Watching the leader speak was a peculiar thing. Kalian could no longer hear the guttural grunts but instead crystal clear Central. He had no special love for science but he found himself curious as to how the disc behind his ear could translate something so alien.
“We are Novaarian.” The alien extended all four limbs gesturing to his companions. “We are from a constellation of stars many light years away, in a different arm of the galaxy.” His eyes flickered towards the stars in the viewport. “I am what you would call a captain. The Valoran is my ship.” His head tilted to the bulkhead above as if they could all see the wondrous ship floating outside. “My name is Telarrek, this is Numanon, Ilyseal and Youl.” As he said each of their names they pressed both upper hands to their chest and bowed.
Kalian examined them each, in turn, looking for any unique features. At first glance, they could all have been clones of one another. With a closer look, there were some subtle differences; he noted a darker shade of speckled blue around the eyes and nose on Telarrek, and the one named Ilyseal had a narrower set of eyes. Now that he was looking, he couldn’t help but see the subtle differences. From his vantage point, he could see the long tendril hair of Ilyseal and how several strands were actually red instead of milky white. Kalian wondered how similar they must look to the Novaarians. Telarrek’s introduction of his companions highlighted the Ambassador’s lack of regard for his own company.
“Yes, well...” Arlek half turned his head. “This is Commander Hawkins and Lieutenant Commander Ducarté.” He paused slightly before introducing the last member of his party. “And this is Kalian Gaines.”
The mention of his name caused no reaction from the Novaarians; they just gazed at him with their penetrating eyes. Kalian felt like he was being examined from the inside out again.
“If I may,” the Ambassador asked, “why are you here? Why now?”
Kalian knew he was referring to the crashed ship found on Charon, but he also knew he was directing the conversation away from him. It was a fair question however since four hundred plus years had gone by without any contact. All four Novaarians shared a brief but unknown look.
“Our kind has always had designs of making contact with your species. We have been observing your use of Intrinium since you first discovered its existence.”
“Intrinium?” asked the Ambassador.
“You call it Solarcite, the fuel that allows for faster than light travel.” Telarrek paused to ensure they were still following him. “Since you did not invent the technology that harnesses Intrinium, we have observed your use of it to ensure your own safety. In the wrong hands, it can be used as a powerful tool for destruction. We are thankful you have only used it for propulsion purposes, it shows evolutionary progress that some do not share.”
“But we’ve had Solar Drive technology for nearly five centuries.” The Ambassador looked as if he were calculating. “How long have you been watching us?” He had an almost pleading tone.
“We discovered your race not long after the Laronian freighter entered your solar system with the meteor shower.” Telarrek stated the fact like it was common knowledge. “We have been watching to see how your race matures under the influence of such technology. From our calculations, we believe you would not have discovered Intrinium on your own for at least another millennium. We realise for you it must seem like we have stood ignorantly by, but for Novaarians it is only a short span. We had to be certain of you.”
Kalian was sure Telarrek was looking directly at him as he said the latter. He felt like there was more behind those words than what they were hearing. He was desperate to interrupt and ask all of his own questions, to find out why he’s here. For now, though, the Ambassador was asking questions even he wanted answers to.
“Wait, what freighter are you talking about? What is Laronian?” The Ambassador was sounding more confused.
“The ship you discovered on Charon, it was a Laronian mining freighter.”
Kalian was astonished by the Novaarians knowledge of human information, to even know the name given to a distant moon.
They really have been watching us.
“You mean... you mean it wasn’t one of your ships?” The Ambassador was trying to piece together a very old puzzle.
Telarrek took in a deep breath, reminiscent of a human sigh. “That in part is why we must reveal ourselves as we have.” Telarrek dipped his head a little closer to the Ambassador. “You are part of a far greater galaxy than you thought. Like us you are but one species in a sea of many. The Laronians are your closest stellar neighbours, and it was their ship you re-engineered that has put you where you are today.”
“How did a Laronian vessel end up in our solar system? How close are they?” asked the Ambassador.
“Their homeworld is fourteen thousand light years from here. One of their deep space mining vessels was searching for Intrinium deposits outside of Laronian territory, without permission from the Conclave. Not too far from your solar system, they found a rich deposit in what we believe were two asteroids, close in size to your moon. After claiming it for their own they began the mining process without notifying the Laronian High Command. The debris scattered throughout your system is evidence of the catastrophe that befell them. It was one of our own exploration vessels that detected the explosion and the Laronian emergency beacon. It was tracking their ship that led us to you, but you had already discovered the crashed ship before we could intervene.”
The four humans were stood in silence hanging on to every word. They had just heard the biggest mystery to mankind laid out in thirty seconds. Everyone from scientists in Central Parliament to philosophers around both worlds had speculated and made theories on the reason for the crashed ship. Even Kalian had entered into debates in his lecture theatre with confounded students.
It was just an accident, not divine or destiny, not even by design from some alien race; it was just a fluke...
“What Conclave are you speaking of?” Kalian was sure the Ambassador’s questions would never end.
Before Telarrek could answer, Numanon stepped towards his leader. The shining bracer on his arm was no longer reflecting every colour as he brought it up to show Telarrek. The surface of it was now glowing blue with alien symbols and calculations that appeared to move across the whole bracer. Telarrek did a quick lift of his head in acknowledgement before Numanon’s bracer returned to its metallic state.
“There is much your species will be required to learn regarding the complexities of the galaxy and the wider community. We will, of course, make time for that, but time is against us. We have chosen to reveal ourselves now because of your actions on Alpha NL-2204.”
The Ambassador’s face seemed to switch off like a light as he stood dumbstruck. Kalian had no idea of the significance of what had just been said. He looked to Li’ara and Commander Hawkins who were just as confused as him.
“How do you know about that? We haven’t made it public knowledge yet, it’s still in the first phase.” The Ambassador had a hint of aggression in his tone.
“You are taking your first steps into the galaxy. We felt it prudent to monitor your exploration, for your own safety.” Telarrek’s tone never changed, he was simply stating facts.
The Ambassador looked at the others, only to see confusion staring back at him. Arlek appeared to make a quick calculation. “I suppose you’re about to find out anyway. Six years ago we sent a terraforming expedition to a planetary body known only as Alpha NL-2204. It is sixteen thousand light years from here, the furthest we have ever gone. We weren’t going to inform the populace until they had at least completed phase three, that could be fifty years from now...”
Kalian couldn’t believe everything he was learning in just one day. They were making a third planet; that would be big news on both worlds. It meant new lands, opportunities, resources of untold quantities and the prospect of an all-new economy. It was obvious why it had been kept a secret. Terraforming was a delicate process that could go wr
ong at almost any point, especially early on. If there was one thing Central Parliament couldn’t have it was to be seen screwing up. They wouldn’t reveal a new planet until it was a sure thing.
“What does Alpha NL-2204 have to do with you being here?” the Ambassador asked bluntly.
“You have crossed into Laronian space and are currently terraforming one of their planets. They might not be using it but, by the laws of the Conclave, it is theirs.” Telarrek gestured to Numanon. “We have received word that a Laronian warship is on a heading for your expedition team. We are here to advise you to evacuate your people as soon as possible. At its current speed, the warship will be at Alpha NL-2204 within one rotation of your planet.”
“There are seven thousand people on that planet, scientists, engineers, workers, not to mention all of their families! It would take more than a day to evacuate them all. What would these Laronians do if they discovered them? Surely they know of us like you do? They must know how blind we are to our alien surroundings. It’s not like we passed a giant sign that said ‘stay out’, is it?” The Ambassador had lost some of his composure at the thought of causing a war with an unknown alien race.
“They know nothing of your kind. In their eyes you are an unknown species invading their territory; it will be seen as a hostile action.” Telarrek continued to peer down at the Ambassador.
“How can they know nothing of us if you do? They’re supposedly our closest neighbours?” Arlek was pointing off in a random direction as if that was the way to Laronian space.
Telarrek hesitated. “We have kept-”
His sentence was cut off by the sound of an alarm blasting from the speakers in the walls. All the lights on the central console lit up with proximity warnings and a green holo-projection shot up from a console near the viewport. Its sudden appearance caught Kalian’s attention; it was a close-up image encompassing the Earth and the Moon with the Valoran and the Icarus station in between. What was most interesting about the image was the large green shape situated between the station and the Moon.
“What is that!?” the Ambassador shouted over the alarm.
Commander Hawkins dashed to the central console, his fingers racing over the touchscreen. A moment later the alarm shut down leaving the command bridge in silence again.
“Proximity warning! From these readings, something huge just dropped out of FTL about seventy thousand kilometres off of Armstrong.” The Commander tapped the panels furiously trying to acquire more information.
Kalian looked back at the holo-projection; it was easy to see what the Commander was referring to.
“How big is it?” The Ambassador aimed his question at the Commander, but it was Telarrek that answered.
“It is significantly larger than the Valoran.” He was looking at data on his own bracer.
“It’s twenty miles long!” The Commander re-checked the scans, clearly shocked by the data.
From the viewport, Armstrong was just a small cluster of lights against the moon’s pale surface. They all had to crane their necks to see the hulking mass floating above them in the distance. Even at a hundred thousand kilometres from the Icarus, the size of the behemoth could not be denied. A good portion of Armstrong was hidden behind its dark mass.
The exterior hull was a flat black from end to end; the details were hard to make out from this distance but its smooth surface looked to be devoid of any. It was so dark that Kalian was sure they would never have seen it if it hadn’t tried to eclipse the moon. Against the starry background, it would simply appear as an absence of stars. Against the backdrop of the moon, the ship was a simple rectangle with no beauty or intricate design like the Valoran. He wasn’t even sure where the engine was located; there were no obvious ports or extensions. After seeing the Valoran Kalian didn’t think he could ever be awed by the size of another ship, but he was wrong.
“What the hell is that?” Li’ara’s face was more concern than awe.
“Is, is that a Laronian ship?” Droplets of sweat were forming on the Ambassador’s forehead.
Telarrek tilted his head to the side as he examined the ship through the viewport. He gave a quick glance to each of his companions who all seemed to share the same thought.
“That is not a Laronian vessel.” He paused for a moment. “I have never seen a ship like that.”
All the humans turned to Telarrek, even the Commander looked up from his console. A cold dread seeped into Kalian’s gut.
“But I thought you said the Laronians-”
“The Laronians know nothing of Earth. They are only aware of an incursion into their territory. The only way they could find these coordinates is if they took them from your terraforming expedition, and as I said, they have not reached Alpha NL-2204 yet.” Telarrek didn’t take his eyes off the foreign ship.
“It’s just like your ship!” The Commander sounded frustrated. “All our scans are bouncing right off the hull!”
Kalian couldn’t believe the turn in events; in less than a day, they had gone from having one alien ship on their doorstep to two. He had a creeping sense of unease at the thought of the Novaarians being clueless as to its origins. From everything he had heard in the last half hour he was convinced there was nothing they didn’t know.
Telarrek turned to Numanon. “I want the Valoran to scan every particle of that ship.”
It was the first time Kalian had heard some urgency in the alien’s voice and it worried him.
“Yes, my Charge.” Numanon raised both of his lower limbs activating the bracers.
Using his upper limbs, he began to type various commands into both bracers like they were a combined keyboard. His voice had the same guttural undertones but Kalian could hear a clear difference in the way he sounded. He began to realise the disc behind his ear was more complex than just a standard translator.
The ship continued to sit motionless in space. It felt ominous and cold. Even when compared to the Valoran it felt alien. Kalian wondered how it must look from Armstrong; the monstrous ship would be blocking their entire view of the Earth.
“We need to contact The Hub, see if the Chief’s got any more info.” Li’ara was talking to the Commander since he was at the central command console.
He gave a quick nod in return and began to set up a link to Earth.
Lights on every console immediately dimmed and flickered, becoming unresponsive to the Commander’s touch. Even Numanon’s bracers failed him as all of the command keys blurred into a haze of distorted blue light. The holo-projection beside Kalian lost its cohesion as the image of Earth transformed into tiny cubes of holo-energy before dying out completely. A moment later the speakers in the walls exploded with a screeching static.
“Now what?” The Commander slammed the palm of his hand on the console, hoping to get any kind of reaction from it.
“I believe we are being scanned.” Numanon’s guttural undertones sounded louder over the static noise. “The Valoran detected an intense neutrino burst before the interference. They appear to be jamming all forms of communication as well.”
“No shit!” All four Novaarians tilted their heads at the Commander, unsure of the meaning behind his response.
A second later, the static disappeared and the consoles returned to normal. Numanon examined his bracers and began typing again. Commander Hawkins wasted no time going back to his own console.
He made a slow journey around the centrepiece of his command module. He took in the sight of the pilot resting back in the control chair. How long had she sat in that chair, how many countless millennia? Not that it could really be called a chair as she didn’t actually make contact with it. The anti-gravity emitters kept her constantly afloat to prevent any sores. He was careful not to step on the plethora of tubules and wires that extended from the floor into almost every part of her naked body. He knew they were vital in keeping her alive as well as being connected to every nanocelium that made up the ship. Through her, he could re-model the ship’s interior and exterior
depending on their needs. Though alive, her conscious mind was being exercised within a virtual reality, allowing her some freedom despite her apparent constraints.
At last, they had found what they had been looking for. Soon their journey would be at an end and so would her imprisonment. But first, he had to deal with them. Thanks to the so-called Novaarians, they had been able to locate these coordinates. Moving away from the pilot, the ship reacted to his needs as the floor produced several oval columns in front of him. Though appearing liquid they soon became solid, just above waist height, the nanocelium moulding the shape as it changed matter. Above each column, holograms in copper and silver appeared like magic to hover in front of him with no visible emitters. Using a combination of hand movements and his neural link, he easily manipulated the images to see the desired information. There was no mistaking it - they had found them. A silver hologram took shape like water in a vacuum and hung above the central column. It showed the image of an upright bipedal mammal in skeletal form, with a picture of the brain enlarged next to it and a karyogram of what was certainly primitive DNA. He felt the weight of an armoured hand grip his shoulder plate.
“It’s them brother, we found them!” Only Elandar called him brother.
They had been friends since they were children, though his memories of such a time were buried under the violence of his adult life. In seconds they had scanned the solar system and collated all the information they required. There was no mistaking it, these humans, as the hologram to his left told him, were the ones they had been searching for. He didn’t even like the name.
Before giving his next command, the column to his right began cycling through a pre-set alarm. Elandar motioned his hand across the column, activating the visual feedback. All the holograms across the entire breadth changed to form one image of an orbital station between them and the planet. In the middle of the intersecting rings, a coppery dot flashed at the top of the central sphere. Elandar enhanced the image, removing the station altogether. The copper hologram now represented one of these humans, again, in skeletal form. Elandar couldn’t keep the shock off his face. He kept his own composure though, despite the rage building inside him.
The Terran Cycle Boxset Page 7
