Mission Critical

by T. R. Harris

  “I must warn you,” Adam began, “this station has formidable defenses, both exterior and interior. Don’t try anything sneaky or you’ll pay for it.”

  The alien stretched out a thin smile. “We will do nothing sneaky.”

  Twenty minutes later the Gracilian starships were in the landing bay, with Kaylor guiding their two guests to a large meeting room near the bridge. Jym had hurriedly turned up the lighting in the main corridor and poured heat into the conference room. They didn’t want the aliens to see how little of the Klin ship was powered. That would show them just how desperate Adam and the others were for money.

  The Gracilians were taller than Humans—as were most aliens—and probably from a lower gravity world than Earth. Adam kept the gravity in the station at Juirean standard—about three-quarters that of the Earth—for the comfort of his two alien companions. When required, he would jack up the gravity in another section of the spaceship and spend a few days there so his muscles wouldn’t atrophy.

  His guests took seats at the table.

  They said their names were Volic Nusin and Kandor Nic, and when Adam went to introduce Jym and Kaylor, Volic interrupted.

  “Oh, we know who you are. You are the famous Belsonian Kaylor Linn Todd and the Fulquin Jym. I do not believe we have ever known your last name.”

  “It is often mispronounced so I do not state it.”

  “Understandable. Even so, the two of you are well-known throughout the galaxy for your exploits with Adam Cain and his Humans. It is an honor to meet you in person.”

  “May I offer you something to drink?” Adam asked, hoping to tamp down some of the bullshit circulating in the room. The aliens were going overboard trying to win Adam and the others to their favor. This sent the alert meter on the back of Adam’s neck to Defcon-1. But for ten thousand credits, he would be on his best behavior, at least for the moment.

  “Water would be welcome,” said the lead alien, Volic, “as long as no additives are within.”

  Adam met Kaylor at the processor along the wall. “Does Klin water have any additives in it?” he whispered to this Belsonian companion. Kaylor shrugged.

  Adam brought two glasses of water to the table.

  “Okay, so what’s this all about?” he asked.

  “First of all, I must tell you we have researched your activities as a fugitive recovery agent and are quite impressed. In the short time you have been pursuing this endeavor you have had phenomenal—almost miraculous—success.”

  Adam cast a quick glance at Jym. They couldn’t possible know what the Klin computers were doing, could they?

  “We’ve been lucky,” Adam said.

  “I would attribute it more to skill, Mr. Adam. Throughout your tenure in the affairs of the galaxy you have shown remarkable ability, and within a variety of fields. This one is no different.”

  Adam gave the alien a thin smirk. They were flattering him. That wasn’t necessary. You had me at ten thousand credits.

  “So you need us to find someone?” he asked pointedly, trying to hurry things along.

  The two aliens exchanged looks. “That is true. But first let us give you the details.” Volic reached in his pocket and removed a small grey cube about two inches square. “Do you know what this is?”

  Adam looked at the object resting on the table. “A rather plain looking paperweight?”

  The alien frowned. “Before embarking on our journey, we uploaded much Human scientific terminology into our translators, but I am at a loss as to the reference.”

  “Sorry, I was trying to be funny.”

  The aliens stared at him.

  “So, what is it?”

  Volic looked down at the innocuous cube. “That, Mr. Adam, is dark matter.”

  Jym leaned forward, looking closer at the object. “Forgive, but I am familiar with the theory of dark matter,” he began. “It is an unknown particle which accounts for ninety-five percent of the mass of the universe. It is also undetectable, hence the term dark matter. It is invisible, yet this we can see. This cannot be dark matter.”

  “Let me rephrase my statement, Mr. Jym,” said Volic. “This is a containment mold for dark matter. We estimate there is a pair of oppositely-charged particles within the cube, held in suspension.”

  “Is that possible?” Jym asked.

  “Quite possible…and true. Let me explain further for those less-informed than you.”

  Adam winced. Did Volic just call him dumb?

  “You are correct, dark matter is believed to comprise the vast majority of mass in the universe, and has played a vital role in the formation of all that is around us, as I will detail. In the early universe, radiation dominated, preventing normal matter, such as electrons and protons, to form into more complex structures. Yet dark matter is unaffected by radiation, only succumbing to the effects of gravity. In fact, dark matter is gravity in its purest form, and as such, it was able to form anomalies within the fabric of the early universe—dents would be a good analogy. These dents allowed subatomic particles to cluster and form into structures that would eventually become atoms, stars, galaxies…and even us. So you see, if it were not for dark matter, the universe as we know it would not exist.”

  Adam thought about the ten thousand credits waiting at the end of the lecture. That was the only thing that kept him from yawning.

  “So you’ve learned how to capture dark matter. What good is it?”

  “An excellent question, Mr. Adam. Let me demonstrate.”

  Volic took the cube and moved it close to the glass of water. The surface of the liquid began to vibrate, causing concentric circles to radiate out from the center. “Dark matter affects gravity, even a small quantity such as this. Also…”

  The second Gracilian removed a metal apparatus from his satchel. It was a short rail with holders placed at each end and a tube running between them. The holders couldn’t be more than an inch apart. Volic placed his cube in the holder at one end and a second cube Kandor gave him in the other. He took a remote control device in his hand and leaned back in his chair. He worked the controls. The movement of the two holders was barely noticeable, but as they came closer, the overhead lighting grew brighter.

  “What I have here is a dark matter generator. The cubes are oriented in such a way that a negatively charged particle along one face is aligned with a positively charged particle in the other cube. As they draw closer, the particles attract, drawing in energy from the surrounding ether. The dark matter does not radiate energy, instead it consolidates it. The electric field surrounding the wires in the light absorbs this energy and helps power the effect. To further explain, if I allowed the two cubes to come in contact with each other, the amount of energy that could be siphoned off would be enough to power this entire station indefinitely. And only nine such cubes, in a particular arrangement, could power a planet.”

  Jym snapped his mouth closed, having let it fall open during Volic’s speech. “If this true, then you are to be congratulated. You have found an unlimited source of energy and in compact form. Your technology is beyond revolutionary.”

  “Your enthusiasm should be tempered, Mr. Jym. As you know, such a discovery will cause numerous industries to collapse and economies to fail.”

  “That has happened with all great inventions,” Kaylor stated, joining the conversation. “Eventually societies adapt to the new economy.”

  Jym waved him off. “I am still in awe of your achievement. How did you do it?”

  The aliens looked at each other again, this time with tiny frowns on their dark foreheads. “That is the issue,” Volic said. “We did not develop this technology…we found it.” Before the others could react, Volic looked Adam in the eye. “In the Zaniff asteroid field within the Cadonic system.”

  Adam’s stomach turned to knots.

  “Is that not where the Aris service module was found?” Jym asked Adam, much to his chagrin. Knowledge of the Aris was not universally known, and now Jym had just blurted it out in front
of the Gracilians.

  Volic noticed Adam’s reaction.

  “Please, Mr. Adam, have no distress. We have known of the Aris for some time. Since the first artifact was found, there has been a veritable rush to the asteroid field in search of other remains. Most have been pieces of buildings or furniture, along with a several modules, including two more of the metallic orbs. All these objects are highly prized by both researchers and collectors alike. We have also deciphered some of the language of the ancients, knowing they were called Aris and that they went extinct three billion years ago.”

  Adam begged to differ with the alien; he knew better about the date of their so-called extinction. But he kept quiet.

  “It was the Aris who developed this technology?” Kaylor asked.

  “Yes, Mr. Kaylor. We found within the remains of their shattered homeworld direct evidence that the Aris had learned to harness dark matter to power their society. The ancient beings had evolved to such a point that they survived on pure energy, and dark matter was the source.”

  “You said direct evidence,” Adam said. “What evidence?”

  Volic laughed. “Even before this great discovery, the evidence was right before our eyes—and yours, too, Mr. Adam.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You recall the original artifact, the metallic orb found in a three-billion-year-old section of wall upon the asteroid? You should—you and your associate Riyad Tarazi stole it from us.”

  “We were forced to…to save our friends Kaylor and Jym.”

  “That is beside the point. What I wish to say is that we had a chance to study the orb before you took it. Do you know the purpose of the device?”

  “It was a personal service module for the Aris, providing them with energy, which they took in directly.”

  Volic was impressed. “That is correct, yet I wonder how you know the details?”

  Adam debated telling the alien that the orb possessed an advanced form of artificial intelligence…and that it could speak. It also had a name: Zee. He decided to remain quiet and let the Gracilians reveal what they knew. He didn’t have to wait long.

  “Regardless, within the orb we found a pair of wafers and studied the energy signature they produced. This data was retained, and when we compared it to the containment cubes we found, we detected the same signature. Did you ever wonder how the artifact produced the energy it did? It was through the use of dark matter particles within the unit. So you, Mr. Adam, once held a dark matter generator in your hands and did not even know it. And where is this orb now, may I ask?

  Adam nodded. “My daughter has it.”

  Volic and the other Gracilian widen their brow-less eyes. “Ah yes, your mutant offspring Lila, the product of an interspecies union between you and the Formilian Arieel Bol. Does she not absorb energy directly as a means of survival?”

  “That’s right.” Lila was well-known throughout the galaxy, having ruled it for a period a few years back.

  “And this orb supplies her with this energy, just as it did the ancient Aris?”

  “Sometimes.”

  “Interesting….” Volic continued with his story. “Recently, searchers within the asteroid field found a new device, an object four kol square by two in thickness.” Adam knew a kol was about a foot in Juirean measurement. “We acquired the unit, which was encrusted in ancient lava from the moment the Aris world was destroyed. It was brought to our research facility and freed of the encasing stone. Along its outer shell we found holders for sixty of the containment cubes. It was further discovered that as a cube was removed, another would take its place within a few standard days.”

  “A dark matter collector?” Jym asked.

  “Yes, and still functioning after three billion years.”

  “So you not only have some of these cubes, but you have the means to create more. Incredible,” Jym said. “So when does this new energy technology become available?”

  The alien turned serious. “That is a more complicated subject, Mr. Jym; however, unknown to us, knowledge of our discovery filtered to other parties. We received an unsolicited offer to purchase the unit from the Maris-Kliss organization.”

  “Why would a weapons manufacturer want an energy generator?” Adam asked.

  “It is simple. We believe that if a single pair of dark matter particles was to be placed in a thread-shaped containment holder not more than half an inch apart, it would serve as a constantly charging battery for one of MKs ubiquitous energy weapons.”

  “A permanent power source providing an unlimited number of flash bolts.” Adam concluded.

  “Precisely, Mr. Adam.”

  “I can see why they’d be interested. The offer must have been substantial.”

  “Shocking and beyond comprehension.”

  “So what did you do? Did you sell it to them?”

  “No we did not.”

  Adam grinned. “Not enough credits?”

  Volic’s face turned to stone. “We do not care for credits, Mr. Adam. We are Gracilians; we exist only to search for answers to the mysteries of the galaxy. We rejected the offer.”

  “Why?” Kaylor asked. “This is incredible technology, not only as batteries for flash weapons, but so much more. You have to release it to the galaxy.”

  Volic calmed down. “I am afraid you do not have all the facts, Mr. Kaylor. There is more you do not know.”

  “Then please tell us.”

  Yeah, please do, Adam thought. This was taking way too long to get to the point—and his ten thousand credits.

  Volic removed one of the cubes from it holder and slid the apparatus to his mute associate. The other Gracilian placed the second cube safely into the satchel.

  “The material used in the containment cubes is made of an unknown substance, produced within the dark matter collector—a device we call the DMC. Your translator will convert our words to use your own initials. The particles are placed within at a safe distance from one another. And safe is the operable word. Do you know what would happen if the particles were allowed to meet?”

  “I would imagine some sort of annihilation event,” Jym offered.

  Volic absolutely beamed at the small bear-like being. “Indeed, Mr. Jym! That is the same term we use: an annihilation event.”

  “How big of an event?” Adam asked, now worried that the aliens had brought a potential bomb aboard his ship.

  Volic held up the cube, looking at it with dreamy eyes. “If these particles came together, half this station would disappear.”

  “Disappear…not explode?” Jym asked.

  “What would be created is a unique version of a singularity, similar as those created in gravity drives. It would be short-lived, and once the particles have merged, the fabric of the surrounding space would return to normal, once the void is filled.”

  “Explain,” Adam demanded, shaking his head.

  Volic stretched out a thin grin, looking at Adam as if he was a child who just asked a stupid question. “You are aware how gravity drives work, are you not Mr. Adam?”

  “Of course I am. But that wasn’t the question.”

  Volic nodded. “Of course it wasn’t. What happens during the annihilation event is a volume of space in the shape of a sphere is removed, to where we can only speculate. Into this void, surrounding space is drawn in. Even though only a small section of the station would be initially affected, half of it would crash into the center of the void. This, of course, would destroy the structural integrity of the rest of the station, causing even more damage. It would have a catastrophic event.”

  Volic set the cube back on the table, a little too heavily for Adam’s liking. The damn thing was a bomb.

  “Fortunately, the containment material is very durable, yet it can be breached. We discovered this while experimenting with a cube at one of our facilities. From that incident we extrapolated the exponential effects of multiple cubes being involved in a critical mass event. As I mentioned earlier, nine arranged cubes could power
a planet. But if only one cube was breached, it would set off a chain reaction annihilation event that would destroy the planet. As you ponder that, imagine trillions of flash weapons and the possibility of a breach occurring. That, Mr. Adam, is why we did not sell the technology to Maris-Kliss.”

  Jym was looking away at a wall in the room, his eyes wide and intense. He turned back to the Gracilians. “You mentioned the collector—the DMC—had holders for sixty of these cubes, and that the device is producing even more?”

  “That is correct. All holders are filled, or will be within two days of cubes being removed.”

  “What if a cube on the DMC ruptured? What kind of annihilation event would that create?”

  Volic turned somber and serious. “An event such as that would produce a singularity large enough to impact a tenth of the galaxy. In addition, the supermassive black hole at the galactic core would be drawn in and the combined gravitational influence of both would disrupt the balance of forces operating in this region of the universe. Over time, the galaxy as we know it would cease to exist.”

  “All from a machine about the size of a large suitcase?” Adam asked, stunned, yet still not convinced.

  “That is correct. That is why we moved our research operations to a location outside the plane of the galaxy. We also keep the elements separated and manage the cubes within the DMC.”

  “So you must have hundreds of these cubes?”

  “Ninety-eight, to be exact, including these two, Mr. Adam,” Volic said. “However, that is no longer the case. For you see, the DMC has been stolen from the research station, and along with it a fair supply of the cubes.”

  Adam recoiled from the news. It was now clear why the aliens had come to him. The deadly Aris device has been stolen and the Gracilians want him to get it back.

  “I want a million credits, half upfront and non-refundable.”

  Adam grimaced when Jym literally fell off his chair. Way to keep your poker face, Jym, he thought.

  The Gracilians didn’t react to the statement, except to say: “Agreed.”

  Now it was Adam’s turn to fight off a near-fainting spell. Damn, I could’ve asked for more!