Second Visitor Into the Sun

By Trevor O'llenid

First there was Oumuamua and now Second Visitor has arrived in the Solar System. Only the United Federation of Planets starship Columbia, captained by Elias Long, can intercept. The Columbia quickly leaves Phobos base. So quickly that Harlan Smith, President of Mars, is still aboard, an unwitting stowaway.
But who sent this interstellar craft and why? Where did they come from and where were they going? What things beyond the scope of human experience are contained in the ship? Are technologies inside that man, a violent species, is not meant to have? Humans have thousands of questions and Long is determined to find the answers.
Using the colony ship's replicators, the explorers make hundreds of objects and fill Columbia's holds to capacity. Reverse engineering by scientists will result in a quantum leap in human technology. Columbia's computers are rapidly filled with the records of a civilization whose sun has gone nova, the heart and soul of a race of sentient beings. Holographic videos tell the explorers who built Second Visitor and why they left their home planet, but where are the Visitors? Is this a ghost ship destined to wander through space for all eternity? Only on the last day of investigation is this question answered.
As exploration is winding down and Second Visitor and Columbia approach the sun, a sudden course correction necessitates an emergency evacuation. The last party led by Long, accompanied by a Visitor, barely makes it back to Columbia in the cargo shuttle Phobos IV, the exterior partly melted.
But wait! Did everyone make it back to the Columbia in time and where was Harlan Smith??? Did he remain in the vessel, an interstellar stowaway destined to travel to journey's end? There was no turning back without getting incinerated, but it wouldn't do to have lost the President of Mars.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Jun 24, 2023
• ISBN: 9781667896809

Book preview

Prologue

Dr. August Thierra woke with a start.  The dream - the dream again.  A Tic Tac UAP entering the solar system.  Everyone knew the story of how circumstances forced the United States government of old earth to admit the existence of these Unidentified Aerial Phenomena more than three hundred years ago.  However, those were small and the one in his recurring dream was gigantic.

Sleep was impossible, so August put on his slippers and headed for the observatory.  Under bright stars in a black sky, Thierra slowly made his way to the empty viewing chamber.  He settled into the contour chair and set the telescope to automatic sweep.  The scan revealed an uncatalogued object of a well-defined shape about ten kilometers in diameter and forty kilometers long. Further observations were necessary to calculate the path, but they could come later.  Second Visitor had arrived in the solar system.

Thierra called this interstellar spaceship "Second Visitor" because Oumuamua, the first, had passed through the solar system at the beginning of the 21st century.  The official explanation was that Oumuamua was an interstellar asteroid, but Thierra knew better.  His great, great, great ……….(He couldn't remember how many greats there were.) grandfather had been on the team that discovered it.  Each generation of Thierras passed the exact nature of the object to the next.  In reality, it was an interstellar spaceship metallic and smooth, and emitted radiofrequency energy organized into packets. The messages, if they were messages, had never been deciphered.

No one had detected another visitor in the three hundred years since then, save for the TicTac UAPs. These UAPs seemingly could appear from nowhere, disappear to who knows where and perform feats that defied the laws of nature, as understood by Earth scientists.  But Tic Tac UAPs were tiny by comparison.

Thierra spent some time looking at the object.  This Tic Tac shaped object had no visible means of propulsion.  Unlike its smaller cousins, Second Visitor traveled rapidly in one direction. There was no time to lose.  Harlan Smith, President of Mars, was a good friend and the only high-ranking official in the Solar System who agreed with Thierra about the importance of examining a second interstellar visitor.  Surreptitiously, they had installed an encrypted line from Lunar Observatory #3 to Mars.  Then they formed the Second Visitor Response Team.  They intended to investigate and board the next interstellar traveler.

The encrypted mini-communicator in Harlan's pocket beeped.  What's that, said Ellie, his administrative assistant

Nothing Ellie, said Smith, I'll take it on the patio. Smith walked out onto the patio door and gazed wistfully at the giant dome enclosing Chryse City. This must be important, he thought.  Thierra had never used the encrypted line before. Smith opened the line.

Harlan, Harlan, said Thierra, "it's here.  Second Visitor is here.  I am sending the data now.  You can download it to whatever device you want because you will need a larger screen to get a good idea of its appearance."

I had better do this in the secure room, thought Smith.  Harlan walked over to the secure room, which sensed and admitted him.  The first picture told it all.  A cylindrical object with half-spherical ends was in the center.  It was kilometers wide and longer still.  Smith thought about the candy still popular after three hundred years.  He pulled one from his pocket.  Yes, It looked just like it.  Smith stared at the picture, lost in thought. 

Beep, beep.

What's that? thought Smith. My God it's the secure line, the legitimate encrypted line from the UFP headquarters.

The president of Mars looked up.  The top-secret scrambled line beeped again once and then twice, Emergency communication from Gideon Wells, president of the United Federation of Planets, appeared in blood red on a blue screen (Wells thought that touch was most effective), followed by Voice transmission begins now.

"Harlan, that crazy man Thierra has detected an enormous object that he says is an interstellar craft. You are to do nothing.  The Second Visitor Response Team is to do nothing, repeat, nothing regarding the object detected by Thierra.  Let it go!  DO NOT investigate!  Yes, Harlan, I know about the Second Visitor Response Team.  Did you think you could keep it secret.? Oh, and by the way, the Operations Chief of Lunar Observatory #3 is a good friend of mine.  All of the telescope data goes to his office.  Thierra didn't know that, did he?"

Smith rushed to the microphone, Gideon, Gideon, we have a problem with our reception on the top-secret line.  We can't descramble the transmission.  We're troubleshooting the glitch, but my tech people tell me it will take some time.

Great, Scott, said Smith, there's no time to lose.

Door Open, override security protocols.  Ellie, come here, the Martian president shouted. As she entered, Smith said, "Call an emergency meeting of the Second Visitor Response Team."

Sir, said Ellie, look at the secure line.  Another transmission from earth.

Not now, Ellie! mouthed Smith, but it was too late to prevent the administrative assistant from speaking.

It was Gideon Wells again, Harlan, I know that you hear me!  I hear Ellie in the background.  You know I don't have the resources in place to stop you! (Smith knew that Wells was thinking: By God, I wish I did.).

Wells continued, So go ahead and do what you are going to do, but in return, you are to do one thing and one thing only:  Put together a departure ceremony and then go to Phobos Base and officiate on behalf of the United Federation of Planets.

Smith knew that doing so would communicate the UFP government's approval of the mission.  So he must travel to Phobos Base.  But, Damn Wells.  The UFP president would have his revenge, after all.  He knew of Smith's aversion to space travel.

Smith looked up, "Ellie, The Second Visitor Response Team meeting will be in the Planetary Council Chambers in three hours.  Contact the members using secure lines, but stringent encryption isn't necessary.  Among the UFP leadership, the cat's out of the bag.  Don't worry about Captain Long.  I'll call him myself."

Chapter 1 Arrival in the Solar System

Beep! Captain Elias Long stirred uneasily in his sleep. Beep! That couldn't be the communicator. He had shut it off. Beep! It wasn't fair! He had made planetfall only one week ago after six months in the outer solar system as captain of Columbia. Beep! Beep! Beep! There was only one way the communicator could have switched on: a Priority 1 emergency message on a secure line. He had better answer. Long carefully left his bed, careful not to disturb his sleeping wife, and walked across the room to the communicator. Long pressed the button, Captain, this is Harlan Smith. ('Oh no! not that pompous old fart, President of Mars, head of the Martian Planetary Council, and member of the Council of the United Federation of Planets,'). Captain, there will be a meeting of the Second Visitor Response Team in the Planetary Council Chambers in two hours. Please be prompt. This is Smith signing off."

Elias Long took off his pajamas and slipped into the 'fresher for a quick shower. When he finished, he donned a clean dress uniform and went downstairs. As he prepared to write a note for his wife, Captain Long sat at the desk in a small room in his likewise small home in the domed city of Chryse on Mars. His eyes fixed on a small picture on the wall. He told everyone that it was an artist's conception of an interstellar spacecraft. In reality, it was a picture of Oumuamua, copied from the UFP navy archives, using not entirely legal methods.  

The participants were forbidden to talk about it publicly, and Martians never discussed it off-planet. Still, the Second Visitor Project was an open secret on Mars. Too many people were involved. As did Long, most participants thought their roles to be largely honorary. However, to be looked on favorably by the president of Mars was most valuable, so those chosen completed any assigned task quickly and expertly. Although Harlan Smith insisted that the supplies necessary to initiate a full-scale exploration mission were ready at Phobos Base, and they were, this was the first time anyone had ever used them.

Long walked to the communicator and ordered an aircar on emergency priority. It was one of the perks of someone with his seniority. The only way to reach the Council Chambers, at the opposite side of the Chryse City dome in time, was by aircar. What could be the reason for the Second Visitor Response Team meeting at this hour of the night and with this suddenness? Had another interstellar visitor, the first in three hundred years, been discovered? If so, it would be Columbia and its crew that would undertake the mission. The automated aircar arrived at the door, and Long got in. It wasn't long before his reverie resumed.

Although scientists carried out the first anti-hydrogen experiments in the late twentieth century, it was not until 2290 that humanity perfected the technology after several catastrophic accidents. There were now three starships: Columbia, Freedom, and Eagle. They were all based on the technology of matter-antimatter mixing and antimatter confinement. The problem with antimatter was that it exploded when it came into contact with ordinary matter with a force more potent than a hydrogen bomb. If the magnetic confinement wasn't perfect, that was the end of the ship, the crew, and anything nearby the spaceship. 

Usually, two of the three starships were on patrol in the outer solar system at approximately 180 degrees opposite one another. If each ship on patrol had a powerful telescope that could see through the sun, they would see each other through the billions of kilometers of space between them.

The navy kept the third starship on station at Phobos Base for emergencies that the UFP Navy could reach more quickly from Mars. 

Columbia had just arrived at Phobos Base from the outer solar system. Eagle had left on patrol three months ago and was already on station, and Freedom was three months into her six-months patrol.  This meant that Columbia would handle any of these emergencies.

Landing in five minutes, please fasten your seat belt, Captain Long. Elias Long was awakened by the automated aircar not long before it landed on the roof of the Planetary Council building. After the aircar gently touched down, Long took the elevator to the Council Chambers. Harlan Smith was already seated at the head of the table. About half the team members were there, and the remainder rapidly arrived. In a short time, all the seats were occupied. Security was tight. Only the Second Visitor Response Team could enter the building.

Ladies and gentlemen, every team member on the planet has arrived. I can see no further cause for delay, said Smith. Yesterday, about twelve hours ago, Dr. August Thierra of Lunar Observatory #3 observed an object inside the solar system between the orbits of Uranus and Neptune. Further observation by Dr. Thierra confirms that this cannot be anything but an interstellar spacecraft of approximately ten kilometers in diameter by forty kilometers long with rounded ends, a giant Tic Tac" UAP, if you will. Ladies and Gentlemen, we have our Second Visitor."

For a moment, there was silence in the room and then pandemonium. Twenty people all tried to speak at once. Silence, silence, shouted Chairman Smith. 

When order had been restored, Candace Bergenstrom, the head of the scientific contingent of Columbia, was given the floor. Chairman Smith, she said, are we seriously to believe that an object of this size could penetrate this far into the solar system undetected?

Harumpf, um, harumpf, Harlan Smith cleared his throat, "Dr. Bergenstrom, although you know I am not a planetary scientist, I gather that the situation was this. Eagle and Freedom were at ninety-degree angles to the object when it crossed the orbit of Pluto. Moreover, their scientists were engaged in our periodic survey of Kuiper Belt objects. 

"The closest planetary observatory was Ariel Base which was again at a 90-degree angle to where the object entered the solar system. Many of us know that one of Thierra's ancestors was on the team that detected Oumuamua and that Thierra has long been obsessed with the return of an interstellar visitor. The man had the best search program possessed by any solar system observatory and has humbled us all. We were fortunate to have him on the Second Visitor Response Team."

There was a long silence in the room before Smith resumed. No one had known that Thierra was a member. Finally, he said, "Captain Long, a jumpship to Phobos Base is being readied as we speak. You, Dr. Bergenstrom, and the other members of your crew who have made planetfall on Mars will leave at 0600 hours for Phobos Base. Mr. Goodman, your first officer, has already implemented Quickchange, our emergency plan for stocking Columbia for the exploration of an interstellar visitor. We are lucky your ship had just arrived from patrol, and her holds were empty when this situation arose. Mr. Goodman tells me Columbia can warp away from Phobos Base in under forty-eight hours. See that you keep to that schedule."

Long mused, "Goodman was indeed a good man. It hadn't proved easy to keep him in his position as the first officer of Columbia until he acquired the necessary experience for a command of his own. But he had a surprise for Goodman, a plan for preparing Columbia for such a journey in thirty-six hours, and he intended to carry it out."

Long arose from his chair in the Council Chambers. He headed for the roof of the building where another specially chartered aircar was waiting to carry Candace and him to Chryse spaceport and the jumpship. There wouldn't even be a chance for a quick goodbye to his wife as the jumpship left in half an hour.  

A short time later, the aircar settled gently down on the roof of the Council Chambers. Long and Bergenstrom quickly got in. Candace smiled as they took their seats. 

"Captain, who would have thought we would be privileged with a chance like this? Three hundred years ago, humans didn't get a chance to find out who they were or where they came from, and technology was too primitive to get close to Oumuamua. I intend to see that the outcome is different this time."

As do I, answered Long, "until now, I have never told anyone about my ancestor on the Oumuamua team. Great, great, great……(you get the picture) left an encrypted file with an encryption key. To obtain the key, a person must first solve a riddle. I solved the riddle. So I knew the object's true nature before joining the Second Visitor Response Team. Remember, lightning has struck twice in my family."

Long began to speak again, but the aircar was on final approach to Chryse Spaceport, and he whistled instead, Will you look at that, he said, that's not the normal jumpship. What gives? The aircar touched down and taxied to the port. As they entered the pressurized dome, Columbia's third officer, James Chen, met them.

What's going on, Jim? said Long. that's not the usual bucket of bolts they use to haul navy crew to Phobos Base."

No, sir, said Chen, "Phobos II had just left when Harlan Smith contacted Transport Command with his emergency order. The only jumpship available at the time was the tourist shuttle, City of Chryse. Isn't she a beauty?"

Long looked up at the City of Chryse. She was sleek and streamlined. It looked as if there was a window for every set of seats. This would be a far different ride to Phobos than any of them had ever taken.

Captain, we had better hurry, said Chen, "the jumpship leaves in three minutes. We had a devil of a time rounding up the crew that had already made planetfall, but we found all of them. Fortunately, only about a third of the ship's complement had left Columbia. Er, Captain, the engineers were brought in by the MPs just a few minutes ago. I hope they can make the jump to Phobos without getting sick."

"Mr. Chen,