The Rise & Rise of Homo Luminous
Chapter 3 A Child Among
Adults
Contact
As far as First Contacts go, the one with Homo Luminous was as useless as they come. Usually others go as planned. The awakening of a new specie to the reality around them was often limited & controlled. This had always ensured that any culture shock was restricted & caused little anxiety for the young space travelling civilisation, whoever that might be.
For the Luminous, however, it was an entirely different matter. Captain Sirus & the crew of the Discovery returned with a small contingent of UFP diplomates. Their role was to slowly ease Luminous into the greater galaxy around them. But as sometimes happens in a democracy, the will of the people will not always conform to the will of the leaders.
It did not take long, thus, for the Luminous Federal Government to be in chaos. As the UFP diplomates, all of whom were either Homo Sapiens or Homo Spiritous, discussed various matters with the Federal Government, they became concerned with changes in the attitudes of their counterparts. The pressure put upon the Luminous leaders was enormous, but they continued to go along, albeit reluctantly, with the UFP delegations requirements.
Basically the UFP wanted the Luminous to continue to develop their own culture, technology & civilisation independently of UFP influence. First, there would be a period of "friendship", until a point in time when the Luminous matured enough to then gain "associate" membership of the UFP. Finally full membership would then be granted.
To many Luminous this seemed ridiculous. And this opinion was not just reserved for the general population. Many in government & the various agencies likewise felt the same. This was no where more felt than in the FSA, who had inadvertently made First Contact with the UFP. Now they were being told that they could only conduct their business within 15 light years of Earth. This was unacceptable.
Without informing the Federal Government, FSA chairperson Donus Tripper issued orders to the explorers to " journey where they saw fit. There is a whole galaxy out there to discover. What more can I say?" He did not need to say any more. Soon the Luminous explorer fleet, of now fifteen craft, took off in all directions. And these fifteen were soon joined by the next generation of ships that were more advanced than the Discovery class.
Of course all this activity did not go unnoticed by the UFP. As before, no one in the UFP actually knew what to do. Even though no news authorising this Luminous activity had come from the diplomatic delegation on Earth, the amount of Luminous activity seemed to suggest that some understanding had been arranged. By the time the reverse was confirmed with Earth, Luminous scout ships were turning up unannounced at several UFP planets within 50 light years of Earth. Even Epsilon received a visit to the chagrin of the UFP diplomatic mission on Earth.
If the UFP were deeply concerned over the Luminous, the Luminous thought otherwise. They were too busy enjoying the moment. Reports arriving from the frontier only excited the general public even more. This, inturn, only made them demand more access to the galaxy & more missions to set out on grand adventures. As elections were looming, most politicians concurred. Soon close to 50 Luminous ships were going where they were not meant to be.
The UFP took a dim view of the Luminous activity. Many of their ships were intercepted by UDF patrols & brought under escort to the nearest base. Although the Luminous crews were annoyed at first, ironically the contact made at these bases meant they learnt more & more about the UFP. Furthermore, many of the UFP public were introduced for the first time to this new specie from Earth. And when it became public knowledge that they were being picked on by the mighty UFP all hell broke loose.
The UFP government, also a democracy, had all the same become very stable. Few issues had rocked it for thousands of years. That was until now. Thanks to the Luminous, it was back to the good old days when heated emotional debates filled the Congress. President Marlowe could not believe the contrast that a week could make. He had often heard the expression "A week is a long time in politics", but the reaction of the UFP general public, combined with that of the Congress, was without equal in living memory.
In reality, the UDF had no trouble handling the Luminous incursions. The Luminous had little hope of avoiding the patrols.A few did, & as a result, caused much commotion, but even they were caught in the end. Nevertheless, one did manage to get the message across. The latest & best Luminous ship, the Mercury captained by Genis Omal, managed to avoid all the UDF patrols by out manoeuvring them whilst on the way to Epsilon. He had help by the fact that he had managed to break UFP security channels & could read most of their transmissions. He also, as many Luminous had for a few weeks now, gained information about the day to day life of the UFP via pirated news transmissions from CNN & other UFP news services.
Thus, with all this knowledge at hand, the Mercury avoided some 50 UDF ships while on its mission to Epsilon. As President Marlowe was about to give his State of Federation Address before Congress at the New Pantheon, the Mercury swooped down, dodging Police & UDF ships, drowning out the speech whilst forcing the law makers of the UFP to dive for cover. The Mercury was eventually, though, cornered & taken into custody. The message, however, was delivered for all to see.
Naturally the Vargary thought the antics of the Mercury one of the greatest jokes of all time akin to their own comic traditions. President Marlowe, though, was in no joking mood. Nor were many in Congress. But the Mercury incident had changed the minds of many. Several UDF commanders were secretly impressed by Omals achievement in avoiding capture until the end. Furthermore, after having seen the Mercury swoop defiantly over New Pantheon caused the public to demand their politicians to allow the Luminous to conduct whatever activity they wished - within reason.
Therefore, not long after, the historic Luminous
Space Treaty was signed on Earth. It permitted the Luminous to travel freely
to anywhere within the UFP, provided several security areas were observed.
It also permitted trade between the Luminous & the Federation. Although
not really intended, UFP traders could likewise go to Earth to trade. This
opportunity was quickly taken up & soon thousands of UFP traders descended
on Earth.
Associate
The period leading up to becoming an Associate Member of the UFP lasts only a decade. Within a year of the Treaty, thousands of UFP citizens flocked to Earth selling anything & everything, regardless of the legalities. For their part the Luminous contributed to the situation by soaking up everything on offer from the Federation. Most technology was successfully reversed engineered with little effort. Soon the Luminous were producing goods for trade equal to that of many UFP ones.
A further important situation developed, similar to that just mentioned, wherein Luminous left Earth to experience the UFP. In the decade leading up to becoming an Associate, it is estimated that 500 million Luminous visited the Federation. Many returned to Earth with various items, including the occasional transport ship, while many others worked their way into UFP society.
Another influence upon Luminous society was the very early discovery of their UFP biological name. As the UFP happened to always do, they would name whoever or whatever that UPX had discovered with little reference to the actual discovery. For example, a people calling themselves Terrans, where classified as Innocence by the early UPX explorers. This name remained for centuries, even after Innocence had joined the UFP some 1 000 years after they were discovered. It was only by a supreme effort, over a long period of time, that they finally got some recognition of their original name, even though a compromise was required, with them finally becoming Innocent-Terrans. To them, however, they were still who they had always been.
No such circumstances took place with the Luminous. To themselves they were called the Soleron. But before they even had a name, the UFP called them the Homo Luminous or Luminous for short. Curious as to what the classification meant, it was explained that it meant "Enlightened Man". So impressed were the Solerin that most agreed to the new name. It even went to a referendum which resulted in a record 91% in support. Within a generation, the word Soleron was forgotten forever.
It was these three events which would now revolutionise the Luminous. Although for the first few years, from the signing of the Treaty, little happened. But once Luminous industries gained the essential technological know-how, things changed. Various UFP items began to be manufactured with little hassle. This was besides the fact that such activity was illegal. When this was discovered, & legal action followed, the Luminous simply improved upon that which they already knew, & in doing so actually improved the original product.
Such improvements accomplished two things. First it circumvented any legal action. And secondly it made Luminous manufactured goods a wanted product. Earth soon found herself once again a busy interstellar place. Factories produced quality items cheaper than most planets in the Federation. This naturally created a cycle whereupon more Earth made items were eagerly sought.
Such things did not go unnoticed by varies citizens in the UFP. Already the Vargary, albeit now non-corporeal, had become a voice in the UFP Congress for the Luminous. In fact they had sponsored the Treaty & the subsequent process of membership. Thereafter the Lyonies took an interest in the new human specie. They had previously kept their thoughts to themselves about the Luminous, & after the Mercury business had lead opposition to the Vargary support of them, but when it became obvious that they were highly intelligent & peaceful, the Lyonies too supported the Luminous in Congress.
Agencies of the UFP Government were also impressed by the youthful Luminous. Although they were far behind the UFP in technology, the Luminous not only learnt quick, they were fast to improve upon what was already known. This ability may have annoyed many in the business community, as had been shown in several legal actions, but as wise minds began to make themselves heard, so too did government bodies & corporations.
To the UDF, however, the Mercury incident was still an embarrassing event. Genis Omal had proven to the entire UFP that the Luminous could become a major threat in the near future. He also proved that the Luminous could become the Federations greatest asset. Whilst in custody, Omal said little about how the Mercury was able to dodge well over 50 ships, bypass Epsilon security, & conduct its Presidential fly-by with such effect. Examination of the Mercury produced, like Omal, little information.
In many respects this would be Omals saving grace. After he, the crew & the ship, were released, & the Treaty signed, NGW came calling. Although not legal by UFP or Luminous governments, NGW often ignored the rules whenever it suited them. And this was one such circumstance. Someone had broken all Federation security codes with little difficulty. If someone from a junior specie could do it, then someone more advanced was likewise bound to do the same thing.
Omal, after secret negotiations, agreed to become a "consultant" for NGW on Enigma. Little did NGW know that Omal only agreed to do this after the Luminous Federal Government was informed by Omal himself. For the first time, the Luminous Government conducted an important activity in total secrecy. No one, except a handful of people, knew of Omals true mission: to spy on NGW & bring back whatever he could.
Nonetheless, NGW learnt how Omal was able to decode UFP security messages. It was rather simple actually, although the computer required had to be very fast. Put simply, the decode program operated in a similar, albeit more primitive, way to the UDF Enigma2 program. Even though it could not decode everything, knowing the Luminous abilities to improve upon things, it was estimated that the Luminous would probably be able to read all UFP coded messages within ten years.
This realisation came as a shock. Many knew that the Luminous were very intelligent, but now it appeared that the Luminous, given the appropriate technology & knowledge, were equal to the Unis. Ironically, the Unis were never meant to be, for they were a failed experiment from long ago. In a period of questionable ethical behaviour by NGW (many argue that is still often the case), a species of Organic Universal Robots were created to replace UFP citizens from dangerous operations, either in the civilian or military fields. Upon discovery of these robots, the Federation Government was appalled & forced NGW to abandon the project. In the short period that followed, the Robots rebelled & forced the UFP to accept them as citizens. Now calling themselves Unis, they have excelled in almost everything. But now nature had appeared to create their equal.
Omal was permitted to come & go from NGW as
the workload required. Although he was more so seen as a test subject for
NGW, he nonetheless did help out on the occasional project. His real mission,
however, for the Luminous government was extremely successful. Many
a new technology, less than a year old, became Luminous technology. Much
of this was held in secret & slowly released to industry By the time
the Luminous achieved Associate status, it was as if Earth had never left
the UFP in the first place.
Club Membership
Associate Membership of the UFP was supposed to be a period of transition. This covered all manner of things as diverse from the arts, to politics & to technology. Much of this had already taken place for the Luminous. The Arts in Luminous society had always had an important place & now it was no different. Having said that, little interest was taken in the Luminous Arts by the UFP, but a Homo Sapiens playwright by the name of Shakespeare made an impressive impact on the Luminous. Soon a playhouse had been constructed where one once stood in London followed by another in Straford-Upon-Avon (do note that neither city is called that any more).
Quality actors came from around the Federation back to the birthplace of their beloved bard. Luminous audiences filled these theatres, even though the English spoken was not always understood, regardless of how well the best translators functioned. Even those Luminous who had learnt English fluently had trouble understanding the old words spoken. Later at a press conference, the great Vargary actor Tor VinDov was asked about this situation; he replied "If you think English is difficult to grasp, try the old Vargary of Dishen VahPack". VinDov then gave a few lines from VahPack that only he understood, but the Luminous nevertheless wanted more.
In politics there was nothing more to be done for UFP membership. In fact the UFP could have learnt a few things from the Luminous. Both had democratic governmental & societal structures. Both had several levels of democratic government. Both had rule by law. Both had civil rights for all citizens. But the Luminous had one thing that the UFP at this point did not: Citizen Initiated Referendum. Some planets in the UFP did, likewise, enjoy such a democratic practice, but not at the Federal level. Several senior Luminous pointed this out to UFP diplomats, but for the moment there would be no introduction of this democratic institution at the Federal level.
It was in the realm of science & technology which, as stated above, had the greatest impact upon the Luminous. Most of it was the result of trade, although some of it was the result of clandestine activity. For the most part the UFP took a blind eye to the dubious acquisition of high levels of technology. The result was a massive boost for the Luminous. But when the occasional secret technology all of a sudden became Luminous technology, the UFP became rather annoyed. Numerous Luminous personnel, like Omal, were banned from sensitive areas, even though UFP security agencies could never prove anything.
Nevertheless, the Luminous benefited greatly from their contact with the UFP. There could be no reversal. More importantly, the lessons learnt from having Luminous serve, albeit in limited numbers in various UFP services, ensured that the Luminous knew what they were getting into.
By far & away it was UPX who gained the greatest influx of Luminous volunteers. The opportunity to explore was a great one for the Luminous. The end result was that the Luminous on Earth were just was well informed of the latest discoveries as were the UFP. Such experience also helped matters back on Earth.
NGW was also another agency that benefited from the influx of Luminous volunteers. Omal may have paved the way, but hundreds of others were now involved with NGW projects. None of these Luminous, however, had any clandestine missions. That did not stop NGW security from keeping an eye on them though. And none of these Luminous were ever permitted to work on any sensitive projects. In many instances they merely replaced the lower ranks of NGW personnel who then found themselves promoted elsewhere. Omal, unfortunately, was dismissed from NGW after he asked about "Project Block". That was something that even most NGW personnel knew nothing about. Needless to say, Omal, should have never even heard a rumour about the "Project" let alone be asking about it.
The one major area that the Luminous avoided like the plague was the UDF. Not one Luminous, during the Associate period, joined. This was noted by several specie members of the UFP as a bad sign. Retired general OMalley summed up this groups opinion be stating "The Luminous seem to want all the advantages that we (UFP) have to offer, without lifting a finger in defending them". Although this was a major misconception, it would nonetheless haunt the Luminous for many years to come.
Having said that, in several other quarters, the Luminous gained support. The Lyonies Congressional Leader headed this group by stating "If more peoples were like the Luminous, then the better the Federation & the galaxy would be. The sooner they are a full Member of the UFP the better for all". That did not, however, impress OMalley or the others.
Nonetheless, UPX Chairperson Indira Gandgis validated the Luminous employed by the exploration agency as " among the finest people working for the Federation. They have great intelligence, wisdom & above all dedication to their fellows, the mission, & the UFP." It was a ringing endorsement. Yet the critics of the Luminous were not silenced, especially when suspicious of clandestine activity was raised.
In the end, however, it came down to Congress deciding when the time was right for full membership. Having already the backing of the Vargary, Lyonies & the Unis, the Luminous were certain that they would not have to wait long. Ten years was all it took. When the Drey indicated that they would vote in favour, it was put to the vote. Surprisingly most of the Homo Sapiens Representatives voted no, but their numbers had lowered dramatically. The Catharsis witnessed Sapiens numbers suddenly drop from well over 100 billion to only 10 billion. Thus their Representatives reflected this change. Homo Spiritous Representatives, although not all, ensured a majority in favour of the Luminous.
Thus one of the most important decisions was made
in the history of the UFP. Unknowingly at the time, the inclusion of the
6 billion Luminous, & once again Earth, into the Federation would ensure
that a new period of civilisation would begin. For, as Sapiens had began
to decline & Homo Spiritous leadership was at its peak, Luminous would
one day take their place. And the Federation would strive on to even greater
things for another 500 000 years.
First Impact
And so came citizenship. All the restrictions of the past decade had gone. No more paperwork was required to enter UFP space. Luminous could come & go as they wished. Likewise, non-Luminous peoples could come to Earth with no restrictions. Trade was free. Transfer of ideas & technology was free. No more worrying about the UFP looking over the shoulder of the Luminous government, especially when the occasional transgression took place. More importantly, Luminous were now part of the UFP government. In many respects, it was now the Luminous looking over the shoulder of the UFP.
Furthermore, the restrictions on employment within the UFP had vanished. Luminous volunteers could no longer be kept low in numbers or in rank. Provided they passed the security examinations, Luminous could work unrestricted wherever. And that included NGW. But it was, once again UPX that gained the greatest influx. Previously, Gandgis had to reject four out of every five applications from the Luminous due to the numbers limit. That was no longer the case. Now, almost all Luminous were accepted into UPX employment, much to the chagrin of several other species. Simply the Luminous were just too intelligent & their aptitude fitted that wanted by UPX. Among the new recruits was the now legendary Captain Lenous Sirus.
In the UDF, however, only few applications from the Luminous arrived. These were mostly rejects from UPX who had had their application rejected due to their aptitude more than anything. These personnel were considered to be prone to rash or violent reactions when the subject was involved with stressful &/or dangerous events. Although there were many already in UPX that shared the same aptitude, there were plenty more Luminous applicants who did not. Naturally the military was the best place for them.
The UDF, however, did not really know what to do with them. The unfair smears of pacifism followed the Luminous around like death. This was besides the fact that for eons, millions of Lyonies & Drey, well known for their pacifist attitudes, served with distinction. In fact Lyonies personnel filled up a large proportion of elitist units along with Unis, Sapiens, Spiritous & Braggah citizens. Nevertheless, all Luminous applications were accepted into the UDF, thanks to some Congressional pressure, albeit their numbers were no more than 20 000.
Unlike the UDF, NGW was swamped with Luminous applicants. Like the quest for searching unknown space was key part of UPX service, a similar quest existed at NGW. The difference being the search for technology. Strangely, the fact that most NGW projects concentrated on weapons & associated technology, this did not seem to bother the so called pacifist Luminous. Most never saw it that way. It was more about improving technology that already existed, something that they were very good at, or discovering new technology & science. Furthermore, thanks to the lifting of security restrictions, Luminous began working on the real exciting stuff, not the mundane of the previous decade.
NGW did not, however, know what to do with all the new Luminous applicants, especially one named Genis Omal. Only about half could be accepted for all sorts of reasons, from the number of genuine vacancies through to security concerns. Clearly Omal dropped into the latter. But he was certainly gifted & above all he would be an asset to NGW. Maybe he could work on "Project Block" after all.
Many of the rejects from NGW, however, were soon taken on board by several corporations of the UFP. And no one more so than the giant Millennium Industrial Computer Corporation (MICC) took in many. The Unis noticed early the high intelligence level of the Luminous & had employed a few during the Associate period. So impressed were MICC management by the achievements of the Luminous, that they wanted to employ many more, but the UFP Congress would not change the employment quota restrictions on Luminous.
Then the MICC became rather annoyed when cheap versions of several of their computers began to be manufactured on Earth. Knowing that they was a spy or two within the Luminous ranks, all of them where fired instantly. Legal action against the Luminous computer manufacturers followed, but before the case was settled, all the pirated MICC computers were withdrawn by the Luminous manufacturers. These, though, were replaced by improved models that varied enough to be considered legal. The initial result ensured that MICC had to withdraw the legal action on the pirated computers, thanks to the Luminous manufacturers complying with MICCs original demands.
When the improved computers, however, came onto the market, MICC returned to the law courts. The Luminous manufacturers, though, decided to fight it out standing by the claim that the new computers varied greatly from the pirated ones. The case went on for two years before a final decision, which took place one year prior to full Luminous membership of the UFP. MICC lost the case as well as several million dollars. The result for the Luminous, on the other hand, was tremendous. Production increased within the next year 100 times. Furthermore the Luminous manufacturers joined together, fearing a market onslaught from MICC would bankrupt them if they remained separate after full Membership.
So upon the full entry of the Luminous into the UFP, the Luminous Computer Corporation, or LumCom for short, was born. Already with a firm customer base on Earth, LumComs computers quickly spread throughout the UFP. Instead of MICC taking the battle to the Luminous Pirates (as they where known within MICC), the Luminous took the battle to MICC. Many citizens eagerly purchased LumCom computers for various reasons. First they were slightly better & cheaper than MICC products. They were also more user friendly. But above all it sent MICC a protest message in regards to its domineering position in the computer industry which it had held for centuries.
MICC was not one, though, to take things lying
down. They first attacked through aggressive marketing & pricing. Still
LumCom grew & grew. Then, with some desperation, MICC actively sought out
Luminous personnel to come on board. Although many MICC directors thought
that this was a dangerous ploy, they nevertheless got many applications,
mostly those reluctantly rejected by NGW. Soon MICCs Luminous personnel
worked away against LumComs Luminous personnel. The end result was success
for both companies. MICC concentrated on the latest & greatest computers,
while LumCom concentrated on the reliable & cheapest. Both ensured
that they would continue to prosper.
Project Block
"Project Block" was the most secret of secret of projects that NGW, or for that matter the UFP, ever had. As part of the security process, it had even been given a dull name in order to ensure that no one, even if they had only heard of the name, could induce what the project could be about. Information was extremely limited. Outside of NGW, only the President of the UFP & the Joint Chiefs of Staff, knew anything about it. Not even the Vice-President knew the existence of the project, let alone its name.
That did not stop Genis Omal from discovering its existence, however. Although he only knew the projects name, it was enough to get him fired from NGW. An interrogation did take place, but NGW was satisfied that Omal knew nothing more than the name. Omal helped his own case when it became obvious that he had kept his knowledge on the subject to himself. He had not even passed this on to the Luminous government at the time, regardless of his clandestine mission for them.
Now with the full membership of the Luminous into the UFP, Omal was back asking to be let back in. It was a difficult decision for NGW management. They knew Omal was very good, & had proven himself during his time at NGW, but did not knew if they could forgive him his transgression. Certainly if they knew about his clandestine activities from his previous stay they never would let him back, but they did not. With some apprehension then, NGW said yes. It was just as well.
Although NGW only permitted Omal to work on minor projects, it became obvious that Omal was snooping around for any information on "Project Block". NGW security kept a close eye on him & concluded that it would be only a matter of time before he would discover the nature of the project. NGW management had to make a decision: either lock up Omal indefinitely or put the Luminous to work on the project that he had an irresistible urge for. Thankfully for Omal, it was the latter.
To Omal, "Project Block" was awesome. He could hardly fathom the importance that the "Block" or monolith meant for the UFP. In fact many argued that the entire galaxy was at stake. A black monolith had been discovered in total secrecy on Earths Moon some 100 000 years ago. At first no one knew what it was or meant, other than some highly advanced civilisation deliberately buried it there when The Moon was created at the dawn of time.
Over the eons that followed it began to do things. Little things at first. Mostly basic things. Slowly, however, its secrets showed themselves after the successful completion of the next task at hand. It was not unlike a computer when it starts up going through all its tests & loading of software. Finally information would come forth giving instructions, advice or warnings on various subjects. These, at first, were scoffed at, but when it was discovered that the monolith was spot on, it gained full creditability. Now it was listened to as if it was an Oracle of the gods.
Having said that, it was calculated that the monolith was a computer, & not an Oracle, of an unbelievable advanced civilisation hitherto unknown. Furthermore, it was calculated that it had almost finished its program & therefore purpose. There was still one more puzzle to complete before the end, & considering what had come before, everyone could not wait until that day took place. So far, well over 10 000 years had come & gone while waiting for that day. Everyone assumed that another 10 000 years may go by before the final climax took place.
Everyone except Omal. After getting over the shock of the initial discovery, he immediately got to work. This involved a review of all previous data. This, he realised, would take years of personal effort, so he recruited other "Project Block" personnel. Considering most had nothing to do except the same old tedious efforts, Omals approach brought new energy to their investigations. Most were happy to help out, although a few took a dim view of the newcomer.
Team Omal, as this unofficial group were called, got through the analysis within a few weeks. All this was then programmed into Omals decode program from the Mercury days, albeit much it was much improved, & the program then went to work. Little at first took place, but after several evolutionary rewrites of the program, some clues where discovered. In following these clues, the latest MICC computer was utilised which got the Team even closer to their goal. In a period of a month, Team Omal had achieved more than in had been done in the previous 10 000 years.
It was a LumCom computer, however, that almost got the answer. Omal had attached several LumCom computers directly into the core of the MICC computer thus expanding its overall speed & capacity. It was an entire adhoc arrangement & if the two computer giants knew what Omal had done, they both probably would have started legal action against NGW. But they did not. It was just as well.
Through their efforts, Team Omal learnt that the final part of the monolith was indeed huge. There appeared to be various specifications for a large machine & some information regarding navigational data. Weeks went by as the team tried in vain to decode the last step. Finally it came down to a password. Attempts were made to hack past this security devise, but all efforts failed. They had to know the password - pure & simple.
In the various attempts to ascertain the password, it was found that two words were required. These had to be manually entered as any password cracker simply would not do. Someone had to stand there at a computer console & enter the password personally. The first word had five characters while the second had four. They were so close.
More weeks went by as millions of words, numbers
& combinations of both, in thousands of languages, were typed in every
minute of every hour. Finally in frustration, in an attempt relieve some
tension & as Vinon VikahVon jokingly urged him on, Omal typed his
own name - G E N I S O M A L. The monolith sprung to life.
At the time when some great inspirational quote is usually made, Omals
infamous remark simply stating "Shit!" nonetheless went down in history,
regardless of the efforts by several historians to rewrite the event &
Omals statement.
Operation Antiquity
Everyone was stunned by the reaction of the monolith, not to say the least Omal. Short of fainting from brain overload, Omal quickly began recording the vast information now decoded & on offer. It was simply unbelievable. Little analysis was required other than checking up on the science. Basically the information was for a Vale Gateway. Various theories were abound about access to an alternate universe, but little had been achieved in any experiment to date.
Now it seemed that an extremely advanced civilisation had given the UFP the plans. There was also a footnote. Apparently these aliens needed desperate help. Many considered this very strange. Considering the monolith had been around for close to 4 billion years, how urgent could this help really be?
This aspect became more debated than the actual Vale Gateway technology itself. It was at least 500 000 years more advanced than anything currently around. That was certainly the case at NGW & it was assumed that this was the case throughout the entire known galaxy as well. As with "Project Block", security would have to essential. Only those cleared could know about it.
President Marie Molony was, however, placed in a quandary. Having just become President, she had only recently been informed about "Project Block". Now the "Blocks" latest discovery hit her. She did not know what to do, let alone inform others in her government about the matter. The Joint Chiefs were split over issue. Some suspected a trap, while others, headed by Admiral Jones, argued that the UFP had been called to help a civilisation that was clearly benevolent in nature. He said that " if these aliens wanted to destroy us, they could have done it long ago. I dare say if they had the power to place the Block in the Moon at its creation, it doesnt take much brain power to realise that they could have also destroyed the Earth long before life began."
President Molony agreed with the Admiral. It took little else to then convince her to order the construction of the Vale Gateway. Nonetheless, she held off on any decision to conduct any rescue mission. As far as the President was concerned, the alien technology & science would have to be thoroughly tested first. Any accident would be unacceptable as the consequences could be enormous. Everyone agreed.
The first stage of Operation Antiquity had begun. Due to the security involved, The Vale Gateway would be constructed at NGW Enigma. This would ensure that the prying eyes of the press would be averted. Stopping non-corporeal onlookers could be a problem, so security was beefed up. Not only were NGW patrol ships sent out on security missions like never before, but parties of non-corporeal units also went on patrols to ensure that no unwanted guests arrived.
Although Omal was not in charge of the Vale Gateway construction, he was nonetheless involved. The Luminous was dwarfed by the enormity of the project. Yet he & the others all kept their heads as the months went by. Secrecy was kept at a premium, but as more people became involved so thus it was harder for the work to be kept a secret. Finally some information, albeit limited, got out into the media. And the media turned it into the leading story.
President Molony was inundated, not only by the media, but by an irate Congress & Vice-President. Although the Joint Chiefs urged that she keep everything a secret, the President went the other way. Within 24 hours of the medias discovery, a full discloser was presented by the President. The importance of the occasion was only lost on a few. Most of the media, not to mention the Congress, & above all the citizens, understood the gravity of the situation. The UFP had been called to arms in order to help an unknown but obvious friend. And the UFP always helps its friends.
With that out of the way, the efforts to get stage two of Operation Antiquity under way took little effort. As the Vale Gateway neared completion the largest Armada ever assembled in UDF history gathered near Honshu. Furthermore, twenty of the old Spartan class battlestations came out of reserve. More would have likewise been recommissioned, but time & budget prevented it. Nonetheless, one Spartan battlestation was usually enough to deter most enemies, twenty could conquer half the galaxy!
Before anything went through the Vale Gateway, however, thousands of tests & simulations took place to ensure that all was safe. The Gateway passed all of these tests with fly colours. Not even one minor anomaly was recorded. Everything was safe.
Thus upon the approval of NGW & the President, the Vale Gateway was turned on for the very first time. Everything worked as predicted. Waiting a few light years away, the Grand UDF Fleet jumped to NGW Enigma space & entered the enormous rupture in space that awaited them. Behind the main fleet, the Spartan Fleet lingered for their turn. For whatever reason, the monolith had provided slightly different coordinates for the Spartans.
Finally, every ship successfully entered the Gateway & to their respective destination. On the UDF Thermopylae Omal journeyed, with the others, to see what his endeavours had achieved. At first NGW refused permission for Omal to go, but he persisted pointing out who better than he to go & meet the makers of the monolith. Surely if NGW were taking the risk of returning the monolith, then Omal was nothing in comparison if all was lost. NGW finally relented, but only reluctantly.
The UDF Armada arrived Beyond the Vale with the most unusual scene before them. It seemed that the main Fleet was behind a large body of advanced ships & non-corporeal beings who where fighting it out with a large, but much smaller, body of non-corporeal beings. Admiral Jones then noticed the fighting stop as the group closest to him turned to face the main UDF Fleet. Fearing that this was truly a trap, he gave his transmission anyway: "This is Admiral James Jones of the UDF White Star representing the United Federation of Planets. I must order the waring parties, most notably the Tempilous & the Orville, to cease all hostile activities & withdraw at once. Non compliance will result with a deadly response."
Seconds later the Spartan Fleet arrived between the two waring parties. Coinciding with the Spartans arrival, the enemy began to slowly melt away without one shot being fired by anyone. Although many did not leave at first, it soon became a rout. The UDF, & their unknown ally, had just won the most important battle in all of history without even knowing it.
Their unknown benefactors, the Spiritous Sanctus Sapiens (SSS), welcomed Admiral Jones & in fact the entire UDF fleet to the Elysium Universe. It was an historic moment for all concerned. Although it was hard to believe the SSS at first, Jones & his deputy General MacBeth were ironically pleased that the SSS knew nothing of the monolith, or much else for that matter, about reality back home. Even more curiously, the SSS were surprised to discover that the Luminous existed & had made the essential final steps in making the rescue of the SSS possible.
Omal was brought before the leaders of the SSS.
Sarah in particular took a keen interest in this new Human specie as did
a few others. They were fascinated by the fact that nature had drastically
improved upon their own genetically engineered version. Omal thought it
was mind blowing coming before such powerful creatures. He was, however,
a little depressed by the fact that the SSS were not as all knowing as
he once thought. Furthermore, he was not at all concerned by the fact that
they were non-corporeal. Some twenty years of associating with Homo Spiritous
& the other Catharsis species of the UFP had seen to that.
Alternative
History Homepage
Chapter 2 From Sailing Ships To Space Ships
Chapter 4 Equality For All
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1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 dmatwell@nobbys.net.au