»Another thing …,« Nautilus continued, »energy weapons are not allowed on board the station. Conceptor Crux insists on it.«
»How can we fight the agent then?« Maya Ivanova inquired puzzled.
Nautilus was silent. Maya assumed that Nautilus was talking to Conceptor Crux.
»The female Dark Brotherhood agent has a knife, but does not possess an energy weapon,« Nautilus replied after about thirty seconds.
»I don’t understand why the station is making such a fuss …,« Ivanova started but was interrupted by Nautilus.
»… you are predestined to stop the agent, Protector Ivanova. This will be your personal mission.«
»MY MISSION? What? Why me?«
Nautilus didn’t answer her and instead informed the crew, »I will fly into the hangar. Get ready. Conceptor Crux fears that the return of the agent is being expected by her superiors. Our opponents possess Dark Brotherhood technology. It is quite possible that I cannot detect an enemy ship, sent to pick her up. My sensors are not functioning properly this close to the star.«
What’s going on? Tell me now! Why did Conceptor Crux choose Maya for this mission?
It’s her destiny, Toiber … her destiny …, Nautilus oracled. You’ll understand … trust me!
I was planning on killing you anyway!
Startled, Maya Ivanova was watching the Conceptor’s projection disintegrate before her eyes. She had expected more resistance from him – at least a voice attack of some sort.
Did he give up or what? I’d really enjoy destroying some of the equipment on my way out!
She looked around attentively. This sector radiated strangely – somewhat extra-ordinary.
What does this section remind me of? Hmm ... it almost looks like home. The architecture reminds me of the inside of a Russian Orthodox Church.
Ivanova crooked smiled.
I must have her memories also.
Slowly, she walked toward the large gate. The sensor pad on the right side didn’t possess a coded interface. A soft touch on the pad opened the portal.
Maya Ivanova’s mouth formed an evil grin.
How naïve can these Genorantans and Chiropters be not to protect their most valuable treasure
She stepped through the gate and instinctively closed her eyes. A bright beam of light almost blinded her. She twitched. At first, she thought that an energy weapon had fired or that she had run into an energy field. Instead, the large room, with a dome-like ceiling, was filled with thousands of Jamal-Combs. A maze consisting of slowly rotating Jamal-Combs mounted on small pedestals, reflecting the light of the sun which shone through the transparent ceiling. One of these turning reflections had hit her eyes.
Ivanova frowned and yelled into the room, »This trick won’t stop me Crux!«
She took a couple of steps toward the first Jamal-Combs and grabbed one, only to find out that she had reached into a projection.
»Who, in his sick mind, would think of this!« she screamed and turned to another pedestal.
Suddenly, all Jamal-Combs changed their positions and randomly transferred from one pedestal to another. Ivanova wasn’t able to follow all these movements with her eyes.
»You want to play games, you bastard?« she yelled and groped for the next key.
Precisely at the Dome’s zenith, the Chiropter’s depiction established again, looking at her from atop. Maya’s blood was boiling as he looked down on her, making her feel like an ant.
»I thought, you were a Protector, Maya Ivanova!« his voice roared through the room. »I don’t understand why you can’t make the correct choice, huh, huh, huh! As you can see, there are no energy fields, guards or weapons necessary to protect the Jamal-Combs from you!«
Maya Ivanova groped for another key and – nothing, she swirled around uncontrollably touching several projections, she even kicked the pedestals. Then she stumbled and fell to the floor. Screeching, she got up again and threatened the Conceptor with her fists.
»You’ll die soon, together with your precious station, Crux!« she yelled at him. »This game with these holographic copies shows me how insecure and helpless you are!«
Pitifully, he looked down on her.
»I trust the real Protectors! They will protect the Crux Heart from scum like you!«
»The Protectors only exist in you screwed fantasy,« she cackled. »My Lord told me! There’re no Protectors, nobody can protect the Crux Heart! As soon as the Mighty Ones arrive from the other dimension, you’re history!«
»You mean Morgotradon?« a voice came from the portal behind her. Ivanova froze! It was her voice! At first, she looked at Conceptor Crux. Crux just watched her. This was not part of his scheme.
Ivanova swirled around and looked at – herself! The other Maya Ivanova, standing a couple of meters away, staring at her through wide-open eyes.
»Why did he send you? Does he not trust me with this mission? Does he need another copy, to achieve his goals? Go back and tell him that! I’ll find that damn key and bring it to him and …!« she yelled, but stopped in the middle of the sentence. Her twin was wearing an entirely different outfit. She wore a silver cover-all with a galactic symbol on her chest. »He … he didn’t send you … you … you are …«
»Exactly, sister!« the real Maya Ivanova said, taking some determined steps toward the replication. »It only took me a couple of seconds to understand who’s behind all of this. I thought … no, I hoped that Vasina had killed that pig and sent him to Hell!«
The replication was startled. She didn’t understand what the real Maya Ivanova wanted to tell her.
The real Maya Ivanova gave her condescending smile.
»I hope you don’t really think that you’ll leave this room with the Jamal-Comb. Only over my dead body!« she said.
The replication assumed a fighting position.
»I was planning on killing you anyway! I’ll return to him with the key and maybe, I’ll even bring him your head! As a reminder that I’m much better than you and then I’ll screw him, with your head beside us on the bed! I’m disappointed, because you’re not much to look at. It baffles my mind, why my Lord chose you!« the replicate bellowed.
She activated her disguise field and disappeared before Maya Ivanova’s eyes.
»Damn!« Maya Ivanova cursed and readied herself for a fight.
Galactic shredder
Two holos dominated the command central inside the Crux Heart. They displayed Conceptor Crux and the Goovan Conceptor Mokhoorn, who had transferred from Nautilus into the Station’s Data banks.
»This is like a miracle that you arrived at the right time,« Conceptor Crux said. »Our enemies have just completed the connection to our galaxy. The worm hole will be stable for a short time before it disappears again. Unfortunately, long enough to allow some of their ships to transfer.«
»The Caravan Scouts predicted the timing correctly. They’re reliable allies,« Mokhoorn announced.
A large holo showed the sector where the transformation was taking place. Arkroid’s team was breathless. A gigantic energy swirl established itself, with strong currents, rotating around its energetic center. The edges of this funnel-like phenomenon were glowing in a fiery red, changing to scarlet toward the center. Arcing discharges coming from the wormhole’s center, reached one lightsecond into the adjacent space. Suddenly, the worm hole emitted a bright blinding, white light, which slowly diminished to make space for deep, black darkness, surrounded by glowing edges.
»That’s it!« Conceptor Crux announced. »The powers of the parasite galaxy are reaching into our living space again.
The crew and the Conceptors watched the event unfold, expecting to see an invasion fleet leaving the worm hole and flooding the adjacent space sectors.
»Conceptor Mokhoorn!« Arkroid said.
»Don’t worry, Arkroid, I remember our gentlemen’s agreement, but the schedule is very tight,« Mokhoorn said from the holo.
»What kind of gentlemen’s agreement are you talking about?
« Pi asked surprised, but Arkroid just waved him quiet.
»We need to think fast. What can this station offer? I can’t believe that there are absolutely no defense mechanisms at all.«
»Unfortunately, that’s the case,« Conceptor Crux answered. »The only purpose of this station is to control the Dimensional Mirror.«
»Hmm … we didn’t detect the mirror when we arrived,« Vasina said. »Where is it?«
»Is it possible to use the mirror against the wormhole?«
»The Dimensional Mirror is not complete, Protector Arkroid. Its functions would be limited. Besides, it has never been activated before!« Conceptor Crux announced.
»You people are building this mirror, this defense system, for over a million years and have never tested it?« Pi questioned, but when neither Conceptor answered, he threw his hands up in disbelief.
»Its functions were simulated. Every time a new Original Spark was added, the simulations were adapted accordingly,« Conceptor Crux said.
Suddenly, the worm hole began to rotate faster while the discharges increased.
»That could mean that something has entered the worm hole from the other side!« Herimos speculated. »If we can’t come up with a plan, then we should leave the station immediately.«
»We wait!« Arkroid shouted toward the holos. »We came as Protectors! Did you forget that already? We won’t leave here anyway without Maya Ivanova and the Jamal-Comb. Conceptor Crux, you didn’t answer my question. Can we use the Dimensional Mirror as a defense mechanism?«
The Conceptor stared at Arkroid.
»If we activate the mirror now, then I cannot guarantee that it will function correctly, it might be too weak. It might stop the enemy fleet but it might send us into their universe also, there are too many unchecked variables!«
»Wherever this Dimensional Mirror is located right now, Conceptor Crux, as a Protector, I command you to align the mirror and activate it for the love of the people of this galaxy and the universe!« Arkroid paused, pleading with his eyes at the Conceptor’s holo, »this may be our only chance. «
Crux looked at Arkroid for a couple of seconds then he said with a joy in his voice and a smirk on his face, »This is a historic day! We finally have our Protectors, and the universe has its champions!«
Seconds later, a deep humming sound filled the station which grew to a strong droning presence, making the rooms vibrate and the air crackle.
»What’s going on?« Herimos looked around.
»The power plants and control systems are starting up,« Crux said, overpowering the mechanical system noises with his voice frequency.
»… but where is the mirror?« Pi asked persistently.
»Look! The star!« Arkroid yelled.
He pointed at the transparent ceiling. A fine grid of bright dots emerged from the sun’s surface. The light emitted by these dots was brighter than the sun itself. The brighter the dots became, the darker the sun went.
»The Original Sparks are taking the energy from the sun, causing it to shrink in size!« Tranos shouted.
»I can’t believe it … the sun’s shrinking!« Vasina said. »I’ve never seen this before!«
»The Dimensional Mirror isn’t actually a mirror,« Conceptor Crux said. »The Original Sparks are forming a matrix, which envelopes the sun around its core. This draws energy from the sun, reducing the sun’s temperature dramatically. The fusion process decreases as the gravitational forces increase. This causes the sun to collapse slightly, while its density increases, igniting the fusion again. This time, however, with much higher energy emissions.«
»Hmm … you’re using a sun as a natural reactor for the mechanism,« Pi said.
Suddenly, the worm hole changed. The formerly red and scarlet colored edges and streamers shifted to light blue. The discharges at the edges seemed frozen, like a ripped canvas. Time and space seemed to have stopped.
Moments later, other energy discharges appeared, close to the Crux Heart. This phenomenon seemed like fireworks in the night sky, just far more intense and constantly growing in numbers.
»We know this phenomenon!« Herimos shouted. »These discharges occur when spaceships are leaving the tachyon continuum, the invader fleet is here and it’s too late for us!«
Arkroid took a deep breath and nodded thankfully at Conceptor Mokhoorn.
»They’re here, you kept your word!« He turned to face the others, »These are our friends, not enemies!« Arkroid said looking to calm Herimos who was wildly searching, futilely, for an escape as if he were a caged animal.
»This is my payment to you for saving my matrix, and also because you have proven to me you’re willingness to accept the heavy burden of being galaxy Protectors. Perhaps it is time we stood together, as it once was, united Chiropters and Goovans. I’m placing a Krolakan fleet in your hands Arkroid!«
Arkroid shivered. He had just been given the command of over two thousand heavily armed combat ships, belonging to people who didn’t even live in the Milky Way.
»So this was the gentlemen’s agreement,« Pi whispered to Arkroid. »You could’ve mentioned it to us, you know?«
A communication holo activated with the Krolakan commander in the center. He introduced himself as Peu’Fleur. The hyena-like being barred his sharp teeth.
»Conceptor Mokhoorn, we received your call for help to protect the Crux Heart, What are your orders?«
Arkroid was impressed. The extra-terrestrial got right to the point and didn’t waste time asking about the shrinking sun or the glaring Original Sparks. He didn’t seem to care much about the worm hole either.
»I am Protector Arkroid, Commander Peu’Fleur, thank you for reacting so quickly to our distress call. We desperately need your assistance. We’re expecting an invasion fleet coming out of the worm hole with the objective to destroy the Crux Heart. We need to prevent this at all cost,« Arkroid addressed the Krolakan commander respectfully.
»I understand, Protector Arkroid,« Peu’Fleur replied.
Moments later, the fleet assumed formation around the sun to protect the Crux Heart.
Arkroid sighed, relieved.
»The Krolakans will probably encounter at least one Dark Brotherhood carrier,« Vasina said skeptically. »Remember, not even the entire Progonaut Fleet could do anything against these giants.«
»Attention!« Nautilus announced. »I have detected an object at the exit of the worm hole.«
Then they saw it for themselves on the holo. The unknown ship had gigantic measurements. Arkroid re-read the data columns on the holo, thinking they were wrong at first. The ship was over six thousand meters long and must have been three thousand meters wide. It was shaped like an egg with a ruby-red hull, covered with thousands of stingers. It seemed to Arkroid like an elongated and warped sea urchin.
Suddenly, the Krolakans opened fire. Thousands of blue shining plasma charges dazzled toward the worm hole and the sea urchin-like ship.
As the enemy ship was about to enter the galactic continuum, something strange happened. Even before the Krolakan plasma spheres had reached the enemy ship, sections of the ship making contact with the Einstein continuum disintegrated. The more the ship pushed through the worm hole, the more of its substance vanished in a fog, like a gigantic jet stream.
The Krolakans were so surprised that they stopped firing at the disintegrating enemy ship.
»Exploding pulsar!« Peu’Fleur cursed. »Our weapons haven’t even reached the enemy and yet it’s already disintegrating!«
»The Dimensional Mirror!« Arkroid shouted, slamming his hand on his leg.
»Indeed, there are dimensional interferences around the wormhole entrance,« Conceptor Crux said. »I assume that the mirror is preventing the enemy from synchronizing their time differences. The mirror is creating a temporal anomaly around the worm hole. All the matter that reaches our continuum from the other side will be accelerated and transformed into pure energy, racing toward the galactic center at the speed of light. The carrier will be torn apart
and destroyed in the process.«
The group of Protectors witnessed the complete destruction of the enemy ship on the holo.
They probably couldn’t react in time, Arkroid thought.
»It’s like a galactic shredder,« Pi shouted enthusiastically.
The Dark Brotherhood ship was destroyed section by section. A stream, more than one hundred thousand kilometers long, consisting of sparkling and bursting energy, marked the path of the formerly gigantic carrier.
The Crux Heart’s command central was a flurry of yells of joy. It was clear; the enemy had no chance of entering the Einstein continuum without risking destruction.
Vasina had tears in her eyes.
This is some vengeance for the loss she suffered a million years ago, it might have been the very same ship, Arkroid thought.
He looked up.
»What’s with Maya?«
Everything is okay
Maya Ivanova was rolling on the floor, bleeding from her nose and a cut above her eyebrow. Her twin had attacked her from behind. Her maniacal laughter filled the room.
»I’m really disappointed in you. Is that all you have to offer? Just to curl up into a ball at the first few blows? Ha ha, I thought you’d at least tire me out …«
Maya received a hard kick in her side and was thrown off her feet again. Laboriously, she got up.
»Your brains gone rotten listening to that impersonation of the Devil,« Ivanova huffed.
Her twin cackled.
»Save your preaching. I’m in control of my own situation, thank you.«
Maya Ivanova wiped the blood from her face and cautiously looked around, but her twin was still hiding behind the field.
»Your Lord … that bastard. I had the pleasure of meeting him and I dumped his sorry ass. But I guess he’s got you now. How does it feel, being a lame substitute?«
There was a wounded yell. The jolt to her back came without warning, however, this time Maya Ivanova swiftly turned on her heels and hit back. Her fist found resistance, which was followed by a kick with her right foot where she thought the groin must have been.
NEBULAR Collection 5 - Panic in the Galaxy: Episodes 22 - 26 Page 11