HADRON Resurgent

by Stephen Arseneault

  The female Hoorka gestured for Mace to sit. “I am Captain Hildaba of the Fletsen of Gawk. You call yourself Mace Hardy?”

  Mace nodded. “I do.”

  The captain sat in a chair, crossing her legs and leaning forward. “You have a young Hoorka with you. How did that happen?”

  Mace answered, “We landed on a planet where we were mining minerals—a planet that is eight thousand light-years from here. While scanning the planet, we came across a crashed ship. The ship was buried under half a kilometer of sediment. We dug it up, only to find an emergency lifepod in it with the young girl inside. We managed to get the pod open and recover her from stasis. She had been in the pod in that conditions for fourteen thousand years.”

  The captain huffed. “Not possible. Our bodies slowly decay. No one has lived longer than a few hundred years in a pod.”

  Mace shrugged. “Well, somehow this one did. You might have to dig deep in your records, going all the way back to Laventor. Her family left on that ship before the accident with the moon.”

  The captain sat back in her chair. “Interesting. You are familiar with Hoorka history. How did you come about that knowledge?”

  Mace replied, “We just came from Laventor. We got the short history lesson from a satellite that was left in orbit. Your people tried to move a small moon from an outer planet into orbit around Laventor and you messed up. The moon crashed into your sun and solar plasma blew away your oceans and atmosphere. Just before that happened, you packed up and came here.”

  The captain scowled. “Every Hoorka schoolgirl knows that story. Tell me captain, what is your ploy? What are you trying to do? Are you an agent of the Dedrus?”

  Mace shook his head. “I’m no agent of anyone. We found the girl. She wanted to come home. We had the means to bring her. It really is as simple as that. Other than what she has told us, and the knowledge we were able to recover from that ship and your satellite, I don’t know anything else about you. And I’m not asking. If the Hoorka have no interest in a peaceful relationship with Humans, we’ll gladly leave Favia with you and be on our way.”

  The captain continued her suspicious look. “Higatheps of Jore. Where did you come about that name?”

  “That’s her name. The mining ship they were on discovered a planet rich in mine-able minerals. Another family that had hired on with hers betrayed them. They stole a shuttle, spaced their supply of food and fuel, and then damaged the Telemunde to the point where it crash-landed on that planet. They planned to come back for the minerals, but they had a two year journey to make back to a rift in a ship that was only capable of traveling for a year. The other miners on the ship died of starvation, but not before putting Favia in the pod.”

  The captain shook her head. “You tell a fascinating story, captain. But the details are improbable, and not provable.”

  “What do you mean? The girl is right there. You can question everyone on my ship. You’ll get the exact same story. Wait… I could take you to where we found her. Is this ship capable of opening a gate that far? We know you have wormhole capability, we just witnessed that. Oh, and the gatrellium coating on our ship, we got that from you. The emergency pod on the Telemunde showed us how. I can provide coordinates to the planet where we found the ship if you want. It’s still there.”

  Mace held up his arm pad. A video log from his helmet camera was selected and began to play.

  “This is where we learned the language.”

  The recording was moved forward. “And this is how we powered up the ship. It was amazing. Her reactors still functioned after that length of time.”

  Another jump forward was made. “Here’s where we brought her out of stasis. You can see those are genuine reactions on her part and ours.”

  The captain scowled. “That, or you are all very good actors. Your pink skin is hideous, and your facial expressions tell of a deceitful nature. As I said, your story is fascinating, but not possible. The body begins to decay badly when left in stasis for extraordinarily long times. Our scientists have been researching that for many centuries.”

  Mace shrugged. “I can’t tell you why it worked, just that it did. The ship was buried under half a kilometer of undisturbed sediment. Maybe it’s related to the high temperatures on that planet. Maybe your stasis pods back then were better. Who knows?”

  The captain stood and left the room. Minutes later a new officer, also wearing a dull gray, white-collared uniform, entered and sat in the chair across from Mace. He held a device in front of him with a screen that only he could see.

  The alien said, “Mr. Hardy, I am Doctor Higathep… of Candreus. I find it interesting that you used the Higathep name for a mining colony family. Our history shows we have exclusively held position in the medical profession for a thousand years.”

  Mace replied, “Yeah, well, this girl goes back fourteen thousand years. Maybe your family roots are more humble than you think. Tell me, Doc, how can I prove to you that I’m telling the truth? Do the Hoorka have any kind of truth serum you can use?”

  The doctor pursed his lips. “I’m afraid your physiology would not respond well to it.”

  Mace said, “We only wanted to bring the girl home to her people. She deserves to live out a normal life around people like herself. We can feed her, clothe her, and be her friends, but we aren’t her people. Look, Doc, at least tell me you got the same story from her—you did just come from her cell, right?”

  The doctor nodded. “I did. And your stories are very tight. Your briefings from the Dredus are impressive, but not so impressive that we don’t see through them.”

  Mace sighed in frustration. “Look, if we were here on a mission from these Dredus people, whoever they are, why would we come up with such an unbelievable story? And what would our mission be?”

  The doctor leaned in. “That is what I’m here to figure out, Mr. Hardy. If I asked you what your mission was, would you tell me?”

  Mace laughed. “Yeah, well, I already told you our mission, to bring Favia back to her people. We can settle this whole thing with a jump to the Cancri system. You can do your own investigation of the ship and its logs. Otherwise, just let us go and we’ll leave and never come back.”

  A knock on the door had the doctor out in the hall. Several minutes passed before the captain returned. “Mr. Hardy, as unbelievable as your story is, it appears to be true.”

  Mace replied, “What clued you in?”

  The captain sat. “We are in orbit above the planet at the coordinates you gave us. There is indeed an ancient Hoorka mining vessel down there. So either you are telling the truth, or this is the most elaborate ruse I have ever come across.”

  Mace threw up his hands. “Finally. Look, we are fair and honest. We aren’t looking to invade anyone. We just want to live in peace. That girl out there, she’s lost everything she ever knew. Her family and friends and everyone she met are long dead. Heck, even her world is now dead. She doesn’t need interrogation right now, she needs support. And if the Hoorka people won’t give it to her, we will.”

  The captain smiled. “You’ll have to forgive us, Mr. Hardy, we are at war. Our very existence depends on our vigilance. The Dedrus will do anything they can to try to bring an end to our dominance of this region.”

  Mace asked, “These Dredus, are they big, powerful? Do they have a lot of ships?”

  The captain replied, “A century ago we had star systems in the Dominion as much as a hundred light-years from here. All joined the Dominion willingly, and all benefited from the stability and security. That all changed when the Dedrus showed up at Welifaz. It was a thriving colony of a quarter billion people. They enslaved all those who were able-bodied to work in their factories and mines and on their farms. They have overrun sixteen of our twenty-six colonies since that first attack. Things have been quiet for months, so we are anticipating a new assault. Your arrival comes at a time of heightened security.”

  Mace nodded. “That’s understandable. We only just re
gained our freedom from other hostile species who wanted to rule us. Even now, we’re preparing for a coming war with a species who seeks our annihilation. From here we return to continue those preparations.”

  Mace sat back in his chair. “What will happen to Favia?”

  “She will be turned over to the proper authorities and then placed in a home where she may continue her education. As a Higathep, she will eventually enjoy a rewarding career in the medical field.”

  The captain said, “You may return to your ship.”

  Mace stood, holding out a hand for a shake. The Hoorka officer eyed him suspiciously.

  Mace withdrew it. “Sorry, on our world shaking one’s hand is customary as a greeting or farewell.”

  As they walked out of the room, Favia stepped into the hall. “Mr. Hardy, thank you. I won’t forget what you did for me.”

  Mace nodded. “I hope you find happiness in your life, Favia. Take care.”

  The shuttle landed in docking bay three. Mace walked down the ramp. Jasper stood with a scowl, his hands on his hips. Jane had a smile.

  Johnny walked over. “You OK? What happened? That ship left for about fifteen minutes.”

  “They jumped to Cancri to investigate the ship for themselves. They weren’t buying my story.”

  Johnny said, “Well, we aren’t a threat. There’s four of those monster ships sitting out there. I think I have to side with Jasper on this one. This whole thing could have gone very bad.”

  Mace nodded. “It could have. But we got Favia home. And we at least have a small amount of trust built up now, should we ever come back.”

  Jasper huffed. “Why would we want to?”

  Mace sighed. “Because they are living, breathing, sentient beings. And one day we may have to interact with them or need their help. They’re at war with a hostile, too. The Dedrus have been conquering and enslaving colonies in their Dominion for a century now. And from the sound of it, they haven’t been able to stop them.”

  Jane shook her head. “Great, more friends with enemies. Just what we need.”

  Johnny talked as they walked toward the bridge. “What is it about this galaxy? For every decent species we meet, there’s another one trying to kick their ass. There’s plenty of room out here.”

  Mace replied, “Why can’t we all just get along?”

  Johnny nodded. “Exactly. I mean, I know there will always be bad people. Some are just mis-wired from the get-go. But whole civilizations? I don’t get how entire populations can go along willingly when these ruthless dictators or groups take control.”

  Jasper laughed. “We just did. Look at Stark. Other than us, he had the whole planet following him. Heck, he had people so riled up they were willing to go off and fight someone else’s war.”

  Johnny said, “You mentioned trust. Would they be willing to share defense secrets with us in a technology swap? Maybe they have something that would help us, or us for them.”

  Mace replied, “If we come back this way, I’ll be sure to ask.”

  The team walked onto the bridge. The order was given to return to Divinia. A tiny fracture in space-time was opened and the Rogers slipped through.

  Chapter 15

  *

  Jasper returned to a flurry of activity. A massive ship dock was under construction in orbit around Divinia. A new line of ships was to be christened as the Collins class. The first ship off the line would be titled Organ Cave and would be the new flagship of the Targarian fleet. It would sport four heavy plasma cannons, two microwave cannons, a maximum strength inertial dampening field, a metallic screen coating to help absorb hits from a microwave cannon, a micro-wormhole generator, and of course a gatrellium over-skin.

  The crew was being reduced from the nearly two thousand who were aboard a Muhatha to a team of sixty, split into three shifts of twenty persons each. Each shift would have six members for maintenance, a doctor and nurse, a cook, two security personnel, a captain, a commander, three permanent bridge crew and four cross-trained individuals who could take over any station. Of the cross-trained four, two would be the primary pilots for the two shuttles the Collinses would carry.

  The ship itself would be three-quarters the length of a cruiser. With the smaller crew requirements, a sizable cargo bay was added. Additional reactors would also be used to increase the top speed to 59 percent light-speed, more than twice that of the Mawga ships that had originally come to Earth.

  Mace stood on a balcony of the old repair dock with Fatso Geerok standing beside him. “What do you think, Mr. Geerok?”

  Geerok replied, “What do I think about what?”

  Mace laughed. “It was a generic question. What do you think about everything?”

  Geerok rolled his mouth from side to side in thought. “I think I have been out of my league for some time now. The things you and this crew have accomplished are astounding. Given what I’ve witnessed, the other species, including my own, were right to have feared Humans. You are resourceful, capable, highly adaptable, and determined. You can think, you can fight, you can organize, and you can plan. So what I think is … if I’m on your side, I’m on the right side.”

  Mace nodded. “We are something. But you have to take all those traits along with the occasional arrogance, greed, and controlling aspects that many of us possess. Those can and should make one fearful of Humans. Now, to dial it back a bit, what do you think about the state of the union? And I don’t mean that literally, I mean it about everyone. The Karthians, the UF, the Union, and now the Hoorka…”

  Geerok replied, “I think the galaxy can be a hostile place. For every benevolent, peaceful civilization we come across, a monster is also found. I do prefer the species you have chosen to align with. Although at this time, we don’t know much about either one of the new ones. The United Front are secretive, and the Hoorka we have only just met.”

  Mace nodded. “I know I’ve said it before, but thank you for the assistance you’ve given when dealing with your species. Without it, we wouldn’t have made it as far as we have.”

  Geerok smiled. “It has all been for a worthy cause.”

  Johnny walked up. “When we leaving this dump? Jane’s itching to get back to the kids.”

  Mace said, “I want to have a talk with Jasper about Earth defense. I’m thinking we might want an air force. If a ship gets through those microwave cannons, we have nothing to stop them from reaching the ground. And maybe about tanks or something for if they do make it all the way to the ground.”

  Johnny nodded. “Tanks and planes. What every boy dreams of. Which brings me to a question. Mr. Geerok, why is it we haven’t seen any tanks or planes in anyone’s army?”

  Geerok replied, “Largely due to Galactic Union rules. Tanks and planes were not used in battle with the Karthians because it was believed by both sides that doing so would only encourage use of ships, defeating the whole reason for not utilizing ships to begin with.”

  Johnny chuckled as he shook his head. “That was one crazy set of rules you had going there. Anyway, without them, I think planes and tanks might be a good idea.”

  Talk of tanks and planes continued for most of an hour before a shuttle was readied to take the team home. Mace stayed with Jasper as the rest of the crew ferried back to the Rogers for the jump to Earth. Mace and Jasper stood out on a balcony overlooking the partially-constructed shipyard.

  “I was just talking with Johnny. I think we should also lay out plans for fighter planes and tanks. If a big transport makes it through our planetary defenses, we don’t have a good way of fighting a war on the ground. Our old gear would be inadequate against something a hostile species would bring. And at some point we’re gonna want to have our own shipyards and repair facilities.”

  “Tanks and planes? I like the sound of that,” replied Jasper. “With these new technologies we might be able to cook up some badass toys.”

  Mace frowned. “I wouldn’t call them toys.”

  Jasper scowled. “Fine, then
, we’ll call them implements of war for strategic defense… if that makes you feel better.”

  “It does. Anyway, what would we even put in a tank for a gun?”

  Jasper thought. “Maybe a microwave cannon, although I can’t see line-of-sight weapons being as useful on the ground as they are on a ship. I mean, almost all our old stuff was line-of-sight. What we need now are smart weapons.”

  Mace tilted his head to one side. “I think we might have what we need. Johnny’s been experimenting with the concussion weapons we found on that Hoorka ship. Given enough distance, he can literally shoot around a corner.”

  “That could be fun.”

  Mace chuckled. “Unless you’re on the receiving end.”

  Jasper rubbed his chin. “Don’t get me wrong, I love tanks, but if we take one and add a reactor and then add a gravity drive, wouldn’t we just have a plane, or craft, or whatever we wanted to call it.”

  Mace nodded. “I guess we would. Hadn’t thought about how to make it mobile. I guess there’s no need for tracks or actually running on the ground when you can hover. It’d be more of a heavily armored plane, but not a plane.”

  Mace laughed.

  Jasper asked, “What’s so funny?”

  “How are we gonna build one of these if we can’t even figure out what to call it?”

  Jasper shrugged. “How about we call it a thumper? That’s the sound the concussion weapon makes. And it has a certain ring to it.”

  Mace nodded. “OK, so it’s a thumper. It has a reactor, a gravity drive, and a concussion cannon. What else?”

  “Armor… and a dampening field. We just make it a badass flying tank. Sort of a miniature Rogers without the wormhole drive.”

  Mace crossed his arms. “You think your teams could draw that design up?”

  Jasper grinned. “I’ll put them right on it.”

  A quick conversation was had between Jasper and his engineering team. The basic necessities were passed to them along with the required purpose. The team was confident they would have initial concepts ready for further definition by the end of the Divinia day.