Well, here it is folks. The long awaited 5th chapter of this epic tale. 
I am going to split it into two parts as I wouldn't have time to finish it today if I kept it as one. Plus this section is long enough already I think. I made a promise that it would be out today and I was going to stick to it - thus the split. It isn't that action packed but I assure you that in the coming chapters I will be adding some suspence. 
I hope you all enjoy this chapter and as always I would love your feedback and comments.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 5 � Part 1
Advancements
2400.3.22
Somewhere out there.
Silently moving through the dark regions of space was a large dark sleek vessel; its markings unknown; its mission unknown. It continued to streak through the dark and cold space in a sector far, far away from Kriekaal. It was going faster then anything has ever gone before. As it passed the stars, it made them seem like they were solid white lines instead of spheres. This was truly a massive ship, its actual size was unknown but to the naked eye it was something remarkable. Soon it began to slow down, it was approaching what looked like a large greenish blue nebula. As the ship entered the nebula is slowly disappeared; once inside it was completely invisible to outside sources. What lay inside was anybody�s guess, but it obviously couldn�t be good.
2400.3.25
Back on the planet of Kriekaal work was nearing completion on another
Explorer class vessel that would embark on a mission to seek out the other � now officially named � warp-gates, and find out where these led to; if anywhere at all, that is. It is completely possible that these two other sectors of swirling gases not even are warp-gates at all, but all indications led to the conclusion that they too were perfectly stable warp-gates. On board the next
Explorer class ships that were going to be sent out would be improved scanners to better record the events taking place inside the warp-gates; also would be included are new top of the line engines. Recently the science team at GorgaSpace, Inc. were able to come up with a improve Ion Engine that slightly increases fuel efficiency along with reducing the cost to build such engines. The engines would be deemed Ion Engine Mark II, or the IE M-II.
2400.3.26
It is now down to just 4 more days until the end of the current tenth and that marks only 4 more days until the launch date of the newest
Explorer class ship. It would be another three tenth until the ship being constructed at the orbital yard of
Ambition would be completed and ready for debarking on its mission. The past six tenths marked many events in the Hevordian society that would change the way the common Hevordian citizen would live their lives; and that fact was certainly not about to change, the next few tenths would prove to be just as eventful as the past - if not more so. But only time would tell what those events would be and if they would prove to be beneficial to Hevordian way of life, or disastrous.
Back on the space ship
Expedition the science team of Qullum Gorgas Jr., Mi�tha, and two other experienced team members had spent the Last 2 days surveying the region of space they were currently located in. They were busy taking as detailed of scans as they possibly could with their current level of scanners and getting readings of what resources these planets consisted of. Also they were trying to figure out exactly where they were in respect to their home planet of Kriekaal. Many different formulas were tried, different algorithms but nothing produced results close to what they wanted.
Qullum was working at his console in the science room located on the second deck of the ship. This room had the largest amount of technology in a single room � second only to the bridge. When you first walk into the room you could do nothing but stop and marvel at the equipment in use. Consoles spread throughout the large room were aglow with activity. Different members of the science team and also regular crew members that were recruited to help out the science team were running back and forth from console to console running tests, checking and double checking readings that came across the screen, comparing those readings with results from previous scans all in an effort to figure out how far from home they really were.
Meanwhile they had managed to figure out how to boost a signal from the ship back to Kriekaal for an extended period of time. Although this took quite a bit of power and resources it had already proved to be useful, as Qullum and his team had used this to work along with the team back home to try and figure out an accurate formula to use to calculate the distance from the ship to Kriekaal. No one else thought of it this way, but it would also prove to be useful in the future advancement of GorgaSpace and it�s program as well as the advancement of Hevordian life in general.
As Qullum continued to work at his console in the science room a pain suddenly shot through his forehead and into his back lobe. At first it was extremely painful, painful enough that it caused him to have to stop working for a few moments. But as it went on he got to where he could tolerate it. But at the same time he wasn�t tolerating it in the sense of the word; but he was starting to understand it. He began to run - in seconds � calculations in his head that the computer could only run in a couple moments. He began to input the data into the computer and multiple solutions to the problems were popping up all over the place, however the list began to grow smaller as Qullum entered more data into the computer that allowed it to narrow down the most likely correct solutions to the calculations.
Qullum was simply amazed at what he was doing. It was basically on a subconscious level that he continued to enter in the data that was almost being fed into his brain. You could see the bewilderment on his face as he continued in this way for a few minutes. Pretty soon there was only 1 solution left out of the hundreds he had started with and the computer began to beep in indication that a possible correct algorithm had been worked up. Then, just as it had started the once painful sensation came to a halt. All the information that he had just inputted and understood was like a foreign language to him now. He couldn�t explain what had just happened only that he somehow was able to input a lot of complex and advanced data in just a few moments of time.
All activity in the room came to a stop as Qullum shouted out to everyone present: �Can I get everyone�s attention?� Qullum paused for a brief moment. �I�Uhh�I think I figured it out. I am sending all the information to everyone�s workstation now. From there you will be able to review the data and run any simulation you wish. But once we have found out whether this formula will get us an accurate approximation with known distances in the Kriekaal Nebula then we will take this to the main bridge and set the main deflector array to triangulate the distance from where we are located to back home. I want all tests to be concluded and all results logged back to me by 33 hundred hours.�
Two hours later after everyone had turned in their results on the test calculations of the new formula Qullum quickly went over all the results and concluded that this indeed was very close to being exactly accurate. But he could not understand hardly any of it, as he was able to just a few short hours ago. He was completely mystified as to what took place and he could only think back to the days of his parents and how they believed that Hevordians were evolving into, or developing an ability that had been there for millennia, that being telepathic and/or psychic abilities. But even if that was the only explanation available it still didn�t explain where the information came from; he knew it wasn�t from any of the crew, or anybody back home as the thinking process deployed was inhevordah (Note: inhuman basically).
Qullum finished compiling everything he needed and he proceed to make his way to the bridge. Upon arriving he stepped off the hydro-lift and made his way to the science station; he activated his station and input some commands and then went down to the lower level of the bridge via the ramp.
�Captain. First Commander.� said Qullum as he nodded at both Captain Sh�tor and First Commander G�Dan.
After returning the gesture the Captain responded. �What can I do for you Qullum?�
Qullum gestured for the Captain to follow him as he made his way back to the science station. Once the Captain made it up there and took a stance that allowed him to view the information on the screen he simply said: �Well, what is it?�
At that Qullum began to rattle off some sort of techno babble that made no sense whatsoever to the Captain, finally the Captain had to say something.
�Whoa, whoa, slow down there Qullum. I am no scientist so you are speaking way out of my league. Give it to me in Hevo. (Note: Language of Hevordians.)
Qullum stopped for a moment to realize what he was doing.
�Oh, sorry about that Captain.� Stated Qullum, �I am so used to being around my science team and them understanding it all I just simply got carried away. But to put it simply we have figured out a formula that we can use. My team is currently working on recalibrating the main sensor array to run the triangulation process.�
Just as Qullum had finished that very sentence the incoming message claxon sounded at the science station on the bridge. After the link had been established the voice of Mi�tha the very talented junior science officer came across the channel. �Qullum, this is Mi�tha. We have finished recalibrating the sensor array. She should be ready to go whenever you are up there.� Qullum smiled and said; �Very well, thank you for your hard work Mi�tha. Qullum out.� Qullum then continued to speak to the Captain. �Well, there you have it. I kindly ask your permission to begin the triangulation process.�
The Captain then stood straight once more, smiled and nodded in approval. �Make it so.�
Qullum returned the smile and then turned his focus back to his console. His fingers began to float across the console effortlessly as if he had done this a million times before; well he had, but just not for this particular reason. �All sensor arrays are in synchronization.� Stated Qullum under his breath to confirm to himself that he was doing everything correctly. �Starting triangulation�Connecting with the tracing beacon on the other side of the warp-gate... Connection with Kriekaal established. Algorithm being run�Algorithm completed. Results being calculated with proper formula� Closing connection with Kriekaal.�
�Well, what are the results Mr. Gorgas? How far are we in actuality?� asked Captain Sh�tor.
Qullum just stared at the screen in almost complete bewilderment. �Sir, I do not think you are going to believe this.� Began Qullum in response, �With 99.526% accuracy confirmed, we are 73.6 light-years from home.�
You could see the amazement in Sh�tors white with a yellowish tent eyes. The yellow stood out more then usual which indicates shock or amazement as it was in this case. �You said �light-years� correct?� Qullum simply nodded yes. �73 and a half light-years from home! And it only took us 1 month to travel that distance, even then that was mostly just the 1/3 light-year that we travel to get to the warp-gate. That means we were able to travel roughly 72 light-years in under a minute when we entered into the warp-gate. Simply amazing.� The Captain continued to try and fathom the huge distance that they had traveled in such a short time. It was indeed truly something to marvel at but Qullum could do little but to speculate that that was only the tip of the iceberg.
Somewhere out there.
The gigantic ship continued to move swiftly through the nebula continuing onto its unknown destination. It sliced through the nebula with ease; shooting forth as an arrow through the thin air. As it swept through the area the gaseous cloud concealed it from sensors on the outside and the naked eye on the inside. You could hear the hum of the large engines against the silent background of the nebula and surrounding space. While its weapon bays were concealed inside the plotarainium �hardest substance in the known universe � hull, you could just feel the raw power that was used when firing its massive cannons. Its hull was, as mentioned, made of plotarainium; its color was a dark metallic gray that reflected the gas that surrounded the ship. Yes, silently it swept through the nebula undetected continuing on its mission.
2400.3.28
Two days later on the planet surface of Kriekaal another board meeting had been called to continue what had been started two weeks after the space ship
Expedition had originally gone through the warp-gate. It was early in the morning in Hevordian terms and many regular citizens had not even awoken yet. But the board members had already begun to convene for the usual morning meeting. This meeting was special however, as a very large issue was to be placed before the committee of eight. This issue � along with the issue of permitting GorgaSpace, Inc. the grant it had requested in order to carry out its current mission � would greatly affect Qullum Gorgas, GorgaSpace, and Hevordah in general and forever change the future.
Members of the board began making their way to the Mordogh Centre � the main office building on Kriekaal. Once you walk into this building you can tell it is of high importance to Kriekaal. It was located deep in the capital city of Mordogh and its upkeep was unmatched; it even rivaled the local hospitals in cleanliness. As you continue on in through the building you walk down large corridors with elegance written all over them; the floors were almost as perfect mirrors reflecting all that went across them. Then as you enter into the main office chamber you take a step in to see a large room with a long narrow marble table; it too shone brightly and it reflected the lights in the ceiling so well that it was almost hard to look at this table.
The main office chamber was located on the 3rd floor of the Mordogh Centre. If still standing in the doorway of the main office chamber you look straight ahead past the large table you see a wall of nothing but glass over looking the landscape of outside. It was a beautiful sight to behold and certainly each member of the board enjoyed the view of Mordogh. As you look out the windows you see large walkways leading to and from the Centre. In the center of these walkways is a small ring pond with lights in and around it lighting it up. Surrounding this pond were 6 round spots of same size with medium sized maple trees; the soil that the trees were planted in mounded up to give it a 3D look in the area.
Looking beyond this scenery was the backdrop of the large capital city of Mordogh. Its many skyscrapers lit up the morning darkness creating one of the most beautiful views a Hevordian citizen could ever imagine. Many different ones would wake up early in the morning just to catch that magic moment of the day, one was doing that this very morning; many even said that if you got up to witness this time and you saw in the western sky a bright flash that you would have good luck in your days activities and that you would prosper in the future. This hardly ever happened though as it has been over a century since anyone claimed to see this bright flash of light; still, many would journey out in the morning to try and witness that particular phenomenon.
It was a picture perfect day in Mordogh. The gaseous cloud of the nebula lit up the entire atmosphere of Kriekaal in its usual red pink tone of color. It was a beautiful mix of colors and there was not a soul on Kriekaal that did not enjoy seeing it in its entire splendor. The colorful atmosphere reflected off The Centres pond to give the water the same wonderful illumination that the nebula had. But despite how wonderful of a day it was in Mordogh, members of the Board still had to go to work and still had to have their usual morning meeting.
All members of the Board had finally arrived at The Centre for the meeting. Talishka and Civ�I were the final two members to be seated � 5 minutes late. �Civ�I, Talishka�� stated the Chairman. You could tell the two youngest members of the board knew they were in a bit of trouble for arriving late - especially since the Chairman no doubt knew why they were late. �Yes Chairman Brushke�?� responded the youngsters in unison. �You arrived five minutes late. You know how I hate it when you get here late. And you know I
really hate it when you are late for not a good reason.� Said Chairman Brushke�, in an almost parental tone.
Once again in almost perfect unison Talishka and Civ�I responded, �Yes we know Chairman.� The two looked at each other as they began to get freaked out at this common occurrence. Then Civ�I continued on his own, �I would like to apologize on behalf of both Talishka and myself, Chairman. You are right in saying that we had no good reason to be late but nevertheless it happened. We will strive not to let it happen again in the future, if
trying is acceptable to you of course.� Civ�I was unwavering in his control of his emotions in the matter and that alone was enough to earn the respect of the Chairman. �I will let it go this time, Civ�I. But you best try and not let it happen again. Ever.� Said the Chairman in his response to Civ�Is plea.
After that issue was settled the Chairman stood from his chair and addressed the entire Board Committee. �Good morning to you all. Today we have a very special matter to discuss and it will probably be the only issue up for this mornings meeting. It was brought up at a meeting a couple weeks ago and we had to delay the issue until a later time. Today would be that later time.� Chairman Brushke� then sat down at his seat and took a sip of his water. He then continued, �The issue of course is the role that Qullum Gorgas Jr., President and CEO of GorgaSpace, Inc. plays in our current government.�
He then pressed a button on the small consol that was built into the large table. �On your holo-padds you will notice everything that Qullum Gorgas has done for our people in the past six tenths. I am sure you will no doubt agree that it is an impressive list of items.� The rest of the Board Members nodded in agreement with slight smiles on their faces as they knew if they said anything in response that the Chairman would have their heads as he hadn�t given them permission to speak officially at the meeting.
�You all are most likely wondering what it is that I am trying to get to. So I will go straight to the point. Currently GorgaSpace, Inc. is primarily a research facility that has a temporary 1 year grant to send some vessels off into the nebula to explore these �warp-gates� that have been found.� The Chairman paused for a brief moment to take another sip of his water. �What does this have to do with Mr. Gorgas himself? Well as much as I was and still am and probably always will be against this preposterous effort to �reach for the stars,� I feel that things cannot continue in their current operation. By that I mean the order chain that is currently employed has to be changed.�
You could see that every other member of the board had a perplexed look on their face wondering what the Chairman was trying to point at. Chairman Brushke� then continued on, �As it is right now, all major decisions have to come through this Board in a long and tedious process that can take in upwards of a tenth for even the simplest of matters. Also, as it is Qullum can make any decision in his research department in a short amount of time as long as it does not directly affect our Imperium in a way that will drastically change the future � such as the space grant he pursued. This fact that Qullum, or any other person for that matter, has to go through the long process of having their request sent through the Board Committee and decided upon is greatly slowing down the progress of our people. As I said before I am strongly against the space program; but the truth remains that our Imperium is advancing in more ways then we ever thought possible.�
The other Board Members nodded in agreement with the Last statement that the Chairman had made. The Hevordian way of life indeed was advancing at a rapid pace and something had to be done to keep up with it. �It is in light of this fact that I am now proposing on behalf of all Hevordian life on Kriekaal that we institute GorgaSpace, Inc. as the official space program of our people and we make Qullum Gorgas be Triumvir of this program. In this position he will be allowed to make any major decisions by himself and whomever he wishes to request advice from on his science team. He will no longer have to go through the process of requesting everything through the Board Committee. However, I am by no means relinquishing all authority to him. There are still a select few items that I will still require come through and be voted upon by the Board. Also, if any decision he makes is directly affecting the Imperium in a way that is catastrophic then we will have all right to relinquish his authority in the matter and overturn the decision made. All details of this proposal can be found in your Holo-Padd.� (HP)
Civ�I, Talishka, and all the other board members were completely shocked at the proposal set before them. They never thought they would hear Chairman Brushke� say the things that he was saying this very morning. They looked around at each other as if to say �What the hell?� but then their attention turned back to the Chairman when he continued to speak. �Captain Sh�tor, Qullum Gorgas and the rest of the
Expedition will be beginning their trip back to Kriekaal and the start of the new tenth. I would like to come to a final decision by the end of today, but we have until the ship returns with Qullum to make our decision. Therefore, today will be the first day � and hopefully Last � day of discussions that will lead to a decision. I will now open this meeting up to the rest of you Board members by accepting any questions you may have on the matter; after which the issue will be voted on. Questions please.�
-------------
Fini- The Saga Continues...
Re: Hevordah Imperium - Story thread - Updated 6-13-03!
Linear Mode
