They entered the elevator, Captain Millway was talking about something but Marjorie had stopped listening to him and instead concentrated on the hum. She felt Professor Ricter lean into her, he placed his lips near her ear and whispered, “Hard to stay away, isn’t it?”
She playfully pushed him back. There was no way to hide it anymore, he was right, simply getting her on the ship was enough to make her change her mind. Damn him, she thought, he was right.
They arrived at the location of the wormhole generator room and stopped. “Notice anything different?” Captain Millway asked.
Marjorie thought about it for a moment. Suddenly, she realized what was different. “No sound, I can’t even feel the floor vibrate.”
“Right, that’s because we’ve shut down the accelerator, we no longer need it.”
“Then how-“
He opened the door before she could finish her sentence and waved her to move into the room. She looked around, astonished at what she saw.
The Particle accelerator lay dormant in the middle of the room. The large magnetic coil was bare and powered down so all Marjorie saw were the giant metal plates with large copper coils wrapped around them. When charged it would create a magnetic field so powerful no one was allowed in the room while it was running. The cooling tubes were no longer connected instead they had been neatly tacked to the wall. The thousands of feet of wires which normally snaked along the floor was nowhere to be found.
Connected to the ceiling with a few dozen large braces was a long tube that ran the length of the room. It reminded Marjorie of a gun barrel and when she mentioned that to the Professor his answer was quick, as if expecting the question. “It sort of is. What you’re looking at in a giant rail gun.”
“Rail gun?” Marjorie asked. “So, is it a new weapon?”
“Not exactly,” Ricter replied. “Come on, I’ll show you what it fires.”
He herded her and the others down a set of stairs and onto the floor. Marjorie had spent a lot of time in this room talking to Chief McFerren about how the ship works, trying to understand the ins and outs of how thing happened. He gave her solid answers and for the most part she understood what he was saying. This was all new to her, even after a year it seemed as if the Corps had passed her by. Was she ready to be a Captain again? Could she catch up?
Professor Ricter held his hand up and said, “Arwen, could you please open the bullet chamber?”
“Bullet chamber? This is sounding more and more like a weapon.”
“That’s just the terminology we use for it. If it were up to me it wouldn’t have been so militaristic.”
From the other side of a room a large panel opened. A tray automatically slide out into view and Marjorie saw five very large bullet shaped containers. Each was at least 12 feet tall and a good 4 feet wide with a large, round base with a top which was flat. The metal was silver and reflected the light of the room. She listed carefully and heard a low hum coming from the tray. The more she concentrated the more she was able to tell that each bullet was humming.
“Arwen,” Ricter said. “Can you please bring one of them over?”
From the ceiling a mechanical arm swooped down. Its pincher claw gently grabbed one of the bullets and brought it over to the group. Now close Marjorie felt the heat from the bullet. The hum was a deep base which seemed to roll her stomach in different directions. The bullet was still smooth with no lights, buttons or indicators of any kind.
“What is it?”
“It’s a wormhole bullet.” Professor Ricter said. “Inside this casing is a single Strangelet trapped inside a very powerful magnetic field.”
“How?” Marjorie asked leaning closer.
“Technology given to us from one of the alien cabal. They knew ways of making powerful magnetic fields and they showed it to us. It wasn’t hard for us to incorporate those principles into these devices. The Strangelets were made on a space station near Ulliam, transferred to the bullet, sealed up and loaded onto the Arwen. All the ships have them. Without the Particle accelerator running all the time each ship now has over twenty percent more power at its disposal. Power we can use to strengthen the shields or recharge the energy weapons faster.”
“So, how does it work?”
“The Arwen simply loads the bullet into the barrel and fires it out the front. There is enough material stored inside the bullet to keep a Wormhole open for several minutes.”
“What’s to prevent one for escaping? It just seems dangerous to have a Strangelet just waiting to be unleashed.”
“Strangelets don’t last long in real space without a magnetic field holding them in place. Rest assured if something were to happen to the bullet the first thing to be shut off will be the magnetic field and there is enough room inside the vacuum for the Strangelet to just evaporate harmlessly. Trust me, Captain, if I didn’t think this were save I never would have it onboard your ship.”
Marjorie chuckled. Captain, my ship, he threw those words out there testing me to see if I’d say anything. Maybe I should, just to spite him.
In the silence that followed Professor Ricter cleared him throat. “So, would you like to meet the Arwen now?”
Marjorie thought about it for a moment. Might as well get it over with, she concluded. “Okay, lead the way Professor, let’s meet my ship.”
Chapter thirty-one
Doctor Fran Lipton sat in the brightly light cell carefully weighing her options. She had been convicted of many things, the worst charge being treason. The one they couldn’t get her on was murder and that’s the reason she was still on Ulliam waiting for another trial.
She felt bad about her involvement in having the Commander killed. He was the only thing standing in her way of going home. She had to do what she had to do. It might not have been what Captain Cook would have done but it was in the same spirit. The captain would have done everything she needed to do to get the job done and Fran knew what the job was, to go home. Even if this wasn’t the home she thought about when she was on that dreadful planet. At least most of the crew would be able to spend time with their families; that was something she could be proud of.
She stood from the small cot she was laying on and paced around the tiny room. It wasn’t that bad of a jail cell. The bed was comfortable, she had her privacy, there was even a computer she had access too. It was limited and she could only send a few messages but it was something. They had treated her well, knowing she was one of the heroes from the Gyssyc/Ulliam war. She hoped that would give her some leniency.
She heard a knocking on the door and, without saying a word, she walked over to the small window and looked out. She saw the very top of an Ulliam guard’s head; they were too short to be seen in a normal human door. “Is it time?”
“Yes,” he said in an irritatingly cheerful Ulliam way. “You have one hour of exercise a day.”
This was the one hour of the day she liked and looked forward too. “Give me a few minutes to get ready. I need to put my jogging outfit on.”
“Take your time. The hour doesn’t start until you step outside. I’ll wait. Please knock on the door when you’re ready.”
Fran quickly dressed and knocked on the door. The Ulliam guard opened it and led her out into the hallway. He had his gun rifle draped across his back, obviously not worried that Fran might try to escape. She couldn’t even if she was able too. Where would she go? The entire planet of Ulliam knew her face and knew who she was. Escape would be pointless.
She walked outside and shielded her eyes from the blazing sun. It was one of those hot days on Ulliam and the sun shined bright. There didn’t seem to be a cloud in the sky and she knew it wouldn’t rain for at least another three months, then it would quickly get cold. That’s how the Ulliam seasons were now, very hot in the summer and very cold in the winter. Ulliam’s orbit was still unstable and would continue to deteriorate. She wished she could have continued working on that project; at least that was interesting.
She had never ran b
efore, never really thought it interesting and never had the time, but now that she had the time she found running was the only thing that kept her sane. At first she could barely run four laps. As she ran ever day she found she was able to run a mile without being out of breathe. Soon it was two miles, then three. Now she was working on four miles, which seemed to be the limit in the amount of time she had. When she reached the four mile mark she would start working on speeding it up, maybe by the time her trial came around she could run five miles in an hour.
So, she ran. The Ulliam guard watched her intently. She wondered what he was thinking seeing this human running around the track. Ulliam were fast but they couldn’t keep the speed up for more than a few minutes. Humans seemed to exhibit stamina that most Ulliam found fascination.
She felt her legs warming up and by the fifth lap she was in her stride. All that existed was the run. All that she had to do was place one foot in front of the other. Every time she made the third turn she caught of glimpse of the guard watching her. She shook her head hoping he’d get bored soon enough.
As she reached her third mile saw a shadow move across the yard. A cloud must have been moving in front of the sun, something rare yet she enjoyed not having it heating her up even if was for only a few moments. As she made the third turn she looked at the Ulliam guard. He was looking at the sky, his mouth wide open, his shoulders hunched up high. The classic frightened Ulliam look. She stopped in her tracks and followed his gaze to the sky.
Something was moving across the sun and it was not a cloud. A black wave poured out of a large silver wormhole high in space. The inky blackness continued to flow out, like ebony water from a broken water main.
She shook her head, unable to fathom what it was she was looking it. The black pool, now totally blotting out the sun, broke up like tributaries from a large river. It moved toward the planet rapidly.
Fran watched, fascinated. From behind she heard a rumble and when she looked she was shocked to see the ground moving toward her, cresting like a wave right before it would hit a beach. She was lifted off her feet and into the air. The ground receded from her quickly. She was able to see the prison turn to rubble as the wave hit it. She heard the screaming of the prisoners as they were flung like ragdolls.
She reached the peak of her accent and fell to the ground much faster than she was thrown from it. Instinctively she raised her hands to protect her face. She rolled a little to the side and when she hit her collar bone and arm snap. She screamed as she rolled over to her back. The pain was so great she passed out.
When she woke she found the pain was easy to handle as long as she didn’t move. She looked at the sky and saw nothing but blackness. It wasn’t night and she could easily see that the planet had been wrapped by whatever had flowed out of the wormhole. She looked closer at the mass and realized it wasn’t a single object but millions upon millions of smaller black object. They had a rectangle look to them and reflected the lights from the Ulliam cities back. They shimmered in the light, it was strangely beautiful.
The mass broke apart and the individual slab fell from the sky. Each one glowed red as the friction from the Ulliam atmosphere heated them up. The ambient heat from millions of objects falling evaporated any cloud that might be in the sky. The air absorbed most of the heat but there would be a threshold where it would no longer be able to stay stable and that would be the end of the life on Ulliam.
She wasn’t sure if she was imagining it or if it was happening but the air around her felt warmer. They objects were now white hot as they fell. The ground shook as the first of them hit somewhere close by but not close enough for her to see. She could no longer lay flat on her back; she needed to sit up to see what was going on.
She placed her good arm behind her back and lifted herself up. She yelped in pain and clinched her teeth tight. Her breath was shallow and she thought she might pass out again but, thankfully she didn’t.
She faced Ulliam city, the largest city on the planet. Rising high above the city was the tallest building anywhere in the Corps. A one mile high office building which also served as the Corps headquarters on Ulliam. It’s the center of government, and the embassy for all the Corps ally’s. It was a beautiful structure, a marvel of engineering and place she’s been to many times in the past.
The slabs where now raining down all around her. Each impact sent a shockwave outward knocking anything down that was close by. One landed not far from where she sat, threatening to hurt her again.
Soon she was inundated with them, hundreds landed near her. One landed next to her and just missed hitting her by a few dozen yards. That one knocked her over and she heard something else crack, a rib. Fran cried as she lay on her side. The hot tears hit the dusty ground and were absorbed. Pushing herself up she once again fought the urge to pass out.
She felt tremors under her body. They didn’t feel like impact tremor, it felt as if something below her was hitting a base drum. The thumping was deliberate, rhythmic and growing louder.
Fran’s scientific mind took over. Those devices had buried themselves deep into the planet’s surface. They were vibrating and a very specific frequency. Could they be drilling toward the Ulliam core? What would they done once they reached the hot mass of molten iron?
From Ulliam city she heard a horrendous sound. When she looked she saw Ulliam tower was leaning. The ground under it must have taken a direct hit and the slabs were destroying its foundation. The one mile building continued to lean. The vibrations below her grew stronger and faster. She heard the ground crack as fishers opened. Large cracks swallowed what was left of the prison. Injured people and Ulliam, those who had survived the first seismic wave, were now being swallowed by the ground. Their screams would abruptly stop moments after they disappeared below ground.
Ulliam tower had finally leaned too far and it started falling. It broke apart as it fell. Any building close by was hit with the debris and also collapsed adding to the devastation. Clouds of brown dust lifted miles into the air and obscured the city. Seconds later she heard the sound of the impact and seconds after that she felt it through the ground. How many had just died? How many more were dying?
My god, Fran thought, this is all my fault. She had refused to believe it until that moment. She refused to even consider it until she had no other choice but to look at the fact and only one conclusion could be drawn. The Handlers had followed her. They had tricked her into going home. She had Commander Pippleton killed for no reason. It was her fault everything she ever loved would be destroyed.
The ground under her split. She tried to grab onto something as she fell through. The only thing around her was the ground and she dug her fingernails into the dirt and tried to hold on. The heat below her was fierce. She stole a glance downward and saw a red glow far below her. Magma. The crack had reached deep into the planet and was bringing all the magma to the surface. Soon all of Ulliam would be covered in a layer of lava as new volcanoes and long dormant ones exploded to life.
She could hold on no longer. Fran fell from the surface of Ulliam and would never live to see how her mistakes play out.
Chapter thirty-two
Marjorie stood in the darkened holograph room waiting. Professor Ricter and Juliet had stepped away from her and were now working on a computer at the far end from where she stood. She couldn’t hear what they were saying but it seemed they were in a very animated conversation with each other, or with the computer. It was hard to tell. So, Marjorie waited.
After a few more minutes the professor walked up to her. He rubbed his hands through his hair and said, “She’s being stubborn.”
“Who?”
“Arwen.” He replied.
Marjorie shook her head and laughed. “How can a computer program be stubborn?”
“It’s a very complex program. Juliet is talking to her now. I’m sure she’ll be showing herself soon enough.”
“It’s a program. Just command it to talk to me.”
“Well, not
a program as much as a simulation of intelligence. At least that’s how I see it. Juliet thinks it’s a living being but I don’t.”
“I won’t either,” Marjorie replied coldly. “I don’t see how a computer program can be alive. It’s all complicated commands and programming code. Being alive means more than just pretending to be stubborn.”
From across the room Juliet yelled, “What are you guys talking about? Whatever it is stop. I almost had her ready but then you said something and now she refuses to show herself!”
“We don’t have time for this,” Marjorie said reaching her peak of patients. “I’m going to the bridge.”
The lights in the room dimmed to total darkness. Juliet ran over and stood next to Marjorie. She leaned in and whispered, “Looks like you said the magic words. Arwen hasn’t choose a form yet, she wanted you to help her decide so what we see now might change later.”
Light formed a small circle in front of them. Marjorie heard the imaging system turn on and in the light a figure appeared. It was female, about a foot taller than Marjorie yet it had no features. The face was simply egg shaped and had no mouth, nose or eyes. The body was completely white and featureless. “Greetings Captain,” it said. “It is an honor to meet you in person.”
Marjorie stared at the figure unable to think of a reply. Does she treat it as a person or as a computer? “Thank you, Arwen.” She finally said in as neutral a tone as she could. “It’s interesting to meet you as well.”
“As you can see, I have no form. I was hoping you’d help me pick my shape.”
“You mean an avatar?” Marjorie asked.
“No,” she replied, her head turned to Juliet and if she had eyes Marjorie knew they’d be looking at her. “Doesn’t she understand?”
The Arwen Book two: Manifest Destiny Page 25