Collision Course

by Doug Farren

  “Smells metallic with a hint of machine oil.” She fully opened the faceplate, took a deep breath, held it for a moment, then slowly let it out. “Perfectly breathable. Securing suit air. I’ll be leaving my helmet on though just in case things change.”

  She stood for a moment looking around. “Hello? Can anyone hear me?” She waited a few seconds then gave the locking ring on her right wrist a twist. She pulled the glove off and allowed it to dangle from the strap as she began a slow walk around the room.

  The first object she approached was a shiny metal box with rounded corners set low to the floor. Bending down, she noted it had a latching lid on the top. Pulling it open, she stared into the shiny interior and said, “Well I’ll be damned! This looks like an incinerating toilet!”

  Closing the lid, she continued with her exploration working her way clockwise around the chair. She passed the three dead displays and put her hand on the air purification unit. “The air purifier is running,” she said. Glancing at her analyzer she added, “The temperature and the humidity are slowly rising. Let’s just hope it doesn’t get too hot.”

  The rest of the back wall consisted of four large cylinders feeding into a box mounted on the side of the air purifier. “If these are air tanks, there’s enough here for at least a week.”

  Continuing around the corner, she came upon the first of the larger cabinets. Grabbing the handle, she gave it a twist “The design of the handle on the cabinet would seem to indicate that the builders are humanoid,” she said. “There are three shelves inside. The bottom one is empty but the top two have what looks like vacuum-packed food rations.”

  Picking one up, she gave the plastic a light squeeze. It gave slightly. “I don’t see any writing.” She set the package back down. Rubbing her fingers together, she said, “I can feel some type of powdery residue on my fingers. If these things were labeled, it looks like the ink has decomposed and turned to dust.”

  She closed the door on the first cabinet and opened the next. “The next cabinet also has three shelves. The bottom two are empty. The top shelf has more of the plastic containers. Some of them are clear.” Picking one, up she found that it felt more like a liquid than a paste. “I think these are drinks. Moving on to the last cabinet.”

  The next to the last cabinet was much smaller than the others and had a different style of handle. “I’m not sure what these are,” she said, picking up one of the three identical objects each measuring three centimeters long, one centimeter wide, and half a centimeter thick. After giving it a quick inspection, she continued, “Whatever it is, it’s made of some type of hard material and appears to be completely solid. I don’t see any way to open it and like everything else I’ve seen there’s no writing on it.”

  Other than the hatch she had come in through, there were no other entrances into the compartment. She ended her short tour and stood looking down at the chair.

  “I think our initial guess of the function of this part of the ship was wrong,” she said. “The only actual controls I see are a few simple toggle switches and a rather scary-looking button underneath a protective cover. I think I’ll be staying away from that one. The chair looks like it had once been comfortable but the padding has deteriorated. This isn’t a new ship. This thing has been in space for a long time. There are some hooks along the wall that look like they’re designed to hang up a suit. For now, I’m keeping my suit on.”

  Looking around, she didn’t see anything else to comment on. “Since my hosts haven’t revealed themselves, I guess I’ll have to see what these switches do.”

  She reached out, selected one of the toggle switches, and flipped it.

  Chapter 10

  If AJ had stepped into the room he was now in a few years earlier he would have turned around and ran—screaming in panic. The low-ceilinged room was filled with over 300 of the spider-like Keldans. Most were seated at computer terminals with large semi-circular displays. Others were quickly moving through the workstations carrying one or more computer tablets with them.

  “This is central operations,” Moshnic said, waving an arm. “There are 217 smaller centers much like this scattered across Ashnib collecting and analyzing a vast array of data from their assigned areas. From here, we are coordinating the transfer of our entire population to Keldanon. There’s a second central operations center on Keldanon that’s responsible for the development of our new home. The two are connected by a high-speed hypercom channel.”

  “Absolutely amazing!” AJ said, scanning the room. “I know the logistics of building a new colony are terribly complex but this … this is something beyond imagination.”

  “Your people have done a superb job of organizing the evacuation,” Hrnith, the Nitnicki ambassador added. He had arrived two days ago and after learning that AJ was going on a tour of central operations, had asked to join him. The Indishar ambassador had arrived late last night.

  “One does not just transport five billion people from one planet to another and simply hope things will work out,” Moshnic explained. “It must be carefully planned and orchestrated. We’ve discovered the hardest part is ensuring we do not affect the livability of this world by directing too many resources to the new one. To prevent this, we have plans in place to move people from one location of Ashnib to others as the resources in certain areas become strained. That way, we can incrementally abandon parts of Ashnib and concentrate on what’s left.”

  The visitors were standing on a large walkway overlooking the vast expanse of workstations below. Moshnic pointed to the signs hanging over the multitude of short ramps leading down to the main floor. “The signs indicate which stations are closest to the end of the ramp,” he explained. “This allows someone to efficiently get to a particular station.”

  “A very efficient arrangement,” Hrnith said. “My people have always prided themselves in their efficiency, however, it appears as if we could learn some new techniques from your people. I will be suggesting this in my first report if that is alright with you.”

  “Of course! We would be honored to share our experience.”

  Moshnic turned onto a ramp on the outer edge of the walkway. The others followed.

  “I still can’t believe the Ba’Rutu were able to identify a habitable planet without any intelligent life already living there,” AJ said. “I don’t even know how that’s possible.”

  “We’ve recently uncovered evidence that there was once a large population of intelligent inhabitants on Keldanon. They were not technologically advanced and were at the stage of using stone to build large cities when they mysteriously vanished. We’re still trying to determine what happened to them. We suspect it was the Akuta.”

  AJ was walking with his head at an angle to keep from rubbing it against the low ceiling. Hrnith, who was much taller, was forced to stoop over as they walked down the short, wide ramp. Even though Terrans described the Nitnicki as being ‘feline’ in appearance, their race did not evolve from anything resembling a Terran cat. Their entire body was covered in very fine, short fur and their high-set ears as well as a small cat-like face caused most Terrans to see them as a humanized version of a cat. The Nitnicki preferred cool climates and would be comfortable sitting in a room where most Terrans would be reaching for a sweater. Hrnith was wearing a light blue cool-suit with long sleeves and a high collar to keep himself cool while on Ashnib.

  “Have you asked the Ba’Rutu?” Hrnith asked.

  “We have, but as with virtually all of our other requests for information, they’ve not responded. Follow me, I would like to show you something.”

  Hrnith stood up and stretched his back as soon as they were clear of the low ceiling. “We have also found the Ba’Rutu to be silent on many of our own questions.”

  AJ and Hrnith followed Moshnic into what AJ could only later describe to his wife as a nest of spiders. As they made their way through the maze of workstations, many of the workers stopped to greet AJ by name, referring to him as the Honorable Captain Zak.
It was a bit unnerving.

  “You seem to be quite well-known,” Hrnith pointed out in English. AJ had been surprised to learn that Ambassador Hrnith was fluent in over a hundred languages including both English and Keldan.

  “Fate has put a label on me that I can’t seem to shake,” AJ admitted.

  “We are lucky that fate chose you and your crew to be the first to encounter our world,” Moshnic said. “Keldans believe very strongly in the power of fate.”

  Moshnic stopped in front of a large workstation manned by five Keldans. An enormous 10 meter wide display showed the entire surface of Ashnib. Thousands of tiny yellow dots could be seen moving slowly across the map. Most were headed towards or away from one of the dozens of blue circles spaced around the planet. Two of the operators stepped aside and made room for the guests.

  “This display shows the current position of all our transports moving material and people to the spaceports. If there’s a problem or a delay, the operator will be alerted and action can be taken. Usually, the problem will be handled by the district operations center but there have been a few instances when a more global approach is required. A large fleet of cargo vessels continually travel between Ashnib and Keldanon.”

  Moshnic took a step back and pointed towards a nearby station. “Coordination of the space fleet is monitored at that station. Our schedules are tightly controlled and any problem with a transport, shuttle, or cargo ship could introduce a major imbalance into our plans and must be dealt with swiftly.”

  AJ looked around and tried to imagine how his people would handle such a problem. He eventually came to the conclusion that they couldn’t. “This place must be a mad house during shift change.”

  “Operators are assigned staggered work times,” Moshnic explained. “If you look carefully, you will note that new people are constantly arriving, receiving their updates from the previous shift, and then the relieved person exits. The flow of people in and out of this center, just like the flow of materials off this doomed world of ours, never stops.”

  Hrinth raised his long arm and pointed towards a nearby workstation displaying a color-coded map of Ashnib. “What is being dis- - -”

  Hrinth stopped talking and paused as if he was listening to an inner voice. AJ was about to ask him if he was okay when he felt his wrist-com tingling his skin indicating he had an urgent message. He tapped the wrist-com and then held the device up to his ear so he could hear it over the background noise of the operations center.

  “Six ships have jumped into the system,” a voice AJ did not recognize said. “They’ve identified themselves as the Ba’Rutu diplomatic vessels. They will be in orbit in just over four hours. Their ambassadors are expected to arrive at the meeting location in five and a half hours. Return immediately so preparations for their arrival can begin.”

  AJ placed his finger on the wrist-com and said, “Message received and understood. AJ out.”

  When he looked back at Hrinth, AJ could tell he’d received the same message.

  Hrinth looked down at Moshnic and said, “Thank you for the tour. The Ba’Rutu ambassadors have arrived and we have been recalled.”

  “Of course,” Moshnic replied. “Please follow me.”

  “Ambassador Hrinth,” AJ began. “If you don’t mind my asking, do you have an implanted transceiver?”

  “I do,” Hrinth said, tapping the side of his head. “Many Nitnicki have an implanted personal communications device. As a government official, mine is provided by the government. Do Terrans not yet have such technology?”

  “We do, but it’s not widely embraced. My wrist-com does a good job and because it’s so flexible it’s like a part of my own skin. Most times, I don’t even know it’s there.”

  They were just about to begin their ascent up one of the ramps when someone shouted AJ’s name. Stopping and turning around, they saw a Keldan running along the outer edge of the operations center waving his arms. As soon as she was within speaking distance she said, “An urgent message for the Honorable Captain Zak has arrived from Earth. I told the sender that I believed you were here. I’m glad I found you before you left.”

  “Who’s it from?” AJ asked.

  “A Terran named Rafael Santho.”

  “We’ll wait for you on the mezzanine,” Moshnic said.

  AJ followed the Keldan around the edge of central operations then inward past several workstations. He could see the face of Rafael patiently waiting for AJ to appear. As soon as he was in front of the screen, Rafael said, “They found you!”

  “Another 30 seconds and I would have been gone,” AJ replied, slightly out of breath. “What’s happened?”

  “A few weeks ago, a cargoliner en route to Earth ran across what appeared to be a derelict ship. Just before executing their next jump, the ship’s chief engineer picked up indications that the ship might still have some equipment powered up. Because of that and other data I can’t discuss on an open channel, we sent the Rutherford, one of our latest science vessels, to investigate. About three hours ago, I got their first report. Thank god they encrypted their transmission. The details of what they found need to be given to the Ba’Rutu as soon as possible. Since you’re going to be meeting their ambassador, I want you to handle it.”

  “Why me? Why not just send it directly to the Ba’Rutu?”

  “Because under the terms of the treaty, all communications to and from the Ba’Rutu government must be routed through the ambassador. This is urgent AJ. They have to know what we’ve found.”

  “What is it?”

  “I can’t even hint at the details over an unsecured link. Are you at a standard terminal?”

  AJ glanced around at the hypercom he was standing in front of. “It looks like all the other’s I’ve seen.”

  “Good. I’m sending you an encrypted data package. It should automatically upload to your wrist-com. When you get back to your room, transfer it to your pad and use your personal code to decrypt it. Read the event summary before you see the ambassador.”

  “I hope it’s not too long,” AJ said. “The Ba’Rutu are here and we’ll be seeing them in a few hours.”

  “Then you’d better read fast. I show the data transfer as complete.”

  AJ swiped his finger across his wrist-com and glanced at the display that appeared. “I have the data.”

  “Then you’d better get going. Let me know how the ambassador reacts.”

  “I’ll do that. AJ out.”

  Turning around, AJ found the Keldan who had alerted him about the message, standing a respectful distance away. “All done here,” he said. “Thank you.”

  “You are welcome,” the young Keldan replied. “Can you find your way back to the others?”

  “I can manage.”

  AJ made his way over to one of the ramps and then up to the mezzanine. Ambassador Hrinth and Moshnic were waiting for him about a third of the way around.

  “Is everything okay?” Moshnic asked as AJ approached.

  “I’m not sure,” he replied. “Let’s go.”

  AJ’s first action as soon as they arrived was to knock on Ambassador Matusik’s door. “May I help you?” the ambassador asked as soon as the door was open.

  “I’ve just returned from visiting the Keldan planetary evacuation operations center. As we were leaving, I received an urgent call from Earth.” AJ held his wrist up as if Aleksandr could see that it had some data in it. “I’m in possession of a packet of data I’ve been asked to personally deliver to the Ba’Rutu ambassador. I don’t know what it is, but I plan on briefing you as soon as I read the summary. Whatever it is must be very sensitive because Mr. Santho refused to give me even a small clue as to what it was about. I just wanted you to know so you won’t be blind-sided in case I don’t talk to you before the Ba’Rutu arrive.”

  “I appreciate it,” Aleksandr replied. “Please make every effort to provide me with at least a minimal amount of information prior to the arrival of the Ba’Rutu.”

  “I will
and I’ll make sure you have the decrypted data as soon as possible.”

  “Thank you.”

  Heather greeted AJ at the door. “Exciting isn’t it! We’re finally going to get to see … what’s wrong?”

  AJ briefly repeated what he’d just told Aleksandr as he walked over to the small desk and picked up his tablet. “I need to get this decrypted as soon as possible,” he said.

  “Any reason why I can’t read it?”

  AJ shrugged his shoulders. “I guess if I’m allowed to see it, then so are you. I wonder why he sent it to me instead of Aleksandr?”

  “Dad trusts you,” Heather replied looking over AJ’s shoulder. “He also might not have access to Aleksandr’s private encryption key. Don’t forget, you need to get cleaned up and dressed before the Ba’Rutu arrive. How long will it take to decrypt the data?”

  AJ was tapping commands into his tablet. “Not long at all. In fact … it’s done.” After a few more taps he said, “I found the summary.”

  He set the tablet up on its built-in stand so they could read the single page summary.

  After a moment, Heather’s hand went to her mouth, “Oh my god! An operational Akuta warship!”

  AJ grabbed the tablet and headed for the door. “I promised Ambassador Matusik I would share this information with him. I’ll be right back.”

  The Ambassador opened the door after the second knock. “Come in Mr. Zak. You look like you have received some very bad news.”

  AJ handed the tablet to Aleksandr then waited quietly while the he read the summary. “This most definitely must be shared with the Ba’Rutu as soon as possible,” Aleksandr said, handing the tablet back. “To be honest, I’m glad you’ll be the one breaking the news. May I- - -“

  “Me? Why me? I’m not a diplomat! That’s your job.”

  “Mr. Santho gave the information to you, not me. Obviously, he expects you to be the one to present it to the Ba’Rutu ambassador otherwise he would have tried to reach me instead.”