James Glass - Sedona Conspiracy

“Maybe you could say a few words of greeting, Doctor Price,” said Brown. “Unfortunately they cannot hear me. It’s just the beginning, you see. Two peoples are meeting with knowledge of who they are for the first time. Anything simple will do. My people have waited years for this. Our president’s plan to bring us together has been major news, and hotly debated. It could have resulted in total societal disruption if Dario Watt had been successful. The star craft is a gift from my people to yours, so we can come together at last. Tell them what you think about this. The channel is now open.”

Eric’s stomach trembled, and he felt a burning in his fingertips. He glanced at Dillon, but the man looked terrified and shook his head. “Not me,” Dillon mouthed.

What to say at a time like this? Something friendly, and short, a greeting to Brown’s people, Alan’s—Nataly’s. Oh Nataly.

The few seconds he thought seemed like minutes, and then he swallowed hard, took a deep breath and spoke with a soft, steady voice directed from somewhere inside him.

“My name is Eric Price. I come from a planet called Earth, or Terra, very far from you. My people have always wanted to travel to the stars, but our technology has only allowed us to travel to planets and moons in our own system. Now we have received a gift from you, the gift of a star craft that has brought us to your planet. I’m told it’s called Ariel. It reminds me of my home. We don’t have rings like Ariel, but we have a single, large moon to admire at night. On behalf of my people I want to thank you very much for your gift. I hope it will bring us together soon, and that we will be good friends. I bring best wishes to you, from Earth, until we meet again.”

Eric paused, wondering what more could be said.

“Very nice,” said Brown. “Wait a moment before speaking again, please.”

They waited. Dillon grinned at him. “One step for man,” he mouthed.

“We can talk freely now. The channel has been closed. Thank you, Doctor Price.”

“Glad to do it. I meant what I said, but I’m sure it will also be politically useful to your president.”

“There is that,” said Brown. “He went through much difficulty to bring you here. Unfortunately, it is now time to leave.”

“I still don’t know how far we’ve come,” said Dillon. “How many light years is it?”

Pause. “As I said, that cannot be defined, Captain. The Ariel program lists six universes, including your own at N=0. You are now at N=2 and went through orders up to fifteen on your way here. Each universe has different physical constants, of course. The N value is used in a multiplier times your light speed value.”

“So where we are, the light speed is twice what it is on Earth?” asked Eric.

“No, it is a hundred times the value on Earth. The N is the power of ten times your value.”

“Up to fifteen?” Dillon was astounded.

“The upper limit seems to be twenty-one for stable universes. The portal uses eighteen. The concept of distances in light years has little meaning to us. It’s travel time that counts, and your trip consumed just over seventy-four seconds, including deceleration to your present location. Return to your own space will take a few seconds longer.”

“We’re not even in our own universe,” said Dillon.

“That is correct, Captain.”

“Good Lord.”

“It’s quite complex, I know, but we’ll teach you the use of N-space maps, and we have current listings of populated worlds we’ll share when you’re ready. There is also the power plant to learn. The theory involves a coupling between gravity and electromagnetic fields, but the technology is rather straightforward. This will take years, Captain, and I hope you and Doctor Price will be able to participate.”

“As long as I can fly,” said Dillon, but Eric was silent.

“Good. We’ll talk about it in a few minutes. Enjoy the trip home.”

There was a click as Brown’s voice faded away, and Eric felt that peculiar lightening in his stomach again. The image of Ariel shuddered, then sped away until it was only a pinpoint of light. Wish we could have stayed longer , thought Eric, but then the holoscreen displays came back again with icons dimly lit. Outside there was blackness, then veils of colors, then lights flashing past in blue, red, and blue again.

“Down the rabbit hole,” said Dillon, and chuckled.

He’s having a good time now , thought Eric, but inside he was feeling a strange sadness. I couldn’t have imagined such an adventure. I should be euphoric right now. Why do I feel so badly about going home?

But only a minute later, the sight of planet Earth on his holoscreen nearly sent him into tears.

“Pretty little world; let’s go there,” said Dillon, and then Brown’s voice was back again.

“Right on time. Keep your eyes on the screen, Doctor Price; to be sure each panel is closed as a phase is completed. Everything should be automatic.”

“Right. I’ve been wondering what we could have done if something had gone wrong while we were in one of those higher-order spaces.”

“There are procedures, and also a fail-safe that will put you back into the space of origin. This will all be a part of the training in later stages. Today you have made the easiest of all possible flights, and the one we’re most familiar with. Relax. Sparrow is bringing you home nicely.”

“I’ve come in on auto before, but at least I had to make a dead stick landing,” said Dillon. “I want to really fly this thing.”

“Of course, Captain. There will be opportunities for that. See you in a few minutes.”

Dillon was quiet during the spiraling descent through the atmosphere, but kept his hands on the controls, feeling each change in pitch and yaw. Eric’s attention was held by the holoscreens as he went through the switch sequence in reverse. Sparrow dropped to a hundred thousand feet before chasing the terminator and catching up to it in seconds before dropping again. The lightness within them had gone away at first descent, and now they were buffeted by the turbulence of passage through thickening air. In the last minute of descent they were coming down vertically, and a huge cluster of lights lay near the horizon. Below them was darkness with a few peaks and buttes dimly illuminated by a setting moon.

“We see you. The bay is opening.” An unfamiliar voice.

Slightly south of their position, a dim red hole suddenly appeared on a flat just west of jagged peaks. There was a thud, and a whine as Sparrow’s lifters cut in, and they seemed to float towards the hole until it was beneath them and no longer visible. Eric grunted when they dropped rapidly, and then slowed. He saw the edges of the bay ceiling pass by, the red glow on rock walls, and felt the soft concussion of landing pass beneath him.

Dillon popped the canopy and techs were already swarming the wings. One saluted Dillon. “Lots of excitement here, sir.”

The ceiling was closed by the time they were unstrapped and out of the cockpit. Eric followed Dillon out. There was applause from a small crowd gathered around Sparrow. Smiling faces. Davis was there, Hendricks and his crew, Brown, and a man who looked much like him.

Alan should have been here , thought Eric. He stepped onto the wing and ran his hand along Sparrow’s fuselage. There was no sign of scarring or burning, even after reentry from space.

Davis was the first one to shake his hand. “Now I can retire”, he said, and Eric knew instantly the man was serious. “I’ll need a debriefing, but Brown wants to talk to you first. He says it’s important.”

“While the flight is still fresh in your mind,” said Brown, who had come up behind Davis. “It’ll only take a few minutes, Colonel.”