Thumar

The following night, Shesain, Jack, Shenar and Derak went to another sector of Shenmar for dinner. Jack and Shenar were getting closer. Jack was getting more accustomed to Thumarian women, unlike some Alliance personnel from the base who still walked around in wide-eyed wonderment after six months.

The women were as fun as ever, laughing as they guided the men to their favorite spots. Shenar was obviously smitten with Jack, and he was warming up to it, even though he still questioned why someone like Shenar would be interested in him. Shenar seemed to recognize this and moved at his speed. She was a perfect match for him.

Derak awoke the next morning to Therese preparing breakfast.

“What is it this morning?” he asked.

“The eggs are real. The strips are a fried tuber with fresh Anean cracked wheat bread. The coffee is grown in the Corano Islands, the best on Thumar.”

“The strips taste like… fried tubers,” he teased.

She looked at him and shook her head.

“You know that too much meat isn’t good for you. If you think I’m strict, wait until Shesain gets a hold of your diet. We’re humoring you now.” She smiled as she finished writing his language lesson. “Here you go, I’ll test you later,” she said, handing him the e-pad before changing into her exercise outfit.

After cleaning the kitchen, Derak relaxed on the couch, to take in some more Corano coffee, and began to go over the day’s lesson. His wrist com unit buzzed, warning him of an incoming message.

“Who is it, Terga?”

“CNC. You had better take it. It sounds serious.”

Putting the e-pad down, he went to his office and shut the door, wall plaz screen, he thought. The screen came to life, and Gamar had a very concerned look on his face.

“What is it, Gamar? I was planning on seeing you in a couple of hours. Can it wait?”

“No, it cannot,” Gamar replied. “A stable O-class star in mid-life exploded in the outer Pegasus sector. What’s odd is our probes detected a matter-antimatter explosion before the star went supernova. I’m sending you the data now.” The wall screen divided in two sections. One half of the split screen was Gamar’s face; the other half displayed the data.

“Are you thinking what I am, Gamar? Is this another Pelar incident?”

“There’s a strong possibility.”

“I’ll be there ASAP. Have you notified the science crew?”

“They’re on their way.”

“I’ll see you in a few minutes.”

Derak emerged from the office and intercepted Therese. “Forget the workout. I’m needed in CNC. I’m leaving as soon as I change. Get ready.”

Her look of disappointment turned to one of strictly business.

“What is it?” She asked while they hurried to CNC.

“An unusual cosmic occurrence in the Pegasus sector; a stable star went supernova.” The data was running around in his head as they entered CNC.

Activity was at a heightened level. The science crew was crowded around the 3D plaz displays, compiling information.

“Admiral on the deck.”

“As you were, Gamar, follow me.”

They entered a large circular room with tables lining the rim, leaving the center for large 3D displays. Gamar went to the control panel and turned the display on. It showed a twelve-foot diameter three-dimensional holographic version of what was previously on his wall plaz-screen. He was about to start when the door opened. Admiral Morton entered with his XO and chief science officer.

“What in the hell is going on, Admiral Jamar?”

Admiral Kaitain walked in followed by Jack and his science officer.

“Who else did you notify, Gamar?” Derak asked.

“Generals Kamur, Corano, and the president. They will be here soon.”

He sighed, “We might as well wait for everyone to show up. Find Carol,” he ordered a lieutenant.

She rushed into the room, “Yes, sir?”

“We’ll need refreshments for, let’s say, for twenty, and make it quick.”

“Yes, sir.” Carol left the room.

“Well, Admiral!” Morton’s tone was sardonic. “I’m waiting!”

“Admiral Morton, we were all taken away from something important. We’re waiting for generals Kamur, Corano, and the president. I suggest that everyone take your seat and start to familiarize yourselves with the data we’ve received. Refreshments will be arriving shortly.”

“Not these seats,” Derak told some members of the science crew. “These are reserved for the president and ambassador. You’ll sit over there.”

Carol arrived with the food and beverages about the time the generals showed up. Shesain and Remor followed, their faces filled with concern.

Derak spoke after the food was set down. “All of you might as well grab something before we get started.”

Karn, Chakur, Therese, and five junior officers remained standing behind their charges.

As they waited for the meeting to start, Shesain put her hand on Derak’s thigh and leaned over.

“Remor and I are here to ascertain the situation.” She smiled and left her hand where it was, out of sight.

Derak began. “Thank you all for coming on such short notice. As you know, an anomaly has been detected in the outer Pegasus Sector. A stable mid-life O-class star went supernova. What called us here wasn’t the supernova as much as the matter-antimatter explosion that preceded it. Before the blast took out our probes, they detected and recorded the presence of a ship, approximately two light-years, directly behind the event. The AS Copernicus and the TS Genar are returning from patrols and have been dispatched to sweep the area. We’ll be hearing from them soon.”

“What’s this about a first explosion?” Admiral Morton demanded.

“Show some respect,” admonished admiral Kaitain.

“Thank you, Admiral Kaitain,” said Derak. “Let’s all turn our attention to the holo-display.”

The display started. The 3D display showed calm space and then a massive explosion briefly illuminated the dark room. The first flash dissipated, followed by a second flash of light. Then the star exploded, with its elements mixing with those of the first event, amplifying into a super explosion. The successive waves of fire and elements spread out for light years.

“Something kept the supernova from exceeding one hundred and thirty degrees, directing the fullness of the blast forward at near light speed,” said Gamar. “The planets that inhabited the system were immediately destroyed. The asteroid belt was decimated, as well. You would never know the solar system once existed if you went there today.

“This is a manufactured event,” he continued. “As you can see, nothing behind the first detonation was as adversely affected as the front was, within a one hundred and thirty-degree displacement. We’re tracking the course of the gamma ray burst and where the impact is going to hit.”

“What does this mean for us?” General Kamur asked.

“Were waiting for more information to accurately track it,” Gamar replied.

Questions erupted through the room about the nature of the supernova and the matter anti-matter explosion. What organization or government would do such a thing?

As if on cue, sub-space communications started streaming in from The Copernicus and The Genar. The area of affected space was too hot to enter, but they retrieved two fragments, a broken mid-joint and a scrap of a solar sail with a reflective side. Data was collected that could complete the trajectory of the supernova’s shock wave. The scientists huddled together going over the information. Gamar then entered the new data, and the holo-display changed, now showing colors to indicate gasses and elements with the storm’s course and timeline.

Gamar’s suddenly looked afraid. “The main force will go through the Terelian and Kek systems, cutting through the heart of their habitable planets and satellites. The broken arm piece indicates that the outer sail failed and sent a secondary wave headed directly to Thumar.”

Pandemonium broke out in the room.

“Order!” Derak slammed the gavel down hard. ”Gentlemen, we don’t know the severity or the exact timing yet. Cool heads must prevail if we are to work out a solution. Gamar, is this similar to what you went through on Pelar?”

Morton jumped out of his seat. “That’s classified Alliance material. You can’t use that here!”

“Admiral Morton!” Remor cut in. “This information is not in your reports, so your objection is out of order. You may continue, Gamar.”

“Thank you, Mr. President,” he said, composed again. “Yes, Admiral Jamar, it’s exactly like the storm that hit Pelar nine years ago.”

“This ‘storm’ has nothing to do with Pelar,” Morton said, angrily.

“Admiral Morton. If you can’t keep yourself in line, I’ll have to ask you to leave and brief you later.”

Morton sat down in his chair, fuming. “Please continue, Gamar.”

Gamar spoke, with a heavy heart. “A Thumarian terrestrial science team was assigned to survey a newly discovered planet. Rear Admiral Morton and the AS Copernicus dropped us off and maintained a standard orbit.”

Everybody looked at Morton who was sulking in his chair.

“We had finished our survey of the planet we had named, Pelar. The survey yielded excellent results, finding it completely habitable for future colonization. We packed up our gear and requested retrieval from Pelar’s surface. Our instructions were to upload our data files first, which we did. Then we requested a shuttle again. After three attempts, we were instructed to find shelter and wait for rescue. Then all communications stopped, The Copernicus had left orbit.”

The glares, Morton received, were intense. He looked as if he wished he could disappear.

“We managed to get to some caves we had discovered the day before,” continued Gamar. “I lost three of the science crew before reaching the caves. A fourth died setting up recording equipment and two more died from storm-related injuries inside the cave.”

“You said you didn’t record the storm!” Morton shouted.

“Admiral Morton, one more interruption and you are out of here,” Derak warned him.

Morton furiously sank back in his chair.

“The next morning we stepped out of the cave to find the planet stripped down to rock. Nothing survived outside of our cave. Pelar is still a barren wasteland,” he concluded.

“How many people did you lose, in total?” Shesain asked.

“Six. Three were stripped down to the bone. One of them was my brother.” Gamar was visibly shaken by the memory. “I do not like to talk about it.”

“Thank you, for your report,” Remor said. “I’m sorry about your team and your brother.”

The room was silent for a long moment.

Derak broke the lull. “I move that we send a science mission to intercept the wave that is headed towards us and warn the surrounding systems. We’ll send The Morwen, with science teams from both the Alliance and Thumar. Perhaps there is something we can do to prevent another Pelar.”

“Will you be going, Admiral Jamar?” Shesain asked in a strained voice.

“I think it’s imperative that I go, Ambassador,” said Derak. “Gamar should accompany the expedition. I also suggest we start planning an evacuation of Thumar. We cannot assume we will be able to avert disaster. We can only hope to do what we can to mitigate the damage.”

Shesain grew more distressed.

“Admiral Morton, since The Copernicus was at Pelar, could you download all of your data so we have more to work with?” Derak asked.

He looked at him and nodded.

“I’ll see to it.” He managed, sensing everyone in the room was scrutinizing him, based on his actions at Pelar.

“Is that all?” No one answered. A vote was called to investigate the supernova. The expedition was approved. The meeting was over.

Shesain was not in a good mood.

Admiral Morton left, leaving his XO and chief science officer. Generals Kamur and Corano approached.

“I’ll start the evacuation plan,” General Kamur said.

“I’ll work on the civilian teams and set the contingencies,” General Corano added.

Remor nodded and sent them off.

Morton’s science officer stepped up. “You have my full cooperation, Admiral, Mr. President. I’ll see to the download myself.”

“Thank you, commander.”

“Mr. President, I’m Captain Murray, Admiral Morton’s XO, I’m so sorry about…”

“Remor smiled at the captain. “You weren’t there nine years ago.”

“Gamar, get the science teams outfitted, alert Commander Smith, everyone must be ready and at the shuttles by 1600 hours,” Derak ordered.

“Yes, sir.”

Once they had left CNC, Remor addressed Derak in a hushed tone. “It’s time to deploy The Shenar and The Shesain. They’re built for this.”

“I was going to suggest the same thing. We’ll bring them up cloaked,” said Derak. “I’ll need Jack to fly The Shenar. Let admiral Kaitain know. I need to prep the ships.”

“Good luck.” Remor left to find Shesain.

Derak found Jack waiting for him outside his quarters.

“What’s going on?” Jack asked. “I was headed back to The Morwen; and the next thing I

know, I’m told to meet you here.”

“I need your piloting skills, Jack. Follow me.” They walked into his quarters and down the back hall. Derak made sure the door was showing this time. When it opened, Jack’s jaw dropped.

“What’s this? You know what the Alliance would do if they knew about this,” Jack asked, shocked.

“Of course, I do. That’s why you’re going to fly that one, The Shenar, and I’m flying The Shesain. We’ll need them to set the probes once we’ve reached our coordinates.”

“There’s no hatch, no windows,” Jack said, giving him a puzzled look.

“There’s no time to go into details,” said Derak, abruptly. “So, you’re getting the short strokes. Put this on.” He handed him a mesh bracelet. “It will disappear once you put it on, but will always be there. The ships are operated by thought control. This bracelet allows you access to The Shenar. Let’s go. Think open, Jack.”

Jack concentrated, and the iris appeared and opened.

“Let’s move into the bridge.”

He entered and looked around. “Where are the controls?”

“Think controls.”

The flight controls lit up with the 3D holo-displays.

“What the — ? This isn’t standard Alliance technology,” Jack remarked.

“Sit down in the captain’s chair, and place your hands here,” Derak instructed, pointing to the flat panels on the armchair. “Sit back, and don’t remove your hands until the lessons are over.”

He reclined onto the backrest, and Derak moved the optical eyepiece over his right eye. “Don’t move until it’s over,” he said.

With a thought, Jack’s lessons started. Derak stood beside him for thirty minutes until the

optical piece retracted, and Jack removed his hands.

“Whoa. I think I have it,” he smiled.

“Good,” said Derak. “We lift off in twenty minutes. Familiarize yourself with this beauty. You’ll receive further instructions in deep space.”

“This is great,” said Jack. “I’d better get to work. I’ve got pre-flight checks to perform.”

After pre-flight, they boarded the ships to start the engines.

“This is The Shenar. Where are the hangar doors?”

“Just think, Jack, think.”

“Cloak on, Shenar, We’re entering our original dimension, now.”

The hanger doors opened. Both ships left a hanger that was invisible to everyone. “What the — ?” Jack asked in surprise.

“I’ll explain later,” said Derak. “Next stop is The Morwen. Take her up in cloak, and don’t take her out until the bay doors are shut and security is set.”

“What do you think, Jack?”

“I’m speechless.”

“Stay close. We have to make the Morwen before departure.”

“Wait a minute, Derak! Are you in my mind? How in the hell are you doing that?” Jack’s thoughts felt jumbled and bewildered.

“Thought control ship-to-ship communications. We’re coming upon The Morwen, Initiate docking maneuvers. Wait for my mark.”

The docking bay doors opened, and they backed their ships in. The doors shut, and security was set.

“De-cloak and disembark,” Derak ordered.

Both ships appeared out of thin air. Remor wasn’t surprised, but admiral Kaitain involuntarily backed away, aghast. His shock increased when, after Jack and Derak exited, as the iris of each ship opened and closed to a smooth hull.

“Remor… Admiral,” Derak addressed them.

“How was the maiden voyage?” Remor asked.

“It wasn’t a maiden voyage for The Shesain, but it was for The Shenar. Jack’s a good pilot.”

Admiral Kaitain recovered and spoke. “Captain Morgan, you’re needed on the bridge. Finish the pre-flight checks. I’ll be up shortly.”

“Aye, sir.” He left through the guarded door.

“You’ll have to explain this to me, later. Impressive, very impressive,” Admiral Kaitain said, gesturing toward the ships.

“I’d be happy to, once we’re under way. No vids or visitors, and they must be guarded twenty eight/eight,” said Derak as he transferred a thought command to the ships to recloak.

They arrived on the bridge, “officers on deck.”

“At ease,” admiral Kaitain ordered.

“This is a beautiful bridge, Admiral,” Derak remarked.

“Thank you, Admiral. Your boys did an excellent job building her,” said Kaitain. “Captain, when do we break orbit?”

“One hour, sir. We are loading and securing the last of the science cargo and settling the scientists in.”

“Thank you, Captain. We’ll be in my stateroom if you need us,” he said, turning to Remor and Derak.

They arrived in admiral Kaitain’s lavishly appointed stateroom, he offered them a drink.

“I’ll take some apple juice, if you have it,” said Derak.

“We’re on a first-name basis here, Derak,” he said. “What would you like, Remor?”

“Hot kava tea.”

“With honey and salt,” Derak quipped.

Remor shot him a wry look. “Yes, with salt. Spices it up, don’t you agree, Zolar?”

“Yes, it does, Remor.”

Zolar Kaitain sat in a chair and indicated for the men to sit. “Now, Derak, we need to discuss your ships. I’ve never seen nor heard of anything like them before.”

“Nor will you, outside of your hangar,” said Derak. “I’ve built them with thought-control technology. There are redundant manual controls, in case, the captain is rendered unconscious or killed. In that case, the smooth panels meld into the desk frames, revealing manual touch pads. Both ships have living, self-healing hulls. The entire ship is a living entity, inside and out. Both are armed and very dangerous. Their shielding is superior to any technology you currently have. The ships already know their pilots. The captain and his XO will be connected to the ship. For tomorrow’s run, it will be Jack and me.

“I must firmly stress,” he concluded, seriously, “The Alliance must not know they exist.”

“Very well,” said Zolar. “Can we outfit some of our fleet with your new advances?”

“None of your existing fleet, they have to be built in an exclusive yard.” Derak explained, shaking his head. “However, I can help with upgrading your existing shields and weapons.”

“We’ll take you up on both after we’re through with this crisis,” said Remor.

Zolar’s com-unit buzzed.

“Admiral, we’re ready to break orbit.”

“Thank you, Captain. I’ll be there, momentarily.” He turned to the president. “Remor, you

need to return to the planet. Would you join me on the bridge, Derak? You’ll need to familiarize yourself with it, in case you ever need The Morwen’s services.”

Chakur was waiting for Remor outside the door. Remor wished them luck before he was escorted to his shuttle.

They entered the bridge.

“Officers on the deck.”

“As you were, has the president’s shuttle left? Are the science crews settled in their quarters? Their gear stowed?” asked Zolar.

“Yes, sir,” the quartermaster reported. “The president’s shuttle is preparing for launch now, five minutes until they reach the planet.”

“Break orbit when they reach the atmosphere, and set the coordinates.”

“Setting coordinates, sir,” the navigation officer reported. Five minutes later, The Morwen broke orbit and moved out of the solar system at one-half impulse speed.

“We’ve reached the Lagrange point, Admiral,” Captain Morgan reported.

“Very good, initiate hyperdrive on my mark.”

“Hyperdrive initiated, sir.”

“Engage,” admiral Kaitain ordered.

The jump wasn’t noticeable unless they looked out of the plaz window and noticed the stars blur into a conical shape moving in a clockwise motion.

I will never lose my appreciation of that beautiful sight, Derak thought, smiling.

“You have the bridge, captain. Contact me when we reach our destination.”

“Aye, sir.”

“Admiral, shall we?” He motioned for Derak to accompany him as they left the bridge. He

continued, “The science team will meet in the main conference room at 1900 hours. Until then, perhaps you can show me your ships. I think that we should have a science officer on board to perform the required experiments.”

“Only if they can keep one of the most important secrets they will ever encounter. I can’t stress this enough.”

“The personnel, I have in mind, will. I trust them explicitly.”

As they entered the hangar, the ships uncloaked.

“That’s amazing,” Zolar commented. “How do you do it?”

“Thoughts, similar to the way psychics communicate. I stumbled on it while working on a different experiment. My mind is still trying to catch up with the science. Let’s start with The Shenar, shall we?”

Zolar received a call from the bridge.

“We are coming out of hyperspace,” reported a crew member.

The two men left the hangar and made their way back to the bridge.

“Are we at a safe distance, Captain?”

“Yes, sir, seven light years out.”

The supernova was spectacular, but deadly. Vast arms of red and green spread light years in all directions.

“There are immense amounts of nitrogen and oxygen in the oncoming waves, and a strong gamma ray burst leading the way,” Zolar’s science officer reported. “We’re at a safe distance for about one day.”

“Commander, you have the bridge,” said Zolar. “Captain Morgan, you, and commander Bukar, please accompany admiral Jamar and myself to the science meeting.”

“Aye, sir.”

Those present in the meeting room included admiral Kaitain, captain Morgan, commander Bukar, and lieutenant commander Sparks. Also there were Thumar’s top physicists, astronomers, and planetary specialists along with scientists who represented the Alliance. The scientists had gone over the statistics and had developed experiments to be mounted on long-range probes. commander Shakur was assigned to Derak’s ship; lieutenant commander Spark’s accompanied Jack. After the briefing, the science officers left to perform final checks on the probes.

Jack and Derak went to the hangar to carry out pre-flight checks.

“Jack, we’re going to use manual controls on this mission. They’re similar to Alliance standards. Leave the iris open and the outer hull accessible to accept the probes.”

Derak contacted Zolar. “Can you meet me in the hangar?”

“I’ll be there shortly.”

Zolar arrived at The Shenar. “What is it, Derak?” he asked.

“I’ve been thinking that this mission might require a new unit to be formed, one made up of top scientists and your best pilots. I can supply you with your own ships, two for now. You and Remor can figure out the details later. Jack and I will train the pilots on the ship’s operations. You might want to include two pilots on this mission to serve as co-pilots, as well. It would be an excellent introduction to the new ships and their capabilities. Your top security measures must be employed.”

The admiral nodded. “You can be sure that special ops security measures will be in place twenty-eight/eight.”

“Tell them to report here in one hour.”

Derak turned to Jack.

“Are you sure you’re doing the right thing?” Jack asked.

“Never more sure in my life.”

The crew arrived on time. Jack worked with the science crew and Derak with the co-pilots. They were introduced to lieutenant commander Sparks, who was Jack’s pilot; his scientist was lieutenant Pakar. Lieutenant commander Murtah served as Derak’s scientist and commander Shakur sat in the pilot’s seat. They all had special ops insignia. This insured him of their professionalism. He gave each of them mesh bracelets and instructions.

Jack had the probes loaded, and they boarded their respective craft, with the irises of each ship closing behind them. The new arrivals were true to their billing; nothing seemed to surprise them.

“Shesain to Morwen: requesting permission for departure.”

“This is The Morwen. You are cleared to launch. See you when you return.”

“Open bay doors. Shesain to Shenar, start your engines and prepare to launch in one minute.” Derak ordered.

“This is The Shenar. Copy.”

“Commander, are the pre-flight checks complete?”

“Yes, sir. Pre-flight checks are complete.”

Derak focused his mind.

“Shenar. Use thought control. You might as well get used to it.”

“Copy, Shesain.”

“T minus 10 seconds. Five, four, three, two, one… launch.”

The Shesain and The Shenar cleared The Morwen and set course for their coordinates. “See you in three hours.”

“Copy, Shesain.”

The two ships split up and moved to their pre-set coordinates. Derak was in the captain’s chair, Shakur sat in the pilot’s chair, and Murtah was at the science station.

“Commander, when do we reach our position?”

“Thirty minutes, sir,” she reported.

“Lieutenant Commander, are the probes ready to launch?”

“Aye, sir, locked and loaded.”

“Good. Let’s start your thought-control lessons.”

By the time they reached their position, the crews were proficient in what they needed to know about this mission.

“We’ve reached our coordinates, sir,” Commander Shakur said.

“Thank you, Commander, full stop. Commence probe launch.”

“Aye, sir.”

“Launch probes in five, four, three, two, one… launch,” Derak ordered.

“Probes launched, sir.”

“Good work. Now, let’s wait for the results.

Twenty minutes later, Murtah said, “Sir, readings are coming in fast and off the scale. The science crew will have fun with this.”

“Hold your position, Commander, until it’s all in.”

Twenty minutes later, “Readings are complete, sir. The probes have been destroyed by the gamma rays.”

“Good work, Commander Murtah,” said Derak. “Return to the rendezvous point, and contact

The Shenar.”

“The Shenar is finished and heading back to rendezvous with us, sir.”

“Set course and engage,” Derak ordered.

“Aye, sir.”

They met The Shenar and headed back to The Morwen. On the return trip, the crews received more thought-control lessons. The science team from The Shenar docked on The Morwen and delivered the information to the scientists. The result of their analysis was devastating. They headed back to Thumar at breakneck speed. There was no time to lose.