by Lance Powers
High Command loomed up before him, and he noted that he had been granted clearance to the highest office in the building. This was beginning to look more important than anything he had ever been selected for in his eighteen years of service. The tall doors of the office parted for him, and he stepped inside.
“Ah, Colonel. Come on in, do take a seat.” Admiral Merle Olson, joint chief of the Naval and Martial Division greeted as Garth walked into the large yet Spartan office of High Command.
The walls all around him were covered end to end with visual display screens on which images and streams of data played out. There was only one table at the end of the large hall, and four chairs. Three of which had occupants and the fourth was his to take. This confirmed that the meeting could be somewhat of the highest importance, and definitely off the record.
“Thank you, Admiral.” Garth saluted smartly and sat down before the three distinguished looking men.
“You know Marshall Lewis, Chief Custodian of Archives.” Olson waved at the short portly man to his right.
“Good afternoon, Marshall.” He smiled at the little man. “Pleasure to see you again.”
“And this is Doctor Hartman Keller, Head of the Science Division.” The admiral waved at the tall slender man to his left.
A civilian, and an egghead at that. Garth felt sure now that this was not just another Martial exercise. Maybe the science geeks discovered something important, and it could involve planetary security.
“Doctor Keller.” He addressed the slender, balding man in the colors of a science official. “Pleasure meeting you.”
“Likewise, Colonel.” Keller smiled at him briefly. “You have come very highly recommended, and this, you see… is something of absolute importance and in need of the strictest discretion.”
“I am honored, Doctor.” Garth nodded. “You can entrust me with anything.”
“Yes, that’s why you are here, my boy.” Chief Marshall Delmont Lewis gave him a wide smile. “What we are about to entrust you with would surely drive a lesser man insane.”
That intrigued him. He sat up. Was it finally going to happen? There were rumors in the air, but he had dismissed them all as the sources were nothing more than idle talkers and wasted patrons of places of less repute. “I am all ears.” He narrowed his eyes.
“Good.” Lewis took a deep breath. “As Chief Custodian of Archives, it is my sworn duty to gather, authenticate and protect any and all information about our natural history. And I must say that I have done a fairly decent job over the last fifty years.”
“No one could have done better, Del.” Olson tipped his hat at the Chief Marshall.
“Thank you, Merle.” The older man nodded. “And it is also my duty to ensure that this information is available to one and all who wish to learn about our history and heritage. But… but there are some things that can’t be made available for a general populace to know. Things that are so mind altering that the safety and security of life as we know it can be endangered.”
Garth inhaled sharply, darting his keen eyes from one man to the next in turns. The three of them seemed quite composed and fully aware of what he was about to get a revelation of. Whatever that might be, he was a most practically minded man and nothing had so far given him reason to allow his bearings to wander around unchecked.
Chief Marshall Delmont Lewis cleared his throat, took a sip of water and began. “The official account in the history books tells us of the origin of humanity on the planet Earth more than two million years ago. Humanity’s two million year reign came to an end on Old Earth with its resources to sustain human life being depleted. Then humans used artificially developed resources and ended up irreversibly polluting the Earthly atmosphere to turn it into a death trap. The more advanced regions of the doomed planet’s population, the North American Region or NAR, and the EOR or Euro-Oceanic Region, had the means of taking to the stars when the Earth finally gave up on all human life. Billions had perished then, and only a few million survived in their faster-than-light space vessels to keep the flame of humankind burning.
“No word had come to the early settlers here on New Earth One from the other escaping ships at the time or in the two hundred years that followed. No one on this planet knows anything about the fate of the others who had escaped from old Earth that day. And the real reason for the destruction of the old Earth was known only to a privileged and trusted few. For the real reason was something very hard to believe, something as absurd as the notion of the Earth being attacked by hostile…”
“Aliens.” Garth said grimly, noting the look of appreciation in the old man’s weathered face. “Aliens from another planet.”
“Yes, that’s right.” Doctor Hartman Keller nodded with a sigh.
“We are the only ones trustworthy to know this reality.” Lewis added. “And now you do too. You are the sixth person alive today to know of this.”
“Who are the other two?”
“Milton Scott, former head of Science Division,” Olson replied. “And President Roberson.”
“The President?” Garth was surprised. “Why him?”
“Before he went into politics, Leland Roberson was involved with the Science Division as well as Archives.” Lewis looked less than happy as he spoke. “He happened to find out one day.”
“But how did these Aliens ruin the original Earth?” Garth asked the old custodian.
“That’s the part you are here to know of in detail, young man.” Lewis nodded his bald head. “We have to go further back in the history of humankind. Back to 2117 when a brilliant mind, even brighter that Einstein and Hawkins put together formulated data that became faster-than-light speed interstellar travel. This genius, a Doctor Marina Beiger, unlocked what even Einstein deemed as improbable. Every able government all around the globe wanted to invest in this ground-breaking discovery and as a united front, the NAR, EOR and AAR funded the first decade of research. Research then went on after that for another hundred years.
“In the epoch making year of 2222, Humanity took to the stars like never before. We set up research bases on every planet in the Solar System and went on to visit planets of nearby stars. Travelling to Vega, 26 light-years away, was now possible in less than two years at the speed of 15 times that of light. Then the inevitable happened. The age old question of ‘are we alone in the universe’ got its answer. But it was not the one we were looking for. Humanity’s success at interstellar travel got the attention of other beings in the galaxy who did not intend to share the abundance of the Milky Way with anyone else.
“A hostile species of Aliens from around the Vegan star system took it upon themselves to eradicate Humanity. They invaded the Earth on a cold day of December 2302, polluting the atmosphere with toxins and poisons that began breaking down the Nitrogen in the air and combining it with the Oxygen. This made it impossible for life on Earth to survive. Within the first decade nearly all life outside protected zones went extinct. The NAR and EOR were advanced enough to have worked out a contingency plan for an event like this, and around the year 2320, the first interstellar ships carrying the future of humanity began escaping the doomed Earth. Our region, the NAR, was the last to leave in two city sized ships carrying over two million people of merit and ability. That was the year 2325, and after six years adrift in the cold, lifeless void of deep space, they found this planet in 2331.
“And now comes the hardest part. After a hundred and fifty years of living in bliss and wonderment here on New Earth One, we found ourselves experiencing a problem similar to our ancestors in 2325 back on the Old Earth.”
“How did the Aliens find us?” Garth pressed his lip into a thin line.
“We aren’t sure if it’s the same aliens or even any aliens at all, though we have our suspicions.” Keller answered his question.
“Your mission is to accompany the research team and keep everything they find classified.” Admiral Olson stared at him intensely. “No word of their findings should ever be allowed
to leak outside the research area.”
“And what about the research team, after this is over…” Garth asked, raising an eyebrow. “…are they going to be kept under some kind of confinement for the rest of their lives?”
“No, Colonel, nothing of the sort.” Keller replied with a laugh. “The research team will be kept under tight security only until the mission is over. After that they are free to resume their normal lives.”
“Thank you, Doctor Keller.” He gave the scientist an acknowledging nod. “I just wanted to be clear of my mission objectives.”
“Yes, Colonel, that’s what we would expect.” Olson remarked, drumming his fingers on the table. “And your first priority is to safeguard the credibility of Earth Gov. That is the reason you were chosen for this.”
“Once again, Admiral, I am honored.”
“Excellent.” The Admiral leaned back on his chair. “You are dismissed for now. Further orders regarding the mission will be available through the usual channel. Thank you, Colonel.”
Garth rose to his feet and saluted the three men before turning on his heel and striding toward the exit. What he learnt that afternoon did little to alter his perceptions. He was a practical man and always prepared for anything, no matter how unlikely and absurd it may happen to seem. Aliens were always a probability, and a very high one according to rational observation of the way this existence was. He decided to go with the flow as he walked down the corridor leading to his private quarters. Whatever the outcome, he was sure that his experience and training would count when it mattered the most.
Chapter Three
“NAR-SD-1013 Regina Lauren Scott, aged twenty four, full doctorate with distinction and the highest classification. Impressive!” The plump woman in her late thirties read off the tablet console she held up with a big smile on her round pallid face. She wore her graying red hair in a tightly tied bun, and her green eyes shone bright.
“Thank you, Doctor Elkins.” Regina replied, blushing a little as she walked beside the lead scientist selected for their mission. “It’s an honor being a part of your team.”
“More like we are a part of your team, my dear.” Mandy Elkins pocketed the tablet and patted her on the arm. “An amazing discovery, Doctor Scott, and at your age… I can’t wait to get to the site and run every analytical test imaginable.”
Regina nodded excitedly at the older woman. Being part of a team with such established professionals in their respective fields was a dream that she had never even dared to have. Head of Tech Ronald Farley and Chief Engineer of Environmental Studies Nola Preston completed the four member team selected by the Science Division Director, Hartman Keller. Preston was a slender, brown haired woman in her mid forties, very prim and reserved, and Farley was a rather thickset, bald headed man past his mid thirties and the most vociferous of the three. Along with lead scientist Mandy Elkins, Preston and Farley were among the more recognizable faces in the Science Division, and soon hers would be too. That thought alone made Regina feel lightheaded enough to float up into the air.
“Doctor Scott.” Preston extended a slender hand as they turned another corner on their way to the transport bay. “I worked with your father on several occasions. He must be so proud.”
“Thank you, Doc… Chief Engineer Preston.” Regina smiled and shook her hand. “Yes, he sure is.”
“Damn right he should be, missy.” Ronald Farley’s deep voice sounded from behind her. “This is the discovery of the century, heck, of our entire existence here on this planet.”
“Thank you, Doctor Farley.” She looked back and smiled at him.
“Call me Ron, kid.” The large man grinned. “And look, there’s our ride.”
Before her, docked in the launching bay, waited what would be their home for the next few weeks. The ship was sleek and elegant and yet looked very robust and durable. It was as large as the building she lived in. Apart from a fully functional lab, the ship had residing quarters for a dozen people and state of the art defensive capabilities. A few people were standing around the ship, probably the crew, and one of them was looking directly at them as they approached.
The tall man looking in their direction said something to the other crew members and then walked up toward them. Broad shouldered and powerfully built, his eyes were a cold steely grey on his handsome face, and his mouth made a tight line under a defined nose. His hair was a very pale blonde and close cropped, making his tanned face even more dark and attractive. He was a naval officer, that much Regina could tell from the way he walked and of course the distinctive uniform he had on. And there was something about him that made her feel like she never did before. A feeling she couldn’t quite understand, perhaps it was not him but just nervousness about the mission, or being around so many high ranking people for the first time in her adult life.
“Doctor Regina Scott?” The imposing man stopped before them and asked, sending a rapid chill down her back. But he was looking at Mandy Elkins. “I am Colonel Garth Evans. This mission is under my command and…”
“I am Doctor Amanda Bethany Elkins.” Mandy Elkins cut him off abruptly and held her tablet up to his face. “And I am leading this expedition.”
“Yes, that would be the science and research segment of it.” The colonel told her coldly. “The overall mission is mine to command. Who among you is Doctor Scott?”
“She is.” Elkins gestured at Regina.
Evans’ frosty gaze followed Elkin’s waving hand and his eyes rested on her. She felt that chilling sensation run down her back again. She had never met a man like this before. He emanated a sort of domineering aura, and strangely, she seemed to find that intensely attractive.
Colonel Garth Evans stepped before her and gave her an even more intense look. “You are Doctor Regina Lauren Scott? Your father is Doctor Milton E. Scott, former director of the Science Division?”
“Yes, on both counts, Colonel Evans.” She replied, and more of that strange sensation kept running through her body under his piercing gaze.
“And you are the one who made this discovery in sector PDZ-18?”
“Right again.” She nodded, feeling like she was back in high school being accosted by a strict PE teacher.
“Would you mind speaking to me in private, Doctor Scott? He asked her directly.
“Not at all, Colonel?” Regina tried to sound composed as she noted the perplexing looks the others gave her. “Where would you like me to go with you?”
“Just outside this launch bay, not too far from the ship.” He said with a tight lipped smile.
“Sure, lead the way.” She replied and gave the others a shrug.
Evans nodded and led her to one side of the launch bay. They walked a few paces and he stopped before a door, pushed it open and entered. She followed him into the little room. It looked like some sort of control room with equipment and gadgets the kinds of she had never seen before. The colonel shut the door and fiddled with some controls and switches, and she guessed he was activating some sort of private firewall or damper to avoid their conversation being overheard. She swallowed hard, wondering what sort of complexity she had gotten herself into.
“I read your report, Doctor.” The tall man stated without preamble. “The unedited version, where you mention an indigenous life form and that it attacked you.”
“How did you get access to that version?” She looked at him wide eyed. “…it’s encrypted and archived in the Science Division’s most classified…”
“Doctor Scott, I am in charge of this mission.” He replied in a voice as calm as an early morning by the sea. “I have absolute authority over everything that concerns this operation, and your best bet is to cooperate with me at a hundred and ten percent.”
“I have nothing to hide, Colonel.” She looked into his frigid grey eyes. “I’m just not at ease with the government digging so deep into scientific research like this.”
“Earth Gov runs the Science Division, in case you missed that, Doctor.” Evans sai
d without emotion. “Now, about that life form that you reported, can you tell me the exact location where you had seen it?”
“I can… if you take me with you to look for it.” Regina eyed him resolutely.
“You have grit, I like that.” The man nodded with a hint of a smile on his thin lips.
“Glad that you do, when are we leaving?”
“In ten minutes, Doctor. Right after I brief the team.”
“Very good, Colonel, once we are at the site, I will take you to where I saw that thing.” She looked right into his eyes without blinking. “And you can call me Regina.”
“Off the record, I’d love to.” His hard stare eased a bit, making her smile.
“And may I call you Garth.” She pressed.
“Off the record.” Evans grunted and pushed open the door.
Off the record. She smiled again, feeling her cheeks flush. The way he said it, in that commanding tone of his, sent a few more shivers through her. What the hell was happening to her? Granted, Garth Evans was the most intriguing man she had ever met in her entire life, but she was a rational minded scientist, for crying out loud. Not some giddy headed high school girl on her first prom dance. Get a grip, she told herself. Everything depended on her keeping her head on straight, for her sake and the sake of every human on the whole damned planet.
“What was all that about?” Elkins demanded as they rejoined the others at the launch bay.
“Standard procedure.” Evans told her in his firm tone, and then turned to address everyone. “Priority of this mission is Doctor Scott’s discovery, and everything she does on this expedition has to go through me. We will lift off in ten minutes. Let me acquaint you with my team. Our pilot, Captain Joel Willis. Second in command, Captain Kimberly Danish. Corporals Jennifer Danvers and Frank Parson. We are here for your safety and the success of this mission. The region we are going to set up base at is extremely unfriendly. Do not question our judgment at any time. Cooperation will only serve to improve the odds of our success. Please board the ship now, your belongings and equipment have already been taken aboard. Thank you, Doctors.”
