Ellen had noticed him turning off his buzzer only to have it start buzzing again, and watched as he stepped out of the room. “That’s not good,” she muttered.
“Excuse me,” said Erg, who overheard her quiet comment.
“I think we may have a problem. Commander Warrington’s mobile com set was hacked.”
“What does that mean?” asked Tohl.
“It means someone was desperate to get in touch with him, and that usually means trouble.”
“What kind of …”
But before Erg could finish, Bert shoved the door open and walked to the table. “We have to start immediately,” he blurted. “the World Eaters are in position to begin. We have to start moving Giants right away.”
Kor Tohl wasted no time responding. Logging onto his government civil defense account, he uploaded an emergency evacuation notice through the planet’s civil defense system. Every computer connection on Korganra was notified, every public-address system was turned into a civil defense broadcast, and every private radio frequency was commandeered to play the emergency message.
Pre-selected Giants were instructed to report to their locations and shelter in-place until they were picked up by a Shade. The general population was told to report to specific evacuation points throughout the planet. Bert stood near the window and looked out over the courtyard. He explained the situation to his fleet commanders, telling them Korganra would soon be harvested.
“In light of this situation I requested a change of orders - to use the Alpha fleet for evacuation of Korganra. Our Chairman’s response to that request is in your inbox,” said Bert. “Based on his concurrence, this is no longer a seek-and-destroy mission. In one hour, we will break the phalanx, land the Alpha ships at locations provided by the Korganraim War Council’s Chairman, and begin the evacuation of Korganra. Ready your ships.”
As he finished, Bert possibly witnessed the most incredible thing he had ever seen. Enoi was hovering outside in the middle of the courtyard. Oscillating rapidly between two extremes, he became a dense, incredibly black mass that occupied only a few square inches, and then a light gray wispy smoke that filled the entire courtyard to a height of twenty stories. The shifts between states reached a blinding speed, so fast Bert was having difficulty distinguishing one phase from another.
The scene became a torrent of black then gray with no rest in between. Then, the smoke collapsed violently into Enoi’s familiar form, and in the courtyard, all around him, Desredeedese Shades began to appear by the thousands. Bert nearly jumped off the floor when Ellen, who had quietly walked up and stood right behind him, said,” That was the wildest thing I think I’ve ever witnessed.”
“Me too,” responded Bert. His heart was racing. “We have a legion of Shades out there, let’s put them to work.”
“Yes Sir, Commander. Mr. Balor, I need the locations of each of your designated emergency captains, and the coordinates of every evacuation point. We are ready to begin loading and transporting.”
“Enoi has communicated to me he divided the Shades into groups large enough to move a fully loaded Alpha ship,” said Bert. “Each group is ready to take one of the Giant’s representatives with them to the loading locations.
“Here is the data you requested, Officer Chanan. Then Erg glanced at the console in front of him and said, “Mining and cargo ships are reporting-in from their landing pads. The fleets are returning.”
Within minutes, the Alpha gunships had rendezvoused with Desredeedese Shades at evacuation points and within the hour, ten Shades took the first ship to a designated debarkation zone on New Korganra. After that, a barrage of loaded ships of all kinds were headed to the Giant’s new home. Ten thousand Shades were able to move 1,000 ships in less than 30 minutes. By the end of the first day, 48,000,000 Giants had been relocated.
“How are the crews holding up?” Bert asked his Commanders by fleet com during their morning briefing.
“We’re good, “replied Commander Olled. After you described our new mission, the other Captains and I instructed our medical teams to administer a half dose of time released Asketolomene to our entire crews. It was voluntary, but not a single crewman declined. My Head Doctor, Julie Nagrom, said they each got the equivalent of 60 mg/kg/day, or enough to keep them awake for five days, give or take six hours depending on the individual’s exact body weight. About how long do you think this is going to take, Commander?”
“About three days. Most of the Giants are complying with the evac order, and we should have them transported by then. Some Giants have insisted they are not leaving Korganra, and left the evacuation centers. That presents a real problem. When the planet starts breaking up, some of them will change their minds, and we may not have enough time to retrieve everyone that has a last-minute epiphany. Any thoughts on how we might handle this?”
There was no single, perfect answer to the problem. Most of the Commanders offered suggestions, and in the end, it was decided last minute rescues would be prioritized based on how many Giants were at each location. Hopefully, that would allow the fleet to save as many as possible. “There is little to no chance we’ll have time to retrieve evacuees at locations where only one or two Giants remain,” said Bert. “We’ll do our best, but I won’t put any of our ships in unnecessary danger. When the rift is fully open, not even one of our gunships could escape.”
One of the Alpha Commanders asked Bert how it was going on New Korganra. Bert told them Chairman Kor Tohl had gone in the first group, to welcome the arrivals, and had reported virtually every one of the evacuees were overwhelmed by the beauty of their new planet. Tohl had arranged for the Shades to deliver several ships containing construction supplies, and those were being used to build temporary shelters until they could start the task of building permanent homes and cities. It was the end of winter in the northern hemisphere of New Korganra, and they enjoyed all the pleasantness of spring.
After two and a half days, the evacuation was still going smoothly. Too smoothly, thought Bert. An uncomfortable feeling welled up in the pit of his stomach and wouldn’t go away. A feeling that shouldn’t be related in any way shape or form to the pain he was feeling in his bad knee. But somehow, in times of stress, the onset of his unexplained knee pain was like an advance warning system, and this time was no different.
He stood on the upper deck of the War Council’s building watching the sky; unconsciously rubbing the front of his left leg, below the knee cap. Something was different. The tear mark was still there; hideously ugly against a beautiful blue sky. But it wasn’t flat anymore. For some reason he couldn’t quite explain, it looked thicker. Without thinking he pulled out his communicator and called the fleet Commanders. His message was short and to the point. All of them had been briefed. They knew about the aliens and they were painfully aware of the mission’s limitations.
But gunship captains are not used to sitting by idly, and they are certainly not used to functioning as ferry drivers. So, Bert made sure his communications officer informed them of every change to the mission protocols and any new developments in the evacuation process.
He didn’t have to explain anything new about the Illis autem Odiem, or World Eaters as he preferred to call them. His Commanders and their crews were fully briefed on the aliens and as ready as they could be. But then he had to concede, no one was ever ready for something like this.
Bert was still staring at the rip in the sky when all Alpha Gunship Commanders were connected via the com link. He thanked them once again for being a part of the mission and said, “They are here. The World Eaters have returned and processing of Korganra has begun.”
The tear ruptured across the sky parting its entire length, like a baked potato splayed open for butter. A deafening thunder crashed through the air and the sound wave that followed shook the building. The deck beneath Bert’s feet moved and shifted unpredictably. Buildings everywhere in sight swayed violently as he looked out over the complex while struggling to maintain his balance.
It slipped into space above Korganra from between the universes where nothing was supposed to be. Korganra was now on the verge of being overrun. But in spite of the calamity facing them, a small contingent of Giants wanted to stay, to defy the World Eaters; they wouldn’t survive. The future of Korganra is now being rewritten and the old one lies in ruin. It seemed oddly appropriate that the planet of the Korganriam Giants, who had plundered and wreaked havoc across the Sote-kiliet, would now pay its debt and help save all the others.
The floor under Bert’s feet shifted again as swirling tornado-like winds rushing along the building’s sides made the entire structure vibrate. Bert turned to the door and noticed his reflection was distorted as the panes of glass flexed and bowed. Six windows to his left, a pane of glass flexed beyond its plasticity limit and exploded into small fragments that plummeted downward.
Expecting the walkway below to be showered with glass, he watched the shards fall. The tiniest fragments stopped in mid-air and hovered there, before floating upward toward the rift. The building vibrated again and the floor shifted dangerously under his feet as he made his way to a stairwell and worked his way to the ground level.
According to plan, a Centorian Stealth Fighter under the command of Captain Huan Langerhans had landed in the building parking lot. Ellen Chanan and Bert Warrington fought their way across the pavement and boarded the fighter being jostled by heavy winds. As soon as the hatch was closed, Captain Langerhans took off and headed directly to Alpha One.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
AND THEN, THE END
“I remember exactly what he said. Probably because I was the most scared,” admitted Amelia. “He said, after a gateway opens and the rift appears, one hour and thirty minutes or so usually passes before the thunder and shock waves cease and harvesting begins; it is not much time. Whole planets may sometimes be harvested in a matter of days.”
“I think that is what Anonoi said,” agreed Joules.
All around them dust was being sucked into the air. It formed tight threads as it neared the rift and disappeared. Anonoi had moved them to Zeptimian-9, two and a half days earlier, because it wasn’t being harvested and the sky above it had no tear. He hoped to find a suitable planet for their next move, but even with time and space shifts, he would have conceded there was no guarantee - their current context eliminated guarantees.
“How is that possible? asked Joules, as she watched dust all around them rising in the air.
“I think a black hole is doing this,” said Amelia.
“I think we would see a black hole, wouldn’t we? asked Wayne.
“It’s on the other side of the rift. I don’t know how, or if, they control it, but that’s how the Harvesters are pulling mass into their dimension. Somehow, they’ve learned to open a rift in a specific location to take advantage of an adjacent black hole’s gravitational pull. When they have to harvest planets, it has to be in an area they haven’t harvested previously, or there wouldn’t be enough planets to affect the mass transfer they require.”
“Don’t you see? They are not targeting certain planets,” said Amelia, they have to locate an unused black hole in their universe when it’s time to harvest. Their only control is opening the rift, and that causes the sound waves. Like when a supersonic plane without dampers breaks the sound barrier, only the effect is gigantic in comparison.”
“So, you think it’s random?” asked Blackie. “That the Harvesters aren’t malicious at all.”
“It would seem that…”
But before Amelia could finish her response, Wayne cut her off.
“Sorry guys, but we have to go. It won’t be long before we are sucked into that black hole, or whatever is on the other side of that tear, and frankly, that’s not the way I envisioned clocking out.”
“What about Anonoi? Are we going to leave without him?” asked Amelia.
Blackie pondered the question briefly, then offered a comment. “It’s been over two days. I think he should have been back by now. Honestly, I agree with Wayne. We don’t want to wait too long. I say we make the Jump and hope for the best. Staying here any longer is not an option.”
“Over there,” shouted Joules, pointing across the plain behind the car. A large boulder was shaking its way free of the sand around it and began to float off the ground. “Guys, we need to leave.”
Wayne turned toward the Nomad and yelled, “Get in the car. Now! Jump in the car.”
When they first arrived on Zeptimian-9, Wayne had parked the car in loose sand next to an outcropping of jagged rocks. The Nomad’s tires had settled into the soft sand as he pulled forward. Now, even with the weight of the axles pulling down against the suspension system, the tires were barely touching the ground.
Amelia grabbed her backpack as everyone dashed to the car and jumped in.
“Amelia…”
“I’m on it. Everyone agree,” she said, holding the Jump Starter up so they could all see it.
Not three seconds later, Amelia pushed the Jump Starter’s red button. The Nomad became shrouded in a bright white haze. The slight hint of a smile on Blackie’s face showed how relieved he was with the familiar scene. At the front of the car a glittering golden ring formed. It encircled the bumper and then it moved slowly toward the rear of the car, making a wooshing sound as it passed.
Then another ring formed around the front of the vehicle and glided toward its rear bumper. Woosh. The Nomad wobbled as one of its tires was lifted off the ground. Another ring formed, then another, woosh, and another woosh.
“Come on, don’t let us down,” whispered Amelia.
Each time, a wooshing sound rang out as a ring glided along the car from front to back. The rings formed faster and faster until they were a blur as they flew around the car; woosh, woosh, woosh. Amelia watched, mesmerized by the steady stream of rings that rifled by the passenger side rear window. The blurred rings now flashed by at such a fevered pace the individual rings were indistinguishable and they blended into a cloud of gold that raced constantly past the windows.
Blackie remembered his comment the first time they ever used the Jump Starter, when they were on Alphus Nebulum, it’s like golden hoola hoops whizzing by - but without all the hip gyrations. Smiling and chuckling to himself, he almost laughed outload, until he noticed Amelia’s face in the rear-view mirror. Her jaw was set hard and her forehead was scrunched up to the point it almost made wrinkles.
“Don’t worry Amelia, the Jump Starter is going to work. It always works. And, don’t worry about Anonoi. He’ll find us. He always finds us. That’s what he does. He’ll swoop in just when we need him. Don’t’ worry.”
The rings continued to form; perpetuating the flashing blur around the car. They were now appearing so fast the individual wooshing sounds blended together, mimicking the intensity of a hurricane force gale. Amelia screamed when gravitational forces from beyond the rift lifted the Nomad off the ground. The white haze that now surrounded the car began to pulse with silver flashes, becoming somewhat transparent as the Nomad rose in the air.
With each pulsation the flashes increased in intensity and the haze became more and more transparent, as did the car and its passengers. Out of habit, Amelia and Joules covered their faces with their hands, even though they were not starting a time and space shift. Wayne was clutching the steering wheel so hard the knuckles on both his hands were stark white.
Blackie reached across him and depressed the button that locked his car door. In the next instant the car drifted upward toward the rift. When it reached a height of twenty feet off the ground, Blackie, Joules, Wayne, Amelia, and the Nomad, and a substantial amount of equipment vanished.
****
******************************
“Captain on the com” yelled Assistant Captain Williams. “Glad your back onboard, Sir, it’s looking dicey down there.”
Captain Williams pointed to the projection screen that was being fed a stream of constantly changing images from various cameras pointed at Korganra’s surface. The increasing gravitational pull from the rift sucked streams of dust into the air with such force they began to form dust devils the size of twenty story buildings. Small rocks and loose items of every sort rose in the air – children’s toys, potted plants, newspapers and magazines.
Everything ten pounds and under that wasn’t lashed down floated into the sky and disappeared into the rift. Scenes caught by the cameras also verified Giants were still on the ground. But some had already had second thoughts about staying and were calling for assistance from the deserted evacuation points.
Earlier in the day, Erg Balor had insisted Korganraim vessels should bear the brunt, and the risk, of rescuing the stragglers. Bert had agreed in principal, but reminded him each Centorian Alpha Class ship had the capability of generating more energy than any other three vessels in the universe, and they might be needed when the gravitational pull from the rift exceeded the ability of the other ships to escape.
“As the World Eaters continue to open the rift the gravitational pull is growing exponentially,” Bert told Erg.
Erg acknowledged Captain Warrington’s offer, but indicated the risk of a last-minute rescue of Giants who knowingly stayed on the planet too long was not something he would ask of the Centorians. “You have already set aside decades of legitimate grievances against Korganra,” said Erg,” and you came here to help save us, not rain down on us the destruction justified by Lor Guldr’s actions. The Korganraim Giants will not repay such kindness by asking too much.”
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