Impulse, page 7
part #12 of First Colony Series
“Then why have you put years into trying to solve this?”
Noah regarded his wife for a few moments. “I thought it was a team effort.”
She chuckled, her eyes gleaming. “You know what I mean.”
“I don’t want to leave New Earth permanently, is what I guess I’m trying to say,” he replied, feeling a thoughtful frown pulling his eyebrows together. “If we could make this work, we could support the second colony and travel back to Earth someday. Figure out if there are any survivors. Not to mention explore other worlds. I don’t believe this is where we’re meant to stay. We might have avoided a war with the Krake altogether if we could’ve simply left the planet.”
The war with the Krake had been eight years ago, but it had been a close battle, and the colony was almost lost.
Kara nodded. “And the Ovarrow?”
“They could come with us.”
“You’re assuming they’d want to leave the only home they’ve ever known.”
Noah shrugged. “Between that and annihilation, which would you choose?”
“That’s a little too simplistic a choice.”
“Sometimes simple is better.”
“Or it’s just convenient for the simple-minded.”
Noah grinned. “You’ve got me there. I guess I walked right into that one. You really stuck the landing.”
Kara threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. “You’re just tired.”
He’d married this woman fifteen years ago and he never tired of how her lips felt against his.
“I slept fine.”
She shook her head. “Not that. Mentally. I think you need a break. I know I do.”
Noah blinked a few times and considered it. “We could take a shuttle to Phoenix Station and visit Sean and Oriana.”
“And get roped into one of their projects? No, thank you. I told you I want to unwind a little bit. We should go planetside for a while. Give the entire team some downtime. They could use a break too.”
Noah glanced out the window toward New Earth and his eyes drank in the sight of a planet vibrant with life. Terra Research Station had gardens and a place to rest, but they weren’t long-term substitutes for standing on solid ground.
“How long do you want to go away?” he asked.
Kara shrugged and pursed her lips. “A couple of months, maybe.”
Noah’s eyebrows shot up. “Months! Are you serious?”
“Yes, I’m serious. A couple of weeks isn’t going to cut it. Everyone on the team is wound up tight, and sometimes taking a step back to get some perspective is what you need to take a giant leap forward.”
Noah slowly shook his head and smiled a little. “Now you sound like Sean trying to talk me into doing something.”
Kara kissed him again, then leaned toward his ear and whispered. “I’m pretty sure Sean doesn’t do this.” She nibbled on his earlobe and then kissed his neck.
Noah sighed with pleasure.
A notification chimed and came to prominence on one of the holoscreens.
“We need to meet with the rest of the team,” he said.
Kara pulled away from his neck and smiled at him. “This way, we can balance the bad news with something good.”
“It’s almost like a compliment sandwich.”
Kara frowned. “A what?”
“A compliment sandwich. You know, when you hide a bit of criticism between two compliments.”
Kara regarded him for a moment. “Not the analogy I would have chosen.”
“Close enough.”
“If you say so.”
7
Connor glanced at the clock for what seemed like the umpteenth time in the past hour. He rolled his eyes, thinking of his own lack of focus at the moment. He’d spent the last six hours reviewing proposed updates to the CDF charter that was going to be sent for colonial approval in the coming weeks. The Colonial Defense Force was a military that had similarities to the NA Alliance military of Old Earth, but there were also significant differences. The NA Alliance military had been born of multiple nation-state militaries that had joined together to become the NA Alliance. It’d taken decades for it to mature into the military that he remembered being part of. The CDF was maturing as well, and this was an important step in its life cycle. He’d been a key contributor in creating the CDF during a time when it hadn’t been clear that the colony required an active military to defend it.
Connor recalled his earlier days as part of Field Ops with bemusement. The colonists had come from all walks of life. There were scientists, engineers, builders, doctors, and all kinds of people with various skills. There were even people from former militaries but not that many. And then there was him and the Ghosts. They were the ones who weren’t supposed to be part of the colony. Every member of the Ghost Platoon would have faced a significant amount of time in a military prison until such time as their innocence could be proven, but there were no guarantees.
Admiral Mitch Wilkinson, an old family friend of Connor’s, had taken action on his behalf. Wilkinson must’ve anticipated how events would unfold for Connor and the rest of the Ghosts, which was why he smuggled them aboard the Ark. They’d all had their lives altered because of it, and not everyone had adjusted to colonial living.
Connor hadn’t thought of the admiral in such a long time. He’d long since put his past behind him, and he wasn’t quite sure why reviewing the updated CDF charter reminded him of Mitch Wilkinson. Maybe it was because they shouldered similar burdens of leadership—the burdens of generals and admirals. These were burdens Connor took extremely seriously. In the short time that the colony had been established, it had faced two significant extinction-level events—existential level events. On Old Earth, the enduring conflict had always involved people fighting among themselves. It had been the same for thousands of years, but the Vemus had changed things. They were some kind of bacterial viral pathogen that modified human DNA. And not just human DNA, but mammalian DNA. Colonial scientists theorized that the Vemus pathogen was of alien origin. The records indicated that it had come from deep within Old Earth’s oceans, but how it got there was anyone’s guess. The Vemus proved to be one of the strangest and most terrifying enemies Connor had ever faced. Then there was the Krake, an entirely different alien species, who’d been in another class of enemy altogether.
Connor shook his head. His job was to anticipate what third type of enemy they might face in the future. The fact that he couldn’t have imagined the first two enemies didn’t even matter. He’d already faced the unimaginable, so what else was left? It was those kinds of questions that occupied his thoughts, and probably the reason he kept checking the clock.
Nathan wanted them to focus on more domestic-type threats—the kind of threats that could exist among themselves and their neighbors. Having a common enemy did unite people, and species for that matter. It was easy for them to put their differences aside, even if they didn’t agree on how best to deal with the threat. He supposed he should feel relieved that he could look over solutions as to how best to defend the colony under relatively peaceful circumstances. And he was thankful, but it was also a little bit boring for him. But he couldn’t pass it off to someone else. He had to review what was being proposed. This was his chance to influence the direction of the CDF charter. It would be easier to make changes now than after it was ratified.
Connor glanced at the clock again and initiated a shutdown of the holoscreens in front of him. He’d had enough for today.
He left his office and walked to the corridors that led toward the airfield nearby. The soldiers saluted him, and he nodded a greeting toward the people he passed. They were all familiar faces and were used to seeing Connor. This wasn’t always the same when he traveled to other CDF bases throughout the colony, especially among the younger recruits. They typically looked at him with a sense of awe, as if he weren’t a soldier like them. It was helpful when they needed to listen, but it quickly became tiresome.
He exited the building and walked toward a row of aircars. His vehicle powered up as he approached and began to hover above the ground. The sleek craft was black with crimson lines that went from the nose to the back. Technically, his aircar was a civilian model, but it had quite a few upgrades that’d he’d either modified himself or had a few CDF engineers install while off duty. Most aircars didn’t have weapon systems, countermeasures, or increased armor, nor could they go at speeds that would challenge a Talon-V fighter.
He transmitted his authorization and the side door opened, closing itself after he climbed inside. He brought up the flight control systems, which went through a quick check, and all systems were ready to go. Some of New Earth’s engineers were trying to figure out a way to make the aircars capable of space travel, and they might figure out a way to do that eventually, but he wasn’t going to hold his breath. Most colonists didn’t need to travel into space with a frequency that would demand they be able to do it with their day-to-day mode of transportation.
He entered the coordinates for his home and the aircar ascended. The flight home was uneventful, and the sun would dip below the edge of the world soon. He’d expanded his home to include several buildings beyond the main house after the Krake war ended. They’d had to expand their home after Ethan had been born, too.
Connor noticed another aircar that was occupying the visitor landing pad, but he didn’t recognize it. Someone was probably visiting Lenora. He initiated the landing sequence and the aircar’s automated driving system brought him in for a smooth landing.
He climbed out and heard his wife calling to him from their courtyard behind the main house. Connor walked along the path and saw Lenora speaking with Noah and Kara.
Connor smiled and then eyed Noah for a moment. “Don’t tell me you broke Terra Station.”
Noah grinned and shook his head. “No, but not for lack of trying.”
Connor gave Kara a quick hug and then kissed his wife. He glanced toward the house.
“Lauren and Ethan are sleeping over at a friend’s house tonight and then they’ll be going to the lake with their class tomorrow.”
Connor whistled in appreciation. “We’ve got a rare night off. I guess we’re going to get crazy tonight.”
The others laughed.
Connor looked at Noah. “I thought you weren’t returning for another three months.”
Noah glanced at Kara for a moment and then looked back at Connor. “We needed a break from the station.”
Connor nodded. “How long are you in town?”
“We’ve been back on New Earth for two weeks. We were in Sierra for a bit and now we’re here. And we’re hungry, so will you feed us?”
“You show up unannounced and now you want to be fed?” Connor said and grinned.
“Yes, because that’s the kind of guy I am.”
A short time later they had finished eating and evening had settled on them. New Earth’s rings lit up the night sky toward the south, but farther north they could see the stars. It was a warm summer night, but the humidity wasn’t as bad as it was going to be in a few weeks.
Lenora and Kara had finished off a bottle of wine while Connor and Noah were working on their third glass of bourbon.
Noah looked at his wife. “You were right. I needed this. I just had to say it out loud and give you the credit you deserve.”
Kara lifted her chin in acknowledgment. “You could never go wrong by telling a woman that she was right.”
Lenora made an ahem sound and Connor pretended not to understand. He looked at Kara. “The same applies for men, too.”
“Oh, we know that already,” she replied and grinned wickedly.
Lenora joined in.
Connor polished off his bourbon and set the glass down on the table. “So, did you figure out FTL yet, or are you still destroying things?”
“Connor!” Lenora admonished. “These things take time, and I know it’s not from lack of effort,” she said, nodding toward Noah and Kara.
Noah bobbed his head to the side with a guilty smile. “No, I can still destroy things with the best of them. There are thousands of ways not to achieve FTL.”
Connor nodded and looked at his friend for a few moments. “So, you’re taking a break for a few months and then you’re going back at it?”
“That’s the long and short of it,” Noah replied.
Lenora and Kara stood up and walked toward the house.
“Have you thought that maybe it’s just not possible?” Connor asked.
“Only a few hundred times a day, especially…” Noah let the thought go unfinished. Then he said, “There are plenty of theories asserting that it should be possible, but we lacked the capability of producing the energy required. The best I can come up with is that the Ovarrow stumbled upon something. I feel like we’re close. And I know I’ve said that before, maybe once or twice anyway.”
“I think I’ve heard that a couple times from you before.”
“Fine,” Noah said and smiled. “I don’t think it’s impossible; I just think we’re doing it wrong.”
“Well, the Ovarrow here didn’t stumble onto it.”
Noah’s eyebrows raised questioningly.
“Do you remember the underwater city where we found the arch? Before the city became submerged there were Ovarrow there, but we think there was a group of Ovarrow from another universe that were more advanced. They were trying to find the Krake homeworld and recruit other Ovarrow to defeat them.”
Noah frowned. “I’ve heard this before, but I can’t remember what they were called.”
“That’s just it. We don’t know exactly what they were called. The only name we can go by was given to us by the Gesora. Remember them?” Connor asked.
Noah nodded. “I read the mission reports. They were our allies from one of the alternate universes.”
“Leading up to the Krake attack, there was a group of Ovarrow that had reached out to the Gesora. They called themselves the Bhatdin. Intelligence analysts couldn’t determine whether this was a Krake ploy or if there was an actual group out there—a group of Ovarrow capable of more advanced technology than we thought possible.”
Noah drained his bourbon and set the cup down. “It’s interesting. I’ll give you that. But I don’t see how it helps.”
Connor stood up. “Let me show you something. Side project of mine.”
“Of yours?” Noah asked. Then said, “As if running the CDF wasn’t enough to do, not to mention being a father.”
Connor shrugged. “It’s just something I’ve been working on since the end of the Krake war. It’s something both Lenora and I have put some time into.”
Connor led him toward a large outer building away from the main house. He palmed the identification plate and the doors opened. There were several work benches inside, along with a rover that was partially covered for storage. Beside the rover were several racks of field equipment.
“Are those weapons containers?” Noah asked.
Connor nodded. “I also have a bunker below with a tunnel that connects to the main house. There are a couple of outside entrances to tunnels that connect to the bunker as well.”
Noah nodded. “You can’t be too careful. The bunker, weapons, a highly modified rover. I’m surprised you don’t have a fully armed Hellcat tucked away somewhere.”
Connor grinned. “You never created a version of the MPS with flight capabilities.”
Noah chuckled and then looked around the workshop. He noticed an AR-74 that was disassembled on a workbench, and next to it was an Ovarrow plasma rifle. “You certainly like to tinker.”
Connor shrugged. “It’s not on the scale of making FTL work, but it’s interesting. Lauren even has her own rifle, scaled down to something she can handle. She shoots pretty well with it, too. Among the top in her field class.”
“Not surprising. She’s your daughter. Do you bring her in here?”
Connor shook his head. “Not here. We built a smaller workshop for the family.”
Noah smiled. “You’ve really embraced being a father.”
“Well, yeah. It’s fun. You should try it some time.”
Noah chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. “Someday for sure. The colony has grown quite a bit without our contribution.”
“You guys all right?”
“Oh yeah, we’re fine. To be honest, taking time off was Kara’s idea.”
Connor regarded his friend for a few moments. Noah had turned his attention toward another part of the workshop. “Why are you pushing so hard for this? FTL, I mean.”
Noah turned around and leaned against the workbench. He crossed his arms. “I really believe I can make it work. The whole team does.”
“I understand that, but what happens if you do make it work? What then?”
“It opens so many opportunities. We can support the second colony. Explore other star systems. Maybe even send a survey team back to Old Earth. The probes we sent still have another eighty years left on their journey. We sent them an update so their fabricators could build a subspace transceiver, but I can’t remember when we’ll receive a check-in from them.”
Connor had heard Noah give these reasons before, but there was something more he wasn’t saying. Connor simply stared at him, deciding it was better to wait him out.
Noah sat quietly for a few seconds and then seemed to arrive at a decision of his own. “I know there hasn’t been any evidence of the Krake being active in the alternate universes, but what if they were? Or maybe there’s something else out there that wants to wipe us all out.”
Connor inhaled deeply and sighed. “Hopefully not.”
“That’s just it. Hope isn’t a strategy. I must have heard you say that a thousand times over the years. I want to make FTL work so we’ll have some options other than surviving at all costs. The more the population of the colony grows, the more our previous solutions won’t work. Could you imagine building stasis pods for 1.2 million colonists? Not to mention the Ovarrow. And that’s just now. What about fifty years from now, or a hundred?”
“I didn’t know you felt so strongly about it.”
