Book Read Free

Alien Game (The Thousand Worlds)

Page 17

by Rod Walker


  Then one of the scientists had the bright idea of posing the questions to the crystal in mathematical form…which the crystal then answered in mathematical format.

  I don’t think I had ever seen anyone so excited as those scientists.

  The first set of equations that the crystal solved for us allowed the creation of the first fusion reactor. I didn’t understand it at the time, since I thought it was just a fancy nuclear plant, but that was a big deal.

  Then the scientists started asking about specific equations by scientists with names like Hendrik Casimir and van der Waal and some guy named Alcubierre. That last one was an even bigger deal than the fusion plant. When the crystal produced the results of some of those equations, the scientists almost had a spontaneous celebration right there in the laboratory. One of them actually fainted.

  Eventually, they bothered to explain the cause of the excitement to me.

  Using the equations from the crystal, they could build a hyperdrive. An actual, working hyperdrive that through some trick of physics let a ship travel way faster than the speed of light. And not in a hundred years or some distant future, but they could build it here and now. President Culver authorized the funds for the program, and the military of Pacifica started building its first hyperdrive-capable starship.

  I requested permission to join the exploration program, and the President personally approved it in his role as commander of the armed forces.

  “You know,” Jack told me at the reception at the legislature, “I don’t want to leave, but I’m jealous of you.”

  I had been invited to the official start of the project as Pacifica’s capital, which for reasons of political compromise was located in Grand Junction, Colorado. President Culver hosted the party. A lot of veterans were there, most of whom I knew. Maggie and Kyle and their kids as come as well. Even Rigger and his girlfriend had come, though I suspect they mostly wanted the free food and drink.

  “Alpha Centauri first,” I said. “Nine days to get there. The chief scientist thinks they’ll even be able to work out the equation for artificial gravity by then.”

  “I wouldn’t want to leave,” said Jack, “but…that will be something, won’t it? The first one to see a thousand different worlds.”

  “A thousand worlds,” said Rigger around a mouthful of egg rolls.

  “Eh?” I said.

  “See, maybe that’s what they’ll call it,” said Rigger. “They keep calling it the galaxy or unexplored space or whatever. Maybe they’ll call it the Thousand Worlds someday.”

  “Heck of a thought,” I said.

  “Eh,” said Rigger. “Too bad old Gregor didn’t live to see it.” He guffawed. “He would have been ticked.”

  “Yeah,” I said.

  Jack snorted. “You’re turning into a philosopher in your old age, Nate. Gregor wanted to turn Earth into a prison that he and his friends could rule for themselves. Instead, he accidentally gave humanity a way to the stars.”

  “Eh,” said Rigger. “Too poetic for me. I’m just glad I got to shoot him myself.”

  “The thousand worlds,” I said, mulling the thought over.

  I did like the thought of that. One thousand worlds, and I wanted to see as many of them as I could before I died.

  It was time to get started.

  THE END

  Science Fiction

  Awake in the Night Land by John C. Wright

  City Beyond Time: Tales of the Fall of Metachronopolis by John C. Wright

  Somewhither: A Tale of the Unwithering Realm by John C. Wright

  The Corroding Empire 1: Corrosion by Johan Kalsi

  Back From the Dead by Rolf Nelson

  Hyperspace Demons by Jonathan Moeller

  No Gods, Only Daimons by Cheah Kai Wai

  The Thousand Worlds: Mutiny in Space by Rod Walker

  The Thousand Worlds: Alien Game by Rod Walker

  The Thousand Worlds: Young Man's War by Rod Walker

  QUANTUM MORTIS A Man Disrupted by Steve Rzasa and Vox Day

  QUANTUM MORTIS Gravity Kills by Steve Rzasa and Vox Day

  QUANTUM MORTIS A Mind Programmed by Jeff Sutton, Jean Sutton, and Vox Day

  Victoria: A Novel of Fourth Generation War by Thomas Hobbes

  Fantasy

  One Bright Star to Guide Them by John C. Wright

  The Book of Feasts & Seasons by John C. Wright

  Iron Chamber of Memory by John C. Wright

  Moth & Cobweb 1: Swan Knight's Son by John C. Wright

  Moth & Cobweb 2: Feast of the Elfs by John C. Wright

  Moth & Cobweb 3: Swan Knight's Sword by John C. Wright

  Moth & Cobweb 4: Daughter of Danger by John C. Wright

  Moth & Cobweb 5: City of Corpses by John C. Wright

  Moth & Cobweb 6: Tithe to Tartarus by John C. Wright

  Arts of Dark and Light 0: Summa Elvetica: A Casuistry of the Elvish Controversy by Vox Day

  Arts of Dark and Light 1: A Throne of Bones by Vox Day

  Arts of Dark and Light 2: A Sea of Skulls by Vox Day

  A Magic Broken by Vox Day

  The Wardog's Coin by Vox Day

  The Last Witchking by Vox Day

  The Altar of Hate by Vox Day

  The War in Heaven by Vox Day

  The World in Shadow by Vox Day

  The Wrath of Angels by Vox Day

  Military Science Fiction

  There Will Be War Vol. I ed. Jerry Pournelle

  There Will Be War Vol. II ed. Jerry Pournelle

  There Will Be War Vol. III ed. Jerry Pournelle

  There Will Be War Vol. IV ed. Jerry Pournelle

  There Will Be War Vol. V ed. Jerry Pournelle

  There Will Be War Vol. VI ed. Jerry Pournelle

  There Will Be War Vol. IX ed. Jerry Pournelle

  There Will Be War Vol. X ed. Jerry Pournelle

  Plague Wars 0: The Eden Plague by David VanDyke

  Plague Wars 1: Reaper's Run by David VanDyke

  Plague Wars 2: Skull's Shadows by David VanDyke

  Galactic Liberation 1: Starship Liberator by David VanDyke and B.V. Larson

  Galactic Liberation 2: Battleship Indomitable by David VanDyke and B.V. Larson

  Riding the Red Horse Vol. 1 ed. Tom Kratman and Vox Day

  Fiction

  An Equation of Almost Infinite Complexity by J. Mulrooney

  Hitler in Hell by Martin van Creveld

  Loki's Child by Fenris Wulf

  The Ames Archives 1: Brings the Lightning by Peter Grant

  The Ames Archives 2: Rocky Mountain Retribution by Peter Grant

  The Missionaries by Owen Stanley

  The Promethean by Owen Stanley

  Non-Fiction

  4th Generation Warfare Handbook by William S. Lind and LtCol Gregory A. Thiele, USMC

  A History of Strategy: From Sun Tzu to William S. Lind by Martin van Creveld

  Equality: The Impossible Quest by Martin van Creveld

  Clio & Me: An Intellectual Autobiography by Martin van Creveld

  Four Generations of Modern War by William S. Lind

  On War: The Collected Columns of William S. Lind 2003-2009 by William S. Lind

  MAGA Mindset: Making YOU and America Great Again by Mike Cernovich

  The Nine Laws by Ivan Throne

  Appendix N: A Literary History of Dungeons & Dragons by Jeffro Johnson

  Transhuman and Subhuman: Essays on Science Fiction and Awful Truth by John C. Wright

  Astronomy and Astrophysics by Dr. Sarah Salviander

  Compost Everything: The Good Guide to Extreme Composting by David the Good

  Grow or Die: The Good Guide to Survival Gardening by David the Good

  Push the Zone: The Good Guide to Growing Tropical Plants Beyond the Tropics by David the Good

  SJWs Always Lie: Taking Down the Thought Police by Vox Day

  Collected Columns, Vol. I: Innocence & Intellect, 2001—2005 by Vox Day

  Collected Columns, Vol. II: Conceit & Crisis, 2006�
��2009 by Vox Day

  Collected Columns, Vol. III: Failure & Freedom, 2010—2012 by Vox Day

  Cuckservative: How “Conservatives” Betrayed America by John Red Eagle and Vox Day

  On the Existence of Gods by Dominic Saltarelli and Vox Day

  On the Question of Free Trade by James D. Miller and Vox Day

  Do We Need God To Be Good? by C.R. Hallpike

  The LawDog Files by LawDog

  The LawDog Files: African Adventures by LawDog

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1: Invasion Day

  Chapter 2: The Coming of the Dark

  Chapter 3: The Drive

  Chapter 4: Castle Base

  Chapter 5: Training

  Chapter 6: First Mission

  Chapter 7: Spokane

  Chapter 8: Recovery

  Chapter 9: Rescue

  Chapter 10: Old Wars

  Chapter 11: Interface

  Chapter 12: Diaspora

  Mutiny in Space

  Swan Knight's Son

  Castalia House

 

 

 


‹ Prev