The Awakening (The Hyperscape Project Book 1)

by Donald Swan

  The Captain’s gaze moved to Nick.

  Arya turned, her brow lowering. “You! You brought them here!” She raised her pistol toward Nick. A single stride brought her face to face with him, and with astonishing strength, she knocked him to the ground. She landed on top of him, one hand grasping his collar, while the other held the gun against his chest. Her blinding speed had taken Nick completely by surprise. “And to think I felt sorry for you!”

  “Take it easy, Arya,” the Captain warned. “He didn’t do anything deliberately. The Tac Squad tracked some kind of fuel leak from his craft. That’s how they found us.”

  Arya let go of Nick and stood up, leaving him lying on the floor. She stared down at him for a moment, an odd quirk to her mouth that seemed half smirk half apology. “Sorry.”

  Nick wasn’t happy about the Mok’tu showing interest in his module, nor was he pleased to hear of the fuel leak. He would need every precious drop of fuel that remained in the module’s tank to make it home. These aliens didn’t appear to have the means to get him to Earth, so the module was his only chance. He sure as hell wasn’t going to just let the damn Mok’tu take it.

  He winced as he picked himself up off the floor. “Listen, people…er…whatever. Why are we just sitting here? You have weapons. We could take these bastards!”

  The female’s gaze met his, her mouth moving toward a slight grin. Nick didn’t know what to make of her smile. Did she like his eagerness, or did she just think he was being stupid?

  As if dealing with a small child, Arya took Nick’s arm and gently pulled him aside. “Mok’tu Tac Squads have shields. You can’t shoot them.”

  “Shields? Like the door to the room?” Nick questioned.

  “No, the Tac Squad’s personal shields only stop energy weapons, like this plasma pistol. Only a ship can generate enough energy for shields like your cell door, shields that can protect against a physical attack.”

  “So, you can’t shoot them, but you can hit them with something?”

  “Yes,” she answered slowly. “A personal shield allows for normal movement and contact between objects but blocks energy weapons. Otherwise the soldiers would not be able to get close enough to anything to pick it up.”

  Nick began working out a solution in his head. Growing up as a wunderkind of sorts, he had become accustomed to making the impossible possible. For him, defeat was not an option. The Mok’tu had to have a weakness somewhere. Given enough time, he would find it.

  “We could draw them out and hit them from behind. Ambush them,” Nick suggested.

  Clearly annoyed by Nick’s ignorance, Captain Argos interrupted. “This is all pointless. Tac Squads are trained to disable propulsion and hold the area until support arrives. They are very efficient. You can’t flush them out, and you can’t get close enough to hurt one without becoming a splat on the deck. We don’t have much time either. You can bet more Mok’tu forces are on the way.” The Captain spun his chair back around and checked the sensor readings.

  The sound of the tube doors opening drew Nick’s awareness. He didn’t even have to look to know who it was. He could tell by the vibration of the floor that Karg was entering the room.

  Karg went directly to the Captain. “They’re entrenched good, Captain. They have all the access corridors to the aft section welded shut, except for Bay Two.”

  Nick touched Arya on the shoulder to get her attention. “What about a regular gun? Would that work?”

  Arya looked confused by his question. “A what?”

  “Gun powder, lead bullet?” He could tell by her expression that she had no idea what he was talking about. “Um, an explosion that pushes a mass through a tube, at a target.”

  “My ancestors had such things,” answered Karg. “Long ago, before plasma weapons. We have no such ancient weapons here. Plasma much more efficient, will not punch hole through hull.”

  “Can we make one?” Nick questioned. “There has to be something on this ship we could use.”

  The Captain looked at Nick sternly. “There is no time. Can you create that hole of yours again?”

  Nick shook his head. “No. Even if I could get to my ship, the equipment is destroyed.”

  Argos looked back at Arya and Karg with his usual commanding gaze. “I need options. If we don’t do something before their Star-Killer gets here….” The Captain stared straight into Arya’s eyes. “I will blow this ship before I let them take it.”

  Arya took a deep breath and gave Argos an apprehensive nod. “Understood.”

  Nick Bannon was not about to let himself fall into the hands of an alien race that even Karg feared. Nor did he plan on going down with the ship. He pointed at Arya’s gun. “Tell me about your plasma pistol.”

  Arya looked at the Captain for his approval.

  Argos nodded. “Show him.”

  She walked over to a smooth, white table protruding from a wall on the right side of the bridge. Pulling the magazine from her gun, she laid it on the table and dismantled the pistol’s chamber. She held up the shiny silver ammo magazine for Nick to examine. “This clip contains the fuel pellets for the plasma reaction and the power source for ignition. Each clip contains 144 rounds.” Reaching down, she picked up the dismantled reaction chamber. “The chamber is where the Quantonium pellet is turned into plasma, which is then held by a magnetic field. The electromagnetic field drives the plasma through the barrel. It all happens very fast.”

  “An electromagnetic field? Like a linear accelerator?”

  “Yes. You know of such things?”

  “Yeah, we use linear accelerators in our rail guns and….” Nick thought for a moment. “That’s it!” His explosive shout startled Arya, and her ears automatically folded back as she flinched. Nick was too focused to even realize that he had scared her for a change.

  “Can you fire the pellet without transforming it into plasma?” Nick queried.

  “Yes, but they are very small in mass. They wouldn’t—”

  Nick interrupted her. “What would happen if a Quantonium pellet hit something at high speed?”

  “It would only make a small reaction, not enough to hurt anything.”

  “Damn.... Is there a way to transform the pellet into plasma on impact?”

  Arya stared down at the dismantled weapon as she answered. “With the added energy of impact, it may be possible to use….” What Nick was postulating finally coalesced in Arya’s mind. “Ah, I see. That may work.” She quickly turned back toward the center of the Bridge where Karg and the Captain were discussing their plans. “Captain, we may have something.”

  Argos turned toward her. “Go on.”

  “Sir, I could modify our pulse weapons to fire Quantonium pellets coated with Corminium 80. The range would be limited though.”

  Argos lowered his gaze to the floor as he considered the proposal. “That may actually work. The Corminium would add the extra kick needed for a plasma reaction. It would get through the shield and then react on impact with the armor. Good work, Arya.”

  “Actually, it was his idea, Sir.” She turned toward Nick.

  Captain Argos looked past Arya at Nick. “If we get through this, I guess we’ll owe you. But don’t forget it was your ship they traced here.” His gaze shifted to Arya. “Get to work. They’ll be here soon.” Argos then glanced at the four-armed hulk of an alien. “Karg, give them a hand. But if they fail, you know what to do.”

  “Yes, Sir,” Karg replied. As he turned to leave, he motioned to Arya. “Come on. We have to get to storage section twelve.”

  “But section twelve is near Bay Two.” Arya sounded concerned.

  Nick called out from the rear of the group as they headed for the tube doors. “Uh…aren’t the Mok’tu in Bay Two?”

  Without breaking his stride, Karg called back, “The supplies we need are in a room across from Bay Two.”

  Going down and kicking some Mok’tu butt was alright with Nick, but the team had no effective weapons yet. What were they going to
do if they ran into the Mok’tu before they were ready? “Hey, why is it we don’t have shields?” Nick asked.

  Arya looked back over her shoulder. Nick could tell by her expression that he’d asked a stupid question.

  Having arrived at the tubes, Karg opened the tube doors and pushed his bulk inside. Nick and Arya followed, cramming themselves in alongside the beast.

  “Only Tac Squads have shields,” Arya explained. “And nobody has ever killed or captured a Tac Squad member. Anyone that ever got that close to them didn’t survive. We have tried to replicate the tech, but so far we have failed. The power requirements are enormous. Not to mention its adverse effects on living tissue.”

  “Wait! Did you just say that no one has ever killed one of these things? Never? Not even once?” Nick was astonished.

  Arya stared back at Nick. Without her saying a word he knew she was dead serious. The situation was bad and getting worse by the minute. Nick stood in silence, not sure if he wanted to know anything more. Perhaps confronting the Tac Squad was a bad idea, after all.

  “Me and my big mouth,” he muttered.

  Nick’s knees buckled as the tube stopped on deck six. The doors zipped open and Nick was pushed out as Karg squeezed out of the tube. Nick reluctantly followed the others as they trudged down the corridor toward their fate. He wasn’t so sure he could make the impossible possible this time around, but if he could…if he lived…. Damn, there were a lot of ifs rolling around his head.

  Nick lagged behind the two. Keeping up with the alien’s superior speed was proving difficult. Karg suddenly slowed down and crept up to a corner in the hallway. The beast didn’t make a single sound. Even the floor remained still as Karg’s feet softly met the ground with each step. How the massive beast could suddenly be so stealthy was beyond Nick’s comprehension.

  Karg turned and pointed to a door directly across the intersecting corridor. Hunched down to avoid notice, he slowly stepped out into the adjoining passageway, waving for the others to follow him across.

  Nick peered around the corner. The hangar bay was only several yards down the hall. He could see straight into the open doorway. Inside, two Mok’tu stood guard over the module, their legs hidden from view by a few crates stacked in the way. The sight of the Mok’tu in person was a whole lot different than watching them on the vid-display. In the vid they looked as though they were wearing armor, but at this distance they appeared to be more like robots than armor clad aliens. Nick froze for a moment, worried they might spot him.

  Apparently annoyed by his hesitation, Arya grabbed Nick’s wrist and pulled him across the hall and into the supply room. Karg was already busy opening some sturdy containers at the back of the room. The beast carefully removed a metallic bar from one container and set it on top of a crate. Reaching over to a shelf, he grabbed a peculiar looking device out of a box and plopped it down next to the metal bar.

  Meanwhile, Arya combed the room in search of something.

  “What are you looking for?” Nick asked.

  “Tarodine fluid. It’s a green liquid in a short cylinder.”

  After a few minutes of going through boxes of stuff totally foreign to him, Nick found one that held numerous tubes of green liquid. An odd aroma wafted from the box, confronting his nostrils with its unusual scent. The contents smelled like a blend of wintergreen and motor oil. “Is this it?” he said, holding up a cylinder.

  “That’s it. Bring it over here.” She took the cylinder from Nick and tossed it over to Karg.

  After quickly emptying another container onto the floor, Karg placed the gathered supplies into it.

  With everything they needed packed in the box, Arya eased up to the door and peered out. “Okay, come on, we need to get to the lab.”

  Nick followed close behind her as they crossed the corridor. Carrying the container of supplies, Karg tip-toed along behind them.

  Clink…clink…clunk…. The odd sound coming from behind them gave Nick a hefty dose of adrenaline. They all turned in unison to see a round device rolling into the corridor. The blinking light on the small orb warned of impending danger. Nick spun around and forced Arya further down the hall. “Run!”

  “Plasma grenade!” Karg turned and ran, scooping up Nick and Arya in his two free arms as he raced down the corridor.

  Boom! The blast erupted behind them, knocking Karg forward off his feet. Hot plasma flew down the corridor toward them. With one arm around Nick, one around Arya and two bracing his fall, Karg landed on the floor and slid several yards before coming to a stop. He let go of his two passengers at the same time the box of supplies he’d dropped tumbled haphazardly down the corridor in front of him. Glowing edges of red-hot plasma rolled around Karg as the explosion dissipated. Beneath his chest lay his two companions, untouched by the blast.

  Nick had landed on top of Arya, and the two lay sandwiched together nose to nose on the floor beneath Karg. He stared at Arya, half shocked by the explosion and half mesmerized by her eyes. Which one’s heart raced more, he wasn’t sure. He felt like a school boy, suddenly flung face to face with his biggest crush.

  “You can get up now,” she said softly. Nick’s hesitation caused a smile to spread across her face.

  “Oh, um, right, just making sure you’re okay.” He rolled over onto the floor. Karg was still on his knees hunched over them. As Nick looked up at him, a slight wisp of smoke rose off Karg’s shoulder. “Thanks, Karg.”

  Karg nodded slightly.

  Arya spotted the smoke coming off of Karg. “You okay, Karg?” she said in a concerned voice.

  “Yeah, a little singed, but alright.” He stood up and turned to look at his back. His clothes were burnt halfway off, leaving all four of his shoulder blades exposed.

  “Good thing you’re Rakozian,” Arya said as she studied his back.

  “Yeah, they’ll have to try harder than that to take me out.”

  After gathering up their box of supplies and heading down the corridor as fast as they could, the team finally arrived at the brightly lit lab. All sorts of high tech equipment filled the clean, white room. Consoles and apparatuses lined the walls and a row of work tables filled the middle of the room. An isolation chamber stood ominously at the far end. Karg placed the box of things they had collected onto a table in the center of the room. Arya removed the items one by one and placed them in a neat row on the table.

  “Karg, can you set up the electron depositor?” Arya asked as she handed him the cylinder of green liquid.

  Karg took the tarodine fluid and grabbed the metal bar from the table. “Right away.” He turned and started configuring some sort of machine that stood against the wall of the lab.

  Nick needed to find out more about the enemy he was about to face. “So, who are these Mok’tu anyway?”

  Arya led him over to one of the consoles. Without touching it, an image displayed on the screen. “These are the Mok’tu.”

  Nick looked at the display for a moment then back at Arya. “But…how did the console know to bring up a Mok’tu on the display? You didn’t tell it to, you didn’t even touch it.”

  Arya sighed and turned to Nick. He had such a look of bewilderment on his face. Arya took one look at Nick’s face and a grin erupted on hers. She couldn’t help but let out a giggle. Even with the severity of the situation at hand, she just couldn’t hold back the laugh.

  “What’s so funny?” Nick said, looking even more confounded.

  “Nothing,” she answered, letting out another giggle. “I’m sorry, you’re just so cute, in an odd sort of way.”

  More confused than ever, Nick didn’t know whether to be embarrassed or take her remark as a compliment.

  Arya attempted to contain her amusement at Nick’s ignorance. “I’m sorry, I know this is all new to you. You see, the nanites, as you call them, send data, only short range, to other nanites and to certain equipment. In our ships, it allows us to give commands without taking our eyes off our target. I sent the command to show this file, b
y thinking it. Among other things, nanites also send the language data they learn to others. That is how I understand you. After they learned your brain and language, that data was transferred to my nanites.”

  “So they receive information too?”

  “Yes, but for security, they are limited to receiving only certain data, like language files.”

  The logic and technical skill of it was impressive, but it still frightened Nick a little. It was all he could do to shake the thought of those rogue nanites on Earth. “So tell me about these Mok’tu.”

  “What little we know of them has been collected from regular Mok’tu that were killed, and from the salvaged data records of ships that the Dragorans had destroyed. But the Tac Squads are a lot tougher than regular Mok’tu. They’re more heavily armored and have shields. We know even less about them because no one has ever killed or captured one. What we do know is the Mok’tu have redundant systems, so if they get damaged, they can continue to fight.”

  “Systems? What do you mean systems?”

  Arya looked over her shoulder at Karg, who was busy preparing the ammo.

  Karg just grinned and cocked his head, as if he knew what Arya was thinking. “I still remember my reaction at the site of the first dead Mok’tu I came across.”

  “Mok’tu are Biomechanoids,” Arya said.

  “Biomechanoid? You mean living machines?”

  “Not exactly.” She looked back at the screen. “The only biological part is the brain. They grow their young in artificial pods. Then remove the brain at birth age and place it into a mechanoid body. The machine body contains redundant systems to maintain the brain. Their method is highly efficient. With only a need to supply the brain with nutrients, they can extend their lifespan many times its normal length.”

  “That’s horrible.” Nick was disgusted by the mere thought of it.

  “There is more. They have effectively cut off the perception of pain. Their robotic parts can sense if they touch something or get shot, and then they react or act accordingly, but their brain doesn’t register pain. We feel pain so that we stop before our bodies get damaged. It’s a self defense mechanism. But they do not need the sensory perception of pain. If they get a damaged limb, they just keep fighting. They have been known to remove a limb from one of their dead to replace their own inoperable one. They will even pull off their own crippled limb to use as a weapon. Unlike us, Mok’tu will gladly sacrifice a limb if it gives them a tactical advantage. They can also go for long periods without breathing air. They are intelligent, strong, resilient, ruthless and one hetek of an enemy.”