by T J Bryan
"I want to make sure I am understood," said Abel.
"Yes Sir," replied Farn followed by Silvi who nodded her head vigorously.
"Remember at all times," Abel continued, "we are a small outpost at the edge of the galactic arm, with few real resources, except our people and the resources Unity left us from the defeated Greaysons. And those resources, our citizens, the Greayson ships, stores, and munitions, are not infinite. Depending on how active and successful the OCN becomes we will consume those resources faster than you can imagine. Therefore it is imperative that we learn new skills and forge alliances with those who have the skills or resources we need to complete our mission. This begins with armaments which we need now; missiles and sand casters. And it ends, if it ever does, with new build ships; in our own yards or in the yards of close partners. Allied partners who agree with our mission and who willingly participate in the restoration of knowledge, commerce, and civility will be necessary and desirable."
Silvi spoke, "Yes. I understand sir. Are we going to form some kind of alliance structure? An open alliance system and not an empire?"
"Yes. That is our intention. We have a role to play in any alliance and that is to keep the peace along the knot lines. But the alliance itself, if it ever forms, must collectively govern itself. The Commonwealth of Obsidian is but a speck in the cosmos, and while we can participate in governance, we are simply too small and too insignificant to play a major role in governing the universe."
"Now I know you have carefully read the assignment orders I have given the two of you, but let me take a chance at repeating myself, and boring you both."
Silvi smiled.
Abel continued," The C&P is to establish a patrol system from Jamon to Wu and to the immediate systems clustered around the Wu junction. This would include Carm, Bizon, and Sargon, as well as New Carthago, Hsi, Happy Landing, Fitz and perhaps Far Spec. As you stabilize these knot lines and portals you may begin to venture further. But let me urge you Silvi to simply nibble at the edges of new systems and to avoid deep penetrations. Do not under any circumstance overrun your resources. You have only a few ships now to cover an enormous distance. Our efforts would be greatly damaged if we gave a new system assurances of patrols along their knot lines, and then in some crisis we were forced to abandon those systems. If we give our word we will keep it. Silvi keep reserves. Do not overextend yourself."
"Farn, I have chosen you as Commodore of the Recovery Survey because you have demonstrated the skills of command, insight into other cultures, and a quick and positive reaction in crisis. Now, I had some opposition to selecting you for your position Farn. Some said you were too young and inexperienced. About experience they were completely wrong after your recent voyages with Silvi. As for youth, yes you are young, but there is an old saying, ' For fools rush in where angels fear to tread.' Farn you are no fool, and you are young, but where you will go I am certain angels will fear what lies in some of those lost systems. Youth is an advantage in exploration and you will have seasoned crews to rely upon. Look to your captains for guidance, but do not hesitate to act when necessary. Whole worlds lie in chaos, economic ruin, and despair. Let them not remain in that state for a day longer."
Farn felt embarrassed but grateful. She had never really understood why she had been chosen for Commodore when there were others she thought far more qualified for the position than her.
"Farn as you know from your orders, there is a portal and another knot line from Girots that leads to the Cranmore System and its' many portals. This will provide an excellent start to recovery in another part of old human space. We know from the EG that Cranmore was completely destroyed and its' two planets devastated by nuclear warheads and contamination. However it was a major trading post and crossroads connecting over thirty systems. Some of those systems may well have survived It is your task to identify them and if appropriate seek their support in re-establishing trade. You are not to give any assurances of OCN support at this time. We simply lack the resources. But you can establish contact, complete a survey, and return home as we consider the viability of what you have discovered."
"Farn let me emphasize that on your first mission to the Cranmore complex the operative word should be survey. Let's see how much progress we can make on the survey and later work on recovery. Should you find a systems ripe for recovery do not hesitate, but caution should be your guide on this first set of R&S voyages. You will eventually have three SAR's but for now only one is available.
"Now," said Abel, "This is an assignment for both of you. It is a background assignment and you are not to talk openly about it. But we need technology, in particular Greayson technology. Greayson's homeworld's were completely destroyed in the Great War, and while some day we may visit those worlds, we know that Greayson technology was spread across vast areas of the galactic arm. When you uncover that technology keep in mind our pressing needs. We do not steal. We do not confiscate. But we do trade and a fair trade for those who hold the keys to some of that technology will benefit the OCN enormously."
"Am I understood?"
"Yes Sir" Both Silvi and Farn responded simultaneously.
At noon 13 days later Silvi departed the Habitat on the OCN Destructor Ragnarök together with Sigrún with Captain Marx, Captain Thoranson with Brynhildr, and Kára with Captain Toni Hamilton.
At noon two days later Farn departed in the newly re-commissioned SAR Mist for the Cranmore system and points beyond. Farn was to be both Commodore of the R&S as well as Captain of the Mist on this first voyage.
Other ships were to follow as crews were trained and ships made available. The two armed freighters and the Banshees remained at the Habitat until Silvi and Farn returned.
Chapter Fifty Eight
Cranmore System - Mist - Year 3246. September 23 ET: 01:18
The passage to the Cranmore system had taken twenty one days and the transition across Girots had been uneventful. The Spikey seemed content to guard her nest. The Cranmore system had proven to be totally wrecked by war. Its' two habitable planets had become a nuclear nightmare and its' orbital infrastructure completely destroyed. No one was sure which party had done the killing here and the Encyclopaedia Gallectica placed no attribution, it simply said the system was dead. And indeed it was.
Cranmore's value before the Great War was as a crossroads of commerce with immediate knot lines to seven systems and return lines from two. The two return lines linked in various ways to the outbound systems. Farn sat in Captain's Chair studying the knot line maps from the old EG. She saw that there were seven outbound links to systems from Cranmore. Some of those systems linked to one or two others, but all returned via two more distant systems; Osaka, a system the EG described as a burnt out cinder, and Pope Leo XXI a system dead well before the Great War. In examining the knot line map Farn saw that those systems which formed hubs had clearly been selected as targets by both sides in the war. Any hope of finding an existent and functioning system would be found among the lesser stars. She decided to jump to a system called Iceman and then to Himmer. The Iceman Cranmore knot line eventually passed through another system called Polis before joining Pope Leo XXI and the return to Cranmore and a return to Girots.
Taylor Schmidtt from the Iceland was her astrogator, and Sal Paris her first pilot.
"Give us a plot to Iceman Mr. Schmidtt."
An hour later Taylor Schmidtt had a plot and pilot Paris initiated the three day run to the Iceman System. The EG had little to say about Iceman, other than it was a water planet which was mostly frozen. Only a sliver of the planet around its' equator was liquid and that rather cold. Before the war there had been a colony living on a few islands in what was called the temperate zone, but the population was small and Farn thought that Iceman might be so insignificant that the Great War passed it by.
Upon arriving at Iceman Farn asked astrogator Schmidtt to plot a course for the next system Himmer. Then she had Paris take the Mist into a high orbit above Iceman itself. From a distance
Iceman looked cold indeed and it took eight hours before she could clearly see the planet on the vid screen.
Abdirahman Devlin was on the defence station. The crew called him Abdi.
"Mr. Devlin do you have a scan on Iceman?"
"Yes Captain Mayers. I do. I detect two intense energy sources on two locations within the temperate zone. Both are on islands that are separated by about 800 kilometres. However, I see no habitat or the signs of occupation on those islands. Just large fusion engines. The engines themselves seem well maintained and are of Hitti origin. They are not leaking and their power output is well within design specifications as outlined in the EG. Strange that they have energy but no one is around. Stranger still is their origin; Hitti."
Farn thought for a moment. "Under water? Could they be living under the sea? Or perhaps under the ice. That might be a good way to avoid detection during the war. But then again the fission engines are a dead give away that someone is living here."
After ten orbits at a high elevation Farn ordered a low orbit pass and scan. She wanted a better look at those fusion stations. "Mr. Devlin give me the best scan you can of those islands. Pilot Paris? Can we set down on one of those islands?"
Sal Paris replied, "Probably if there is a flat spot. I'd hate to land on too great a slope. You never know the make up of land. So a flat spot is best."
"Mr. Paris can a SAR land in water. I mean can it descend into the depths of an ocean?"
"Now that's one I never checked. Give me some time to consult the POO-P"
Farn saw Sal reach for the 'Principals of Operation - Pilot' and begin thumbing through its' voluminous index. Then he reached for volume 8 and quickly read the section dealing with water. "Yes. We can land on water and descend to the depths no greater than 4.5 kilometres. But the POO-P advises against doing this to great depths. Our ships are designed to keep air in, not to keep water out."
"Very well Mr. Paris. I have no intention of descending into the depths of Iceman. But it's good to know."
Abdi spoke up. "I have completed the scan of their first island. There are no weapons emplacements or signatures. The fusion station is clearly of Hitti origin and cannot be 4,000 years old. It's relatively new. I'd say no more than 20 years of service given its' performance and characteristics. There is a very flat space about half a kilometre from the fusion reactor. I'd say that was intended as a landing spot given how flat it is in comparison with the rest of the island. It's covered in thin vegetation so it has not been used in a while."
Farn thought for a moment. "Well our task is to recover and survey. And the survey is not complete till we take a look at that island and perhaps what lies beneath. Mr. Paris take us down. We will call this first island Alpha One and the other Alpha Two."
"Aye, aye Captain."
It took about an hour to pass through the cold atmosphere and land on the flat portion of Alpha One. Farn, heading Abel's warning that Captains do not leave the ship, assigned second pilot Siggy Ivar and weapons specialist Lilly Berns to the away team. She thought for a long moment about arming Siggy and Lilly, but decided against the idea. After all if you come in peace you don't bring a gun to the party. After donning cold weather clothing from the purser station Siggy and Lilly stood at the main hatch awaiting Farn's final order.
"Mr. Ivar and Mr. Berns, I just want you to take a quick look around. Keep in constant communications over your vid-com. Take a vid of whatever you find. Look closely at the fusion engines and their power distribution systems as well as any signs of life. Stay clear of the water. Unless I am wrong if anyone is living here they will be in or under the water and we are ill equipped for an underwater survey."
Both Lilly and Siggy nodded as Farn cycled the main hatch door open. They were immediately hit by a frigid cold wind and the smell of salt, water, and a hint of hydrogen sulphide. As they exited Farn cycled the hatch closed. She had given them thirty minutes to complete their survey at which point they were to return.
Farn returned to the bridge. "Mr Devlin? Do we have traces of methane in this atmosphere?"
Abdi turned to his station and read from the display. "Yes we have methane in a rather high quantity. But most of the atmosphere is within the range we would expect for a water planet suitable for human habitation."
Farn turned to Sandra Kelso her EM & MS specialist. "Isn't Methane a greenhouse gas created by animals and such?"
Sandra replied, "Yes. It's a hydrocarbon and is the product of biological processes. However there are abiotic processes that result in methane. So you can not simply conclude there is life here based on the presence of methane. But the quantity here is significant and we do see bits of vegetation about. However I doubt that that scrub vegetation out there is anywhere capable of producing this amount of the gas. But it is a hint there may be a life. A lot of life."
Farn looked to her astrogator Taylor Schmidtt. "Mr. Schmidtt, how far are we from what is left of the Hitti Empire. How many jumps? If I remember from the EG it's a long long way away."
Taylor sat at the astrogation station and began a series of queries. "Yes. Hitti is on the other side of our galactic spiral. Perhaps four thousand light years. It's a long way away."
Farn continued, "Are there any portals within the Cranmore sphere of influence that lead to Hitti space?"
Once again Schmidtt referenced the astrogation station. "There may be a portal at Dong Son. However it is not clear, but the EG hints at such a link. Hitti was always a closed system. They didn't appreciate visitors and with the beginning of the Great War they closed off their space to us. Kind of slammed the door. Neither Unity or Greayson seems to have bothered them. And even before the war there was only occasional contact, and that was always strange."
"How far away is Dong Son?" Farn asked.
Taylor leaned back in his seat and replied, "A long way. From here at Iceman it is at least seven jumps. There is another route in this system but that would be eight or nine jumps. But once you are at Dong Son no one knows if the portal leads directly to Hitti space or only leads to a long journey that might end in Hitti space. However the EG hints that Dong Son is a two way street portal. In and out as it were."
"And the time to get to Dong Son?"
Taylor sat up and worked the astrogation station. "About 51 days to Dong Son."
"And a flight originating at Dong Son, how long to reach Iceman?"
Taylor looked at the station again, "21 or 22 days assuming your travelling as fast as our Mist."
"Interesting," Farn said. "Here we have a Hitti power source, yet we are four thousand light years from Hitti. And a well maintained power source at that. I suspect that Iceman, and whoever lives here, has some connection with the Hitti. They might even be Hitti themselves."
"How is our away team Mr. Devlin?"
"All seems well. I have been monitoring their progress. They just reached the fusion plant. There seems to be no way in. The plant is sealed up tight. They are taking vids."
"Mr. Schmidtt you seem to know something of the Hitti. Can you tell us more?"
"I liked reading about other races and species in middle school. Kind of an escape I think. I found the Neer-Ants, the Qualoos, and the Hitti particularly interesting. Of course there is Moolongshi. Moolongshi is really weird. But the Hitti were very strange as well. We don't know a lot, but we know that they once had a very large galactic empire that was highly expansionist. But at some point their expansion could not hold together and the entire empire collapsed. There appears to have been some internal discord as well, but no one really knows."
"And didn't there exist some level of trade with the Hitti before the war?" Farn asked.
"Yes, not a lot, but there was trade. If you can call it that. Hitti trading practices were very strange. Apparently to trade with the Hitti you landed on an empty planet or asteroid and just left the stuff you wanted to trade. Then you left. After a few days you returned and there was stuff they left for you. Sometimes they took everything you left and other time
s they didn't take anything."
"And what did they seem most interested in Mr. Schmidtt?"
"That's the another odd part. Sometimes they took all the steel plate and piping. Other times they ignored it. Sometimes pumps and solar panels. Occasionally foodstuffs. Diamond dust seemed popular. But you never knew what they wanted."
"And in return?"
"Minerals in pure form usually. Sometime rare earths. They also left stuff we have no idea what it was. Some was clearly technology based, but what it did no one could figure out. Oh, and the origin of anti-gravity chips was with Hitti. But eventually we reverse engineered them. You know the ones Meg uses on Greenland to prevent injury? "
"How much trade was there? Between Hitti and human space."
"Very little. If I remember correctly over a period of perhaps 300 years before the Great War there were less than a dozen encounters. And I think after the Great War began there was no contact. Oh, and in one trade they left anti-matter in quantity."
"Anti-matter?"
"Yes, but it was in containment bottles no one could figure out how to open without a really big bang. Eventually the supply was dumped into some sun. It was just too dangerous to keep in bottles no one really understood."
Abdi at the defence station spoke, "The away team is back and are at the hatch. Should I let them in?"
Farn replied, "No, wait until I am at the hatch to make sure that nothing is amiss. This is an odd planet." Farn set out for the main hatch and just to be safe took a plasma pistola with her.
...
