»Hayes is here on Mars?« he asked.
»Not exactly … he’s in Mars orbit. I detected his ship’s signature and I am following it with my scanners. Would you like to talk to Hayes?« Nautilus asked. »I can establish a secure connection if you wish.«
»Damned right I do!« Arkroid replied and waited, while he and Vasina looked for a safe location, away from enraged people on the promenade. People who feared for their lives were capable of anything … even murder!
Arkroid listened to the signal as it crackled briefly in his comm-device.
»This is Admiral Hayes, Supreme Commander of the Solar Union Fleet and Representative Leader of the Solar Union Marshall Law Government!«
Arkroid didn’t believe his ears.
»Is that you, Hayes?« he asked.
»So, it’s true what the media’s reporting,« Hayes replied, not answering Arkroid’s question, »you came back and brought an extraterrestrial with you to Mars? I expected more brains from you, Arkroid! You’ve endangered the lives of all the colonists, exposing them to a deadly virus. You’re responsible for the deaths of thousands of people!«
Arkroid grimaced.
What? Is Hayes out of his mind?
Hayes’ accusations hit Arkroid like a meteor swarm. He had to force himself to remain calm.
»While I’ve got you here, Hayes … where is the medical support for the colonists? The Mars administration has collapsed. We’re not dealing with an epidemic … it’s an unknown biological agent. You have to act before more people die!«
»You will immediately cease the transmission of your messages!« Hayes barked back angrily. »Or I’ll take appropriate measures to stop you and to prevent panic and hysteria in the system!« Hayes threatened.
Arkroid looked at Vasina.
»What was that you called yourself … Representative Leader of the Solar Union Martial Law Government? What the hell is that, Hayes?«
»I have assumed the supreme command over the Union Fleet and declared Martial Law in Humanity’s interest! While you were destroying our most important colony on Mars, other things have happened in the system, Arkroid!«
»… such as?« Arkroid wanted to know, ignoring Hayes’ accusation.
»Extraterrestrial forces attacked the Union Government – most members of parliament died in the bombing! The shipyards on Luna were destroyed, and the orbital space dock with the captured Globuster ship. Uluru was also effectively eliminated!«
»Eliminated?« Arkroid asked in shock.
»That’s right, Arkroid! Humanity is facing her greatest crisis, while you … you’re collaborating with the enemy! I am relieving you of your responsibilities, effective immediately! Stop the transmissions! Your actions are being perceived as high treason!«
»Stop it, Hayes … just stop it! You haven’t got the authority to relieve me. I’m a member of parliament and as much your equal as Nok Daralamai on Triton. Declaring yourself as Representative Leader of the Solar Union Martial Law Government is against the constitution. In case the parliament is defunct, the Senate will take over, not a totalitarian, Hayes!«
»Nok Daralamai will die with her Triton Base! Our long range scanners have detected a Globuster lens heading for the Neptune system! I don’t have to spell out what that means! You, Arkroid, are out of the picture! I cannot allow you out of the quarantined sector. You have three minutes to cease the transmissions or else!« Hayes warned.
»… or else, what?« Arkroid butted in. »Hayes, you’ve gone completely mad!«
Arkroid cut the comm-link.
»Vasina,« Arkroid addressed her seriously, »there won’t be any help coming! Hayes has gone nuts, he’s planning a coup. We need to tell Paafnas and Fosset. Hayes is abandoning this colony and leaving these people helpless. He’s lost sight of the big picture, and he’s only making matters worse!«
We’re safe now
Lyla Koschwitz looked around nervously. She imagined shadows in the diffuse light. She forced herself to get a grip and subdue her panic. She shook Teun’s shoulders.
»This can’t be happening. How could the Globuster get to this level? He’d have to get through the security systems – how could he even enter the codes? There’s more to it than just stepping into a lift.«
»Someone helped him, Lyla … he’s here, and coming closer …,« van Velzen groaned. »I can feel his aura! Lyla, I want you to get out of here while there’s time! Go, please …«
Lyla tugged him along with all her strength.
»We didn’t go through all this pain so you can give up now, van Velzen!« she shouted at him. »Get up and come with me!«
Van Velzen struggled to his feet but his legs gave in. He collapsed in front of her, overcome again by the Globuster’s bio-electric field.
»Run … fast …,« his voice became scratchy.
They heard scraping sounds from the end of a side corridor. The beast was closing in fast. Lyla realized that they had no chance to evade an encounter. The Globuster had homed in on van Velzen!
Damnit, he’s like a hunting dog!
She looked for a sharp piece of metal or an iron rod in the debris strewn about the corridor. She found a couple of sharp-edged, elongated metal pieces and positioned herself in front of van Velzen to protect him.
»No … don’t!« van Velzen protested.
Suddenly, the Globuster appeared in the corridor and halted. Strangely, he didn’t seem as horrible as she’d always thought. Still, the Globuster’s appearance was breathtaking.
Their hopeless situation gave her the strength not to be paralyzed at the sight of him. She knew that he looked clumsy, but the Globuster was as fast as a cheetah.
Lyla took aim and hurled the sharp metal piece at the beast. It hit the Globuster’s head with no apparent effect. It didn’t seem to her that the beast had felt a thing. Enraged, she threw a second metal spear at him.
»You won’t get him, you bastard!« she screamed at the Globuster. She tore an iron reinforcement bar from the damaged wall beside her and pointed the makeshift weapon like a lance, waiting for the beast to attack.
The Globuster’s ice-cold eyes focused on her, his muscles tensed and he ran like a bullet train at her and the defenseless van Velzen.
»GET DOWN! NOW!« she heard a loud command from behind her. She reacted instinctively, throwing herself to the floor. Falling, she heard several projectiles whistling over her head and impacting on the Globuster’s body. The three grenades exploded with a dull sound. The attacker stopped in his tracks as if hit by lightning. She crawled toward van Velzen while somebody behind her yelled orders. To her left and right, two men assumed positions with clumsy looking weapons in their hands, targeting the Globuster. The beast was still twitching from their first shots when the two men fired again. A bright explosion marked the end of the Globuster.
Lyla felt a strong hand on her left arm, pulling her up.
»Ma’am, are you alright?« the man asked, looking into her eyes.
Lyla looked around like she was in a trance. She couldn’t believe her luck.
»Uluru security detail, Ma’am – Captain O’Neil!« one of the men introduced himself. »We were sent by Oodergoo after the explosions inside the IT center to look for survivors. Looks as if we barely arrived in time.«
A paramedic attended to van Velzen and injected a stabilizing medication.
»Got to get him to sick bay!« the medic announced and ordered a stretcher via his wrist-comm.
»The other Globs?« Lyla whispered.
»Eliminated,« Captain O’Neil replied. »Unfortunately, we didn’t save all of your colleagues. At least you’re safe now.««
Lyla watched them strap van Velzen to a stretcher and prepare to transport him to sick bay.
»The Globs had helpers … saboteurs among us!«
O’Neil nodded and spoke mutedly into his wrist-comm
Lyla followed the medical team and the stretcher.
»Everything will be alright, Teun,« she whispered. She ran her ha
nd through his wet hair. »We’re safe now!«
Let’s get on it
»The Destiny has just fired a missile at Marsport,« Nautilus announced.
Arkroid twitched at the message.
»At the colony? What is Hayes thinking? He’s risking thousands of lives! He must have gone insane trying to silence radio transmission!« Arkroid raged.
»Do you want me to disintegrate the missile, or establish a defense shield over the colony?« Nautilus asked.
Arkroid considered. It was not against the cosmic moral code to protect the ship and people who were facing annihilation.
»Disintegrate!« he commanded.
A bright explosion in space indicated that the missile had been destroyed. The light was bright enough to be seen in daylight by the naked eye on Mars. People unaffected by the virus looked to the sky, wondering what was happening. The sight only added to their despair.
»How close did the missile come?« Arkroid asked worriedly.
»Not close at all. I converted it to photon energy in space. Is that acceptable?« Nautilus replied.
Arkroid smiled thankfully.
»Nothing wrong with it. Please repeat if there’s another one,« Arkroid recommended.
»My pleasure, Toiber. By the way: Paafnas and Fosset have just arrived. I would like you to be present too; I’ve almost completed my analysis of the virus. Do you want me to continue sending the message?«
Vasina gave Arkroid a thumb up as she heard the message, a gesture she’d picked up from Pi.
»Definitely. Hayes can’t intimidate us. We need to let people know what’s happening on Mars.«
On their way to Marsport they encountered crowds of panicky people as well as more dead. Arkroid realized he would never forget those images. Some people seemed to have a natural resistance to the disease while others died quickly. It wouldn’t be long, though, before all the colonists, even those who showed initial resistance, succumbed to the virus.
As Vasina and Arkroid reached the Techno-Ferry, they were enveloped in a green shimmering energy field and suspended from the ground.
»What’s this, Nautilus?« Arkroid asked.
»I have identified the disease. I must insist that none of these dangerous particles enter my atmosphere. Decontamination is absolutely necessary, despite Scorge’s decon chips.«
Arkroid’s hearing was suddenly assaulted by very high frequency sounds.
»What’s that noise?« he inquired with a grimace.
»I’m attempting to eliminate the agent still clinging to you,« the Techno-Ferry told him. »It is a crystalline spore type – converted and adapted from the crystal intelligence. The substance must have separated from McCord when he died in order to replicate this rapidly. It evolved into a deadly toxic substance. The infected people die quickly, and their bodies serve as carriers after their death. In rare cases where the replication was more successful, their bodies reanimate … like McCord.«
»The zombies we heard about!« Vasina remarked.
»Humans changed into a crystalline form of life!« Arkroid summarized.
»Yes, Toiber,« Nautilus acknowledged. »Regrettably, we cannot help the deceased or infected – their central nervous systems and their metabolisms are damaged beyond repair.«
»Can you develop an immunization?« Vasina inquired. »We need to stop the agent from spreading further to protect the healthy people.«
»I’ve tried several simulations and have found one that seems promising,« the Techno-Ferry replied. »You would probably call it music …«
Arkroid and Vasina were lifted into the ship’s hangar by a transport field, and passed through a second decon field. They saw that Nautilus had changed its shape from a Hawk into a gigantic metal droplet.
Paafnas and Fosset were waiting for them in the control central.
»Music?« Arkroid asked wonderingly.
»Exactly! The crystalline microstructures can be agitated by ultra-sound so that they oscillate, and then the spores destroy themselves at a certain frequency. They simply burst.«
The team looked at each other.
»Then we have a real chance!« Arkroid exclaimed. »Let’s get on it!«
It’s a Human
The Globuster lens seemed unable to correct its speed or flight path. Ground forces had already assembled around the projected impact site, at a safe distance. Triton Base could only simulate the impact, but they assumed that the ship would be destroyed.
»If it doesn’t decelerate soon, it’ll vaporize on impact! I hope the ground forces are ready to receive a virtual bomb!« Pi warned.
»I’ve alerted the troops, Pi,« Nok Daralamai replied. »Anyway, it’s already too late. We’ll have to see what happens!«
The lens entered Triton’s gravitational field, while the Hawk interceptors scrambled to safety as ordered by Nok. In the meantime, Triton base was sealed and a state of emergency declared. Nobody knew what would happen when the ship hit Triton’s surface.
»Altitude: 10,000 meters, coming down fast!« a Hawk pilot announced. Suddenly, the Globuster lens initiated evasive actions.
»Attention! Globuster ship is trying to regain stability, but doesn’t appear able to reduce speed fast enough … impact in a couple of seconds!« the pilot announced.
The command central crew watched, hushed, as the ship impacted. A huge fountain of dust and rock debris plumed into Triton’s dark sky. It must have hit hard, but it didn’t look very spectacular. It would have been different on Earth. The ship would have come down, breaking the sound barrier with a trail of ionized gases … not on Triton. The lack of atmosphere silenced the explosion.
The ground forces felt no more than a strong jolt as the ship hit the ground. Tremor waves expanded from the impact site in a circle. A couple of minutes later, after the dust had cleared and the debris had fallen back to the surface, the first observations were received in the command central. Nok Daralamai watched the event on her central holo, aided by information from a comm-satellite in orbit around Triton.
»The lens hit with the smaller edge! It’s lying at an angle of about 40 degrees. Cut through the rock like a knife through butter!« an officer reported excitedly. »The ship seems intact, although the outer hull seems torn from front to end. I’ve never seen anything like it! The ship should have disintegrated completely!«
Nok Daralamai signaled the mission commander who was leading the ground forces from the command central.
»Have them check the area for radiation! If the area is clear, proceed as planned. I want to be sure that the Globuster didn’t survive the impact. Show me his corpse or I won’t sleep tonight!«
The commander acknowledged and relayed the orders to the ground forces.
The heavily armed groups advanced toward the ship from different directions. They reported independently that a glowing fire was raging inside the ship. The ship seemed to have suffered heavier damages than the outside hull crack suggested.
A warning cry from one of the soldiers made Nok transfer his helmet camera pictures onto the tactical holo. The teams had come very close to the ship, and a small oval opening formed in the hull.
Bright light came from the opening, limning a silhouette.
»Daralamai to ground forces: I repeat my orders: Eliminate the Globuster! Fire at will and use your Globuster fists!«
A surprised scream and loud voices came from the speakers; everybody was talking and yelling at the same time.
»Radio discipline!« Nok overrode. »What’s happening out there? Captain Winslow, report! Did you kill that beast?«
Silence on the comm-frequency until Captain Winslow cleared his throat.
»Ma’am, the pilot has escaped the damaged ship!« he reported in a scratchy voice.
»Is the Globuster wounded?« Nok inquired impatiently.
»It’s not a Globuster!« the officer replied. »It’s a Human! He seems unharmed and … he’s butt-naked! It’s a man, in the buff, and he’s walking toward us without a spacesuit!«
Nok Daralamai paled, leaned back in her command seat and wiped her right hand over her eyes.
She would have expected anything but this.
In safety
Teun van Velzen awoke, blinked and saw the smile on his lover’s face and her red lips. Her eyes were sparkling with happiness and relief. Standing beside her at Teun’s bedside was the less lovely but no less welcome figure of Banduk Oodergoo, looking worried.
»Welcome back to the living, Teun van Velzen,« he greeted. »I’m glad you survived the Globuster’s mental abuse.«
»Me too, though I’d just as soon have done without it,« Teun replied in a raspy voice. »I don’t ever want to go through that again.«
»Security forces killed your Globuster at the last moment. The other two were taken down first. Lyla told us you were somehow connected with the Globuster. Can you explain how?«
»I don’t know … I can’t explain it,« van Velzen tried to clarify but his voice cracked.
»Get some rest,« Oodergoo advised. One of his security team interrupted with a whispered message.
Oodergoo glanced between van Velzen and Lyla. »I’ve just learned that our calls for help have finally been heard. We’ve established sporadic contacts with the outside world by re-routing one of our old telephone lines. It wasn’t easy; all the emergency land lines were dead! Union soldiers have arrived and are working to free us. They’re removing the airlocks by force to gain access to the station. Nobody knew what was going on inside Uluru until now. That is at least one question I intend to raise to the Union Government, since our emergency-comm channels were blocked! We’ll have to re-think our emergency procedures and set up better backup plans.«
Oodergoo looked briefly at the floor, deep in thought.
»We’ve lost too many good people and a lot of equipment and some irreplaceable scientific data, as well. We may have to start from scratch in some areas.«
»There were people working behind the scenes to increase the chaos,« van Velzen added. »The Globusters reacted to the tachyon impulse, but that wasn’t all. Saboteurs made everything worse. I’ve seen the person responsible for the destruction of the IT Center on Level 19!«
NEBULAR Collection 3 - Morgotradon: Episodes 12 - 16 Page 28