Once upon a time there was a traveler crouching in pain by the roadside. A man who was walking by sat next to the traveler before he could ask for help. The man lectured the traveler at length about having a healthy lifestyle in order to avoid sickness. Satisfied with his speech the man stood up and left. His name is the United Mankind. Next, a very beautiful woman approached the traveler with an inquisitive look on her face. The traveler said, "Well, don't just stand there, help me." The woman replied, "Do you want me to help you?" She then discussed at length the situation with the traveler until she fully understood the problem. And then she nodded and left. Shortly after, the woman brought all the doctors, nurses, and staff of the closest hospitals with her. Her name is the Humankind Empire Abh.
— A political allegory from the planet of Midgrat
Lafiel, Princess of the Empire, Viscountess of Paryunu nearly snarled in anger and frustration as the klaxons in the ship continued to scream out about the drop in air pressure. Nearly. Even in the worst of conditions, an Abrial was always elegant.
It was supposed to be so simple. "Please, Your Majesty, please. Just this one small favour. Please? It won't take long, and training allows you to take a break once every few months. Just this once, ok?" Lafiel had, after separating from Jinto, been approached by another one of her classmates for a favour to help transport some goods back and forth from a world on the behalf of some of her lander friends. But something had come up, and Lafiel was the only one she could rely on. Thrilled that finally has treated her like a human being, she had immediately agreed to it.
It was no great trouble. Lafiel enjoyed socialising with her classmates and finally having someone in her training to talk to. And it wasn't because she was glad that someone was treating her as anything other than a rather imposing and intimidating statue, oh no she didn't. She did as her friend requested. And that's where things went wrong.
The delivery went smoothly as possible. There were no delays nor accidents. The Landers were sent to the orbital elevator, mouths gaping and gasping at the new sights and sounds around them, as well as their first trip into outer space. It was kinda cute, how they reacted to such familiar things.
After leaving them at the main orbital, Lafiel had departed and back through the sord, back into planar space.
That was where things went wrong.
The route she took was not one that had heavy traffic, neither was it one that was known to have merchant or military convoys travelling along it. But neither were there regular military patrols. In all likelihood, it was an opportunistic attack by those pirates. One without planning nor preparation.
Not that it mattered to Abriel Lafiel, when she found herself facing down several stolen cruise ships from the United Mankind, while stuck in a nearly weaponless Isath (transport ship). They were obviously pirates. No actual trained enemy could actually have failed to kill her, not with such a great advantage. Alive, but not unscarred, she fled through Planar Space, managing to lose her pursuers through a sord and some very daring manoeuvres.
But the ship was not unscathed. There was damage to both life support and the energy transmission systems. Thankfully, all damage to the antimatter fuel tanks had been negligible, so she didn't have to worry about exploding from leaking antimatter. But the ship was leaking air at a worrying rate, and needed to be resealed and repressurized. The energy systems were erratic and dysfunctional, sending sudden surges of power through systems, nearly crashing the computers 3 times in the past 12 hours. She needed to reroute the damage, and replace the capacitors and fuses. Which needed one important thing. A port.
One could not repair complex life support and damaged hulls and energy systems without at least turning them off or lowering their activity. And without power and air, Lafiel would die. Even the Kin of the Stars could not survive in a vacuum. She needed some way of surviving without such necessities, while she shut down the ship for repairs. A Gono (pressurized suit) might work, if it wasn't for the fact that the time taken to repair the ship would most likely take more time than she had oxygen stored. Not to mention the hazards of doing repairs in deep space, what with the high levels of electromagnetic radiation floating and surging around, as well as numerous micrometeorites.
She needed a place with breathable atmosphere and at least nominal protection from the hazards of space. A world with breathable air, or a friendly shipyard. A safe zone. A port in the storm.
But where would she find such things? She was in the middle of nowhere. The chances of a habitable planet being close by were almost nil. Like the proverbial needle in a haystack. But she had to try. She couldn't bear the thought of the look on her father's face when he finds out she is dead. She wouldn't do that to him. And she couldn't bear the thought of captain Lexshue crying for her. Her father wouldn't. But she might.
And most of all, she was an Abrial. And they never quit.
Calling up the old map archives for all of known space, collated by the empire and stored within her Kreuno (Computer terminal waistband), she began to search.
The planet was the third one from the Sun, in a solar system of 7 planets and a single gas giant. Filled with both water and living vegetation, it was a suitable landing spot. Lafiel checked the air supply remaining within the ship's tanks. 100 hours. More if she spent power. 60 hours to get there from the edge of the system.
The star force usually didn't teach their cadets how to land ships upon worlds. The only time they did so, it was so that crew of damaged ships can land to await rescue. But now, she had to land, and in a way that she could take off again. This will strain her piloting skill and improvisation.
She just hoped the locals were friendly. The radio chatter showed that there was at least some technological sophistication. But no signs of major orbital infrastructure. That meant no ports, no ftl, no way to contact off world or get a new ship after this one is trashed.
Plotting a course, the ships engines increased, and began to approach the third planet.
It wasn't that his job was bad, it wasn't that it was unpleasant. It's just that it was so monotonous. He had always wanted to be an astronaut. Always interested in the stars and the planets in the solar system. Heck, he even built his own model solar systems out of home materials. Went to all the museums and all the conventions.
Then the funding for NASA dried up, and he realized that even if he made the cut in the air force, he would never be able to fly on a mission. There was no more competition now. The public just didn't care anymore. And without the public caring, neither did the politicians.
But he did. So he stayed here, watching the reports. Reading the instruments of the satellites they had pointed to outer space, looking at nebulae, sun flares, magnetic storms on Jupiter..... boring work. But it was close enough for him.
He just wished that he could land on the planets, instead of watching them through telescopes; to be able to walk on the surface of mars, or look at the first footsteps on the moon.
Setting the cup of coffee had had just bought, he turned to the screen, checking through the readouts over the past 24 hours.
Huh. New alert of a celestial body entering the solar system. Must be a new comet.....
Wait. That couldn't be a comet. They don't work like that.
Reaching to his landline, he made a call to the higher-ups. He didn't want them to miss this.
Jason Smith swallowed. This could make or break his career. If he was wrong, he'll be thrown out. But if he was right, he could make the history books as a celebrity. His life would be a total success by that point. Pointing at a blip on the screen, he tried to point at the screen without shaking at the ramifications of what he was seeing. "That. That came out from out of system a few hours ago, and if it continues on its current course, it will reach earth."
Jean frowned at that. "But most comets don't damage the earth that much. They tend to burn up. What's so different about this one?" Jean was management. Once, she probably did she same thing she did. But time had rusted skills. She had no idea what the screens were showing.
"Because that's not a comet." Pointing at the screen, he gestured at the spectrograph analysis of the cases trailing behind the comet. The composition showed up. "No methane. Very little water vapour... But an abundance of carbon dioxide and oxygen. And then there's thus." He brought up another screen, this one showing and infrared image. "The comet is far from the sun. In fact, too far that it shouldn't be melting and giving off gas at this point. But this image shows that it's giving off its own heat far in excess compared to what it should be receiving." And finally Jason put up a map of the solar system, and showed the comets course through it. "Look at this. It's moving straight to earth, ignoring the other planets."
Jean just frowned. "So? I don't see why that so different from other comets."
Jason sighed internally. This was why they should have remedial classes. "Its ignoring the other planets gravity. That means that it's resisting them, under their own power. It can steer itself. The gas composition released from it is something never seen in comets before. And it's giving off too much infrared radiation. That means that there's a heat source inside of it."
He pointed at the blip indicating the 'comet'. "That's not a comet. That's a spaceship. And it's heading for earth
Lafiel had gotten past the gas giant of the system, before she realized she had forgotten a crucial part of this plan. Communication. Most planets were terrified by their first contact, and by their nature, the sudden understanding that they were not alone in the universe almost always threw entire cities and planets into havoc. Religious uprisings, riots, wars, social dissent, all of which she could not allow in good conscience, and not to mention might kill her in the crossfire.
She had to talk to them. Activating the Borsh (control buttons), she activated the first contact program. Hopefully, in the cycles she would take to get to the planet, she would be able to get a working translator.
Now all she had to do the one thing she hated doing the most.
Wait. And maybe get a speech for the planet.
— A political allegory from the planet of Midgrat
Lafiel, Princess of the Empire, Viscountess of Paryunu nearly snarled in anger and frustration as the klaxons in the ship continued to scream out about the drop in air pressure. Nearly. Even in the worst of conditions, an Abrial was always elegant.
It was supposed to be so simple. "Please, Your Majesty, please. Just this one small favour. Please? It won't take long, and training allows you to take a break once every few months. Just this once, ok?" Lafiel had, after separating from Jinto, been approached by another one of her classmates for a favour to help transport some goods back and forth from a world on the behalf of some of her lander friends. But something had come up, and Lafiel was the only one she could rely on. Thrilled that finally has treated her like a human being, she had immediately agreed to it.
It was no great trouble. Lafiel enjoyed socialising with her classmates and finally having someone in her training to talk to. And it wasn't because she was glad that someone was treating her as anything other than a rather imposing and intimidating statue, oh no she didn't. She did as her friend requested. And that's where things went wrong.
The delivery went smoothly as possible. There were no delays nor accidents. The Landers were sent to the orbital elevator, mouths gaping and gasping at the new sights and sounds around them, as well as their first trip into outer space. It was kinda cute, how they reacted to such familiar things.
After leaving them at the main orbital, Lafiel had departed and back through the sord, back into planar space.
That was where things went wrong.
The route she took was not one that had heavy traffic, neither was it one that was known to have merchant or military convoys travelling along it. But neither were there regular military patrols. In all likelihood, it was an opportunistic attack by those pirates. One without planning nor preparation.
Not that it mattered to Abriel Lafiel, when she found herself facing down several stolen cruise ships from the United Mankind, while stuck in a nearly weaponless Isath (transport ship). They were obviously pirates. No actual trained enemy could actually have failed to kill her, not with such a great advantage. Alive, but not unscarred, she fled through Planar Space, managing to lose her pursuers through a sord and some very daring manoeuvres.
But the ship was not unscathed. There was damage to both life support and the energy transmission systems. Thankfully, all damage to the antimatter fuel tanks had been negligible, so she didn't have to worry about exploding from leaking antimatter. But the ship was leaking air at a worrying rate, and needed to be resealed and repressurized. The energy systems were erratic and dysfunctional, sending sudden surges of power through systems, nearly crashing the computers 3 times in the past 12 hours. She needed to reroute the damage, and replace the capacitors and fuses. Which needed one important thing. A port.
One could not repair complex life support and damaged hulls and energy systems without at least turning them off or lowering their activity. And without power and air, Lafiel would die. Even the Kin of the Stars could not survive in a vacuum. She needed some way of surviving without such necessities, while she shut down the ship for repairs. A Gono (pressurized suit) might work, if it wasn't for the fact that the time taken to repair the ship would most likely take more time than she had oxygen stored. Not to mention the hazards of doing repairs in deep space, what with the high levels of electromagnetic radiation floating and surging around, as well as numerous micrometeorites.
She needed a place with breathable atmosphere and at least nominal protection from the hazards of space. A world with breathable air, or a friendly shipyard. A safe zone. A port in the storm.
But where would she find such things? She was in the middle of nowhere. The chances of a habitable planet being close by were almost nil. Like the proverbial needle in a haystack. But she had to try. She couldn't bear the thought of the look on her father's face when he finds out she is dead. She wouldn't do that to him. And she couldn't bear the thought of captain Lexshue crying for her. Her father wouldn't. But she might.
And most of all, she was an Abrial. And they never quit.
Calling up the old map archives for all of known space, collated by the empire and stored within her Kreuno (Computer terminal waistband), she began to search.
******************
The planet was the third one from the Sun, in a solar system of 7 planets and a single gas giant. Filled with both water and living vegetation, it was a suitable landing spot. Lafiel checked the air supply remaining within the ship's tanks. 100 hours. More if she spent power. 60 hours to get there from the edge of the system.
The star force usually didn't teach their cadets how to land ships upon worlds. The only time they did so, it was so that crew of damaged ships can land to await rescue. But now, she had to land, and in a way that she could take off again. This will strain her piloting skill and improvisation.
She just hoped the locals were friendly. The radio chatter showed that there was at least some technological sophistication. But no signs of major orbital infrastructure. That meant no ports, no ftl, no way to contact off world or get a new ship after this one is trashed.
Plotting a course, the ships engines increased, and began to approach the third planet.
******************
Jason Smith was bored.
It wasn't that his job was bad, it wasn't that it was unpleasant. It's just that it was so monotonous. He had always wanted to be an astronaut. Always interested in the stars and the planets in the solar system. Heck, he even built his own model solar systems out of home materials. Went to all the museums and all the conventions.
Then the funding for NASA dried up, and he realized that even if he made the cut in the air force, he would never be able to fly on a mission. There was no more competition now. The public just didn't care anymore. And without the public caring, neither did the politicians.
But he did. So he stayed here, watching the reports. Reading the instruments of the satellites they had pointed to outer space, looking at nebulae, sun flares, magnetic storms on Jupiter..... boring work. But it was close enough for him.
He just wished that he could land on the planets, instead of watching them through telescopes; to be able to walk on the surface of mars, or look at the first footsteps on the moon.
Setting the cup of coffee had had just bought, he turned to the screen, checking through the readouts over the past 24 hours.
Huh. New alert of a celestial body entering the solar system. Must be a new comet.....
Wait. That couldn't be a comet. They don't work like that.
Reaching to his landline, he made a call to the higher-ups. He didn't want them to miss this.
**************************
"So what are we looking at?" His boss, Jean Dan asked. Her hair was red, reaching down to her shoulders, with her eyes a soft blue. She had been his superior for about 9 years. Fair, good, but not as good as him at reading the sensory feeds.
Jason Smith swallowed. This could make or break his career. If he was wrong, he'll be thrown out. But if he was right, he could make the history books as a celebrity. His life would be a total success by that point. Pointing at a blip on the screen, he tried to point at the screen without shaking at the ramifications of what he was seeing. "That. That came out from out of system a few hours ago, and if it continues on its current course, it will reach earth."
Jean frowned at that. "But most comets don't damage the earth that much. They tend to burn up. What's so different about this one?" Jean was management. Once, she probably did she same thing she did. But time had rusted skills. She had no idea what the screens were showing.
"Because that's not a comet." Pointing at the screen, he gestured at the spectrograph analysis of the cases trailing behind the comet. The composition showed up. "No methane. Very little water vapour... But an abundance of carbon dioxide and oxygen. And then there's thus." He brought up another screen, this one showing and infrared image. "The comet is far from the sun. In fact, too far that it shouldn't be melting and giving off gas at this point. But this image shows that it's giving off its own heat far in excess compared to what it should be receiving." And finally Jason put up a map of the solar system, and showed the comets course through it. "Look at this. It's moving straight to earth, ignoring the other planets."
Jean just frowned. "So? I don't see why that so different from other comets."
Jason sighed internally. This was why they should have remedial classes. "Its ignoring the other planets gravity. That means that it's resisting them, under their own power. It can steer itself. The gas composition released from it is something never seen in comets before. And it's giving off too much infrared radiation. That means that there's a heat source inside of it."
He pointed at the blip indicating the 'comet'. "That's not a comet. That's a spaceship. And it's heading for earth
************************
Lafiel had gotten past the gas giant of the system, before she realized she had forgotten a crucial part of this plan. Communication. Most planets were terrified by their first contact, and by their nature, the sudden understanding that they were not alone in the universe almost always threw entire cities and planets into havoc. Religious uprisings, riots, wars, social dissent, all of which she could not allow in good conscience, and not to mention might kill her in the crossfire.
She had to talk to them. Activating the Borsh (control buttons), she activated the first contact program. Hopefully, in the cycles she would take to get to the planet, she would be able to get a working translator.
Now all she had to do the one thing she hated doing the most.
Wait. And maybe get a speech for the planet.