THE ENDLESS DARK OCEAN_A space epic that will change the history of the universe

by Boris Mosso

  Lena was very surprised, and she would gladly have rushed headlong to know each detail from her Vector’s new technologies, but she had other priorities for the time being. That’s why she hid her anxiety as best as she could and continued with the relevant inquiries.

  —We’ll have time to discover those spaceships’ strengths. The contingent is the path. Shall we follow the one mapped out by the old explorers then?

  —That’s right, you must already know that our Ancestors’ explorers reached the Lumina Galaxy’s edge, returning through a very direct route which hasn’t been traveled for centuries.

  —Is it the same route that Commander Terilan followed some months ago?

  —That’s right… and we haven’t heard anything from them since their departure.

  —Yes, Pranus, I know. It’s not too encouraging to follow the same path.

  —I couldn’t tell you…

  —It’s fine, tell me. Who has been in this spaceship from the start?

  —Very few… Estrader, engineering and systems head, Andra and me also.

  —Which was your previous assignment?

  —I worked as an assistant navigator in the red group’s Trendar spacecraft, in the mother spaceships type Flantart first squad, robotics transporters.

  —The Trendar spaceship? The Commander Tronius’ flagship Flantart?

  —Yes, Captain.

  —That’s a great honor.

  —True. Although I rarely saw him personally and always from afar.

  —Maybe he recommended you for this position?

  —With all due respect, I don’t think so; he probably doesn’t even know me.

  —Well, if it was so, he made a disservice by assigning you here.

  Pranus looked at her silently; Lena knew that he couldn’t respond to that observation and regretted saying it. She seized the moment to study him closely.

  Pranus was the only Officer who until then, appeared to accept her command in the spaceship normally.

  On the other hand, his athletic appearance and his medium height gave him a youthful look which contrasted with the simplicity and diligence and to comply with Lena’s orders, just as a broadly experienced first Officer should do.

  Behind the calm and patient expression with a straight and precise lined face, Lena found a hardened look, expressing extensive intelligence and mental sharpness. She decided to watch him closely, to find out if she could depend on the unrestrained support from the fleet’s first Officer with her spaceship’s Captain, such as it should be. When she looked at his face once more, she found that his features were familiar, as if she had seen them before. She had that feeling for a moment.

  —Very well, let’s organize this matter once and for all before the next leap. We’re forty-six crew members and passengers, correct?

  —That’s right, we have three squad leader’s pilots for robotic war spaceships assigned, led by Drexiliander; the first rank Officer who lead a team of pilots, maintenance and weapons technicians and the hunting spaceships. Besides, eight armoured infantry soldiers, led by a Terrestrial Forces Captain, called Gander.

  —Are they special forces?

  —Yes, they’re STF’s.

  —That’s very good… who else is coming with us?

  —In addition, we are joined by three scientists, plus five navigation control crewmen, including the main pilot, this spaceship’s flight Officer called Andra. Doctor Ribar and his assistant and Doctor Dirva are the medical Officers. We also have a defense and weapons systems’ specialist Officer on board, young Officer Lustan.

  —He says he’s been here for fifteen years… How is that possible? That must be a mistake.

  —It’s right, he is the youngest from the defensive systems’ specialists in the entire fleet.

  —If it’s true, then it’s a bad joke.

  —Captain, Officer Lustan is very qualified, he’s a genius.

  —We’ll see anyways, he’s a kid and battles aren’t defeated with children.

  —With all due respect, don’t overestimate him. It’s not the first time in the fleet’s history that a crewmember of such age, occupies a position in the command bridge.

  —I still think it’s a mistake… however, who else is coming with us?

  —We have the energy systems and movement operators and controllers, plus the antimatter and quantum engineering technicians, they add up to nine crewmen under Officer Estrader’s command, who is there close to the upper screens, if you can see him.

  —I’ve seen him before. Is there anyone else?

  —Yes, Dimia, she’s the Vector’s second navigator and can also fly anything in space. I was missing Rastias, who is the command bridge’s assistant Officer and the spaceships’ third navigator.

  —I already met him… How about the escort spaceship?

  —Our twin spaceship has a very reduced crew, not more than twenty persons and a large arsenal; they transport three hundred robotic attack spaceships and one hundred RMOD’s; we carry one hundred and fifty robotics, to make room for Captain Gander’s three hundred RMOD’s.

  The Vector’s escort robotics’ Commander is called Koner. He’s supported by five flight Officers of less rank; whose names are in the crewmen’s declaration. The STF’s Officer is called … Captain Borlan there, that’s what he is; he’s Gander’s image here.

  —Yes, I understand that.

  —Right. The Vector’s escort Captain’s name is Irgo Fromdert.

  —I already knew that also.

  —By the way, he’s requesting a meeting with you.

  —I’ll meet with him privately through holographics once the mission’s coordination meeting ends later. Meeting, where Captain Fromdert must appear in the hologram along with his Officers.

  —Maybe… you should give him some minutes now.

  —Why Pranus? speak clearly.

  —It happens that Captain Fromdert is a very prestigious and qualified spaceship’s Captain.

  —Pranus, when I ask you to speak clearly, it means that I want all the information without filters nor décor. Do you understand?

  —I understand.

  —Fine. Then?

  The thin, pale and completely bald first Officer looked craftily everywhere hoping not to be heard by anybody in the surroundings.

  —Well, Captain Fromdert led a Tubular… and they took him out of there to lead a much smaller spaceship in this incursion; it’s known that he complained, ultimately abiding by it, although very bitter.

  —Why did he accept then?

  —This missions’ old Commander, called Stradius, happened to be a great friend of his.

  —Does Fromdert also have more time than me?

  —A lot much more to tell you the truth, he holds the Tubular’s Captain rank.

  —Therefore, Captain Fromdert is upset for not commanding this expedition?

  —More or less. Let’s say it’s part of it, and the friendship that binds Captain Fromdert with withdrawn Stradius also. The last-minute replacement was a hard blow for him. Apparently, it exceeded his limits.

  —His limits…? But he’s the spaceship’s fleet Captain. He receives and obeys orders as well as we all do.

  —Of course, Captain, but without prejudice, he also told me that this expedition was a complete waste of military resources… well, he used other words, but he meant…

  —I know what he meant, Pranus. I’ll meet him by hologram in my berth in five minutes. Gather the Officers and the three scientists at the bridge, it’s time to find out the backdrop of all this. I’ll be back in a while, after talking with Fromdert privately.

  —Right. Maybe you would like to listen to Admiral’s Tronius words there.

  —What words?

  —I was informed that you couldn’t listen to the Admiral’s last speech, just before our battle fleet’s leap in the Vintar constellation; it was transmitted in real time to both fleets.

  —I had no idea, I didn’t hear anything about it in the Council’s spaceship.


  —I know, Captain Lena.

  —I understand now, I wasn’t allowed to listen to it. Right?

  —You’re right.

  Lena bit her lower lip, so she wouldn’t let out a couple of really bad cuss words, after hearing Pranus’ disclosure. Understanding clearly the effect of his words, he disappeared.

  Afterwards, Lena, enraged and with quick pace, rushed towards the control room’s exit. Under the doorway, she climbed on a service levitator. Before she withdrew, she saw Andra looking at her with a strange and expressionless look from her navigator’s seat. She gave her a cold look also and left.

  Once outside, she approached her rooms through the spaceship’s main corridors, to immediately go up a couple of levels, well-lit by a light casting down from the ceiling plates.

  Five minutes later, Lena reached her rooms for the first time. As soon as she entered, she was cheerfully impressed by the premises’ spaciousness, compared to the rooms in her old assignment.

  The living room was the spaceships Captain’s comfortable and huge private area surrounded by three personal big sized rooms.

  The first one was a work and private reception room. The spaceship’s control could even be established from there. The second one, was a very broad room which had a gravitational system’s traditional bed. It was surrounded with big and comfortable levitator couches flanked by some black stable furniture, which harmoniously matched with the tiny decors on the walls.

  The bedroom, alike the other rooms, had image generators that casted scenes in two or three dimensions in all the screens and ceilings freely.

  Lastly, the luxurious complex had a huge bathroom. She found an ions shower and another with standard water inside. There was a small heated pool also with controlled water flows to go across the entire body, especially in the contracted areas or affected by muscle pains; which were detected by an automatic scanner.

  The room had a neurological compression chamber for sleeping hours, in which one hour of sleep was equal to about eight traditional hours; it was used in specific cases, since the long-term effects from the random use of the device, caused irreversible distortions in the neurotransmitters.

  Connected to the bedroom and the bathroom, a very big wardrobe spread out; it was really a big independent bedroom, which had already been supplied by the service droids, providing the exact new spaceship’s Captain’s measurements. She found some formal and combat uniforms, tunics and comfortable clothing to wear privately and dozens of accessories inside. She also found a white wall that dimly lit when someone looked at it. Some new weapons were stuck to that wall.

  Pleasantly impressed, she found a compact missiles’ rotary without casing, also called lighting missiles. Together with the weapon, she could see several one thousand rounds magazines. Following the wall, there was a microwave gun, another shock waves’ one, and a third luminance one. She raised her eyebrows upon recognizing a beautiful two cannons black synchronous also, brand new; besides several thermal grenades and an antimatter one, fixed in like manner to the wall.

  She ironically thought that such small arsenal, perfectly completed an Espacian’s closet travelling to the unknown and amongst a bloody war.

  She couldn’t observe them in detail, as three minutes after her entrance, a life size hologram appeared and with somehow altered colors, in the middle of the reception room; without doubt it was Captain Irgo Fromdert. A very tall and distinguished man, obviously older than Lena. He wore an intense and dark blue fleet’s Officer uniform, not one for daily service. Lastly, on the Tubular’s Captain’s shoulders the colorful ranks stood out, whereby Lena already sensed where things were coming from.

  —Captain Irgo Fromdert, greetings.

  —Captain Lena, greetings to you too.

  —Captain Fromdert, you requested this meeting, I’m listening.

  —I’ll go straight to the point. May I speak freely?

  —Go ahead.

  —Well. You don’t know me, but I’m sure you’ve already read my records.

  —Honestly, I haven’t had the time to do that yet.

  —I see… then I’ll introduce myself; I’m an Officer with a spotless service record; I come from one of the oldest service tradition families in the Espatian fleet.

  Lena pressed her hands behind her back trying to control her increased discomfort, upon listening to Fromdert’s words. Lena came from a very humble military origin and without any Spatian fleet tradition. From what little she knew about her Ancestors, it was the first Spaceship’s Captain in her vague family’s history. She understood, irritated that the Officer in the holographic should for sure also know about it at this point.

  —Dozens of thousands of years ago, my Ancestors traveled through space exploring and widening the star limits for our species, reaching the galaxy’s border itself. Further down, they defended Spacia from the Scardian’s invasions and then in the galactic reform wars, where we participated with great pride by freeing the Canidas Constellation, fifteen years ago. It’s been more than a thousand years defending our planet’s principles and…

  —To the point, Fromdert, we don’t have all day.

  —As you please, Captain Lena. The matter is the following: The experience and gathered knowledge during my extensive career, can’t justify the weak reasons for which they sent us in this strange secret incursion outside of our galaxy, and in opposite direction from the place where the Astral’s history ever known most important battles are developing, and, if that’s not enough, it’s about a decisive invasion on a galactic scale which is ending with all the known civilizations.

  While Lena agreed with those arguments, she couldn’t agree openly with Fromdert for any reason at all. She now began to feel the burden and commanding responsibility she had. From now on she should defend the mission imposed at any cost, despite any doubt or objection that arose in her mind.

  —We already know all that, where do you want to get to…?

  —You authorized me to speak freely.

  —Very well, but remember they’re waiting for us for a meeting.

  Fromdert ignored Lena’s impatient tone completely and proceeded like nothing happened. She half closed her eyes upon understanding that she was underestimated, even with the least informal deference from the military hierarchy.

  —And as if it wasn’t enough, they sent us a young and inexperienced Commander to lead the incursion’s reconnaissance in the deep space.

  It’s a waste of resources, a frenetic dream from a group of elders. Each spaceship counts and on the same token, our place was to go with the war fleet to Atirov. I understand that due to the search for such worthy comrade, as Commander General, Gobar Terilian, would be worth going where we’re going, but the purpose is different, and the emergencies are others.

  Lena breathed deeply before answering.

  —Neither you nor I have the authority to question that by no means, Captain Fromdert. The ones that command, is the group of elders you mentioned. It’s always been that way, at least in the last one hundred years; except in the dark and tragic periods from the Continental Divisionism, in the dawn of our society when the continuity of government, emerging from the planetary compromise, was interrupted due to the frenetic and belated militarist’s minds… which we understand doesn’t exist anymore.

  Fromdert straightened up even more. The expression on his face showed that he was about to respond, when Lena continued talking without paying attention to the blazed annoyance gesture of the experienced Captain.

  —Captain Fromdert, let’s speak clearly. Nobody likes this mission; however, we have orders. We were assigned to search for an object and if possible, to track Commander General Gobar Terilian’s expedition along the journey. If I’m not mistaken, that was established before my arrival.

  —I know all that already.

  —Then, there’s nothing else to say. If you’re upset for not commanding the entire operation, I don’t blame you, I’ll be pleased to give it to you, but that’s the
way things are. If you didn’t agree with this situation from the beginning, you should have resigned in the Council’s Flantart before taking off.

  —I didn’t have that option and I’ll explain the reason. I remained because of my loyalty to Commander Stradius, an old friend and extraordinary combat spaceship’s Captain, who I’ve known my entire life. I never thought they would replace the experienced and tested mission’s Commander, it’s unexplainable and unacceptable. A Flantart spaceship’s Captain with a recognized track record, replaced at the last minute by…

  —By whom?... By a reaper with no ancestry? By an inexperienced little girl?

  A cold silence grew between both for a few seconds, which was interrupted by Pranus’ calmed voice emerging from the intercom.

  —Captain Lena, the first attendees for the meeting are arriving.

  —I’ll be there immediately. Captain Fromdert, we’re going to leave it this way: you command your spaceship and I command both mine and yours. The mission continues just as Spacia’s leaders mandated us, whether we like it or not. I expect your full cooperation and loyalty, pursuant of your parchments in the Espacian’s fleet service extensively argued by you, that’s all.

  —Understood, mission Commander.

  —Captain Fromdert.

  The hologram disappeared when Fromdert was performing a strictly military greeting. Lena kept her hands strained behind her back, almost sticking her nails into it.

  —To make matters worse! Damn miserable arrogant!

  Lena loosen up her shoulders stroking both hands tightly on her face.

  Then she ordered for Tronius’ speech to be exposed.

  Within a second the lights dimmed and Tronius’ imposing figure appeared in an upright posture on the Trendar’s command embankment. Lena heard each word feeling overwhelmed. After the speech ended, she almost felt unstoppable desires to return and leap into battle in Atirov’s System immediately.

  While she repeated the moving sequence again, she began to nervously go around in circles in the living room, cursing De Kraun with all her might, while she understood that if she had heard Tronius’ speech in real time, being in the Council’s spaceship, she had surely ran away and returned to the war fleet; she concluded that without doubt, the First Councilor had anticipated a similar reaction from her; Lena immediately cursed him again.