Crucible of a Species (3 page)

Nolen beamed a wide politician’s grin, “Ms Fretz, I have no idea who may have leaked the information. However, you must admit that the competition has worked for the better. Please, let’s continue this meeting in the conference room.”

Linda’s eyes were immediately drawn to a magnificent long, black table surrounded by leather chairs in a corner of the room. The table was highly polished stone and it sparkled with eye-riveting, light gray flecks that twinkled like stars in the night sky. Linda had read that it was a piece of the asteroid used as the space elevator’s orbiting counterweight. Three men stood at the other end of the table; one had silver bars on his shoulders.

Then the journalist looked up into the heavens and the magnificence of the slab was but a dim reflection of the stars hovering over them. Linda was astounded. The room appeared completely open to the universe like sitting upon a rooftop patio under a spectacular evening sky; she found the grandeur of the vast expanse to be somewhat disconcerting.

The surrounding cosmos encompassed a perfect view of the Earth suspended over their heads. Across from them, on the far side of the Skyport, floated a pure white meshwork of what she had read to be monofiber-matrixed tungsten steel encapsulating a saucer shaped ship. It was impossible to appreciate the ship’s size until she noticed three men in spacesuits working on the hull.

Phillip had told them the ship was larger than a seagoing aircraft carrier and the bubble housing the craft was so vast clouds sometimes formed within the enclosure. Workers on the sleek vessel’s surface looked like bugs crawling along the slim bottom of a milky-white quartz bowl turned upside down. Linda moved to signal Bradley but he was already recording the scene. It would be an excellent perspective intro for her interview.

Dr. Nolen was well into the introductions, “You’ve already met Dr. Michael Thompson, head of our experimental physics group. I want to introduce you to Lieutenant Robert Anderson, who is our chief engineer. Lieutenant Anderson will be taking you on a walking tour of the station after our meeting. Lieutenant Alex Thrumbold, the Colonel’s aide, will accompany you.

“So, Ms Fretz, the meeting is yours.”

“Okay, Dr. Nolen, would you please tell us how this all started and when did you first realize that the Asteri were trying to contact you.”

“Six years ago I was working for the NRL, that’s the Naval Research Labs, in their Chesapeake Bay Detachment in Maryland. Communications with nuclear submarines had always been a problem if you wanted to do it without the vessel having to raise an antenna to the surface. The historic solution was to use very low frequency waves to penetrate the ocean’s depths but the technology only allowed transmission rates of a few letters per minute, much too slow for modern communications.

“Inspired by a paper from Stephen Poliakov in 2002 on Gravitonics, Dr. Thompson and I believed we could use controlled magnetostriction of materials to both induce and detect very high frequency sideband modulation in the extremely long waves of gravity.

“To put it more simply, we imprinted a signal by distorting gravity waves with higher frequencies that are easier to manipulate. This was a perfect solution since gravity waves are very long and could easily reach the most deeply submerged submarine while the high frequency sidebands that we added contained the actual communication signal.

“Waves of gravity permeate our universe and they travel at many times the speed of light. Our transceiver decodes ripples in these waves for communications. Imagine our surprise when we discovered the waves already contained perturbations in the sideband phase of the wavelets. In other words, someone was already using them for supralight communications.

“Even more astounding, these waves carried packets originating on stars millions of light years away and were intended specifically for communications with Earth.”

This was old news and Linda was unfazed as she continued, “How were you able to communicate?”

Phillip poured himself a glass of water, “They used standard photon-wavefront reconstruction to communicate. Surprisingly, they could converse in any dialect but they refused to respond to any direct questions about themselves. Few people actually know this but we have never seen an Asteri, we don’t even know where their communications originate. In fact, we don’t know what they call themselves, ‘Asteri’ is Greek for ‘Star’, a simple moniker we have given them that is much more cordial than calling them ‘Aliens’ or ‘Extraterrestrials’ or ‘Xenomorphs’.”

We need to get into something more exciting,
Linda thought.

“What did you ask for? What eventually resulted in the Asteri giving us the Gravitonics Wave Equations and the Gravitic Drive design and are they the same ones that you are using in our first interstellar ship, the Argos?”

For the first time Nolen looked upset, “Dr. Thompson and I discovered Gravitonics Wave Theory, Ms Nolen. That critical seed technology did not come from the Asteri. Furthermore, we asked the Asteri for nothing but they freely gave derivative technology developments to us without exchange. I don’t mean to belittle their contributions for they saved us years, maybe decades of development time but we were already on that path.

“So why are they helping? The Asteri claim responsibility for protecting and isolating humanity from the universe during the entire evolution of our race. Our development of Gravitonics triggered a response from them in that with this technology humanity has encountered a critical decision point.

“Earth of only a few years ago was too dependent upon the use of hydrocarbons. Our economy relied heavily on fuels and goods manufactured from a polluting technology, dangerously competitive for dwindling resources. This path could have resulted in our species slipping into a long dark age of ignorance or even extinction as conflicts intensified.

“Fortunately, our friends are here to guide us through this critical evolutionary phase.

“First they gave us a surprisingly simple method for clean, cheap power. A compact source of renewable power generation by the leaching of energy from the abundance of gravitonic waves that flood the universe, free and clean electrical energy, easily tapped from any small Gravitonic motor!

“The Asteri’s next communication revealed the knowledge for building a compact drive that functions by exciting the subelectron particles of the materials in its field to latch onto the gravitic waves of the universe.

Unlike combustible-fuel rockets that push things along, this is a drive without reaction components. All items and people enclosed within the field experience no acceleration or motion during travel as every atomic particle in the field moves by becoming part of the wave. The acceleration is on a subelectron level to speeds exceeding many times the velocity of light without distortion or mass change. Classic quantum relationships between force, mass and velocity no longer apply.”

Linda’s eyes were beginning to haze over, “This brings us to the mission to Tau Ceti. I’m sure our readers would like to hear your viewpoint on the very volatile issue of trust. The Asteri have demanded this venture and our ‘Earth First’ coalition argues we should not trust the mysterious Asteri. Why should we trust them?”

Phillip turned from the view of the Argos and glared at the colonel. This was a sensitive topic between him and Drake and he had agreed not to speak of the consequences laid out by the Asteri if the mission was not undertaken, “We understand the science quite well. It is safe and there are no hidden traps in its use.

“The ‘Earth First’ people fear the motives of those who help us so freely while asking almost nothing in return. Quite naturally, people see a trap or subterfuge hidden in this behavior. Why go to the stars when we have the means to make life comfortable here? In particular, why go to Tau Ceti?

“My reply to the question is … because the Asteri asked us. No reasons were given, no rewards promised. However, they are our benefactors and they have asked for this one service.

“Consider what we might gain. According to our astronomers, Tau Ceti is an excellent first destination. It is relatively nearby and harbors the possibility of at least four Earth-like worlds. We are sure to return with knowledge leading to even better lives for our children. It may even be a chance to meet strange and wonderful cultures.”

Journalist’s instincts felt the tension between Nolen and Drake, “Is that true Colonel Drake? The Asteri are simply giving us gifts and now want us to visit? Nothing more?”

“It’s a bit more than a simple invitation to visit but then it’s such a small payment for what they have given. We don’t know the thoughts of the Asteri and there is no reason for us to assume that their motives would correspond with those of a human.

“Ask instead, what have they to gain from our visit? I can’t think of a thing but we might learn much from the journey. However, if we don’t go … well, we haven’t heard from the Asteri since that request was made. Not going may end our chances to continue what has been a very profitable relationship.”

Nolen was sitting upright, an alarmed look on his face, “I do think their directive was a bit stronger than …”

“Doctor Nolen, you forget yourself.” Drake snapped at the physicist, “I’m sorry Ms Fretz but we are dealing with an alien race. It would be wrong for us to impose our innate bias on their choice of words. We have only a few minutes left, would you please continue the interview in another direction?”

Linda scanned the faces of those in the conference before settling on that of her companion; Tom Bradley frowned at her, silently shaking his head. Every reporter’s instinct in her body wanted to push it. She glanced over at the colonel who had slid back his chair and seemed to be waiting for her reply. Linda saw the warning. This entire meeting occurred over Drake’s objections, he was looking for an excuse to end it and she knew he had the power.

Linda smiled and attempted a twist on the question, “Wouldn’t colonies in space be the next logical step? Something a little less ambitious than taking that big leap to the stars.”

Nolen knew his next answer could make or break public sentiment. The Earth First coalition would study each word so he framed them carefully.

“Yes, they could be the next small step but they are costly in terms of resources and are not long term solutions.

“We can make life in a colony in our solar system tolerable but settlements would not be pleasant or even cost effective. A lunar colony will be very restrictive and we would have to provide artificial gravity or suffer the depravations of low gravity. Mars is a better answer but humans there must survive under a Sun only half as bright as here on Earth and, with gravity only a third of Earth’s, we still must provide long-term artificial gravity.

“If we want to attract widespread off world colonization then humanity must find another Earth-like planet. This means explorers going to other stars and discovering comfortable homes for our descendents.

“We obviously aren’t going to discover the answers to these questions by sitting here, isolated in our own solar system. Our race needs frontiers and a challenge if our species is to survive. Argos is our first step on this new grand adventure.”

Midshipman Janet Derek
carried the heavy duffle bag over her shoulder with an ease she would never have thought possible four years ago. A musty scent of sage and the dry, sweet smell of a springtime desert cool breeze from the Texas sunrise lent a youthful lift to her step as Janet crossed the tarmac of the spaceport. Everything seemed perfect in the flowing beauty of the red sunrise whose direct rays even now threatened a much hotter day to come.

Okay by me!
The midshipman squinted while admiring the daybreak show,
I’ll be long gone before you even warm the runway.

She turned to examine the outline of the boxy craft a hundred feet ahead. Four years in the academy and Janet could identify the function of every bump on its skin. Only the eyes of an engineer would think it beautiful because they would see function in a design that had no need for aesthetically smooth, flowing symmetries. The shuttle was the first generation of Gravitonic Drive Technology. With this new drive, the craft never need experience the crushing force of a violent liftoff or the fiery hell of reentry.

As she approached the shuttle, Janet realized that this was her first chance to say the words and claim the title. Her heart pounded as she approached the ladder and returned the salute of the chief bosun’s mate. This was her midshipman’s voyage, the traditional final rite of passage before graduation. She couldn’t suppress a smile as she reported, “Good morning, Chief. Janet Derek, Argos Engineering in transit.”

“Welcome aboard the Genesis, Midshipman Derek. We’re awaiting one more passenger so you have a few minutes. Open seating, first class or business!”

The unexpected informality startled Janet but she instantly decided to try to fit in, “Yeah right, Chief. First class, that’s a good one.”

Two other passengers were already in the spartan cabin leaving four canvas shod seats open. Janet swung her duffle into the passenger’s ready storage and took a bench near the back of the compartment.
Hmm, I’m surprised they let civilian passengers on this flight
, she thought as she glanced through the port past the aft bulkhead and noticed more than half the boat was loaded with boxes.
That must be some very important cargo if they’re using the shuttle for transport rather than the slower but much less expensive Space Elevator.

An angry voice carried in from the open portal, “What? This is ridiculous. I’ve been through your security two times already!”

“Sorry sir, orders.” The bass voice of the chief replied. “Please open your briefcase before entering.”

“There! Now may I please board so we can get moving?”

“Yes sir. Thank you, sir. Feel free to board. We will be leaving shortly since you are our last passenger.”

The midshipman looked up to see a civilian in a tweed jacket enter and her heart skipped a beat. It was Professor John Bockheit. She’d met him last year at the Gravitonics Convention in San Diego.

Why is a statistician going up to the ISA Skyport? Even worse, this guy’s a radical Earth First supporter! How the hell did he even get clearance?
She watched as the professor threw his briefcase onto the seat across the aisle from her.

She mentally shrugged and returned to the notes on her tablet,
I guess that’s life, the strangest things happen. But still, an ‘Earth Firster’? Not just any old kook but one who directly advocates stopping the Tau Ceti expedition?

The members of the ‘Earth First’ group argued, often violently, that mankind must solve the problems of the planet before moving into stellar exploration. The protesters felt they should create a utopian-like society here on Earth and their goal finally seemed within reach.

Professor Bockheit belonged to a radical segment of the group that opposed all interaction with the Asteri. They feared the Asteri were too mysterious about their own origins, never explained why they bothered to help humanity and therefore could not be trusted. Their members demanded the cessation of further contact with these ‘unknown creatures’.

“Everyone please remain seated, I need to confirm the stowage manifest.” The deep voice of the chief carried above a soft whine now filling the cabin. “The Captain has started the final flight checks and we will lift off
shortly.”

Our professor seems a bit nervous,
Janet thought,
but it doesn’t look like he has take-off jitters. He keeps staring around the cabin. Maybe he’s looking for someone.

The professor shouted forward, “Hey steward, is there more room in the back? I’d like to move before we take off.”

“Sorry, sir. The aft compartment is for consignment only. We’ve already lifted if you look out through the bulkhead on your port side. She’s a very smooth ride.”

The professor was obviously shocked to hear they were off the ground and sat back looking even more upset. Janet spent a few minutes watching the passing clouds, this was just like the simulator but without the takeoff jolts. There was that slight tingle the instructors said she would feel when the drives fired but otherwise no sensation of motion, a perfect liftoff. The broad, hazy arc of the Earth’s horizon was already visible.

A while later Janet was startled from her reading by a final approach notice. The overhead showed a pinpoint of light above the horizon slowly transforming into a bright disk.
The ISA Skyport and in it my first posting and what a posting it will be! The Argos has technology that makes even this shuttle look ‘old hat’.

It isn’t as though I didn’t work for it. Everybody and his brother tried for this slot after command announced they would berth one midshipman for the cruise. Not just any cruise either but humanity’s first voyage to another star. Tau Ceti, the mysterious expedition and destination requested by the Asteri in return for their help. Professor Nordstrom in Civil Science is right, this is a significant expenditure of our limited resources. However, it’s to a star that we know has an Earth-like planet. Lord knows what adventures lie ahead.

A sudden shuffling distracted her. It was only the professor, fidgeting around,
Maybe I should see if he remembers me?

“Professor? Can I be of assistance?”

The Professor jumped as though struck by an electric shock. He turned and stared at her without any recognition in his eyes, “I’m sorry, ah Miss?”

“You are Professor John Bockheit. My name is Janet Derek. We met at the IG Conference last year.”

Bockheit glared silently for a moment. She clearly recalled the drawn face with the crooked lip-line as well as his nervous habit of not looking directly at you when talking, “I’m sorry Miss. I’ve never met you. You have the wrong person. Now, please leave me alone. I have work I need do.”

Well that’s a nice how-do-you-do!
Janet thought as she turned back to gazing outside. The sky had transformed into a velvety black and stars burned bright without their atmospheric twinkle. Her thoughts ran over the schedule she had detailed for her first assignment, confident the Lieutenant would approve it.

This is the greatest day of my life. Well, maybe not. Perhaps that day is just ninety-six short hours away when the Argos leaves dock with me in Engineering.

What is wrong with the professor?
Why is he fooling with his belt?
Janet thought as she noticed him shuffling in his seat. She watched him a few seconds before recognizing the end-clasp and small patterns of circuitry across the inside of the metallic-looking but flexible belt.
That’s not a simple belt …. It’s a Bolerian Coil!

They used a Bolerian Coil to jump-start the first Gravitonic Drive. This one is like the design we used in the gravity control project in our second year physics lab, Wave Concepts course.

I don’t see a power source or a controller. Hah, good thing! If he were to activate it, the coil would generate a second oscillating magnetic field. Normally just creating the field wouldn’t matter but if he starts it here inside an active Gravitonic Drive, the reaction would rip every atom of the shuttle field apart creating a power release about the size of a small atomic blast.

A chilling thought entered Janet’s mind,
No! He’s not going to set it off here on the shuttle! Both the Skyport and the Argos have active drive fields. His objective must be the Skyport itself. He’s on an Earth First mission to destroy the Skyport! What should… Wait! I’ve a few minutes before we dock. I’ll get the chief to help.

Janet’s hands trembled as she set her tablet aside and removed her seat belt. She saw the professor turn to rummage through his briefcase.

The midshipman froze when she saw him pull out a large workstation tablet and attach a short cord to the Coil. A chill ran down Janet’s spine,
Oh my God! The tablet is his power source and controller all in one. He’s not going to wait for docking, the jerk’s going to set it off right now.

No wait! That would be suicide! He can’t be that much of a kook!

Janet climbed from the cramped confines of her seat into the aisle. The Professor was so intent on connecting the cable he didn’t even look up. She had to get control of either the tablet or the coil’s power cord but there was no good way to grab him so she leaned heavily on the back of his seat for support, “Hi Professor.”

Bockheit jumped, his reaction pulling the tablet and cord away from her. Black, dilated eyes turned a fanatic’s hate-filled stare toward Janet. “Get away from me! I told you I was not any of your professors.”

The midshipman reached out for the cord, “What are you doing with that coil? You know you can’t activate it inside the shuttle. I’d feel a lot safer if you would unplug it.”

The others in the shuttle were looking up at the heated discussion so Janet decided to call for help, “Chief, can you help us?”

The chief was thinking about last night’s ball game and the last thing he wanted on top of his low-level hangover was some starry-eyed midshipman badgering him this early in the morning.
Ah Hell, Midi or not she’s technically an officer. Sometimes it’s hard to take these bushy tailed youngsters seriously but humor her I will.

“Beggin’ your pardon, ma’am, but what is the problem?” The chief’s voice carried across the cabin as he reluctantly rose from his seat.

“This civilian, Professor Bockheit. He has …”

“Sorry Midshipman, you’re mistaken. Manifest and security clear him as Dr. Robert Sentros from the old NASA. I hate to question your …”

Janet saw the tablet come to life from the corner of her eye. Bockheit activated a program and a coil controller app popped up filling the display. Her mind raced,
It’s the same program we used in the lab and the controller started with all the settings needed for coil activation already entered. All he needs to do is enter one command and …

Janet slid her arm from the seat back and onto his shoulder as she drove for the cord. She missed but managed to grab the tablet. Foul breath enveloped her as he screamed, “No! A few more minutes are all I need. Back off …”

The chief was thoroughly confused. This was very irrational behavior even if she was a midshipman but he wasn’t about to be charged for laying hands on an officer. “Knock it off you two!” He bellowed.

Someone pushed around the chief and grabbed Janet’s arm so tight she thought it was going to break. A part of her mind noticed captain’s bars on the sleeve as the hand twisted, breaking her grip on the tablet.

That sleeve scared Janet more than the professor, Shit! Now I’ve gone and done it. How the hell am I going to explain myself out of this one. Well, as Dad always said, in for a penny, in for a dollar!

Janet swung around in what she was sure would be a career-ending move. Her free hand glanced off the back of the fanatic’s head as she brought it across and into the throat of the senior officer. The force of the unbalanced blow threw her between the seats and on top of Bockheit who was squealing incoherently at this point. Janet grappled for the back of the seat and managing to twist around towards the professor.

The chief had seen enough. He leaned forward grabbing the midshipman’s shoulder and pulled as best he could in the tight confines of the cabin.

Bockheit reacted instantly by lifting his knee into Janet’s side but the blow had no force behind it and did little to stop her from grabbing the cord connecting the coil to the tablet. The fanatic screamed and swung the titanium tablet up and into her face. A spray of blood streaked across the chair back and overhead as the edge sliced across her forehead.

Janet nearly blacked out but managed to hold onto the cord a few precious seconds before the fanatic pulled it out of her grasp. She shifted her grip, grabbing him around the neck and wrist. He twisted and pulled forward, lifting the lightweight midshipman from her feet and tripping the chief who was still trying to grab her from the aisle. Janet’s right foot slid down between the chief’s legs, jammed under the bench and twisted. She could feel the bone snap as the bosun collapsed on top of her. The professor brought his elbow down on her temple sending a lightning bolt of pain seared through her brain.

The shuttle cabin around Midshipman Janet Derik spun as she stared through haze-covered eyes. Head wildly spinning, Janet helplessly saw the fanatic slide the connector into the tablet. Black, delirious eyes widened into saucers and a string of blood-red drool trickled down from the corner of his mouth. His lips were moving but she couldn’t hear the scream above the ringing in her head.