by Damon Alan
“Finding a planet might be harder than anyone expects. We have to find a planet in a halo star, not in Andromeda proper. Eislen and the other adepts making the trip sort of limit things.”
“How’s Gaia on fuel?”
“She assures us that is not a problem,” Malco answered. “The truth is, nobody knows. The ship is so secretive about her functionality, and everyone’s too afraid to go look and piss off the QI.”
If it weren’t true, and hadn’t been inconvenient on more than one occasion, that would actually be funny. “I don’t think she’d throw her life away in order to annoy us,” Peter said. “If she says she’s good for fuel, I’d trust her.”
“I’ll have plenty of time to get to know her. Apparently it will be just me and her for a good while. After we do find a planet and I approve, then I’ll go into cold sleep while Gaia terraforms it.”
“That’s probably good. Otherwise you’d be a skeleton when she awakens Eislen’s people,” Peter confirmed. It sounded like a good plan, but he’d think that since he’d helped organize it. He hadn’t known about Malco Vander, but the sergeant was a good choice.
Cautious, thorough, and motivated to live.
Peter extended his hand one last time. “Good luck, Malco. It’s been a pleasure working with you.”
Malco shook his hand vigorously. “And you, sir. You taught me a lot during our time together. I’ll put it to good use.”
“I know you will.” Peter turned to the last of the colonists, where Eislen was comforting his wife. When Eislen noticed, he waved him over.
Salla came too. Peter smiled as she fought with her long hair, trying to tame it in the lack of gravity.
“I was just telling Salla that the baby will be fine, and ours will be the first child born on the new world,” Eislen said as he walked up.
“Amazing, isn’t it?” Peter responded. “To know that your child will live in a world that is built on your terms. That must be comforting.”
“If you came along, you’d know,” Eislen offered. “Take that shuttle, go get your wife, and come join us.”
Peter shook his head. “I can’t do that, and you know you don’t want me to do it. This is your world, Eislen. You’re getting what you wanted. And Eris and I would be in the way.”
Eislen pursed his lips and nodded in agreement. “You would, but that doesn’t mean I don’t care about you. Sarah Dayson is going to get you killed eventually.”
That’s not how Peter felt, so he changed the subject. “Eislen, you remember Malco.”
Handshakes were exchanged, and Eislen and Malco took a moment to share the pleasantries of friends meeting after a long time apart.
“I’ll have to fill you in on my last few years after I wake up, I guess,” Eislen said to Malco.
“I can’t wait,” Malco said, sincerely. “I will get us to this new world, Eislen, but after that it’s your leadership. I’ll be like any other colonist, in most ways. I’ll watch over the terraforming tech, deal with any technological issues the colony has, but you’re the man I’ll work for.”
“You’ll find I’m not one to interfere much with someone who’s doing their job,” Eislen responded. “There’s no sense breaking what works.”
Malco looked at Peter. “I’m liking this already. Too many bosses have no clue about that lesson.”
“I’ll take my leave then,” Peter said. “Goodbye Salla and Eislen. Goodbye Malco.”
Malco saluted him goodbye, to which Peter smiled. “I’m not an officer anymore.”
“That doesn’t matter to me,” Malco replied.
Peter returned Malco’s salute, then Eislen and Salla shook his hand.
Both saddened and happy, he turned around and walked back to his shuttle, more confident than ever in the survival of humanity.
Chapter 52 - Admiral’s Personal Log
AI Lucy82A recording, Admiral's personal log, personal archive: Galactic Standard Date 12:55:13 23 FEBBED 15330
Personal log entry #1432, Admiral Sarah Dayson, origin Korvand, Pallus Sector.
Current Location: Jerna City, New Korvand, Refuge, Oasis System
We made it back home. I guess that’s what’s important. Emille is still in the infirmary, Thea is looking over her care. Alarin apologized to me for his comments on the bridge of the Entalia, although he didn’t really have to do that.
He’s lost a lot, something I understand. I’m uncertain if he has the mental fortitude to survive losing Emille.
Thea tells me that the sickness was caused by an interaction with the sedative that infernal AI gave Emille, and that if we go back to the galaxy again the problem wouldn’t be repeated.
Still, it outlined the extreme vulnerability of our situation.
If we go back and something happens to Emille, we won’t be returning to Refuge. Alarin can make the transference if Emille is there, but if she’s dead, he says he doesn’t think he has the skill to pull off the move alone.
So our entire mobility capability hinges on one woman. And one that, while cooperative overall, has shown some volatile traits from time to time.
I’m pretty sure Merik would be laughing at me right now. For that matter, Franklin might do the same. He always had a sense of humor about the problems we faced.
[A forty second pause, including a sound AI estimates a 96% probability of being a sliding door]
It is so beautiful here, overlooking the lagoon, the sea in the distance. A line of storms flashing somewhere too far away to see.
I guess there will always be storms. Maybe that’s one of the lessons nature teaches us. Storms come and go in our lives, what matters is how we pick up after they pass.
Assuming we survive.
[A deep sigh]
Despite our transportation bottleneck, I’m fairly determined to go back. Mindari calls, since I don’t know where else to go. We need supplies, we need ships, although I don’t know how to get the latter since I only have one adept who can teleport us. Which will limit us to ships that can fit into the Stennis’s new hangar space.
Heinrich is doing a fantastic job. Where the singularity was before is now room for dozens of grapplers, and two frigates the size of the EF-2358. I suppose we’ll travel back to the Alliance empty and try to come home full. I hope they’re smart enough to realize this isn’t their ship anymore, and that my new allegiance, my new family here on Refuge can do more to help them on our terms than if this ship were returned to Alliance duty.
I need to help take the pressure off the Alliance by hurting the Hive in the Pallus sector. Eliminating them if I can. With that accomplishment, they’ll have no choice but to listen.
It should be possible, as we proved at Korvand. With Emille’s abilities, I don’t think any one Hive fleet could stand up to the Stennis now.
And if we can get enough grapplers and pilots to Oasis, we can build hangar stations around the system to fight any Hive that eventually come. As my former crewmates on One-Eight showed the Hive before, one well flown grappler can brutalize several capital vessels.
I’ve always loved grapplers. Always will.
[Sixty-three seconds of silence]
There’s a glimmer of hope. Merik, and I always seem to come back to her words… she promised that we’d see victory. But she didn’t define it now, did she?
At least we know humanity will continue, as long as Andromeda doesn’t have its own Hive problem.
[Laughter]
Listen to me, I sound like a conspiracy theorist. Aliens. Hilarious stuff.
The colony is in Malco Vander’s hand. I always liked that kid, I’m glad to see he’s going to live a nice long life helping the new colony get set up. Eislen, well, he’s taken a strange path lately, but I’m assured by everyone that he will be a good leader, that he genuinely cares for his people and will be loyal to those of mine who go along to help.
Which for now seems to be only Vander. I don’t think any more of my crewmen than necessary should go. Let Eislen do his thing with min
imal interference from the values of my society. I believe he’ll steer humanity in a good direction.
Gaia is still in orbit around Halvi, the Fyurigan is tethered to her and working furiously to restock the vessel. The Yascurra, under command of her XO, is out mining furiously to meet the ore needs of the industrial ship. But we’re getting it done.
We are getting it done.
[A sixteen second pause]
Later today I think I’m going to go out on the pier and fish. Maybe see if Thea wants to come along. For the first time in a long time, I don’t feel like I have an axe hanging over my neck.
I don’t know if that qualifies as victory, but I’m going to call it, at the very least, a lull in the fighting.
And, in the spirit of victory, I will celebrate with a bit of Franklin’s chocolate.
[A crinkling sound AI estimates 96% likely to be foil wrapping]
Mmmmm. If... no when we go back to the galaxy, I will make sure there are crates of this stuff brought back with us when we come home.
End the log, Lucy.
<<<
Important Concepts:
Calendar:
I assume that if galactic civilization arises, a simple calendar with which to plan things across solar systems will arise. Most worlds won’t have a 365 day year. Or even a 24 hour day. So I came up with a calendar for my galactic civilization. Year 1 of the galactic calendar is based on the first year man colonized an extra-solar planet.
10 months, 40 days each. Each month is 4 weeks, weeks are 10 days.
Month Days
Jand 1-40
Febbed 41-80
Mapri 81-120
Mai 121-160
Huni 161-200
Juni 201-240
Gusta 241-280
Seppet 281-320
Ors 321-360
Noder 361-400
Glossary:
ECM/ECCM: Electronic Counter Measures are EM (electromagnetic) signals designed to frustrate sensory equipment from detecting the location of a target. ECCM are EM signals designed to overcome attempts at ECM.
ELINT: Electronic Intelligence.
EMP: Electromagnetic Pulse. By-product of a nuclear detonation, EMPs tend to overwhelm and destroy electronic circuitry. They are unpredictable and vary greatly in strength.
FTL: Faster than light
FTL drive, singularity, drive core, jump drive: All slang for the drive system that contains the singularity that makes FTL travel possible.
FTL Nuke: A nuclear weapon delivered by a missile equipped with a FTL drive.
G: One standard Earth gravity, or 9.80665 m/s2.
G-K: Grappler Killer. See next entry.
Grappler: A small vessel designed to carry a minimal crew and weapons to a target. They never carry FTL drives. Serving on a grappler means travel inside a spacesuit for potentially weeks.
Grappler Engine: A tracked device capable of gripping the very fabric of space in order to accelerate or decelerate a small spacecraft. Only useful on small spacecraft, as large inertia overcomes the gripping ability of the engine. The track grips the quantum foam that is present in all space, vacuum or not.
Grav Couch: A device designed to manipulate the human body so that it can most efficiently absorb G forces. The couch rotates on at least two planes, and in some specialized ships three. Grav couches are also called acceleration couches. They are usually outfitted with the means to deliver nutrients, hydration, and medicine to the occupant if necessary.
Hive: A collection of nanite neural nets inhabiting both human bodies and mechanical constructs. Originally created by humans, the nanites that are the Hive turned on humanity almost immediately. Today they occupy a few thousand star systems of what was once human space. They infect humans, replacing the human nervous system with a mechanical/organic replacement.
Inclusion Sphere: a bubble (slang for inclusion sphere) several kilometers in diameter created by a rapidly rotation singularity and lensed gravity waves. Due to depression of space at the leading edge of the bubble and raising of space at the trailing edge, the entire bubble and all contents move forward in three dimensional space faster than light. Everything in the bubble is stationary relative to the space fabric they are embedded in.
Nanobot/Nanites: Microscopic (or at least very small) machines that are designed to accomplish tasks.
Probes, Hounds: Sensor and long range comm probes that can travel to their assigned station with a smaller FTL drive system. This small system damages neural networks within their inclusion sphere, therefore cannot be used on small vessels that contain Human or Hive neural networks.
Quantum Entangler: A radio designed to deliver instantaneous FTL communications by utilizing entangled atoms to deliver digital signals.
Quantum Foam: Particles that are created and destroyed virtually instantaneously in all three dimensional space.
Torch: v. To ignite the fusion engines for acceleration or breaking. n. A fusion engine.
Author Notes: I look down at the keyboard, look up again, and book 4 is finished. That is what it felt like. The plan for nine books is solidifying, I showed my wife the plan for the ending of the series, and her remark was this:
I can’t tell you that!
The fact is that it probably won’t be the end. Because of the way the series ends, there should probably be a prequel. And the opportunity for sequels will be clear once you see the end of this book. Eislen, he’s not the harmless little goat herder a newcomer AI nearly killed a few years ago.
I’ve already started book five, it’s sitting at about 5,000 words in first draft. The cover for it is done except for a blurb, you can see the cover at www.damonalan.com along with anything else I have going on with the series, cool things from science, or personal thoughts on a lot of non-political or religious issues.
As always you can email me directly at [email protected] with any ideas, requests, or hopes for the series. I will listen as I can.
I got one such request that mentioned he wished book 1 had less profanity. I thought about it, and realized that it didn’t need it to be good, and by toning it down the series might be open to more people, young and old. It’s a learning process. I edited the book, removing words that could be replaced, rewriting a couple of spots.
So yes, I listen if the input is good. My wife would say otherwise, I’m sure.
Thank you for being a reader. I’m honored that you’re here, and it is my intention as an author to always respect you, the reader, because I know you don’t have to pick up my books. I’m happy that you do.
Damon Alan
