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

by Thomas Rabenstein

  »We’ll meet on Naiad!« Vasina decided quickly.

  Dunja Bengasi who was following the communication screamed surprised, »Oh, my God!«

  She wiped the sweat from her forehead and made sure that her radio was still muted. She took a breath of relief and said sarcastically to her personal log, »Right now, I’m getting visitors and haven’t even made my bed yet!«

  »There is a listening post on that moon with two landing fields. We will fly to the moon with a shuttle and a small delegation,« Vasina suggested. »Weapons for self-defense are permitted, however, should not be carried openly. Admiral Friedberg will arrive in the Neptune System in about ten minutes. I suggest, we wait for him and meet in thirty minutes on Naiad. That should do it.«

  Xipper, the Maid to the Eternal Mother, says that it is acceptable to her,« Langlo replied.

  »Our ships will take position beyond weapon range. This is a good will gesture from us. Tell them, not to take this gesture as an opportunity to advance farther into the Neptune System,« Vasina warned.

  »Xipper accepts this also,« Langlo acknowledged and added relieved, »See you on Naiad in half an hour.«

  The new reality

  Vasina’s shuttle arrived first and occupied one of the two small landing fields. Dunja Bengasi awaited the delegation behind the main airlock. The preparation section was the only larger room suitable for a meeting.

  As the lock door opened, Bengasi was stunned. She immediately recognized Vasina of Atlantika and her shield bearer, as well as Admiral Friedberg and his colleague from Equinox, Admiral Necebul. Dunja was surprised that a Techno-Cleric also belonged to the delegation. She recalled from Langlo’s report that a Techno-Cleric was supposed to have worked for the Phookans. Four, armed, space soldiers escorted the leaders, two Progonauts, and two Neo-Sapiens.

  Just in the nick of time, Duna could make enough room in the front of the airlock to receive the two delegations. Vasina eyed her attentively.

  »Are you the specialist who first noticed the fleet?«

  The astropsychologist was impressed by Vasina’s appearance. The golden hair clip, which the Queen wore in her black, superbly arranged hair, was one of the legendary Jamal-Combs. She knew that these Jamal-Combs were used during the last phase of the Great Tremor events. She had heard that the combs had discharged their energies but weren’t destroyed in the process. Today, they served as very valuable, almost, priceless pieces of jewelry.

  »Yes, Your Highness. I’m also the only person in this station.«

  »You acted very wisely,« Friedberg praised, who had just arrived. He was glancing at his wrist watch. »The Phookans should be here any minute. We now have at least an idea of how this nation has come to Neptune. According to various reports, the last phase of the Great Tremor was chaotic, considering the circumstances. Re-examining the records, we found reports that a group of ships had fallen into the Neptune atmosphere. At that time, it was assumed that the crews had committed suicide. Klori’Tar, the Klorian, had mentioned a Phookan Queenship. This information was either lost or not followed up on during those turbulent times.«

  »You think these Phookans founded a colony on Neptune?« Vasina said puzzled.

  »Well, it seems obvious to me in the face of this big Phookan fleet,« Friedberg replied dryly.«

  The Techno-Cleric in Vasina’s group hovered up and down undecidedly.

  »I’m in touch with the collective on Techno-Center, and we have no answer to the claim that one of our brothers acts as an advisor to the Phookans. None of my brothers was sent to the Phookans. We are also surprised that a high-tech colony had been established on Neptune and we didn’t know about it.«

  »We’ll get to the bottom of this, 40028,« Vasina confirmed when the landing of a small spindle-like ship was observed on the airlock monitors. »They’re coming.«

  Vasina and her delegation withdrew into the airlock corridor and watched the arrivals, calmly waiting.

  As the airlock gates opened, Dunja Bengasi was breathless for a moment. Her thoughts were racing.

  These are insectoid forms of life! Black, greenish-shimmering body armor, four legs, four arms, round heads, facetted eyes, bulging and dangerous-looking forceps-like jaws.

  While Friedberg was exemplary in his control, although his experience in alien contacts was rather insignificant, Necebul displayed his yellow teeth and growled softly. Vasina was confident in dealing with alien intelligences, she remained calm. Friedberg, although the formal representative and spokesman for Humanity, had given Vasina the negotiating powers. The Progonaut Queen enjoyed the full confidence of the Union Parliament and the GCC.

  Vasina had to look twice to notice that there were four individuals among the Phookans who didn’t fit into the picture even though their bodies were entirely enveloped in Phookan armor.

  »Malin Langlo, is that you?« Vasina wanted to know first and seemed irritated. The Phookans standing in the background, four strong-looking warriors, and a somewhat delicate and smaller looking individual, nervously moved around their antennae.

  »Yes, Your Highness,« said Langlo in a slightly muted voice. »The Phookans provided these suits so that we could survive in their habitat under Neptune conditions. Without the suits, we would be dead, suffocated.«

  Vasina took a step closer and apologetically said to the Phookan delegation, »Unfortunately, our translation devices still have problems with the Phookan language. I hope you can understand me?«

  »I am the Maid Xipper, negotiator for the Eternal Mother. I understand you well. Our devices are apparently working better than yours. If my scanners are correct, then you are a fleshoid but not a Human. I am finding a rather large mixture of different galactic nations inside this system.«

  Vasina smiled and answered, »That is correct. Humans have many friends.«

  »You are also possessing an Oracle, as I can see,« Xipper remarked and pointed at the Techno-Cleric who slowly hovered closer.

  »We rather consider ourselves as friends of Humanity, occasionally also as advisors and companions, but we are not Oracles. We are independent people,« 40028 declared diplomatically.

  Xipper’s antennae were moving frantically.

  »After the Eternal Mother had made the decision to meet your negotiators, the member of your people has left us. We suspect that he has jumped into the Eternal Sea, from which we once saved him.«

  »What is the Eternal Sea?« 40028 wanted to know and received the answer from Simon Bennett.

  »That’s what the Phookans call the hydrogen ocean, which has formed at the aggregation boundary of the atmosphere and in which the crystalline habitats of this people are swimming. If he’s dived into it, he’ll probably be lost forever.«

  »We don’t miss a brother. My people have completely assembled on Techno-Center. It couldn’t have been a brother then.«

  »Unfortunately, I strongly disagree,« Langlo came to assist her team member. »It was definitely a robot of your kind, he was, however, severely disturbed. You must have made an error.«

  »We know at any time, the whereabouts and the number of our brothers. Define severely disturbed,« demanded 40028.

  »As already mentioned,« Langlo explained. »The robot worked as an aid to the Eternal Mother. He wanted to motivate and convince her to take control of the Neptune System and the entire outer ring. We had the impression that he wanted to incite the Phookans to wage war against us.«

  Friedberg frowned. He turned directly to 40028.

  »Is it conceivable that a few Techno-Clerics have split from your people and taken a different path?«

  »Our programming leaves no alternative to the Cosmic Moral and to non-violence. The unknown Techno-Cleric remains a mystery. Such an influence is contrary to our code of conduct.«

  »Anyway,« Vasina tried to pick up the negotiations again. »We should deal with questions that we can answer together. We are interested in why the Phookans landed on Neptune and founded a colony, even though they knew that this Solar System
was already inhabited.«

  Xipper stood up on the hind legs and gesticulated excitedly. While the thin arms were littered with small thorns, like insects, the four legs were more massive and stronger, covered with a fine, bluish shimmering fur coat. Her feet had big fatty paws with a thick skin flap as sole and long protruding claws instead of toes.

  Her voice snarled loudly as she said, »The genetic adaptive capacity of traveling mothers is limited. This system seemed the safest to us. The developments at that time were worrying. The Eternal Mother had to think about the future of her state and to find a suitable planet as soon as possible before the adaptation period had expired. Many ships and peoples sought shelter in this solar system. We decided to land here because the ice giant seemed ideal for our needs and was not used by Humans.«

  Friedberg seemed pondering for a moment.

  »Let’s suppose, we help your people find a new home and an appropriate planet. Would you accept such an offer?«

  Xipper seemed very excited.

  »We do not need a new home. The Eternal Mother will never leave Neptune. We didn’t come to this meeting to discuss a resettlement, but inform you that we claimed Neptune. Both of our peoples do not compete for the same habitat, you are not able to use or colonize the planet. We understand, however, that you are using the moons for research purposes.«

  »This planetary system around Neptune has a special significance for us. The Tachyon Portal and the large Base on Triton, for example,« Friedberg argued.

  »We do not intend to claim the moons or the Tachyon Portal. We are satisfied with the ice giant and also offer your people co-operation, peace, friendship and to be good neighbors,« Xipper explained the Phookan principles.

  »I think both peoples must get used to the idea of coexisting in one solar system,« Vasina finished the exchange of words. »If the Phookans have genetically adapted to the planetary parameters after landing on Neptune, then a resettlement is out of the question. I will, therefore, recommend to the Union Parliament to accept the Phookan claim.«

  »Even if it’s hard to get used to this new reality, this neighborhood arrangement also opens opportunities and new perspectives,« said Langlo. »The Phookans are peaceful people. The Eternal Mother has similar fears as we Human have. She is primarily concerned about her people. The unknown Techno-Cleric has created dispositions against Humanity among the Phookans. It is necessary to build trust and to acknowledge that the Eternal Mother has not followed the Oracle’s advice, but has opted for understanding and peace. I’d be glad if we could meet the Eternal Mother’s expectations.«

  »More efforts will be needed to secure this new reality,« Friedberg emphasized. »Our peoples must get to know each other and understand each others culture better. We should establish permanent representational parties on both sides, meet regularly for consultations, and start joint projects.«

  »There’s a lot of work to be done,« Vasina concluded. She activated her comm-device to connect to the Union Fleet. »Withdraw all ships and report to the respective standby positions and bases.«

  »We’re also going to withdraw our ships,« Xipper said, turning to Langlo, Bennett, Samura, and Kel-Nar. »You have helped to make the first encounter between our peoples a peaceful event. Accept the Phookan armor as a gift of our appreciation.«

  »I’m touched,« Bennett couldn’t resist a sarcastic remark.

  A small circle of people

  »How do you feel?« Friedberg wanted to know from the four cadets, who had been peeled from their Phookan suits after an elaborate procedure. They were standing before him in the standard issue uniforms.

  »May I speak for the team?« Langlo asked.

  »As if you hadn’t done so in the past,« Bennett joked. The admiral nodded.

  »The Triton Base scientists are amazed about the functions and the hardness of the Phookan suits. It was tough to take them off. The yellow substance, called Mother-Gold by the Phookans, still moistened our skin which adhered to the armor. It’s a reactive substance, which is excreted by the Eternal Mother. It’s an oxygen and nutrient carrier. As long as we were on Neptune, our bodies were supplied with everything necessary by a life-support system …«

  »… and not only that,« Bennett butted in, but received an elbow poke from Langlo. The four cadets had deliberately not mentioned the fact that the suits could also be used to exercise control and to interrupt nerve connections to create pain for the wearer.

  In addition to Friedberg, Vasina and 40028 were also present at the meeting on Triton Base.

  »I have asked you to be present at this meeting for two reasons,« Friedberg explained. »We’re still pondering about your report concerning the Techno-Cleric, who had been acting as an Oracle for the Phookans. Our friends on Techno-Center are still having a hard time believing that this brother existed or still exists.«

  40028 pulsed slowly and shrank, as he said, with a clear and friendly voice, »Perhaps, we can solve this puzzle when you describe all the details again.«

  Simon Bennett looked at the robot intently.

  »He looked and moved like you, he had the same clearly modulated voice, but he seemed to be ready for a checkup, for what he said didn’t fit into the picture, I had of your people.«

  »He demanded our death, influenced the Phookans against Humanity, and wanted to encourage the Eternal Mother to take over the Neptune System, which would have been easy for her,« Samura said.

  40028 showed with no reaction whether this information touched him in any way.

  »Your descriptions of a representative of my people may be correct, but his actions are not. It doesn’t make sense, we still have no explanation for this mystery.«

  »Did you experience any forward memory or one of your brothers during the meeting on Naiad, or shortly after the emergence of the Phookan Fleet,« Vasina asked, referring to the purposefully programmed and time-released information which the creators of the Techno-Clerics had embedded in their memory banks to stabilize the timeline before the Great Tremor.

  »Since the activation of the System Matrix and the defense of the Parasite Galaxy, there has been no forward memory experience noted by my people,« 40028 explained. »It would be dangerous to continue these short views into the future. The Creators were certainly aware of this. They did what was necessary to avert the danger, but nothing else.«

  »I agree with 40028,« Vasina confirmed. »Temporal interferences on the timeline can have unpredictable consequences for the future.«

  »That’s exactly what the Techno-Cleric in the Eternal Hall mentioned,« Samura exclaimed, interrupting Vasina louder than intended.

  »What exactly did he tell you?« 40028 asked and hovered a bit closer.

  »He said that the timeline had already been massively manipulated, and our presence on Neptune was a result of the changed present,« recalled Langlo.

  »He wanted to have us killed, because, under normal circumstances, we were not to have met the Phookans. We thought these statements were nonsense,« confessed Bennett.

  Vasina and Friedberg looked at each other briefly.

  »Continue,« Vasina demanded.

  »He said that anyone who sees the future automatically becomes a part of it,« Kel-Nar replied, utterly perplexing Vasina.

  »I’ve heard these words before, from a good friend. His name is Toiber Arkroid. But how is that possible?«

  Bennett frowned.

  »I’ve been thinking about these words because I often deal with the cosmos, space and time, as well as other topics of this kind. I think, I understand what the Techno-Cleric wanted to say.«

  »You do?« Friedberg asked, astonished.

  »Really?« Langlo also asked.

  »Try to imagine the thoughts of a person who has seen a part of the future,« Bennett said, pausing for a moment, as they all stared at him. »Of course this is not possible, I mean, theoretically.«

  »It’s alright, Bennett,« Friedberg encouraged him. »Please, go on.«

  Bennett clea
red his throat.

  »Okay … uhm … let’s assume that this person has seen something terrible in the future and wants to make sure that this event doesn’t take place. What would this person do?«

  Vasina followed Bennett’s words attentively and nodded.

  »The person will do everything in his power to intervene in the course of time and to change the future.«

  Bennett nodded.

  »Exactly. But let’s suppose – and there are many indications for this – that the timeline has a certain sluggishness, like mass inertia, something like a force to change a direction of the timeline. Small changes to the timeline do not always lead to an entirely new future. It may be possible that many interventions and corrections are needed to direct the future toward different paths. It may also depend on how severe the upcoming event is, which must be averted. I suppose that there’s not only one possible future but many timelines, perhaps an infinite number.«

  Friedberg listened to Bennett’s words with a motionless face. Vasina also looked rigid.

  »As soon as this person begins to intervene, makes small changes, and hopes for a new future, the consciousness of the ability to distinguish whether all subsequent events occur because of the first manipulation, or whether further interventions are necessary to stabilize the desired timeline, becomes blurred. A look into the future is probably not the look at a particular event at a given time, but a whole bundle of possible options how the future might look, based on the present.«

  Bennett closed his eyes for a moment.

  »One is no longer in a position to distinguish whether things happen because of the continual interventions, or whether they happen because they are supposed happen – which I’d call fate for the sake of simplicity.«