NEBULAR Collection 5 - Panic in the Galaxy: Episodes 22 - 26

by Thomas Rabenstein

  »What do they want?« Pi asked.

  »Look at them. Each and every one of these machines is different. They’re not run of the mill models,« Arkroid whispered fascinated. »Examine them closely, Pi, they all have different armor, weapons and insignias.«

  »Interesting. Do you think, they can talk?«

  Arkroid stepped forward. With raised arms he shouted at the nearest robot, »Do you understand me? We come in peace and want to talk to the commander of your ship.«

  The robot reacted immediately and came forward, stopping right before him. Arkroid didn’t dare move a limb. The robot bent down far enough that Arkroid could see his reflection in the middle eye.

  »We want to communicate with you,« he whispered to the machine, but the robot didn’t answer. Arkroid figured that the robot must have heard him, nevertheless.

  Seconds later, the ZyClonians began moaning. A quick glance over, convinced Arkroid that he had heard correctly. A rotating energy field had formed around the ZyClonians’ chest armor, making them motionless. The energy field also encapsulated the nanopods. This meant that the ZyClonians could no longer feel or sense the environment.

  Kuster~Laap was becoming restless and slowly opened his mouth.

  Arkroid feared that he was about to use his devastating voice to stop the robots, instead calm words left his lips, »I am a representative of the ancient people, a Chiropter and Genorantan Prophet. I want to talk to your …«

  We know who and what you are, a loud and strong voice sounded like a thunder. Moments later the team realized that the voice had come from the inside of their head. Surprised, Arkroid heard, Only one of you bears the signature, only one of you is entitled to be here!

  Arkroid looked around, trying to find the source of the voice.

  Perhaps one of these titans emitted the messages? Maybe all of them at the same time? he pondered.

  »Entitled? We didn’t volunteer to come here. We were transferred into this dimension against our will!« Pi replied harshly. He also had heard the message in his mind.

  Before they could say another word, Arkroid and Pi felt something touching their cheeks. Instinctively they both slapped their cheeks as if they wanted to slap a mosquito.

  »What … what was that? Do we have mos …« That’s all he was able to say before he collapsed to the ground, together with the replication. Kuster~Laap and the ZyClonians seemed to be frozen in time.

  Herimos looked around hectically, growling threateningly at the robots, especially the one up front.

  You are the one who is entitled! Tell me what to do with the others! Herimos heard the mental voice.

  »What am I entitled to? What does this mean?«

  You bear the signature!

  Herimos was worried. He looked over to his friends, then slammed the fist against his chest, realizing quickly that he was in charge of the situation and shouted from the top of his lungs, »I want to talk to the ship’s commander! You’re not touching my friends!«

  As you command! the voice replied, this time not as strong.

  Herimos growled in satisfaction.

  Lofty abodes

  The ride inside the tight hovercraft-like vehicle was uncomfortable, especially for Tranos, a giant in Kugo eyes; he had problems finding a good seating position.

  After Tranos had put the vehicle right-side-up by means of his shield’s gravitation field, Wrecker drove the vehicle to the nearest settlement. The engines, establishing the air cushion underneath the vehicle, made a deafening noise, a conversation was almost impossible. The hover-tank was able to reach a speed of two hundred kilometers an hour; however, Wrecker had reduced the speed due to the worsening light conditions as the evening approached. The vehicle didn’t possess any radar- or infrared systems. The Kugo technology was still at an infantile stage. Vasina could not tell, if the occasional Kugo contacts with extra-terrestrials had borne some fruit yet.

  She was silent and sat contemplating. She worried about Arkroid and the rest of the team. So far, she had no idea how she could help them. Maybe she could find somebody in Plast who knew more than Wrecker. Most important to her was to warn the Kugos about the changes to their planet. They needed to know!

  »Are there any spaceships in orbit around Kug?« she yelled at Wrecker.

  Wrecker was driving the hovercraft and held the yoke firmly in his hand, fully concentrated.

  »Last week, a ship of reptilians landed. They live close by in this stellar subdivision. They hardly conduct any trade with us. We probably don’t have anything interesting to offer.«

  »Do they come often?« Vasina asked.

  »Yes!« Wrecker replied.

  Vasina threw Tranos a knowing glance.

  »How many people live in Plast?« she asked further.

  »No idea. Is that important?« Wrecker asked, looking through the windshield.

  »No, not really. I just wanted to paint a picture of your culture. You don’t have a registration system?«

  Wrecker didn’t understand and twitched.

  »Whoever wants to live there sets up shop or moves on to another habitat!«

  »The spaceport … did you build it yourselves?« she asked further.

  »You probably have the wrong impression. There are no buildings, just a circular area with a hard, compacted surface, partially surrounded by a big barrier. This wall is just there to protect the city. Every time we have visitors, they always produce a huge sandstorm.«

  »Again, there’s no registration who comes and goes?«

  »No, why? They’re coming anyway, if we like it or not. You’ll see for yourself as soon as we arrive there.«

  Vasina tried to see something outside, but it was too dark.

  »We’re just going to make it. The gates to the city are still open. They wouldn’t risk letting us in at night.«

  A couple of minutes later, the vehicle slowed down with several loud bangs until the motor stalled.

  »We arrived!« Wrecker announced and opened the back hatch on which Tranos had been leaning. Stiff, Tranos stretched and tried to get his circulation going. He watched the surroundings attentively, always ready to act.

  »There’s no danger, my Queen,« he reported to Vasina.

  Five similar vehicles were parked before the gate. A Kugo approached the group with a tanker and looked reserved as he saw Vasina and Tranos.

  »After you leave the garrison, you should look for accommodation. We have several hostels, but they want hard coins for their services,« Wrecker suggested.

  »Well … we don’t have funds,« Vasina declared. »Is there some sort of an asylum or a place where visitors can stay for the first night?«

  »Yes, there’s something like that. We usually don’t go there. The place is near the spaceport. I think, however, it would be better you stay at my brother’s guesthouse. He owns the largest Sky-Nest in the city.«

  »If he doesn’t mind the extra work.«

  »It’s not about the extra work. I was born five minutes before him, he will respect my suggestions to take you in, but be nice to him. He seems changed lately, even his wife jumped away from him and left the nest.«

  »Thank you,« she nodded.

  They walked through the garrison proper, then Wrecker said, »just follow the wide path through the other gate. It’ll lead you to Plast’s center. The habitat is built like a star and surrounded by a high wall. A steel net spans from one side to the others and protects you at night from the blood-thirsty shmarz. You’ll be safe. Close to the central water dwell you’ll find a giant sky-shrub. That’s where my brother lives. Just tell him, I sent you.«

  Vasina and Tranos thanked Wrecker and walked toward the garrison gate into the city.

  She had visited hundreds of worlds during her time as Queen of the Progonaut Houses and had always been fascinated how other civilizations lived, how they had built their cities and how their cultures compared. Despite all her travels the rush of a new place always hit her with utter curiosity.

  The Kugos
had arrived at an early stage of technology; however, not all members of society had been blessed with these achievements. A central communications network did not exist. Cars or other motor driven vehicles were only used by a few. Maybe the hovercraft technology was too expensive for common people.

  Impressive were the long avenues, flanked by tall sky-brushes, a plant species which looked like dense, long agave leaves, branching and opening at the top. Their roots were as strong as tall trees. Some of these sky-shrubs had a bottom diameter of more than five meters. On the outside, the brushes possessed, thick, twisted bamboo-like strands, which extended all the way to the top. The strong out-reaching branches served well as supporting structures for the Kugo tree houses.

  The trail, Wrecker mentioned, was actually a wide street covered with a rubber-like substance. The dwell, a dome structure, was the center of the city, with its life-supporting water. All paths, from the outlaying star-like subdivisions led to the center.

  Vasina saw the odd light fixture. She figured that the illumination was based on chemical principles. Upon further inspection, she realized that the street illumination came from slim, tall plants, similar to sunflowers, whose goblet style flower heads glowed in the dark.

  »The Kugos still live in balance with nature,« Vasina remarked. She kept her voice down, not to disturb the surrounding silence. It seemed to her that no Kugos were out for a stroll. As she looked up higher, she saw the net, Wrecker had mentioned. Suspended from higher tree stumps, the net appeared like a gigantic circus tent.

  While still looking up, she saw large shadows gliding through the air, possibly the shmarz, Wrecker had pointed out.

  »I didn’t think that the Kugos lived in tree houses, judging by their strong legs I figured they lived on the ground,« Tranos wondered.

  »Maybe it’s for their safety. Maybe because of the hostile fauna of this planet. We haven’t seen much of it yet.«

  After ten minutes, they arrived at the dome. The roughly twenty meters high structure was illuminated from the inside. The transparent walls revealed a mind-boggling, spaghetti-like arrangement of pipes, pumps and valves of all sizes.

  »It probably serves as a main water distribution center,« Tranos assumed. »I don’t want to be a plumber in there, look at all these pipes! That’s insane!«

  Vasina laughed out loud and said, »Don’t worry, you’ll be my shield bearer for quite a while longer!«

  A ring road led around the dwell, connecting to the other city subdivisions. That meant that all eventual traffic had to go around the well.

  »They may not have a religion, but they seem to worship the water,« Vasina said.

  »The sky-brushes would probably not survive without this water distribution scheme. I can imagine that there’s no significant rain fall.«

  »I assumed that the plants we saw in the tundra are water preservers. The big lakes, we saw from out of space, are too far inland and possibly salty. This is the life-source for the entire settlement. I’m certain that this habitat will turn into a ghost town, should the dwell ever dry out,« Tranos summarized.

  Vasina smiled.

  The Progonaut Guards had chosen the right man to become my shield bearer!

  High above their heads, small lights flared up as they walked toward the tallest and largest sky-shrub. All the tree houses in the neighborhood seemed to be inhabited; still, no Kugo was on the street.

  They stopped before the large shrub.

  »This one is the tallest in this area, maybe of all of Plast,« Vasina said. »This must be the place Wrecker’s brother is living. He seems to be well off, judging by the size of his abode.«

  A shadow, suddenly, crossed the street, causing Tranos to hold his shield tighter and changing his position closer to Vasina.

  »My Queen, I think ...,« he whispered.

  »… there’re three! They’re hiding behind disguise fields,« she interrupted. »They’ve been following us since we arrived here. I noticed them a while ago on my wrist scanner.«

  Tranos used his shield and scanned the area himself.

  »They’re not Kugos! They move differently! Do you want me to take care of them?«

  »Not yet, we won’t pick a fight, but we’ll defend ourselves if necessary and step on their toes, if they keep behaving like cowards!«

  Vasina had shouted the last sentence in the direction of the hidden subjects.

  »It seems, you already have an idea of who they are?«

  Tranos readied himself to activate the defense shield.

  »Yes, I pretty well know who wants to disturb the peace.«

  She groped for her sword.

  »They’re cowards!«

  Saved by a scanner

  The surroundings changed again and gave way to a simple room with only one entrance. The walls were seamless. The room was illuminated by a single light fixture, shining down on the group.

  Maya stretched her arms.

  »How delightful, the restriction field is gone and we can stand on the ground again,« she mocked.

  Paafnas quickly ran over to Maya. She held out her arm and he climbed on her shoulders.

  »What’s that, a new reality?« Voit asked.

  »No, this seems to be a transfer in space by means of a tachyon field,« Klori’Tar replied self-assured. »Our tachyon aura has changed as my quant-implant tells me … but … you won’t understand anyway.«

  »If you say so,« Maya replied.

  She looked at him with an icy glance.

  »Why are you looking at me that way?« he asked, blowing up his cheek bags.

  »Do you remember what I told you?«

  She approached him slowly.

  »I reject physical violence!«

  »But I don’t!« she answered coldly.

  »Please, Maya, don’t scare him to death,« Voit intervened with a grin. »Let’s concentrate on how we can get out of here. We’re all in the same boat.«

  Maya threw her hair behind her neck.

  »I swear, Klori’Tar, one more of your excursions and I’ll rip you red hair bushels out of your head, one by one! Each strand by each strand!«

  Horrified, he stepped back, gurgling.

  She wants to de-man me! Does this Human woman know what this means? Not even the ugliest Klorian woman would want anything to do with me after that. The hair doesn’t grow back!

  He gasped for air.

  »Well … since I made myself clear to you now, we should find a way out of the room.«

  She turned on her heals.

  Klori’Tar’s warning held her back.

  I don’t know how it’s possible that these Humans are still alive, he wondered and pulled out a spherical object form his pocket, not bigger than a golf ball.

  »What’s that now?« Maya shouted, her fists pushed into her sides.

  »This is a perimeter scanner.«

  Seconds later, he threw the scanner with a circular motion into the room. Ivanova had instinctively ducked and dodged the sphere. As soon as it flew beyond the entrance to the room, it dematerialized with a bluish flash.

  »If I were you, I wouldn’t walk into an energy field of a higher order. You’ll end up like the scanner!«

  Maya pressed her lips together and paled.

  »I owe you one … you can keep your hair for now.«

  She bowed in Klori’Tar’s direction.

  Klori’Tar drew a deep breath and said, »Does that mean, because I saved your life, that we’re now bonded or that you have an obligation toward me?«

  »Don’t push it, Klori’Tar,« she curbed his enthusiasm, although now realizing that he really had saved her life. »I just don’t like bonding with extra-terrestrials.«

  Voit looked up, rolling his eyes.

  »This is a dead end,« he proclaimed.

  »It seems that way, at the moment,« Maya acknowledged frowningly.

  She doesn’t like to be on the defensive. It’s time for a new plan! Klori’Tar thought.

  A gnome

  Escorted
by several robots, Herimos was led to the ship. Nervously, he looked back. The rest of the team, enveloped with energy cocoons, was also transported to the ship.

  I hope they’re keeping their word! Herimos thought.

  He had no idea why the robots had selected him. He felt responsible for the lives of his companions, and it weighed heavy on him. This included the other team members who already were inside the ship. At least that was a logical assumption, if the mountain actually was the ship.

  The ship had always been at this location, only your perception has changed! Herimos heard that voice in his head again.

  As Herimos arrived at the ramp, he looked back.

  What’s the name of the ship?

  This is the Library!

  As soon as Herimos stepped on the ramp, he was elevated. Followed by his escort, he hovered a couple of centimeters above the ramp and was pulled toward the open airlock. At first, he staggered to balance himself, but noticed, seconds later, that a stabilizing field held him upright.

  He was stunned when he arrived at the airlock, which, as he now saw, was a huge hangar! Leaning back slightly, he noticed a vertical shaft leading from the bottom to the top of the ship. The hangar or very large room was filled with several cubical miniature-spaceships. The room didn’t seem to have a ceiling!

  Herimos squinted and noticed a transparent dome-like cap on top of the shaft which allowed a view to the outside. Countless robots were drifting up and down inside the transparent, central shaft reaching or leaving several levels. Herimos estimated the shaft’s rectangular base to be thirty by fifty meters.

  Several ship sections grouped around the shaft at different levels.

  A central traffic hub, Herimos thought.

  Nearby the shaft, in the center of the hall, he saw a large, ancient-looking marbled table, lit up by beams of bright light. Ten large robots had gathered around the table as if they wanted to protect it.

  From the corner of his eye, he saw his team members being moved to an unknown location upward via the vertical shaft.

  Remember what you promised me! He thought strongly while he was lead to the large, four-legged table.

  Fascinated, he looked at the highly polished table top. Herimos couldn’t miss the finely engraved lines and symbols.