by T. R. Harris
“But according to you, trans-dimensional travel isn’t all it’s cracked up to be,” Adam said. “It can be a universe-killer if not done properly.”
“The Klin obviously knew how to do it safely. Yet this does raise another question: if they had this technology back at the time of the Alliance, why didn’t they use it to travel the galaxy, such as Lila and I do, through transitional hops? The gravity drive is useful in most common applications. But the hops would have opened more of the galaxy to them much sooner.”
“I’m more curious why the Olypon didn’t get this old array working. If they had, there would have been no problem maintaining contact with their research team,” Adam pointed out.
“We shall have to ask her once we find her,” Tidus said. “She is also the key to our new wealth, my friends.” He was grinning. “We have made it. Now all we have to do is secure our claim.”
“And we have less than seven hours to do it before the Olypon send their fleet through the portal,” Sherri said. “I don’t think they like us much anymore. There’s no telling what they’ll do when they get here. So we better get the lay of the land…and fast.”
“Who has the coordinates to where this Anolis babe is hanging out?” Coop asked. “She can’t be too far.”
“I have the coordinates,” Panur said. He inserted a small data chip into the nav computer, one Sindus had given him moments before the team left the control room. A star chart appeared on a side screen. The mutant frowned, deciphering the information before anyone else, with the exception of Lila.
“This is not an original,” Lila spoke. “The data files indicate a recording of previously published material.”
“That’s right,” said Panur.
“What does that mean?” Sherri asked.
“It means these are not recent recordings.”
“And that is significant why?”
“Because the data for the coordinates should be no more than a year old, from when Anolis first entered the universe and the initial contacts were made between the dimensions. There was a period of time when the parties traveled back and forth, and when survey data was shared. Only later did the contact break.”
“I’m still confused,” Sherri said.
“What Panur means is that this is much older survey data,” Lila explained. “And using an overlay of the current astronomical positionings….” She worked the controls and another set of datapoints appeared on the screen as a jumbled mass on top of the others. “The stars have shifted dramatically since the time of the survey we were given.”
“Those are the same stars?” Sherri asked, now beginning to see some correlation between the points.
“Yes,” said Panur, “and a quick calculation would indicate considerable time has passed since this survey and today.”
“Holy shit!” said Adam. “These are old Klin readings, not those taken a year ago.”
“And for good reason,” said Panur. “Because there were no readings taken a year ago, since no expedition was made to this universe,” Panur stated blandly.
“What is your meaning?” Tidus asked, panic in his voice. He was already working the implications out in his head.
Panur pushed back from his station and swiveled the chair until he was looking at the team. “We have been deceived, my friends, which is especially distressing for me, as I am not supposed to fall for such bullshit.”
“The Olypon have never been here,” Lila stated.
“Then why…why did they say they had?” Arieel asked, the confusion boiling over.
“And what about the fortune?” Tidus asked rhetorically. He knew this answer as well. There was no fortune, no super energy source, no wealth beyond belief.
“The Olypon needed me to connect their array to this universe,” said Panur. “And since they have ancient star charts, they are seeking something that is four thousand years old.”
“The dark matter material?” Tidus asked anxiously, holding onto any thread of hope he could.
“That I very much doubt. They have deceived us to this point; why tell the truth about their ultimate goal?”
Copernicus snickered. “And why give away the store like they did if there really is this new power source worth billions of credits?” he said. “And here you thought you were this great negotiator, Tidus. The bastards agreed to everything you wanted…because it was all bullshit in the first place.”
“That still doesn’t answer the question why?” Adam said. “They’ve gone through a lot of trouble to get to this point.”
“And they were expecting to send their fleet in ahead of us,” Sherri said. “They know what they’re looking for.”
“Then we should find out as well,” Panur stated. “We have the coordinates, once Lila and I make the adjustments accounting for the movements of the survey points. It will take the Olypon longer to do the same once they arrive. We have time to get to the destination before they do.”
“Hell, yeah!” Copernicus cried out. “And whatever is there has a lot of value to those lying bastards. We might be able to hold it over their heads and squeeze out something for us after all.”
Once the Davion was off on the new course, heading for a star system two light-years away, Adam pulled Panur aside and they ducked into one of the staterooms.
“You do know we’re probably going to run into some Klin on this planet.”
“I would be surprised if we don’t. Both arrays are functioning models and the one here would have been back at the time the Klin were bouncing back and forth between dimensions. But I sense your apprehension,” said the mutant. “But remember, these Klin have been isolated here for four thousand years. They know nothing of the events within the Milky Way, only that contact was broken suddenly and since then they have not been able to reestablish the link. They will have moved on, with a hundred generations or more knowing only this universe as their own. They had star travel at the time, so possibly they’ve expanded outward, with enough time to explore this entire galaxy. And the TD portal array—although abandoned now—may have been used to open links with other universes, even if they couldn’t get back to yours. It will be a fascinating opportunity to study cultural evolution between the two different families of Klin.”
“I’m glad you’re excited about the opportunities for academic growth, Panur, but I’m still worried. The Olypon aren’t coming here to reestablish cultural and racial ties with the Klin. They don’t strike me as the type. They’re coming for something specific and until we know what it is, everything is a danger.”
“Relax, Adam,” Panur said, placing a calming hand on the Human’s shoulder. “You forget who you’re traveling with. I’m sure the beings we encounter will have never before seen the likes of me and Lila.”
Adam nodded. “I guess you’re right.”
“I am. But it is good that you keep your guard up. It’s just second nature to you by now.”
Panur had set a clock on the bridge, showing the time when the Olypon array generators would be charged and ready to open another portal. With the revelations the team had discussed earlier, it was now accepted that the aliens wouldn’t be coming as friends and business associates. Instead, they would roll over the tiny Klin flying saucer without a second thought, now that Panur had their TD facility working. At that point, it also wouldn’t matter if there were two immortal mutant geniuses aboard. They would survive, of course, but as frozen lumps of matter in the vacuum of space. The rest of them would die. Getting to the target world ahead of the fleet would give them some cover—possibly—depending on what they find. And then there was the question of getting back to the Milky Way. Would the Olypon post sentries to prevent them from passing through the portal? And even if they made it through, they’d be in the Dysion Void, and stuck in the middle of the tumultuous Juddle Nebula.
As the hours passed, Adam was climbing the walls, anxious for answers. Coop was right, there was something of value on the planet and the Olypon wanted it pretty bad. But
that was the problem. It was on a planet—a big-ass planet, as they all were. Where to look and what to look for were Adam’s major concerns. And the Olypon knew what they were looking for. Adam didn’t.
But did they know where? This brought up an interesting dynamic. The Olypon were working off four-thousand-year-old data—as evidenced by the starcharts. If they had newer information, they would have used it. So maybe the Olypon were operating as much in the dark as he was, at least with regards to what they would find when they got to the planet. A lot can change in four thousand years. It may not be as simple a task for the aliens as Adam had first thought.
101
Evidence of an interstellar civilization became apparent long before the team reached their destination. Proximity alarms sounded as numerous spaceships were detected far beyond the boundary of the system. These ships noticed them, as well, and came to investigate.
Adam was thankful the mutants were aboard. When the first contacts came through, using standard wormhole comm technology, it still took some effort to sync the signals. Crews aboard the native spaceships seemed as curious about the newcomers as the team was of them and worked to help bring things into alignment. Once this was done, images appeared on the comm screen, and to no one’s surprised, they were Klin.
The Davion was almost to the star system when Panur and Lila finished adjusting the language translators enough for speech to be deciphered. Although these were Klin, they spoke a dialect that had morphed into something almost entirely different over the centuries. There were similarities, and it was these common threads that the mutants used to bring the language into focus. They also tapped into the translator bugs, which at the time of the Reckoning were just being developed. It would take the Formilians two thousand years later to perfect the system, including the galactic Library—the internet of the Milky Way. There was a similar system in use in this universe, and using only the localize Klin language, the team was able to access it. They found this splinter of the Klin race had indeed spread out from this original transit point to colonize hundreds of other worlds, although the languages of the various other species would take time to assimilate into the translation system. Hopefully the team wouldn’t be here long enough for that to become important.
“You have transitioned through the dimensional portal?” the lead Klin confirmed, staring out from the screen at the variety of creatures on the bridge of the Davion. He gave his name as Donzin Sumorn. The name had a vague Klin sound to it, at least the names Adam was used to. “Your arrival was monitored, and although we have experience with hundreds of alien species, we understand you to be unique to this universe. Will more be arriving?”
“That is fairly certain, although we have not activated your portal to establish a more lasting connection,” answered Panur. “Are you familiar with its operation? It appears as though considerable time has passed since its last use.”
“We are forbidden from activating the device,” said the Klin, much to the surprise of the team. “In ancient times this was not so. Yet after contact was lost with the birth universe, it has remained dormant by proclamation.”
“Who forbid you from using it?” Lila asked.
The Klin considered her for a moment, appearing irritated. “That is of no concern to you,” Donzin said. “Our ways are our own.”
“Of course, forgive me. It was not my intent to insult.” Lila replied. Adam admired her diplomacy; however, once the Klin learned who and what she was, diplomacy wouldn’t be necessary.
“I notice there are no Klin aboard your ship, at least none I have seen,” said Donzin. “What news do you bring of the Klin from your dimension?”
Panur was the spokesperson for the group. “I assume it has been four thousand of our years since you last had contact, so there is much to relate. We seek permission to land on your planet and speak with your leaders. Is that acceptable?”
“Of course. There is a palatable curiosity resonating even within my ship and relayed from the capital. Yet follow your escorts. At this point, you are unknowns. We will take precautions as we deem necessary.”
“As would we in your position,” said Panur. “We will comply.”
When the connection was cut, Panur looked at Adam and smiled. “See, a different kind of Klin, a friendlier Klin.”
“For now,” Adam said. “For now.”
To no one’s surprise, the Klin’s new homeworld was highly developed and populated. Four thousand years was an adequate time for this to happen, especially with the head start they had with their technology and knowledge. If there had been an indigenous species on the planet, it would have long since been eradicated or assimilated.
The Davion was led to a busy spaceport cloistered within the sprawling limits of a large city. The architecture was familiar—all Prime beings were of essentially the same design so their artificial caves followed similar function and utility. Adam was surprised to see that most of the starships in the port were more oblong in shape, rather than the saucers of the Milky Way Klin. He admitted he wasn’t up on ancient Klin history, so he didn’t know what form their vessels took at the time of their foray into this universe. What this did, however, was make the shiny disk-shape of the Davion standout, attracting a crowd of curious spectators once the landing exhaust cleared.
A large transport arrived at the exit hatch on the pedestal under the saucer.
“We shall send a diverse delegation,” Panur announced. “Lila, Adam and Arieel will come with me. That will provide the Klin with a fair representation of races and entities from our universe.”
“What about me?” Tidus asked.
“Are you kidding?” Adam exclaimed. “You’re a Juirean. The Klin may have records of your race. That could be a problem.”
“These Klin came before the Reckoning. We were allies at the time.”
“We can fairly well assume the date of the contact loss between this universe and ours,” Panur said. “It was on the day of the Reckoning. Yet what we cannot assume is that there wasn’t a brief report transmitted at the time of your attack. In that case, there may be a mythology that has developed over the millennia. There is no need to take the risk.”
Begrudgingly, Tidus relented. “That is acceptable, yet do not fail to ask about why the Olypon are anxious to contact them? It will be the key to our leverage.”
Panur smiled. “It is my opinion that the Olypon may be surprised to find such an advance society of Klin living here. What they seek may be kept from them, both from the effects of time or by force. And if their fleet comes with the intent to fight and conquer, they may be sorely disappointed.”
“And what would that do to the portal if that happens?” Sherri asked. “Will they shut it down and strand us on this side?”
“We shall see. Too many questions without enough data to form reliable answers,” said the mutant. “Let us go join our Klin hosts and learn what they know.”
Adam noticed concern on the faces of the mutants as the small delegation entered the transport vehicle for the ride into the city. There were two Klin seated in the facing backseats, watching them. They made no attempt to engage in conversation, so the team didn’t either. Instead, Adam resorted to ATD communication.
Why do the two of you look so worried? he asked mentally.
This vehicle, Lila answered. It operates on a sort of gravity-cancelling wave.
Like a hovercraft? Adam asked.
Yes, yet vastly more sophisticated, his daughter thought. This is beyond even the technology found in our galaxy.
The Klin have had thousands of years to advance, Arieel said. They led the galaxy at the time of the transition. Perhaps they have had no interruptions and have developed even greater technologies as a result.
That is possible, said Lila. It would be a carryover from the strides they made in the few years before the destruction of Klinmon. There will undoubtedly be other surprises to be found here.
A few minutes later, the vehicle entered a large parking
facility under a modest twenty-story building made of glass and steel—or what Adam assumed to be glass and steel. Considering what the mutants had just said, that wasn’t a given. They were motioned to leave the vehicle and entered a silent-running elevator that carried them without the sensation of movement. The door simply closed and opened a moment later to a new exterior.
The Klin of this universe had retained the traditional silver-theme dress of their ancient ancestors, although there appeared to be more complementary colors added to the variety of garments. There were also more females present. Throughout the experience Adam had with the Milky Way Klin, he rarely encountered females. Like most races on the verge of extinction, their females played a vital and almost exclusive role in procreation. The Juireans did the same. Without constant births, both races would have either died out or failed to expand as they had, as in the case of the Juireans. But this appeared to be a more stable population, allowing females to expand beyond their purely biological responsibilities. In fact, it was a female who appeared to be in charge, as the team was brought into a formal room where only a few Klin were present. They were seated around a modest table. No refreshments were offered. That would come later, once all the players were introduced.
“I am Gendius Valin, the appointed leader of the Klin Confederation, a position referred to as the Leadin.”
Milky Way Klin called their leader the Pleabaen. To Adam, this title sounded vaguely familiar, probably a bastardization of the original.
“I am known as Panur, with Lila Bol, Arieel Bol and Adam Cain.”