Vasina’s words were followed by joyful cheers and screams that made the battleship’s wall vibrate. The crew celebrated the joyous event in their own way.
When the rejoicing had settled, Vasina’s face became serious.
»Many questions about our past have remained unanswered. A cosmic, and up till now, unexplained event thwarted off the dimensional transfer of the Parasite Galaxy, and many of you ask yourselves, what exactly happened then and was this all? Was that day of the Great Tremor the end of a martyrdom that destroyed our civilization and determined the history of this galaxy for a million years? Who were the assailants who have our people on their conscience, manipulated Morgotradon and influenced countless peoples? Why were some of us deported to Earth? How was it possible for Progonauts and primordial beings to intermix, even though, they were not genetically compatible? Why were the unknown forces so strong to transfer a small galaxy into the Kokradian Galaxy and defeat them by means of a dimensional shift and then try it again with the Milky Way?«
Vasina’s voice had become stronger from one question to another, and all crew members felt deeply in their souls that the answers to these questions had to be found. Vasina wasn’t just checking off a few unexplained events of the past and then go back to the daily tasks. She wanted to understand the real reason for the demise of her people. She would not rest until these answers had been found.
»I was gladly accepting the request by the GCC to launch a special mission and fly with the Atlantika to the other side of the galaxy, to the place, I had seen before aboard the Techno-Ferry. We will assess the situation in Scutum-Crux and explore a star field, which was repelled by the Parasite Galaxy and remained in the Milky Way. We start a research flight to the so-called Sacrificial Suns! Progonauts, Neo-Sapiens, and Humans will work together to find the underlying cause of this. I don’t intend to return to the Solar System before we have a clear understanding of these subject matters.«
At first, whisper went through the assembly, then cheers and applause.
I can be sure of the loyalty of my crew. With this crew, I can solve all the problems of this universe, Vasina thought, shouting enthusiastically, »The mission begins now! The Atlantika has just received permission from Triton Base to leave the Solar System. I wish all of us good luck and success!«
Preparations
Vasina made sure to be present during the start preparations. She was entitled to a throne-like seat, on the left beside Hellas’ commanding seat, which employed the latest technologies. Surrounded by hovering holographic displays and interfaces, the battle commander was connected with all the stations of the flagship.
When Vasina entered the command central, all Progonauts rose from their seats and stepped back from their consoles, placed their right hand on the upper left chest, and lowered their heads in a salute. When the men and women of the command crew looked up again, their golden eyes sparkled.
They’re tough and can hardly wait to leave the Solar System. The crew wants to fly out into the star jungle, Vasina thought proudly.
Vasina smiled obligingly as she silently took her seat beside Hellas. She nodded to him. A gesture which she had adopted from Humans, not customary among Progonauts. Hellas reacted slightly confused. The commander frowned inquiringly.
»What’s the ship’s status, Hellas?« asked Vasina, kindly, looking around. The command central crew counted about thirty people, and all were busy with the start preparations.
It’s good to be back on board. In the last months and years, I almost forgot how it is on board a large battleship, Vasina thought.
The experienced commander laughed briefly before announcing in a deep voice, »The Neo-Sapien propulsion systems equal the former drives of the Atlantika, and are in some respects even superior. The technicians on Equinox have done a superb job. I can take you to any place in this galaxy, even beyond, if you wish.«
»Have our guests been informed about the ship and procedures?« she asked.
»The mission specialists of the Hybrid Operation Team, under the command of Nexus Tor, have moved into their quarters. At the request of the HOT commander, we took three Hawks of the Hummingbird Class on board and had no problems stowing the mosquitoes away in one of our unused hangars,« Hellas replied with a chuckle.
»Nexus Tor is on board?« Vasina asked excitedly. »Ask the mission commander to join us in the command central and assign him a control console. I met Nexus Tor on Triton and look forward to working with him. Did you know that he’s of Hybrid ancestry and has a unique ability?«
»He has the eyes of a Progonaut but is a Human. I need to get used to that,« Hellas admitted.
»Friedberg sent us his most capable people with the HOT,« Vasina reminded Hellas. »We can learn a lot from each other and also about ourselves.«
Hellas nodded.
»I understand, Egemena!«
Vasina looked up.
»You haven’t called me that for a long time.«
»The title of the ruling Princess is yours,« Hellas recalled. »This has not changed much for the crew and me, and you’re also our Queen.«
»Thank you, Hellas,« replied Vasina, smiling.
»The Neo-Sapiens form a large delegation. In addition to the warriors of the landing units, Equinox has also assigned a few capable scientists to our mission,« the battle commander continued. »I’d like to mention Kulatos, a temporal scientist and a protégée of your friend Herimos.«
Progonauts, Neo-Sapiens, Humans, and Hybrids, united on one ship and on a joint mission. If Toiber Arkroid were with us, my friend would certainly call this day a highly relevant time node. Are we already so deeply involved that we can and will influence the course of time decisively? Is it probably our destiny? I must stop thinking about these things and just follow my intuition. Otherwise, I get crazy thinking about it and lose the clear view for things to come, thought Vasina.
»We also have a passenger from Techno-Center on board,« Hellas said. »For me, these spherical robots look like jelly eggs from klykas zottlers. The Techno-Cleric claims to know you, Egemena. He asks to be admitted to the command central and is waiting in front of the Alpha Airlock. With your permission?«
Vasina made an acknowledging gesture, at which point, Hellas touched a holographic sensor pad on his command console. One of the four heavy armored doors, which allowed access to the command central, slid to the side. Beside the Techno-Cleric, Nexus Tor was also waiting before the airlock. The silver sphere quickly floated past Nexus Tor, heading directly toward Vasina. Nexus Tor followed the robot’s example. He raised his hand in a greeting and then bowed before Vasina. »Your Majesty.«
Vasina’s shield bearer, Tranos, the personal bodyguard and confidant of the Progonaut Queen, observed the event attentively.
»Welcome on board, Nexus Tor,« Vasina greeted the Hybrid kindly, and added, »I’m delighted that the HOT supports us and accompanies us on this mission.«
»Flying out into the galaxy with you is a privilege,« Nexus Tor said formally, again bowing his head respectfully. The mission commander knew how to address the Progonaut Queen on board her ship. Even though the tone and conduct on Triton Base was much less formal and more personal during their meetings, Tor had to respect the Progonaut mentality. On board the Atlantika, Vasina was admired like a Queen. Even though their former empire had long perished, the crew expected that members of the old ruling families would still be respected.
»This mission is dangerous. We will assist you to the best of our abilities. We’ll follow your command,« Nexus Tor declared and moved backward by a couple steps.
»Thank you, Nexus,« Vasina said, looking at the Techno-Cleric with an indescribable look.
The robot had observed the small ceremony silently.
»Is this you, 40028?« Vasina asked.
»Yes, I am,« the robot’s well-modulated voice sounded, speaking a perfect Progonaut lingo.
Hellas looked up in surprise and exchanged a quick look with Vasina.
The robot can’t follow the protocol and required manners, but he shows us respect by using our mother tongue, Vasina thought surprised.
»You speak Progonaut very well. You even succeed in replicating the Atlosthan, the accent spoken on my former home-world,« Vasina praised, watching a slight pulsation of the sphere. »Where you assigned to this mission? Or did you volunteer?«
»All I know, the Collective also knows. I’m not privileged by my experience of dealing with you and the Humans, but because of a particular affinity for which I have no explanation,« 40028 confessed.
Vasina looked surprised.
»What do you mean by that?«
»I am aboard the Atlantika because I wanted it that way,« replied 40028 mysteriously.
»Then the Creators seem to have given you a certain individuality. Amazing, considering how your civilization works,« Vasina recognized.
»The need for individualization is a new phenomenon among my people, of which you are not entirely innocent,« explained 40028, surprising everybody with his statement. »You’ve given a name to one of my brothers. This has never happened before. The Collective has now articulated the need to include this unique identity and allowed an individual name to be used next to the serial number. Obviously, our basic programming is not in conflict with this desire – it just had never been encouraged.«
He’s talking about Spufur, the cleric who received me on Techno-Center, Vasina thought surprised.
»I remember,« Vasina admitted. »But the meeting with Spufur took place only a few hours ago.«
»A long time, considering that every information and experience is immediately available to all brothers,« 40028 explained.
»Then we’ll face another task on this mission,« Vasina said formally and smiled mischievously. »We’ll find a suitable name for you!«
40028 pulsed a bit faster.
Is that an expression of his joy or is he excited, Vasina wondered, but immediately rejected this thought. Sometimes these robots make me think they are real living beings.
»Your proposal is acceptable,« 40028 said in a friendly voice.
»We are just getting the go-ahead from Triton space control on,« Hellas exclaimed, almost delighted. »It’s time, Egemena.«
Vasina looked at the central holo, where the blue planet Neptune could be seen. Her thoughts were racing for a moment. Humans, Parasite Galaxy, Scutum-Crux, Phookans in the Solar System, a dishonest Techno-Cleric, the Guardians of the Continuum. How do all these things fit together? I’d be happy if we could at least find some answers to the most important questions on this mission.
»Our destination is Scutum-Crux! We will have a first orientation stop, half way, near the galactic beacon of Poro-Tai! Herewith, I transfer the command to Battle Commander Hellas. Bring us safely to the other side of the galaxy!« Vasina shouted at Hellas while cheers of joy sounded through the command central. Nexus Tor looked around attentively. Vasina thought that a brief explanation would be in order. »Poro-Tai is a fast-rotating pulsar, a beacon that is located at the extreme boundaries of our former empire and has often been used by our ships for navigation purposes. It’s a familiar name for us Progonauts.«
Nexus Tor understood and smiled.
Hellas turned his seat by 90 degrees. All status displays followed the movement. As he turned to his crew, he commanded loudly, »Charge the jump projectors and activate the tachyon protection field! Jump vector appears in flight direction! Entry speed 50,000 meters per second!«
Hellas’ golden eyes once more scanned over the most important status displays, then he counted backward per Progonaut protocol: Kron, Terpiet, Lunas, Zed! Jump!«
The Atlantika was caught and pulled through an artificially created structural tear and entered the Tachyon Continuum, a dimension in which neither space nor time existed or continued.
Thoughts
The impressions of an uninterrupted flight through the Tachyon Continuum can be reduced to a few sentences and thoughts, Vasina mused in her suite, while the Atlantika, piloted by Hellas, was flying through a space which could not be described in detail. The Progonaut Queen had retired but couldn’t find any sleep.
The crew goes after their work, protected by a higher-dimensional shield, the only barrier that prevents the ship and crew from evaporating and transforming, within seconds, into the tachyon wind and becoming part of that continuum for all eternity.
Vasina gently touched the Jamal-Combs, which were neatly arranged inside a jewelry box. She had kept and guarded them like a treasure.
They no longer glow and have lost their tachyon charge. The process, which the combs had started, had also sucked the life from them like a vampire, had absorbed their energy and reduced them to ordinary objects. They are still beautiful, but useless. Nevertheless, whoever had created these keys in the distant past knew about the future.
Vasina cautiously closed the lid of the jewelry box and activated a small energy shield around her precious treasure, then she looked thoughtfully at the wall.
If it is true that space and time have no relevance in the Tachyon Continuum, then why do we measure a perceptible time when we travel through it? What exactly is happening beyond the protective shield and what is this continuum made off? The ship flies blindly and numbly through this space, propelled by the initial impulse, which we gave the ship at the start. How I would like to look behind the protective shield just once, with my own eyes, to see what can be found there. What would I see? Would my mind ever be able to understand the true nature of this higher dimension?
Vasina dropped backward into her huge bed, tossing around restlessly. She didn’t even try to fall asleep, although there was still enough time for the ship to return to normal space. Too many thoughts whirled around in her head. What did the unknown Techno-Cleric mean when he said to the four cadets on Neptune that he wouldn’t betray Humanity, but lead them to their destiny? What destiny was he talking about, and where did he come from?
A muted tone sounded, making Vasina listen. She straightened up quickly, and with a gesture, activated a small communication holo. Commander Hellas could be seen.
»I hope, I don’t disturb you, Egemena,« greeted Hellas kindly.
»Hellas, I’m always available to you,« replied Vasina. »Are there any problems?«
Hellas waved his hand.
»The flight is calm and without disturbance. No signs of those dangerous anomalies, you call tachyon valves.«
Vasina was satisfied.
»These phenomena are a mystery. I can’t remember that they have appeared in our times.«
»The Neo-Sapien, Kulatos is preparing a simulation to mathematically grasp these anomalies. He is discussing the issue with our best scientists and assumes defects in the separation layer between the Tachyon Continuum and our space-time continuum. He talks about perforations that produce energy flow and exchange between the two planes.«
»This theory is disturbing to me,« Vasina admitted with a shiver. »Could this mean that blending of the two dimensions could occur?«
Hellas laughed grimly.
»I don’t even want to think about this possibility. Such a catastrophe would probably annihilate our entire universe.«
»We’re not taking any risks,« Vasina decided. »I trust you. In case of the smallest irregularity during the flight, you immediately return our ship to normal space. It’s better for us to act before we’re being spit out through such a perforation.«
»Trust me, Egemena,« Hellas replied and interrupted the connection. The small holo display deactivated.
Vasina leaned back comfortably and closed her eyes.
Poro-Tai, our first stop. The beacon at the boundary of our old empire. What is left of the civilization of the five Progonaut Houses? Persia, Nubia, Asia, India, and Atlantika ... are all these worlds lost? Forgotten in the merciless maelstrom of time?
Vasina felt sad when she thought of the House of India.
The once so great Progonaut civilization, trapped in a pseudo-
world, slowly decaying. Atlantika, my home planet, inaccessible and locked up. But what about Nubia, Asia, and Persia, the former home-world of the dead despot Morgotradon?
Vasina’s thoughts were racing. As in a fast-rotating carrousel, memories, experiences, and wishes intermingled and blended together.
Scutum-Crux, a spiral arm of horror. Countless worlds destroyed, entire civilizations doomed. Dimensions overlapped, suffering and death … Sacrificial Suns!
She waved her hand in front of her face as if to scare away the painful thoughts like a mosquito.
The Counter Plan, the Galactic Brotherhood, Poro-Tai!
Vasina opened her eyes quickly and stared at her feet.
Poro-Tai! I remember again! My father had taken me to this beacon when I was a little girl! A massive stone planet circled the pulsar. I don’t remember the planet’s name, only the words of my father – ‘The five Progonaut Houses have built a bulwark to defend the kingdom!’ – I must warn Hellas!
The lonely companion
»The first leg of our journey is over in a few clerks. All crew members are at their stations,« Hellas assured Vasina, who was plagued by sudden premonitions. »Nothing can endanger this ship and her crew.«
»I wish I had your confidence,« Vasina replied cautiously. Have I arbitrarily chosen the beacon as a stopover or have I followed an almost faded memory? We need to be careful. This system harbors a dark secret.
Hellas nodded weakly and said, »There’s nothing unusual about Poro-Tai in the archives. The pulsar served as a preferred navigation point and the surrounding planetary nebula, which is expected to have significantly expanded over the past millions of years. It can’t be observed from Earth. The nebula bears the Progonaut name Gegan-Tai.«
NEBULAR Collection 7 - Guardians of the Continuum: Episodes 31 - 34 Page 34