Earth Star

  ‘Krath,’ said Playdon. ‘You’ve got sixty seconds to stop swearing, or you get warnings under the Gamman moral code.’

  ‘But it’s nuking aliens!’

  Amalie hit him again.

  ‘Krath, you’ve got fifty-five seconds,’ said Playdon.

  The hugely magnified face of Colonel Torrek appeared on the wall, and everyone went abruptly quiet as he began to speak.

  ‘I’m Colonel Riak Torrek, commanding officer of the Alien Contact programme. I regret that Professor Gaius Devon chose to make a premature, ill-informed, and alarmist announcement on the presence of an automated alien probe in Sol system.’

  I spent a second setting my lookup to Earth Rolling News channel, then touched Fian’s arm. We silently slipped away towards our room while Colonel Torrek’s voice continued to speak from the lookup in my hand.

  ‘The Military are in the process of opening up communications with the alien probe, which has shown no signs of hostility. Earth’s population has been evacuated to the underground caverns of Ark as a purely precautionary measure since the Military do not wish to expose civilians to even the most remote risk of harm. People may, if they wish, remain in Ark after the end of the solar storm. Ark has stockpiles of supplies sufficient for at least ten days, and arrangements are in place for further supplies to be portalled in from Alpha sector.’

  My lookup chimed to announce the arrival of an emergency mail. ‘Personal Military call!’

  I glanced around to check Fian and I were alone before turning off Earth Rolling News and answering. I was startled to see the face of Commander Mason Leveque.

  ‘Major Tell Morrath. Captain Eklund. I thought you might not have your Military lookups with you so I tried the civilian link.’

  ‘We saw the news, sir,’ I said. ‘We were just going to our room to get our Military lookups.’

  ‘Would you happen to have your uniforms with you as well?’

  ‘Yes, sir.’

  ‘Excellent forethought on your part.’

  I decided not to mention we’d brought the uniforms so Fian could play Arrack San Domex for my personal entertainment. ‘Thank you, sir.’

  ‘You’ll realize the current situation is highly dangerous,’ Leveque said in a completely untroubled voice. ‘Having failed to pressure us into attacking the sphere, Gaius Devon took advantage of the confusion during the evacuation to Echo base to portal back to Alcestis and give his story to the newzies. He’s inciting panic, and if there’s a sufficiently widespread public demand for us to attack the sphere then the government and the Military may be forced to agree. It would be unfortunate if we had to destroy it at a point where all indications are it isn’t hostile, since we’d lose the opportunity to gain an incalculable amount of knowledge. It would be even more unfortunate if we failed to destroy it and it made a counter attack.’

  It was my home planet that the sphere would counter attack, which could have its atmosphere ripped away by alien and Military weapons fire and be reduced to glowing cinders, so I felt it would be much more than just unfortunate. ‘Agreed, sir.’

  ‘It’s vital we convince people that Gaius Devon is a hysterical, attention-seeking, xenophobic, which judging from his statement to the newzies is no exaggeration. The Military need to be seen to be in control of the situation and doing something, so I’m afraid, Major, we’re throwing you to the chimera.’

  Chimera? What did the long extinct, nightmare creatures of Thetis have to do with …? No, I realized, this must be some Military phrase. ‘What do you mean, sir?’

  ‘Your theory is the best we’ve got at the moment, so your excavation is no longer going to be secret but featured on all the news channels.’

  ‘What? But … You’re surely not leaving me in command of this with the newzies watching? Shouldn’t Colonel Torrek …?’

  ‘Colonel Torrek has every confidence in you, Major,’ said Leveque, ‘and the original reasons for making you Field Commander still apply. You have extensive knowledge of dig site excavation methods. We don’t.’

  ‘I know some things, and my lecturer will help, but I don’t have the Military knowledge to …’

  ‘We’ll make sure you appear fully knowledgeable about all Military matters,’ said Leveque. ‘Now, my information is you two evacuated to Ark with the Eden Dig Site teams. We need your operation up and running without delay, so please ask them for their assistance. Do they have any vid bees with them? We want to announce details on Earth Rolling News as soon as possible, and we’d like to include vid images from your area.’

  ‘Details? About this?’ I gulped. ‘I’m sure the Eden Dig Site teams will be happy to help, and we have vid bees, but …’

  ‘Excellent. The fact you were evacuated with the dig teams, combined with proper vid bee images, will give the reassuring impression we’ve been preparing this for some time.’

  ‘But, sir … What happens if we don’t find anything? If my theory isn’t right, or we’re looking in the wrong place, I’ll have wasted everyone’s time.’

  Leveque actually laughed. ‘A delaying action is exactly what we need now, Jarra. Our immediate objective is to prevent widespread panic. Your excavation can’t even start before the portals are back, and will hopefully take at least a full day. If you find a way to contact the sphere, that’s wonderful. If you don’t, we’ve bought time for people to calm down, and for us to think of our next move. You don’t worry about that. You just look confident and demonstrate the Military are actively working on the problem.’

  ‘Yes, sir.’

  ‘Now, please talk to the Eden Dig Site teams.’ He smiled. ‘Don’t forget to change clothes first. I’m happy to know you tagged Fian, but a Military uniform will look more reassuring on a vid.’

  I looked hastily down at my top and blushed. ‘Yes, sir.’

  Leveque ended the call, and I looked helplessly at Fian. ‘This is …’

  ‘I know,’ he said.

  We hurried up to our room, dug our uniforms out of our bags, and started hastily taking off our clothes.

  ‘You’re changing out of the black lace?’ asked Fian.

  ‘Yes. It’s not exactly Military.’

  ‘You could keep it on,’ he said. ‘I like the idea of you wearing the formal Military uniform on top, while underneath you’re …’

  I giggled. ‘It’s me that has a thing about you wearing a uniform, Fian, not the other way around.’

  ‘I think I got corrupted.’

  ‘I think you’re trying to make me laugh to stop me panicking.’

  We put on our uniforms, and attached our Military lookups. I thought Fian looked impressively professional. I was less convinced about myself, but I didn’t have time to stand around worrying about it.

  On our way down to face the Eden dig teams, I checked Earth Rolling News, and found it alternating between replaying Colonel Torrek’s speech and showing a Military vid. This showed the Military fighters and the Earth Africa solar array guarding the sphere, the combined menacing effect making it look outnumbered and insignificant. I felt people would find it very reassuring, at least until they remembered Earth was in the middle of a solar storm at the moment, so the fighters weren’t actually up there.

  I paused just outside the entrance to the main hall. My grandmother, Colonel Jarra Tell Morrath, had commanded several Planet First teams. She’d died before I was born, so I’d never met her, but I imagined her now, picturing her as calm and confident as Colonel Torrek. I was her Honour Child, and I could do this. I had to do this.

  I walked in with Fian at my side. Everyone was standing together watching Earth Rolling News, which was promising further information from the Military within the hour. I knew what the information would be.

  The main crowd didn’t notice our entry into the hall, but Playdon did. He took one look at our uniforms, grabbed something from the pile of boxes holding the band’s equipment, and came to join us.

  ‘We’ve been ordered to request some help from the Eden Di
g Site teams,’ I said.

  Playdon was obviously grazzed by that. He looked down at the object in his hand; a reproduction twentieth-century microphone. ‘I thought everyone would ask questions the moment they saw you in Military uniform. I wasn’t expecting …’

  He broke off, switched on the microphone, and his voice echoed around the hall. ‘Please can I have your attention?’

  People turned, looking startled by the interruption, then stared at our uniforms.

  ‘Major Jarra Tell Morrath and Captain Fian Eklund have a request to make on behalf of the Military.’

  Playdon passed me the microphone, and stepped back. Several hundred people waited for me to speak. The dig site teams were used to keeping their heads in a crisis, and were just looking tense, but I spotted Keon with his arm around an openly terrified Issette. Her reaction was far more typical of the panic that must be spreading through Ark, and I had to help stop it by convincing people they were safe. I tried to look like someone who was totally in control of any and all aliens in the universe.

  ‘I’m Major Jarra Tell Morrath. Captain Fian Eklund and I were recruited in the initial phase of the Alien Contact programme. I’m now Field Commander of the Military operation to retrieve the device needed to communicate with the alien sphere. There’ll be a general public announcement about that soon. For the moment, I’ll just explain an alien device was left on Earth in excess of a thousand years ago. The recent solar super storm created a power surge in the device, which transmitted a signal to summon the alien sphere. It’s now waiting for a further signal to trigger its communication sequence, but we have to find the device before we can send the signal.’

  Was I sounding confident and in control? It was hard to tell from the shocked faces in front of me. No one was actually throwing anything at me, or asking where I’d stolen the uniform, so I kept going.

  ‘We believe the device is buried at a location in equatorial Earth Africa, due north of the Eden Dig Site. The Military request your expert assistance in finding and excavating it.’

  Rono elbowed his way through the crowd. ‘Last time, Jarra, it was a crashing spaceship. This time, you want us to dig up aliens?’

  ‘Only an alien artefact, Rono. We haven’t got any actual living aliens, there’s just an automated probe up in Earth orbit.’

  He gave a huge laugh. ‘Only an alien artefact …’ He turned to face the others and yelled. ‘Cassandra 2, are we in this?’

  ‘Chaos yes,’ called back Stephan. ‘I was in hospital and missed the last trip. Dig Site Command, sign us up!’

  After that, there was pandemonium, as everyone started talking at once.

  30

  The Eden dig teams must have been the happiest people in Ark at this point. They were people who liked action, something incredibly important needed doing, and they were going to help get it done. Dig Site Command automatically started work, making a list of teams who wanted to help, and mailed it to me.

  The Military Command Support team had also sent me mail, giving site location details and logistics information. I sent Dig Site Command’s list of personnel on to the Military, and sent the Military information on to Dig Site Command and all the dig team leaders. This seemed to give everyone the delusion I’d competently arranged all this myself, right down to the details of the aircraft flying in freight-sized portals to Eden and Zulu Dig Sites.

  ‘You’ve chosen a very clever name for the excavation site,’ said Rono. ‘I love the way Zulu is in current use as a letter designation for the Military, but also has historical links to Earth Africa. Cassandra’s original colonists came from Earth Africa, so I take a special interest in its history.’

  I knew Command Support had just randomly named the excavation site after our Military base, but I smiled and accepted the compliment. It all helped build up the fantasy this had been calmly planned for days and I knew what I was doing.

  One of the people clustered around the Dig Site Command desk raised his head. ‘Will you want to set up temporary domes on site, Major, or portal people back to Eden for rest breaks?’

  It was the first of what could be hundreds of detailed questions, and I’d no idea how to set up a large-scale dig site operation. I remembered Colonel Torrek’s advice. If I didn’t know the answer, I should recruit an expert, and I knew exactly the man I needed.

  ‘Before we get into detailed decisions, I’ll need my site leader involved. I’d ideally like that to be Pereth, given his experience running the Solar 5 rescue operation. Anyone know where he is?’

  ‘Earth 2 were working on the California Rift,’ called a voice.

  Dig Site Command Eden promptly called Dig Site Command California. One minute, and two call transfers later, I was speaking to Pereth. This was the man who’d managed the incredible feat of running an excavation with 24 teams working simultaneously in the chaotic conditions of a solar super storm. I hero-worshipped him, but I had to hide that and be the efficient voice of the Military.

  ‘Major?’ Pereth seemed bewildered by events. Hardly surprising. He’d only just learned about the aliens, and now he’d been told a Military Major wished to speak to him.

  ‘Thank you for speaking to me, sir. I assume you’ve seen the news.’

  ‘Yes. This is about the aliens?’

  I recited approximately the same speech I’d made to the Eden dig teams with an extra addition. ‘I had the honour to be part of the Solar 5 rescue, and I’m hoping you’ll agree to be my site leader and handle the details of the Zulu excavation for me.’

  ‘Jarra from Asgard 6. I hadn’t realized … I’d be delighted to assist the Military. Can I bring my team? I’m used to working with them and delegating some of the tasks.’

  During the Solar 5 rescue, I’d been awed by Pereth’s superhuman ability to watch half a dozen different things at once. I should have realized some of his team had been helping him.

  ‘Their assistance would be very welcome.’

  ‘We’re just …’ He paused and turned away for a moment to glance at someone out of view of the lookup. ‘We think it’d take us about an hour to walk to your location. Should we come to you or …?’

  ‘That would be ideal. I’m sending you logistics and site location information right now. Take a few minutes to scan it, so you can make plans on your way over here. Unfortunately, Gaius Devon’s ego trip has rushed us into going public ahead of schedule and created a lot of unexpected problems, but I know I can count on you and Eden Dig Site Command to take most of the excavation arrangements off my hands.’

  Pereth nodded. ‘We can handle an excavation, no problem, but … should we take any special precautions?’

  I was probably still paranoid after the accident that had nearly killed me and Fian, but if the alien device really existed, we’d no idea what technology it might use, or what it might do to impact suits and lift beams.

  ‘We believe the power cells of the device are drained, so in theory there shouldn’t be any especial danger, but we’re dealing with a complete unknown. Shut down all lift beams the second you locate it and clear the area as a safety precaution.’

  Pereth nodded. ‘What happens after that?’

  I smiled. I wasn’t worried about what happened when we found the alien device, but what happened if we didn’t. ‘The Military take over full responsibility at that point.’

  He seemed relieved.

  ‘I’m sorry, but I have to go,’ I said. ‘Thanks to Devon, I need to organize vids for a public announcement.’

  ‘Of course. We’ll be with you soon, Major.’

  I ended the call, and looked around the crowd of fascinated bystanders. The dig teams were obviously more interested in my conversation with Pereth than in Earth Rolling News, which was still talking away to itself in excited tones in the background.

  ‘Dalmora, Krath, Amalie.’ I resorted to using the microphone, since I couldn’t see them.

  Three dazed figures came forward in response.

  ‘I need you to set up
some vid bees. The Military are preparing a detailed announcement, and want to include images of what’s happening here. Dalmora, I’m sending you information on how to link your vid feed to the Military.’

  Dalmora checked her lookup, and suddenly changed from grazzed to professional. ‘Of course.’ She looked across at where Pereth’s image was floating above the Dig Site Command desk, busily conferring with a group of team leaders. ‘Should we be showing anything in particular?’

  ‘We just want viewers to see us looking reassuringly busy and professional.’ I looked around and used the microphone again. ‘People wearing silly party hats, can you please lose them or keep out of vid bee view. We’re going to be on the newzies, and we want to inspire confidence not laughter.’

  Several people sprinted off to change their clothes, including Rono, Playdon and Stephan. I was relieved. Dalmora just looked like a vid star, but the rest of the Replays were in reproduction archaic costumes, and telling my lecturer he was unsuitably dressed might have been a bit awkward.

  Fian looked worried. ‘Do I have to be in the vid?’

  ‘Definitely,’ I said. ‘You’re half the Military presence here.’

  Vid bees began to patrol the hall. Those clustered around the Dig Site Command desk shot nervous glances at them and continued their discussion with a self-conscious air. For the next twenty minutes, Fian and I were each stalked by a vid bee, before Dalmora announced the Military had enough images and called a halt to the persecution.

  I checked the time and resorted to the microphone again. ‘Everyone from Asgard 6, and Rono from Cassandra 2, we need a quick conference in …’ I glanced towards the Dig Site Command desk.

  ‘Alpha corridor, Area 1 is still empty,’ Ellen said. ‘We thought it might be a bit noisy so close to the main hall.’

  ‘That will be fine.’ I led the way to Area 1. As the others gathered around me, I said three words. ‘Impact suit. Help!’

  ‘What?’ asked Rono.

  ‘You know Jarra and Fian had a major accident recently,’ said Playdon. ‘Jarra has impact suit phobia.’