Starship
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by: Anomaly
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Word Count: 3323
Powers Of Observation
An observation of power.
Ward C. Tipton
The scene on the bridge of the starship was neat, almost sterile in its functionality. People were working with a reserved efficiency, subtle in their movements, taking care of everyday needs in an almost lethargic ballet of routine. The captain, sitting stoically in her chair barely moved when the alarm sounded. “Report” she commanded as the alarm faded into a distant annoyance in the background. The officer of the deck reported back that there had been an anomalous sensor reading seen as some type of temporal-magnetic variation coming from a distant universe.
“Set a course for the source of the fluctuation and maintain as much distance as possible within optimal sensor range” she ordered. She had an almost bored look on her face as she gazed out the view screen and wondered what sort of situation these primitive people had caused for her. She had been in this sector for a long time now. She knew of these people and the problems they had created in their own past, but she wondered now, as they sped towards this lonely planet, what they could have possibly done to create such a disturbance as had been reported to her.
It was lonely on the outer edges of the galaxy where she had been posted, but there were enough populated planets to justify her mission. Her mission was primarily an anthropological study of worlds capable of supporting life in this sector. They were sparse but they were there. This particular species had been a thorn in her side for some time now. They had been going through a period of growth lately though, and had stumbled into some technologies that would either bring them up to speed with the more advanced species or destroy them. She was curious which it would be.
She felt the slightest change in her environment as the starship began to slow. Instinctively she began giving orders to her crew so as to have a more complete picture of the situation at hand. “Make a complete scan of the sector and search for any probable natural causes for the anomaly” she instructed. Perhaps there was a natural cause for the variation. They were rare, but in her time in space, she had seen them. “Scan the planet and compare them to previous scans to see if there are any differences we should be aware of.” She wondered perhaps if they had made the advances in technology this far, if there would be an obvious cause. More likely than not, the job would take weeks, but it was still possible they could find a cause for this quickly. The sheer magnitude of the variation indicated it would not be so difficult to find whatever force had caused it.
The scene in the laboratory was in stark contrast with the neat and clean environs of the starship. Papers were scattered haphazardly on desks, shelves and anywhere else there may have been a space large enough to place them. Coffee stains stood out on whatever surfaces were not already covered. Scientists ran back and forth seeming to avoid collisions only by mere chance, their lab coats flowing in the breeze created by their rapid motion. Massive chalkboards held formulas that only the greatest of minds could understand. This was the moment they had all been waiting for. Literally lifetimes of research had gone into this work. Theories proposed, discussed, approved, disproved, thrown away and made anew. The event they were involved in was the culmination of the greatest minds in their world over centuries of time.
They were working together even beyond the petty ideologies of world governments. They were working together for the advancement of science, which many believed was the only true universal language and was ultimately, the only thing that would ever unite their world. Once and for all it would put an end to the conflicts and differences that had so nearly destroyed their planet on so many occasions. Finally, they believed, they could prove their theory and make it a reality. Finally, they could bring the people of their world together.
“Captain!” the officer shouted, “I think you need to see this!” The urgency in his voice startled the captain. They had worked together for a long time. She knew he was a capable officer and not easily excited. She rose slowly from her command post. She stretched out as she walked across the bridge. She had not realized how long she had been in that one spot, the timing of the incident keeping her there even longer. She was tired and moreover, was starting to feel it. When she reached the officer’s duty station, she saw the reason for the concern in his voice. She noticed quietly to herself that she was no longer tired. Now, she was worried.
“What do you make of it?” she asked the officer. His reply was calmer, returning to the professional state she was more familiar with. “I am getting signatures from 16 separate low energy vessels orbiting their sun at a dangerously close proximity. They appear to be constructing orbital facilities in order to try and capture both the sun’s strong gravitational force and the energy produced to store it for some other purpose. Do you think they are finally switching from their dependence on outdated fossil fuels captain?” he asked, sincere in his question.
She immediately discounted this fact although she thought carefully before responding to his query. She had seen such energy jumps before. Most species realized soon enough though, that the amount of energy needed for most things was greatly reduced. There were only two reasons that they would need to harness such vast quantities of such a powerful energy. She ignored his question momentarily as she turned to the science officer on duty and asked for the results of the ongoing sensor scans of the initial temporal flux. He replied immediately. “Although the initial scans and the subsequent analysis are not complete, it appears that the temporal fluctuations were generated each time one of the orbital satellites was powered up around their sun. They seem to be attempting to create an energy field surrounding their sun, but their ability to actually contain the power is insufficient for the amount of power they will be acquiring Captain.”
She thought about this a moment, and responded directly to the science officer, “Maintain scans and let me know if there are any further developments.” She did not even wait for a response from him before she turned to the officer who had asked her the first question. “It would seem that our friends here have discovered how to harness the power of a sun. Though it would seem they are not actually capable of containing it, nor do they seem to know how to utilize it to their advantage.” The officer’s responsive nod to his captain’s reply was barely discernible to those not specifically looking for it.
He continued the work at his duty station and made no further comments. The captain, returning to her command post, took her seat and contemplated the possible results of what she was seeing in front of her. She had certainly seen this scenario unfold in text books, but she had almost discounted them. She never quite believed that any species capable of harnessing this source of energy would be so stupid as to try and abuse it, never even testing it in smaller quantities before attempting such a grandiose scheme. Now there were only two questions to be answered. Were they trying to create a temporal fluctuation or merely trying to open a wormhole? Would they be successful or would they fail? She was afraid she knew the answer to both questions.
A rousing cheer went up in the laboratory each time report was made of another station going online. None of the scientists had had a full night’s sleep in months, but it no longer mattered. None of them even recognized their weary state. They were entirely too busy watching the progress of stations going up, checking and double-checking figures and comparing them with what little was actually known about what they were doing. They had it all worked out in their minds, but finally they would see the results of all of their work. They would be remembered in history books. They would be lauded as heroes around the world. All they had to do now was make it happen.
The call for a meeting of all of the section chiefs in the captain’s quarters rang hollowly through the starship. Immediately, people from all over their ship began the trek to the captain’s quarters. Those who knew what the current situation was had a strangely worried look on their faces. The mood was somber and serious as they sat around one of the few real wood tables in the ship. A custom on all of the starships held from the traditions of the fleet captains on the sea’s of their planet. This was no time to reflect on their past though, they had a serious situation on their hands and they had to find a solution, either for the species on the other end of this universe they were in, or for the other populated planets in the system. Either way, it was going to be a long session.
When everyone was seated, the captain looked slowly around the desk, making sure that everyone who was supposed to be there was. As the captain began speaking, people started diving in to the snack trays and coffee pots, knowing by their very presence that this was not going to be a quick and easy gathering. “As most of you know, we are here because of the temporal fluctuations our sensors picked up recently. What we need to do is figure out what this species has in mind for the new power relays and gravitational satellites they are constructing around their sun.” She turned to the science officer and asked him for his complete report as she began picking through the already decimated trays of food on the table.
“The local population is apparently establishing a series of satellites in a very low orbit around their sun. Although we do not know what types of mechanisms they are using, it appears that whenever each one is brought online, it is creating both a temporal and gravitational fluctuation over a wide area.” The officers around the table quickly lost interest in their coffee cups and snacks, giving the science officer their full attention, knowing full well the implications of what he had just said. “It would appear that they are not trying to create a simple wormhole, or at least if they are, they do not have the necessary technology in place to do so. It seems that they are indeed trying to create a fluctuation in the timeline as we know it.
Wormholes had long been known to exist. They were used frequently for traveling between certain sectors of the galaxies. Very few suns contained the necessary power to sustain an active wormhole though, and only a very few existed which were successfully created. Although tests were being continued in areas without any indigenous populations, they were still extremely unstable and dangerous. The very idea that any species would yet again try and create any type of temporal irregularity was generally disregarded as an act of self-destructive foolishness. Were these people intentionally trying to create a time warp? It was doubtful, but it was still possible. Whether they were trying to or not though, it looked as though it would be the result of their efforts.
Current situation reports were passed around the table, the officers perusing them at what seemed to be a leisurely pace. Truth be known, each one was looking at specific data directly related to their own special field of study. Low whistles and moans could be heard escaping from around the table as they finished reading. The captain was the first to break the silence, asking for reports and ideas from her officers. The general consensus was that the inhabitants of the planet were attempting to create a wormhole. However, it seemed painfully obvious to the people around the table what the results of their work would be. It was highly unlikely that the residents of the planet actually knew what kind of power they were unleashing; much less the effect it would have, not only for them, but for this whole section of the universe.
Another rousing cheer rang out abruptly in the laboratory after receiving word that the final orbital station was being put into place. This was the one that really mattered. This station would initiate the sequence that would bring everything into place. This station was the initial power relay, the facility that would send the necessary power to the other stations one at a time, allowing the power to be evenly spaced evenly around the area where the wormhole would open. This one would create the energy chain that would open the wormhole. Once it was online they could begin the sequencing and start testing the system. This would be it. Final testing of the system would take a comparatively short time. As soon as the tests were all complete and the analysis verified their numbers, the scientists believed they could create a wormhole long enough to send an unmanned craft through and take samples and photos, and return it before the hole would collapse completely.
One scientist sat quietly in the corner, his disheveled appearance almost blending in with the mayhem in the lab like he was wearing camouflage. His pen seemed to move almost magically across the paper. It was not that he did not trust the calculators and computers, but he liked having hard copies of everything in front of him. The printouts his assistant had brought to him lay all over the counter, but he had to verify the numbers in his own mind. He had been chided time and again for his insistence on this, but doing it this way had always served him well. He knew all of the data indicated everything would work, but there were always variables in the real world that the computers could not see. He knew if there was a problem he could find it with pen and paper. The raucous noise and confusion was lost on him as he concentrated on his work.
The officers finished scrutinizing all of the data they had and absorbed more as it was relayed to them by the people that remained on station. It was clear that the orbital facilities were not capable of handling the initial shock they would receive when they got the full charge of the sun’s energy, much less be able to maintain the temporal fluctuation they were about to create. As the power of the sun was captured by the relay stations, they would not blow right away. The design of the system was flawless. The only problem was that the stations would not shut down right away. They would begin short circuiting as soon as the energy hit them, but they would last long enough for the chain to be created.
Once the chain was complete, it would be too late. Unless they could maintain and control the power, the effect would be irreversible. The only question now was one of intervention. Should the captain risk bringing them into a new age or should she allow events to unfold as she was instructed to? She felt the same queasy feeling in her stomach now that she had felt on so many other occasions, viewing petty conflicts and struggles among races and species. She knew of the countless numbers that would die. Worst of all perhaps, she knew she would not interfere. She issued the command to remove the ship to a safe distance. Perhaps her sensors would not be powerful enough to get complete readings on all of the events about to unfold in front of her, but she knew she would be able to get enough, and better yet, she would be able to get her crew and her ship home safely. That was the most important part of any mission to her.
The tension in the laboratory was immeasurable. The final station was up. The tests were being completed even faster than the scientists expected. Soon the power relay could be fired up and the energy chain could begin. They did not even try and hide their excitement. The steady drone of voices was a constant now, comparing final facts and figures, speculating on what would happen, wondering what type of data they would soon be researching when the first runs were completed. Occasional shouts of joy and triumph burst out as individual tasks were finished.
Through all the excitement, the lone scientist sat in his corner, his eyes red from going over the figures he had been working at for so long a time. He was double checking them now, unsure if he had found something or missed something, sure only that something was not right. He glanced at the commotion around him briefly, wondering what they would say if he was right.
The roar coming from the scientists would have matched that of any crowd at any sporting event as the main power relay was brought online. The unmanned drone was brought within what was thought to be a safe distance, ready to make a hasty path towards the wormhole when it opened. The people at its controls, safely tucked away in some lost sub basement of the lab, were anxious to be the first to see what was on the other side. The scientists were transfixed by the scene on the massive screens in front of them, viewing the actual events as they unfolded on monitors, cameras having been strategically positioned on all of the stations so carefully placed into orbit around their sun. The sea of white was motionless there, crowded in, unable to move, many unable to breathe in their excitement and expectation.
The lone scientist jumped anxiously from his seat, shouting to a now empty lab. This had to be stopped. He had indeed missed something, as had they all. He ran anxiously into the viewing area, waving the papers over his head, shouting at anybody who would listen, searching desperately for the one person who could stop this. He stared in horror at the screen now in front of him as well. He knew now that it was too late to stop what was happening. Time seemed to slow momentarily, then to move backwards, people around him moving in reverse, voices coming out which he recognized, but he could not understand anything that was being said. If time had not stopped for him at that very moment, perhaps he would have realized that he was hearing the voices moving backwards as well, but time stopped suddenly for everyone in a chaotic mix of moments and centuries moving forwards and back as the temporal blast enveloped everything in its wake.
The captain sat quietly, calmly even. Her despair was not seen even by those who knew her best. She had become good at overcoming her emotions, but she could not help feeling some sympathy for those she had witnessed destroying themselves. She began filling out her situation reports. She wondered if anybody would ever fully understand the temporal fluctuations that were invariably caused when anyone opened a wormhole. It was so easy to tell time, but so hard to define or control it. That much at least, had been proved yet again.
About the Author
Ward Tipton, Professional Writer, Professional Freelancer, provider of quality online content. Your online writing resource.
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