Initiation Series: Series One Compilation (Terran Chronicles)

by James Jackson

  “Please, be seated.” The President’s voice is calming, yet there has always been a hint of something more, some intangible power, behind those cool, dark eyes and calming tone. “I come to you to show how important it is that we act quickly and decisively.”

  Sitting down himself, he looks around the room. He sees Igor ready to wage war at someone, anyone. His constant opponent, Pavel, is seeking more information before he commits to a decision, just like always. The others, well, as in all politics, armed with shifting motives and allegiances, some side for power, and some for justice.

  This will be a tough day, but the President continues to speak with conviction. “We will not go back to our old ways, and we must coordinate with the Americans for a full strike against these asteroids. This must occur quickly, lest we hit them too close and suffer from our own radiation. It has already been eight hours since the facility in Australia detected this threat. China has been informed, as has the European Space Agency, and various other governments. Gentlemen, these difficult facts speak for themselves. We must work together or we will die together. So, what is it to be?”

  “Really,” scoffs Igor, “Mr. President, I must speak candidly. Are we to just trust them?” His finger making little swirls in the air as he speaks.

  The President nods as he responds, “I have spoken with the American president and the Australian prime minister, and believe them to be sincere. The Australians and Americans have given us the data they have collected, including a classified brief from a meeting at NORAD. Our own observations support the data presented.”

  The Russian president stands, and sighs deeply as he leans down on the table. With his knuckles whitening, he speaks. “I will not let Mother Russia be destroyed by some stupid little rocks from space. Give me your decision within the hour. We have that long before we need to act, if we are to assist.”

  The President retires to leave the debate, and perhaps the fate of the world, in the hands of a few power-hungry men. “Politics,” he sighs, “there should be no waiting for approval by a committee.” He mutters to himself. Sometimes even he wishes for the 'old days' to return, just sometimes.

  The discussion is short, as the decision was already made the moment the President of the second most prolific nuclear power on the planet, walked through the doors. Instead, the men discuss losses, and make plans within plans which are then set in motion.

  Before the hour is up, they give the Russian President their unwavering support, while at the same time, activating every national reservist. Based on the data which provides the location of possible ground strikes, aircraft start rebasing to new locations. Naval vessels in port, recall all crews and prepare for immediate departure. A few facilities across the nation are even given orders to evacuate. Though this is out of the ordinary, all that receive the evacuation order immediately comply. The sudden increase in activity will not go unnoticed for long. The most notable decision, however, does get passed without any other nation even noticing, at first anyway. All nuclear-powered submarines that are in port, get refitted with fresh batteries and new nuclear fuel rods. All others are ordered to various ports for an immediate refit. These refits are conducted with unusual haste, and seemingly, with little to no regard for safety protocols.

  The Russian President has a few more calls to make, as he ponders the unfolding events. He has a long discussion with his counterpart in America.

  While the politicians talk and the military might of Earth makes plans, the incoming meteor shower gets even closer. Precious time gets whittled away, as the world rotates, bringing the morning sun with it. People wake up and go about their daily lives, oblivious to the incoming threat. The morning news carries nothing of the objects in space, not in any country as this new day arrives. This calm will not last for long, however.

  Location:

  North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD)

  Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado Springs, Colorado

  General Walker puts the phone down slowly. Stepping into the control room, he looks at the men and women of his command. At the sight of the General just standing there, some of his subordinates stop their activities and focus on what their respected leader has to say.

  Once he has their attention, the General issues his orders, “Go to DEFCON Three, cancel all leave, and recall essential personnel. Folks, pretty much every country in the world will be increasing their alert status, or its equivalent, and they’re probably mobilizing their forces as well. It is our job to do what is expected and make preparations for an attack. Be vigilant and, be alert.”

  The defense readiness switches to yellow, illuminating DEFCON Three. No one speaks as the seriousness of the situation sinks in.

  After a brief respite, General Walker adds, “I want all our long-range missiles ready to accept new coordinates. Make it happen people.”

  With that, the General retires to his office to once again do battle with the phones. During a brief respite, he realizes that his whole career now comes down to a few decisions. Looking at the latest brief from Barbara, the director of the New Mexico array, he considers the ramifications of the information at hand. Having never married and having no children, he pauses to reflect on his life and the lives of those under his command. His military training is heavily ingrained. He is not sad for himself, but more so for the unsuspecting public. The casualties could be horrific if this turns out to be the real McCoy, he ponders. He is extremely troubled as he puts the brief down.

  Location:

  White House

  Washington DC

  Discovery of the incoming asteroids finally makes its way to a few civilian-operated telescopes. At first the reports are treated as pranks, but as more information becomes public, people start to look up and wonder. Many turn to their governments for answers, and then they turn on the news to find reporters having nothing to report of this event.

  With the release of the first blurred pictures, awareness grows into concern. Then concern turns to anger at the continued silence from the various governments around the world. People want answers, and yet, none are forthcoming. Speculation is rife as ordinary citizens suggest their own theories; ranging from a modern-day hoax, to government conspiracies, and every idea in between.

  A small group of people armed with banners head to the White House seeking answers. They soon become a massive rowdy crowd feeding on each other's fear and anger. Behind the closed gates stand a strong security contingent, all wearing heavy riot gear. Heated words and angry gestures come from the crowd. The guards do their best to urge them to go home. Tensions mount, and more angry words are shouted from the unruly crowd. A shot is fired from somewhere inside the crowd. A guard falls, wounded, and his comrades drag him back out of harm's way. Batons and pepper spray are replaced by pistols and assault rifles. Seeing the change in the guards’ equipment, the front ranks of the crowd try to turn back as the rear of the rowdy mob suddenly surges forward. The crowd does not stop, and those in the front have no choices left, except to move forward, or be trampled.

  Behind the closed gates, the guards watch in a moment of disbelief as the front ranks fall beneath the surging mass of people. Some are pushed, and then crushed, against the gates. The gates themselves start to creak and groan at the sheer weight bearing down upon them. Bones break, and people scream, as they are crushed and bloodied. Tear gas is launched into the crowd, but it is too late to save those already trampled underfoot. Armed rioters wildly fire shots through the expanding mist of tear gas, either hitting fellow demonstrators, or the nothing at all. No more guards are injured, though many are visibly affected by the grisly mess that is building at the foot of the gates.

  Eventually, the crowd disperses leaving the dead and wounded behind. Still, no answers are forthcoming from the White House. Newscasters can only report on the loss of life due to circumstances surrounding a demonstration that went horribly wrong.

  The secondary news of the day is a newly announced Russian military exercise.
Pentagon sources have confirmed the exercise, and in a surprising move, are supporting the initiative. Usually such military flexing is condoned as a waste of valuable resources due to Russia's ongoing civil and economic difficulties. A few newscasters run their own take on the story, but even China shows little to no concern about the events in Russia. As with all news that is overshadowed, it is soon dropped for more compelling events.

  With the world looking upward, it is not just the Russians making plans and performing hasty refits. Other nations move troops, aircraft, and ships, as either a response to a neighbor’s actions, or from their own space observations. In either case, the world now has more military assets on the move than at any other time in history.

  Location:

  Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP)

  315 KM North East of Geraldton, Western Australia.

  Andrew looks at a countdown timer for the hundredth time, as a phone is pressed into his hand by one of his assistants, twelve hours till the first impacts. The assistant quietly whispers. “It's a Demetri, who says he is from the RAN, whatever that is. He sounds Russian.”

  Andrew takes the phone, cups it, and says quietly to the assistant, “Russian Academy of Sciences.”

  “Demetri. This is Deputy Director Andrew Jensen, we met at the Space Sciences Conference in Paris last year. Did you get moved? I thought you were in Moscow with the Space Research institute.”

  “Ah, Andrew, yes I remember you from the conference. No time for your small talk, my friend. We have turned some satellites around and have collected a lot more information. We have what you would call, bad news, which I have been authorized by my government to share. What I am going to tell you sounds impossible, but is purely factual. I want you to carefully analyze this new data, but I am sure you will confirm our findings.”

  Andrew jumps in, “We should get the AOC on the line then; it may speed up our communication process.”

  Demetri sighs, “I don't get on well with that female director. I find her offensive; besides, you have the initial contact information, which is all we need in order to confirm our findings. But if you insist, I can tolerate her for a short while.”

  Within minutes, the three-way discussion is moved to a video conferencing room. Expressions are hard to hide, and it’s quite clear that Demetri and Barbara do not like each other.

  In an effort to break the silence and icy stares, Andrew speaks up first. “Director Barbara, you know Director Demetri, well he has some data to share, Demetri, please continue.”

  Demetri clears his throat, and after one more glare clearly aimed at Barbara, he begins. “The facts I have to present to you are alarming and seem astronomically impossible. These impacts will only last for twenty-four hours, and then this combination of meteors and asteroids will be over. In addition, the density of these objects is far greater than anything previously discovered. We have compared the information given to us by the Australians with our own readings and find the data accurate. Do you concur with these findings, Barbara?”

  Barbara looks down at a pile of notes on her table and glances at a pair of computer screens near her, before looking up. “How did you confirm the data so accurately? We are having trouble filtering out the residual radiation, but, yes, our latest data supports the findings.”

  “Director, we both know that as a consequence of the cold war between our countries, we have many satellites in space. We have some high orbit, very high orbit satellites that we simply turned around.”

  Barbara is surprised by both Demetri’s candor, and the admission of the existence of these satellites.

  “Okay,” says Andrew slowly, “we have a twenty-four hour long meteor shower with about seventy asteroids in the mix. That in itself is not as alarming as you make it sound, Demetri.”

  Demetri mutters something that sounds like a Russian obscenity, before he continues. “This will be a twenty-four hour meteor shower of small, and exceptionally dense material. In addition, there are about seventy asteroids, five meters in size. According to the readings they are very dense as well, all with trajectories that show land based impacts.” He lets this sink in before continuing. “That is...”

  Barbara interrupts suddenly and quietly “Oh, my God.” She looks at the two men on her screens. “That's impossible, I mean totally beyond any reasonable...” Her voice fades as she tries to accept the facts before her.

  Demetri speaks slowly but with conviction. “So, we are in agreement then?”

  “Yes!” concurs Barbara, as she looks at Demetri with an expression of pure shock on her face.

  “Okay folks, what did I miss?” says a mildly perplexed Andrew. He looks at the two of them on his screen “What the hell are you two talking about?”

  Barbara gets her voice back, “Andrew, we are under attack, this is no random meteor shower. But why all of the smaller meteoroid size ones?”

  “ATTACK!” shouts Andrew, unintentionally loud. “You can't be serious?” He says, and then with a little more control states, “You two have been playing cloak and dagger games for far too long and see enemies everywhere.”

  Andrew starts typing queries into his terminal. As he watches the screen, his skepticism is replaced with one of horror. How could he have missed this? “Oh no, no, no. That can't be right. Those small meteoroids, they will effectively destroy all of our space-based satellites. The asteroids will impact many of our large ground based radio telescopes, including this one. By the time this is over, we will have lost virtually all satellite based communications.”

  Running can be heard coming down the corridor. Joe grabs the door frame; it creaks as he almost flings himself into the room, oblivious to the video conference. He clutches a pile of papers in his hands, some getting crushed by his clenched fist, others falling to the floor. “Andrew, we have a problem, I mean a really big problem.” Joe is either out of breath or scared. He looks at the screen, and then smiles sheepishly at Demetri and Barbara.

  “Yeah, we know, mate,” Andrew replies.

  Joe’s light brown eyes widen with fear. “No, no, you don't. None of you do.” Looking frantically at each of them he continues in obvious distress. “There are some really big objects following the meteors and asteroids, and I mean really big. But that’s not all, the really big ones... they’re slowing down.”

  Approximately twenty larger objects of various sizes follow these asteroids, and they too, are on a course for Earth. Soon enough, even the poorest nations of Earth can detect what's happening in space. They too, are seeking answers, but there are none to be had.

  Newscasters from around the globe can find little information about what is actually happening. They find themselves creating stories ranging from the extinction of the dinosaurs to various end-of-times scenarios. Many attach as much factual information as possible to their fictions, creating some thought provoking news stories. With little regard to the consequences of their actions, many newscasters try to top each other with bolder and bolder stories. An uneasy public fast becomes a frightened public, as answers are not forthcoming. Many wonder if this is the end of the world.

  The next few hours find churches around the globe having a sudden increase in attendance at their services. Many people start to horde food, weapons, and fuel. Supermarket shelves are stripped bare, as panicking masses gather what they can. Some proclaim that this is the end of the world, pointing out quotes from various historical texts. The cost of basic necessities skyrockets, as price gouging takes effect. Crime rates climb, as civil order starts to crumble across the globe. Many people stay in their homes to watch the news, hoping for information on the events now unfolding.

  Location:

  White House

  Washington DC

  Around the nation and the world, millions turn to their radios and televisions to listen and watch. People stop in the streets to look at the live news bulletin as it interrupts the regular scheduled shows. Millions more are at their computers watching the President
of the United States of America speak. The familiar, tall wooden podium with the Seal of the President stands before them, and behind it, is one of the world’s most powerful individuals.

  An aide silently mouths, “Three… Two… One…”, and then politely points to the speaker.

  “People of America, and the world, in this modern age, it's impossible for the events of the last twenty or so hours to have gone unnoticed. Our planet is in danger, as indeed, is our way of life. However, we have the means to save ourselves. In an unprecedented historical act, many countries from around the world have joined forces so that we can meet this new threat from the skies. For those few who have not been watching the news of the last day, I will fill in some of the details. About twenty hours ago, a large field of small asteroids and meteors was detected. Over the next few hours, many nations will be launching missiles capable of striking these objects just above our atmosphere. There will be a fantastic light show, and though we are confident of success, it is only prudent to also plan for failure. Many satellites will be destroyed by this meteor shower, so communications will be hampered. Do not be alarmed by this. The incoming objects are small, and are not expected to cause a great deal of damage, even if any should get past the missiles. However, should any get through, we must be prepared. Therefore, by Presidential order, I hereby decree martial law to be in effect as of now. All National Guard personnel are to report to their respective posts. All non-essential work places are to close immediately; non-essential workers should head to their homes. Fire, police, and medical personnel should go to their usual place of work.”