First Contacts: Alec, #1

By Ernest Polmateer

The first contact with an alien race … A wrecked spaceship … No survivors … Now someone or something is trying to kill him!

 

When Alec Richards was called back to his former job, he was elated, but confused. Why would they send out just one person? Did the government know more than they were admitting?

 

Evidence supported that an alien spacecraft had crashed. There was something odd about the evidence that did not add up.

 

Somehow he seemingly had stumbled into the middle of one small incident in a wider interstellar war.

 

How was he going to be able to tell friend from foe?

 

And more importantly, could he survive and get home?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ernest Polmateer
• Release date: Mar 5, 2015
• ISBN: 9781507069479

Book preview

Back in the Saddle

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It was going to be a beautiful morning over southern Florida he mused, as the plane banked for its final leg of the approach. Seems like I never left.

Pardon me sir? asked the flight attendant, who was leaning part way over his seat.

Oh nothing, just thinking out loud. Alec hadn't realized he'd said anything at first.

I guess your thinking drowned out the captain as well, she admonished with a look at the 'Fasten Seat belt' sign. We are about to land sir.

I'm sorry miss, as he straightened his seat back upright and readjusted his seat belt. He always wore the belt, even hated having to take it off when he went to the restroom.

Thank you sir, she said as she proceeded down the aisle reminding the other passengers to fasten their seat belts and bringing them out of their individual reveries in preparation for the landing. With the flight attendant safely on her way, Alec again lapsed back into his own train of thought.

It was pretty obvious from the comments the director of the Institute had made during the early retirement party, that he thought a contact biologist was about as useful as a politician up for reelection. In one sense Alec couldn't blame him, but the lack of foresight and sensitivity on the director's part was unforgivable. After all, no one really knew if there was indeed any intelligent life to be encountered. What they did know was that they mostly found planets with a lot of lower forms of animal life and several types of plants and fungi.

Only two planets had been found to have life that could be considered a higher form of life, but even so, one was talking about life no more intelligent than perhaps a cat or a dog. But, there were no planets containing any life that could be remotely considered sentient.

So far, the exploration of the nearer star systems was a big bust, as far as higher forms of carbon based life were concerned, even though the exploration of some of the planets they found had been pretty exciting. Some of those same planets even had new colonies established that seemed to be thriving so far. So now, mankind was more than a one planet species and Hawking would be proud to know he had been heard and heeded.

Of course there were four other types of organisms discovered that did not fit into any of the earth based classifications of life. Alec was sure they would find even more varied types that were heretofore unknown, based on what had been found so far during the early years of human exploration of the stars.

Somehow the higher ups had taken all the discoveries, or lack thereof, thus far, to mean there were no intelligent species of life in the galaxy other than humans. Funny how some took lack of evidence as proof that something did not exist. Their conclusion was that one: twenty-one earth type planets had been explored and cataloged and were in various stages of colonization and no intelligent life had been found. And two: the budget couldn't afford extraneous personnel, so there would be a restructuring, i.e. layoffs.

He wondered if the galaxy's make up of life, or the lack of intelligent life, would conform to the institute's budget. Alec looked up and saw people staring at him and realized he had been chuckling to himself aloud.

As the plane's tires began to scrub on the concrete, the text of the letter came back to him. 'Effective Immediately!! You are hereby ordered to report to the Director of the International Colonial Space Institute without delay!!' I wonder what put a bug up their ass? Alec wondered. Must have found something more intelligent than the Director, then he caught himself before he scared the other passengers again.

For the most part, the ride to the Institute was rather uneventful. It was a bit unusual to be met by two Marine guards, who collected him and his baggage, and took him outside where there was another Marine waiting in an unmarked car. He did go through baggage check fast and he sure got a lot of stares.

The two stony faced guards were not predisposed to conversation, so Alec gave up trying to find out what the scoop was. They probably didn't know more than they were to come and get him anyway. Besides, Alec didn't think he wanted to get in trouble with these guys because of his big mouth. They looked a bit too professional to play games with. It had already caused him enough trouble when he had worked at the Institute before.

When Alec walked into the lobby he noticed a new receptionist at the desk. The desk was the first thing noticeable to a visitor upon entering. It towered above one's head and sat directly in line with the elevators behind it. Bulletproof and connected to the guard's den visible off to the right of the entrance, it had stopped more than one irate turn-down for off planet colonization.

Off to his left he also noticed four visitors, all in civilian clothes, sitting in various locations, all of which kept the entryway and desk in full view. All were Asian and by the looks of their haircuts he had no doubt this was part of the Chinese security contingent stationed here. They were noted for being ruthlessly efficient and their presence was one of the bones they had received at going along with Florida as the location of the Institute's headquarters.

The U.S. had to agree to a whole raft of conditions to make this possible, and the Chinese were only one of many international teams living in the immediate area around the Institute. He noticed three of the men were quite young and one probably in his thirties. He was more than likely in charge. They were there to make sure that daily activities went on peacefully and visitors noted and reported to someone back home in Beijing, as well as to the head of Institute security.

This almost unobtrusive security contingent was not, however, the only security in the room. The receptionist was also armed with the latest in high tech weaponry and fully trained in how to use it. Well, at least the last receptionist was, and he had no reason to doubt this one was any different.

I'm Dr. Richards, he stated as he strode up the desk and craned his neck to get a better look at the woman sitting behind it.

The Dr. Richards? The contact biologist? she asked primly.

The only doctor you'll ever need sweetheart. By the way did you know that you could be pretty if you smiled? He saw the muscles in her face tighten a bit in response before answering.

I can certainly see why they did not miss you. Behind me, elevator on the left, sir. as she handed him back his identification card along with a badge for him to wear while he was in the building with his name printed on it. The 'sir' was bitten off a bit short.

Alec cut back a retort as he passed her. After all, his being retired was not her fault. As the elevator made its way up to the thirty-fourth floor, Alec felt his stomach tighten more and more with each passing floor indicator. Maybe the Director had a change of heart, he thought to himself with little conviction. To his surprise the Director himself was waiting for him when the elevator doors whooshed open, no doubt given a heads up by the receptionist.

Alec could see by his expression that the man hadn't changed a bit.

Well, well Alec, good to see you again.

Cut the crap Ray.

The Director seemed to hesitate a bit before continuing. Let's discuss why you're here.

I'm here because you reactivated me, or have you gone senile? Alec couldn't resist getting in his digs. The director's face was hot enough it should have set off the fire alarms.

Goddammit Alec! We can do this the easy way or I can make your life miserable. Take your pick.

Go ahead and be a tough guy Ray. No use starting any new trends on my account. Besides, if you need me badly enough to reactivate me, after all the things I told you when I left, I don't think you're going to give me as hard a time as you put on. It kind of looks like you folks need me. What you need to get through your thick skull is that I......don't need you.

He thought the old boy was going to have a seizure, but with a major effort, he retained control, although for the life of him Alec didn't know how. If Ray died from a heart attack, none of the Institute security people would ever believe Alec didn't poison him somehow, Alec smiled to himself.

The Director changed the subject and started a briefing as though Alec were still a member of his staff, which from the Director's viewpoint, he was. We've got some unusual readings on one of our new contacts. Sigma IV.

Alec had heard through the scientific grapevine that the Institute had made some new discovery, but Alec didn't know what it was exactly. Certainly he never thought he would be part of it. What he found really annoying was the Director's assumption that Alec would be interested in the newly discovered planetary system. Alec was, in fact, interested that is. He couldn't help it. He felt himself being sucked into something and he couldn't resist it.

What kind of readings Ray? You didn't bring me all the way back here just to look at some kind of magnetic anomalies.

No, indeed I did not, the Director replied. Our surveys indicate a high concentration of titanium, aluminum, and some other alloys we cannot identify on the fourth planet in the system. The readings indicate an almost pure form of titanium and aluminum in fact. We do not believe that this concentration is at all naturally occurring.

Anybody lost a probe or something?

No. It's not one of ours and we've checked with all the other parties and consortiums capable of putting a probe anywhere near this system and no dice.

What's bugging you Ray? You've had weird readings before and they all turned out to be natural phenomenon.

As you're well aware, when we first go into a system we monitor all likely planets for at least a year before we send people in to explore. Not to get you upset at me again, but this is due to budgetary constraints as well as the safety issue of the landing party.

Good Ray, now tell me something I don't know. If he was called down to hold Ray's hand while he made decisions, then the Director surely had gone senile.

If you'd shut up a minute I'm getting to that, the Director fumed, once again struggling to keep himself under control. The concentrations we're talking about weren't there three months ago.

What do you mean they were not there three months ago? You've got some turkey working for you that doesn't know how to calibrate his instruments, Alec laughed out loud.

The Director scratched his nose and continued, "After the initial survey of Sigma's solar system we sent probes to each of the planets and inserted them into orbits around said planets. Also, some were sent to other locations showing high concentrations of asteroids and so forth, just like we do with every system.

The probe around the fourth planet had made two complete surveys of the planet, mapping topographical features and tracking weather and atmosphere and all the usual stuff. About half way through the third survey, we found this abnormality that wasn't there during the previous two surveys. We checked and double checked and it could not have been missed before. It just appeared."

Besides that Alec, aluminum comes from bauxite and bauxite has to be refined into pure aluminum by means of passing a high amperage electrical current through it to turn it into the aluminum with which most of us are familiar. So whether it has just appeared or not, someone or something made that particular concentration of aluminum. What do you think the chances of naturally occurring aluminum appearing in conjunction with almost pure titanium, eh? Well my people tell me zero percent chance.

Alec could feel the blood draining from his face. His stomach felt like it had rocks in it. This is incredible. He was having trouble taking it all in. Maybe there is someone out there after all.

"Alec, I can see by your face that you are interested in taking the job. I know I