Thumar
Chapter 12: Magnetic Stellar Storm

The science team’s analysis was beamed to Thumar before they returned and resumed standard orbit. They were greeted by a somber Remor at the Kalidar base. The crew members all wore grim expressions. The science teams from The Morwen and Thumar raced to the readiness room to prepare the data for an emergency meeting. Every leading scientist and senior military officer were on their way.

When the tarmac was clear, Jack and Derak docked The Shesian and Shenar back in the secret hangar. They walked back to Derak’s quarters and were met by Shesain and Shenar. The couples embraced.

“What are we going to do?” Shesain asked, desperate. “What can be done?”

Looking into her brown eyes, Derak managed a wan smile. “We’ll figure something out, my chimera. We have to. Thumar will not be lost.”

She hugged him. “If anyone can replace a way, I know you can. Your wrist-com is buzzing. I think it’s time for our meeting. Shenar, you have to go.”

She said goodbye to Jack and left. They all exchanged solemn glances and walked to the readiness room. The room was alive with activity. Nearly everyone was present. They were greeted by a mob of dignitaries as they entered. Remor rescued them. Chakur, Karn and Therese led them to a quiet corner.

“What are we going to do, Derak?” Remor asked.

“We’ll know more when the science teams report on their data analysis. The only thing that comes to mind is we need to create an equal or greater force to deflect the blast wave. But, how, I don’t know. Is Morton coming?”

“He just walked in, and he’s not in a good mood,” Shesain answered.

“I hope that he can show some restraint, in light of the situation,” Derak said.

“We’ll see soon enough,” said Remor.

“Remor, I think you should run the meeting. The fate of Thumar is at stake,” said Derak.

“I think you’re right. This is going to be one of the toughest briefings I’ve ever overseen.”

Remor hit his gavel to get everybody’s attention. “Take your seats, and please remain quiet until you’re called. We have a lot to get through, so the Thrashur will help keep the order. Have I made myself clear?” He looked straight at Morton.

“Yes, Mr. President.” The replies came in waves.

Derak looked at Remor and thought, “Thrashur?”

“They’re our black ops.” Remor’s thought returned.

Derak nodded and sat back in his chair, digesting what had just happened. He detected a smile crossing Remor’s thoughts.

“I now bring this emergency meeting to order. I first call on Gamar to report on this anomaly.”

Gamar began, his look betraying his heavy heart. “I witnessed my brother and five valuable crew members perish in the storm on Pelar. We all would have died, had not The Copernicus returned for us. May Kumar help us now! Before a magnetic stellar storm destroyed Pelar, it was a verdant planet. Filled with multiple eco-systems and populated by a great variety of wildlife. There were mountains, deserts, oceans, great lakes, and an endless catalog of trees. It was the most beautiful planet I’ve seen, second only to Thumar. Pelar was one hundred percent habitable.

“When the storm hit, we managed to replace shelter in some deep caves located the day before.

My data reveals that just fifty-three percent of the storm’s force hit the planet, and, after twelve hours, when the survivors emerged from the caves, nothing organic was left. Lakes, trees, animals, water, all gone. The planet was completely stripped to bare rock, not a speck of sand or dirt. Pelar became a rocky wasteland. We had to use oxygen breathers and suits because the atmosphere was stripped away as well. During the night, all we could see out of the cave’s mouth were continuous waves of green, red, and orange borealis. Three to five hundred mile-per-hour winds raged for hours. We had to anchor what we had saved, and we retreated deeper into the caves. There was no escaping the winds. It penetrated every crack and crevice; we were cold, and fires wouldn’t stay lit.

We huddled together to make it through the night. When those of us who survived emerged, little of our recording equipment remained. What little data we saved, may now help us.”

“How much data was preserved, Gamar?” Remor asked.

“Enough to predict a similar fate for Thumar,” He said with a deep sigh. “The most dangerous part of the storm is the GRB, gamma ray bursts. They hit first, stripping away the atmosphere. Then, the winds arrive with meteorite fragments picked up in the asteroid belt. What was not blown away by the wind got pounded with rocky fragments, up to the size of a small house. If we could replace a way to deflect the GRB and a high percentage of the storm, we could possibly survive. According to our calculations, if we move admiral Morton’s ships and the space docks into orbit on the opposite side of the planet, they can be better protected by supercharging the magnetosphere, if that is possible.”

There was a flurry of discussion about the possibilities with no general concession.

“Thank you, Gamar. We will hear from Dr. Hukar, head of the science team,” said Remor.

“Thank you, Mr. President,” said Dr. Hukar. The distinguished head of the team of scientists activated the 3D center holographic projector. A moving model of the solar system appeared, consisting of six planets, the asteroid belt, and the second closest planet to the sun, Thumar.

Dr. Hukar began, “The magnetic stellar storm, MSS, will drive through the Oort cloud first, scattering large bodies in our direction. Then, each of the outer planets will either be stripped of their gasses or torn to shreds by the combination of the MSS and the disrupted Oort cloud. This will make for even more debris heading in our direction. By the time the planet receives the full impact of the event, no one will be alive to witness the spectacle.

“The GRB will have stripped away the atmosphere. Asteroids, the size of air cars or larger, will rain down on the planet’s surface. The high-velocity winds will add to the destruction. In short, Thumar will be left as a lifeless rock, floating in space. All of this will happen in seven days.”

With those apocalyptic words, pandemonium was released.

“Order! Order must be maintained if we plan on getting through this,” Remor demanded, as the Thrashur ensured that everyone got back into their seats. “You may continue, Doctor.”

“A deflection wave is the way to deal with this crisis. I just don’t know how to accomplish it. In order for it to work, the deflection wave must intercept the MSS as it breaks through our Oort cloud. We might lose Shantar, regardless. If it gets past Shantar, we are finished.”

Derak raised his hand.

“The floor recognizes, Admiral Jamar.”

“Doctor, what if we detonated a big enough explosion outward toward the incoming MSS at the aphelion of the magnetosphere? Could this strengthen the magnetosphere, and create a pulse large enough to deflect the greater percentage of the MSS?”

“That might be a possibility, but how?” he inquired.

Derak noticed a smile on Remor’s face. This is a funny time to smile. What is he thinking?

Remor called a recess. “Thank you, Doctor. We will rely on you and your team to explore the possibilities. Lunch is ready to be served. I’m calling a recess for two hours. We will reconvene back here at 1300 hours.” He brought down his gavel. The room emptied, buzzing with the sound of multiple side conversations.

“Derak, we need to go to your hangar,” Remor said, in an urgent tone. Once they were there, Remor went straight to the clear beam gun.

“You said that if this were to blow up, it would be like a matter-antimatter explosion. You have two of these. Will it work?”

“Sure, but one won’t do it,” Derak explained. “You have to cross both beams, and that is not easy. It would also take a — don’t we have the support arm fragment and reflective material The Copernicus recovered?”

“Yes, why?”

Derak thought for a moment. “If we had a reflector, like a solar sail, I could tweak some of the variance calculations on both guns. It just might work. How’s your solar sail technology, Remor?”

He smiled. “We have the team.”

“How are they on working with nanobots?” Derak asked.

“You won’t replace any better in the galaxy, after you.”

Derak smiled and they left the hangar to discuss the details over lunch. Shesain made sure they got back on time.

After lunch, the meeting reconvened. Remor opened with a discussion on deflecting the storm and the incoming asteroids. Many scenarios for deflection were examined; most were deemed unfeasible. When the subject was exhausted, Remor hinted that he and Derak had come up with an alternate plan. But before he could elaborate, Dr. Hukar raised his hand.

“The floor recognizes, Dr. Hukar.”

“Deflection is an admirable idea, but to do it, we must set off a matter-antimatter detonation. We do not have the tech to do that.”

“Yes, we do,” Remor said. “We have a top secret weapon at our disposal.”

The room exploded with questions. Dr. Hukar loudly objected. “I mean no disrespect, Admiral, but you’re only a military officer.”

“Please take your seats,” Remor said, forcefully.

“I may only be a military officer, Doctor, but I also hold a doctorate in theoretical physics and a master’s degree in biochemistry,” replied Derak. The room stilled as he continued. “The problem is — how to deliver an effective counter wave to deflect the majority of the magnetic stellar storm away from the inner solar system? Well, we have a means to create the explosion we speak of.” The crowd erupted. Remor called the meeting back to order.

Derak continued, “We have one shot at this, only one. There is a way. Once the secret weapon is exploded, we’ll need a way to direct the outgoing wave. The fragments returned by The Copernicus indicate that they used a solar sail configuration.

“We have brought the two fragments with us. The first is a piece of the control arm elbow, and the second is a mirrored sail fragment. The original blast, that caused the star to supernova, was generated by a matter-antimatter detonation directed by an enormous solar sail. How big? The science team will fill in those details. The matter-antimatter flash was at the center of the mainsail.” The 3D holo display provided context to his words.

Dr. Danmor, the head scientist of the solar sail project, spoke in response to Derak’s revelation. “The main sail you’re showing would not be sufficient by itself. You will need a focusing sail to keep the primary blast from dispersing too much. What’s needed is a way to direct the full blast back to the main sail.”

“Would a smaller sail facing the detonation direct it back to the main sail, Doctor?” Derak asked.

He consulted his team for a few minutes. “That might work, but our sail material isn’t strong enough to survive the initial blast.”

“What If we added organic self-replicating nanobots to your material?”

Dr. Danmor considered this and convened with his team. After a moment, he responded, “That, with a thicker foil, sounds promising.”

“What about adding plas-steel to the mix? Derak asked.

“That would work even better, but can we get it done in six days?”

“We have to, Doctor, we’re left with no choice.”

Dr. Danmor nodded and conferred with his team.

General Kamur interrupted with a question about the delivery system.

Derak answered. “We have the delivery vehicle, a standard size, four-man scout ship. We could load it with nuclear warheads to guarantee that we achieve the critical mass for a sufficient matter-antimatter detonation. I’ll turn it over to the science team for more details.”

Dr. Hukar spoke. “We’ve estimated the size of the sail used to originate the original matter-antimatter detonation at one mile wide.” At this, whistles were heard. When they stopped, he continued, “To actually deflect the incoming MSS, we’ll have to double that.”

“Two miles wide, are you crazy? One mile is even impossible to think about,” Admiral

Morton blurted, out of order.

Doctor Hukar ignored him. “This might guarantee that the inner solar system will miss out on the worst of the storm. We’ve estimated that twelve point five percent will interact with our magnetosphere, dragging debris along with it and the winds. Thumar will sustain considerable damage. How much? We don’t know. What we do know is the mainsail will need to be two miles wide, the focusing sail must be at least two thousand feet in width.”

The room, once again, erupted in a cacophony. Once order was restored, Remor opened the floor for questions.

“How can a sail that big be built and launched in six days?” a general asked.

Derak replied, “We will grow the sails from self-replicating nanobots.”

“Can that be done?” Someone else asked.

“Yes, it can,” Dr. Hukar answered. “We’ll have to work round the clock, but I believe this is our only answer. Could you detail the delivery system, Admiral?”

“The scout ship will be fitted with attachments to its hull. That is where your miniaturization program comes in.

“Who’s going to fly this suicide mission?” Admiral Kaitain inquired.

“The flight will be remotely flown. I’ll be working with Doctor Hukar’s team until it’s done.” Derak confirmed.

“I’ve never heard of this program,” general Corano stated.

“Because it has never existed, until today, general,” Remor responded.

“Who is going to take care of the flight plan?” Another asked.

“Dr. Stordan and his team will work out the math for the flight path. I think we have a plan, Mr. President.” Dr. Hukar confirmed.

Remor thanked Dr. Hukar, admiral Jamar and all those who participated. “I move that we take a vote. All in favor of implementing the deflection plan, raise your hands?”

All but four hands were raised.

“All those opposed to the deflection proposal?

Four hands raised, one, among them, was Morton’s.

Remor continued. “The deflection proposal has passed. We have six days to launch and the details still have to be worked out. I’ll leave that to the teams building the project. Dr. Hukar will head the project. The next item is the evacuation of the civilian population. How do we protect and provide for 2.2 billion-plus citizens in such a short time?”

Admiral Morton raised his hand.

“The floor recognizes admiral Morton.”

“Will any Alliance scientist be involved?” he asked.

Remor looked at Derak and called another recess. After the room had cleared, he turned to him and Shesain. “What do you think, Derak?”

Alliance scientist… “Only if their involvement is limited to Thumarian technology, they can’t be allowed near mine.”

“That sounds sensible to me,” Remor said.

With the recess over, Morton was told his scientists could participate and Remor addressed the problem of the civilian population. It was decided that the population would be evacuated to nearby colonies and the remainder would be moved to natural and man-made caverns. This was a limited option and their needs would be provided for as space allowed. Cities with underground shelters could house as many as they could fit. Any remaining Thumarians would be shuttled up to all available ships and the space docks.

The president adjourned the meeting with the civilian and military recovery personnel assigned to their tasks.

They met back at Derak’s quarters to discuss some of the finer points of the plan. Shesain, Shenar and Therese prepared the evening meal while Remor, Dr. Hukar, Jack, and Derak talked.

Remor started. “Dr. Hukar, your teams will be subject to Thrashur security level eight parameters. Alliance scientists are to be assigned Thumarian technology only. They cannot participate with or know any details about the technical level that Derak is going to show you.”

“I understand, sir. I have a core team that will work with the admiral. They’re well-versed in nanotechnology and miniaturization. Everyone on my team can be trusted.” Dr. Hukar assured Remor.

With that, the four of them went to the hangar. Derak showed Dr. Hukar the relevant technology we would need for the days ahead.

Dr. Hukar asked him. “Can we move this to a more secure location? This is too small of an area to complete the project. We will send you the locations coordinate and you can arrive cloaked. We’ll have security set and ready.”

“That can be done, we’ll load up for a midnight run. I’ll need some muscle for my equipment, so have some strong backs ready after dinner.”

They reconvened in Derak’s apartment and enjoyed a delicious dinner prepared by the women. Light-hearted banter was shared during the meal.

When they finished, they set themselves to save Thumar. The next six days would be filled with obstacles to overcome with little sleep.

The muscle arrived in force, Numar, Chakur, and Karn. They went to the hangar and started unhooking and loading Derak’s lab equipment. The bodyguards had an aptitude to match their muscle. They had no problem helping on the technical end. All three ships were loaded and ready to launch by 2230 hours. Shesain and Shenar both insisted on sitting in the co-pilot seats of their respective ships. Commander Shakur and lieutenant commander Murtah would fly the prototype.

They received the signal to launch at 2350, with the coordinates, boarded the three ships and launched for the secure site. They arrived cloaked at the Mt. Kumar facility on the Anean continent. After docking and de-cloaking, the hangar doors were shut. Thrashur patrols were set and the three bodyguards immediately started supervising the unloading. Dr. Hukar’s assistant directed them where to put the precious cargo.

General Kamur and Corano, admiral’s Rhombur and Kaitain, with the civilian police chief’s, were waiting for them in the conference room. They were joined by senior officers from the Orion Battle Group. Derak, Jack and Remor entered.

Shesain and Shenar met with their support crews. They commenced setting up the kitchens, med bays, and sleeping areas. The women volunteered to keep the science teams nourished and alert.

The master plan to evacuate the civilian population was approved. The generals were ordered to start the operations at 0600 the next morning. They had five days to vacate 2.2 billion-plus Thumarians with assistance from the battle group.

“What if some villagers refuse to leave; despite the danger?” General Kamur asked.

“Let them stay,” Derak remarked. “I evacuated a village once, it won’t happen again. I know that sounds harsh but, I will not have phase pistols discharged at obstinate villager’s feet.”

“I have to agree with Derak.” Remor added with a heavy heart.

“Thumarians have free will. If they choose to use it without thinking, they will have only

themselves to blame, proceed with your plans gentlemen.”

Derak supervised the labs construction with Dr. Hukar. They were finished in five hours. The women and their crews fed them and insisted they get some sleep before starting on the next project. Remor left to deal with the civilian evacuation and the crews were going to grab three hours sleep. 0600 would start six days of intense preparation.

Terga woke Derak at 0500, and he spent some quiet time with Shesain. They found an out of the way corner in a small conference room, which was nearly impossible. Shesain sat as close to him as she could get. Therese and Karn were alert and within eyeshot. Her hands were massaging one of his biceps.

“You take great pleasure in that, don’t you?” he sent her a thought.

“Mmmm, I dream of the moment when I can pull out my scented oils and rub your body down. When you’re strong arms are wrapped around me.”

“I hope we still can, my chimera,” he answered smiling and kissed her twice. She snuggled into him even more. “With all the brain power working on this, I think we have a shot, my love,” he assured her.

“I worry about Thumar. This is my home, your home now. What will happen to her and the Maturgia? Will we live to see our beautiful children grow up and have families of their own? I want this so much, for both of us, for Thumar, this MSS scares me.” She confided.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen in six days time. My greatest pleasure will be to spend it with you, no matter what the outcome is.” He comforted her.

“I love you so much, my chimera,” Shesain answered.

Their tender moment was interrupted all too soon by the alarm, marking 0600. She kissed him and ran off to replace Shenar and her mother, who were on kitchen duty. Shesain returned and delivered his breakfast, with real bacon and cheese on his omelet. “Don’t get too used to it. After this is over, it’s back to my diet.” She thought with a glint in her eye.

Fresh vegetables and game were brought in daily by Thrashur hunters. Temela’s organizational skills ensured smooth operation of the support crews. She drove her daughters crazy at times, but there were no complaints from the women, and no one argued with Temela, not even the Thrashur. She had a look that could stop a Kek warrior in its tracks. However, Temela’s soft and fun loving side came out when the day’s duties were done. You could hear joyful laughter erupting from the women’s private sleeping section.

Derak finished his breakfast and went to help. The prototype ship was moved into the main hangar so the miniaturization team could work on the hull. He set up a mobile dimensional field and instructed the lead scientists on the nature of the hull. Once they understood the theory and practice, their work became easier.

The sail team started their calculations on the sails and Derak introduced them to his metallurgic and biochemical databases. They caught on quickly. Within hours, they were working on their own with only the occasional question now and then. The introduction of the nanobots and plas-steel into the sail material proved troublesome. Derak spent most of his time working on this.

The days were long and hard, averaging eighteen hours. Many a head was asleep before it hit the pillow, men and women alike. They all worked hard to complete the project. Hours passed and only when the women reminded the men of food and drink, did they stop.

The first day came and passed with minimal success. The second day started with a major victory. They had a successful deployment of a prototype sail. The control arms were stable, but the sail material still wasn’t strong enough. The miniaturization team was proceeding well. One outcome was the team figured out how to shrink the dimensional generator to ship size and installed them on The Shesain and The Shenar. Derak couldn’t wait to test it out.

The evacuation of Thumar was proceeding better than planned. Only a few obstinate villagers and farmers choose to stay, they had some natural caves to retreat to if needed. Cities and towns were emptied and shuttered up. The main temple in Shenmar removed the giant crystal and capped the roof off.

The third day brought greater results. The prototype ship was beginning to be fitted with the sail generators and Derak began to work on the variance calculations for the clear beam guns. Since the gun placements couldn’t be figured out until the sail generator installations were finalized. Commander Shakur flew The Shesain, with general Kamur and brought back the nukes that were to be placed inside the scout ship.

All was going well into the fourth day. Thumar had been mostly emptied of its population, though many feared that it would be the last time they would see their homes. Only remote pockets of civilians were being collected on the fifth day as reports came in that all mandatory evacuations would be completed by 2000 hours.

The space docks and the orbiting ships, including admiral Morton’s battle group, were moved to the opposite side of the planet, within Thumar’s protective magnetosphere, while maintaining a synchronous orbit.

On the fifth day, the miniaturization team completed the sail generators and installed them on the scout ship. The gun placements were done and Derak made the final adjustments and finished. The remaining hours were spent going over the final calibrations. The Shemar was complete and they all prayed that the work would not go unrewarded.

Remor showed up with Tranoka and filled them in on the evacuation. Admiral Morton had

opened up The Andromeda and the ships in his fighting group to the refugees. His crews proved themselves to be invaluable to the evacuation effort. Shesain, Shenar, Temela and their teams were frazzled and welcomed the food and drink Remor brought. They all feasted and relaxed a little. Tomorrow, they launch The Shemar, “Giver of Life,” named after their chief goddess. Derak finally fell asleep, wondering if The Shemar would also be a “Protector of life.” Shesain slept on a cot next to him that night with Therese and Karn keeping a watchful eye.

On the sixth day, the Thumarian high priest and priestess showed up, with their contingent, to perform a ceremony to christen The Shemar. After the ceremony and christening, complete with candles, sage, chanting and sacred music, they shared in a sumptuous meal supplied by the central temple.