Chapter 5: Preparations

Preparations

Harden your heart, and resolve yourself to doing what is right. In so doing, you shall chart your course truly, and you will not detour from the path you need to take.

Admiral Rainer

Star Date 7.102

Sue Lin said, "Mr. President? We found all five planets. They are all in one system. The problem is that there are more than Grays in the system."

Jim replied, "What? Who?"

"Unable to tell at this point."

"Crap!"

"There is one other problem."

"What is it?"

Sue said, "On screen."

The wall screen shifted, and Jim watched as a telescopic view expanded to reveal a large ring structure that was about one hundred miles in diameter.

"Is that what I think it is?"

"Yes, that's why I ordered the fleet to come here."

"How long before everyone can get here?"

"Three days at maximum warp."

"That Jump Gate looks almost complete."

"Scans shows it will be completed very soon. Maybe by the end of this current day."

"Keep me informed, and try and identify the other race. We need to know who they are, and why they are helping the Grays."

"Yes, Mr. President."

Captains Log: Star Date: 7.101

James O'Neal Flowsman

UFP Hammer

A perplexing problem has developed. We have located the other five planets of the Grays. Surprisingly, they are all in the same system. True to form, the Grays appear to have taken over another race's system. However, we have not been able to identify the indigenous race, nor to determine if they are allies or slaves. Until that answer is resolved, we don't dare use the mines that have been so practical in the past.

More ships have arrived joining our group. We are now forming an expanding armada. Two of the Super carriers, UFP Fitzgerald and UFP Rainer have arrived along with the Flowsman and the Amber. We expect to have all 12 Flowsman class ships and the last available super carrier, the UFP Carl. Hopefully, the twins will have the bugs worked out of the Inversion, and will get the ship here in time.

Jim sat in the Hammers ready room as the four admirals shimmered into existence one after the other. It looked like it was going to be a full-blown, brain-storming, tactical planning session.

Jim spoke first, "AI. Tactical holo display, please."

The projection appeared before them. It still inspired awe in the four earth born individuals. Even Jim himself marveled at the technology involved in making it work.

Displayed before them was this last planetary system the Grays occupied.

The AI spoke, "Would you like me to give everyone a strategic overview?"

"Yes. That should speed things along."

The AI began, "This system is known as P371. The local name has not yet been discovered. The first area of interest is the planet P371-2. It is Class N.

The planet's orbit and position were highlighted, allowing it to stand out from the rest of the system display. The process the AI used was simply to make it appear brighter as it dimmed the displays for the other planets in the system. The AI continued its narrative.

"It is basically a mining community. Sensors show a population of nearly twenty thousand Grays, and about one hundred fifty thousand other beings. The other beings appear to be a bird-like race. Planetary defenses consist of twelve orbital laser platforms, with an unknown number of planetary based fighter sized craft."

Rainer spoke, "From what I have learned from Ambassador Lowsay, I would guess that they would probably be slaves. If not the entire population, then the dominate of the species has sold the rest into slavery to the Grays."

"Makes since to me," Jim said, "Please continue, AI."

"The third planet is also a class N, however it is closer to class M than P-2. Scanners show extensive terra forming towards class N. Population is mainly Grays numbering 2.3 million with just over five hundred thousand of the other beings. Defenses consist of thirty-six Orbital Lasers, and twelve Missile Platforms. Each platform has eight missiles armed with 3^rd generation nukes. The missiles are however, currently oriented planet-side. Once again, there are an unknown number of planetary based fighter sized craft."

Jim and the admirals considered this bit of news as the briefing continued. Space based nukes pointing at the planet smarted too much of Nationalism, back on Earth.

"Planet P371-4 is a class M world. We believe it to be home world of the slave race. Population is 2.7 billion, however the Grays present number less than twenty-five thousand. Defenses consist of thirty-six Orbital Lasers and twenty-four Missile Platforms each of these, also have eight missiles armed with 3^rd generation nukes. The missiles are currently oriented planet-side. As before, there is an unknown number of planetary based fighter sized craft."

"That doesn't sound like all of them are slaves." Jim said.

Rainer spoke, "Could be an alliance of some kind. Time should give us more data on what we are dealing with."

"Before we do something irreversible, we need to know that, however. Please continue the overview, AI," Jim said.

"Planet P371-5a is a class P moon that is circling P371-5. Population is less than a thousand, and all are Grays. There are no orbital defenses at all. Fifty planetary based fighter sized craft have been detected."

"Then there is P371-5. It is a Class N, with a population 325 million Grays and 2 million of the other race. Twenty-seven shipyards are in orbit around the planet. They are armed with disrupters, X-ray cannon and torpedoes. And once again an unknown number of planetary based fighter sized craft."

"Do we have a reading on the population break down for the Jump Gate?"

"Yes, Sir. It's split evenly, at 400 of each race."

Carl said, "Jim, We can't allow the gate to go on line. If we do, the Grays will be able to drop ships though it at any of the Federation's 27 worlds."

"Agreed, but I don't want to order any of the other race killed until we know more."

Sue, "I am the last one that should be saying this, however there is such a thing as collateral damage."

"Yes, there is that. But it's not what I want to do."

"We can still mine hyperspace around the system," Admiral Rainer said.

"Yes. However, the jump gate is the most immediate concern," Jim said with worry in his voice."

AI broke in again, "There is still the issue of the remaining Gray fleet, as well as ships that seem to belong to the native bird races."

"Yes. The numbers, please."

"One Planet destroyer is present. Nineteen Flag class vessels, twenty-two Mother class ships, and 1840 plus Fighter class vessels. One hundred nineteen unidentified ships are believed to belong to the Bird race. There is one completely new ship, believed to be the Grays. Sensors show it is warp drive capable, and has advanced phasers."

"Looks like the Grays are learning," Jim said as he went to his quarters.

Don and his sister beamed into to the conference, their ship the Inversion had just arrived. Although the Hammer was the second ship in the Inversion line. The first ship had had some difficulties that required retrofitting the drive unit. As a result, the Hammer was actually the first ship to test the new engines.

Jim had puzzled over the works of an American physicist. Imaginary number mathematics did make things work. What was difficult was making it practical for use. An Inversion class vessel did not warp space to achieve faster than light travel. Instead, it went 'around' the speed of light. One moment the ship was sub light speed, the next it would be traveling at supra light speeds.

Unlike warp drive, there was no theoretical upper limit to the speeds. However, at speeds of faster 500,000 times the speed of light, the time scale changed. A ship moving faster than that, actually aged the crew faster than normal time, by stretching the perceived time the crew endured. It was opposite to the effect that warping space had on the crew before: that the crew would age more slowly. Fortunately, ship moving at less than 500,000 times light speed, showed aging at a slower than 'normal time' rate. As it worked out, it was faster and safer than warp drive that depended heavily on creating a quantum black hole to warp the space around the ship. Warp drive literally changed the rules of FTL travel. Inversion ignored the rules. It went around them to achieve its end. Also, if Jim calculations were correct, engaging inversion in hyperspace would not result in time travel.

"Captain to the Bridge!" the voice came over the ship's speakers.

Jim headed to the bridge with the twins on his heels.

"Report!" he ordered as he entered the room.

The Ships AI was the one that spoke.

"Jim, the Gray's new class of ship is in motion. Current plotted coarse is P371-7."

"On screen, then."

The new ship was fast. It was just as fast as the federation ships. It was, after all, using stolen Federation technology in its drives. All heads on the bridge watched as the ship approached the small planet and launched something.

"Scanners show it to be a reentry vehicle, purpose unknown, however it is consistent with a weapon deployment."

The Gray ship turned back from its run, but the view followed the small reentry vehicle into the planet's atmosphere. The planet was the same size as a class M. However, it was too far away from the system's sun to be habitable. Heavy gasses surrounded the greenish tinted world. It lacked water in any form other than ice. The weapon connected and a bright plum of re-entry flames quickly spread out as it plunged in a ballistic ach towards the surface. The drag of re-entry slowed the weapon. The view zoomed to full planet size in anticipation of what would happen.

Nothing... They waited almost a full cycle, and still nothing.

"Must be a dud," said the Sensor Officer, "Scanning now."

Jim stared at the screen. He wasn't sure what it was, but dud was not on his list of choices.

"Sir, picking up low kilohertz harmonics in the planets crust."

Jim studies the planet. Before he spoke, "Keep monitoring it."

Another cycle passed.

"Sir, the harmonics are building, I believe the crust of the planet is becoming unstable. Lots of tectonic activity all over the planet's surface."

The weapon was a simple device. It crashed into the icy surface of the planets crust. It measured the harmonics of the return echo from its 'crash landing' impact. It calculated the time it took for the sound waves to pass around the planet, and return to the location where it sat. It already knew the planetary harmonic frequency. It was 4.7 hertz. All that remained for it to do, was to broadcast a sonic burst at full power for a mille-cycle. By itself, the low kilohertz burst would accomplish nothing.

It took just over sixteen cycles for the sonic burst to return. At the moment it arrived, the device repeated the burst into the crust of the planet, again. The new burst not only refreshed the original burst but it added to the harmonic frequency by a factor of two. Sixteen cycles later, it repeated the process; then again, and again.

The growing harmonic wave of energy intensified with each orbit through the planet's crust. The planet's crust began to become unstable. Cracks and ruptures formed, as ancient once dead volcanoes where resurrected to life after thousands and sometimes millions of years. Frozen tectonic plates begin to slide, once again. Ice that had previously arrested the process, now fractured. At twenty-three repetitions into the process, the planet was fully involved in an earthquake of unprecedented scope. Fully one hundred percent of the crust was now vibrating at 4.7 hertz. As one hundred twenty-four reps were achieved, the true nature of the devastation taking place, became apparent.

The process lasted a bit over three hundred reps, before the device became too damaged to continue to function.

However, by then, the crust had fractured in uncounted places. The magma from the core of the planet was spreading out across the surface, as the last bit of the existing crust sank below the molten rock. The planet was still there, but the surface was destroyed utterly.

Don said, "Tesla predicted this."

Jim nodded in agreement, "Yes, and he was correct, wasn't he?"

"Without a doubt, Grandfather."

Reality crept back onto the ship's bridge.

Without even thinking about it, Jim stated his orders.

"Mine hyperspace around the planets. I want a strike plan on that Jump Gate within the 10 cycles. Blockade this system until we can get this all sorted out."

"Yes, Sir," the four admirals automatically responded, with formal military address.

The UFP Inversion commanded by Don and his twin sister Mary departed to meet up and transport one of the hyperspace mining ships at Glimmer. Don was going to break the speed record with this run. The Ship inverted around the speed of light and accelerated to the equivalent of Warp 72. Although the ship arrived mere moments after it left, three days had gone by for the crew. It was a time filled with anticipation and dread.

The rendezvous went off without a hitch, and soon the Inversion had the Wasp Hyper Space Ship in its tractor beam. It was in route back to the rendezvous point, two light years from P731, that a reckless move was made, on Don's part. He pushed the inversion drive to its max. The result was just what their grandfather, Jim, had predicted.

Mary called out from the Navigations console, "Shit! I think we are out of time synch, again."

Don, "As long as we arrive the moment after we left, it will be ok."