Read Online SODIUM:6 Defiance by Stephen Arseneault - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Stephen Arseneault
Tags: Sci Fi & Fantasy
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knowledge not to destroy the ship but to chase it from his territory so that we could continue to track its location. With luck we would find the Meche home world. As I was turning to leave I thought of a new request. I was interested in knowing how the Megar were able to detect our ship. He asked an aid for the information and suggested we sit for a few minutes.
When the aid returned he handed the Governor an electronic pad. The Megar had discovered that when a ship dropped through light speed there was a tiny signal given off when energy was once again converted to matter. They had stumbled upon it centuries before and had given the sensors in all sectors the ability to detect it. At anything over a quarter light years distance from a sensor the signal dropped to the same level as noise. The Governor was delighted to offer it as a gesture of trust.
We departed the sigma Orionis area having established good starting relations with its governments. The tracking of the ship was a gift that the Geffel could not have been more grateful for in their longstanding fight with the Meche. We had definitely made new friends.
We had identified four new species whose symbols adorned the DaCuban site including one from the left door, the "evil" door. The Meche ship was headed towards Mintaka at the other end of Orion's belt, we were following after. The trip would take us 20 days at full speed but the Meche ship was moving much slower. Our estimate was for an arrival in 57 days. The exploration of new worlds was turning into quite the adventure. And it seemed to be transforming Hershen into a thinker and doer rather than just an observer. It was a change I was glad to see.
As we puttered along, shadowing the Meche cruiser, the techies on our science team attempted to integrate the portable static field generator into the Saxon's systems. If we happened to get captured within another static field we would be able to open a window in the field and slip out. That is, unless the field generated had a higher power level behind it, in which case we would be out of luck.
The team took the time to study the loads of data the Pern, Rechin and Geffel had given us about their people and cultures. It was an anthropologist's dream come true. As we cruised along I ordered the crew to maximize their sleep-time. Given the current situation, I was unsure of when the opportunity might come again. If our full energy was needed, we would be well rested.
The Meche ship slowed on its approach to Mintaka, veering off to a planet orbiting a much smaller nearby star. Before dropping through light speed one of the techies mentioned using the static field as a sort of shield for the matter to energy conversion issue. If we were to project a static field just in front of the ship as we dropped through light speed we should be able to block the signal from traveling in the forward direction.
But there was still a problem. The static field would reflect every signal, again leaving a possible point of detection. Hillman soon had the answer, he would modulate the power going to the field causing a standing wave to ripple across its surface. Any signals arriving at the field would be diffused and reflected back at a different angle. The static field was deployed at one quarter light year’s distance as we slowed the ship; we were not met by any escorts.
The Meche system had two planets and three moons in use by their populations. Transport ships were logged moving between each. The larger planet had a thick atmosphere while the smaller had the blue marble look of Earth. The three moons were each about 500 kilometers in diameter.
Several space stations were in orbit around the smaller world and our sensors detected the Meche cruiser docking at one of them. It was determined to be a military station as the ships docked at it all appeared similar in color, shape and size to the one we had followed. Harris got immediately to work translating the signals that
When the aid returned he handed the Governor an electronic pad. The Megar had discovered that when a ship dropped through light speed there was a tiny signal given off when energy was once again converted to matter. They had stumbled upon it centuries before and had given the sensors in all sectors the ability to detect it. At anything over a quarter light years distance from a sensor the signal dropped to the same level as noise. The Governor was delighted to offer it as a gesture of trust.
We departed the sigma Orionis area having established good starting relations with its governments. The tracking of the ship was a gift that the Geffel could not have been more grateful for in their longstanding fight with the Meche. We had definitely made new friends.
We had identified four new species whose symbols adorned the DaCuban site including one from the left door, the "evil" door. The Meche ship was headed towards Mintaka at the other end of Orion's belt, we were following after. The trip would take us 20 days at full speed but the Meche ship was moving much slower. Our estimate was for an arrival in 57 days. The exploration of new worlds was turning into quite the adventure. And it seemed to be transforming Hershen into a thinker and doer rather than just an observer. It was a change I was glad to see.
As we puttered along, shadowing the Meche cruiser, the techies on our science team attempted to integrate the portable static field generator into the Saxon's systems. If we happened to get captured within another static field we would be able to open a window in the field and slip out. That is, unless the field generated had a higher power level behind it, in which case we would be out of luck.
The team took the time to study the loads of data the Pern, Rechin and Geffel had given us about their people and cultures. It was an anthropologist's dream come true. As we cruised along I ordered the crew to maximize their sleep-time. Given the current situation, I was unsure of when the opportunity might come again. If our full energy was needed, we would be well rested.
The Meche ship slowed on its approach to Mintaka, veering off to a planet orbiting a much smaller nearby star. Before dropping through light speed one of the techies mentioned using the static field as a sort of shield for the matter to energy conversion issue. If we were to project a static field just in front of the ship as we dropped through light speed we should be able to block the signal from traveling in the forward direction.
But there was still a problem. The static field would reflect every signal, again leaving a possible point of detection. Hillman soon had the answer, he would modulate the power going to the field causing a standing wave to ripple across its surface. Any signals arriving at the field would be diffused and reflected back at a different angle. The static field was deployed at one quarter light year’s distance as we slowed the ship; we were not met by any escorts.
The Meche system had two planets and three moons in use by their populations. Transport ships were logged moving between each. The larger planet had a thick atmosphere while the smaller had the blue marble look of Earth. The three moons were each about 500 kilometers in diameter.
Several space stations were in orbit around the smaller world and our sensors detected the Meche cruiser docking at one of them. It was determined to be a military station as the ships docked at it all appeared similar in color, shape and size to the one we had followed. Harris got immediately to work translating the signals that
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