

The Time Was Past

By Stephen Brandon

Copyright 2015 Stephen Brandon

Published by Stephen Brandon at Smashwords

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Smashwords Edition License Notes

Thank you for downloading this ebook. This book remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be redistributed to others for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy from their favorite authorized retailer. Thank you for your support.

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Author's Notes

This book is a work of fiction. All characters, organizations, incidents, and dialogue are from the authors imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or other persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Real and fictional locations are used for background only.

With a review, I will send you a coupon code for a free book.

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Table of Contents ~(ToC)~

Authors Note

Acknowledgments

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

About Stephen Brandon

Other books by Stephen Brandon

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Acknowledgments

My wife has put up with me for over forty five years. Without her support and love I don't know who, what, or where I would be, so I thank her from the bottom of my heart, and I dedicate the Saturn series of books to her!

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Prologue

Scientist from all 5 continents gathered together to lobby their governments for the change. Mars exploration was no longer a priority. The new Saturn moon had a diameter of 900 Km, yet its gravitational effect on the rings was that of an object 10 times as large. Eighteen years was a speck of time in the lifetime of the Saturn rings, yet they were already showing changes that a 200 mm reflector telescope with a good eyepiece on Earth could see. Amateur astronomy grew by leaps and bounds after the first reports of ring disturbance.

The mission statement was simple!

Mission Statement for spacecraft Saturn 1

Saturn 1 with an operational and scientific crew will proceed to the Saturn system and investigate the disturbance caused by a meteoroid observed entering the Saturn system.

Travel time from Earth to Saturn is approximately 3 years.

Saturn 1 will remain within the Saturn system for approximately 2 years.

Primary Mission:

The scientific crew will use their specialties to investigate and catalog all possible information.

Analysis of hazards caused by disruptions of the Saturn moons orbits and rings will be computed.

Data will be transmitted to Earth weekly.

At the end of the two year investigation the crew of Saturn 1 will complete the following:

Saturn 1 will set up monitoring equipment in the vicinity of the Saturn system.

Upon their return Saturn 1 will proceed to the orbit of Mars and set up more monitoring equipment at Sun Mars L3.

Saturn 1 will return to Earth for refitting, crew change, and resupply.

Length of original mission is estimated to be 9 years.

That's why we all spend an hour of our shift on the computers answering questions and transmitting pictures to Earth. All data was transmitted back to Earth without encryption for everyone with a UHF television, shortwave receiver, or internet link to view. Information and those four reporters were the only condition that every government agreed to. Ever see a reporter try to read a technical report and try to make sense of it.

My personal opinion is that all of them are spies. At least the vetting eliminated six nominated members that were radicals and possibly saboteurs. After all the panels and analysis, our crew has the personality of a snail darter, except when their specialty is mentioned. I know, I'm just as bad. All the enthusiasm of my youth was burned out of me by eleven years of intensive solar technology training in four different countries. I watched half my group quit, burn out, or go insane. The rest of us were zombies except when we talked solar. Some of our inventions or improvements were X-ray and Gamma ray solar panels.

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Chapter 1

Middle of first week. Any normal inward trajectory would be retrograde, but we're accelerating toward the sun. Chemical rocket acceleration terminated when the disposable fuel tanks dropped off and primary trajectory is reported to be perfect. I hope so, otherwise we'll end up so far off course we may never make it back.

End of third week. Finally all the O, G, & X solar panels are layered in place. Our spacecraft now looks like a cocoon. If everything works correctly we'll be safe from ionizing radiation during the gravity-assist maneuvers around the sun.

End of forth week. The Captain announced that our trajectory was perfect and tomorrow we'd be inside the orbit of Venus. The engineers have started the ion drive using power from the G and X panels. One side effect of these panels is that by using the power they create, they effectively create a radiation shadow behind them. That should keep us safe.

Middle of fifth week. The design engineers blew it. The boom projecting from the nose of the ship melted. We've lost all outside sensors and cameras. Heads will roll back on Earth.

End of seventh week. The Captain sent two crew members outside to check radiation levels and install a new sensor boom. They gave an all clear, and now we have to reconfigure all the panels and re-install the communications arrays. Speed, that's why we took the trajectory we did.

Ninth week. Well the butterfly is taking shape. Repairable impact damage to over twenty panels. I'll probably exceed my outside suit safety time limit in the next several weeks.

Tenth week. The Captain ordered everyone to stay inside for two shifts.

Tenth week, day 2. Was talking to the navigator in the mess last night.

She was complaining that the orbit had shifted two degrees for no rational reason. It wasn't until she mentioned the solar storm we were running parallel to that I knew the reason.

That's why I love the dimples caused by gravitational spots and magnetic fields in the beautiful elliptic parabolic cone. And then add in the pimples caused by concentrated solar radiation and plasma plumes. And the perturbations caused by gravitation fields within the cone itself. Cartesian space calculations are only good on a planets surface within a defined gravitational field, in space they are inadequate. I told her that if she'd come to my quarters I'd show her why we were changing course and how to calculate the changes. After looking at my rough calculation on my computer she told me that I should have been the senior navigator.

I firmly informed her that I was no navigator, I just liked gravity calculations as a hobby. Why do you think that there is a mid-course correction, and then trajectory corrections all the way to destination? Even using the Oberth effect the journey will still take 3 years.

I can't let my journal get to technical or it'll trip the triggers set into the computer and it will automatically transmit everything to Earth.

Tenth week, day 5. The Captain called me to his office. After grilling me for over half an hour he informed me that I had an additional duty. I was to be the assistant navigator. Then he asked me if I knew anyone else aboard that had secondary skills that weren't in their files.

Twelfth week. All G panels repaired and online.

Week thirteen. All O and X panels repaired and online.

Fourteenth week. Heard one of the astronomers griping in the mess about the fact that the Captain was making him train as a pilot. He never flew anything larger than a single engine on Earth. I also heard that one of the nurses was now working in the engineering section.

So far the the journey had been routine, as predicted. The chief engineer is still griping about the power requirements needed to maintain the blogs and other internet connections to Earth.

End of year one. As predicted the optical solar panel were down to 47% capacity. Only one of the two reactors had come online without any alerts. The backup fuel cell system worked like a charm while it was needed, but left us short on water.

As a result the Captain changed our first target to Enceladus with Mimas as alternate. I spent almost three shifts with the navigator recalculating our location and the trajectory needed with power requirements and thrust calculations to bring us to a perfect orbit around Saturn. We'll just need to tweak the trajectory as new data is input. Both ice moons have extremely low escape velocities. The original target was the new moon that was captured twenty-one years ago.

~

Month seventeen. Several scientist have reported that there seems to be a greenish blue aura around several parts of the ship. I've only noticed it around the X panels. They are only operating at 96.43% of projected efficiency. Efficiency has been dropping .48% a month since for the last seven months.

Month twenty-three. We're now 1,464,000 Km below the solar plane and tomorrow we'll restart the ion drive to drop back into Saturn's orbit. The calculations on the power output of the Gamma solar panels was right on. However the X-ray panels are only putting out 88% of projected efficiency. Every component is working within design parameters. The only difference is the X-ray frequency spread. It's on the upper end of the frequency range for the panels. Sent another report back for them to ponder along with all sensor readings. The greenish blue aura now covers the all parts of the ships exterior except the transmission dishes and antenna. Analysis of all frequencies from X-ray down to infrared fail to answer the reason for the aura. Radiation levels within the ship remain within safe parameters. Twenty-three months seems like nothing when I look back, but it drug out so slowly.

Month twenty-three plus seventeen days. Communications reports that Earth ground stations report a reversal in the doppler shift of our communications. They are now transmitting a timing signal that we are to relay back.

Month twenty-three plus twenty days. Ground stations report that we are either decelerating at three time the maximum the ion drive is capable of or we are traveling back in time at a rate of one second for every 9 hours their time.

~

Month twenty-four plus nine days. Ground stations have requested that we cut our transmission speed to 90%, because our high speed data is being received faster than they can process.

Month twenty-five. Strange things are happening to all our communications. Even the normal UHF TV signals from Earth are having to be reduced in speed as well as frequency shifted back up to VHF TV tuner frequencies. The automatic fine tuning circuits in the TV's can't handle the frequency drift.

Month twenty-five plus thirteen days. The Captain finally relented and sent one of the scout ships out to do a 360 around the main ship. When they returned their clocks had gained 2.3 seconds over the shipboard clock. They were out for 3 1/2 hours. The digital recording show the aura extending 3 ship lengths out from the ship in all directions. Also now it shows streaks of red and amber. One crew-member commented that it looked like the northern lights when he was a kid in northern Alaska. All data recorded and transmitted to Earth by all communications systems aboard.

End of month twenty-six. Earth reports that they are transmitting all signals to us at normal speed and requested that transmit at 50% speed. Amity Ho, our computer repair wizard, has had to rebuild half the computers directly connected to outside sensors. For some reason the main processors are loosing their timing signal capabilities. She built me a computer using all cannibalized parts from several and it works perfectly. She can't explain the malfunction, nor can the experts back on Earth.

End of month thirty-one. Transmission speed was reduced to 10% normal yesterday. It takes forever to get anything through now. Earth control has requested that we build small guided missiles and launch all data recorded in one month batches when normal communications fail.

Month thirty-two and six days. Several of the reporters reported that they received the exact same dispatches word for word that they received yesterday. For six hours last night all communications failed.

Month thirty-two and eighteen days. Naomi, the crew communications specialist along with Albert our theoretical astronomer reported at a crew meeting that we are experiencing an unusual phenomena. All signals received by the ship communications array are reversed, and the same we received from now back toward launch date. By analyzing the transmissions received they claim that we are traveling in reverse time. The computers corrected the signals for first to last data received for awhile, but now they are failing to decipher signals received. After the meeting the Captain ordered us to do a complete data download for a messenger missile that will be launched in ten hours. He informed us that the messenger missile will take nine shipboard years to reach Earth, but Albert computes that Earth time will only be four years after our departure. He ordered me to prepare a wraparound solar power unit that will function to power a transmitter until it is turned off. When I asked him how long, all he did was cover his face with his left hand and mumble fifty years.

As much as I don't like letting anyone read my journal, I'm including it as two files, one normal and reverse in ASCII and another in UTF-8, along with a printout of all my file names and data summaries.

End of month thirty-two. At several meetings where we pondered the situation we were in, the reporters were elected to be our historians. Each is tasked to make an independent history of our trip starting with the meeting where our situation was described to the ship crew. I'm thinking about restarting my journal.

Month thirty-three plus one week. The Captain announced that he will chair weekly meeting of the crew by shifts. Our starting topics will to be to figure out how to survive in the Saturn system, figure out what date in Earth time we are, how we can return to Earth after we left so as not create problems, and last but not least important how to handle our supplies.

Month thirty three plus eight days. Last night I attended my scheduled meeting on shift two and listened in on the third shift meeting. Pandemonium in both. The Captain took several of the ideas and ordered committees formed to refine them and submit solutions to him.

Month thirty-three plus fifteen days. Naomi, third shift pilot and navigator, cornered me after their meeting. She and Alice had talked and determined that I probably knew more about what was going on than Albert because all he did was spout theoretical data. They even offered to help me with my duties on the solar panels and power converters.

End of month thirty-three. It's hectic, the latest navigation data indicates that we are only a month away from the Saturn system. We haven't lost enough delta-V to enter the system and go into orbit. The Captain doesn't want to use the chemical rockets to decelerate because there is no way to replace the fuel. Naomi and I have been tasked to compute a deceleration orbit using gravitational breaking.

Month thirty-four and four days. Calculations complete. However we'll have to make five orbits of Saturn to slow us enough. It will be like balancing a brick on a pin, because our velocity is high enough that if our attitude off by 2 degrees the ion drive will simply accelerate us into an impossible trajectory, not decelerate us. The Captain isn't happy with the trajectories because the first and fourth passes are inside the orbit of Mimas and through the rings. After informing him, I computed re-positioning the solar panels for minimum impact damage, I informed him that I would need help for a week to re-position them. The ion drive would help burn a path for us, but he needed to get engineering to build a shield across the rear of the ship in case we actually hit a large chunk of ice in the rings.

Month thirty-four and twenty-eight days. It took us 4/100th of a second to transit the rings. One compartment in the rear of the ship was holed. Power drops from fifty-seven panels indicate damage. We've got six weeks to repair all damage and prepare for the next close pass. I decided to recompute my dating system, starting with our first transit of Saturn as day 1.

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Chapter 2

Day 2. Someone talked. I've been bombarded with comments good and bad about my calculations that took us through the rings of Saturn. I informed the Captain and requested that he have Naomi explain gravitational breaking in terms that everyone could understand. After staring a hole through me he laughed and said that he'd read the explanation that Naomi and I would write up.

Day 5. Naomi, Alice, and I presented the Captain with three drafts of the gravitational breaking. After reading all three, he said the second was the one that he'd read in the next crew meeting, and anyone that wanted a more technical explanation could read the third.

Day 22. Today we reached apoapsis in our first elliptical orbit of Saturn. Periapsis is projected to be on day 43.

Day 63. All but one of the solar panels repaired and online.

~

Day 128. We're on the periapsis of our 5th orbit and this orbit will only take 5.7 days. Now we can head for Mimas or Enceladus.

Day 129. The Captain called an intercom meeting of the all three shifts. He outlined his plan and told everyone to consider it. Anyone that had suggestions or comments could contact him starting first shift tomorrow.

Captains plan:

Locate water ice and mine it.

Locate resources to sustain ourselves.

Repair all damage to ship.

Refuel ship.

Determine what Earth year we are in.

Determine if return to Earth is possible.

If we are actually in Earths past, can we return without changing history?

If return to Earth is not feasible, what do we do.

Possibility of settling on one of Saturn's moons and starting a colony.

Build a space habitat here in the Saturn system and wait for history to catch up to us.

Build another ship or enlarge this one and head for the stars?

Day 132. The Captain called me in and asked me to calculate the best and safest location in the Saturn system to build a habitat. He'd give me a location list of resources as soon as he had it so I could calculate minimum fuel orbits to those locations.

Day 135. Albert and Mark reported that there was no radio of any kind emanating from Earth. From the positions of the stars they estimate that we traveled at least a thousand years into the past, but they could not be positive without observations of Earths surface.

Day 139. I recommended to the Captain that we first mine the outer E ring for water ice. A trip to Mimas could be made by shuttle for exploration. Then plan an orbit that will allow close examination of several of the moons on the way our to the Inuit group of satellites. The five of them would give us a choice of which to mine unless we detect something better. The Inuit group orbital area appears stable and best for a habitat location. If we need large quantities of metals we may have to spiral in to the asteroid belt to set up mining operations.

Day 171. Naomi caught me in the gym and we exercised together for over an hour. While I was showering off she entered my shower and leaned up against the wall. It was hard to tell if it was perspiration or water that beaded her nude body. Calmly she started the conversation by informing me that Alice had a very close personal relationship with one of the engineering crew-members.

When I inquired how close, she just wiggled and said very very close.

I reached out and offered to scrub her back.

Her comment was, I guess that that is how it could have started for them. She's about three months along and positively glowing with joy.

Holding her loosely in my arms I kissed her and said, "The shower isn't where I would initiate an intimate relationship."

Her answer was, "Your room or mine?"

Day 172. Naomi and I caught up with Alice in the mess. She was sitting with Heinz. When we sat down she looked at Naomi and smiled. Naomi replied that she was with me for the long term.

Lifting my bulb of tea, I looked at Alice and asked, "Any news that we should know about?"

Grinning like a teenager she grabbed Heinz's hand and said, "We're pregnant and the Captain has agreed to marry us next shift."

Naomi looked at her and commented, "I guess it's to late to be number one, isn't it."

Alice's eye got wide as she asked, "You too?"

Naomi looked at the table and said, "Maybe, but it's really to early to tell! Stephen and I started last night."

"Naomi, I've thought that you and Stephen were a regular item for over a year."

"We've been extremely good friends for longer than that, but last night we became much more."

Looking at Heinz, I commented, "I wonder how many others have paired off?"

He looked at Alice and said, "I know of four other couples, but evidently their birth control implants were better than ours. I was told that it would last ten years and could be easily removed when we got back.

"Well, Naomi and I better go confess to the Captain and make our wedding plans."

Day 173. The wedding was nothing fancy, but very moving. All the guys wanted to kiss Alice, and several commented that if the bum didn't treat her right they'd break his legs.

Then the Captain announced that we'd need more genetic diversity than nineteen couples could provide. Then he left the mess and we started the party.

Day 180. The Captain married Naomi and me.

Day 204. The exterior water tanks are now full of ice and as soon as it melts we can distill it and pump it into the interior drinking water tanks. The oxygen and hydrogen tanks are topped of also. The Captain says that we should plan our departure in ten days.

Day 215. Started transition orbit to Mimas. It will take seventeen days two hours.

Day 217. Yesterday Dianna started working on the fuel cells at the beginning of 2nd shift. I was by during the middle of the shift and stopped to talk to her about how the power converters were functioning. Not thirty minutes after arriving at the mess and chowing down on the daily ration of fresh vegetables, I felt a thump that caused ripples in my tea. Then I heard the dreaded word aboard any ship, FIRE in the power section.

Without thinking I downed my tea and ran full tilt toward my station. A quick glance in told me that everything was OK. I turned toward Dianne's station when a whiff of burnt flesh rolled down the corridor with the smoke. At the intersection I grabbed a mask and fire extinguisher from the emergency cabinet. By time I got to her lab it was almost over.

She was in the corridor being tended to. I entered the lab and hit the water and gas cut-offs. Water was pumped into the lab from the exterior storage tanks. There it was processed by the electrolysis units which used electricity to break it down to oxygen and hydrogen. Additional oxygen and hydrogen were also piped in from the engineering section. From the mixers and tanks it was pumped to the fuel cells on the far wall. At a glance I could see one whole lower section blown out. After manually turning off every gas valve on every fuel cell unit, I stepped back into the corridor. Verifying that no one was still inside the lab, I called the bridge and told them that I was going to purge the lab. As soon as they OK'd it I entered the code to vent the air from the lab to space. Then I called engineering and told them that I needed a 100% nitrogen atmosphere pumped to the lab. After entering the pressurization code I placed my hand on the door. It remained cool even after the compartment tell-tails indicated normal air pressure.

Katherine and Doc had taken Dianne to the medical section and I heard the surgical crew being paged.

I dreaded opening the compartment, but didn't have to because I was paged and ordered to get the solar array online ASAP. I called for the bridge to roust Michael and have him to report to me in the Solar section and engineering to maintain a pure nitrogen atmosphere in the lab and monitor pressure.

Dropping off the mask at its cabinet and marking it as used, I entered my section. Bringing my systems online, I did a scan for the strongest X-ray source and punched in the coordinates. Then I put the automatic tracker on the sun and entered the coordinates for the optical solar cells. As soon as the tell-tails indicated that all panels were aligned and power was ready I synchronized the inverters with the existing ship current and closed the relays. My equipment was now producing 43% of the electric power in the ship. However, I was detecting a massive drain.

As Michael entered it occurred to me that the drain may be from the fuel cell lab equipment. The bridge and Captain were not happy to hear that I wanted to seal the corridor leading to the lab and re-purge it.

It took forty minutes for Michael and me to get our equipment and space suits in place and for engineering to seal both ends of the corridor with pressure panels. We were now completely on our own. I opened the door to the fuel cell lab, got a good grip on the doorjamb and keyed in the venting code. Michael and I could both see the glow of the power feeding into the decking from the twisted buss bars.

The power control computer was half melted. Michael signaled me to help drag his tool chest into the lab. It only took ten minutes to rip out the computer and control panel covers. Just like in my lab, her power buss system connected directly to the main buss that ran from the bow to stern. I knew it had from three to nine megawatts on it at all times.

Michael jumped back when I told him the amount of power he was about to touch. Not even a spacesuit would insulate him. I told him to remount the panel cover while I checked the schematics for the lab.

Damn, all the buss were wired parallel. Then I called the bridge and informed them that I needed zero gravity in about half an hour to move several fuel cell units. I would also need all power from the reactors and my solar array cut off on command.

Michael turned to me and told me I was crazy because each of those units weighed close to half an Earth ton and the mass was to much for any two men to move.

I told him that the only way we could isolate the shorted buss was to disconnect it from the buss on both sides of the damage. If he had a better idea, I'd like to hear it. He didn't so we started to work.

Several hours later I almost jumped out of my skin when I felt a tap on my shoulder, because I could see Michael on the other side of the unit we'd just unbolted. Four suited men stood just inside the door and the only one I recognized was Bud from the reactor section.

Another said we brought along some heaver equipment and more air tanks. Both of you should be running on empty soon.

We'll be ready to pull these last two units in about 2 minutes, I replied.

As I unbolted the last brace four men stepped up and snatched the unit off the floor and floated it across the lab and then Bud started welding it to the deck. As soon and Michael and I disconnected the other brace they did the same with the other unit. Then I was picked up and moved out of the way as two men wheeled up something I didn't know was portable.

I heard someone say face away from the laser. The glare off the opposite wall caused my suit face-shield to turn black. Then I heard clear one, move the unit. Again my suit face-shield turned black. In less than five minutes they'd cut the buss units behind the fuel cell racks. Then I heard Bob tell his partner to bring a test load online and check for shorts. After a minute or two I heard full power restored and clear.

Suddenly there was pressure on my legs and I realized that we'd been working in zero gravity.

Then I heard over my suit radio, "Steve, get your solar array back online so we can go back to full power."

Bob then informed me that an airlock had been installed at the corridor junction.

After stepping out of the airlock I was grabbed by three women. They stripped my spacesuit off as Naomi watched, and then one said, "This stinker is yours."

Naomi handed me a pair of pants and said, "I'll fix you a snack while you get solar online. Dianne wants to see you later."

When I walked into my section, I was appalled. During the zero gravity period everything had floated and when they restarted the ion drive everything hit the deck. Of course the mess was my fault because I'd gotten use to the acceleration gravity and failed to secure loose items back in their proper places. Kicking stuff aside I shuffled over to my control computer and turned it on.

Someone had come in here and just entered the emergency power disconnect code and then turned off the tracking computers. The tell-tails indicated that the panels were in all positions. I started by entering the park/storage command for the inner layer of gamma panels. Then the X-ray panels and finally the optical panels. Tell-tails on eighteen panels indicated they failed to respond to commands.

Calling the bridge, I gave them the panel locations and requested that someone go outside and manually move them to their storage positions.

After rebooting the computers, I putting the command for a panel by panel diagnostic. Six more panels failed. Then I deployed the optical panels and set the automatic tracking and started taking power reading off each. After synchronizing the power inverters with the ships power I put them online. Power went up by 4%.

After receiving a call from the bridge reported panels in storage positions I went through the procedure again for the X panels. Bringing them online increased the solar panel output by another 15%. Now I tested all the gamma panels and brought them online. My solar section equipment was now producing 51% of the ships power. Calling the nuclear section I told them that they could reduce their reactor output to whatever was needed for ships consumption now that I was back online. After double checking everything, I setup the automatic alarm system and turned to head for the mess. Naomi was sitting just inside the door with a tray.

She informed me that my food was cold and then she called the mess and told them that we needed a meal and would be there in ten minutes. She then told me that it was the middle of second shift and after feeding me she had to go relieve Alice.

Sleeping through third shift and two hours into first shift someone came to wake me up. They informed me that nuclear reported that power from my section was down 20%.

Day 219, First shift, hour 5. Entering my section the first thing noticeable was that someone had tried to straighten it up. Half the equipment was in the wrong bins. The computer indicated the X panels were offline because the tracking computer lost the X-ray source. It only took about 10 minutes to find another good source and bring them back online. Notifying them that solar was back up and thanking them for letting me get some sleep they replied that I owed them several gallons of coffee. The mess was my next stop for a meal.

After eating I went to the medical section to see Dianne. When I walked in she was in a bed in the corner crying. I walked over, sat down, put my hand on her shoulder, and said, "It could be worse."

Looking at me she said, "They took my right leg."

The only thing I could think of saying was, "At least you're still alive and the first tree grown, I'll carve you a wooden leg. Then you'll be the queen the pirates."

Slapping at me she mumbled, "Will Harold still love me? He hasn't even been by to see me."

"Everyone has been very busy," I said as I tried to remember if I'd heard his voice over the radio's. "I think he's part of the outside crew working on the solar array. I'll find out."

Not a second later Ginger loudly announced, "Guess who I found asleep in the mess with his face in his plate." Harold still had food in his hair and unshaven beard.

He bent over and gently kissed Dianne and she started brushing the food off his face. "Are you alright baby?"

He grunted, "Yes, I'm just tired."

After she told him to go get some rest, he said, "I'll be back to see you when I'm off shift." and turned and headed for the door.

I said to his back, "You may have to track her down because I plan to put her to work as soon as Doc will let her up."

Swinging around he yelled at me, "You better not, she's been through to much already!" Then he crumpled to the floor and started sobbing, "Dianne can you still love me the way you are?"

Kneeling beside him I whispered in his ear, "A few minutes ago she asked me the same question, now I know everything will be fine. Go get some rest, we'll take good care of her until you're rested."

Then the disembodied voice of the Captain announced, Fadash and Stephen report to the bridge.

When we arrived we were informed that engineering was reporting the smell of sulfur and chlorine near the electrolysis tanks.

Fadash said, "Have them stop all water processing immediately. The water must be contaminated."

Then the Captain told us to find the problem and solve it.

On the way out Fadash explained to me that water was H20, but there were many other kinds of what was considered ice. Frozen ammonia and methane were just two. We needed to determine what gasses the water was contaminated with and then figure out how to safely remove the impurities.

I stopped by the medical section and talked to the doctor and told him that we needed Dianne up and working as quickly as possible. I didn't care if it was a direct computer and TV link, but would prefer her on site in person.

He just told me to get out.

Day 219, shift 3. We determined that the outside water tanks were contaminated with other frozen gasses. Engineering had been lucky that there had been no explosion within their electrolysis units.

Day 220. Alice brought me a copy of a message she'd received from Mary Faye, the internist. Dianne is pregnant. Will run further test to determine status of baby before telling Dianne or others. Get with me off-shift. Naomi had told her to see me and I'd help. We went and talked to her.

Later that day I saw Harold. While talking to him the conversation got around to Dianne. I asked him if he really loved Dianne and he answered yes. Then I commented, "Why don't you marry that girl", and left it there.

Day 224. Visiting Dianne to discuss her computer system in her lab she mentioned that Harold had asked her to marry. "Did I think it was a good idea?"

I told her, "You need to talk to some of the women on the ship."

When she asked why, "I told her that I was biased. After all, I'm happily married. They could give you a more neutral advice, but it was up to her, if she loved Harold."

Day 227. Dianne and Harold were married. The Captain gave them one free shift and then Harold was to report back to work. As I kissed the bride, I whispered in her ear, "Congratulations and we really need your expertise in the lab."

Day 228. Evidently she told Harold because when he entered the lab the next morning he hit me on the arm hard enough to knock me off balance. Then Alice wheeled her in. They'd made a wheel chair out of a mess chair and some casters from a tool chest. She announced that the Doc told her if she started feeling faint she was to immediately be taken to medical.

I simply said, "You're the boss, check and tell us how bad we've messed up your section and how to fix it." All of us laughed even the guys detailed from other sections.

She started by looking at the mess we'd made cutting the power buss and then questioned the box tacked to the wall by the main power buss panel.

I explained that the Captain had agreed to the need for a manual cut-off at certain locations within the ship. They were not circuit breakers and would not protect against shorts, they were to disconnect different portions of the power buss if a portion was damaged.

Day 229. At the start of third shift I found Dianne hard at work supervising the work crew. I told her that I needed to work on another project and left. Fadash was sitting at his lab counter with his head in his hands mumbling.

Our first temporary solution to the problem was to heat the outside water tanks and as pressure increased we slowly vented the vapor into space. That solved half the problem, but there were still impurities in the water. Distilling the water removed the rest, but there again it could not process the quantities we needed.

I called engineering and requested that Juan and Rosa report to me in the chemical section.

When they arrived we went through everything we'd already tried. They'd been dealing with the problem in their section. Then I put the question to them, "How can we produce sufficient quantities of H20 pure enough for human consumption and use in all the other equipment? That means we have to remove the volatile ices like methane and ammonia as well as hydrates and other minerals. We've been lucky, the text indicated that we'll also run across hydrogen chloride, cyanide, calcium cyanide, and ammonia hydrates to name the most common. Work on it and we'll meet tomorrow here at third shift."

Day 230. We were discussing the chemical methods of purifying the ices and realized that we needed some form of gravity to make any large scale process work. Also the sludge produced by some processes would need disposal, provided we could separate it from the filters.

Ginger walked in and after looking at our faces said, "What's the problem?"

Knowing it was useless to explain a technical problem to a reporter, I told Rosa to give her a brief outline of the problem and a few of the solutions.

Ginger's comment blew us all away when she said, "Why not use the same organic filters used in the recycling section for our waste products on the ship. It might even make more oxygen."

After a minute or two I told Ginger she was now part of the water project and had the additional duty of documenting all problems and solutions we came up with. Then I called the Captain and requested Nehru and Anna from the farm section, Brian from organic chemistry, and Rosa from the environmental section report to us in the chemical section.

He simply stated, "You can not have both the farmers at the same time. What progress are you making?"

I replied, "The main roadblock is the lack of replacement parts for the mechanical filtration systems. If we could grow an organic filtration system that problem would no longer be an obstacle. I've also drafted Ginger, one of the reporters."

Hanging up Ginger started calling me a bunch of names and then said, "I only came by to tell you we're planning a surprise party for Naomi and Alice."

Water purification team:

Stephen Lee (solar energy)

Fadash (inorganic chemistry)

Ginger (reporter)

Nehru or Anna (farm)

Rosa (environmental)

After everyone crowded into the lab I told them,"Grab your recording devices and meet me in the mess." It only took a minute to secure a table in the corner and talk to the mess steward about coffee.

Fadash started off by listing the known facts about the types of ices we'd run into so far.

Then I took over and outlined the known facts, and guesses about why the fuel cell lab had exploded. Then I listed the known facts about the electrolysis system aboard the ship and findings in the engineering section.

Then Fadash outlined Method One that we'd implemented to reduce the volatiles in the ices that had been collected. It consisted of packing the outer water tank according to SOP, then we heated the tank to approximately 200 degrees Fahrenheit and started venting the vapors. After pressure within the tank went back to zero several times we tested the water for volatiles and if there were no levels above Earth standard we started distilling the water to transfer to the engineering section tanks. Then some of the water was distilled again and transferred to the potable water tanks. This double processing for safe water for our consumption and use in the fuel cells. Even semi-pure water for the ion drive is barely keeping ahead of usage. Already the first distillation units were down to 95% efficiency because of deposit build up. The main deposits were calcium, carbon, and sulfur. The other elements deposited amounted to less than 8% heavy and light metals. We assumed that these were in hydrate form before distillation.

Again I took over and emphasized that we needed to figure out how to remove these impurities prior to the first stage of distillation or how to remove them from the distillation equipment without damage. The SOP calls for the processing to take 78 hours from heating the outside water tank to water pure enough to use in the equipment. When the first stage distillation units drop below 63% efficiency we'll be in big trouble. Also what you probably don't know is that the outside water tank was designed with a one way loading hatch so ice could be loaded while it is heating and water is drawn from it.

We will meet here at the start of third shift every day to discuss solutions until we solve the problems. If you know of anyone aboard that can help, pick their brains.

Day 231. Fadash and I were sitting sipping tea when the team drifted in. None of them looked happy. After listening to them I asked them if they'd talked to anyone.

None had.

Then I told Ginger that I wanted an article on the ship news net before the end of the shift and send everyone aboard an alert to read the news daily from now on. Talk to the other reporters and get them involved in making up a daily news report on any and all subjects. You are reporters, do something to improve moral. I don't care if its a personal profile, what some section has discovered, the fact that someone wants to paint their quarters and is mixing mud to cover the walls, or gossip on who is sleeping with whom.

Day 233. Yesterdays meeting wasn't much better, but I kept them there for several hours picking each others brains and I threw quite a few wild ideas out for the shock value and to make them consider anything.

Not five minutes after we started today one of the other reporters came in and sat down at the table. " Do we have any water plants on-board? From what I read the ice melts down to sewage. Can't we set up an organic sewage treatment plant." Then she just got up and left.

I didn't think her points were solid, but what the heck. I started drilling the group to find out what they knew and if we had any of the needed plants aboard. Then I got up and walked over to the stewards station and asked her if she knew anything about plants.

Her reply was that she could cook anything that could be grown.

Then I told her I needed some water lilies that could be used to treat sewage. Do me a favor and see if there are any plants, even frozen, aboard that can be used and let me know tomorrow. I couldn't understand her Chinese comments as I walked over and refilled my coffee cup, but I assume they weren't complements.

Day 234. The only half way optimistic face today was Anna from the hydroponics section. She reported that there were a some water plants that were used in the recycling part of the hydroponic tanks along with a small oyster bed, but not enough to process the amounts of water needed. Unfortunately it would take too long to grow a duplicate set.

Then Yang Soon walked over and handed me a two page list saying that all of these plants remove the impurities listed beside them, and most can still be eaten. I marked the ones frozen, seeds, and live ones in hydroponic section she asked, "You want more coffee?"

I thanked her and said, "Yes please."

As she turned to leave I stared at my crew and said, now we design a plant system that will grow fast and work on the scale we need. Someone figure out how to thaw a frozen plant and make it grow. Ginger, interview Yang Soon, and if she allows, put her name in a story outlining this possible solution with the problem on how to build a processing plant around it. Maybe someone else will bring hidden expertise forward. See you all tomorrow. "I'll have this list on the computer in half an hour.

"Oh and by the way Anna, tell Nehru I'll be down to look over the hydroponic section in about two hours."

Day 235. Yesterdays tour of hydroponics turned out to be an education for me. They have a chemistry section that looks as complicated as Brian's organic chemistry lab.

Day 236. I stayed up late and caught Brian. Cornering him in the mess, I told him to read the news page, I needed some help. Could he come up with someway to force grow some of the plants listed and ideas on how to build a purification plant. He was still scratching his head when I left and headed for my quarters to get some much needed sleep.

I was late for the meeting and everyone was babbling when I arrived. Enthusiasm was there, but no solid ideas. I told them to work on ideas to implement and if they wanted to they could study hydroponic farming for a start. I knew we didn't have several years to learn it, but there had to be a course outline or brief they could study to get the general idea and then work from there. Then I moved to another table, ordered breakfast, and proceeded to study the notes I had on my computer. They knew that I was in deep trouble because early in the journey the Captain had ordered no computers in the mess, and had just about ripped the head off one scientist when he brought his in.

I felt the impact of the cup when it hit the table. I glanced up and saw my team cowering at their table. Then I looked and saw the Captain sitting at the end of my table.

He said in a low voice, "I know the pressure you're under, but I still have to rip you for breaking one of the rules."

I turned and said, "Rosa, you're in charge tomorrow, I'm on punishment detail." I closed my computer and finished my breakfast. Then the Captain stood up and I followed him out with my best downcast face.

When we entered the bridge he stopped, slapped me on the back and said, "Am I a big enough prick to keep this ship alive?"

My reply was, "I hope so, and I know I've probably overstepped my authority several times."

"If I thought you'd done something detrimental to ship moral or operations, I'd have had you flogged, so lay low for two days. My personal spy reports that you've accomplished wonders for moral considering the position we're in. Engineering will be finished with the second distillation run in the morning, take a good look inside the unit and help them scrape it out.

"Now something else to think about. They sent us out with repair equipment and parts. However, very soon we will need to start manufacturing parts and hull plates from scratch. Where can we get the ore, how and where do we process it, how can we turn it into something useful, and how do we manufacture to the precision needed.

"Now go over and sit by your wife till the end of shift and look properly chastised outside the bridge."

Naomi asked me if I was in trouble as I sat down.

I replied that I was suppose to be, so act accordingly outside the bridge. Then I opened my computer and started studying my notes and making more notes.

Day 238. Yesterday on third shift I spent 2 hours in orientation and then the next 6 hours working inside the tanks of the engineering section distillation units. Today after 7 hours I was pulled out by the chief engineer and told to report to the Captain.

The Captain looked at me and said, "I've gotten several unsigned complaints about the severity of the punishment I supposedly gave you. Did you get anything out of the time in engineering?"

"Well I got plenty of samples for Brian and Fadash to analyze. I also saw the damage that manually chipping out the buildup is doing. Also, I need an exemption for my team to use computers in the mess while we are working unless you have a better public location where other crew can stop by and offer suggestions."

He dismissed me and I headed for the chemical lab after calling Fadash and Brian. I split the samples between them and told them we needed to figure out some system to remove the impurities from the water before it got to the distillation units in engineering. When I told them about the damage I'd observed inside the units. Both looked worried.

Day 239. The news sheet had a FLASH rating when I opened it this afternoon. Across the top was a notice from the Captain. It listed by name my team and a written exemption against the use of computer use in the mess only while we were working. He repeated the original reason for the ban. He also strictly informed us that if we were caught eating or other activities not related to our work, we'd be severely punished. So I pasted it into my journal.

Flash order from the Captain

A temporary exemption against use of computers in the mess area is now in effect only for the Water team headed up by Stephen. The reason for this exemption is the lack of a public work area and access to ideas by the other crew members.

As everyone should remember, I declared the mess area off-limits to computers and work because we needed some public area where we could relax. No one can relax and or eat a good meal when pestered by others about work problems!

The Water teams official work area is table 4 in the corner during shift 3. This is a work area and work area rules are now in effect. Work area and mess rules will be enforced. Violators will be severely punished.

As I walked in I noticed that there was a sign on the wall listing the corner table as a third shift work area. Taped to the bottom of it was a printout of the captains message. I set my computer down and walked across the mess and sat at another table and ate my breakfast. When Fadash sat down beside me with his computer, I hastily told him to move his computer to the work area, grab a cup of coffee and then he could come over and sit with me for non-work talk, or wait until I was finished eating.

By time he got back there were several crew-members sitting asking me what made the Captain change his mind and what punishment he'd imposed on me. Laughingly I replied more than once, "If this was a blue water ship in Earths ocean the distillation units would be like the bilge. I was down there chipping deposits off the interior walls." I also slipped in the comment that if anyone knew how to remove those deposits without damaging the units, let us know when we are working at our work table. I don't want to be punished again, at least not this soon.

Later someone walked over to the work table and asked, " Why can't you steam clean the units like we used to steam clean the crud off our cars?" Everyone watched me enter the question under my section of notes labeled ideas to investigate. When I looked up he was gone.

Moments later the Captain sat down at the table with a cup of tea. His first comment was, "You are allowed to drink in most work areas, aren't you?"

When I answered, "Yes", he then informed us that he was having a current inventory of everything on the ship compiled because of a strange entry that appeared on his personal computer. Also the astronomers were tasked to survey the surrounding space for all minerals and compounds so anything we needed, we could locate quickly. Then he said he needed to talk to me about something not related to work.

I told the team, "Consider the ideas listed on our site, "I'll be right back."

I followed the Captain over to another table. He started by telling me that Naomi had gotten sick shortly after reporting for her shift. The stress on everyone is fierce. "Can you think of or find someone to work on stress relief?"

Then Soon leaned over my shoulder and said quietly, "You wife eat strange, she pregnant maybe."

The Captain choked on his coffee and I almost dropped my cup.

Looking at Soon I replied, "I don't know."

Looking at the Captain I grinned and said, "I hope so. That would be great. If she doesn't mention it to me soon, I'll get Ginger to pry a little. What do you think the effect of a rumor like that in the gossip section of the news would be before I am told by my own wife?"

The Captain stated, "Better yet, get Desiree to do the prying and don't mention any names for a few days. She can add, an anonymous source from the mess section hinted that some women on the ship have changed their eating habits. That should play on everyone's curiosity for at least a week. You never know, there might be more than the one."

I asked, "Do you know of any plans about how to handle babies aboard the ship?"

The Captain lowered his voice and said, "Actually there is, It's in the medical protocols. The birth control implant is supposed to be replaced. That will cause a spontaneous miscarriage. When Doc reported to me that Alice was pregnant I told medical that I was suspending that protocol because of our situation. Talk to you later."

Day 240. When I got up Naomi was already up and gone. I took my time reading the news and found it down in the last section the gossip column by Desiree.

Not much progress from the water team today.

Day 243. Desiree's gossip column now list that anonymous sources are telling her that there are at least two women aboard that are eating food that they previously hadn't. Also her source in the medical section would neither confirm or deny an upsurge of request for pregnancy test.

I sent a one word comment to the Captain's personal mail, BINGO.

Looking around during my shift, I noticed several members of the crew watching what everyone else was eating. Relaxed chatter and gossip seemed to be on a rise in the mess also.

The water team had come up with two possible ways to flush the distillation units, but the needed chemicals were as much of a problem as the solution. Work on removing impurities from the water in the outer tank was possible, but it involved major construction and renovation of the whole outer water tank system plus some form of artificial gravity. I told the team to draft up the plan and I'd submit it to the Captain for consideration.

Day 250. Gossip has half the women on the crew pregnant and the other half trying. Half the guys are having a ball telling stories about their women.

Day 261. The Captain instructed the engineering section to draw up plans for our suggestion, and now we have to find a location to build the machines to build the machines to build the new tanks. The outside survey did find a location for us to mine the ore needed. Another problem was brought up, wear and tear on the spacesuits, and how to repair them.

The suggestion came up again in the mess. Why don't we just return to Earth and start a small colony in a remote area after destroying all our technology. The only problem is that we have no reentry vehicle, so all we could do is look down on our home planet while we run out of supplies and die.

~ ~ ~

Chapter 3

Day 263. Mark, our radio astronomer, reported an anomaly in the Saturn L4 point. It has a very strong radar return. It appears to be metallic, over 3500 feet in diameter and ball shaped. Attempts to confirm with the optical telescope are still underway.

Day 266. The Captain called a meeting. The anomaly at the Saturn L4 point was confirmed as a spacecraft of some sort. It could be a possible source of salvageable materials, however the distance and conditions at L4 may present as much a danger as remaining here. Everyone needs to think about it and submit their opinion with pros and cons for his consideration prior to any decision being made. He had ordered another radar and optical search of the Saturn system for other anomalies.

Day 274. Last night the Captain called another full crew meeting. He listed the problems we had and the solutions that had been proposed and approved. Then he listed the problems we would have implementing those solutions. He then gave us the engineering report on the distillation units and their evaluation that the first one would fail in two to three months. That left us with insufficient time to follow most of the solutions proposed.

The fact that the astronomy section had confirmed and double verified that there was a metallic object at the Saturn L4 point left him with only two survival choices. The first was to start a trip to return to Earth and attempt to land without any heat-shield on any of the spacecraft. The computer estimated that 93% of the crew would die on reentry and the rest within the first month due to injuries. The second was proceed to the Saturn L4 point. If the metallic object was a salvageable object the survival estimate was 71%. His decision was that we would proceed to the L4 point using a low thrust 1/2 G trajectory. If everything fails because we can not salvage the metallic object, then we will set an orbit for Earth. If we are still alive when the ship reaches Earth, we'll at least be buried in its atmosphere. Anyone wishing to make comments may leave them on my website to be included in the ships log. Should need arrive my log will be launched on a eighteen hundred year orbit to arrive in Earths vicinity after we launched.

The ice crew will complete filling the outside tank and processing will be done while we are underway. Navigation computes that our best orbital trajectory will be in six days. Travel time will be two months.

Day 283. We started on first shift today for the Saturn L4 point.

Day 325. We will be within spitting distance of the object during 3rd shift. The Captain has announced that we will send over an exploration team 2nd shift tomorrow.

Day 327. Yesterday the exploration crew entered the object through an impact hole in its side. They found a meteoroid fused into the object near its center. They said the death of the occupants was instantaneous. They brought 2 bodies back for analysis.

Day 328. Should I hate the Captain? He ordered me to form another team to analyze the spacecraft and determine if we can repair it. It is definitely more technologically advanced than ours. If we can repair it, he says our survival percentage goes up to 95%.

Day 330. Exploration continued and the autopsy report was published today on the news page. Everyone aboard was surprised when the report firmly stated that the bodies were those of men that lived in on a planet almost identical to Earth. The doctors ordered more bodies retrieved as well as samples of anything that could be construed as organic.

Day 343. My team from engineering says we can cannibalize part of our hull to patch its, or we can seal all ruptured passages and compartments. They found the engineering section and it is intact.

Due to the layout of the spacecraft they theorize that the occupants could create artificial gravity. Analysis of deck plates in several sections is underway. Some of the hull plates have the same type wiring going to them. I assume that means they used a gravity drive to propel the spacecraft.

Rosa from environmental is firmly convinced that if we recharge the environmental units of the ship we can breath the atmosphere.

Bud reports that from the half-life analysis of the reactor core the spacecraft is approximately nine thousand five hundred years old.

Day 345. The Captain has ordered engineering to enlarge the hole in the side of the alien spacecraft so that our ship can be inserted into it. Then run power to its engineering reactor compartment and then we will slowly power up the spacecraft and analyze all controls and test them.

Day 347. Dianne figured out the wiring and successfully activated one of the gravity plates brought back from a damaged compartment. She says that we can manufacture these gravity plates with our technology and the equipment we have on hand.

Day 361. Our ship was successfully inserted into the hole in the side of the alien spacecraft on first shift. Welding has started to secure it.

Dianne has rigged up enough gravity plates to give our ship normal gravity in the proper direction. Thank goodness, we were all getting tired of free fall.

Day 356. Alice and Heinz had a baby girl. Everyone just went ga ga over their baby, Melisa. Naomi is beginning to show!

Welding is completed. We had to build two new airlocks for access into the ship. We start running power cables tomorrow. The Captain gave everyone one work shift off.

Day 360. The Captain ordered me to transfer half the G & X solar panels to the exterior of the alien ship. The rest are to be configured to provide a radiation safe area in our old ship.

~

Day 400. Everyone is celebrating because we now have power and air in the alien ship. Also about half the controls have now been labeled. We now have more room than we need to expand our population.

The farm has drafted half a dozen personnel to help plant an extra garden in the alien ship. They discovered machinery to process rock meteoroids into base soil. By enriching it with organic material and bacteria they claim they can grow Earth crops from the seed packs that were discovered in the sealed cargo compartments on our ship.

There was equipment and supplies in those compartments that has no logical reason for a trip to Saturn and back. After some discussion with the Captain we can only come to the conclusion that someone knew that we would not be returning and tried to think of what we might need to survive.

The Captain informed us today that the alien ship is now ours due to salvage rights and has requested possible names for it.

Day 408. First shift christened the alien ship. Its new name is Buckler! The definition, a small round shield, doesn't make any sense.

While discussing this with one of the engineering crew he mentioned that this must be a warship because of all the high power lasers and other armament incorporated in the hull. Also the fact that it had several power and breeder reactors. If the Captain would allow them to transfer the fuel rods from one of our reactors we could generate enough fuel to power the Buckler for another thousand years.

Navigation has everyone that knows anything about electronics analyzing the radar and other navigation systems. There were two that are recognizable and two that are completely alien.

Day 411. Everyone was ordered to suit up. In half an hour the first test of the Bucklers propulsion system will commence. There are still several systems no one can figure out including the two alien navigation systems.

Seconds to go.

The whole ship lurched and then steadied. From what I could make out from my unauthorized feed from the bridge is that when they activated one hull gravity plate the two alien navigation systems came on. Then all the gravity plates activated in reverse and started pushing all the surrounding meteoroids in the L4 point away from the ship. Also three missiles were launched and half the lasers in the hull activated and were firing before the power drain knocked our reactor off line.

The Captain ordered a 100% inventory of all supplies, compartments, and equipment on our ship and the Buckler. Any damage found was to be immediately reported. That should only take a week or two.

Day 415. Well the whiz kids figured out how to activate the propulsion system without triggering the armament.

Harold, our geologist, has made a little headway translating some records found.

Navigation now claims that the ship can travel up to half the speed of light and that is what the two alien navigation systems control. One is linked to the armament and the other is the control that links the propulsion system, deck gravity plates, radar, and everything else that has anything to do with movement of the ship.

Day 417. Navigation has convinced the Captain that the gravity plates in our ship must be wired into the Bucklers control system and then aligned and calibrated. Otherwise when the Buckler does move the personnel in the our ship will be at risk. We all wondered why some connecting corridors in the Buckler curved in strange ways, yet we always were feet down on the deck. My favorite corridor is about 90 feet long and when you look back you are completely upside down from someone standing at the other end. Most of the flip corridors have bends in them so you cannot see from one end to the other.

Day 432. All the gravity plates in the our ship have been finally incorporated into the computers of Buckler. Last nights test confirmed all are working. I got permission last month to map the Buckler. One unusual thing we found was that over half the compartments are 180 degrees off from the compartments above and below them. Most of these seem to have been crew quarters, recreation rooms, and some storage rooms. Who ever designed the floor plan of the Buckler wasn't worried about anyone getting from one side of the ship to the other in a hurry.

Day 435. Tomorrow the Captain plans a test run back to Saturn. Our mission will be to gather another full load of ice. We are short on water again. We also need nitrogen.

Day 436 third shift. It took seven hours to return to the main Saturn system. The biggest problem was the storage shelves in the mess collapsed because no one thought of installing a gravity plate under the compartment. Also the water in one of the hydroponic tanks ended up on the ceiling of the compartment. We need to build quite a few more gravity plates and install them.

Day 447 second shift. On day 441, Michael our construction and repair expert submitted his teams report. They strongly recommended that Saturn One be disassembled and incorporated into Buckler using its original floor plan. This would restore the ship to its original configuration and it would increase its structural integrity. The team estimated that we could do this in approximately a year and still have materials left over. The shuttles could also be modified to fit in the existing shuttle bays of the Buckler. The modifications would allow them to land on planets having up to 1.5 G at surface level without needing a heat-shield. The whole solar system would then be open to us, not to mention the universe. The Captain explained the report and the ramifications it opened to us. If we returned to our home planet, the Earth, in the past we could change history. If we changed history in any way, we might not exist in the future that we came from. If we created a paradox, there would be no way for us to live with the results. This, he assumed was why there was a historian included in the scientific crew.

He also explained some of the strange files that came up at different times after our arrival in the Saturn system. Evidently one or both of the data dump missiles we sent back to Earth arrived sometime before our departure. Someone or a group kept the information out of the system, but must have maneuvered themselves into the planning structure to influence the planning. He then turned to Bill, our communications / security expert and bluntly asked, "How much did you know and who were you working for when we launched?"

Bill stuttered for a moment and then assumed the position of attention and stated, "I was part of the civilian group that intercepted your second data missile. My grandfather downloaded the original data before the missile burned up in the atmosphere. There are, I mean there will be about sixty members in the government that know. The president wasn't briefed until after the initial mission was planned and approved. Only four members of NASA even know bits and pieces of the original transmission. That is why the original mission ship was enlarged to twice its original size, and other seemingly strange requirements were instituted. It was determined that this mission must survive so that when it caught up with the future we would have 1747 years of space experience and hopefully new technology to draw on.

"There was another anomaly discovered by an archaeologist back 1988 that positively indicated that the Earth was visited in the past by someone or something from space. It was a partially crushed nuclear reactor found under a mile of ice in the Antarctic. It and the ruins were over 700 years old. I double checked the schematics of the reactor and discovered and they don't match what we found on the Buckler. The discovery of this spacecraft partially confirms the 1988 discovery. Our mission is now to survive and build new technology for the Earth. Captain, I'll bring my computer to the bridge after the meeting along with the documents I was told to deliver to you."

The Captain called the meeting to a close and told us that he'd post on the news sheet the new orders and pertinent information.

Day 448. The new mission statement covered a lot of the questions we had, but raised more. It also stated that a second mission was to be launched to Saturn to rendezvous with us. It would have a minimum crew and maximum supplies. They hoped to duplicate the trajectories we followed and travel back in time. My link to classified mission statement.

~

Day 450. There is more discussion about our modified mission than we had when we discovered we'd traveled back in time. We've got a definite split from what I hear, some want to do as the new mission statement orders and others want to return to Earth. I know which side I come down on.

Day 451. Six hours talking to the Captain, Dianne, and Bill have exhausted me. Between us we've made the decision that we must program in to all navigation systems on all shuttles and ships so none can approach Earth until 3 years after our launch date without a command code entry from two or more in the leadership. Then I mentioned that it would have to be hidden in the navigation software that all new ships would download when built in the future.

Day 461. The Captain call me to report to him at first shift. Amity Ho had approached him to report that while doing a diagnostic on the navigation system of Saturn 1 she found a ROM chip that was unreadable. After two weeks of running code she found 4 links in the system to an unknown routines. Two were to diagnostic routines that did not exist and two were to data files that didn't exist. She also found one virus that when activated would cause that reactors to go critical. It was linked to the date function.

The Captain called Bill in, and Bill claimed that these were safeguards that were added to prevent this crew from returning to Earth and causing a time paradox. He did have the codes to disable some of them.

After he was dismissed, the Captain instructed Amity to check every computer and the programming code on the Saturn 1 that linked to any critical system. Naomi was called in and given the additional duty as her assistant.

After everyone else left he called in Desiree and asked her if she could snoop around and find out what position everyone on the ship had about the new mission and how committed they were.

I then knew that she was the Captains personal spy.

On third shift I cornered Heinz and Alice and steered the conversation to the mission. He thought that we might be able to settle in some remote area of Earth.

She was firmly against going back, and her reason was the children. She explained that our great-great-grandchildren would have no place to live once civilization spread to all the continents. Their existence would change history no matter what they did.

I could see the impact of her reasoning as it dawned on him. Tears came to his eyes as he hugged her and stated, "Damn those bastards! We're stuck here. They thought of everything. Since we can't go back, I'll make this a paradise for you Alice. All of our children will have the best."

Then I asked him, "What about my children when Naomi and I have some?"

Then it connected, "You thought out the situation we're in now. You knew what my decision would be."

I nodded, "Yes, I haven't discussed this with Naomi. Now I see how to approach the problem. She and I both want to have children. The problem is, what will our grandchildren and great-grandchildren think about our decisions? The civilization we design and build here will have to last. Can we do it?"

Day 500. Naomi informed me during our off shift that the reactor computers had similar routines in the software. Amity was worried that any tampering with them might set them off. Alice had suggested that no direct connection be allowed between any of the computers on Saturn 1 and Buckler.

Day 501, first shift. The Captain made the announcement that anyone that had a computer that was connected to the Saturn 1 was to report if they'd connected it to the Buckler computer system. Then he stated that there was a virus found in the Saturn 1 computer systems and he didn't want it to transfer to Buckler.

Day 502, second shift. Over half the crews computers had been linked to Bucklers computers. There was even a hardwired link reported by the engineering section between the computers on both ships. Mark from the Astronomy section reported that he'd been observing Earth using navigation system on the Buckler and downloading images to Saturn 1 computers.

Day 503. The Captain held a full crew meeting. The information he put out stunned them all. The builders of Saturn 1 had built in programming and other safeguards to prevent Saturn 1 from ever returning to Earth if it traveled back in time. This was hinted at in paragraph 11 of the classified mission statement. We are limited to two courses of action.

First, do as the classified mission statement outlines, or head for the stars and hope that they didn't rig the ship to self-destruct if we left the solar system.

Second, we build a new ship from scratch and do all the computer programming ourselves. That would mean that no computer contact would be allowed between the new and old ships.

Either way we're stuck here for several decades. First thing we must do in either case is set ourselves up to survive and build our own civilization. Comments may be given to me verbally. I don't want any entries on the ships computers that might trigger any of the viruses or traps that Earth build into our systems. As soon as we can build our own computers from scratch, we'll be able to safely enter anything we want.

The astronomy section will use the Buckler's navigation system to do complete survey of the solar system from the asteroid belt out to the Oort cloud. Maybe we can find another wrecked spacecraft for parts.

Day 591. Another spacecraft was located yesterday in the asteroid belt and a possible spacecraft in the Jupiter moon system. Travel to either location would cause a major disruption in the habitat construction.

Amity reported that a whole new computer system came online last week. It is hidden somewhere in the hull of Saturn 1. She still hasn't figured out what activated it, but it contains what appears to be a detailed history of the Earth along with knowledge databases on every subject imaginable. The Captain ripped everyone in the engineering section because they didn't find it when we took the ship apart.

Day 620. Well engineering finally all found the hidden computers, they think. One crew-member remembered that the maintenance schedule listed torque requirements for certain sections of the ship and crosschecked the power and wiring runs. There were seven. After mapping the major sections they found 3 in corridor ceiling sections and the other 4 in bulkheads. They suspect that there are more hidden in the mess and quarters sections. Solid state read only computers only need to be and inch thick, just like the honeycombed bulkhead sections.

~

Day 1372. Habitat is finished. We used the original plans furnished. It looks like a short drum. With a radius of 820 feet and height of 1640 feet. There are two main docking stations, one on the top and one on the bottom. We managed to find enough silica to melt into glass to line the insides. Everyone assumes that is supposed to keep the water inside from corroding the hull. To me, all it will do is slow down and hide the corrosion. However with as many meteoroids ground to dust as we pumped inside it might work without cracking.

The elevator system is really strange. The design also called for two sets of stairs from the docking ports to the curved sides of the habitat and that is the floor. One of the engineers wants to build a pair of wings so he can fly down to the deck. He of course is nuts.

The rotation speed of 1.9 RPM is suppose to give it an artificial gravity equal to 1G or what we feel on Earths surface when we stand inside the hull.

With all that interior volume it took six weeks to pressurize to almost Earth normal. The hydroponic and dirt gardens helped clean up the air. The smell of the air was terrible, but is bearable and Nehru claims it will smell better as time goes by.

Amity has rebuilt every computer from parts for the habitat and is convinced that there are no traps or triggering routines in them. No computers from the ships will be allowed until they've been torn down and rebuilt clean.

Surprisingly Wanda, our historian, knew how to build radios. Another hobby that will pay off. She designed and built a separate communications system that is not compatible with any communications system on the ship or habitat.

Day 1395. Habitat is completely setup and 1st family moved over during 2nd shift.

Day 1400. Six more families moved over.

Day 1403. The astronomy section has finally gotten their act together and now has a firm conclusion on our date in Earths time-line. We traveled 1747 years 16 days into the past. That makes today's Earth date Mar 6, 268 AD. By my calculation that means we have to wait 1753 years 9 months and 16 days before we can make contact with Earth on the Earth date February 20th 2018. What a mess we're in. We've been here almost 4 years, so I hope we can survive another 1753 years. I hesitate to think about what our society will look like at that time.

The Captain has ordered one of the Buckler's shuttles to be outfitted for the trip to the asteroid belt to investigate the probable wrecked spacecraft. Only two women will be allowed as crew because they aren't pregnant. All the male crew are required to leave samples in the medical lab just in case we don't return. Naomi laughed until she cried, when she found out that I was to captain the expedition.

Day 1419 second shift. Crew for the expedition is finalized. Naomi is extremely irritated because I didn't tell her until this morning that she was my pilot. The crew consist of Juan, Harold, Linda, and Hector. Our mission is to map for usable ore concentrations, and determine whether the spacecraft detected can be salvaged. Round trip not counting delays caused by mission is six weeks. The Captain says we'll probably be back in two months. We depart right after 3rd shift meal.

Day 1430. Jupiter is scary close up. It dominates almost half of the view plates.

We did find the target object and it was what was left of a spacecraft or habitat. It looks like something exploded inside. It has a stable orbit so we'll salvage it sometime in the future.

Day 1451. Naomi makes me a nervous as a cat in a room full of mouse traps. Her maneuvering through the asteroid belt would turn anyone's hair gray. She claims that she isn't going that fast.

We located a small spacecraft about the size of our shuttle, but it's to small to be detected from Saturn. Harold and Juan have been exploring the electronics and claim that this shuttle is like a tug boat. Juan is going to try to use the gravity plates to lock on to the derelict and see if we can tow it. Maybe that's why one quarter of the hull is convex. Communications with Buckler established that we're still over a million miles from the target.

Day 1452. Towing it worked great until Naomi made a 90 degree turn and we lost it.

Day 1553. Only minor damage to derelict where it grazed an asteroid. I ordered Naomi to limit her velocity to 1/8th. I don't care if it does take us a week to travel the remaining distance.

Day 1559. This target spacecraft is larger than the Buckler, and no detectable damage on the exterior.

Day 1560. Juan and Harold investigated for over 5 hours and claim that the ship was abandoned. After activating the computers in the control room they ran a full diagnostic and only the environmental system failed. I had them install a G panel and radio beacon on the hull.

We'll take our derelict back and later return to salvage this one.

Day 1582. Just finished briefing the Captain and he turned over our derelict over to engineering to refit. They claim that they can have it ready to fly on its own in a few weeks.

The Captain is extremely interested in the abandoned ship, however he says we cannot bring it back until medical and environmental can give it a clean bill of health. He called Rosa and told her to put together a team to write up the requirements and specifications that any derelict must meet before salvage and refitting.

I ran into Wanda in the mess and sat down across from her. When she looked up I told her, "I needed to talk work with you after we eat."

She said, "Fine, come by my office in an hour."

In her office I sat and then started talking. "We found one wrecked spacecraft in the Jupiter system. In the asteroid belt we found a ship larger than the Buckler and a small shuttle type ship that we brought back.

"If I remember correctly back around 2010 a bunch of miners took off for the asteroid belt. Another group went and set up a colony on the moon. Is there anything in the historical records about either group discovering any alien spacecraft?"

Scratching her head, she replied, "No, none that I can recall. I reread the complete set of files on the asteroid and moon. No alien spacecraft reported found or any anomalies that might me construed as alien. Of course those people out in the asteroid belt are, or should I say, will be extremely independent and may not have reported everything they found back to Earth."

"Well, hopefully we haven't or will not recover anything that they didn't report or find in their time." I stated.

~

Day 3007. Well we're headed back. We should rendezvous with the larger ship in 24 hours.

Day 3012. Medical and environmental cleared the ship. The engineering crew is headed over after lunch.

Day 3055. The alien spacecraft is operational. Our spaceship is in one of its cargo bays.

Day 3063. Newest alien spacecraft back in Saturn system and team will start reverse engineering it to see if it has any improvements over Buckler.

Day 4022. The newest spacecraft renamed Shield. The captain made me captain of it and I only have a minimum crew. All my crew are couples and we've even got 4 children aboard.

I couldn't even fly it if they hadn't figured out the computers. Almost everything is automated. This spacecraft came from outside of the Sol system and was abandoned. No entries in the captains log explanation why. The star maps are extensive and have been copied and transferred to the Buckler and its shuttles.

Day 4055. A plan was submitted to the council that every time our population exceeds 5 million, we send out a colony ship that will start another human civilization. The plan list five yellow stars down the Orion arm that should have planets. The first of these stars is further than any of the colony locations listed in the Shields computers and in a different direction.

~ ~ ~

Chapter 4

Day 353604. Today is my 25th birthday. Today I took my oath as an observer. Father then handed me the record that our ancestor, Stephen Lee Limburg, started the on their trip out from Earth. He started the day count when they passed through the rings of Saturn for the 1st time.

Day 353607. My 4th entry. Today the alien spacecraft that the observers have been following departed the Sol system. They watched it red shift for about six minutes and then it vanished. The observers theorize that it exceeded the speed of light. Our charter forbids us to interfere in any events that may affect the Earth for another 900 plus years.

Day 356572. Today the observers watched an alien spacecraft round up 16 villages of people from different places in Europe and Africa. One of our spacecraft followed until they exceeded 3/4th the speed of light.

Day 356575. The council finally approved the observers to send one of our ships on the trajectory that the alien spacecraft departed the Sol system on. They hope to discover where the aliens took the people they took, although their orders are to observe only and report back.

Day 356662. The observer ship will depart this evening. They are finally loaded. I wish I was going, but wasn't selected because I have a family.

Day 362709. Yesterday another alien spacecraft appeared between the orbits of Mars and Earth. It proceeded directly to a low Earth orbit and discharged a dozen smaller craft. The observer on the moon tracked two that landed in what would later be known as north America. They started on the east coast and worked their way to the west coast. The only things left were the natives fields and cook fires. They even took the livestock.

Observations today show 23 missing villages in the northern hemisphere. The southern hemisphere did slightly better, but more people are estimated to have been taken from some of the cities. Quite an efficient operation in just 12 hours. Our census section estimates that between 9 and 15 thousand people and about the same number of livestock are now gone.

Day 362711. The council read the report and almost all of them were mad enough to declare war on the aliens. The worse thing about the raid was the fact that the alien ship disappeared between the orbits of Earth and Mars. Evidently they can now transition to their faster than light drive within the solar system gravity well.

A special section of observers is to be established to do a scientific analysis of all the data that was recorded while the alien ship was in the solar system. The council hopes that enough data was recorded to allow us to develop a faster than light drive for our spacecraft.

We cannot stop their raids on Earth due to the charter, but the charter has no effect or prohibition on our actions if we find where the aliens are taking the people they stole.

Day 380000. Three large alien ships appeared near Earth yesterday morning. Two headed for Earth and the third toward the asteroid belt. The third started jumping around the solar system. It only stayed at each location for a few minutes. When it jumped into the Saturn system our defense ships were ready for it. Two of them blasted it with lasers. It immediately jumped out and the next detected location was near the mining sites on Pluto's companions. It returned fire that time, but was damaged. Then it jumped again and we lost it.

Our in-system observation post recorded hundreds of locations raided from Europe to Asia. The monitors on the moon recorded isolated groups of people picked up from each location.

Day 380003. An emergency meeting of the council has determined that the habitats we live in are vulnerable to those aliens. The defense force has been ordered to go to each location the alien ship stopped at in the solar system and investigate. Also immediate plans will be implemented to move everything out of the solar system to the first colony location of the old plan. We will warn each of the three colonies we already sent out.

Day 380025. All known locations have been investigated. Monitoring equipment was detected and either picked up or destroyed at each location.

Day 380038. The monitoring satellites that the aliens left have been reverse engineered and will be melted down and used as raw materials by the mining clan. Electronics only work in a predictable way and their equipment is similar to ours although certain circuits appear more advanced. Unfortunately no faster that light drive units were found. The station keeping propulsion units were ion drive and each contained a small nuclear reactor for power. Analysis showed that they would need to be recharged every 50 to 100 years, so we know have plans to return.

Day 380043. All habitats and half the defense force have started moving. It was decided that we would depart for another star and change trajectories several times, but we would not directly visit the colonies. A defense force squadron would visit them after we were sure that we weren't being followed. The defense force remaining in the solar system was tasked with destroying all evidence of our presence including the complete destruction and moving Pluto's 3rd moon. It was not in any of our original records. It was the richest mining site ever discovered, almost like a small chunk of a planet core.

Day 380121. My youngest daughter will turn 25 tomorrow. She has finished the initial training to become an observer.

Day 380122. At the ceremony this afternoon she received her copy of the record. In my presence and the observer council she made her first entry and proposed that all exterior surfaces of all spacecraft and habitats be examined for alien artifacts before any course changes are made. Her theory was that if the aliens knew we were in the Sol system they would attempt to track us. Also she proposed that the mining council be warned that any mining spacecraft be checked prior to docking with any habitat. All materials mined be completely melted down prior to movement to any habitat or construction site. She also suggested that the communications council be alerted to find a way to muffle all electromagnetic emanations from our ships and habitats. Any unauthorized transmissions be immediately investigated and stopped. Her presentation was excellent. Then she took my record of the day and added it to her record.

I'm back in my quarters now and Dad was so gracious when he handed me a copy of the record and then his recording of today. The observation council indicated that they would implement my suggestions. They also indicated that they would send it to all the councils and get the government council to act upon it immediately. After all we know nothing about these aliens except that they have taken 3 large groups of people from Earth.

Day 380221. Today I heard a theory submitted by one of the young scientific types, low on the totem pole, from the science council. His analysis of our observations indicates to him that the aliens weren't gathering people to experiment on, but probably to set up a long term observation situation. He suggested that we refine our stealth technology and send back several heavily armed spacecraft to observe the aliens. We might even construct several special habitats to make long term observations and several more to explore all the surrounding stars.

Day 380245. The mining council requested that they be allowed to send teams back to Sol system to build gravity plates to mount on the 3rd moon of Pluto and move it to our main location. The government council approved their plan and one of their habitats with all volunteers aboard will change course as soon as they finish transferring personnel.

Day 380251. This morning the mining habitat, Wanderer, changed course back to Pluto. Three observers and their families were aboard to maintain records. Their plan is to build a propulsion system on Pluto's moon along with enough weapon systems to defend it from the aliens. The Wanderer will be incorporated into the moon as a control, observation, and living station. Other suitable objects in the Sol system will be similarly modified. Each will be mobile, armed, and placed in an orbit within the system that looks natural. Stealth, armament, mobility, and ability to survive will be the first 4 requirements of each observation station set up.

The defense council proposed that a warrior class be formed to attack the aliens as soon as they are located. The government council denied them. It said that the defense force would be sufficient for at least the next 500 years, but allowed them to expand it by 200% over the next 300 years. That will bring them up to over a million active fighters. Since everyone now has their own niche, they'll be recruiting every time the education system has a graduation.

The government council changed our course to the nearest star. Their plan is to stop for 50 years and mine the asteroid belts and move on, provided no intelligent life is detected by the survey teams sent out in advance. Any sign of civilization in any stage will disqualify the star system.

~

Day 480624. This morning the announcement was finally made public. The faster than light communications system is fully implemented. Contact with the Wanderer and its defense force along with the 12 outlying mining groups at other stars is complete. Contact also was made with one colony. The other two were not at the stars they were supposed to be. The government council is pondering a plan to send exploration expeditions out to find them.

~

Great great great-grandma would be proud if she knew the progress we've made in the last 270 years. Our stealth technology is greatly improved, the weapons systems are all target and forget, our defensive capabilities are many times more efficient than those they had in the old days. The only major task we've not solved is a faster than light propulsion system.

Day 480774. Wanderer reports that another group of alien spacecraft entered the Sol system an hour ago. They appear to be gathering data from their spy satellites again. They are also dropping new satellites. Wanderer request permission to disable a few of them later and recover them for analysis.

Day 480793. Wanderer reports that the new spy satellites are all linked by radio and also transmit to a relay outside the solar system in the Oort cloud. Initial attempts to disable this master satellite with high velocity ice and rocky asteroids showed that it is very maneuverable. However they did disable, capture, and isolate one of the minor spy satellites. Several improvements were detected and analysis started.

Day 480806. The final report on analysis of alien spy satellites was forwarded to the observer council this morning. The report states that passive optical receivers are improved. There are passive radio receivers that scan all frequencies normally used for radar, radio, and television. Optical analysis of the positions and attitudes of all the new satellites indicates that Earth is not the only planet in the solar system under observation. They placed spy satellites in every Lagrange point in the solar system. We can only assume that the aliens are aware that they are under observation by someone, but not by the natives on the 3rd planet. All signals from the spy satellites are being recorded for analysis. Plans are being developed to capture or destroy the master satellite if we are detected.

~

Day 603546. Public announcement over all communications systems. This afternoon an understandable radio transmission from Earth was recorded. Within the broadcast was the date and time. Our calculations have been double verified. The Earth date is August 20, 1920. We only have a hundred and two years before we can make contact!

Celebrations broke out all over.

* * *

Day 638088. Today I took my oath as an observer. Mom and Dad named me Stephen Lee, after the original, 25 years ago when I was born. He and mom decided that I would be the last observer needed to keep the record for the family. The big celebration will be in a few days.

Day 638093. Everyone listened to the live broadcast relayed by the faster than light the communications system. As we already knew the launch of Saturn 1 went off without a hitch. We were listening to our history as it happened. Now the hard part will be waiting 3 years before we can legally make contact.

Day 639160. Yesterday was the original entry date into the Saturn system. We had another celebration day. As an observer I watched it all and noticed the government council leadership was not in attendance. I searched most of the day and finally found them that evening drafting a proclamation. Basically it stated that we were going to hold off on contact due to the disturbing radio transmissions intercepted between the Earth and asteroid belt plus the ones from the Earths moon. I was chastened and required not to allow this information to become public until facts could be verified.

Day 639182. Today the proclamation was posted on the news net, screen 8, normal news size print with no banner.

Day 639250. I've been observing the habitat and all transmissions from the Wanderer. No one here seems disturbed that we're not headed for the Sol system to reunite with Earths citizens. Wanderer is relaying transmissions intercepted, however they now carry a restricted heading and are not posted to the news net like the first ones.

Day 640102. I've been watching for well over a year as the situation in the Earth system develops. We're completely convinced that the war in the making is internal, no alien interference has been detected. In fact the last time the aliens visited the Sol system they moved all their in-system spy satellites further out. The closest in are at the Sun-Neptune Lagrange points 3, 4, & 5. They also installed directional transmission antennas to limit any chance of Earth intercepting their transmissions.

Day 640648. Flash message from Wanderer to all government councils. Mars was attacked today. A fleet from Earth and a single ship from the asteroid belt were spotted near Mars. The attack on the surface blew about 1/4th the atmosphere off the planet. There were no know Earth bases on Mars. The puzzling thing about this attack on Mars was the fact that it was broadcast by all ships with a strong enough signal to be watched live by our outpost in the asteroid belt without major amplification.

Day 641001. A major explosion was recorded in the asteroid belt today. One of our stealth observation post was near that location. We have not been able to reestablish contact.

Day 641005. It is confirmed that the shock wave from the explosion several days ago is having a ripple effect and many asteroids have changed orbital trajectories. One of our local observers claims that many asteroids will fall out of the belt and enter the inner system and hazard the inner planets including Earth.

The government council on Wanderer is requesting instructions. They already ordered all stealth observation post recalled to the Saturn system.

Day 641023. Wanderer has observed what appears to be all of the asteroid belt habitats and spacecraft exiting the belt. Tracking of their trajectories is in progress.

Day 641055. Report from Wanderer. The main body of the spacecraft exiting the asteroid belt are on a slow orbit to the Saturn system. However, a smaller group of spacecraft are on a high speed orbit to Saturn. The decision has been made to move our habitats, observation spacecraft, and other resources out of the Saturn system to the Oort belt.

Our local observer council claims that it is to dangerous to try to make contact with either side at the present. They claim that history shows that outsiders interfering with a war are at hazard of being attacked by both sides.

Now I don't know if I'll be the last observer in my family line or not.

Day 641055. It has been suggested by our historians that a habitat or spacecraft be prepared and have it enter the Sol system after the asteroid group has settled down in the Saturn system. This spacecraft should have minimum advanced technology. It should enter in such a way that it can be detected well outside the Sol system so that it cannot be considered as part of the Sol system. It should not resemble any spacecraft that we have record of or have observed.

Day 643141. Wanderer reports that their initial calculations were correct as to when the main group of spacecraft from the asteroid belt would arrive.

Day 643500. The asteroid belt humans seem to have settled in nicely. They have set up mining operations and a factory ship. However we are puzzled as to why one group that arrived separately set up in the Sol-Saturn L4 and remains there. Ships have traversed between the two settlements.

Day 650311. The humans that resettled in the Saturn system are still sending out ships to explore or patrol parts of the solar system. We are still having to hide. It's almost as if they are looking for something or some group. Their ships are all armed with lasers and some with missiles.

Day 650330. Several groups of ships are deploying to positions that resemble a military ambush.

Day 650379. Bingo, a globe shaped spacecraft similar to the size of the one described as the shield arrived in the Jupiter system this morning. We have sent 4 stealth observation spacecraft to observe.

Day 650382. As far as we can tell the prepositioned warships of the humans are all moving in a pincer attack toward the alien globe located at Jupiter.

Day 650383. Evidently the globe finally spotted the converging ships and in a matter of hours relocated to the sun-ward side of the asteroid belt. However we spotted a group of 5 spacecraft waiting to ambush them. As soon as the globe stopped they started moving until there was radio frequency transmissions from the globe and then they stopped.

Day 650388. Radio transmissions have increased 500% in the last 5 days. This morning a shuttle from the remaining Saturn warship started moving toward the globe and was met by a shuttle from them. What appears to be a connecting tube was connected between both shuttles. Evidently they are attempting to make peaceful contact.

Day 650434. One of our stealth observation spacecraft is reporting that they may be discovered at any minute. A Saturn spacecraft has set up an observation post using them to hide behind. The globe has swept their position more often than surrounding locations with an extremely high frequency radar. The crew-members are making wagers with the crew on Wanderer on whether the Saturn spacecraft or the globe is discovered first.

Day 650439. The Saturn warship moved off and left the stealth observation post late last night. However the globe is still scanning the area with radar more often than surrounding areas.

Day 650504. Stealth observation post reports that all spacecraft are moving off toward the orbit of Jupiter. It looks like contact is going fairly smoothly as of now.

Day 650639. Alien globe is confirmed to be occupied by humans. They come from an earlier time. They've been shuttling around the Sol system. Old rocket type spacecraft were discovered on a moon of Uranus and some globe spacecraft in orbit around Neptune. How could we have missed them for 1700 years.

Day 651454. Yesterday the alien globe ship departed the solar system and rendezvoused with the one the Saturn station repaired.

Day 651475. A third globe spacecraft from another star rendezvous with the two that just departed Saturn system.

Day 651479. Wanderer observers council in conference with several other observers councils recommends that we immediately make contact with the humans at Saturn.

Day 651490. All the government councils recommend that the Wanderer send one stealth observation post to first make radio contact with the humans that have settled the Sol-Saturn L4 point. The reasoning behind this is that the group is smaller, yet appears just as motivated toward survival.

Day 651520. Wanderer reports that the plan is finalized. They will enter L4 and attach themselves to a spaceship. Then start transmitting the code words "The Time Is Past" with a request to talk to the leadership of the L4 community. Since their weapons systems are very efficient, if hostile moves are made the safest location is on the spacecraft that is attacking.

Day 651527. Stealth observation spacecraft number 23 drifted into L4 and then accelerated unto the largest warship they'd identified and locked on to the hull. Immediately it started transmitting greetings and request for conference. It took less than ten minutes before a small fighter craft landed beside it on the hull and pointed all its forward weapons at our ship.

The pilot panicked and released the gravity plate holding it down to the the large spacecraft and accelerated at full power out of the L4 point. By time his commander calmed the pilot down they were moving at almost 1/3rd the speed of light due solar north.

Due to the first contact being screwed up they returned to the L4 point and orbited it. The observer broadcast the same message and also requested that a contact location be designated or a contact ship meet them outside the L4 area.

A medium fighter headed out. As soon as they confirmed the trajectory the observer transmitted toward the fighter, "Would you like us to rendezvous with you 1/2 way between our present location and yours."

The message came back, "No, I'm expendable and until you are completely identified you will remain outside the L4 area."

The pilot replied, "WILCO."

A little over an hour later the fighter rendezvoused with observation spacecraft 23. Then the observer transmitted, "Shall we meet between the ships in spacesuits or would you like to come aboard my ship?"

"I'll come aboard your ship if it's OK."

Shortly a young man entered the airlock and entered the control cabin. Realizing that the we were human he suddenly stopped and asked, "Have you had direct contact with any humans since they'd left the asteroid belt."

The commnader replied, "No, we have had not direct contact with any humans from Earth since we started observing over 1700 years ago. Our charter forbids direct contact to prevent any time paradoxes. We've been waiting for the human time line to catch up with us."

Then the visitor keyed his suit radio and started a conversation with someone. Then he asked, "How many of you are in the solar system, and are there more of you?"

The observer answered, "About a million of us in the solar system and over fifty billion in habitats at other locations."

The visitor stated, "My boss wants to know if you are members of the group that visited in the globe spacecraft."

The observer answered, "No we were as surprised by them as you were. At first we assumed that they were the aliens that have raided Earth three times and kidnapped thousands of humans. I can furnish proof that we've been observing Earth for over 1700 years, when we left Earth, and why we have the charter we follow." Then I picked up the prepared copy of the record and handed it to the visitor.

Then the visitor stated, "You must remain here and make no physical contact with any member of your group. Unfortunately, even in my spacesuit, I may have contaminated you and your spacecraft with diseases that you have no resistance to. That is one of the first problems that we discovered when we made contact with the humans in the globe ship. I'll be back with medical personnel." He then backed out the airlock.

The observer then contacted Wanderer and gave an account of the meeting and the warning.

After hours of waiting the we received a message. It stated that we were to move our spacecraft to a location 1000 yards from the spacecraft we originally landed on. Medical and military personnel would then come over to our ship and examine us and make a decision about what to do with us.

An individual came over and drew blood and gave us a quick physical examination without taking his spacesuit off. He returned later with a device. The first thing he did was remove his suit and then set up the device, took more blood samples and placed the samples in the device. As soon as he'd given us shots from the device more individuals entered observation spacecraft 23.

They were definitely military in bearing and started asking questions and then demanded that the commander and pilot suit up and follow them to their spacecraft.

As we entered the spacecraft we were met at the airlock by a woman, she introduced herself as Joanna Warren and the ship's name was Joanna.

Joanna informed us that we would be poked, prodded, and examined unmercifully and then interrogated until our story was verified. She also informed us that even though we were not prisoners we could never return to our main base because of the diseases we'd been exposed to. We'd been inoculated and would not become sick or die, but if we made physical contact with others not inoculated they would become sick and probably die because they would have no resistance to the diseases her branch of humanity carried.

The observer then requested that he be allowed to reenter his spacecraft and contact the observer council and give them this information.

Joanna informed him that he would be allowed to do that tomorrow. Time now for a meal and examination.

The observer and pilot acclimated to the 0 gravity of the Joanna easily. They were instructed on how to eat a meal in 0 gravity, fresh vegetables and fish.

Then we saw our first cat. It came down off the ceiling and snatched a piece of fish off the pilots plate. Both of us jerked back and yelled, what was that.

Joanna picked up a communicator and asked to be connected to Alexis. After a minute she said, "I think they are for real, my cat just terrorized them and they didn't know how to eat in 0 G. OK, I'll bring them over to Elizabeth's Place."

Alexis looked us over and then simply stated, "What do you have to offer us that we don't already have?"

I looked uneasily at him and stated, "We have 1700 years of refinements to the gravity drive we use, a large population, two stars colonized, mining sites at half a dozen other star systems, a faster than light communications system, over 1700 years of detailed optical history of Earth, over five hundred years of unsuccessful research on faster than light propulsion system, and all data we were able to record about the aliens that raided Earth. Other than that, nothing."

Alexis smiled and then said, "Yup, you don't have much, but I need you to put me in contact with your government. I have somethings to discuss with them and you will not tell anyone that you meet here where you are from. Your contact right after the globe humans contact is a civilization shaker. Can your main base here furnish us with enough gravity plates to mount on several of our ships?"

I then stated, "I need to contact the Wanderer and advise the observer and government councils of all pertinent facts and request. Now about the medical inoculations your personnel gave us. What were they and how can we get them for our general population so you can visit our facilities and our technicians can work on your spacecraft."

"Whoa, first things first," I was told, "You need to be isolated for a few days to make sure the inoculation worked. Then I need to talk to our government council by television, no direct contact until they can manufacture enough inoculation kits for the population of your habitats here in the solar system. You've been waiting for 1700 years a couple of more won't hurt. Next I need to contact a few people in the Saturn system.

Day 651527. Alexis Warren arrived at Wanderer yesterday with a medical crew to inoculate all personnel and to instruct our medical council how to manufacture the medical inoculation machines. This morning April 20th 2052 the meeting between him and his crew and the councils started.

The first speaker was Stephen Lee, a senior observation council leader, and he informed Alexis how he would proceed.

Alexis sat in a relaxed position and listened. Then his first question was, "How the faster than light communications system was developed and worked."

I think that this puzzled all the councils for a moment, then Stephen simply said, "It's a combination of the Stark effect in 4-space. It was hinted at by the Jefimenko equations which are based on previous work by several theoretical physicist from around 1900 and modified by Myron. Basically it uses a modification of the string theory and virtual black holes. Included will be a complete breakdown of what we discovered about the Lorentz force attributes that allow us to tune frequencies for multidimensional broadcast. The formulas and instructions on how to build the communications system will be included in the first batch of scientific data if you wish. However, this information is a military secret. Under separate headings I'm including all the data we gathered on the alien incursions into the solar system and visual records of their activities on Earth, also all data on our upgraded gravity plates, stealth technology, and weapons systems. We are extremely concerned that all branches of the human race survive and prosper."

Several of the military councils objected to giving them the weapons systems information.

Stephen simply stated, "Go back and reread the original classified mission order and the charter. Because there is a threat from outside the solar system we are obligated under the charter to prepare defenses for humanity and there is no better way than giving them all the advanced technological systems we have to combine with what they've developed. We dislike pulling charter priority, but the senior observer council decision will be implemented immediately. It will take years for the military council to move sufficient forces to the Earth solar system to completely defend it from a full alien invasion. Also that will leave to many of our habitats and colonies with insufficient defense forces.

"As soon as we upload the public database that the globe trader left, it will be analyzed and a ship dispatched to each human colony to warn them about the alien threat.

"Our main hope is that any alien spacecraft can be destroyed or incapacitated before they can activate their faster than light propulsion system. Analysis indicates that humanity would loose any interstellar war with an alien race that possesses a faster than light propulsion system. Their fleet could move from star system to star system before our fleet could move to the first star system.

"Any other comments or questions from the councils?"

He'd taken the air out of all the councils and there were no further objections.

Then Alexis commented, "When do you estimate the next alien spacecraft will visit the solar system to check their spy satellites?"

"Ten to fifteen years is our estimate if they follow their previous patterns."

"OK, now how long will it take to download the data to my ship computers."

"The local observer council has all the records we've discussed today and will give you the computers needed to transfer them back to Saturn L4. Your computer experts can verify the interface from our computers to yours. It should be compatible. They will also give you a communicator so you can call us directly."

Day 651823. More medical inoculation packs delivered to Wanderer for shipment to our habitats in the Oort belt.

Day 667404. Ship identified as The Captain Medina (original renovated globe spacecraft recovered from Neptune) reentered solar system yesterday. Our observer within the Saturn system militia reports that they have a cargo hold full of raw wood with instructions on how to process it. There is also a large quantity of wood working tools.

Day 667415. Our observer reports that the cargo of The Captain Medina is being traded at exchange rates off the normal scale. The cargo hold was atmosphere controlled for the trip back and all the wood is dried to its best state and the traders were resurfacing the wood as it came out of the cargo hold. The traders have requested their main cargo going back to the DIRT system be medical inoculation packs. The Wanderer also traded several hundred optical solar panels for some of the wood to be examined and used.

Day 667500. One of our stealth habitats diverted to Dirt system. Estimated arrival in 43 years.

Day 668062. The trade spacecraft Medina departed today with its cargo full hold.

Day 682380. The Captain Medina trader spacecraft returned to the Sol system today. They report that their cargo is more wood along with some hand made furniture. Their request for trade cargo is equipment to build communication panels, deep sea exploration equipment and deep mining manufacturing equipment. The Wanderer government board reports that they can manufacture the deep sea and deep mining manufacturing equipment better than the Saturn or L4 system manufacturing systems. They also claim that our designs are better.

Day 683161. Observer habitat reported that it was entering the DIRT system and would observe for awhile before revealing themselves.

Day 683201. Observer habitat reported that they'd made successful contact with the Captain Mooney.

Day 683390. The commander of the L4 system has arranged for the transfer of requested materials in trade along with construction specifications and usage data.

Day 683476. The Captain Medina trader departed today.

Day 683499. Negotiations are complete with the L4 and Saturn system governments about revealing the fact that we exist and contact is to be established in 90 days.

Day 683589. One of our habitats turned off its stealth and started approach from outside the Oort shell. Its arrival is calculated to be day 683721.

Day 683600. As planned the Saturn and L4 military reported our habitats approach and sent out a contact force.

Day 683688. Public announcement on the Saturn and L4 communication systems report that we exist and our arrival time.

Day 683725. Observer recorded large ceremony and signing of treaty between our government councils and the Saturn and L4 systems governments. We can now move openly. The observer council elected to maintain its charter and continue its observation and record keeping function.

~

Day 720312. Strange spacecraft appeared in Sol system today. With the suddenness of its appearance and the lack of a detectable gravitational signature this spacecraft must use a new type of propulsion drive.

Day 720313. Public knowledge transmission contains data that indicates a contact with another alien race and their gift of a Faster Than Light Drive propulsion system. Our government council has diverted all available resources to manufacture this FTLD propulsion system. Spacecraft large enough to use this propulsion system will have it added as a 2nd or 3rd propulsion system.

Day 720530. Government and Observer councils have finally reached a decision.

Due to the fact that the observers are now integrated with all human branches, they will no longer be just observers. Their function as historians will continue in all societies. They may now participate as functioning citizens. However, they will observe and report back on alien species societies and actions.

The Faster than Light communications system will continue to be safeguarded as an observer secret.

Day 723180. Star Federation military has created a new subgroup within the service. It is called "T" qualifier. Two internal observers tasked to discover true functioning of this subgroup.

Day 723199. Evaluation of data received along with personnel given this "T" qualifier indicates that this is a command group that is being built and trained by Commandant Mooney. We've tasked three of our warships for service with the SFMDF and task their officers to mingle with the SFMDF officers after briefing them on the duties of an observer.

Day 723540. Certain human and alien SFMDF officers have attempted to get one of our junior weapons masters to volunteer to leave our service and join the SFMDF. LT. Deena Slovak will be debriefed by an observer from the Wanderer at the SFGSS.

Day 723555. Lt Slovak has agreed to act as an observer and join the SFMDF.

Day 723800. After testing and training by the SFMDF she was assigned to an alien planet for a year.

Day 724149. Lt Slovak passed the report to her observer contact upon returning the SFGSS that the SFMDF has a mental amplifier developed and built by the aliens that allows mental communications over unlimited distances. This device works without direct contact after training is completed. Only personnel with certain native talents are able to proficiently operated it. She was also trained to be able to recognize indications of the talent and instructed to report all personnel she encountered that had this rare talent.

Day 731136. The Star Federation Revenge Fleet launched today to take the war to the home planets of the species that are attacking and destroying human and Alliance planets. The fleet commander is Sissy Medina, also know as The Red Warrior Queen.

Day 731636. The remnants of the Revenge Fleet returned to SF space.

Day 731666. SF 14256 06 01. Admiral Sissy Medina promoted to Supreme Commander of all SEAL space forces and given her own warship by the SEAL government. The SEALs, an alien species, honor her greatly because of the "T" talent she has and her demonstrated leadership.

SF 14258 10 10 day 732528. The RED WARRIOR QUEEN returned to SFGSS with an extraordinary story about being hijacked to the Perseus arm of the galaxy by another ancient alien species. Then upon their return being captured by another elder species called the FROTH and they brought ambassadors from the FROTH to the SFGSS to negotiate joining the Space Federation.

Day 732533. Observer at SFGSS picked up information on secret department set up to monitor society. It's task is to observe and report any changes in society's psychological attitudes and meddling by any alien species. This department is tasked to monitor all the species in the Star Federation. Also a complete report was sent to the Alliance Federation and the FROTH. It has extensive references to a second ancient species in the Perseus arm.

Day 732533. SFGSS observers discovered plans to create sub-departments under this department to monitor all species discovered and monitor their civilizations from a distance until they achieve a point where they are ready to expand out of their star systems.

SF 14258 11 22 day 732571. The SEAL government gave Admiral Sissy Medina another spacecraft named THE RED WARRIOR QUEEN II. Her new plan is to explore down one side of the Orion arm and back up the other.

Day 732574. Observer Dianna Slovak, a trained master chef, with orders arranged by HoM system government boarded the RED WARRIOR QUEEN II this evening. She and another will relay observations from the exploration voyage directly to Observer headquarters council.

SF 14258 11 25 day 732574. Admiral Medina and her mixed species crew departed today.

# # #

Classified SOLAR SECRET

Mission Statement for spacecraft Saturn 1

  1. Saturn 1 with an operational and scientific crew will proceed to the Saturn system and investigate the disturbance caused by a meteoroid observed entering the Saturn system.

  2. Travel time from Earth to Saturn is approximately 3 years.

  3. Saturn 1 will remain within the Saturn system for approximately 2 years.

  4. Primary Mission:

    1. The scientific crew will use their specialties to investigate and catalog all possible information.

    2. Analysis of hazards caused by disruptions of the Saturn moons orbits and rings will be computed.

    3. All data will be transmitted to Earth weekly.

  5. At the end of the two year investigation the crew of Saturn 1 will complete the following:

    1. Saturn 1 will set up monitoring equipment in the vicinity of the Saturn system.

    2. Saturn 1 will proceed to the orbit of Mars and set up more monitoring equipment at Sun Mars L3.

  6. Saturn 1 will return to Earth for refitting, crew change, and resupply.

  7. Length of original mission is estimated to be 9 years.

  8. All following paragraphs are classified Solar Secret on Earth. Complete declassification and decimation to the Saturn 1 crew and their descendants is authorized if the event in paragraph 9 (a) occurs.

  9. Due to a transmission received by NASA in 1978 the following changes may be required. This will supersede the above paragraphs 3, 4, 4 (b), 4 (c), 5, 5 (a), 5 (b), 6, & 7.

    1. Transmission indicated that the Saturn 1 passed through an anomaly in space and traveled back approximately 1800 years in Earth time.

    2. If this turns out to be factual the following mission changes will be accomplished.

    3. Above para 4. (a) will remain in effect.

    4. The Captain will brief all personnel on the modified mission statement.

  10. The operational crew of Saturn 1 will locate and proceed to a stable orbit location and start construction of a space habitat.

    1. Saturn 1 operational crew will remove bulkheads M16 & J23. Storage rooms behind the bulkheads will be inventoried.

    2. Upon completion of habitat the Captain will instruct the surgeon to remove birth control implants from all personnel and instruct personnel to pair up and reproduce.

    3. Scientific crew will evaluate all data and devise the following plans.

      1. Long term survival in the Saturn planetary system.

      2. Enlargement of habitat.

    4. Set up a civilian government in the habitat with a military support.

      1. General schooling for all children born.

      2. Basic military training for all children.

      3. Technical schooling for all children.

      4. Advanced military and technical training for selected children.

    5. Construction and set up of scientific labs.

      1. Investigation into all technologies applicable to survival in Saturn system.

      2. Investigation into all technologies applicable to advanced spacecraft propulsion systems.

      3. Investigation into all technologies toward advanced space weapons.

    6. Defense plans for Sol system and Earth.

      1. Construction tools needed to implement sub-paragraphs under 10 (e).

      2. Construction of equipment to implement sub-paragraphs 10 (e).

      3. Construction of a fleet of advanced armed spacecraft.

      4. Construction of a fleet of advanced cargo and transport spacecraft.

      5. Construction of Sol system defense grid.

  11. Monitor Earth time-line and communications.

    1. This descendants of Saturn 1 crew are forbidden to interfere with events happening on Earth before 3 years after launch date.

    2. This is to be understood by all and enforced by the military section of the civilian government.

    3. No direct contact with Earth should be attempted or made prior to time outlined in paragraph 11 (a).

    4. Any interference in the time-line may cause the Saturn 1 mission to never happen.

    5. A complete search of the Earths genetic database found no descendants of any combination of pairs of the crews. This indicates that either no descendant of the original crew returned to Earth or they died out.

    6. If any member or members of the crew or their descendants return to Earth a population paradox will happen. This will not be allowed to happen!

  12. Contact with Earth may be reestablished during year three of the original mission (see paragraph 2).

    1. This establishment of communications is not mandatory. It will be a judgment call by the leaders of the descendants.

    2. If communications with Earth is reestablished the first data should be the in compliance with above paragraph 4 and its sub-paragraphs, Primary Mission.

    3. The code words "The Time Was Past" will be included in communications with Earth if paragraph 12 (b) is implemented. Key personnel at NASA will be instructed to brief personnel in leadership positions.

      1. Contact information will then be transmitted to the leaders of the Saturn 1 descendants.

      2. If no confirmation is received close contact will be avoided unless situations arise that could jeopardize life on Earth from outside the Sol system (example: Alien invasion or planet killer asteroid).

      3. Internal events on Earth will not be interfered with!

      4. This will be a judgment call by the Saturn 1 descendants leadership whether to handle the problem on their own or in conjunction with Earth leadership in compliance with paragraph 12 (c) (2).

  13. A resupply ship will be launched on identical trajectory and we hope it can duplicate the time travel to arrive soon after you do.

    1. The resupply ship is not mentioned in your original data transmission.

    2. It will contain a minimum crew plus equipment to complete your primary mission should it fail to travel back in time.

~ back to day 448 ~

**About the Author**

I've loved westerns and science fiction since I picked up my first book at the public library.

I've been writing on my computer for years. I never planned on any of my stories being published, just to be read by myself, family, and friends. The base journal is on forty spreadsheets with links to about a thousand files of short one day paragraphs plus other stories.

A relative encouraged me to write and publish also. I've to a lot of work to do.

Any **criticism** will be appreciated, either at my mail to address or on my Smashwords page. As I experiment with genre and style in writings I will be looking for criticisms and suggestions.

I hope you enjoy them all!

~ ~ ~

Connect with Stephen Brandon

Review my writings at Saturn2020 or go to your favorite retailer and leave a review.

My other website (under construction but viewable): Saturn Stories

Write me a note:  criticisms or accolades

~(ToC)~

**Other books by Stephen Brandon**

§

SATURN2020 series

The Impossible Ambition

Az

The Alien Spacecraft

The Asteroid Belt

spin off from the SATURN2020 series

Az's Children

The Ones Before

The Belt Archives - Hacked

Miscellaneous Fiction & Short Stories

Grandpas Hot Sauce

Pacific 41

Scout Expedition

The Plan and other short stories

From Texas to New York

Just My Opinion Some Old & New Ideas

5 Short Stories

A New Precedent

My Mine

Chronological sequence

Az

The Impossible Ambition

The Plan and other short stories (The Plan is the applicable short story.)

The Asteroid Belt

Az's Children

The Alien Spacecraft

The Belt Archives – Hacked
