Peacekeeper- God Complex

by Doug Farren

  “Computer,” Tom said. “What is the maximum possible acceleration of the three ships I have designated?”

  “All three vessels are capable of safely accelerating at 304 Terran gravities,” the ship’s computer instantly responded. Tom was pleased to hear that it had converted the acceleration to units he could easily understand.

  “Assume no personnel are aboard. What is the maximum possible acceleration of the ships if the safety limits are overridden?”

  “Three hundred and thirty-two standard Terran gravities.”

  “Excellent! Display a relative velocity vs time graph assuming a constant rate of acceleration of 330 standard Terran gravities.”

  A curved graph appeared on the screen in front of Tom. He stared at the results for a moment then asked, “Admiral, how far are we from L103-021?”

  “Approximately 1.3 million kilometers.”

  “Move the fleet to 200 million kilometers. This should not interfere with the transfer of crew from the three ships we’ll be using.” Turning to Churum, Tom said. “I need you to do the best you can to modify the three ships to give us the best possible chance of making a direct hit on Breetak’s ship. Right now, this is our only option.”

  “I understand,” the Commander replied, her tail curling and uncurling with concern. “It would be easier though if the fleet were positioned perpendicular to the planet’s axis of rotation.”

  “Admiral, position the fleet as indicated. Commander Churum, I am giving you full authority to make any required modifications to those ships. As soon as the fleet is in position and all three ships are abandoned, program their AI’s to head to the target at maximum acceleration. Put them in a straight line with the center ship having the highest probability of a direct hit.”

  “Understood,” Commander Churum replied. “I would like to point out that an impact of a heavy cruiser traveling at 11 percent light speed will release an incredible amount of energy. Three such impacts may very well crack the planet’s crust. We’ll be wiping out all life if we do this. I would prefer to know that the Alliance Grand Council is in agreement with this plan.”

  Tom took a step towards the Commander. “I am aware of the consequences of this action. Are you aware of the consequences of allowing Breetak to regain control of his ship? I would rather initiate an extinction level event on a new world than be responsible for the deaths of billions of Alliance citizens. Are we clear on this?”

  Churum’s tail swung back and forth in a wide arc as her head came up. She stared at Tom for a moment, then replied, “I understand.”

  “Does anyone else have a question or a comment they would like to make?” Tom asked, glaring at everyone in the room. Seeing there were none, he ended the meeting.

  The marine was still waiting outside the door when he stepped into the passageway. “Take me to medical,” Tom said.

  “I have sent a priority message to the Alliance Grand Council requesting authorization to implement your plan,” Orion told Tom as he walked down the passageway. “If they disagree, I will insist you order the attack to be aborted.”

  “They have to agree,” Tom said aloud, causing one of the marines to turn around. “They don’t have any other choice.”

  Chapter 29

  A medical technician greeted Tom as soon as he walked into the Tharveth’s medical facility. “I’ve been expecting you Peacekeeper Wilks,” he began. “Please follow me.”

  Tom was taken directly to a small office. The technician opened the door and said, “Peacekeeper Wilks is here.”

  A female doctor stood in front of a bank of displays. Taking a closer look, Tom could see they were monitoring the small team of surgeons working on Lashpa. Turning her head around, the doctor said, “Please come in Krishtom Lashwilks. I have been monitoring your surgery since it started. Would you like an update?”

  It was a rarity for Tom to be addressed by anyone as if he and Lashpa were one and the same. Because they had declared themselves as gragrakch, Rouldian law viewed himself and Lashpa as chuloogranack—two bodies, one soul. Although it was rare nowadays in Rouldian society, a significant percentage of the population still followed the old traditions.

  “I would like that very much,” Tom replied.

  The technician closed the door behind him. “I’m doctor Melthner.” Using her tail, she pulled a chair over. It was designed for Terrans—probably manufactured at the same time as the one in the conference room. “Please have a seat.”

  Tom sat down and looked over the many displays arranged in a semicircle around them. The top row of screens displayed Lashpa’s vital signs; Heart rate was slow but steady; Body temperature was very low and stable; Respiration was very slow and shallow, almost nonexistent. The rest of the numbers and squiggly graphs meant nothing to him.

  The next row of screens showed the details of the surgery. Most were so close that only a trained doctor would recognize the area of the body being worked on. Two of the screens showed a larger view of Lashpa’s body lying on the operating table, a mass of tubes and wires connecting her to a bank of machines being carefully monitored by two technicians.

  Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Tom asked, “Is she going to live?”

  “Yes,” Doctor Melthner replied. “You will live. But you’re going to have a very long and difficult recovery. Your gra’s second stomach is destroyed as well as most of the digestive tract. Three of her ribs were severed and her reproductive organs damaged beyond our ability to repair. Luckily, the beam missed virtually all of her most vital organs. A lot of damage was caused by molten armor and the surgical team has been working to remove as much of it as possible. The major bleeding has been stopped and she is stable.”

  “How long before she can be transferred?” Tom asked.

  “Another hour, maybe two. There’s something else you need to be aware of.”

  Tom didn’t like the sound of her voice and a quick glance at her tail told him that the news she was preparing to deliver would not be good. “Go ahead,” he said.

  “The laser separated her spinal cord just forward of her back legs. There is a significant amount of damage. There’s a chance the Omel might be able to repair it but if they can’t, she will no longer be able to walk. Even if it can be repaired, she will most likely not regain full function of her legs and tail. Her entire digestive tract has also been compromised meaning she will no longer be able to eat normally. I’m afraid her days as a peacekeeper are over.”

  Tom’s stomach knotted up and he stopped breathing. It was as if his brain had suddenly shutdown and stopped processing data.

  Doctor Melthner, oblivious of his state of mind, continued talking. “Omel medical technology is far more advanced than anything we have aboard this ship. I can’t offer any guarantees, but there’s a chance they may be able to repair her injuries and allow her to live a normal life.”

  Tom finally took a breath and looked at the displays. Gleaming medical tools gently probed and poked at pink-colored tissue. On one screen, an instrument was removing a small black object from an unidentifiable internal organ. Another showed a cauterizer cutting away at more tissue, separating what was too damaged to repair from what could be salvaged. Another showed Lashpa’s head, tubes coming out of her mouth and nose and a small cable plugged into a port built into her cybernetics. Were it not for the upper row of displays, a casual observer might have thought she was dead.

  Tom stood up. “Thank you, doctor. Inform me as soon as she’s able to be moved.”

  “Of course.”

  Walking in a daze, Tom allowed himself to be escorted to the Orion. As soon as he was aboard, the ship’s AI said, “You need to sleep.”

  Tom spun around and pointed towards the closed airlock hatch. “Lashpa is in surgery. We are preparing to wipe out pretty much all life on a newly discovered world to eliminate a threat to every inhabited world of the Alliance. A threat that damn near killed her! And you’re asking me to get some sleep? No!”

  “I am not a
sking,” Orion replied. “I am charged with ensuring your health and well-being. As a peacekeeper, you have a responsibility to maintain a clear mind and- - -”

  “Don’t talk to me like I’m a first-year cadet!” Tom replied. “I- - -”

  “Get yourself something to eat!” Orion interrupted.

  Tom stopped in his tracks. The ship’s AI rarely interrupted him and it had never spoken to him in an angry voice. He stood in the passageway, stunned, trying to force his chaotic thoughts into some type of order. He remained there, unmoving, for a full minute, then turned and headed for the ship’s galley.

  * * * * *

  “Tom?” a voice in his head was saying his name over and over.

  Opening his eyes, he discovered he was sitting in the ship’s galley and had been sound asleep.

  “I’m awake,” Tom said. “What happened? How did I … You put me to sleep, didn’t you?”

  “I did,” Orion replied. “But it didn’t take much to make it happen. You were near exhaustion.”

  “How long have I been asleep?”

  “Two hours thirty-seven minutes.”

  “Lashpa!” he said, jumping up.

  “She is being prepped for transfer to the Komodo Dragon. We are en route now.”

  “Thank you,” Tom replied. “How is she?”

  “Stable. She is being kept sedated and in a natural state of hibernation. The entire surgical team that worked on her is going in case there are complications while en route.”

  “How soon before we launch our attack against Breetak’s ship?”

  “The Alliance Grand Council has approved your plan—the communication arrived just before I woke you. The ships will begin accelerating in two hours, forty-one minutes. The fleet is still moving into position.”

  “Has Churum managed to solve our targeting problem?”

  “She has successfully incorporated the software modifications into the ships navigational systems. She has also managed to increase the precision of the ships sensors which should improve the accuracy of the targeting calculations.”

  “Please send her my thanks.”

  “She has also come up with a way to measure the exact distance to the planet by using a laser. The fleet’s relative velocity will be reduced to near zero to further improve the calculations. The plan is for the three ships to begin accelerating while the base is over the horizon. The ships are being spaced 179,500 kilometers apart. This separation will result in them impacting the surface at five second intervals. The planet’s rotational velocity at the latitude of Breetak’s base is 478 meters per second meaning the ships will impact 2.4 kilometers from each other.”

  Tom nodded his head. “I like it. The impact from the first ship will throw up a debris cloud so thick that Breetak’s weapons won’t be able to shoot through.”

  “We will be docking with the Komodo Dragon in five minutes.”

  Captain Scarboro was waiting for him on the other side of the airlock.

  “Permission to come aboard,” Tom said, as soon as the airlock had cycled open.

  “Granted,” Captain Scarboro replied. “You’re always welcome on this ship Tom. I just wish this visit wasn’t because …” the Captain’s eyebrows tried to bury themselves in the top of his curly red hair. “Damn Tom! You look like hell!”

  “It’s been a rough last few days,” Tom replied. “Is Lashpa aboard yet?”

  “Their shuttle will be in the hangar bay in a few minutes. I figured you’d want to be there when they bring her aboard. Come on, I’ll walk with you.”

  “Thank you. I appreciate it.”

  “I put you in the same stateroom you occupied the last time you were here,” Captain Scarboro said over his shoulder. “My staff has standing orders to alert you if there are any changes to Lashpa’s status.”

  “Why is the gravity dialed down so low?” Tom asked.

  “The doctors escorting Lashpa asked us to set ship’s gravity at one-third Earth normal. Once Lashpa is in our medical facility we’ll reestablish normal gravity throughout the ship except for the infirmary which has an independent field generator.”

  The shuttle was settling into the holding clamps as Tom and the Captain walked through the open cargo hatch. The armored hatch leading into space clanged shut and a moment later Tom felt the ship make the transition to FTL drive.

  The back of the shuttle opened. A moment later, two Rouldians slowly rolled a mobile isolation chamber down the ramp. He forced himself to stay out of their way as they rolled the chamber across the deck and through the cargo hatch.

  One of the doctors approached. “I am doctor Tharnth, Peacekeeper Krish’s primary surgeon.”

  Tom reached out and stroked his index and middle finger down Tharnth’s neck, touched them to his tongue, then tilted his head to one side giving the doctor access to his neck. The doctor hesitated for a moment until he figured out that Tom was doing his best to imitate the standard Rouldian form of greeting.

  Doctor Tharnth’s tongue flicked out and gently touched the side of Tom’s neck. “Lashpa is doing as well as can be expected,” he said. “May I offer some professional advice?”

  “Of course.”

  “You are exhausted. For your own health, please get some sleep. Lashpa is in good hands and there is nothing you can do.”

  The doctor turned and hurried out of the hangar bay.

  Tom saw the perplexed look on Captain Scarboro’s face and said, “Rouldians have an acute sense of taste. That’s how he knows I’m about to fall asleep on my feet. I’ll find my own way to my stateroom. Have someone wake me in five hours. We should know the results of our attack on Breetak’s base by then.”

  Doug nodded his head. “Five hours, six, or even longer—what would it matter? You need to get some sleep Tom.”

  “But if the attack fails- - -”

  “Then it failed,” the Captain interrupted. “You’ve done everything you can. Let the Alliance military handle things from this point on. Lashpa is going to need your strength and support when she wakes up. For her sake, get some sleep.”

  Tom tried to stifle a yawn but failed. After his jaw tried to disengage itself from the rest of his face, he said, “You’re right Doug. Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome. If it’s okay with you—I’ll walk you to your stateroom.”

  Chapter 30

  Three Rouldian heavy cruisers, each massing over 94,000 metric tons, were screaming through space at a relative velocity of over eleven percent light speed. Their intended target rotated serenely as they approached, seemingly oblivious to the destruction that was about to occur. The ships had begun accelerating almost three hours ago and were now moments from impact.

  “Ten seconds to impact,” Commander Churum calmly announced even though the time to impact was being counted down by a large digital timer on the Tharveth’s main display.

  At a distance of 175,000 kilometers, 4.8 seconds before impact, Breetak’s ship opened fire.

  Five beams consisting of alternating packets of compressed protons and anti-protons accelerated to three times the speed of light slammed into the lead ship’s fully powered shield. Each beam delivered nearly 30 terajoules of energy—many times more than any Alliance weapon. The beams passed through the shield as if it didn’t exist and deposited their immense energy on the ship’s outer hull.

  The armor of all Alliance starships is carefully selected to serve multiple purposes. It was an incredibly good radiator of heat and is used to keep the ship from overheating. It is also extremely resilient. Against the incredible onslaught of Breetak’s weapons, it protected the ship for exactly 0.83 seconds. The beams bored through the ship turning everything in their path into superheated plasma.

  The rapidly expanding gas over-pressurized the hull, blasting the ship apart. Two seconds into his attack, Breetak’s beams began sweeping across the expanding cloud of debris converting solid matter into clouds of plasma. By the time it hit the atmosphere, only 8% of the ship remained—all of it traveli
ng at over 11% light speed.

  A single kilogram of matter (be it in the form of a gas or a solid) traveling at 11% light speed contains the equivalent amount of energy as that of a 154 kiloton bomb. The remains of the Hurgth, all 94,281 metric tons of it, spread out into a pile of debris 600 meters in diameter and hit the atmosphere of L103-021 with devastating effect.

  The solid pieces managed to punch a hole deep into the stratosphere before exploding. The gaseous components reacted with the thin thermosphere as well as the mesosphere heating the thin air and creating a massive shock wave.

  The shock wave rippled towards the ground growing in intensity as the air became thicker like a tsunami growing in height at it approached the shore. It was a thunderclap carrying the power of a multi-gigaton explosion. When it hit the ground, the blast wave instantly flattened hundreds of square kilometers of forest. The impact was so powerful it shattered rock and deformed the earth. The compression wave rebounded, pulling debris including entire tree trunks into the air. It also spread outward from its point of impact, leveling trees and flinging everything in its path outward.

  The atmosphere above, heated to several thousand degrees, became ionized and glowed with a light of its own. The dust rising from the ground encountered this wave of heat and also began glowing. The intense heat radiating from above ignited the fallen timber.

  Breetak’s base was 3.8 kilometers from the center of the first impact. Its shield, anchored in solid rock, was barely affected. One of the ground assault units on the side of the mountain closest to the blast was rolled over by the shock wave, damaging its guns. Another was caught in a landslide and pushed down the side of the mountain where it was buried under tons of rock. The base itself, and the ship within, was undamaged and continued to fire on the second target.

  The almost unbelievable power of Breetak’s main guns were now having to blast their way through tons of airborne debris, reducing the amount of power reaching the second ship. The intense ionization of the atmosphere began to interfere with the accuracy of the targeting systems. Five seconds after the Hurgth impacted, the Fe’Tunk slammed into the planet.