The Suggestion Box (Volume 1)

Part 5: The Vega Effect (1)

Scander Hawke—nicknamed Hawk Commander even though it was beyond his actual rank—studied the young pilot closely as she resumed her work. Satisfied that he need not fear any actual mutiny or insubordination from the cockpit (Ashuria struck him as one with a smart mouth and a smarter, patriotic mind and heart; she talked with more swagger than she actually cared to act upon) he retired to his quarters to study the series of reports from Vega that had been their last communications. Hawke could not figure out why.

07182172-095623 BEGIN REPORT: "Official Terraforming Status Report—Process progresses as normal. Environment responding well; expected to reach habitable levels by 12202172. Projected success rate: 99 percent—Commendable. END REPORT."

Nothing amiss there. Hawke scanned ahead to the colonization date, December 21st, 2017. That's when things started to get suspicious.

12212172—100345 BEGIN REPORT: "Official Terraforming Colonization Commencing. First ships arriving. Pilot reports abnormal atmospheric readings, but there have been no signs, either organic or mechanical, of any such concerning changes. Will continue to monitor the situation for aberrations, but colonization should proceed on schedule. Success Rate of 95 percent—Acceptable. END MESSAGE."

12272172—094734 BEGIN REPORT: "Official Terraforming And Colonization Report: Settlement Communities—6; Population—1272; Colonization proceeds as directed. Investigation in progress concerning scattered complaints from outer settlements, but as yet there has been no real cause for concern. Colonzation success rate holding at 90 percent—Acceptable. END MESSAGE."

01042173—095312 BEGIN REPORT: "Official Terraforming And Colonization Report: Settlement Communities—10; Population—6000; Population expansion continues on schedule. Vega medical staff reports increased volume of critical patients, cause or source currently unknown. Investigation in progress. Will confirm as additional discoveries are made. Authorities see no cause to delay colonization as scheduled. Docks will remain open as colonial ships continue to arrive. Colonization success rate currently at 85 percent—Acceptable. END MESSAGE."

01062173—095032 BEGIN REPORT: "Official Colonization Report: population mortality has reached concerning levels. Medical staff unable to isolate cause or source. Docks currently closed. Population diminished by 40 percent. Quarantine protocol advised. Colonization success rate: 30 percent—Failure. END MESSAGE."

The next report, issued just two days later, was chillingly impersonal.

01082173—100223 BEGIN REPORT: "Official Colonization Report: Settlement Communities—1; Population—Undetermined. Colonization proceeds as normal. END MESSAGE."

Hawke closed the window with a shudder. To go from 60 percent in 10 settlements to just one in two days made even the bravest man squeamish. What could a newly terraformed planet contain that could decimate a population in two weeks? The governing body seemed loath to believe it had been a fluke of poor preliminary research that resulted in the choice of a planet that could not be terraformed—hence they decided to send someone to investigate, and who better than the Hawk Commander, a steely-eyed, practical, serious man who did not deviate from a set course of reason for anything less than a compelling reason, and who counted every detail he saw, and left nothing to chance or vague impressions?

Hawke leaned back to consider the current situation—the problem with Vega. It had to be something microscopic, because an alien predator would not be so insidious—unless the alien itself were microscopic, perhaps an unknown element in the very air on Vega... No, that was unlikely; all the colonists resided in manufactured structures, and each structure was equipped with environmental moderators and microbial air filters that removed anything from the air that was not present in Earth's atmosphere. Even if something foreign could infiltrate the system, it would be readily noticed and reported.