The Solarian Celebration: Book 3 of the Alliance Conflict

by Jeff Sims

  Carank, meanwhile, washed the make-up out of the 4 vials from Lexxi’s travel kit. It was probably a spare kit, but Carank had heard of this particular brand. The make-up was DNA sequenced to her skin and was very expensive.

  He knew that Lexxi would be angry if she found out that she had lost the kit. She would be furious, however, if she discovered that it was emptied just so they could use it collect some dirt. Carank had a plan in place for that eventuality though; he would simply blame Lorano.

  Lorano said, “It would be nice to have one of the humans aboard. I kind of miss them.”

  Carank thought, translation – he wanted a pilot for the landing and also wanted a test subject that he could send out on the surface without an environmental suit. Carank responded, “Yes, I recall how much you enjoy playing chess with them.”

  They landed the corvette in a large, relatively clear area about ½ of a kilometer from the pyramid. The computer had chosen this area for landing because the area was generally flat and had a thick layer of rock just below the surface.

  After landing, they put on flight suits. These suits had thick material and contained a separate oxygen reserve. The suits should protect them from any airborne pathogens and any fauna or flora. Actually, Carank wasn’t entirely sure about the fauna part – he supposed a particularly nasty wild animal could bite through the suit. At the last moment, Carank grabbed a beam weapon and handed one to Lorano.

  They decided to exit via the connector tube so that they could keep the air in their ship separate from the air on the surface. Normally, the connector tube is used to connect one ship to another. When not in use, the tube is stored in a sealed room connecting the inner hull to the outer hull.

  Therefore, when two ships want to connect, they both open their outer hull ports. Then one ship extends its connector tube. When a solid connection has been established, both ships open their inner hull ports and beings are free to crawl from one ship to the other.

  For this landing however, Carank and Lorano left the outer hull closed and opened the inner hull. They entered the passageway between the hulls and then closed the inner hull. Then, they opened the outer hull and extended the tube down to the surface.

  Carank crawled down through the connector tube and to the surface. Lorano followed Carank down the passage. Lorano ordered the ship to retract the tube and seal the outer hull. He reasoned that he didn’t want anyone or anything climbing up the tube and surprising them when they returned.

  Once out, Carank closely inspected the landing area. Well, he kicked the soil with his boot a few times. However, the 3rd kick revealed a cleanly cut and polished stone just below the surface. Carank continued kicking the soil until he had cleared an area about the size of his foot.

  Lorano joined Carank. They both looked at the smooth polished stone. Lorano jumped up and down a few times, but every spot felt the same to him.

  Carank concluded, “The soil is only a few inches deep here and it is covering a large stone base. The dirt here is newer than the surrounding area. Clearly, at one time this was either a landing pad or a base for another pyramid.”

  Lorano had reached the same conclusion. He replied, “You assessment appears to be mildly correct. Take a soil sample here. However, please note that the soil is technically the same age as the soil in the surrounding area, it has simply been moved by the wind.”

  Carank thought of several comebacks, but instead bent down and gathered a sample. He was careful to collect soil that hadn’t been disturbed by his boot.

  Carank said, “How far? It looks like we are almost standing beside the pyramid.”

  Lorano replied, “It’s about ¾ of a kilometer (½ mile) away. Let’s go.”

  They walked in silence until they reached a grove of trees. They stopped to examine them in detail. The trees were brown with large green leaves. They were roughly 5.5 – 7.6 meters (18 – 25’) tall and looked deciduous. These trees would like right at home in a forest in Advranki 2, Altian 1, or even Earth.

  Unfortunately, neither scientist had any formal education in botany. As a result, they were unable to ascertain any useful information by looking at them; other than the aforementioned fact that they looked like green-leafed trees.

  Carank said, “These trees look exactly like those on Altian 1. I believe that this entire area must have been terraformed by the Altians thousands of years ago.”

  Lorano responded, “All trees have brown bark and green leaves, except those that don’t. These are no different.”

  Carank reluctantly agreed with that assessment.

  There were no obstacles of any kind in their path. Carank thought he saw a hint of stone a few times and imagined that they were walking on an overgrown street. Either way, they were able to easily walk to the pyramid.

  They reached the base and inspected the portion nearest them. The pyramid was built from tremendously large stones. The stones were very cleanly cut and accurately placed against each other. There was no space between the stones.

  The pyramid was perfectly aligned to the star cluster that contained Altian 1 -3. Further, its overall construction and shape matched those built on Altian 1. There was little doubt they were looking at an Altian energy pyramid.

  Lorano said, “Computer, remind me of the dimensions of this pyramid.”

  …The pyramid has a base of 193 meters (633 feet) and an original height of 116 meters (380 feet). The pyramid has eroded over time and its current height is only 112 meters (367 feet)…

  Carank already knew the answer, but he asked anyway, “Computer, are the dimensions and internal passageways similar to those of an Altian energy pyramid?”

  …No Altian pyramid is exactly the same size. However, this pyramid has a base, height, and internal passageways similar to that of an Altian pyramid…

  Carank asked, “Could it have been used to produce electricity?”

  …The Altians used piezoelectric power as their main source of energy for over two thousand years. The electricity was generated by capturing the planet’s vibration through a pyramid type structure, translating that into sound waves, then subsequently translating the sound into electricity…

  Great, Carank thought, now even the computer is lecturing. Carank asked, “Was the time of this structure’s construction in line with the 2,000 year window of Altian usage?”

  Lorano said, “Yes, Altians were still using this type of power generation 4,000 years ago, though it was rapidly being phased out of use at that time.”

  Carank summarized, “This is an old Altian pyramid. It is the correct size, has the correct internal passageways, and was constructed when Altians were using pyramids as a source of electricity.”

  Lorano waved his hand dismissively in response.

  Carank realized that he had just thoroughly and completely won this argument. He celebrated his victory by pulling the label maker out of his pocket, printing out the words ‘Altian Energy Pyramid’, and sticking it on the side of the pyramid.

  Lorano saw Carank’s handiwork and replied, “The label isn’t very convincing. You wrote it in Alliance basic.”

  Carank was looking around for something else to label when he noted that Lorano’s eyes had slightly glazed over and he appeared lost in thought. Carank waited a moment and asked, “What are you thinking?”

  Lorano remained silent for another moment and responded, “If this is an Altian pyramid, then Altians must have found this planet 4 millennia ago, built a pyramid on it, and then suddenly left. Why would my ancient forefathers abandon an entire planet?”

  Carank said, “Who knows?”

  Lorano said, “I am not sure who knows. Someone must have known. Perhaps now it is only us that know. Come on, it’s getting late and the nearest water source is about 1 kilometer from here.”

  They left pyramid and walked to the edge of a small stream. They could still easily see the pyramid in the distance. Carank bent down and took a water sample and a second soil sample. They saw a small worms scurrying nea
r them.

  Carank put the remaining empty jar on one side and the lid on the other and carefully scooped the worm into vial. He tightened the lid and held it up for examination. “This should work,” he summarized.

  It was indeed getting late. Carank saw that the planet had rotated well past its perihelion and the sun was starting to set. They hurried back to the corvette and reentered the ship through the connector tube.

  Once inside, Lorano retracted the connector tube and sealed the exterior of the ship. Carank then activated the decontamination unit. The unit ran through a full cycle, blasting them with ultra-violet light, a chemical bath, and a water rinse. The computer then scanned for foreign particles. The panel beeped that they were free from contamination and unlocked the door to the inner hull.

  They removed their flight suits and reentered the corvette. Carank hid the vials back in the make-up kit. He doubted that anyone except Lexxi would ever search the kit.

  Lorano entered the control room and plopped heavily down into the control room seat. He was tired after walking over 2 kilometers in a heavy flight suit and frustrated that he hadn’t planned ahead better.

  The expedition could have been far more successful if they had had a ground car or even a hover cart, an air and water analyzer, and a portable diagnostic computer. All that they had to show for their expedition were pictures of the planet and some small soil samples.

  Lorano piloted the corvette up and out of the atmosphere. They micro jumped back to their initial entry point. Lorano calculated how much time they needed to jump to Solaria and found that they still had 2 days to spare. He decided to actively scan the entire system before they left. The system was about 8 light hours from end to end, so the scan would take them 16 hours.

  Seventeen hours later they jumped to Solaria.

  Chapter 5

  Freshly promoted Admiral Solear exited the shuttle and proceeded directly toward the bridge. He saluted the 20 or so humans standing at attention without stopping or even slowing down. Funny, he thought, the humans don’t seem to bother me anymore.

  He deactivated the force field and entered the bridge. He half expected Lexxi to snap the field shut the second he entered. However, the bridge was completely empty. Solear took a seat in the first officer’s chair and said, “Computer, contact Jim Donovan and tell him to come to the bridge.”

  …Contacting. Connection established. Message sent…

  A few minutes later Jim entered the bridge. He said,” Captain” and held a salute until Solear stood and acknowledged him.

  Solear said, “Jim Donovan, effective immediately, you are promoted to the rank of captain and have been given command of the Sunflower.”

  Jim replied, “Thank you, I think. This seems a rather sudden promotion. What is going on? What are you going to do?”

  Solear replied, “I have been promoted to admiral. The Sunflower has been ordered to guard the Waylon system against Hiriculan aggression. The Altians towed an unused space station there to provide us a base of operation.”

  Jim looked incredulous and replied, “Is 64 people enough to man a cruiser and a space station?”

  Solear answered, “The Senate authorized another trip to Earth to obtain 16 replacements. With 80 total humans, we should be able to fulfill the basics of our mission. We will dock the Sunflower at the space station for the most part and use all available personnel to run the station.

  Jim asked, “Admiral, are we going to be reinforced with any alie…” Jim caught himself just in time and switched to “Altians or Advranki?”

  Solear shook his head and said, “No. Apparently the Navy doesn’t have any beings to spare. Further, the Senate doesn’t want to recruit the 500 or so humans that we need to properly resource it.”

  “Okay,” Jim responded, drawing out the ay a little too long.

  Solear didn’t seem to notice the sub-context of the response. He replied, “Unfortunately, the 16 humans are all we are going to get for the foreseeable future.”

  “And you?” Jim asked.

  Solear said, “I will only be there a few months to continue to train and mentor you. After that, you will be required to protect the system by yourselves.”

  Jim had several more questions about the strange mission, but kept them to himself. He said, “Switching subjects, what about a bridge crew?”

  Solear answered, “You will have to fill the positions with Humans.” He briefly paused and continued, “Ace has done an excellent job piloting this ship. Do you think that he would leave the fighters and become the ship’s pilot full-time?”

  Jim: “No. Ace wouldn’t accept the position if meant that he had to stop flying fighters. I do have a different person in mind though.”

  Solear said, “I will defer to your judgement.”

  Jim said, “Computer, contact Russ Brand, Colin O’Neal, Christopher Armstrong, and Gus Swanson. Have them report to the bridge.”

  …Acknowledged. The requested personnel are on their way.”

  Jim had given considerable thought to how he would arrange the bridge crew if he were ever promoted to captain. This task was easier than it sounded because the Victory Games simulation of the captain and officer roles made testing various configurations effortless. Since Jim had practiced running simulations he knew exactly who he wanted to assign to what role.

  Edward Williams, or Ace, was the toughest decision. He was the best pilot on the ship, and according to Admiral Dolen, the best in the galaxy. He deserved to be the leader of the squadron. However, he was still just a teenager and hadn’t yet developed the skills for leadership.

  The four humans entered the bridge and came to attention.

  Solear saluted and said, “Jim Donovan is now the captain of this ship. Please give him your attention.”

  Jim said, “Men. We have a new assignment. The Senate is scared that the Hiriculans are going to try to seize Waylon from Alliance control. Our mission is to patrol the system and ensure that the Hiriculans do not try to annex it. The Altians have moved a space station into the system to serve as our base of operations.”

  Russ looked around and asked, “Just us?”

  Jim replied, “Yes, though we are going to get 16 reinforcements from Earth.”

  “Humans?” Russ asked.

  Jim nodded and said, “From Earth. The reinforcements are from Earth.”

  Everyone chortled at the gaffe. Jim said, “Kip, I am promoting you to commander. You will be in charge of the space station. Your fighter wing will be permanently assigned there.”

  Jim shifted position and looked at Colin. He said, “I am going to reorganize the bridge duties. Colin, your position of Chief Engineer is now an officially an officer’s role. As such, you have been officially promoted to lieutenant.”

  Colin said, “So, I am now officially in charge of engineering and maintenance, correct?”

  Jim said, “Yes. I would like you, or someone from your engineering team, stationed on the bridge as much as possible. During battle, you will assume the role of weapon’s officer.”

  Colin nodded in acknowledgement.

  Jim continued, “Further, you are also the 1st officer and will assume command should I become incapacitated.”

  Jim then turned to Russ and said, “Russ, I need a volunteer to retire from piloting fighters and pilot a cruiser instead. Do you want the job?”

  Russ had been the last person to decide to return to the cruiser during their last shore leave and was the only person other than Jim that had expressed a desire to do something other than fly fighters.

  Russ said, “I accept Captain.”

  Jim said, “You will also have to be the communications officer for now.”

  Jim said, “Gus, you and the other 3 original members of Ghostrider squadron are now assigned to First squadron. You are the new CAG.”

  Solear asked, “CAG?”

  Jim said, “Sorry, another English acronym. It stands for Commander Air Group. On some Earth vessels, there are multiple squadr
ons of fighters. A CAG is the senior commanding officer of the embarked fighters. Since we only have one squadron, the CAG is synonymous with squadron leader. “

  Solear asked, “By embarked you mean?”

  Kip answered, “It means that the CAG flies in a fighter and is part of the squadron.”

  Russ commented, “Wow, we are going to be running a tight ship.”

  Jim replied, “Yes. But from now on we are going to keep the bridge door open. People will be able to come and go as they need.”

  Solear said, “Congratulations everyone on your new roles. We need to submit our request for replacement personnel now.”

  Russ answered, “Well, we need 6 replacement pilots and two replacement crew members.”

  Colin said, “We also need an engineering staff for the station.”

  Kip said, “And more maintenance workers.”

  Russ logged into the bridge workstation, identified himself as the communications officer, and sent a request for 6 pilots, 4 engineers, and 6 maintenance workers.”

  Solear said, “Captain, we need to go to Space Mining Platform #1. It is called the Anvil in Alliance basic. After that, you will dock the ship at the Conron Naval Supply Depot for the next couple of weeks. I understand that the Navy has arranged a few classes for you.”

  Jim looked at Solear and said, “Are you leaving us?”

  Solear replied, “Yes, I have to leave for a couple of weeks. The Solarians are demanding my presence at a ceremony next week. Apparently I am going to receive an award for finding Old Solaria.”

  Russ said, “How about us, we helped find that missing planet. Do we get an award too?”

  Solear did not respond.

  A minute later Russ said, “We are being hailed by a transport. It wants to dock in our landing bay.”

  Solear responded, “Allow it land. Then assemble everyone in the checkerboard room. Our visitor is here to give diversity training.”

  …………..…..

  Victor and Crista Bullpeep were sound asleep when the priority message arrived. Well, since they were sleeping on Earth, they were using the aliases of Victor and Crista Tyrano.