“You do understand though that we will not war with your people, they are our people. We will not kill our own. So, whatever you think we should do in preparation, always remember this. It has to be done without intentional killing.”
“I thought you would say something like that. I agree. I don’t want to fight a war with bloody violence either and yes, I do have an acceptable plan. However, I will need your help and wisdom to make this plan work.”
Yes, Victor had a good plan, an exceptionally good plan. It would take seven years to make the plan work. Nevertheless, it would work decisively, with finality, leaving the whole fleet at their mercy. Still, seven years was a long time. A lot could take place in seven years.
Chapter Nine: Tomorrow
As Taerg and Victor sat before the grand council once again, they both contemplated the future of Paradise. Everything depended on how the grand council would react to what Victor next said. Victor had already spent time explaining what he was about to say, to his friend Taerg, but Taerg had seen the military might of the Kastat people. Or rather, a glimpse of it, but only the part that went with colonizing a moon. Not the full military might of his people. Taerg had agreed with his scheme, but would they agree? The grand council had asked him about the details of his strategy for the return of a massive Homeworld fleet after seven years. Victor took a deep breath and began.
“First of all, I would like to say that I have grown to have a great love for your people and their way of life. I view you as my people now. I choose your side over the Kastat rebel race that has developed. I would never knowingly plan or do anything that would jeopardize this life that I have become a part of. On the contrary, I seek to safeguard it. To protect it without violence though, is an extremely difficult challenge. I fear the enemy that arrives will have the capability to completely destroy all life on this planet. Not just people, but the animals and even many plants too. We must be ready for the worst outcome that we can possibly imagine and make plans to avoid the same fate or worse that our people faced thousands of years ago.”
“My preparation program will in no way change overall village life and the way it operates. However, for some of your people and mine, a select few compared to your population, life needs to change greatly. We need to choose from among your people and mine capable people to take part in a program that will involve them willingly leaving village life for at least seven years. The individuals have to be the most intelligent you can find among your people. Relatively young and single, perhaps no older than Taerg. Very determined individuals that are willing to work tirelessly every day, for this cause. In order for them to have the correct motivation, they need to be told everything that we know about our current situation and our plans for the future.”
“We will need a total of two hundred individuals from the villages. I think it would be best to have these individuals recommended by you. You may need to travel to the various villages to collect these willing individuals. This plan involves them moving to the moon, until the invading fleet arrives. They must be willing to leave their families behind, for that whole time. Of course, you could allow them to visit their families once in a while. I would like to recommend once a year for only one week. They will not reveal to their families anything about their mission on the moon.
Taerg and I will likewise select two hundred of the Kastat people, to aid us in our efforts. Ten of these individuals will be chosen for the general maintenance and upkeep of the facility. The evacuated colonists should be arriving here within several weeks. When they do, we will test them out after they have lived among the people for one month. I think that during this time, it will become evident who will be qualified among them for this program. Some will not adapt well to village life. Others will. We will choose among those who are trying their best to become a part of the village that they are assigned to. I think two months is enough for us to choose all that will be involved in the program.”
“Every six months, Taerg and I will return to the surface to give you a report on our progress. Taerg’s family will need to move to the moon to be with him, so therefore they will need to be informed of the current situation and plan too. Taerg thinks his wife will agree, once she understands what is at stake.”
“The actual plan has four parts.”
“First, there will be a one-month testing program that will be set up by me. It will help me identify who is qualified to serve in three different divisions. Taerg will assist me in the selecting process. There will be a research and development division, a pilot training division and a device construction division.”
“Second, after everyone has been placed in their divisions, they will need to be educated in what their duties will entail. Much will depend on the research and development division’s success, so I will be spending most of my time with them. We will be developing two separate devices and a linked control program that will completely turn the battle in our favor. One device will deliver a powerful pulse that will completely disable all circuit boards and other electronic systems on their ships without affecting our ships and without physically harming anyone. Each of our thirty-two ships will have one of these devices. There will be another device put on each ship as well. It will be one that serves two functions: One, to generate an impenetrable shield; Two, to allow the whole fleet to be controlled by a computer system and program that I have for the most part already created.”
“Third, Taerg will command the pilot training division. For him to be able to do this, he will need the help of some highly trained pilots that will be selected from among my people. They will all be tested and trained vigorously.”
“Fourth, I will need to spend some time with the device construction division. Initially, to train them to construct electronic components among other items. All in preparation for the actual device construction which will take place after all the research and development has been completed. Fortunately, there is an extensive workshop already set up, on the Luminous. So we will move all of the workshop and its equipment to the office section of the hangar to construct the devices there. We will need plenty of room for storage.
After the research and development has been completed, the majority of those involved with that division will then join the device construction division to assist in the construction of all the devices. There will need to be many devices assembled. Not only will these be placed on each ship, but also hidden in each populated area on the planet and on the moon base that we will establish. It will be a formidable task to construct all these devices, testing each of them, and putting them in place. This is why all divisions will need to assist in this final endeavor.”
“Elders of the grand counsel, I cannot guarantee the safety of those selected for this mission. Therefore, I leave this in your hands. The decision is ultimately yours anyway. I will respect whatever you decide and I know that you will decide wisely in the interests of your people to protect them from this very real threat. If you have any ideas or instructions that will enhance these plans I certainly welcome them.”
“The female council member spoke first, “Commander Victor Marcus, we are indebted to you and Ambassador Esidarap in all your actions that you have performed for our people. Without even consulting with my fellow elders I personally already agree to your proposal. It is likely that they will as well. However, I would like to make a very important suggestion. When you set up your divisions, you need to organize them in a structured way. So that the most can be accomplished within your limited time frame. In regard to the authority of each division, I recommend that you have committee’s setup to decide on important matters within each division. Additionally, a committee should be set up to make decisions over all the divisions. Establish good regular communication between these committees. Make sure that no one is left in the dark on any matter. Once a week, have a meeting with the entire moon base personnel to keep everyone up to date on new developments.”
“Thank you, these are excellent suggestions
. We will definitely put them in place once each division is organized.”
All of the other council members agreed and as soon as they were dismissed Victor said, “Well, that was easier than I thought it would be. I thought I might have to do some persuading.”
“Yes,” said Taerg, “it is a good thing that they are not stubborn like Captain Anderson. They are really like you and me Victor. They have the best interests of the people at heart.”
“That is a very good thing my friend, especially when they choose the candidates for the program among the villagers. It will help them to choose well. I was pleased that they went along with that part of our proposal. It will be an incentive to have the villagers involved both for those who are selected and for my people. A noble cause for both groups to support unitedly, as a team initially and hopefully as friends eventually.”
* * *
It took two and a half weeks for the evacuated colonists to arrive. They did not look very cheerful. More like miserable, as they were tired, exhausted, in need of a bath and fed up with travelling by foot in the significant gravity. As soon as they appeared they were gathered and briefed by the grand council. Victor and Taerg attended this meeting that mostly informed them about the rules of village life. Serious instructions were given for them not to disclose to any of the villagers, who they really were. Once they learned how to speak the local language, they were instructed to say that they were from a land very far away. Which was generally true. They were permitted to say that they were from the same land that Victor came from, named Kastat. No more than this was to be revealed to them, for the reason that it would disrupt village life. If the inhabitants learned that there was a terrible threat from another world looming over their heads, it would confuse them and put many of them in fear.
There were over five thousand villages in the city of villages that was the capital of planet Paradise. It was a two day journey to walk across the entire city. Taerg’s village was near the center. He had enlightened his wife concerning the realities of the Kastat threat. She was shocked at first. She did not understand the concepts of other worlds. So, he patiently taught her these things using Victor’s methods. Understandably, at first she was against moving. Nevertheless, once she saw the wisdom of Victor’s plan and the support of the grand council, she was willing to relocate to the moon. They would bring their children and Taerg agreed that he could spend most evenings with the family. They told their children a more simplified version of the truth that they would expand upon as they grew older.
Each evacuated colonist was assigned to a different village. This was suggested by Victor. His reason was based on the rationale that if more than one colonist were assigned to each village, it would hinder them from learning. Victor had learned this lesson by being totally immersed in the language and culture himself. He said that if more than one were assigned to a particular village, then they would likely hang out with each other constantly talking their own language. It would slow down the goal of learning the language and ways of the people. It could even possibly lead to conspiracy and rebellion.
Everyone cooperated with this plan, although some were not fond of it at all and they did not mind showing it. Mainly, by treating the villagers like foolish barbarians. However, like it or not they were stuck there where they were placed, and they knew it. What else could they do? It was unwise to leave the safety of the villages and live all alone in the wilderness. By the end of two months the general feeling among most seemed to be: “We are stuck here, so we might as well make the best of it.” It was from among individuals with positive attitudes like these, that Taerg and Victor made their selections.
Lieutenant Julia Dixon, the former commander of the moon colony was among those picked. Like Victor, she immediately fell in love with the village life and with the people of her village. She had the tone of excitement in her voice as she spoke with Victor and Taerg about the villagers. She said that one of the families in particular showed her kindness, took her into their home and treated her like she was part of the family. The children were affectionately calling her “tall sister.”
In the end, Victor and Taerg were satisfied with their choice of willing candidates. When all had been selected for the program, they made plans to transport them to the moon. The small fleet of ships that they were left with, were just enough to carry four hundred six people. There were thirty-one vessels, plus the larger Luminous. This ship could be operated by two people, but one hundred seventy-five could snugly fit themselves on board. For the other ships it was a little more cramped but the duration of the flight would be less than a day. Although there was plenty of food on the moon to keep everyone well fed, still, the villagers insisted on taking food and water supplies with them. Victor thought, “If it makes them happy, why not let them bring these things?” They were only doing what they naturally did every time they went on a journey. Preparing for the trip. Besides, now that Victor was used to the tasteful food of planet Paradise, the thought of eating the rations aboard the Luminous was not very appealing.
Victor and Taerg had to make two trips to drop off two hundred and thirty-one at the glacial regions. Then while these were preparing the ships for the trip to the moon they returned with the remaining one hundred seventy-five. The whole fleet then departed from Paradise to head for the moon, with the Luminous leading the way. Taerg piloted the Luminous the entire way. He had been practicing for three hours every day in the simulator, to hone his skills. Victor watched him pilot the Luminous, he was profoundly impressed with Taerg’s performance. He had to acknowledge that Taerg was now ahead of him, in piloting skills. This development pleased him greatly.
Chapter Ten: Research, Development and Training
There was plenty of space in the unfinished colony for everyone. They all settled in the temporary modules surrounding the Hangar. Many of them remained unoccupied. The large Luminous and the thirty-one other ships had landed in the incomplete hangar that was no longer being built for the mothership. For at least the next seven years, the temporary modules surrounding the hangar would be their homes. The offices in the hangar building would be their common work area, most of the time. Taerg was the only one with his whole family on the base. It was decided that they would modify four of the abundant modules, so that they were connected. It was almost like a house. They were happy that they now had four restrooms with running water and automatic lights for each room.
It was approved by the grand council that all who used to be villagers would be given a personal video mission recorder. They were encouraged to get familiar with all of its various operations and to review each day before going to sleep, every night.
Initially, the moon's gravity gave them the sensation of being light on their feet. Also, their work now, would generally not be physically challenging, as with everyday village life. So, Victor stressed that they would need to exercise regularly, in the artificial gravity of the Luminous. Victor adjusted the gravity there to be equal to the gravity of the planet. There was a vote and everyone agreed they would schedule one hour, three times a week, exercising to keep themselves physically fit. Victor decided he would do this too, but at a different time than anyone else. He would reset the gravity for himself at one hundred thirty percent the gravity of the planet below. This would strengthen his body greatly. He would be more muscular, by the end of the seven years. Taerg joined him in this endeavor. At first, by the end of the hour Victor was completely exhausted. In time, he became accustomed to the session. So, he increased the gravity another ten percent. He enjoyed these exercising sessions with his friend Taerg. He would always try to challenge Taerg in some feat of strength or endurance. However, Taerg always won. After all, he was younger with a lifetime spent on a planet with strong gravity. His muscles were larger and densely solid.
As for the testing process, it was progressing well. It was not long before they could see who excelled where. Some people were more particular with procedures and objects than others. These in
dividuals were selected for the research and development division and the device construction division. For these divisions they needed to be among other qualities, very meticulous. The first tests conducted were for everyone. They were all tested to see if they were qualified to be a pilot. Each ship had a pilot simulator program, so the procedure did not take too long. It was easy to see who had the natural instinctive gift of piloting and who did not. Those who failed this were to be placed in one of the other two groups, once their testing for those were completed. Even those who passed were not automatically placed in the pilot programs. Everyone had to be tested for all three divisions. The one they especially excelled in, would be their division. Only a limited number of people would be accepted as pilots or co-pilots. There were one hundred and twenty-seven who passed the pilot simulator tests. However, only thirty-two pilots were needed and thirty-two co-pilots. So, the top thirty-two were chosen to be pilots and the next thirty-two in line were their co-pilots. The rest had to work in the other divisions.
Victor, for curiosity sake, took the pilot simulator test and passed. A lot of the simulations were designed to test his natural ability, nevertheless his experience and know how definitely helped him through. Of course, Victor knew he could not be a pilot. He had other duties that especially involved research and development. However, it was nice to know that he would have been selected as a pilot. He was twenty third in the rankings.
Taerg’s score was unbelievable. There were seventeen people who were already seasoned pilots. That was their job. They all passed with flying colours. They were shocked to see that Taerg did as well. His ranking was fifth. This was outstandingly remarkable. Everyone had to admit that an individual with so little experience, placing so high in the rankings was a significant phenomenon. Eventually, it could mean that after seven years’ experience, he would excel above them all.
Tomorrow's Paradise World: Colonize Page 9