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

by Thomas Rabenstein

  »Very simple,« Vasina replied. »Be my guest for a few hours, and tell me as much as you know about the history of your people.«

  Klu looked happy.

  »It’ll be my joy and honor.«

  Thoughts

  Vasina was sitting together with Nexus Tor, Tranos and Kulatos inside her reception room of her private suite and watched the holographic transmission of Klu’ s departure. 40028 was also present and hovered silently throughout the room.

  A Hummingbird returned the Brave Klu to his airship, which soon after, dived into deeper layers of the atmosphere.

  Vasina thought with bitterness about the hours of conversation and the following farewell to the self-conscious inventor.

  He thought, I was a sorceress, she pondered, still humbled. He never asked himself why, despite my magic, that I couldn’t save his people and his world. It seems to me that these beings have already come to terms with the inevitable end. So much potential, so much hope and so many individual fates, which will be extinguished in a few days.

  »He’ll make it!« Nexus Tor tried to break the silence, but Vasina shook her head silently. »No, he won’t. In a few days, his home-world will turn into Hell, and then all the Knorr will be doomed.«

  »We offered him to stay with us in safety, but he preferred to return to his people. This attitude impressed me very much,« Kulatos admitted in a deep voice. »A very brave Knorr!«

  »Preserving the rune stone was the top priority for Klu and the Knorr. I think, I understand him better now. They wanted to make sure that a piece of their civilization survived the disaster. I’ve tried to persuade Klu several times and asked him to stay on board, but he didn’t allow himself to deviate from his mission,« Vasina said. »At some point during our conversation, we had reached a moment where I had no other choice than to respect his decision. At the same time, I suddenly realized how powerless we were to face such disasters of cosmic proportions. Even this impressive ship, built to fight battles and defeat enemies, fails when it comes to the simple task of saving lives.«

  »In the past few hours, we have been trying to work out an evacuation plan that could at least preserve the Knorr species, even if it is impossible to evacuate the entire planet. For such a task, we need transport capacities that are not available to us,« Tranos said with regret.

  »The Atlantika itself might be able to pick up 1,000 to 1,400 Knorr if you except emergency solutions such as overcrowded hangars and the resulting difficulties,« Nexus Tor said sympathetically. »There were, however, too few individuals to secure the survival of the Knorr people. The question always arises, who deserves to be saved and who must stay behind and perish with the planet? In my estimation, the prospect of salvation for a few would result in anarchy and chaos. It’s not easy to go against the fate of a whole planet let alone the will of survival of its inhabitants.«

  »I have, nevertheless, sent a priority message to the GCC and the Krolakan Empire. So far, however, without a reply. We are very far away from the metropolitan areas. All communication channels are still overwhelmed by hundreds of emergency calls. Even years, after the appearance of overlapping dimensions in Scutum-Crux, the peoples of this sector continue to suffer from the effects of the dimensional transfer. It’s shocking and frightening what we record every minute from the prevailing radio traffic. Even if our radio call can penetrate this chaos and be received despite everything, it takes several days, maybe more than a week, before the first evacuation fleet can arrive here. Unfortunately, much too late for the Knorr.«

  Vasina looked attentively at the rune stone, which she had placed in the middle of the round meeting table.

  The story of a whole people engraved in a stone.

  »I’m beginning to understand Arkroid’s statement,« Vasina said.

  »Whoever sees the future will automatically become a part of it,« Nexus Tor repeated slowly. »We could have just passed the Knorr’s star. Nothing would have changed for us, our conscience would be clear and unburdened, or our mission. No one would ever have known of the Knorr’s fate. But now, everything has changed for us. We are involved in the future of this people. The experiences we’ve made, today and here, will be in our minds forever; they will haunt us, accompany and guide us, no matter what we do from now on.«

  »This Oracle, Klu was talking about,« Kulatos began, showing his yellow teeth, »to me, it sounds like a holographic message.«

  »To find out more about this puzzle, we would have to land and explore the planet,« Vasina replied. »My feeling tells me, however, that this is one of Arkroid’s messages. Klu’s information were unmistaken.«

  »But why would Arkroid do that?« Nexus Tor wondered.

  »Maybe to give us a sign that we’re still on the right path, and that we haven’t left the true timeline yet,« Vasina speculated.

  »If Toiber Arkroid sees the future, or can get involved in the coming events, then I don’t want to be in his skin,« Kulatos said by raising his hand, a gesture of affirmation. The temporal scientist explained further, »This knowledge leads to great inner conflicts, which he has to struggle with regularly. Just think of the following case, that you would know about a devastating natural catastrophe in which millions of beings will perish. What would you do? What can you do? It’s impossible to save everyone and even if you decide to save some of them – what influence would this have on future events? How does this knowledge change one’s personality? Wouldn’t you think of yourself as being a God, if you know the future and can manipulate it? Is someone capable of permanently live like that? An average person would break down under such a burden already after a short time.«

  »Toiber Arkroid is an average person,« Vasina reminded the temporal scientist. »I’m still convinced that he’s pursuing a specific plan. His quick withdrawal from the Solar System had a reason. He has knowledge that is beyond our comprehension. In the Knorr’s case, Arkroid certainly understood that a massive intervention would fragment the timeline.«

  40028 hovered a bit closer toward the meeting table and pulsed slightly.

  »He knew about the Knorr’s demise and didn’t intervene on purpose. The fact that he motivated a group of people to save the magical rune stone, of course knowing that we will stop in this solar system, shows his compassion and inner conflict, which Kulatos has spoken of. I also agree that he wanted to give us a sign.«

  »How do we proceed now?« Tranos wanted to know.

  Vasina stood up and said, »We’re launching a powerful radio buoy, which will transmit an automatic call for help to adjacent space sectors on the Knorr’s behalf. Maybe someone hears the emergency message and responds in time. Then we leave this system and fly directly to the Sacrificial Sun star field. There’s not much more, we can do here.«

  The star field

  The Sacrificial Suns – a strange and eerie star field, repelled as the ultimate test, to mark a final phase before the Great Tremor could hurl the Milky Way into chaos. What will we find there? Unknown suns, perhaps inhabited planets? Possibly artifacts of the unknown attackers, whose might had enabled them to move an entire galaxy through the dimensions. Six years have passed since the appearance of the Sacrificial Suns. Six years without any investigations. Even the Krolakans, whose sphere of interest is very close, have not dared to fly into this star cluster. One reason for this is surely the many Nova bursts that were recorded in this strange solar formation after their entry into the standard universe and whose shock waves are still present. The secondary effects of the dimensional transfer did not even spare the Sacrificial Suns. This strange star field is an example, on a small scale, what was to be achieved with the Great Tremor. Own losses by the attackers were accepted as part of the plan. What will we find there? … Re-entry!

  Vasina interrupted her thoughts and looked to the center of the command central. On the central display was a picture, which spoke for itself and explained why Krolakans, Goovans and other members of the GCC had so far shied away from investigating the Sacrificial Suns.<
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  »We have reached the opposite spiral arm of the Milky Way, and have already left the outer regions of Scutum-Crux. Thus, the central plane of the Milky Way is behind us, and the star density in this space sector is correspondingly low. Except for the star field, for which we are here. At first sight, one might consider the Sacrificial Suns to be an open star cluster that belongs to the Milky Way and lies somewhat outside the outer spiral arm. However, a detailed analysis already shows that the solar movements are not yet synchronized with the galactic gravitational center,« Hellas explained in a hoarse voice. »These are, therefore, alien suns, which basically don’t belong here.«

  Tranos looked up from his holo terminal and added, »An accurate star count is still pending, but there are more than five hundred fixed stars of all spectral classes, which are located at the average distance of one lightyear from each other, under which 23 Nova and four Supernova outbreaks occurred. The shock waves are clearly being registered by our scanners and overlap in some regions. Similar eruptions can be seen at the near edges of our galaxy. To fly into the formations of the Sacrificial Suns will place the highest demands on the ship’s crew.«

  Vasina nodded gratefully to Tranos. During the flight, the shield bearer acted, among other things, as a science officer, and always remained at Vasina’s side on board the battleship.

  »There are still sectors that have not been hit by any shock waves. Within these space sectors, there are several G-type celestial objects as well as some smaller and cooler red dwarfs,« said Hellas. »The ship doesn’t need to make difficult maneuvers when we are taking on these sectors first. What is your opinion, Egemena?«

  »Excellent, Hellas,« replied Vasina, smiling. »We’ll fly into one of these zones and take the next best star.«

  »There’s a blue giant at the edge of the star cluster, which possesses an extensive solar system, fifteen lightyears away from our location,« suggested Hellas.

  »The star is unstable, after a first stellar spectroscopic inspection, and has been thrown out of its equilibrium by the dimension transfer. According to the computer analysis, there’s a probability of 45 percent that the blue giant will turn into a Supernova in the near future,« Tranos warned.

  »How high do you estimate the danger factor for the ship and crew?« Nexus Tor asked carefully.

  »If we don’t get too close to the star, there is no direct danger. The Atlantika can escape at any time a star explosion by a quick transfer to the tachyon continuum. The early stages of a Supernova explosion would be detected in time by our scanners. We would then have several days of warning to escape the shock wave,« Tranos explained.

  »This solar system is, nevertheless, interesting for initial research because it has many planets. Perhaps, we find the first clues about the unknown attackers and rulers of the Parasite Galaxy,« 40028 added.

  »Hellas, we make a short jump and approach the alien sun, no closer than a lightyear distance. Then we carry out a detailed remote scan before we cautiously enter that solar system.«

  »As you wish, Egemena,« Hellas acknowledged and issued the orders via his terminal while Paranas entered the course data for the short jump into the navigation computer.

  Vasina activated the internal communication channel. A short but unmistakable signal sounded to introduce an address from the Queen everywhere in the ship. All crew members briefly interrupted their work and eagerly listened to what Vasina had to say.

  »To the crew of the flagship Atlantika! We have crossed the galaxy and reached the outer sector of Scutum-Crux. The largest part of our galaxy lays behind us, and we are near the star field of the Sacrificial Suns. It is an unknown and extremely dangerous sector, and we don’t know what the remnants of the Parasite Galaxy have in store for us,« Vasina said calmly. She paused for a moment then raised her voice a bit. Her words suddenly sounded more rigid, more uncompromising, with a harsher tone, »I am confident that anyone who wants to challenge this ship, must deal with a determined and distinguished crew!«

  Spontaneous, enthusiastic cheering sounded throughout the command central and the ship. The Progonauts were accustomed to being fired up by their fleet commanders and leaders before a battle or a dangerous mission. Nexus Tor glanced at Hellas surprised, but the commander only laughed hoarsely.

  »What we find here in this star field is also part of our own history. Those who put these suns at the edge of the Milky Way are also responsible for the demise of our empire! If we should meet the unknown opponent in this star cluster, then even a grace request by Zorgoss won’t help them. The angry God of War would only be able to watch how we avenge the shameful attack on our houses!« Vasina cried out to her crew. Again, cheers broke out. Even Kulatos let out a battle cry. The Neo-Sapien took a liking to Vasina’s choice of words. Nexus Tor became aware, for the first time, of how different Progonauts and Humans were despite all similarities.

  »I gave orders to our battle commander to fly to the first solar system of the star field, and in a few minutes, we’ll issue the jump order. Herewith, I declare the Kargash! I hope you won’t be disappointed!«

  Vasina interrupted the transmission and listened. The following Progonaut battle cry was clearly heard throughout the ship.

  »The Kargash?« Nexus Tor wanted to know and turned to Vasina.

  She seemed suddenly changed, and looked at Tor with flashing eyes.

  »The Progonaut War Feast! We’ll celebrate it until we find a clue to the unknown attackers.«

  Nexus Tor suddenly felt slight goose bumps rising.

  »Then the battle is not over?«

  »It just started up again!« Vasina whispered at him.

  Gulax Zorgoss

  The Atlantika had just exited from the tachyon continuum. Hellas, flew the battleship and advanced with maximum acceleration toward a nearby dwarf planet. The unsymmetrical, around 5,000 meters in diameter measuring rock, served as detection defense for the ship until the unknown system was more fully explored. Hellas knew very well that an exit from tachyon space was a critical moment due to its high chance of detection. Since the Atlantika had taken a parking position, the scanner section and the scientific department were tirelessly collecting data on the alien system.

  »The central star will be called Gulax Zorgoss, The Breath of the Angry War God,« Vasina decided, adding the information to the ship’s database.

  »We’re dealing with an enormously vast and rich solar system,« explained Tranos to Nexus Tor and the Techno-Cleric, who both studied the scientific analysis.

  »Gulax Zorgoss is orbited by a total of 24 worlds, which can be classified as regular planets. The star system has two asteroid rings and around 500 small planets of the Sedna type. The outer, very large planets have many moons, some of them as large as Mars!«

  »I’m sure we’ve chosen the right starting point,« said Hellas, projecting a holographic map of the system onto the central display. »Such large solar systems are rare, even in the Milky Way. I’m sure Gulax Zorgoss and its planet system were important to the unknown attackers. If we want to find answers to our questions, then here!«

  »Despite its great expanse, we detect an average distribution of terrestrial planets, as well as gas and ice giants,« Tranos explained. »The ten inner planets are rocky worlds, seven of them possess an atmosphere. There is a noticeable larger gap after the sixth planet.«

  40028 analyzed the data in his own way and reaffirmed the shield bearer’s suspicion.

  »After all, what we know about the formation of such large systems, a planet must have formed in this gap during the time of creation. There was sufficient matter in the early aggregation disk to create a blue giant star. Although the star attracted an enormous amount of gas from the original cloud, there was still enough to form 24 planets. Since we do not find any fragments of a failed planetary creation, due to a missing asteroid belt at this position, the planet must have, somehow, left the system.«

  40028 had provided the first surprise with his interpretation.

>   Nexus Tor then dared to speculate, »Could the planet have been lost during the dimensional transfer of the Sacrificial Suns? Lost, somewhere between the dimensions?«

  »Let us add the search for the answer to our tasks,« Vasina suggested. »Besides the astrophysical data, the tactical facts are also of interest to me. Tranos? "

  »We have no indication of hostile activities so far,« reported Tranos respectfully. »There’s no system-wide detection activity. Otherwise, our re-entry sector would certainly have been scanned.«

  »Very well,« remarked Vasina. »It’s better that the enemy doesn’t know what to expect.«

  »So far, we don’t even know if this solar system is inhabited at all,« Nexus Tor perplexed. »Maybe there’s nothing here.«

  »The leaders of the Parasitic Galaxy have deliberately expelled the Sacrificial Suns and released them from their realm,« Vasina said. »I don’t want to think about the technical effort required for such a project. The alien technology must be incredibly far-developed. But to send this sun, and all the others ahead, to elevate them onto a different potential plane, and to control the entire process, there is certainly a need for meticulous preparations. There must be traces in this and the other solar systems of the star field, be it only technical installations with which the dimensional transfer was achieved.«

  Nexus Tor nodded slowly.

  »Okay, we’ll look for such traces.«

  »Attention!« Tranos shouted. »We’re receiving an unencrypted, narrow-band directional transmission on a light-fast frequency!«

  Hellas turned around.

  »Directional transmission confirmed! Our scanners detected a small, slowly flying object, which just crosses the orbit of the 25th planet. Either, the small ship uses a particular disguise technology, which was just deactivated, or the crew had turned off all the board systems and is drifting to avoid our scanning and tracking attempts.«

  »What are they transmitting?« Kulatos wanted to know.