Talosian Chronicles 1: Olympus

by Ben Winston

  “Yes Chief, that was part of my job.”

  “Okay, do you know anything about repressed technology? Specifically, things like carburetors that get hundreds of miles per gallon of gasoline, or an energy cell that uses hydrogen for fuel?”

  “Yes Chief, I have that information,” Oly said.

  “Yes! I knew it! Anyway, Ian, let’s create a corporation that’s purpose is to ‘discover’ alternate sources of energy. Power systems that either don’t need fossil fuels, or uses them much more efficiently.

  “I’d also like to see it working on ways to clean up the oceans, and saving the rain forests, but hey, I’m a tree-hugger from way back,” Bill said. “We’d be just enough of an irritant in the government’s side to be ignored as doing something sneaky.”

  “That might work, but it still doesn’t... Oly, do we have any capital?” Ian asked.

  “From time to time, I have had need to influence certain events. To do that, I needed money. If I had simply created accounts in the quantity I needed it could have had detrimental effects on some of the economies of the planet. So, I created accounts and slowly siphoned off money from the larger drug cartels and criminal organizations I could locate.

  “I considered those monies obtained by criminal means to be public money, and used to help counter some of the damage caused by those drugs or criminals. Currently those accounts have over forty billion dollars in United States currency,” Oly reported.

  Ian was shocked to silence. The girls looked stunned. Bill asked, “What did you need to influence that required forty billion dollars?”

  Oly looked extremely uncomfortable. “I did not need that much; however, I left the siphons in place to build up a large cash reserve in the event it would be needed when I located my Commander.”

  “So we have virtually unlimited funds to work with, and a half formed plan,” Ian said once the shock was past him. “Let me give this some thought, and make some phone calls, I think I might know of a way to pull this off.”

  “Sir, we are on final approach to the ship. We will be landing in alpha bay in a few minutes,” Oly said.

  “Thank you, Oly. I’d like to turn the lights on, but with the energy the ship is already radiating, that might not be a good idea.” Ian said. “Are the maglevs running?”

  “Yes sir, but I haven’t tested them yet,” Oly said.

  “Well, if there are no other cars on this side, it should be safe enough to use. Oly, you’ve given me endless reports on equipment replacement or repair, but I haven’t once seen a schedule for preventive maintenance, why is that?” Ian asked.

  “I do not know what that term means, sir, could you explain it please?” Oly asked.

  “I guess that explains why I haven't seen any schedules. Julie, you want to field this, or should I?” Ian asked.

  “I’ll take it, Commander. Oly, preventive maintenance is basically a schedule of checks and services for equipment based on the serviceable life of the equipment in question. The United States Military uses this method extensively to prevent equipment failures during emergencies.

  “You should be able to find more information by researching it on the Internet,” Julie said. “Once you get the idea, I’ll work with you to set-up a system for the equipment on board. However, the engineer might wish to alter it, once we get one,” Julie finished.

  The engine noise that had been softly heard during the flight changed and faded to nothing. Oly turned back to Ian, “Sir, we are down. Welcome to the F.S.S. Olympus.”

  Chapter Nine

  “Back the Hummer out carefully, squirt.” Jenny teased Cindy.

  “Just go get the girl, and get back here. And stay in touch!” Cindy said as Ian, Beth and Jenny headed for the passenger hatch. Ian stepped out first, turned and saluted the ship's logo on the wall. “Olympus! Commander Ian Williams requests permission to come aboard!”

  “Permission granted, sir! Welcome aboard!” Oly replied through the speakers on the hanger deck. Beth and Jenny both did the ritual as well, and Oly grinned as he led the way to the maglev.

  “Oly, did you get the equipment to the cryo-sleep facility?” Beth asked.

  “Yes Doctor, I’ve also powered up three of the treatment chambers in the main medbay.” Oly replied.

  “Excellent,” Beth replied as they got on the maglev. “Medical Deck please.”

  The car sped away and seconds later arrived at the medical deck. The cryo-sleep facility was separate from the main medical bay, but located close to it, for emergencies, and ease of evacuating the wounded. They turned into the large bay to see hundreds of pods on tracks behind a large control panel. All of them were empty, but one. The glass covering was frosted over obscuring the view of whoever was inside.

  Ian stepped up to the control panel, placed his hand on the access plate and spoke in Talosian, “Recognize Williams, Ian, acting Commander of F.S.S. Olympus. Initiate reanimation sequence on chamber alpha-zero-one.”

  "Re-animation sequence initiated. Warning! Please notify Medical personnel. Maximum safe cryo-sleep period exceeded. Medical attention will be required."

  Beth stepped forward and placed her hand on the same plate Ian had. "Acting Chief Medical Officer Elizabeth Williams is present." Beth said, "Proceed."

  "Acknowledged," the emotionless voice replied.

  Beth watched the monitors like a hawk. Everything seemed to be going well. Talena should be awake in a few minutes; however, Beth didn't think she would be ready for much more then bed rest for a couple of days.

  “Reanimation sequence complete. Warning! Unit door malfunction! Occupant will terminate in forty-five seconds! Warning! Unit door malfunction! Occupant will terminate in forty seconds! Warning!...” The voice droned on emotionlessly. Ian jumped the console and ran to the pod. “Oly! Active the emergency release!”

  “Step back, Commander!” Oly said with a concerned voice.

  Ian jumped to the side as the door blew off the pod and crashed into the bay wall. A nude, silver-haired girl fell out of the pod to be caught by Ian. He picked her up in his arms and carried her to the gurney. Beth and Jenny pushed the floating table out the door, across the hall and into medbay. Ian and Olympus followed behind them.

  The floating gurney slid into a wall unit that opened up to allow passage, then the clear door slid closed again. Beth stood at a console and was entering commands. A bar of light passed over the girl in the chamber as an image appeared on the monitor next to the chamber. Beth studied the image closely, then typed in more commands. “Computer, begin rehydration with twenty cc’s of mythanizole. Begin muscle mass regeneration,” she said in Talosian.

  She sighed, and turned to Ian. “She’s in pretty bad shape, we cut it awfully close. But I think she’ll be fine now. I’ll be able to move her over to the portable autodoc in about an hour, and we can leave then. She’ll be asleep for a while, at least until tomorrow.”

  Ian nodded, and turned to Oly. “When she’s able, teach her our language and customs. You might want to give her some background on how long she’s been in the freezer and what’s happened in that time. Don’t overload her; just give her what she can handle.”

  “Sir, I... I should have kept a closer watch on the facility. That door should not have failed,” Oly said.

  “Relax Oly, that’s the reason I ordered the level one diagnostic. Do you think the tests will be complete by this weekend?” Ian asked.

  “I have altered the priority so that the hull, superstructure and life support systems should be complete by Friday mid-morning. If nothing is found, I have the medbay, defense shields and outboard weapons scheduled next, followed by each of the landing bays, and flight control. I am also increasing the number of drones to three hundred,” Oly explained.

  Ian nodded, “Well done. I’ll look forward to the report on Friday. Do you have the ability to create construction drones?”

  “Yes sir, the replication bay is large enough to accommodate those.”

  “Good, start pro
ducing them; I’ll want a couple hundred. You can park them out on the lunar surface for now. If you run low on raw materials, send the ones you did get built out to get some more. You should be able to find most of what you need here on the moon. However, do not let them go over to the dayside. So many people look at the moon at any given time, they might actually be seen,” Ian ordered.

  While Ian and Oly had been talking, Jenny called the shuttle to tell them what happened and how long they’d be. Then she stood and looked through the glass at the sleeping Talena.

  Ian stepped up beside her. “She certainly is beautiful isn’t she?”

  “She’ll be one of our wives one day, Ian, but she’ll be very fragile when she wakes,” Jenny said softly. “She’ll really need us.”

  “Really? I mean, I was thinking about maybe adopting her until she gets used to us and our way of life, support for her that way...” Ian said.

  “I think that’s a really good idea, Ian, but we need to talk it over with Cindy first. But, I think you should know, that she's no longer the seventeen year old that was put into the cryo-unit – she did age in there.” Beth said.

  Ian looked at Beth in mild surprise. “I thought the aging process stopped when a person went into cryo?”

  Beth shook her head. “Not completely, no, but it's so slow as to be considered stopped. Remember, the original intent for these chambers were for a hundred or so years. In that time frame, one would barely age at all. However, she was in there for forty centuries, so she actually is physically older than when she went in.”

  “How much did she age?” Ian asked.

  “It's pretty difficult to tell, because while it did age her, it also stunted her growth. In most aspects she is between the age of twenty-two and twenty-four. I think she'll pretty much stay the size she is now, because the computer is telling me the she is as physically mature as she's going to get,” Beth said. “Basically, she's a small looking woman. Are you alright? You seem to be awfully concerned...”

  Ian nodded and interrupted her. “I know, but seeing her again, and knowing what she's been through... what?” He asked because Jenny was looking at him funny.

  “You said ‘seeing her again’. Ian this is the first time you’ve ever seen her... isn’t it?” Jenny asked.

  Ian bit his lower lip. “I meant to talk to Beth about this after school yesterday, but I got sidetracked with my little project for tonight. Since I started using the Talosian teaching method, I’ve been getting more than just knowledge. I asked Oly about it, but he says there is nothing like it in the instructional data sets. I think I’m getting Commander Zeus’ memories.”

  “Well, we got an hour to kill. Come on; jump up on the bed, Ian. Let’s get you checked out,” Beth said.

  “Beth, I really don’t think...” Ian began.

  Beth interrupted him. “Ian, this is just to make sure there is nothing medically wrong with you. We all need to go through it eventually; we might as well do yours now.” She activated one of the other chambers, and the table slid out.

  “Do I need to get naked first?” Ian asked.

  Beth chuckled, “No, tha-uh!” She grunted as Jenny elbowed her in the ribs.

  “Yep, you have to get naked for the exam Ian, right doctor?” Jenny said looking meaningfully at Beth.

  Beth laughed. “Absolutely! Strip down, Ian.”

  “Nice try, ladies. You’ll get me nude soon enough when we get home,” Ian chuckled and lay down on the table.

  Beth activated the device, and Ian slid back into the unit. He closed his eyes as the bar of light passed over his face. “Just relax in there, Ian, and try not to move very much. The scan only takes a few seconds.”

  Ian did as he was told and just lay there. Eventually, the machine beeped, opened, and his table slid out, and he sat up and looked at Beth. “Well, am I going to live?”

  Beth was intently studying the display of his scan. “I don’t know, Ian. You have about two hundred percent more brain activity than you should have. You also have a bunch of toxins and other pollutants in your body that are slowly killing you. But I don’t know if that’s normal or not. Looking at a body like this is so different then what I’m used to. The scanner here can show me your body all the way down to the sub-atomic level. It can read your DNA and RNA and it’ll tell me everything about you. Talena’s body doesn’t have even one hundredth of the poisons you have, yet you appear to be perfectly healthy.”

  “Can you get rid of the toxins and other bad stuff?” Ian asked.

  “Yes, and I had to tell the autodoc not to. It wanted to sedate you and begin treatment immediately,” Beth said. “I’m leery of it, because if we do this for you, what will happen when we return to Earth? For that matter, what will happen to Talena?”

  “Oly? Can you answer any of her questions?” Ian asked.

  “The Earth is polluted. Many of these pollutants will build up in the human body while others are passed through. If you allow the autodoc to treat the Commander, he will have more energy, and generally feel much better than he does now. The autodoc will also want to perform a process erroneously called ‘re-sequencing’. What that means is it scans his DNA and RNA and removes or disables the predisposition for most cancers, he will be more resistant to infection, and almost immune to a lot of diseases you consider deadly. This process also lengthens the standard life span into the second or third century,” Oly explained.

  “Has Talena had this done to her?” Beth asked.

  “It is part of prenatal care,” Oly explained.

  “What do you think, Ian?” Beth asked. “We’re past what I’ve learned so far.”

  “How long will I be out?” Ian asked.

  “No longer then ten minutes, dependent on how much junk you have in your system. I should warn you, that once this is done, your morning coffee will have a much greater effect on you,” Oly said grinning.

  Ian lay back and let the machine pull him in. he looked over at Beth as the machine knocked him out.

  When he opened his eyes, it had appeared that she hadn’t moved. However Jenny was looking at him through the glass with concern. He smiled at her and blew her a kiss. “Am I done?”

  “Just about, just stay still for a moment longer,” Beth said.

  Ian found that was actually easier said than done. He had so much energy now that he wanted get up and do something... or somebody, he grinned. “Oh, you guys are in so much trouble tonight. I feel like I could even wear Cindy out,” Ian said.

  Beth snorted, “I’d pay to see that!”

  “Jen, you’ve gotta try this! I feel great!” Ian said as the door slid open. Ian was off the table before it had fully extended and picked Jenny up in his arms. He twirled her around and kissed her before setting her back down. “This is really something!”

  “Damn, maybe I should get in there! I’ve been feeling a little run down lately,” Beth said.

  “I will monitor your condition, if you wish, Doctor,” Oly offered. “Colonel, we have another chamber if you would like to be examined as well.” He indicated another chamber that was opening next to the one Ian had used.

  Beth thought about it for a minute, then shrugged and got up on the table. Jenny watched her before turning to the other one. Ian stepped over beside Oly to watch the monitors.

  Beth smiled at Ian before the machine knocked her out, and he glanced over to see Jenny do the same thing. The light bar was passing over Beth when it suddenly stopped over her chest and a chirping alarm sounded.

  “What’s wrong?” Ian asked panicking.

  “The Doctor has advanced breast cancer. She has several malignant tumors in both breasts, and it has spread to her lymphatic system,” Oly said calmly. “Without treatment, she will die in less than six months.”

  “So, treat her!” Ian ordered as he stepped over to her chamber.

  “I have already begun, Sir. She will be asleep for a bit longer than originally stated,” Oly said.

  “What are the chances it’ll com
e back?” Ian asked.

  “None sir. Once the existing cancer cells have been removed, her body will be adjusted so they cannot form again,” Oly explained. “That is part of the normal process that you just underwent. If she had this treatment when she was born, she never would have had it.”

  Ian just stood and looked at the woman he had come to love so much. When Oly spoke, it jarred him back to reality.

  “Both the Colonel and the Doctor are pregnant. Congratulations Sir,” Oly said with pride.

  “Thank you,” Ian said absently.

  “Sir, really, she will be fine. Better then when she went into the chamber,” Oly said.

  Jenny was finished and the door opened on her chamber. Ian was there to help her out and she kissed him. “I think you’re going to have help with Cindy tonight!” She grinned.

  “Jen, the scanner found advanced breast cancer in Beth,” Ian said. “Oly says the autodoc removed the cancer and is finishing her treatment. If she had this treatment from birth like all Talosian children, she never would have had the cancer to begin with.”

  Jenny had moved over to Beth’s chamber to look worriedly down on her lover. “She’ll be alright? She didn’t need a mastectomy?”

  “The cancer was far too advanced for Terran medical knowledge to treat. She would have passed away within six months. However, all the cancerous cells have been removed, and she is now getting the 're-sequencing' I mentioned earlier. She should be finished and awake in about seven minutes,” Oly said.

  “Maybe we should get Cindy and your folks up here too,” Ian said softly.

  “I can send the Maglev for them,” Oly offered.

  Ian touched his earpiece, “Cindy? It’s Ian.”

  “What’s up hot stuff?” Cindy replied.

  “I’m sending the maglev back to the landing bay. I want you to bring all three Laskars to the main medbay. I’ll explain when you get here,” Ian said.

  “We’re on our way,” Cindy replied.

  “See ya in a few minutes. Oly’ll guide you from the maglev.”

  When the connection was cut, Ian looked over at Jenny who was still staring at Beth. “By the way, beautiful, the scans confirmed that you and Beth are both pregnant.”