We took off in Tlorthh’s vehicle. Leaving our own transportation behind after taking out a few basic items. Tlorthh’s craft I finally decided seemed like nothing so much as a star ship in miniature. Especially from the expansive inside layout. Fascinating.
Before I knew it we were at considerable altitude. It wasn’t teleportation or even a tele-shunt as I knew it but still in all we got up here pretty damn fast without any apparent acceleration. Call it what you will.
“We can avoid some of the dangers of this dimension at extreme altitude,” Tlorthh said in a matter of fact way “and from here it will be easier for us or the auto programs to spot dimensional gateways.”
In fact we had no trouble at all doing that. I was surprised just how many gateways there were across the planetary surface. Problem was that none of them appeared to be gateways back to our dimension. In fact the very first we spotted was a migratory gateway leading to Tlorthh’s dimension. I suppose it helps if you have the kind of advanced instrumentation that can detect dimensional gateways.
“I wonder if Earth is absolutely laced with these gateways and we just don’t have the technology to know it.” I asked Joy. She just shrugged. Tlorthh obviously heard us but didn’t choose to enlighten us.
Just about then and despite our altitude we encountered our first experience of the dangers of this place. At about the same altitude as us a large stretched out silver grey cloud appeared. It appeared to be many miles long. Thickest at its centre and thinnest at its extremities.
Tlorthh gained further altitude in an attempt to get away from it. The cloud followed us upwards. Mirroring our speed, rate of climb and altitude. With a precision that was more than a little unnerving.
Then the silver grey cloud changed direction and shape with stunning speed and enveloped Tlorthh’s vessel. Threatening to smother us. In the process of doing that it broke up slightly to reveal its component parts – untold millions of tiny but menacing silver grey slivers possibly metallic in nature. The silver grey colour of the cloud looked somehow out of place with the still magenta coloured sky. A sky that I was expecting to change colour at any moment.
“Looks like a collective intelligence far greater than that of its individual parts,” ventured Tlorthh.
Frighteningly the cloud grew super heated to the point where its central core glowed into incandescence. I didn’t know what protections Tlorthh’s craft might offer against this form of attack but it was definitely getting hotter for us inside.
Tlorthh reacted and in less than an instant we were hugging near ground level at an almost uncomfortably speed relative to the terrain. Uncomfortable that is in terms of a manual human pilot and the human manual capability to make course corrections. Tlorthh might be another matter all together. He was not on any kind of auto pilot and was demonstrably flying the craft himself though perhaps he was using some aids.
Thankfully the fearsome cloud did not follow us down to the planetary surface. Though we soon enough had other things to worry about.
At this low level the planetary surface itself seemed to conspire against us. Small mountains rose infinitely quicker than geological speeds attempting to block our path. Larger peaks contorted to block our way. When these failed, huge geysers of molten metal broke the planetary crust and seemed to be aimed directly in our path. This was followed by ferocious and scarily accurate micro storms that attempted to blast us out of existence. All of this activity added new colours to the environment. The molten metal, at least Tlorthh informed us it was molten metal, being of a colour that I didn’t immediately recognise. It made this weird dimension seem even weirder.
Then when the planet itself seemed to temporarily give up on us we were subjected to another form of attack. An armada of frightening repto-insectoid flying entities. Blacker than the black clouds. If that was possible. None of them individually large they were superbly coordinated much I suppose as bees or an army of ants on Earth. Or for that matter the component slivers of the fearsome silver grey cloud we had encountered earlier. Somehow the colouring of the repto-insectoids seemed to fit in more here than the colouring of the sliver cloud.
Tlorthh’s craft had force shield protection. I imagine that would be compulsory for any vehicle designed to travel to other dimensions. A certain level of force field protection would be a minimum requirement.
Tlorthh pointed out that these flying repto-insectoids were eaters of metal and even able to damage force fields via a buffeting technique. Taking no chances Tlorthh increased speed and climbed to a mid level altitude. At least what I presume was a mid level altitude for this unknowable dimension. Joy and I watched for a return of the feared silver grey cloud. It did appear in the distance and at slightly higher altitude but as Tlorthh descended again it did not follow. Thankfully there was no sign of further pursuit from the flying repto-insectoids.
I wondered what this dimension might throw at us next and my unspoken question was soon answered.
We had come in low over a large oceanic area and were cautiously traversing it at what we thought was reasonable altitude.
“I don’t mean to alarm you but from what I’ve seen this is just a small sample of what we could face,” said Tlorthh.
“We are being subjected to almost continual attack” said Joy “how can we possibly locate a gateway to our dimension if we are under such constant attack?”
“The surveillance programs are still working,” replied Tlorthh “even if we are a bit tied up, they are attempting to seek out a gateway fixed or temporary to your dimension. Or just possibly a dial up gateway.”
“A dial up gateway?” I enquired.
“If you find one of those you’ve hit the jackpot,” Tlorthh responded “they are rare but you can dial up almost any of the known dimensions if you find one and know how to operate it.”
“And you know how to?” interjected Joy.
Tlorthh just nodded. For someone who professed that his own dimension would reject us outright his nod seemed very human.
“The problem is,” said Tlorthh “that if you are too long in some dimensions, this one included, the locals combine together to seek you out and eradicate you. Much as the anti-bodies in one of your human bodies will seek out and eradicate infections. It’s as if the entire dimension has decried your existence. Unfortunately and as you are starting to discover at first hand this dimension contains some formidable locals”
Almost making a lie of Tlorthh’s claim we then enjoyed a short period with no attacks on us. Or at least none that were obvious. It left us free to more closely follow and interact with the surveillance programs. Still there was no indication of any kind of dimensional gateway that would take us to Earth.
It wasn’t until then that Tlorthh told us about the Drorne.
“An ancient race, they didn’t create the dimensional gateways, but for a time millennia ago they policed them. Even after they stopped directly policing them the Drorne left stations in each dimension. Way stations, if you will, containing shelter, temporary accommodations, and survival equipment and arms. Also, quite importantly, Drorne stations may sometimes contain information about the location of dimension gateways. Especially fixed gateways.”
“Why didn’t you tell us of this before,” I asked, surprised.
Tlorthh came up with a very human shrug but said nothing. I rather suspected it might be a pride thing that one such as he shouldn’t need the help of the Drorne or rather a Drorne installation. This mighty alien from another dimension was beginning to seem more and more like us humans all the time even reminding me just a little of someone I had once known.
“Where is the Drorne station in this dimension?” I asked “shouldn’t it be obvious, shouldn’t you have known from your arrival?”
“It should,” he replied ‘it’s here somewhere but appears to be shielded. I’m thinking that this is ultimately such a dangerous dimension that it has been necessary for the Drorne station here to shield itself to prevent it being subjected to direct at
tack from the locals.” “That’s encouraging!” offered Joy.
Just about then the attacks on us were renewed with a fervour. We were passing a very large body of liquid analysed as analogous to water. Though not identical and with some peculiarities Tlorthh’s programs couldn’t quite fathom.
We were at a reasonable altitude but obviously not enough as we came under attack from an armada of creatures from the sea/ocean below. They reminded me of nothing so much as a very large cross between a flying fish and a piranha.
Even as we attempted to gain altitude something vaguely like an anaconda size electric eel seemed to almost teleshunt out of the liquid and wrap itself around us. Hitting us with unheard of voltages of electricity.
The shields of Tlorthh’s craft were able to cope with both attacks but before we could gain any more altitude the vast liquid ocean below came alive and rose up at us at lightning speed. The vast volume of liquid held its shape – that of a huge fist – alien rather than human - and grasped us.
The liquid first super heated at a temperature far above the boiling point of water then when this had no effect on us it froze and the giant fist held us in a block frozen at something far below the freezing point of water. In fact Tlorthh’s instruments suggested it was something closer to absolute zero. We were completely smothered in an immense thickness of the intensely cold alien liquid. Still it held its fist like shape and still it held its abysmally low temperature. Caught in that vice like near absolute zero grip we were totally immobile. Only the craft’s shields working at full stretch kept us from succumbing. Yet it seemed only a question of time before we did succumb
I was certainly grateful that we were on Tlorthh’s craft and not something of Earth manufacture. Even so the shields and all internal systems of the craft were struggling as the cold inevitably crept through to us
“It’s getting colder outside,” said Tlorthh.
“How can that be?” enquired Joy “we are already close to absolute zero?”
“This is another dimension to either yours or mine,” replied Tlorthh. “Some of the laws applicable to your dimension do not apply here.” As if I needed any reminding I thought.
It looked as if we were gone. I didn’t blame Tlorthh. I’ve no doubt that he and his rescue/recovery vehicle were normally quite up to the task – there just seemed to be something about this dimension. It was just too tough, too hard on outsiders. I also had the nasty feeling that we hadn’t seen anything like all of the locals yet. Something Tlorthh said and some references in his ship’s programs to several of the more dangerous entities that we may yet come across.
Then just as I had those thoughts we were whisked away somewhere. Away from the locals and inside a building of some kind. Though minus Tlorthh’s craft.
“What happened,” yelped Joy looking dazed. I echoed her sentiments.
“We are inside the Drorne station,” Tlorthh explained knowingly.
We took stock of the room or area in which we found ourselves. Apart from the fact that it appeared to cater for a variety of sizes and shapes it was hard to fathom its actual purpose.
“Congregation, relaxation, leisure, contemplation,” offered Tlorthh with no degree of confidence.
“I think you are just guessing,” I chided him.
“Well,” he replied “they say all Drorne stations are different and this one certainly is.”
“Regrettably this station is coming to the end of its useful life,” a voice from somewhere in the building interrupted us. It seemed distant and echoing. We had already divined that the Drorne station comprised a number of levels and the voice could possibly have come from above or below us.
We looked for a hologram somewhere or perhaps a robot, or android, or even a cyborg. There were none of these on any level of the Drorne station. Then Tlorthh pointed to a large recessed area on the same level as where we had come in. I found it hard to judge how far the recess ran back though it seemed further than the apparent external dimensions of this station would have suggested. Towards the back of it sat what looked like a rather chunky control set up of some kind. It was dark back in the recess and hard to get a really good look into it.
“The communication is from that - from the main computer in this station,” offered Tlorthh he sounded confident. “It appears to be in a fixed position and for some reason is not projecting holograms.” Somehow that made it all a little less personal for me. For some strange reason I would have preferred to be dealing with a droid or even a hologram.
“The entities that occupy this dimension have, in more recent times, steadily eroded this station’s capabilities but we are still able to offer a service,” the echoing artificial voice continued.
Then to our totally surprise the Drorne computer changed its shape and moved close up to us. We had all thought it to be in a fixed position and not mobile at all. It looked dark, bulky and ugly. The closer it got the darker, bulkier and uglier it looked. It didn’t seem like something that might be on our side. Even as it further changed shape it was still inevitably dark, bulky and ugly.
The ‘thing” took us on a tour of the Drorne facility. Not wasting any great amount of time it got down to brass tacks showing us a lower level still well stocked with advanced light armour, weapons and transport that might help us in negotiating this most inhospitable dimension. We opted for what Tlorthh considered the cream of the equipment and weaponry before us. Light armour suits that flowed over us to exactly meet our different sizes. Armour that our senses were so attuned to that it was as if it were part of our own bodies. Aspects of the armour gave us heightened senses. To see far over the horizon deep into the ground and high into the atmosphere of this abominable dimension. Though ultimately something up there blocked us seeing out into space. If there was a space.
Tlorthh opted for three individual craft that the mobile chunky computer described as pursuit craft. They seemed like fully covered extra large electro magnetic motor cycles. “Ultra fast with tele-shunt, short teleport, and fantastic manoeuvrability,” said Tlorthh. “Advance shield technology and impressive weaponry. If one fails there is room for two or even all three of us on just one of these craft.”
I wondered if the craft were originally built with something else in mind. I mean they may be described as pursuit craft but I was pretty sure that we definitely weren’t in a position to do any pursuing hereabouts. That we were still going to be the ones who were being pursued once we left the Drorne station. “Pursued” craft might be more appropriate to describe how we were going to use them now.
There was a lot of formidable weaponry both on the individual pursuit craft and also built into our armour. Even so Tlorthh opted for several other weapons. “Anti-matter particle weaponry, molecular disruptors, and just sub nuclear rip saw weaponry,” he continued. “Just a little extra for us - It’ll do.”
“Are you satisfied with what you have procured?” asked the dark blocky computer “I can make recommendations for additional acquisitions.”
Tlorthh was almost dismissive. “We don’t mean to sound ungrateful but if you could point us to a dimension gateway one that would get us directly or moderately indirectly to the Earth dimension where these humans belong.”
The computer’s response was only partially satisfactory. It explained that the various powerful denizens of this dimension had taken over complete control of the three permanent dimension gateways on this world. That they were probably not an option.
It brought up a 3D map of the gateways in this dimension. Similar to what Tlorthh had produced earlier. Except that two particular pathways were lit up. “Either of these two will take you to the Earth dimension– what you see is a projected near future path of these two migratory temporary gateways. That should enable you to get ahead of the projected path of one or other of the gateways and enter at a convenient point.”
“What happens here?” Joy pointed to coordinates at the edge of the 3 D map “and here,” pointing to another set of coordinates also
at the edge of the 3D map.
“The current two migratory gateways to the Earth dimension are lost, effectively disappearing off this dimension. More may appear but it is not possible to say when.”
We considered a quick raid on one of the permanent gateways. The computer pointed out their locations but they were so well screened we couldn’t tell how protected they were. “I don’t think it’s possible,” concluded Tlorthh.
I realised that the computer could in fact have come with us though I’m glad that it didn’t. For all its knowledge and obvious intelligence and the obvious value it could be to us I wasn’t comfortable in its presence at all. Also I think somehow this AI entity “sensed” my discomfort.
“When we leave here follow me very closely,” instructed Tlorthh. “Do exactly as I do.”
It was to prove much easier to do than either I or Joy imagined. Just as the light armour was virtually an extension of us so to was the pursuit vessel. Linked to us via the armours link to it. Though apparently awesomely complex pieces of machinery the pursuit vessels were a delight to fly.
We left the Drorne station courtesy of a teleport boost from the facility positioning us on the other side of this world/dimension. I estimate it gave us about 15 seconds that we otherwise wouldn’t have had. That was all.
Then this dimension hit us with something new again. Already the land and the liquid ocean had attacked us – now the very atmosphere contrived to stop us in unique ways. We were surrounded by an absolutely total vacuum followed by a hugely buffeting air mass then a series of short burst horrendous super storms. That was just for starters.
I don’t pretend to know how but the autonomous defences of the Drorne pursuit vessels overcame all of this adversity and we pressed on.
Tlorthh followed the map showing the dimensional gateways and as we got closer in spite of the opposition – he moved back behind us to cover our rear.
A Collection of Science Fiction Gems Page 13