“We’re here,” he commed.
“On our way,” replied Captain Howard Toncha, the WSO of Shuttle 01. Within minutes, the shuttle appeared next to the Vella Gulf. Its pilot, Flight Lieutenant Ken Smith, set the large craft down next to the ship with barely a splash. The shuttle crew quickly tied up to the Gulf and put a boarding ramp in place between the two ships. Half of the crew from the USS Vella Gulf made their way to the shuttle for transport to the TSS Vella Gulf. As the shuttle lifted off and cloaked, Captain Deutch was amazed at how quietly the shuttle could move when its pilot only used its anti-gravity systems. If the object was to overawe viewers with a roar and mass of flames, the shuttle could also land using its thrusters at full power. He had seen it done once that way, too, and knew it was impressive.
The last rays of nautical twilight faded, and the ship turned back west and retraced its path. Although all of its navigational equipment was on, all of its lights were off. The ship carefully passed both bridge tunnels and proceeded up the James River to where the Dead Fleet silently kept watch over the waterway.
The National Defense Reserve Fleet or ‘Dead Fleet’ was a group of about 25 retired merchant ships that waited silently at anchor in the middle of the James River. The ships had been preserved and were maintained at a moderate state of readiness on the chance that one day the nation might have an urgent need for additional merchant shipping. The Captain watched, holding his breath unconsciously, as the Vella Gulf silently approached a group of seven large former fleet oilers, which they would use to camouflage the ship. Finding the gap that tugboats had opened for them earlier in the day, the crew tied the ship up between the USS Merrimack (AO-179) and the USS Monongahela (AO-178) and began shutting down its systems.
As the remaining crew members finished with their duties, they boarded the second shuttle from the TSS Vella Gulf that had materialized next to the cruiser’s stern. Captain Deutch looked at the ship’s logo on the Monongahela. In the center of it was the Monongahela’s motto, ‘Pride in Service.’ Captain Deutch sighed, lost in nostalgia. Pride in service was what it was all about. Those that had never served would never know what it felt like to leave the ship that had been your home for two years, as well as the home for your close-knit family of 400. It might be a dysfunctional family at times, but what family wasn’t?
Within minutes, the Commanding Officer was the only person left onboard the ship, standing alone on the bridge wing. He looked at the Vella Gulf’s motto next to him, ‘Move Swiftly, Strike Vigorously!’ The new Vella Gulf was going to move faster than any U.S. ship had ever moved before. He hoped it wouldn’t be necessary to strike vigorously, or they would run the risk of failing completely in their mission. Misty-eyed, he patted the Vella Gulf’s plaque one last time for luck. “Good luck old lady,” he said, before walking to the ramp.
Bridge, TSS Vella Gulf, Approaching Black Hole #2, Solar System, March 14, 2019
“Five minutes to wormhole entrance!” called the helmsman.
“Sound General Quarters!” ordered Captain Deutch. Onboard United States’ ships, the General Quarters announcement was made to signal that battle or the threat of damage was imminent. Also called “Battle Stations,” whenever the call was made, the crew would quickly prepare the ship for battle. All of the crew (including any that had been sleeping when the call was made) would report to their combat positions and would close all of the ship’s watertight and fireproof doors to keep any potential damage from spreading. Captain Deutch didn’t have any idea of what lay on the other side of the stargate, and he wanted to be prepared for battle if it was waiting for them. For a similar reason, all six of the Vipers were manned in case they were needed upon system entry.
“Aye aye, sir!” said the duty engineer, seated next to the helmsman at the front console. He was responsible for all of the damage control systems. He turned on the General Quarters alarm. “Bong! Bong! Bong! Bong!” sounded a bell. It was followed with the engineer’s call of “General Quarters, General Quarters, all hands man your battle stations!”
Captain Deutch looked around the bridge. There were many extra people on the bridge who did not have battle stations there, but who had found a reason to be on it for the transit. As he was sure that he would have done the same thing, he didn’t say anything or kick them off.
Arges was running the science station, and Brontes was looking at something on one of his screens. Similarly, the Operations and Communications stations each had an extra person staring with feigned concentration at something on their screens, while they looked at the main view screens out of the corners of their eyes. Security had two extra people. In addition to the bridge crew, Calvin sat in his seat to the left of the commanding officer, and the executive officer was to his right. Steropes had claimed the extra chair on the other side of Calvin, and the ambassador was on the other side of the XO.
Captain Deutch looked at Steropes. “So, you’re sure you don’t know what’s on the other side of this black hole?” he asked. Captain Deutch had come to understand that the Psiclopes didn’t have a problem with lying when they thought it necessary. On many occasions, he had also seen them say that they didn’t know anything about a subject they didn’t want to tell the Terrans about, even though they knew all about it. It never hurt to ask a second (or third, or fourth) time; sometimes you got the answer you wanted after all.
“No,” said Steropes, “I really don’t. This black hole was discovered after the fall of Atlantis, and we didn’t have the crew to go explore it. We could have done it with Solomon in control, but that went against policy.”
“It’s a silly policy,” noted the AI, “but it is against regulations.” Interesting, Deutch thought. Solomon seemed excited to be operationally deploying again after all these years. Normally, the AI didn’t express his opinions unless he was asked.
“That leads me to another question,” said the CO. “If this is an Eldive ship, and they perished 3,000 years ago, how old is the Vella Gulf?”
“I am 3,348 of your years old,” answered Solomon, since the AI was part of the original equipment.
“Hmmm,” said Deutch, “that’s pretty old. How much does it stress the ship to go through a stargate?” He hoped he wouldn’t be the first human to go through a stargate only to find that his ship blew up upon re-entry because it was old and fell apart.
“It does not stress the ship to go through a stargate,” replied Solomon. “I am in fine working order and am in no danger of structural failure.”
“Even though the ship is old,” said Steropes, “it may still have some surprises for anyone that is familiar with its type of ship.”
“Like what?” asked Deutch.
“We received technology updates until recently,” replied Steropes, “and our lasers and grasers have been updated to Alliance standards. We also got the replicator designs for both anti-ship missiles and counter-missile missiles, so most of our offensive and defensive systems are close to what the advanced civilizations will have. We will be a bit of a surprise to any species that is familiar with this ship type.”
“It is unlikely that anyone will be familiar with me,” remarked Solomon. “I am the only remaining member of my class and have been unique for longer than many civilizations have existed.”
“While that cannot be proven conclusively,” said Arges, “it is indeed likely. Until the Vella Gulf showed up on Earth, it was believed that all of the Eldive vessels had been destroyed in the final battle with the Drakuls.”
“One minute until stargate!” called the helmsman.
“So, just a little disorientation?” asked Deutch.
“A little disorientation,” confirmed Steropes. “It will affect the equipment longer than the personnel.”
The helmsman looked up. “Wormhole entrance...”
The stars in the viewer expanded into infinity and everything went black...then went sideways...then went orange...then went salty...
KIRO-TV, Channel 7, Seattle, WA, March 14, 2019
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br /> “In national news this evening, the White House has announced a new trade initiative with the nation of Nigeria,” read KIRO’s anchorwoman, Anna St. Cloud. “In a joint press conference, President Bill Jacobs, Secretary of Commerce Nick David, and Oloye Ayodeji Moro, the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, announced that the United States and Nigeria had signed the major initiative, which gives the Federal Republic of Nigeria a large amount of aid to build a new federal government complex.”
The camera cut to the president standing at a podium. “I’m very happy to announce this initiative. As you probably know, Nigeria is the United States’ largest trading partner in sub-Saharan Africa and is also eligible for preferential trade benefits under the African Growth and Opportunity Act. This agreement today will both extend and expand the long-established bilateral trade and investment framework which already exists between the United States and Nigeria. We want to help our friends in Nigeria by working with them to build a new federal government complex that will continue to support and promote unity among its people.”
The camera returned to Anna St. Cloud. “Some experts believe that this aid would not have been possible if Nigeria hadn’t supported the United States during the Sino-American War,” reported St. Cloud. “They also point out that the site is much larger than is strictly necessary for a new government complex, leading them to question what else might be included in the aid package.”
“Not everyone was in favor of giving aid to Nigeria,” said Bob Brant, the station’s co-anchor. “The news of the aid package immediately sparked protests on the Washington Mall.”
The scene shifted to a group of about 50 protestors marching in front of the Capitol building. The newsman stuck the microphone in front of a man bearing the sign, ‘Save Americans First.’ “I don’t see why we continue to send money overseas while we still have so much poverty here,” he said. “We need jobs in America!”
The camera shifted back to Ms. St. Cloud. “In local news…”
* * * * *
Chapter Twelve
Bridge, TSS Vella Gulf, V452 Vulpecula System (HD 189733), March 14, 2019
“...now,” said the helmsman.
“The equipment is stabilizing...” said Arges. “Launching probes.” A variety of probes were launched from the ship in all directions, expanding the ship’s sensor net and giving them a better chance of detecting any ships or civilizations in the system. They looked for a number of signs of life, from power usage to anomalous gravity spikes to electromagnetic radiation.
“Anyone else taste salty?” asked Calvin.
“That is an aftereffect of the wormhole,” Brontes said. “For some reason, every wormhole that we know of activates one set of receptors on the tongue, regardless of race.”
“Which is peculiar,” Steropes added, “since there are two different processes that make up the sense of taste. We don’t know how it causes this affect. We just know it does. Just be glad this wasn’t a bitter one; they are the worst. It takes days to get rid of the taste of the bitter ones.”
“A lactose-based beverage has been shown to ameliorate the effects of the bitter transition,” said Arges.
“A what?” asked the helmsman, turning around.
“Drink milk,” said Captain Deutch to the helmsman. Turning to look over his shoulder, he asked, “More importantly, Arges, how’s that scan coming?”
“Almost complete,” replied Arges. “I am receiving no signs of habitation or ship emissions. Based on known stars, we appear to be in the V452 Vulpecula system. We are about 63 light-years away from Sol in the constellation of Vulpecula, the Fox. This is a two-star system, with an orange dwarf star as its primary and a red dwarf star about two billion miles away as its secondary. Compared with your star, Sol, the primary star of this system has about 82% of its mass, 75% of its radius, and 26% of its luminosity. I’m still searching for planets, but I don’t see any signs of life in the system.”
“Permission to stand down the alert fighters?” requested Calvin.
“Granted,” replied Captain Deutch.
“Skipper to all Spacehawks,” Calvin commed. “Stand down from alert. Nothing appears to be going on in this system. No signs of life, good or bad.”
Bridge, TSS Vella Gulf, V452 Vulpecula System (HD 189733), March 20, 2019
“The system has one planet,” Arges concluded. “V452 Vulpecula ‘a’ orbits at about 2.9 million miles from the system’s primary star.” He brought a long range image up on the screen. A small bluish dot with an arrow pointing toward it was annotated near the star. “As you can see, the planet has a deep blue hue.”
“So it’s a water world like Earth?” asked Captain Deutch.
“Unfortunately, no,” answered Arges. “The color you see is because of its optically reflective silicate clouds.”
“Or, to be a little more descriptive,” said Steropes, “it’s raining molten glass.”
“If that’s the reason for the blue color,” commented Captain Deutch, “I doubt it’s going to be habitable then, is it?”
“No, Captain Deutch, it is not,” answered Arges. “The glass rain is one consequence of the planet’s close proximity to its star, HD 189733. Another corollary is that it has a year that is only 2.2 Earth days long. The planet is tidally locked so that one side always faces the star, like Earth’s moon. Temperatures are estimated to be about 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit on the day side and 1,200 degrees on the night side.”
“One other interesting thing,” said Arges “is that the planet is so close to the star that its atmosphere is bleeding from it at a rate of approximately 600 million pounds per second. At some point in the future, there will be nothing left but the small rocky core of the planet.”
“That is very interesting and all,” said Deutch, “but is there anything of value that would keep us here?”
“I take it that by ‘anything of value,’ you do not mean scientific value, correct?” asked Arges. Receiving a nod, he continued. “In that case, no, there is nothing to keep us here.” He looked down at his equipment, “Based on magnetic anomaly analysis, our probes have found one gate out of the system. We can proceed to it and depart the system, although I would recommend staying for a couple of days to study the unique transformation of the system’s planet.”
“Thank you, Arges,” said Captain Deutch. He turned back to the front and ordered, “Helmsman, proceed toward the new gate that Arges has found at full speed. Let me know when we’re within 30 minutes of arrival. I’ll be in my state room.”
Bridge, TSS Vella Gulf, Epsilon Eridani System, April 29, 2019
Arges watched his displays, humming to himself. This was the fifth system that they had explored since leaving the Solar System. After the first system they had surveyed, they had transited through the system containing Kapteyn’s Star, then the Lacaille 8760 system and then the 61 Cygni system. The first two of those stars were red dwarfs with no planets. 61 Cygni was an orange star, a little bigger and hotter than the other two, but it also didn’t have any planets.
61 Cygni was important because it was a nexus system, though; instead of two stargates, it had at least three, giving them two exits to pick from. It also left a gate behind them that they would have to explore at another time.
Finally, Arges announced, “This system has a single star, whose mass is estimated at about 82% of your sun. Its radius is about 74% of the sun, and its luminosity is only about one-third, giving it an estimated surface temperature of only about 5,100 degrees Kelvin. Based on triangulation with known star systems, this appears to be the Epsilon Eridani system.”
“I recognize that one from my astronomy class,” remarked Captain Deutch. “It’s fairly close to our system, correct?”
“Yes sir,” replied Arges. “This system is only about 10.5 light years from Earth, and Epsilon Eridani can be observed from most of the Earth’s surface. It is located in the northern part of the constellation Eridanus, which is the constellation to the right of Orion a
s someone on Earth would look at it.”
“Any idea on planets yet?” asked Captain Deutch.
“Your astronomers have long known that this system has a giant planet, which I can confirm. This planet, Epsilon Eridani ‘b,’ orbits at 3.357 astronomical units from Epsilon Eridani and has an orbital period of about 7 years.
“How far is an astronomical unit?” asked the duty engineer, sitting next to the helmsman.
“An astronomical unit, or AU for short, is the distance between the Earth and the Sun,” explained Captain Deutch. “It’s about 93 million miles.”
“Epsilon Eridani ‘b’ is a gas giant like Jupiter and almost as big,” continued Arges. “Besides this planet, the system has two belts of rocky asteroids with one at about 3 AU and a second at about 20 AU. It appears that the structure of this belt is being maintained by a second planet, Epsilon Eridani ‘c,’ which orbits at a distance of 40 AU. The ‘c’ planet probably formed closer to the star and migrated outward because of gravitational interaction.
“The bottom line,” said the XO, “is that there’s nothing interesting to be seen here and no signs of habitation?”
“That is incorrect,” replied Arges, “as I have been saving the best part for last. This system also has a third planet located about 0.55 AU from the star. As Epsilon Eridani is much less luminous than your Sun, this orbit puts it in the heart of this star’s habitable zone. The distance where this star’s stellar flux matches what the Earth gets is at 0.61 AU, so this planet will be just slightly warmer than Earth.”
“I just got back the results of the planet’s surface scan,” continued Arges. He paused and looked around the bridge. “Not only is planet Epsilon Eridani ‘a’ habitable...the planet is inhabited.”
Theogony 1: Janissaries Page 19
