1001 Ways To Conquer a Planet, Part 1
Brendan Choi
At last, after nearly 2 years of interstellar travel, the starship
Odyssey, a supra-warp propelled exploratory vessel, was nearing
its long-awaited goal, a planet orbiting a remote sun, which was
near the Western-Minor Galactic Void, about halfway out of the
Galaxy on the Galactic Plane. Her mission, TOP SECRET even to
the crew, but scientific, was to make contact with an already
discovered race that dwelled on the third planet of this solar
system's sun. Ever since the Odyssey had entered this system
about two months ago, she had sent hundreds of unmanned probes
hurtling sunward. They were sent as scouts, and they brought
back valuable data of this system's sun, radiation fields, comets,
debris, and planets, especially the fourth and third planet.
The 10,000 scientists on board the Odyssey found that the intelligent
race on the third planet was highly advanced and industrious.
The people of this planet had also sent out several interplanetary
spacecraft of their own and had been trying to contact other intelligence
in the Galaxy. This was how the Galactic Federation had found
out about this race. The people of this planet had also been
taking the first steps towards sending a man to their moon. All
this was fascinating and exciting to the crew of the Odyssey,
but a sad fact still remained.
The crew of the Odyssey were not allowed to make contact with
this alien race for another 75 years (A year is now one revolution
of the third planet). The Science Council back on Aeratan II
had insisted that the scientists should spend 75 years studying
the humans and their planet with probes, hidden with invisibility
screens, of course. The reason for this long wait was TOP SECRET,
and the only thing the crew knew was that their complete mission
profile would be presented to them when the 75 years were up.
This was frustrating for the crew, for they wanted to know everything
about the mission. Why do they have to wait another 75 years?
Only the Science Council knew. Some said it was all some sort
of experiment with this new race. In the long history of the
Galactic Federation, however,this mission may not have been original.
There have been accounts of the Federation hesitating to contact
an alien race, for no real apparent reason, in the past. However,
not much is said about these accounts.
Passing the third planet and its one large moon, the Odyssey,
inhabited by exhausted and frustrated scientists, had to journey
on to this system's fourth planet, where they would finally rest.
Though the Odyssey could sustain its crew of 10,000 for thousands
of years, noone, no matter what part of the Galaxy he come from,
lives naturally for thousands of years. However, the Cumulus-Serpents
of the gas giant Dhetar VI, do have a life span of about 1,200
Dhetarian years, which is about 3,300 years on the Galactic Age
Scale. Because of this 75 years of waiting, everyone had to have
cryogenic hibernation within the time period, though not all at
the same time. The only good thing about this was that the crew
would be alive, and in a whole different environment.
Since it would have been insane to spend 75 years on a starship,
even though there was hibernation, the crew would construct a
large, but hidden, underground base on the fourth planet. Because
the planet had been found to be uninhabitable, and because they
had to hide from any beings or probes of planet three, the base
would have to be underground. The gigantic Odyssey would be left
cloaked in orbit, however. The crew would take the necessary
supplies and equipment, including one small fusion generator with
a deuterium supply of a hundred years. Once settled and rested
on the new planet, the brave crew of the starship Odyssey would
undertake more extensive scientific research of this solar system
and their new home. And in 75 years, they would know the purpose
of their mission.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Copyright 1987 by Brendan Choi. Unauthorized duplication,
posting, or publication is strictly prohibited.
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