The Encounter

All rights reserved.

2007

CHAPTER ONE

An intergalactic research vessel passes through a void formed slightly out of phase with the physical universe. It’s completing a journey, ending millions of light-years from its point of origin. An alien envoy, on a diplomatic mission, could offer the dawn of a new beginning to an unsuspecting world, a world known to its inhabitants as Earth.

The small vessel's central chamber was silent and dark, the only illumination coming from an array of flight control displays. The lone female occupant lay on her back trying to relax. Her dark eyes, jet-black hair and very pale skin gave her an almost porcelain doll look, stunning by human standards. Her eyes were focused on the overhead. She kept repeating the name “Margaret” over and over in her mind. Her given name was “Palatrum” but she liked the sound of Margaret. Other names, from other worlds, weren't as elegant. For the human surname, she'd settled on O’Donnell. This would be her name for the duration of this mission.

She thought about her family and about her assignment. She turned her head and focused her attention on the engineering console's shifting pattern of lights. The main engine status indicators were about to change. The ship's computer announced the impending main engine shut down. She was needed on the ship's flight deck. She pushed herself off the pallet and made her way across the dimly lit cabin. She slipped into the left hand seat and felt it alter its shape to fit hers. The proximity detectors were about to disengage the main drive. She gripped the armrests anticipating what was coming.

Numbness invaded her body through her fingers and toes. She closed her eyes, held her breath and waited for the lack of sensation to pass.

The ship dropped below light speed. The protective bubble dissipated and a field of stars filled the forward monitor. Flexing her hands and feet, she looked at the ship's sensors. Narrowing the range produced familiar patterns. She asked for flight control and the computer passed it off. This close, she preferred to fly the ship herself.

                                                        ***

In an unrelated event a universe away, her father, the Chancellor of the Tylotheian Empire, made his way back from a meeting with a political adversary. The three-vehicle procession moved along the nighttime street of a large, alien city.

Two moons highlighted buildings that reached thousands of feet into the air. The street was empty. A halo effect, with no apparent source, provided light. The lead vehicle bore the Chancellor’s standard. A flash, and a bright ball of energy enveloped the center portion of the Chancellor’s vehicle. The two remaining vehicles were instantly enclosed within a bright blue protective shield.

Remnants from the lead vehicle careened down the street. Two other bright balls of energy erupt harmlessly on the shield. At the last moment the Chancellor had decided to ride in the second vehicle with two of his Ministers thus avoiding the assassination attempt.

The three men were shaken by the attack. All three moved back from the windows.

“I think it’s over.” The Chancellor takes a moment. “Who did we lose?” he asked.

One of the Ministers pressed a button on a console to his left. “Report…”

An answer came back in a man’s voice across the com-system. “No survivors from the lead vehicle. The shield is holding. A thermal scan of the area shows nothing. Probably fired by remote. We were fortunate there was a momentary delay between the first one and the last two. Back up is on the way.”

The Chancellor sat for a moment considering the last few minutes. “He agreed to this meeting too easily. In the back of my mind I was expecting something like this.”

“Changing vehicles saved your life”, said the other Minister.

“But not my driver.”

“Tacrae was a good man, but it’s your safety that matters”, came the reply.

“No, if they’ll come after me, they may go after my family. Have them moved to the Ministry. Have Central Command inform my son.”

The Minister, next to the communication console, delivered the message.

“It’s my daughter I’m concerned about. She’s off world, part of a diplomatic contingent to a planet called Earth. Its inhabitants call themselves Humans.”

“Earth?” The second Minister pondered the name. “The Portal.”

“The Drigonians have taken an interest”, continued the Chancellor. “If they decide to move, the Humans can’t fend them off without help. If that happens...”

“They establish a presence on our frontier and we lose the portal.”

“We can’t afford to let that happen. She’s there to coordinate events, depending upon the decision of the Council. But right now, the only thing I care about is getting her safely back.”

                                                        ***

She had no way of knowing it, but those distant events would impact her life, and perhaps the course of human history, and change it forever.

Using a long-range scanner, she watched her destination on the forward monitor. The small blue-green ball, orbiting three away from its sun, was one of hundreds of inhabited worlds populating the outer reaches of an empire encompassing dozens of galaxies.

This world's technology had reached a point, where a little help could springboard the Human Race to a new level of existence. The stumbling block was human social development. How would its people, who couldn’t get along with themselves, deal with the shock of an entire universe filled with strange and very different cultures?

She'd witnessed this awakening before. If the timing were right, the population would unite to deal with what was coming. If not, order could give way to anarchy and the entire social structure would collapse. Hence, the decision to make contact was a serious one and couldn't be made lightly. Now however, with the Drigonians in the picture, the whole timetable had to be advanced.

A short time later the small research vessel slipped into Earth orbit. Its destination the western hemisphere, a place referred to on Earth as North America, specifically the Upper Texas Coast.

                                                        ***

Chatter from Houston’s Bush Intercontinental Airport tower filled the cabin. The ship was cloaked and passed undetected by Air Traffic Control. Invisible, but still very solid, she’d plotted the traffic patterns, and then maneuvered her ship around the incoming and outgoing flights.

A wooded area, adjacent to the airport, would provide cover. Her ship was small and oblong. It moved slowly above this living canopy. Just ahead, a hole in the tree cover she could slip through. The ship moved in that direction. She hovered for a moment, lowered her ship into the woods, and then gently set it down.

She replicated the clothing, and other things she needed to blend in, and then changed her clothes. Images of her family kept popping up in her mind as she moved about, shutting down and securing her way home. She’d finally stopped, stood quietly with her eyes closed and allowed the visions to pass. It was her way of refocusing her thoughts on what lay ahead. After a few moments she opened her eyes, took a deep breath, and then finished the task at hand.

The hatch opened. She stepped out dressed in blue jeans, white canvas shoes, and a pale blue shirt. She carried a large, dark blue shoulder bag. Because of Earth's very thin atmosphere, her first breath on this alien world was deep and sustained.

The ship was cloaked and the open hatch appeared to hang in mid air. Stepping away, the opening disappeared leaving no trace of anything. She glanced around. This would do for a while. After another deep breath she walked away from the landing site.

She'd memorized maps of the local area. At the edge of the woods she paused. A wide expanse of open ground lay between her and Will Clayton Boulevard. The cars were end to end. She'd wait here, just inside the tree line, for the traffic to clear. The fewer people who saw her leave the woods, the better. Kneeling down, she sat on the ground and watched. The prolonged exposure to the vortex, and the small confines of her ship, had drained her. She stretched out and closed her eyes. In a moment she was asleep.

                                                        ***

The light of afternoon faded into black and stars filled the nighttime sky. The prevailing winds changed, as did the landing patterns. A heavy jet, making its approach, passed close overhead. She was instantly awake and sat up rubbing her eyes with the back of her hands. Collecting her thoughts, she looked at the watch on her wrist, then stood up and stretched her arms over her head. The nap was much too short and hadn't really helped very much. If anything, it had increased her need for rest.

The traffic was all but gone now and she had the cover of darkness. She picked up her bag, quickly crossed the open field to the road and paused on the eastbound side. A car passed. She crossed the road, and the median, to the far side. Looking west, there was a car rental sign glowing in the distance. She had spotted it from the air. She needed transportation and started walking west along the side of the road.

The rental sign loomed larger and larger. The cool, night air chilled her. She rubbed her arms with her hands. She should have replicated a jacket. Headlights approached from behind. The car slowed down and came to a stop beside her. The driver leaned over, lowering the passenger side window.

He was in his forties wearing a business suit. "You need a ride?" He asked.

She leaned down. "Ah, no thanks, it's a nice night for a walk. Thanks anyway."

"You sure", he cautioned, "there's a lot of crazies running around out here at night. A pretty little thing like you can't be too careful."

"I'll be careful. Thanks anyway."

"Okay... You're sure?"

She nodded. "Thanks anyway."

The driver leaned back and the car accelerated away. She watched the tail lights disappear down the road. She was already having second thoughts about the ride. She was cold. She rubbed her arms and continued on.

The lighted car rental lot had the usual selection of compact and mid-sized cars. She paused to look over their inventory. A blue car in the back caught her eye. She walked up to the glass-enclosed office. The young man behind the counter was eating his dinner. She moved along to the doors. It read, "PUSH" so she did. The rental agent looked up and did his best to dispose of his half eaten roast beef sandwich.

Margaret smiled as she entered the office. "Don't do that on my account. What have you got with a little get-up-and-go?" She loved the way these people talked.

He looked past her. "Sorry, I didn't see anyone pull up. Get-up-and-go? Well..." He turned and looked up and down the key rack behind him. "Let's see." He looked back, "How much get-up-and-go we talkin' about?"