by Neely Dobbs
CHAPTER 1: Alliance
Alarms clamored throughout the underground science lab at Mathlen on Kepren. No living person was there to hear. However, machine intelligences responded faster than any person could have. The sudden, complete loss of communications with the planet Chadalmencondra had been a precursor to the alarm. Then the clanging died as suddenly as it had commenced, leaving an eerie silence. This was soon followed by an incoming signal:
"Wasp to Mathlen! Mathlen Science Lab, record. Mayday! Mayday! This is Commander Agriel on board the Wasp. Less than one minute ago— at 0326 hours, 22 Catalin, KY109— Chadalmencondra vanished. A visual record of the planet's disappearance will follow this transmission. It strongly suggests that the fabric of space in this region has been altered.
"Should visuals and telemetry arrive garbled, the following report is to be accepted as authoritative.
“In the region of space occupied by the planet Chadalmencondra, a luminescence bounded by a pale violet haze was detected. Within this boundary appeared faint and distorted images of previously unidentified stars in Chad's sky. The region initially wavered and fluctuated in size and clarity. As it moved closer, its boundaries became sharper and more well defined.
“Observation: It resembled a ghostly window or a torn picture whose tear revealed another image behind it.
“This ‘window’ or ‘tear’ moved through the near space region as a unified whole and approached Chad. Chad seemed to pass through this window…which then closed, returning the appearance of space to normal, except for Chad's complete absence.
“Our vessel's instruments detected total loss of orbital lock and immediately sounded the alarms.
“The Wasp acquired an unexplainable and problematic spin when we lost orbit. Primary access ports are now located in the area of greatest spin and cannot be approached safely. Our new polar regions contain only personnel-sized escape hatches, so we currently have no means to directly dock with any incoming ships. The automatic safeties have activated, dividing the Wasp into several air-tight compartments. We have been unable to override this automated response.
"The reactor and bridge areas are not accessible; we are unable to use the reaction propulsion systems for either incremental delta-v course change or spin stabilization.
"These anomalies have incapacitated the majority of our primary ability to act as the Communications Relay Command Center for the entire Kepren Cluster Alliance.
“We are currently confined to local communications, sleeping quarters and stores. Ship's atmosphere is under automated control only. Our condition is momentarily stable. We have enough air, food and water to last indefinitely.
“Advise us of your findings on our situation as they become known.
“One moment, please…
“As I speak, I have been handed a note saying that we are now on a vector toward Kepren. Commence tracking the Wasp immediately. Advise when closest approach to Kepren will occur... as well as any possible rescue options.
“Agriel out.”
Well before the report from Agriel had concluded, several widely separated tracking stations had begun focusing on that distant dot in the sky. The coordinating machine intelligence, VSDI (Visual Sensory Digital Integrator) Unit #473, digested the rapid flow of information from the tracking stations. Had any living person been present, they would have experienced increasing concern over the ominous data displayed on the huge viewing screens in the Mathlen Science Lab complex.
The main viewscreen displayed the region of space between Kepren and the location Chad had— until recently— occupied. On this screen blinking light traces progressively coalesced to reveal the projected path of the Wasp. A living operator might have blanched with horror as the picture so relentlessly formed on the screen, but VSDI evinced no sign of emotion as he activated the alarm switch under the plate marked “Sanctuary-1, Alpha Byreen III.”