by M. D. Cooper
“Given their resources, and the half-life of the isotopes in our engine wash, we may need to course correct a dozen times,” Andrews said with a frown.
“Yes, hence the need to top off your tanks,” Sera replied. “Don’t forget, those AST ships can hit FTL at over 0.9c. That means they can also get to any destination way faster than we can. It’s going to be a hell of a race if they find our trail.”
“Captain, sirs,” the comm officer interrupted. “We have heavy communications between the Boller ships. They’ve word that there are more AST ships coming. A full battle fleet.”
“That doesn’t sound good.” Captain Andrews ran a hand through his hair. “Any idea what that entails, Sera?”
Sera resisted the urge to mimic his gesture and run her own hand through her hair. “Depends on what they could muster up this far out, but I’d bet it will be a few dozen more of those dreadnaughts; plus they’ll bring cruisers this time—a couple hundred at least.”
Tanis whistled appreciatively. “It’s a good thing we’re invincible now.” Sanderson frowned and she shrugged in response. “Well, let’s hope we are.”
“Comm, let the folks in the Boller Space Force know that we’re leaving, and tell them sorry about their moon.”
The comm officer paused. “Should I really tell them that?”
“If you don’t, I will,” Sera grinned.
No one else provided any direction and the comm officer bent to her task.
“Wow, they are really unhappy,” she said partway through her transmission.
“Serves them right,” Tanis muttered, to which Sera nodded emphatically.
Helm began to ease the Intrepid away from Kithari, on a course to pick up the last of the Arc-6s on the way to Aurora, while Tanis spun the holo display to show a wider view of the space they were traversing.
“You’re sure the FGT will get your message?” the captain asked as he watched the Boller ships work through the wreckage of their fleet. Though the search and rescue ships were careful to offer no threat, several of their larger cruisers also shadowed the Intrepid from a hundred thousand kilometers.
“They’ll have it in a month,” Sera replied.
“That fast? I thought that they were likely over a thousand light-years out.”
“They probably are,” Sera nodded.
“You’re not going to share how a message can make it a thousand light-years in thirty days are you? That’s over twelve thousand times the speed of light,” Captain Andrews asked.
“It’s actually closer to fifteen thousand. The message will have to pass through a few relays,” Sera smiled enigmatically.
The captain ran his hand through his hair again and looked to Tanis.
“Both of you, come to my office, please. Admiral, you have the conn.”
“Aye,” Sanderson replied, looking very much like he would like to hear what was to be discussed.
Inside his office, Andrews closed the door and stood, arms akimbo and head down for a long minute before speaking.
“Sera, I want to thank you for what you’ve done for us. You returned Tanis to our ship, and brought us tech that, without a doubt, has saved the lives of every person on the Intrepid.”
“Tha—” Sera began, but the captain held up his hand.
“But this cloak and dagger shit has to stop. We’ve laid our secrets bare to you, and been forthcoming and transparent at every turn. Hell, we even gave you stasis shielding—something that, while I’m glad we did in this case, I am now certain is a tech that we should never share.”
“Uh…thanks…” Sera replied awkwardly.
“Look at this from our point of view,” Tanis said, while leaning against the bulkhead. “You are, more or less, the only person in the ninetieth century that has treated with us fairly. That makes you an anomaly. You have tech no one else has—not even the AST from the looks of it. Anomaly. You can communicate with the FGT. Anomaly. We’re not stupid. There’s a pretty narrow list of possibilities for who you are. Bob says he knows and will tell us if you don’t.” She raised her hands, palms outward. “So just tell us already.”
Sera took a deep breath, and her eyes danced between Tanis and Andrews.
“OK, OK, I was planning to tell you earlier. You know, before we got interrupted by all the fleets in the galaxy,” Sera said and gestured for Tanis and Andrews to take a seat. She sat across from them and placed her hands on her knees.
She decided not to pussy-foot around.
“Humanity is in the dark—manipulated, and kept that way by design.”
“Manipulated?” Tanis sat up straight. “By who?”
“The FGT.”
“The FGT manipulates humanity?” Andrews asked with uncertainty.
“Not with the deftest of hands, but for all intents and purposes, they run the show. Let me start from the beginning.”
Andrews gestured for Sera to proceed.
“Back in the fourth millennia, before this ship even left Earth, the FGT realized that the core worlds of humanity would be too self-centered to be a positive force in the expansion of mankind. They would develop greater levels of technology and lord it over colonies. Colony worlds would become little more than slaves to the core.
“Unfortunately, they didn’t have the means to do anything about this. While the various terraforming flotillas did communicate with one another, they were, for the most part, islands in the dark; messages took centuries to pass between all the terraformers and there was no cohesion.
“Still, they began to craft a solution to counter the core world strength.
“As with everything else, FTL changed their plans—granted, the FGT was probably the last group to become aware of the technology—it wasn’t until the end of the fourth millennia that they acquired it.
“By then, humanity had already started to fall. The first true interstellar wars had already occurred and the Great Dark Age settled in. But, because of their remote and often unknown locations, the worldships retained their advanced levels of technology.”
Sera paused and smiled at Tanis and Andrews. “Mind you, the last FGT ship left Sol in the late third millennia. You have nearly five-hundred years of technological advances over them—sure the FGT scientists have made some brilliant breakthroughs, but you lived in the Golden Age. Even without your picotech—and what I suspect Earnest has discovered beneath it—you still possess thousands, maybe millions, of advances that no one else has.”
“We know this,” Andrews grunted. “You’re getting off track.”
Sera nodded. “Right. I was using it illustrate the state of the human sphere in the beginning of the fifth millennia.”
She cleared her throat and continued. “Many in the FGT’s ranks wanted to help. They sent rescue and assistance missions back into the settled stars and…well, things didn’t go as they’d hoped. Three FGT ships ran into situations like the Intrepid has. Two were destroyed, one managed to come out victorious.
“Following those encounters, they pulled back, left terraforming projects half-complete, abandoned their works. They created a buffer between themselves and the rest of humanity—they became isolationists.”
“Wait,” Tanis held up her hand. “Are you saying that there is a second human civilization in the Milky Way? One that is distant enough from the known human sphere of expansion that the bulk of humanity isn’t even aware of it?”
“That is exactly what I’m saying,” Sera nodded. “Mostly. There’s more to tell.”
“Then do tell,” Andrews said.
“While the rest of humanity fell into war and chaos, the FGT advanced—a lot. There were still many elements that wished to help, but no one deemed it wise to attempt a full-scale uplift of humanity. The result was a corps which infiltrates and guides major political entities within what the FGT calls the Inner Stars.
“That corps is what brought humanity back from the brink. Without them,
all the Inner Stars would be desolate wastelands, with the remnants of human civilization scratching out a meager existence on ruined worlds.”
“You are a part of that corps,” Tanis said simply.
Sera cast her eyes to the deck and nodded. “I was.”
“I have to admit, this FGT you describe seems sinister, yet the FGT of our time contained the most altruistic and benevolent of all people—people who were giving their lives to create a home for humanity amongst the stars,” Andrews said.
“Those people are still there, and they still hold to those core values…they’ve just…soured,” Sera replied.
“Wait,” Tanis interrupted. “When you say ‘those people are still there’, do you mean the same exact people? As in the original crews?”
“Well, they’ve grown a lot, yes, but most of the original crews—at least from the fourth millennia ships—are still out there, still working.”
Tanis whistled. “That’s incredible. They’re immortal now aren’t they? Are they still mostly biological?”
Sera chuckled. “Yes they are immortal, yet still more biological than you, I’d dare say.”
“I’m still human,” Tanis said, her words sounding more defensive than she had intended.
Sera fixed her with a penetrating stare. “Some might disagree with that assessment, but I’ll accept it.”
“I assume that a part of your reticence to share has to do with how you came to leave this corps you spoke of,” Andrews changed the subject.
“It has a big fancy name, but those of us in its ranks just call it The Hand,” Sera replied. “And yes, I was sort of kicked out and exiled.”
“Better that than the eternal humiliation—or being bailed out by my father,” Sera retorted.
“Juicy, perhaps,” Sera replied. “Though not what I’d call good.”
She stood and walked to the small bar in Andrews’ office and poured herself a glass of whisky before returning to her seat.
Tanis was leant forward, elbows on her knees while Captain Andrews reclined. Though his posture was relaxed, of the two he appeared more concerned. Tanis looked…almost excited.
“I lost something. Something very valuable that should never have fallen into Inner Stars hands. It’s called a CriEn module.”
“Aha! That’s what you were carrying on the Regal Dawn, wasn’t it?” Tanis asked triumphantly.
“It was,” Sera nodded. “It’s a zero-point energy module.”
“I don’t gather what is so special about that,” Tanis said. “We use zero-point energy for backup systems on the Intrepid.”
“You create pocket dimensions and draw energy from those,” Sera replied with a shake of her head. “A CriEn draws power from this universe, and it can operate in both normal space and the dark layer—in fact, I’ve advised Earnest not to utilize your zero-point energy systems while in the dark layer—at least while I’m not within a light-year of you.”
“So somehow you lost that to Kade, and that’s what you’ve been doing in your exile, getting in close to him so you could steal it back,” Tanis said with a smug smile, and leaned back in her seat.
“More or less,” Sera nodded. “At first I had to figure out who had it. There are a lot of unsavory factions in the Inner Stars, so I decided that becoming a smuggler was the best way to get my feelers into a lot of groups. I eventually tracked it down to Kade. The events you set in motion created the perfect scenario for getting to his base—though it wasn’t in a fashion I would have chosen.
“Though now I can return the CriEn to the corps and…I don’t know…I don’t think I really want to rejoin their ranks again.”
“You can always settle with us,” Tanis replied.
“Speaking of that,” Andrews said. “I assume this world will be in the separate FGT area of space.”
Sera nodded. “They do terraform some worlds closer to the Inner Stars—part of their grand schemes—but neither you, nor they, will want the Intrepid colony to settle on one of those. Too close to this mess.”
“What do they call the…the not-inner-stars?” Tanis asked.
“FGT space is a bubble—well, more of a donut—that wraps around the Inner Stars.” Sera replied. “There are a lot of different regions, but on the whole, it’s called The Transcend. Its outer reaches stretch beyond the Orion arm of the galaxy, both spin and core-ward.”
Tanis whistled. “Given that most of the Inner Stars fit within a thousand light year-wide bubble around Sol, the Transcend must have way more territory.”
“Yes, but it’s much less densely populated,” Sera said. “Though you wouldn’t be the first refugee group to take shelter out there.”
“Orion is only about three-thousand light-years wide,” Andrews said with a frown. “From what I understand about FTL, an average multiplier is five hundred times. That means a three-thousand light-year journey should only take six years. How is it that the bulk of humanity hasn’t spread into the Transcend already?”
Sera coughed. “People do stumble into it from time to time, but it doesn’t happen as often as you’d think. Partly because we foster conflict around the edges of the Inner Stars, which tends to stall exploration. A few proxy nations around the fringes also keep the core contained. Galactic north and south, we don’t control many systems and that’s where we let expansion occur.
“At some point we’ll reveal ourselves. We’re just trying to gently uplift the rest of humanity first—we’re trying to prevent another full-scale war.”
Tanis couldn’t help but notice how Sera’s use of “they” had long since turned to “we”.
“So, will you rejoin them, then?” Tanis asked, her forehead wrinkling into a frown. “You and Flaherty, I assume.”
“That obvious, is it?” Sera asked.
“Well, he does have the whole ‘protector of the young woman obligation’ thing going on,” Tanis replied. “It’s only logical that he has joined you in your self-imposed exile.”
Sera nodded and was silent for a moment. “I don’t know if I’ll even be wanted—though if I know my father, I’m likely to be summoned before the throne. The fact that he hasn’t sent anyone to take me home—recently, mind you—is almost surprising.”
She looked to Andrews, and then to Tanis.
“So there you have it, my big secret. Given that I’m on a ship that has picotech and stasis shields, it doesn’t seem like such a big deal anymore.”
Tanis stood and stretched. “I don’t even know what it would take for anything to feel like a big deal anymore.” She paused. “Wait…what was that about your father and a throne?”
REPERCUSSIONS
STELLAR DATE: 11.03.8927 (Adjusted Years)
LOCATION: ISS Intrepid, Outer System
REGION: Bollam’s World System, Bollam’s World Federation
Sera and Tanis were taking a break from staring at scan updates—wondering when the new AST fleet would show up—in the officer’s wardroom. Tanis was working her way through her second BLT and Sera was enjoying a bowl of strawberries.
“I don’t know how you eat the same thing over and over again,” Sera said with a chuckle.
Tanis shrugged. “When you find a winner, stick with it. Besides, you’re the one who has only eaten strawberries for three days now.”
“No one has had a strawberry in four-thousand years! Damn skippy I’m going to eat them. I’m going to eat a bowl of strawberries every day for the rest of my life,” Sera said with a laugh.
“Well, then at least you’ll lose the high ground for mocking me over my BLTs.”
“For such interesting people, you have the most boring palettes,” Terrance said with a smile as he sat.
His plate was filled with a cornucopia of foods; more than any one person should even conceive of enjoying in one sitting.
Sera popped another strawberry in her mouth and smiled, showing off her red teeth. “Mock me all you want. I’m in heaven.”
Terrance shook his head and addressed Tanis. “I hear the FTL systems are nearly in place.”
Tanis nodded. “Abby has people working like machines, and the machines working like…well…better machines. She’s already done a few simulations and has just a few more tweaks to make before we’ll be good to go.”
“This,” Terrance said around a mouthful of salad. “This is not something that surprises me at all. That man doesn’t even know about the word ‘impossible’, let alone that it means he couldn’t do a thing.”
Tanis laughed and nodded.
“So, what do you think is up with Aurora?” Sera asked. “Why would they combine two gas giants and then not start up a brown dwarf?”
Terrance nodded. “Just one sufficiently large comet strike and that thing will light right up—and this system is brimming with comets.”
“You know your stellar physics,” Sera nodded appreciatively.
“I did fund a colony ship to travel to another star—though these days I guess just about anyone who could afford to start a small business could get a starship and travel to more stars than I ever imagined seeing…”
Tanis smiled. Every now and then, Terrance showed that he was really just a romantic underneath. She was pretty certain that he was enjoying the Intrepid’s grand adventure.
