Nu Trilogy 1: The Esss Advance Page 22

  Chapter 95 – Measuring Laser Frequencies

  Captain Neil Essex had been working with his engineering team almost continuously for the past twenty-four hours to get the two missiles ready for their alien flyby. The difficult part of this mission was controlling the speed of the distant missile with the laser beam profiler (LBP). As the camera missile left the ship, the LBP missile had to be moving very slowly in a wide sweeping arc, staying at least 5,000 kilometers away from the alien ship. As the camera missile got closer to its target, the LBP missile had to accelerate to maintain its position, keeping the camera missile directly between the aliens and itself.

  The Nathan Hale’s chief navigator had laid out the requirements for the engineering group with almost no effort whatsoever. Implementing those requirements in one of their store of missile types was a real challenge though. The final solution was not elegant, but it should be effective.

  The amount of fuel being pumped into the combustion chamber controlled the amount of acceleration, so the chief engineer adapted a rheostat type control mechanism on the weapons console of the bridge. Moving the rheostat lever in a clockwise direction opened the spigot installed in the rocket’s fuel system. Moving the lever in a counter-clockwise direction restricted the opening size.

  The camera missile was loaded with a limited supply of fuel so that it reached its desired speed almost immediately and then ran out of fuel. That missile was on a simple ballistic course. Its camera was mounted in the nose with the lens pointing at the alien ship, and a simple laser pointer was attached that emitted in exactly the opposite direction. This laser was intercepted by the LBP on the companion missile and feedback about laser strength was communicated back to the weapons console. With this arrangement, the weapons officer could adjust the rheostat to keep the laser alignment true.

  If they had been given just a few weeks to work on this problem, he would have been able to automate the control between the two missiles, but such was not the case.

  “We have only one shot at this Lieutenant,” Captain Essex said to Lieutenant Childers. “I know you ran a simulation drill with engineering, but this is the real thing. You may release the two missiles when you are ready.”

  “Don’t worry, sir,” she replied. “I worked with engineering over the past two hours to desensitize the rheostat quite a bit so that it takes at least twenty degrees of turn to make a five percent difference in acceleration. After the changes, we ran a second simulation, and the rocket was much easier to control.”

  “Excellent. Let’s get this show on the road.”

  “Releasing the camera missile now sir. Camera missile burn has completed. Current velocity is now nine kilometers per second. We should overtake the alien ship in nine minutes. I am releasing the LBP missile now with almost negligible acceleration. Okay, the LBP has acquired the laser pointer signal from the camera. We should be good to go, sir.”

  “Okay,” Captain Essex replied. “Commander Evans, please bring up the camera feed of the alien ship on the main screen. Let’s get a good look at that monster.”

  “Yes sir.” Commander George Evans punched a few buttons on the communication console. “We are feeding the information from the camera to the main screen and back to Discovery. I have superimposed the LBP signal in the lower left hand corner of the camera feed, and I am feeding the composite directly back to Discovery. If the aliens fire their laser at the camera missile, both ships will get the frequency distribution graph in real time.”

  The next seven minutes were uneventful. The image of the alien ship was still void of details when the anticipated laser event occurred. The camera image disappeared abruptly, and the LBP graph showed twin spikes in the infrared range.

  “That’s it,” Childers said. “We have a laser profile. The distance from the alien ship was approximately twelve hundred kilometers, so our images from the camera are not very detailed.”

  “Thank you, Lieutenant Childers,” Captain Essex replied. “I want a comprehensive report available for Captain Vasquez in the next fifteen minutes. Evans, open a line to Discovery. Let’s see if there is anything specific they want in our report with regard to how we accomplished the mission or if they are just interested in the results.”

  Chapter 96 – Boarding the Shuttle Back to the Moon

  Jessica turned back to Sted with such a mischievous grin on her face that Sted could not help but smile. They had just gotten off the transport cab at the shuttle docking facility with their transport bags for the trip back to Luna. Jessica had been gloating for the past two days since the orders had been received for the two of them to board the shuttle for this return trip. Apparently, her suggestion to Cam that Sted was anxious to get back to AMC to work on the new Epsilon fighters had struck a chord with not only Cam but also with the Admiralty.

  “Will you stop gloating?” Sted asked, smiling. “Yes, it was probably your suggestion to Cam that got the Admiralty to lift the lockdown of the shuttle. I’m sure they were considering it anyway though, because there are several dozen people here that are needed urgently on Luna and Earth. The shuttle will also be able to bring back some additional specialists for altering the Voyager III design to turn it into a fighter-carrying ship instead of a peaceful interstellar explorer.”

  Jessica grinned. “You look so good eating crow! I promise to stop serving it to you now that we’re boarding the shuttle. I think I’ll let the cooks on board prepare our meals for the long trip back, and I’m sure they don’t have any crow in the larder!”

  “That’s it! You’re definitely going to have to be punished once we get onboard.”

  “Well, you get almost three months to figure out the best way to administer your punishment,” she said. “If you need some suggestions, I’m sure I can think of a few!”

  They moved across the large shuttle receiving area and took the lift down into the shuttle. With the shuttle docking facility on the opposite arm from the interstellar development platform, and with both rotating around the central core, the shuttle had been designed with its main entrance on the top of the craft, where it locked onto the docking facility.

  With so few returning on the shuttle, and with Lockheed still trying to lure Sted into their service, they had been assigned a luxury suite for the trip back. The suite was almost as big as Sted’s apartment back at the shipyard. The only difference was the presence of a real office facility right in the suite and the lack of a kitchen/dining space. All dining on the shuttle took place in the main dining room, similar to a cruise ship on Earth’s ocean liners.

  As Jessica unpacked their few belongings, Sted palmed the desktop communication screen to find out the details of his orders. He knew the Navy would not let him be idle during the long trip, so he was not surprised with the number of emails with attachments waiting for him. Only one of the emails was highlighted in red, so he touched the screen to open it. A video recording from Cam popped up on the desktop.

  “Hello, Sted,” said Cam’s recorded voice. “There is a locked drawer in the desk that will only open to your right thumbprint. Inside is a chip containing the latest design specs for the Epsilon class fighters we are starting to put together here on Luna. As soon as you get settled, I want you to review the designs and draft any suggestions you might have beyond what you’ve already communicated to us through Rear Admiral Cunningham and directly to me when you disagreed with her assessments.

  “By the way, your suggestion for interchangeable skins for the Epsilons created quite a stir among the engineers here. We have already redesigned the mounting of the outer shell layer, and one of our youngest and brightest engineers has come up with a way to change the surface of a single outer layer to switch to matte black from mirrored by running a current through the transparent surface layer. When current is applied, the layer changes from transparent to a dusty charcoal black. When the current is turned off, the layer switches back to being completely transparent, and underneath is the mirrored surface. We just got the frequencies of the
alien laser used to destroy a camera-carrying missile out in Jupiter orbit, so we will be adapting the mirrored surface for those specific frequencies.

  “What we are looking for from you is a set of fighting tactics to be used by the Epsilons against one of those smaller craft that came to visit us so recently. Based on those tactics, we need to know what changes need to be made to the fighters.

  “We have arranged for your communications to have top priority from the shuttle, so if you have specific questions or need additional information to continue your research, just store your requests on this console in the High Priority Request folder, and they will be routed to us automatically on the next transmission. Likewise, we will have our responses and any requests that we might have in the High Priority Response folder on your desktop. When any response is posted in this folder, you will get both a visual and auditory signal from the desktop. Also, if you are not in your quarters at the time, your personal communicator will be notified.

  “I look forward to hearing from you in the very near future. By the way, Vice Admiral Bunting sends his personal regards to both you and Jessica. Her suggestion to bring you back to Luna came at just the right time based upon the intelligence the Navy has been gathering about the aliens. We can’t get you here any faster than the shuttle can fly undetected back from the shipyard, but at least we can take advantage of your expertise while you’re in transit.”

  As the message went dark, Jessica tapped Sted on the shoulder and then put her arms around him from behind. She knew how valuable Sted was to the Navy right now, but did they know just how valuable he was to her? She sincerely doubted that.

  “Well, honey,” she said. “I know they’re going to keep you busy most of the way back. Just remember, you promised some punishment for me on this trip, and I expect you to deliver.”

  With that she kissed him on the top of his head, swiveled his chair around, and then sat in his lap for a hug of reassurance that she needed desperately.

  Interlude 12 – 3,400 Years Ago

  AlbuTang had worked directly with the Egyptians in advancing their civilization for several centuries. Now, branching out to other civilizations was necessary to speed up the process.

  Across the sea from Egypt was the land of what would become known as Greece, and the governor decided the people of this region were particularly suited to conquest of the various groups developing slowly in and around the Mediterranean.

  Once again, AlbuTang appeared before a new people, this time in the form that would become known throughout the region as Athena, the goddess of knowledge, the goddess of war, the teacher of shipbuilding, the patroness of true civilization. The building of the legends became much easier with the refining of writing that Athena brought to the Greeks, and Hellenistic society spread quickly throughout the region.

  Then, with the assistance of the Nu, Alexander the Great was able to consolidate many civilizations in just a few short years. As far as AlbuTang was concerned, this new species was developing the skills and mindset that would be necessary to tackle the Esss.

  Also, with the establishment of the great library in the new Egyptian city of Alexandria, progress was being made in recording what needed to be passed down to future generations to continue this rapid rise.

  Chapter 97 – The Esss Release the Courier Ship

  The master chronicler had finished recording all necessary information for the report, and now it was time to dispatch the courier ship back to the forward operating base. The inclusion of the local communication device and portions of the samples would be more than enough for the other masters to make the decision to move the forward operating base to this new planet.

  Based upon the experiences gained in leading the scouting mission to the planet, the master chronicler picked the scout leader to command the courier mission. It would be immersed in the sacred waters with the other masters to draw out every bit of information about this new world. That, along with the samples being returned, would ensure the proper decision.

  The courier ship was six times the size of the in-system scout ships. The controls were almost identical in the two types of ships, but the amount of fuel necessary to span the interstellar distances meant that the courier was used mostly for fuel storage. The ship would be accelerating constantly at the engine’s most fuel-efficient setting for half of the trip back. It would decelerate during the second half.

  The calculations made by the master chronicler and included in the courier information packet showed that by the time the courier retuned to the forward operating base and the Esss organized and executed the nursery mission, the third planet would be ready for colonization.

  With the separation of the courier, the master chronicler ordered the main ship to break orbit from around the gas giant and establish an orbit around the third planet. By the time the ship was in orbit, the planetary re-engineering modules would be programmed and stocked with the necessary materials to begin the process of transforming the world.

  Chapter 98 – Council of Eight Emergency Meeting

  “Everyone, please, let’s have some order!” President Travers said. “That’s better. I know you have probably all heard rumors about what’s happening out near Jupiter. Rumors, however, must be replaced by facts. That’s why I asked Secretary Miller and Fleet Admiral Brooks to this emergency meeting to give us all the unadulterated facts about what we actually know, since the admiral has the dispatch from the shuttle Discovery. Admiral, you have the floor so you may start your presentation.”

  Brooks nodded in response. “Thank you, Sir William. If everyone will look at their personal consoles on the council table, I will start the recording received by the Admiralty just forty-five minutes ago from Captain Essex aboard the Nathan Hale, as routed through Discovery. Please note that the magnified images were taken from five thousand kilometers away with the best telescope available, so details may be lacking.”

  Brooks glanced at his watch before he continued. “Three hours and seventeen minutes ago, the alien ship disgorged a second smaller ship that began accelerating out of system in the general direction from which the aliens arrived. Based upon preliminary analysis, the size of this new ship is just short of one kilometer in length, or six times the size of the three ships that visited Earth, so calling it a ‘smaller’ ship is not quite accurate.

  “Twenty minutes after receiving the dispatch about the smaller alien ship leaving the system, we received a second dispatch that is even more alarming. The main alien ship is now leaving Jupiter orbit and is headed toward Earth. We have sent orders to both Discovery and Nathan Hale to break orbit around Jupiter and follow the two ships back to Earth. The operative word in that last sentence is ‘follow’, because that’s all they can do. The best time the Discovery can make back to Earth is approximately six months.

  “Based upon their last trip in-system, we estimate the main ship will make Earth orbit in just under three months. This figure could very well change over the next several days as we gather more data from their acceleration away from Jupiter. Does anyone on the council have any questions regarding what we actually know from observation?”

  Once again, the noise of side conversations threatened to derail the meeting. President Travers gave the council members a couple of minutes to let the consequences of the news settle in before bringing the meeting back to order.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, Fleet Admiral Brooks has asked if you have any questions about the facts just reported. Please indicate that you have a question by raising your hand. Ms. Schneider, you have the floor.”

  “Admiral Brooks, would you please review with the council what you know about the ship that is headed our way? I think a refresher would help all of us come to grips with what we might be facing.”

  Ms. Bette Schneider had been on the Council of Eight for fourteen years and was originally from Wiesbaden, Germany. Her Hessian heritage had served her well, as she was known for her coolness under pressure and her unshakeable dedication to t
he Council and the world it served. Although she was already in her mid-sixties, she did not look a day over fifty, which she attributed to her rigorous workouts and to time spent in the spas in her native city. When she asked a question, everyone on the council listened carefully, because she was known for getting to the heart of any situation with unfailing alacrity.

  “Certainly, Ms. Schneider,” Brooks replied. He had no need to refer to his notes, because he had been working on little else for the last several months. “Here is what I know for sure. First of all, the aliens arrived on a single ship. This ship was detected decelerating toward our planetary system almost exactly nine months ago. Second, the ship inserted itself into orbit around Jupiter six-and-a-half months ago and then dispatched the three smaller ships, one of which caused all of the trouble over Lake Victoria that we discussed just three months past. Third, we knew little more about the main ship until the shuttle Discovery and the Nathan Hale arrived at Jupiter and inserted themselves into orbit five thousand kilometers behind the aliens. Fourth, with the return of the three ships back to Jupiter, we were able to estimate that the main ship is approximately seven-and-a-half kilometers long and one kilometer in diameter. We attempted to get more details about the main ship, but our cameras were only able to get as close as twelve hundred kilometers before the missile with the camera was destroyed by laser fire, so we are still lacking any detailed information about the ship. Finally, we have been unable to establish any communication with any of the alien ships so far. We cannot tell whether the aliens do not recognize our communication attempts or are just ignoring those attempts.