Voyage of the Star Killer

Chapter 1

United Alliance Date 2469:

Lecture on Empaths in United Alliance History and the Effects of Pyschics on the Development of the Known Universe. Presented by Archivist and descendent, Patience Gireau.

     "The secrets of psychics, telepathy, and empathy have long been held sacred by my people. Earth's history is rich with tales, legends and myths of those super-powered beings once revered as gods. We now trace those tales to the alien species scattered to the far reaches of the universe. Please save all questions until the end of the lecture."

Section 1. The Voyage Begins
Archive: 2187-10-19

     "Earth dreamt of traveling to the stars for centuries before they finally made it there; first, in orbit around their planet, then to the moon. Travel to Mars failed on numerous occasions. Eventually, though, they would reach beyond this solar system, extend their grasp to the rest of the galaxy. Once there, the universe was theirs to explore - or so they believed."

*****Excerpt*****

     Captain Liam Gireau stared with great admiration at the lines of his ship through the window of the observatory. "Admiral Hossein, I will serve our people proudly."

     The older man clapped him on the shoulder. "Aye, boy!" Turning, they strode down the deck, pacing out her length. "There are rumors of pirates harassing our people on the outer edges of known space. Investigate there and report back. Take these 300 people to Space Station Duo along the way."

     The captain accepted the tablet thrust into his hands.

      "You'll pick up a compliment of 700 on their way to Remillion 9." Hossein gestured toward the ship and the boarding passengers. "I don't have to tell you to bring our people home safely, especially the President's son."

     Gireau saluted. "Aye, Sir." He watched the older man walk away then turned back to consider the responsibility of captaining the mammoth ship. He took a deep breath in anticipation. This would be his second time serving in command on a larger ship; his first as captain of the exploration group. There were more qualified individuals already serving the United Alliance but his younger age secured him this position. Gireau shook his head in self-recrimination. Never mind his 13 years of service, or his turning the Battle of Terrors in their favor. The Terronians had thought to conquer them with a brutal force of nearly 100,000,000 lives: 4,000 destroyers, 3,000 battleships, 2,000 battle cruisers, 25 dreadnoughts, more than 300 starships, 90 nuclear-rigged shuttles, and 17,000 single-manned fighters. He had piloted the more experimental battleship of a secret design he wasn't even supposed to know about, against orders, and won the war through sheer luck alone. That, and the unmanned fighters his best pilots had flown through simulation.

     Gireau recognized the improbability of his win and realized that the UA wouldn't publicly reprimand a hero for disobeying orders; no, instead they assigned him to the farthest reaches of the universe. Public Relations framed it that "He was a hero of the UA, and as such, who would better represent them?"

     He smiled. He was getting a starship well over 1600 meters (1 mile) long, 499 meters (1/3 mile) wide, boasting more than 50 decks at over 750 meters (<.5 miles) tall. His crew would number in the 1000s, and with the civilian specialists, their families, and the passengers they would carry, he expected the ship to teem with life. His enthusiasm grew with the idea of the autonomy afforded his crew and ship - the first voyage beyond their known bounds, beyond the established space stations. As a televised documentary once said, The crew of the UASE V1 had a "Mission to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilization, to boldly go where no one has gone before..." (Star Trek, The Next Generation; Gene Roddenberry).