Galactic Alliance: Translight!

by Doug Farren

  “Very well, one moment please.”

  The line went silent for about a minute then another voice speaking in a whisper said, “Mrs. Kingston. I hope this is important.”

  “Yes sir, it is. I need to establish a secure line first.”

  Anita heard some rustling of sheets and then the line clicked twice. A light on her phone illuminated. “We are secure. What’s going on?”

  Anita had had dealings with the President of the United States over the years on several levels. She knew him to be a very intelligent individual who did not mince words. He might be a politician but he was also a straight shooter when it came to dealing with crises situations. “I am assuming you have heard about our lost research ship, the Starfire?”

  “I did hear you lost a research ship. Some sort of drive malfunction causing the ship to explode if I recall correctly.”

  “Well sir, that was what we released to the public. In actuality, the Starfire has been on its way back to Earth for over a month.”

  “And…” The President apparently expected something more than this. Anita promptly supplied it.

  “The Starfire appeared to vanish because it had successfully tested an experimental faster than light drive. It traveled nearly 700 million kilometers in fifteen seconds.”

  There was a few moments of silence then, “An extraordinary achievement Mrs. Kingston. But I suspect you did not wake me up at this hour to tell me this. You’re leading up to something. Why did you call?”

  Anita was amazed at how calm the President sounded. She attributed it to his position and his demeanor. In all his years of public service nobody had ever heard him raise his voice in anger nor get overly excited about anything. “Sir, about a half hour ago we received an extraordinary message from the captain of the Starfire. It appears as if they have made contact with an advanced alien culture.”

  This elicited the sound of an indrawn breath and more rustling of sheets. The next time the President spoke his voice was a bit louder and slightly higher pitched. “I’m going to call the cabinet into emergency session. When that happens I will be calling you back and I will expect a detailed report at that time. A team will be dispatched to your corporate headquarters within the next couple of hours. I will expect full cooperation from you and your staff on this issue. Before I go, do you have any other news for me?”

  “None at the moment sir. Right now you know about as much as I do.”

  “Thank you Mrs. Kingston. I’ll be in touch again shortly.” There was a sharp double click and the line went dead. Anita slowly placed the phone back in its cradle while thinking; And now it begins. Human history has entered a new era.

  * * * * *

  Despite Anita’s fears, the government somehow managed to keep the fact that humanity had made contact with an alien race a secret. About a week after the initial encounter with the Tholtarans, the Starfire was picked up by a deep space radar not controlled by AST. As soon as the returning ship was discovered, Anita released a press statement saying that the unidentified radar contact was the Starfire.

  It wasn’t long before the rumors started. One claimed the ship had tested a method of hiding a spacecraft from radar for military purposes. Another said that the Starfire had been on a secret mission to Mars and the government had threatened people with imprisonment if the ship’s true mission had been made public. The Chinese and the United Arab Nations both demanded a full explanation concerning the false report of the Starfire’s destruction.

  Amazingly, one website actually got it right, claiming that the Starfire had successfully tested a faster than light drive. The United States government and AST simply allowed the rumors to run rampant. All requests for further information were refused no matter how persistent the requests.

  Security was extremely heavy when the Starfire entered Earth orbit and even heavier when the crew made planetfall. Nobody seemed to notice that the United Nations met in secret session the day after the crew returned to Earth or that the entire crew of the Starfire was at this meeting. Security at the UN building was unbelievably tight. All non-essential personnel were barred from the building. The debates were heated and lasted for four days. It’s understandable, once one is made cognizant of the changes that had to be made in order for Earth to be allowed to join the Consortium.

  In order to become a member of the Consortium, Earth needed to unify. The Consortium did not deal with individual countries or governments. Any agreements and treaties between the Consortium and Earth would be made on a planetary scale. It was also expected that all non-Humans would be held to a set of laws that applied anywhere on the entire planet. These laws would have to conform, as a minimum, to a set of rules specified by the Consortium. In addition to this, a single governing body would have to be created. This governing body would be the point of contact between the Consortium and Earth.

  Another important stipulation involved the sharing of technology and the economics of trade. If Earth wanted to trade with the Consortium then all off-worlders would have to be allowed equal access to the markets of all countries. This was a major point of contention for many countries especially in light of the current political situation. In addition to a level playing field, the Consortium also required a single currency that would be accepted anywhere on Earth.

  The biggest obstacle toward achieving a unified Earth was the distrust that still existed between many nations. China and the United States, for example, had been diplomatically hostile towards each other ever since China had invaded Taiwan. This had triggered an American military response resulting in the deployment of thousands of troops to South Korea. It had also created an economic crisis when the American government had ordered all American owned companies to cease all operations within China.

  After four days of intense debate, the United Nations agreed that it would be in the best interest of the people of Earth to join the Consortium. It was also recognized that the needed changes would require a great deal of debate and time to implement. The UN transmitted its acceptance of the conditions to joining the Consortium to Shoomut’s ship explaining to him that Earth would immediately begin hammering out a unified planetary government. After a lengthy discussion, it was agreed that the Tholtaran’s should establish a small presence in Earth orbit while the United Nations tried to work out the details necessary to create a unified Earth.

  A week after the Starfire had returned, the United Nations announced to the world in simultaneous broadcasts in every nation on the planet that humanity was no longer alone. The majority of the population accepted this announcement with awe and wonder and surprisingly little panic. There were scattered instances of violence and hundreds of suicides were blamed on the announcement. For the most part, life went on as usual.

  The crew of the Starfire became instant celebrities. Jay Kauffman, as the creator of the Kauffman stardrive, found himself on an endless series of talk shows and documentary interviews. Every diplomat on the planet wanted to spend time with him in the public spotlight. The interview he would remember most clearly for the rest of his life, however, took place not on Earth but aboard the orbiting Tholtaran starship.

  The day after assuming orbit, Shoomut had requested that Jay visit his ship. He had also requested and received the complete design plans for the Starfire’s stardrive. He had indicated that the Tholtaran’s might be able to offer some suggestions to improve the current design. Until Earth had formally signed the Consortium treaties, this was about all he would be allowed to do. Prior to the trip, the CIA, the FBI, the secret service, the NSA, and the United Nations had all visited Jay to offer their advice as to how he should conduct himself during his upcoming visit.

  “Have you any idea why Shoomut wants to speak only to you?” Anita asked coming up behind Jay and putting her right hand on his left shoulder.

  “I have a pretty good idea,” Jay replied staring off into the distant sky. They were in a second floor private office overlooking the vast AST landing field in Mexico awaiting the
arrival of a Tholtaran shuttle. “He did mention that our civilization was not supposed to have developed a faster than light drive this soon. My guess is he is curious to know how we did it. As far as he knows, I’m the only one who came up with the design and that's why he wants to talk to me.”

  “That’s something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about,” Anita said. “So far, we have not found it necessary to mention CAIN to anyone and I would prefer to keep it that way. CAIN is still an evolving entity and may represent an asset of extreme value in the future. Don’t ask me why I feel this way—I just do and I don’t want CAIN to become public knowledge.”

  Jay turned to face Anita. He saw several emotions roll across her face. First concern, followed by a brief smile as she tried to hide the emotions churning inside her. Finally, a look he could not really describe. For an instant, his stomach burned and he felt something stir inside him. A feeling he had not felt for a very long time. The look quickly faded and Jay was left wondering if it had been his imagination.

  “I feel the same way,” he replied. “CAIN also agrees. For now, nobody, including the Tholtarans, will be told of his existence.”

  Jay glanced at his watch and said, “They should be arriving any minute now.”

  Without consciously thinking about it, Anita found her right hand clasping Jay’s left. Instead of letting go (which had been her first impulse once she had realized what she had done) she maintained the grip and said, “Be careful Jay.”

  Kauffman turned slightly and put both of his hands around hers. “I’ll be fine. I’m looking forward to this. I don’t think there’s any danger here at all.”

  “I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about,” Anita replied putting her free hand over his. Catching a glint out of the corner of her eye she turned her head toward the window and continued, “I think your shuttle is here.”

  Their hands separated and they stood in silence as the alien ship approached. It seemed to simply fall straight down through the clouds. There was no discernible propulsion system, no exhaust plume, and no roar of braking rockets. The sleek, black and silver ship slowed and came to a gentle halt as it touched the tarmac. The shuttle had no wings but it was streamlined for atmospheric entry. It seemed hard to believe that such a small craft would be capable of returning to orbit without any outside assistance.

  Jay turned to Anita and caught another glimpse of a worried expression. He gently kissed her on the forehead and said, “I’ll be fine Anita. I should be back in a few hours.”

  She accepted the kiss and replied in a shaky voice, “I’m not going anywhere until you get back.” She then leaned forward and kissed him on the lips. It was a bit more passionate than he had expected leaving him almost breathless and feeling a bit giddy.

  Jay took the elevator down to ground level and walked out onto the tarmac. As agreed, he was the only one to approach the ship. When he was about six meters away a door on the side slid to the right and a short ramp extended itself. Jay turned to look back at Anita who was still looking out the window at him. He waved, received a quick wave back, then turned and walked up the ramp.

  Inside the shuttle to Kauffman’s left were six seats arranged in two rows. A small cockpit with a single Tholtaran at the controls was to his right. The pilot had spun his chair around and was pointing toward the seat directly behind him. Jay spotted a language translator on the cushion, put it on, and heard the pilot say, “Please take a seat. The trip will require only a few minutes.”

  As the pilot swung his chair back toward the shuttle’s controls Jay settled into the seat directly behind the pilot. There did not appear to be any seat belts. The pilot deftly manipulated the controls and without any feeling of acceleration they started to rise. From Jay’s perspective, the shuttle simply rose straight up into the air. They passed through a light layer of clouds and then the sky slowly turned dark as the Earth dropped beneath them. A few minutes later they were approaching the massive Tholtaran cruiser.

  During his first encounter with this very same alien ship, Kauffman had been unable to get a good view of it because of their distance from the sun. Now that the ship was in Earth orbit, it was easier to see. The ship’s outer hull was a shade of light gray and was shaped very much like an arrowhead. Small, unidentifiable protrusions could be seen sticking out from several locations around the hull. No windows were visible.

  The shuttle flew underneath the cruiser, performed a graceful end-over-end flip so that the bottom of the shuttle was now facing the cruiser, then settled into an opening which had appeared. The shuttle crabbed sideways for a few meters and settled to the floor—or was it the ceiling? The pilot made some final adjustments to his controls and the hatch opened. “Captain Shoomut is waiting,” he said through the translator.

  Throughout the entire flight Jay’s sense of up and down had remained constant. The Tholtarans obviously had a remarkably fine level of control of gravitational forces. Back on Earth, Jay had taken the precaution of applying the strongest sunblock he could buy and had also purchased a good pair of sunglasses. The air in the hanger bay felt like a mid-summer day in Arizona—dry and hot.

  Kauffman paused for a moment at the top of the ramp to survey the scene. There were several other ships of various sizes and shapes berthed in the gigantic hanger bay. When he looked up and his heart skipped a beat and his breath caught. He found himself looking at the Earth through the open hatch by which they had just entered the hanger bay. As he watched, the hatch started to slowly close. Regaining his presence of mind, Jay turned and started down the ramp where Shoomut had been patiently waiting for him. His eyes, however, kept glancing up at the still closing hatch.

  When he came within earshot, Shoomut said, “Welcome back aboard. In case you are wondering, the hatch boundary is maintained by a force field. We never have to decompress the hanger. The field can be penetrated by a shuttle using a specially tuned resonant field structure.”

  “I’ve wondered if such a thing was possible,” Jay replied, shaking Shoomut’s hand. “There are hints of so many technological wonders in the equations I’ve been working with that it’s hard to imagine what life is going to be like in the near future. I just need the time to tease out the details from the equations.”

  “Your world is about to undergo many changes,” Shoomut replied as he turned and started walking toward a nearby bulkhead. “Many adjustments will be required; some of them will not be easy. It is our experience that a race that has achieved the technological level necessary to create a stardrive will be able to adapt to the changes of integrating advanced technology into their economic systems without causing a destabilization of the planet’s society.”

  “We are a rather resilient race. I’m sure we’ll be able to make the needed changes.”

  They walked in silence for a minute until they came to an elevator shaft. Shoomut pressed the button to call the elevator and said, “We are heading for main engineering. I want you to meet my engineering officer. We are both very curious as to how your race managed to develop a stardrive earlier than anticipated. Quite frankly, we were caught off guard.”

  “Is this why you asked me here?”

  “That is one reason for this visit. But there is another, more important, reason for inviting you aboard my ship. We will talk about it afterwards.”

  The door opened and they stepped inside. A few minutes later they were seated at a small table in a room just off the main engineering control room. Jay was introduced to another Tholtaran who went by the name of Bomarta. Kauffman had noticed that all the Tholtaran’s he had been introduced to seemed to have only a single name. He made a mental note to discuss this with Shoomut if the opportunity presented itself.

  Once the formalities had been completed, Bomarta said, “My staff and I have looked over the design specifications of your stardrive. We’ve also looked at the equations you developed to explain its operation. Considering that this is your race’s first stardrive and that you are its sole inventor we are very i
mpressed. I would like to learn more about how you developed your theories and how much outside help you had.”

  “Before I answer,” Jay replied. “I would like to know why you are so impressed with how I developed my drive equations. Surely, we are not unique.”

  “All of the races known to possess a stardrive developed that drive using a team of highly skilled and highly specialized scientists. The research took many years of effort (sometimes decades) and required countless hours of experimentation. The effort required to develop the technology usually implies that the planet has become nearly unified. Yours is the only race to have developed a stardrive through the efforts of a single mind in such a short time. It is an unbelievable feat which many are having a hard time believing.”

  Jay’s mind was racing as he listened. It suddenly dawned on him what Shoomut might be implying. “You think we had help from non-Humans!” he exclaimed.

  Shoomut and Bomarta looked at each other. It was clear they had not expected Jay to see what had been on their minds. Finally, Shoomut said, “You are very perceptive. The question has been raised by some members of the Consortium as to that exact possibility. The rate of technological development of any society tends to follow a distinct and predictable pattern up until that society develops a faster than light drive. Your race has been known to violate that pattern on several occasions. It is almost as if you have been receiving help from outside your world.”

  Kauffman took a large drink from his water and leaned back in his chair before answering. “Do you think that perhaps I am not Human?”

  “The fact that you are Human was verified the moment you set foot aboard my ship. You were scanned and your DNA has been shown to be Human.”

  “But you still harbor doubts about our discovering faster than light travel on our own?”

  “It is not consistent with the normal rate of scientific progress of a culture such as yours. I have been asked to investigate the possibility that your technological progress has been accelerated through contact with a non-Human species.”