Deep

Chapter 91 Aftermath part two.

Two hours later, we held another virtual meeting to discuss the aftermath of what occurred. I was expecting a flurry of apologies, but I intercepted them. 

'Folks, I know what you're thinking. Maybe we could have done something else. However, it was silly to think we could ambush an opponent who creates wormholes, carries black holes and has Alcubierre Drives. That we thought we could succeed was hubris.' 

'I think it was desperation, not hubris,' Su said. 

'That may be so CMC, but we need ideas, and fast. So, what are our options?' 

'Set up an NCAC array that fully covers the ship, so we can detect its approach?' Jorge said.

'Then what?' Seki asked.

'Hit it with the biggest lasers we can build with the resources that we have.' the Major said. 

It wasn't much, but at least it was a plan.

'Chief, you and Alice plan and implement the defence system. We will continue as is and maintain level one LERTCON. We will review the tactical situation daily. Dismissed.' Everybody disappeared except Seki.

'Yes, XO?'

'What do you really feel about this situation, Drew?' 

'On one hand, I am relieved we no longer have a black hole attached to the hull.'

'On the other?' she asked.

'They could pursue us and destroy this ship at a whim, so humanity is just as close to extinction as we were before we discovered that Tama Maru is a colony ship.'

'I agree. Everything seems so hopeless now. Even that defence plan is nought but jousting with windmills.' 

'As long as we're alive, there's a chance you never know. That ship could collide with an asteroid, or we get lucky with the lasers. We owe it to the dead to keep on living. So did you compare that ship's gravity waves versus the odd unexplained one?'

'Yes, I did. They were the same.' 

Deus ex machina. 

'What?' 

'Deus ex machina. It's Latin for the machinations of gods.'

'I know what it means. What do you mean?'

'Do you remember the initial incident? The odd waveform was an anti-wave that collapsed the Einstein-Rosen bridge.'

'Yeah, so?'

'It is possible, Seki, we're dealing with not just one first contact situation, but two.'