The Stars That Beckon

by Kevin J Simington

  Wisecroft’s face reappeared on the screen. “Electromagnetic pulses from the explosions have wiped out communications worldwide, so we have been unable to make contact with anyone on Earth. There will certainly be survivors, but they face a bleak future. In fact, an event even worse than everything I have just described is about to unfold. The orbit of the Kepler anchor asteroid, to which the tether cable is still attached, is now deteriorating rapidly. The manoeuvering thrusters attached to the asteroid are unable to halt its orbital decay. In approximately eight hours from now, it will impact the Earth. The asteroid is approximately 18 kilometres in diameter. Most of this will still be intact when it strikes the Earth, travelling at nearly 30,000 kilometres per hour. The tether cable, stretching nearly 200 kilometres in length, will also impact the Earth along with the asteroid, travelling at the same velocity. To give you some idea of the catastrophic nature of this unfolding disaster, it is believed that the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs was only about half the size of this asteroid.” Wisecroft paused and took a dramatic breath. “To put it bluntly, mankind is facing an extinction-level event.”

  Now there was stunned silence in the dining room. No one spoke. They just stared at the image of Wisecroft’s face, unable or unwilling to process what they had just heard.

  “The initial impact will create a fireball that will extend for millions of square kilometres, and the shockwave will travel around the Earth at a speed of tens of thousands of kilometres per hour. The earth will be plunged into a dark winter that will last for centuries. The lethal radiation from the nuclear exchange that has just occurred will last even longer. The Earth will be unliveable, and it is difficult to perceive how anyone left alive after the final impact of the asteroid and its cable will be able to survive. We simply cannot return to the Earth. We have to accept that the home we once knew is gone.”

  Now people became vocal once more. Shock, grief, outrage and fear all welled up and overflowed. People cried out, and a sense of panic swept through the room. Zac, who had already heard all this from Wisecroft, was moved to sorrow afresh, as he witnessed the reaction of people around him.

  “Bugger!” said Kit, in her usual succinct manner. Martinez simply sat there with an expressionless face, calmly looking around the room as if she were an observer and not a fellow-participant in this crisis. Zac found himself wondering what made her tick and whether anything could penetrate her gruff exterior.

  As Wisecroft continued, the noise quickly died down. “Over the last two hours, we have been assessing our options. It appears that a similar terrorist attack has taken place on Mars. Mars City is not responding to our attempts at communication, and we have just received imagery from an orbital satellite showing an immense crater where the settlement used to be. However, there are three smaller off-world settlements that remain untouched: The mining base on Titan was untouched, as was the secondary Mars base - a mining facility in the northern hemisphere - and the Aldrin Research Facility, on the far side of the moon. We have been in contact with these three facilities. They remain unharmed and fully operational. Although each of those bases is small compared to Luna City, between them they could accommodate all of us who are now on-board Genesis. They have viable food production and life support. It would be a squeeze, and it would not be very comfortable initially, but we would survive.”

  “But there is another option.” He paused for dramatic effect.

  “Genesis was not built to simply travel around our solar system. It is a starship, designed to take humanity to a new home in a different solar system. When the terrorist attack occurred, we were only days away from launching. The ship is almost fully stocked and equipped, and we were undertaking final testing of its systems. A skeleton crew was already in place who would have flown the ship to Kepler Station, where, over a period of about a week, the full complement of crew and passengers would have come on board. Over the previous 18 months, 900 people had been selected and trained to take part in this mission. This was not common knowledge, and it was kept from the public’s gaze for a reason.”

  Wisecroft’s steely gaze stared out from the screen. “The Earth was dying, even before today’s terrible events. As you know, the Earth’s ecosystems have never fully recovered from the damage inflicted by the Faith Wars of the late 21st century. Despite the technologies we have developed since our great-great-grandparents managed to survive the nuclear winter, the damage to our planet has proven to be irreversible. Our leading scientists concluded long ago that mankind’s greatest hope for long-term survival lay in finding a new home. And so, the Genesis project was born.

  “For the last 200 years, the world’s greatest minds have poured themselves into this project. Astronomers searched the galaxy looking for habitable exoplanets. Scientists created new technologies. Engineers designed new systems. New metals were created, new propulsion drives were built and tested, new methods of producing food and water and life support were tested. Almost every technological advancement that has benefited mankind over the last two centuries is a by-product of the Genesis Project. Construction of this starship commenced 80 years ago, before any of us were born. We are safe today on board this vessel because of the dedication of thousands of people who dreamed of the impossible and who were committed to something bigger than themselves.”

  “Most of the passengers and crew who trained for this mission will not be part of it now. They are either already dead or they will perish in the disaster that is about to impact the Earth. But you are here. Although smaller in number, we have enough people on board this vessel to make a fresh start on a new planet; to create a viable colony on a world unspoilt by the violence and greed of mankind’s past.

  “I am now going to hand over to DANSA’s senior astronomer, Dr Carla Zangetti, who will share some exciting news with you. Because we have found a new home.”

  21

  Carla Zangetti’s face appeared on the screens in the dining and lounge decks of Genesis. She appeared to be in her late 40s or early 50s, with piercing blue eyes and blonde hair tied up in a bun. She spoke with crisp authority, with just the hint of an Italian accent.

  “As you know, mankind has been searching the cosmos for habitable exoplanets for nearly 400 years. To date, we have catalogued nearly 600,000. But the factors necessary to sustain human life are many: the right star, the right distance from a star, the right atmosphere, the right sized planet, the right chemical composition, liquid water, active tectonic plates, a molten core, a magnetosphere, a moon for tidal stimulation of the ecosystem, just to name a few. The list is extensive, and the longer we searched, the more apparent it became that Earth-like planets are extremely rare. About 150 years ago, we began launching probes to investigate the most likely candidates. Over the ensuing years, 12 probes were launched. These probes travelled at speeds up to half the speed of light and were programmed to send back images and data when they reached their target planets. To date, we have received images back from ten of the probes. Nine showed rocky, barren planets, without atmospheres. The tenth revealed this.”

  An image appeared on the screen, and there were gasps of surprise all across the dining room. A stunning blue-green world with white clouds floated in the blackness of space. Glimpses of an unfamiliar continent revealed that it was definitely not Earth.

  Carla Zangetti smiled as she continued her presentation. “Data sent back by the probe indicates that its atmosphere is very close in composition to the original atmosphere of Earth, before we ruined it. The planet is 78 percent ocean, has a mass 6 percent greater than Earth, and is within the habitable zone of its star, which is a G type, main sequence star, like our sun. The planet does not have an axial tilt as does Earth, but its elliptical orbit around its star, of 380 days, provides the variation of seasons. It will be slightly more temperate than Earth, with both hemispheres of the planet experiencing the same season simultaneously.”

  Carla smiled again. “Think of Hawaii, as it used to be before we ruined it.” She paused an
d then became more serious.

  “That is the good news. Unfortunately, it is not the closest star system to Earth. The planet orbits the star Icarus R-421, which is a rogue hyper-velocity star, meaning that instead of rotating around the galactic core with the rest of the stars in our Milky Way galaxy, it is moving outwards from the elliptic plane of the galaxy at a considerable rate. Thus, its distance from Earth is changing all the time. When our probe arrived in its system over 80 years ago, it was 12.8 light years from Earth. Today, it is 14.3 light years distant.” The image of the planet flashed back up on the screen, with the tag: “14.3 Light Years.”

  Kit was watching the screen, mesmerised, as she considered the unblemished planet that was being presented to them. She turned to Martinez and Zac, saying “OK, I get what she’s saying. I hope you guys really like sleeping.”

  “Boring!” moaned Martinez.

  Zangetti continued. “If this starship was capable of travelling safely at the speed of light, with instantaneous acceleration and deceleration at each end of the journey, it would take us 14.3 years to reach the planet, plus however much further the star and its planet would have travelled during those years. However, Genesis is only designed to reach a cruising speed of about half the speed of light. Factoring in the time spent accelerating and decelerating at each end of the journey, plus the additional distance the star will have travelled by the time we reach it, the total journey will take approximately 40 years.”

  There were gasps of shock and disappointment, and conversations broke out all over the dining room. “Told you,” said Kit.

  “40 years?” said Zac. “But that means I will be in my late 60s by the time we ...”

  “Just wait, my young Jedi apprentice,” interjected Kit. “Things not yet known to you there are.”

  “Very cool, Yoda,” said Martinez.

  Zangetti, who was no doubt receiving auditory feedback from the dining and lounge decks, waited until the comments had died down.

  “To make such a long journey feasible, we have developed a form of cryogenic stasis, whereby you will sleep for the entire duration of the trip. Your metabolic processes will be slowed to a tiny percentage of their current values. Your blood will be augmented with synthetic blood, containing trillions of nanobots that will take over the metabolic processes of your entire body at the cellular level, without the need for your organs to work at all. During your sleep you will age at one-twentieth of the rate that you age now. When we arrive at our destination, you will have slept for 40 years, but your body will only have aged two years. And when you awaken, it will seem as though you have only just closed your eyes for a moment.”

  More conversation broke out among the audience as people considered the ramifications of what they had just learned.

  Wisecroft’s face appeared again on the screen. “Ladies and gentlemen,” he began, “we have the chance to start afresh. To build a new life on a new, unblemished world. To walk freely on the surface of a planet without needing masks or protective suits. To breathe fresh air and feel the warmth of the sun. To grow crops and build homes and create a safe world for our children and for the many generations that are to come.”

  “There is a place on board Genesis for everyone who wants to join us on this expedition. But no one will force you to come. If you choose to stay, you have two options. We can either transfer you to the Aldrin Research Facility on the far side of the moon before we leave Luna orbit, or we can transfer you to the mining facility on Mars. Before leaving our solar system, we will be spending several days in orbit around Mars, picking up some supplies and some additional crew and volunteers from that base who wish to join us. Due to the acceleration capabilities of this vessel, it will take us only seven days to reach Mars, and we will remain in orbit for several days while the necessary transfers take place. So, you have some time to decide.”

  The camera zoomed in on Wisecroft’s face, as he adopted what he hoped was a wise and compassionate expression. “I know we are all experiencing shock and grief at the moment, but we must look to the future. I urge you to join us. We will need as many people as possible if we are to have a viable population on the new world. We cannot save our friends and loved ones now, but we can, and must, save ourselves, for the sake of humanity’s future. That is all for the moment.”

  The image of the new world appeared on the screen as Wisecroft’s message ended. Kit sat frowning as conversation broke out all around them.

  “You’re looking sceptical, Supergirl. What’s up?” asked Martinez.

  “He’s wrong!” said Kit.

  “What do you mean?” asked Zac.

  “He said we can’t save them,” she replied. “But we can! This ship has the capability to stop the asteroid from impacting Earth! It has more than enough power to stop the decay of the asteroid’s orbit and move it away from the Earth. Why aren’t we doing that?”

  Martinez raised her eyebrows and said, “I think I know why. Because he’s too worried about saving his own skin. Did you notice he said, ‘We must save ourselves’? He’s doing to Earth what he tried to do to us.”

  Kit stood to her feet. “I need to talk to him! This disaster doesn’t have to happen!” She looked at Martinez. “How can I get to the bridge? You’re on the security team; have you got access?”

  “Not yet. I only just got here with you, remember?”

  “I have,” said Zac.

  “You have what?” asked Kit.

  “Access to the bridge. Wisecroft cleared my biochip.”

  “Wow! What are you, an astrophysicist or something?”

  “No. A history professor.”

  Kit shook her head and blinked her eyes in bewilderment. “Of course you are. That makes perfect sense. Every starship needs a history professor.” She looked at Martinez. “Are you coming with us?”

  “Of course I am. I’m looking forward to catching up with the guy who tried to leave us for dead.”

  22

  “How certain are you that there are no more explosive devices on board, George?”

  “Pretty certain, sir,” answered Leonidis. “We’ve scanned every section of the ship, visually and electronically. There’s no trace of anything else that shouldn’t be here.”

  “OK. But let’s remain vigilant.” Wisecroft looked at the white-bearded Lars Christensen, seated at the other side of the conference table. “How are we placed for crew, Captain?”

  Christensen scratched the side of his beard. “A skeleton crew is the best description. We have one of everything—pilot, co-pilot, navigation, comms and scanning, reactor engineer, main drive engineer—just enough to get us from the moon to Earth in a single shift. But no replacements. No second- or third-shift teams. Plus, we have ten shuttles housed in Genesis’s shuttle bays, but only two shuttle pilots. We were going to pick up the full crew at Kepler Station.”

  “I see,” said Wisecroft. “Of course, we will be picking up some additional personnel from Aldrin Research Facility and from the Mars mining base, and some of those may be suitable for some of those roles. Apart from that, we will need to select some suitable passengers to undergo emergency retraining to fill some of the gaps.

  “Lance,” he said, turning to Catrell, “I want you to examine the personal details in the biochip scans of our passengers. Come up with a shortlist of 20 you think could be suitable for some intensive training.”

  The door to the conference room opened and Kit burst in, followed closely by Zac and Martinez. “Hi, Simon,” said Zac, with a mock apologetic look on his face. “I hope you don’t mind; I brought some friends with me.”

  Christensen’s executive officer stuck his head through the doorway. “Sorry, Captain. I tried to stop them.”

  “Dr Wisecroft,” said Kit. “You’re making a mistake. We can stop this disaster from happening!”

  “Sadly, the disaster you are referring to is inevitable, Ms Tyler. There is nothing we can do.”

  “Yes, there is! If the antimatter drive on this ship is
as powerful as I think it is, we could manoeuver Genesis against the asteroid and use it to arrest the asteroid’s decaying orbit! I spoke with an engineer in the loading bay and he said Genesis has a push field generator, which would protect our hull from damage.”

  “Yes, I agree. Our main drive does have the necessary power to push the asteroid out of its impact trajectory. But you are forgetting one thing: the Caliphate. Just a few short hours ago, a Titan cargo vessel arrived in Earth orbit and was blown to pieces by a Caliphate missile. We have to assume that they are still capable of doing that to us. Our push field generator will not protect us from a direct missile attack.”

  “But you don’t know that!” spluttered Kit. “The attack is over. For all we know, there are no missiles left. And surely even the Caliphate can’t be that stupid that they couldn’t work out that we’re trying to save them!”

  “On the contrary, Ms Tyler, they have already proven themselves to be profoundly ‘stupid’, to use your word. Otherwise they would never have started a conflict that was destined to result in mutually assured destruction.”

  Kit’s face was becoming suffused with indignation. “So that’s it? We just turn our back on humanity and leave billions of people to die? All because there is a slight chance that there is a missile left in a silo somewhere and that someone still feels inclined to use it? I don’t believe this!”