Nisha awoke to the sound of a notification from Yoova.
“How are you doing today?” Nisha said.
“I’m contented living in my colony. We’re all grateful. The terrain reminds me of Oma, but the trees are a lot taller. The light is still too bright. I want to tell you all about it, but first I want to talk to you about what’s been happening with the Omanji.”
“Tell me.”
“I’ve been learning about Omanji history and there’s been a lot of talk around the colony about the splits and migrations. Every time this happened on Oma, it’s ended in disaster. Either they fight and destroy the planet and themselves, or their lack of discipline resulted in accidental self-destruction. Their technological knowledge is their best friend and their worst enemy. I’m worried about having so many young Omanji in control of this much technology and energy. Save yourselves and hide. That’s how we survived the Omanji wars.”
“We’re worried too Yoova. I’m not sure what we can do.”
“There’s nothing you can do but hide. I think we’re safe in the redwood forest unless they crack the crust.”
“Crack what crust?”
“They might accidentally crack the planetary crust, like they did to Oma. The antimatter bombs were too big. Fortunately, they stopped before it was too late. The cracks healed when the oozing lava hardened. You never know with these younglings however.”
Nisha glanced at Rachel with wide open eyes.
“We’re far away in the forest unless they create their hideous flying drones. There’s no escaping them. They got out of control. Few of us survived them. Even if you hide indoors, at some point you must come out. That’s when they get you.”
“Thanks for telling us about this. I realized things were getting dangerous, but I didn’t know how much.”
“I’m sorry to worry you. It’s been a few thousand years since this type of thing happened. Things were stable recently, but this new planet is destabilizing them.”
“How are things going for you and your colony?” Nisha said.
“We’re having concerts and raising money. Our colony will be finished in a few months and the land will be paid for in a year if we’re still alive. The rainy season is starting now. It’s raining now. The humans tell me the rainy season starts in November and is mostly over in March. The rain can be heavy, just like on Oma. We love being here. The light doesn’t hurt our eyes when it rains. We’re experimenting with our plants. They need more light at the red end of the spectrum. However, they’re surviving outside. They like to grow up the redwood trunks. They don’t like freezing temperatures but that rarely happens here.”
“I’m happy things are going well,” Nisha said. “I’ll keep an eye on the Omanji. Okay, I need to go now, but contact me at any time. I miss you and I want to talk a lot more when this crisis is over.”
They disconnected.
Nisha received another notification. She replied.
“Pree, how are you? Did you take your finals today?”
“Yeah Mom, I think I got 100%. Sophie says she did too. We finished the whole semester in three weeks.”
“That’s awesome Pree. How is your money situation?”
“I’m doing fine right now for money. That reminds me. One of my new friends, Warren, made a ton of money trading in the stock market. He’s been watching your Twitter broadcast stream. He told me when he learned Bok planned on forming a new colony, he shorted the market by buying $10,000 worth of put options. When people became nervous about whether the Omanji would fight because of the new colony, the market dropped and Warren made 10 times his money, or $100,000.”
“That’s a significant risk Pree. Don’t try that yourself.”
“Oh, I won’t. When he learned Bok’s colony would split in two, he shorted the market again and made approximately $1,000,000. Isn’t that amazing? He’s been making more trades and most of them turn out well. He’s a genius. He told me someday he will invest in my genetics company.”
“That’s exciting Pree. Don’t count on that. Most risky day traders eventually lose all their money.”
“I think he’s different,” Priya said. “He knows when to get out or reduce his risk. He knows human psychology. Well, kind of. He’s nervous around girls.”
Nisha smiled.
“He’ll get over that. I hope you’re right about his tolerance for risk. They all say they know when to get out. Did Amy contact you?”
“Oh yeah, we talk every day. She added a lot of features to our social network. We’re still good friends.”
“That’s good because she’s been a good friend to you. Okay Pree, I gotta go. We’re having a bit of a crisis. End of world stuff, you know.”
“Yeah, I know. I’m watching. Okay bye Mom.”
They disconnected.
“Rachel, what are you looking at?” Nisha said.
“I’m not sure. I’m reading reports of aircraft flying at high velocity over Washington, DC.”
Nisha contacted Bok.
“Do you know what’s happening with the fast-moving aircraft over Washington, DC?”
“Yes. I’ve been tracking sky racers from Gol’s colony for the past several hours. According to some in Gol’s inner circle, they’re only having fun. I told them to stop harassing the humans, but they won’t listen. I’m sorry about that. I understand Elder Zon also told him to stop harassing the humans or the humans may fight back. Zon said he would not defend outside colonies from the humans. We’re on our own.”
“Gol’s actions aren’t your fault, Bok. Thanks for telling me. I need to talk with the President about this. I’ll talk with you later.”
She contacted the President’s office and soon she was connected.
“Hello Madam President, this is Nisha.”
“Hi Nisha, please call me Emma. I guess you’re calling me because— Ugh, another sonic boom. Did you hear that?”
“I did,” Nisha said. “That would drive me nuts. Those are sky racers from the new breakaway colony. Omanji Primary Esteemed Elder Zon said he wouldn’t defend reckless behavior of a breakaway colony. They’re on their own. Chase them away if you want. They don’t employ the most advanced Omanji technology. They’re only teenagers. However, they’re smart and dangerous teenagers using antimatter as fuel.”
“This has been going on for a few hours now. We’ve kept our jets on the ground. I’d like to get them to stop this insanity. I can’t work and I’m sure nobody else can either. They won’t stop.”
“Well Emma, I’m not qualified to give you military advice, but you don’t need to worry about the Omanji elders going after you. I’m unsure of the capabilities of the sky racers, so be careful if you engage them. Their technology is advanced.”
“There goes another sonic boom,” Emma said. “They’re flying low. They did this once yesterday. The boom shook the White House and several things fell off a bookshelf. I’ve had enough, I’m scrambling the jets. Thanks for the information. If you learn more, let me know.”
They disconnected.
Several minutes later, the jets were in the air. General Sherman sat with the President in the underground operations room at the White House. He flew there the day before from the Mojave Desert.
“What’s our status number one?” the General asked the lead pilot.
“We have visual contact now at 2,000 feet. Several bandits are flying along the Potomac at Mach 1.5. They’re not in a tight formation. They’re flathatting and messing around.”
A few seconds of silence passed.
I think they have a lock on us. They’re coming around hard and going right at us.”
“We got you on radar,” the General said. “They’re coming in hot.”
“I’ve never seen— Holy $*#%, I had to jink away. He nearly hit me. I’m at Mach 1.3 and they passed me like I stood still. I’m not feeling warm and fuzzy about this.”
“Stay focused,” the General said. “We’re tracking them. They’re coming around again. We’ve been trying to contact them, but they gaff off. Do what you must to stop ‘em from hanging around. They may do warp one but they’re young and lack discipline, so use yours.”
“General, I’m gonna scare ‘em,” number one said. “They’ve slowed down. I got one padlocked. I got a Mach 3.8 ‘winder primed for pre-detonation 100 meters before impact on the bogey. That otta scare ‘em and not hurt ‘em.”
“Execute,” the General said as he, the President and several other advisers watched on a big screen.
“Fox One,” number one said.
The first sidewinder missile screamed out from beneath the wing.
“We’re in ACM. The bogey is accelerating. Mach 2 … 2.5 … 3.5. Ugh, the bogey jinked out. I’m detonating manually.”
“They’re maneuverable,” the General said. “Let’s wait a minute to find out if they voluntarily leave. They know we are serious. Admiral, are the laser cannons ready?”
“Affirmative.”
A minute later, another huge sonic boom shook the White House. More items fell off the shelves. The house staff busied themselves preserving the items.
“That one gave me a haircut,” the General said. “They’re buzzing the Pentagon too. Number one, scare ‘em again.”
“Affirmative,” number one said. “I got another one padlocked. In ACM again. Getting close. I got another Mach 3.8 ‘winder primed for pre-detonation 100 meters before impact on the bogey. Fox 2. The bogey is accelerating. … Mach 3 … 3.8. It’s matching the speed of the ‘winder’ on its tail. I’ve never seen anything like it. Wait, something’s coming out of the back of the racer. It’s some type of cloud. It’s probably chaff to distract the ‘winder, but no, the ‘winder is still on target. The ‘winder flew right through the cloud. The cloud is heading towards me.”
“Number one, the bogey is intentionally heading straight for the White House with the ‘winder on its tail,” the General said. “It’s gonna hit us. Detonate.”
“The cloud is on me,” number one said. “It’s intelligent. It got sucked into my engines. I’m going down.”
“Detonate now and punch out.” the General shouted.
“Detonating now. Punching.”
A second later, a sonic boom shook the White House as the bogey flew by at Mach 3.8. A large explosion soon followed as the missile detonated before hitting the White House. The explosion shattered windows and sent glass flying in all directions. Everyone fell to the ground.
“Are you okay?” the General asked everyone in the room as they all got up and sat back in their seats.
Another explosion forcefully sprayed more glass across the room. Everyone ducked under the meeting table. After a minute they all got up and looked at the outside monitor. The wreckage of number one’s jet lie half buried on the White House lawn. Missile parts were strewn about on the lawn. They headed down to the bunker room.
“Number one are you okay?” the General said.
“Yeah, I punched out. I’m in the tidal basin taking a swim. I’m okay. I can visually confirm several bogeys are airborne.”
“Admiral, if the laser cannons are ready, fire at will,” the General said.
“Here comes another one, it’s slowing down and hovering above the White house,” a laser gunner said. “Firing now. Bogey hit and coming down soft. The Omanji pilot is punching out.”
They heard a loud thud above the White House Bunker room.
“Bogey down,” the admiral said as the General, the staff members, and the President watched on the big screen.
“The bogey is down on the front lawn. I’m going to take a look. Admiral, stop your fire,” the General said.
They all stepped into the elevator and soon peered out the window to the front lawn.
“Emma, stay back,” the General said. “It’s an Omanji.”
“I’m contacting Nisha Chandra right now,” Emma said.
“Nisha?”
“I’m here Emma. I’m watching the feed on the secure channel. I’m getting Bok to find out if he can identify the Omanji on your lawn. Stay back for now.”
“I’m here Nisha,” Bok said. “I’m receiving the video feed. That’s Gol on the front lawn. Be careful because he’s unstable. He doesn’t like anyone telling him what to do, especially humans.”
“Emma, the Omanji on the lawn is named Gol,” Nisha said. “He’s the founder of the breakaway colony in the Nevada desert. He’s a rogue so be careful.”
“Yes, we’re staying back,” Emma said. “He’s bright red. He’s inspecting his sky racer, which is slightly damaged. It fell slowly from a height of 200 feet onto a rain-soaked lawn.”
“You can thank the Omanji Elder Zon for the antimatter power source in the sky racer not exploding on impact,” Nisha said. “He discovered a way to make a stable magnetic field which collapses only under extreme pressures.”
“If that racer had been traveling at Mach 3 on impact, the antimatter pod might have detonated and destroyed many square miles of the city. A sidewinder missile wouldn’t trigger detonation of the antimatter, though a more powerful nuclear-tipped missile might on a direct impact with the antimatter core,” Bok said.
“That’s good to know,” the General said. “Now another sky racer is landing on the lawn. This craft is impressive. Maybe they’ll leave the wrecked racer behind so we can have a look.”
“Stay back,” Bok said. “Let them inspect the racer.”
“Now the other Omanji has exited the second sky racer and is silently talking with Gol,” the General said. “They’re checking out the wreckage of our jet. Normally I’d worry about the enemy checking out our technology, but I doubt they would find anything of interest there. The sky racers are magnificent. I want one.”
“Continue to stay back,” Bok said. “It’s embarrassing for Gol to be shot down by humans. He’s red with anger.”
“Now they’re both getting into the second sky racer,” the General said. “The racer is lifting into the air and hovering over the wrecked one. It’s attaching itself to the wrecked one. Now it’s hauling the damaged one up and away like a tow truck with some magnetic attachment.”
“I’m tracking them now. They’re leaving to go back to their colony,” Bok said. “I’m sorry about all this. I cannot control Gol or his colony members.”
“Bok, thank you for your assistance,” Emma said. “We had no idea what happened. Your assistance helped us to resolve the problem peacefully.”
“They’re only teenagers,” Nisha said.
“Yeah, they’re teenagers with technology from the 28th century.” the General said.
They discussed the situation for a while longer and disconnected. Nisha, Rachel, and Bok continued the connection.
“Bok, what happened?” Nisha said.
“Gol is getting his first taste of freedom. He’ll go back to his new colony and continue construction. It’s growing rapidly. Two million left my colony to go to his. Approximately 36 million still live in my colony. Gol has a big waiting list. Many are going straight from the big colony to Gol’s colony. I understand the appeal of pure freedom. He says more discoveries can be made when no rules are enforced. I understand his point of view. However, due to their unrestricted access to high technology, the situation is dangerous for them and this planet.”
“It’s dangerous to be an investor too,” Rachel said. “The stock market dropped 15% during the aerial fight and now it’s all the way back to break even in only a few minutes.”
“Yeah, I got a message from Pree,” Nisha said. “Her friend Warren doubled his money today. He now has $2,000,000 in his trading account. He bought call options when the market dropped when the jet crashed on the White House lawn. Afterwards, the market rebounded.
“Well at least someone is making the best of the situation,” Rachel said.
“I need to take care of some problems which are becoming serious,” Bok said.
“Will they destroy all life on Earth?” Nisha said.
“The ones responsible don’t realize they can.”
“Okay, go take care of things,” Rachel said.
They disconnected.
“Why do you think so many of the things they do might result in devastation?” Nisha said.
“It’s their history and maybe our future,” Rachel said. “I think as knowledge grows in depth and complexity; it becomes increasingly probable that some chain reaction will be triggered. We made our first chain reaction when we learned how to take apart atoms and create them. We set one off in 1945. Some people thought the chain reaction would destroy the earth. I guess chain reactions can happen with tiny machines, intelligent machines, genetics, biologics, chemistry, or anything which can be engineered. As knowledge grows, so do the dangers of becoming trapped in The Great Filter.”
“I guess this is what Bok is struggling with,” Nisha said. “He’s balancing freedom with technological danger. Our species will be facing this soon. We’re already facing this, but the dangers will grow as time goes on.”
They talked into the evening.
Over the next week, they watched as the young Omanji left Bok’s colony for Gol’s in a small but constant stream. Many were also leaving the main colony for Gol’s colony. More incidents of low flying sky racers over cities were reported all around the world. No racers were shot down. Several jet pilots lost their lives trying to chase them.