by Tony Healey
"Interesting. Very interesting indeed."
"Care to elaborate as to why that'd be the case, Doctor? Apart from the obvious?"
"Well as you say, the Cluster is a very dangerous, mysterious region of space. Perfect for hiding in. Beloved by smugglers and pirates. However I can think of another reason Cessqa might be headed that direction . . ."
King's eyebrows rose. "Yes?"
"There is a record of Namar activity in the Cluster, prior to their downfall. It would seem that they had an unusual amount of interest in that region, for whatever reason," Gentry explained. "However no surveys of the Cluster have ever found anything. It could just be a myth."
"All stories start somewhere," Chang said. "Perhaps this myth will turn out to be more a case of historical fact."
"We'll see. Would you care to dredge the ship's archive, Doctor Gentry? See what you can find out?" Commander Greene asked him.
"Yes, yes, of course," Gentry said. He chose an empty seat at one of the auxiliary control points, located at the back of the bridge and set to work, using the station to dive into the Defiant's memory banks.
"Rayne, contact Admiral Grimshaw. Tell him what has happened here and advise that we are in pursuit," King asked her.
"Aye."
"Banks, how're we doing?"
"Pushing the engines as hard as I can, Captain," the helmsman answered. "We're still lagging behind, though."
"Keep at it," King said.
"Message sent," Rayne reported. "I'm awaiting a response."
"Okay, well, try our friend Cessqa again, will you?"
*
If the Amarax had been capable of receiving the Defiant's transmissions, Cessqa would not have known. The mighty vessel had not been constructed with that capability in mind.
Cessqa assisted Ranesh out of his pod, then stood aside while he came around fully. He stood, stumbled forward, fell against a console and waited there.
"It will pass," she told him.
"How long have we slept?" he asked as he tried to shake off the fuzzy, sleepy feeling.
Cessqa's face hardened. "Too long, my friend."
"Our people?" he asked, turning to look at her through bleary eyes.
"Gone."
Ranesh didn't say anything. Cessqa moved off. "And yet, we survive. The last of our race."
"We can bring them back . . ." Ranesh said.
Cessqa turned back around. "That is my plan. As we speak, the Amarax is headed for the Chimera Cluster. There we will make contact with our people."
Her right-hand's face brightened. "The Third Quarter!"
"Yes. Yes, the Third Quarter. We will bring them here. And then we will rebuild what has been lost. Reclaim what has been taken from us. Our race will once more, reign supreme!"
Her words seemed to lift him up, give him strength. At first all had seemed lost, but now . . . her talk of the Third Quarter had imbued Ranesh with a new energy. It washed away the fog of hibernation as a rising sun pushes back the frost.
"What are your orders?"
"Wake the others. Wake them all. And hurry. The enemy are in pursuit. I killed several of their number before I woke you. Backwards humanoids with soft flesh and warm blood. They will prove a nuisance."
"What will you do about them? Surely they cannot be allowed to follow us into the Cluster . . ."
"No, they cannot," Cessqa said. She walked to the doorway, half turned back. "Leave them to me."
4.
"Incoming communication, Captain," Rayne said. "It's Admiral Grimshaw."
"On the overheads," King said.
The speakers came to life. "Captain? What's the situation?"
"The Namar are very much alive, Admiral. I'm having our mission logs sent to you as we speak so that you can review what has happened here. But let me give you the short version. One of them has killed several of my crew and is now in the process of taking the Amarax . . . sorry, the Enigma . . . into the Chimera Cluster. For what reason, we're unsure at this time."
There was a long pause on the other end. "Any response to hails?"
"None whatsoever. Either they are unable to respond, or unwilling."
"Don't let them out of your sight, Captain. I'll do what I can from here, try and get you some support. In the meantime just hang on in there."
"Thank you Admiral," Jessica said.
Rayne closed the channel.
"Mister Jackson, target the Amarax, all forward guns. I want a few rounds across her bow," King ordered. "Let her know we mean business."
"Aye," Jackson said. He took control of the Defiant's weapons. "Ready."
"Captain, no offense but do you think a hostile act is the best decision? Might it not make matters worse?" Dr. Gentry asked.
"Doctor, she's already committed several hostile acts. The evidence of those are right now being put into cold storage. We can debate the rights and wrongs of this later," she snapped. She gave Jackson the nod. "Fire."
The forward batteries opened up, spraying streams of fire in the direction of the Amarax. They brushed past either side of the huge cylinder without actually hitting it. Jackson's aim was perfectly timed and controlled.
"Stop," King ordered.
The guns stilled.
"Anything?"
Chang looked up. "No change."
*
"The others have woken," Ranesh said as he entered the control room. Cessqa watched on the display as the Defiant fired her weapons in their direction. Obviously intended to miss them, unless whoever was at the controls happened to be blind.
"Good."
"They will be ready for duty within the hour."
"Fortunate, as we will need them," Cessqa said. She accessed the controls to the Amarax's numerous systems and functions. Ranesh watched, his eyes growing wide as she made her intentions apparent.
"Is that wise?" he asked.
"It is essential to do so, to buy you time. The Amarax will be in your hands. It will be your responsibility to take the cylinder into the Cluster. I will deal with the humanoids and ensure they do not follow," Cessqa told him. "I'm sure I can become a necessary diversion."
"I did not mean to question your wisdom," Ranesh said with a bow.
She laid a hand on his shoulder. "Your concern is for our people, Ranesh. That is why I trust you the most. I am going to the Jandala. Have both Gelvin and Risa meet me there as soon as possible. I will prepare the ship and wake the drones."
*
"Captain!" Banks yelled.
King's head snapped up at the right time. On the viewscreen, the Amarax had started to change direction.
"Slow down, Banks," King said.
The Amarax turned side-on to the Defiant, all sixty kilometres of her.
"What's she doing?" Greene asked.
As if to answer him, the cylinder did something they'd only assumed could be done in their initial assessment of the vessel.
She slowly separated into three separate cylinders, connected to a central spine like three wheels on an axle. With relative grace, the Amarax opened up before them.
"My God . . ." Greene said.
Jessica's throat went suddenly dry. It took her two attempts to order a full stop. "Hold position. Midships."
"Full stop, aye," Banks said as he fired the forward braking thrusters.
Gentry got up from the station he'd been working from and came to stand next to her seat. King glanced up at him. "Incredible," he said.
"Doctor," she said in a hushed voice. "I didn't mean to snap at you. But I think you can appreciate the situation is beyond the purview of academic curiosity. This is no longer a research mission."
"Yes, Captain. I understand. It doesn't stop it feeling wrong, somehow."
"I know," she agreed. She turned her attention back to the viewscreen. The cylinder continued to open.
Now what will she do?
5.
The Jandala, located in the central section of the cylinder, was a long ship, thick at the front, tapering off
toward it's propulsion systems at the back. It resembled a large horn, quite featureless save for the many modules that adorned its outer shell as smooth bumps. An ice pick fashioned from rough stone, perhaps.
Like the Amarax itself, it's front end was a relative dead end. The blunt edge of a cylinder, perfectly spherical yet flat. Cessqa eyed it with pride as the tram took her from the aft section and across the brief gulf of vacuum that had opened between each section of the cylinder. She marvelled at the ingenuity of her race, at their tenacity in dreaming of such a vessel as the Amarax and the wonders stored within it.
Was there anything its designers had not thought of? From a distance, the cylindrical body of the Amarax appeared to only have one axis upon which everything was connected. But from closer inspection, one would see the great many other shafts by which the pieces of the cylinder were joined. It was along one of these that her tram sped, and she gazed out at the view of the Defiant.
How startled they must be, watching as the Amarax transforms before their very eyes!
Now she was in the central cylinder, where her people had crammed every kind of ship and weapon they could possibly think of. The Jandala was attached to the hull with docking clamps, holding it in place regardless of the gravity conditions aboard the Amarax. The warning sounds blared around her, instructing her that C2 was now open to bare space.
While the fore and aft sections remained sealed, air tight to preserve life systems, the central cylinder was never intended to remain such. Due to its very nature, it had to be open to space at times. Now the Amarax had extended itself fully. Not that the absence of breathable atmosphere mattered much to her.
Cessqa stepped off the tram, surveyed her surroundings and headed straight for the Jandala. Both Gelvin and Risa would be there soon enough. It was several kilometres walk from where she'd got off, and she had time to order her thoughts.
First, to activate the Jandala's systems. The drones that would tend to the Jandala's systems. Not only did the vessel operate by means of a vast, intelligent computer, but the use of artificially created drones negated the need for a vast Namarian crew. Still, Gelvin was an accomplished pilot. As a matter of preference, Cessqa chose to have a subordinate actually operate the Jandala. And as for Risa, well . . . there would, no doubt, be time for her many abilities. But for the time being, Risa would prove useful in monitoring the activities of the drones themselves as they scurried about, performing their many duties. The ship's main intelligence was more than capable of doing so, but once again Cessqa knew the advantage of having a living being in charge where possible.
Cessqa arrived at the side of the Jandala and accessed a control panel. Seconds later a circular hatch opened before her and she stepped inside. The Amarax had already fired up the Jandala, if only partially. Although potentially wasteful of energy, it did so to all vessels once the cylinders had separated. Battle readiness was the key. Taking the Jandala, rather than any of the other similar ships at her disposal was merely a matter of choice for Cessqa.
The drones had been spawned and activated. Dull grey in colour and lobster-like in appearance. The drones were the same design as those that occupied the rest of the Amarax, keeping everything clean and in full working order. They scurried back and forth around her, busily readying the Jandala for flight. The creatures mindlessly avoided Cessqa as she strode toward the command deck.
The lights flickered to life though her eyes had no real need for their illumination to see, capable as they were to see in pitch black conditions.
For a ship her size, the Jandala would be ready to disembark from the innards of its mother ship within minutes. Once Gelvin and Risa were aboard, Cessqa knew she'd be ready to leave.
Let the humanoids prey to whatever god they happen to worship, she thought, walking onto the command deck. It won't make a difference. I doubt they have ever encountered such a relentless force as me before. You cannot stop thunder once you have seen the flash in the sky above . . .
6.
"Movement!" Banks yelled from the front of the bridge. All eyes turned to the viewscreen where something emerged from the Amarax.
"Is that . . ." Greene said, his voice trailing off.
Jessica's eyes widened. "Yes. Everyone, strap yourselves in. Lieutenant, hold midships."
"Aye."
The horn shape of the Jandala appeared, her grey hull under the shadow of the Amarax's bulk. She drifted away from C2, falling clear of the Amarax fully before showing signs of propulsive power.
"Enemy vessel travelling away from the Amarax," Chang reported.
"Track her," King said. "Do we detect weapon signatures?"
Chang looked up from her readouts. "Yes. Energy weapons of a type I've not seen before."
Jessica stifled the urge to swallow. The new ship, the one shaped like a horn, was almost the same length as the Defiant. Where she tapered off at the back end, there was a blinding white light. She moved with surprising speed and grace, almost unburdened by her considerable mass.
"Shall I lock weapons?" Jackson asked.
"Do so," King said. "But under no circumstances are you to fire until I give the word. This isn't like giving a few warning shots. This one can fire back."
"Understood, Ma'am."
Commander Greene looked across at Rayne. "Ensign, attempt to make contact with the new ship. See if they pick up this time."
"Yes, sir," Rayne said. She set to work, but moments later glanced up and shook her head. "Nothing."
"I didn't think they would," King said.
"Worth a try, boss," Greene said. He turned back to the viewscreen.
The new ship circled around. Looping back on itself from where it had left the Amarax . . . and headed straight for the Defiant.
"I could be wrong, but they look like they're making a play for us," Greene remarked.
"You could be right," Jessica said. "Banks, full reverse, ten degrees to port."
*
The Defiant veered back and, from where Cessqa stood watching, reversed and veered to the right. Risa had arrived and was below decks, monitoring the work of the drones. Gelvin stood before the helm controls, both hands either side of a giant orb. It was a clear ball, suspended above the dull metal of the main console itself. It could be turned, manipulated, and yet not moved out of place. The orb hovered where it was. Gelvin moved the transparent ball minutely and the Jandala responded in kind, making a course adjustment as they bore down on the Defiant.
"Excellent," Cessqa said behind him. She stood, watching everything unfold on a large holodisplay, her hands clasped behind her back.
"Your orders?" Gelvin asked.
"Target their starboard side. Fire on my command."
*
As the Jandala raced toward the Defiant, the Amarax closed back up. The three sections of its cylindrical body slid back toward one another on their axis. Ranesh stepped away from the controls to monitor the progress of the crew. By now they had all woken fully, and were in various stages of adjusting to their situation.
Ranesh watched on the holographic display as the Jandala closed in on the Defiant. Cessqa would preoccupy them now.
Ranesh ensured the Amarax knew where to go next, plotting their course into the computer, then left to aid what consisted of the last of their race.
Gelvin and Risa had woken quickly, ready for action. It really depended on the individual. For some it took far longer.
No doubt why she chose them, Ranesh reflected. It doesn't surprise me that Risa would rise so fast. Would anything less really be expected from one of Namar's finest?
Ranesh left the bridge. Once she was sealed shut again, the Amarax once more turned her attention to the Chimera Cluster. The giant cylinder would pilot them safely away from NA-45 without incident while he focused on getting their people up to speed.
Now is only the beginning, he mused. Our work begins here.
*
"Captain, the Amarax is moving off," Chang warned. "Shall I launch a probe?"
On the viewscreen, the giant cylinder of the Amarax moved off at speed while the cone-shaped vessel fast approached. Face on, it looked like a dagger plunging straight at them, a knife in the literal dark of the void.
"Will the probe survive the ravages of the Cluster? I mean, there can be no doubt that's where they're going," King asked.
"If it attaches to the hull somehow . . ." Chang said.
"It is essential we follow it for as long as we can," Gentry said, now seated back at his terminal behind her. "We must know why they are headed for the Cluster."
"Understood Doctor. Do it," King told Chang. "Whatever you have to. But make it fast, Commander. That thing's getting away from us already."
"Aye," Chang said.
"Yeah and by the looks of things, we won't have a chance to follow either," Greene said. He pointed at the screen as the Namarian vessel sped toward them.
7.
"Did you see that?"
Cessqa did not answer immediately. She watched as the tiny device launched from the Defiant headed for the Amarax, yet did not impact the larger vessel. She examined it in detail, the Jandala's sensors giving her all the information on it she needed within seconds. She saw that it was some kind of probe.
So the humanoids are a lot smarter than I first thought . . .
They clearly intended to have the device follow the Amarax while they dealt with her. Interesting, although they should have known it would not survive its encounter with the Chimera Cluster. Metal balls filled with sensitive equipment never fared well in the unpredictable depths of the Cluster. It was why her people had chosen it as the location of the Third Quarter. If the Amarax was the Namar's ark, then the Third Quarter was their last refuge. The Amarax gave them a chance to survive, to live on as a race, whereas the Third Quarter went a step further. It had been intended to offer them a second chance . . .
"Pay it no mind," she said. "It is trivial. Target the enemy."
Gelvin reached over to another smaller sphere, ran a hand over it. "Locked."
"Fire," Cessqa ordered. Gelvin didn't pause to consider her order. His fingertips found the necessary controls, accessed them, made it happen. Simple as that. The front weapons ports snapped open and let loose a stream of highly charged energy bursts that spiralled away from the blunt end of the Jandala in a flurry of angry green sparks.