“No,” came the reply. “How long until we are able to get a visual fix?”
“In twelve and a half minutes.”
“All right. I want everyone to get to emergency stations. We will not disturb those in hibernation, it would be futile with such little time available to us.” They all ran off to their various stations. “AI? I want my voice heard loud and clear in every corner of the ship with full two-way communication and visuals,” said Orion,looking at the speed: it was down to a quarter light. “ Directive Achieved,” came the AIs prompt response. Orion was not sure of his position, it seemed to him that the safety of the ship was now totally his but should the elders be made aware? He decided to wait until visuals were available, then he would know if it was just his ship or the entire fleet was involved. “AI, record all events and conversations both on the ship and externally. If or when we have a visual the fleet appears also to be involved in the slowdown, then transfer all information immediately to the elders.”
“Affirmative... we are about to go visual. I will display the external view on the bridge screen.” The screen cleared from a static mess to a crystal clear view of space. The entire fleet was now clearly visible and was slowing at the same speed as Orion’s ship. Apart from stars Orion could see nothing. There was no visible reason why this was happening. “AI, scan everything. Is there a source of the retardation? If so where is it?”
“Scanning now. The elders have requested all ships open communication links. Intership communication is operating and appears unaffected. No ships have reported any malfunctions... Source of interference is directly ahead. Enhanced view will be on your screen in one minute.”
The screen focused in on a star growing brighter by the second.
Orion peered at it intently. As the fleet got closer it became apparent it was a large object, circular in shape with an approximate diameter of one kilometre. Its colours were shifting through the spectrum and glowing, softly.
“AI? Are there any other indications of its physical attributes?”
“It does not appear to be solid. It seems to be a very complex mixture of chemicals and energy sources.”
“Like a small star?”
“No, it is not emanating heat and is stable. It emanates light and the force that controls our fleet. That is all the information I can give. The force is nothing recognisable to me.”
“AI, describe to the best of your ability the force that binds us.”
“It is undetectable apart from its obvious affect on us and a minute pulse of energy from the object. It has not damaged any of the ship’s components. The thrusters are still operating at near light-speed thrust, but without effect.”
Orion thought for a moment and then spoke addressing himself to the elders on ship one. “This is Orion of ISS three, I wish to suggest we shut down all efforts of propulsion, the thrusters are ineffective and stress on the ships should be avoided. Let us see what happens.”
The worried faces of the elders came on the screen. “Risky, but we have no suggestions to offer and we are wasting resources resisting, so let’s do it. Shut off thrusters.” The trail of photons streaming from the rear of the ships stopped abruptly. Nothing happened. The fleet continued to slow at its previous rate and in the direction of the object. The elders spoke next:
“It is estimated there will be no collision with the object, we will in fact stop in ten minutes, five kilometres away from its surface.”
The ten minutes passed and. as predicted. the fleet stopped. The AI was ordered to give a status report:
“I am able to report that there still are no threats to our systems. However, in trying to scan the object, it apparently is unstable in space/time.” The word unstable had made everyone nervous.
“Explain ‘unstable’ in relation to the object,” said the elders.
“It does not always seem to be in existence. It fluctuates rapidly between here and somewhere else.”
Orion was pacing the deck now, mind racing here, not here, here again.
“AI, is the object illusionary, a mirage or some form of beacon?” He demanded.
“No. The affect it has is real. I am not equipped with the capacity to understand the anomaly. It could be a remote beacon, but I do not have enough data.”
After a few minutes a directive came from the elders. “Do not wake the other colonists. Assemble executive officers on the bridges and, using AI, apply any theories you can come up with. Submit all feasible options to us, take no direct action. We will adjourn for twenty-four hours, then pool our common knowledge.”
Following the directive, Orion and his executive crew gathered around the operations table. “Well, has anybody any ideas?”
“Why don’t we send a disc ship in closer? We could power it with an alternative engine instead of a photon drive.”
“Comment please, AI?”
“Not feasible. The space outside the ship is completely immersed in the force emanating from the object.”
“So what you are saying is that it is like we are stuck inside solid ice? Nothing can move through it. We can see but we cannot act, except within the confines of the ships?”
“Yes. That is a good analogy.”
Three hours passed and they came up with a few ideas which basically were about destroying the object. In the end it became obvious they were getting nowhere, so they ate a meal and stopped talking. After eating, Orion went down to the hibernation chamber to say goodnight to Briony and Rose.
“Oh Rose, I’m so sorry, we are in such a mess. Maybe the object will set us free tomorrow, maybe it will disappear into the somewhere else the AI spoke of. Maybe the elders will come up with something smart.” He kissed the two pods and, when he went to his quarters, he was very, very tired. I’m getting old, he thought, as he drifted off into a deep sleep. Orion slept for nine hours. He washed and dressed rapidly and went straight to the bridge. The others were already there. Nothing had changed and they were looking strained. They sat down and ate at the operations table again. They felt a level of frustration building and decided on a group meditation. Orion felt a bit more relaxed and clear-headed and decided to go and see his family again. As he stood looking at Rose a thought came to him. “There is supposed to be a solution to every problem, our entire existence proves that. So why are we failing?”
“Rose, please tell me why are we failing?” Orion suddenly turned and ran back to the bridge. “AI! I need to communicate with the elders.”
The elders, looking positively ancient, were still seated at their own operations table. They looked back at him hopefully. “Yes?”
“I seek permission to wake my bond partner, I believe there is a possibility that we need to see the problem from an alternative perspective and she may be able to help.” They discussed among themselves, then:
“We don’t understand. Your bond partner is skilled in sociology and psychology with special understanding of Earth natives. How can this be relevant?”
“I can only offer you something our AI said yesterday, ‘I do not have the capacity to understand’. It therefore is logical to find someone who may understand simply because they have a different perspective. I may be wasting time but we have to face the fact we are getting nowhere, literally.”
“You have our permission, but only for this one individual.”
Orion ran to the hibernation pod and waited while AI woke her up. Helping her out of the pod he took her to the shower room. They kissed, hugged and made love in the shower. Afterwards, while eating a light meal, Orion explained the situation. Rose listened intently, “Orion, why did you wake me? What am I supposed to do?” He explained his perspective theory. She thought for a few seconds then laughed, “You just may have been right, come let’s get to the bridge. You may just be missing the obvious.”
“AI, is it correct to say that the scans you have made of the object pass through the field and directly into the object?” Rose asked.
“Yes.”
“That b
eing the case, is it possible for you to transmit information into the object?”
“Yes.”
The entire awake population of the fleet was glued to their screens at this stage.
“Then with the permission of the elders, I wish to attempt to send a small amount of harmless information into the object to test a reaction.”
The elders were already reeling at the implications of what Rose was attempting.
“It is given.”
“Thank you. AI, send the following information.” Rose paused for what seemed a long time, she was obviously choosing the information very carefully, the expressions on the faces of the people around her on the Bridge were puzzled, worried and confused. Some were even in the process of changing their minds. Rose, however, looked perfectly relaxed.
“Greetings, we are here with good intent,” was all she said – concise and unambiguous.
“It has been transmitted... There is data coming into my processing section. Please observe the screen, there is also auditory.”
The screen lit up a soft golden orange colour and a voice neither masculine or feminine in nature said gently, “Welcome Rose Two and all Tuathans. The stars are smiling on you especially brightly at this moment in space and time.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
1949 AD
“Think clearly, communicate sparingly.” Professor Mark Crawford.
“You are released now from my hold and free to continue your journey,” the strange voice continued. “I meant you no harm, only to ascertain your abilities. I hope however you will stay a while and converse, the choice is yours.”
The elders had come out of an initial stunned silence and were shouting, “Converse Rose, converse! Converse!”
Rose with total composure answered, “We would be greatly honoured if you would converse with us. Our kind are intensely inquisitive and wish to assail you with many questions. If we say or do anything that offends you it will only be due to our ignorance, not ill intent.”
“Fear not Rose, I have without your permission extracted all the information in your data banks. This had to be done in order for me to ascertain who or what I am dealing with. I am greatly pleased to meet you and know you are a kind and gentle people. I will come to the location you are now standing in so that we can converse. I will appear as a Tuathan, the body will be both me and a projection of me. I will appear in three hours. This is standard protocol, it allows time for you to ‘catch your breath’ as you say. Farewell until then.”
The screen went back to showing some stunned faces, but a lot of them were smiling. Rose had been lifted in the air, kissed, hugged and cheered. A directive came from the Elders, “All personnel listed on the screen will transfer from their ships to ISS3 immediately.” A long list of names appeared on the screens and Orion ordered the crew to clear the deck, except for basic seating, in order to accommodate the guests.
Two hours later, the bridge of ISS3 had been turned into a conference centre. Rose sat in front of an area laid out like a stage. There was a comfortable chair, table, water, fruit and biscuits, even flowers, prepared for the guest of honour. Rose made the point that they did not know if it could eat or not. The point was to offer sustenance; it was a universal gesture, she felt. Rose of course was flying by the seat of her trousers but was determined to look in control. The elders and some ministers were there. The President , who was dressed in his finest attire, spoke:
“We have much to discuss before the visitor arrives and not much time. Here is the situation. This room has been sealed and the rest of the fleet moved away. This may be a totally useless attempt at security but we felt the need to make some attempt. Rose Two is to be spokesperson; she has shown amazing sensitivity in dealing with the alien and has basically saved the entire mission. Now we come to the nub of the situation, why were we stopped in the first place? We can make all sorts of guesses but the truth is we don’t know, so that has to be our first line of questioning. Next is who and what is this alien? And thirdly can this alien help us? If we concentrate on these three things I think we will have achieved a lot. Rose, is there anything you wish to add?”
Rose stood. “Please remember this alien could have killed us at any time, but hasn’t. It probably has an agenda of its own that we can’t understand. There must be faith and goodwill here. It knows everything now about us, I emphasise absolutely everything. It knows my name and made a point of using it to show its power. How much power it commands I cannot even begin to guess, but it is definitely superior to us in everything. We need its friendship, it seems to want ours I think; maybe this time for once in our sad history the stars really have smiled on us.”
“Thank you, Rose. Now the rest of you to keep this running smoothly, address any questions you may have electronically, text them to Rose who will address the alien so that it is not bombarded. All right then, I suggest you have a last minute toilet break and talk among yourselves for the next fifteen minutes. Be aware this is an event of historic importance. Whatever the outcome, we will act with dignity and honour.”
Exactly on time AI announced that the alien would appear in ten seconds. There was a glow of golden orange, a slight shimmering effect of the light, and there in front of them stood a young Tuathan male 120 centimetres tall with short, brown hair and blue eyes. Wearing one-piece yellow overalls but no shoes, he promptly sat down and smiled a wonderfully happy and open smile.
“Hello everyone. I do not have a name. Other races I have met chose one to suit their own perception of me. Please ask me whatever you like. I will answer all questions as best I can.”
Rose stood before the entity. “I have been chosen to speak for Tuath. Welcome again. What are some of the names other races have given you?”
“Hello Rose. Unfortunately I only have relationships with three other races; you I hope will be a forth. They call me the Guardian, the Traveller and the Path.”
Rose smiled. “We are ourselves travelling a path and would appreciate a guardian as we are vulnerable and newcomers to the emptiness of space.”
The entity smiled back. “I will see what I can do to be of assistance to you.
“How many solar system have you explored?”
“All of them.”
Rose was taken aback. “You mean, you have investigated all the systems in the local area?”
“No, I mean all of them in this galaxy and now a few in the next. I should explain, I search for worthy entities. Ones who maybe one day will reach the top of the evolutionary mountain and, on the summit, find their ultimate potential.”
“Do you think that we have this potential?”
“Oh yes, you are very strong candidates. Given time and the absence of exterior calamities you may well reach the ultimate state.”
“Forgive me. Let me clarify this, yourself and three other species have reached full potential in the entirety of two galaxies?”
“Oh no, unfortunately I am the only one. I am assisting the other three as I will assist you, if you wish. My interference must be minimal however, as even I could inadvertently change the true direction of your evolution and, by doing so, corrupt it. It amounts to little more than visits to your planet and the opportunity to ask non-technical questions. The other three are progressing slowly. Eventually, I will not be alone anymore, I live in hope for that moment.”
“But surely you have not discovered all the sentient species yet in this galaxy? We ourselves know of another on the planet we call Earth.”
“I also know of them. There are hundreds like them scattered through this galaxy, sick and infectious, they are to be avoided. Eventually they will either change or die. In my experience, they die terribly: but you dear people have escaped them and you must realise how precious to me you are as it has taken millions of your years since I last came upon a worthy candidate.”
Rose glanced down at her text tablet: it was full of questions. She picked one. “You understand our mission and where we are headed. What are the chances of ou
r success?”
“Ah, now that brings me to why I am overjoyed you chose to speak with me. The data you are basing your mission on is flawed. The planet you are heading to hasn’t any vegetation or for that matter any real soil on its surface. The green you can see is nothing more than the reflected light of the red dwarf on slate, a greenish slate. The atmosphere was created by giant seaweed growing throughout the oceans. It is a dominant monospecies which has in effect put a brake on any further evolution. I’m afraid that is not good news, is it?”
“No it definitely is not, but we could survive and terraform couldn’t we? I mean given a lot of time and effort maybe, even one or two generations?”
“Given your amazing tenacity and determination, yes, and because of the eventual terraforming having such a high probability of success, I can interfere a little. I can terraform it for you before you arrive. I can also transport your entire fleet there instantaneously. All I would be really doing is speeding up the inevitable a little. Parts of myself are not happy with this level of interference but we are still prepared to offer it. Would you like that?”
“Please, this is a wonderful offer but we are still in a state of amazed shock, I wonder if you could give us some time to digest everything.”
“Of course... very understandable. I will return whenever you feel ready to call me. Just use your AI,” and he disappeared: not a slow fade-out, but more like a switch being turned off.
“Thank you Rose you ended that just at the appropriate moment. We must all take time to orientate ourselves and come to terms with the new situation,” said the President. An elder spoke next:
“We have to keep in mind that it is impossible to have secrets from this being. It is possible that it can read our minds as well as the information stored in the AI. From what we can gather, we have made a friend of someone with unimaginable power who wishes to help us. Its only motivation seems loneliness. It seeks to have other minds at a similar level as its own to commune with. It will have to wait a long time for that to eventuate and so can we draw the conclusion that it is immortal?”
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