Time’s Nemesis Copyright 2009

Forward
Time… I’ve been forced to think a lot about the notion. Most of
everyday life is brimming with references. “I’m out of time”, “There’s
not much time”, “You’re late”, “How much time will it take?” and my
favorite… “Time will tell”.

We’ve been forced from childhood to “tell time”. What the hell does
that mean? You look at a clock, see the little hand pointing to the two
and the big hand pointing to thirty-three. Great… it’s 2:33. Wait, gotta
look outside. I see the sun, so it must be 2:33 PM… you know,
afternoon. That’s when the sun has been out for a while. A digital clock
that reads “2:33 PM” makes this a bunch easier.

A child learns that “time” runs in a “clockwise” direction. (So maybe

time is circular?) The “hands” could run from left to right, but seeing as
we read from left to right, it sort of makes sense. The clock reads “12”
two times a day… kind of confusing, but if you look out the window,
it’s either dark or light. Pretty simple.

In the modern era we could no longer say things like: “be there at
sunrise”, “work till dusk” or “shoot out at high noon” and be sure the
exact same reference to “time” would be used by someone else. We
needed a more precise way to do things if you had to “be at work by
8:30” or a “doctor’s appointment at 3:15”. The concept of before or after
the “meridian” came neatly into play. The highest point of the sun in the
sky or “meridian” defines AM and PM. At work by 8:30 AM, with a
doctor’s appointment at 3:15 PM… cool.

Some really smart people started using the twenty-four hour cycle for
time… keeps that old element of confusion down to a minimum when
saying things like: “initiate attack at 0530”. No doubt… he means 5:30
in the morning, if it were afternoon, he would have said 1730 hours.

When navigating the vast oceans of the world we needed a new form of
accuracy. You said it was “0730”… great. But where? Well, right here.
Uhhh, where is here? Hmmmm. If it was 7:30 AM in New York, it was
4:30 in the morning in LA… I don’t know about you, but I don’t want a
4:30 AM phone call. Better to have a consistent means for “telling time”
no matter where you are.

The British sailors of the 1800’s adopted this convention as an aid in

navigation. The longitude of any ship on the world’s oceans could be
calibrated from the ship’s time piece set to the sun’s passing of the
Greenwich meridian at high noon… Greenwich Mean Time. It proved
so useful in coordinating the far-flung activities of the British Empire
that it became a modern part of life known as GMT, UTC or Zulu
“time”.

Astronomers who came from different cultures, religions and continents

applied a more exacting definition with the use of Julian Days and a
Julian Date. An astronomical event in the past or future could be given a
precise definition of “time”… no matter where, what type of calendar or
what language.

All this is very good… we can now define “time” with a precision that
was only dreamed of once. But what about the core concept? Are we a
part of time? Is it a part of us? Does “time” define us or do we define it?

Someone once told me that time was simply a parameter by which we

measure our existence and not a true dimension. A look at our lives by a
person outside of the constraints of “time” would see a long pink worm
(or brown... or yellow... you get the drift). Pretty weird concept.

The ancients were great observers. They saw the sun, moon and stars
rise and set. They noticed patterns. The sun came over the horizon at
different places during different seasons of the year. At regular intervals
it disappeared over here and then reappeared over there. The “time” it
was overhead; the “time” it was absent; and the differing “times” of the
year were all part of a cycle.

They designed Sundials, obelisks and temples sighted to the sunrise on

specific days. They cataloged the “dances of the heavens” or the
“harmony of the spheres” and made events in the sky a part of life on the
ground. Stone Henge in England, the El Caracol at Chichen Itza in
Mexico and the Pyramids in Egypt are magnificent examples of this
engineering prowess.

This cycle was a part of life and death. It told of seasons… when to
plant, when to gather wood for the coming winter or when to travel to
the best hunting or fishing grounds. It also allowed the observant and
curious forbearer to notice a different kind of cycle. Eclipses, the
movement of planets and even stars. Some heavenly bodies moved in
great cycles of time. 72 years for a one-degree change in the position of
a constellation. The complete cycle of star field motion or precession of
25,772 years was deduced. If not through the direct observation, then
enough to extrapolate the rest… pretty impressive for “stone age” man.
 Very early humans had neither written language nor clocks, but
possessed a notion of “time” that was as sophisticated as our own. They
had observations of past events that were handed down in verbal form…
these were memorized. The exacting and meticulous nature of these
memories is beyond our grasp today. They simply used a portion of the
brain that atrophied once knowledge was conveyed and stored by
writing.

The dust, decay and erosion of ancient knowledge hide the fact that
their concepts were both simplistic and awe-inspiring. They included a
notion of “time” that was in sync with everyday life and the cosmos.
They created a living harmony. It is possible that those memories even
included events that threatened our very existence.
 Part One

Mayan Calendar Date - 13.0.0.0.0

Modern Calendar Date - October 15, 13,364 BC
Western Pacific Ocean

The rising sun burned like a coal just below the horizon, giving a hint
of the glory of the coming day. Anapu faced the amber early morning
light and wearily rubbed the sleep from his salt encrusted eyes. His
strong dark hands massaged his broad shoulder, briefly relieving the
stiffness. His mahogany gaze swept downwind confirming the departure
of the blue-black clouds.

Day blended into night as the crew of the deep-sea sailing raft fought
the rage of the typhoon. Its winds had driven the rain in a blinding sheet
and whipped the massive waves on the ocean's surface into froth.
Mountains of water had caused them to reluctantly rise and
precipitously slide on the massive slopes.

The crisp clear air now smelled of rain kissed freshness as he filled his
lungs with the scrubbed atmosphere. The morning sun shone through the
spray as the craft danced across the waves and made small rainbows as
it crested their peaks.

As the storm began to clear the previous night, he had a brief

opportunity to sight the pole star. Anapu used a precisely spaced,
knotted cord held in his teeth to measure the positions of the moon and
stars. The conclusion allowed him to determine that almost 3 days of
drifting had driven them south of their desired course.

Splashing the crisp deep blue seawater on his face, he praised the god
of the sea for merciful treatment. The 33-year-old Master Navigator and
leader of the trans-Pacific voyage moved to the bow of his craft. With a
strong breeze at his back, the wood under his feet now surged through
the ocean as if alive.

The design of the large sailing raft was one that allowed the ocean to
"wash through" like water in a giant sieve, allowing the fragile looking
craft to ride the monster waves in an almost stately fashion. The last few
days had proven the design of his ancestors and given Anapu a feeing of
stability in the jaws of the raging late season storm.

After almost 2 months at sea, Anapu knew they had but a few days left
on their journey from the great trading center in the land of the Star
Masters and longed for the comfort of his home. His wife Fanui would
have begun the preparations for a great feast. He would celebrate with
his family and the village after he and his cargo were secured.

The Star Masters had created the Sky School and taught many Master
Navigators the finer points of celestial navigation. They also had
records of millennia of sky watching. This knowledge base allowed them
to predict many occurrences through the repetition found in their
accumulated observations.

His visit with the Teachers and their Star Masters at The Sky School
had been brief this trip. He had brushed up on his knowledge of the sky
patterns by using the large stones at the Sky School. These immense
granite spheres had been arranged to align with rising and setting star
clusters and other predictable sky phenomena to facilitate in the
instructing of celestial navigators and aid In the Keeping of Time.

There had been an uneasy quiet among the Masters. His sense was one
of great danger. They had assembled a late night council and seemed to
argue over the meaning of their observations. He had never seen the
Star Masters so disturbed by their interpretation of celestial events.
Their deliberations had gone late into the evening and he had left early
the next morning discarding his intuitions.

The span at sea had provided him with plenty of time to reflect and the
issue nagged at him. He had learned to trust these internal voices. There
was something here that made the hair on the back of his neck stand up,
but the clarity that usually came in dreams eluded him now.

The sun scorched its way over the horizon, promising a clear, sunny
day for sailing. As Anapu turned to leave the bow of his vessel a cry of
terror arose from one of his crew. In following Kamppi's outstretched
arm he was frozen in place by the scene unfolding before his eyes.

The stars had left their home in the sky and turned into serpents
scorching, hissing and tearing their way toward earth. There were tens,
no… hundreds of them. Their heads were fiery balls and their ghostly
bodies began to stretch across the sky as they raced to the earth. The
largest of them had disappeared from view in its travel, but where it had
been headed was now starting to glow.

It seemed as though a second sun had risen in the North Western sky.
His brain refused to process the image. As the specter burned into his
retina, the seas seemed to rise on the horizon and leap towards his craft.
The last conscious thought Anapu was able to register was one of
complete and utter bewilderment.
 Chapter One

Mayan Calendar Date -12.19.19.15.15 | 11 Men 18 Zac

UTC 08:43:17 - 2012311 | Julian Day Number - 2456238
Local Time - 4:43 PM – Tuesday November 6, 2012
Spratly Islands, South China Sea

Daniel Compton wiped at the stinging stream of sweat that poured into
his eyes and cursed the unshakeable headache that seemed to resonate
like a huge gong. The dilemma he now faced required his full attention
and all his acquired knowledge. The drill bit had bound and broken for
the second time today. His riggers had barely set up for another
exploratory well shaft and were now out of action… again. The
pounding inside his head was not helping one little bit.

“What the hell, Sal? Do we have a blockage in the flow line or injection
system?” He asked.

“Everything checks out… flow lines… standpipe… Kelly hose. I’ve

checked all the pressure lines, pump… shit, you got me.” The drilling
rig foreman Sal Molina responded as he wiped a dripping face.

The floating drilling platform he was currently assigned was driving

exploratory wells in relatively shallow water. The last project had been
in over 2000 feet of ocean. This was a relative piece of cake. Off the
record he had his doubts, but the current thinking was that, at the right
depth, a fortune lay waiting. Daniel’s employer was a huge consortium
of oil interests bent on acquiring the drilling rights in areas of the South
China Sea. Usually it was first find - first serve. The mounting tensions
and posturing amongst the major powers over the resources thought to
be found in these waters made it a very problematic exercise.

“I don’t need this crap… we’re behind schedule as it is…” Daniel said
trying to blink back the pounding in his head.

He was prospecting in the Spratly Islands, a scattered and desolate

chain off the coast of the Philippines. His bosses had been promised that
large oil deposits lay lurking there, but t. They also represented some of
the most hotly contested real estate on the planet. China's claims date
from the 15th century, Vietnam's from the 17th. Brunei, Malaysia,
Thailand, and Cambodia all had differing claims as well. The UN’s Law
of The Sea Treaty had made it even worse. It gave countries bordering
oceans up to 200 nautical miles to define their territory. Great if an
island was off the coast of North Carolina, but not so good if the area in
question closely bordered competing nations. It got even more tangled if
that area held rich fishing grounds or potential petroleum deposits.

All in all... pretty treacherous waters once the pirate activity was added
in. To top it all off, the United States kept a large portion of the Pacific
Fleet in the waters surrounding nearby Taiwan. All this powder keg
needed was a spark. The fact that all these naval assets could avoid
running into each other constantly amazed him.

“We could try again… but I’m pretty sure it’s not in the rig. Maybe it’s
faulty carbide…” Sal grinned not at the broken tri-cone carbide tipped
drill head, but his companion’s discomfort.

The residue on the shattered drill bit puzzled the geologist.

Theoretically, it should not be there. The drill head held evidence of a
battle it had lost with granite. Granite he thought... this area was largely
ancient reef, shell deposits and sandstone. You should not encounter
granite until the earth's crust, over 1500 feet deeper. This was only 278
feet.

"No fucking way", Daniel Compton exclaimed out loud.

Mayan Calendar Date -12.19.19.15.14 | 10 Ix 17 Zac

UTC 08:44:22 - 2012311 | Julian Day Number - 2456238
Local Time - 10:44 PM – Monday November 5, 2012
Big Island, Hawaii

Dr. Anna Choi was about to begin her 6-hour time slot on the Pan-
STARRS digital telescope operating under the auspices of NASA, the
US Air Force, and the University of Hawaii. The observatory perched
atop the summit of Mauna Kea, a 4200 meter, dormant, provided a
perfect place to observe the stars.

She was a bit distracted this evening as her favorite cat, Mrs. Beasley,
had not eaten for 24 hours and seemed lethargic. Used to periodic feline
disorders, she was keeping a wary eye on her, but as yet, not alarmed.

She had obtained her arcane doctorate at The Institute for Astronomy at
the University of Hawaii. Her degree was in Astronomy, specializing in
Meteoric and Cometary Trajectories. Luckily, she had obtained a
research grant from the Spaceguard program that provided her with a
modest income. Her task at hand was to verify any known trajectories as
well as attempt to discover any new phenomenon with a potential for
earth crossing orbits. Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) were comets, asteroids
or meteors that have orbits that allow them to enter the Earth's
neighborhood and a possible risk of collision. The discovery of these
stealthy and deadly threats were the object of her endeavor.

Her attention had been in the lower quadrant of the night sky for the
previous week and a half. Tonight was the scheduled shift of her
observations to the next area for a thorough search of the heavens and
any new NEO's. Dr. Choi was also to confirm the trajectory models of
several dozen known earth-crossing asteroids and comets.

As she prepared to manipulate the computerized targeting control

motors for the large telescope, she made a mental note to check on the
new seeds for her garden that she had ordered last week from an online
store. She enjoyed gardening and found it to be almost spiritual. It also
allowed a sense of control in a very disorderly world.

The images from the telescope’s four mirrors were recorded via digital
cameras onto massive hard drives that allowed for terabytes of data
collection and extremely fine resolution. The older equipment she had
gone through school with used photographic film. Analysis often
required overlapping shots to follow a fast moving object... very time
consuming. The advent of the new technology allowed for near real-time
analysis and allowed for motion playback if needed.

As the huge telescope moved through the heavens towards its new
monitoring coordinates, it continued to record data. This data, like all
others was to be stored and a program run against it to "look" for any
anomalies that might represent previously undiscovered objects in the
sky. This program, or electronic "ferret", was saving incalculable time in
data analysis, and with the new equipment could be run later, after the
data was acquired, conserving computing power.

The hard drive was automatically doing its job and recording the data
the telescope took in. Anna would backup the data and run the "ferret"
program later as usual. Unknown to her was the presence of a long blur
racing into the telescope’s field of vision.

Mayan Calendar Date -12.19.19.15.15 | 11 Men 18 Zac

UTC 09:45:04 - 2012311 | Julian Day Number - 2456238
Local Time – 3:47 AM – Tuesday November 6, 2012
Peten Rain Forest, Guatemala

The painstakingly unearthed find represented a dilemma... how in the

world was he going to explain this. Dr. Olexander Krotova cradled the
front of his head in his hands. This was either a mean spirited hoax or an
artifact that would change the way textbooks were written.
 He sighed, straightened and gingerly placed the artifact in an airtight
plastic canister for protection. The archeological site deep in the jungles
of Guatemala seemed like a steam bath and protocol required the use of
environmental isolation canisters... a fancy term for the large
Tupperware like containers.

Dr. Krotova grabbed the blossoming tire around his middle and sighed.
How he could gain weight in this climate while sweating like he did still
confounded him. He looked in the small shaving mirror in his tent and
grunted at the balding, tired face that stared back at him from darkly
circled eyes.

He and his team of graduate students had been laboring in the steamy
jungles to uncover and record an ancient city just recently discovered.
This ancient site was proving itself to be extremely difficult to date. The
current wisdom was that it was a Mayan center and therefore 1500-3000
years old. The deeper and therefore older layers of this area seemed to
predate the Maya by a large margin, and that was the problem.

Most standard dating techniques used the Carbon 14 dating system that
had proven itself to be quite accurate over time. Finds were unearthed in
stratigraphic layers of deposits that represented time like the rings of a
tree. Material was taken from the layer and this material was dated using
the Carbon 14 system. This allowed the layer from which it was taken to
be dated.

The rub was that many sites were occupied by subsequent peoples,
rebuilt, and often the layers were disturbed. This practice made the dates
deceptive. To make matters more difficult, rock could often not be
reliably dated. The fossils, bones, plant matter or other organisms
around the rock could be dated, but not the rock itself. Charcoal found
near the rocks could be dated... but not the rock. Although the new
radioisotopic dating systems (measuring the rock's natural tendency to
suffer nuclear decay) proved promising, many accepted dates were often
those that fit into a certain paradigm or belief regarding the possible age
of a site. Any evidence indicating otherwise was often considered an
anomaly or "out of context" and summarily discarded.

Dr. Krotova pondered this conundrum. "Why can't this be straight

forward?", he quizzed himself. If one of his students had come to such
an absurd conclusion, he would have deemed that student unreliable
from a scientific point of view. If this artifact was what he thought it
was, the world's view of ancient history and the migration of ancient
man were going to change... radically.

Dating the copper itself was possible using the new lead isotope
method, but he would need to date the artifact’s surrounding location
using the Carbon 14 method if possible. He would then attempt to date
the rocks themselves using the new radioisotopic dating system,
although he had his doubts as to its veracity.

Dr. Krotova would also need to gain the opinion of someone highly
respected in the field of ancient man's study of the heavens or Archeo-
Astronomy before he went public with this. Anything less would subject
him to the ridicule of his peers and affect his position.

He had labored hard to become the Senior Research Scientist for the
Institute of Archaeology, Department of The Stone Age, at the National
Academy of Sciences in the Ukraine. He was a well-respected expert in
Central American archeology and Meso-American societies, but a rash
pronouncement could lay all that to waste.

Mayan Calendar Date -12.19.19.15.15 | 11 Men 18 Zac

UTC 10:52:41 - 2012311 | Julian Day Number - 2456238
Local Time – 11:52 AM – Tuesday November 6, 2012
Goseck, Germany

This was the most famous of over 250 known complexes that had
recently been identified by the broader archeological community, and
Archeo-Astronomers in particular, as astronomical observation sites.
What was really puzzling to Dr. Jack Reese was not only the number of
these sites, but their striking similarities, and in particular, their ages.
There were a lot of them. They were spread all over Europe. They were
pretty much all alike. And they were all really old.

Dotted across the European countryside were stockade like enclosures

that resembled a wooden version of Stonehenge. The well-known
example of astronomical construction had originally been thought to be
an extravagant ceremonial center. It was now proven to be so much
more. It never ceased to amaze Dr. Reese that so many people
considered ancient man to be just plain dumb.

"Why construct something that would not provide a credible defense,

coral animals, or provide an enclosed living space?" he speculated to no
one in particular.

Many "experts" had simply called them "ceremonial centers" as if that

even had a hope in hell of explaining the effort the ancients had gone to
in building these edifices. It was obvious to him that these were
astronomically aligned and built for watching the movement of the
heavens. "But why?", he wondered.
 He was considered a "go to guy" in his field. He had earned his
Master's and PhD Degrees at the University of Texas in the new Archeo-
Astronomy department and his bachelors at the University of
Pennsylvania. Ken's specialty was in European and Central/South
American studies of suspected astronomical sites.

He liked the intellectual challenge of evaluating ancient sites for their

potential astronomical implications. He saw alignments in sites that
often eluded others and his brilliance was only matched by his
meticulous recording of data. He was tired of being belittled and found
hard evidence, accurately recorded, to be an excellent way of shutting up
academic hecklers.

“Dr. Reese we need you on the far side”, a student said, slightly out of
breath.

Jack Reese felt like he was getting old. He was now 49, but looked
years younger. His 6 foot 2 inch frame carried no extra weight. He
stayed in good shape, exercising, and eating right, but age was catching
up with him nonetheless. 15 years ago his body could take a lot more
punishment and recover a lot faster.

Dr. Reese's sky blue eyes scanned the area his students were working
and brushed his graying sandy blonde hair back into his baseball cap. He
had been divorced now for almost 3 years and stayed focused on his
work. His wife had always said he was married to his work... what the
hell.

“Be right there Sandy…” he replied.

The rolling German countryside was picture postcard material. Goseck

was less than 20 miles from the bustling center of Liepzig, home once to
Bach, Goethe, and Mendelssohn to mention a few. Leipzig's
international trade fair in the north of the city reflected the heritage of
continental merchantry that the area had come to be a symbol for. The
trade fair had its origin in the 1100's and over the course of centuries
made it a hub of European commerce. On a clear night he could see the
faint glow of the city lights from the Goseck complex.

The more he studied these sites the more convinced he became that
some master plan was in effect. The alignments were dead on for the
summer and winter sun risings and settings according to his compass,
but there seemed to be more at work here. He surmised that the stars,
maybe the planets were the real objects of these celestial observation
centers. Only a thorough nighttime observation study would offer any
hope of deciphering that. Dr. Reese’s hunch would have to wait until
then.

Mayan Calendar Date -12.19.19.15.15 | 11 Men 18 Zac

UTC 10:53:54 - 2012311 | Julian Day Number - 2456238
Local Time – 6:53 PM – Tuesday November 6, 2012
USS Freedom, Straits of Taiwan

Captain Terrance Hawkins rolled with the pitch of the ship and looked
out through the high power binoculars. He scowled. That damn Chinese
trawler was still trying to dog him. Its electronic signature sure as hell
didn't match a normal fishing boat. Although he was not supposed to
initiate the new weapon system test until well after dark, he would still
like to lose this guy if at all possible.

“Come to One Nine Zero, maintain speed”, he barked. He did not want
to give away any information about the speed or overall capabilities of
his ship. The trip through the Taiwan Straits was bound to attract
attention, but this was ridiculous.

He had argued for staying farther out to sea and sailing through the
eastern waters off Taiwan to limit visual sightings, but had been over
ridden by fleet command. Rear Admiral Taft had advised the CINC to
“show the flag” with his deployment. The Rear Admiral was serving as
liaison with the other elements of the US Pacific Command deploying
the new weapon system.

Captain Hawkins was the commander of the newly commissioned USS

Freedom. It was the first of the new class of naval stealth destroyers
termed the "Zumwalt" class or DDG-1000. These had the world's navies
and especially the Chinese Navy going ape shit.

"It’ll be night soon buddy… You can't hit what you can't see", he said
to the crew on deck, smiling for the first time that day.

The USS Freedom, like the stealth aircraft before it, was not truly
invisible - it simply had a radar return that looked like it might be a
small motorboat. The software of most systems was not programmed to
"look" for small returns. They were set up to find and acquire certain
profiles and usually would simply not "see" his ship. In addition to its
radar signature the ship boasted a revolutionary new combat radar
system, and a space age integrated electronic propulsion system. Making
the ship both quiet and deadly.

The Captain's stern countenance demanded attention and his booming

voice often rattled cages. He naturally projected what the instructors at
the Naval Academy described as "a Command Presence". Terrance
Hawkins was black, 41, married, with 2 children and considered himself
to be a sailors sailor. He had played linebacker at the naval academy and
still had the physical stature that could generate images of pain. His wife
Darla was a good navy wife and had done a fine job raising their kids
under the sometimes-stressful circumstances and constant moves.
Terrance had worked extra hard to be given a combat command such as
this one, and aimed to make the most of the opportunity. The fact that
his vessel was a new generation of ship for the navy was icing on the
cake.

His orders were to take up station off the coast of Taiwan where he was
to begin sea trials of the revolutionary new system. His position would
allow testing of sea, as well as land and air based components of the new
system and to work out any glitches in the targeting components.

He knew his ship and crew were ready. All in all, this was one badass
addition to the US arsenal. Captain Hawkins had some reservations
about the software used in targeting the new weapon, but figured that
was what tests were for. "Bring it on", he thought.

Mayan Calendar Date -12.19.19.15.15 | 11 Men 18 Zac

UTC 10:56:34 - 2012311 | Julian Day Number - 2456238
Local Time – 6:56 PM – Tuesday November 6, 2012
US Aircraft Carrier George HW Bush, Off the Coast of Taiwan

Sometimes the "good old boy" bullshit was just too much. Lt. Grace
Welkins was extremely annoyed with the latest round of pranks. She had
found an electronic sex toy in her bunk.

Although when back in Miramar, CA for 6 months of her rotation, the

joke might have amused her, now she was just plain pissed. She was 3
months into her deployment aboard the carrier and in no mood for this
crap. She was all business. A woman had to be really on the ball here.
This remained a man's world, and the condescending attitudes still got to
her.

The Lieutenant brushed her shoulder length strawberry blonde hair. As

she glanced at her profile in the mirror, she straightened her back and
ran a finger through the strap of her sports bra. She often had wished as
a high school student for larger breasts but was glad she had never had
implants. All in all she was fairly attractive... as if she had time for a
man in her career now anyway.

Grace Welkins was 27, single, and really smart. She had graduated
number 4 in her class at the Naval Academy and among the top 5 in her
flight school. She had led the pack at Top Gun and was on the navy's
"fast track". Her selection as one of the pilots to test the new weapon
system being deployed really jolted some of her peers, but she felt she
had earned it. She still had Gen. Colin Powell's quote up on her mirror,
"I worked like a dog, and luck noticed." That quote summed up her
attitude and work ethic.

The carrier battle group, of which the USS George HW Bush formed
the core, had recently replaced the aging USS Kitty Hawk and was the
only permanently forward deployed aircraft carrier in the fleet. Boasting
many new enhancements and still smelling like the inside of a new car;
she was the pride of America's navy.

Like a small floating city, this ship was home to almost 6000 sailors. It
was the last of the massive Nimitz class aircraft carriers. The ship was
over 20 stories tall, almost 1100 feet long and displaced over 100,000
tons. Designed with nuclear propulsion that should last 20 years,
outfitted with enough food and supplies to go 90 days, she was as
independent as a ship could be.

The USS George HW Bush was also sporting the latest in the Navy's
high tech toy bag. She had been fitted with the new bulbous underwater
bow design to reduce drag, automated flight line enhancements and the
navy's new battle space integrated radar systems.

Lt. Welkins was due to test the newly fitted weapon system on her
recently deployed naval version of the armed forces Joint Strike Fighter.
The F-35 Lightning II or JSF was the newest version of a multi force
aircraft that boasted stealth attributes, the latest in electronics, and new
weapons capabilities.

She was using the late afternoon down time to read up on the specs and
guidelines one last time. "This thing is really going to give the Chinese
ulcers", she speculated grimly. Things were tense enough as it was, but
the decision to deploy the new system went way above her pay grade.

Mayan Calendar Date -12.19.19.15.15 | 11 Men 18 Zac

UTC 10:57:05 - 2012311 | Julian Day Number - 2456238
Local Time – 6:57 PM – Tuesday November 6, 2012
Taiwan Straits - South Sea Fleet
Peoples Liberation Army/Navy (PLAN)

Vice Admiral Jun Shan looked out over the busy shipping lanes of the
waters between Taiwan and the Chinese mainland. He was in command
of the Chinese Naval Squadron shadowing the US Fleet's operations in
the area. His ship, a Luyang class multirole missile destroyer was a real
thorn in the capitalist side 5 years ago, but now he feared they were all
being obviated by the new stealth warship program and its first
deployment.

His capabilities included the new super sonic anti-ship cruise missiles
that so worried the American sailors aboard the larger ships. Especially
the aircraft carriers. Hopefully they would never find out. Vice Admiral
Shan feared that his country's insistence on regaining control of Taiwan
meant that it was not a matter of if, but a matter of when.

Looking at the print out of the data collected by his spy ship so far on
the American stealth vessel, he cringed. "This cursed ship is almost
invisible", he groaned inwardly. How was he supposed to track a ghost,
much less hit it. The initial reports his government had obtained through
the diligent patience of its spies in and around San Diego were right…
this was truly a menace.

He looked at the sea charts and mentally figured the track of the
American ship over the next 12 hours. He would position his Squadron
to the south of Taiwanese waters and hopefully be able to keep the ship
under observation.

Vice Admiral Shan used his small frame and voice to his advantage. He
often spoke softly forcing others to listen more carefully and many times
was able to linger in the shadows, observing with out being noticed.
Issuing commands to change course and speed, he could not escape the
feeling of dread he was experiencing.
 Chapter Two

Mayan Calendar Date -12.19.19.15.15 | 11 Men 18 Zac

UTC 11:58:46 - 2012311 | Julian Day Number - 2456238
Local Time – 7:58 PM – Tuesday November 6, 2012
Palawan Island, Philippines, South China Sea

Daniel Compton was back in his coastal bungalow after a scorching,

frustrating day on the oil exploration rig. He had taken the daily
ferryboat after it had unloaded fresh provisions for the crew. He would
normally have stayed aboard the drilling barge for the rest of the week.
He usually worked from sunrise to sunset like the crew, eating in the
mess area and sleeping in cramped quarters. Skipping the 75-minute
commute each way over water allowed for more sleep, but his
seismographic charts and computer data on stratigraphic research had
been left behind.

He threw open the windows to air the perpetually musty smell from his
temporary quarters. The sun was beginning its majestic slide into the
ocean, insinuating the sunset to be. He loved this time of day, but
reluctantly turned and left his veranda overlooking the lagoon. Glad for
the respite, he shoveled aside some personal papers to make room on the
rugged wood table for his charts of the area.

Daniel had been right. There was no hint of anything denser than
sandstone in this area. Even that was not possible for roughly another
300 feet. He shook his head. "This is a real pain in the ass", he
complained. Drilling through granite required more time and a different
drill head design. It was on order, but as they would not need it for
another week or two, he had not pushed the logistics people for an
expedited delivery.

This little glitch was costing the consortium over $45,000 per day... not
to mention the time delay. And that could be priceless. Even if he had
the granite drill head, that still did not solve this little dilemma. "Why the
hell am I running into granite?", he quizzed himself exasperatingly.

Daniel's degree was in Plate Tectonics and Geodynamics

Geochemistry, with a minor in Mineralogy and Petrology. What that
really meant was that he majored in a discipline that offered only
doctoral potential and a teaching career and minored in the skills that
earned him a living.

He went over to the wall of the great room whose wall held a map
showing ocean depths for the area as well as land elevations. It took a
little getting used to, but the idea was the same as a topographical map.
This rendering indicated 50-foot deviations in elevation, or in the case of
oceans, depressions. It just made no sense... water in this area was a
mere 70 feet. His drill heads had broken repeatedly at a depth that
should have been a cakewalk.

This was worse than he thought. He had barely made it through the
seabed when the drill head had broken. The pounding in his head had
subsided, making his thoughts clearer. This was simply not possible.
"Son of a bitch!", he exclaimed.

Mayan Calendar Date -12.19.19.15.15 | 11 Men 18 Zac

UTC 12:02:48 - 2012311 | Julian Day Number - 2456238
Local Time – 6:02 AM– Tuesday November 6, 2012
Peten Rain Forest, Guatemala

Dr. Krotova arched his back and groaned. He had fallen into a troubled
sleep while still at his desk. His shoulders ached and his legs were stiff
enough to prevent a quick exit from the chair. His expedition
accommodations were luxurious by some standards... crude by others.
His tent hung like a wet rag in the oppressive early hours, waiting to
become a sauna in the daylight.

His last conscious thoughts had concerned the course of action he

would need to take in order to initially substantiate the validity of his
findings. The artifact was at the center, but the astronomical aspects
were crucial as well and needed to be confirmed. The overall dates of
the major levels of construction also would have to be verified. He knew
this would be controversial, so Dr. Krotova wanted the core elements,
upon which he was basing his conclusions, to be beyond reproach.

The dating could be done off site by respected labs. He merely had to
meticulously document the stratigraphic location of his samples and
record the "in situ" or undisturbed nature of his finds.

The dicey area was the astronomical potential of the ancient city. The
layout and design of the buildings were interesting, but altogether not
unique. It was the acres and acres of massive stone spheres that
represented a startling and unique aspect of the discovery. They were
something else entirely.

There was only one person who reflected the integrity acknowledged
by the archeological community as well as the hands on field experience
he would require.
Mayan Calendar Date -12.19.19.15.15 | 11 Men 18 Zac
UTC 12:07:19 - 2012311 | Julian Day Number - 2456238
Local Time – 2:07 AM– Tuesday November 6, 2012
Big Island, Hawaii

Dr. Anna Choi was nearing the end of the shift allocated for her
research and its required telescope use. The Japanese team from the
university was already flooding in to the observation dome next door.
They were working on a study of quasars, normally studied using a
different type of equipment. They had required the use of the X-ray
equipment provided by one of Mauna Kea's telescopes to wrap up their
research and had only been here for 2 weeks.

"The geek squad...", she softly murmured. She was just glad they left
her alone. They probably looked down on her, westerner and a woman
to boot. "Good thing they don't speak English," she decided. Her idea of
what men were good for advocated a deaf-mute status.

She had always been somewhat of a night owl anyway. Anna often
slept only 5-6 hours and when confronted with this lifestyle, would dryly
respond, "I'm too busy to sleep, I'll have plenty of time for rest when I'm
dead."

Her current time slot was perfect. Bracketed around the midnight hour,
it was quiet and the majority of her targeted search area was a good
ways off the horizon and less susceptible to light pollution or earth born
bogies.

Although the observatory's high speed fiber optic lines were connected
to the internet allowing a real time feed to the university computers, Dr.
Choi still followed the old regimen to make sure the data maintained
integrity in case of corruption.

As usual she would load the data onto a ultra high capacity portable
drive for processing later. Dr. Choi would also retrieve the session back
up tapes for redundancy. The terabytes of data were the only drawback
to the new system. This regimen provided her work with a large measure
of protection against data loss. The procedure also allowed for
independent validation of any results, if required.

As she began to wrap up her session and squeeze the last few minutes
from her schedule, a feeling of apprehension overcame her. "I'm going
to take Twinkles to the vet when I wake up." she brooded. Dr. Choi had
no children, so her animals had become surrogate children of a furry
nature.

They were always glad to see her and never became teenagers. That
thought made her smile. The feeling of disquiet she was experiencing
probably concerned her cat Mrs. Beasley, so she shrugged it off.

Mayan Calendar Date -12.19.19.15.15 | 11 Men 18 Zac

UTC 12:18:26 - 2012311 | Julian Day Number - 2456238
Local Time – 1:18 PM– Tuesday November 6, 2012
Goseck, Germany

Dr. Jack Reese had left 2 of his students behind to finish the layout and
compass directional drawings of the observation enclosure. This
particular enclosure lay on a ridge with open fields to the south and a
forest line 50 feet lower to the north. "A perfect place to view the
horizons", he judged and looked out over the landscape.

A thorough review of this site might take several more months, but he
had already come to some preliminary conclusions. “We’ll take care of
this professor. Have a good evening”, the head of his under-graduate
team said.

First, the sites all bore the same design influence. Second, they were a
lot more sophisticated than simple farming requirements would dictate.
And last, but most certainly not least, these sites were all over 5000
years old... maybe even as old as 7000 years. That one simple fact was a
real brain bender. These were supposed to be primitive farmers... not
sophisticated astronomers.

The more he played with this line of thinking, the more curious he got.
They were not supposed to be the kind of people to have an organized
culture, much less a disciplined science. There was doubt as to a
common language. It was as though a distributed, concerted, intelligent
effort was being made to observe the sky in great detail. "But why?" He
wondered.

Shaken from his postulating by the annoying ring tone that alerted him
to an unknown phone number calling his cell phone, Dr. Jack Reese
glanced at the display to see a number that could only be off the
continent. He announced simply, "Reese."

The voice on the other end of the phone asked with a heavy foreign
accent, "Dr. Jack Reese?"
He replied curtly, "Yes."

"I'm so glad I caught you. I was afraid I might miss you... you know the
time difference and all. My name is Dr. Olexander Krotova and I need
your help."

Mayan Calendar Date -12.19.19.15.15 | 11 Men 18 Zac

UTC 12:26:37 - 2012311 | Julian Day Number - 2456238
Local Time – 8:26 PM – Tuesday November 6, 2012
USS Freedom, Straits of Taiwan

The dying red glow of an absolutely spectacular sunset was still on his
mind as Captain Terrance Hawkins wished his wife had been here. She
adored sunsets… and it made her horny. That and the feeling he touch
her half a planet away had become one of the reasons he loved the deep
blue oceans of the world.

“Time sir…” his XO said.

He quickly returned his attention to the task at hand. The crew was
methodically preparing the recently fitted weapon for their first set of
sea trials using their checklists. Civilian technicians monitored and in
some cases assisted their progress. They had arrived with top-secret
security clearances once the ship was ready for her long journey across
the Pacific. The techies needed those clearances for their work on the
weapon, but also just to step foot on his ship.

Among the ultra secret enhancements his ship now boasted, was the
under sea detection and warfare capabilities. They were quite simply the
most advanced anti submarine combat systems ever installed on a
surface ship.

Cruise and guided missile systems, guided and standard gun systems,
helicopter and UAV capabilities made this a truly formidable adversary.
The ship had been designed for both open ocean warfare and coastal
support of an attacking land force.

With a crew of only 95, his ship needed almost 1/3 the personnel
required to crew his sister ships in the DDG-1000's or Arleigh Burke
class destroyers. His aging cousins sported the AEGIS air defense radar
systems as well as guided missiles. Even though the AN/SPY-1D
Phased Array Radar upgrades had proven their merit, his new
capabilities were so secret that he could not even brag about them at the
Officer's Club in San Diego.
 Although the ship's delivery and deployment timetables had slipped, the
wait was worth it. The addition of the new weapon had delayed his
deployment by 6 months, but the crew loved it. They enjoyed the home
life of a landlubber and made the most of it.

The new system had replaced one of the standard gun emplacements
that was normally recessed in the deck. The guns were designed to
remain obscure until combat or training conditions required their use.
The mount for the new weapon was on an automated lift, like a small
elevator, that when recessed, preserved the radar silhouette of the ship's
design, The stealth technology was a combination of shape and materials
which had achieved the minimal cross section.

“Let’s lose this guy gentleman. Increase speed to thirty knots on a

heading of six five”, Captain Terrance Hawkins barked.

He glanced at the bridge timepiece; it indicated he still had over 3 hours

to prepare for the test firing of the system. His adrenalin surged as the
prospect of the first operational test of the new weapon gripped his
imagination.

Mayan Calendar Date -12.19.19.15.15 | 11 Men 18 Zac

UTC 12:47:51 - 2012311 | Julian Day Number - 2456238
Local Time – 8:47 PM – Tuesday November 6, 2012
US Aircraft Carrier George HW Bush, Off the Coast of Taiwan

She must have nodded off for a moment. This was not the time. She
had awoken on her bunk, "I've had bathrooms bigger than this cabin",
she ruefully thought. It might be small, but at least she didn't have to
share her space with anyone. It was one of the few concessions of her
physical difference she tolerated… no even welcomed.

Lt. Grace Welkins shook off the cobwebs and took one last look at the
technical sheets. She already knew them by heart, but skimmed them
once again out of nervousness.

This was a huge moment for her. All the male jocks were green with
envy. She had been chosen not only for her flight capabilities, but her
smarts as well. That made all the pranks seem worth it... well, almost.
Her pre-flight briefing was still over an hour away, "Got time for a
shower", she thought as she rose to her feet.

As one of over 54,000 naval women in the service of her nation, Grace
Welkins was not alone. Although she was part of a minority in terms of
overall population, she was truly a rare breed in naval aviation.
Mayan Calendar Date -12.19.19.15.15 | 11 Men 18 Zac
UTC 12:53:44 - 2012311 | Julian Day Number - 2456238
Local Time – 8:53 PM – Tuesday November 6, 2012
Taiwan Straits - South Sea Fleet
Peoples Liberation Army/Navy (PLAN)

Eating alone in his cabin, Vice Admiral Jun Shan contemplated the
day's events and its revelations. The PLAN had benefited greatly from
the technology acquired by the Chinese agents. Some was open source,
some were considered "dual use technologies" acquired through dummy
front companies, but the real jewels were stolen. Out and out espionage,
he surmised.

"Those damn Americans, clever for barbarians", he contemplated. The

racist view of the Chinese was simple. When he grew up in Nanjing,
blood was blood. You were Chinese first no matter where you found
yourself. Of course that view had moderated as the influx from the west
turned into a tidal wave. In many respects the isolation of the Chinese
empire was impossible, but that made the impurity of western ideas and
cultural norms no more palatable.

As Vice Admiral Shan savored the exquisite aroma of his shark's fin
soup, a delicacy prepared exclusively for him by the ship's chef, he
pondered the strategic and tactical implications of the new American
vessel. It represented a clear threat to China's goal of local area
dominance of the seas or even parity with America's deep-water fleet.
On a tactical level it was a nightmare.

The ship could not be detected by even the most sensitive of their radar
systems without re-calibration that would turn every fishing boat within
a 100-mile radius into a potential threat. If he was its captain, all he
would have to do is match the speed of the average fisherman and hide
in plain sight.

The submarine shadowing the stealth destroyer had used her buoy
communications equipment to report that although the American ship's
acoustic signature was distinctive, it was so slight as to be lost in the
"white noise" of the busy shipping lanes. Slipping in and out of
detection, it had proven difficult to track, even in the tight confines of
the Taiwan Straits.

Tomorrow would be a new day... if only he could hold on to his quarry

that long.
 Chapter Three

Mayan Calendar Date -12.19.19.15.15 | 11 Men 18 Zac

UTC 15:23:17 - 2012311 | Julian Day Number - 2456238
Local Time – 11:23 PM – Tuesday November 6, 2012
USS Freedom, Taiwan Straits

The CIC or Combat Information Center took a few moments to get

used to. Captain Terrance Hawkins let his eyes adjust from the well-
lighted internal environment of the ship to the low light levels of the
CIC. The Center was the tactical heart of his warship. It contained
communications apparatus, radar displays, weapons control and
targeting consoles, as well as tracking information and related displays.

There was a low level hum from the fans of computer systems overlaid
by the constant chatter from inbound and outbound communications. He
stood next to his weapons officer and observed the computer terminal
that reflected the status of the new weapon.

“Power cycling. Done. Cooling system AOK.” Lt. Jeffers was

discussing the next level of readiness with Petty Officer Gilson charged
with weapon system status. The displays were all connected to the CIC
satellite uplinks and being monitored in real time by senior staff at Pearl
Harbor and the Pentagon.

It was almost show time. The last of the indicators changed to a "go"
status and Captain Hawkins felt the adrenalin begin to flow. The test for
this evening involved the tracking and targeting of an old version of the
UAV's he now had aboard. It had out lived its operational life and had
been converted to a very expensive target. It was already on remote
control and the support vessel had cleared from the area deemed a target
range.

The USS Freedom possessed classified next generation radar and new
target recognition algorithms. Capable of taking feeds from other
sources, including satellite data, it incorporated the best of the Joint
Tactical Information Distribution System used by the US armed
services. The new hardware and its software allowed it to slave other
remotely located weapon systems as well provide targeting information
to them.

The software used data that had been gathered and was analyzed for
known target attributes such as size, speed or electronic emissions. A
virtual reality image of the target could then be rendered for the war
fighter. Whether in an airplane, ship, tank, or even the proposed visor
displays for infantry, the image could then be analyzed further or
targeting information fed into weapon systems.

State of the art UAV's or unmanned aircraft were also at his disposal
and extended the ship's role to air dominance as well as land and
maritime attack capabilities. The idea of a stealth destroyer was bad
enough for the Chinese.

"This new gadget will really make them crap themselves", he

pronounced to the crew. Tonight's test involved an airborne component
in addition to his ship. The USS Freedom was to provide targeting
information for all involved. The revolutionary, top secret, newly
deployed weapon... was a solid-state battle laser.

Unlike the common depiction of lasers in movies, the beam of this new
solid-state battle laser was invisible when activated. The largest problem
to be overcome in the development of lasers as a weapon had been in the
power or energy delivered by the beam. The limited power of the early
test weapons required that the unit be the size of a boxcar. The smallest
laser for anti-ballistic missile defense tests had to be mounted in the
fuselage of a C-130 Hercules aircraft.

In addition to size and weight, the other consideration was temperature.

The early weapons had to be cooled down before they could be recycled
or fired again. The scientists had come up with an old answer to a new
problem. Like an old Gattling gun with a rotating barrel, the laser used
rotating apertures. As one slab cools, the laser fires using the other slab,
then automatically swaps slabs so the second can cool.

The main block to deployment of lasers as a mobile tactical weapon

had been size and weight as a function of power. The advent of new
materials had aided the designs, but the real advantages had been in
"pumping" and power supply. The laser was achieving bursts on the
order of 600 to 800 times per second and the power output exceeded
even the wildest theoretical limits of several years ago. These allowed
the beams to achieve energy levels that became truly devastating.

This technique also allowed the first bursts to blaze a path for the
following beams and increase both distance and the ability to fire
through cloud layers, mist and fog. The new focusing designs had kept
the beam's power from dissipating over a distance of almost 250 miles
and thus achieved the truly revolutionary leap.

The electrical power generating units of the USS Freedom had proven
more than capable of supplying the high-energy needs of the new
weapon. The unit's main apparatus had been engineered to fit into the
space designed for a standard gun system. This allowed the ship to
maintain its exterior profile, thus concealing its presence from prying
eyes and maintaining the stealth silhouette.

Mayan Calendar Date -12.19.19.15.15 | 11 Men 18 Zac

UTC 15:26:52 - 2012311 | Julian Day Number - 2456238
Local Time – 11:26 PM – Tuesday November 6, 2012
US Aircraft Carrier George HW Bush, South China Sea

Lt. Grace Welkins sat nervously in her naval version of the Joint Strike
Fighter or F-35. She was waiting for the crew in green colored shirts
swarming around her plane on pre-launch preparations to complete their
task.

“Systems green. Jason Four ready for shooter.” She replied. The Air
Boss was exhibiting a patience level not known to exist.

“Roger Jason Four.” The officer replied from PriFly (Primary Flight
Control) in the carrier’s super structure.

For the elite of the free world’s military forces, the F-35 Lightning
represented the future. It was a new family of affordable, stealthy
combat aircraft designed to meet twenty-first-century requirements. The
US Navy had specified and procured a unique version of the craft.
Carrier operations accounted for most of the differences between the
Navy version and the other JSF variants.

In order to meet naval criteria the aircraft had required larger wing and
tail control surfaces to better manage low-speed approaches. The
internal structure of the Navy variant was strengthened to handle the
loads associated with catapult launches and arrested landings. The
aircraft had also required a carrier-suitable tail hook and its landing gear
was designed with a longer stroke and higher load capacity.

Lt Welkin's aircraft came with almost twice the range of the US Navy's
workhorse, the F-18C, on internal fuel. To her comfort the design was
also optimized for survivability. Integral to the aircraft’s low-observable
equation is the large internal-weapons bay. When stealth is not required,
the F-35 also can carry wingtip air-to-air missiles and up to 15,000
pounds of external ordnance mounted on under the wing pylons.

The only visible difference was a small retractable turret under the
fuselage that housed the lasing device optics. This unit descended when
preparing to fire and recessed again when complete. The turret was
slaved to the detection and targeting software; it was equipped with a
low level tracking laser that acquired and locked on the target. Once
locked on, the laser could dwell or stay on target for the time required to
destroy or damage the intended victim.

The internal weapons bay had been converted to hold the guts of the
airborne version of the solid state laser weapon. Powered by the F-35's
engines, the designers had been able to achieve almost twice the
expected punch given the payload of the F-35.

The heat generated by the laser had been one of the greatest concerns
when engineering the integration of the design. A stealth design was no
longer stealthy if the laser generated heat that made it trackable. To
counter this dilemma, the engineers at Lockheed had integrated the
cooling system of the laser with the fuel tanks. It was an elegant
solution. Like a large car radiator the fuel tanks in the wings were used
to dissipate the large amount of heat generated when cycling the
weapon.

The real genius and radical advancement of the weapon lay not only in
its power, but in its ability to track and target a moving object. A single
plane or missile was a challenge, but the meticulousness required in
holding the laser onto a precise spot of a moving target was breath
taking.

“Jason Four you are clear to launch.” The magic words sounded in her
helmet.

She was waiting for the catapult officer to give her the signal that all
was ready and prepare for the acceleration and its crushing forces of her
launch from the carrier's deck. As she received the signal of all ready
from the figure in the yellow shirt worn by the catapult officer, she
braced herself and saluted.

Mayan Calendar Date -12.19.19.15.15 | 11 Men 18 Zac

UTC 15:49:55- 2012311 | Julian Day Number - 2456238
Local Time – 11:49 PM – Tuesday November 6, 2012
Taiwan Straits - South Sea Fleet
Peoples Liberation Army/Navy (PLAN)

Vice Admiral Jun Shan had reports of an older model UAV being
launched from the decks of one of the American task force's ships. This
particular UAV was easy to track and posed no wartime threat to his
ships, so he pondered the possible meaning of this development.

The American stealth ship was now out from under any direct line of
sight observation. The two submarines reporting to him had failed to
discern her acoustic signature amidst the noisy background of The
Taiwan Straits Only the electronic emissions being picked up by the spy
trawler gave him any indication of its presence and possible location.

"A ghost ship indeed...", he muttered under his breath. Satellite

surveillance had shown that the American aircraft carrier group was in
proximity, but centered over 250 miles to the East.

"What are they up to?" He pondered. The midnight hour was fast
approaching, but the presence of the UAV nagged at his tired brain.