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The crew met daily in private without any of our guests. Discussions included the technologies, customs, and other aspects of this new race we had discovered. All discussions of the resettlement plan were now moot. It was starting to sink in that we might not have any place to go. We had all settled in with drinks and snacks.
“Frank, were you able to find out anything in your research on an alternative planet for us?” I asked.
“There are two other planets in the database. None of the other dozen ships were sent there because of the distance involved,” he offered.
“How much distance?” Seamus asked.
“To use the only terms which mean anything to us at this point; 15 and 21 years,” Frank replied softly.
Gasps of dismay and disbelief were heard around the room. Silence followed as everyone considered the impact of his statement.
“From here?” Sherry finally asked, incredulously.
“Yeah, that’s why they weren’t considered from Earth,” Mica offered.
“Well, there is another option,” I said into the silence of the room. “Terse asked me today if we were interested in assimilating into their culture, or if we wished to live separate and apart from them on an isolated part of the planet.”
“Been there, done that. Don’t care to do it again,” Raven stated stone-faced. It was really hard to tell when, if ever, he was joking.
“I understand what you mean, Raven,” Sampson added. “What exactly does an isolated part of the planet mean? Do we get to live at their South Pole, or maybe their version of the Sahara Desert?”
“I’m fairly certain that isn’t the intent,” I continued. “He assured me they have ample space for us on the planet. They have no overcrowding, no disease, no hunger or sickness. It sounds like a Utopia, or maybe even Heaven,” I finished.
“Forgive me if I remain unconvinced,” Bea offered.
“I’m hoping none of you are convinced,” Sari joined in. “There are too many discrepancies in the stories we’re being told versus what I see of their genotype. I spoke at length with one of their medical personnel and they claim to be, essentially, technicians. Anything that goes wrong - illness, injury, infection - is all handled by a machine.”
“Hey, if you took a doctor from our 17th century and drop him into the 21st he would swear he had fallen in with gods,” Sampson offered. “They’re just more highly advanced than we are.”
“So, how do they maintain a population density?” Pradip interjected. “From what Jovi reports, they don’t reproduce.”
“I must have misinterpreted some data I received from one of the historians, or whatever they are,” Maya added. “We were discussing growing cycles and I learned all of their sustenance is manufactured for purity and consistency. In our discussion of solar seasons I learned they have none and then he mentioned he had lived for 658 cycles. The data says they live for an average 1100 solar cycles. Eleven hundred? Something is wrong with that data.”
“There are so many issues we need to address within the parameters of the original mission,” Lars spoke finally. “Are we just going to scrub it completely? We can’t travel on indefinitely, even after we make the conversion to light speed drive.”
He paused to let that sink in. “Seamus asked me if I thought the ship would tolerate that kind of speed for long. Well I’m here to tell you, there’s no reason it can’t. Except, of course, if we hit even a dust speck at three times light speed. Then we’ll simply vaporize. I have no way to test whether their improvements to our shields are sufficient.”
“The global rotation in this system, for this planet, is just over 27 hours,” Mica said, moving the discussion away from the grisly possibility. “We’ve reset every chronometer and time measurement device onboard for this schedule to help us adjust to the new cycle.”
“We’ve finished the modifications made to the star drive and the shields,” Lars continued undaunted. “We can safely, I think, incrementally increase our speed to light two.”
There was what sounded like wonder in his voice. “I recommend we do so very slowly. We should also monitor all instruments for any sign of anomalies or structural stressors.”
“One of their pilots, I don’t know which one, explained to me how to use the planet’s gravity to slow us down. It has three moons and would require a triple Kepler cone in reverse. In theory, it should slow us down dramatically from almost any speed, once we near the planet,” Sumiko explained.
“I have to say I’m itching to try it. At the same time, I’m scared to death it won’t work or the ship will break up. It’s highly controversial to everything I’ve been taught. But even our own computer system accepts all the operational parameters without rejection.”She looked perplexed at all the crew.
I had let this discussion go on long enough. “I’m extremely pleased we have learned all this advanced technology. My one true regret is that it will not be made available to Earth.” Puzzled look sprang up around the room.
“There is no way we can send this ship back to share the technology without sacrificing the safety and well-being of all of you. Even if we can safely teleport to the planet’s surface, we have no means of delivering the stores, equipment, or animal stock.”
Pausing, I looked at Sherry. “If their only form of sustenance is a manufactured gel, I’d have to know it met all our nutritional needs.”
Turning to Sumiko and glancing at Lars to include him in the statement, I continued. “I also have no intention of having this ship become a test bed for newly-modified equipment. And absolutely not with the crew on board. The stressors are unconfirmed; even the maneuver is hypothetical.
Sumi and Lars looked crestfallen. “Maybe once we arrive we can delay planet-fall long enough to get everyone but a skeleton crew on the surface and try it out. Even then, the safety of the crew is paramount.”
I stepped back and scrubbed my weary face with my hands. I had violated my own curfew in the privacy of my quarters, sitting for hours reviewing the myriad possibilities this encounter had prompted. I was not looking forward to their reaction to my next command decision.
“I’ve heard all of your inputs and weighed them carefully. We are going to proceed with our original approach vectors and maneuvers. It is the only safe way for the ship and crew. I refuse to jeopardize them just so the citizens of Marsingna can meet us a little earlier.”
Even with the added three hours in the day, the crew argued and discussed long into their sleep cycles. Decisions had to be made over which activities should be held off, and which had to be completed right away.
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“PERHAPS I CAN OFFER a solution to the dilemma. It may satisfy all your concerns and our desires as well,” Terse offered when I share my decision with him the next morning.
“I’m willing to listen, but my mind is pretty much made up,” I replied.
“If you would consent to teleporting over to my ship, you could ascertain its safety and suitability for your crew,” he began. “Then only you would be in danger the first time. Much like I did for my crew,” he reminded me.
“Once you have determined it is indeed safe, anyone not directly required to be on the Bontrager can be transported to one of our vessels. Your pilot could then perform the test maneuvers with minimal risk to the crew. There would be no risk to Sumiko or your ship either; really,” he hurried to add. “It would simply solve your need to protect your crew. An admirable quality, I might add.”
“So, you’re saying teleport my entire crew minus our pilot to one or both of your vessels for the accelerated trip to your planet?” I asked incredulously.
“It would satisfy all the requirements and objections you’ve presented thus far,” Terse replied hopefully.
“Except I would be basically handing my entire crew over to an alien race on board their vessels with no means of defending themselves or getting back to our ship,” I explained.
“Yours is not a very trusting race, is it?” he asked.
“Look, Terse. I appreciate your willingness to assist us in the many ways you already have,” I smiled. “I also understand your ruler, or government, or whatever it is wanting us to get there faster. I’m just not comfortable with the idea. I’m sorry, but my answer is still no. I will discuss it with the crew and allow for their inputs. It’s not the final answer just yet. Fair enough?”
“You hold all the authority, Joacim, so I will obviously defer to your decision,” he countered graciously. “Please let me know as soon as a final agreement has been reached.”
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“THIS IS THE CHANCE of a lifetime,” Sumiko exclaimed. “Faster than light travel? Imagine the benefits to Earth if we could somehow take the ship back and share it with Earth’s scientists and technicians. If it works really well, it would move the expansion from home planet onto an all-new level.”
“I agree with your concerns for protecting the crew,” Bea stated flatly. “It violates my commission and responsibility as Chief Security Officer.”
Sumiko was head up to make the initial run and maneuver. Bea was dead set against it, and the argument became heated before I called a halt to the discussion.
“Additional inputs before I make a final ruling?” I asked the gathered crew. They were all there in the dining room for the discussion because the decision affected every one of them.
“What about if you and Bea go on the vessel and look it over thoroughly,” Yuri spoke up. He had remained silent throughout the discussion, as he was for most. “Then, if you both agree there’s no physical threat, we could go over with armed security teams.
He warmed to the discussion when he saw he had everyone’s attention. “We have seven trained security members plus Bea, so four per ship. Seven or eight crew total on each Minsan ship, with half or more armed? I don’t think they’d try anything even if they intended to; which I don’t think they do.”
“You may just have something there, Yuri,” I said thoughtfully. Turning to Bea, I asked her the same question. “You and I visit each ship and determine they hold no hidden threats. Once proven, will you consider fifty percent armed as sufficient for the crew’s protection?”
“They have advanced technology, some beyond our understanding,” she replied. “What’s to say we don’t get over there and they use it to subdue and confine everyone?”
“If they wanted us dead, I imagine they could have done that from a safe distance when they first approached us, don’t you think?” I asked.
“There are fates worse than death,” she shot back.
I considered that for a long moment. “All right, time to vote,” I said, standing up. “This affects every one of you. And if it’s not unanimous except for Sumiko, Bea and I, we stick to the original plan,” I explained. Everyone had been seated during the discussion. “If you want to teleport to the other vessels with an armed security detail and travel twice the speed of light to our new home, stand up.”
Frank and Sherry stood immediately. Some rose more sedately and others, hesitantly. Finally, only Bea remained seated.
“Bea, establish and arm your security details,” I ordered. “I won’t be leading the other team, so put Lars in charge of that one.”
“Wait, what do you mean?” Bea asked, puzzled.
“I mean if Terse buys this, and there’s a chance he won’t, I’ll be the back-up pilot for the run to Marsingna.”
I allowed them to talk over each other until they wound down.
“Joacim, no...” Tracy blurted.
“Absolutely not...” Bea called out.
“The risk is unnecessary...” Sari said sternly.
“Who will lead us...?” Maya asked fearfully.
Several others voiced objections. I was watching Sumi. She just smiled at me and shook her head in wonder. Finally, I held my hand up for silence.
“I’m honored you all think so much of me as to consider my loss during the potential failure of the test,” I started. “But I believe Sumiko is probably wounded by the lack of faith you have in her abilities.”
I was grinning to soften the remark. “I have the least critical skills of any of us. I also have no piloting ability, so will simply be an extension of Sumi should she need an extra set of hands. However, I refuse to put any other crew in jeopardy. Believe me, if I could pilot the test run myself, Sumi wouldn’t be aboard either. That’s all the discussion I’ll hear.”