»I hate it when you’re right, Fosset!« Ivanova whispered at him.
»This is one of the Tachyon Portals, but I doubt it’s connected to the Progonauts.«
Fosset stepped back fearfully.
»It’s huge! Big enough for spaceships.«
»That’s what it’s all about, didn’t you get it yet, Fosset?« Sati remarked sarcastically. »Just look around you. The landing spaces, the markings, and the size of the portal.«
Ivanova was breathing heavily.
»This is a backdoor to our system. They can infiltrate us with small fleets and nobody would notice it!«
As Ivanova realized the full threat potential, she began shivering.
»Our people need to know about this immediately! Even at the cost of our lives, is that understood?«
Suddenly, energy fingers extended from the portals and enveloped the four people. Fosset screamed, but the energy didn’t cause any pain. The energy fingers just seemed to immobilize the group, holding them in place.
»They’re pulling us in!« Sati screamed in panic, and was catapulted first into the portal’s field; then the struggling Fosset and McCord followed. Maya Ivanova still tried to resist the pulling energy finger but was also pulled into the portal.
Fosset, you’ll regret this, you damn bastard! I’ll get you for this! she flamed just before she disappeared.
Into the unknown
When Maya Ivanova opened her eyes, she was surrounded by darkness. She lay on a hard, stone-like surface, pain flaming throughout her body. She tried to get up but it was useless. She could barely move her head slightly to one side.
A small, square window in the wall about 10 meters above permitted a little light to enter the moldy room, but the illumination was faint. Her eyes were taking their time adapting to the diffuse lighting. Ivanova strained her ears into the darkness.
After a while, she could hear scraping and panting noises.
»Fosset? Is that you?« she called, but the only answer was a low, surly snarl.
»Fosset, I’m not in the mood for your jokes,« she growled back. Moving at a snail’s pace, she was able to examine herself for broken bones. She suddenly realized that she was no longer wearing her uniform and spacesuit. Instead, she had on a linen-like cloth. Where did that come from? Her paralyzed fingers felt for her weapon. It was gone!
Through narrowed eyes she became aware of a dark silhouette sitting in the corner of the room.
»Don’t be scared, I’m not a threat,« she whispered to the dark silhouette.
Animal-like noises came from the corner.
Not taking her eyes off the silhouette she fought to rise, but she still couldn’t do it.
I must have blacked out when I went through the portal, she thought. What horrible kind of place is this?
She realized that she was unbearably thirsty. A long time must have passed since she had anything to drink.
I’m dying of thirst! There must be water, she thought, suppressing rising panic.
The dark silhouette stirred, and advanced quickly toward her. It stopped next to her head.
»Who are you?« she whispered. No answer. Was this creature intelligent or not?
The silhouette moved briefly into the faint beam of light from the window and Maya Ivanova saw the eyes of an alien being.
She twitched strongly, surprised. The alien retreated slowly. Ivanova tried to defend herself with her arms but she was still overwhelmingly weak. Her ears rang and her gut was nauseous.
Don’t black out, Maya, she ordered herself harshly, not now!
She fell back into darkness.
My name is Paafnas
When she awakened bright daylight was streaming through the window like a flashlight beam. It hurt her eyes.
She moved her legs. Her nerves and muscles were working again. Maya Ivanova found she had spent the night lying on stone steps that led to a primitive sleeping nook. She got up slowly. When her head cleared she looked around, and saw only cold and undecorated walls. The walls, the steps and the air were damp and dirty around her. The air felt sticky and the stench was almost unbearable. She remembered last night and shuddered in horror. She looked around but didn’t see her companion.
Was that a nightmare? Where am I? This room – a cell, I’m a prisoner!
A strange noise made her look to the ceiling. She blinked, looked twice and with rising panic she understood that she wasn’t alone in the room. Directly above her was a being, hanging head down. She’d never seen anything like that before. Two black eyes stared at her hypnotically. The body had two strong arms and legs and suction-cup like fingers and toes that clung to the ceiling. It had camouflaged, chameleon-like, blending into the surrounding rock color. The head almost looked amphibian like. The wide mouth seemed to display an evil grin. Ivanova breathed heavily in horror, while a cold shiver ran down her back. She didn’t dare move.
The two alien beings stared at each other for a couple of minutes, until the being stirred, and started to move slowly. It lifted one leg from the ceiling and moved one step backward, groping for a foothold before lifting the other leg. It moved across the ceiling and down the wall.
Ivanova’s heart thudded in her chest. The alien never took its eyes off her while it moved. Ivanova ordered herself to remain calm. If the being wanted to harm her it had had plenty of time to do so while she had lain unconscious. However, it hadn’t, it had retreated to the ceiling instead.
Is it as scared of me as I am of it?
The being reached the floor and came slowly closer. It was about a meter and a half tall and resembled an upright walking frog. She was startled as a long tongue suddenly appeared and licked across its eyeballs, wiping away some dirt. Ivanova noticed for the first time the slit, red pupils in the ink-black eyes. She decided that this was not an animal but a sentient being that stood facing her. Its wide open eyes stared at her curiously and attentively.
Ivanova tamped down the terror, welling from the primitive part of her brain.
You’re a rational person. Act like it!
She began to talk, softly but tensely.
»What are you? Where are my comrades?«
The being held its head tilted and seemed to listen to her words. It couldn’t or wouldn’t answer her.
»Where are we? What world? What’s it called?« she tried again.
The strange being didn’t appear to understand her. Its skin had changed to a bluish-green. Ivanova couldn’t tell if that reflected an emotion or if it was its natural skin color. The being didn’t wear any clothes, but that didn’t mean much. Maya herself wasn’t dressed too well either. The linen sack, or whatever it was, wasn’t very warm and hardly covered her.
She had an idea. She crouched down and began drawing a square, a rectangle and a circle into the dirt. She wanted to tell it that she was interested in some form of communication. There had to be a way.
The being stared at the symbols, drew back its lips in a snarl, opened its mouth and suddenly said in a high pitched voice, »My name is Paafnas. Welcome to the World of the Dreadful Dwarves!«
Stunned, Ivanova just looked at the being.
Paafnas and Knockmerg
»You understand me?« she asked in surprise. »How’s that possible?«
She considered for a moment, then decided to introduce herself.
»My name is Maya Ivanova. I am a commander with the Solar Union.«
»Maya … Solar Union,« Paafnas slowly repeated as his cheeks expanded like bubbles.
»I am a neuron-analyzer from the planet Pleunat. You would probably call me a scientist.«
Maya found it hard to adapt to talking to an alien being.
»How is it that you can understand and speak my language?« she asked with trembling lips.
Paafnas looked at her levelly.
»I’m a neuron-analyzer.«
Paafnas seemed to think that explained everything.
»That gives me no clue,« she whispered, »what’s a neuron-analyzer?
«
»I possess the natural ability to read and analyze neuronal web structures. Most beings in this galaxy have similar central thought organs. Cells in constant contact with each other act like a bio-chemical computer, whose million-fold branches form a consciousness, memorize data and develop creativity.«
Paafnas paused for a moment to lick over his eyes again.
»Your species possesses a well-developed speech center. I read it last night and reproduced it within my vertoflex. The vertoflex is a brain section whose structure I can manipulate. Parts of your personal neuronal web now exist as a copy in my brain. Thus I can understand and speak your lingo. I am capable of reproducing your vocal sounds, which is fortunate. That is not always possible with other species.«
Ivanova didn’t quite follow everything Paafnas told her, but she caught the gist. That was unbelievable enough.
»Do you know where my comrades are, Paafnas?«
He drew in his long arms closer to his body and seemed to ponder.
»The ones who look like you and arrived with you.«
Ivanova nodded.
»I don’t know where they are, but if they haven’t been killed yet they’ll be in a cell like this one.«
»Killed?« she repeated, horrified.
»Yes, only the useful ones will be kept alive.«
Ivanova ran her hand over her forehead.
»Where are we?« she asked with a shaking voice.
»This planet has many names in many languages. I call it the World of the Dreadful Dwarves – a place of death!«
Ivanova closed her eyes and absorbed what she had been told, then she got up.
»How did you get here, Paafnas?«
Paafnas relaxed and crouched down in his corner.
»I belonged to a scout team many years ago. On the outer planet of our solar system, we discovered mysterious artifacts, two gigantic crystal pillars, and went to investigate. A fatal mistake! We were seized by the pillars and transferred here. The pillars are part of a portal. I’m the only survivor of my group as far as I know. I think they spared me because of my special abilities.«
Ivanova nodded slowly.
»We found one of these portals in our solar system too.«
»I can imagine,« Paafnas replied. »Almost all beings on this world who share our fate arrived the same way.«
»There are more prisoners here?« Ivanova asked breathlessly.
»Thousands! This world is connected to portals all over the galaxy. They are the pivotal points in a network the Lord of this world uses to reach all the other solar systems. To stumble upon the portals means doom,« Paafnas explained wearily.
»What’s it all for – this network?«
Ivanova’s voice held dread, but before Paafnas could answer, the cell door was kicked open.
Paafnas jumped up lightning-fast and climbed up the wall. Ivanova hadn’t expected Paafnas to be that quick. She turned around and looked in shock at the two creatures, standing in the doorway, appraising her with arrogant looks. The strangers were about half a meter tall. They reminded her of gnomes. Mesmerized, she could only stare at them. One of the gnomes stood with hands on hips looking stern; she guessed he was a leader. His glare was ice cold. The expression looked evil to her, but she realized that she could be wrong; looks could be deceiving with aliens.
She swallowed and steadied herself. When she spoke her voice was hard.
»My name is Maya Ivanova, Commander in the Solar Union. I demand an explanation for why I’m being treated like this!«
The gnome who was probably the leader looked at her in surprise for a heartbeat, then leaned back and laughed out loud, a bark like a dog. He appeared about to lose his self-control, then, without warning, he pulled a device from his belt and pointed it at Ivanova. A blue energy flash hit her directly on the chest. She felt her body seized with pain, cramped up and paralyzed. She fell and hit the ground hard. She fought for breath while all her muscles began twitching uncontrollably. Immobilized, she watched the gnome approaching her. He stopped over her and leaned forward slightly. His breath and his body odor were horrible. The gnome spoke some barking words in an unfamiliar language; moments later a universal translator repeated them:
»Species 274, the only reason you are alive is because our Lord, ruler of this world, hasn’t made up his mind about you yet. For now remember this – never ever say a word to me unless I tell you to, or if I ask you a question!«
The pain subsided slowly, but Ivanova didn’t dare to move a limb. The second gnome seemed very interested and also held a similar shock-weapon in his hand. Paafnas, who had witnessed everything from the ceiling, was petrified, but they ignored him.
Maya Ivanova looked into a diabolic face. A bulge-like bone plate framed the head of the humanoid gnome, and he was able to move his pointy ears independently forward and backward. The mouth, from which an ungodly stench escaped, seemed unnaturally wide, with two rows of shark-like teeth. The glaring eyes were recessed in their sockets, accentuating his evil expression.
»My name is Knockmerg. You will follow my orders if you want to live. You’re new here, so let me dispel any illusions you have about trying to escape. No one, Species 274, escapes from this planet! You’re already dead – you just don’t know it yet. How long you live and the way you’ll die depends entirely on your obedience – and what skills you can offer. You should have never entered the portal. Every being sent here stays here and serves, until they lose their will to live or until the sandrunners suck out their blood. Only the Lord of this world can keep you alive – and he’s still deciding!«
Knockmerg tossed a small device to her. Again his devilish laughter sounded through the room and the corridor before he turned around and left.
Ivanova pulled herself slowly, shakily, to her feet and stared at the locked door. She felt Paafnas’ helping hands under her armpits. He had come down from the ceiling and supported her. With trembling knees, Maya sat down on the stone steps in front of her sleeping nook. She stifled a moan. She’d never known she could hurt so much.
»Who was that?« she asked in a choked voice.
Paafnas turned toward the door suspiciously, as if he thought somebody was listening outside, and then replied, »Knockmerg is the leader of our torturers. I’ve tried several times to read his neuronal network, but I am unable. I almost believe he doesn’t have a brain. The Treugolans are natives of this world, I have learned. Today they are reduced to servants of the true Lord of this planet. Over time they have degenerated from portal guardians to evil beings, lusting for power.«
Maya wiped the tears from her eyes.
»The true Lord?«
»Yes, Maya. The …«
Paafnas twitched suddenly as the sound of a blow-horn filled the air.
»Maya, get ready, we have to leave our cell and form up before the fortress.«
»What happens then?« she asked fearfully.
»They will tell us what work we are to do … and possibly execute some prisoners.«
World of the Dreadful Dwarves! Maya thought coldly, and twitched when the door was kicked open. Damn fine name for it!
Nobody is taller than me
As soon as Maya Ivanova, struggling to keep up with the other prisoners, stepped outside she had to close her eyes, blinded by the light of two suns.
The path from the prison to the fortress was Hell. Hundreds, maybe even thousands of gnomes, had formed two lines at the exits where the prisoners had to run to the outside. Maya didn’t want to believe her eyes when she saw the masses of prisoners leaving the building, all kinds of different species, being maltreated like animals on their way to the slaughterhouse. She saw beings being whipped and beaten as they ran. The sounds of painful screaming and groaning were all around her. Maya clenched her fists in rage at the brutal torture of intelligent beings.
Ivanova had little time to look for Sati, McCord or Fosset as she had to follow the stream of running prisoners. She felt the stinging lash on her bare shoulders if
she briefly stopped or looked around. These gnomes didn’t give a damn about other species. They were pure barbarians.
Ivanova moved in a dazed trance between strange and alien beings she had never seen or even imagined existed. If Paafnas had told the truth then all of them had fallen into the same trap as Maya and her group.
Paafnas had pulled her along and for a moment ran at her side.
»Sometimes they just let us in the heat until the first ones collapse. It’s a lethal climate for my kind,« Paafnas said loudly to overcome the horrific noise level and the screaming gnomes.
»When do we get something to drink?« she asked quickly, but her cellmate had hustled off to form up on the huge yard with some other beings. Maya suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder and cautiously glanced behind her – into Hugh Fosset’s beaten face. They must have treated him even worse than her.
»You’re alive!« she yelled, staring into his wide eyes, relieved. Some part of her remembered that as senior military officer here she was responsible for the others, including the civilians. He wore only a light cloak, his arms covered with blue bruises.
»Commander Ivanova, where are we? This is a nightmare!« he whispered fearfully.
She pulled him along, urging him not to fall behind.
»Don’t provoke these bastards, okay? Just fall in and follow the other prisoners. That’s all we can do for now. Keep alert – we’ll talk later!«
They stopped at the next row, which to Maya’s disgust was directly in front of Knockmerg.
Following Paafnas’ advice, Maya had brought the little device Knockmerg had tossed into the cell. She found it was a universal translator. It was to let her understand the gnomes’ orders, but not the other prisoners. The gnomes had made sure of that.
When the prisoners fell to their knees – if they had knees – or otherwise prostrated themselves before Knockmerg, Maya gritted her teeth and forced herself to follow suit. Slowly he walked down the row, his shocker raised to eye level.
»Good, very good,« the gnome leader hissed. »Nobody is taller than me! That’s the way I want it.«
NEBULAR Collection 2 - The Expedition: NEBULAR Episodes 6 - 11 Page 17