Exploration (Galactic Neighborhood Book 3)

by Alexander Elliott

  When it became apparent the corridor led to many different places, Cole was particularly intrigued with the idea of sending an EMR along when the time came to investigate each of them. The EMR’s weren’t yet ready for such a mission, but Bax, Moreland and Perry all liked the idea. Meanwhile, they would continue testing and refining using other means.

  On the morning of the fourth day, Duran finished his breakfast and hurried to the nerve center of their assigned work space. The Vingah were waiting for him and the others to arrive, and adjusted the gravity to something comfortable for both groups. It didn’t take long to discover the anomaly contained several ‘corridors’, and their first task was to determine the exact location of each one. Next came the tricky part of maneuvering through to the other end and back again. This was only possible because they were fixed, or locked in place at both ends.

  If they had been variable, the thresholds would have been unstable and either moved or appeared and disappeared randomly. Attempts to move through them would have deposited the traveler to a different location each time, or to nowhere at all. Since they were fixed, however, it meant reliable travel between two stable points in space. Now came the interesting part of finding out where the corridors would take them.

  Once the entire team was assembled, they set their careful plans in motion. The only way to determine where a corridor led, was to send something through to the other end and bring it back. It was too risky to send a manned ship, so a number of buoys were prepared with specialized programming for the task. There was no way to be sure which corridor was the one used by the enemy vessels of long ago, so certain precautions were taken.

  The buoy was instructed to transit the corridor in stealth mode, just in case the other end was being monitored. Immediately upon successful transit, it would scan the exit point to get a precise re-entry location for the return trip. If any ships, artificial satellites, or other evidence of alien life forms were detected, the buoy would immediately transit back through.

  If this were to happen, or perhaps when it happened, the Sol system would immediately go to Status Red and ready itself for hostile action. It was possible their old enemy was not monitoring the corridor or showed no interest in sending more ships through, but either scenario was unlikely. If the buoy’s presence was noticed, it was assumed enemy forces would eventually be sent to investigate. This was one reason the ‘war games’ were currently being executed, as the additional fire power would be needed in case an enemy incursion was triggered by Hound Dog’s research.

  A more pleasant scenario was one in which the buoy found itself in neutral territory. If this happened, it was instructed to gather star chart information and then perform a cursory scan of the immediate system before coming back. The data would be compared to already known loci in the galaxy to provide a firm location on the star charts. If the information was insufficient, several buoys would be sent to gather more data until the exact location was determined.

  If for some reason the buoy was unable to return or was captured, it would self destruct, ensuring no one else got their hands on the technology. There were twelve corridors within the spatial scar, so it would take some time to investigate them one at a time. The entire operation held both promise and risk, but was necessary for the sake of security.

  Before the first buoy was sent, Duran notified central processing on Guardian, who in turn contacted each of the ships in the current war game. At present, Expedition and General Moreland’s battlecruiser division were playing the aggressor to a force of undetermined strength who were in stealth mode for the duration of the exercise. They were all close enough to the corridor to respond quickly if needed, and would give any true enemy force a good look at some of the firepower arrayed against them.

  All the if’s and maybe’s made Duran’s head hurt, and since system security was not his responsibility, he chose to focus his thoughts only on the task before him. Within seconds, all the interested parties acknowledged his signal, and the panel lit up with the green light to proceed as planned.

  The corridors were numbered one through twelve, and a buoy was positioned at the entry point to number one. Twenty other buoys in stealth mode were stationed around the scar, recording every bit of information for later study. Duran made sure his people were ready to go and then sent the signal. The buoy approached slowly and then quietly disappeared. Though every corridor had a buoy focused on it, Jessa was given the sole responsibility to watch for the signs of an impending transit. While the others relaxed, she kept a diligent watch on her instrument panel for twelve minutes before making an announcement.

  “Incoming transit on corridor number one!”

  Everyone’s attention was riveted on their datascreens as the buoy slipped back through and transmitted its data. No alarm sounded, indicating an occupied system, so the team relaxed and began looking at the information. It turned out to be in a known sector of space, though the exact location was unfamiliar. The only point of interest was a cool white star orbited by several dead planets. Nothing else remarkable was found on this first visit, but they would investigate further at a later time.

  The team reset their instruments, and then sent the buoy through corridor number two. It took a little bit longer to return this time, but again, the system held nothing of particular interest. It turned out to be in an unexplored area of the galaxy, which slowed down the buoy’s search for known stars. The area of space was thick with enormous and beautiful nebula, but no indications of habitation or useable planets were found.

  The team was quietly collating the information when an anxious announcement chilled them to the bone.

  “Incoming transit on corridor...seven!”

  Duran’s mind was slow on the uptake, trying to make sense of what she said. They hadn’t sent a buoy through number seven yet, so how could...oh, damn. He hit the code red button on his panel, sending countless people scurrying to prepare. The war game was immediately cancelled with the ships redeploying to defense positions. Guardian, the moon base, and all other ships and orbital weapons platforms slipped into stealth mode, and no revealing signals were being broadcast.

  For all appearances, the Sol system contained nothing except a portion of the war games vessels – exactly what they wanted an enemy to see. Underestimating your enemy strength left you vulnerable, and General McClure wanted to give his forces every advantage.

  All of this transpired within a five second window, and everyone held their breath to see what was coming their way. Corridor seven disgorged a small black vessel of strange design which moved out of the path of the exit point. Less than ten seconds later, another ship appeared, followed by a third. Duran knew those ships! They matched the enemy vessel which was left behind after the destruction of Earth. Why they chose this particular moment to pay a visit was unknown, but the ships were too small to be anything but scouts.

  They created a loose formation and slowly moved deeper in system, actively scanning as they went. Their instrumentation must not be terribly sophisticated, or they would have picked up the large cluster of ships waiting for them. It seemed the system defenders were content to let the scouts come to them, which gave Duran and the others plenty of time to gather information.

  While the rest of the team monitored, Duran quickly sent an encoded directive to the buoy waiting near corridor seven. When those scout ships retreated, as they most certainly would, the buoy would follow them back like a tick on a dog. If it survived and returned, the information it gathered would aid them when the enemy forces arrived in strength later on. Seconds dragged by slowly as the three ships advanced steadily.

  Without warning, Expedition sent a powerful scanning beam through their formation. The ships hesitated, and then reversed course at top speed, heading towards the corridor. Instead of entering at the same time, they slowed and transited one by one. Duran noted with satisfaction that the buoy entered right on the heels of the last ship as directed. The room erupted in nervous chatter as everyone finall
y released the tension of the last few minutes.

  With a firm hand he began assigning tasks, redirecting the energy and focus of his teammates. The Vingah were calmly discussing what transpired, but he could see from their gestures they were not unaffected. The system was still on Status Red, and would remain so until the threat was neutralized. There was no way to know if enemy warships would begin streaming through the corridor at any moment or weeks from now.

  The only thing they knew for sure was their old nemesis still existed, and was now aware of an unknown presence in a system they thought was dead. Duran was certain they would return to fight. He only hoped the buoy he sent would be able to tell them what kind of forces they would face.

  Chapter 9

  Bastet, one day after the scouting mission.

  Sub’ord Talmew winced in pain as he once again tried to move too fast. The severe mauling he received from Prime Yarmew at the conclusion of his disturbing report left him alive, barely, but only because there was no one else capable of reactivating the fleet. To say she reacted badly to the news their old enemy returned in force to the system once thought destroyed would not be accurate. Seething fury came much closer, and even then, did not do justice to her reaction.

  Talmew’s reminder of how he made multiple requests to maintain and upgrade the fleet only resulted in compounding her wrath, and he was the most convenient target. She spared his life, only to hand him the impossible task of restoring the fleet to its former glory in order to defeat the enemy once again. Talmew knew it could not be done, yet he was wise enough to keep the opinion to himself. He was going to need every resource available to even make an attempt, and Prime Yarmew, to her credit, generously granted every request he made.

  Every former fleet member still alive would be recalled to active duty and put through a rushed refresher course on basic ship handling and weapons systems. All the inactive ships were to be dusted off, repaired and resupplied. Weapons systems needed testing and fresh missiles manufactured. Eager young males were to be drafted all over the planet to crew the ships once they were available. Talmew believed it was ultimately a wasted effort, for he was convinced they would all die at the hands of these crafty aliens. He was consoled by the fact it would be better to die in battle than to live under the rule of an inferior species.

  The visual records and scanner information from the scout ships was both impressive and frightening. The use of powerful scanners and multiple battlecruisers spoke of advanced technology. The presence of another sphere ship left no doubt these were the same beings they captured and enslaved long ago – the humans. How many of those huge silver vessels did they have? Where were they hiding all this time? Why did they return to their destroyed world? Would they learn the secrets of the doorway and invade Bastet?

  He had no answers to those questions, nor would anyone else. The idea of trying to close the spatial anomaly was suggested and rejected. Even if they knew how to close it, and they did not, there was no way to know what effect it might have in their sector of space. If they somehow succeeded, it was likely they would also lose access to Hathor, something Prime Yarmew was unwilling to risk. In her mind there was only one solution, and it was Talmew’s task to make it a reality.

  ####

  Prime Yarmew and a group of her Sub’ords watched the visual images taken during the brief scouting mission. Her tail twitched nervously amid angry hisses, claws extending and retracting as she saw not only the powerful battle cruisers, but the great silver sphere nestled among them. It was now obvious the ship they captured in their system belonged to the same humans who once lived on the world they destroyed so many rotations ago. She had many unanswered questions, but they could wait for another time. With the face of her enemy revealed, plans began to form on how to deal with them. There was little doubt the military effort would fail, and when it did, she had another use for the humans living among them.

  ####

  Meanwhile, in the Sol system...

  Though Admiral Perry was aboard Expedition as a guest, there was no doubt who was in overall command when it came to the defense of the system. With Status Red still in effect, nearly all the officers were aboard their own ships, ready and waiting for the enemy to return. Meanwhile, Perry and his most senior officers, including Generals Moreland and McClure, and Expedition’s Captain Theresa Arlington, were being briefed on the information gathered during yesterday’s short-lived incursion. The three scout vessels were identical to the one they found drifting in the wreckage after Earth’s destruction. Moreover, the deep scan performed as they moved in-system provided crucial information about their enemy. General Moreland was called upon to explain.

  “The vessels entering the system yesterday were of the same configuration as the damaged ship already in our possession. This tells us at least two things: it is the same enemy using the same technology. There is no question the beings who attacked Earth almost seventy years ago not only still exist, but continue to have an interest in this system. Though we have only seen a small sample of their technology, it appears to have changed little after all this time. Do they lack the resources to upgrade their ships? Have they become complacent about their superiority? Was it simply a ruse to trick us into overconfidence? I find it highly unlikely their technology base would remain virtually identical after so many years, but if this is the case we can be confident of victory in the coming engagement.”

  “The deep scan we performed on their ships also provided a great deal of information. We have an exact replica of their data banks, but much more will be known when we are able to translate their language, and we already have a team working on it. The propulsion system, shielding, scanners, communications, and construction materials are inferior to ours in every way. Unless their larger ships contain very highly advanced weaponry, I do not see how they can hope to defeat us. My assumption is that seventy years ago, Earth’s tech base was on par with what we see here.”

  “I believe we were defeated the last time due to the element of surprise and an overwhelming number of enemy vessels. You may have noticed all three ships entered and exited the corridor one at a time. Hound Dog informed me this is due to dangerous fluctuations in the outer edges of the corridor. However, our instrumentation and testing prove larger groups of ships can safely transit, and yet our adversary seems to be strangely unaware of this fact.”

  “The scan also gave us a physical glimpse of the enemy.”

  An image appeared on the main viewer, revealing a black, cat-like, bi-pedal creature, with small ears, powerful jaws, short claw-tipped fingers, green eyes, and a long slender tail. It was difficult not to be impressed with the sleek grace of the aliens’ physical form, and was satisfying to finally see their long-imagined adversary in the flesh.

  “Oddly enough, the atmosphere and gravity aboard their ships was well within our own range, which means they must enjoy similar conditions on their own world. Obviously, we know nothing of their lifestyle, attitudes, or goals. It is thought their intelligence is comparable to ours.”

  Perry allowed a few moments for the information to sink in before the briefing continued.

  “Captain Arlington, play devil’s advocate for a few moments and give us your best estimate of enemy intentions and possible battle tactics.”

  Arlington smiled at her old Captain, having played this game many times during their years together on Expedition’s journey from Earth.

  “As you say, Sir. It is my belief this may be the first time they have returned to Sol since we did. They must have been shocked to find the system reoccupied by an unknown enemy. We allowed them to see only a small portion of our available forces, and revealed little except for our powerful scanners. Based on this information alone, they will be reasonably confident the small number of ships they saw would be no match for them. I anticipate they will attempt to overwhelm our forces by sheer numbers; a strategy which worked well for them before.”

  “By delaying our response to their presence, we ma
y have led them to believe they will be able to sneak back into the system as they did the last time. We did witness their retreat, however, and they will expect us to be ready for them when they return. Whatever their original purpose for the scouting mission, it is almost certain they have returned home to gather the most powerful force available in an effort to overwhelm and destroy our ships.”

  “At this point, they may believe we have no knowledge of the corridor or how it is used, and would therefore still have the element of surprise in their favor. To safeguard their homeworld, they would find it necessary to eliminate any and all potential enemies residing at each corridor terminus. The only other option would be to shut down the corridor all together, unless they are unable or unwilling to do so.”

  Perry and the others nodded in agreement at Arlington’s assessment, and her last statement gave him the perfect opening he needed to discuss the alternative to a battle.