Author Topic: And then there were five... (12)  (Read 3216 times)

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Online Steve Walmsley (OP)

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And then there were five... (12)
« on: July 31, 2007, 10:21:08 AM »
Urgent Intelligence Report ? Captain Isiah Santaniello, USS Sterett
On December 11th 2154 my squadron of three Belknap class geological survey ships entered the Spokane system, three jumps out from New York via Honolulu and Austin. Spokane was discovered in May 2154 by a US gravitational survey ship and my own squadron was sent to investigate because of its colonization potential. All three stars in the systems are K-class, with similar size and luminosity. The primary has six planets, one of which could be terraformed, and a small asteroid belt. The two other stars, orbiting each other at only six hundred million kilometers and located six billion kilometers from the primary, have seven planets between them, two of which are immediately habitable and two more have oxygen-nitrogen atmospheres, although currently too thin to breathe. Given enough time though, this system could eventually have five ideal habitable planets.

By mid-January 2155 the survey of the system bodies around the primary was completed and my three ships headed for the planetary systems of the other two stars. On February 9th the Wainwright, under Commander Paulina Puente, entered orbit of  Spokane-B III, one of the ideal worlds. Her limited passive sensors picked up artifical emissions from the surface and it quickly became apparent the planet was inhabited, although the signature was minimal. Commander Puente estimated a population of perhaps seven million plus limited industry. A visual scan from orbit revealed the inhabitants resembled huge, bloated purple ants scurrying around mound-like city structures. Within a few minutes of Wainwright?s arrival the ship received what appeared to be a hail, although it seemed to be nothing but some type of montone carrier wave. My own ship was on course for the habitable planet orbiting Spokane-C when we detected three 8200 ton contacts closing at 1900 km/s from the direction of Spokane-C. As the Belknap class is capable of 4000 km/s, I ordered Wainwright and Belknap to withdraw toward the jump point while I held my own ship, Sterett, at 700 million kilometers from both habitable worlds and awaited the arrival of the alien ships

As they closed, they also broadcast the same strange carrier wave. We sent our own hails but I have no idea if they were acknowledged or not. The aliens slowed as they approached and finally came to a halt at 900,000 kilometers, apparently willing to continue communication efforts. As they appear to have peaceful intentions, I have ordered Wainwright to head for Sol with this information while Belknap will remain at the Spokane-Austin jump point to monitor the situation from a safe distance. Sterett will remain in place and should be relatively safe given our obvious speed advantage.

Unfortunately there is little information on the aliens? capabilities. Their ships appear slow compared to our own and they did not try to hail us until Wainwright was in orbit of the Spokane-B III. The population on that world was tiny and could pose no possible threat to the United States. However, based on the heading of the ships that intercepted Sterett there is probably another alien population on Spokane-C II and its size is unknown. Given the behaviour of those ships, which have not raised shields and halted at 900,000 kilometers, the aliens may regard that as a safe distance, which suggests they may only have short-ranged weapons.

Captain Isiah Santaniello

Report Delivered on March 26th 2155 by Commander Paulina Puente, USS Wainwright.
Transmission via jump gate network, originating at New York ? Honolulu jump point.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 06:00:00 PM by Steve Walmsley »