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Prologue
“So that’s it, huh?”
Phate,Halo One’s,pilot, navigator and resident scientist, didn’t turn when Kien came up behind him and spoke. Kien, the systems engineer and his good friend, stood to his left and stared at the little blue planet visible from the port window.
Phate drew a deep breath of the regenerated air cycling through the vents. The lifeless air, although filled with high-grade oxygen and vitamins, was the only air he was used to now. He suspected his two crewmates felt the same since they’d been calling their Class Two spaceship home for the past ten years now.
“That’s it,” Phate offered in response as they stared at the new planet they’d traveled light years to observe.
Phate, like Kien and their Captain, Solgre, had seen the holo-pics of Earth and read the file provided when they’d accepted the assignment. No, not accepted. Accepted implied they’d had a choice. They hadn’t. The order to change course and forgo their much-needed vacation had been just that. An order.
A low, rumbling snort came from Kien’s throat. He stepped closer to the window that was almost as tall and wide as him and glanced from left to right. “Doesn’t look like much. No planetary docking station. No defense system. No crafts coming and going.”
“From the file provided, we know this species is technologically behind us and other advanced worlds.” With his friend’s body now blocking most of his view, Phate stepped to the side to continue staring at the planet. He squinted through the cloud coverage of pollution, hoping to see a hint of the defense system he’d read about. “They do have planetary defense systems. They’re using nuclear power.”
There were large structures on the planet’s surface, but Phate couldn’t make out anything remotely familiar. Not knowing exactly what to look for, he gave up his visual search.
Kien let out another snort as he shifted to widen his stance and fold his massive arms across an equally massive chest. Kien’s muscles and girth weren’t the product of genetic engineering favored among the younger males who thought a large appearance was a better indicator of prowess than a naturally honed body.
Kien had the traditional appearance of a Thellian that he’d gotten from his mother. But his sharp features and bulk came from his Phessi father. While not as big as the full-blooded Phessi, he exceeded other races in comparison.
“Their nuclear weapons would destroy every single living being on their planet—including their planet itself,” Kien grumbled.
“No one said these humans were very smart.” Phate tsked under his breath in agreement and inclined his head toward the nothingness to the right of the planet. “Hence why we were able to hyper-jump into their vicinity without so much as an acknowledgement from them. They probably don’t know they’re being watched.”
No scans came from the planet’s surface or the outdated space station orbiting Earth. They’d entered Earth’s space under stealth mode, uncertain of what to expect, but so far, the reaction or lack of was...anticlimactic.Halo One’sdefense system was quiet.
Phate had thought there’d be some kind of monitoring system in place but there wasn’t any indication the humans monitored their planetary space for outsiders.
It was a miracle Earth and its inhabitants hadn’t been invaded yet. It was obvious Earth was rich with minerals and precious gems other species would literally kill for. The scans also picked up an abundance of native wildlife, water, sand, coal and trees.
“We’re not here to determine how smart these humans are,” Solgre said. As he strolled through the doorway and onto the bridge to join Phate and Kien, his boots thumped against the metal floor.
Phate and Kien snapped to attention, giving their Captain the respect due. Solgre had the confidence of someone who’d served his life on a spaceship, and it showed by way of the air of confidence that enveloped him.
Solgre, like most native Thellians, had blond hair and lavender colored eyes. He was the same height as Phate and had a similar build; wide shoulders, toned waist and legs. Although the spaceship’s gravity mimicked their home planet, it was imperative they spend two hours each day lifting heavy weights, otherwise their muscle tone would be affected.
Solgre didn’t bother making his way to the port window. He went straight to the high-backed chair centrally located on the deck and pulled up the hologram of Earth along with the specs of the blue planet. “We’re here on a surveillance mission.”
“I know, I know,” Kien said, breaking away to take his seat at the engineer’s station. “Observe and report back.”
Phate turned away from the window as well and crossed the small bridge to take the navigator chair. He pulled up the map of the sector which showed the current star system and the other planets in the area—all uninhabitable. As missions went, this was an easy one.
A few months ago, the Thellian government had intercepted a capsule containing rudimentary communication about this new species. The humans had gone as far as to provide their DNA samples and their coordinates. A very naive and extremely dangerous move for a planet without any formidable allies or Federation protection.
Luckily for the humans, that capsule had reached Thelli, Phate’s home planet. Preying on the weak and stupid wasn’t what Thellians did. As a planet of explorers and scientists, their interest had been piqued by the rudimentary message.
It wasn’t every day a new species and inhabitable planet was discovered. In fact, the last planet to join the Federation had happened well before his birth. Actually, well, before his great, great, great, great, great, great grandfather had been born.
“We must stay focused on why we’re here,” Solgre stated, his fingers flying through the air, accessing the files and scrolling through the dataHalo Onehad accumulated thus far.
“Their air is extremely polluted but breathable,” Kien said, eyeing the specs in front of him. “But not for long. Their ozone layer is gone to the Ancients.”
“Not our problem,” Solgre muttered in a dismissive tone. His gaze remained on the information as he read. “Phate, download their radio frequencies so we can transmit the updated data to Thelli. The sooner we give the lead scientists the information they requested, the sooner we can leave this solar system and head to Pesna-9.”
Kien whooped, his features flushed with excitement. “I have two Vulron’s waiting for me already.”
“Why? So, you can disappoint them both?” Phate smirked as he initiated a search on available radio frequencies. The amount coming from multiple places on the planet’s surface stunned him. He created a file and linked them for upload and transmission.
