»How do you know that? I mean … how can you determine how long the transmitter has been working?« Lai Pi inquired.
»The message is being repeated constantly, and every transmission contains a signature with a time marker based on the oscillation period of the nearest pulsar. By simply adding the markers it is simple to calculate the total duration. I interpret this message as a warning and advise caution!«
Arkroid decided to heed this advice. It would be based on the Techno-Clerics’ Moral Code.
Lai Pi muttered with a weak smile, »Uh … he didn’t say to be cautious, he said to get the hell out of here!«
»Please, show us all the collected data of this system so far. We’re still camouflaged?«
»Affirmative.«
The holos now displayed some very strange objects. They were dark, densely formed matter accumulations, seemingly between a solid and gaseous state.
»Toiber! Those are proto-planets, developing from the residual matter of the dust ring!« Lai Pi burst out. His eyes gleamed with excitement. Never before had Human eyes witnessed the phenomenon of new worlds birthing. If birthing was the right word for a gestation period of millions of years. It was what their solar system had looked like in the beginning.
»I am ready with my first analysis of the collected data,« the Techno-Ferry announced. »The dust ring around the star was probably caused by a collision of two planet-size objects close to the sun; it is not associated with the residual matter from the forming of the star itself. Based on the rotation of the matter cloud and the sun’s emission pressure, the collision can be dated to about one-million years ago. It must have been a strong collision judging by the very fine dust particles. There is no debris field with larger objects. The sun has pushed the dust ring to the outer edges of the system in the meantime. The dust particles are in the process of forming proto-planets, but I have detected that a stellar object is crossing this sector on a regular and stable orbit, forging a gap in the dust ring. The orbit is almost circular and definitely older than the dust ring itself. My scanners detected a gas planet much like Jupiter. The warning message originates from an orbit around this planet. This seems to be Moontaap, which in your language would mean Death Eye. Its distance to Vega is ninety-two astronomical units.«
Arkroid swallowed hard. Death Eye!
»I have a really bad feeling, Toiber,« Lai Pi put in hesitantly, »it’s telling me to leave this sector immediately and to return to Epsilon Indi. A planetary collision a million years ago … it somehow rings a bell with me.«
Arkroid pondered.
»You don’t want to explore this system?«
»I know we should feel safe in this ship, but I’d take the warning message seriously. There’s some horrific danger on or around Moontaap. Let’s forget this planet and return to Epsilon Indi.«
Arkroid’s eyes narrowed.
»Pi, we could and maybe should do that, but we came this far to find out if there are any dangers in the vicinity of our solar system. What if this is a threat to Humanity? Vega is one of our closet neighbors. We need to determine the extent of the dangers. Besides, we’re in Scorge’s debt big time. If a Shwakan was stranded here, we owe it to him to at least try to find out what happened. It might be important to his people.«
Lai Pi nodded and gave in.
»The Shwakan got stuck here a long time ago. He’s long dead. Okay then, let’s take a look at Moontaap. Let’s see what the bogey is.«
Arkroid’s thought was enough to start the Techno-Ferry accelerating toward Moontaap.
That shoklar stench
»The signal is coming from the lower sections of the ship, close to your quarters.«
Scorge seemed uncertain. He read the data again. »Let me put it simply. We seem to have a hole in the hull. Maybe it was a meteorite?«
Vasina blinked.
»What? The Yax K’uk’Mo’ has a shield, doesn’t it?«
»Of course it does!« Scorge replied agitatedly. »That’s what’s so mysterious. This can’t happen. A collision with anything with enough kinetic energy to breach the shield should have done a lot more damage than a hole in the hull. We’d have known it, believe me!«
»Then it’s simple. Your systems aren’t working properly. You probably need to find a shipyard for repairs.«
»My systems are working just fine!« Scorge raged. »The hull breach should have sealed itself by now, but the hole is still there. It seems stable.«
»A defective shield and malfunctioning self-repair functions. We’re risking our lives being on this ship,« Vasina mocked him.
»You don’t know what you’re talking about, Progonaut!«
Scorge’s mood was bad and getting worse. Vasina realized that she had gone too far.
»Okay, okay,« she tried to calm Scorge, »do you want me to go down there and have a look? Especially if it’s near our quarters.«
Scorge waved at her with his tentacles.
»We will check it out together.«
»You’re going to leave your refuge?«
»Yes! I know my ship and you don’t. Besides, we’ve just lost communication with the lower section. I can’t establish a holo from there!«
»Then your meteorite didn’t just rip through the hull, it also damaged some vital circuits,« Vasina remarked.
Scorch seemed to ponder.
»That’s impossible. The Yax K’uk’Mo’s comm-systems have multiple backup circuits. They don’t just give out that easily. Something stinks like a Travernan shoklar.«
»What else could have caused the comm-loss?« Vasina asked.
»You know the answer to that: A holo bypass field! But it cannot be activated without my permission – and then only from the refuge.«
Vasina nodded warily.
»That shoklar stench is getting stronger.«
»Indeed,« Scorge acknowledged, »this is too weird!«
What the hell is this
Moontaap, the Death Eye, was a gas giant greater than Jupiter – 153,000 kilometers in diameter. It had a highly active atmosphere of hydrogen and methane with traces of ammonia condensed and crystallized in high altitude clouds. There were swirling cyclonic storms similar to the red eye on Jupiter, but Moontaap had eight of them. The planet’s magenta colored sickle appeared pale due to the dust ring that reached far around Moontaap and filtered parts of the sun’s spectrum. Several of the hurricane-like storms were larger than Earth, glowing in a bright white color and grayish twirls.
»Well, here we are,« Lai Pi announced. It seemed obvious, but he was at a loss for anything else to say.
»Why do we have such a strong color contrast between the storms and the rest of the atmosphere?« Arkroid asked, deep in thought.
»The storms appear differently and more vividly colored because they are carrying molecules and other mixtures of elements into the upper layers of the atmosphere, mostly methane and ammonia combinations which condense in the upper atmosphere into ice crystals. The lower atmospheric regions are considerably warmer, which is natural considering the size of the planet. If the planet had any more mass it would have ignited into a sun.«
»Fascinating,« Arkroid whispered. He understood the ship’s words but he was still distracted by the realization that they were in a solar system twenty-five lightyears away from Earth, observing the wonders of the cosmos.
»I’m detecting two objects orbiting the planet,« the Techno-Ferry announced.
»Moons?« Lai Pi wanted to know.
»No, they are metallic objects, definitely artificial. One of them is transmitting the warning.«
»Can we get a direct visual on it?«
»We would need to fly around the planet for that. Do you want me to do that?«
»Yes!« Arkroid acknowledged with a quick side-glance at Lai Pi.
Moontaap seemed to jump at them, demonstrating again the power of the Techno-Ferry’s sub-light propulsion system. Lai Pi felt cold and pulled his uniform collar closed. He didn’t feel too comfortable near
this giant gas planet.
»What are you worried about?« Arkroid asked quietly.
»I’m expecting all kinds of things, to be honest. I don’t like this a bit,« Lai Pi replied.
Arkroid held Pi’s worried eyes.
»The first object is coming into range. I’m integrating the scanners with the visual data,« the Techno-Ferry remarked. A second later, it established the holo.
»Unbelievable!« Arkroid shouted. »It’s a pyramid-ship, almost the same as the Yax K’uk’Mo’!«
More precisely, it was the wreck of a pyramid-ship. The original structure was barely detectable at first glance.
»What happened to the Shwakan ship?« Lai Pi directed his question at the Techno-Ferry.
»Originally, I don’t know, but its current state must be because the ship’s systems failed, resulting in the loss of its shield. The dust particles destroyed most of the ship over time. The ship was more or less sandblasted away. Its deteriorating condition is causing it to lose its orbit, eventually to plunge into Moontaap’s atmosphere.«
»We came too late, much too late!« Lai Pi said. He sounded depressed.
»Can we board the wreck? Can we look around over there and gather enough data to report to Scorge about the ship’s condition?«
Arkroid seemed to seriously want to learn what had happened to the ship.
»I wouldn’t advise it,« the Techno-Ferry suggested, »the remaining hull is badly unstable. The danger is incalculable.«
»Well … then send a probe!« Lai Pi demanded.
»Define: probe!« the Techno-Ferry inquired.
Lai Pi was a bit confused at first but then said, »A small flying object with instruments, a camera, analytical robot, with a direct visual and data link to the command central.«
»The probe is launched,« the Techno-Ferry announced a moment later.
Lai Pi nodded with a weak smile. He had a lot to learn about what this ship could do.
»What about the second object?« Arkroid asked.
»It is a disk-like platform with a diameter of one kilometer, on a tight equatorial orbit around the planet. Whatever used to be on top of this platform was destroyed by a large explosion.«
A second holo appeared, showing them the remains of the platform from different angles. This platform must have had tremendous static qualities, considering the ratio between the platform’s diameter and its thickness. It was definitely an artificial object, designed by very intelligent beings. The holo showed a huge circular blast crater in the middle of the platform. Arkroid guessed at a thermo-nuclear explosion a long time ago. Although very powerful, the explosion hadn’t destroyed the entire platform. Some surface markings such as circles and, presumably, landing markers, decreasing in diameter and length toward the center, suggested that the platform had been an orbital spaceport or fleet carrier. However, what was the connection between this platform and the Shwakan ship?
Both men asked the same question at the same time: »What the hell is this?«
They’ll destroy the Yax K’uk’Mo
Vasina had difficulty keeping up with Scorge as he glided through the corridors. He crawled much faster than she could walk under these damp conditions. She was breathing heavily when she arrived moments after Scorge at the main entrance to the lower level. She knew this sector, where her quarters were located.
»Assuming it was a meteorite strike, then I was lucky, Scorge,« she said.
Scorge seemed to ponder and concentrate on something else as he answered, »I don’t understand.«
»Well, if I had been inside my quarters then I’d probably be dead.«
»Nonsense!« the Shwakan replied aloud. »You’re wearing a defense shield micro-generator, just like Arkroid and Lai Pi. It activates at the first sign of pressure loss. Besides, the computer would have established a shield around the compromised hull section.« Scorge seemed to address her absently while he considered something else. Then, »No, I don’t believe in a meteorite strike!«
Vasina blocked Scorge’s path.
»What changed your mind?«
»I never really considered it. A meteorite hit of this magnitude could destroy the ship. The hole must have been caused by something else, and we’ll find out what did it. Are you with me?«
Vasina held on to a nearby strut. It was a symbolic gesture; she knew that she wouldn’t be able to resist the vacuum unleashed if there was leakage and sudden loss of pressure on the other side of the airlock. She shut her eyes as the airlock doors slowly opened … but nothing happened.
Scorge crawled into the corridor and groped around with his tentacles.
»You can let go now and follow me. Everything seems okay, the atmosphere is intact.«
The long main corridor was undamaged. As they came closer to her cabin, Vasina stopped.
»What is it?« Scorge inquired.
»I’m pretty sure I locked the door to my cabin when I left, but now it’s open!«
Vasina cautiously looked inside her cabin, but saw nothing out of the ordinary at first glance. Suddenly she saw it. Her multi-media seat! The data projector lay on the floor! She knew she’d left the delicate device on the table. Scorge said hesitantly, »You probably forgot to close the door behind you in your anger.«
»That’s possible, but I usually make it a point to close the airlock door to maintain the climate in here.«
Vasina quickly swirled around on her heels; she had seen a rapid movement from the corner of her eyes and swept the corridor for it. She saw nothing, everything seemed normal.
»Scorge, I think I’m having hallucinations. We should assess the damage and try to repair it, but I thought for a moment I had seen a quick movement …«
»I saw it too!« Scorge whispered.
Vasina saw that Scorge had retracted all his tentacles, and was just standing there stiffly. She kept quiet. She knew that Scorge had omni-directional vision; she just had forgotten it for a moment.
»What did you see?« she whispered back.
»Something scintillating in the air, at the end of the corridor, close to the area where the hole must be.«
»Scintillation? It’s probably just the weird climate in this section. Mist, heat – no wonder we’re seeing ghosts.«
Slowly they advanced toward the spot. Vasina knew this particular storage area.
»What do you mean, weird? The climate is barely acceptable for my taste. I changed it just for you, remember? This is about the same temperature you would find at the poles of my home-world.«
»Really?« Vasina asked in surprise. »Well, I guess you need to compromise your comfort with guests like us on your ship,« she joked, and smiled sourly.
Scorge stopped at a wall console close to a corridor junction. His tentacles flew over some touch pads, then he quickly pulled them back.
»This distribution control panel is no longer adjusted correctly. It has been altered. I can’t control the field projectors. There is a holographic interference field within the storage room, and the associated circuit has been re-coded. I knew it! This circuit cannot activate or adjust itself, but there is no defect either.«
Before Vasina could react, Scorge quickly pulled her into a corridor niche.
»Are you crazy?« she hissed at him angrily. Scorge had gripped her harder than he had intended.
»I’ve seen it again! And it’s not a delusion! I’m used to this climate. I can see clearly. The oscillation looks like …«
»… like a camouflage field!« Vasina finished his sentence, while the Shwakan twitched agitatedly. The truth had hit him like a load of bricks. »Could that mean we have a hitchhiker onboard?« she whispered.
»Impossible! You’re the only visitors onboard.«
»I’m not talking about invited visitors, Scorge! How about your little helpers, could they’ve caused it?«
»My helpers are too dumb, let alone able to establish and walk around in camo-fields.«
Scorge became more and more restless.
»I can’t
explain it.«
Vasina remained calm and pulled the Progonaut shield from her shoulders. She manipulated touch pads inside the shield and stared at its polished, inner surface.
»What are you doing?«
Scorge tried not to make noise. His gurgling voice was barely audible. He had decreased the universal translator’s output level.
»This shield is a marvel of technology. I can also use it as a scanner … there. It’s a relatively simple technology, but I might be able to detect a camo-field in the corridor.«
It didn’t work. She gave up after a couple of tries.
»Is it possible that you brought an alien lifeform onboard with the merchandise you traded?«
Vasina kept observing the corridor while she asked that question, moving the shield in front of her and reaching for her plasmabeamer. »Maybe your sensors overlooked something? Somebody or something came onboard and is wandering around the ship. Could that be?«
»I can’t rule that out, but I don’t believe it.« He extended some tentacles, producing devices from under his skinfolds. One of them was a weapon, Vasina noted.
»Everything I bring aboard is scanned thoroughly, checked and even disassembled if necessary. I would have discovered any hitchhikers.«
Again, scintillation moved along the wall, about twenty meters away. Vasina and Scorge could make out the field clearly, even though they could not identify the being within it.
Vasina suddenly realized, »You’re right. It must have entered the ship from outside, through that hole! Scorge, we’re not the only ones onboard!«
Scorge suddenly left his cover with a harsh cry and aimed his weapon into the corridor, firing a blue plasma beam. The invisible body was enveloped by brilliant, flaring energy that revealed its vague contours. It didn’t seem impressed, and made no attempt to take cover or run away. Like a bright flame, it slowly moved back into the storage room, simply removing itself from further Shwakan fire. It seemed to know that Scorge’s weapon could not harm it.
NEBULAR Collection 2 - The Expedition: NEBULAR Episodes 6 - 11 Page 23