The Prime Minister was very focussed and actively concentrating on this clear description from this capable-looking individual, each word from this Brigadier full of meaning and portent. “So tell me, Brigadier, in your opinion are we under threat of war and destruction visited upon us by alien worlds?”
David paused a moment to determine the best way to respond to such predictable anxiety. “Can I show you something briefly first?” David asked, indicating his iPad case.
“If you wish,” the Prime Minister acquiesced, mildly irritated.
David took out the tablet and fired up several videos. “Here we see the night skies over the UK in clear weather a few years ago. In the north the famous constellations the Plough and Cassiopeia, in the south Orion where Orion’s belt points first to the V-shaped head of Taurus where the giant red star Aldebaran is the eye and the V-shape is the star cluster the Hyades, actually containing over a hundred bright stars. Beyond that on the same line is the Pleiades or Seven Sisters star cluster, much bigger but some three times further away, where I have always thought the seven major stars, the Seven Sisters, make a pan shape, like the Plough in miniature.”
“I see those and recall learning them when skies were clearer when I was a girl,” the Prime Minister replied.
“I will now roll through some video highlights anyone could have taken if they were looking at the right moment,” David said. “First of all you see what are clearly aircraft large and small, all with blinking running lights, just so we both agree what they look like and how they move.” The Prime Minister nodded. “Now we see shooting stars, very fast-moving that draw a long straight line across the sky, often coming in groups or showers. Now a large meteor that made front pages of the newspapers at the time. Meteors are slower-moving and lower altitude than shooting stars, they can be yellow to red in colour, quite dramatic as they seem to threaten Earth impact more so than shooting stars.
“Now let’s turn to satellites. We can see satellites with the naked eye every few minutes in clear dark skies. They look like stars moving gradually mostly east–west, west–east or north–south, south–north covering the Earth like a grid. They are over 20,000 miles up in orbit moving around 7,000 miles per hour, more than ten times faster than a passenger aircraft. The point about all these things, other than aircraft, is that they are very fast-moving and cannot change direction dynamically.
“These next videos show recent events in the southern skies near the Hyades star cluster off Orion that we can’t explain. Here we see two large ‘stars’ appear from nowhere. The enlargement shows moving discs on their surface and then they disappear. Here we see stars appear and move like satellites until they slow down and change direction before moving off like shooting stars. What do you think could do this?”
The Prime Minister looked at the moving star that stopped and performed a U-turn before moving fast and disappearing. “Could it be one of those special spy planes the Americans have?”
“There is no technology on Earth that we possess that can do this at such tremendous speeds, braking and accelerating from thousands of miles an hour to zero and then setting off again at such astounding speeds. The only thing that could do this is CGI – movie-style special effects. I have had this video checked by our intelligence experts who cannot see there has been any tampering and in some cases we even have independent video from different sources so we can cross-check there has been no video tampering. There is one more factor and that is that the frequency of these unexplainable observations is increasing all the time.”
“Are you sure that we are not looking at one of those spy planes or spacecraft that the Americans or even the Russians or Chinese could have?”
“Not really. Those spy planes rely on speed alone to outrun a missile attack. There is nothing we can even imagine that can change direction at these colossal speeds without breaking apart. In the vacuum of space we can travel at thousands of miles per hour but we can’t get a craft to change direction in this nimble kind of a fashion.”
“Why has this not come to the attention of the media if it is so obvious?” asked the Prime Minister.
“It has, and even occasionally has made the front pages like the meteor video, but the truth is that it is just not big news for the population and the newspapers know this too; I fear they are concentrated on more mundane matters, like celebrity lifestyles, or your negotiations with the European Union.”
The Prime Minister grimaced amusingly at the popular truth of this remark, then refocused on the task in hand. “So what if we are coming to the attention of beings from other worlds and they come visiting London, Brigadier?”
“First thing, Prime Minister, is that in all our research and scenario development, there are very few outcomes where we go to war immediately with alien armies as in the sci-fi movies. In fact all our scenarios fall into two main categories. The first set is a full-scale military invasion scenario and the second is some kind of quiet political or diplomatic mission to Earth. In both cases we can expect the alien party to be far superior to our own capabilities so the good news is that we are likely looking at the second kind of contact in this case, if it is true. In the first kind of scenario I am afraid the human race on Earth tends not to come out favourably in almost all simulations.” David paused to allow that thought to sink in before continuing.
“In the political scenario the secondary point of great importance is who is to deal with the process and who is to be in the know. If the potential alien force is motivated sufficiently to make contact discreetly then it would make sense for us to reciprocate. In our planning it is best for the general population not to be involved in the early stages. Also I am sure you have considered updating our allies. In both these cases our advice is to keep it to ourselves at least until we understand what we are dealing with.”
The Prime Minister appreciated the Brigadier’s logical presentation and the foresight that had initiated the Guards Logistical Liaison unit to prepare for such an event. She knew she was good at grasping a situation and making decisions on information from competent and trusted staff. The Brigadier appeared to be the ideal source to brief her on events. “My first instinct was not to spread this news. You will be aware that the notes in the emergency codes guidance were to call you before anyone else?”
“Indeed, Prime Minister. Those are my own notes and I am pleased you chose to follow them. I realise of course that you are free to make your own decisions at all times.”
“Yes, Brigadier.” The Prime Minister noted the reinforcement of the chain of command inherent in David’s remark. “Your point on the general population is easy to understand. Your point on our allies rather less so. Especially our major allies?”
“Early news to the public will spark all kinds of random events that could get quickly out of control, Prime Minister,” David said. “Our plans say that we will do all we can to protect the public, but best that we protect them without them ever appreciating it was necessary. The Guards are not just about putting on a fine display in Trooping the Colour; we are the finest force you have to protect these islands and all the people within. On the subject of our allies, we first of all do not know who has been approached as yet. It may be just ourselves or there may be many conversations going on around the world. If we have been selected then we should at least respect that this may have been done for a specific reason and keep it that way until we know more. Even our closest allies could behave unpredictably if they were made aware of this knowledge. After all, they would need to balance their own need to protect their citizens and consider the possible advantages as well as the risks of being the first to meet with aliens. There could be considerable economic advantages from access to advanced technologies. These pressures could overwhelm any of our allies and mean they could compete to be the sole point of contact. From there it would be very difficult to maintain any level of confidentiality. The news would soon get to the press
and we would destabilise public order.”
The Prime Minister took a sip of tea, taking comfort in the simple ceremony and the familiarity of her favourite hot beverage. “I see that, Brigadier. We are agreed on that approach. I will be careful to note any subtle approaches from our friends in case they too have received this message and reach out to us. How do you think we should proceed from here?”
“I think we should engage in the same way as you would a new and little-understood ambassador from a foreign country. We should be open and helpful at least until we understand what is behind their mission. You say the approach has come through one of our own academic institutions; a good sign again in itself.”
The Prime Minister thought a moment then decided to explain to the Brigadier. There was precious little to tell in any case. “I was contacted by Professor Kitteridge from the Cosmology Department at Cambridge. He originally contacted me supposedly about sponsoring his astrophysics laboratory but insisted on a personal call. He further insisted on using an encrypted phone and went on to explain that he has been contacted by aliens he considers to be friendly. He did say these aliens are also human beings and that we need to make preparations for wider contact. He is waiting for my response.”
David had seen television programmes on Professor Kitteridge’s theories and discoveries. He was very good at taking advanced scientific knowledge and presenting it in an understandable and appealing way for the ‘man on the street’ to digest and be enthused. He was also aware that Professor Kitteridge was afflicted by a mysterious wasting disease and was severely limited in his mobility. “Can I suggest, Prime Minister, that you respond in the manner of his request? It would be reasonable for you to discuss scientific funding with such a famous academic personality. It would be entirely appropriate for you to visit him at his laboratory to see things first-hand for yourself and that you travel there rather than expect him to come in to London as he is known to have a serious illness.”
“That is fine, Brigadier. From what you said earlier I presume that would just be you and me making the journey?”
“I think that would be best, Prime Minister. Might I also suggest that we drop the reference to my military rank? That is not the tone we want to set, depending on who is present when we get there.”
“I shall introduce you as my Logistics Liaison advisor and I will call you David if that is fine with you?”
“That would be best I think. And I shall call you ‘Prime Minister’, Prime Minister.”
TWO
The Gayan starship Maria lifted off and ascended rapidly into the planet Etheris’s atmosphere, a perpendicular needle of white light penetrating the blue orb of the planet’s shell of sky. The Travellers of Dawn were leaving after they had marooned the captured Omeyn MuneMei and her Spargar force that they had defeated in the recent battle at Thetford Forest. Planet Etheris was uninhabited by humans but otherwise was a satisfactory Earth-class environment. It did have a dangerous ecosystem populated by especially ferocious flora as well as fauna but the Spargar contingent had advanced technology to counter the natural aggression of the planet’s predators.
Joe was enfolded into the protective warp seat alongside Maria’s regular crew of the Pantucci brothers, Rafaello and Umberto, as they tore upwards, the blue sky darkening in a blink before they emerged into the black vault of space. Key star systems were magnified and identified as the walls of the spaceship displayed the heavens in the direction of travel almost as if the fuselage did not exist, and they shot into the heavens as if in a cabriolet. Joe was feeling the first pangs of worry as the elation of the successful action against the Zarnha forces of Spargan back in Thetford Forest faded like the view of planet Etheris in the rear-view screen. The general anxiety that increasingly troubled him during space travel contributed to his overall feeling of disquiet. Joe was annoyed that the effect could be felt in his physical wellbeing; his stomach was queasy with mild space sickness that he should really be over, after all these ages as a Traveller of Dawn.
The planetary anthem for Chamarel was playing at low levels across Maria’s passenger information systems as the ship’s navigation tuned to the location of the headquarters planet of the Worders of Gaya, Joe’s commanders. Planet Chamarel’s anthem was recognisably of the same planetary group as Joe’s soul-home world, Gaya itself. Chamarel’s anthem was known as a triumph of musical composition, more complex and spiritually satisfying than that of Gaya, but somehow lacking the force of emotional response of the Gayan anthem. Maybe that was the special nature of the force of the anthem of your own home planet, thought Joe. It was entirely fitting that the Chamarel equivalent was more erudite; it chimed with the wisdom and power of the Worders that governed it.
This restless train of thought soured Joe’s thinking of how his recent actions would be perceived by the trio of Worders that managed the Gayan campaign for Enlightenment on planet Earth. Joe had considered that his treatment of the Zarnha operatives was in tune with Esprit, the positive leadership characteristic of Gayan travellers to other worlds, especially newly emerging cultures. He could not deny even to himself though that his banishment of the Omeyn to Etheris along with her Zarnha troops after their defeat in Thetford Forest was more to do with his personal revenge for the kidnap of his wife Kyra and her current imprisonment on their home world, Spargan. The Spargar Empire was a million times more guilty of the heinous crime of kidnapping and torture than the reasoned action Joe had taken to deposit his captives on planet Etheris. That said, he was using them as his personal bargaining chips and he had inveigled his two Cavallo friends and the reserves they had called up to carry out his plans. In the aftermath of the all-consuming action, the anticlimax when the adrenaline fell away was feeding his mental troubles. Worder scrutiny of this action would undoubtedly be unfavourable. He would conveniently omit the stranding of the Spargar force on the planet of interest Etheris when he came to report in the critical salons of his superiors on Chamarel. It would be bound to come out later and be viewed negatively by his superiors but by then he hoped it would be just one side event of the successful Gayan campaign for planet Earth under the umbrella of his considerable freedom of action to achieve his overall objectives.
Joe saw the diminishing rear view of the ocean world Etheris disappear to a point and concentrated on the forward view into the wide vault of space. The brilliant white light that was the blended starlight of billions of stars of the Milky Way galaxy was a diagonal stripe ahead and to starboard. The on-screen enhancement provided greater definition on individual star sizes and colours. The overall effect was spectacularly beautiful and served to highlight the loneliness of the individual stars in the rest of the night sky that were not part of the plane of the galaxy with the other mass of celestial bodies. It reminded him of the quiet skies over planet Earth where individual bright stars were a big deal, each having a name, many identified with constellations that spreadeagled the sky with fanciful forms of a few bright stars. In the very busy star cluster of the Pleiades, which were the home of his soulbirth, the skies were bursting full of stars large and small. They were all named but no one heavenly body was remarkable; it was their massed multitude that assailed the senses and generated an opal light all night long in the Pleiades. This concentration of stars crossing the galaxy together as a cluster must be what it would be like closer to the centre of the galaxy where stars milled and whirled around the giant black hole at the centre of the pinwheel of the galactic nexus.
Rafaello and Umberto were busy at the command desk readying Maria for the Dark Matter Fusion Drive initiation that would launch them through the local warp node. Maria accelerated without hindrance to the warp point as space merged into a milky tube of fused starlight and the DMF drive kicked in. The Cavallo crew were aware of their companion’s lowering mood and tried to help his mood with their bonhomie at the soul-to-soul level, which provided a much richer emotional exchange than conversation.
Rafaello played back the visual excitement of the way they had come to Joe’s aid in the battle, using his Gayan soul name of Keeran. It was indeed a powerful image of Joe fighting off overwhelming odds in the bottom of the crater with Charlotte and Daniel helping him, Christopher sprawled at their feet as they stood off vastly superior numbers of attacking Zarnha agents.
Joe’s mood could not help but be lifted by the Cavallos surrounding his soul with the uplifting images and the celebration of their martial success.
Umberto sensed Joe’s difficulties. Joe had let his personal problems intrude on his mission and affect his decision-making in a way that could generate unforeseen consequences. At times like these Umberto was glad that as a Cavallo he followed orders and let the Worders and Pointers take the strategic decisions.
Edge of Revelation Page 2