Thumar

Recovery and rebuilding personnel met at the space docks the next morning. The docking facility moved back to its original orbit. Remor, Shesain, and Derak shuttled up in his ship and received a muted greeting as they were ushered into the conference room with a center 3D display. Remor chaired the meeting. Derak sat to his right with Shesain next to him. The meeting started with vids recounting the whole disaster from the matter anti-matter detonation, to the final fly over. Silence pervaded the room.

When the vid ended, Remor stood and addressed the room. “Ladies and gentlemen, we have witnessed and experienced a horrendous event, one that will never be forgotten. The devastation is monumental and the cleanup and rebuilding effort will take decades to complete. But, we are still alive, thanks to admiral Jamar and the science crews. Without them, we would not be here and nothing would be left of Thumar. We, Thumarian and Alliance alike, owe them our deepest gratitude.”

Remor faced Derak. “We applaud your brilliant and valiant efforts on behalf of the Thumarian people and the Alliance.” The whole room stood and applauded.

Derak rose. “Ladies and gentlemen, part of the credit must go to president Andehar, who suggested the fundamental idea that made our salvation possible. Though I had some of the answers, a great deal of the credit falls on the science teams. Without their expertise and inspiration, the outcome of this event would have been very different. Now, it’s time to concentrate on rebuilding Thumar. It won’t be easy, and we have a lot of work ahead of us, but Thumar will rise from the ashes. Thank you.” He sat down, and Shesain took his hand.

After the applause dwindled, Remor continued, “I would like to acknowledge admiral Morton for opening up his ships that saved so many of our refugees.” The room applauded. Admiral Morton nodded, in response, acknowledging his senior officers.

“It has been an honor to help, Mr. President,” he said.

Remor continued speaking. “The first thing on our agenda is the construction of temporary shelters for the returning population. This will be quite a task since our Anean warehouses were destroyed in the holocaust. Our planetary resources are severely limited.”

Captain Murray raised his hand. “Mr. President, I’d like to take charge of the housing relief efforts. We have temporary shelters available in our fleet. Not the entire number you will need, of course, but the Alliance has dispatched its fifth and seventh fleets to assist in the recovery. They will be here in one week. We should have enough temporary shelters at that time. They will also bring food and medical supplies with them. Many engineers and craftsmen from the Earth colonies have volunteered in great numbers to assist in the rebuilding of Thumar. They will be arriving, as well.”

“Thank you, Captain. Your efforts will be needed. We will establish housing for personnel who can provide professional and practical assistance, first. This should relieve some space requirements. Some of our key buildings and military bases had shielding, so their resources are still available. Renwar Bursak is the head of Thumar’s emergency relief services. You can work with him directly, Captain.”

“I’ll meet with him after the meeting, Mr. President.”

“We’ll also need teams to assess our natural resources,” said Remor. “We need to determine what is destroyed, what is only damaged, and what can be reused. Inspection teams will have to evaluate our infrastructure, above and below the ground. Most importantly, essential services must be restored as quickly as possible.”

A hand was raised. “Lieutenant Commander Rodgers, Mr. President. I’m a licensed civil engineer, and my unit deals with this all the time. I would be happy to head up the city infrastructure project and arrange teams with Mr. Bursak’s assistance.”

“Thank you, Commander,” said Remor.

Another hand was raised. “I’m Dr. Sarah Martin. I’m a xeno-biologist, and I’ll head up the natural resources survey. I believe you have a Gamar Ruteh in your service. I would like him to work with us.”

Remor’s eyebrow rose. He shot Derak a look.

“I’ll send him as soon as we’re through here.”

“Good. He needs the break.”

“Thank you, Dr. Martin,” replied Remor, smoothly. “The last point to cover is the clean up and disposal of the storm debris.”

A well-built, tall, stocky man stood up. “Chief Petty Officer McGrew, Mr. President. That’s my specialty. My guys make short work of big jobs, and we can recycle any materials that can be reused. I’ll run that crew.”

Remor smiled. “It’s yours, Chief. I hope you’re up for three continents to clean up?”

“The bigger the job, the better, Mr. President.”

“Good. Report to Renwar Bursak. He’ll get you the crews and the equipment you require. Department heads, you have five days to get your crews up and running. We start at 0600 on the sixth day. It will consist of long days and short nights. Our citizens will be joined by Alliance personnel to keep all the crews well-fed and cared for. Thank you for coming. That’s all for now.”

As they were leaving the room, Derak’s wrist-com buzzed. He looked at it, then, at Remor, in surprise. “Admiral Morton wants to see me on The Andromeda. I wonder what that’s about.”

“You had better find out. We’ll wait for you.”

“I’ll see you when I return.” Derak immediately caught a shuttle to The Andromeda.

She certainly was a beautiful ship, he thought as he stepped out of the shuttle. He found Morton’s XO, captain Murray, waiting for him.

“Follow me, sir,” said Murray, leading the way to admiral Morton’s stateroom. He buzzed the door, and they were admitted.

“Admiral Jamar, sir.”

“Thank you, Captain. You may leave.”

Morton was just finishing a discussion with his psychology officer, commander Chelsea, Derak’s chief tormentor during his academy days. She had a Thumarian body, and the mind and personality of a pit viper. As he entered, she leveled a look at him that stopped at his shoulder boards. She stiffened and then straightened to salute. She didn’t miss the star.

“That will be all for now, Commander.” Morton dismissed her.

“Yes, sir.” She turned on her heels, acknowledging Derak with a curt “Admiral.”

The door closed. Morton motioned Derak to a chair.

“Commander Chelsea was very upset when she found out about your promotion. It seems she never got over the fact that your appointment to the academy bumped her twin brother to the next year.”

“So, that’s why she never liked me. May I ask why you called me here, sir?”

“Yes,” said Morton, pausing to taking a deep breath before continuing, “I have spent the last fifteen years trying my best to thwart your career. You always had an answer to my efforts. You never said much, but your actions spoke volumes.”

“That’s what I learned in New York City, sir. Talk gets you killed in the boroughs.” What was Morton getting to?

“Quite so,” agreed Morton. “I’ll get to the point. When I first found out about you and Tara, I wanted to send you out to the furthest rim posting I could find. However, your record prevented me from doing that. So, I put you on the deadliest black ops missions I could, and you survived them all.”

Why all these revelations, why now? “Training, sir, survival instincts are the only things that keep you alive in NYC. That, combined with over fifteen years of black ops, conditions one to any circumstance.”

“Then I sent you to Thumar, and you saved the planet from imminent annihilation. You did well in this crisis, Admiral. You saved Thumar and the battle group. We owe you our very lives.”

Derak tried not to look shocked. “Thank you, sir. In reality, the joint science team did most of the work. I just added my research and opinions.”

“They didn’t fly into the Oort cloud and destroy three asteroids. My best pilots looked at your flight path, and not one would even attempt it.”

“A Thumarian pilot flew the Thumarian ship. I drilled the holes in the big asteroid, and a Thumarian handled the nukes. We did it as a team, sir.”

“I see, your recent actions have forced me to change my previous opinion of you, Admiral,” said Morton. “I have decided that you have my permission to visit Tara and your son in Austria. His name is Calvin Thomas Morton. He reminds me of you every time I look at him.”

“Sir, I don’t know what to say.”

“This isn’t easy for me, Admiral. No one wants to admit when they are wrong, especially me.

I would appreciate if no one else knew about this, do you understand?”

“Aye, sir.”

Morton got up and extended his hand. Derak accepted it, for the first time in his career.

“Good job, Admiral, dismissed.”

“Aye, sir,” said Derak, turning to leave, then adding, “Sir, if you want to know what happened to your missing munitions shipments, check on the whereabouts of lieutenant commander Tark, at the time.”

“I will. That will be all.”

Derak left, holding his shock inside himself as he made his way to the shuttle. Back on the space docks, he rendezvoused with the president’s group.

“You’re too quiet, Derak. What happened?” asked Remor.

“Something unbelievable.”

The president’s shuttle flew over Shenmar. The cabin was quiet as they surveyed the damage. Most of the city was destroyed beyond repair. The entertainment sections were demolished. The Anean restaurant survived. The temple complex sustained considerable damage but could be repaired.

They set down on the temple grounds and Demar, the high priest, was there, waiting for them.

“Mr. President, thank you for coming,” said Demar. “As you can see, we sustained significant destruction, inside and out. The roofs and their main supports were weakened and most will need to be replaced. Hundreds of meteorite rock fragments have been collected from inside the temple, and we are going to design and sculpt a monument to Kumar and Shemar from these stones. It will be an offering celebrating our deliverance from the storm.”

They stepped inside the main sanctuary; it was a disaster. Priests were in the process of removing broken and shattered pews and railings. Most of the stained glass windows lay in fragmented shards scattered around the temple floor. The only two windows still in place were those of Kumar and Shemar.

“Perhaps there is a god,” Derak said, looking up at the intact windows.

“There always has been, Admiral,” said the high priest, politely. “The gods brought you to us. Spirits cannot work alone. Willing minds and bodies are needed to carry out their will.”

Derak frowned. “A god that requires human intervention is the reason I have never believed in a supreme being. Aren’t gods supposed to be, almighty? I did what was necessary, your eminence. I doubt that I am an arm of your gods. If I served them, I did so for the sake of the people.”

“It is what it is, Admiral. You fulfilled your part. We are blessed to have you. No matter what you believe or do not believe. We need to concentrate on rebuilding now. How are your efforts going, Remor? From what I understand, the MSS left a long trail of destruction all over the planet.”

“Yes it did, Demar, and between our emergency management office and the Alliance teams, we will soon have the matter under control.”

As they spoke, Derak surveyed the roof and its support beams. “Remor, your eminence, I have an idea for bringing the temple back to its former glory.” They both turned and looked at him intently. “I’ll bring in a special team from Altair to work, specifically, here. They’ll come with the required lab and manufacturing capabilities to rebuild this complex. The temple support beams and roof will be made of the same material my ships are, self-replicating and self-repairing. The material is a living substance that will echo the nature of this temple and Thumar itself.”

“You would do that for us?” asked the high priest, incredulous.

“It would be my honor, your eminence.”

“Please, Admiral, use my name, Demar.”

“Thank you, Demar. Did the crystal survive?”

“Yes, we moved all of the sacred objects to our vaults five days ago. They’re as safe as if being guarded by the Thrashur. May Kumar and Shemar bless you with health, long life, and prosperity, Derak.”

“May you be blessed with a quick recovery, Demar.”

Derak and Remor left the complex and completed their flight over Shenmar. Derak suggested that Remor should have his head architect terrace the outskirts of the city and redesign the rooflines to a smoother slope up to the temple grounds. Remor liked the idea and made a note to talk with her about the proposition. The recovery and rebuilding efforts were moving forward at a steady pace.

The Altair team arrived two days later. Setting up their labs and manufacturing facilities. The Thumarian high priest, head architect, chief civil engineer, and the Altairian engineers wasted no time in beginning to restore the temple complex. The factory was already setting up to form the support beams. The old metals were reused in the new material.

Altairian hard blackwoods were sculpted into pews and altar pieces. Thumarian artisans replaced the broken stained glass windows, and they added four new ones depicting the latest MSS and the heroic efforts put forth to save Thumar. Derak felt uncomfortable that he was the subject in more than one. One of the windows portrayed the destruction of the asteroids. Thumar’s leading artists were completing a sculpture, in honor of Kumar and Shemar, out of the salvaged meteor fragments.

Remor returned to the business of running Thumar. Weekly meetings with department heads outlined the speedy recovery efforts. The Alliance’s fifth and seventh fleets arrived in a week, along with an army of volunteers and engineers from Earth, Murbesian, Markush, and Katkurn colonies to create temporary housing, kitchens, and hospitals. The needs of both the Thumarian people and relief help were met. Thumarian people worked day and night, alongside the volunteers to create permanent housing.

Chief Petty Officer McGrew became so fond of Thumar that he retired on Thumar after thirty years of service. He asked Remor if he could stay and assist with future recovery efforts. Remor gratefully accepted and offered him permanent residency.

Derak and Remor flew to the Anean continent to survey the progress. Seamus McGrew was directing his crews as they assisted in the recovery of a coastal fishing village. One-half of its fishing fleet were damaged or sunk in the MSS; the village fared even worse. Over half of the buildings were condemned. Those that weren’t, were in the early stages of reconstruction.

The mayor gave Derak and Remor a tour. Seamus and a tall female dancer joined them. Derak recognized her as one of the dancers from the Anean Dance Troupe. This was her home village. After the tour, Seamus returned to his duties, directing his recycling crews as they reclaimed building materials. He was a large man at six feet, six inches, with a flaming red beard that reached his chest.

Bulldozers and excavators cleared the rubble and loaded large trucks that delivered the material to recycling sites where the materials were separated. Villagers, including the mayor, worked long hours clearing the streets, sometimes on their hands and knees.

Engineers and architects were busy drawing up plans to reconstruct the village to its former glory. Off-world volunteers worked side by side with grateful Thumarians. It was not an unusual sight to see reptilians working alongside humanoids, sharing jokes and laughter.

Seamus joined Derak and Remor on their reconstruction tour. They landed on the plains of Leyayla. Everywhere, the landscape was scorched by fire. Farmers on the continent united to bring the plains back to life. Dead trees and brush were cleared and burned. Farming machines tilled the ground in lines of choreographed elegance. They were followed by an army of volunteers making rows and replanting staple crops.

The volunteers sang as they walked down the rows, sowing seeds. Cooling tents were set up to provide shade and refreshment. While one worker rested, another took their place in the fields. This went on from sunrise to sunset, eight days a week.

Their next stop was a major mining operation. From the time of the planet’s first habitation, six hundred years ago, all mining and manufacturing were located underground, preserving Thumar’s natural beauty.

Remor and Derak inspected a Thumdust mine. The relatively innocuous rock was a major component in space-faring hulls, galaxy wide. Before the MSS, Thumar was primarily known for this soft metal. Combined with other known metals, it created a superior product. It was also one of Thumar’s major sources of wealth.

They met with the mine’s general manager, Kulortere Jothineck. He took them on a complete inspection. One of the many wonders was the mined-out monstrous caverns that were being converted to underground water supplies. Many a Thumarian citizen rode out the MSS in these enormous vaults.

They were shown the collapsed caverns from asteroid strikes. Fortunately, these were not occupied at the time. Kulortere excitedly told them of the new veins of Thum-rock revealed by the storm.

The manufacturing facilities suffered the most damage. Engineering teams were hard at work repairing the machinery. Mining advances over centuries had developed ingenious ways to use the waste from the processed rock. These methods were being upgraded with the new technology Derak and the science teams discovered.

Presently, Derak had to return to Kalidar base. Remor and Seamus finished the two-week inspection tour. Remor returned to Shenmar, and Seamus continued his continent hopping to supervise ongoing efforts to return Thumar to normal. The contingent of skilled and unskilled off-world volunteers, working with Thumarian citizens, helped to hasten the recovery.

Derak and admiral Kaitain flew to the space docks to inspect the repairs on the docks and ships that sustained damage during the MSS. As they approached the facility, lights from arc welders lit up the entire moon-sized satellite. Engineers and techs, in space suits, busily replaced armor panels and inspected finished sections. The Armstrong was shielded by the docks, so she did not take on any more damage. Her hull was repaired, and the work was inside her now. She was in the final stages of repair before space trials started.

Temporary repair facilities orbited the docks. Here, space ships that didn’t fit into the space docks’ overflowing berths were retrofitted. Murbesian, Katkurn, and Alliance teams covered these ships with crews that worked three shifts, eight days a week.

Derak and Remor had one last survey in the outer solar system, or what was left of it. The TS Morwen ferried them, along with admiral Morton and a team of scientists. The third planet, Shantar, no longer existed. It was ground zero for their matter anti-matter detonation. Onbur, the rocky planet, barely survived. Its crust had cracks an Andromeda class warship could fly through, with room to spare. Only gravity was weakly holding it together.

Metar, the gas giant, had its atmosphere blown away, leaving only a highly compacted core, gleaming in sunlight. Space mining companies were lining up to extract diamonds and precious metals from the terrestrial-sized body. It was quickly discovered that new methods would have to be developed. The core was still hot from the explosion and very dense from billions of years of compaction from the former gas giant’s atmosphere.

Quentana, where the incoming and outgoing cosmic pulses collided, annihilated the celestial body. Its atoms were now spread across the cosmos. The scientists took endless readings to try and determine how the missing planets and reduced masses of the survivors would affect the long-term integrity of the solar system. Terrestrial scientists would spend decades studying the effects the MSS had on Thumar.

Despite the horror the MSS brought to Thumar and her solar system, tremendous scientific advances were discovered and developed out of the disaster. These discoveries would vault Thumar tech-decades ahead of the rest of the galaxy.

After twelve weeks, the temple complex and grounds started looking better than it did before the MSS. Shenmar was partially rebuilt. The outskirts of the city were terraced and a gradual series of rooflines gently sloped up to the temple grounds. The next recovery and rebuild meeting showed considerable progress. Thumar’s recovery was proceeding ahead of schedule.

While dining at Remor’s mansion, one evening during the recovery process, Remor brought up Derak’s family. He suggested that since the rebuilding was going so well that they could now concentrate on his family. He recommended a state visit to Earth to promote the recovery and rebuild project. Remar and Shesain would represent Thumar. Derak also commented that he would like to visit Austria. Remor thought an Austrian visit would be perfect as a secondary cover for the mission to save Derak’s family.

“There is some urgency, Remor, but, are you sure you can leave now?” asked Derak.

“Thumar is well on its way, but how would your absence on a state trip be taken by the populace?”

“They would see it as a diplomatic endeavor to secure more resources for our recovery, vice president Oretar is very capable of continuing the efforts in my absence. Now is the time to strike. Your entire family will be leaving for a family reunion soon. The travel plans and passes are already made, and their destination is one of the moons of Endar. The only change in plans will be to switch them to a private carrier, ours.”

“We’ll need intel before finalizing the details,” Derak said. “I know just the people for the job. They worked with me on black ops missions before. Two are from NYC and know the streets well. Another was raised on the moon and works for the same company as my brother, Robert.”

“Isn’t your sister a dancer?” Shenar asked.

“Yes. She’ll be a prima ballerina in a few years.”

“Then I suggest we send in an all-female contingent after her,” said Shenar. “It might look odd if a group of big burly men pick her up; whereas, a group of female Thrashur won’t attract much attention at all.”

“What a great idea,” said Shesain.

“Derak, contact your people and get them here fast. Our timeline is short, only ten days.” Remor said.

“The timing couldn’t be better. Dr. Tenar just told me they have a belt- sized dimensional generator unit. They have tested it, and it works great. I’ll have three more ships flown in from Altair, made just for admiral Kaitain’s new unit. The ships have the latest tech. They are flat black and stealth. The teams will have to train on them as they also have a new particle beam transfer unit. The beams have been tested with objects and animals, but no one has volunteered to be the first to have their bodies turned into a particle beam and reconstructed somewhere else. I’ll make my calls and the ships will arrive with intel. Then, we’ll assemble the teams.”

“Sounds good,” Remor said, agreeably.

“You forget something, dear,” said Tranoka.

“And that is?” he asked.

“You’re going to remove these people from the only lives they have ever known. What then? Do you intend to simply bring them back here, just like that? You’ll need a welcoming committee, people capable of easing their transition. Temela, Shesain, Shenar, Therese, and I will be available to handle their reception and accommodations. They’re going to need a soft place to land, friendly faces, and assistance with their acclimation. I also suggest that our good Dr. Centur and Nurse Teren be present. They will need to be told why they’ve been abducted. They will require a presentation of their DNA structure. Then there will be the matter of where to place them once we return.”

“You’re absolutely correct, my chimera,” said Remor, smiling at his wife.