Conversation with the Project Leader

"Passing Acquaintance"/huntemann                                                                                                                         Page 1

Chapter Prologue
Scene [1]

Conversation with the Project Leader

[PAN AND FOLLOW A RADIOWAVE AS IT LEAVES AN ANTENNA, CROSSES AN OCEAN WITH SHIPS AND PROCEEDS OUT OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM TOWARDS THE RHO OPHIUCHI NEBULA IN THE SAGITTARIUS CONSTELLATION.]

         Following the work of Jagadish Bose, Heinrich Hertz, Edouard Branly, and Guglielmo Marconi in the late 1800s and early 1900s, radio came of age around 1904 when it was used for a news service to ships at sea. The stations were powerful enough to transmit across the Atlantic, and, unbeknownst to the developers, across interstellar space in all directions.

[PAN THROUGH THE MASSIVE NEBULA, PAST ANTARES, A HUGE RED GIANT STAR, THROUGH CLOUDS OF GAS AND DUST, AND OUT THE OTHER SIDE TOWARD A SMALLER RED STAR WITH A WHITE DWARF BINARY. SLOW TO A STOP AT A MASSIVE, EGG SHAPED, STARSHIP JUST BEYOND THE BINARY PAIR.]

         551 years later, the signals had reached past the blood red giant star Antares and beyond the Rho Ophiuchi nebulae complex1 surrounded by the large blue reflection nebula IC 4604. Starship 841 is in the final stages of an assignment begun 10,000 years ago.

         In the Project Communications Center of the Starship, 10 light-years past the Rho Ophiuchi Nebula, the center supervisor, Sift, is making an urgent call to the Project Leader.

         Sift says, “Sir, the signal came back from the far side of the nebula.”

         Project Leader asks, “What signal?”

         “Sir, we reported an anomalous signal last year that was declared as NONO, Not Of Natural Origin.”

         “I don't recall any such report.”

         Sift reminds him, “It was of very short duration and not attributed to any known species... it's in the record.”

         “You say it came back?”

         “Yes. Several hours ago we resolved a weak signal similar to the one we saw briefly last year.”

         “What was the format?”

         “Oh, sir, it had no format. It was just an intermittent carrier. Fairly broadband with no sidebands.”

         “Awfully primitive? Were you able to get a fix?”

         “Last year, no, just a Right Ascension and Declination bearing. But this time, with the new equipment, we were able to plot a slight change in its position. If it's coming from the same source, it looks to be around 500 light-years out.”

         Concerned, the Project Leader asks, “In front of the progenitor?”

         “Yep. Maybe 10 degrees off axis.”

         A bit more anxious, “That will put it how far from the event?”

         “Only about 50 light-years.”

         Resigned, the Project Leader says, “Humm... well within the surface lethal radius.”

         “Yeah, poor bastards.”

         “How advanced will they be when the event happens?”

         Sift says, “Sir, that's not my specialty. But, if the species classes I had in school can be believed, it will occur about the time they first populate their system, however big that is.”

         “That won't help much... even if they know about it. What kind of civilization do they have?”

         Sift didn’t know how to answer that. So, he says, “Sir, we only have an inferior signal. There's no way to know anything about their development yet.”

         Hoping for some good news, the Project Leader asks, “Is the signal continuous?”

         “No. It comes and goes frequently.”

         “How long have you been receiving it?”

         Not wanting to appear derelict in his duties, Sift says, “Ods first saw it again about 24 hours ago. It was in and out. Couldn’t be pinned down right away. It's gone now.”

         “Why haven't we been seeing it all along? Was it just masked by the noise from the nebula?”

         “No. When we got it, it was solid and discernable. But when it goes away, it's like they turned it off.”

         Accepting the worst scenario, the Project Leader says, “Geeze... An intentional signal... The Presidium needs to know about this. Continue monitoring, and keep me informed.”

         Sift cut the comm link and returned to his analysis.


         Sift thinks, Well, the boss has been told. Ods' report will be filed in a few minutes. The political wheels will start turning before the day is done. This is probably the last few hours I'll be able to devote my attention to this signal before all Hell breaks loose at 'The Project' and somebody orders me to do it another way.

         Everything in The Project has to be done on a schedule. True, it's been a long schedule. Turning a progenitor star away from known civilizations so it can go 1A, without harming tender developing species, has taken a long time.

         Sift ponders the significance of what is transpiring, If this signal is from a species that has just discovered science, then they are indeed in a perilous position... And we put them there.


         Sift summons ODS on the intercom. “I just talked to the boss. He'll report the finding to the Presidium and, I assume, you'll hear from them directly. When will your report be official?”

         Ods says, “I just entered it into the record. Did he say what will happen next?”

         “No.” Trying to recall any similar incident, “It's been a while since a new primitive species has been discovered. They will have to review protocol.”

         Looking puzzled and contemplating what to say next, Sift continues, “But their location will make it urgent.”

         Ods asks, “Will they come here to view the actual traces? This place is a mess.”

         “Dang it, Ods, I've been after you to stow everything for a month. It'd be a good idea to do it now, before the VIPs arrive.”

         “Okay, but I promised Nimmy I'd be home for supper at 18:30.”

         “Ods, I'll call Nimmy and apologize for you. Just get the place cleaned up.”

         “Thanks, Sift, I owe you.”

         ODS switches the intercom to standby and a quite pop comes from Sift’s speaker.


         Sift calls Nimmy, Ods current mate, and tries to smooth her (actual) feathers.

         Sift says, “I'm sorry, Nimmy, I had to order Ods to stay over a bit to square away the receiver station. We're about to be invaded by VIPs.”

         Doubting, Nimmy says, “Oh, come on Sift. You and him are just boozing at a bar someplace. I'm getting tired of you two covering for each other.”

         “No, no, Nimmy. This is legit. We really have to fix up the shack. Something big happened today and we have to look good for the brass.”

         “I don't believe you.”

         Sift pleads, “Really, Nimmy, you have to believe me. That thing at the Circle R was just that once. It never happened again.”

         “Now you're really lying. What about the party at Jennifer's last month.”

         “But, we never lied to you about that. We just didn't tell you... There is a difference.”

         Disgusted, Nimmy says, “Some difference. You are incorrigible... what's your excuse this time?”

         Hesitating a bit, Sift says, “Oh... well, I can tell you. It's in the record already. We've received a signal that may be from a new species.”

         “So what? Isn't that what your job is?”

         “Well, yes, part of it. But it only happens rarely with such a primitive species.”

         Sift pauses to let Nimmy's strong curiosity assist his argument... (she’s an archeologist).

         “Primitive? How primitive?”

         Sift smiles, Ah, hooked. Then he says casually, “It's only an electromagnetic carrier. Probably from a pre-space capable species.”

         Nimmy waited... thinking... her curiosity seeming to supplant her suspicions. “So, it's big... but why does he have to stay?”

         Relieved, Sift says, “He has to tidy up the receiver station. The place will probably be crawling with brass and the press in a few hours.”

         A bit disappointed, Nimmy says, “He'll clean up the radio shack because of some primitive savages, but I can't get him to sweep out his den or carry out the trash. You two aren't to be trusted.”

         “It won't take him too long. His relief will be there soon. He shouldn't be more than an hour or so late.”

         “All right. Thanks, I think, for calling, Sift. I'll hold supper for him.”

         Sift killed the link and was about to call his wife, too. Why the Hell do I want to do that. We aren't married anymore.


         The project was launched 10,000 years ago to guide a progenitor binary star pair, about to go supernova, away from known life-forms in the galaxy. The event will occur in about 3,000 years. This project deliberately aimed the stars into the Rho Ophiuchi Nebula hoping to use the immense energy released to form other stars from the matter there. But, conditions in the binary have changed enough so that the event will not occur until the pair has passed through the nebula. Far enough through the nebula in fact so that the Earth will be only 50 light years from it.


Pages: 8
Words: 1,450

Footnotes
1  From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rho_Ophiuchi_cloud_complex
The Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex is a dark nebula of gas and dust that is located 1° south of the star ρ-Ophiuchi of the constellation Ophiuchus. At an estimated distance of 131±3 parsecs [540 ly], this cloud is one of the closest star-forming regions to the Solar System.
Website for this image http://www.viewfromearth.com/page5.html
Rho Ophiuchi Nebula and surrounding objects near Antares.
viewfromearth.com