HADRON Incursion

by Stephen Arseneault

“We’re thinking of sending a message to the Kaachi, inviting them to contact us for discussions.”

  “Discussions about what?”

  Mace replied, “Discussions about a possible alliance.”

  Hans looked around the room. “You’re serious? We just destroyed their fleet. Why would they want an alliance?”

  Johnny took the floor. “The Kaachi are in a perpetual war with the Mawga. And with Stark cozying up to the Mawga, we’re thinking a similar alliance with the Kaachi might be beneficial.”

  Hans replied, “As I said, I will do whatever is asked of me.”

  Mace stood. “Gentlemen, ladies, let’s break into discussion groups for a bit. I want ideas about what we should propose to the Kaachi. Mr. Klept, you’ll come with me. I’d like to discuss this with you alone. I need to be convinced that this is not only possible, but that it’s the right thing to do. Your job will be to make me a believer in the Kaachi people.”

  Chapter 6

  *

  Mace sat in a private room with the nervous alien. “You can relax, Mr. Klept. We aren’t barbarians.”

  “Your woman, back there, indicated otherwise.”

  Mace waved a hand. “Don’t worry about that. She was just trying to intimidate you. What I’m doing here is trying to have a private, open discussion with you. Tell me about your people. How do they deal with other species? According to the Mawga, you were coming to Earth either to enslave us or wipe us out.”

  Gnaga squirmed in his chair. “I don’t know why I should trust you, Mr. Hardy, but for some reason I do. The Kaachi are not the savages the Mawga would have you believe. When the rift to this region was discovered, almost seven of your years ago, we were one of the first tier four species to come through. We discovered Earth and subsequently your civilization. The Union rules are very specific in this regard. No species shall interfere with another who has not reached a certain level of scientific discovery.”

  Mace sat back. “Scientific discovery? What does that have to do with anything?”

  Gnaga sighed. “Until a world has reached the discovery of dark matter, we can do nothing but observe from afar. Your world was found and it was quickly determined that you were not advanced enough for interaction with others. As I said, the Galactic Union rules are extremely strict in this regard.

  “Shortly after our arrival to this system, the Mawga showed up. As did two other species, the Prackie and the Jellok. With our initial observations, it was determined that you were likely decades if not hundreds of years away from the dark matter discovery. But with the arrival of the others, something changed. Your scientists began to excel in areas they should not have. That acceleration continued to build, bringing your scientists to flip the trigger of contact… the discovery of dark matter. We suspected that Jellok spies were responsible. Someday, the Union may have to make a determination of the facts.

  “With that discovery, your world was then open to contact. The Mawga were the first to have warships in your system, driving us and the others away and ensuring they would be the first. I cannot say whether the bombardment of your planet with electromagnetic waves was of their doing or not. But it was purposefully done.”

  Mace clenched a fist. “We’ve suspected that all along. Their arrival just after our collapse was too convenient.”

  Gnaga nodded. “Had the Kaachi been the first to interact, we would have done so with a single diplomatic vessel, a peaceful invitation to welcome you to the galaxy, followed by the establishment of firm relations. I cannot lie about the fact that we would have tried to bring you into the Kaachi Domain. However, our efforts in that regard would have been peaceful.”

  Mace stroked his beard. “So the dirty Mawga managed to wipe out three quarters of our population before sweeping in like saviors. And their goal is to use Humans in their armies and fleets? It doesn’t make sense as to why they would kill us off like that.”

  Gnaga Klept sighed. “You are a unique species, Mr. Hardy. The Kaachi are one of the tallest species in the Galactic Union. The Mawga, the Prackie and the Jellok are all about average. The founders are even less in stature. To the Mawga, and admittedly to my species as well, you would be a prized ally. You are giants among the other known members of this galaxy.”

  Mace again sat back in his chair as he stared at a far wall. “OK, this is all starting to make sense. People broke the rules, triggering the allowable interaction with us. One of you took advantage of the situation, chasing the others away. So, technically, our world was attacked. And now we’re allied with the species who almost destroyed us.”

  Gnaga held up a finger. “I cannot say the Mawga were responsible for the magnetic storms. It is possible that interference was done as an attempt to keep the Mawga at bay. To my knowledge, the Kaachi had nothing to do with that tragedy.”

  Mace said, “Well, if it wasn’t the Mawga, why didn’t they chase off whoever was doing it? The Mawga had their fleet here, why not stop the interference?”

  “The magnetic storms were broadcast from several points at a great distance. The Mawga were likely preparing to make their move when the first of those storms struck your planet. Their hesitation to act while they attempted to put a stop to the storms may be the reason they did not make an immediate visit. Had they done so, your military would have made every attempt to fight them off.”

  Mace shook his head. “Wow. Billions dead because of all this. And now the Mawga are getting exactly what they came for in the first place. A Human army.”

  Mace stood and paced the room in thought. “Mr. Klept, I believe what you’ve told me to be true. I also believe that it would be in our best interest to make contact with your command. I can now see why Stark has been so successful at recruiting others. The Mawga have been working with him all along. I’d bet those raids on the community centers were all staged. It’s no wonder the Mawga didn’t fight back. They were positioning Stark for power.”

  Mace returned to his chair, sitting on the front edge. “Help us to contact your people, Mr. Klept. We’ll turn the Australians into a fighting force the likes of which you’ve never seen. But we need to do this fast, as Stark and the Mawga are gaining strength. They’ve already turned four cruisers over to his people and I have to believe that more will come.”

  Mace and the four-foot-tall alien returned to the conference room, where discussions were ongoing. After a five-minute speech about the magnetic storms and the Mawga, ideas were discussed and a strategy defined. The others returned to their stations as Mace brought Gnaga over to Jeff.

  “Mr. Moskowitz, I believe you have an assistant here that can help with that reactor.”

  Jeff replied, “Excellent. Let’s get started, shall we.”

  Gnaga asked, “What is it that you are doing with the reactor?”

  “We’re upgrading this ship,” Jeff replied as they walked.

  Gnaga returned a concerned look. “But you already have four reactors.”

  Jeff nodded. “And we’ll add four more if we can get them installed. We have space for at least a dozen.”

  Gnaga shook his head. “That is a direct violation of the Union rules, Mr. Moskowitz. No ship shall have more than four reactors. Unless of course you are a founder.”

  Jeff smiled. “We aren’t in your Union, Mr. Klept. Those rules don’t apply.”

  Gnaga frowned. “I beg to differ. When you signed the agreement with the Mawga you became bound by the same rules. If the founders choose to get involved, that would be used against you.”

  “I looked over that agreement. Nothing in it states that we are bound by any Union rules.”

  Gnaga sighed. “It doesn’t have to state it. In effect, by signing with the Mawga, you signed with the Union. If they choose to come here, you will be forced to do as they say.”

  Jeff put his hand on Gnaga’s shoulder as they entered the old soldiers quarters. “Doesn’t much matter, Mr. Klept. The decision to add the reactor has already been made. Just for grins and giggles, let’s say we wan
ted to rescind our alliance with the Mawga. What would stop us from adding the reactor then? This ship is ours to do with as we please.”

  Gnaga shook his head. “The Mawga would not let you out of such an agreement. That is their leverage over you going forward. If you violate the rules, and they report you to the Union for doing such, they would likely be rewarded with full custody of your species, mandating compliance. At that point you would fully become their subjects.”

  Jeff stopped as they walked across the room. “I guess we’ll just have to take our chances, then. We have the disassembled parts over here.”

  Gnaga stood, looking over the reactor assemblies. “You will need an everspark to light it off.”

  Jeff smiled. “We have one. Mace has it. It was a gift from the Mawga diplomat.”

  Gnaga winced. “Oh, that is not allowed. Only members of the Union may possess an everspark. There are only a handful of such devices with each species. If this diplomat provided Mr. Hardy with such a device, they did so without the knowledge of their leadership. I can’t fathom a reason why such a valuable and rare device would be given to your people.”

  Jeff shrugged. “All I know is we have one. So, where do we begin? I had my crew document every piece we took apart. If it was up to me, I’d put it back together in the same order.”

  Gnaga looked over the parts as he held his chin in his fingers. “Give me a moment, Mr. Moskowitz. I’ve done this many times. Our first efforts will be to arrange the pieces in standard assembly order.”

  “And then?”

  “And then we put it together.”

  Four hours later, the Kaachi reactor was complete. Two hours after that feat, the conduits were connected. Mace was called to the room with the everspark.

  Jeff said, “Mr. Hardy. If you’d do the honor, we’ll see about bringing this reactor online.”

  Mace pulled the device from a pouch on his suit.

  Gnaga gestured toward an opening on the reactor’s side. “You must hold the device in the center of the chamber. Once lit, you will see a bright flash. That would be the ignition. From that point you will have two to three seconds to withdraw your arm from the chamber. Failure to do so will result in its loss.”

  Mace asked, “Have you ever lit off a reactor?”

  “I have not.” Gnaga replied. “Every reactor I’ve encountered has seen ignition at the factory. I have yet to see one fail other than in the course of battle. In that instance, they are generally not re-lit. The assemblies I have done were merely for practice.”

  Mace nodded. “Interesting. Well, I guess the job falls to me then.”

  Mace slowly worked his arm through the small opening in the side of the reactor. The center of the chamber was reached when his elbow was just past the edge of the lighting hole.

  Mace took a deep breath. “Here goes.”

  He pressed a button on the device. A small glow could be seen coming from its end. With a bright flash, the reaction started. Mace jerked his arm back and the elbow pad of his suit caught on the edge of the hole. A second jerk saw him fall backwards onto the floor, his hand empty. The everspark device had fallen to the bottom of the reactor chamber.

  Mace stood. “Well, crap. How do we get that out of there?”

  Gnaga crossed his arms. “The reactor must be shut down.”

  Mace said, “OK, then we’ll just have to relight it.”

  Gnaga looked into the hole on the reactor’s side, attempting to see the bottom of the chamber. “There is a real possibility the everspark was damaged or wholly incinerated. The chamber reached several thousand degrees within seconds after the ignition.”

  Jeff held his hand up to the opening. “I don’t feel any heat coming out of there.”

  Gnaga said, “I can assure you, just on the other side of that opening it is as hot as your sun. A gravity field inside that chamber keeps the walls of the chamber from melting.”

  Mace sighed. “So we can shut it down, but the everspark might be useless, keeping us from relighting it. Let me ask you this, if the everspark is OK, and we were to leave the reaction running, do we risk damaging it?”

  Gnaga thought and replied, “If the device was caught within the containment field, it no longer exists. If by chance it dropped through to a low corner, outside the field, it may have survived. Continued operation of the reactor would have no effect.”

  Mace nodded. “Good. Then we have a temporary solution. We leave it where it sits. The other reactors can be moved in here and built up. Until we do some testing with this first one, we have no need of lighting off the others.”

  Jeff said, “I’ll get started on full integration, Mr. Hardy.”

  Jeff walked to the monitor console. “Mr. Klept, let’s tune the output and see if we can bring it in-line with the others.”

  Mace left the room and headed to the dining hall.

  Johnny was waiting with a beverage. “Was listening over the comm. Given the current state of affairs, I don’t think Bontu is going to give us another one of those lighters.”

  Mace took the cup and followed with a sip, nearly spitting it out. “That’s the shine! Was expecting water!”

  Johnny laughed. “Yeah, guess I could have warned you about that. Tres has a still setup in the kitchen. This is his first batch of interstellar shine. At least that’s what he’s calling it.”

  Mace took another sip. “Wow. That’s powerful stuff. Could probably run one of those reactors with it.”

  “What can we expect when that new box is online?”

  Mace took a seat at a table. “Well, if everything is linear, that would drop a recharge of the well down to just under five seconds from six. Don’t think it makes any difference to speed. Supposedly these gravity drives can only do what they’ll do right now. It’s not a question of having more power.”

  Johnny sat. “What do you think we can get out of the Kaachi? The way he threw that reactor together tells me he knows his stuff.”

  Mace took another sip and winced. “Yeah. I know our argument is compelling, but he seemed to come over to our side without much convincing. We’ll need to keep a close eye on him. I’ve asked Hans and his German friends to buddy up to him when Jeff’s done with him. I think he might have been a little more than just a diplomat while in D.C. I’m hoping that’s the case, anyway.”

  Johnny briefly set his cup on the table. “How do you propose we go about getting a message to the Kaachi?”

  Mace replied, “David has been going over sensor logs. He thinks he’s detected a pattern where about once a week the Mawga send out and receive broadcasts for a fifteen-minute period. If we can get up beside the admiral’s ship at that time, we should be able to pass our message through. We’re going to tell the Kaachi where and when to open a portal for a more direct conversation later.”

  “When does this broadcast happen next?”

  Mace took another sip. “Tomorrow around two. Whatever message we come up with, we should listen to and critique as many times as we can before sending it. We probably only have one shot at this.”

  Jane walked into the dining hall, sitting at the table with Mace and Johnny. “Well, I just talked to Vanessa. She’s pregnant. Triplets. It seems she underwent a procedure while at the community center that supposedly increased her chances of a pregnancy. She thinks most of the women of child-bearing age had the same procedure done. If that’s true, we could be looking at a serious population explosion in six months.”

  Tres walked into the room.

  Johnny turned. “Congratulations! Triplets! Wow!”

  Tres smiled. “It wasn’t planned. At least not so soon anyway. I think that Mawga drug made us delirious enough that we agreed to whatever procedures they wanted to perform.”

  Mace added, “Yeah, congrats. You might want to think about moving back to the ground, near one of those centers. We don’t really know the facilities of this ship well enough to be doing anything more than putting on Band-aids. You’re going to want full care if it can
be had.”

  Tres half frowned. “Really don’t want to go back to those centers. All those people still walking around with those constant grins on their faces… creeps me out. And I don’t know that I trust the Mawga.”

  Jane said, “You’re off the drug. And the Mawga aren’t involved in those procedures other than watching, are they? Aren’t those all automated?”

  “Most are,” said Tres. “With the fertility exam, they’re actively involved. From what I remember, the eggs are extracted and examined, along with my swimmers. The actual fertilization happens in a lab, and then re-implantation happens from there. I bet we see lots of twins and triplets, and identical, as a single egg is used in the procedure. And don’t ask me why I remember this stuff so well. I wasn’t in control of what I was doing at the time.”

  Jane shook her head. “This just gets stranger and stranger. Just when I think I have a grasp of what’s actually going on here, something completely new comes to light.”

  Tres shrugged. “If you were ever to want children, the Mawga would be happy to help I’m sure.”

  Jane half frowned. “There was a time when I wanted nothing more, but that ship has sailed on for us now. Not to take anything away from you, but even if the Mawga could work their miracles on me, I’m not sure I would want to do that, given the current situation.”

  Tres replied, “I’m right there with you. Would not have been my free choice. But it is what it is now. So we’ll be looking to make the best of it.”

  Jane smiled. “And you’ll have our full support. If anything, it will just give us more to fight for.”

  Tres nodded thanks, and returned to the dining hall kitchen.

  Chapter 7

  *

  Mace opened a comm channel. “Mr. Montak, I have a few questions about the community centers. I’ve just been informed that one of our people, Vanessa, is pregnant with triplets. Tres says a procedure was performed by your people. What can you tell me about it?”

  Bontu replied, “I can tell you whatever you like, Mr. Hardy. This was an undertaking requested by your prior president and a number of other international leaders. It was decided the repopulation of your world should begin. Our technicians performed the procedure only on those who had a mate with them.”