by Tony Healey
31.
Everything else was forgotten in the afterglow of the supernova. The fleeing ship ahead of them, everything that had happened. All of it. There was only that sun, growing in size, spreading itself out to the farthest reaches of the system.
"Cutting speed to avoid collision with that shockwave," Banks said, but Singh did not hear him.
He stood, speechless before such wanton devastation. So many lives . . . needlessly taken away. It was barely conceivable that an entire star system had just been wiped from existence before them. Singh staggered back and ended up in his chair, unable to stand any longer. He closed his eyes.
His heart was an empty ache in his chest. He felt a hand on the back of his neck. He opened his eyes and looked up. Jessica smiled. She didn’t need to say anything.
Singh nodded. No words. No explanations. No rationalisations of what had happened. The Captain stood again. His strong, firm voice rang out. It pushed everything else away.
"Attention all hands."
They all turned from the horror before them to look at him, and he regarded each of them in turn. Now their mission was simple, and he would see to it that this time there was no failure.
"Increase speed. Every ounce of power to the bow hull plating. We’re not letting these animals escape," he commanded.
"Aye," Banks said.
32.
The enemy vessel broke through the remnants of the shockwave first. The Defiant tore through shortly after. It sounded like a brick wall breaking over the nose of the ship.
Already the sun was shrinking. Withdrawing back into itself. Collapsing. Multiple shockwaves rippled away from it, as if it were a stone's thrown into water.
"The pull of that sun is strong, sir," Banks said. "It’s getting hard to manoeuvre the ship."
"That's why they’ve not changed course. If we can’t move, they can’t either," King said.
"All that matters is stopping them from leaving this star system," Singh said. "They cannot be allowed to use that weapon against another system. If they used it against our own sun . . . the Union would crumble."
"That’s their intention," King said. "It has to be."
"Increasing speed now that we’re through the bow shock," Banks said. "I’ve diverted power from other systems. Engines are straining, but . . ."
"Don’t worry about it. She’ll hold together," Singh said.
Hear me baby? Hold together, he thought to himself.
"If they’re headed straight for what’s left of that sun, then so are we. I don’t see how we’ll break free in time," King said.
Captain Singh’s jaw set with determination. "Either way they’re not getting away with it."
33.
"I was a fool to doubt you, Sonjiin," Belosh said.
"I can’t break free of the sun’s gravity. It’s increased tenfold!" Vilik said from the helm. "And with only one engine . . ."
Sonjiin paced back and forth. Then he stopped, deep in thought.
"I want you to increase speed."
The other crewmen looked on in shock.
"This is madness!" Vilik exclaimed. "Fly toward it?"
"Perhaps it is mad," Sonjiin said. He broke into a grin. "Or perhaps not. If we race towards it, then activate our Jump Drive at the last second, we can shift our trajectory just enough to Jump over it."
Vilik swallowed, then pushed their only working engine to full power. He charged their Jump Drive with grim determination.
*
The sun was little more than a spark of light in front of them, dimming with every passing second.
"Now a white dwarf," Chang said.
"And still shrinking, I bet," King said.
Chang nodded. "The gravitational pull of that thing is unbelievable. I've got every recording device monitoring the sun's degeneration."
"Look at that," Greene said.
They raced past the feeble remains of what had been a planet, reduced to a field of debris and broken atmosphere. A world once home to billions . . . now little more than a slew of dirt running down a plughole.
"It’s unbelievable," Commander King said.
"That’s the problem Commander," Chang said from behind her. "It’s not."
"Lieutenant, any sign of that sun’s gravity starting to wane?" Singh asked.
"Only marginally."
"Time to impact?"
"Minutes, Captain . . ." Chang said.
Captain Singh got back up. He stood behind Banks at the helm. "What’s the other ship doing? Speeding up?"
Banks nodded. "Yeah."
"Slowly reduce speed, Lieutenant. Very slowly. When you hit half engine thrust, apply the braking thrusters," Singh said.
King came to stand next to him. "D’you know something we don’t, Captain?"
"Only a hunch. With their damaged engines, they don't have the power to break away. They think they can overshoot it if they keep racing toward it at increased speed. That’s what I thought, at first. But if that thing is dying down, I’ve a feeling we’ll be able to break free of it simply by hitting the brakes."
"Sometimes you have to act on a hunch," King said.
"Couldn’t have said it better myself," Singh said. "And, if I’m right, we’ll fall short of that thing and they’ll end up shooting straight into it."
"Bulls eye," Greene said.
*
The star died completely, faded to nothing in the wink of an eye. The last of what had once been a bright, youthful sun sputtered out suddenly. One moment there was something there, the next, a dark hole no larger than a planetoid.
"It’s gone," Vilik said.
"Hold your course," Sonjiin said. "Soon we will escape this system then strike at the very heart of the Union. And the dogs will know what it is like to never feel the sun of home against their skin. To feel the wind against their skin. They will know our pain, and we will conquer them all."
*
The enemy ship raced ahead as the Defiant lagged behind.
"Firing braking thrusters," Banks announced.
The Defiant lurched as it slowed, at the same time resisting the gravity exerted by the fallen star.
"Star’s gravitational pull fading away," Chang said. "In no time it’ll just be an empty hole in space."
"The enemy are making contact," Ensign Boi said.
Singh looked at Jessica. "On screen."
The former Dr. Grissom appeared in front of them.
"Greetings. By now I am sure you realise I am not a doctor. My brothers and sisters and I are a part of an organisation you may be familiar with. The Outland Raiders. I am Sonjiin of Nyular," he said.
"We’ve met before," Captain Singh said bitterly. "In a different guise."
"I see that you are falling behind, Captain," Sonjiin said.
"Yes, our engines are failing. It doesn’t matter. You’ll suffer the same fate as us," Singh lied.
"Such a pity. We will leave what remains of this system far behind as you tumble into what was once a great and mighty star," Sonjiin said.
"Do you always talk like this, Sonjiin?"
The Nyularian broke into a wide grin that showed crooked teeth. They transformed his handsome face into something warped and twisted. "I respect your resolve, Captain. But I assure you it’s all for nothing. Soon the Union will lie broken at our feet. Its glory days little more than a fading memory . . ."
Singh turned to Ensign Boi. "Cut this idiot off."
*
The viewscreen changed back to show the enemy ship fast approaching the dark heart of the star.
"He bought it," King said.
"I think so. He knows we can’t just blow him up. And he thinks we’re falling behind because we’re in such bad shape," Singh said. "Now for the cherry on the cake. Lieutenant Commander Greene, please ready a missile."
"A missile?" Greene asked.
"Rig it to detonate approximately six metres above them. But we need to time it so they’re just about to break away from that . . . whatever
it is," Singh explained.
"It’s not a black hole, sir, although it looks like it," Chang said. On the viewscreen, a swirl of gases and twisted light were being sucked into a black circle of nothingness. "I don’t know what it is."
"Understood, Lieutenant," Captain Singh said.
"Ready," Greene said.
"They’ll be at the threshold of the dead star in ten, nine, eight, seven, six . . ." Chang counted down.
"FIRE!" Singh yelled.
A Duotonic Missile flared away from the front of the Defiant toward the enemy ship.
*
"Ready?" Sonjiin asked. The black hole left by the fallen star filled their viewport in every direction. The Jump Drive hummed beneath their feet.
"Yes. Jumping now," Vilik said. He threw the control lever. A huge explosion directly above them knocked the ship down as it entered the Jump. Vilik was unable to compensate in time and he lost control as his ship careened into the anomaly.
Everything spun as they shot straight through the dark heart of a former sun. Sonjiin of Nyular did not close his eyes.
34.
The ship emerged into open space. Sonjiin checked the navigational readouts.
"Where are we?" Vilik asked, his voice groggy.
"Exactly where we were," Sonjiin said. He looked at the readouts of their sensors. "Look. There is the anomaly. And there is what’s left of the system. We did it. We overshot the wormhole."
Right then the helm console sparked. Vilik dived out of the way as it burst into flame, electricity arcing from it to the deck. Belosh ran to the side of it and cut the power. The console died.
"We’ve lost our Jump Drive," Belosh said.
"Then fix it!" Sonjiin snapped. "We have a date with destiny."
35.
"Launch a probe into that thing," Singh ordered.
"Aye," King said. "Do it, Lieutenant."
She stood behind Chang as she worked her controls to release a primed probe. Seconds later it shot away from the front of the ship and down into the astronomical plughole before them.
Captain Singh waited patiently, staring dead ahead at the anomaly. It had consumed an entire sun . . . and the galaxy’s most dangerous criminal. He’d had the Defiant maintain a respectable distance from it, lest the wormhole belch.
"Data is coming in . . ." Chang said, a frown shadowing her features.
"Lieutenant?" Singh asked.
Jessica looked first at the readouts appearing at Chang’s station, then the Lieutenant herself. She was busily absorbing the streams of data on her screen.
"It would seem there is a stable spatial environment . . . the other side of the anomaly," King said. "I know it sounds ludicrous, but it would seem it’s not just a big hole. It’s a tunnel."
Singh nodded. "Fantastical, but if that’s what the data implies . . ."
"I’m attempting to access the Union comm. grid," Rayne said.
"A good idea," King said. She looked at Captain Singh who appeared just as miffed by the whole scenario.
Rayne shook her head. "Nothing there, sir. Not on our usual channels. However I am detecting an alternate communication relay present."
"Try to access it, Ensign," Singh said.
Chang spoke up. "I have a theory."
"Go on. I’m all ears," Singh said.
"I think that what’s been created is a kind of wormhole. That would account for what I’m seeing on my screen. Apparently the probe detects the anomaly, and the remains of the system behind it . . . but not us. We’re not there. And the fact that our own comm. grid isn’t present when it is here indicates another galaxy."
"Another galaxy, Lieutenant?" King asked.
"I mean, one just like our own. But different. String theory. Multiple realities existing side by side. Perhaps this anomaly, this wormhole, is a connecting bridge between the two," Chang explained. "Of course it’s just a theory."
"Well at the moment it’s the best theory we have," Singh said. "Now let’s see if we can use that probe to tap into whatever kind of communication grid on that end of things."
*
"Yes Admiral . . ."
"As yet you’ve not made contact with him again?" Clarke asked.
"Correct. We did have readings come back from the probe, perhaps adding weight to the Lieutenant’s theory that this is now some kind of . . . wormhole phenomena. A link from our galaxy to another."
"Keep studying it. Certainly it’s been documented before, though it is highly classified. I’m rallying some ships together to come to your aid. Hang on in there until we can arrive."
"We will Admiral, Captain Singh out."
*
Singh closed the channel and leaned back into the chair in his quarters.
What sort of diabolical mind would detonate a star? This wasn’t just terrorism. It was something more. Genocide. It made his skin crawl.
His intercom came to life.
"Captain Singh, report to the bridge."
He sighed.
"I’m on my way."
*
Singh walked back onto the bridge. "Yes?"
"We have contact sir," Ensign Boi said. "From the wormhole."
Captain Singh frowned. "Come again?"
36.
Singh looked at Jessica. She seemed just as miffed as he did. He licked his lips.
"You’re connected, sir, but it’s weak," Ensign Boi said.
"This is Captain Singh of the Union Starship Defiant, T. U. zero-one-one-three-eight. To whom am I speaking?"
The reply was hidden by a cloud of static. The speakers popped and hissed. Singh opened his hands as he looked expectantly at the Ensign.
"I’m clearing it up," Boi said.
Captain Singh crossed his arms, his chin in his hand as the connection cleared.
"This General Millner. Who the hell is this?"
Singh looked at Jessica. She shrugged.
"Captain Singh of the –"
"We don’t recognise that classification. Who're you with?"
"General . . . do you have a spatial anomaly nearby?"
More static. Ensign Boi fought with the controls to keep the transmission steady.
"Yeah. Some kind of hole in space."
"This may sound fantastical to you but we are talking to you from the other side of that anomaly," Singh explained.
"From another end of the galaxy?"
Singh licked his lips. "No, General. We believe the wormhole is acting as some kind of connecting tunnel between your universe and ours."
There was no response.
"You’ve been checking your charts, General, trying to figure out where you’ve gone wrong, I bet. There should be a star system here, and all you see is –"
"– this anomaly and a tonne of debris."
"That’s because the system was just destroyed. We’ve been in pursuit of the man responsible. But he has now crossed through to your side," Singh said.
"We don’t detect another ship," Millner said.
"I’ll have all of our data sent through to you. It should allow you to track him," Singh said.
"And this guy destroyed a whole star system you say? What did he do, blow up a star or something?" Millner asked with an incredulous chuckle.
"That’s it in a nutshell, Captain. The man in charge of that ship is called Sonjiin. I cannot emphasise enough to you the severity of the situation. He must be stopped at all costs. We have saved our own galaxy . . . now I’m afraid you must save yours."
"A mad man."
"And a terrorist. We believe he will stop at nothing to test it out on home soil, so to speak," Singh said gravely. "We think he’s going to destroy Sol."
"How do I know this isn’t some kind of trick?" General Millner asked him.
"You’ll have to trust us. We will send through our footage of the last couple of hours, Captain, and you can decide for yourself," Singh said.
"If it’s so important we get this guy, why don’t you come through yourself?"
"Th
ere’s no guarantee that what comes through can come back. In either case, you don’t have long. He must be stopped. Trust me when I say, Sonjiin won’t hesitate to use the weapon again. In fact, he means to," Singh said with a sigh. "The future of the human race rests in your hands."
There was a long pause, then: "Don't sweat it. I think I have just the guys for the job . . ."
. . . Now
37.
"What did they blame it on in the end?" Chang asked.
"Natural disaster. Clarke put it off limits to all vessels so that the system couldn't be evaluated by scientific personnel. Good call, really. They might've figured out it wasn't anything like a natural event," Jessica said.
"I remember when they closed the link to the other universe," Chang said with a shake of her head. "Crazy. To think we have counterparts on that side. Did you ever look to see if they had them here?"
"No. I thought it would be too strange. What would be the point, you know?"
"I suppose."
"They were some fine specimens of the opposite sex, though. I will admit that," King said.
"Captain!" Chang exclaimed, shocked.
"What? I'm still a woman, aren't I?" Jessica asked with a chuckle. "Anyway, I've sort of got a male friend now."
"Really?"
"Yes is it so unbelievable?"
"No, no, no I didn't mean it like that. Not at all. I just can't picture you with a lover, that's all."
"Well," Jessica said. "I never told you he was a lover. A male friend. Will Ardai. He's off on assignment at the moment."
"Oh. Do you stay in touch?" Chang asked.
Jessica nodded. She didn't want to say that no, she couldn't maintain contact because he and his unit technically didn't exist. It was easier to lie – albeit a small one – to avoid the questions for now. The less Chang knew about Shadow Force for the time being, the better.
"Anyway, that weapon has haunted me for years. And by the looks of things, it has you as well," Jessica said. "But the woman behind it, Doctor Kingston, she's the one with the blood on her hands. She had a lot to answer for."