Jubilee Year: A Science Fiction Thriller (Erelong Book 1)

by Gerard O'Neill

  Penny kissed her father on his cheek as she walked into the house holding the salads. “Be back soon. Just giving these to Mom.”

  Penny groaned at the thought of Franchette’s best friend. She tried to avoid the woman whenever she and her husband paid a visit. But, on occasions such as this, avoiding the couple was impossible.

  “Penny!” The woman gushed. “Gosh, I haven’t seen you in ages.”

  Professor Adrienna Eleanor Druitt cut an imposing figure. Tall and stout with severe short-cropped brown hair, she wore her spectacles at the end of her nose, so that she looked over the rims at anyone of less height. Often the unfortunate effect was that she appeared to lecture whoever she engaged in conversation. She worked with her husband Stephen in the Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics at ANU. They were a virtual super astronomy duo, and they enjoyed telling the same to anyone who listened. She was indeed a diva and a total snob.

  Penny knew she might as well indulge Adrienna in the kitchen since she intended to stay well away from her for the rest of the day.

  “You look wonderful.”

  “Thank you, Adrienna.”

  “You will graduate this year, won’t you?”

  “Yes, in a couple of weeks.”

  “Fantastic. Well, I suppose you will be off soon. Away to New York or London and Paris to see the sights.”

  “I haven’t thought about travel.”

  “Oh, yes! Quite right. It is not much fun abroad at the moment, is it? All of those terror attacks happening everywhere.”

  Penny gave the professor a sweet smile.

  “Penny, will you be a darl and ask Michael where he wants the salad bowls?” Her mother asked.

  “On the table in the living room, Mom. Where else would he want them?”

  “Alright, to the living room we go.”

  Penny took the two bowls from her mother’s hands with a wave of relief and gratitude at Franchette’s offer of a quick escape from Adrienna.

  “This is the latest addition to the observatory team. Doctor Arnold Klein,” Michael said, smiling warmly at Arnold. “He’s on loan to us from the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics at UCSC. Actually, I think this is the first time we’ve got him to come to one of our barbecues.”

  Arnold pursed his lips together, pausing in thought for a moment before he replied. “You know, I believe I attended one of your barbecues the day I arrived at Siding Spring.”

  “Oh, yes, you're right,” Michael said giving a quick nod of affirmation. “That was the indoor welcome party we held for you. The weather was too cool for a barbecue. Still, we did have kebabs on the menu, so technically you’re correct.”

  “Yes,” Arnold said with a polite smile. “I thought so.”

  The bespectacled astrophysicist ducked his head, as was his habit when he greeted someone he did not know as he turned to shake hands with Storm and Penny. Handshaking was just such an awkward and unnecessary imposition.

  “How are you enjoying life in the outback?” Penny asked him.

  She noted Arnold’s shy smile had faded. The man had lost interest. Actually, the man seemed a real geek. He probably avoided socializing whenever possible. There was something else about Arnold she found unsettling. But it was only a vague feeling, so she shook it off and told herself it was simply that scientists were a strange lot in general.

  “I notice little of what goes on outside of my work,” Arnold said. “I’m rather boring.”

  “That depends on how you look at things,” Storm said with enthusiasm. “For me, astronomy doesn’t seem boring at all. You should have a go at the kind of work I do, then you’ll really know the difference.”

  “Oh, and what do you do?” Arnold asked him with raised eyebrows.

  “Odd jobs on farms and at the airport mostly,” Storm said, glancing across at Penny for reassurance, but he noticed she was looking uncomfortable.

  “I see,” Arnold mumbled, creasing his brow as he tried to imagine what kind of work that might be.

  “It’s always the same thing,” Storm told him. “At least I get to be outside most of the time.”

  “Do you like working outside?”

  “I don’t mind,” Storm said with a shrug. “There's not a lot of choice in the kinds of jobs offered around here.”

  “Oh. I see,” Arnold replied.

  He nodded his head as if he did, but his puzzled expression said he did not.

  Penny watched the two eyeing each other as if each was wary of a possible surprise assault from the other. She realized she was witness to a collision between two worlds, and she grabbed Storm’s arm.

  “Let’s go inside and say hello to Mom.”

  Storm saw Penny’s mother setting salad bowls on the table at one end of the living room. He took a deep breath and greeted her with exuberance—as if he couldn’t be more pleased to see her again. She made him uncomfortable, but he knew how much Penny wanted him to get on with Franchette. She was bloody protective about her mom for reasons he couldn’t fathom.

  “Hi, Doctor Boulos,” Storm said cheerfully.

  “Hi, Storm! Where have you been hiding these past few weeks?”

  “I've been working on a farm outside of Tamworth.”

  “Oh. That’s good. Are you still thinking about university next year?”

  “Sure.”

  “Good,” she said nodding her head as she looked about for her wine glass.

  He pointed at the can in his hand. “Would you like a cold beer?”

  “That would be lovely. Yes, thank you.”

  He came back with a can and a glass.

  Franchette eyed Storm as she took a sip. She reminded herself once more why she had taken a liking to this rough provincial boy. Storm was healthy, and he certainly was mature for his age, she thought. Then again, he was way too young for Penny, and without much of a future. Still, at least Penny's relationship with Storm meant she came home more often than she would otherwise have done.

  Franchette's gave Storm her genuine, warm smile. It was quite different to the professional reassuring kind she used almost every day in her clinic.

  “You know, you must call me Franchette,” she said and gave a little laugh. “If you call me Doctor Boulos, I will think of you as a patient.”

  She winked at him and waved her finger to and fro.

  He watched her walk back out to the kitchen. Well, that was odd, he thought.

  Storm had never met anyone quite like Franchette before and he wondered if there were not quite a few like her to be found in Sydney. The thought of a roomful of Franchettes was both hilarious and scary. He walked over to the table and foraged among the tasty snack food she had ordered from the city, especially for the party. He could see her in the kitchen taking another bottle of Pinot Grigio from the refrigerator. He watched her open it on the counter, looking away as she passed him on the way out to the patio. Not quick enough though, to miss one more wink from her.

  Franchette poured wine for her guests and offered the first toast. To health, happiness, and success. Pleasant conversation and a decent Australian Pinot shared with the Druitts. How nice! It was a near perfect day, but how much better the party would have been if she and Michael were offering the hospitality of their beautiful house in Bronte, with its wonderful sea view. Instead of this godforsaken place where Michael had chosen to take a position. Oh, well. An afternoon enjoying the cooler temperature of Mount Woorat would have to do for now.

  Showing Off

  Storm brought his empty plate into the kitchen and stood at the sink watching Penny through the window as she performed on the patio. She was good at pretending interest. She kept right on nodding her head politely as her mother and the two plump astronomers from ANU prattled on and on. Judging from her smiley mask, he could tell she was bored. He caught her eye as he walked past the open doors of the patio and gave her a wave.

  She pulled a face and rolled her eyes.

  He knew what she was saying to him. She could not be ru
de and just walk away from the conversation. She would though, the first chance she saw.

  If there was a problem with the party, it was all the polite conversation. It countered the relaxing effect of the alcohol. It made him feel he must be careful with what he said and how he said it.

  “It’s Storm, right?” A voice said behind him.

  Storm turned to see Karl holding out a bottle of imported beer.

  “Try one of these,” Karl said. “Michael and Franchette put on a good feed, don’t they?”

  “Do you work with Michael and Arnold?” Storm asked, accepting the beer.

  “I’m gathering data for my Ph.D.,” Karl said.

  “What are you looking at?” Storm asked, feeling awkward. “I mean—what are you researching?”

  “I’m researching extra-solar planets,” Karl said. “The ones that go around brown dwarf stars.”

  “Wow!” Storm said. “That’s cool!

  “What about you?” Karl asked.

  “I would like be studying,” Storm said, his face reddening. “Are you looking for life?”

  “Sure. There’s a far greater chance of finding life on planets orbiting the habitable zone around a brown dwarf star then around stars like our sun.”

  “No way,” Storm said in surprise.

  “Actually, our very own sun is a dwarf star,” Karl said. “It’s one of the large yellow types—if that makes you feel any better.”

  “I don’t care, so long as it keeps doing what it does,” Storm quipped with a grin.

  “It’s a funny thing, but yellow dwarfs don’t last half as long as brown dwarfs,” Karl said. “That’s one reason why intelligent life is less likely to develop on planets orbiting stars like our sun.”

  “You mean we are an exceptional case?”

  “I think so,” Karl replied. “Earth’s moderate zones exist between extremes of freezing cold and scorching hot. But a planet in the habitable zone of a brown dwarf might support life exceptionally well, and that’s because the radiated energy disperses equally across the globe. The downside is it’s also much closer to its star than we are to ours. A solar flare could fry the planet.”

  Storm was beginning to wonder how technical the discussion was going to get.

  “You’re going out with Penny, aren’t you?” Karl asked, suddenly looking self-conscious. “Ah—Michael told me you would both be coming over together. She’s nice. You’re lucky.”

  “Yeah,” Storm said with a nod of confirmation. He reflected that he no longer viewed Karl as a possible competitor for Penny’s attention. In fact, he decided then and there that he liked the feller.

  “I guess I’ll just see how it goes,” Storm said. “We’re really different.”

  “Is she working in science like her mom and dad?” Karl asked tentatively?

  Storm said with a chuckle at Penny’s reaction if Karl had asked her the same question. “She’s into dance and art.”

  Storm was was looking past Karl, and at the group on the patio. They were waving goodbye to someone. He saw it was Arnold.

  “Is Arnold leaving already?” Storm asked.

  “Looks like it,” Karl muttered.

  They watched as Michael came through the patio doors, picking up a bowl of potato chips from the table as he walked by it. He walked up offering them the bowl.

  “I caught the end of that,” Michael said to Karl with a grin. “I took the chance to excuse myself when Arnold said he was off to his office. So, what did the two enjoy the barbecue?”

  “You cook a mean steak!” Storm said with enthusiasm.

  “I’ll be back for the next one,” Karl said. “You’ve left poor old Stephen alone with all the women.”

  “Ah, he’ll love it,” Michael told Karl through a mouthful of potato chips. “Oh, but his freaking wife drives me insane! Adrienna is always talking about herself and everything is always wonderful. But what can I do? She’s Franchette’s friend—”

  Michael paused to cough and immediately brushed the chip fragments off Storm’s T-shirt.

  “Storm was asking me about brown dwarfs,” Karl said to Michael.

  “You know, I was meaning to talk to you about the very same subject. I’ve decided I could use your help with—ah—something I’ve been working on.”

  Karl gulped down the last of his beer and set the can on the table. “Sure! But how?”

  “Well, you have this outsider’s perspective.”

  “Outside of what exactly?” Karl returned with a laugh.

  “Let’s call it a different approach to the subject,” Michael said, waving his hand in the air. He put down the bowl of chips and folded his arms.

  “Let me put it this way. You express an alternative perspective.”

  “Sure,” Karl nodded enthusiastically.

  Storm watched Penny on the patio and turned back to Michael and Karl. “I’m off to the beer fridge. Would either of you like to try one of mine?”

  Karl gave him a nod.

  “I’ll give it a go,” Michael replied.

  Storm rubbed his hands together. “Right, be back in a minute.”

  On his way past the group on the patio, he saw Penny glance back his way with a wistful look.

  “Do you want one of my beers?” He asked her quietly, hoping she would not invite him to join the conversation.

  She stepped over to him and whispered in his ear. “Give me a few more minutes here, then I’ll tell them I have to join your terribly interesting chatter about telescopes.”

  She gazed at Stephen Druitt’s mouth as it moved. The man was droning on and on, interminably. She took a quick glance over her shoulder at the lounge and saw, that indeed, Storm seemed to be genuinely interested in whatever Karl and Michael were talking about.

  No Coincidences In Astronomy

  “As I see it, the evidence points to an intruder similar to a brown dwarf inside our solar system,” Karl said.

  He watched Michael’s face for a sign of scorn and finding none he carried on.

  “The current location appears to be at the feet of Virgo. Since this thing appears to emit little or no measurable light, I surmise it’s extremely difficult to observe. It would also seem to be smaller than what is generally accepted as the size of a brown dwarf, and much denser than what might be expected.”

  Karl noticed Michael’s frown. It would have been better had he introduced his postulations to Michael over a series of days. But—there was no going back now.

  Storm was delighted to see Penny heading through the patio door to join the boys. Good job! She had finally escaped.

  “If there are lots of brown dwarfs, what’s the big deal?” Storm asked, handing each of the men a can of beer.

  “The big deal is that it might be awfully close to us, sweetie,” Penny said, taking the can from Storm’s hand and filling her glass.

  “So what exactly is a brown dwarf, Dad? I never seem to get it right.”

  It always pleased Michael when his daughter expressed curiosity about things astronomical. He was couldn’t deny he was a little disappointed she had not been drawn to science. But he loved his daughter dearly and would have never said as much to her. He consoled himself with the thought she was happy, and that she had at least discovered her niche in the arts.

  “They are a fairly recent area of study, but the conventional view is they are failed stars,” Michael replied. “Cold, dark bodies and smaller in size and mass compared to our sun. No bigger than a giant gas planet like Jupiter, with a signature reddish color.”

  He glanced at Karl.

  “And there are some who claim both their red color and lack of brightness is due to a low-density electrical discharge. Similar to a flashlight bulb when the batteries need to be changed.”

  Karl nodded his head in agreement.

  “I think that I will leave off telling you more for now, at least until I’m good and drunk!” He sat the empty beer can in his hand on the table and burped loudly.

  “Are you sure yo
u can’t tell us more about your discovery?” Karl asked, pressing on, unwilling to allow Michael to stop right when things were just beginning to get very interesting. He had not seen the director so drunk before this day.

  “I suppose I am passed halfway gone so I might as well,” Michael decided with a groan. “Alright. But you lot are all sworn to secrecy! Got it? Don’t talk about this to anyone.”

  “Understood,” Karl nodded his head solemnly.

  Michael glanced at Storm and Penny.

  “Won’t tell a soul,” Storm agreed.

  “Me neither,” Penny promised.

  Satisfied with the response, Michael drew a deep breath. “Why do I just know I am going to regret this in the morning?” He hesitated once more before taking the plunge. “I’m putting together a presentation for the symposium to be held in Melbourne in two months. Once I have that over with you lot can debate the subject all day long with whoever you wish.”

  He glanced around his audience.

  “And—this aligns with what you, Karl, have already said. Something big is out there and it appears to be coming our way.”

  “But it’s difficult to be certain much more about it without more data. We can’t see it with conventional telescopes. Perhaps not even from ground-based infrared telescopes.”

  “I’m sure you’ve heard, Karl, of the reports coming out of Europe of some fantastic change in the time sunrise and sunset occur?” He asked.

  “Yes,” Karl answered, as eager as a schoolboy begging for the answer. “That’s so interesting. So you really think we have a brown dwarf traveling through our solar system?”

  “On the face of it,” Michael replied. “My postulate is—well, almost ridiculous! But—there are undeniable discrepancies showing up in all the data I see that point to a brown dwarf or something quite similar. I have been trying to find an explanation for very slight but significant changes in the expected time of sunrise and sunset…”