Journey to Andromeda

By Giacinto Pira

Explore humanity's futuristic attempt to control destiny, at all costs, in a time that is plagued by individuals having no scruples when it comes to getting their way, especially when commanding the technology to quite possibly achieve it.

It is now the Twenty-Sixth Century. Although humanity has overcome the average, everyday problems associated with life on Earth and abroad, some annoyances still remain.

'Abnormal' human behavior, including racial and religious prejudices, are controlled by the oppressive World Government, but are still a part of the human condition. Mankind's environment has changed, but the human heart has not.

Space travel is widespread and common-place throughout the Milky Way Galaxy. Numerous habitable and adaptable planets are populated with humans from Earth. Great efforts had been undertaken to find alien life, but the only ones found were the beasts within humans.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jan 1, 2000
• ISBN: 9781418450403

Giacinto Pira

Giacinto Pira, born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, was always interested in airplanes and reading about/watching Science Fiction in particular, as well as other genres on television and in the movies. After studying drama in high school, he decided to temporarily put aside his interests in the arts and concentrate his learning energies in the Aviation/Aerospace field and attended an aviation college to do it. After which, he entered commercial aviation, later transferred to Southern California and has worked various airline jobs, up to and including aircraft inspector. After some time at that, he decided to pick up on the other art he so very much loved and drove forward to improve the quality of Science Fiction (among other genres) already out there, by writing his own, which is now available for your enjoyment. In memory of Angelo Pira, devoted and very much loved father of the author.

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

In what would be the last of a series of attempts to finally discover the secrets of what U.F.O.’s are really all about and to find out just who or what is flying them, ultra high tech experiments are conducted in sophisticated laboratories. The hopeful result being to develop an extremely fast, safe, new space ship engine design which could hurl humanity across the universe to the Andromeda Galaxy.

It is in that galaxy that top scientists have determined alien transmissions to emanate. Unable to traverse the great distances involved in a realistic timeframe, the only hope is to perfect an older Quark-Drive technology which was used in similar failed ventures in the past. As it was, Quark-Drives were unstable leading to unpredictable results including whole crews lost through unforeseen time warps and explosions.

With such a history of failure, the public as well as a large majority of people in Government are reluctant to continue with such ventures. But with U.F.O.’ s continuing to visit Earth, the issue becomes that of national security on a galactic level. Power hungry World Government leaders want to gain an upper hand on the alien situation. At the location of the famous California Institute of Technology now stands a new, magnificent structure carrying the same name. Inside on a sunny day, the last of an exhaustive series of experiments is conducted by two top scientists, and their teams on what they hope to be the space ship engine that would safely hurl astronauts to that far Andromeda Galaxy in a short time.

Standing in a meticulously clean, white and silver laboratory enclosed by plexiglass, Dr. Brad Simpson, late fifties, stern in nature and Dr. Amy Julian, mid thirties, happy-go-lucky, evaluate the last test results with two assistants nearby. Various testing equipment and computers are all around them. Beyond the plexiglass enclosure lies an engine test cell. In it, hangs an ominous looking, cylindrical, running engine covered with wires

and tubing. As it shuts down, Julian checks her computer screen, which gives her a nominal prompt.

Simpson excitedly asks her, How’d it go, Amy?

Good, Brad, she unemotionally responds.

Simpson approaches her. He then snaps, Good, Brad? What’s the matter with you? You oughtta be hitting the ceiling!

I’m having second thoughts about this.

Wrong time for that, hon. Too much is at stake. Other galaxies are finally gonna be within reach!

Isn’t interplanetary travel enough? Why must we leap across galaxies?

To learn new things, for one thing… Julian cuts him off spewing out, We’ve analyzed and catalogued every known planet in the Milky Way, populated some and plundered all. Is this necessary? Simpson calmly replies, You know there’s still the question of alien life to be answered for out there.

Fat chance!

Then how do you account for the U.F.O.’s we keep seeing?

I can’t. Simpson smiles, proudly saying, Well, life goes on, my dear. Einstein wasn’t so crazy about the atom bomb either, but where would we be now if it weren’t for him and those like him? Julian looks away and extracts a computer micro-disk from an engine-testing device. She then answers, Closer to home. Simpson waves his arm at the room’s surroundings and gets a bit stern with Julian saying, Maybe so, but this is where we’re at. If you’ll finish up here, I’ll go make out the reports. Julian hands Simpson the micro-disk. He walks out.

She hits two keys on a computer keyboard in front of her and stares ahead at the engine beyond the plexiglass enclosure. The two lab technicians across the room glance over at her and whisper to each other. Julian does not notice. One technician says, Some inventor. She owes it all to a dream she had.

The other technician replies, More like a nightmare. Says an Angel held up his hands and; behold, the key engine control formula materializes between his hands in mid air.

Hope it wasn’t the demon that inspired the prototype.

Amen to that.

CHAPTER TWO

On a sunny, busy downtown Los Angeles City street, people walk by on the sidewalk going about their business. As they walk by, some of them glance over at one of hundreds of tele viewers conveniently installed on every street corner throughout the world. It is locked on the twenty-four hour World News channel. One pedestrian stops briefly to watch the news.

I wonder what propaganda-vision has to say now, he says to himself.

A passerby adds, Same thing it’s said the last twenty-three hours.

Yet another who appears angry says, Useless government chatter!

The man shrugs his shoulders and continues walking out of embarrassment. The news report continues on without him with Bob Chambers, mid thirties, handsome and Jessica Hart, late twenties, beautiful, on the screen.

Chambers reports, Yesterday, the California Institute of Technology reported a triumphant success with the I.D.S. system.

Hart continues with, That’s right, Bob. In the final lab test, the esteemed Intergalactic Drive System passed with flying colors.

Chambers adds, What was once thought to be impractical is now quite probable. The door to the entire universe may finally be opening.

He turns towards Hart saying, Incredible.

Hart glances at Chambers adding, Sure is and the Space Administration has authorized construction of the prototype vessel at the Long Beach Ship Yard facility. Once completed, a test crew will evaluate its effectiveness by voyaging round-trip to Alpha Centauri.

CHAPTER THREE

Inside a large hangar at the Long Beach Ship Yard, numerous technicians carry out the task of constructing the new intergalactic vessel. The ship resembles a Concorde-SST aircraft. An engine pod below its fuselage houses the Intergalactic Drive System while a conventional star drive system is embedded in the ship’s tail section. A smaller version of the ship is mounted above the fuselage and acts as an escape craft. One main hatch in the main fuselage section leads into the cabin area of the ship. Inside, the flight deck has one large view port, two fully equipped duty stations including scanners, buttons, switches, dials and indicators along with two reclining seats. It resembles an aircraft cockpit and has circuit breakers on the pilots’ overhead panel as well as on the rear bulkhead wall.

A doorway leads to the separate cabin area, which has, with the exception of circuit breakers, five of the same type stations, which also include keyboards and one small view port each. Handrails line all interior walls. An auxiliary control panel and chair are in front of the cabin. A utility area behind the cabin includes a galley with an automated food and drink materializer, a trash disposal unit, storage compartments, lavatory and seven suspended animation units. An access panel in this utility area leads to the lower deck, which contains various electronics racks and machinery.

CHAPTER FOUR

Within the confines of the Space Administration lies a large, elaborate, brown and gray auditorium with many seats. In it, a meeting is in progress. Colonel Anthony Lewis, late forties, personable, walks in. Everyone there except him is dressed casually and without rank insignia showing. He on the other hand, is in full military garb. Low level chatter goes on around him.

At the back of the room, Patricia Gates, early twenties, adventurous and William Cruise, late twenties, macho, are kissing while seated.

I thought it was over between us, hotshot, says

Gates, jokingly.

It isn’t over till it’s over, baby, replies Cruise.

Lewis walks over to them, leans over and whispers, It’s over now. He then takes the podium as the room settles down.

Lewis continues, You all know why we’re here. We need seven volunteers, regardless of current rank, to make this project fly. New rank and pay will be granted after you’re trained. Once the test hop is complete, you can stay on and go where no one has been before; the Andromeda Galaxy! The crowd displays a mixed range of sighs.

Lewis continues, The ship is being named Andromeda Seven, to reflect its crew and ultimate destination. Who can we count on?

A single chuckle is heard. Then, silence.

Lewis goes on, Come on. Some of you have worked together before on tougher assignments than this! It’ll be a space cruise and ya know if anyone is ever gonna catch up with our elusive U.F.O. friends, it’ll be the crew of this ship. It’s guaranteed to be the fastest thing we ever built!

Joseph Pearson, forty, nefarious, calls out from his seat followed by George Robert Baker, early thirties, an angry and prejudiced type.

If the space-pay is good, I’m in, bellows Pearson.

That speaks for me, too, follows Baker.

The credits are on the wire for this one, Lewis says reassuringly. This, referring to the conventional electronic means of monetary transfer.

Pearson and Baker nod their heads in agreement. Harrison Parker, late thirties, career-minded; James Dutra, mid forties, philosopher-type; Tom Stevens, mid thirties, bright and resourceful; Patricia Gates and William Cruise stand, one at a time, to volunteer.

I’ll go, sir, says Parker.

Me too, follows Dutra.

Stevens says, Count me in.

I’ll give it a shot, sir, follows Gates.

She gives Cruise a nudge. He stands, blurting out, Where she goes, I go.

Lewis chuckles. He then answers, No doubt.

A few laughs are heard.

Lewis continues, Very well. Let’s hear it for our bold, new pioneers!

The audience applauds.

CHAPTER FIVE

A huge, gray, magnificent structure with electronic security screens, and guards surrounding it, marks the exterior location of the Space Administration Building. A daytime press conference is in progress on the front lawn with a podium and numerous folding chairs in place. On the podium, General Morton Adams, late fifties, stern, points to five press reps for questions. Press rep Barney Slater, thirty, outgoing, asks the first question. His colleagues follow. Adams appears tense as if he were hiding something.

Why is it so necessary to risk life and precious resources on such a grandiose venture, asks Slater.

Adams replies, The completion and success of the Andromeda Project is of paramount importance to us all. In addition, the crew is voluntary and the financing has been provided by the Galactic Betterment Organization, of which this administration is a lucrative part.

How does the U.F.O. issue fit into all this, General, asks another press rep.

Although we’ve come far, there is much to be gained by the contact of these beings. We believe they can shed some light on things we can only begin to guess about. We’re bound to run into them again, only this time they won’t get away so easy.

What happens if after we go to Andromeda, we come up empty?

We’ll keep trying and in the process, we’ll be giving ourselves more breathing room.

Is it true you still haven’t found a crew willing to take this on?

Not entirely. A crew has been secured and is currently in training. We just haven’t been able to set up a stand-by crew.

Is that because of the pay or is it due to the previous failures with Quark-Drive technology?

The pay is there and I.D.S. is based on Quark-Drive theory, but it’s much more stable. Unfortunately, some people don’t forget the past.

CHAPTER SIX

The completed spacecraft, Andromeda Seven, is towed out of the hangar onto the ramp outside. The Press cover the event with audio and video equipment in place.

Within the dining room of a suburban house on the evening following this grand affair, a father, forties; mother, forties and son, twelve, have dinner. A televiewer plays in the adjoining living room. Bob Chambers and Jessica Hart report. The son watches alone.

Hart reports, Today, the intergalactic vessel hopeful, Andromeda Seven, rolled off the assembly line.

Chambers follows, The ship, affectionately named after its crew and eventual destination, is equipped with everything modern technology could offer in a spacecraft.

One of the ship’s many built-in safeguards is the ability to discard its intergalactic drive in the event of trouble. The crew can then return home using its standard, but reliable light-speed engine design.

The test flight to Alpha Centauri will take thirty minutes according to schedule. If all goes as planned, the door to the Andromeda Galaxy will be wide open!

Wow, cries out the son in total awe.

The father has heard enough. He gets up. Walks over to the televiewer. Shuts it off.

The son says, Awe, Mom!

She replies, Finish your greens or you won’t get to play with your Lunar Lander!

The son pouts. Eats.

CHAPTER SEVEN

On the hazy morning of the launch, local World Government Leaders and the press await a speech, within the walls of the ever present United Nations building. The press readies their audio and video equipment while the local brass sit comfortably at their seats of power behind their glorious desk plaques which identify them by name and continent controlled. Loud chatter goes on.

World Government President, Edwardo Paolo Williams, early fifties, personable, enters and takes the podium baring his name and title over a United World logo. He looks down at his podium’s built-in teleprompter to refamiliarize himself with his speech and does this throughout his monologue. The teleprompter’s screen flickers once and an extra line of dialogue is entered to the screen’s written text. Williams pays it no mind for this would not be the only time that last minute revisions were added for good measure.

He now looks up. The assembly quiets down.

Williams begins with, "Good morning…Ever since this administration began, it has used this historic building to carry on the monumental job of making and keeping the world and all of humanity as perfect as it can be. Through all the years, we have strived to drive humanity forward to bigger and better things for us all. Today, we continue in that fine tradition. As I speak, the final preparations are