HADRON Chaos

by Stephen Arseneault

  “It would appear the planet, using the nature of physics, is protecting itself. Damage to their environment has been done, but that will reverse in time.”

  Mace opened a comm to the Gorange commander. “Mr. Krog, I’m sending you an analysis done by one of our crew. I believe your planet may no longer be in danger from that attack. Don’t sacrifice yourselves. Your people are gonna live.”

  “We’ve run analyses of our own, Mr. Hardy. Given the current conditions, our cities will be running out of food in ninety Gorange days. Our aqua farms are all near the surface. The current crops are already showing signs of devastation from the high temperatures. Items in harvest may be the last of what we have to eat. Even the crews on our subsurface ships are suffering from the heat. We have methods of warming our ships. Cooling was done using ocean water. That surface water is now thirty degrees warmer.”

  “I understand, Commander. I just wanted to let you know what we’re seeing, and that is that the current Karthian tactic is no longer effective. All I ask is that you don’t sacrifice your people in vain. The Karthians can do no more harm to your people.”

  The commander was silent for several seconds. “I will take your suggestions under advisement, Mr. Hardy. Thank you for your concern and your efforts.”

  The bulk of the Gorange fleet charged in, destroying the Karthian portal ship before turning to flee. The assault came at a cost of twenty-two Gorange cruisers and their crews. Once away from the Karthian fleet, a jump was made back to Divinia. The Karthians soon abandoned the plasma bombardment of Nellivue, pulling back to re-evaluate their options.

  In the days that followed, Jasper Collins decided to abandon another colony. The twelve million citizens of Rhogatar were loaded on transports to be brought back to Divinia. The ground-based microwave stations would be disassembled and moved to Divinia as well, along with their space-based counterparts. The list of Targarian colonies to defend had dropped to nine.

  Mace stood on a catwalk with Johnny and Jasper as they looked down on the ongoing construction of Collins class ships.

  “Who could’ve imagined we’d be standing out here like this today? Looking down on the construction of a starship with an alien planet filling the view … a slew of alien species running around, all seemingly wanting to kill each other or to dominate us. It’s like we’ve been swept away into some epic Hollywood movie. Jasper Collins, of all people, is now the king of an entire species, ruling over a dozen colonies.”

  Jasper replied, “Nine colonies now. Probably less if we have time.”

  Mace nodded. “And, Mace Hardy, bartender turned marauding warship captain, giving it his all to save the Human race.”

  Jasper said, “And Johnny Tretcher, the ape-man, as big as ever.”

  Johnny laughed. “Hey now, I’m still down twenty pounds. But yeah, it’s been an incredible ride. You know, the astronauts used to talk about what it was like to be in space looking down on Earth. Those who visited the International Space Station came back speaking of feelings of awe and transcendence. I get those feelings every time I look down on one of these planets. Always an incredible sight.”

  Jasper leaned on the rail. “I’ll have to say, it has been an adventure. I used to think about how lucky I was to have inherited that cave. I spent my childhood and most of my adult life feeling that way. Now it somehow doesn’t even feel real. All we had or did before seems of little consequence. That huge cave is like some incredibly minute piece of a monster Earth that is part of a massive galaxy.”

  Jenny Taub walked out on the catwalk to join them. “What are the men of Earth talking about today?”

  Mace put his arm around her shoulder. “How different things are from what they were. Look down at that planet below… how’s that make you feel?”

  Jenny leaned on the rail. “Makes me feel small. Like I’m some tiny bug infesting this big beautiful galaxy.”

  Johnny replied, “Infesting is about right. Only there’s a lot of other bugs who want to kill or control us.”

  Jenny nodded. “There is that.”

  The foursome watched from above as two large sections of a Collins were welded together. It was a moment of peace and reflection they had not experienced in weeks. It was a moment they doubted would last long.

  Chapter 20

  *

  Jeff met with Mace in the dining hall of the research lab building. “Mr. Hardy, I feel we’re this close to making progress.”

  “Nothing yet though, huh?”

  Jeff frowned. “I’m afraid not. The wormhole must be stable before it’s put in motion. Moving it forward a meter wide has proven difficult. It’s like it develops its own inertia field that wants to hold it in place.”

  Mace leaned forward on the table. “Could you leave it as a micro-wormhole during the initial move and then expand it as it got close to the target?”

  Jeff sat staring for several seconds before he stood. “Genius, Mr. Hardy. We can push a tiny wormhole around quickly, possibly even changing direction from its initial heading. The expansion is almost instantaneous. And a micro-wormhole moves at near the speed of light. This could possibly be our solution. I must get back to the others to talk this over.”

  Mace half waved as Jeff left the room. “Glad I could help, Doc.”

  Johnny walked in seconds later. “Doc eat something bad? Looked like he was scurrying for the bathroom.”

  Mace shook his head as he smiled. “No, he just has something new to try and was eager to get back to work. Listen, I wanted to ask you about what we do if we fail here. I mean, I know we fight as long as we have the Rogers, but what if we lose? What if the Karthians overrun this place? If we fall back to Earth, what’s our plan? Stark will be in charge of everything but the Rogers.”

  Johnny walked over to a machine, which dispensed two nutrient bars. “Are you talking ground game?”

  Mace nodded. “Possibly. If our fleets fail, and the Karthians wipe out our microwave stations, do they just wipe us out or do they enslave us?”

  Johnny grabbed a beverage from a cooler. “Maybe we hide out in the cave?”

  Mace thought for a moment. “It is shielded heavily. And we have gatrellium stored in there along with a fusion reactor. We could stuff the tunnels with nutrient bars and stay hidden in there for a year … except for the entrance being exposed.”

  Johnny sat. “So maybe we camouflage the entrance. A few big rocks and maybe a hidden door?”

  Mace crossed his arms. “That’s a possibility.”

  Johnny took a bite of a nutrient bar, before stopping mid chew. “Wait… how about we take one of these holo-projectors we have on our suits and just broadcast a false image? Could make it look like dirt and leaves or something. Just like the surroundings.”

  Mace nodded. “I think that’s a brilliant idea. With a reactor sitting inside the cave and a holo-projector sitting right at the entrance, we could project a large enough image above and around it that you wouldn’t even know the gift shop or drive were sitting out there. The whole property could be made to look forested and unused.”

  Johnny sat forward. “How big an image could we project?”

  Mace shrugged. “We’ll have to go ask. But I do like the idea of having a place to fall back to.”

  “We have the site at Alpha Centauri that no one knows about either. If we can’t make the cave, we could take refuge there. It’s big enough we could even park a shuttle in there in case the Rogers gets discovered.”

  “You, sir, are on fire today.”

  Johnny grinned. “I like being on fire. Usually I just fizzle.”

  Mace tapped his fingers on the table as he ran images through his mind.

  Johnny took a swig of his beverage, wiping the corner of his mouth on the forearm of his battle suit. “When do we get started?”

  Mace stood. “I think right now. Bring your food. I wanna have a quick talk with Jeff.”

  The talk was started and over in five minutes. The holo-projector used for the main wall
display on the bridge of the Rogers would provide an image a kilometer in diameter if given sufficient power. Power, with the fusion reactors, was something they had. A quick trip was made to acquire the holo-projectors, along with a number of other items they felt would be needed.

  A gravity wall and an environmental system would make the carved-out cave at Alpha Centauri livable. A half-dozen semi-truck-sized food containers would keep the crew and family of the Rogers fed for over a year. Volunteers were pulled together and they made a jump to the planet closest to Earth’s solar system.

  Mace took charge of the construction once inside the cave. “I want two generators up here and two more in the back. Add in circuit breakers so we can switch between them. I want two holo-projectors up here, one on each side of that cave mouth. We’ll have each of them projecting the same image. If one goes down, we’re still in business. The gravity wall can go here, and the environmental system over here.”

  Johnny said, “We have three of the ESs. We won’t need more than one of them on Earth.”

  Mace nodded. “OK. A backup here would be a good thing as well. I’ll make a note to bring another gravity wall generator, too. Might as well be as redundant as we can if we’re gonna be trapped here. Once this stuff is in place, we can work on the interior. I’m thinking we put bathrooms here… sleeping quarters here… dining over there, and a big lounge area out here in the middle.”

  Johnny said, “You know what would be good? We should swipe a dozen of those virtual simulators from the Ronceverte center to put in here. If we could possibly be stuck here for a year, we’re gonna want some entertainment. They would be good for keeping the kids occupied, as well as getting them educated.”

  “I’ll add those to the list.”

  “A healthy armory would be worthwhile as well.”

  Mace entered the extra items into a recorder on his arm pad. Anything else?”

  Johnny scratched the side of his face. “Hmm, what about a small lab for Jeff and his crew? You know we’re gonna need to fix something if we’re stuck here for that long.”

  Mace nodded. “Excellent. Again, you’re on fire.”

  Johnny slapped Mace on the back. “Johnny Fire… that’s what they call me.”

  The two men walked the cave at Alpha Centauri, building up a list of needed items. Once back at Divinia, Jasper assigned two thousand Targarian construction workers to assist with the build. A week after their initial survey, the last of the living quarter walls was mounted into place.

  Johnny said, “I can’t believe that went that fast.”

  Mace replied, “Incredible what can be done if you have the dedicated resources and materials. Now all we have to do is stock it.”

  Johnny half smiled. “And then we do it all over again on Earth.”

  Mace stroked his goatee. “Yep. And we already know what we need.”

  Johnny sat back on a stone slab that had been cut from a wall. “I can’t believe the Karthians haven’t attacked.”

  Mace winced. “They have to be waiting on reinforcements or something. Nellivue is still covered with a thick cloud of water vapor.”

  “Maybe they’re waiting for that to settle.”

  “According to Jeff, that will take years. If they survive this they’ll probably have to relocate while the planet recovers. He said the oceans there are expected to warm by as much as four degrees. The whole ecosystem will get trashed.”

  “You think they’ll do that to Earth?”

  Mace shook his head. “Don’t know. If they win, and they decide they want to enslave us, there’s nothing stopping them from destroying the whole place.”

  “I guess we just have to win then.”

  The week that followed saw a buildout of the insides of Organ Cave. The cold damp stone was replaced with elevated floors, walls, ceilings, and rooms with doors. All told, the cave would now comfortably house a hundred eighty Humans. Food stockpiles were moved into place and a holo-projector hooked up.

  The projected image covered the cave, the gift shop, the science lab constructed for Jeff and his team, and the field where shuttles would normally land. A newly constructed shuttle was powered down and parked in the field. A second was moved into a cave at Alpha Centauri. Neither small ship would hold all who would possibly stay if the time came, but they did give options where there otherwise might be none.

  A return trip was made to Divinia. Mace and Johnny joined Jasper in his palace, where they found him watching an old black and white movie.

  “You know they do have those in color now,” said Johnny.

  Jasper waved his hand. “Shush, it’s coming to the good part.”

  The two men sat, taking in the remainder along with their old friend. “Always liked a happy ending.”

  Johnny laughed. “Never took you for a sentimental guy.”

  “That’s because you’re an ape. So I take it your hideaways are complete?”

  Mace nodded. “Both Alpha Centauri and the cave could now house all of us for more than a year if needed. Each has a shuttle parked there with a wormhole drive. I can’t believe Jeff was able to pack all that gear in there and still leave room for passengers.”

  Jasper flipped off his holo-display. “That was my Targs. They’re crazy good at engineering and design. Too bad our efforts aren’t spent toward building a great society instead of war. I think we could make this place the envy of the galaxy. Instead, just about everything we have is put into the war effort. Starting next week we’ll have a third production line going for the Collins ships.”

  Johnny asked, “What are our numbers now?”

  “We have a hundred ninety-two Collins, two hundred forty cruisers. Combined with Stark’s ships and the others, we’re almost back to nine hundred.”

  Johnny nodded. “That’s better than I thought.”

  Jasper shook his head. “Don’t think it will matter. The Karthians just brought in another fleet of five hundred ships. They have fourteen hundred parked at Nellivue now. If the pattern holds, they’ll have another five hundred show up in three days. That’s when I expect them to make their move.”

  Mace made a trip to the science lab. “Doc, any progress?”

  Jeff replied, “Significant… on paper. We’re assembling a new prototype. Come, I’ll show you.”

  Mace followed Jeff Moskowitz into the assembly lab. “We’re hoping this will open a micro-wormhole and then move the beginning location forward while the destination remains where it was. As the wormhole reaches its target, we inject the gatrellium and dark matter, thereby widening the opening. If it works, we’ll be able to target the Karthian ships directly, using our plasma cannons.”

  Mace asked, “How’s that gonna work?”

  Jeff gestured toward a far wall. “Imagine that wall is the ship in question. It would have a powerful dampening field surrounding it. The wormhole allows us to travel through that field to the ship itself. We can even go through the outer hull. If we expand the wormhole and follow it up with a shot from a plasma cannon … well, imagine what that cannon will do if it doesn’t have the dampening field or armor to go through. A single shot might be enough to take out a ship.”

  Mace nodded. “When can we have it?”

  Jeff frowned. “We don’t have a working unit yet. We need to prove the concept with this miniaturized prototype before spending the effort to build something full size.”

  Mace tilted his head. “Miniaturized?”

  Jeff walked to a table. “This is it. We have a micro-reactor here. This is a gatrellium store. And this a hydrogen store. When we put this to the test in a ship, a wormhole will be opened a kilometer from us. The destination will be a kilometer beyond so we can easily check for success.”

  Mace asked, “And your weapon?”

  Jeff crossed his arms. “For this experiment, we’ll be firing a low power plasma burst and testing the resultant impact. If it checks out, we should see the same result from a full strength cannon shot.”

  Mace looked ov
er the device sitting on the table. “So this has a wormhole generator packed into it? Impressive. I could probably carry that thing on my back.”

  Jeff shook his head. “It’s quite dense. Two hundred sixty kilograms. Our efforts were on miniaturization to fit on a ship—and for safety for this lab.”

  “You think any weight could be trimmed off?”

  Jeff thought for a moment. “I suppose, but we’re talking in the neighborhood of perhaps 5 percent. Still too heavy for a single person to carry if that’s what you’re after.”

  “Can it be miniaturized further?”

  Jeff winced. “Doubtful. The generator components can’t be manufactured any more compact and still perform. I suppose it may one day be possible, but today is not that day.”

  Mace nodded. “OK. When’s this one ready for its test, I’d like to watch.”

  “Come back in an hour. I’ll have it on a shuttle by then. Or if you prefer, I can pass video to you through a comm feed.”

  Mace held up a hand. “No, I’ll be back. I’m heading over to Jasper’s palace. Anything I need to ask him for?”

  Jeff shook his head. “Thank you, I think we’re set. I’ll give you a comm when it’s ready.”

  Several minutes later, Mace walked into the palace. Workers were busy putting the final touches on an opulent throne room. A solid gold high-backed throne chair, adorned with jewels and luxurious cloths, sat in the center of the room. On either side, a fountain of blue water flowed from the high ceiling, trickling down over a hundred small ledges before ending in a pool that circled in front of the throne.

  The throne was raised, as was the pool, having a glass wall two meters high that allowed viewing of a variety of fish inside. A grand walk proceeded into the room and past the throne. The opposite side of the walk was shielded by a glass wall, behind which much of the more beautiful flora and interesting fauna of Divinia could be viewed. A spare jet-black king’s battlesuit sat in the chair. An internal mechanized skeleton gave the otherwise empty battlesuit the occasional movement, leaving the Targarians who would see it not knowing whether it was the actual king or not.