I’m grateful for that, my Lord.
She ran after making sure that she was alone in this section. She no longer paid attention to the nooks and sightseeing windows and just ran down the corridor.
She arrived at a junction and cautiously looked into the adjoining corridors.
Where to?
Use the scanner! the voice commanded.
Maya Ivanova pulled out the hand-held unit from a leg side-pocket and pointed it forward, slowly turning around her axis.
The Jamal-Comb has a special signature. The scanner will show you the direction.
She checked the display and followed the indications. She smiled diabolically.
I could sabotage the station on my way. Would you like that, my Lord?
Don’t waste our time. Just bring me the Jamal-Comb. These computers and energy banks were built with lots of redundancies. You would just reveal your location. Don’t underestimate him.
Maya Ivanova nodded silently and kept walking. Although, the disguise field protected her from view and detection, she was ready to act.
You’re not only beautiful, but also smart, she heard the voice again. That’s why I’ve chosen you. The Conceptor has thousands of eyes and ears. Do not rely on the disguise field alone. His consciousness has amalgamated with the station – they are one. He’ll try everything possible to locate you.
Mokhoorn
The transformation was successful,« Nautilus announced. »I’m getting stronger.«
Arkroid sighed and nodded, satisfied.
»We’re on the right path and need to gather the energy, required for the escape jump, the hard way,« he said.
He instructed Nautilus to gather anything suitable.
Nautilus, however, dampened his enthusiasm.
Even if I’d transform all the debris in this sector, it won’t be enough to replenish the energy deficit.
Arkroid closed his eyes, took a deep breath and decided to keep this information to himself.
We need to find a solution! We’ll honor your code, but we still need to get out of here. Can you not create a couple of probes and check the wrecks for life-form remains? Maybe that’ll solve your dilemma.
I need to partially dissolve my skin and also divert some energy from the life-sustaining system. I will keep enough energy in reserve to keep you alive.
Even if we were subjected to space, our personal fields would protect us. We have to take this risk, we have no other choice.
Okay, prepare the crew for what we’re about to do, Toiber.
Arkroid opened his eyes and briefly glanced at Pi. He strapped himself into his seat.
»Listen up, people!« Arkroid addressed the crew. »Nautilus will start another experiment and try to create some probes to examine some of the close-by ships. It means that the ship needs to divert more energy and will divert energy from the life-support systems and weaken the hull, maybe the inner structure as well. Please, remain calm. Our personal fields will shield us and maintain our safety for quite some time. Buckle up!«
Maya Ivanova silently buckled up, checked Paafnas’ belt who whispered, »I think, I now understand the terrestrial saying, when somebody is grabbing for the last straw.
Voit Masgur had paled, but followed Arkroid’s order immediately.
»That’ll be it then,« Herimos growled, buckled up and leaned back into his seat.
Arkroid took another look around and after receiving a hand sign from Tranos.
We’re ready, Nautilus!
Moments later, the light flickered and without warning, the crew’s personal protection fields activated. The ship’s atmosphere was no longer maintained. Suddenly, the ceiling of the command central disappeared, allowing a direct view into space. Then the walls and the equipment became transparent. Even the consoles and terminals vanished.
Strange, no decompression, Arkroid pondered.
Nautilus had transformed the atmosphere into energy.
What’s left of the ship if it completely dissolves? Arkroid asked himself. Is there just a Techno-Cleric sphere left?
As all other team members, Arkroid had also reclined his seat and was now lying on his back. It seemed to him, as if he would drift through space, protected only by his personal field.
»The gravitation … the ship has deactivated the artificial gravitation!« Voit Masgur moaned via the comm-link.
»Nautilus is just conserving energy, Voit,« Pi said. »Remain cool.«
»I feel like I’m lying on an oversized surf-board, drifting through space,« Arkroid said.
Whatever was left of Nautilus remotely resembled a surf-board. Its shape had changed to an oval flat disk with the crew’s seats on the top.
»Look, over there!« Herimos shouted and pointed upward, although upward and downward were relative terms.
A large, scarred ship hull entered the field of vision from the left and became bigger and bigger. More details came into view. Arkroid saw large holes in the hull, probably caused by collisions.
»We’re going to fly right into it!« Vasina shrieked.
Instead of crashing into the ghost ship something mysterious occurred. Entire sections collapsed and became transparent while creating bright shining clouds which flowed toward Nautilus.
»The ship is being transformed!« Pi yelled enthusiastically. »Nautilus found a ship, which does not conflict with his code!«
Relieved, Arkroid closed his eyes.
Almost at the same time, the walls and structures of the command central re-appeared. Minutes later, the command central returned back to the normal state.
The ghost ship must die, so we can live, Arkroid philosophized.
It seemed like an eternity until the walls and other structures had gained full strength and consistency again and the personal protection fields deactivated.
Voit Masgur was breathing deeply.
»If I tell that to somebody at home, they’ll think I’m crazy!« he laughed.
»Energy transformation completed,« Nautilus announced. »My energy banks are charged. The former lead ship was converted to eighty-two percent.«
Pi squinted.
»You picked the lead ship?« he said.
»Yes. The ship had the largest volume and most suitable matter. It was a Goovan Conceptor ship of the same type as the Gugol. There were no alien remains on board the ship. I made sure of it.«
»I’m glad we found a compromise,« Arkroid said.
»I’m also very…,« Nautilus fell silent.
Pi looked at the ceiling where the microphones were hidden.
»No, not again, Nautilus!« he groaned. »I thought you were all charged up again, what happened now?«
Arkroid tried to make mental contact with Nautilus and signaled Pi to follow his lead. At first nothing happened, then he had the impression of hearing a mental whisper. However, it wasn’t just one voice he fathomed … there were two.
A strong, piercing voice filled the command central,
»I don’t know how I got here, but this is not my ship!«
In the middle of the command central, where usually the main holo was located, a swirling cloud appeared.
Maya Ivanova yelped, while Paafnas slumped into his seat, holding his hands over his eyes.
A typical Conceptor head materialized, looking at the crew with scornful eyes.
»What the heck is that?« Tranos said.
»… or better who is that?« Pi added.
»This is definitely a Conceptor,« Kuster~Laap said, »A Goovan, probably the former caravan leader, who transferred to this ship during the energy transformation.«
»My name is Mokhoorn,« the Goovans voice flooded the command central. »What is going on?«
»I think, we just let the genie out of the bottle!« Pi said, receiving strange glances from Vasina, Tranos and Herimos. He tried to explain but shook it away.
You’re not a Protector
Conceptor Crux’s voice roared through the station, making the room vibrate.
; »I know that you can hear me! Your attempt to steal the Jamal-Comb has failed! I could easily detect the energy matrix of your disguise field and compromise it. It wouldn’t take long, but it would bore me to death! Truth is that I don’t even need to look for you, because sooner or later you’ll come to me anyway! Don’t forget that I am one with this station. You can’t escape my reach. I will always find you.«
Maya Ivanova held her ears with both hands. The Conceptor’s voice was unbearable.
He’s driving me insane, she thought in pain.
A faint laughter sounded in her mind.
The Conceptor will soon meet his forefathers. Maybe, he’ll even circle the dwarf star as an energy spiral until it turns into a nova. Don’t waste your time and find the Jamal-Comb.
Maya Ivanova swallowed hard and followed her scanner indications.
This comb seems to be very important to you.
It is immensely valuable to me, the voice replied, while Ivanova ran for cover.
Is it more important than me?
Of course, the voice replied flatly.
Maya Ivanova frowned.
But, I’m special. Don’t you long for me anymore? Don’t you love me anymore? she asked insecurely.
I created you for my amusement. I selected you because you served and satisfied my needs better than all the others … but you’ll never be like her, the voice spoke matter-of-factly.
Maya Ivanova clenched her teeth, making a squeaking sound.
I’ll prove it to you and kill her one day! she thought angrily. I’m going to erase the template, then you’ll realize how special and unique I am!
The Jamal-Comb! The voice demanded in her head. It was drowned out by the Conceptor’s voice.
»I haven’t executed you for only one reason. I think you can tell me something about the anomaly, which is establishing itself close to the Crux Heart!«
What is he talking about? What does he mean?
He knows well that his end is near. My superiors will soon arrive at his sun and eliminate the Crux Heart, the voice stated.
Are you sure they’re coming?
The destruction of this station had been decided upon a long time ago.
How is that possible?
My superiors are coming from a dimension where a thousand years in this galaxy only last a couple of hours in their continuum. The more they come closer, the faster the temporal differences and distortions equalize!
Maya Ivanova froze.
What happens next?
An inter-dimensional worm hole will be created, establishing a bridge between the parasite galaxy and this one. A fleet of Looter carriers will transfer and their ships will attack this station … It is inevitable.
The laughter in Maya Ivanova’s brain was as painful as Conceptor Crux’s voice.
»I know why you want the Jamal-Comb,« the Conceptor shouted. »You’re not a Protector, but an agent of the Dark Brotherhood. I knew that already when you entered this station!«
Maya Ivanova closed her eyes briefly and sighed.
If he doesn’t stop talking, then I will blow up the station before the fleet arrives!
Go!
Arkroid kept staring at the holo.
How’s that possible?
The Goovan Conceptor seemed to examine each crew member thoroughly and then addressed Kuster~Laap, »What brings you to me … Brother?«
Kuster~Laap nervously flapped his ears.
»You seem confused Conceptor Mokhoorn. We are not on your ship, you are on board our ship.«
Mokhoorn’s voice was not only loud but also very deep, causing Paafnas to almost faint.
»Nonsense!«
You don’t know what you’re doing to us, Arkroid thought via the mental bridge which now also included the Conceptor.
His holographic presentation slightly turned and focused on Arkroid.
»I understand!« he replied verbally, this time in a moderate tone of voice. »I totally understand. The sub-routine just informed me.«
»Sub-routine? Is he referring to Nautilus?« Pi chuckled.
»No idea.«
Arkroid shrugged. He could not break eye contact with the Conceptor
»After our energy reserves depleted, I fled inside a permanent memory bank saving my matrix, which enabled me to survive. The life signs of my crew faded away one after the other … this was a very painful experience.«
Arkroid took a deep breath and asked, »You were the caravan leader?«
»I was responsible for many hundreds of thousands of lives … they trusted me.«
As depressing as his statement was, it still occurred in the past, Arkroid had to concentrate on the present.
»What happened to Nautilus, I need to talk to the ship,« he demanded.
»The sub-routine is actually trying to make contact with you, but this interface is now occupied by me, but I can forward the data if needed,« Mokhoorn answered.
»Conceptor Mokhoorn is telling us that he amalgamated with Nautilus and took over,« Kuster~Laap announced astounded.
»I want to talk to my ship directly,« Arkroid said a touch louder.
The Conceptor just looked at Arkroid. He blinked a couple of times and then looked at Arkroid again.
»Unfortunately, the mental bridge was superimposed by the Conceptor’s matrix. I had to create a new communication portal,« Nautilus announced.
Mokhoorn’s eyes widened as he realized that a different voice was talking via his holo. He couldn’t control the words coming over his lips.
»The Conceptor’s energy signature was on board the transformed ship. It seems that my converters weren’t able to completely transform his energy quanta, instead his matrix became part of my energy resources,« Nautilus explained.
»This is …,« Pi swallowed hard, »uh … very bizarre.«
The Conceptor’s projection flickered briefly, then his voice changed into the low frequency spectrum again.
»The sub-routine is interfering with my functional parameters and is using my communication channels. I think, I should remove it entirely!« he announced.
Suddenly, the projection shifted back and forth, distorted and then shrunk rapidly to the size of a water melon.
»I’m protesting vehemently against the downscaling of my projection!« he said in a comically high voice.
Herimos moaned.
»Is it possible that two artificial entities are struggling for dominance?« he asked no one in particular.
»There is no struggle,« the Conceptor squeaked from the holo. »I’m in full control of this ship. As superior …«
He suddenly fell silent, while his lips were still moving.
»I took the liberty to silence him. You can read the dialog transcript on your terminal, if you want,« Nautilus announced.
Arkroid struggled not to laugh.
»I need a status report and then get ready for the escape jump.«
»Energy banks are fully charged. Attempting the transfer onto the tachyon upper trail in three ... two … one … now!«
Instinctively, Toiber Arkroid closed his eyes. As before, he experienced a strange expansion of his consciousness, able to see structures in space, although he was doubtlessly still on board the ship.
He saw a glistening bubble, enveloping the entire space sector. It seemed to possess a variable character. It somehow was connected with the flight maneuver and the strange continuum.
This is really strange!
Arkroid could feel the ship penetrate an invisible barrier. This barrier, however, offered a great resistance to Nautilus’ attempts. It seemed to Arkroid, as if the ship was swimming through molasses.
You’re going to make it! he thought.
The ship was through the aura and pulled it like a rubber cloth.
What am I seeing here?
»GO …GO … GO … GO!« Maya Ivanova yelled. She was seeing what Arkroid was.
As soon as the diaphragm-like substance tore open, the ship accelerated with enormous energy.
Stars became long streaks, gas nebulae or planetary clouds passed by in a flash or were penetrated as if they were flying through butter. Large spherical star clusters flew by like bullets. Objects and star fields turned to blue on approach, just to change into dark red as they receded.
Good Heavens! We’re leaving the main plain of the Milky Way and flying at a speed of thousands of lightyears per second. This is insane!
Then the picture changed abruptly and all movements stopped.
Arkroid was breathing heavily, but he wasn’t the only one.
»Did you see that?« Herimos asked and wiped over his eyes as if he wanted to chase away some ghosts. »It’s hard for me to describe, but did we just fly through a star cluster?«
»I believe you, Herimos,« Maya Ivanova said. »I had the same visions.«
Voit Masgur looked over to Arkroid.
»I saw an aura which envelopes the entire galaxy or was it a thread that weaved through the Milky Way? An aura, representing the sum of energies of all living beings! This is too gigantic to comprehend or to explain.«
»Our new position is eighty thousand lightyears above the main galactic plain. We are located above the Scutum-Crux spiral arm. All my systems are working satisfactorily, as expected.«
Arkroid drew a breath and glanced at the Conceptor’s mini holo.
»We need to fly to the Crux-Heart immediately and contact the local Conceptor there. I hope we’re not too late.«
What are your orders?
»I just found out that you want to fly to the Crux-Heart, the Galactic Defense Center,« squeaked Mokhoorn from his tiny holo after Nautilus had granted him permission to speak freely again.
Arkroid squinted.
Did Mokhoorn just twitch?
»Then you’ll fly into your demise, including myself,« he said. »Stay away from the Maiter Sector it’s unsafe there.«
»Maiter?« Pi knit his eyebrows.
»That’s the star closest to the Crux Heart,« Kuster~Laap said, ears twitching.
»We heard from another Goovan that the Crux Heart is in danger. A valuable object is being kept inside the station, which we need to save,« Arkroid said.
NEBULAR Collection 5 - Panic in the Galaxy: Episodes 22 - 26 Page 9