SWNOVELS Chapter 8
Hours had gone by since Admiral Reshma Shan convened the Sol Governance’s emergency meeting, and there was still no sign of not only the Justifier’s crew, but nothing from Director Dian Graffs’ crew from lunar station Watcher 7, nor Director Heather Furth’s people in Watcher 6, and the same went with the Planet-State Pluto base under Director Morelli Tuun…it had now been days since anyone from the Governance had heard from those soldiers!And at some point, whatever the phenomenon was, it was heading straight for Erth!
Admiral Shan needed time to brainstorm.She let her staff take over for her in the command center as she bunkered down in her command suite.She pulled up all her terminal capabilities to game out possibilities of various, unlikely-to-likely invasions within the solar system.Her personal Sentient swatted down most of the hypotheses—from cult-terrorist organizations connected to the Tellmondonians, to Sentient programs that had gone rogue and were scheming to obliterate the Human race!
But there was one possible scenario that the admiral’s Sentient kept going back to with every model she threw at it…
“…I’m sorry, Sentient, but Humans have heard about the threat of alien invasions for hundreds of years now!The only other beings we know about outside of Erth are the Callistonian slugs!”
“I know,” her Sentient responded; a bit pompous, “and you Humans were so disappointed in them since they weren’t your 20th century, little green men…that is, until you started harvesting the poor species for your super-speed space travels!”
“Ok, Sentient...one of the last things I need to hear right now is a lecture from a computer about how its masters are imperfect!”
“Ouch…”
Shan got up from her seat and began to pace.“So, you really don’t see any of the political groups in the outer parts of the solar system even having the capability to build ships to go this fast?”
“No, Admiral.Not based on current media reports.Only wealthy citizens within Sol’s core worlds currently have such abilities.And, as of now, based on governmental reports and cultural media, there are no indications any of those wealthy citizens have a hand in this.Besides the near-light speed abilities, who else of the Human race would have the ability to disable all of the Governance’s Sentientswithout having to stop, and then tinker with all those systems?To say nothing of the mass abductions at each space station!
“With each model that we game, as you put it, Admiral, the likelihood always comes down to some alien agency.”
Admiral Shan went silent for a long while as she thought on every morsel of information she had gotten between the Governance’s emergency meeting and the one she, currently, was in with her Sentient.She continued to pace; glancing at telemetry floating at various terminal sites…
“You know,” she finally said, “it’s a damn shame that we, Humans, feel this way of the possibility of an alien encounter.Long ago, there was a time when we relished the idea of even seeing one with one of those old rovers Humans used to send to other planets!But now…”She solemnly shook her head; finding a place to rest her hands on as she stopped her pacing.
The Sentient’s chime-indicator rang.“Admiral, Doctor Franks is at your door, Ma’am.”
She straightened up from her slouched position.“Thanks, Sentient…let her in, please.”
The door to the admiral’s quarters slid opened and the tall, slender woman—elderly—wasted no time as she plowed in.She wore a modern-day robe attire; a style that was heavily influenced by the old Tellmondonian ways.It was rumored by some at the Governance’s headquarters that, perhaps, she was a Tell’ descendent.She was one of many Governance’s scientists that belonged to the semi-autonomous institution called the Physical Universities.Indeed, the Universities employed many Tellmondonians and other cultural movements and political-thoughts that often served more as a counter-balance to the military powers within the solar system-wide Governance body than they served as the Governance’s scientists!“Reshma, have you heard what they’re doing?”
The admiral looked at her friend and colleague with confusion.
Dr. Franks tsked, rolled her eyes up toward the ceiling and spoke to the Sentient.“Sentient, please show the admiral the news of today from the Governance’s Members!”
Immediately, a holographic sphere appeared in the center of Admiral Shan’s quarters.It was a recorded news-feed from various sources throughout the solar system.It was news that happened since the admiral’s meeting with the Governance’s Members…
The media report showed recorded events of Sol Governance military soldiers from various branches of the solar government lining up in large hangars throughout the solar system.Most of the soldiers were already boarding massive battle spaceships, apparently all sparked by the alarming disappearances of space bases further out in the solar system!But it was this phenomenon that the admiral could not share with anyone outside the Governance’s Members-institution.
“Is this the Members,” Dr. Franks tersely put to her friend and colleague.
“Yes,” Admiral Shan responded directly.She did not even try to do the usual elusive replies that government officials often do when addressing a difficult subject.“Look, Urla, I know how the Governance’s scientists feel about first uses of military force, but it should tell you that it must be something so serious that the Members ordered a massing of troops without warning!Urla, things are so serious that I can’t even risk telling you right now!”
The elderly woman flinched out of surprise.She looked upon the admiral with incredulous eyes.“Is this a First Contact scenario, Reshma?”
“Urla…”Admiral Shan gave her a warning look.
The scientist nodded; giving up her protest.“What can we, at the Universities, do to help, Admiral?”
“Just—please, keep an eye out for anything highly unusual…”The scientist made a confused looked with her face, but Admiral Shan kept her focus.“I really can’t say much more, Urla.If any of the scientists, staff, or even the students see highly irregular things going on you’ve got to tell one of us from the Governance.”
Dr. Franks was obviously caught off guard with such vague—yet, aggressively serious—remarks by her friend, that she almost felt that their friendship was being tested.Dr. Franks turned to leave the admiral’s suite; feeling dejected.
“Don’t fly near any distance-markers…”
Admiral Shan’s whispered warning stopped Dr. Franks.She turned to face her long-time friend.Understanding what the admiral was trying to do, Franks silently nodded a ‘thanks’ to her, and left the admiral’s suite.