Bob Cooper [Cooper - The Antares Codex Box Set

The Antares Codex

Book 1

The Antares Codex Series

By Bob Cooper

Dirk Saunders was fumbling through the class lists when the tower bell chimed. Not wanting to be late for lecture, he took a last sip of coffee and stuffed the lists into his worn leather satchel. Heading out for the cadet wing of the Academy, the pungent smell of the creosote bush after an early morning monsoon rain made him inhale deeply to savor the clean desert air. Approaching the inner campus, the hubbub of a new school year became quite noticeable. New students wandered through the labyrinth of buildings looking for classes as monitors incessantly flashed maps and directions, and administrators swarmed to do what they could to ease the confusion.

It had been a long time since Dirk felt their anxiety, but to him, it was just the other day. He envied them, thinking how much easier technology made it to access information. The tools that he used then were archaic compared to what they had available today. In his day, religions stressed a narrow-minded, earth-centric philosophy generally accepted by society. But a lot had changed, especially after first contact was made.

Dirk was a part of that, and his experiences were still fresh in his mind. His many expeditions earned him the respect of his colleagues, and his theories in Astro-Archeology won him critical acclaim. The contributions he made challenged the old ways and helped to shape a more liberal society with respect to the possibilities of life on other worlds. All this was a direct result of contact with alien civilizations and cultures. Now it was time to impart this knowledge to the next generation, and he was eager to get started.

Rounding the corner and entering the lecture hall, the familiar scene of students at their stations with computers buzzing and blinking came into view. Nervous chatter and small talk began to die down as the fledgling cadets felt his presence. The security system recognized him as he walked up to the podium and flashed his picture and bio on the screen. A bigger than life picture of him dressed in his finest Journey Master regalia, posing in front of a 3D rendition of the Cosmos, grabbed their attention.

Good morning and welcome to the Academy, he shouted, walking down the main aisle.

Slowly they each focused on Dirk until there was complete silence. If the cadets were not impressed yet, they soon would be. Dirk and the Academy were the major forces that shaped the belief in alien diversity. The Academy had the means to visit the stars with several Galaxy-Class vessels equipped with the latest WARP Technology. Public and private institutions frequently funded expeditions. To some students, the Academy represented adventure and exploration. Others pursued science and knowledge. There were those only interested in the monetary gains realized from the trading of goods and services off Earth. Some believed this concept of alien diversity was the ruination of earths cultures and societies.

You sir, please stand up and tell the world why you are here, Dirk bellowed randomly picking out a cadet.

All attention turned to the skinny, mop-haired, pale-skinned boy. Knocking his com device to the floor, he stood up. His silhouette appeared on the screen, overpowered by Dirks image. Coming face to face with the cadet, Dirk waited for him to gain his composure.

Tell us why you are here.

Im here because my father and my uncle were graduates and

Stop right there, Dirk shouted. Facing the cadets, he walked backward to the podium. The only answer I will accept is that you have a BURNING PASSION to make contact with other worlds for the purpose of CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING AND SCIENTIFIC GAIN. Any other reason is NOT LEGITIMATE.

Dirk studied their faces, now that he had their full attention. He knew some vehemently opposed the Academys mission and goals. He often saw them outside picketing and hurling insults at the faculty and staff. Earth for Earthers they called themselves.

The first lecture was always the sameto dissect each word of the Academys mission. The class listened intently as he described how private funding and trading with other worlds helped to make it possible to run the Academy and provide the financial means needed to maintain two Galaxy-Class science ships. Students knew crews were selected directly from the Academys brightest students.

For your first assignment, I want you to examine your motives, question your judgment, and be absolutely convinced that the life you choose will be in support of the Academys principles. Statistically, he knew by the end of the first year, almost half of the starting cadet class would not be able to meet the rigors of academic life and drop out.

Dirk watched the solemn procession of cadets leave his classroom. His colleagues thought him too intense and hard on the new cadets. But most of them spent the majority of their tenure behind a desk, simulating contact with other worlds. They never left the solar system. His classes prepared the next generation for the realities they would face in interstellar space and for contact with alien species.

***

Dirks living space was on the 135 th floor of the Academys faculty residential complex. It was on the last level in the building, with easy access to the roof where he spent most of his time stargazing. The building had been his home for most of his adult lifefirst as a cadet and then as a professor. He raised a family there. Mementos of his family and achievements hung everywhere, keeping him close to everything he held dear.

Hi, Dirk, how was your day? shouted a voice from the galley. Acey called her Grandfather by his first name at his request. Any other name designation made him feel old. She hit the buttons on the food selection menu, and the computer did the rest to prepare dinner.

Another group of cadets all full of piss and vinegar, he shouted back, reclining in his favorite chair.

This was Aceys second year at the Academy. Science and Alien Archeology were her forte. All the stories Dirk shared about leading science expeditions to uncharted worlds, and his encounters with ancient, alien civilizations fueled her desires. As a young girl, she spent many nights on the rooftop with Dirk looking at the stars and listening to his stories. His was the only home she had ever known.

Its ready, she yelled as she swung the bubbling concoction of cheesy tofu and vegetables onto the table.

How is the research coming on your Ancient Cryptography project? Dirk asked as he shoveled the gooey stuff into his mouth.

The computer algorithms I wrote arent strong enough to crack the secondary sequence. Im comparing them to what was used on the Antares Codex. Hopefully, I can find some useful information there.

Aceys father discovered pieces of the Antares Codex on a planet inhabiting the Antares system. Antares is one of the largest known stars in the Scorpio Constellation, having several hundred times the diameter of the Sun and 10,000 times the Suns luminosity and lies about 600 light-years from the Earth. Several planets and assorted moons were discovered there. The concentration of work for the Codex took place on the planet Antares Proper. They contained the key to understanding the lifecycles of that ancient civilization and how they devised unlimited and clean energy technologies.

Her memory of her parents faded long ago. When Acey was two years old, they were killed when their starship shuttle exploded around the planet Antares Proper. Dirk never talked much about the incident. He lost his son, Henry, and his daughter-in-law, Laurathe only family he had, except for Acey. She never knew her Grandmother, and for that matter, Dirk had only one picture of her. Waiting for him to return home from his frequent and long journeys into space turned them into strangers. She finally left him after their son graduated from the Academy.