“It’s there,” insisted Adam, pointing to the data on the computer screen.
Pierre took a seat in front of the screen and began studying the data in earnest. The more data he read, the wider his eyes got as he began to realize its significance. He looked up at Adam. “You say you have double checked the array’s coordinates?”
“Yes, Sir,” Adam replied with a nod of his head. “That’s the first thing I did. I have had the technicians and computer people double check everything. I even had Andrew double check the equipment. We still get the same results. It’s a neutron star where none should be.”
“It just can’t be,” insisted Charles, looking at the others. “It can’t be a neutron star!”
Pierre leaned back in his chair, letting out a deep sigh of concern. He took off his glasses and massaged his brow. Replacing his glasses, he looked at the other three and then said. “The data indeed shows a neutron star at fifteen billion miles.”
“How can that be possible?” LeAnn asked her brown eyes taking on a worried look. “How could a neutron star get that close without being detected?”
This neutron star was almost inside the solar system. LeAnn felt a cold sense of dread pass over her. She knew it could pose a significant danger if it came any closer. Even at its present range, it could cause major problems with planetary orbits due to the influence of its gravity. She found it difficult even to speak as she thought about what all this could mean. LeAnn felt faint, and she could hear her heart pounding in her chest.
“A dust cloud,” commented Charles with doubt still lingering in his voice as he looked at the others. He just couldn’t believe what he had just heard. He knew LeAnn was having the same problem from the frozen look upon her face. “It would have to be composed of some very heavy elements in order to hide the neutron star’s emissions. That’s the only explanation there can be. A small dust cloud that has hidden this neutron star from our detection instruments all this time!”
“But we have never detected a dust cloud in that area of space. If it’s that close to the solar system, we should have,” LeAnn spoke her voice quivering in doubt. “It would have to be composed of a lot of heavy metals and dense gases to hide a neutron star. Even then, I’m not sure it could hide one.”
Pierre looked over at LeAnn and reached a quick decision. “Use the Albertson reflector and scan that area of space. I want to know everything there is to know about this neutron star and why we have only just now detected it. If you find this dust cloud, I want to know its size and composition.”
LeAnn nodded and placing her hand upon her chest, she could still feel her heart beating wildly. If there were a dust cloud in that section of space, the Albertson reflector would find it. She turned and hurried off to begin moving the reflector so they could scan that area of space. LeAnn still felt dazed and in shock over what she had just heard. She had a younger sister on Earth. She was very concerned about how this discovery would affect the planet in the coming months.
“Adam, I want a communications blackout initiated immediately,” Pierre continued in a serious voice, knowing this information needed to be controlled before it caused a panic.
Adam looked surprised. “A communications blackout? Why?”
“Yes, a communications blackout,” repeated Pierre, focusing his eyes on Adam. “I don’t want word of this getting out until we’re certain of what we’re dealing with. I want this kept on a need-to-know basis only. I want all the equipment recalibrated and our top people working on this ASAP. Once we have confirmed all the data, I want to transmit it to Star One to be analyzed by their core computer; it’s the most modern one in existence. If there is a problem in our calculations or data, their computer will find it. We must be absolutely certain of this data before we pass it on.”
Adam nodded and went over to his station to begin the work. This was going to take some time. He also needed to contact some key people and inform them to keep their mouths shut about this discovery. He knew this communications blackout would not go over very well with the people in the base. This was a civilian facility and people were going to scream when they discovered their communications had been shut off.
“What now?” asked Charles, wondering about the ramifications of this discovery.
He was already thinking about how the planetary orbits would be affected by the neutron star. As soon as they had more data, he planned on running some computer simulations. He had a feeling he would not like the results.
“Go help LeAnn with the reflector. I want those observation results as quickly as possible. I also need to contact Commander Colton and have him fly back over here. He is not going to like this. I suspect that none of us will.” Pierre closed his eyes and let out a deep breath.
It was all he could do to keep his hands from shaking. He knew full well what the significance of this discovery could mean. All of his long years of work might soon have all been for nothing. His research into black holes now might never occur. It was as if his entire world had just come crashing down. He opened his eyes and gazed across the room, deep in thought.
-
Mase looked confused as he read the communication that Linda had just handed him. “This is it? LaRann didn’t say anything else?”
“No, Sir, he was very short. He sounded extremely nervous over the com system; almost as if he were afraid someone was going to overhear what he was saying. He just kept reiterating that he needed to see you at Farside immediately.”
Linda was feeling worried. LaRann in some ways had almost sounded frightened. What could frighten the venerated astrophysicist? She wondered if there had been a serious accident at Farside. After the recent problems with the mass driver, they couldn’t afford to have one with the array. Senator Farley would be all over it!
Mase leaned back in his chair and thought for a minute. He knew that Farside had been calibrating the dish arrays. Not only that, but the Albertson reflector was also in use. He had an ominous feeling that something had gone wrong. He hoped nothing had been seriously damaged or anyone injured. What concerned Mase was why LaRann didn’t want to talk about it over the com system. Why was LaRann insisting on him coming to Farside?
“Sir, he sounded really worried,” Linda added with concern in her voice. “He seemed frightened.”
Mase looked over at Linda and could see the worry in her dark brown eyes. “Contact Anthony and tell him I need him to fly me to Farside immediately. The only way we’re going to find out what’s going on is for me to go there.”
“One more thing you should know,” Linda added with a puzzled look on her face. “Professor LaRann also said he has initiated a temporary communications blackout at Farside.”
“A communications blackout?” Mase felt a cold tingle run down his back; this sounded serious. What the hell was going on? He needed to get to Farside as quickly as possible. Obviously, something had happened. “Tell Anthony I’m on my way to the launch pad.”
-
A few minutes later, Mase and Anthony were on their way to Farside in one of the small shuttles. Only this time, Mase had told Anthony he needed to get to Farside as quickly as possible and not to worry about the fuel usage. As a result, they would go into near orbit and then rapidly descend toward the base. The travel time would be less than forty minutes.
Anthony quickly accelerated the shuttle as they gained altitude. “What’s going on?” he asked as the shuttle quickly reached its highest altitude and then began falling back toward Farside. “They discover a comet’s about to hit the Moon or something?”
“We don’t know,” answered Mase as he watched the lunar surface passing quickly by beneath them. “Something has happened, but LaRann is being tightlipped about it. All we know is that he wants to see me as soon as possible, and Linda said he sounded frightened.”
“Sounds ominous,” commented Anthony as he adjusted the shuttle’s course slightly. He had only been joking about a comet striking the Moon. Now he wondered if Farside had discovered
some type of threat to the Earth or the Moon. Anthony had a sister on Earth who was studying to be a medical practitioner and he hoped that something hadn’t been discovered that would be a threat to the planet.
As they flew toward the base, Mase wondered just what had happened. What could be so important that Pierre needed to see him and why had he initiated a communications blackout? Mase had a terrible feeling that he wasn’t going to like the answer. It also bothered him that Linda had mentioned that LaRann had sounded frightened over the com. LaRann was one of the calmest people that Mase knew. The only thing he had ever seen LaRann get excited about was the dish array.
-
Pierre was watching on a viewscreen as Commander Colton’s shuttle landed. He was in the complex’s main conference room, which was located deep underground. He had numerous sheets of data spread out on the table in front of him. He also had several photos that had been rushed to him from LeAnn Kelly. They showed an obscure dim dot in the center surrounded by brighter stars. The dot was the neutron star.
Looking at one of the photos, Pierre felt all doubt about the discovery disappear. The photo showed that something was indeed there. The big question was where had this neutron star come from? He held his hand out in front of him; at least it wasn’t shaking. He reached forward, picked up a glass, and drank several swallows of cold water. It helped to relieve the tension. He wasn’t looking forward to his upcoming conversation with Commander Colton. How did you tell someone that the world might be about to come to an end?
A few minutes later, he was interrupted from his thoughts as Commander Colton opened the door and stepped into the conference room.
“What’s going on, Pierre?” Mase demanded as he quickly walked over to the table. He could see that LaRann had several stellar photographs and some data charts spread out in front of him. “What’s the fire about, and why have you ordered a communications blackout?”
“Sit down, Commander. You’re not going to like what I have to tell you.” Pierre took off his glasses and laid them on the table. He took a deep fortifying breath and looked at Mase. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest.
Mase took a seat and listened as LaRann carefully explained what Adam had recently discovered. Mase interrupted him several times, wanting some key points explained in more detail. He began to understand why LaRann had demanded that he come to Farside. To some of his questions Pierre knew the answers; to others he didn’t.
“A neutron star that close to our solar system,” spoke Mase, feeling numb. He was having a hard time believing what LaRann had just told him. “Do we know what direction it’s moving? Is it coming toward us?” He gazed at LaRann, waiting for an answer.
“We don’t know yet. We need a few more hour’s worth of observations to determine that. Adam currently has the entire array focused on the neutron star. LeAnn and Charles are in the process of taking detailed observations with the Albertson reflector.”
Mase let out a sharp breath. He shook his head trying to clear it. LaRann wouldn’t have summoned him and initiated a communications blackout unless he was extremely worried. With a cold chill, Mase knew this neutron star could be extremely dangerous. He knew enough astronomy to understand this was bad.
“If this neutron star is coming toward us, what will happen to our solar system? How will it affect us?” he asked as he braced himself for LaRann’s response.
Pierre put his glasses back on and for a moment looked much older than his forty-eight years as he thought about Mase’s questions. These were difficult ones to answer, and he could only guess at the affects the neutron star would have on the solar system. Once he received more detailed information from the others, he would know more.
“A neutron star will have several times the mass of our own sun. If it comes much closer to our solar system, it could affect the orbits of some of the planets. Perhaps even the orbit of Earth. If it actually comes into our solar system, it would have devastating effects. However, that is only conjecture. We need more time and observations to determine its exact trajectory.”
Mase reached forward and picked up one of the photographs. He noticed that LaRann had circled a dim dot in the center in red. It looked so harmless in the photo. Mase was silent for a moment as he thought about what he needed to do. His throat felt dry, and he reached out and poured some cold water from a small pitcher on the table into a glass. After taking a long drink, he began thinking about what his options were.
If this neutron star was a real threat, Steve Larson on Star One would have to be notified immediately. Mase would need Steve’s help in order to figure out what steps they needed to take. The computer core on Star One would be needed to evaluate the data from Farside’s observations.
Then they would have to notify Tim McPhryson, the president’s Science Advisor. Mase felt as if the weight of the world had just settled on his shoulders. There would have to be a lot of decisions made if this neutron star was coming toward them. With a sinking feeling, Mase knew this neutron star was about to change all of their lives. He grew worried about his brother Phillip on Earth and how he might be affected by all of this. Most of the people living on the Moon still had close family members on Earth. This could be very difficult for a lot of them once the news got out.
After speaking with Pierre for a few more minutes, Mase made his way over to the Albertson reflector. He wanted to talk to Charles and LeAnn and get their input on the situation. The two were brilliant scientists in their own right and might be able to give him more insight on this momentous and dangerous discovery.
Entering the main observation room, which contained the reflector, he saw the two huddled over a large computer screen. They both looked up as he walked over to them.
“Have you talked to Pierre?” LeAnn asked in a quiet voice, her eyes showing deep concern. “Has he told you what Adam found?”
“Yes,” replied Mase, trying his best to sound calm. “Are both of you certain that this is a neutron star we’re dealing with?”
“I found it hard to believe in the beginning,” admitted Charles, looking up at Mase. “But after using the telescope and photographing it, there can be no doubt. It’s there!”
“From our observations, it’s about eighteen miles in diameter and 2.2 times the mass of our sun,” continued LeAnn, in an informative voice. “From what Adam told us earlier, it’s rotating around its axis about two times per second.”
“We also think it’s heading in our direction,” Charles spoke with a worried frown spreading across his face. “From the time it was first discovered until now it has shown virtually no sideways movement.”
“It’s a long distance from us,” Mase pointed out. “It might take time to show much movement if it’s moving slowly toward us.”
“That’s the problem,” added LeAnn with a deep sigh. “If our initial observations are correct, it’s moving toward us at an extremely high rate of speed.”
“How high?” asked Mase, feeling a chill run down his back. He didn’t like the looks on their faces.
LeAnn looked over at Charles before answering. “We need to run everything through Star One’s computers, but we think it’s coming toward us at a speed of over three hundred miles per second.”
Mase’s eyes widened at this revelation. “Three hundred miles per second,” repeated Mase slowly. “Isn’t it unusual for a neutron star to be moving at that speed?”
“No,” replied Charles, arching his eyebrows. “They are the remnants of a nova and the velocity of most neutron stars is quite high.”
Mase was quiet as he thought about what the two scientists had just told him. It sounded to him as if they both believed the neutron star was heading straight toward the solar system.
“This neutron star could be extremely dangerous to our solar system and even Earth,” LeAnn stated, her brown eyes focusing intently on Mase. “If it is on the course we think it’s on, it will drastically affect the orbits of all the planets.”
“Yes,” Char
les added in agreement with a haunted look in his eyes. “If it comes into our solar system, none of us will survive!”
-
An hour later, Mase was standing outside on the surface of the Moon. He had put on one of the base’s spare spacesuits and stepped outside so he could think. Looking out across the Farside site, he could see the large dish antennas dotting the landscape. They stretched out as far as he could see. Behind him, the Albertson reflector pointed toward a distant spot in space where the neutron star had been discovered.
“I thought you might be out here,” Anthony Kleese spoke as he walked up to the commander in his own bulky white spacesuit. “I come out onto the surface quite often myself to clear my head. Particularly if I have something really serious I need to think about.”
“It seems to help,” responded Mase, glad to see Anthony; he had a very level head and was easy to talk to. “I don’t get out on the surface very often anymore. There always seems to be something that comes up.”
Looking out across the desolate lunar landscape, Mase could see several Moon Buggies going down the numerous roads to the different dish antenna sites. They stirred up clouds of gray dust, which slowly settled back down to the surface in the low gravity.
Looking up, all he could see were stars. They seemed so bright here on the backside of the Moon. Due to the Moon’s current location in its orbit around the Earth, the Farside site was currently in darkness. Star One, the massive space station in orbit at the Earth-Moon Lagrange point was also out of sight. Since the Lagrange point was located between the Earth and the Moon, the station would never be visible from Farside.
“What’s going on?” asked Anthony, curiously. “I stopped by the base’s cafeteria earlier for a bite to eat and everyone is talking about some type of major discovery made by the array and confirmed by the Albertson reflector. But no one seems to know quite what it is and if they do, they’re not talking.”
Star One: Tycho City Survival Page 5
