Part 1: Diaspora

Fifth Year of the Diaspora Project, Zeroth Year of the Exodus

Zeroth Year After the Battle of the Sol System

Admiral Ossian Supesu sat on the flag bridge of his Terran United Countries Void Guard (TUCVG) Cutter Isoroku. It was just another day in the service, sitting in Martian orbit, looking out over the desolate wasteland of the world. It hadn’t always been that way. He remembered when Mars had been humanity’s great hope some sixty years ago when the Terraformer Project had begun, the attempt to make Mars habitable for humans to relieve the overcrowding and resource depletion problems on Earth herself.

As with so many human endeavors, it was the smallest things, the ones so oft forgotten, that had proved the greatest problem. Admiral Supesu shook his head, remembering the crushing despair that had engulfed Earth when the Terraformer Project managers announced that they had failed because they had not taken the carbon dioxide produced by yeast into account. The resulting environmental fallout caused by the runaway greenhouse gasses and melting ice caps had made the great red spots of Jupiter look like a fart in a hurricane. The atmosphere was too storm-wracked even for robotic miners to operate within. With no other use for the next few thousand years, Mars became humanity’s dumping ground for all matter of radioactive, toxic, or otherwise dangerous waste.

It had taken decades of fierce debate to decide on the next mega-project to save humanity. Years in which long-term cryopreservation and cryosleep had finally been perfected. Years in which particle screens had been improved enough to take velocities of up to 0.05C for prolonged periods of time. Years in which humanity had perfected zero-gravity megaprojects. Years in which gravity generators were reduced to manageable scales and for laser based communications devices to become practicable. For all of the other million and four things needed for a colony ship to be possible. For the Diaspora Project to become a reality.

The first ship of the Diaspora-class, the Far Strider, sat in orbit around the sun. Suspended between the dumping-grounds of mars and the automated resource-collection nodes of the asteroid belt, she was nearly ready for launch. Her cryo-trays finishing loading the last of the three and a half billion colonists, her tech archive updating, her navigation systems undergoing final checks for her trip to Alpha Centauri.

Admiral Supesu regretted that he was consigned to remain in the Sol system instead of joining humanity's first manned foray into another system, but such was the privilege of rank and age. His son had managed to make the selection however, and was already sleeping aboard the Far Strider. In three weeks the Far Strider would be ready to depart the Sol system.

Ottolu’Liekki Ensimmainen’Vanha’Verta, commander of the Light Cruiser (CL) Viinein’Laiva’Elossa and the Empire’s Scout-Claimant flotilla, leaned back in his throne, his eyes fixed on the streaks and swirls of Faster Than Light (FTL) travel visible in the view screens. First of his line, and first to command both the Viinein’Laiva’Elossa and the Scout-Claimant Flotilla in the Empire’s name, today would mark a momentous occasion: the second time the Empire had claimed a system and the first interstellar system claimed.

Ottolu’Liekki Vanha’Verta glaned at the list of ships under his command. The CL Viinein’Laiva’Elossa herself, eight Scout Destroyers (SD), and sixty-four utility, worldshaper, and logistical ships. He did not expect a fight, but the Empire believed in being prepared for any eventuality.

The revision to Slower Than Light (STL) velocities came with usual intestine twisting feeling of disorientation. The scopes were awash with transit energy interference, but the beacons were launched without need for orders. Ottolu’Liekki Vanha’Verta leaned forward in his throne, staring at the secondary displays, waiting for the beacons to illuminate his scopes with information gleaned from further into this rocky little system.

“Admiral Supesu, Tracking. You’d better look at this, Admiral. Contacts on the out-system scopes. Sixty to seventy with mass readings the size of the Isoroku, eight to twelve a little larger, and one much larger.”

“What vector Tracking?”

“Admiral, Tracking. Assuming a straight-line course to the Sol System? Computer indicates the Alpha Centauri system, Sir.”

“Damn. Communications, raise Earth Command and inform them that I am enacting FIrst Contact protocols. Then hail the Far Strider and have her expedite her preparations. She’s on the far side of the system form these people, whoever they are, so she can run if everything goes to hell on us. Given the arrival vector of our guests, instruct her to begin calculating a new destination should it prove necessary.”

“Admiral, Communications. Aye aye Sir.”

“Good. Tracking? Refine your data please.”

“Admiral, Tracking, aye aye, Sir.”

Admiral Supesu touched a stud on the arm of his command chair. The chime of an all-hands announcement went out over the public address system on the Isoroku. “We stand at the dawn of a new era for humanity. Contacts have been detected in the outer reaches of the Sol system. Their origin vector indicates the Alpha Centauri system. First Contact protocols have been activated.”

The beacon followed it’s pre-programmed course into the system. It was bound for a spot in space just outside of the rocky belt of asteroids, and from there into a star-centric orbit around the system’s primary star.

It detected artificial structures and movements, which it obediently reported to its mothership.

“Ottolu’Liekki, Scopes. The beacons are reporting structures and movement inside the system asteroid belt. Artificial in nature.”

“Set First Meeting principles, and dispatch Scout Destroyer one for more detailed scans.”

“Ottolu’Liekki, Scopes. By your will.”

“Admiral, Tracking. One of the contacts is headed for the asteroid belt.”

“Probably picked up the miners. What mass is she Tracking?”

“Admiral, Tracking. Slightly larger than us, but not the largest ship in the unknown fleet Sir.”

“Thank you Tracking. They dispatched an escort to investigate then.”

The automated asteroid miner detected a large ferrous mass moving into its assigned area. As the mass was larger than its current prey, it queried its processing node control computer for instruction. The processing node control computers, ever hungry for more material to feed humanity’s shipyards, instructed the asteroid miner to harvest this new body of materials.

The asteroid miner ran the needed intercept calculations and fired its thrusters.

“Ottolu’Liekki, Scopes. We have a movement response from one of the ships in the asteroids. Looks like a mining craft of some sort, given its position and vector.”

“And where there is a mining ship, there must also be miners. Still no other response to our communications attempts Cryer?”

“Ottolu’Liekki, Cryer. Null response to First Meeting Principles communications attempts.”

“Keep trying then Cryer. If nothing else we should have visual contact soon enough.”

The asteroid miner latched onto its quarry, engaged its mining drills, and began to harvest. Atmosphere began to vent, and the quarry began to attempt to dislodge the miner. The miner lacked the programming to respond to these developments, and continued to drill.

“Ottolu’Liekki, Scopes. We have a hostile response from the mining vessel. Scout Destroyer One has been attacked. Atmosphere and lives have been lost. Telemetry indicates that a ship loss with all crew is inevitable due to the destruction of the life support systems.”

“Understood. All ships are to discontinue First Meeting Principles and go to combat alert.”

“Admiral, Tracking. One of the asteroid miners has destroyed the ship investigating the asteroid belt. The remaining unknown ships have activated of energy fields of some kind and are showing power spikes comparable to charging mass drivers.”

“Damn. Well, there goes any hope of peaceful contact. Communications, stand by to record for transmission. General alert to all TUCVG ships, priority one, no encryption, fleet scramble.”

“Communications, Admiral. Ready to record for transmission Sir.”

“Message begins. All TUCVG ships, this is TUCVG Isoroku. Authority code Five Six Uniform Charlie India Sierra. Code Omega. I say again, Code Omega. Rally in Martian orbit as soon as possible. Message ends.”

“Communications, Admiral. Good copy Sir. Code Omega logged. Transmitting in triplicate now, all receipt notifications expected within thirty minutes form mark… mark.”

“Good. Second message; alert to all non-TUCVG ships, priority one, no encryption, no scramble.”

“Communications, Admiral. Ready to record for transmission Sir.”

“Message Begins. This is Admiral Ossian Supesu, commanding TUCVG Cutter Isoroku to all Terran United Countries Merchant Ships (TUCMS) and civilian shipping. First contact has proved hostile and Code Omega has been declared. Make for safe orbits at best possible speed and stand by to defend yourselves. This order is non-discretionary. Message ends.”

“Communications, Admiral. Good copy Sir, transmitting now, Receipt notifications, if any, expected within thirty minutes from mark… mark.”

“Third Message. Recipient is the Far Strider, CC to Earth Command for records. Priority one, fleet scramble, fleet encryption.”

“Communications, Admiral. Ready to record for transmission Sir.”

“Message Begins. Far Strider, this is Isoroku. The hostile contacts out number and out-mass my available forces. Moreover they are concentrated, where as my command is still responding from all over the system. I do not expect to avoid hostile contact, nor to repel the enemy. Accordingly, I hereby order you to make for the exit we discussed earlier at best possible speed. Godspeed, and know that humanity’s hopes go with you. Message Ends.”

“Communications, Admiral. Good copy Sir. Transmitting now, receipt notification from Earth Command expected in the next three minutes, from the Far Strider in the next thirty minutes form mark… mark. ”

“Helm, put us on course for the Omega rallypoint. Guns, arm all weapons.”