* * *
Some answers came sooner than expected. That evening DSP 162 began transmitting data to Repulse. After its four week journey at 0.002c, the replacement probe had reached Saturn and begun gathering targeted information about Titan, just as Gallant and Kelsey had preprogrammed.
The preprogramming had included instructions for a stealth journey to penetrate close to Saturn and its moons. In particular, Kelsey had directed that information about the moon, Titan, be collected, including its industry and population, as well as shipyards and power stations. She was particularly interested in finding out about the alien’s physical nature, by examining their habitat.
CIC was bustling with scientists, analysts and technicians, sharing their data and opinions. The data was in the form of images, statistics, and synthesized logical conclusions, drawn by the probe’s AI. CIC coordinated efforts of radar, communications, and analysis teams under the Operations Department leader, Lieutenant Mather. The radar and telescope operators worked to correlate the long range information that they had previously collected, against this new reservoir of evidence.
Commander Jackson and her scientists joined in to field technical questions concerning the probe’s findings about Titan’s alien life-form. Jackson said, “Our analysis includes speculation about why Titan was chosen as the aliens' primary base. We believe that moon’s characteristics are especially favorable for them.”
Kelsey said, “While Saturn has a hydrogen-helium atmosphere, ice moon Titan is the only moon in the solar system with its own atmosphere. It’s bigger than Mercury and covered with hydrocarbon clouds within a nitrogen-rich atmosphere. A methane cycle with a complex molecular soup is formed from reactions in its upper atmosphere when ultraviolet radiation hits the methane. The probe’s data shows that Titan is a world with black, oily rivers—not to mention, lakes of methane at one hundred eighty degrees Kelvin.”
Jackson said, “Worlds, similar to Titan, that had temperatures suitable for liquid methane could be found around a red dwarf star. Red dwarfs are also often highly magnetically active, and experience large stellar flares that emit powerful bursts of ultraviolet radiation. One nearby possibility could be Gliese 581, an M3-type red dwarf located 20.5 light years away. Four planets have been confirmed orbiting Gliese 581.”
A member of Jackson’s staff added, “Life in this environment would be a whole new category of habitable planet, where liquid methane replaces our own liquid water cycle. Methane-based life-forms on Titan could consume hydrogen, acetylene, and ethane, and exhale methane instead of carbon dioxide. Such creatures would take in H2 in place of O2, react it with acetylene instead of glucose, and produce methane instead of carbon dioxide.”
Gallant tried to absorb all the new information and evaluate what it might mean when he had to face the aliens in battle. Since he would be in an armored suit with an oxygen-breathing apparatus, he guessed they might be in a similar suit, only with a methane-breathing apparatus. The same types of hand guns could be used by their adversaries.
After several hours, most of the scientists and technicians left the CIC area, leaving only Kelsey, Gallant, and the communication team members to review the data.
In the communication shack, Gallant and Kelsey looked over Howard’s shoulder as he presented the probe’s data records in detail.
Gallant speculated, “It's possible that it’s the gaseous outer planets that attract them. The data we’ve collected so far seems to indicate the Titans are 'terra-forming,' or in this case, 'Gliese-forming' our outer planets. They may have little desire to approach Earth, or any of the inner planets. But as interlopers, they may assume that they will have to fight us for them. So they don’t want to communicate and give away any information.”
Kelsey reviewed the details they had of the alien ships’ characteristics in order to determine which images around Titan were warships. She estimated that large numbers of transports and warships had departed from Saturn since their last data dump. She said, “The Titan force approaching Jupiter in all likelihood came from Saturn, and that depleted the area’s numbers. More could still be coming from the outer planets, but for now, my estimate—or ‘guess,’ as the captain would frame it—is that at least two hundred ships are missing from the previous Saturn inventory.”
“How many would you say are warships? And what are the rest? Supply ships?” asked Gallant.
“About eighty percent are warships, and the rest could be a combination of transports and supply ships,” Kelsey replied.
“Transports? Then were looking at an invasion force,” he said with consternation.
“Most likely. Possibly twenty to thirty transports,” said Howard.
“Can you further refine the warship classes?” asked Gallant.
“No, too much of their infrastructure is underground in hardened bunkers or camouflaged with overlaid emissions that mask information. They are deliberately keeping their warships hidden behind satellites, and much of their infrastructure is underground.”
“They have a space station at Titan that has a field generator that distorts their emissions, and it’s tough to evaluate. The aliens are going to try and surprise us with their actual strength and play misdirection, as much as possible,” said Gallant.
“Look at these images around Titan. Would you say they are orbital fortresses?” asked Kelsey.
There was a thoughtful silence while they considered the information. “The probe has been collecting emissions from the ships to identify them, but it’s also collecting communication signals between ships and facilities. We can make neither hide nor hair of what the signals are,” said Howard.
“That can’t be right. You mean you can’t decrypt or decode them?” asked Gallant.
“I mean the signals are a combination of dots, dashes, musical tone, frequency oscillations, and harmonics combined into a complex pattern that weaves them together beyond our understanding. I mean I can’t tell if it’s a language, an encrypted language, or if we’re getting their music videos,” said Howard.
Once again, they remained lost in their own thoughts.
“This information means that at least they will not achieve a complete strategic and tactical surprise. We have an opportunity to prepare,” said Kelsey.
“Nevertheless, this is going to be a massive attack that will test our strength,” said Gallant.
As the meeting was winding down, Captain Caine arrived and listened to their findings. He said, “Mr. Gallant, I want you and Midshipman Mitchel to go to Ganymede —immediately— and brief Colonel Ridgewood of the 7th Marines about what he may be up against. In addition, I want you to send Chief Howard and a team of communication techs to set up a stealth relay communication satellite, so Ridgewood can stay in contact with Repulse while he’s in deep underground bunkers.”
Midshipman Henry Gallant in Space Page 29
