NEBULAR Collection 4 - Second Reserve: Episodes 17 - 21

by Thomas Rabenstein

  »I am Circle General Destroyer. I am assuming command of this solar system! As of now, you will do as I order! You people are now subject to my kindness!«

  Nok knit her eyebrows and stared defiantly at this general. If the situation weren’t so serious, she would have laughed out loud. She remembered that even in former Human cultures, leaders and rulers had given themselves names according to their characters.

  ›The name fits, though,‹ she pondered. ›He’s a destroyer all right … a destroyer of lives!‹

  »What did we do to provoke this violence?« she dared.

  »Don’t annoy me with stupid questions,« the general snarled. »Just because you have two legs like us, don’t think you can expect leniency! Four bolides are more than enough for a solar system of this size. You cannot defeat us … but perhaps the species who developed your system shield and tachyon transportation system can. We will learn what this shield is all about. One thing is clear: It could not hold back our bolides.«

  ›The Dimensional Shield and the tachyon portal,‹ Nok wondered. ›Is that what they want? Then again, he might just be spouting rhetoric.‹

  Nok watched the main holo and saw that another stranger ship had landed. This bolide had a semi-spherical shape, but was as impressive as the Reusus. Unlike the general’s ship, it hovered just above the surface as if it employed gravitational energy field technology.

  ›Different technologies, different ship designs … we’re probably dealing with several dissimilar species,‹ Nok pondered, inwardly trembling.

  »Yes … look at it!« growled General Destroyer. »That is the bolide Boodrum commanded by General Mindbreaker.«

  The general made strange snarling noises, which Nok took as laughter. She still wasn’t sure how these beings communicated with each other, especially if they were of disparate species.

  General Destroyer suddenly said, »My warriors will inspect your primitive base. Any resistance on your part will be crushed immediately. My troops have detected a group of armed, crawling and disgusting intelligences. Are these your slaves? Did you beat this space rot into submission?«

  ›What is he talking about?‹ Nok searched for an answer that wouldn’t endanger the Trox.

  »Yes, and they serve us well; we would not like to lose them. They are perfect slaves!« a female voice sounded from a communication console.

  Nok twitched and cautiously looked around.

  ›Nuri, are you out of your mind, are you trying to get us all killed?‹ Nok thought in horror.

  She gave Nuri a warning glance, but Nuri ignored her, got up and slowly walked toward Nok and the general. Soldiers who were evidently his bodyguards closed in around him, ready to react.

  »Who is this?« the general asked in a bored tone. »She’d better have an important rank or I’ll throw her out into space.«

  Nok swallowed hard.

  »This is Nuri, she is …«

  »… the personal advisor to the commander,« Nuri interrupted. »My name is Nuri Jawa. I was trained to please our guests and to serve them.«

  The general sniffed around with his two trunks while he swayed back and forth on his legs.

  »You smell different,« he remarked, snarling. »I believe that you are something special. I’ll allow that the circle servant has chosen you as her servant and advisor,« he pointed with one of his trunks at Nok.

  »Circle servant?« Nok replied, consternated. »We are …«

  »... we’re your servants, all of us,« Nuri completed Nok’s sentence and bowed to the general.

  The general seemed to like that.

  »Is this your gesture of obedience?« he inquired.

  »I see you are very perceptive,« Nuri replied in a soft voice.

  »That is not difficult; you are weak, defenseless and single-dimensional. You are easily second guessed. I don’t think we’ll need to destroy more moons to demonstrate our right to this solar system and to your miserable lives.«

  »You can do what you want with the moons. If you don’t like them, then just get rid of them,« Nuri replied obediently.

  Nok’s face flushed in anger. She couldn’t take much more of Nuri’s sucking-up performance. She was ready to blow her stack.

  »This is good,« replied the alien. »We’re not going to need General Mindbreaker. He can remain on his bolide.«

  The general turned on his axis and let his gaze take in the command central. With no head and his visual organs fixed to his upper torso, he had to turn into the direction he wanted to look at.

  »I was right: this base of yours is as hopelessly primitive as I expected. It reflects your limited intellect. You can’t do anything against us with your outdated technology. I’ll return to my bolide and leave you to my underlings. They will keep their eyes on you. Do what they want or you’ll bear the consequences.«

  Swiftly, he wobbled toward the exit, followed by his guards. There he turned around, »I hope you honor the leniency I am extending you. Not every species deserves to be accepted as circle servants!«

  Nuri bowed again in his direction, but his only answer was some snarling noises. He left the command central leaving no doubt that some of his people would return soon to take over the command central.

  Nok looked at Nuri with ice-cold eyes, signed to her to come closer.

  »What on Earth are you doing?« Nok hissed at her low enough so only Nuri could understand. »Are you crazy? You have a death wish? One mistake and you’re risking all our lives!«

  The exotic young women with her shiny black hair and beautiful brown complexion seemed irritated.

  »I’m sorry. I know my words seemed cowardly, but I had to act to save our lives,« she responded softly. »You were about to provoke him to drastic measures … one more word from you and he would have executed you in front of your crew. He probably had that in mind before he even entered the command central. We’re lucky I was able to change his mind.«

  Nok looked at the open command central entrance. The noise levels outside in the corridor told her that the intruders’ “underlings” as the general had called them were approaching.

  »I’m not quite sure I understand you,« Nok whispered at Nuri, frowning. »What did that thing mean when he said you smell different than the rest of us?«

  Nuri Jawa looked at Nok uncertainly.

  »I don’t know how he found out. He must have sensed that I’m different. I am different, although not by much,« she admitted.

  Her eyes begged Nok as if the subject disturbed her. She didn’t want to tell the truth about herself in front of the entire command central crew.

  »Different?« Nok repeated, irritated, but she understood and squinted as she whispered, »You’re a Hybrid?«

  Nuri nodded faintly.

  »I am an astro-psychologist first, trained to see things from the point of view of alien beings …,« she evaded a direct answer.

  »… by tasting, reading or whatever, the aura of extra-terrestrials, right?« Nok interrupted her and smiled knowingly.

  Nuri didn’t reply.

  »I’ll take that as a yes,« Nok said gently. »You’re a Hybrid and you just didn’t talk about it …fine, Nuri. You did well. This general might have acted … rashly, if we hadn’t seemed to obey. We may owe our lives to your foresight, Nuri.«

  Nuri smiled lamely.

  »These are very unpredictable and angry beings. We have to be cautious … we’ve seen how they kill without remorse.«

  »That only makes it easier for us,« Nok whispered dangerously. »This circle general will pay for the deaths of the Dust Devil crew, I swear! He might think we’re one-dimensional and easy to predict, but are going to show the bastard our true colors – and soon.«

  »Commander, one of the bolides is leaving orbit … probable heading: for Earth!« a scanner operator announced.

  Seconds later, the target ship disappeared from the holo; it had slipped into tachyon space.

  »Nuri,« Nok hissed to the astro-psychologist and glanced quickly at the
open entrance. »You only have a couple of minutes to explain to Friedberg how to act and what not to do, if he doesn’t want to lose the Moon. Tell him not to provoke the intruders, any military action could spell disaster for Earth, Moon and Mars!«

  Nuri nodded silently and walked nervously to the comm-section. Nok followed her with her eyes.

  ›She’s got a lot of responsibilities on her shoulders. She’d acted intuitively during the confrontation; as long as she could read the general’s aura, she’d know what to do. Now she has to get that through Friedberg’s old brass head. I hope he gets it,‹ Nok pondered.

  The destruction of the Dust Devil had hit Nok Daralamai hard. The crew’s death was utterly senseless and she wondered what she could have done to prevent it.

  ›How did I fail them?‹ she asked herself doubtfully. ›Should I have surrendered right from the start? What kind of a nightmare is this?‹

  »Uhem …,« one of the civilian base security supervisors cleared his throat. The slightly grayed Afro-terrestrial had detached a small holo and dragged it to Nok. The display showed countless beings like the circle general. »First the good news: That Destroyer being has left the base and is on his way to his ship. The bad news: More and more of these beings are entering the base. They’re inspecting every nook and cranny and testing our equipment. Some of them have entered the mainframe section and are probing the memory banks. So far they haven’t cracked open security codes, but we don’t know how long our coding system will hold up.«

  He looked down at the floor for a moment then continued, »We have casualties, 32 dead, 14 wounded, some of them seriously. The dead bodies are still lying where they were killed. Nobody wants to touch them. The base crew is practically paralyzed with shock and disgust.«

  Nok closed her eyes for a moment.

  ›I wish the Globusters were here to blow these circle bastards out of the solar system!‹ she thought, dismayed at her own train of thought.

  Moments later, Nuri returned.

  »The admiral has received my message and I think he’ll follow my advice. He issued the Space Alert for Earth, Mars and Moon, but is retreating with the few operational Fleet units he has left. He won’t attack the bolides for now,« Nuri reported in a trembling voice.

  »What is it, Nuri?« Nok inquired. She offered a weak grin. »Not used to giving orders to superiors?«

  »No, it’s not that, Commander,« she replied frankly. »I’m just afraid I may give the wrong advice.«

  »Welcome to the top! Nuri, everybody who makes decisions is constantly asking themselves that. If you’re going to be my personal assistant and advisor, you’ll have to grow up fast and learn to be more secure in your decisions,« Nok demanded of her.

  »But like I said, I’m …,« Nuri tried to explain herself but Nok interrupted her.

  »… we have to continue this game. I’m willing to bet this general will be even more unpredictable and brutal if he finds out that we’ve deceived him. I need your advice regarding the invaders. Your abilities are the only advantage we have.«

  Nuri nodded.

  »You’re right, Commander. I advised Admiral Friedberg to consult a Hybrid advisor on Earth, too, in case he has to deal with the bolides.«

  Nok smiled supportively.

  »Then, why don’t we start by you analyzing the general – build me a profile. I need to know everything about him. We need to know how they got here and what they really want. What is the Circle of Victors and what does it stand for? Are they space pirates? What are their objectives?«

  Nuri seemed lost.

  »How am I supposed to do all that on my own?« she asked helplessly.

  »Not alone,« Nok whispered urgently. »We’re a team, Nuri ... right now you’ve got the ball but everybody here will back you up. Collect as much data as possible from the base crew, especially people who’ve had encounters with these strangers, then use your own observations and assessments. These beings are arrogant, sure of themselves, and they think they’re invincible. Maybe that’s their weakest point. Try to ferret out if they’ve let any information leak that we can use against them. A superiority complex usually leads to underestimating the opponent. We’ll put this puzzle together. You use your talents and your instinct and I’ll support you all the way. I need the information ASAP by the way. Oh, and I’m certain we’ll be watched every step we take, so be careful!« She tried to make the last two statements lightly.

  Nuri Jawa understood.

  With that done, Nok suddenly seemed saddened; she found she was fighting back tears.

  »Do you think … would they let us launch rescue units from the Blue Moon to search for survivors?« she asked Nuri.

  Nuri nodded slowly.

  »I think so, they don’t see small ships as a threat. The Dust Devil was probably only destroyed because it had opened fire on one of the bolides. They responded according to their mentality,« Nuri replied.

  »Hmm … but the base also fired at them,« Nok rebutted.

  »That’s why I’m so worried,« Nuri admitted. »They’re not only angry but also vengeful. I’m afraid they mean to destroy the entire base when they leave!«

  At this moment a stream of extra-terrestrials flooded into the command central, led by a dominant leader who didn’t look much different than the circle general. It was obvious, however, that he was a lower ranking individual; he gave crude orders and did not engage any of the Humans in conversation.

  »No circle servant will touch anything!« he commanded with a snarling, arrogant voice. »We will now inspect this room!«

  My first crisis meeting

  The approaching ship had been detected by at least 30 different surveillance posts in the Asteroid Belt. A bolide had a spindle design, it was about 1,000 meters long and was shaped like an octagon along its outer edges. At the thickest part it measured about 500 meters. The ship re-entered normal space in the Asteroid Belt, annihilated several small asteroids and even larger comets, its defense shields transforming debris into pure energy.

  Friedberg had reacted to the threat, quickly and efficiently and re-located his staff to the safest location on Earth. The new HQ command post was now deep under the Himalayan Mountains, protected by hundreds of meters of thick, massive rock. Above the new HQ rose the Nanga Parbat – the tallest Mountain on Earth!

  All Fleet commanders were linked for a crisis conference. Units operating in space were prohibited from attacking or hindering the strangers on their approach. Even as the spindle ship crossed the Mars orbit, heading for Earth, Friedberg doubted his decisions. He and his staff searched for alternatives.

  The command bunker was a world on its own. The chains of command not only for Earth-Mars defense, but also intelligence-gathering sections on the outer bases and posts, including the colonies, were controlled from this location. Only personnel with the highest security clearances worked here.

  »We have to deal with one ship, one … bolide … for now,« Friedberg reminded the staff at the large, oval oak table – a leftover from the former Shenzhou. In the middle of the table was a small holo generator displaying a 3-dimensional Solar Union Emblem. »Nobody in this universe is invincible!« he continued. »You’ve all read the Triton Base reports and assessed the situation bad as it was, remember that we have far more resources for inner system defenses. This Nuri Jawa reports that the intruders are thoroughly aggressive types who don’t take no for an answer. I want your opinion: Do we throw everything we have at this spindle bolide? What are our chances?«

  The staff officers, among them generals, admirals and colonels, looked at each other but remained silent. Earth Defense had never even simulated such a scenario.

  Viktor Senitschko, a young scientist who was acting as an advisor, faintly shook his head. As he asked for permission to speak, all heads turned toward him, the newcomer who was only recently permitted to sit at the staff table.

  Friedberg had noticed Senitschko’s head shaking and confronted him before he allowed him to speak up, »What’s
wrong with my question, young man?«

  Senitschko looked straight at the Admiral, self-assured. His blue eyes showed maturity although he didn’t appear much older than 34 years.

  Friedberg was a bit unnerved that Senitschko looked at him like that.

  »Admiral, I’m a scientific advisor to your staff and though I’m not qualified to speak to our military options, I can assess the technical abilities of our enemy.«

  »Go ahead,« Friedberg invited him to continue and leaned back in his seat, while other chiefs of staff sent scolding glances at the young scientist.

  »Even if we can manage to synchronize all weapon systems, spaceborn and land based, and that’s a huge if, we wouldn’t make much of an impression on the intruders.

  Friedberg frowned and puckered his lips.

  »I assume you can back up your theory?« he inquired.

  The officers present followed the discussion attentively, while Friedberg quelled any uprising chatter.

  The scientist got up from his seat, straightened up, wiped a strand of hair out of his face and said, »The Reusus, another bolide – by the way, that’s probably just a ship type descriptor – has destroyed a Neptune moon … with only one shot from an unknown weapon!«

  »Well, Despina is a small moon,« another scientist threw in.

  »You mean it was,« Senitschko corrected. »Yes, Despina was a small moon with a diameter of 150 kilometers. All we know is that there’s not much left of it. The debris will eventually be absorbed by Neptune’s dust ring.«

  Friedberg looked at Senitschko.

  »Maybe the approaching bolide is different, its crew not as bloodthirsty. It’s a different design, maybe more vulnerable,« he proposed.

  »I wouldn’t risk it,« Senitschko warned. »It just plowed through the Asteroid Belt at 40 % sub-lightspeed. Its defense shields atomized everything in its path. We have nothing to penetrate such shields. We have to understand that we can’t do anything by attacking this ship, but endanger the populations of Earth, Moon and Mars. Just imagine if they’d use the same weapon against Earth or the Moon!«

  Sobering silence held the conference room. Officers paled and looked at each other with a sense of powerlessness.