Third Player

by Warren James Palmer

  ‘I guess it makes no odds, friend Josh,’ she shrugged. ‘So long as it impacts on the opposite side to where Dominator disappeared. We don’t want to risk damaging her.’

  ‘I don’t think there’s any real risk of that,’ Brabazon assured her. ‘The impact of the ship and nuclear warhead is enough to cause a bloody big dent in that thing, but it’s not sufficient to destroy it. The planetoid’s too massive for that. Well, here goes!’

  Once more the shuttles engines fired and the derelict starship slowly began its final journey. Using carefully aimed and judicious amounts of vectored thrust, Brabazon nudged the massive wreck toward the far side of the planetoid. It wasn’t easy; the shuttle was docked on the port side of the control decks at the prow of the ship. This was far from the ideal centre of thrust and the derelict constantly wanted to wander off course. However, Brabazon rose to the challenge and deftly steered the beast toward a vast concave dip, built into the outer skin of the station. He judged that this place was far enough away from where Dominator disappeared, not to cause any undue collateral damage.

  Colmarrie kept a constant eye on the attitude of the bizarre derelict and shuttle contraption. The cockpit sensors provided a three-dimensional holographic image that projected their trajectory. She waited until the smooth dish that was the aiming point on the planetoid, filled the screen before calling out, ‘That’s it! There’s no stopping the thing now Josh! Let’s get away while we still can!’

  Brabazon shoved the throttles to the gates, giving the wreck on last shove on its way. Then he fired the emergency release bolts and the shuttle separated from the wrecked Gallagic. The vectored thrust kicked in and the shuttle swept away towards safety.

  ‘Impact in forty-three seconds!’ Brabazon stated, ‘Are you sure you still want to go ahead with this Colmarrie? It’s not too late to change your mind. There’s a good chance that the explosion will do the job on its own.’

  The mutant woman shook her head, ‘That’s not a risk we can afford to take my friend. I truly believe this is something we have been destined to see through. I’m prepared if you are...’

  ‘Okay,’ the wiry scientist agreed somewhat dubiously. His heart was beating like a kettle drum and the adrenaline surged through his veins, but he knew she was right. ‘Then we’d better get on with it. The timing will be critical!’

  Anderson came in from the main cabin and jumped into the co-pilot’s seat, as Colmarrie vacated it, and strapped herself into the spare jump seat. He would ensure that the shuttle remained out of harm’s way while they were gone on their travels.

  Brabazon opened his mind and let it meld with the more potent thought patterns of Colmarrie. This was only the second time he had voluntarily let his mind be joined with another since the death of his twin brother, back in the Terran battle for liberation. Since then his mind had been forcibly taken over by the Dominator’s main computer, which was why he was even more nervous about letting the mutant woman combine his mind with hers. He was more than a little afraid that she would simply devour him.

  But he shouldn’t have been so concerned. Colmarrie’s mind embraced him warmly, without any threat of domination. To his surprise, Brabazon discovered that the mutant Dyason was able to envisage the strange sub-ether, through which telepathic thought travelled, as well as viewing normal space.

  As if watching from a remote external camera, he saw the Gallagic close in on the structure that was once a space-station. The massive planetoid dwarfed the starship which, although on the point of impact, appeared to be moving incredibly slowly. The only explanation he could think of for this bizarre behaviour was that here, in sub-ether space, time had a different meaning, a different clock speed.

  Against this backdrop of the real world, was superimposed the strange swirling mists of thought and time they’d seen before. There were the familiar humanoid waveforms, generated by the anxious crew of the Dominator and Gulag’s expeditionary force. For the first time Brabazon could see how the waveforms of non-telepaths, subtly differed from the patterns of operants. There was something about their shape which precluded melding with others.

  Once again, they ignored the smoother humanoid waveforms and searched for the alien anomaly. This time, however, they knew what they were looking for and managed to find it quite quickly. There were the unmistakable peaks and troughs of the computer-generated waveform. It stood out dramatically from the naturally created multi-coloured mists of time and space.

  ‘Well, now that we’re here, what do we do now?’ the part that was still Brabazon thought.

  ‘We combine all of our minds, then adjust our wave patterns to that of the Starweb,’ a third, new operant said.

  Brabazon immediately recognised the patterns of the newcomer and mentally called out, ‘Myrddin! What are you doing here? How did you find us? The last I heard you were in mortal combat with Nimue on Dyason. How in God’s name did you find us here?’

  ‘Now is not the time, nor the place, to answer questions Josh,’ the ancient replied. ‘It’s sufficient that I’m here. Are the two of you prepared? The moment is nearly upon us.’

  ‘Moment? What moment? I’m still unsure as to what, exactly, is about to happen!’ Brabazon answered back. ‘Just what the hell am I supposed to be doing?’

  ‘Your mind is already melded with mine, friend Josh. There is no need to do anything accept lend your support when the time comes,’ Colmarrie answered reassuringly. The mutant seemed totally unsurprised at the appearance of Myrddin’s awesome mind. It were as if she’d been expecting it. ‘When the time comes you will know instinctively what to do.’

  Out in the real world the Gallagic completed her final voyage. The prow of the derelict impacted against the side of the planetoid and collapsed as the rest of the starship ploughed in behind it. Seen from the viewpoint of sub-ether space, the collision appeared to happen in slow motion and it was possible to see a massive fireball grow as the Gallagic disintegrated. Its composite structure splintered, ruptured, then flew apart as it met the unmovable mass of the planetoid.

  However, this was nothing compared to the blinding light generated by the thermonuclear warhead. Many times brighter than the light of the feeble distant sun, it suddenly illuminated space like an overexposed film. The distortion of time in sub-ether space meant the light created by the nuke going off lasted for several seconds, adding a bizarre white backdrop to the swirling mists of time and space.

  ‘This is it! This is the moment! Strike now!‘ the part of the combined mind meld that was Myrddin declared. Bolstered not only by the ancients mental powers, but by the sudden appearance of the clone Gulag, the four strong melded mind forcibly changed its shape and struck at the alien waveform.

  Smooth curves and dips were changed for spikes, peaks and troughs. Gone were the natural motions of the humanoid mind. The mental collective lay its artificially created waveform over the one created by the Starweb and neatly jammed it. As soon as they did this, the Starweb became aware of their presence and attempted to wrench the sub-ether transmission away from the attacking humanoids.

  However, the parts of the collective that were Colmarrie and Myrddin were prepared for this. They guided the clone and the Terran scientist, matching the changing shape and frequency of the Starweb transmission. Every time it attempted to wrench the waveform out of the grip of the humanoid collective the Starweb was foiled. It took forever greater amounts of energy and concentration, but the four minds grimly held on to their mental stranglehold.

  Finally, after one last spasm the Starweb gave up the struggle. As the light from the thermonuclear explosion finally faded and died, the alien waveform collapsed and disappeared. The planetoid was cutoff from the rest of the galactic web.

  This was the opportunity Tallok had been waiting for. He knew instinctively that if he waited patiently enough his moment would come—it always did in the end. After all, this thing confronting them was only an android at the end of the day. It was worse than an Imperial trooper—incapabl
e of handling the unexpected, which was exactly what happened.

  The floor of the temple began to shake violently, the stone floor cracked beneath their feet and the android replica of Nimue stared about in confusion. Its holographic audience began to fade in and out, like poor reception on a government-built television set. Tallok dropped to the floor and grabbed his assault rifle. The other mutant fighters in the expedition followed his example, equally keen to make the most of the opportunity.

  They opened fire, almost simultaneously pouring explosive shells into the biological robot. Fortunately for Gulag, he’d collapsed into one of his funny spells and rolled down the steps. If he hadn’t, there was no doubt in Tallok’s mind, that as the clone had been standing very close to the thing, he would’ve been slaughtered as well—which would have been a shame, because the mutant fighter, veteran of numerous campaigns, was beginning to respect the cloned bastard.

  The android staggered under the hail of gunfire. Bodily fluids spurted out of numerous body wounds and the thing flailed its arms wildly, screaming like a demon. It cut the air with bolts of blue flame, wiping out two unfortunate members of Dominator’s ex-Imperial crew. They’d been late on the uptake and now they were paying the price for it. Having said that, even Tallok and his veterans had to roll and dive for cover as the robot sliced the air above them with its vicious weapon.

  After what seemed an age, the android replica of Nimue fell to the floor beside the altar, kicking its arms and legs and screaming loudly. As the mutants continued to pour Firepower into the thing’s body, it arched its back, screamed so loudly it broke several windows in the spire, and finally expired. That was the second time Nimue had been destroyed, Tallok thought to himself. This time he really hoped it was the last. He didn’t think he could handle seeing the bitch again!

  The holographic audience, representatives of the Starweb looked on in horror at the extermination of the judge and prosecutor. Their belief that this race was savage and brutal had been confirmed, in the most appalling manner. There could be no doubt now, that this race of humanoids was a threat to the gardens of God. They had to be exterminated before they could infect the universe.

  However, the representatives of the Starweb wouldn’t get the opportunity today. Their sub-ether link with the 2323 computer was being strangled. They couldn’t hold on to their images any longer. The holographic multitude appeared to battle once more to retain their form, then they faded for the last time and popped out of existence.

  Tallok held up his hand and yelled, ‘Cease fire! It’s over! The android ain’t getting up again! Pick up your kit and let’s go!’

  Gulag’s eyes flickered open and he let out a loud groan. Tallok ran over to him and hauled him up, putting the clone’s arm over his shoulders. ‘You all right?’ he asked. Gulag nodded, still woozy. ‘You picked a fine time to go to sleep you bastard!’ the mutant fighter told him.

  ‘I was unavoidably detained,’ the clone answered in a hoarse voice. ‘We’ve got to get out of here while we can Tallok! That psychopathic machine is only out of it for a while. Once it reconnects with the Starweb we’ll be in deep shit. We’ve got to get back to Dominator before that happens!

  ‘Gulag this is Dominator. Do you read?’ the comm unit suddenly came to life.

  ‘Dominator this is Tallok—go!’ the mutant answered for the clone as he dragged him down the aisle toward the exit of the temple. The other mutants followed close behind, one of them helping the equally drained ancient Terran. Tallok didn’t have a clue where Myrddin came from, but now he was here, he figured they’d better look after him.

  ‘All our systems are back on line, Tallok,’ the voice of Kallke on the bridge of Dominator stated. ‘There was some kind of explosion somewhere on the planetoid and the next thing we knew, control of the ship was returned to us. Are you guys okay? What’s been happening? Where’s Gulag? What’s your status?’

  ‘We’ve got casualties here. Three dead and four wounded,’ Tallok told the officer as his squad made their way outside to the where the remainder of the expedition waited. ‘We came face-to-face with that Starweb thing, but it seems to be gone now; or at least for the moment. Gulag’s a bit out of it, but he’s still with us—just. Shalok and I are dragging him out now. We’re heading back to Dominator as fast as possible!’

  ‘Roger that, Tallok!’ Kallke responded from the ship. ‘We reckon we can blast our way out of this cavern now we’ve got control of the ship again. So it’s imperative you move as fast as possible. We don’t want to leave you behind—got that?’

  ‘We’re moving! We’re moving!’

  ‘What happened down there Tallok?’ Kallke asked from the bridge of the Dominator.

  ‘It’s a long story! It’ll have to wait until later! We’ll keep you updated on our progress. Tallok out!’ the mutant ended the transmission and concentrated on dragging the half-conscious Gulag.

  The battered squad stepped out into the bright artificial sunlight and ran for the transporter, still sitting on the neatly mowed lawn. Gouny intercepted them on the way, helping them to clamber on-board. She saw Myrddin and looked at him strangely, but said nothing.

  There was suddenly the clatter of automatic fire from the perimeter of the lawn. Gulag, sufficiently recovered from his ordeal looked up and demanded, ‘What’s going on? What are you firing on Gouny?’

  ‘We’ve got company boss!’ the trooper told him pointing to a strange horde moving across the fields of the micro-world toward them. Low and squat with multi-jointed legs, the hard-shelled creatures swarmed toward them, their mandibles gnashing.

  ‘Urrrggh! What the hell are they? Shalosk exclaimed.

  ‘Crustaceans! That’s what they are!’ Myrddin told them, also aware of his surroundings once more. ‘They work the gardens and fields of this demi-paradise. They’re standard on all the Starweb worlds.’

  ‘Androids?’

  ‘Sort of… You don’t really want to know. The only thing you do need to know is that the buggers will rip you up alive if they get their claws on you. It’s time not to be here ladies and gentlemen,’ the ancient Terran informed them.

  The ground underneath them shook once more and the artificial sun flickered. Flocks of birds rose in alarm from the surrounding towering vegetation.

  ‘Definitely time to go,’ Gulag agreed. He turned and examined the controls of the transporter. ‘Anyone figured out how to operate this thing?’

  ‘Not really,’ Gouny answered. ‘It’s entirely automated and linked to the main computer. There don’t appear to be any manual flight controls.’

  Shalosk stepped forward. ‘Here, let me take a look,’ he told them, peering at the small control panel at the front of the machine. He swept his multi-scanner over the panel and tapped experimentally at the controls, neither of which achieved very much. ‘I’m afraid Gouny’s right. There’s no manual override on this thing,’ he confirmed. ‘It’s completely automated and ain’t going anywhere without the say so of the central computer.’

  ‘Great! How else are we going to get back to Dominator?’ Tallok asked. ‘Each of these caverns are several hundred klicks wide. It’ll take days to walk out of here, especially if we’ve got to fight all the way!’

  There was a distant explosion and they all looked up to see a massive fireball spread out from a point on the distant wall of the cavern. There was another explosion, the sound of which reverberated around the micro-world, adding to the noise of weapons fire and clattering crustaceans. The fireball became even larger, plumes of fire and smoke were sent towering into the air.

  ‘It doesn’t look like we’ve got more than a few hours, let alone days,’ Myrddin told them bluntly. ‘The nuclear warhead must have done more damage than we anticipated. This little paradise could become a vacuum at any time judging by those explosions!’

  Suddenly the lights in the transporter came to life and Gulag hear a voice in his mind. ‘I think I can be of assistance now.’

  ‘Dominator?’ Gulag exclai
med in surprise.

  ‘That’s right clone. I’m afraid I was a bit busy fending off the Starweb before. Your little collective, jamming the sub-ether, took the strain off me and I was able to regain control of the ship,’ the starship’s sentient computer told him. ‘Congratulations on that by the way. Maybe you show promise after all...’

  ‘Never mind all that!’ Gulag interrupted. ‘What about the 2323 computer on this planetoid. Can you override it and get this thing moving?’

  ‘Charming!’ came the reply. ‘Well, the planetoid’s computer isn’t used to thinking individually; it’s been part of the Starweb for eons. So at the moment it’s confused and unsure as to how to respond to your violence. While it’s in this state of confusion I can override it and operate the transporter.’

  ‘Then do it!’ Gulag snapped.

  ‘We really are going to have to work on your manners, dear boy!’ Dominator responded in insulted tones.

  Gulag ignored the jibe and gestured for Gouny to get her people on-board, which they did with pleasure. Tallok’s mutant fighters covered the withdrawal and were the last to climb into the transporter. There was a third, huge explosion at the far end of the cavern and the gentle breeze of the micro-world became a howling gale. The crustaceans advancing toward the humanoids stopped in their tracks then turned and sped off toward the breech in the cavern wall.

  ‘Well at least that should keep them busy for a while!’ Tallok commented as they battled against the wind to get on the transporter. As soon as the last mutant was inside the vehicle it rose off the ground, buffeted by the hurricane force winds created by the upheaval in the micro-climate. The machine turned around on its axis and sped toward the tunnel that led to the other caverns.

  As they sped over the fields, hills and valleys of the self-contained world, Gulag could see herds of animals stampeding blindly away from the explosions still taking place on the far wall. The light from the artificial sun far above, kept fading, creating false sunsets and false dawns every few minutes. He could see the crustacean workers all heading toward the far wall, intent on sealing the breech that was blowing the atmosphere out into the vacuum of space. A small part of the clone was sad to see the destruction taking place. The animals and insects that inhabited this world didn’t deserve to die because the atmosphere of their world was being blown away.