by J. Benjamin
“Just a few hours,” Alex replied. “Why?”
“I was going to say. It seems that plant life grows much faster on their ships than it would in a terrestrial environment. Their biology is something else.”
“They can replicate humans down to the nose-hairs. Tomatoes and peppers are a cake-walk. Don’t even get me started with the tofu. Wait till you see the mozzarella I’m gonna make. Do you want synthetic pepperoni or veggie supreme pizza?” Alex asked.
Several seconds went by and Edie didn’t respond. “Edie?”
He turned to see that Edie was unmoving. Her eyes locked in place, but Alex knew she wasn’t looking at him. She wasn’t mentally there. He closed his eyes.
His consciousness reemerged on the surface of the ship, where Edie’s consciousness had already moved. Her eyes were dead set on the scene beyond Agamemnon. They had moved to a different part of space.
This place was unlike anything Edie or Alex had ever seen. Edie could see bright nebulae of white and gold, so dominating they minimized the black walls of space itself.
Dust went on for several hundred astronomical units. The sea of cosmic matter moved in a wide, circular orbit around the strangest looking star. It was more like one star had unsuccessfully split in two and now formed an odd peanut-shaped star. Edie knew such stars existed, but their occurrence was rare.
As the dust moved closer to the peanut star, it formed thicker layers of rock, ice, and diamond clusters visible to Edie and Alex’s enhanced Aquarian senses. In those layers, Edie and Alex both detected multiple points of gravity where the rich minerals of this unusual system condensed into larger clusters.
“What the Hell is this?” Alex said.
“I think . . . I think it’s a secretion disk?” Edie said.
“Like a solar system before it becomes a solar system?”
“I think so,” Edie replied. “My god, there’s probably enough here to build an entire Zelthrati ring!”
For a few more minutes, neither said a word as they stood holding hands on the surface of Agamemnon. The light from the peanut star cast over their faces and even out-shined the ship at their feet. They simply took in the grandeur of the sight before them. Even with all they had seen from their first venture beyond Sol, to the Universal Crescent, and their thought journeys with the Aquarians, nothing compared to seeing a star system in its infancy.
“I count at least a dozen large clusters forming in the star’s disk,” Alex said. “Or stars, plural?”
“No, I think you’re right,” Edie said. “It’s sort of one-star but it probably tried to be two and got stuck in this conjoined star state.”
“Weird!” Alex replied.
“Tell me about it,” Edie said. “By the way, I’m not about to say we should be able to sense distances with these patches but I think I am sensing how far we are from that peanut star.”
“What’s your guess?”
“I’d say a good thirty astronomical units,” Edie answered. “I think we’re in the star’s version of the Oort Cloud. Which sounds crazy, given that the entire system is a fricken Oort Cloud right now.”
“Hmm . . .” Alex’s thumb and index finger held the stubble on his chin as if to ponder what Edie had said.
“What are you thinking?” Edie asked.
“Well, you’re saying thirty AU. I can swear that a few minutes ago it felt more like forty AU. If we’re both right, that can only mean one thing.”
“We’re moving at almost the speed of light! Holy shit!”
“Yup.”
“We are not capable of moving at the speed of light,” a third, familiar voice interrupted. Edie and Alex turned to see the large host avatar of Agamemnon floating above its own hull. “Our species is many things but we remain bound to the laws of science. Just like your Pelicans, we have limits.”
“What is this place?” Edie asked.
“You’ll see in a few minutes,” Agamemnon replied, then disappeared, leaving Edie and Alex alone on the hull.
The vessel moved toward the center of the system. It became apparent that the first few clusters were massive balls of fire and lava. Each of them would eventually refine and cool down into future Jupiters and Saturns. But the first few clusters they passed appeared far larger than either planet.
As the vessel continued forward, the fog of the system gave way to larger rocks of ice, diamond, and rare elements. Seeing it reminded Edie of the ‘fishing expeditions’ the Herschel used to send into Saturn’s rings. The giant net ships would make quick jaunts into the rings to take in as large a catch as possible of the natural deposits that orbited the Solar System’s second largest planet.
Had Edie had such a collector ship at her disposal, she’d have a level of wealth that would make Dev Ivanov and the entire Cosmineral Corporation look like street vendors selling knock-off watches. While Cosmineral had the rings of a planet to work with, Edie and Alex stood in an entire star system made of Saturn’s rings. Granted, had wealth been what motivated Edie, she never would have left for the Universal Crescent. To stand in this location was a reward to which no human could attach a monetary value.
Another cluster zoomed past them. Like the others, it was another planetary-sized glob, though smaller than the first two. It looked as though it had collided with another glob of similar-size, which probably shattered into a cloud of asteroid-like chunks. Together, it resembled the contents of a lava lamp.
Scientists back on Earth long believed that a collision with a large orbital body during the formation phase was how Earth got its moon. Edie couldn’t help but imagine that this formation might become an Earth someday.
“You think we’ll be the only humans that ever see this?” Alex asked. The potential future-Earth passed so closely they saw flares erupting on the liquid-like sphere.
“I guess it depends,” Edie said. “Hopefully we don’t drive ourselves to extinction before we get the opportunity.”
“Or piss off the Aquarians,” Alex said.
“Aquarians,” Edie repeated. “I guess we’re no longer calling them the Creators? Sticking to the conventions the humans on Earth used?”
“Got to admit, it’s appropriate. You know, given their water-based biology and all,” Alex said.
“I suppose,” Edie conceded. “I have to admit, the cult-like connotation of the Creators didn’t help smooth things over after the GSF lackeys showed up.”
“We didn’t start that thing,” Alex reminded Edie. “We just went along.”
“True. What surprised me though is that the Creators, or Aquarians, didn’t care. They chose us for the long ride. You would think . . .” In an instant, Edie and Alex were back in their human bodies inside the human section of Agamemnon.
“Whoa!” Alex said. “What just happened?”
“I don’t know. I think . . .” A major change in their auxiliary sense overcame them. It was the feeling they got when they felt the telepathic senses of Agamemnon. Except this time, it was more overwhelming in power and intensity.
“We’re not alone,” Edie said. “There’s something out there!”
In the far distance beyond the window of the observatory lay dozens of the blue host vessels similar to the one they were on. Edie could feel every one of them, sense them sensing her and Alex from light-seconds away.
Looming large over the Aquarian vessels was a domineering leviathan. Though initially hard to see behind the haze, the object was so massive that it could have been a planetoid. Unlike a planetoid, the obsidian-black object was shaped as a three-quarters moon with the darkened-quarter completely removed. Three conclusions were apparent. It was not a planet, it did not form naturally, and it definitely was not a creation of the Aquarians.
Edie and Alex both knew the Aquarians were a biology-heavy species. That is, everything from their technology to their living spaces to the tools they used to communicate with humans all relied on contouring or tweaking aspects of their cells. Even the extremely advanced technology, such as
fusion reactors and subspace jumps, had roots in the Aquarians’ ability to manipulate the very building blocks of thousands of millennia of evolution.
This orbital behemoth had been built by a species that like humans, relied on the consumptions of mined minerals and elements to build what their biology could not provide. For reasons unknown to Edie and Alex, this non-Aquarian technology existed in conjunction with the Aquarians in this little patch of space.
“What the Hell is that?” Alex stared wide-eyed in disbelief as he stared out the panoramic observatory.
“I think the better question is, who built that?” Edie said.
Agamemnon brought them ever-closer to the unknown object.
“Alex, do you feel them?”
“I do,” he replied. “I don’t know how to describe it. It’s like we can feel all their ships. We can’t feel what they are surrounding, but it feels like we can feel they are connected into something bigger. Even though we can’t feel it.”
“I think they’re locked in somehow,” Edie said. “Not docked physically, but perhaps tele-kinetically? Can’t feel the bigger object but can feel that the hosts are connected to it.”
“That’s because they are connected to it,” Agamemnon said, appearing again. “And it is where we are taking you.”
“What is this thing?” Edie demanded. “Who built it?” For a moment, the avatar of the Aquarian host took a long pause before answering.
“Let’s just say they are a companion to our species, and they will be helping us in the next steps of our journey.”
The Agamemnon accelerated rapidly toward the object. Though the humans couldn’t feel the physical acceleration, the quickly-expanding objects outside and the growing impulses of their Aquarian sense confirmed it.
Soon, the alien object took up the entire view of the observatory. Edie made out details in the hull, which became clearer as they moved beyond the haze. A series of lights shined through the onyx surface. At first, it evoked images of Space Station Sagan.
But as Agamemnon approached, it became clear that the lights were not on the surface, but on the inside and exposed through gaping openings along the exterior. It was porous, like Swiss cheese. Then, a much larger red light emanated from the core of the vessel.
“It’s a city!” Edie said.
“Get the fuck out of here,” Alex said.
“Look! That’s a civilization. City lights and everything. And that thing in the core must be its reactor, or something. It’s like a Dyson sphere. This thing is a giant global city that faces inward.”
“Wait. A what?”
“Haven’t you ever read science-fiction?” Edie said. “A Dyson sphere. It’s a sphere so large that it could be built around a star. And we’re going to be the first humans to ever see one in person.”
The pores on the outer shell were large enough for a host to enter. Indeed, as Agamemnon drew closer, crossing through the surface seemed inevitable.
They were so close now that the haze no longer obstructed their view. There were giant ridges on the sides of the colony’s walls.
“Hieroglyphics!” Edie said. “Look!” She grabbed Alex by the arm and pointed at the giant lines that circumnavigated the colony in every direction. They were patterns of symbols. Though unreadable to a human eye, there was no doubt they were phonetic in nature. What they meant was a mystery.
“The first people to leave the Solar System,” Alex said. “The first humans to establish First Contact, and the first humans to view entire passages of an alien alphabet. Fit that on a gravestone.”
“And we’re about to have number four,” Edie said. “The first humans to have First Contact with another intelligent race.”
Agamemnon approached an opening on the surface. What previously seemed like a pore now swallowed the host like an entry to the world’s largest tunnel. In the blink of an eye, they flew into the corridors of the mysterious alien mega-colony.
It was dark and dimly lit by lights along the walls. Then a new light filled the tunnel, but it wasn’t from within. They exited the tunnel.
To call it a city did not do it justice. First, there was the core. A giant red sphere at the center gave a dim orange glow, which acted as an artificial sun. On the surface below, beautiful skyscrapers unlike anything built on Earth towered far into the skies above. Well-lit walkways and monorails connected the buildings.
Between the sections of city were fields of blue and purple alien plants that glowed throughout the skyline. Throughout the vast meadows sat bright green lakes strewn with large organic blobs along their shores.
“This is incredible.”
“I just want you to know that if we die today, it was so worth it,” Alex said.
Chapter 18
Unknown Alien Colony
Agamemnon slowly descended until the skyscrapers of the alien mega-city dwarfed the living vessel. Edie grabbed Alex by the arms. “Pinch me. Is this really happening?”
“Edie, we’re on a fucking alien city in a solar system that hasn’t even been born yet. It’s real.”
Edie turned to the avatar of Agamemnon, still floating beside them. “What now?”
“Now, we go outside,” Agamemnon said.
“What?” Edie and Alex both gasped.
“But how?” Edie asked. “Do we need space suits? Wait, don’t tell me. You brought those along for the ride too?”
“Survival containment units such as the ones your species are accustomed to will not be necessary,” Agamemnon answered in their monotone, high-pitched voice. “The air of this environment is enriched with compounds that can detect approaching lifeforms. Once you are outside, you will only breath oxygen and nitrogen compounds such as what you are accustomed to in your natural environments.”
“Wait just a second,” Alex replied. “Are you telling us that the air of this place is . . . smart? It can adjust to different lifeforms?”
“Yes. It also happens that the organisms which inhabit this colony are also oxygen-based lifeforms. Though their chemical intake differs from yours, it is similar enough that all three of our lifeforms can survive in the open.”
“Okay, I’ve seen it all now,” Edie said. “Aliens, colonies, wormholes. I’m literally ready for anything.”
“Let us proceed,” Agamemnon replied. The Aquarians led them out the same liquid wall entrance into the human section of the ship they’d first walked through when they boarded. They walked back down the invisible, spiral path to the mantle.
“Are you ready to proceed?” Agamemnon asked. Edie was surprised, as she’d never known the Aquarians to extend such courtesies before acting. A sign that they were getting better at understanding human mannerisms.
“I’m ready,” Edie said.
“Same,” Alex added.
“Very well,” Agamemnon replied. “Please proceed.”
The wall of the vessel re-opened, and they felt the wetness of the ship as they passed through.
As they crossed the barrier from vessel to outside world, a dim, orange fog filled the air. The new, unfamiliar, alien atmosphere felt lukewarm to their skin. Edie closed her eyes, opened her mouth, and took in the first human breath on this strange world. She was impressed by the freshness of the air, uncharacteristic of any major city she’d ever stood in.
“Whoa!” Alex looked up and Edie followed his gaze. The city stretched for several miles in every direction. No city in human existence came close to comparing in size, nor, of course, the fact that it was a giant sphere facing inward.
Edie’s attention quickly diverted to noise coming from Agamemnon. More openings appeared. One by one, several Aquarian workers emerged from the ship. Though Edie knew they were capable of morphing their tentacles to become bipedal, this was the first time she ever witnessed it. They looked like balls of fiber optics sitting on top of two longer, thicker, fiber strands.
“Didn’t expect them to give us the Secret Service treatment,” Alex said.
“Okay Agamemnon,” Edie sai
d. “What’s next? What are we looking for?” Several seconds went by. Edie wondered if they’d even be able to communicate with the host from the outside.
“Wait,” the familiar host voice said, fainter than before.
An entire minute passed. Just as Edie started to get anxious, she heard a noise, a whirring sound. It wasn’t coming from the Aquarians. It was in the shadows cast by a skyscraper not far from the metal platform where the host landed.
Three subjects emerged from the darkness. They stood at a maximum height of three feet on spindly pink slime-covered legs. They appeared to be reinforced with a metal exoskeleton. Their feet looked more like metallic hands, but with six digits instead of five.
They had reddish frames with four clusters resembling bulging, black grapes with red circles dotting each center. Edie wondered if they were compound eyes.
Between the four clusters of possible eyes sat a metal bowl. At the center of the bowl, a transparent frame concealed a chamber containing a ball of slime. Feeding into the ball of slime were several vein-like strands, as though this was the core of their nervous system.
The two humans stared. For the second time in history, they were the first humans to stand toe-to-toe with an extraterrestrial civilization.
Chapter 19
Ginga Mizumi
“But how?” Val asked. “Ty, you are one of the most level-headed people alive. You’re the reason I’m able to function day in and day out.” They stared out at the glistening lake before them. It was just the two of them sitting on the grassy bank, sipping iced tea. Birds chirped as the sun warmed the air.
“He simply said I wasn’t a fit for the mental connection part of the mission, and he recommended against sending me in,” Ty said.
“He’s a stupid AI for fuck’s sake.” Val fumed. “What does he know?”
“Thomas and Minster Endo have the final say and they concurred with Starscraper. If it’s any consolation though, I will be maintaining external comms between you, Thomas, and the team. If anything, this might be a blessing in disguise,” Ty said, trying to calm Val.