The Aurora (Aurora Saga, Book 1)

by Adrian Fulcher

  James suddenly felt a sinking feeling deep down inside.

  No. No, he thought.

  Kalrea continued speaking,

  ‘It also tells us of the attack on Brinoli.’

  James’ mouth fell open.

  ‘No. No. No! This cannot be happening. Why didn’t we read the diary sooner?’ And aiming blame towards Kalrea, he said, ‘why couldn’t you decipher the diary earlier? We could have saved tens of thousands of lives!’

  James held his head in his hands.

  It’s all too late!

  He said, ‘Londuo was trying to warn us about the attack.’

  ‘I’m sorry, James,’ Kalrea said.

  ‘No, I’m the one that’s sorry. It’s not your fault, and I apologise. You did everything you could to decipher the diary. I should have got it from Londuo. It’s my fault.’

  James felt really depressed.

  ‘I’m responsible for all those people’s deaths. Why did I not insist on Londuo giving me the diary?’

  ‘James, it’s no one’s fault,’ Londuo said. ‘I believe fate has a way of guiding us. Our destiny was to meet. If not, I’d have never fallen in love. Don’t you see?’

  ‘I understand what you’re saying, Londuo, but it doesn’t make me feel any better. The other Londuo in the diary tried to send a message to save us, but we failed.’

  ‘James, that’s not what the other Londuo wanted to tell us. Yes, she did want to warn us, but there’s more.’

  James and Londuo looked at each other.

  ‘Go on, then,’ James said.

  ‘The other Londuo wanted to warn us about the Paradoxica, James.’

  ‘But I’ve never heard of this Paradoxica before. What is it?’ Londuo asked.

  James answered,

  ‘It’s an inner-space which was discovered by Ka Glia Plyane, when he was testing the Plyane hulls at Normia. He thought it could be a way of travelling vast distances very quickly. The Aurora and Pulsora were built with the scientific purpose of exploring this inner-space, but when the war with the Treitans started, they became fighting ships.’

  ‘So it’s like a kind of hyperspace,’ Londuo remarked.

  Reading data from the diary, Kalrea explained,

  ‘The Paradoxica is over eight million sykals old and exists outside our dimension of space. It was built for the exploration or colonisation of other worlds throughout twelve galaxies. However, when it was first tested by its creators the main process core burnt out. This damage affected the method of entry into the Paradoxica, which was originally intended to be via a transponder onboard a travelling ship. A ship would have used the transponder to enter from any point in space and wormholes within the Paradoxica would have acted like funnels guiding the ship to any chosen planet. The test failed and the creators were left with no way of entering the dimension of space where the Paradoxica exists. The Paradoxica remained unexplored until Ka Glia Plyane discovered by accident that it was possible to enter it by travelling on a special type of ship. This ship would have to be able to change its hull resonance at a molecular level to reach what is called critical phase.’

  ‘It’s the Plyane hull, isn’t it?’ James said. ‘The Aurora has already come close to entering the Paradoxica on two occasions: once at Normia, and the other time when we were fleeing from Dagnamk. In both cases, the hull of the Aurora heated and almost reached critical phase. Is that how the Aurora will manage to end up inside the Paradoxica?’

  ‘Exactly,’ Kalrea said. ‘If everything the diary says about the future is true, it will happen again; in six days’ time, we will return to Dagnamk in an attempt to kill the Treitans, using astoflorinic gas. We’ll attack, but there will be too many Treitan ships. The Aurora will be struck by missiles, which will make its hull reach critical phase and we’ll end up inside the Paradoxica.’

  ‘But I don’t see why the other Londuo wants to warn us about the Paradoxica,’ James said. ‘It just seems to be used to travel from place to place very quickly.’

  ‘Because the damage to the core of the main processor also changed the Paradoxica’s spatial properties. It can now be used to travel in time, and according to the diary, it seems that the Aurora has already been inside it in the past. Let me ask you a question about the Treitans, James. According to what you know, why did the Treitans become a war-faring race?’

  ‘From what I can remember you telling me, the Treitans were attacked by a ship, which released a virus into their atmosphere. The ship destroyed a large part of their home world, Polimop, but the Treitans survived. I’m afraid I can’t remember exactly when it was, probably around 2300 sykals ago. It’s a pity that the attack wasn’t successful!’

  ‘The Treitans were actually attacked, by the ship, 2345.62 sykals ago,’ Kalrea added.

  ‘I wasn’t far out with the date, then,’ James remarked.

  ‘James, what would you say if I told you that the ship that attacked the Treitans was the Aurora and the virus used was astoflorinic gas?’

  ‘No way!’ James said, completely stunned.

  ‘Well it was. This is what happened in the timeline described in the diary. The James and Londuo in the diary used the Paradoxica to travel back in time to attack Polimop, in an attempt to destroy the Treitans before they had even thought of attacking the Qinant race.’

  Londuo shook her head before saying,

  ‘That means the Aurora, from the other timeline, caused the Treitans to become what they are today; to want to conquer other races!’

  ‘Hold on, Kalrea!’ James said. ‘I can understand why the Aurora, from the other timeline, went back in time to attack Polimop; this is because the Treitans were at war with the Qinants, right? But what started the war mentioned in the diary?’

  ‘You’re right, James. The answer to everything lies in what originally changed the Treitans into a war-faring race?’ Kalrea said. ‘You see, the Londuo from the other timeline made an important discovery. She saw two ships within the Paradoxica, which appeared to be almost identical to the Aurora. She only saw them for a brief moment because of a thick mist. She spent a lot of time thinking about those two ships, and eventually she realised that they were identical to the Aurora but didn’t have any weapons.’

  ‘No weapons! What difference does that make?’ Londuo asked.

  ‘Think about it. The Aurora and Pulsora were original designed and built as science ships, so the Paradoxica could be explored. Therefore, we can assume that once completed, those science ships would have entered the Paradoxica.’

  ‘What?’ James said. ‘So the other Londuo saw the Aurora and Pulsora, built as science ships, inside the Paradoxica? How could they have been there? Unless...’

  James paused for a moment.

  ‘Unless they travelled back in time and somehow changed the timeline, causing the start of the Treitan war.’

  ‘And that’s what the other Londuo wanted to tell us,’ Kalrea said. ‘She mentions that the Treitan home world, Polimop, was attacked by two ships. Those two ships caused a massive explosion in the upper atmosphere of Polimop, destroying eighty percent of the surface of the planet. She believes those two ships were in fact the original Aurora and Pulsora, built as science ships.’

  James was confused.

  ‘Why would the original Aurora and Pulsora do that? They had no weapons, so how could they have attacked the Treitans?’

  ‘The answer lies in why the other Londuo ended up on Earth in 1964.’

  ‘The other Londuo arrived on Earth in 1964?’ Londuo repeated surprised.

  ‘Yes.’

  That’s forty, fifty. Add five, James thought, before saying. ‘That’s fifty-five Earth years ago!’

  Kalrea continued,

  ‘As we now know, the other James and Londuo used the Paradoxica to travel back in time to attack Polimop. The Aurora barely survived exiting the Paradoxica with two of its event horizon drives being damaged in the process. After the attack on Polimop, the other James and Londuo were supposed to return to th
eir timeline, but this time the ship sustained severe damage when it tried to break free from the Paradoxica.’

  ‘What went wrong?’ James asked.

  ‘According to the diary, to escape from the gravitational forces of the Paradoxica’s wormhole, the Aurora had to run its event horizon drives at a speed of Q4. That’s far beyond the drives’ safe operating speed, and the increased pull of the black holes ripped the drive chambers part, causing them to implode. The plasma ignited and an explosion ripped through its interior. This meant that the Aurora got misplaced in time and ended up heading directly for Earth in 1964. The other Londuo says that the Aurora’s remaining reactor was damaged by the explosion and was ejected before entering Earth’s atmosphere. If it had not, then the venting plasma would have detonated, and the Aurora would have been destroyed, killing every living thing on Earth within a five thousand kilometre radius of the ship.’

  ‘So that’s how the other Londuo got to Earth, back in 1964,’ James commented. ‘That’s why when I met her on Earth, six weeks ago, she was old.’

  ‘I think you’re missing the point, James. What Londuo was trying to tell us was that, in her timeline, the war began because Polimop was attacked by two ships, and those two ships were the science ships, Aurora and Pulsora. They must have been the first ships to have entered the Paradoxica. Up to that point no one was able to travel in time, so the timeline of those ships must have been the original one. However, everything changed when they decided to explore Polimop and upon exiting a wormhole from the Paradoxica, would have experienced a failure of the event horizon drives. This must have been very similar to what happened to the other Londuo. The event horizon drives must have imploded, and the original Aurora and Pulsora would have been forced to head for the nearest planet.’

  ‘Polimop! The science ships landed on Polimop.’ James said.

  ‘They would have tried,’ Kalrea added. ‘Well, we know that in the diary timeline the war was caused by two ships attacking the Treitans. We also know they caused an explosion, in the upper atmosphere of Polimop, large enough to destroy eighty percent of the surface. The only way such an explosion could have been caused would have been if one or more of the Aurora and Pulsora’s reactors were venting at the time. When they entered Polimop’s atmosphere, the plasma would have been ignited, resulting in a massive explosion, destroying both ships.’

  ‘Six reactors onboard two ships,’ James commented.

  ‘Yes, and just one exploding reactor would have been enough to destroy both science ships and a large area of Polimop.’

  ‘But in the diary, the other Londuo said that Aurora, which was forced to land on Earth in 1964, managed to eject its reactor before entering Earth’s atmosphere. Wouldn’t the science ships have done the same, before entering the Polimop atmosphere?’ James asked.

  ‘Only one reactor can be ejected at a time, because the ship needs to clear the wake of the explosion. I believe the science ships didn’t have the time to eject all their reactors or were just unable to do so. I believe that both science ships were destroyed in that way, unintentionally wiping out eighty percent of the surface of Polimop.’

  ‘Are you saying it was an accident?’ James asked. ‘The change in time; the war: everything is the result of an accident?’

  ‘Yes, James.’

  ‘If the original Aurora and Pulsora accidentally attacked Polimop, the timeline must have been different before that,’ James said.

  ‘Before the accident, the Treitans would have been a peaceful people. They probably became a war-faring race because of that attack. We must restore the original timeline. We must stop those science ships from going back in time to Polimop.’

  ‘But that’s already happened,’ Londuo said.

  She’s right, James thought.

  Kalrea replied,

  ‘According to the diary, it would appear that time doesn’t exist inside the Paradoxica. If ships entered it from different points in space and time, they would end up being there together. That’s why the other Londuo saw the Aurora and Pulsora, built as science ships, inside the Paradoxica.’

  ‘So if we enter the Paradoxica now, we can still stop the science ships from exiting it, can’t we?’ Londuo asked.

  ‘Or, we could try and destroy the Paradoxica.’ James said.

  ‘Is that possible, Kalrea?’ Londuo asked.

  ‘The diary mentions a large structure, at the heart of the Paradoxica, which controls gateways that are used to access the wormholes,’ Kalrea said. ‘Destroy that structure and the Paradoxica will cease to exist.’

  ‘What would happen to the ships still inside the Paradoxica?’ James asked.

  Kalrea answered.

  ‘Sorry, James, I have no way of knowing the consequences. If we can’t destroy the Paradoxica, then we’ll have no choice except destroying the original Aurora and Pulsora. They must not be allowed to use any of the wormholes.’

  ‘The only problem is that, like us, they’ll also have Plyane hulls, which protect them from attacks.’ James said.

  ‘But we have an advantage. We know the one weakness in their hulls: the drive cones,’ Kalrea said.

  ‘Kalrea,’ James said nervously. ‘Is there anything in your subconscious that would stop you destroying your counterpart?’

  ‘No, it would be self-sacrifice to save others.’

  ‘But what about the feelings you had when Sarhao was destroyed?’

  ‘James, I’m over that now. And there’s a reason why we have to do this.’

  James was relieved.

  ‘Then we must enter the Paradoxica,’ he said, ‘and it doesn’t matter when we enter it. We’ll inevitably meet the original Aurora and Pulsora somewhere inside.’

  Kalrea added,

  ‘As long as we either destroy the Paradoxica or the original Aurora and Pulsora, the initial timeline will be restored.’

  ‘How did the other Londuo know that she needed to give us the diary?’ Londuo enquired.

  ‘She didn’t realise that she had failed to change the timeline until she found James living on Earth. The fact Lex, Carol and James were there meant nothing had changed. We were still at war. It was all happening again: everything!’

  Hang on a minute; where was I then? James thought and then said,

  ‘Why was the other James not there? The other Londuo ended up on Earth, so the other me had to be there too, right?’

  ‘James, there’s no easy way to say this. The other you died when the Aurora crashed on Earth.’

  ‘Oh,’ James said and then thought,

  Shit! Not sure I like that future!

  Kalrea continued,

  ‘And the other Kalrea activated the self-destruct to stop the Aurora ending up in the hand of the humans.’

  ‘So the other Londuo was left all alone on Earth,’ he said sadly and then thought, she must have been so lonely.

  ‘Yes, James she was. It looks like Londuo and you were also in love in the diary timeline and she really missed you after your death.’

  James looked over at Londuo. She was wiping her glazed eyes.

  I never want to leave her, he thought.

  ‘James, I don’t want to lose you. I want to be with you,’ Londuo said, before getting up and walking over to the seatra.

  She wiped her eyes, before she sat down on its edge.

  ‘If we enter the Paradoxica we won’t come back.’

  ‘Then we won’t go,’ James said.

  ‘We have to; don’t we, Kalrea?’ Londuo sounded solemn.

  ‘Londuo’s right, James. We have to enter the Paradoxica,’ Kalrea said. ‘We can’t destroy it from here.’

  James sat down alongside Londuo on the edge of the seatra.

  ‘There’s no coming back if the timeline is restored.’

  Londuo paused.

  ‘We will cease to exist in this time.’

  James looked over at Londuo. He felt her hand on top of his. He nodded slowly.

  ‘This is what my heart is telling me
to do.’

  Londuo stared into his eyes.

  ‘I… I love you,’ she said softly.

  ‘I love you, Londuo,’ James replied.

  He felt strangely relaxed.

  ‘When we restore the original timeline, none of this will have happened,’ Londuo said. ‘Our meeting on Qintaino, this conversation and most of all, how I feel about you.’

  James caressed the side of Londuo’s face with one of his hands. She closed her eyes and tilted her head backward. He then ran his fingers through her hair.

  You’re so beautiful. I wish I could meet you again, in whatever place or time I end up, he thought and then said,

  ‘At least we’ve had this time together. Who knows; maybe this timeline was meant to be…’

  Their faces slowly edged together and they kissed gently.

  I really want to stay here with you, James thought.

  ‘I wish this moment could last forever,’ Londuo said, as they embraced.

  ‘Me too, Londuo. Me too,’ James replied.

  James kissed Londuo passionately and then looked into her eyes.

  ‘I don’t want to lose you,’ Londuo said quietly.

  James kissed her on the neck. They fell gently backwards inside the seatra. The lights dimmed before James placed the telementor on the rim of the seatra, interrupting his connection with Kalrea, who understood immediately they wanted to be alone.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  James picked up the telementor and placed it on his wrist just as Londuo entered the bridge. They were both dressed casually.

  ‘Your steam shower’s much better than those on the Lonori,’ Londuo remarked. ‘At least there’s room to swing a kiol in it.’

  She walked over to the monitor and combed her hair in the reflection.

  James watched her.

  ‘It took me a while to get used to the zero gravity. I have to say, the way they massage the skin is very relaxing. Could have done with showers like that on Earth,’ he commented.

  Londuo turned toward him.

  ‘This is it, then?’

  James nodded and gazed at her for a moment and then thought, this could be the last moment we spent together. I hope I get to see Londuo again. He walked over to her and looked into each of her eyes. I’ll always remember those eyes. Always.