Jubilee Year: A Science Fiction Thriller (Erelong Book 1)

by Gerard O'Neill

  “And—Karl and I concluded we have a second solar wind affecting the planet,” he said and he looked around the startled faces to add emphasis to his words.

  “It appears not only do we have a second star, but it is approaching us, and very quickly.”

  “Karl was not a doctor of anything, though, was he, Michael?” Franchette muttered, picking at the tattered arm of her chair.

  Michael placed a hand gently on his wife’s. “I talked about this earlier as being just a theory, but now I am certain. And since the fire—I think it best to tell all I know.”

  The old couple listened quietly, stone-faced. It was as if they already knew and were waiting patiently for the truth to dawn on the others.

  “Early 2009 a disk was observed at the base of the Sun. Not a word from any scientist was said to the public. By early 2010 anyone with a telescope of sufficient power, pointing at the correct location could have seen it. The size of the object doubled in one year! In 2012, I received an encrypted email from an old friend and colleague in Italy, Doctor Caterina Ferrara. She thought her life was in danger and she wanted to confide in me. She insisted her data were too important not to share with other scientists. That’s when she told me about Project Southern Cross, that is, the real Project Southern Cross!”

  “Get to the point, Michael!” Franchette said.

  “I couldn’t believe it at first, but I knew she was a fine scientist and her evidence looked solid. So, I set about verifying it for myself. The investigation became all-consuming. I began to put together a presentation—”

  “For God’s sake, Michael!” Franchette exclaimed. “Get to the point!”

  “Okay—Project Southern Cross was all about identifying the object and its orbital trajectory. They located it in the constellation of Aquarius, which ironically has very few bright stars. They concluded it was a star of a type we had not encountered before.”

  “If it wasn’t affecting us before, why is it affecting us now?” Penny asked her father.

  “The findings Caterina sent me from the Project Southern Cross project confirmed beyond doubt that the object we observed was entering our solar system.”

  “At your barbecue, you told us you thought a dwarf star was going to pass by Earth?” Storm asked, already knowing the answer. Martyn wasn’t mad after all, he thought unhappily.

  “Yes, but I am not sure it’s a dwarf star. I remember thinking at the time, you had a better name for it when you called it a dark star,” Michael said, raising his eyebrows.

  “I never directly mentioned Caterina’s findings to Karl. I shouldn’t have said a thing about it in front of Stephen and Adrienna. That was very silly of me.”

  He turned to face Franchette.

  “Many scientists agree we originally had two suns. We agree one would have formed at the same time, but almost all of them think the twin no longer exists.”

  “Except for you Karl, and Caterina,” Franchette said, rubbing the back of her hand as if she was attempting to erase a spot. “This is nuts. How come you have never talked about this with me before?”

  “Because you would have told me I’m nuts, dear! I didn’t want to give you an excuse to drag us back to Sydney.”

  “I would have gone back without you,” she mumbled.

  “Of course you would have,” Michael replied, gazing at his wife.

  He knew she was in shock and he wondered how long it would be before she was back to her old self. He knew Franchette was a nervous soul. Was it possible she might have finally snapped? He let go of the alarming thought immediately.

  “Binary suns are the most common star system observed in the universe,” Michael continued. “And after tracking the orbit of what I am now saying is the small twin to our star, it has become clear to me that it has passed through the solar system many times over.

  “What does Doctor Ferrara say about your theories?” Stella asked, emphasizing the last word.

  “Caterina died in a car accident a year ago,” Michael replied.

  “Do you believe her death was an accident, Doctor Boulos?” Uncle Wanganeen asked.

  Michael turned to meet the old man’s steady gaze.

  “Do you think she was murdered?” Penny asked him.

  “Over the past decade, there have been many astronomers found dead before their time, or who have simply vanished and have never been heard from again.”

  “But how come we don’t hear about this from other astronomers?” Matthew asked. “Are they all scared? Or do you think they are whispering among themselves and just don’t think to include us?”

  “The space agencies never say a word. The information I have is based entirely on Caterina’s data, on my own observations, and on the calculations that Karl completed for me. I simply haven’t had the opportunity as yet to present my findings—and now I never will.”

  “Sounds like we’re in trouble!” Matthew said.

  “Yes, we are!” Michael replied with a solemn nod of his head.

  “We’re going to need to find someplace safe, aren’t we?” Stella asked him.

  “I think those of us already prepared for this, stand the best chance of surviving,” Michael said quietly avoiding her gaze. “Those who have access to a reinforced underground shelter.”

  “That isn’t us then,” Franchette said with a tone of resignation.

  “Dad had a few ideas,” Storm ventured. He looked around the room.

  “We’re listening,” Michael told him.

  “He suggested we are best to locate a refuge chamber in a mine. They are built deep underground and are stocked with provisions.”

  Michael looked up. “Where’s the nearest mine with refuge chambers?”

  “Dad mentioned Capria Slopes.”

  “That’s a long way from here,” Stella told him.

  “Not so far,” Matthew said. “We might do it in four hours. What kind of provisions do they have in those chambers? Did Peter give you any idea?”

  “They have enough to last a group of miners a few days,” Storm said feeling defeated.

  “You realize this will take a lot longer than a few days,” Michael said. “We may need to be underground for a month.”

  “It’s hopeless then,” Franchette said.

  “It’s hopeless only when you are dead!” Aunty Wanganeen interjected, glaring at Franchette. “There’s always hope when you are alive.”

  Startled by the old lady, Michael felt ashamed at his own despondency. “We’ll need medical supplies, won’t we, Franchette?”

  “Oh, yes,” his wife said, suddenly animated by the pride she felt in her profession and knowledge. “The surgery is well stocked with basics. I could make up a list, but they won’t allow me to just walk in and take whatever I want out of it!”

  Storm stood up. “Give me a key and I’ll go in tomorrow. I can stay with Dad until after dark and get inside the surgery after midnight.”

  “Oh, yes and then you are arrested for breaking in and stealing,” Franchette said and gave a snort of derision.

  “Not if you tell me where I can find everything,” Storm replied quietly. “I can be in and out of there quickly.”

  “Then they will arrest me,” she muttered.

  “No, they won’t, Franchette,” Michael put his hand on her arm.

  Franchette had begun to chew on her fingernails.

  Stella looked at Storm with a mix of fear and pride inside.

  “Be careful, son,” she told him. “Don’t get yourself arrested again.”

  “Storm will be alright,” Summer said. “You will, won’t you, bro?”

  “Sure, Sum,” he said, grinning at his sister. “You can count on it.”

  “I am!” Summer replied.

  “We all are,” Matthew added.

  Fighting Doubt

  Storm and Penny embraced under the ancient eucalyptus that stood alone across the road from Aunty and Uncle’s house. The air was heavy with the scent of the lemon fragrance coming off the old tre
e.

  “Did you miss me?” She asked.

  “Course I did.”

  She pulled him close. “Everything is gone. The observatory, Dad’s cottage, his files, and papers, everything...”

  “Your dad and mom are alive, and that’s the main thing,” he said and gave her a squeeze. “I saw the fire on a TV at the airport.”

  “Did you call Alistair?”

  “He drove me all the way from Canberra.”

  “What a good guy!” She said.

  “A meteoroid hit a car traveling in front of us,” he told her and he immediately regretted it.

  “My God.”

  “We saw the things crossing the sky the whole time we were on the road.”

  “Thank God they’ve stopped,” Penny replied. “Did you meet Dad’s friend?”

  “No,” Storm said.

  He was relieved she hadn’t asked him about the car’s occupants. No matter what he did, he could not unsee the images in his head.

  “What happened when you met him?”

  “There was this guy waiting for me in Immigration at Canberra,” he said.

  He felt a wave of shame for having given Michael’s message to Martin.

  “They gave him my ID card. The next thing I know I’m in an office deep under Parliament House, sitting in front of this bloody giant. Must have been her seven feet, Pen, honest to God. He called himself Martyn Boas. I don’t know where to begin. There is so much they are not telling us! Life and death stuff we all should know!”

  “Who do you mean?”

  “About the kind of people who are in control of everything. They own the politicians! They know all about what Michael has been telling us. They knew all the time. They just don’t want to tell the rest of us.”

  Penny broke into a giggle.

  “Yeah, like I said I don’t know how to begin to tell you…” Storm began. “I know it sounds crazy—I sound paranoid, right?”

  “I-I’m-sorry,” she said as she started to laugh. “It’s too much, Storm.”

  He pulled out of arms. “People are dying because of this, Pen.”

  “I know that!” She said.

  Her laughter turned into sobs and she stuck his chest with her fists. “Everything is so very fucked up! The fire. Poor Karl. The meteors. And now Mom acting all odd! I’m scared!”

  “You are leaving tomorrow morning for a safe place,” he told her. “Matthew told me he has a camper van parked down by the river. We will be traveling together.”

  “How long are we going to be hiding?” She asked.

  “We’re not hiding,” he told her. “We’re taking shelter.”

  “If there’s something coming that’s so bad, surely the government would warn us? They would have shelters for us. Are they doing that?” She squeezed his hands. “No, Storm, they’re not! They are hunting terrorists. Alistair’s probably one himself!”

  “Stop it! The government is not protecting us. Martyn says we are being played for fools.”

  “I think Martyn stole the information Dad gave you. And he probably had that poor astronomer killed. I bet you anything he was behind the fire.”

  “That isn’t what happened.”

  “It isn’t? How can you be so sure?”

  “I believe him,” Storm exclaimed.

  “So you are saying he knows everything—but he didn’t know about the fire?” She grabbed his arm and held it tight. “Come on, Storm!”

  “I don’t understand that either. But everything he said fits with what Alistair told me.”

  “How come we’ve never heard about any of this before now!”

  “Penny—because they don’t want us to know! They don’t encourage us to think. They’re afraid we might come together.”

  “And do what?” She asked. “Fix everything?”

  “Well—yeah! Eventually.”

  “The world doesn’t work that way, Storm. I wouldn’t trust anything this Martyn has told you. I wouldn’t be so sure about what Alistair says either.”

  He sighed. “Your dad suggested we catch up with you in the Pilliga forest.”

  “Please be careful,” she whispered and hugged him tightly.

  He felt her warmth against him and her tears wet on his neck. He did not let her go for a long time.

  Matthew followed Storm outside. “Did you check the petrol in the tank?”

  “Filled her up the other day,” he told Matthew. “I’ll fill up again in Coona.”

  “Are you clear about our rendezvous point? About how to find it?”

  “The forest clearing off the highway, right? You’ve already shown me on the map.”

  “Have you got the map?”

  “Don’t worry! I have it. I only have to pick up Dad. You have the whole camp to keep together. That’s far more to worry about.”

  Matthew poked Storm in the chest. “I’m not traveling alone. You are! A lot can go wrong. So be careful.”

  “I got it, Matthew!” Storm insisted.

  “If I were you, I’d find a better vehicle,” Matthew told him. “I know it’s your mom’s car, but it’s too light for the country we have to travel through.”

  “This is all I have!” Storm protested.

  “Alright. I’m just saying. Keep an eye open for something else.”

  “What am I going to do? Steal an SUV?”

  “Maybe a four-wheel drive. If you can find a good one.”

  Matthew tried to make his smile last as they shook hands, but he was worried and he was not able to disguise it. “Take care of yourself,” he told Storm.

  Storm hung his arm through the open window and slapped the side of the door. “Hey! Don’t worry. I’ll be fine.”

  But he didn’t feel fine. In a few hours, he and his dad would be on the highway making haste to join up with the others, but he couldn’t shake an awful feeling about what lay ahead. He told himself not to think about it anymore.

  Anyone Home?

  He drove down the long gravel drive and came to a stop before the empty garage.

  The open gate to the house had been left pushed back against the fence. There was no sign of old man Harris. There was no sign of his housekeeper either and she was always there, each and every weekday morning. Often she would stay until noon, and sometimes later if the farmer asked. Usually, she would have the washing on the clothesline by now. Perhaps she was sick.

  Or maybe she had not shown up for work because Harris had taken a turn and was this very minute lying in a hospital bed. Something was not right. An overwhelming stillness hung over the place like an invisible blanket broken only by the hungry howls of the farm dogs in their kennels.

  It was Pete who introduced Storm to old man Harris several years ago. Storm was in high school and keen to earn pocket money during his summer break. Pete had told him the farmer wasn’t a bad bloke once you got used to his ways. It was true that Harris did have a vicious tongue able to cut strips off the toughest jackaroo, but he was not a mean man, and although some said he was a little crazy, Storm knew he wasn’t.

  “Mr. Harris?” Storm yelled as he walked up to the back door of the kitchen. “Hello? Anyone home?”

  He rapped his knuckles on the door and watched it swing open.

  Pete told Storm once, that Harris had married, but it ended when his wife ran away to Melbourne with a local real estate agent. Three years later, his two daughters followed their mother. Right after they graduated from high school.

  Storm stood on the doorstep and looked across the backyard at the sheds. He saw the farmer’s truck parked in the port next to the workshop. Harris used the Ute to drive everywhere after he had crashed his car earlier in the year. Locals said the old man had attempted to drive home one night after a drinking himself silly at the local pub. When he ran off the road and crashed into a ditch he high-tailed the crash scene. No one, not even his housekeeper, saw a sign of him for several days.

  Storm walked back down the steps and took a walk around the house. He listened for any
sound that might be a cry for help, but he heard nothing apart from the dogs. He returned to the kitchen door and pushed it open. The ripe smell of food scraps too long in the warm air drove him back outside. He held the door ajar long enough for fresh air to move through the room then walked into the house.

  The remains of a meal littered the table in the center of the room. Flies buzzed open milk cartons, greasy plates, and cutlery. He had never seen the place in such a state. That he counted eight settings surprised him. Harris was not known to have more than a single guest at a time. Usually, it was some tradesman or a neighbor, and only for no more than a cup of tea and sandwiches. He really was just another lonely farmer leading a solitary life.

  One afternoon, Harris asked Storm to help him with the fencing. When the job was done, the farmer invited him in for a cold beer. The old man had warmed to the boy. He complained that the rabbits were eating him out of grass and suggested Storm take one of his guns and the Ute to cull as many of the pests as he could find. He took Storm through to the living room and, for reasons known only to the farmer, he showed the boy his hidden gun cabinet.

  The tall trophy cabinet was fixed against a sidewall at the entrance to the hallway leading to the bedrooms. Storm ran his hands under the wood edge until he found the button and depressed it. With a metallic click, the cabinet pivoted out from the wall to reveal a room just big enough for two people to step inside.

  Harris told Storm that eventually, he would fill the wall rack with guns. It was just his hobby he said, and he made Storm promise to keep quiet about the hidden gun cabinet.

  Storm asked Harris about a shotgun that was leaning against the opposite wall.

  Harris said he kept it loaded with birdshot, ready to scare away troublemakers. He told Storm, for an entire summer the year before, a gang of hot-rodders and bikers tore up and down the stretch of road outside the farm on almost every weekend. The noise of their machines frightened the stock. The old man was not keen to confront the young buggers, so he never did get to see any of their faces. It was a good thing he hadn’t tried to confront them, he said because nothing good ever came of doing anything like that.