Carinae Sector: 02 - Admiral's Fury - Part 1 - Purple Blood

by David Buck

  Stiderio knew however that the brief brightening of the star system ten years ago was nothing compared to what appeared to be happening now. He stopped pacing as he thought through the information he had just received, and then curtly interrogated the nearby navigation officer.

  ‘We have lost the last six probes sent into the systems adjacent to the white demon system? So is there any information from the other sensor probes we deployed earlier? In addition, are the static gravity wave detectors still functional? Finally do we have any information from the last probe that survived?’

  The lieutenant answered crisply, for he had his own theories on what was happening, which now appeared to be borne out.

  ‘Captain, the last series of probes has been confirmed as having been destroyed. The last reports show that two stars appeared to have merged just over three years ago and earlier than our standard predictions due to the associated accretion rings in the system. The last information we have shows the two stars merging after the smaller star is struck by a large mass ejection from Demon Prime. The combined star then started to contract even as its rotation slowed dramatically. There is further information from the last probe that I am now accessing…’

  Captain Stiderio had several months earlier again been given command of the dangerous research mission to monitor the massive star system, and mission had become a maze of logistical and technical problems. Stiderio was therefore grateful for the expertise of the capable lieutenant, as the younger officer had stuck to his own opinions and they now appeared to have been correct.

  The monitoring mission had been quiet up to recently, almost boring, until a series of urgent alarms told the researchers that their probes were failing to return. The Barus all knew that their probes could not enter the system directly, as the massive Eta Carinae system blazed with the light of five million stars even before any stellar explosion. Therefore, the Barus fleet had then spent weeks using remotely controlled probes to locate a number of suitable hyper jump points within three light years of their target.

  Stiderio watched as new data from the long-range sensor probe appeared on the screen, and noted the massive gravity wave that their large static detectors had relayed to the last surviving probe before they had been destroyed. He looked through the latest simulation created from the new data, and noted how the star contracted heavily as the pair instability effect took hold.

  The stellar merger had boosted the gamma radiation output from the star and this in turn was driving an increased production of electron and positron pairs that caused the star to contract even further. Finally, the star exploded in a truly staggering runaway nuclear fusion explosion without leaving a black hole or neutron star. Stiderio now noted with fear the massive polar jets of gamma radiation created by the dying star.

  The lieutenant continued to speak at length as the captain studied the data further.

  ‘Captain, as you can see, the combined star contracted as it lost spin and therefore satisfied all conditions for mass and slow rotation needed for a pair instability supernova. I suspect the earlier merger directly contributed to the explosion, as it appears to have accelerated the collapse and the start of the pair instability process by driving up the production of gamma rays. Unfortunately, the merger also knocked the rotational axis over at the same time and the poles were pointed at inhabited space when the star finally exploded. I am certain that relativistic jets of gamma radiation are now heading towards both the primary Barus and Vorinne systems.’

  Stiderio cursed loudly in low Barus across the bridge as the projected course of the northern jet took in most of the Barus systems eight hundred light years way. He also noted that southern jet would reach the Vorinne central systems in the opposite direction within fifteen hundred years.

  The mood of the crew on the bridge became very somber and silent as the flag captain looked and found no flaws in the data and subsequent conclusions. Stiderio now knew that the tremendous radiation pressure of the combined star had fought and lost a battle with the mass of the star, well before it could stabilize by another series of mass ejections. He then studied the predicted power of the radiation jets and went still in shock as he confirmed that many of his race’s colony worlds would have to be abandoned.

  Stiderio realized grimly that the human term of ‘hyper nova’ was entirely accurate in this new situation. He then kept any further displays of emotion to himself as he regained discipline on his bridge by giving a series of orders.

  ‘Lieutenant, well done and a commendation will be attached to your records. We will monitor other probes at a greater distance from the explosion as we verify the power of the explosion and the direction of the radiation jets. We will of course withdraw well before any shock wave reaches us….’

  The research fleet sent out further probes to comply with his orders, while twenty light years away the former Eta Carinae system shone more brightly than the rest of the galaxy. Stiderio sat back in his command chair and worried about how his race would later survive the shock wave in a dangerous and unpredictable galactic sector.

  ***

  Early 2150AD New Barede colony on New America

  Captain Daniel Greene studied the terrain from the cockpit of the descending Barede lifter and considered that the initial reports of the Maveen had been accurate about the presence of the decent sized river. Lieutenant Mei Chang looked over and gave him a nervous smile before she turned back to her own window. Daniel picked up the momentary nerves of the other junior officers and sent a quick reassurance across the intercom.

  ‘Okay, we are well within our flight trajectories and we have good fuel reserves. So everyone just stay focused on getting those first reports on New America to me. Now we have only come forty light years from Barede but I still want everyone to stay sharp.’

  To mark the first one hundred years of the Barede colony several fleets of ships had been built. The ship commanders had been issued strict instructions, and the ships were then sent out to neighboring star systems to found the first new colonies on the way back to Earth. The colonists had been instructed to only settle within one hundred light years of the Barede colony on worlds that had been identified as worthwhile by the Maveen. The worlds were named according to their animal and plant life, so there was a New America, a New Europe, a New South America, a New India, a New Africa, an Oceania and a New Asia.

  The Maveen briefing on these new worlds had been vague, as the worlds had been seeded with Earth flora and fauna sixty thousand years ago when the Maveen had visited Earth for an extended period. The Maveen now would not intervene with the new Barede colonies unless there was a compelling reason. The Barede colonists had also bypassed several star systems that held only airless planets, frozen planets, water worlds or gas giants.

  Captain Greene reflected on the changes that had occurred on Barede, with the colony now numbering seventy million people. Daniel was the youngest grandson of Garen Greene, who was the colony’s fourth Governor, and the Traders had formally trained him as a star ship officer.

  Daniel’s older cousin, Ian Greene, now ran the Barede space fleet university, and Daniel had spent many years there training up the next generation of space fleet officers. The training to fly space ships was required both as colonization and as defensive measures, as the Maveen drew the line at creating further gateways or defending the colonists.

  The atmospheric lifter landed beside several other lifters in a grassy field not unlike the first fields on Barede that had been the original landing sites of humanity one hundred years earlier. Daniel set his mission team loose after the lifter engines were shut down. From the lifters a disciplined team of space fleet officers set up a guarded compound and Daniel knew that this pattern was being repeated at the other new colonies. First setup the compound, then the refining and storage facilities to split the local water into fuel. Daniel was everywhere ensuring and cajoling his mission team by his own example.

  ‘Come on people we need to get that pipe down to the
river. We have colonists that will want to land with their own special equipment in a fortnight and our schedule is very tight.’

  Daniel later rested after his meal break, and watched with satisfaction as the space fleet officers formed science teams based on their second study majors and proceeded to explore their new home. The bigger ships soon to arrive in orbit around New America carried the colonists, including Daniel’s wife and four children.

  Daniel knew that the first worlds they colonized should be safe based on their distance, but as they got closer into the galaxy the risks of attack from the vassal races would climb significantly. For a moment Daniel considered how the Earth, the human home world he had never seen or never would see, was progressing in her own struggle to reach the stars.

  ***

  Bessel’s Star, 11.4 light years from Earth

  Commander Lesley Neilson viewed the data coming from the survey probe with caution. For two weeks the fleet of small human ships had circled around the outskirts of Bessel’s Star, a binary star system 11.4 light years from Earth, attempting to identify threats. The fleet had obtained new, but limited information, on the three planets around 61 Cygni B, and Lesley was keen to move inwards to explore further.

  Lesley was concerned about the data she was seeing versus the now one hundred year old reports they had obtained from the Traders, as apparently there should be a Tilmud patrol in this system. She knew that her caution was well founded, as humans were technically and literally, the new kids on the interstellar block. She also knew that their limited information had identified this star system as the likely direction that the alien races would pass through on the way to Earth.

  Lesley viewed the survey report with heightened distrust for several minutes before she made an observation to the tactical officer.

  ‘Lieutenant, we have eyeballed those planets from a safe distance and many different directions. Unless there is a hidden Barus or Vorinne ship nearby I consider this system not to have any ships present.’

  The lieutenant agreed with the assessment and Lesley ordered her ships to slowly enter the new system and then spent a few moments wondering how her three children were coping with their mother’s extended absence. The twins, Mary and Natasha, were in primary school, but Roland was still too young. Lesley dragged her focus back to the present as the small ships neared their next destination.

  ‘Now we will head towards the two inner planets of 61 Cygni B, slow and steady with our eyes wide open, just like our drills. Afterwards we will have another look at 61 Cygni A on the far side.’

  Lesley sat back to consider the significant events that had led to this moment. The research from the downed Trader sneak ships had lead to Earth scientists’ first designing powerful atmospheric lifters that had revolutionized humanity’s access to space in Earth orbit. The next ships had been pod based cargo ships that had spread human influence from one end of the solar system to the other.

  Mars and the dark side of Mercury now held growing colonies either underground or under domes. The moon was both a colony and a massive fort, as were several other moons around Saturn and Jupiter, although the few colonists on Jupiter’s moons required heavy shields to survive the radiation. However, Venus was considered a total loss for colonization due to the high pressures and temperatures in the atmosphere.

  Lesley and her officers now viewed the atmospheric reports coming in from the two planets with no real surprise. The first planet was similar to Mercury in size but not as hot, even if it was as airless. The second planet was much larger, almost earth sized and in the habitable zone, but was a cold ice ball of a world that held little oxygen. Lesley sardonically commented to her crew about the status of the two worlds.

  ‘Well if they were remotely attractive to colonize we would have had unwanted neighbors before now. We will send down probes to check the ice planet for accessible water before we commit to landing a refinery there. Fortunately the inner world will hold a decent stock of metal if it is like Mercury and the system has two asteroid belts.’

  Lesley was reviewing yet another report as her small fleet moved across to the second star in the system. She was startled as the tactical officer called across the bridge.

  ‘Commander, a small alien ship, I think it is a long range Cephrit scout ship, is closing on a converging course.’

  Lesley noted the surprised reactions of her officers as the view screen activated to show an insect like Cephrit. The alien gave a bob that must pass for a bow amongst their race and began to speak in halting English.

  ‘Attention human commander, we have contacted you to advise that another vassal race, the Jerecab, may have intent to attack your species in the future…’

  Lesley ensured that their recording devices were functioning correctly as she took in the message, and noted that the scout ship was soon leaving as quickly as it had arrived. The commander was not too surprised at the content of the message as she brought up the last Traders briefings from over a hundred years ago onto her console. Lesley then wondered on how much longer it would be before this future threat actually eventuated.

  ***

  Barede Colony

  Doug Mills walked with two of his assistants across the vast open floor of the family operated Mills Engineering business with quiet satisfaction. His great grandfather had brought the company to the new colony through the San Francisco gateway, and it had never looked like faltering over the many hectic years of providing engineering products to the colonists.

  The young engineer stopped at his destination in the outer assembly yard and took in the heavy road former he had designed and his team had built. The new dual fusion reactor powered machine stood twenty metres high and sixty metres long and rode on massive caterpillar tracks made of cast basalt and basalt fiber alloy.

  The design featured power modular shaping lasers and shields that could be swapped out as required and were directly compatible with military issue lasers and shields. A Barede space fleet lieutenant was waiting for Doug as he walked up, and he wasted no time in politely greeting the young woman as they shook hands.

  ‘Good morning Lieutenant Edwards, thank you for your time to come and see our latest exciting development. Note that the lasers and shields can also be gantry mounted to produce pull up wall and floor sections.’

  The young space fleet officer turned from viewing the machine and gave a polite smile in return as she confidently replied.

  ‘Doug, please call me Helen. I will be interested to see it being tested further this morning. We are interested in derivatives of the road former for both space mining and ground combat roles, though of course hopefully the combat role will not be necessary for many years.’

  Helen then unrolled a sheath of documents and drawings on a nearby table, and Doug noted with interest the similarities in the design requirements very quickly. The miner needed a sampling drill and extra storage, and of course the lasers would have to be changed. The ground combat vehicle, or GCV, would require a military electronics suite, and used turreted lasers and ablative armor.

  Doug was impressed with Helen’s engineering abilities, as she had worked for one of his few competitors before obtaining double majors in combat and engineering at the Barede space fleet academy. He now framed an acknowledgement and then a pertinent question as he continued to study the drawings.

  ‘Okay Helen, we can certainly help you in the supply of a test rig before any big orders are agreed by space fleet administrators. I assume you have a test budget for the required amount of credits?’

  Helen reassured Doug that this would not be a problem as his company already had the design contracts for components used in several types of space fleet ships from lifters to the new colony ships. The two engineers took a break, donned safety equipment and stood well back side-by-side as Doug’s two assistants prepared the road former for another impressive demonstration. The road former clambered across to a test section of ground basalt and proceeded to change it into a sealed road.
>
  Several hundred metres from the huge engineering site, the undetected and cloaked Maveen Earth probe took in the surprising performance of the new road former and checked off another milestone for the Barede colonists. The probe now considered that the Maveen could safely withdraw from helping the humans on a regular basis in about fifty years.

  However, the Maveen intended to remain nearby, in case their new protégés found themselves in acute difficulties or were attacked by a vassal race. The Maveen Earth probe quietly left the engineering site still undetected and then flew out again to the Maveen offshore meeting place. Both the sector delegate and the Dradfer lead probe greeted the Earth probe as he arrived. The three senior Maveen probes conferred at length via their blue communications lasers, before a consensus was soon reached, and they summoned a gate ship to ferry them for another trip to the Hydros marshalling point.

  ***

  Late 2150AD near Maveen marshalling point Hydros

  Altarebe considered the nearby Maveen lead probe with consternation as he listened to the radioed message carefully. He bit down the spark of outrage as he considered the several other black Maveen probes and gate ships behind the lead probe. The spark was dampened by an undercurrent of fear, as he regarded the larger dark and dangerous mass of one of their big military vessels hovering even further behind. The ancient considered he had been wise to leave the Sspol cruiser several systems away after it had ferried him to this unknown area of the galaxy. Altarebe decided that the new programming of the Maveen was obviously becoming prevalent as he framed a polite answer.

  ‘Yes I understand that this is one of your protected areas and I understand that even my presence here is unwelcome. I seek only an urgent audience with your sector delegate and I reiterate my claim that there is no risk to the Maveen.’