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

by Thomas Rabenstein

  While checking her instruments, Enola Peshewa cursed at him inwardly for shortening her name.

  »Thirty degrees, Sweeney! We’re entering the atmosphere in a couple of seconds! The Nebular won’t survive this!«

  »Then, we’re going to burn up!« Sweeney replied while slamming his fist on the sealed button for the thruster override.

  »That doesn’t work!« Peshewa replied breathlessly. »The thrusters are only to be used inside the docks. They won’t provide enough thrust to correct our approach. That’s it, Sweeney!«

  Sweeney looked over to her.

  »What’re you talking about? Only after our first date, you can say: That’s it. Not now!«

  Peshewa’s eyes flashed.

  »Whaaat …?«

  »C’mon, c’mon … angle of attack and trim!« Sweeney yelled at her, making some inviting hand motions while nervously moving around in his seat.

  »I already said … one moment … twenty-four degrees, now! The angle has changed!«

  Sweeney clenched his teeth.

  »Smaller … five degrees! We need to turn the ship around! We need more thrust!

  »I open the emergency valves of the nitrogen tanks in the bow!« Peshewa shouted hastily. »The discharging gas should give us another inclination!«

  A quick glance at Takahashi who confirmed with a nod.

  The nitrogen could be replenished if necessary by chemical treatment processes.

  »Ten degrees!« Peshewa yelled enthusiastically without knowing what Sweeney wanted to achieve. Her face petrified as she felt the first vibrations and shocks that ran through the ship. Sweeney activated all thrusters and used up the entire plasma fuel in a few seconds.

  »Six degrees! That must be enough!« Sweeney announced. »Hold on! If the inertia damper fails again, you can expect a heavy jolt!«

  The Nebular was severely shaken a moment later. Contrary to expectations, the inertia damper compensated the forces. Nevertheless, the ship’s hull groaned under the stress.

  The integrity of the hull can no longer be guaranteed! The hull is broken at seven places!« Peshewa warned. »The affected sections have been sealed. Nanobots were deployed to fix the leaks.«

  She had to look at her instruments twice before she announced, »We’ve slowed down the fall. The ship is currently in an unstable orbit around the unknown planet. Sweeney … how did you do that?«

  Sweeney wiped his sweat drenched forehead.

  »Huh, we’re not done! As you already mentioned, the orbit is unstable and can collapse any moment. I just bought us some time,« Sweeney replied sardonically.

  She winked at him.

  »You flew by gut feeling again, eh?«

  »You got it, Lassie,« Sweeney commented with a grin. »Have you ever thrown a pebble at a flat angle over a calm lake?«

  »Nohoo,« she replied startled. »But I know what you mean. Considering the surface tension of the water, the special form of the pebble, the speed, and the angle with which it is thrown, it jumps for a while over the water before it finally sinks …«

  Takahashi leaned back in his seat, folded his hands before his face and rubbed his nose with his index fingers.

  »You skipped the ship across the atmosphere, such as a flat rock across the water?«

  The Irishman writhed under Takahashi’s stern gaze.

  »Commander, I thought, we only had one chance. I had no time for consultation …«

  »Your intuition is remarkable!« Takahashi said and nodded at Sweeney approvingly. »When will we hit the atmosphere again?«

  »In about four hours. Our orbit is, mildly put, a catastrophe. At this moment, we’re flying away from this world. The planet’s gravity will, however, pull us back soon.«

  »You saved all our lives, Mr. Sweeney,« Takahashi praised him. »Let’s use the time to stabilize our orbit. If everything fails, I deploy the Hawks to tow or push us.«

  Takahashi was looking for Ultimus, but the HOT specialist was not inside the command central. Presumably, he was further searching for injured crewmembers in other ship sections. The accident had occurred too sudden and unexpected. Takahashi suspected that the situation in the other sections was the same as in the command central.

  »We quickly need an overview,« demanded Takahashi while looking at the unknown planet. »First, I need the status reports and then find out if this planet is Hexaquotl’ or not!«

  Enola Peshewa and Sean Sweeney began collecting the data. Peshewa clenched her teeth, she was tense. The results were apparently anything but good.

  »The FTL drive is not available. The shielding field is completely collapsed, the projector failed. They’re working on the sub-light propulsion system, the main computer is offline. Weapon systems and defense shields … also failed. We won’t have enough energy to even fire a single shot.« Enola frowned as she continued. »We have three dead and twenty wounded, some of them with substantial injuries. The rest of the crew suffers from cuts, scratches or broken bones. The life-sustaining system runs on emergency power. Both Hawks are operational – no damage!«

  Not enough lifeboats for the entire crew, Takahashi thought worriedly.

  »Transmit distress calls via tachyon bridge and normal frequencies. Maybe, somebody will hear us on the planet and can help,« Takahashi commanded.

  »S.O.S is being transmitted via normal frequencies. The tachyon bridge is currently out of order,« Peshewa replied regretfully.

  Rak’Fler awoke with a menacing growl and looked around confused. The Krolakan seemed to be okay. Typical for a Krolakan warrior, he said, »Were we attacked?«

  Takahashi knit his eyebrows.

  »We don’t know. Try to find out if our flight was interrupted by an outside force, whatever or whoever it might have been.«

  Rak’Fler briefly showed his teeth and started working.

  »I have a startling analysis for you, »Peshewa announced and transferred her data to the central display. »The failure of the FTL drive and the tachyon bridge is not our only problem. The tachyon transport field of our micro-portal has also collapsed. Even the tachyon telescope of the astronomy section no longer works. It looks as if we’re dealing with an over-all failure of this technology. So far, there’s no explanation for the phenomenon. This will sooner or later have an impact on the tidal power plants which need to maintain the potential difference between the tachyon continuum and the standard universe to produce energy.«

  Takahashi seemed tense.

  »Is the energy supply of the ship in danger?« he asked.

  »Not at this moment,« Peshewa replied. »We can recharge the energy banks via conventional fuel cells. We just can’t jump around like kangaroos. We need to conserve energy until the problems are ironed out.«

  »Well, then! Welcome to the tachyon era!« Sweeney commented sarcastically.

  »Okay, what’s with this planet?« Takahashi changed the topic. »I think, we can rule out Hexaquotl’, even without high-tech scanners. I’d expect a lot of traffic in the vicinity of the Shwakan home planet. If we can trust our short range sensors, then we’re the only ship in this sector.«

  »Affirmative!« Peshewa acknowledged. »But if this is not our destination system, where are we then?«

  All eyes turned to Sweeney, whose face turned into a painful grimace.

  »I’ve already tried to determine our location, but without the neuronal computer, this task, to put it mildly, is a bit difficult.«

  »I have something on the scanners,« Rak’Fler interjected. »I can’t exactly determine what it is, but the phenomenon moves around the planet like our ship. It circles the planet in sync with us. That’s why I noticed it just yet. It was hidden all the time behind the planetary disk.«

  »Phenomenon? Object?« Takahashi asked, raising his left eyebrow. »Is that a ship? Maybe even the saboteur, to whom we owe the accident?«

  The Krolakan panted excitedly, »It’s not a ship, but a phenomenon! According to the sensors, it’s a fading photon trail, which seems to evaporate, bu
t, on the other hand, is constantly fed with new energy. I might be wrong, but it could also be tachyon wind which escapes into our continuum.«

  »This medium is extremely short-lived and only occurs when a ship re-enters the normal space. The tachyon wind is being dragged along during re-entry,« summarized Twinkle.

  »Did another ship arrive at this planet at the same time?« Takahashi asked.

  »If that’s the case then it possesses an excellent disguise shield,« barked Rak’Fler.

  »Could it be to our own re-entrance photon trail?« Sweeney wanted to know. »After all, we’ve semi-circled the planet since we arrived.«

  Rak’Fler remained skeptical.

  »How Twinkle said earlier, this medium is extremely volatile. Our trail would’ve been gone for a while already.«

  Takahashi nodded at Rak’Fler gratefully.

  »Okay. Keep an eye on this phenomenon and let us know of any changes immediately.«

  »I can’t do anything here,« Sweeney said disappointed and got up from his seat. »Please, allow me to visit the astronomy section and use their equipment to determine our position. The tachyon telescope doesn’t work, but I could use their optical equipment instead.«

  »A message from Art Ultimus! He takes care of the seriously injured, but he’s very exhausted and ready to collapse,« reported Twinkle. »He’s asking for help.«

  Takahashi briefly closed his eyes. Besides the HOT specialist, he was the only other Hybrid on board the ship. He needed to help the injured. The list of problems suddenly seemed endless.

  Failure of key technology, an accident in an unknown solar system and almost all crew members are injured, he thought. Where do I start? The people, of course!

  »Enola, please follow me. I need a hand if I’m to support Ultimus. We look after the medical staff first and get the men and women back on their feet. Sweeney, go to the astronomy dome and see what you can find out. I want you back in your seat before the ship gets too close to the atmosphere again. Rak’Fler, please keep an eye on the planet and the surrounding space sectors. Should there be any danger looming, call me immediately via the intercom.«

  Takahashi took off his bloodstained jacket and placed it, carefully folded, on the armrest of his seat.

  »Someone should take care of Strovol! Get him out of the defective tachyon projector! I hope he survived the re-entry without problems.«

  »Will do,« Twinkle tweeted and scurried into the corridor.

  Takahashi signaled Sweeney and Peshewa and the three left the command central. Even before they left, Peshewa had whispered to Sweeney, »This thing with that date …«

  Sweeney grinned expectantly.

  »Yes?«

  Peshewa gave him a piercing look.

  »Forget about it!«

  Crashpoint

  Exhausted, Horatio Takahashi and Art Ultimus returned to the command central. The outcome of the last two hours was more than gratifying. By joining forces, the two Hybrids were able to cure more than fifteen crew members and bring them back on their feet. However, for two men and a woman help came too late.

  Horatio slumped into his commander seat and was deep in thought. Everywhere on the ship, they’re busy trying to repair the damages. The cracks in the hull were sealed by the nanobots. Nevertheless, still most of the systems are out of service. The command central looks like a junk yard. How could this mess have happened so suddenly …?

  Sweeney had returned and was involved in a discussion with several specialists how to generate additional thrust to prevent a second fall into the atmosphere of the unknown planet.

  »I know,« Ultimus whispered softly to Takahashi. »You didn’t expect a maiden flight like this.«

  »Definitely not,« Takahashi whispered back, so only the HOT specialist could hear his words. »I just wish, we could have saved the three crew members.«

  Ultimus nodded sympathetically. His golden eyes sparkled.

  »I’d be afraid of our abilities if we had the powers to bring the dead back to life. Unfortunately, there’s a point of no return. Once the life aura is gone, we’re powerless.«

  Takahashi sighed, then he took a deep breath.

  »Let’s talk about our accident and the unknown planet. We didn’t have much time yet to deal with the question of why this happened.«

  Ultimus seemed pondering.

  »If the computer would be back online, I would’ve long examined my suspicions. There were reports of anomalies within the tachyon continuum, which may affect space travel. As far as I remember, the Techno-Ferry was repeatedly affected, when she returned to the Solar System from Scutum-Crux six years ago.«

  Takahashi frowned for a moment.

  »Do you think this mishap was an accident?«

  Ultimus shrugged.

  »At this point in time, we need to look at all possibilities, even sabotage or an attack by an unknown force,« he replied.

  Takahashi rubbed his temples.

  »We urgently need the gravo-field drive to assume a stable orbit. After that, we’ll assess all the other issues. It’s a mystery to me, how our entire technology failed, almost at once.«

  The Japanese briefly smiled at Ultimus and abruptly changed the subject.

  »By the way, I haven’t had a chance to thank you.«

  Ultimus looked up surprised.

  »What for?«

  Takahashi tapped lightly on his temple.

  »The landing in the holo-projector was extremely painful. Without your intervention, I would’ve been dead.«

  Ultimus nodded.

  »Never mind, it’s okay.«

  Sweeney left the discussion and turned toward Takahashi, visibly nervous.

  »More bad news?« Takahashi asked.

  His emotions were written in Sweeney’s face. His cheeks glowed.

  »I may not be able to skip the Nebular across the atmosphere again. Our entry angle has changed. Due to the impact at the first try, the ship received a slight twist. It wobbles ever so slightly. Unfortunately, this movement is extremely unfavorable for the next maneuver.«

  »Try to use the thrusters again!« Takahashi demanded, but Sweeney shook his head.

  »We used up almost all the plasma. We can’t replenish the fuel without the tidal power plants.«

  »How much time do we have?« Takahashi asked and straightened up.

  »About an hour,« Sweeney replied and came closer. »If you allow me, I have a suggestion to make, Commander …«

  Takahashi nodded and slowly leaned back.

  »We have two Hawks. Unfortunately, the multi-purpose spacecraft don’t have enough capacity to use them as lifeboats, but if we begin immediately, then we could evacuate most of the crew to the planet’s surface. We need several flights … it would be tight, but it could work.«

  »Then what?« Peshewa shouted who had overheard Sweeney’s suggestion on her way into the command central, accompanied by Strovol and Twinkle. »Do you want us to watch from the planet’s surface how our ship disintegrates and burns up in the atmosphere and then we establish a colony? We would be sitting here forever since the Hawks don’t have any FTL capabilities.«

  »Alright, alright!« Takahashi stopped the conversation. »We won’t abandon the ship – never! At least as long as there’s hope that we can repair the damages. Are the Hawks ready to fly?«

  »I mentioned that already in my status report. The Hawks are operational. However, their computers are also paralyzed, so-to-speak. Since both spacecraft possess conventional propulsion systems, we should be able to fly them manually,« Enola Peshewa summarized.

  How long ago was it that Hawks had been piloted manually? Five and a half … six years ago? Takahashi thought.

  »Tell the Hawk pilots to get ready!« Takahashi commanded. »We try to stabilize the Nebular’s orbit using the Hawk thrusters.«

  »How is that suppose to work?« Sweeney asked nervously.

  Takahashi cleared his throat.

  »Think of something. If necessary, we tow or push the
ship onto a higher orbit!«

  »You didn’t mean that, did you?« Peshewa asked startled.

  »Yes, I did,« he replied with a thin smile. »You don’t seriously think that I’ll burn up my ship on the first test flight, together with the crew? A few scratches on the hull won’t be the end of the world.«

  Ultimus pulled up his shoulders and shuddered.

  »It’s not the same as if we move the ship from the spacedock. We’re in freefall over a planet. If the pilots’ maneuvers are not exact, then it can lead to a devastating collision, which can cause considerable damage and endanger the entire crew. Considering the momentum makes me …«

  »If someone has a better idea, that could save our ship and involves fewer risks, then I’m all ears!« Takahashi replied firmly and waited for a few seconds. His eyes wandered from person to person. »No? Then we go ahead. Enola, issue the specifications to the Hawk pilots. Send a picture with the most stable hull contact points to their displays. That’s where they place their nose cones.«

  Takahashi addressed Sweeney, »What did you find out at the astronomy section? Were you able to determine our location? We need clarity.«

  Sweeney’s face expressed regret.

  »I’m very sorry, but none of the constellations can be found in the holo-maps. The density of stars in this space sector is strikingly low. There may be large molecular clouds around us, which absorb the light of near-fixed stars. Without the computer, the tachyon telescopes or, at least, a data correlation, I can’t make an accurate position assessment.«

  »Could you find out anything about this solar system,« Art Ultimus asked interestedly.

  »There’re altogether four planets,« Sweeney explained. »Currently, we’re orbiting number two. The distance to the red sun is half an astronomical unit. The innermost planet is a fire world, hotter than Mercury. The two outer worlds are ice giants, like Uranus. They’re far out in the system and don’t get any heat from the sun. There may be a couple of dwarf planets in the large gap between the inner and the outer planets, but, I wasn’t able to detect them with our equipment. On the other hand, there’s evidence of an asteroid belt.«

  »What can you tell us about planet number two?« Takahashi asked. »Crashpoint!« Sweeney replied quickly. »I took the liberty to name the planet since nobody else came forward.«