by Dean Kutzler
The bridge was silent.
“Anything? Anyone?”
“That is the quantum mechanics theory of Daughter Universes, Commander Thorn. Many theorists have postulated over the possibilities of multiverses, but none have proven their existence. Nor has any evidence ever pointed to such a possibility. This is quite fascinating. Who is Faelar?” Atmos asked.
“He’s one of the Dragon Gods trying to kill us.”
“Commander Thorn?”
“What is it, Atmos? Do you have a theory on how to get us back to our dimension? Please don’t tell me to try and use my power again. Look what’s happened so far.”
“They say third time’s the charm,” Daxton said.
“Yeah, and just who are they, anyway? Atmos?”
“Sorry Commander, I have no theory. This scenario has me quite perplexed. I have gone over each detail, and cannot come up with a reason against the fact that we have shifted dimensions. I—I require some time alone within my thoughts if this is acceptable to you?”
“I thought since you're comprised of atmosphere, that it was impossible for you to be alone?”
“No, only when I need it to be. I would never slip away without your consent.”
“Permission granted,” she said, feeling concerned for him. A moment ago, he was fascinated, and, now, he was troubled. “Atmos, how can we reach you if need be? Atmos, are you still here? I guess I should’ve asked that question first. Let’s just hope we don’t run into any trouble we can’t handle.”
“What’s eating him?” Daxton said.
“I dunnae pretend to know anything about him nor his kind, but if’n I be the last human in the universe, I’d be pretty lonely. At leasts, that’s how he sounded to me.”
“I know he said he wanted alone-time, maybe I’ll try reaching out to him from my command room just to make sure he’s okay. Grôk, keep an eye on those neutrino levels. I want to know the moment they start rising. Daxton, take over the helm for Mr. Brody and see where you can divert power to expedite the ship’s repairs. Mr. Brody, you have the bridge.”
Ensign Brody looked at Daxton with his eyebrows raised. “Aye-aye Commander! Yes, ma'am.”
Saren smiled to herself and left the bridge. She turned down the hallway and saw the light around her command room illuminated. She opened the door and poked her head in, stepping into the room. “Atmos?” she said, closing the door.
“I am here, Commander. Please forgive me for being in here, but I was hoping you would come.”
Saren walked around her desk and sat down. “You want to tell me what's on your mind?” she said in a soft voice.
“Before the creation of Genesis, I had been floating around Kahari for a very long time, watching people going down inside the planet as all of you had. A strange looking man brought me here as my race was dying off, he promised me I would not be alone for long and that he would save my race. I believe he intended to use me to leave Kahari, but he never came through on his promise, nor did I ever see him again. Then the Atmospheric race died off. I now realize this is the Faelar about which you were speaking.
“When we first entered into the system, I felt something I haven't felt in a very long time. Since my race exists as atmosphere, we cohabit in one big collective. I don't think humans experience it in quite the same way. You do have your communities, interactions with one another and relationships, but individually, you are all alone in your heads and thoughts.
“When the Atmospheric race lives together, all our thoughts are mingled together in one big collective, and though it may sound horrifically invading to you, it is a beautiful symphony we all shared, a closeness matched by nothing else. Even when separated, we still feel each other’s presences through some cosmic force. I experienced great loss when my race died.”
“And you're feeling that collective presence now?”
“Yes, commander, I feel them in great abundance. I sense each planet filled with healthy, pollution-free Atmospheric beings in the early stages of our existence. I can feel them reaching out to me, calling to me. Probing my thoughts, wondering who I am and why I do not join them.”
“And you want to join them, Atmos?” Saren asked, sitting back in her chair, mulling over where the conversation was heading. She could never deny him a chance at happiness, but what chance would they have without his expertise?
“Now you can understand the reasoning for my melancholy. I am bound to serve you. The Atmospheric race is a very noble and honorable race, and, I don’t want to leave you. I’m quite grateful to be in your service. But I cannot help thinking of all I could teach them, and ensure the pollution that killed my race off would never happen here.”
Saren rose from the chair and walked over to the porthole window, staring out over all the planets. She imagined what it would be like having the comfort and support of so many. Something she did not have, growing up in the orphanage.
She turned back around and said, “Atmos, you are relieved of your duties. Reach out to your people and choose which planet you wish to live on and once the ship has repaired itself, we land and return you home. Well, at least a new home.”
“But, commander! You need—“
“What I need is for you to follow orders. I’ve taken the decision out of your hands. I am very grateful for your service, Atmos. We’ll reconvene in an hour before repair completion to discuss anything about Genesis you feel I should know. If you had hands, I would shake one.”
A warm, gentle breeze swirled around Saren; the closest he could come to making her feel the special, loving collectiveness of his kind. “Thank you, Commander. I shall never forget your kindness.”
“Now let’s get back to the bridge. I want to check on those neutrino levels. There’s something I just can’t put my finger on,” Saren said, walking over and opening the door.
“Oh no,” Atmos exclaimed. “I should’ve realized it before.”
“What? What’s wrong?”
Ensign Brody came running into the hallway. “Commander! Sorry, it be quicker than finding the comm-link to this room. The sun—it’s going nova!”
“The neutrino levels! That’s why they were so high!” she shouted, running down the hallway into the bridge.
“Atmos! Is there anything Genesis can do to stop the star from going nova? Why didn’t it warn us right away?”
“I—I—don’t know. At full power, the ship could handle it, maybe that is the reason. I’m searching the archives now, but even if there is something to be done it would require great power, there isn’t enough yet. I was so distracted. I should have picked it up right away—“
“No time for shoulda-coulda-wouldas! Let’s focus on trying to save those planets. Grôk, any thoughts?”
He mournfully shook his head. “Nothing known can stop it. Star is very unstable. Anything we try might cause star to go sooner.”
“So, then…I guess trying your razzmatazz on it is outta the question?” Daxton asked.
“Commander Thorn has not had time to explore her capabilities fully. I agree with Grôk’s assessment,” Atmos said, voice quavering a bit. He was preparing for the worst to come. “I think Commander, you should focus on trying to get us back to our dimension. Genesis does not have enough power or time to reach a safe distance. This cataclysmic event would surely destroy us.”
Saren put a hand to her forehead and leaned her elbow on the arm of her chair. “Why has there always got to be a cataclysmic event? Seriously?” She sat up, running a hand through her hair and said, “ETA of the cataclysmic event?”
“Nine minutes, fourteen-seconds, Commander Thorn. I have put the clock on the viewscreen.”
Saren was out of options—yet again.
If she didn’t get a handle on this magic thing, and quickly, they’d all burned to a crisp. But if she made a mistake, there was no telling where they might end up, or, what could happen.
Desire was key to activating the power.
Now, if I could figure out how to direct
it.
“Commander!” Ensign Brody exclaimed.
Now what?
“The black dragon is back!”
Daxton said, “Could this get any wor—“
“Don’t say it!” Saren yelled, looking at the black, scaly creature on the screen floating in space before the star, slowly flappy its leathery wings. “What’s it doing?”
“It just be sitting there. Doin’ nothing. Maybe it dunno we’re here?”
“Oh, it knows.”
The dragon disappeared, then reappeared closer to the ship, nostrils flaring and snorting fire, yellow eyes clicking open and closed.
“What’s it be doin’ now?”
“It’s learning. We need to get out of here. Ensign?”
“Reserves aren’t enough, sorry, Commander. The ship needs a full charge, or the cells drain too fast. We wouldn’t get far before it be on us again with no power left to do anything. I don’t think whoever created the ship thought power would ever get so low. Otherwise, Genesis is unstoppable.”
Our luck, she thought.
They couldn’t fire on it.
They couldn’t run away from it.
It was time to try the razzmatazz.
Before Saren could concentrate on getting them back to their dimension, the dragon disappeared, and Faelar appeared in its place. His veiny forehead filled the viewscreen.
“What the—,“ Daxton said, jumping back in the chair.
Faelar disappeared, and the view of the star was back on the screen.
“Ensign Brody, where is he? Is he on the ship?”
“No, ma'am. He’s—just gone. No, wait!”
“Why—I am right here Saren Thorn.”
She spun round in the chair.
Click-click.
Faelar stood in the middle of the bridge.
“I see you have discovered your abilities. But—did you honestly think hiding in another dimension with a star which is about to create an inferno of this galaxy would hide you?”
“And just what are these abilities, Faelar?”
“I told you once, already. I’ll leave that up to you to figure out. At first, I wanted to separate each molecule of your DNA and keep you alive to suffer for destroying my kingdom and releasing the others.”
Grôk unexpectedly charged at Faelar full-force.
Faelar jumped back near the stairs to the hatch and calmly raised a hand.
Grôk immediately dropped to the floor and skidded across the bridge.
Daxton quickly went to work at his station.
“What did you do to him?” Saren demanded, jumping from the chair.
“Oh, he is fine, just taking a little nap. I won’t hurt any of you, yet. I have big plans for all of you. Now—where was I? Oh, yes, scattering your DNA, that’s right, I really wanted to, honestly. But then I realized you did me a favor.
“Since I’ve had reign all that time, building my own little kingdom, learning how to create a smidgen of this from nothing and building a bit of that out of less,” click-click, “I’ve become far more powerful than the others. They’re out of practice or have simply forgotten how. I don’t know which—or care. They are still trying to figure out how to get here and rip this ship apart. That’s where all of you come in. I need your help.”
“We’ll never help you, Faelar—get real! Might as well end this now.” Saren said, feeling a breeze tickle her neck and ear. She sat back down on the chair, casually resting her hand on the comm panel armrest, concentrating on how she hated him, filling her mind with thoughts of his destruction.
“Oh, but I love you, Saren Thorn. You and your friends are going to help me build an army, and together, we will stop the others and recreate my kingdom out of the universe. Think how grand it will be.”
“An army? Like those poor Cyborgs in the Inner Ring?”
He nodded and said, “Only better.”
Saren glanced over her shoulder at the timer on the viewscreen: twenty-two seconds.
“Now!” she yelled, pressing a button on the armrest, causing a force field to erect between Faelar and where Grôk’s body had landed.
A wild wind whipped and howled around Faelar with great force, catching him off guard as Genesis’s hatch popped open, pulling him backward, down the stairs. Skeletal fingers clutched around the edges of the doorway as he tried to pull himself back in.
He lifted a leg up onto the stair and Saren shouted, “Now Daxton! He’s getting back in! Now!”
The internal sensor array affixed to the ceiling of the bridge swiveled towards the hatch and shot an invisible bolt of antimatter directly into Faelar’s chest.
His boney fingers lost their grip on the doorway as he batted at the antimatter, falling back into space.
The hatch snapped shut.
“Put everything we got into the shields!” Saren screamed, taking a deep breath, clearing her mind and concentrating.
Daxton’s tactical station began beeping, informing him the star was going nova. He opened his mouth to tell Saren, and Ensign Brody grabbed his chair, stopping him from turning around. Then he reached over Daxton and shut off the alarms flashing throughout the bridge, putting a finger to his lips and whispering, “She knows. Let her concentrate, or we all be toast.”
The star spun faster and faster before quickly going dark. Red and yellow glowing patches appeared underneath the dark surface, slowly swirling and changing shape like a crystal ball filled with clouds of molten lava.
Saren forced herself to calm her thoughts, bringing the focus to a spot inside her mind’s eye. She sought out the desire she’d felt that brought Genesis to this dimension.
Deep cracks formed over the surface of the star with points of white, concentrated rays of brilliant light, shooting out in every direction like a deadly disco ball.
Ensign Brody whispered under his breath, “It be the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen, if’n it’s gonna be the last thing I see, at least.”
Daxton gawked at the screen, mouth open—eyes wide.
Grôk awoke, pushing up from his arms, searching out Saren, first, and seeing a light glowing at the center of her body, then he looked at the viewscreen.
Massive chunks of the star’s surface broke apart.
The star collapsed inward.
Chunks of molten-crust exploded outward, releasing the dazzling white light in a single pulse, turning the viewscreen white, until a glowing piece of the star more substantial than the ship, replaced the view.
Return home.
RETURN HOME
GENESIS phased out as the molten chunk of star ripped through the shields and hit the ships hull, damaging a significant portion of the plating. If Ensign Brody hadn’t diverted power to the shields at the last second, the buffer between the star and the ship would not have been sufficient, resulting in ripping the hull wide open.
“Commander, you did it! We be back in the Milky Way. Readings indicate the neutron star we left is back!”
Planet Aurailia blinked into view on the screen.
Saren awoke, feeling less drained this time. Maybe that would eventually stop.
“Damage report,” she said, rubbing her temples.
“Systems critical, power low. The aft side of the hull plating took a bit o’ damage. Diverting power to the shields saved us. They’re down, at the moment.”
“Any sign of Faelar?”
“Negative,” Daxton said, feeling left out. “That was a close one.”
“Too close,” Saren said. “That was an excellent plan, Atmos, but next time try not to tickle my neck when you’re whispering in my ear. I nearly jumped out of my armor.”
“Noted, Commander Thorn and may I add Daxton’s idea of using the smaller antimatter amount on Faelar’s form and saving power was a brilliant idea. Daxton did not appreciate my whispering in his ear, either.”
“At least not on the first date!”
“Great teamwork, guys! Can someone help Grôk up? I think he’s waking,” Saren said. “When he�
�s on his feet, Atmos, I want you two to work together and see if we can hasten this recharge time.”
“Yes, Commander Thorn.”
“Commander, Admiral Whuang Tog is hailing us from the planet’s surface.”
“It seems like we never get a break. Put him through, Mr. Brody.”
The vision of Admiral Tog’s face replaced Aurailia on the viewscreen.
“Saren! Have you come to your senses and are here to turn yourself in?” he asked, smiling, a smug look plastered across his face.
“Admiral Tog, with all due respect, no. I told you before. I will not send my daughter and crew to their deaths. I implore you to have that ship abort the mission and return home.”
“Commander—oh, no, let me rephrase that, fugitive Thorn, it does not look like you are in any position to be giving orders,” he said, looking down. “Sensors indicate your phenomenal ship is very low on power and I’d have to be blind not to see the damage. I will give you one last chance to surrender, and after your rehabilitation, there may be a chance to save your future—mopping the floors of the Academy.”
That was it!
He’d taken it to a personal level, losing all professionalism.
Where was his arrogance coming from?
Even with Genesis damaged, she could muster up enough power and blast his office to the sky—not that she would.
“While I have seemed to misplace my respect for you, Admiral Tog,” she said, not trying to hide the sneer on her face, “where is the rest of the council?”
“I am in charge of the council, fugitive Thorn—I make the decisions!” he bellowed, serving her his own sneer.
That seemed to wipe the smugness off his face.
Touchy subject?
Which told her he must be acting alone and that the council wasn’t in agreement.
She casually smiled at him and said, “The last time I checked, Aurailia was under a democracy. Dictatorship was left behind in the Dark Ages on old planet earth. Let me speak to the council.”
“I see you have made your decision,” he said, ignoring her request. “Now I shall make mine. It’s a shame—I’d like to save that ship and study it. But, maybe we can gather some information from the wreckage.” He pressed a button on his command panel. “Our scientists have been working around the clock. At least some of us are dedicated to UFWA.”