»Big bad shish, Daddy!«
»Don’t forget, the Whites are protected!« he added. »Don’t kill it, unless it presents a clear danger to a citizen.«
Arkroid took a last glance at the underwater world and then carried his little daughter back to her bed.
»Daddy has to leave town today and go to the surface, my darling. But I’ll promise that I’ll bring you back something nice.«
He ran his hand through her blond hair and dimmed the light. A short time later the little girl was fast asleep.
Crete
The submarine life in Agua City pulsated. Underwater turbine gliders were parked in the many ports, and large billboards and advertising signs attracted not only interested visitors but also large schools of myriad species of fish to the city.
A group of stingrays passed over the city at a distance and plankton collectors plowed through the ocean on the opposite side of the city.
The Merinian food supply consisted in large part of supplements derived from plankton and processed algae, reducing their dependence on wheat and cereal product from the lunar greenhouses. The ocean’s bio-masses supplied the bulk of their nutrients.
Agua City covered an area of about twenty square kilometers with small outskirts at the city’s edges. Except for environmentally safe food processing plants, no heavy industry was permitted around or inside the submarine cities. All heavy industrial complexes had been relocated into the Earth or Moon orbits.
Earth has become a residential and vacation planet. Large regions lay bare and uninhabitable. Antarctica is still losing ice masses, enriching the South Atlantic with melted fresh water, impacting global climate and ocean currents. Sad to think that the vast deserts of South America and Australia were once alive and green.
Toiber Arkroid interrupted his deep thoughts and steered his glider into the mainstream of the underwater route which would lead him directly to Crete where a Union Fleet surface vehicle awaited him.
The lights of Agua City disappeared behind him in the dark Mediterranean Sea. Only reluctantly did he leave his underwater abode for surface business. Agua City was his home! His thoughts were with his family.
I am a Merinian. I love living in the oceans. Magda is part of that environment. I cannot imagine her ever wanting to live on the surface, he thought and smiled. All life originally came from the oceans and now it’s returning to its cradle. The Union’s settlement policies almost seem like a natural cycle.
Since the autopilot took care of the journey to Crete, Arkroid took the time to observe his immediate surroundings.
The number of people living in Agua City and the other underwater cities will double in a few years, he mused. Large companies have adapted to the needs of the population who wanted to dwell on the ocean floors and manufactured and delivered affordable, easily erectable, pressure proof underwater dwellings.
We have come to a point where virtually maintenance free fuel cell turbine vehicles are made available to new arrivals in the underwater cities free of charge.
We see massive migration waves from the surface into the oceans, more than to Mars and the Moon.
Arkroid understood the reasons for settling below the sea, although he was a strong proponent and supporter of solar system colonization.
There are no more borders, he thought. Humanity is exploring space, lives on the bottom of the oceans and will one day explore other solar systems. The scars on Earth will heal and our blue planet will transform into Paradise. Was this perhaps the vision suggested in the old books? Was Humanity supposed to create Paradise on Earth instead of searching for it under a religious-mystical cloak?
Toiber Arkroid didn’t owe allegiance to any religion, but the prophecies contained in the sacred writings of most religions reflected much of his own personal vision.
Slowly the surroundings became brighter while a group of jellyfish passed over the canopy of his glider.
Nearing the surface, Arkroid thought.
With the lessons learned from ocean explorations, Humanity had managed over time to overcome the slow and time-consuming demands of pressure equalization through specially designed vehicles, permitting transfers between deep-sea habitats and the surface with no adverse effects on body or mind.
The turbine gliders possessed integrated systems, which, automatically and unnoticeably, equalized pressure on the way to the surface and back to the deep sea.
Toiber Arkroid was a Merinian and didn’t really need decompression technology.
We have already adapted to the new habitat. Perhaps it’s an ability we Humans had been equipped with all along? he pondered.
Arkroid remembered the dolphins as they swam by his window. These intelligent animals were no fish either, but mammals, that once walked on the planet’s surface and had returned to the oceans for unknown reasons.
As the turbine glider broke through the surface and the roof slowly withdrew, the sun blinded Arkroid’s eyes. The Merinian squinted and pulled his peaked cap lower over his face. He had to protect his sensitive eyes from the sun. Two men of his staff awaited him at the dock and came to attention as Arkroid stepped onto the pier.
Arkroid made a dismissive hand gesture.
»Lasky and Demopulus, how often do I have to tell you that I don’t like this military stuff? At ease, help me with the luggage instead.«
Arkroid pointed with his thumb over his shoulder into the open cabin of his underwater vehicle.
»That’s Demopulus, Boss,« answered his assistant with a broad grin. »Welcome to Crete, your limousine’s waiting for you, Sir.«
Arkroid made a face as if he was plagued by toothaches.
»Demopulus, I swear, you’ll take a walk on the bottom of the ocean without a suit if you try pulling my leg – or address me as ‘Sir’ – again.«
There was, of course, no limousine, but a six-wheel Space Fleet ATV. The two officers were supposed to bring Arkroid to a meeting in Khaniá.
Arkroid put on an artificial smile.
»Not as comfortable as a limousine, but it’ll do.«
Lasky grinned and took Arkroid’s luggage.
»Chief, we’ve received a priority call from the fleet before you arrived. They want you to call back ASAP.«
Toiber Arkroid briefly looked at the beeper at his wrist. He had set it to ‘not available’ and saw that Admiral Hayes had tried to reach him. The Space Minister, personally! Something important must have happened!
»Where is the nearest secure communication terminal?« asked Arkroid quickly.
»We have a secure link in the ATV,« answered Demopulus.
Arkroid acknowledged with a brief gesture and ran to the vehicle.
Nukes
Anxiety etched the minister’s face as he told Arkroid the news. The words tumbled out and his voice was unsteady. The man was rattled.
»An unknown flying object just appeared close to Saturn and is heading for Earth! Triton’s radar just suddenly picked it up – how it got that deep into the System we don’t know. It just appeared out of the blue! Day says it had to be deliberate, that they wanted to be seen, want us to know they’re coming for us! It must have approached under some kind of stealth shield, so we can’t even tell which Kuiper Object it came from.«
Arkroid could feel his pulse to the roots of his hair.
»Do you think it’s a Globustership, Admiral?«
The minister moved closer to the camera.
»What else could it be? The Globusters have been quiet since Quaoar was destroyed. Even their transmissions have diminished to a minimum. Something is brewing out there and I’ve been worried sick about what they’re up to. Now I’m worried we’re about to find out the hard way!«
»I understand you correctly, Sir, but what can I do about it?«
Admiral Hayes cleared his throat.
»Cancel your appointments on Crete. Take a glider to Orbital Station V. Some of your people are already onsite. If the Globs are initiating hostilities against us, then we have to be re
ady.«
»Did you read Commander Ivanova’s report, Admiral? She doesn’t think the Globusters are invaders, she says they’re more like subordinates or servants with so far undefined orders.«
The Admiral coughed.
»Of course I read it! Whatever – if one of their ships approaches Earth any nearer than the Asteroid Belt, I will consider it a hostile act. We’ve been expecting an attack ever since we blew Quaoar to Hell!«
Arkroid understood. A single Globustership would suffice to launch a retaliatory attack against Earth and wreak absolute planetary havoc. Their technology was just too superior.
»Very well, Sir, I’ll drive directly to Crete Space Port and I’ll join my men in orbit in about three hours. What are your plans if the ship continues on its present course?«
The minister frowned.
»If the ship comes too close, then we’ll attempt to repel them with everything we’ve got. We will break out the old arsenal.«
Arkroid must have heard wrong.
»Admiral … what? Those weapons were outlawed and mothballed by order of the Union Parliament. Wasn’t the arsenal buried in a salt mine somewhere in Europe, sealed with liquid rock? How would you even get to them … not that I’m saying you should!«
The minister nodded.
»They were. Once we understood the Globuster threat, they were unsealed and readied again. The weapons are at our disposal on a moment’s notice!«
Well, that didn’t take long, Arkroid thought. Humanity didn’t give up its destructive toys as easily as we’d thought. He didn’t hide his emotions, which didn’t escape the Minister’s attention.
»Listen, Arkroid, I don’t like this any more than you do. If I had anything to say we’d have thrown ‘em the hell into the Sun long ago, but I can’t say I’m not glad we have ‘em when we need ‘em!«
Arkroid shook his head.
»I don’t believe it! Use those weapons and no one knows the results! They could fall back on Earth. We’d only be trading one kind of devastation for another!«
The Minister’s eyes grew hard and a little distant.
»Don’t be naive, Arkroid! The Solar System is surrounded by these creatures, and they don’t have anything good in mind based on all their previous actions. We don’t have an armed space fleet … we have to defend ourselves somehow.«
»You know damned well that the Union has decided to re-arm the space fleet,« Arkroid argued, but the admiral wasn’t listening. He seemed to be reciting his words by rote as if he didn’t quite believe them himself.
»Yes, Arkroid, I am aware, but the re-arming is still in the initial stages. We can’t expect combat-ready ships for weeks. Open your eyes, Arkroid … We have to use what we have until the new ships are ready. The survival of Humanity is at stake!«
Arkroid understood the situation very well, and an undefined fear rose inside him. His shoulders slumped. He felt vaguely disillusioned; he’d believed the race had left its violence behind. Now they seemed only too eager to dig up the past.
»What do you need me for then, Sir?« he answered.
Hayes’ bleak eyes shifted briefly from the camera.
»Toiber, I know your department has never been taken seriously. This time your knowledge, your training and your experience are the best we have. I want you on site if we come to blows with the Glob ship. You might be able to intervene, give advice, negotiate, or coordinate Earth defense. You are our alien expert, Toiber!«
Earth defense! Cold shivers ran down Arkroid’s spine. He thought of his family in Agua City, sitting around the breakfast table – unsuspecting!
Alien expert! There are only eight Human beings who’ve ever even seen an alien – and I’m not one of them.
»I’ll leave as soon as possible for Orbital Station V. Can you book me a commercial flight? That would go faster – I wouldn’t have to wait for clearance at Crete Port.«
»Consider it done,« the minister announced. »Try to make the best of the situation, Arkroid. We’ll be in touch!«
Toiber Arkroid nodded, then disconnected the comm-link.
All he could think was, Job or more than a job … I may be about to meet my Waterloo!
Report by deepspace-surveillance outpost
An alien ship has crossed Jupiter orbit and heads for Earth. Speed: thirty percent speed of light. All attempts to stop or intercept intruder have failed. Radio messages remain unanswered. Class of vessel is unknown, but it does not appear to be lens-shaped like the previous Globustership. It must be a new Globustership type. Deepspace radar outpost in Asteroid Belt will assume surveillance duties at this time.
Zero gravity
Arkroid watched through the window as the isle of Crete and the Mediterranean Sea became smaller, and then was lost in fleecy clouds. Atmosphere gliders were elegant aircraft, beautifully built, that were capable of reaching the thin outer regions of the atmosphere with minimal energy.
They were based on the old Zeppelin principles, refined and perfected with 21st-century technology.
Helium and argon-filled chambers gave them their lift. Above fifteen thousand meters, the gliders spread their wings and became great sailing vessels. The fusion cell fueled propulsion system drove the elegant craft to altitudes never achieved by older systems. At the edge of the atmosphere, the ion-pulse drive was ignited, pushing the glider into orbit and transforming the aircraft into a spacecraft.
As they left the atmosphere, the stars became visible, while the soft blue hue of the sky changed into the dark background of space.
I’m leaving my environment, trading the safety of an atmosphere for the deadly cold of space, Arkroid thought. Then he realized that the Earth’s remaining surface dwellers would feel the same way visiting his undersea domain.
At first only the brightest objects came into view, then more and more fixed stars and finally the Milky Way, stretching like a bracelet across the sky with its millions of stars.
Arkroid knew that the section of the Milky Way he was watching was actually only a view askance into the main horizontal plane of our galaxy. Nevertheless, he felt the age-old attraction of the stars and understood the feelings and emotions of the legend and storytellers of early generations. Andromeda, Orion, Pegasus … the old myths which had manifested themselves in the constellations, unforgotten and still beautiful. Arkroid had long admired the Moon, which, as always, shone upon Earth. It had become even brighter than it must have been a few centuries ago, its many mirrored greenhouses reflecting the sunlight more brilliantly than the Moon’s surface alone ever could.
Nowadays, Luna was visible from Earth day and night.
»Is it true that Merinians have gills and breathe underwater?«
Startled, Arkroid turned around and found himself looking into the blue eyes of a little girl who had just pulled him by his sleeve.
The stewardess, possibly her mother, was apparently embarrassed.
»I’m really sorry, Sir. Cassiopeia doesn’t understand what she’s saying. We didn’t mean to bother you.«
Arkroid smiled at the little girl.
»That’s alright, I’m not offended,« he addressed the mother.
»Your name is Cassiopeia?« he asked the girl, who was trying to hide behind her mother’s legs. The stewardess took her daughter by the hand.
»I bring her to work sometimes. She is very smart and in love with the stars, but sometimes she’s just a bit nosy.«
Arkroid winked at the girl.
»Since you asked me … no, we don’t have gills, but it would be nice if it were like that. We could swim and dive in the oceans without oxygen tanks.«
Cassiopeia now hid all the way behind her mother and used her as a shield when she answered, »But all my friends say that Merinians are different.«
Arkroid had to laugh out loud.
»They’re not entirely wrong. Our eyes are more sensitive because we live most of the time on the bottom of the oceans. Our blood is able to retain more oxygen and we can dive longer and dee
per than people who live on the surface, but that’s all.«
The stewardess smiled, still a bit embarrassed, and took her daughter back to her seat. Arkroid turned his head and looked at his grinning reflection in the glass of the small viewing window. He couldn’t help thinking about Magda, waiting for him at home on the bottom of the ocean.
Deep in thought, he viewed the planet below. The hour’s flight time melted away like butter in the sun.
A blue jewel filled with life, Arkroid thought while viewing Earth. But for how much longer?
An announcement by the pilot interrupted his thoughts.
»We’ll arrive at Orbital Station V in ten minutes. Please prepare yourselves for the docking maneuver, remember the zero-gravity environment. We’ll be glad to assist you.«
A big teddy bear was drifting by Arkroid as the pilot made his announcement. It probably belonged to Cassiopeia.
Zero-gravity environment! Arkroid thought, startled out of his musings, and pulled his seatbelt tighter.
Report by Asteroid Belt System Space Surveillance:
The alien ship maintains its course toward Earth, passing within 500,000 kilometers of this station. Speed unchanged. Radar reveals blurred, non-symmetric hull. The propulsion system is as yet undetermined. Coded radio transmissions were received, difficult at first to decipher, but computers have now unscrambled messages in four different languages. Identical messages received in Arabic, Mandarin, and Spanish. The fourth language seems to be an ancient terrestrial dialect, unable to identify and translate as of this time. Will send copies for Earth linguists to analyze.
The text of messages as follows: Scorge requests assistance on approach to trading post!
Scorge
Arkroid was welcomed at the docking bay and immediately escorted to the space station’s rotating section. He found members of his team waiting for him. The two-hundred-meter long rotating section held eight such docking bays for gliders and spaceships. The docking sections were kept under zero gravity; new arrivals who had never been off Earth needed advanced training to move around. Transport to the rotary section was achieved by travelators on which the crews or the visitors were held in place by magnetic boots. The actual space station was a cylinder of one kilometer in length positioned in geostationary orbit over the Atlantic Ocean.
NEBULAR Collection 1 - The Triton Base: Episodes 1 - 5 Page 16
