several smaller ships capable of launching from the surface. Each of these they focused on a different discipline until they were ready to construct their flagship.
Warren joined the team at that time as Colonel Jacks’s first choice as commander of the new vessel. Getting him in early meant he would understand and learn every part of the ship, that he’d be a true expert in how it operated and functioned. Furthermore, he could apply his tactical for weapon placement and system redundancies.
Though if he was being perfectly fair, he spent more time in a fighter cockpit than he did running a large naval type vessel. In order to rectify that, he spent time on their smaller ships, the ones that could essentially make a run to the moon in a matter of hours. Advances in fuel efficiency allowed them to accelerate and decelerate as needed.
Where in the past, astronauts had to account for the weight of fuel and slowing down to land or attain orbit, modern space vessels carried shuttles that could make the trip to the surface. This meant they merely had to get close enough for the smaller ship to get to their destination.
When Warren joined the Agency, they explained the problems they came together to solve. They were, in no particular order, propulsion, gravity and survivability. Once a ship could travel fast enough with artificial gravity and plenty of space to prepare and preserve nourishment, then humanity could truly begin exploring the stars.
The first attempt to generate artificial gravity came from magnetism but it was expensive and impractical from a power perspective. While rooting around for other theories, they discovered a scientist who had developed a crystal capable of withstanding incredible vibrations and through that, he showed he could generate measurable gravitons.
That breakthrough allowed the Agency to build these into the ships, providing an artificial gravity system that was inexpensive and functional. Their smaller shuttles did not benefit from the technology but the larger ships allowed people to operate as normal and with that, the space travel door was open.
Warren’s first mission into space involved a trip to the moon. They were there and back in a grand total of twenty-four hours with six of those spent on the actual research mission. Several researchers went to the surface, taking samples and plotting the creation of a lunar colony. They weren’t quite to the building phase but plans were in the works.
The experience gave him perspective and allowed him to contribute meaningfully to the project. Warren left the academy with an aeronautics degree which gave him some leg to stand on in discussions with the scientists.
Checking his watch, he felt the pressure of time sitting in that traffic. Warren willed the people to move around him, wished the authorities would get things done. Maybe if he called into the base, he could get a chopper sent to pick him up. Getting stuck in the middle of the city, regardless of his transportation, left him in the same horrible situation as those around him.
Desperate but helpless.
Not all of the Agency missions went off smoothly and they knew they wouldn’t. The earliest attempts to send their ships into space met with disasters of varying severity. They lost four entire crews, all volunteers from some of the harsher nations that participated in the project. This meant their deaths could be kept out of the public eye.
Each life lost for the Agency was honored with a star on a particularly large wall. Warren didn’t know if the person who built the base had some foresight into how dangerous the work would be or if it was a coincidence but either way, they had plenty of room for a good thousand people without having to bring the marks closer together.
The news started their loop again, playing Jacks’s statement and reiterating what they’d already said. No new developments would be released for a while so people would have to be patient. Knowing the general population, that was not happening. Grocery stores were likely swamped and, in less civilized areas, he anticipated looting, even rioting.
At least the people around him seemed content to honk and yell at each other. They hadn’t left their cars to start trouble but maybe it was just a matter of time. Though charity was certainly limited with this crew. Frustration became so thick, it could’ve been cut with a knife. Warren understood, though he believed he experienced it far more profoundly than his other car bound peers.
All the more reason we need to get me up there now to confront this thing. Warren wondered when the media would find out about the smaller objects and if the Agency planned on telling them before it became obvious. Depending on where those things set down or passed over, they’d cause quite the stir.
Some amateur astronomer probably already knows about them, Warren thought. They’re probably trying to get through to their local news network with the information. Luckily, they’re all too busy to take such calls right now but soon, they’ll be hunting for a new source. I hope Jacks has a plan to contend with that.
Jacks proved to be a shrewd politician, the kind of man who worked well with the Agency council. He knew how to pick which battles to fight and rarely lost when he put himself out there. Budget concerns tended to top the list of his primary duties but he also had to go toe to toe with their superiors about project direction.
The engineers generally painted compelling pictures of why they should do a certain thing, giving Jacks the ammunition he needed to sell their goals. Early on, they had a lot of trouble with the French representative but he’d been replaced and since then, things moved smoothly.
Many thought the man had been sent to hamper their progress, to gum up the works in an effort to make the alliance fail. They never expected it from the French though, which made intrigue an easier sell after the fact. These theories remained on the down low, between technicians, researchers and military men working there.
A commotion caught Warren’s attention. A fight broke out between two guys after one called the other something foul. Other commuters stepped in to quell the violence. The tension of the unknown compelled such behavior, made tempers short and actions hot. Warren imagined the stress they must be under, the sheer terror inherent in facing an alien threat.
Critics of the Agency suggested it was spending a lot of money to do something no one needed. There were problems on Earth that the resources could’ve been used for. Some asked why look to the stars when our backyard is in such a desperate need of cleaning? The answer seemed obvious to Warren but they had to address it regardless.
Less than a year into operation, the Agency put people on the moon again. They began planning and coordinating the possibility of colonizing other planets. Terraforming research showed how they might oxygenate the atmosphere of Mars. Surveys proved there were much needed resources on the planet.
All we have to do is get there. Those words rang in Warren’s head and were the ones Jacks used to sell him on joining up. “No, I’m not asking you to lead a colony but to defend it. Police actions, that sort of thing. Once we start down this path, it’s going to happen quickly, Warren. I promise you that.”
They had yet to put people on any of the planets but they did have research buoys in place all over the solar system. It allowed them to survey the different satellites orbiting the sun, giving them the kind of information they needed to determine where to go next and how to take advantage of each opportunity.
Mars terraforming would begin within the next six months and the first bio-domes were being built to deploy on the moon. People would follow, researchers and scientists then prospectors and miners, individuals specifically trained to take on the grueling tasks of low gravity work.
/> The future was happening right before Warren’s eyes on a daily basis, right up until the object arrived in their solar system and moved into position to menace them. The timing made him wonder. Had they shown up because of their advances or would they be there either way? Was this thing attracted to the potential of space exploration? Of advanced technology?
That’s what I intend to find out.
Screams caught his attention, cries from several people happening behind him. He turned in his seat, eyes widening. A massive shadow fell over the cars, one of the smaller objects flying slowly overhead. “Oh my God …” he muttered the words but they came unbidden, total instinct. Looking about frantically, he knew there was no escape, not in the car.
Now people poured out of their vehicles, fleeing in stumbling sprints. Another two of the objects joined the first, flying in a formation of three. Warren pushed himself, hurrying past idling cars and trucks. An overpass up ahead provided him some minimal amount of hope, a sense of safety that may not exist but it sure seemed tempting.
And what were these things doing? Why had they instilled such a tremendous amount of urgency to get away? Warren had no idea but those around him seemed to share the fear. Some had flown into a blind panic, throwing people out of the way in their mad dash to escape. Others cowered beside their vehicles, literally losing their minds.
I should’ve grabbed the sat phone! Damn it! Warren heard engines in the distance, air craft interceptors perhaps. They wouldn’t be in time to do anything about these. Thirty more feet to the overpass …
A person disappeared. He swore it was true but it happened in his peripheral vision, a trick in the corner of his eye. It couldn’t have been real. There was no way. Another … this time, ten feet in front of him. They were just gone. It reminded him of a movie where aliens literally disintegrated people. They were simply popped out of existence. One second there, the next … gone.
Warren’s run became a blind panic. The sound of fighter engines was drowned out by the pounding of blood in his ears. A moment passed … cool air fell over him. He closed his eyes. This is it! The thought didn’t make him give up but rather pushed him on, forcing him to exert himself further but it didn’t matter.
Not entirely. Not as his vision went dark … and the world faded … along with consciousness.
***
Commander Victoria Serling moved through the Agency base, shoving past the technicians and researchers clogging up the halls. Everyone was on high alert, rushing to different stations and meeting rooms to discuss the arrival of the strange object menacing the Earth. While they theorized, she knew what Warren would want to do.
I need to talk to Colonel Jacks before he gets here to smooth things over quickly, to get launch clearance before it’s too late.
Victoria joined the Agency straight out of the military, exchanging the rank of Colonel for Commander in the new command structure. She acted as Warren’s second and would be his first officer when they went into space. Until then, she worked closely with the crew as they checked and rechecked all systems and functions of the vessel.
The process became tedious and she quickly felt their superiors were merely stalling for time. Some of them were playing a political game, waiting for the right moment to announce their achievement but in so doing, they delayed the project. The sooner they got the ship into space, the sooner exploration could begin.
And had they not wasted so much time in the first place, we might’ve been in a position to intercept this thing before it became a problem.
Years spent flying combat missions engrained in her a sense of getting things done as efficiently and quickly as possible. Once she transitioned into an administrative role, she cut a lot of fat from response times and helped streamline the processes put in place to acquire equipment as well.
Joining the Agency helped her personal life somewhat as well. Victoria married a marine, a lieutenant in a forced recon unit. He had been on countless combat missions and always came home … until he didn’t. It would be wrong to say she blamed the military but part of her heart struggled with continuing to serve.
Her new post was different enough that she was able to walk away from the past, to lose herself in an environment where the primary goal was getting into space. Exploration and the advancement of mankind’s efforts to colonize the stars felt like a far nobler ambition than having a sole purpose of sending people to fight.
Her husband, Paul, would’ve wanted her to find some way to move on, to find some happiness wherever she could. He’d been a selfless man, which ultimately got him killed. During a particularly brutal battle in the middle of enemy territory, he saved ten lives, including a number of civilians.
The final act of bravery earned him a posthumous Medal of Honor. When she received it, she found the piece of metal to be of small comfort. After a lifetime of serving the military, of putting her own life on the line, she couldn’t help but be proud of him. Though the war took her husband from her, his final acts distinguished him in a way few epitaphs could have.
Victoria met Warren Miller in the military and they briefly served in the same unit. He handpicked her for his first officer and her record did the rest of the work for her. No one argued about giving her the assignment and a few months after a brief conversation with Jacks, she received her transfer orders.
Since then, she’d developed a positive relationship with the various section heads and many of the researchers. They appreciated how she could dissect a process and help them make it better. It ingratiated her to everyone on the base and it ultimately made the whole Agency look good to the council.
Victoria stepped aside as two technicians nearly ran her down, peering into the reflective glass in front of her. She wore her light brown hair cropped above her shoulders to keep it out of the way. Blue eyes looked exhausted, despite the fact she slept fine. Pale features didn’t get out much, especially with how much work there was to do.
How the hell did Miller justify leave? Victoria envied him on one hand but on the other, she didn’t really have anywhere to go. Her friends were all deployed and her family was scattered all over the US. Besides, in her mind, the end of the project would provide a bigger reward than any vacation. What would I do anyway? Drink wine and sleep?
Jacks stepped out of a conference room just as Victoria arrived and she grabbed his arm before he could storm off. “Colonel,” she said, “we really need to talk.”
“I’m a little busy right now, Serling,” Jacks replied. He looked at her hand. “Meyers said we have a huge problem I need to tend to in control. Make it quick.”
Victoria let him go. “I get that. I’d like to have some authorization to be busy as well. I need your permission to prep the Leviathan for launch. We both know that Captain Miller is going to request it the moment he arrives and he’ll push too. If I’m already getting her online, then we’ll be that much closer to getting out there.”
“Demeter One just ran an op to make contact,” Jacks said. “I’d have to get permission from the council and I need to gather a lot more information before I meet up with them. I’d rather not be saying I don’t know to every question they throw at me. You of all people understand protocol. We need to be careful about bucking process. Not sure this is the time to do so.”
“Begging your pardon,” Victoria replied, “but I’d say this is precisely the time. You know I’m all for sticking to our established protocols. That thing out there doesn’t care about our bureaucracy. For all we know, those devices could be coming down here to attack us. I’m not saying let’s start shooting but we should take the gun out so it’s easier to aim. The Leviathan should be the first responder.”
Jacks sighed, staring into her eyes. She could tell he was swayed by her message but he remained silent for a moment. She took the opportunity to drive the point home harder. “Besides, you know the council will ask you if the ship’s ready to go or not. They have people to answer to about our defensive capabilities.”
“Why do I get the feeling you’ve already been prepping the ship?” Jacks asked. “And are just asking for permission to cover your ass?”
Victoria smirked. “Pretty sure Captain Miller beat me to it, honestly but I can only say that there are people aboard and they may be doing their jobs.” She shrugged. “Beyond that, I can’t say specifically what they’re all up to until I join them which I’ll be doing after this conversation.”
“If you’re confident the vessel will launch …”
“We all are. We’ve been ready for months. The stalling came from the council, not technical challenges.” Victoria lifted her hand to stave off his annoyed look. “That’s the scuttlebutt at least. You know how that can be.”
“Yes, very well.” Jacks’s eyes narrowed. “Rumors flow around this place like shit through a goose.”
“Vulgar, but accurate,” Victoria said. “I thought you had to be somewhere. Will you give me your authorization?”
“Alright, fine.” Jacks shook his head. “But you’re prepping for launch. Do not take that ship up until you have clearance. Is that perfectly understood? I’ve already got an operation under way and I don’t need tower control distracted.”
“Absolutely, sir.” Victoria grinned in an effort to soften her message. “I’m sure this is the right call.”
“I hope so.” Jacks turned and strode off. “You’d better hurry, Commander. I might have orders for you to take her up with or without Miller after this meeting.”
Victoria turned on her heels and hustled down the hallway, back to the massive hangar where the Leviathan slept in its steel confines, waiting to be unleashed. She once again had to navigate a myriad of people, still clogging the halls as they tried to find their respective focus groups.
Clicking on her communicator, she established a connection with Chief Engineer Carlos Delgado. He answered immediately. “Engineering.”