Utopia War

Chapter 5 - U.F.O. (ii)

"You're scanning them back, I assume," said Min-ji.

"Are you kidding?" asked HandsomeNose "I'm even scanning their scans. I'm going to sieve through every molecule in this region of space."

"This is exciting," exclaimed Sparkle.

"I want to try and make contact as soon as possible," HandsomeNose continued "Min-ji,do you have any ideas?"

"We have a standard package of multi-frequency messages meant to demonstrate knowledge of higher mathematics in the most culturally and biologically neutral way possible," said Min-ji "We've had success in the past using it as a starting point for communication with newly encountered alien species.

"That sounds perfect," said HandsomeNose.

"I'm signaling it to the ship's memory. Can you see it?" asked Min-ji.

"Got it," said HandsomeNose "Sending now."

The relatively small, gem-like starship emitted the carefully crafted patterns of binary pulses, radiogylphs, messages and equations in every known language, and even more arcane methods still of communicating patterns and numbers. It was the simplest, most basic message possible: "I exist! And I'm potentially intelligent!".

The U.F.O. reacted almost immediately, making a series of tiny adjustments to its course.

"This is huge," said HandsomeNose.

Sparkle was clapping. She wasn't completely sure what was going on but she was just so happy to be a part of things.

"Where is it going now?" asked Min-ji.

"If it maintains current heading and speeds," explained HandsomeNose, as he pulled up a holographic projection of nearby space and high-lighting the nearest star to them "It will end up suspiciously close to asteroid field around that star over there."

The circular asteroid field, shaped almost like a galaxy, was made up of hundreds of thousands of little individual dots. They encircled the star like a fortification.

"They could be leading us towards that star system deliberately," observed Min-ji.

"Agreed," said HandsomeNose "I say we follow it."

"Naturally," agreed Min-ji.

The Imminent Eschaton altered course to match the small tube, and began following it. Even as close as the two ships were to the star system, it still took several weeks at sub-light speeds to reach the asteroid field.

All three were in the midst of experiencing a virtual environment. The simulation was of a meadow by a lake, with a wooded area nearby and a small dirt road running through. Whoever had programmed it had done a particularly good job with the smells: fresh wilderness, sweet flowers.

Sparkle and HandsomeNose were playing with a ball. They had invented their own game that took into account that one of the players was a floating sphere. Min-ji was laying on the grass, sleepily watching them.

"We're getting close," said HandsomNose suddenly, after a brief moment of distance "We should head back."

The ship ceased the direct stimulation of their minds slowly, allowing the trio to ease back into reality.

Within minutes of their return the U.F.O. had come to within less than a hundred meters of one of the asteroids and stopped moving suddenly. It began to bombard the asteroid with a variety of rays and fields, rearranging the component atoms.

"It's building something," said HandsomeNose, experiencing the data from the scans in real time.

"Can we see?" asked Sparkle.

HandsomeNose projected a hologram into the room, showing the small tube drifting around the asteroid. Several spectrums invisible to the human eye were artificially colored, showing a cone of multicolored activity emanating from the tube. The cone seemed to be dissolving the outer layers of the asteroid.

"What do you think it's building?" asked Min-ji.

"I could ask you the same question," replied HandsomeNose "It could be a communications device. It could be bodies for uploaded minds stored inside..."

"It could be a weapon," said Sparkle.

"Don't be absurd," said HandsomeNose "We've made no hostile moves towards it so far. This isn't some paranoid rinky-dink sub-light hegemony we're talking about here. This is a highly sophisticated civilization with information technology that outstrips our own."

"Whatever it is," said Min-ji "It's starting to take form."

With impressive rapidity the asteroid was being smoothed out, rounded into an almost perfect sphere. Tiny pores all around it allowed the emanations of the U.F.O. to penetrate inside, rearranging the interior in unknown ways.

"I'm monitoring it for anything that looks like an attempt to communicate," said HandsomeNose "If we make contact it would probably be best if Min-ji-"

There was a flash of light, and the newly-constructed sphere let loose a beam of energy.

The bright red energy beam cut through the Imminent Eschaton's carnival of defense fields like they weren't even there, burning in one side of the ship and out the other. Desperate emergency systems with sub-sentient AI scrambled to compensate, to keep the ship spaceworthy. Major components rerouted their functions, entire decks filled with rapidly expanding foam while others had their atmosphere vented to extinguish fires. Emergency defense fields began to activate, only to flash out of existence.

Four more perfectly aimed shots from the mysterious weapon rendered their efforts pointless. The Imminent Eschaton began to break apart.

The object had already resumed its sub-light journey toward the Proxima Ring.