“What happened Padraig?” Morann demanded to know running across the teleportation chamber on board the Beagalltach as soon as Padraig appeared there.
“There was some sort of explosion,” Padraig managed to say, still reeling from the events in the Morrigan’s Depository. “Then a wall of fire. I thought I was done for. Morrigan.”
“John? Kate? What happened to them?”
“I don’t know, Morann. They went into the Inner Sanctum , they didn’t return. No-one could have survived that wall of fire, Morann,” Padraig said sadly. “They’re gone!”
Morann put her arm around her friend and gently led him out of the teleportation chamber and down the corridor, towards the command deck.
“We have to tell Oisin, “ Morann said. Padraig nodded.
“Where is he?”
“I’m not sure, he was with Conn earlier, “ Morann answered. Suddenly Padraig clutched her arm and as Morann turned to look at him, she saw a worried look on his face.
“It was a long, metalled wall tunnel Kate and John went into, Morann. I’ve never seen anything like it before. Where it led to, I’ve no idea,” Padraig told her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unknown planet, Orion Constellation
On board the shuttle
It was the fastest teleportation that John had ever experienced, and he was rocking on his feet, when split seconds later he found himself in what appeared to be the cockpit of some sort of craft. He realised he was still holding hands with the man in the black Stetson hat and Duster coat and quickly let go and stepped back a pace. Kate too had let go of the man’s hand and was now observing him closely.
The man had a bushy ginger beard and from what could be seen from under his hat, hair of the same colour. He was a good 3 to 4 inches taller than John and was well built with broad shoulders. The man’s eyes were a deep blue and had a mischievous twinkle in them.
“Who are you? And what’s going on?” John wanted to know, but the man turned away and addressed a small dark haired man who sat in a huge chair, which must be the pilot’s seat.
“What’s happening down there, Daman?” the man in the Stetson hat enquired.
Looking at the display screen at the front of the cockpit, John saw a view of a rocky island set in the bluest sea that he had ever seen. It obviously wasn’t Earth, as in the sky above the island John could see that two moons were plainly visible.
“It looks about ready to blow up, Saoiste,” the small man answered, glancing at one of the small screens on a vast array in front of him. “I’m picking up the readings.”
“Then perhaps you’d better take us up further away from here,” the Stetson-hatted man replied.
“Okay, away we go!” Daman replied and a moment later the craft started to rise up, away from the island. It was just in time, for the island below them exploded, sending chunks of rock in all directions and then a spout of flame that flew towards them. Fortunately, the craft had rapidly accelerated away and was well out of danger now.
“Padraig was down there, wasn’t he?” Kate said shocked, all the colour drained from her face as she turned to face John, who’d been closely examining the array of screens in front of Daman. The symbols on the control panels in front of the screen certainly weren’t Aos Si. These were circular and swirling curving shapes . In fact, the closest that John had ever seen to them were the patterns found in tombs like Newgrange in Ireland or stones found in Scotland, or Orkney. John noticed that the shuttle had accelerated away from the planet’s surface and was now out in space, the planet below them and its two moons, becoming smaller and smaller as the shuttle speed increased even further .
“That’s not Earth below us, is it?” John asked the man Daman had addressed as Saoiste.
“Nae Laddie, it isnnae,” the man replied. “Take us to the Claiomh Solais, Daman,” he instructed.
Aye, aye, Saoiste.”
“That’s your title, not your name,” John addressed the Stetson hatted man , who nodded in confirmation.
“It’s not Earth! Then where the bloody hell are we?” Kate who didn’t normally swear incredulously exclaimed.
“An alternative universe to the one you left, lassie, “ the Saoiste replied. “ As for your friend, Padraig, he should be safe and sound back on your Earth.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Beagalltach
Around the same time
Something had been bugging Oisin ever since Conn had shown him the video of the man seen in Sneem, near to the Pyramid Garden. The man had appeared familiar to Oisin and something told him that he should know who the man was. Although Oisin racked his brain, for the life of him, he couldn’t recall who the man was. Just then Oisin’s personal communicator buzzed.
“You’re needed urgently, Ceannaire,” Sceolan told him .
“On my way,” Oisin answered and getting up out of his chair headed out of his quarters and off towards the command deck. He saw Padraig and Morann as soon as he arrived there and the looks on their faces told him that something was very wrong. “What’s happened?” he demanded to know. “Where’s Kate and John?”
“I don’t know Oisin,” Padraig replied. “There was an explosion after they’d entered the Inner Sanctum of the Morrigan’s Depository. The door was blown off into the antechamber I was in. I managed to get a look into where they’d gone. It was a long metal walled tunnel. There was no sign of Kate or John and then a wall of fire swept towards me and I had to teleport out of there.”
“Ceannaire!” Bobdall suddenly exclaimed. “The island we’ve just teleported Padraig from has exploded!
“That was where John and Kate were, wasn’t it?” Oisin asked, his voice nearly breaking, and all the colour drained from his face. Bobdall nodded.
“I’ve been monitoring it since we picked up Padraig,” Bobdall informed him.
“It was an island?” Conn questioned. “Not Staigue Fort?”
“No, it was one of the small, uninhabited islands in the Scilly Isles,” Bobdall answered and then a puzzled frown appeared on her face. “Now that’s very strange. There was a tremendous burst of energy, milliseconds before the island exploded.”
“Something triggered the explosion?” Conn queried.
“No,” Bobdall shook her head. “It was very similar to the energy burst that a teleportation initiation makes, but far, far more powerful. More powerful that any teleportation initiation energy signature that I’ve ever seen. It came from far underground on the island.”
“We need to find out what it was,” Conn said turning to Oisin who was still in shock. “If it was a teleportation initiation, John and Kate could still be alive. If that’s what it was, can you track where the teleportation journey was made to , Bobdall?”
“I’ll try to Conn.” Bobdall said, turning back to her array of equipment and started the process.
“Padraig, did you say that you saw a long metalled wall tunnel, when the door to the Inner Sanctum blew off?” Conn asked him.
“Yes, I’ve never seen anything like it before. I don’t know what kind of metal it was, but it wasn’t known to me,” Padraig said looking around at the others. Conn he noticed looked lost in thought.
“That’s impossible!” Bobdall suddenly cried out.
“What is?” Oisin demanded to know, turning to face her.
“I’ve located the destination point of the energy burst, “ Bobdall answered, “ It’s where Hy-Brasil used to be.”
“There’s nothing there anymore,” Sceolan stated. “The planet was destroyed in the war, nearly 13,000 years ago.
“I know, but that’s where the energy burst terminated,” Bobdall told him, “But anyway a teleportation journey that far is beyond our science. The energy burst must have been something else, but what, I’ve no idea.”
“If a teleportation journey of that length was possible and the journey was made to there, for what purpose?” Morann asked. “Whoever was making the journey would have ended up drifting in space,” she hesit
ated momentarily, “and dying.”
“Not if it was made to a space craft,” Padraig interjected.
Whilst the discussion had been going on, Conn walked up to Oisin and quietly said.
“We need to talk in private, now.”
Conn, followed by Oisin left the command deck and headed for Oisin’s quarters. Arriving there Conn turned to Oisin.
“I think I know what the energy burst was,” he told him. “Padraig described what he saw when the door to the Inner Sanctum blew off, as a long metalled wall tunnel. I think the energy burst was an interdimensional transfer.”
“We don’t have the technology for interdimensional transfers, Conn, you know that.”
“We have the theory, Oisin and we know where we got the theory from.”
“The Fomoire,” Oisin answered ashen faced. “We stole it from them, but were never able to build one.
“No, but the Fomoire could,” Conn said . “Oisin, Kate and John may be in the hands of the Fomoire.
“If so, they could be anywhere,” Oisin replied.
“We may never see them again, Oisin. We have to prepare for that. I’m very sorry,” Conn put his hand on Oisin’s shoulder and then turned and left his quarters.
Oisin sat down and put his head in his hands. He couldn’t accept however that he might never see his son again. No, he decided, he’d search for John and Kate, even if it took him the rest of his life.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unknown planet, Orion Constellation
On board the shuttle
“Alternative universe?” Kate said unbelievingly.
“We’re in an alternative universe to yours lassie,” the man in the Stetson hat told her and nodded to the screen. “One in which Hy-Brasil wasn’t destroyed in a totally futile war.”
“Hy-Brasil? That was a mythical island in the Atlantic, to the west of Ireland, wasn’t it?” Kate said turning to look at John.
“From the stories I’ve read, it was.” John replied.
“It was the name of the planet that we just left. It exists in this Universe, but in yours it was destroyed in the war the Aos Si fought against the Fomoire,” the man Saoiste informed them both.
“So where are you taking us?” Kate demanded to know, “and you still haven’t told us your name.”
“I’ll tell you my name later lassie,” the Saoiste told her. “First we must get to the Claiomh Solais, before it’s discovered that we’re here. Initiate jump to hyperspace, Daman,” He turned to Kate and John. “I suggest that you both take a seat,” he indicated a row of four similar chairs, situated in a semi-circular row behind Daman. “There’ll be a bit of a jolt.,” he then said and seeing both Kate and John hesitating, added. “I’m not fussy which chair I sit in.” They both sat down. There was a slight jolt and then both Kate and John felt their bodies forced back into the chairs they were seated in.
John looked at the display screen which gave a view of outside the shuttle. They were passing at an incredibly high speed, through which he could only describe as a swirling, rainbow coloured tunnel. At the very far end of it, John could see an intensely bright light shining, which was getting closer and closer. Then the end of their journey arrived and suddenly they were in normal space again.
Kate gasped at the sight before them. What looked like a dark red coloured, unevenly rolled cigar was motionless in space before them and the shuttle was approaching it at great speed. Kate wasn’t very good at estimating the sizes of things, but guessed that whatever the thing was, it was between half and three quarters of a mile long. The Saoiste turned and smiled at her.
“That’s the Claiomh Solais,” the Saoiste proudly told her.
“What is it?” Kate asked him.
“You’d call it a starship,” he answered. “Its name translates as ‘Sword of Light’ in your language, Kate.”
“You know my name?” Kate questioned. The Saoiste nodded. “How?” The Saoiste shrugged, but didn’t reply.
“That’s not an Aos Si ship,” John announced and turned to look the Saoiste in the eye. “Who exactly are you?” the Saoiste shrugged again.
As they got nearer to the Claiomh Solais, Kate saw that its surface was jagged and uneven, like a splinter of rock might be. The more she thought about it, the more she could see an uncanny resemblance in shape to a standing stone, although on a much, larger scale. In fact, it resembled in shape some of the standing stones that she’d seen in Cornwall, like the ‘Pipers Standing Stones’.
Nearer and nearer the shuttle got to the Claiomh Solais and Kate began to worry that they were going to collide with it. Then her eyes were drawn to a glowing, irregular-shaped patch which had started to appear on the side of the Claiomh Solais. The patch quickly expanded and then started to pulsate. What worried Kate however was that the shuttle looked now as though it would collide with it and she swung around to see if anyone else had seen it.
“Dinnae fash yersel lassie,” the Saoiste reassured her. “The shuttle has to merge with its mother ship, so we can continue on our journey.”
John had instinctively known this was going to happen, but how that was possible he had no idea. What he did know however was that the technology of the shuttle and the Claiomh Solais was far beyond anything that the Aos Si possessed.
“Docking complete,” Daman announced, getting up out of the pilot’s chair. “Ready for disembarkation, Saoiste.”
“Right then,” the Saoiste replied, giving Daman a slight nod. “We’d better go and see what that eejit of a brother of yours’s has got up to in my absence. Follow me,” he then told Kate and John.
They both followed the Saoiste out of the shuttle and gasped in surprise when they found themselves in a large circular room, which was a hive of activity. What were obviously workstations and control panels were all around the circumference of the room, although they were unlike anything that either John, or Kate had ever seen before. Everywhere, dozens of small men and women similar to Daman, were busy at work. Some were seated at the workstations; others were rushing to and fro between the control panels and then speaking into what were obviously some kind of communication device. In the centre of the room was what could only be described as a flat top, mushroom-shaped platform.
John could see a man seated on it, in front of a huge curved screen which was suspended from the ceiling of the room. There were vacant chairs to both sides of him, from what John could see. How the man had got up there however, was a mystery. There wasn’t any sign of a door leading to a lift, or stairs, at the base of the platform. Turning his head to look at what he could see of the walls of the room, John wondered whether they were made of rock, or some unknown organic material. One thing was for sure, they certainly weren’t made of metal, or at least not of any kind of metal that John had come across. Suddenly the man on the platform saw them approaching and got up from his chair, disappearing from view. The next moment a hidden door at the base of the platform, or the mushroom stalk as John thought of it, opened and the man rushed out and over to greet them.
“You’re back, Saoiste, did all go well?” The small dark haired man, who looked almost identical to Daman in features, although somewhat older, nervously enquired.
“Well, Bódearg, apart from nearly being blown to smithereens, everything went ok, and we managed to rescue Kate and John.” the Saoiste told him, indicating them both. “Now please tell me that no-one has any idea that we’re here in this sector of space. I don’t want us to be breaking any more treaties, I’ll tell you.”
“No, no! no-one knows,” Bódearg assured him though to John, the man’s eyes told a different story. The Saoiste must have thought so too, for he gave Bódearg a searching look. “No, Saoiste, no-one knows,” he repeated, though not so confidently this time.
Kate had been studying the Saoiste since their rescue from the Morrigan’s Inner Sanctum. There was more than a passing resemblance between John and the Saoiste and Kate had a gut feeling that her suspicions were correct..
�
��You’re Fionn Mac Cumhaill, John’s grandfather aren’t you?” Kate said. The Saoiste and John swung around to face her, disbelief on John’s face, an enigmatic look on the Saoiste’s
“What makes you think that lassie?” The Saoiste asked, his face a mask.
“Well, you have similarities in features, although of course you’re much older than him,” Kate said, hearing Daman start to snigger.
“Ancient more like,” Daman muttered under his breath.
“Quiet brother! Show the Saoiste some respect!” Bódearg scolded Daman, as the Saoiste glared at him.
“But it’s the mannerisms that you both have. They’re far too similar to be a coincidence,” Kate continued, “and you saved us both.”
The Saoiste who was a good foot taller than Kate, crossed his arms and gave her a hard, penetrating look. Kate didn’t flinch and gave him just as hard a look back.
“Oh, for the love of Balor of the Evil Eye! Put them both out of their misery, Fionn,” Daman protested.
“Blasphemy! You know Balor’s not a god! It’s forbidden to speak his name!” Bódearg scolded Daman again. “Sorry Saoiste,” he then apologized. “My little brother means no harm. He just has a wicked tongue on him.”
“This is a Fomoire space craft, isn’t it?” John suddenly said, attracting everyone’s attention, even the people working nearby. The Saoiste turned his gaze now to John. Then he smiled.
“You’re both too clever by far,” The Saoiste replied. “Yes, you were right, Kate.” He turned to her and nodded in acknowledgement. Then he turned to John. “I am Fionn Mac Cumhaill as Kate guessed and your grandfather, John. As for your question as to whether this is a Fomoire space craft, it is.”
“Then what’s the Ceannaire of the Fianna doing on a Fomoire space craft, with a crew and I mean no disrespect,” John said turning to Daman and Bódearg, “who are obviously not Aos Si?
“Now that’ll be a tale for you to tell, Fionn,” Daman said gleefully, drawing another furious look from his brother.
“I think that you’d better both come with me to my quarters, I’ve a lot to tell you,” Fionn told them and then turned to Daman and Bódearg. “Daman, you have command, get us out of here and back home. Bódearg, get me all the information that you can on this explosive,” Conn delved deep into the pocket of his Duster coat and produced a lump of some purple fungus-like material which he handed to him. Bódearg’s face lit up with delight.
The Sol 3 Agenda Page 35