Part I: It begins…

Chapter 1: Rude Awakening


Ahem’s eyes snapped open. Ahem sat there for a second, and then remembered why he was in stasis. He rushed to the window to take a look outside. They were in a solar system. He was in another galaxy! His wonder did not last long.
“But why are we not landed on a planet?” he said to himself, “The only reason I should be awake is if-“
“Something went wrong.” Ahem turned around and saw the Captain standing there. “Quickly, scan the surrounding area and see what the problem is. There’s no time to wake the rest of the crew. Whatever’s out there could hit us at any mo-“
CRASH! The force of the impact made the Captain fall to his knees. “Wha-“
Ahem finally grasped what was wrong. “Asteroids, Captain! A whole fleet of them! Our only hope is to abandon ship!”
The Captain stood. “Don’t be such a worrisome fool. We will be fi-“
BOOM! “Sir, there goes the main engines! We won’t be able to steer our way out of this one! We’ll have to use the escape pods and get to that planet over there! The quick scans say it looks hospitable.”
The Captain flipped open a case, revealing a green button. There was no time to think. He had to-
“What are you doing? What is that button supposed to do?”
“It’s our only hope. I never quite finished the technology, but back when I was a scientist for the Alliance I created a device that would override all the safety precautions on a ship and instantly transport a certain amount of matter to the nearest planet suitable for human life. It’s not quite complete, so there is only a 50% success rate. I’m afraid, however, it can only take,” He did the calculations quickly, “about half the people and half the resources.”
“But sir! What of the rest of the people? And what will happen if it doesn’t work?”
BANG!
“The rest will go with you and the escape pods. Head towards that planet you mentioned. If the device fails, then… we will all cease to exist. Or, at least in this Space-Time Universe we will. I haven’t-“
“No time! Press the button! Good luck and…stay calm.”
Suddenly, Ahem’s Captain was gone. He wished the Captain well, but there was no time to lose. He set all of the escape pods to the correct destination and, praying fervently, climbed in one and pulled the lever.
The last thing he saw before he went back into stasis was the Hispania burning and about to hit a particularly large asteroid…

Chapter 2: Planetfall

Ahem woke to the sight of lush grass and a few oddly shaped trees. He silently prayed, then climbed out of the escape pod. The air was not only breathable, but seemed to have a certain element that invigorated the breather. He would have to study it later.
Almost all the other escape pods were intact. He took the stragglers out of stasis and addressed them all.
“Attention, former crew of the Hispania! For those of you who do not know, we encountered a flaw in the ship’s navigations system, and immediate evacuation was necessary. The Captain and I had to split up, each with his own section of the crew, in order to increase the chance of survival for us. Thankfully, there were enough recourses and machines to split. Until such time as the Captain comes back, I am formally in charge. You all remember your assignments, so get to them! The faster we get a modern ecosystem going, the faster we can start colonizing and, eventually, getting into space. Welcome to Sirius, my brothers.”
The mass of people divided and collectively worked on their assigned tasks. Ahem pulled the leading scientist out of the throng.
“You, come here. I need to know what foreign substance is in this atmosphere. Whether it could be dangerous or if we could use it to our advantage, our knowledge of it will greatly further the colonization effort.” The man blinked. “Why are you just standing there? Get to work!”
Ahem sighed. It would be a long time, but eventually we would start a new life. It would be easy! We had planned this, after all! It’s not like we’re stranded on a foreign planet in a foreign galaxy! Ok, so we are. But we planned for this and made modifications. Nothing could catch us by surprise now!
What he tried not to think about is the fact that the Captain’s technology would have brought him straight here. The fact that he isn’t here proves that either the technology didn’t work or that this planet wasn’t suitable for human life. The latter made him shiver when he thought about it, especially when he remembered about the strange substance in the air…

Chapter 3: Colonization Begins

The next week was spent almost peacefully. People were so busy doing their tasks that no one really had a chance to argue about anything. But soon enough, there was not a place you could go where you could not here someone fighting over something. When confronted, the men denied that anything had been wrong. He would have to ask someone comfortable with the men to find out what was going on. After thinking a while, Ahem remembered his old friend Scerm. Scerm was the head of one of the housing district developments, and was very loyal to Ahem as an officer and a friend. Ahem, instead of taking the makeshift shuttle that operates around the colony, decided to walk. It was a long way, so by the time he got there, Ahem was exhausted.
“Hey! Scerm! Come here!” Ahem was somewhat breathless, but his voice was audible. He had been taking walks like this to maintain his physical condition, and it was paying off.
Scerm, a tall, dark haired man, was a recluse most of the time, but when he got it in his mind to do something; he did it completely and efficiently.
“Thought you had forgotten me, sir!” Scerm’s voice was deep, but not obnoxiously so.
Aherm smiled. It was typical of them to speak in a less formal manner, but obviously Scerm sensed that this was not a social call. “Can we speak in private?”
“Sir,” he replied, “right this way.” Ahem was escorted into what looked to be an office. The desk was littered with plans, designs, and reports.
Scerm stood at his desk while Ahem closed the door behind them. He took a deep breath and said, “I need you to investigate the moral of the population. Both verbal and physical fights have been breaking out. No one seems to want to tell me anything. I was hoping you could help.”
Scerm had an odd smile on his face. “It’s funny how your hard requests because extremely hard and your easy requests become extremely easy. I know all about it.” Ahem waited patiently, knowing he would get to the bottom of this. “The harvesters have found a new substance in the grass. It does nothing at all to some. But to others, it produces the same effects as a narcotic. The fights are about… various things, from whether we should tell you to why it only affects some people and not others. Some people fell particularly… strong… about the topic in general.”
Ahem had a glazed look on his face, his mind racing. Why wasn’t he told before? Were they afraid he would classify the substance as dangerous and ban it? The fact was, he couldn’t accept it or deny it. Further research would be needed to find out whether it did fall under the category of ban-able material. Ahem said the first thing that came to his mind.
“What are they calling this new substance?”
“Sir, because of the way it is harvested—with a Cardamazium Separator—they are calling it…Cardamine.”

Chapter 4: Expansion

A month later, everywhere you turned you could find people talking about the new experimental spaceship launch. It was a small, scout vessel, but to most it symbolized freedom and prosperity in Sirius. The engine was the hard part. With the limited insulated metals they had, it became key to be able to shield the engine for takeoff and, once in space, extremely high-speed exploration.
Ahem gazed at the ship from his office on the 15th floor. It symbolized more than prosperity to him. It symbolized his new rule over this section of Sirus and a chance to make a better life for mankind. The sooner they made contact with the other populations, the earlier friendly ties could be established and mankind’s long-sought-after Golden Age could become a reality. Ahem renewed his promise to himself to better all of mankind, no matter what the cost…
There was a knock the door. “Come in!” said Ahem without turning around.
“Sir, we have run the final diagnostics for the ship. Everything seems to be in order. Sir, the people want you to make a short speech…” It was Scerm. He had become Ahem’s assistant once his construction job was complete. Scerm was a valuable asset, and Ahem didn’t know what he would do without him.
Ahem sighed and followed Scerm outside and onto the small podium they had constructed. It was so typical of the people to want a speech. Then again, he had wanted the same thing for every event when he was younger…
Then it hit him. He had not prepared for this speech! He would have to improvise…
“Hello everyone! We are gathered here today to celebrate the first spaceship launch of this colony. It is truly a tremendous achievement. We…have gone a long way in just over a month. Every man has worked his hardest, and for that I am proud. However,” He paused to think about how he would say this, “We must all realize the chance of failure. I wasn’t going to mention this, but seeing you all here ready to celebrate, I feel I must, regrettably, plant a seed of doubt. What must be stressed is that we have not seen the whole galaxy! Though our time here has been relatively eventless, we know not what dangers await out there, or even what hidden dangers may be lurking here. Let us harden our heart and have constant vigilance. While this may seem distressing to some, it is the bad times that make the good so special! What I am saying is not to expect good things or bad things to happen all the time. Since this is a tremendous day for our culture, let us rejoice! And now, let us stand aside and watch our future unfold.”
The crowd turned as one with Ahem to look at the ship. “3……2……1……launch!”
Looks of ecstasy filled the crowds’ faces as if they were up in the spaceship as well.
There was no way they could have known that they would never see that ship again…

Chapter 5: Earth-shattering news

Ahem was restless. There had been nothing much for him to do except nod and smile and sign land grants that had no opposition. He was just thinking about going out for a walk and finding some excitement when an urgent knock came on the door. After calling out to admit the person into the room, Ahem saw a man dressed in a white lab coat approach him.
“Sir, I have some very disturbing news.” Ahem nodded and, with a flip of a switch, sealed the room from eavesdroppers. “Permission to speak freely, sir?”
Ahem smiled. He preferred men with some life in them. The fact that the scientist had asked that raised his esteem of the man much higher. “Granted.”
The man had a solemn expression. “Do you recall when you asked us to find out the strange substance in the air?” At Ahem’s nod, the man continued, “Our group was divided into two major groups and some smaller groups. The two major groups were trying to determine the nature of the air substance and trying to determine the properties of the substance called Cardamine, as you asked.” Wondering where this was going, Ahem encouraged the man to go on. “Recently, someone in the Cardamine group wondered if the two subjects were related. His hunch was correct. The substance in the air turned out to be oxygenized Cardamine residue.” Seeing the nonchalant look on Ahem’s face, the man continued. “The implications of this are…staggering. From what we could tell, the oxygenized form of the substance is thrice as addictive as the form we are used to. My guess is that Cardamine only affects some because of different people’s immune system. Most already have enough Cardamine in their blood system to nullify the excess Cardamine found in the plant.” The man became exasperated. “Sir, Cardamine has become to the population as air or water! We are all addicted to the point where none of us can live without it!”
That got a reaction from Ahem. He jumped up and started pacing. The man was right. The implications were staggering. But once he thought about it, he realized the only way that the population wouldn’t be able to handle it is if…
“What are the side effects?”
The scientist smiled. “That’s the thing. From what we can tell, all the side effects are good. Everything from intelligence to reflexes is boosted, so long as one has access to Cardamine at all times, one could become so much more that what one was born to be.” He paused, checking the notes in his hand that Ahem had not noticed. “The only reaction we have been able to get from the substance itself is that it reacts somewhat violently to the rest of the matter in the galaxy.”
Ahem was thinking furiously. “So we are safe so long as we are on this planet or have enough Cardamine with us.” Then a thought came to him. Why should we be the only ones to enjoy the effects of Cardamine? If we could find the other sleeper ships quickly, all of mankind in Sirius could be boosted. And as an added bonus, the population of Malta (as they have named their planet) would control all the profits on Cardamine until the time when another Cardamine planet was found, if at all.
Ahem had a grin on his face now. “Put all of your researchers to making fighter spaceships. If we are going to survive in this galaxy we need a chance to defend ourselves. Oh, and by the way, tell the men in charge of labor to focus on building parts for large space stations. I have a feeling that colonization on planets isn’t going to work, not including the fact that our nearest planets are gas giants…”
Ahem grinned yet again as the scientist bowed and left. Things were going so well…

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End of part I. Comments? Feedback? I am copying from Word so tell me if you want me to put a line after paragraphs...

This is really well written Requin

You might want to include in later chapters a bit more action than narrative...but otherwise its good.

Very interresting story so far!
Keep up writing!And
I WANT MORE OF THIS!!! NOW!!!

Part II: Foreign Policy…

Chapter 1: Contact

Time passed. The old got older, the young got bolder, but the men in charge… remained in charge. The Cardamine industry flourished, but laws were set on the maximum prices one could sell at to discourage…mass murder. Many space stations were built, and most were populated. It was soon rediscovered that space stations were also perfect for building spaceships, and since Ahem’s need for fighters was so great, space station construction skyrocketed. Planets were generally bypassed to create more efficient mining or population stations.
Over the years, Ahem’s doubts about the survival of the other sleeper ships gradually grew. He could often catch himself thinking about abandoning the search for the rest of mankind.
It was one of those moments when the call came.
Ahem flipped on the intercom. “Yes?”
A voice on the other end. Static was present, but not overwhelming. Ahem’s guess is that it was one of the explorers. “Sir, we have acquired contact with another faction. They are calling themselves the Corsairs. They said they have open connections with two other sleeper ships, with names of Bretonia and Rhineland.”
Ahem was ecstatic. Finally, a contact! “Put one of them on.”
A well built man came onto the view-screen. “Hello. Do you mind if I take this intercom link and store it in my memory?”
Ahem blinked. “Sure.” So many questions he wanted to ask! “Can I speak with your leader?”
“Only after your non-hostile intentions are established. I will transfer you to Bretonia and Rhineland intercoms.”
Two faces, one female, one male, appeared. Their build made it easy to determine which was from which ship. “Greetings. I am Leader Ahem of half of the sleeper ship Hispania. I assume the Corsairs have told you all about the tragedy on the Hispania?” Both nodded. “Good. Then is there anything you want to ask me before I bombard you with useless questions?” Both grinned.
The Rhinelander spoke first. He had a deep, German voice. “All of the other factions have been searching for you for a very long time. Did you try not to be found on purpose?”
Ahem smiled. “On the contrary, we have been searching for you for a while also. Perhaps we missed each other in space. There is a sensor-blocking gas cloud around every jump hole to our home system. Wait a minute,” said Ahem, thinking furiously, “You said all of the other factions. Does that mean you had found everyone but us?”
The woman answered. “Yes.”
Ahem cut to the chase. Finally the moment he had been waiting for. “We have…found…a substance in this galaxy that enhances all the good properties of a human. When I say all, I mean all.” Now for a little lie to make them want to have it quickly. It was all for the common good. “It seems to work best if large amounts of people in the same vicinity take it at once. I don’t know why. Our scientists are working on it. We will be able to deliver 10 tons of it to each faction, free of charge.” Both nodded, amazed.
Ahem smiled. Everything was going according to plan.