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Day 638088. Today I took my oath as an observer. Mom and Dad named me Stephen Lee, after the original, 25 years ago when I was born. He and mom decided that I would be the last observer needed to keep the record for the family. The big celebration will be in a few days.
Day 638093. Everyone listened to the live broadcast relayed by the faster than light the communications system. As we already knew the launch of Saturn 1 went off without a hitch. We were listening to our history as it happened. Now the hard part will be waiting 3 years before we can legally make contact.
Day 639160. Yesterday was the original entry date into the Saturn system. We had another celebration day. As an observer I watched it all and noticed the government council leadership was not in attendance. I searched most of the day and finally found them that evening drafting a proclamation. Basically it stated that we were going to hold off on contact due to the disturbing radio transmissions intercepted between the Earth and asteroid belt plus the ones from the Earths moon. I was chastened and required not to allow this information to become public until facts could be verified.
Day 639182. Today the proclamation was posted on the news net, screen 8, normal news size print with no banner.
Day 639250. I've been observing the habitat and all transmissions from the Wanderer. No one here seems disturbed that we're not headed for the Sol system to reunite with Earths citizens. Wanderer is relaying transmissions intercepted, however they now carry a restricted heading and are not posted to the news net like the first ones.
Day 640102. I've been watching for well over a year as the situation in the Earth system develops. We're completely convinced that the war in the making is internal, no alien interference has been detected. In fact the last time the aliens visited the Sol system they moved all their in-system spy satellites further out. The closest in are at the Sun-Neptune Lagrange points 3, 4, & 5. They also installed directional transmission antennas to limit any chance of Earth intercepting their transmissions.
Day 640648. Flash message from Wanderer to all government councils. Mars was attacked today. A fleet from Earth and a single ship from the asteroid belt were spotted near Mars. The attack on the surface blew about 1/4th the atmosphere off the planet. There were no know Earth bases on Mars. The puzzling thing about this attack on Mars was the fact that it was broadcast by all ships with a strong enough signal to be watched live by our outpost in the asteroid belt without major amplification.
Day 641001. A major explosion was recorded in the asteroid belt today. One of our stealth observation post was near that location. We have not been able to reestablish contact.
Day 641005. It is confirmed that the shock wave from the explosion several days ago is having a ripple effect and many asteroids have changed orbital trajectories. One of our local observers claims that many asteroids will fall out of the belt and enter the inner system and hazard the inner planets including Earth.
The government council on Wanderer is requesting instructions. They already ordered all stealth observation post recalled to the Saturn system.
Day 641023. Wanderer has observed what appears to be all of the asteroid belt habitats and spacecraft exiting the belt. Tracking of their trajectories is in progress.
Day 641055. Report from Wanderer. The main body of the spacecraft exiting the asteroid belt are on a slow orbit to the Saturn system. However, a smaller group of spacecraft are on a high speed orbit to Saturn. The decision has been made to move our habitats, observation spacecraft, and other resources out of the Saturn system to the Oort belt.
Our local observer council claims that it is to dangerous to try to make contact with either side at the present. They claim that history shows that outsiders interfering with a war are at hazard of being attacked by both sides.
Now I don't know if I'll be the last observer in my family line or not.
Day 641055. It has been suggested by our historians that a habitat or spacecraft be prepared and have it enter the Sol system after the asteroid group has settled down in the Saturn system. This spacecraft should have minimum advanced technology. It should enter in such a way that it can be detected well outside the Sol system so that it cannot be considered as part of the Sol system. It should not resemble any spacecraft that we have record of or have observed.
Day 643141. Wanderer reports that their initial calculations were correct as to when the main group of spacecraft from the asteroid belt would arrive.
Day 643500. The asteroid belt humans seem to have settled in nicely. They have set up mining operations and a factory ship. However we are puzzled as to why one group that arrived separately set up in the Sol-Saturn L4 and remains there. Ships have traversed between the two settlements.
Day 650311. The humans that resettled in the Saturn system are still sending out ships to explore or patrol parts of the solar system. We are still having to hide. It's almost as if they are looking for something or some group. Their ships are all armed with lasers and some with missiles.
Day 650330. Several groups of ships are deploying to positions that resemble a military ambush.
Day 650379. Bingo, a globe shaped spacecraft similar to the size of the one described as the shield arrived in the Jupiter system this morning. We have sent 4 stealth observation spacecraft to observe.
Day 650382. As far as we can tell the prepositioned warships of the humans are all moving in a pincer attack toward the alien globe located at Jupiter.
Day 650383. Evidently the globe finally spotted the converging ships and in a matter of hours relocated to the sun-ward side of the asteroid belt. However we spotted a group of 5 spacecraft waiting to ambush them. As soon as the globe stopped they started moving until there was radio frequency transmissions from the globe and then they stopped.
Day 650388. Radio transmissions have increased 500% in the last 5 days. This morning a shuttle from the remaining Saturn warship started moving toward the globe and was met by a shuttle from them. What appears to be a connecting tube was connected between both shuttles. Evidently they are attempting to make peaceful contact.
Day 650434. One of our stealth observation spacecraft is reporting that they may be discovered at any minute. A Saturn spacecraft has set up an observation post using them to hide behind. The globe has swept their position more often than surrounding locations with an extremely high frequency radar. The crew-members are making wagers with the crew on Wanderer on whether the Saturn spacecraft or the globe is discovered first.
Day 650439. The Saturn warship moved off and left the stealth observation post late last night. However the globe is still scanning the area with radar more often than surrounding areas.
Day 650504. Stealth observation post reports that all spacecraft are moving off toward the orbit of Jupiter. It looks like contact is going fairly smoothly as of now.
Day 650639. Alien globe is confirmed to be occupied by humans. They come from an earlier time. They've been shuttling around the Sol system. Old rocket type spacecraft were discovered on a moon of Uranus and some globe spacecraft in orbit around Neptune. How could we have missed them for 1700 years.
Day 651454. Yesterday the alien globe ship departed the solar system and rendezvoused with the one the Saturn station repaired.
Day 651475. A third globe spacecraft from another star rendezvous with the two that just departed Saturn system.
Day 651479. Wanderer observers council in conference with several other observers councils recommends that we immediately make contact with the humans at Saturn.
Day 651490. All the government councils recommend that the Wanderer send one stealth observation post to first make radio contact with the humans that have settled the Sol-Saturn L4 point. The reasoning behind this is that the group is smaller, yet appears just as motivated toward survival.
Day 651520. Wanderer reports that the plan is finalized. The
y will enter L4 and attach themselves to a spaceship. Then start transmitting the code words "The Time Is Past" with a request to talk to the leadership of the L4 community. Since their weapons systems are very efficient, if hostile moves are made the safest location is on the spacecraft that is attacking.
Day 651527. Stealth observation spacecraft number 23 drifted into L4 and then accelerated unto the largest warship they'd identified and locked on to the hull. Immediately it started transmitting greetings and request for conference. It took less than ten minutes before a small fighter craft landed beside it on the hull and pointed all its forward weapons at our ship.
The pilot panicked and released the gravity plate holding it down to the the large spacecraft and accelerated at full power out of the L4 point. By time his commander calmed the pilot down they were moving at almost 1/3rd the speed of light due solar north.
Due to the first contact being screwed up they returned to the L4 point and orbited it. The observer broadcast the same message and also requested that a contact location be designated or a contact ship meet them outside the L4 area.
A medium fighter headed out. As soon as they confirmed the trajectory the observer transmitted toward the fighter, ”Would you like us to rendezvous with you 1/2 way between our present location and yours.”
The message came back, ”No, I'm expendable and until you are completely identified you will remain outside the L4 area.”
The pilot replied, “WILCO.”
A little over an hour later the fighter rendezvoused with observation spacecraft 23. Then the observer transmitted, ”Shall we meet between the ships in spacesuits or would you like to come aboard my ship?”
“I'll come aboard your ship if it's OK.”
Shortly a young man entered the airlock and entered the control cabin. Realizing that the we were human he suddenly stopped and asked, ”Have you had direct contact with any humans since they'd left the asteroid belt.”
The commnader replied, ”No, we have had not direct contact with any humans from Earth since we started observing over 1700 years ago. Our charter forbids direct contact to prevent any time paradoxes. We've been waiting for the human time line to catch up with us.”
Then the visitor keyed his suit radio and started a conversation with someone. Then he asked, ”How many of you are in the solar system, and are there more of you?”
The observer answered, ”About a million of us in the solar system and over fifty billion in habitats at other locations.”
The visitor stated, ”My boss wants to know if you are members of the group that visited in the globe spacecraft.”
The observer answered, ”No we were as surprised by them as you were. At first we assumed that they were the aliens that have raided Earth three times and kidnapped thousands of humans. I can furnish proof that we've been observing Earth for over 1700 years, when we left Earth, and why we have the charter we follow.” Then I picked up the prepared copy of the record and handed it to the visitor.
Then the visitor stated, ”You must remain here and make no physical contact with any member of your group. Unfortunately, even in my spacesuit, I may have contaminated you and your spacecraft with diseases that you have no resistance to. That is one of the first problems that we discovered when we made contact with the humans in the globe ship. I'll be back with medical personnel.” He then backed out the airlock.
The observer then contacted Wanderer and gave an account of the meeting and the warning.
After hours of waiting the we received a message. It stated that we were to move our spacecraft to a location 1000 yards from the spacecraft we originally landed on. Medical and military personnel would then come over to our ship and examine us and make a decision about what to do with us.
An individual came over and drew blood and gave us a quick physical examination without taking his spacesuit off. He returned later with a device. The first thing he did was remove his suit and then set up the device, took more blood samples and placed the samples in the device. As soon as he'd given us shots from the device more individuals entered observation spacecraft 23.
They were definitely military in bearing and started asking questions and then demanded that the commander and pilot suit up and follow them to their spacecraft.
As we entered the spacecraft we were met at the airlock by a woman, she introduced herself as Joanna Warren and the ship's name was Joanna.
Joanna informed us that we would be poked, prodded, and examined unmercifully and then interrogated until our story was verified. She also informed us that even though we were not prisoners we could never return to our main base because of the diseases we'd been exposed to. We'd been inoculated and would not become sick or die, but if we made physical contact with others not inoculated they would become sick and probably die because they would have no resistance to the diseases her branch of humanity carried.
The observer then requested that he be allowed to reenter his spacecraft and contact the observer council and give them this information.
Joanna informed him that he would be allowed to do that tomorrow. Time now for a meal and examination.
The observer and pilot acclimated to the 0 gravity of the Joanna easily. They were instructed on how to eat a meal in 0 gravity, fresh vegetables and fish.
Then we saw our first cat. It came down off the ceiling and snatched a piece of fish off the pilots plate. Both of us jerked back and yelled, what was that.
Joanna picked up a communicator and asked to be connected to Alexis. After a minute she said, “I think they are for real, my cat just terrorized them and they didn't know how to eat in 0 G. OK, I'll bring them over to Elizabeth's Place.”
Alexis looked us over and then simply stated, ”What do you have to offer us that we don't already have?”
I looked uneasily at him and stated, ”We have 1700 years of refinements to the gravity drive we use, a large population, two stars colonized, mining sites at half a dozen other star systems, a faster than light communications system, over 1700 years of detailed optical history of Earth, over five hundred years of unsuccessful research on faster than light propulsion system, and all data we were able to record about the aliens that raided Earth. Other than that, nothing.”
Alexis smiled and then said, ”Yup, you don't have much, but I need you to put me in contact with your government. I have somethings to discuss with them and you will not tell anyone that you meet here where you are from. Your contact right after the globe humans contact is a civilization shaker. Can your main base here furnish us with enough gravity plates to mount on several of our ships?”
I then stated, “I need to contact the Wanderer and advise the observer and government councils of all pertinent facts and request. Now about the medical inoculations your personnel gave us. What were they and how can we get them for our general population so you can visit our facilities and our technicians can work on your spacecraft.”
“Whoa, first things first,” I was told, ”You need to be isolated for a few days to make sure the inoculation worked. Then I need to talk to our government council by television, no direct contact until they can manufacture enough inoculation kits for the population of your habitats here in the solar system. You've been waiting for 1700 years a couple of more won't hurt. Next I need to contact a few people in the Saturn system.
Day 651527. Alexis Warren arrived at Wanderer yesterday with a medical crew to inoculate all personnel and to instruct our medical council how to manufacture the medical inoculation machines. This morning April 20th 2052 the meeting between him and his crew and the councils started.
The first speaker was Stephen Lee, a senior observation council leader, and he informed Alexis how he would proceed.
Alexis sat in a relaxed position and listened. Then his first question was, ”How the faster than light communications system was developed and worked.”
I think that this
puzzled all the councils for a moment, then Stephen simply said, ”It's a combination of the Stark effect in 4-space. It was hinted at by the Jefimenko equations which are based on previous work by several theoretical physicist from around 1900 and modified by Myron. Basically it uses a modification of the string theory and virtual black holes. Included will be a complete breakdown of what we discovered about the Lorentz force attributes that allow us to tune frequencies for multidimensional broadcast. The formulas and instructions on how to build the communications system will be included in the first batch of scientific data if you wish. However, this information is a military secret. Under separate headings I'm including all the data we gathered on the alien incursions into the solar system and visual records of their activities on Earth, also all data on our upgraded gravity plates, stealth technology, and weapons systems. We are extremely concerned that all branches of the human race survive and prosper.”
Several of the military councils objected to giving them the weapons systems information.
Stephen simply stated, ”Go back and reread the original classified mission order and the charter. Because there is a threat from outside the solar system we are obligated under the charter to prepare defenses for humanity and there is no better way than giving them all the advanced technological systems we have to combine with what they've developed. We dislike pulling charter priority, but the senior observer council decision will be implemented immediately. It will take years for the military council to move sufficient forces to the Earth solar system to completely defend it from a full alien invasion. Also that will leave to many of our habitats and colonies with insufficient defense forces.
“As soon as we upload the public database that the globe trader left, it will be analyzed and a ship dispatched to each human colony to warn them about the alien threat.
“Our main hope is that any alien spacecraft can be destroyed or incapacitated before they can activate their faster than light propulsion system. Analysis indicates that humanity would loose any interstellar war with an alien race that possesses a faster than light propulsion system. Their fleet could move from star system to star system before our fleet could move to the first star system.
“Any other comments or questions from the councils?”
He'd taken the air out of all the councils and there were no further objections.
Then Alexis commented, ”When do you estimate the next alien spacecraft will visit the solar system to check their spy satellites?”
“Ten to fifteen years is our estimate if they follow their previous patterns.”
“OK, now how long will it take to download the data to my ship computers.”
“The local observer council has all the records we've discussed today and will give you the computers needed to transfer them back to Saturn L4. Your computer experts can verify the interface from our computers to yours. It should be compatible. They will also give you a communicator so you can call us directly.”
Day 651823. More medical inoculation packs delivered to Wanderer for shipment to our habitats in the Oort belt.
Day 667404. Ship identified as The Captain Medina (original renovated globe spacecraft recovered from Neptune) reentered solar system yesterday. Our observer within the Saturn system militia reports that they have a cargo hold full of raw wood with instructions on how to process it. There is also a large quantity of wood working tools.
Day 667415. Our observer reports that the cargo of The Captain Medina is being traded at exchange rates off the normal scale. The cargo hold was atmosphere controlled for the trip back and all the wood is dried to its best state and the traders were resurfacing the wood as it came out of the cargo hold. The traders have requested their main cargo going back to the DIRT system be medical inoculation packs. The Wanderer also traded several hundred optical solar panels for some of the wood to be examined and used.
Day 667500. One of our stealth habitats diverted to Dirt system. Estimated arrival in 43 years.
Day 668062. The trade spacecraft Medina departed today with its cargo full hold.
Day 682380. The Captain Medina trader spacecraft returned to the Sol system today. They report that their cargo is more wood along with some hand made furniture. Their request for trade cargo is equipment to build communication panels, deep sea exploration equipment and deep mining manufacturing equipment. The Wanderer government board reports that they can manufacture the deep sea and deep mining manufacturing equipment better than the Saturn or L4 system manufacturing systems. They also claim that our designs are better.
Day 683161. Observer habitat reported that it was entering the DIRT system and would observe for awhile before revealing themselves.
Day 683201. Observer habitat reported that they'd made successful contact with the Captain Mooney.
Day 683390. The commander of the L4 system has arranged for the transfer of requested materials in trade along with construction specifications and usage data.
Day 683476. The Captain Medina trader departed today.
Day 683499. Negotiations are complete with the L4 and Saturn system governments about revealing the fact that we exist and contact is to be established in 90 days.
Day 683589. One of our habitats turned off its stealth and started approach from outside the Oort shell. Its arrival is calculated to be day 683721.
Day 683600. As planned the Saturn and L4 military reported our habitats approach and sent out a contact force.
Day 683688. Public announcement on the Saturn and L4 communication systems report that we exist and our arrival time.
Day 683725. Observer recorded large ceremony and signing of treaty between our government councils and the Saturn and L4 systems governments. We can now move openly. The observer council elected to maintain its charter and continue its observation and record keeping function.