Tested on November 30, 1961 at the Novaya Zemlya test range. More that 100 Mt rated yield. Test-detonated at half the yield.It was the first triumphant discovery of the SETI program. An emerging technological civilization in a nearby star system. They had just begun to transmit weak radio waves in hand keyed code. It would be decades before radio communication could be established. After much debate it was decided that a direct visit by a small crew offered the quickest means of establishing contact, and so we became the first human interstellar travelers.
The project was a massive one requiring advances in medicine, cryogenics, and space flight, but with the support of nearly everyone on earth the task of building the first starship was completed in five years. The fact of the starship was merely the expression of a deep human desire to reach out and contact another intelligent species. Once the fact of their existence was discovered there was no doubt that humanity would come to visit them.
After many years in cryogenic suspension and extensive genetic rejuvenation and memory reconditioning we were at last approaching the orbit of the Krenen world. Even before our awakening the computers had been in contact with Earth to update our information about the species we were about to contact. Our starship would fly past the Krenen star for maximum braking effect and swing past several gas giant planets before making a final slow approach to the Krenen world.
The Krenen had slowly advanced over the many years of our journey and were now just beginning the era of aeronautical flight. Several probes with low frequency transmitters had been sent ahead of our ship to announce our arrival. The communication had been handled mostly by updated language and psychology profiles uploaded into our computers from Earth. The messages proclaimed peace, goodwill, and friendship. The Krenen were invited to join humanity in the exploration and settlement of the stars. Even after we had awakened and reviewed the contact messages no one in the crew could have doubted our peaceful intent. But the reaction of the Krenen was a complete shock. Once the Krenen became aware of the existence of humanity and the fact that life existed on another planet in the galaxy, their entire society became totally focused on our annihilation, on the complete extinction of life on Earth. During our approach we sent message after message desperately trying to establish rational communication, but all we got back was wave after wave of hatred. It was more than hatred really, They did not fear us or despise us, they did not wish to conquer or enslave, they simply wanted us extinct.
As we swept past the star it was obvious that peaceful contact was out of the question. The Krenen civilization was not large, maybe ten million and all located on the one small land mass, but they now concentrated all of their efforts on a crash program to build a fleet of crude but effective space vehicles and they obviously planned on intercepting us on our next approach to the planet. It would take them years to accomplish the task, but it was a certainty that we would have a fight on our next pass through the system. We had already altered our course to enter orbit around one of the gas giant planets. There we hoped to find enough reaction mass and reactor fuel on one of the moons to get us onto a slow trajectory back to Earth. Even with an all out effort it would take us five years to leave the Krenen system. We also sent transmissions back to Earth warning them of the intent of the Krenen and the actions which we were taking. Hopefully Earth would be prepared to engage the Krenen when they arrived there or humanity would truly become extinct.
Our immediate problem was to survive our next pass through the Krenen system. We began rearranging the vessel to survive sustained damage. The conversion of a peaceful exploration vessel into a fighting ship was an unimaginable task. Probes intended for exploration became high velocity rockets with explosive warheads. The micro probe launch system was converted to a high fire rate rail gun. Seismic charges became proximity shrapnel mines. Our biggest advantage was that the Krenen were not advanced in the art of war. Theirs was a homogenous society. Our radar and computer systems would give us a tremendous edge. The other big advantage we had was that the Krenen had not entered the nuclear age. During our approach we had been careful not to reveal the extent of our technology. That step was intended to be taken after peaceful contact had been established.
A tightly held secret was that during the construction of our starship two high yield three stage thermonuclear weapons based on old Soviet designs were installed into the shielding surrounding our reactor core. Resting there the crew would not detect their additional radiation. Extra shielding had been installed to assure their effectiveness upon our arrival. It was felt that they would serve as a last resort if things went wrong, or that they could be used as an additional fuel source if needed. Bringing along a couple of large nuclear weapons on what was to be a peaceful mission of contact was a very controversial move, but now those bombs became our best hope of survival. Even though the crew was mostly composed of scientists intent on peaceful contact with another species, there was little dissent to our use of the weapons.
Tested on November 30, 1961 at the Novaya Zemlya test range. More that 100 Mt rated yield. Test-detonated at half the yield.
As we again approached the Krenen world our radar detected a tight formation of two dozen craft on an intercept course. Even at long range they began firing high velocity projectiles, but from chemically propelled guns. Resting in an external cargo bay the two warheads had been wrapped in mirrored shielding cooled to the temperature of liquid helium. They were totally stealthed. A small attitude control system was attached and a small boost engine. One was launched on a trajectory that would proceed us during the attack. The other was launched towards the Krenen home world.
We began returning the Krenen barrage with our rail gun first firing slugs and then proximity mines and also launching the occasional high velocity rocket. The computer system immediately began to analyze the avoidance tactics of the Krenen. Space battles take weeks to play out. Projectiles launched at high velocities take days to arrive on target. We were able to easily avoid the hot slow moving slugs from the Krenen guns, but we slowed our avoidance responses and on several occasions faked hits by emitting bursts of gas and debris. The faked hits spurred to the Krenen attack. The lack of sophisticated radar systems began to tell on the Krenen. Several hits from rail gun slugs did severe damage to four of their vessels. The high velocity probes with active guidance totally destroyed five more. They were learning, if slowly, but still they came on. Unfortunately they learned the lessons we wanted them to learn. From their known responses the computer programmed the final spread of rail gun mines. Once launched we could only wait and observe. The Krenen fell for the trap. To avoid the spread of mines, they were moving a tight defensive formation to a position exactly at the location of the drifting H bomb. We transmitted the firing signal, waited the several seconds for the transmission to arrive, then more seconds before we hardened all our external systems. Even seen through a heavy filter the blast was tremendous. Three hundred megatons, the largest nuclear explosion in human history, and an unfortunate occasion still. The Krenen vessels, vaporized. The second H bomb detonated high over the Krenen world subjecting it to a massive ElectroMagnetic Pulse, their power systems and communication systems would be down for months. We changed course slightly and quietly disappeared into the deep regions of their solar system to refuel and then to prepare to leave.
Five years after the battle as we were slowly accelerating out of the Krenen system, the Krenen began once again to transmit signals to us, but there was a subtle change to their attitude. They had been enlightened by 'the mushroom shaped cloud' so to speak. Several of our crew had remained awake to keep an eye on the Krenen, and proceeded to explain to them that they were no match for the ferocity of Humans in combat. That in dealing with Humans peace was definitely a good tactic. Several relay probes were left in the Krenen system to maintain communication and also to keep the exact location of Earth a mystery to the Krenen until it was sure that they could be trusted. A larger force of human vessels was also in transit to the Krenen system to continue guiding them to peaceful coexistence.
Mark Goll
what, you need a link to get back to my home page? OK.