"Yes, this is Ambassador Lineus. I'm afraid there has been a diplomatic incident," he said, speaking slowly and calmly. "The Kappaquillians have arrested your Captain, and his XO."
"Please repeat that," said the surprised young officer.
"I'm afraid it's a rather complicated matter," he lied. "The Kappaquillians are easily offended. I believe I can get them released in a few days."
"Very well," she said. "I will notify ESA and send a liaison team down to your location. We will remain--"
"--Listen to me closely," the Ambassador interrupted. "Do not send anyone else down. That will only make matters worse. You must leave orbit at once. Your ship is aggravating the situation. Even your transmissions back to the ESA are liable to be misinterpreted right now."
The young officer stared back at him. "But we have procedures to follow..."
"I will take responsibility for your violation of ESA procedures," the Ambassador said. "Leave immediately or you will make matters much worse. Do not communicate with anybody until you have returned to Earth's orbit. Your Captain's life is at stake. Do you understand me? Leave at once and tell no one. Now I must go before things get worse."
The Ambassador ended the call abruptly. He dropped both comps to the ground and stomped on them. The wrist computers shattered into thousands of pieces. The Kappaquillians had already bound the hands of the two prisoners behind their backs.
"They were right," Dad said to his XO.
"Who was right?" the Ambassador asked.
"This is about the plasma lab," Dad said side-stepping the question.
"Very good, Captain," the Ambassador smiled. "So you do understand."
"I understand that your experiments are reckless. I understand that you put people in danger."
"Only in the name of science, Captain," the Ambassador said. "My colleagues on Earth never understood that the boldest experiments sometimes fail. But I assure you the payoffs are worth the risks."
"Worth the risks to who," Dad said angrily. They were interrupted by the sound of shuttle's engines lighting off. Seconds later, the shuttle lifted off from the ground and disappeared into the hazy sky.
Dad and the XO looked at each other with surprise. The XO shrugged as if to say she did not know where the shuttle had gone. The Ambassador turned back to his prisoners.
"I guess my ship will be leaving orbit in a few minutes," he said, not knowing if he was telling the truth.
"Its standard procedure to recall the shuttle before they leave," the XO added, trying to convince herself as much as the ambassador.
The Ambassador seemed satisfied with that explanation of the shuttle's sudden departure. Dad allowed himself a second to be relieved that his two boys were safely on the shuttle and away from the Ambassador. He hoped they would be able to rendezvous with his ship without too much of a problem. A loud bang and a cacophony of whistles from inside the compound drew everyone's attention back to the matter at hand.
"I will be back to deal with you two in a minute," the Ambassador said as he hurried back to his experiment.
Dad looked around searching for any way to fight back. But there was none. He looked in the direction of where the shuttle has been parked. Far beyond, amidst the jagged rocks and broad yellow leaves he saw a tall green Kappaquillian hat disappear into the wilderness.
Stranded
"Yes, yes," Mr. Mann said. "I knew there would be trouble. ESA officers always poking their nose where it does not belong. The Ambassador wants to make sure you cannot interfere."
"What you are doing is illegal. Both you and the Ambassador will answer for your actions," Dad said struggling against his restraints.
"And for any loss of life," the XO added angrily.
"Yes, yes. You cannot see the brilliance of the Ambassador's experiment. But you will see... you will see when we are rich and famous throughout the universe."
Mr. Mann disappeared into the walled compound and reappeared a few seconds later.
"Yes, yes. Come with me now Captain. You too, Commander," he said. "The Ambassador has graciously invited you in to witness the experiment."
The armed Kappaquillians prodded the two officers to their feet and ushered them through the large gate. Inside the compound, there was so much activity that Dad hardly knew where to look. A raised platform stood in the center, about 10 feet above the ground. The Kappaquillians were exerting great effort to lift the large tripod onto the platform. It landed with a crash which was followed by another cacophony of piercing whistles and trills.
"It was quite a fight to get a location this far out of the city, you know," the Ambassador said to his prisoners. "The Kappaquillians are most paranoid about fires. The excess oxygen produced by the short cycle photosynthesis of this planet's plant life has been going on for thousands of years. Over time, everything on the planet has absorbed that oxygen."
Dad glared at the Ambassador but said nothing.
"The oxygen gets released here and there, creating the sudden fire bursts that you see around us," the Ambassador said as he swept his arm across the fiery countryside. "They are more dramatic than dangerous for the most part. Tough to build a civilization on I guess, but the Kappaquillians seem to have figured it out. They vent the oxygen away from buildings. Otherwise, I imagine your home could explode from the slightest spark.
"The oxygen did one other thing. Do you see this, Captain?" the Ambassador asked as he squatted down to run his fingers through the ashy gray soil. "You cannot see it with the naked eye of course, but it is here...within the soil: Oxygenated crystal tetravalent MHO4."
"MHO4 is almost nonexistent," Dad said glaring at the Ambassador. "There is less than a gram of it on the entire Earth. Less than a kilogram in our whole solar system."
"I remember hearing about it now," the XO recalled. "It's a dark matter element."
"Yes, yes. Dark matter. Such a crude term for something so beautiful," Mr. Mann said.
"One of the first dark matter elements that we humans understood," the Ambassador said.
"The Capricorn deep space probe," the XO said looking at Dad.
Dad nodded. "We harvested MHO4 from the Yunwu Nebula, but only enough for a single, basic, experiment at the University of Madrid. You wanted to use the MHO4 for your experiment but they shut you down."
"De-selected was the term they used," the Ambassador said indignantly. "The boldness and daring of true science traded for safe and unimaginative experimentation."
"Your reputation for recklessness preceded you," Dad said angrily. "That's why they did not approve of your experiment. That's why you were kicked out of the University."
"A mistake that will quickly be forgotten if all goes as expected," the Ambassador dismissed the idea with a wave of his hand.
"Captain, your wife...her whole lab...." the XO was concerned.
The Ambassador paused briefly as he listened. "Your wife is Dr. Parker?"
Dad glared at the Ambassador but did not answer.
“Well, she certainly benefited from my de-selection, didn't she, Captain?"
"She benefited because she proposed an experiment that was based on sound science, not crazy, reckless theories," Dad said.
The two men stared at each other until the Ambassador finally blinked and looked back at the scene in his compound. "Regrettably, I have changed my mind, Captain. I think it would be best for you to wait somewhere else while we complete our experiment."
Mr. Mann whistled and the Kappaquillian security guards led the two prisoners back through the gate and away from the compound. Mr. Mann and the Ambassador followed.
"Well, no matter," the Ambassador said finally. "I have already programmed the quantum reactor at the university to double the speed called for in their plasma accelerator. The accelerator that I have built here must match that speed exactly. If I am right, the paired quantum systems will open a wormhole that will connect the two accelerators across space."
"No one has ever successfully established the beginning a
nd endpoints of a wormhole," the XO said. "Theoretical physics is not even sure of the specific vectors involved."
"Even if you have identified the vectors that create a wormhole, then what?" Dad said skeptically. "Wormholes are notoriously unstable. It will collapse within seconds. In the end, it won't work and you will have destroyed a lab and the people in it."
"I am disappointed in you, Captain. I would have thought that bold leaps of science would be better received by the ESA."
"The ESA doesn't take chances with other people's lives," Dad replied quickly.
"MHO4 crystals injected exactly at the precise moment that the wormhole opens, have the potential to stabilize the wormhole. They can provide it with structure and physical integrity."
"Yes, yes, the wormhole will be stable," Mr. Mann agreed. "Like walking from one room to the next."
"Like walking from one room to the next," the XO repeated. She looked at her Captain with raised eyebrows. "He is mad!"
"You are trying to open an interstellar porthole," Dad exclaimed, as he understood the rest of the Ambassador's plan.
"Humans and Kappaquillians will be able to step from one planet to the other," the Ambassador said. "Along with trade and tourism, there are countless other projects that will be enabled by eliminating the need for costly spacecraft like yours...er...no offense."
"All controlled by you," Dad said quietly. "You will, of course, receive not only the scientific accolades but the financial benefits as well."
"You see, science is only part of it," the Ambassador said with a strange smile. "Negotiating with friendly planets like Kappaquilla, and having the business sense to monetize my invention are both important."
"So this is about money," the XO said matter-of-factly.
"Fame and money," Dad added.
"What if the experiment fails?" the XO asked.
"Perhaps nothing will happen," the Ambassador nodded.
"Yes, yes. The plasma accelerator, operating at twice its intended speed, would likely explode at the very least."
"Or worse, a reverberating wormhole would continue opening and closing across space and time. Connecting and disconnecting across the universe until it invariably absorbs something catastrophic. A sun, a black hole, hundreds of other things we don't yet understand."
"Just like the rest of the scientific community on Earth. You people are so focused on failure that you let opportunity slip through your fingers."
Throughout the conversation, part of Dad's focus always remained on finding an opportunity to strike, but he found none. The armed Kappaquillians remained in a circle around the two prisoners, staying far enough away to avoid being an easy target for the larger humans. Meanwhile, the Ambassador paced in and out of the circle formed by the guards.
"It is time to put an end to your troublesome interference," the Ambassador said as he walked out of the compound toward a wide ravine that snaked and twisted through the terrain. The armed Kappaquillian guards pushed Dad and the XO to follow. The bottom of the ravine glowed red. One hundred feet away, a burst of flame reached into the sky like a snaky tongue.
"You expect me to jump?" Dad asked.
"Nothing so dramatic, Captain," the Ambassador said. "No matter what you think of me, I would not stoop to murder in cold blood."
The Kappaquillians poked Dad again until he stepped up onto a long log. It was long enough to span the twenty-foot wide crevasse and wide enough to walk across. The crevasse split and then reconnected, leaving a small island of land in the middle. Dad hurried across before a burst of flame made crossing more difficult. The XO quickly followed.
"This spot will allow you to witness scientific history," the Ambassador said as he walked toward the edge. "It will also ensure that you will not disturb me until my experiment is complete. If you try to escape, one only has to wonder whether the flames or the fall will kill you first."
The Kappaquillians gathered at the foot of the log and pushed it sideways until it rolled off the edge and fell into the abyss below. The log took five full seconds to hit the bottom of the ravine. When it did, balls of fire, sparks, and smoke shot up and disappeared into the low-hanging clouds above. The ground beneath them rumbled as several large chunks of soil fell in after the log, bringing smaller bursts of flames after them. Satisfied that the two ESA officers would be confined on their small island prison, the Ambassador and his entourage retreated into the compound once again.
Not far away, Daniel led the group, single file, into the Kappaquillian wilderness. The thick dense trees and yellow foliage grew thicker as they went. Daniel stopped behind a tall cluster of jagged rocks. Ernie and Ani followed until they were all safely hidden from view.
Daniel removed his hat and peered around the edge of the rocks. He could see the wall around the Ambassador's house, the large gate, and part of the house itself. He had to move to a different part of the rocks to see his dad and Lieutenant Commander Hondak. The two ESA officers sat near the middle of their small island, surrounded by deep, smoky, crevasses on all sides. Daniel could see his Dad talking as both officers scanned their surroundings, looking for a way out.
"What do we do now?" Ernie said adjusting the oddly shaped purple hat on his head. "We don't have much time."
Daniel took one more look around before retreating behind the rocks. He breathed deeply. They needed a plan. Fast.
The Rescue
"We need to get Dad and the XO off of that thing before it crumbles into the chasm," Daniel said firmly. The ground rumbled beneath them, opening a new crevasse somewhere in the distance.
"And how are we supposed to do that exactly?" said Ernie angrily.
"You two built a bridge in your engineering class, right?"
Ernie and Ani looked at each other and nodded. Then they looked back at Daniel.
"Can you do it again?" Daniel asked.
Ani hesitated. "I don't know..."
"We could if we had the planks and clamps that we had in class," Ernie said. "But we don't."
Daniel walked to the nearest tree and smiled. "We don't have planks and clamps, but we might be able to use these," he reached over his head grabbing a thick branch. He pulled with two hands and the large branch snapped off of the tree, causing yellow leaves to fly everywhere. Daniel smiled proudly as he handed the branch to Ernie.
"You aren't the only one who pays attention in class," Daniel said to Ani.
"Okay, but how do we connect them? It's not like we have magnetic clamps," Ani said.
"We could use the glue they were using for the compound walls," Ernie exclaimed as his brother's plan became clear.
"Right! You two start collecting the pieces for the bridge. I will go get the glue."
Daniel did not wait for a response. He donned his tall green hat and walked quickly toward the Ambassador's house. His heart was beating so quickly he could feel it throughout his body. Stay calm, he reminded himself. Mom and Dad need to be saved and you are in charge. He was sweating under the thick heavy robes as he shuffled along quickly, doing his best to impersonate the Kappaquillians he had observed earlier.
Yellow leaves and fragile branches thinned as Daniel neared the clearing.
He could still hear the busy activities inside the compound walls. He heard banging and all sorts of whistles, and he even thought he heard the Ambassador shouting. Once in the clearing, Daniel lifted his head slightly. The outside of the compound was deserted. He spotted the pile of glue barrels as he approached. He lifted one from the top of the pile, but it was heavier than he expected. He decided to set it back down, lay it on its side, and roll the barrel back to Ernie and Ani.
Daniel glanced over at his father and the XO. He could tell that they were trying to get their hands free of the Kappaquillian bonds. Focused on that effort, they did not notice him as he hurried back into the foliage.
Getting the barrel behind the rocks where Ernie and Ani were working was hard work and took longer than Daniel expected. When he finally got back, Ernie and Ani
were ready for him.
"We have all the pieces," Ernie reported to Daniel.
"It's not going to be pretty, but I think it'll work – if the glue holds," Ani added.
"How long will it take to put everything together?" Daniel asked.
"Not long to assemble," Ani answered slowly.
"How long does it take the glue to dry?" Ernie asked.
Daniel stared at the barrel. There was a lot of writing and numerous symbols on the container, but very little that they could understand. It was mostly in Kappaquillian. Daniel wished he had his wrist comp so he could ask Harry or anyone else that could help. His shoulders slumped forward.
"I don't know," Daniel said quietly. "But it has to work. We are running out of time."
The two fifth-graders nodded. Without another word, they got back to work.
Unlike Mr. Tremblay's engineering class, there were no arguments or disagreements between Ernie and Ani. They were on a mission and cared only about succeeding. Working together, it took nearly 30 minutes to assemble the bridge. Ernie and Ani stepped back to admire their construction.
Daniel looked the bridge over again, inspecting it. He remembered his own engineering class in fifth grade. He had not done too well in that class although he was definitely not going to tell Ani and Ernie that.
"Is this strong enough?" he asked finally.
"Yes," Ani answered. "We placed the horizontal supports at angles which allow each individual section to disperse the weight across the entire structure."
"Don't worry, Daniel," Ernie said. "Ani knows what she's talking about."
Daniel used both hands to lift one end of the bridge off the ground.
"It's heavy," Ernie said, answering his brother's question before he could ask it. "But together we should be able to carry it."
Daniel nodded. "Come on, there's no time to lose."
Daniel lifted the front end, while Ernie and Ani quickly put their robes and hats back on that they had grabbed when they left the shuttle. These fit better than the first set, and made them feel as if they were blending in with the population. The two younger children each lifted the bridge from the sides near the back.
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