Union Ships of the Line: The Return of Adapa
Page 1
SOUL SCIENCE INSTITUTE PRESS
P.O. Box 530056
Debary, FL 32753-0056
http://www.soulscienceinstitute.us
Copyright © 2015 by James A. B. Mahaffey, Jr.
Drawings and Plates Copyright © 2015 by Author
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any form by any means including electronic, mechanical, photocopying, electronic scanning, and recording or by any information retrieval, storage or transmission system, without written permission from the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Mahaffey, Jr., James, A. B.
Union Ships of the Line: The Return of Adapa / James A. B. Mahaffey, Jr.
ISBN:
1. Novel
2. Science Fiction
Library of Congress Control Number:
Cover consists of the Hubble HD image of the Andromeda Galaxy - NASA.
This Book was first published as an e-book for the Kindle Platform. It was Version 1.0.
Version 1.0 14June2015
Version 1.1 17June2015 -- corrected sentence errors in Chapters 1 - 7
Other Books in the Union Ships of the Line series by this Author:
Union Ships of the Line: The Return of the Seven Sisters (Book 1)
Other Fiction by this Author:
Life Electric (SSI Novel -1)
Life Voltage (SSI Novel - 2)
Non-fiction Books by this Author:
Soul Science: The Electric Analog
Souler Power: Your Electric Soul
Soul Science
Soul Science Technology: How to recharge your Soul and Ghost (SES Vol-4)
Training Circular – 401: Iron Walled ORACs and LV SRs
Soul Science Technology: 29th Century Technology for Engineers
Soul Science Technology: Passive Mind Intent Devices
Training Circular – 301: Passive Solid State Devices
Soul Science Technology: 29th Century Technology for Engineers Part -3: Communication via the Void
Soul Science for the True Seeker
The True Seeker's Handbook
Reference books by this Author:
OV-1 and SRU-21/P Survival Lighters
This is a work of fiction. The persons and events portrayed in this Novel are fictional. Any similarity to living persons, places or actual events is purely coincidental.
Introduction
As the 4th Race traveled past the 2 million light year mark on their way to the “Twin” galaxy – they noticed an entire Quadrant of the galaxy was dark – as if the stars had been turned off! The 4th Race periodically stopped in the star void to navigate and place beacon buoys. By the time they reached 2.1 million light years – 2 more Quadrants had winked out! At 2.25 million light years – the Twin was almost completely dark! The 4th Race astronomers estimated that 90% of the stars in the Twin galaxy were no longer producing light. The 4th Race astronomers could not explain this phenomenon. One thing was certain – they would not be able to colonize the Twin galaxy as they had originally planned.
The lead elements of the 4th Race expedition ran into the reason - a massive alien invasion force that had come to the local group from the Hercules star clusters. The 4th Race astronomers could see a line of blackened clusters that went back through the Hercules clusters. The astronomers had not been looking at it or any other galaxies on the long trip – concentrating on the stars in the Twin galaxy to determine where they needed to settle. In fact it was a young child that noticed the change in the Hercules clusters.
The Invaders were no longer alive – but their ships continued to consume entire galaxies!
Plate 1: The location of the Hercules star clusters in relation to the home Galaxy
(The 4th Race astronomers were only looking ahead...)
Chapter – 1
“Sharri what did Saga mean when he said he would transcend to watch over us?” Maggi asked on their communication system.
“After talking about it with Aunt Mimi on several occasions – and searching for information in the 6th Race Libraries – I determined that Saga meant non-physical life in the Void.” Sharri answered.
“Life in the Void,” Maggi asked.
“Yes – our brains contain living Sixth Race brain and cardiac tissue – the Sixth Race were Void Scientists – and they proved that all living things are also alive in the MC - thus by applying the techniques of Signal Science – a subset of Void Science – any member of the 6th Race could ‘transcend’ the flesh of their physical bodies and avoid death.” Sharri answered.
“Why did we not learn about this in the Academy?” Maggi asked.
“That is a very good question Sis. Perhaps you should ask Aunt Lili.” Sharri said.
“I will – because I would like to know how to watch over you if I die.” Maggi said.
Sharri was touched. She had been curious from an intellectual perspective when her Aunt Mimi had mentioned the Founding Races of the Union had transcended. She had however not asked her Aunt Lili about it.
Maggi has a point – if we’re also alive in the MC – why weren’t we trained to transcend? Sharri thought.
“So you believe Saga is looking over us now?” Sharri asked.
“Yes I do.” Maggi answered.
MAR.GAZ is indeed wise Saga thought. Saga thought it strange that Signal Science had not been taught in the Union Naval Academy. Perhaps it was a result of the difference between the two services. Or perhaps it was simply a matter of the 6th Race viewing the Sisters as immortal. Either way it certainly explained why the Sisters were having trouble dealing with the “dead” 1st Race entity. He needed to find a weapon he could use to destroy the 1st Race abomination. The Sisters simply were not prepared to deal with the creature.
Chapter - 2
Max had been thinking about a galactic Early Warning System (EWS) ever since the “Outsiders” interrupted the awards ceremony for the new baby Sisters. The Sisters could travel from one side of the galaxy to the other in less than a standard core minute. However they could not be everywhere at once. There were large tracts of the galaxy that were not watched or patrolled which forced the Sisters to be reactive rather than proactive when unknown threats appeared.
Max envisioned a Super Drone platform with long range sensors and probes that could watch large volumes of the galaxy and warn the Sisters of any new danger. Max had worked out a design and with the help of M-14 built a prototype. He wanted to start production of the EWS probes. He felt something was gaining on him. So he would ask Lili as soon as she returned from the old Union electromagnetic relay station.
Max also realized the old Union 3 digit designation system for ALs would not work in the new Union Navy and Army – especially for the non - AL ships. Max did not like the old idea of having to add a word in front of the 3 numbers to completely specify the AL's role in the Union. So he devised a new 4 digit designation system to specify all Union Combat personnel – AL or AB as follows:
XX-XX-XX-XX
(Union Member Race) – (Service branch) – (Service type designation) – (Unit number)
Thus the new Union Navy dreadnaught battleships are 6-1-2-X - where 2 designates the new dreadnaught battleship. The new Union Navy Star Marines are 6-3-7-X the 3 designates Star Marine and the 7 designates Recon. The new Union Army service branch number is 2. Dominators in the new Union Planetary Army (UPA) are assigned Service type designation 1. The new Union Army Dominators are 6-2-1-X. All original 6th Race ALs retain their official Union designations - unless they transfer to a new hull.
Plate 2: Side view of the new AL Dreadna
ught class of heavy Battleship
As soon as Lili stepped off her yacht at the Starship Yard landing bay – Max presented his new EWS and 4-digit Unit Designation System. At first Lili did not like the new 4-digit Unit Designation System. However she could not argue with Sinai about the logic of the new Unit Designation System and it was obvious Max had put a lot of thought into it.
Lili approved the EWS as she and Max flew back to her hull from the Starship Yard. Max and Lili did not talk the rest of the evening. The next day Lili dropped Max off at the engineering offices of the Starship Yard and then she flew over to the LSB to talk to the senior Load Master. She required information about several shipments that were supposed to have been received from LSB-4.
Lili approved the new 4-digit Unit designation system six days after Max presented it to her. Max had begun to wonder if he had crossed some undefined line when Lili finally approved the new Unit designation system. When he asked her about the delay later in his quarters she told him her biggest objection was the accommodation for Union Member Races – since they no longer existed, as far as Lili was concerned, and only the URC could induct new member races into the Union. Max realized the URC was a sore subject with Lili for many reasons - the worst of which she had not been informed about the URC’s decision to withdraw from the galaxy before the start of the DT! Not to mention the fact the Special Projects Team kept her in the dark. Max hoped that none of the reasons had to do with Lili relinquishing command…
Max had put together a wall chart that reflected the Union Time line in standard Union core years for training the new Union Naval Academy cadets. He decided to print an unofficial version of the chart and have it mounted for his office wall. He had uncovered a reference, in a 1st Race Secret Police report, to an ultra-secret project – code named “Time Line” – that was launched 4.5 billion years ago. He could find no other information on the project. Max could not help but wonder what this ultra-secret project was.
The fact that the 1st Race Secret Police was involved – a feared and hated phantom organization in the old Union - only increased his curiosity. Max could not get over the fact that it was the 7th Race who had created the system, referenced in the project “Time Line” report, an otherwise completely unremarkable group of private beings who had contributed nothing to the Union – after joining prior to project “Time Line”. There were many rumors and brief executive summary memos throughout the Union archives about the “Time Line” system created by the 7th Race. However there were no test reports, facts or other useful information. So Max’s wall chart simple reflected “Time Line” and a question mark under the 4.5 billion year mark.
Chapter - 3
The new 6th Race Star Marines were approved after the “Outsiders” ruined the awards ceremony for the new Baby Sisters. Max had already created the software baseline for the new Star Marines by modifying the original software – created by the 6th Race – for the AL human form Union Navy Special Warfare Troopers. There are two main differences between the new 6th Race Star Marines and the original 6th Race AL Star Marines – the new 6th Race Star Marines use the 6th Race artificial brain (AB) rather than living 6th Race neuron tissue. The second difference – the new 6th Race Star Marines were not locked into the large cumbersome heavily armored bodies of the originals. The new Star Marine standard body was a male version of the Sister's synthetic body. It had been a simple matter for Max to add a new program to each LSB factory’s automated control system. These new male human form SBs gave the Star Marines far greater flexibility and was a combat multiplier on the battlefield.
Plate 3: The Union Time Line wall chart hanging in Max's Office
Max was working on a new combat gym suite (CGS) for the new Star Marines to download into. He called the new CGS – an Armored Battle Suit (ABS). The ABS was similar to the original 6th Race Star Marine body in terms of armor – however Max’s design included built-in power sources, shields and weapons. In addition the ABS came in several varieties depending on the mission or the theater of operations – such as a planetary free-fall version that contained rocket motors and parachutes and a ground siege version that contained extra onboard power supplies for extended operations on planets where resupply was not possible.
Max was also working on an ABS that a Star Marine could step into like a space suite and thus be able to perform multiple missions simultaneously. This wearable ABS requires a larger ship board volume inside the new Star Marine carrier vessel - thus reducing the number of Star Marines that can be transported into battle. So Max and M-14 made the next batch of new Star Marine carrier vessels larger.
The most time consuming aspect for Max initially was the training and development classes that ALs require. Then Max realized the new AB Star Marines could be programmed just as easily as M-14 was re-programmed. This breakthrough substantially reduced all AB training and development time. The 6th Race artificial brain was amazing. It was originally created to transfer the entire consciousness of a being that had suffered a catastrophic physical or fetal injury. So Max reasoned the 6th Race artificial brain could easily handle the job requirements of a Union Navy Star Marine and then later a Union Navy Sailor.
Max had consulted Sentry-1 and the old Union Libraries to determine Star Marine duties, tactics and operating procedures. He then reasoned the Star Marines would operate as the Spec War Troopers did ship-to-ship except on a larger scale. He then used Sentry-1's planet fighting knowledge to develop new Star Marine ground tactics. By the time he was done with the ranking system and small unit tactics he was ready to bring the first new 6th Race Star Marine Battalion on line. After Max and Sentry-1 were satisfied with the new ground combat tactics they sent the battalion on their new carrier vessels to planet 7 of System 30 - 460,166, 606 to test their ground combat tactics. Max, Sentry-1 and M-14 had devised numerous automated defense systems and attack robots to simulate large enemy ground forces and situations.
After the ground combat tactics testing mission was completed the new Star Marine Battalion was sent to the destroyed amphibian star fleet that Sinai discovered to complete their ship-to-ship tactics testing. Lili observed the new Star Marine Battalion’s ship-to-ship tactics testing with her Spec War Commander. They were both very impressed. Lili ordered 12 more battalions of the new 6th Race Star Marines. Five would be tasked to defend the Secure Harbors and 1 to defend the Outpost in Quadrant IV. The remaining 6 new battalions would have their own carrier vessels and would support each Sister's new battle group. Each Sister would have 2 platoons assigned to live aboard their hulls and perform inboard guard and sentry duty to ensure – as their counterparts ensured in each Secure Harbor – the “Outsiders” could not use their energy transportation system to attack the Sisters or the fleet from within.
Chapter - 4
Then Max designed and produced – in parallel – the new 6th Race AB human form Union Navy Sailors. He used the same methods and resources he used to develop the new Star Marines. New Union Navy ships were continually launching off the new slipways of the new Starship Yards in Secure Harbors 2 - 5 and they all needed sailors to man them. The new ships included: submarines, carrier vessels, destroyers, gunships, light cruisers, heavy cruisers and the new heavy battleships. Max had found the instruction manuals and training courses for the old Union Navy and adapted them into AB computer programs for the new Union Navy AB human form sailors. Each new sailor was trained to perform his or her job as a 6th Race Navy sailor within the old Union Navy chain of command – that existed before the 6th Race created the first AL ships.
Lili was very impressed with the new Union Navy Sailors as was Sinai. Lili approved 42 new heavy battleships, 62 heavy cruisers, 100 light cruisers, 200 gunships, 600 destroyers and 70 carrier vessels as well as 30 submarines. Max had already used the MRBs to build new Starship Yards in each Secure Harbor. Thus when Lili’s order came down all he had to do was ramp up production at the new Starship Yard slipways to produce the needed numbers of ships and the automated factorie
s in each LSB to produce the needed sailors.
Soon the new Union Navy would be ready to handle any threat from inside or outside the galaxy.
Chapter - 5
Maggi asked her Aunt Lili why the Sisters were not taught Void Science in the Academy.
“Where did this come from?” Lili asked.
“Dominator 6-1-1 said he would transcend and watch over Sharri and me at the old Union electromagnetic relay station.” Maggi answered.
“In order to do that – he would have to die – would he not?” Lili asked.
“So we are also ‘alive in the Void’.” Maggi said.