Altis-5: Book #2 of the Sleeper Series Read online

  “On this level, there is a small Muskat that is usually quiet this time of day, would that suit you?”

  “That sounds perfect,” said Ray. As they climbed aboard the small antigrav transport, he turned to Kris.

  “Coffee lounge,” he explained.

  “Yea, I got it,” said Kris, but he was busy staring at his surroundings. They were gliding down a wide undecorated corridor with a forty-foot-high arched ceiling. The smoothness of the grey bulkheads was broken occasionally by wide double sliding doors that reached almost to the ceiling. The corridor was lit by motion sensor lights that came on about a hundred yards before they reached them then went out as they passed. It was difficult to determine their speed but judging by the force of the cool breeze on his face they were traveling at about thirty miles per hour. He looked at his watch, two minutes had passed. They had gone over a mile just passing through what obviously was a warehouse area.

  “On either side of us are storage areas,” narrated Corbyn. “The Janus is primarily a combat Command Ship but was designed to also function as a

  Commonwealth diplomatic vessel. The warehouses are where we keep diplomatic incentives and unless we are moving things around this area is usually deserted.”

  Kris was pondering the term ‘Diplomatic

  incentives’; bribes is more like it. What could they be storing that needed such large doors? he wondered. Suddenly he was struck by a memory of his history teacher describing Janus as the ancient Roman God of beginnings and transitions. Janus presided over the beginning and ending of conflict. An appropriate name for a diplomatic/combat vessel. Where in the hell did that come from? he thought. He did not consider himself a scholar and was always amazed at which snippets of information his brain decided were important enough for him to recall.

  Abruptly the architecture changed as they left the warehouses behind and entered a more populated area where the walls were decorated and continually lit. Corbyn pulled up in front of an arched opening without doors. He and Ray stepped off the transport and walked into the lounge. The lofty ceilings and interior walls were covered in murals depicting alien landscapes. The seating consisted of large comfortable looking couches arranged around low tables. Very fancy, thought Ray. Most Hevinian military ships were stark by comparison. Then he remembered this was also a diplomatic ship. Corbyn talked briefly with the manager and went back to Kris and the transport.

  Ray sat at a corner table, normally with his sixfoot-three frame, considered average for a Hevinian; he had difficulty sitting in Earth sized furniture so it was a real pleasure to sit comfortably for once. He ordered Muska from the touch screen in the tabletop and looked around the empty room. Within minutes the manager came over with a steaming bowl and a few cakes.

  “Where is everyone?” asked Ray.

  “Those not at the reception for your President are at their conditional stations. It’s just a precaution,” replied the young man as he carefully placed the Muska and cakes in front of Ray. “Your recent encounter with the Kaedians left debris millions of miles in

  circumference. Some of the debris is large enough to cause major damage if we collided with it. It makes navigating a fleet this size through this system interesting.”

  “I understand. Thank you. How do I pay for this? I have no currency.”

  “You are our honored guest, Sir,” said the young man as he turned away.

  The aroma of the beverage was strong in the lounge and it triggered memories of Ray’s home and family he sorely missed. His mother used to prepare the coffee-like Muska for her and his father in the mornings on Hevinia. He and his younger sister Marr would sneak some if left alone in the room. His parents were interplanetary biologists working for the colonial service. His sister had gone with them on a survey mission during the school break. He was falling behind in his studies and his parents had decided to enroll him in an educational summer camp so Ray had stayed on Hevinia. He was informed that they’d perished when the transport vehicle they were traveling in collided with an asteroid. He had always blamed himself for their death and felt if he’d gone with them maybe he could have changed the sequence of events that led to the crash.

  With no other relatives, Ray had stayed at the camp as a ward of the Commonwealth. The camp educators had recognized Ray’s potential soon after his arrival and watched his progress carefully. It soon became clear that Ray had been falling behind not by his lack of ability but because he was not challenged. Once his curriculum changed he soared. Considering his abilities and circumstance he was approached by one of the camp educators. The educator was the brother of a Commonwealth official who recruited exceptional orphans to become sleepers on developing planets. With no place to go, Ray had accepted the offer from the Hevinian Commonwealth recruiter. He spent a year training aboard a transport ship, learning the languages and customs of the planet where he was to be assigned. He excelled at all his studies but try as he might he could not shake a slight accent when he spoke any of the languages.

  “Ray? Ray Walker? Is it really you?”

  The sound of his Hevinian name dragged him out of his reverie. He looked up and saw a face he vaguely remembered. It was his sister Marr all grown up but how could it be? She’d died with his parents. The woman standing before him recognized his bewilderment.

  “I am Astel Chiset, your cousin,” she said. “I did not mean to shock you. You obviously do not remember me; which is understandable, we haven’t seen each other since we were six.”

  “Good Grief,” said Ray as he stood up. “For a minute there, I thought you were my sister returned from the dead. I have no memory of a cousin.”

  “I am the daughter of your mother’s sister. We met only once when my family returned to Hevinia to inter our maternal Grandfather. I am the ship’s Intel Technician. Part of my job is to run a routine

  background check on all new arrivals. I could not believe it when I verified your identity from our files. I was told you had died with your parents.”

  She sat down next to him. “I am so glad to see you.” Ray was stunned. He had no recollection of a cousin and it was a bit of a shock to know he had one.

  2

  Kaedians

  Several millennia ago, the Hevinian population outgrew their home planet but thanks to the discovery of Carvorite and the advancement of particle beam technology, space exploration became possible. They began a program of colonizing other planets. Explorer ships traversed the Galaxy seeking planets with suitable conditions. Once found, teams of scientists would survey the planet to determine what needed to be changed, if anything, for the planet to support human life. If the planet was devoid of intelligent life then colonists were brought in after the planet’s ecosystem was adjusted. In many cases, primitive humanoid populations were discovered. In their explorations over the past five hundred thousand years or so, the Hevinians had found humans in one form or another scattered throughout the universe. When these populations were discovered, Hevinian volunteers were integrated into the population to observe, report and sometimes to covertly assist. They were referred to as sleepers, and these men and women would spend an average of thirty years on a planet before being rotated back to Hevinia.

  Most sleepers spent their time unnoticed, quietly watching and recording. A few succumbed to baser instincts and used their knowledge to gain personal power; some even changed the course of a planet’s history before they were removed. The most infamous case on Earth was that of Narmer Menes who set himself up as a minor king in a small eastern province. He was eventually removed, but not until he had created a vast kingdom surrounding the River Nile and started a dynasty of Pharaohs that lasted over three thousand years ending with Cleopatra and her son Ptolemy. There were others, subtler in their endeavors, working behind the scenes using their advanced knowledge to promote others. Some became legendary magicians and prophets, their Earth names changing as they disappeared into the mists of time. In all cases their reports were recorded and catalogued in the Hevinia
n archives. When the technology of the planet had developed to the point of space travel beyond the system supported by their primary energy source or if the planet became overcrowded, then contact was initiated.

  Over the centuries the Hevinians had colonized hundreds of planets and created a vast Commonwealth. Early in the days of exploration a minor planet with an oxygen atmosphere was discovered. After geological exploration exhibited a lack of desirable minerals and very little arable land it was turned into a Penal colony. In early Hevinian history, convicts had their fingers cut to the length of the little finger before they were incarcerated. It was a barbaric practice but surprisingly similar to Earth’s practices of branding or tattooing convicts. After they had their fingers chopped, they were transported to the Penal planet to fend for themselves.

  As fate would have it, one of the last outbound convict transports was carrying the rebel, General Jon Kaedia and one hundred of his men. As they came close to the planet they managed to overpower the guards and took command of the ship. With the fire power of the captured ship and the weapons taken from the guards, the General quickly took control of the Penal colony and became its dictator. Before information on the takeover reached Hevinia a supply vessel on a routine mission to the planet was captured and the crew killed. In retribution, the Hevinians abandoned the colony thereby cutting off all food supplies to the inhabitants. To survive, the convicts, under the leadership of Kaedia turned to piracy. Using the captured vessels, they attacked only lightly armed transports and soon acquired a large fleet of ships which they converted for combat use.

  When the General died from pneumonia in the winter of his 95th year, the inhabitants of the small planet named it Kaedia in his honor and the military style of government continued.

  Eventually they succeeded in capturing a colonial transport. Two hundred and twenty men and boys were killed and over three hundred women and girls taken back to Kaedia. Only then did they become a significant menace to the Commonwealth and a battle fleet was deployed to destroy them.

  After a year of hard fighting with significant loss on both sides the Hevinians eventually succeeded in destroying the greater part of the Kaedian fleet in a major battle in the Tarthon Galaxy. Whatever was left of the Kaedians scuttled back to Kaedia, loaded up their remaining ships with their families and supplies and headed deep into the unknown universe. Over thousands of years the Kaedians found and thrived on a new planet, keeping alive their memories and warrior traditions. In time that planet became polluted and overcrowded and they were forced to colonize other planets. As they continued to move they developed a taste for inhabited planets. The battles to conquer these planets satisfied their need for combat and over time they developed a successful tactic.

  First, they would scout out potential planets and once they found a likely candidate, they would abduct locals to determine their strengths and weaknesses. When they decided on a planet they set up their own cadre of sleepers who integrated themselves into the planet’s population and over a period of many years they slowly merged into positions of authority. When their battle fleet arrived, the sleepers caused great disruptions on the planet. Knowing they had the superior fire power, the fleet attacked and wiped out any intelligent life and moved on. Several months later their own colonists would arrive and take over. Kaedians this way evolved from a bunch of cut throats into an immensely proud and warrior race where death in battle was considered the greatest honor. The ritual of cutting the fingers at birth for both male and female babies became a symbol of their heritage so they would never forget their origins.

  3

  World Confederation

  On Earth, the newly ratified World Confederation was busy organizing itself into a functioning

  organization. Once the threat from annihilation by a large fleet of Kaedian war ships was realized, the Secretary General of the United Nations at the urging of the United States and Great Britain called an emergency meeting of the world’s leaders. They came out of fear; they knew that alone each country, not even the powerful United States, could defeat the horde that was racing toward them.

  It was at this meeting that Ray revealed his true alien identity and showed them the advanced weaponry being brought to bear on them. With little choice but to pool the world’s resources they agreed to form a Global Confederation and appointed the current Secretary General, William Umberto, as interim President.

  With Ray’s help and the arrival of the diverted Hevinian Supply Ship Orion loaded to the gills with hightech weaponry and small combat vessels, the first Earth Defense Force was formed. Countries with Special Forces all over the planet offered their finest fighters and within weeks a unique space-capable joint force was established under the command of the new World Confederation.

  The force was initially assembled at Andrews Joint Base in the US. As soon as the formation was

  announced the force came under attack from Kaedian sleepers in the Air Force. Even the dependents’ housing area was attacked. Each attack was eventually defeated but not without unacceptable losses, so the force was moved aboard the Orion. Once it was revealed that Kaedians fingers were all the same length as the little finger a planet-wide search revealed many more enemy sleepers. It came as a shock to humanity that these aliens were discovered in their midst, especially that several were in prominent positions, including three heads of state.

  In response to the fear and distrust developing world wide, President Umberto had begun to greet others with an upraised open palm. When asked about it a press conference the President said it symbolized kinship, friendship, and world unity, political speak for “See! I am not a Kaedian.”

  The idea was picked up by social media and instantly went viral. Within weeks, it had replaced the more traditional handshake as the standard form of greeting. It even superseded the modern fist bump.

  Assisted by Orion’s command and control capabilities the Earth Defense Force (EDF) launched an aggressive preemptive strike against the incoming Kaedian armada. Expecting a defenseless planet, the invaders were taken by surprise and lost two thirds of their force in the first ten seconds. The shock was so great that the remaining Kaedians turned and ran. The people of Earth celebrated the EDF as world heroes, and enthusiastically gave the credit by extension to the World Confederation. Riding a massive wave of popularity, President Umberto began the enormous task of morphing the U.N. into his vision of the new World Confederation before some countries could try to shrink back away from world unification. It was typical of Earth’s culture at the time to band together when needed but then to walk away when it was over. The adage ‘The enemy of my enemy is my friend’ held true until the enemy was eliminated and then the enemy of my enemy became the enemy again.

  The military leaders of one country decided the time was right for a coup but, at the request of the newly elected democratic government, President Umberto ordered a quick response from elements of the EDF. Under the leadership of Commander Frulé a single Barque flight with their advanced weaponry stopped them cold. The rest of the worlds would-be-separatists took note and quickly joined in the spirit of unification.

  The Confederation was organized into two administrative groups or councils. The Council of Nations and the Council of Delegates. As the Council of Nations was formed with one member per country, most countries had found it expedient to simply transition their U.N. delegate into the new role. The mandate of the World Confederation was contained in the Articles of Confederation approved by and financed by the leaders of the world’s nations and supported by general approval of the populace. The Articles required the Confederation to act as the world government while preserving individual and nation’s rights. It was mandated to expand the Earth’s Defense Force to enforce the Articles of Confederation thus assuring the birth of a true world governing body.

  The Nationals, as the Council of Nations Delegates were being called, as representatives of their respective countries had a huge increase in responsibilities so naturally the
size of their staff was increased. The old U.N. building in New York repurposed for the

  Confederation was literally bursting at the seams. Something had to be done. With money pouring into the Confederations Accounting and Disbursement System from every country faster than anticipated, Matthew Blakely, the developer of World Confederation Accounting and Disbursement System (WoCADS), and his team had to make several upgrades to handle it. It took several weeks of twenty-hour days to complete the upgrades but finally the system was up and running. Even so just running such a massive system required constant adjustment and repair. With the funds now available, it was decided to move forward with the construction of a new administration building and a Committee was appointed to recommend a new location.

  Forty countries had volunteered as the host country, but based on the criteria given to them by the Nationals the selection Committee had recommended three islands as potential sites. The Nationals had allocated a week to deliberate on the Committee’s recommendations and were now ready to vote. At the same time, they had to select a design for the new complex. From hundreds of submissions, it was down to four. All were breathtaking in scope and expanse and reflected a modern take on a classical design. Four detailed models had been built and were housed in a large conference room. Pictures of the models were provided to the media and all the social networks. Worldwide interest was intense, everyone had their favorite. The National Delegates were inundated with the recommendations from their constituents. Fifteen of the world’s largest contractors had registered to bid on the construction contract once they received the architect’s blueprints of the winning design. The Confederation Finance Committee was given the task of reviewing the bids and selecting a contractor. Selection based on the lowest bid was not necessarily the main criteria. A review of earlier work of similar scale, previous customer satisfaction, safety record and then finally the bid price completed the equation.