Dark Firmament

by Ezra Manes

  How many braking orbits to slow us down enough to maneuver to the planet?

  Dawn took a few seconds before replying to Joqi’s query.

  Three, if we go deeper into the atmosphere to get more friction. Twelve if we stay at our current orbital altitude in the upper atmosphere. I caution against reducing altitude. It would push our deceleration to over seven-g and black out most of our sensors.

  Dawn waited patiently for his decision. He could sense her unease, if you could call it that for an artificial intelligence entity. The brown dwarf’s atmosphere was thick, mostly hydrogen and helium, and became soupy very fast at lower altitudes. And the sub-star’s gravity increased dramatically as the altitude decreased.

  Take us lower, but keep us well above the three orbit altitude, Joqi conveyed. Modify our course to have us exit orbit in a direction and at a speed that will intercept the large planet.

  Changing orbit now, Dawn replied. It will be a rough ride.

  Joqi could feel the sharp increase in drag and buffeting of the ship as Dawn took them deeper into the atmosphere of the giant brown dwarf. One mistake or propulsion problem now would plunge the Horizon Quest into the deep gravity well of the sub-star, quickly destroying the ship and all in it.

  I don’t want to believe our path here was predestined, Joqi thought reflectively. However, everything that has happened to get us here sure lines up that way.

  Dawn gave no response. After seven orbits of the brown dwarf, she directed the Horizon Quest on a path to intercept the large planet and its captive Clac spaceship.

  PART 2

  CHAPTER 9

  As Dawn piloted the Horizon Quest into orbit around the large planet, Joqi analyzed the information collected about the planet. It was larger and denser than their home world of Zilia. He estimated the gravity at the planet’s surface was over three times what it was on the surface of Zilia. The planet always presented the same side to the brown dwarf, and that side was scorching hot from the infrared radiation from the brown dwarf sub-star. The other side was in deep freeze. It wasn’t a place he wanted to visit.

  Dawn displayed the estimated orbit of the Clac spaceship. It was an elliptical orbit around the planet, elongated toward the brown dwarf when between the planet and the brown dwarf. The spaceship’s orbit skimmed close to the planet when on the opposite side away from the brown dwarf. The Clac spaceship would get closer to the large planet on each outbound leg of the orbit, a curious and soon fatal orbit.

  How many orbits before the Clac vessel crashes into the planet, Joqi queried.

  I estimate no more than fifteen more orbits, Dawn replied. I am positioning the Horizon Quest to match the Clac ship orbit when it turns back toward the planet.

  Joqi focused full spectrum sensors to scan space around the brown dwarf and in toward the Clac home planet. He could detect no vessels anywhere near their region of space. Clearly there was no rescue attempt being made by the Clacs. Considering the degrading orbit of the nearby spaceship, he could understand why. Even having advanced propulsion engines, it was unlikely that a rescue ship could arrive in time to save the damaged vessel.

  Dawn indicated that signals intercepted coming from the region of the Clac world revealed they planned another research expedition soon to the brown dwarf and its large planet. Whatever was driving them to survey the brown dwarf and its planet must be very important.

  Joqi observed with approval as Dawn nudged the Horizon Quest into a matching orbit with the Clac ship, positioning them within 100 meters of the tumbling spaceship. She piloted the Quest with a finesse he had yet to master.

  The Clac vessel was twirling end-over-end like a large two bladed fan revolving around its orbital path. Each rotation revealed a jagged hole in the back quarter-length of the vessel, near what was likely the propulsion system area. The hole stood out in stark relief from the smooth black hull of the alien ship. The jagged sides of the hole were bent inward, evidence of an object striking the ship. Continued observations revealed no exit hole for whatever had hit the Clac ship.

  The damage was likely caused by a small asteroid, Dawn observed.

  This is surprising, Joqi replied. Our scans showed space near the brown dwarf clear of asteroids.

  He scrutinized images taken earlier of the planet’s surface. There was indeed evidence of recent impacts of small asteroids. The brown dwarf did a good job of sweeping space clean near its orbital path. But the small craters on the planet’s surface indicated there were still some infrequent, long period asteroid showers coming from somewhere.

  Joqi initiated another full spectrum scan of the Clac vessel. Earlier scans had shown the only radiation coming from the vessel was the emergency beacon. This scan showed no sign of activity or life aboard the ship. There was no question that the Clac ship was dead in space.

  • • •

  It took seven orbits of the large planet to stop the Clac vessel’s tumbling. They stopped the end-over-end tumbling by sending a team of propulsion capable, shape-shifting robots to push against the spaceship’s hull at appropriate points. Dawn then positioned the Horizon Quest within fifty meters of the damaged vessel and aligned with it front to back.

  Joqi took direct control of one of the robots, making it an extension of him. He could see and sense everything the robot could. He guided the robot through the jagged hole in the hull and into the first narrow, tunnel-like passageway leading toward the front of the ship. The robot had to change shape to lower its height to navigate the narrow passageway. A quick check of the robot’s sensors indicated no radiation was coming from inside the ship.

  The robot began a damage assessment and search of the ship. It came upon a Clac a short distance down the narrow passageway. It was pinned under a large metal beam near where the intruding asteroid had broken through the thick outer hull. To all appearances, the Clac was dead, but Joqi still felt rising panic while viewing it at close range through the robot’s sensors. Would the fear induced by his dreams about the Clac hoard swarming toward him ever go away!

  Steeling himself, Joqi maneuvered his robot host closer to the alien. The large beam had smashed into the Clac’s hindquarters, cutting deep into its body. A thick, brown colored substance had oozed from the wound and solidified from exposure to the cold vacuum of space. The alien wore no protective suit or any other equipment to keep it alive in the exposed passageway. There was no way the creature could be alive.

  He started to turn the robot to continue searching the ship, but stopped when he detected a small quiver in one of the front appendages of the creature. Or was it his imagination working overtime? He played back the visual sensor data and confirmed the appendage had moved. The alien was alive, but just barely. How could it survive for no telling how long in the vacuum of space?

  The Clac’s are oxygen breathers, Dawn conveyed, but can go for long periods without breathing. Apparently it goes dormant in an emergency like this, which is why our sensors did not pick up any sign of life on the vessel.

  Joqi turned the robot to look more closely at the passageway. Alien tools were scattered nearby. They were probably magnetized in some fashion, for they all stuck to the metal corridor here and there. It appeared the Clac had started clearing debris when the beam smashed into it.

  He turned the robot back to view the Clac. His robot could lift the beam from the alien, but how could it tend to the creature while holding the beam. He needed another robot to help…or he could go there himself!

  No Joaquin. You must stay aboard the Horizon Quest. It is too dangerous to leave!

  Dawn’s appeal notwithstanding, Joqi knew he must go help the Clac. His intuition was telling him he must face his fear now. It was also time to test his ability to exit the smart plasma after being immersed for so long. He had practiced meditation the way his brother had advised him to do; hopefully that would enable him to function outside the smart plasma with manageable side effects.

  The access hatch to the command pod slid back noiselessly. Joqi lay in
the smart plasma trying to follow through on his decision to go to the Clac spaceship. It took all his willpower to stand up and break free of the plasma. The plasma slowly receded from his upper torso, as if clinging on to the one reason for its existence. He was just as reluctant to leave the plasma, but with a surge of resolve, he climbed out of the command pod and stood on the access platform until the last of the plasma receded into the pod. He was thankful for the light gravity maintained in the pod compartment; it helped steady him physically.

  He retrieved underclothing and a spacesuit from a locker, and then went to find a ride to the Clac vessel. Dawn had a utility pack waiting for him at the airlock chamber, and cautioned him to turn on the suit electromagnetic bubble shield during transit. She had detected high levels of cosmic radiation in this region of space, and the shield would protect against most of the radiation during his transit.

  Joqi felt more uneasy the farther he rode in an exoskeleton robot away from the Horizon Quest. Granted, it was a short fifty meter ride to the Clac vessel, but it seemed like an eternity to him. He felt a gnawing emptiness growing inside that could only be filled by direct contact with the smart plasma. The yawning vastness of space viewed through his spacesuit visor wasn’t helping matters any, nor did the view of the huge brown dwarf close by. He focused intently on the alien spaceship just a short distant away, shutting out other distracting thoughts and observations.

  Once inside the alien vessel, Joqi’s nerves settled down somewhat. He activated the electromagnetic function in the exoskeleton’s feet so he could crouch and walk along the passageway. He made his way cautiously down the narrow tunnel to where the Clac was pinned under the beam. He was thankful for his exoskeleton robot’s ability to maneuver in zero gravity environments.

  The robot he had left at the scene was waiting beside the Clac. Joqi had studied images of Clacs obtained from data Dawn imported from Earth’s data files, but he was ill prepared for what he was viewing in the close quarters of the narrow passageway. He found the alien repugnant, and not just visually. His suit sensors indicated the creature was outgassing an awful stench. He shuddered at the memory of the much smaller alien creatures swarming to bite into his flesh.

  The Clac’s torso was oval shaped, with the front end slightly larger than the backend. He recognized the Clacs visual sensors, its eyes, at the ends of four vertical stalks equally spaced along the front end of the torso above its two mandibles. The Clac’s four leg appendages along each side of its stretched oval body were covered by wiry hair-like whiskers. Two short pincher appendages, or mandibles, extended out below the visual sensors and just above a horizontal slit that must be its mouth.

  Joqi shook his head vigorously, trying to shake off the growing sense of urgency to return to immersion in the smart plasma pod. He must focus on the injuries the Clac had suffered!

  The metal beam had slashed deep into the Clac’s back, pinning it against the inner wall. With the zero gravity in the passageway, the beam must have been loaded with spring tension for it to break free and cut into the Clac. Joqi noticed a thin line running from one of the Clac’s back legs to a stanchion tie point down the passageway. The alien was protecting itself from floating into the large gash in the ship’s hull and on into space. But why did the Clac venture into the passageway with no visible life support?

  The Clac lay perfectly still, showing no sign of life. But then, Joqi was unsure about what a Clac would show in way of vital signs if it were alive. Surely the visual sensors or some of the appendages would be moving if it were still alive. There was dry, light brown material spread out along the Clac’s back from the wound area.

  He steeled himself and moved closer to the alien. He used a medical scanner from his utility pack to methodically scan the Clac’s entire body, with the scan data transmitted simultaneously to the Horizon Quest. He carefully avoided touching the carcass while doing the scan.

  But Joqi could see no way to help the alien without touching it, so he squatted and reached toward the middle of the alien’s back. He couldn’t make himself touch it on his first attempt, even though he was protected by his suit gloves. He tried again, and this time pressed down in the middle of the Clac’s back to hold it firmly against the passageway inner wall. The alien’s hard shell back looked smooth, but had a texture like fine sandpaper.

  Joqi directed the first robot on the scene to lift the beam off the Clac. The alien jerked uncontrollably as the beam was removed, and then the jerking quickly subsided. A fresh mucous-like material, dark brown this time, began oozing from the wound. The mucous started solidifying in the cold vacuum of the passageway. Joqi quickly pulled gauze and tape from his medical kit while leaning against the alien to hold it in place. He bandaged the wound area as best he could.

  What now, he wondered. The Clac remained motionless.

  Joqi shined a light down the passageway; he was thankful Dawn had outfitted his utility pack to meet most contingencies. He saw a closed hatch several meters beyond the nearby stanchion. In the zero gravity, it was easy to pull the Clac along to the hatch. He got a good look at the bottom of the creature’s body for the first time. It was slightly rounded, side-to-side, and had four shell sections overlapping from front to back. Jointed leg appendages extruded out from the sides of each section. Each appendage had a formidable looking claw section at its end

  Joqi operated a manual release on the hatch and almost lost grip on the alien when pressurized gas slammed the released hatch into the exoskeleton robot. He pulled the Clac through the hatch and closed it, a feat impossible for him to achieve without the added strength of the exoskeleton.

  Apparently the ship had a backup power system, for the pressure in the passageway began increasing. He pulled the alien along with him to the next hatch, and waited for the gas pressure in the passageway to stabilize. An analysis of the gas showed it was comprised of oxygen, hydrogen, helium, nitrogen and traces of other elements. The oxygen level was lower than he was used to, but he could survive breathing for short periods in the gas if necessary. The high level of helium would affect his vocal cords, making his voice come out high pitched.

  This is fascinating, Dawn projected as Joqi continued along the passageway, pulling the Clac through hatch after hatch. The Clac has what looks like nine small brains, one inward from each leg and one behind and above the eye stalks.

  Joqi stopped in his tracks with the Clac floating behind him.

  You’ve kidding, he said. Are you sure they are brain modules? Couldn’t they be muscles to operate the legs?

  I am sure, Dawn declared firmly.

  Hmmm, does that make them geniuses?

  It depends, Dawn conveyed. Each of the brains is smaller than ours. But all together, they are much larger than ours. The level of intelligence will depend on how the brains are wired and how much of each brain is actually used. A large percentage of the brains capacity may be for information storage. We have to wait until we can collect more information to understand their capabilities.

  Joqi didn’t reply. They had a lot to figure out. He continued pulling the Clac down the passageway until they entered what looked like a command and control center. He anchored the Clac to the floor in back of the compartment using tape from the medical kit. He moved back and stepped out of the exoskeleton. His boots were lightly magnetized, enabling him to walk slowly on metal surfaces.

  Dawn had insisted he bring a wide variety of devices on the sortie, and the utility pack was full. One device was a portable communication system that also had an integrated translator, which was programmed per Earth’s data for translating the Clac language. It could also project a 3-D image of whoever was communicating from back on the Horizon Quest. Joqi placed the device on the back bulkhead where it could project the image out about two meters from the wall, and then activated the device.

  “So there you are,” Dawn said through the communicator. Her comment verified the device was working, which was her intent. She projected a 3-D test image of Joqi into th
e compartment.

  “This control center looks undamaged,” Joqi said, looking around. “See what you can determine about the controls.”

  “In progress,” Dawn replied.

  Joqi examined the Clac again. Dark brown fluid was now oozing through the bandage he had placed over the gash in the Clac’s back. A better compression bandage was needed to stem the flow from the gash.

  He retrieved bandages and tape from the robot’s storage compartment, and turned back toward the alien. He was reaching to take off the soaked bandage when the Clac’s appendages started twitching, followed by its four stalk eyes opening. Joqi held his breath as the stalks moved, apparently giving the alien a view of its surroundings. Then the deep black orbs focused intently on Joqi, sending chills of apprehension through him.

  In the next instant, the Clac pinned Joqi on his back on the metal deck. Joqi wanted to scream as he looked at the bottomless, black orbs staring at him as the Clac raised one pincher tipped leg in a menacing manner. The alien hesitated, and then turned two eye stalks to look over its back. It then looked at the bandage material Joqi still held.

  The creature reared up and skittered backwards away from Joqi, trailing the medical tape he had used to attach it to the floor. The Clac bumped against the back bulkhead and stood there quivering. It turned two of its eye stalks to look over its back again at Joqi’s hasty attempt to bandage the gash.

  All the alien’s visual receptors focused again fully on Joqi, and he reacted by moving as quickly as he could back into the exoskeleton. His quick movement caused the alien to skitter forward about a meter. The creature began emitting high frequency squeaks and clicks.