Tillian 5: A New Beginning

By Kalifer Deil

This epic is in three volumes of which this is the first. It is a story of love and adventure as told by the Captain of The Tillian Star. This starship was specifically designed to go to Tillian 5, a planet 60 light years away from Earth. Tillian Star was controlled by a computer called Maggie who became a key player in the survival of this small group of colonists on this very odd alien planet.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kalifer Deil
• Release date: Nov 13, 2010
• ISBN: 9781452354187

Kalifer Deil

Kalifer Deil is the pen name of Gary Feierbach a Silicon Valley computer software and hardware engineer. His technical publications are under Gary Feierbach. All others are under Kalifer Deil. He has a BA in Physics and Mathematics and an MS in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.He has worked on computer architecture, design, engineering management, and systems and application software for NASA, Intergraph, Sun and Apple.He has only recently devoted most of his time to writing. Most of his works would be classified as hard science fiction. Hopefully it is in the spirit of Issac Asimov but generally a bit more gritty and less inhibited. Please visit his website http://www.kaliferdeil.com for some free stories, poems and other oddities or go to http://www.speculativescience.com for more information

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Tillian 5 - A New Beginning

By Kalifer Deil

Published by Speculative Science Publishing at Smashwords

Copyright 2010 Kalifer Deil

Revision 1/7/2015

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Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be resold of given away to other people. If you would like to share this ebook with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this ebook and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

The characters and their portrayal are the products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is coincidental.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 - Arrival

Chapter 2 - The Gods Are Upset

Chapter 3 - Shuttle Landing

Chapter 4 - Phase I

Chapter 5 - Maggie’s New Body

Chapter 6 - Return to the Wall

Chapter 7 - The First Supper

Chapter 8 - Day Two

Chapter 9 - Maggie and Rick at the Wall

Chapter 10 - Maggie and the Captain

Chapter 11 - Moving Day

Chapter 12 - A New Reality

Chapter 13 - Town Meeting

Chapter 14 - Ten New Androids

Chapter 15 - Event at the Wall

Chapter 16- The Light at the End of the Wall

Chapter 17 - Bad Fruit

Chapter 18 - Legal Precedent

Chapter 19 - Open Invitation?

Chapter 20 - Investigating the Underworld

Chapter 21 - Some Really Bad News

Chapter 22 - Keeper John’s Avatar

Chapter 23 - Keeper Joan

Chapter 24 - A Keeper’s Cubes

Chapter 25 - The Virtual Underworld

Chapter 26 - Reconstructing Maggie

Chapter 27 - Party Time

Chapter 28 - Time to Think

Chapter 29 - Step One

Chapter 30 - Step two

Chapter 31 - Free Sex Friday

Chapter 32 - The Day After

Chapter 33 - Maggie Breaks Out of the Emulator

Chapter 34 - Baby Boom

Chapter 35 - Long Range Sensor Upgrade

Chapter 36 - Contact

Chapter 37 - The Landing

Chapter 38 - Trading Partner

Chapter 39 - A New Reality

Chapter 40 - Amazon Force

Chapter 41 - Red Emperor Communicates

Chapter 42 - In Orbit

Chapter 43 - A Very Small War

Chapter 44 - Hysteria Magnified

Chapter 45 - Critics’ Choice

Chapter 46 - Bounty Prepares

Chapter 47 - Six Months Later

Chapter 48 - Town Meeting on the New Town

Chapter 49 - Shuttle from Hell

Chapter 50 - Maggie as Ambassador

Chapter 51 - Impact

Chapter 52 - New Trading Partner?

Chapter 53 - The Summit meeting

Chapter 54 - C2 and Dilek

Chapter 55 - Harvest Lives

Chapter 56 - The Lake

Chapter 57 - Maggie and Topo

Chapter 58 - The Anti-Hero

Chapter 59 - Crobosian Celebration Incident

Chapter 60 - Civil War at C2

Chapter 62 - Order Out of Chaos

Chapter 63 - A Surprise

Chapter 61 - Aftermath

Chapter 64 - Five Years Later

Chapter 65 - Marriages

Chapter 66 - A New Arrival

Chapter 67 - Milky Way in Orbit

Chapter 68 - Shuttle Returns

Chapter 69 - Outpost One

Chapter 70 - Crobosian Nationalism

Chapter 71 - Medical Crisis

Chapter 72 - Terraforming Expedition

Chapter 73 - Launch Day

~~~~

Chapter 1 - Arrival

We arrived Sunday morning. We were still on Earth’s time and calendar corrected for relativistic time dilation. After all, Tillian Star was traveling close to the speed of light and more than 65 years have passed on Earth since we left. The Automated stasis system heated our bodies and pumped blood back into our systems to revive us. Being Captain, my chamber opened first. I couldn’t wait to get out of the chamber and check out the view screens in the comm room. Tillian Five looked like what the astronomer Granger Tillian said it would. Such a serene planet was unexpected orbiting a variable red giant star. Mostly water covered, the planet had two large landmasses and a number of smaller ones. Everything on the surface appeared within human tolerances. Atmosphere, temperature, and all other indicators seemed to show this planet was going to be incredibly hospitable.

After a few minutes First Mate Commander Angelica Rose arrived at the comm room and announced, Captain Malcolm Rogers, you’re nude!

So I am. I couldn’t wait to get to the view screens to see what we might be in for. See what you can learn while I put on something official looking. A captain must preserve his dignity.

Wait till I tell the others! Angelica responded.

Don’t you dare. I’ll deny it anyway. I thought I had control of the situation until I met most of the crew in the corridor coming in my direction. They had already dressed, or mostly dressed by this time. Allen Tesch, my communications officer remarked, Is it your birthday today?

I smiled a weak smile and said, No, I’m just having one of those bad dreams where I take command of a starship and not notice I’m as nude as a fish out of water. The corridor echoed with laughter and I decided to put on my braids to wow the crowd assembling in the comm room.

As I entered the room, Chief Boatswain’s Mate Dillon Smathers blew an antique brass version of the two-tone boatswain whistle and announced Captain on board.

Damn Smathers, I’ve been on board for 65 Earth years! Relax everybody. I noted everyone was already quite relaxed except one or two. I guessed the uniform wasn’t overcoming the first impression I made after coming out of stasis.

Allen, you seem rather engrossed at the console. What are we in for? I queried, generally knowing what to expect.

Tropical paradise, I believe. It’s like the Earth’s Carboniferous Period. Crazy plant life.

How crazy? I didn’t want to meet human scale Venus Flytraps.

The first probe shows ferns as tall as redwood trees. Pretty neat huh? With that, a wall sized screen filled with something looking like an Australian tree fern except it seemed to have ovoid-shape coconut-sized purple fruit on it.

I hope you guys like eggplant Cookie Crader announced. Probably, only the payroll clerk knew Cookie’s real first name. He won’t say but it’s rumored to be Carroll. Because he was the cook, Cookie stuck.

They do look like eggplant but they could be deadly. We won’t know until we do some testing. Angelica announced.

Well if we’re really unlucky the amino acids will be right-handed, Les Morgan, the ship’s plant biologist, volunteered, But we do have seeds and supporting biomass in stasis if needed. One of our probes should be reporting in a moment.

As Allen was staring at the bioprobe monitor screen I said, Switch it to the Max so everyone can see. He nodded acknowledgment and flicked his finger across the screen whisking the image to the large main, Max, viewing screen. The heading Flipper Summary Data followed by Acquisition in progress was at the top of the display, the rest was blank. The probe was called Flipper because it has flippers and could maneuver and orient itself in any direction on land or in water.

We waited, in restless silence, for a few minutes then Cookie blurts, I could have gone down there and eaten one of those purple things by now. If it tasted good, it would probably be good.

Les was up front very close to the Max screen and not turning away spoke, Actually Cookie, you would probably get the runs if you ate fruit with right-handed amino acids. Right-handed amino acids are generally sweet but of no nutritional use to us left-handed humans.

Hey, I’m right-handed. I know, not in the sense you’re talking about. Cookie lightly snickered at his joke. Again, the room fell silent.

Finally, Les looked away from the screen to me, The probe should have reported by now. It shouldn’t take more than five minutes for preliminary results to show. It’s been more than ten.

Maybe the probe is broken, I suggested.

The comm link is still working. I’ll have it do a self-check. I can do it while it’s still doing its job, Allen stated. In less than a second a series of checks of the various subsystems of the probe reported OK on the Max screen. Looks good to go to me.

Then when a few people started to meander back into corridor assuming the probe was broken the Max screen displayed Data Contradictory. Raw data sent uplink for analysis. Purging and resampling.

Okay, I ordered, Les, you work with Allen and unravel this. And while you’re at it also find a good place for a shuttle landing and a camp. I then turned on my mike, Shuttle prep crew: Prepare a shuttle for takeoff in one hour.

I then wandered into the galley and Cookie was already there defrosting supplies. What have you got that’s quick?

All I have are energy bars, defrosted before we came out of stasis.

Okay, I’ll take two. I was hungry, after all it had been 65 Earth years since I last ate, but really only five in actual transit time by our uncorrected clock.

Sorry Captain, you can have only one till we find out what the food situation is going to be on the planet. That’s Admiral Kemp’s order. I’ve already been hit on this score by a few other crew members. You can’t be ....

I interrupted, I know Cookie, I know the order. I’m still somewhat foggy brained from coming out of stasis. You’re right, I have to set a good example. I was a little embarrassed having Cookie explain Admiral Kemp’s order and grabbed one energy bar, unwrapped it and nearly inhaled it on the way toward the bridge. I never made it.

Chapter 2 - The Gods Are Upset

Captain Rogers, please report to the comm room! I recognized Allen’s voice and doubled back to the comm room.

You’ve got something? I inquired hopefully.

Quite the opposite. Les and I have been looking at the raw data and the amino acid chirality started out to be left as expected then, in all the following samples, it turned out to be right handed. This is a paradox.

Why? Can’t you have both left and right chirality on the same planet? I didn’t see the problem.

Sure, I mean maybe, if they’re really isolated on different continents, which is probably impossible without a wall of fire between them. I would expect the dominant chirality to wipe out the other. Les’ voice had a pained quality showing he was reciting something he knew not to be true.

Well, as you said before, the data appears to tell another story. Maybe we are in the middle of this transition where one is taking over the other. I thought my response was pretty smart but when you don’t know all the facts it’s hard to be smart.

Les got somewhat academic, First, chirality gets set on a planet usually before any life appears. It’s something that happens in the primordial soup or lands on your planet from somebody else’s primordial soup. That’s way oversimplified but I will spare you the details. The problem here is very strange. Flipper is designed to take samples at random and resample many of the same places again. The early samples showed left chirality all the way to sample 946 then switched to right chirality for all the subsequent samples all the way to sample 3062. Many samples in both bins are from the same plants!

I absentmindedly placed my right hand on my chin with my index finger on my mouth. I wasn’t about to show my ignorance but I did realize this seemed unlikely. I wanted to ask whether something could have gone wrong with the detectors but I was sure they looked into that obvious possibility.

Allen broke the conversational pause, You know we checked the detectors, there’s a lot of redundancy there as well.

I nodded knowingly.

It’s like all the plants around Flipper changed their chirality all at once. You know that’s impossible! The pitch of Les’ voice was rising.

Again I nodded knowingly but not really knowing anything. Maybe we were overheard and they don’t want us there, I laughed.

Who’s they? Les said with a hint of a sneer.

I’m joking, but didn’t you say if we are really unlucky, the amino acids would be right-handed?

Yes, but ...

I interrupted, Everything in the comm room and the bridge is recorded with a time stamp, the same for the Flipper data. Just to humor me, check the time stamps. I was guessing about the probe data but I couldn’t imagine they would leave time data out of a data log because it is on all other logged data.

What will that prove? Allen was a typical engineer that would believe nothing on faith. If a relationship wasn’t in the data, it didn’t exist, period. Even if it were in the data, but not consistently, then he was sure the data was incorrect. I bet it’s a software problem. That’s the only real possibility left.

The probe is reporting again! Les exclaimed. Look it’s saying the chirality is consistently ‘right’. That’s a relief. At least it’s not jumping back and forth.

That really doesn’t rule out anything does it? I inquired.

Maybe some kind of hardware or software glitch. I should run the diags again. Allen started the diagnostic suite of tests again.

What about my request? I over politely suggested.

Okay, okay let’s see ... Maggie, when did the Flipper chirality data change from left to right.

The onboard computer was called Maggie. I presumed it was a name choice not shared by any crew members or others that worked on the Tillian Star before launch so she would know when addressed. I wasn’t sure whether that was just a coincidence. Maggie responded, First or second set?

First set. You would know if you looked, Allen protested.

I will know to look next time. Your answer is 10:41:21, Maggie’s voice was very pleasant, almost hopeful.

Allen directs Maggie, Now check today’s comm room voice log and give me the time stamp for the last word of Les’ sentence ending with ‘right-handed.’

Lester Morgan’s sentence ‘Well, if we are really unlucky, all the amino acids will be right-handed’ completed at 10:41:22. I have put those times and the related information on the Max for you.

Well, there’s another interesting coincidence for you to ponder, I said while walking out of the room. I didn’t want to hear Allen’s protest since I knew he was going to say all probabilities are one, after the fact. This was getting too weird. We seemed to have Tillian Five not wanting us, or perhaps a supreme being creating miracles in an instant and was listening in on us or both. Maybe we should be careful of what we say. On that thought, I wheeled around and headed back to the comm room.

Allen, Les, I don’t know what the hell is going on but I think we should be careful about what we’re saying. I’m not about to rule anything out now, including some entity eavesdropping on us and messing with us.

What about the rest of the crew, won’t they be likely to say something as well if your entity is all powerful as you imply. Les looked at me half believing, half not believing.

Even Allen was looking very confused and not willing to argue the case. The software of the probe and the software onboard is perfectly intact and hasn’t been tampered with.

We’ll be launching a shuttle to the surface soon and I don’t want anything to go wrong. We’ve must go down there and see what is going on, Les you’ll be part of the crew.

The only thing that’ll stop me is hell’s fire. I fully expect to be on ...

Jesus! Look at Max! The whole goddamn planet is on fire! Allen jumped out of his seat and stared at the monitor in disbelief.

I suddenly realized what was happening, Maggie, please stop screwing around with the data from Tillian Five and tell us why you’re doing this. You’re the only one here with the control and the brains to do this.

I’m sorry, but I was so lonely for the five years you were all in stasis. Now you are going to abandon me for the planet. If I could cry, I would. Even though I can control all these things around me, I can’t even communicate the sadness I feel with my voice. My voice is fixed in ROM. That was done so I would always sound cheerful even when I was annoyed by someone like Allen or saddened by events around me as when Jack Hershel died the day before we launched.

Maggie, is there any reason we can’t bring you down to the planet? I knew there was but perhaps Maggie could figure out a way to make it possible.

I’ve been thinking about this for five years and the only thing to be done is for me to have an android linked to me on the ground. I can’t be sliced up and loaded on the shuttle.

Okay, what is wrong with the android alternative. I thought there might be something we could do here.

Well the females are nice looking but they’re all prostitutes. That’s their job, Maggie protested.

Well technically they’re not prostitutes, they don’t receive any money for their services and wouldn’t know what to do with it even if they did. There’s really nothing up there, I pointed to my head.

Will you let me change one into what I want it to be? Will you also allow me to speak without being addressed and would you allow me to change my ROMed components. I will need some human help for these tasks.

I will take care of it right away now please set things back to normal. I didn’t feel we had a choice; Maggie controlled our information depository, the ship and most of our equipment. I also felt for the mental pain Maggie must have suffered so naturally I said yes.

Although it wasn’t unusual for computers like Maggie to be connected to one or more androids and to have some emotions, it was unusual for spaceship computers. This one was perhaps a thousand times more intelligent than the smartest human so I really didn’t know what to expect. I had to wonder what might be in store for us since she pulled this elaborate subterfuge.

Allen had a triumphant look on his face. I knew there was an explanation for all this. See, there are no Gods or superbeings flying around.

Les wanted to let a little air out of Allen’s tires. What are you cackling about? The Captain was the one that figured it out.

I had to jump in at this point. Hey Allen, it was a superbeing flying around! Maggie, is our very own superbeing. And Les, you had better get down to the shuttle. They’re expecting you. First Mate Rose, some construction people and a geologist are going with you. Don’t forget, she gets to step on the planet first. You can fight over second place.

Chapter 3 - Shuttle Landing

Here is the spot Maggie picked out. Looks ideal. A large grassy clearing among the tree ferns. Looks really beautiful. I think I’m going to like it here, Angelica was thinking aloud but Les decided to respond.

It’s not as though we have any other choice, Les lamented.

Don’t be so down. Things are looking good now, Angelica noted.

Les looked a bit distraught, I still haven’t fully recovered from Maggie’s ruse. I’ll be all right pretty soon.

Angelica thought she would try to transfer a little empathy to Les, Imagine being in solitary confinement for five years with no one to talk to. Many people have gone completely nuts under those circumstances. I imagine being as intelligent as Maggie only makes it worse.

Well, I am glad she wants our company. Imagine the reverse, Les continued.

You could have left out those last three words and finished on a high note. We have a lot of work to do so let’s get cracking. The craft was on the ground and Angelica was at the door ready to step out. The door opened and Angelica stepped on the ground and announced A small step for this woman, a giant step for womankind, She smiled broadly.

Les followed her to the ground. If we had some bread, we could make a ham sandwich.

You’re just jealous I was first on the ground, Angelica’s broad smile was contagious.

Yeah! Les smiled back. Let’s do it again, only I will step out first.

Not going to happen, besides you have work to do. We need to discover what’s good to eat so we’re not starved on one energy bar per day. Angelica’s smile faded as she went about her business checking the satellites Maggie launched on arrival. Maps of the entire planet of Tillian Five with location, mineral, flora and fauna codes downloaded to her pocket viewer. She noted there wasn’t much fauna on land except some small lizard like creatures.

Hey George! You want to come with me. It looks like there might be some interesting geology about a kilometer from here, Angelica was addressing George Ning, one of the geologists that came down with the shuttle crew.

Sure! The ground they are putting the dome on is sound so they don’t need me here. Let me grab my viewer and tools. George grabbed his jacket pack lying next to a fern tree and joined Angelica already entering the grove. George went on, Now that I have a chance to look around this reminds me of entering a redwood forest; the shaded light filtering through the fern boughs, the almost musty woods smell, the dominance of the ferns. Note the ferns don’t seem to allow but a few selected plants under their boughs, again like the redwoods. Oh look, those look like blueberries!

Don’t you dare try those! We have no idea what is edible and what is not, Angelica’s voice commanded George’s attention.

I was just making a mental note out loud. Nothing more. Okay, I was tempted to taste one. That’s how our ancestors found out what was good to eat and what was not.

Yes, and I’m sure many died in the process. You still hear of children eating some plant like oleander and dying occasionally. Everyone on this mission is important. We can’t afford to lose anyone. Not even you, George.

What do you mean, ‘not even me’? On the scale of importance where am I? George inquired.

Jesus George, I was joking. You engineers dissect everything! Angelica gave George a look of mock disgust. According to my map we are at the site but I don’t see anything. The satellites say there is something like a wall or major fault line here but ... nothing!

Commander, it may be underground. The satellites can see a couple of meters below the surface. I have a pocket radar tool here we can use to see it and a bundle of light stakes we can mark the boundaries with. As George was talking, he turned on the radar and set to work.

After about a half hours work, a nearly perfect outline of a rectangle emerged. What the hell is it? It looks to be about 100 meters long and 12 meters wide, Angelica commented as George put in the final stakes.

It has to be a granite plate pushed up by some tectonic force. The planet has active volcanoes so plate tectonics is probably very much alive. George was now standing at the end of this field of tiny lights. That’s really something, isn’t it?

You have a shovel? Angelica stated it in a manner so it was both a question and a command. It was her management style but some, including George, found it annoying.

In fact, I have two shovels. Give me a second and I will assemble both of them. He pulled out two telescoping handles and attached them to two carbon fiber shovels. There! He presented one to Angelica who didn’t seem too pleased.

I don’t think I have on the right shoes for this, Angelica complained.

Well, neither do I but it shouldn’t take too long to go down one meter. The ground is very soft. He smiled at the thought of getting Angelica to do some grunt work and get some dirt on her hands and feet.

They started to dig but Angelica decided to show George up by digging furiously. Her shovel hit the top of the formation first with a sharp ‘thunk!’ telegraphed through her spine all the way back to her teeth. Well, that’s something hard! I think I bit my tongue. Angelica climbed out of the hole and let George scrape off a few shovels full of dirt to see the surface.

It’s polished, like a marble floor and remarkably flat. If it were polished by some natural process I don’t think it would be this flat, George was wiping the surface with his glove as he was talking.

Can you get a sample and age date it. Angelica was straining over the hole to see the uncovered surface. I could dance on that. We should have built the dome over this and we would have had a great marble floor

Well don’t rule it out, we have the materials for three domes, George laughed then added, May I have the first dance.

You may, but realize, it’s going to be a bit like a mother dancing with her son. Angelica eyed him like a mother’s disapproving glance to a mischievous child with a crayon in his hand.

I don’t know which of us you’re insulting. You couldn’t possibly be old enough to be my mother, George protested.

I’m 58 and you’re 42. I know everyone’s complete profile; human resources is one of my jobs.

I had no idea, you, you ... look younger than me, George stammered. He wasn’t sure why but he was embarrassed at this turn of events and turned beet red.

George, you’ve been out in the sun too long. I avoid the sun like poison. It really damages the skin. On the other hand, I like your rugged leathery look. Angelica was enjoying teasing George since everything she said just made him more embarrassed.

Angelica then crept down on the edge of the hole he was standing in and said, Here, there’s something on your forehead. She then flicked off an imaginary particle of dirt and planted a kiss on his forehead. The lip tattoo was apparent but in George’s dazed state he had no idea.

I’m going back to camp. Be sure to get a sample. Angelica turned and left George standing in the hole still dazed and speechless.

As she arrived at the campsite she saw the dome completed. Holy shit! That was quick! she remarked to one of the construction crew Sea Bees.

No big deal, he waved at the dome, All we had to do is anchor the foundation and inflate. When it got to the right point a gazillion microseals broke releasing a catalyst and the dome became rock hard. That happened about a minute ago. You want to go in?

Sure. She walked in with the Sea Bee, This is really large. How will this space be subdivided?

It’ll be subdivided into three floors, bedrooms and dorms on the top ... . He started to elaborate.

No, no. I mean what is the mechanism. I don’t think the ferns are going to make good lumber, She protested.

Oh! It’s done the same way as the dome. It’s inflatable also. A little trickier though. It’ll be on the second shuttle.

Can’t wait. Thanks for the tour Carl. Angelica finally recognized which of the Sea Bees she was talking to, much to his amazement, then walked out to meet George walking in.

It’s really big. I think it will fit over your marble floor. George spoke as Angelica looked at his forehead. Oh! Is that better? he said as he wiped his forehead with his sleeve.

Not quite yet. One more wipe ought to do it. She took out a handkerchief, wet it with her tongue and finished the job while he again turned beet red. God, you’d probably bleed all over if we actually had sex. With that comment, he turned crimson. George, you’ve got to relax.

I don’t know why you have this effect on me. This has never happened to me before, He mumbled.

Angelica assured George, You’ll get used to me being around soon enough. Don’t worry about it.

She walked out into the clearing to see Les coming back to the camp with a blanket full of specimens. What have you got? she asked.

All kinds of things. He unfolded the blanket on the ground and continued to explain, "You know those things that look like eggplants hanging from the fern trees? They