»Luckily, we escaped,« Pi said and looked into Vasina’s golden eyes.
»Something wrong, Pi?« she asked.
»No … not at all. I was just thinking about you’re theory. How can Morgotradon control this undisciplined species?«
»By means of agitators,« Tranos threw in. The new shield bearer was still struggling against Herkales’ reputation and knew that he would probably never be able to measure up to him in Vasina’s eyes. »The Dark Brotherhood used them before. We were able to unmask some of these agitators in the past and take them out of the picture, but we can assume that Morgotradon has perfected his tactics and fine-tuned their assignments.«
»Maya’s twin didn’t fool me,« Voit Masgur declared, who had integrated himself very well into the team. »The replication was surrounded by a field of disharmonic colors, her aura had a bitter aftertaste.«
Pi and Arkroid looked at each other.
»A bitter aftertaste?« Arkroid said, knowing that Masgur used his sense of taste to describe his abilities, since normal people had difficulties understanding what he wanted to get across.
»Fortunately, I was able to detect this difference; otherwise I would not have been able to assist Maya. A direct attack on the replica would have also affected Maya’s life energy or even killed her. The crystal substance had changed or, for lack of a better term, stained the replica’s aura, creating a specific signature. Knowing this will make it easier for me to detect agitators in the future.«
Maya nodded at Voit absentmindedly. Again, the duel between her and her twin raced by her mental eye – Maya realized, without Voit’s help she would have lost the fight.
»Morgotradon was nearby! I know it! He was around when the twin entered the Crux-Heart to steal the Jamal-Comb. I’m even going to assume that she was able to communicate with him!«
»We have no evidence to support your thesis, Maya Ivanova,« Conceptor Crux said. »She didn’t carry a communication device. I would’ve been aware of any means of communication.«
The Krolakans were discussing amongst themselves with hissing noises, then Peu’Fler said, »We detected weak pulses near Maiter during the attack, yet, our ships didn’t find anything.«
»Well … maybe he was close by and observed the developments from his ship,« Arkroid speculated. »Your crews risked their lives to save the Crux-Heart. We appreciate that very much.«
»We formed an alliance with the Goovans. It is our charge and honor to assist and protect Conceptor Mokhoorn.«
The holographic depiction of Conceptor Mokhoorn bowed before the Goovan gratefully.
Suddenly, the air electrified between Arkroid and Pi, forming a vague stature, which materialized as a person made of mercury. The body seemed to flow while the face and head lacked detail.
Arkroid smiled thinly.
»If you needed to send us an avatar, Nautilus, then it must be important,« Arkroid said.
»It gives me a better idea of how you flesh bound beings must feel. I like it, although it’s a bit limited,« Nautilus replied with a soft, female voice. »Indeed, I have news for you, Toiber. My sensors detected a spaceship which is about to leave tachyon space. It seems to be headed toward this station.«
»Do you have any idea who it could be, Nautilus?« Pi said. »Maybe a Dualyte ship?«
The avatar shrugged like a Human, which caused Arkroid to smile.
»The ship’s signature is unknown. It seems to be conventional because I detected its emission for quite some time already. It could be a spaceship of an unknown species or a ship with a poorly maintained propulsion system. It’s not a Dualyte or Morgotradon’s ship.«
Pi, unconvinced, suggested, »Peu’Fler should alert his fleet, maybe it’s another attack? It could be a ruse.«
Arkroid nodded at Peu’Fler, who issued his orders via a special comm-link.
He still seems to honor my leadership, Arkroid thought relieved.
Peu’Fler panted after he had addressed the commander of the mothership, »Whoever this is, if they plan on attacking, they know little about sneaking up on their enemy. They’ve been trampling through tachyon space like a shmorg. We’ve been able to trace them lightyears back – my units are ready to intercept!«
»They must not want a fight if they’re showing up with all this noise,« Vasina remarked sarcastically. »We should find out first who we’re dealing with before we use the weapons.«
»Yes, but cautiously,« Peu’Fler gnarled.
»The ship is gradually reducing its tachyon field and will enter the normal universe any second,« the Nautilus avatar announced.
A flash made Arkroid whirl around. It was the first time that Arkroid witnessed the re-entry from tachyon space with his own eyes through a panoramic window. The ship was glowing from the tachyon wind which it carried along. Moments later, the photon energy subsided quickly.
»The ship is one hundred thousand kilometers from the Crux-Heart! The Krolakan ships are closing in on the visitor!« the avatar proclaimed.
»Can we have a picture?«
Conceptor Crux wiggled his ears, »Sure, Arkroid!«
The panoramic window suddenly zoomed in on the ship. It seemed as if the ship was jumping toward the Crux-Heart, flying through the window.
That’s an illusion, caused by the zoom effect, Arkroid thought.
He was impressed, while the ship’s three-dimensional picture was displayed inside the hall. Everyone was now able to see the ship’s details, only a meter away.
Arkroid frowned.
»Does anybody know who this is?«
Kuster~Laap seemed absentminded. He was possibly conferencing with Nood and Naad.
Nobody answered Arkroid’s question.
»My archives don’t show ships like this,« Conceptor Crux said.
»Same here,« Nautilus added via the avatar. Even the Krolakans didn’t seem to have a clue.
The strange ship appeared edgy and skewed. The hull didn’t resemble a sphere, a cube or cylinder. The construction appeared to be a result of all kinds of components, randomly chosen. All kinds of materials and elements seemed to be joined and welded together to form this something.
Even though the ship looks like a pile of junk, it could be a specific design, typical for this unknown species. That doesn’t make it less dangerous, though! Arkroid thought.
The ship doesn’t pose a danger, Toiber, Nautilus explained via mental bridge. The Krolakans would detect immediately should the ship charge its weapon systems.
»Do we have communication yet? Are the strangers transmitting any signals at all?« Pi inquired, observing the Krolakans tightening their formation.
»They seem to be taking a wait-and-see approach. The ship’s propulsion system is in standby mode. The speed is about zero in relation to the Crux Heart,« Conceptor Crux announced.
»They’re playing dead,« Ivanova remarked. »Not a bad choice, considering the Krolakan fleet.«
»We’ll see,« Arkroid whispered to himself.
Hail them, Nautilus, and send a welcoming message. Ask them what they want. Arkroid commanded via the mental bridge.
Messy Unit
The visitor doesn’t seem to be in a hurry with a reply. Maybe the computers or the communication system aren’t up to snuff, Arkroid thought.
Nautilus had prepared the message in such a way that most intelligent beings were able to decode the message by applying common mathematical laws. There was, however, no guarantee that this always worked. First contacts were critical and could pave the way how to deal with each other in the future.
»The ship’s crew remains silent! I’ve analyzed the ship and acquired some interesting and surprising results,« Nautilus announced.
»In what respect?« Kuster~Laap asked.
»The ship’s design doesn’t follow any known logical concepts. I’d categorize it as chaotic. The propulsion system, power distribution and weapons are no secret to me. There’re, however, sections which even my sensors can’t penetrate. They are shielded
with a type of technology, I’ve never encountered.«
Arkroid glanced at Maya for a moment, who was straightening up.
She’s suspecting some cunning actions by Morgotradon. She has been acting out of character lately, since her encounter with the replica. I need to talk to her about it sooner or later.
»Huh, I’d call it a Messy Unit!« Pi scoffed, not knowing that he had just coined a new term.
»This term nails it in principle,« the avatar agreed. »My analysis shows that the ship possesses parts and materials from at least five different origins and eras. The ship had been constructed over a long time span and it seems to me that a lot of personal preferences and aspects made the ship look like this.«
»At least they can fly through tachyon space. In other words: it’s still better than what we on Earth ever concocted. This ship is far superior to our Pulsar cruisers!« Pi admitted.
»The ship’s hull contains high amounts of the cobalt isotope 59, either as alloys or pure form. The weapon systems are nothing out of the ordinary. The ship seems to employ a relatively advanced plasma array, but also space torpedoes and missiles. The energy potential makes it …« The avatar interrupted itself and slanted its head as if it was listening.
»The Messy Unit is transmitting a message! I can translate the message but it will take a moment. Do you need a visual?« Nautilus suggested.
»Yes, I’d like that,« Arkroid nodded at the avatar who raised both arms as if it wanted to embrace a sphere. Suddenly, an energy whirl established between its hands, forming a holo projection.
The holo displayed a strange looking alien being while odd sounds, obviously from the alien, came from the avatar’s mouth.
Arkroid squinted.
The visitor remotely resembled a Human being, gesturing with both arms. The stranger possessed a slim-build torso with arms and legs. He appeared extremely pale to Arkroid.
He’s an albino! Arkroid thought.
Although, nobody could yet understand the visitor, he seemed very communicative. A stream of hacking, gurgling sounds filled the conference hall. The visitors head was elongated while his small ears almost seemed aristocratic. A long mane extended from the forehead over his neck onto his back. The red hair created a stark contrast to his pale skin. The temples as well as the ear regions were, however, bold. Both arms, kept moving around in the air while he was speaking. The eyes were staring and seemed too big for the head, lending the visitor an awkward appearance. The pupils were slit-like and yellow, the irises red.
»Good Heavens!« Maya Ivanova commented. »Who is that?«
None of the crew answered with more than a shrug.
»I have never encountered this species,« Kuster~Laap admitted, although he had come around in the galaxy as a Genorantan prophet.
»Why did the ship come here and why now? We need to talk to this stranger, even if we have to make use of a universal translation device. We can’t go on like this.«
»That won’t help much, because the linguistic differences to most galactic languages is rather great and very complicated. I’m still analyzing the syntax, Toiber!« Nautilus explained.
It took Nautilus another five minutes until a crackling sound started a reasonable translation.
» … as the fifth youngest fledgling of our brooding cave, I learned very early how to catch and slurp the eggs of a runner plant. This helped me develop well beyond expectations and enabled me to collect the first modules to build my own Cobalt Hunter. From there on, I needed to protect myself from Klorians who weren’t blessed as much with the knowledge of ship building. The tachyon anomaly of my home-world provided the supplies of space junk which fell out of the sky almost every day. It was therefore important to be first to collect the best parts and modules. Sometimes marooned spacefarers fell from the sky – unfortunately some were reduced to chunks of cell matter – which needed to be rescued from croshans who love to eat them …«
»What kind of gibberish is that guy saying?« Ivanova chuckled.
»How do you know that’s a guy?« said Pi.
Maya’s short reply was instantaneously translated and transmitted to the Messy Unit. The stranger stopped talking and seemed to listen. His eyes were becoming larger while his chest began heaving, then he was holding his breath.
»Finally!« he replied with a gurgle. »That was about time! Looking at this advanced and impressive installation, I assumed that I didn’t need to tell you my entire life story until your translation device caught up with my lingo.«
Arkroid didn’t believe his ears even Conceptor Crux wiggled his while Peu’Fler was gnarling to himself.
»Since we can understand each other perfectly now, tell us who you are and what you want here?« Arkroid inquired politely. His voice made the stranger twitch briefly as he received the translation.
»Uh … a typical leader!« the stranger answered and cautiously asked, »I assume that you’re the stationmaster? Maybe you can tell these stinging sinsrons to stay away from my Cobalt Hunter?«
Arkroid didn’t flinch, »Maybe I wasn’t clear enough … we want to know what you want here in this system … then we’ll see about backing off.«
»System? Huh, I only see one sun and you didn’t rent it! The dwarf only belongs to the maker of the universe, as far as this god even exists. Well, at least some aboriginals on the planet Dorilla-V insist on this theory.«
Arkroid rolled his eyes and cleared his throat.
»What’s your name, for starters?« Maya asked with a threatening undertone in her voice.
The stranger came closer to the camera while expanding two air sacks at the sides of his head. The sacks appeared red as he blew them up and then paled as he deflated them.
A gnarling sound came from the hidden speakers as he responded, nodding in a quick succession, »Wow, even aggressive females are amongst you! Didn’t expect that.«
He came even closer as if he wanted to jump into the camera.
Suddenly, several flashes appeared around the Messy Unit in space. The Krolakans had lost their patience and fired a couple of warning shots, missing the ship by a couple of thousand meters.
»Oooh, Cat II plasma charges … how nice … and energy rich!« the stranger mocked. »They would’ve destroyed my beautiful Cobalt Hunter,« he paused briefly, »but only, if I didn’t know how to defend myself! I am a Klorian and my name is Klori’Tar!«
»A Klorian?« Pi asked surprised. »Where are you coming from and how many of you are on board your ship?«
Klori’Tar seemed irritated and stretched his neck.
»The galactic position of my home-world is the best kept secret of my people. So, don’t ask. As pilot of a Cobalt Hunter I have sworn to secrecy – I fly alone! The risk for a crew is too high.«
»Cobalt Hunter, eh?« Voit said. »This term implies that you’re looking for something.«
»That is correct.«
His voice sounded deeper as if he wanted to put emphasis in it.
»I am hunting the evil, as did my maker and his one. Evil has manifested itself inside a living body and the trail led me to this insignificant sun. However, the evil has left, otherwise I’d feel its presence!«
Arkroid signaled Conceptor Crux to cut the audio link.
»Either this Klorian is a pretender and star vagabond or he really possesses valuable information,« Arkroid said.
»We should bring him here and interrogate him. We could take over the Messy Unit. We know ways to make him talk!« Peu’Fler suggested, showing his sharp teeth.
Lai Pi grinned.
»We’ll talk to Klori’Tar,« declared Arkroid. »If he cooperates, we’ll treat him with respect. I don’t consider him and his ship as a threat. Against your ships, Peu’Fler, he wouldn’t have a chance anyway.«
The Krolakan leader seemed flattered and signaled in agreement, while Arkroid nodded in Voit Masgur’s and Paafnas’ direction.
»We have two very capable team members who can investigate the Klorian without his knowledge. Na
utilus will check out the Cobalt Hunter in the meantime. We should invite him to meet with us here inside the Crux Heart.«
Arkroid signaled the Conceptor who transmitted the invitation to the Messy Unit.
Maya, however, remained skeptical.
»I want him to only have access to the hangar, to be on the safe side,« she insisted.
»We will check him out with all we have before he enters the Crux Heart!« Conceptor Crux announced.
»Maya, take Paafnas with you,« Arkroid said.
What, Paafnas is a pet
Paafnas and Maya were waiting for the visitor in the hangar. Their universal translation devices had been synchronized with Klori’Tar’s language in the meantime.
The Klorian looked at them from inside a transparent energy bubble which had been sent by Conceptor Crux to pick him up from the Messy Unit. As soon as the bubble touched the hangar floor, it disappeared.
Klori’Tar appeared smaller than on the holo, about one and a half meter tall. Now Maya and Paaf could also see his thin legs and the semi-transparent skin covering chest and belly. The inner organs were pulsating through the skin.
»What a friendly welcome in such fitting surroundings, perfect for a first contact!« Klori’Tar remarked jubilant while raising his arms and turning around his axis. »The flight inside the energy bubble was an unforgettable experience.«
»We’re welcoming you inside the Crux-Heart, Klori’Tar! I hope we can learn from each other and exchange some information,« Paafnas replied.
His words seemed to surprise Klori’Tar. He put his thin arms and hands on his hip and bowed down to Paafnas, rolling his eyes.
Paafnas, not used to such a greeting, nervously licked with his long tongue over his eyeballs.
»Look at that! In the name of the ten-armed gods of hefty sandstorms – it can speak?« Klori’Tar answered.
Paafnas slanted his head and looked at Klori’Tar attentively.
Maya couldn’t believe her ears.
»What?«
»He thinks, I’m a pet,« Paafnas enlightened her, who had just replicated Klori’Tar’s brain with his vertoflex organ. »I forgive him, because there’s an animal species on his home-world which resembles me. The Klorians keep them as pets.«
NEBULAR Collection 5 - Panic in the Galaxy: Episodes 22 - 26 Page 21