by Russell Fine
When he returned to the bridge, Dr. Weber was waiting for him. He said, “I received the information regarding the disease. I think the situation may be more serious than Max realizes. The number of cases has increased by thirty percent in the last thirty days. If that continues, by the time we get back the number of cases could be astronomical. I’m thankful that at least we can hold the symptoms at bay, so we do have some time. The other positive thing is the resulting kidney failure is mild, but it’s certainly a cause for concern. If a patient becomes very ill we can resort to dialysis. That’s not a great option, but it’s better than death.”
“Do you need anything else from Max? After we leave there’s no way to contact him.”
“I know, but I believe what I have is sufficient. I’ll call Max and let him know.”
“Good, but you still have twelve hours before we leave in case you find you need something else.”
“I’ll go over the material again.”
That evening they had a big dinner for the crew and guests. Jeffery gave a speech similar to the one he had given before they left on the first mission, but this time there were no warnings about the lack of gravity.
At exactly noon the following day, June 14, 2120, the Star Rover left Earth’s orbit. They accelerated slowly until they were in the correct position. Jeffery made the announcement they would be entering the wormhole in twenty seconds. Then thirty-five seconds, later he announced they had exited the wormhole and were now three million miles beyond the orbit of Pluto.
They spent several hours testing the new weapons systems. Sean Richards, the chief security officer, reported the weapons were working perfectly.
The Star Rover was now ready to begin its journey to the Procolt system. Jeffery announced they would be entering the wormhole again in a few seconds, but this time they were going almost twenty-eight light years, so it would take seventy-six days to travel that distance. He also reminded them that the external monitors would be useless during that time.
The trip to the Procolt system was largely uneventful. A few people got sick, but nothing serious. There were a few falls, the worst resulting in a sprained ankle. The chefs did their best to prepare some interesting meals and the recreational areas on the ship were kept busy. It was boring, but it wasn’t unexpected. Since the guests knew what to expect they didn’t complain.
When the ship exited the wormhole, they were just outside the orbit of Procolt 6. Everyone onboard was watching an external monitor when suddenly the Procolt system came into sharp focus.
Jeffery, Debbie, and Mike were on the bridge. Jeffery asked, “Should we go directly to Procolt 2 or should we go into a low orbit around each of the planets in the system before going there?”
Mike said, “Since our paying guests have chosen Dr. Haslet as their spokesman, why don’t we ask him?”
“That’s a good idea.” Jeffery picked up his com unit and said, “Haslet.”
A moment later he heard, “Haslet here.”
Jeffery responded, “Dr. Haslet, this is Admiral Whitestone. Please come to the bridge.”
“I’ll be there in a few minutes sir.”
When Dr. Haslet walked onto the bridge, Jeffery asked him the same question he had posed earlier. Dr. Haslet thought about it for a few seconds and said, “I think we should go directly to Procolt 2, then if we have time we can explore the other planets in the system. All of us are anxious to get off the ship for a while and none of the other planets are suitable for exploration.”
“Okay Dr. Haslet, we’ll do that. Lieutenant Parker, please set a course for Procolt 2.”
Mike turned to face his console, typed in several commands, and said, “Procolt 2 isn’t in a direct line of sight from here. We’ll have to go near Procolt 4 first and then we can go directly to Procolt 2.”
“That’s fine. Please carry on.”
After a brief jump through the wormhole, Procolt 4 was visible on the external monitors. Before Mike could execute the next command, the ship’s radiation alarm sounded and there was a brief power fluctuation. Debbie said, “Admiral, it appears we’ve been scanned again.”
Jeffery said, “Locate the ship that scanned us.”
A few seconds went by and Debbie said, “Sir, the ship is seventy thousand miles off our starboard side. It isn’t the same configuration as Garlut’s.”
“Lieutenant, try to contact them.”
“Yes, Admiral,” She sent a standard greeting. Ten seconds later she received a response. “I just received the following message: ‘Your ship is intruding on the sovereign territory of the planet of Torblit. You have one standard hour to leave this system or your ship will be destroyed.’ “
“That doesn’t seem very friendly. Send this message: We are the newest member of the trade association. We’re from the planet Earth. We were told by Garlut of Coplent we could explore Procolt 2 and it was not inhabited. We have no desire to interfere with anything you’re doing or trespass on your territory.”
The response was: “You now have .992 standard hours to leave this system or your ship will be destroyed. Coplent has no authority to grant access to our territory.”
Jeffery was determined to make the mission a success. He thought for a few seconds and said, “Lieutenant, send this: We’re on a trading mission to Coplent and we’re carrying valuable cargo they want. They know we’re here and are waiting for us to arrive. All we want is some time to explore Procolt 2 and we will leave.”
“We are not concerned with what you want or where you are going. We have established a mining colony on Procolt 4 and have claimed the entire system. You now have .983 standard hours to leave this system.”
Now Jeffery, desperate to think of a way out of the situation and save the mission said, “These people are traders, perhaps they’ll respond to a bribe. Let’s try this: We would be willing to trade some of our cargo in exchange for granting us permission to explore Procolt 2.”
This time there was a delay before they responded, “What cargo are you carrying?”
“Well, perhaps that got their attention. Send this: We’re carrying a food product that is unique to Earth, a valuable spice we use, and electrical power supplies that never run out of power.”
“We are not fools! There is no such thing as an electrical power supply that does not run out of power.”
Jeffery said, “I think we’re getting somewhere. Now try this: ‘Allow me to bring a sample of each of these products to your ship. I’ll come alone in an unarmed shuttle. If you’re not happy with these samples, we’ll leave this system immediately’.”
After another delay, they received this: “Move your ship to within one thousand units of our ship, then you may use your shuttle to bring the samples to us. If we detect any hostile move, we will destroy your ship without warning.”
Jeffery asked, “Does anybody know how big a unit is?”
Cathy said, “That’s in the book Garlut gave us. A unit is 1.23 miles.”
“Send this: ‘We accept your terms. We’ll move our ship immediately.’ Lieutenant Parker, move the ship.”
Jeffery picked up his com unit and said, “Rice.” When Ron answered, he said, “Put one case of chocolate candy bars, a ten-kilo bag of cinnamon, and two power modules on the shuttle immediately.”
“Yes, sir. May I ask why?”
“We’ll discuss it later.”
“Yes, sir.”
Mike moved the Star Rover and then they received a message. “You may come to our ship now. Approach from our port side.”
Jeffery said, “Captain Whitestone, you have the ship. I’ll keep my com unit on so you’ll hear everything.”
Debbie said, “Yes Admiral. And, as a personal favor, please don’t get us killed. I’ll be really mad at you if that happens.”
Jeffery gave her a grim smile. “I’ll do my best to keep us all alive.”
Jeffery picked up one of the pocket translators they had received from Garlut as he left the bridge. When he arrived at the
shuttle bay, Ron was waiting for him and asked, “What’s going on, Admiral?”
“The other ship has threatened to destroy us unless we leave this system. I’m hoping to bribe them with the stuff you put on the shuttle.”
“Good luck,” Ron said as Jeffery walked into the shuttle.
The alien ship was much larger than the Star Rover and there were obvious weapons attached in several places around it. It was cigar-shaped, approximately five hundred feet long and a hundred feet in diameter. There were markings on the side of the ship, but Jeffery had no idea what they were.
Jeffery moved the shuttle to position two hundred feet from the port side of the alien ship. He watched as a large mechanical door opened and he flew the shuttle inside the ship.
When the bay was pressurized again, Jeffery opened the shuttle door. Waiting outside were three people. They were all short, none of them taller than five feet. Their skin was a very pale blue, their eyes were dark green, and they wore tight-fitting uniforms that were the same color as their skin. They appeared to be devoid of hair anywhere obvious and they had slightly bulging abdomens. The thought that came to Jeffery’s mind was munchkins, but they didn’t look friendly or happy. Two of them had hand-held weapons that were aimed at him. The one in the middle said something, but Jeffery had forgotten to turn on the translator. He reached into his pocket slowly and took out the translator. The aliens knew what it was and after Jeffery turned it on and put the earphone in his ear, the one in middle repeated what he had said before. “My name is Glencet. I am the captain of this ship. Show me what you brought.”
Jeffery went back into the shuttle and returned with the two power modules. He said, “These are the electrical power supplies I told you about. They may not be of any use to you because they’re designed to supply twelve volts and that may not meet your needs. But we can manufacture them to produce any voltage and current you require.”
“How does it work?”
Jeffery thought about it for a few seconds and said, “I’m not an engineer so I can’t explain how it works, but I can verify it does work as I described to you. We use hundreds of them on our ship to provide electrical power.”
“What else did you bring us?”
Jeffery returned to the shuttle and this time came back with the chocolate and the cinnamon. He opened the box of candy bars and handed one to Glencet, saying, “This is what we call candy on Earth.”
Glencet looked at it, smelled it, and then handed it back to Jeffery and said, “You eat half of it.”
Jeffery opened the candy bar, broke it in half, and ate half of it. He handed the other half back to Glencet.
He smelled it again and then took a small bite of the candy bar. Suddenly a big smile appeared on his face and he said, “This is very good. I want more.”
“This box is for you. I can bring you one more box but I have to bring the rest of it to Coplent. If you want more, I’m sure I can arrange for that to happen.”
“What is in the bag?”
“This is a spice we call cinnamon. It’s usually mixed with sugar to give food a unique flavor.”
“Open the bag.”
Jeffery opened the bag and put his finger inside it. When he removed his finger from the bag he showed his finger to Glencet and then licked the cinnamon off his finger. Then Glencet did the same thing, but before tasting the cinnamon he put his finger by his nose and smelled it. He apparently liked the smell and licked the cinnamon off his finger. He said, “This is very good too.”
Glencet told his companions they could put away their weapons and he said to Jeffery, “You have twenty standard days to explore Procolt 2. Then you must come back here. When you come back you will bring another box of candy and an engineer who can explain how these electrical power supplies work. I assume you have someone on your ship who can do that. Do not attempt to go to any other planet in this system. Are these terms acceptable to you?”
“Yes, they are. I’ll be back in twenty days.”
Glencet and his companions left the shuttle bay and Jeffery went back to his shuttle. As soon as he closed the hatch, the exterior door opened and Jeffery left the alien ship.
EPILOGUE
The one hundred years of Earth’s history covered by this book is really the start of what many people consider the modern era. Think about all the changes that occurred:
We were no longer dependent on fossil fuels or nuclear power for energy. Most of the diseases that plagued the Earth’s population were cured or eliminated. Finally, we achieved true peace on Earth. Prejudice based on skin color and religion disappeared.
We thoroughly explored most of our solar system. We developed the ability to travel outside our solar system. We experienced our first contact with alien civilizations.
If you have studied Earth’s history you already know what happens next. If you haven’t, then you should consider reading the other books in this series.
In Book 2, you will find out about the unusual discoveries Jeffery and Debbie make during their exploration of Procolt 2. When the Star Rover continues on to Coplent they discover a world, unlike anything they ever imagined existed. You will also discover the role Jeffery and Brealak play in triggering an intergalactic war.
All of this and much more is covered in Book 2 of this series.
Russell Fine
04/26/3504
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Russell Fine is a retired former technical user’s manual author, a new business owner with his wife, Sherry, of over fifty years, and looking to make an impact in the world of science fiction. He always had a passion for writing short stories, science fiction, and mysteries that intrigue and stimulate the readers mind. As a member of his local writer’s group in Tennessee, that passion is stoked into flames weekly. After a series of shorts were written he collaborated and came up with the Frank Carver mysteries. Future World History books 2, and 3 will all be available from Burning Willow Press in the near future. Be sure to keep you eyes open for them. Russell lives in Tennessee with his wife, and three poodles.
To contact Russell directly, email him at [email protected]
Be sure to visit his website: http://www.russfinebooks.com and look for him on Amazon.com
ABOUT THE PUBLISHER
Burning Willow Press was founded in 2014 with the sole purpose of sharing dreams. Based in Spartanburg, South Carolina in the US, we have reached every country in the world in a short time. We do all they can to ensure that the reader is satisfied with the purchase of the story because that is what matters. Our motto is, “It’s all about the story.” Keeping in true of that, we here at BWP have painstakingly done as much as we can to put together stories that the readers will love and share with everyone they know. The process is not flawless as we are still humans, most of the time, and tired a lot of the time, so we make mistakes. If you find one, please let us know so we can take care of it.
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And many more to come . . .
