NEBULAR Collection 7 - Guardians of the Continuum: Episodes 31 - 34

by Thomas Rabenstein

  »Simulations,« Sweeney murmured and looked at a young woman attentively. Takahashi was also surprised. She has no hair …

  »Also from me, a warm welcome on board, Commander,« greeted the mission specialist friendly and bowed her head respectfully. »My name is Enola Peshewa.«

  Takahashi tried to ignore the flashy exterior of the young woman. Her lightly tanned skin harmonized perfectly with the white ship’s uniform, as it was commonly worn by the medical service specialists. Her almond-like shaped, light brown eyes were highlighted by subtle make-up. This little trick gave her eyes a hypnotic appearance and drew attention to her. Sweeney was already overwhelmed by her eyes before he had exchanged the first word with her.

  »I ... I’m very pleased,« stammered the navigator and had to tiptoe to meet Enola Peshewa at eye level. The specialist looked at Sweeney from the side.

  »Peshewa is a very unusual last name,« Sweeney smoothened the embarrassing situation. »Does your family have Slavic roots?«

  Fine crinkling appeared at the edges of her lips as she replied, »My name has North-American, First Nation roots and before you ask, Navigator, yes, the name has a special meaning.«

  It was obvious that Sweeney was embarrassed. He had to swallow. Then he said softly, almost in a whisper, »What does it mean?«

  Peshewa’s eyes narrowed to slits, as she whispered back, »Wildcat!«

  »Now that we have introduced ourselves …,« interrupted Takahashi the conversation, »... I would like to see the ship and its state of readiness.«

  Sweeney cleared his throat.

  »I ... I certainly have some work to do in the command central.«

  Takahashi smiled broadly.

  »Now we’re talking. Please, prepare a flight to the Neptune System. I want to leave the spacedock soon and learn about the ship’s maneuverability.«

  Nebular, thought Takahashi, a proper name for the first faster-than-light Union Fleet cruiser. Whatever the name stands for, this entity has saved our galaxy from the impending doom.

  »Please, follow me,« Peshewa invited him. »I’ll show you the way to the command central.«

  ✭

  »The Nebular is 196 meters long and 30 meters wide at the most distant point,« lectured Peshewa as she led Takahashi through the ship. »The ship’s cell is elongated and divided into three sections: The control section, the center or connection section and the propulsion section. We have six decks, two large hangar areas, a faster-than-light propulsion system and a gravitational field thrust system for sub-light flight. Throughout the ship, we make use of an artificial gravity vector. Rotation sections, as employed by our old ships, are therefore passé. Powerful inertia dampers ensure that we hardly feel even the most demanding ship maneuvers. Vasina of Atlantika acted as a consultant to the design team. Consequently, there’re many Progonaut design features included in the Nebular construction scheme. Nevertheless, also, Shwakan and Krolakan technologies found their way into the ship.«

  »The Shwakans probably installed the thermostat,« guessed Takahashi grimacing, pulling his collar with his index finger. »It’s damn hot on board.«

  »Exactly 26.8 degrees Centigrade,« Peshewa acknowledged compassionately. »It was determined that this temperature is ideal for all crew members. This includes the extraterrestrial colleagues as well, of course. The board computer controls the temperature automatically. I recommend that you wear light clothing.«

  »Mission Specialist Peshewa is right. You should change into a much more comfortable uniform,« Takahashi heard a deep voice right in front of him.

  The commander looked up surprised and stopped in his tracks. Not even five meters before him an energy whirlpool formed which, seconds later, turned into a holographic image of a blue-skinned head.

  »Even though I no longer possess sensitivity to heat, I’m aware of the slightly excessive ambient temperature which seems to annoy Human beings.«

  Takahashi held his breath, A Conceptor, on this ship?

  »May I introduce you to Ruby,« Peshewa said friendly. »Ruby has kindly offered to amalgamate with the ship’s neuronal computer to coordinate and control the various technological components Nebular has to offer and to act as a link between the onboard systems. Ruby helps us to optimize the computing power of the central computer and supports the engineering and command teams in almost all technical questions.«

  Takahashi looked closer at the Chiropter’s image. Although he didn’t know the exact physiognomy of these extraterrestrials, he noticed immediately that Ruby hadn’t yet reached the state of maturity of all the other Conceptors known to him.

  He’s still a child! Takahashi realized.

  »Welcome on board, Commander. All systems work within operational parameters. I’m just having a dialogue with the spacedock neuronal computer. The last checks will be completed shortly. You can take over the ship in a few minutes.«

  Takahashi knit his eyebrows for a moment but adjusted quickly to this unique crew member.

  »Is everybody on board?« he inquired.

  »I’ve entered the new addition to the crew into the ship’s log already. The navigator is making himself familiar with the controls. All the others are on board. Mission Specialist Sweeney is a very interesting person.«

  »In what way?« Takahashi asked surprised.

  »When I appeared next to his control console to explain the operation of the navigation computer, he shouted aloud, Who let this ship’s kobold in here!«

  Takahashi smirked.

  »When I researched the term ship’s kobold in the Union databases, I found some interesting results. Is it perhaps possible that Conceptors accompanied the captains of your early sailing ships on their reconnaissance voyages already then?«

  Takahashi showed good self-control.

  »Sweeney meant a ship ghost, not a transfer awareness.«

  »What’s the difference?« Ruby asked interestedly and moved his image directly before Takahashi’s eyes. »I’d be very interested in hearing your opinion.«

  The commander exchanged a quick glance with Peshewa.

  »We can talk about that later. Before we concern ourselves with the ship’s spirits, I’d first be interested in Nebular’s performance data.«

  »Of course, Commander Takahashi,« Ruby replied friendly. »I know the ship down to the last welding seam and I’m at your service anytime.«

  »How long does it take the ship to accelerate from the standstill until it reaches the transfer speed to enter the tachyon continuum?« Takahashi asked and looked at Ruby expectantly.

  »Nebular has a new propulsion system, a jump-drive, which was developed by Humans, supported by the GCC. Thanks to Strovol, the efficiency and performance of the tachyon field generator could be increased enormously. We currently need four minutes and fifteen seconds to enter the tachyon continuum, provided that the energy storage banks are fully charged. Of course, the drive can transfer the ship from the standby state to faster-than-light flight, but it is advisable …«

  »… to execute the jump with a particular relative speed to maintain control of the ship at the destination or exit point,« Takahashi finished the sentence.

  »Exactly,« Ruby replied. »You never know where you actually end up. It could be an asteroid field, in the vicinity of a planetary nebula or even inside the gravitation of a dark star.«

  »Or in the middle of a fleet of hostile individuals,« added Enola Peshewa seriously. »But in this case, the Nebular is prepared.«

  »So?« Takahashi asked with a frown. »In this regard, I can reassure all. Our maiden flight will not confront the ship and crew with such surprises. The Nebular is primarily a research vessel. But our first mission will not lead us into uncharted waters.«

  »Uncharted water?« Ruby asked perplexed. »While there are some molecular clouds in the Milky Way, which also contain water molecules, I wouldn’t speak in this context of oceans or lakes …«

  »It’s a figure of speech,« said Takahashi and ended the topic with a wa
ve of his hand. »The rest of the information I can obtain in my cabin from a holo-terminal. At this moment, I formally take over command of the ship and expect to see you in the command central in fifteen minutes.«

  Command transfer

  Horatio Takahashi had just ended the briefing with Admiral Friedberg via a secure comm-channel. He had received his first orders for the Nebular. A slightly dreamy expression appeared on his face after the holo connection was terminated.

  Dad, you’d be proud of your son, he thought. Soon, I’ll be flying a ship beyond the borders of the Solar System, similar to the old explorers. Although our destination is clearly defined, it’s still very special.

  Moments after Horatio put on his new smoke-silver uniform, admiring the GCC emblem on his chest which consisted of a stylized, golden galaxy, symbolizing the Milky Way, he activated the ship’s logbook for the first time. This database was reserved for the commander and required the highest authorization, however, no code was needed to open the files. The neuronal computer identified Takahashi, based on biometric parameters and permitted access to the information. While Takahashi’s eyes wandered over the rapidly changing holographic display fields, he tried to remember the most important points.

  There are forty-eight men and women on board, all volunteers. Some extraterrestrials, including exotics like Strovol, who prefers to sleep in the compression field of the tachyon jump field generator.

  Takahashi shook his head amused and looked at the other entries.

  Every one of them is a mission specialist. They are excellent spacefarers and independently working professionals. I won’t have much to explain. This crew knows exactly what to do in any situation.

  On further inspection of the crew profiles, he stopped the holo as he noticed a crew member with a familiar name, whom he had not met yet.

  Hmm … Rak’Fler, a Krolakan exchange officer, responsible for the Nebular’s weapon systems, transferred to Earth, at his own request.

  Takahashi squinted for a moment. The Krolakans came from the Magellanic Clouds and were known for vigorously opposing any aggressor. In peacetime, divided into several tribes, they sometimes competed with each other for resources of their dwarf galaxies, however, when threatened, they united quickly to form a not to be underestimated power. Takahashi recalled the reports from Scutum-Crux, where Krolakans had decided to defend the Crux Heart against the attackers from the parasite galaxy. At that time, a Krolakan Fleet commander named Peu’Fler had made a name for himself.

  Although I’m of the opinion that the use of arms has never helped to resolve a conflict, but has only created more problems, it is probably still necessary to protect our people against imminent threats. Who can say what awaits us in the vast star fields of this galaxy? It’s definitely better to have the Krolakans as friends and allies than as enemies. I’ll still keep an eye on Rak’Fler. I’m curious to see if he can follow our rules of conduct.

  Enola Peshewa’s portfolio was next.

  Enola Peshewa, mission specialist, and physician of astro-medicine and a proud descendent of the Shawnee Tribe, a member nation of indigenous peoples of North America. She is regarded as energetic, competent, a leader and appreciates a well-groomed appearance. She’s a master of various Marshal Arts disciplines and has come out on top of her specialist courses and training sessions against a male-dominated setting. One of her future objectives is to command her own ship.

  Takahashi puckered his lips and whistled softly.

  Sweeney, be careful, don’t burn your fingers!

  Takahashi looked at the next portfolio.

  Rum-Bols-Yet, nicknamed Ruby, Chiropter, and son of a GCC scientist, residing on Sedna. He had an accident while exploring the underground cave systems of a dwarf planet. At his father’s request, a consciousness transfer was carried out before Ruby’s brain death. Usually, this procedure was reserved only for Chiropter personalities who had earned great respect and honors. In this case, Ruby’s father had disregarded the traditional conventions of his people.

  Takahashi knit his eyebrows.

  Fascinating. As awareness component, Ruby’s father had transferred him from Sedna to Earth, where he found another lease on life after his fusion with Nebular’s neuronal computer.

  The commander had seen enough for the time being and initiated a call to the command central.

  Enola Peshewa replied promptly and said without being asked, »Commander, the crew is ready for duty. We await you in the command central and can leave the spacedock at a moment’s notice.«

  Takahashi nodded appreciatively.

  »Alrighty then. Let the show begin!«

  ✭

  On his way to the command central, Takahashi met numerous crew members who greeted him respectfully. He tried to memorize one or the other face and decided to get to know each crew member personally. The first task was, however, to issue the flight orders and to inform the crew of the upcoming flight.

  The way to the command central was easy to find. According to the Progonaut ship design, the command central was the most prominent place of the ship. All the central corridors lead to this section. Holographic signs showed the way. Takahashi didn’t need directions and just followed the flashing markers and symbols on the walls. Two minutes later, he was standing before the central airlock, which opened a moment later.

  A look around confirmed Vasina’s design signature. The way the room was laid out was typical for her. The circular room, Takahashi estimated the diameter of twenty meters, similar in style to a planetarium. A dome-shaped ceiling rose over the command central crew. Just below its zenith, the main display holo was visible. The various consoles were grouped in a circle around the center of the room with direct sight to the main holo. Takahashi immediately found his command seat, which was placed in such a way that he could remain in eye contact with all the major stations.

  Communications, space surveillance, fire control, engineering control, navigation and pilot console, power and life support systems, scientific terminals, main terminal of the neuronal computer and the controls for the tachyon mini-portal, thought Takahashi. All ship functions are arranged and centralized. A significant improvement over older constructions and very convenient. My compliments to the Progonauts who have probably already flown like this a million years ago.

  While Enola Peshewa announced the arrival of the commander with a subdued voice, the command central crew continued their work. Some team members looked up briefly. Takahashi nodded friendly or saluted casually, without interrupting their activities. The mission specialists were busy with the launch preparations. Military rituals, as previously found aboard strictly hierarchical guided ships, had been completely banned on the Nebular.

  Horatio Takahashi winked at Enola Peshewa briefly and made a short tour through the command central. Rak’Fler, formally dressed in a bright red jumpsuit, greeted his commander with a sharp snarl. This was not a threatening gesture, but a Krolakan custom to welcome a superior. Takahashi pondered for a couple of seconds and also showed his pearly white teeth. He didn’t want to disappoint Rak’Fler and returned the Krolakan salute as best he could.

  »I’m glad to join you on this flight,« Rak’Fler said with a weak barking voice.

  Takahashi was surprised for a moment.

  »You’re not using a translation device and speak my language?«

  Rak’Fler’s thin lips twitched amused.

  »I took the liberty to study your tongue. I still need some practice with the phonetics, though. I apologize for my slurred speech,« he replied.

  »That’s okay. I commend you for your effort.« Takahashi nodded approvingly. »I’m also glad to have you on board. You are responsible for our defense systems?«

  Rak’Fler’s eyes briefly flashed as he heard Takahashi mention the defense systems. Certainly, the Krolakan had a different definition in mind when he said, »That’s right. The plasma cannons are always ready. This is not a warship, but the weapons are good enough to impress a potential attac
ker – if one knows how to use the weapons consequently.«

  Takahashi smiled.

  »I’m sure that you’re the right man for the job!«

  Rak’Fler bowed his head thankfully and barked briefly. His barks indicated his determination.

  »I’ve studied combat tactics on Krolak. Everyone who passes these courses usually serves on board a Krolakan flagship. You can always rely on me. Humans and Krolakans have fought side by side in the past. We make good allies!«

  The brown eyes in the dog-like face flashed briefly while the Krolakan momentarily showed his pointed K-9 teeth.

  »The defense energy fields of the Nebular reach those of a Krolakan cruiser. Your ship builders have set the right accents. If we consider the Shwakan cloaking technology, then the Nebular is even on par with most of our ships.

  »Thank you, I take that as a compliment,« Takahashi replied and walked over to another console.

  Sweeney, in the meantime, was busy entering the course for the first leg of their journey as suddenly, a holo with Ruby’s head established beside him. Sweeney twitched for a second and said, »Jeez, do I have to endure that for the entire flight?«

  »I just wanted to ask if you need some assistance in calculating the correct course vectors,« Ruby asked friendly.

  »Isn’t it already enough, that there’s a hobgoblin haunting the command central, scaring me to death? Now, he wants to explain maneuvers to me which each and every cadet can fly with his eyes closed.«

  »Is there a problem?« Takahashi asked and came over to Sweeney.

  Sweeney smiled sourly and concentrated on his holographic terminal. He tried to ignore Ruby altogether, although, he seemingly had problems with that.

  While entering the data into the neuronal interface, he said mutedly, »That was not in my contract. We Sweeneys are spiritual people. My grandmother always told me bedtime stories about ship ghosts and now, one of these leprechauns is looking over my shoulder!«