NEBULAR Collection 6 - The Great Tremor: Episodes 27 - 30

by Thomas Rabenstein

  A panoramic view, Nok thought soberly.

  »Careful! He can hide his aura and escape my grasp,« Nuri whispered.

  »Where are you from?« Nok asked again more sternly. »Are you here to do your part or are you just mocking us?«

  Everybody who knew Nok’s tone of voice knew now to be cautious.

  Gloon ignored her tone and minced like a penguin toward her.

  »My people come from the Great Magellan Cloud and the only contribution I can make is to take measurements of this space sector,« he said in a loud voice. The little extraterrestrial apparently didn’t know fear or uncertainty. »I will deploy a tachyon radio beacon on the edge of this system to alert other spacefarers and people prior to entering this space sector. This sector will soon be hit by space-time shoals and unpredictable hazards. It is unfortunate, but cannot be changed. You don’t have much time left to evacuate this system. With the arrival of this parasite galaxy this spiral arm is particularly affected.«

  »He’s one of the Caravan Scouts!« one of the Trox suddenly shouted into the room. »Everywhere they show up, dimensional overlapping will occur a short time later!«

  Nok frowned.

  »So, you are here to warn us?«

  »I was here,« he corrected her softly and vanished in thin air before her eyes. The stranger had activated an energy field which enveloped his body.

  »Attention! He’s transporting himself to his ship!« Hassan shouted. »Do you want me to stop him and absorb his transportation field?«

  Nok quickly raised her arm, »No, let him go. If he wants to retreat then it’s his right to do so.«

  »This space sector is no longer safe!« called a peacock-like alien with a high pitched voice. The Caravan Scouts are never wrong. We must flee, as long as we still can! It was a mistake to follow the Shwakan to this solar system.«

  Who are you

  Ramir and Herimos opened two golden doors to the temple. As soon as they entered the vestibule they heard a strange noise. A melodic hum or buzz was in the air. The sound filled the entire temple room. Herimos listened intently and held his head awry.

  »What is that? Are there any machines or energy generators running?« he asked.

  Ramir stopped and suddenly looked reverently.

  »These are the chants of Nebular, at least that’s what the old priests alleged,« he explained. »What we hear are cosmic transients, received by the temple towers. The inner dome possesses a distinct foundation with various design elements which ensure that the received signals are transformed into vibrations which then sound throughout the entire temple complex.«

  »These old priests certainly knew how to impress your people. It’s a simple principle and works all over the galaxy,« Herimos growled.

  Herimos stopped breathing for a moment as the two men entered the inner temple section.

  The enormous golden sculpture of a woman, which was modeled after a Progonaut woman floated in the air. The goddess had no face. There was just a hint of her eyes, nose and ears. Two pairs of wings grew out of her shoulder blades and a precious stone-studded crown adorned her head. Herimos registered, with a thin smile, the well-developed chest and hips of the goddess. The heavy sculpture was suspended in the air by antigravity fields and enveloped by a holographic spiral, consisting of millions of light dots. Herimos recognized a projection of the Milky Way.

  While the golden goddess slowly turned around her axis, the spiral arms of billions of suns rotated around the center of the galaxy, which symbolized the goddess herself.

  »Anti-gravity fields, holographic projections, light and sound effects …,« Herimos grumbled, »Not every culture amalgamates, religious beliefs and technology as at this location.«

  »Both doesn’t need to rule each other out,« Ramir explained with a smile.

  Herimos looked around interested. The inner section of the temple didn’t bear a resemblance to a place of worship. Around the goddess, wrapped in her holographic veils, were comfortable seats arranged to form an inside out spiral. Herimos estimated the number of seats to about three hundred. Above Synthia stretched a dome-shaped ceiling, which was covered with lines, symbols and other characters, like a grid-like coordinate system.

  »We call this a planetarium on my world,« Herimos whispered softly and pointed his hand upward. »This is probably an early star catalogue with coordinates and star symbols, which you can see from this world?«

  Ramir nodded in agreement.

  »This is the first star map that was made here on India. The creator of it is unknown, his name lost in time. He didn’t leave a trace.«

  Herimos gazed at the ornate walls. He saw sculptures of mythical creatures, wall paintings of war scenes, frescoes and works of art with abstract appearances ...

  Herimos nodded faintly.

  »This actually was a temple once, but when your people lost their faith, it became a tourist attraction. The goddess is nothing less than a magnet for sightseers. However, where are the people who would normally push each other through the hall?«

  Herimos’ voices sounded sad as he walked through the rows of seats, wiping off the dust from some of them.

  Ramir looked up to Synthia and seemed deep in thought. Herimos threw some quick glances at him which Ramir didn’t notice. He just stood there, staring at the holographic display. He seemed to be hypnotized by Synthia’s rotations and the sound waves. He knit his eyebrows. He was lost in his thoughts.

  »Ramir?« Herimos asked cautiously.

  Ramir’s eyes flickered briefly, then he said with anger in his voice, »This place was always well visited. I listened often to the cosmic melody as a child and came here to see the dancing goddess. Your question is correct. Why are we here alone? Where are the visitors who would fill the temple hall at this time of day?«

  Ramir walked between the rows of seats and kicked them. Thick clouds of dust rose to the air and mixed with the holographic projection causing irritating light effects.

  Ramir yelled into the room, » Why is this temple so deteriorated in this shameful way? How is that possible? Where are you, guardians of Synthia?«

  Herimos muttered snidely, »Nobody cares about this place anymore, nevertheless, we have a problem.«

  Ramir still looked distraught. Herimos’ words only slowly penetrated into his consciousness.

  »A problem?«

  Herimos nodded.

  »If Shanthier once hid and deposited the Jamal-Comb here, then it will be difficult to find it. Apparently, the temple was rebuilt several times and restored until it was abandoned long ago. The decay has long set in.«

  Herimos stood before the goddess and made a gesture as if to wipe away a veil. The room suddenly darkened, the holographic model faded slowly, the goddess lost her golden glow and was covered with patina. The impressive statue turned into an ugly figure, eaten away by corrosion. She was now suspended from a peeling ceiling with rusty chains, swaying back and forth.

  With wide open eyes, Ramir stared at the steel skeletons where the seats once were, long since corroded and decayed

  He screamed in horror and sank to his knees. He couldn’t believe what he saw. Herimos walked over to him and put his hand on his shoulder.

  Ramir’s face had paled as he looked at Herimos.

  »Who are you? Why did you bring me to this horrible place?

  Herimos displayed regret in his face.

  »I’m sorry, Ramir. You’ve been here all along. I need your help, but for that you need to see how this place is with your own eyes.«

  The melodic hum, the only impression of the old reality that had remained, suddenly turned into deep, menacing tones.

  I demand clarification

  »Regardless of what Gloon wanted to say: You are safe in the Solar System,« Nok shouted and tried to calm the delegates. »Nothing can happen to you inside the dimensional shield. It will protect us all.«

  »How do you know that?« bawled a being from out of the crowd and looked at Nok curiously with its four rod-like
eyes. The octo-ped remotely resembled a giant scorpion. However, it had no tail and stinger, but four arms with scissor-like claws which grew from his neck just below the spherical had. »You do not understand the technology. Even my scientists could not interpret the energy matrix. How can you claim that this energy shield actually gives us protection from the Great Tremor?«

  »What happens to the people who were left behind on other home-worlds?« another being asked which resembled an upright walking caterpillar.

  Nok frowned. The extra-terrestrials were correct by principle. Humans relied on the words of the Chiropters. Nok was speechless. She looked at her scientific advisors, but they shunned her glances.

  »The dimensional shields will not stop the shock wave. The matrix was never created for this purpose,« the Techno-Cleric said suddenly. His words made Nok freeze. She looked at the cleric open mouthed.

  »But the Chiropters insured …« Nok tried to defend herself but was interrupted by the Techno-Cleric.

  »… the Chiropters don’t know the true state of affairs. They were once chosen to build the Dimensional Mirror, but were not selected to be the mouthpiece of the Galactic Brotherhood.«"

  Nok had to hold on to herself, but could not hide her shaky voice.

  »What is that supposed to mean?«

  The Techno-cleric hovered slowly toward the group of extraterrestrials.

  »I became aware of it just after the activation impulse occurred, which was also received by Hassan Khalil. As of that moment, we knew what our mission was.«

  »You owe us an explanation,« Hassan replied calmly. »Correct, I also received the pulse, but I don’t understand it yet. Who generated it? Why can I feel that something penetrated our universe? How is that possible?«

  »The degenerated technology heightened your senses, normal people won’t feel what you can feel,« the Techno-Cleric recapitulated.

  Hassan remained skeptical.

  »This impulse was too intense and comprehensive to have been emitted from a station or a transmitter. It did not result directly or indirectly from the intrusion of an alien star cluster in our galaxy. A natural phenomenon is ruled out, I’m pretty sure. But if no artificial or natural source is the cause then who or what triggered it?«

  40028 hovered closer to Hassan.

  »I do not have heightened senses and don’t have your abilities. However, I know for sure that you already know the answer.«

  Hassan squinted and pondered over the cleric’s words while Nok clenched her fists.

  »If the protective field does not deliver what we were promised, then why are all these things happening in our solar system?« Nok spread her arms. »Why this Globuster Matrix, why the retreat, why all the plans and counter-plans?«

  The Techno-Cleric seemed to shrink a little as he said, »The Galactic Brotherhood forged their plans, long before the danger took concrete shape, even before the call for help from the Kokradians reached them. The Creators and the Third People disregarded the concerns of the Genorantans and conducted a time experiment on the secret world Spin. This allowed them to take a brief look into the future. The experiment by means of a Temporal-Integrator was successful. The Creators did not only see a possible future but the particular time line which will become true.«

  »You mean … uhm … the people who created you built a time machine?« Nuri asked but was still a bit off with her thoughts.

  »The Temporal-Integrator disregards alternative time lines and only allows a brief look into the future. The Creators only had one tenth of a second to receive information about the future then the connection severed and could not be re-established.

  »What are you saying?« Scorge hissed angrily. »We evacuated our females and this system doesn’t offer us any safety?«

  »The Creators never made this promise,« 40028 replied serenely.

  »Each hatchling in this galaxy, except perhaps low-life Barbarians, know well that experiments with time lead to incalculable risks!« Scorge countered and waved like mad with all his tentacles extended in excitement.

  »The Creators, nevertheless, took this step, because the information they had received was so worrisome that they didn’t have another choice,« 40028 replied.

  »If this damn dimensional shield can’t protect us then what’s the use?« Nok fumed. »You must know! All the other Techno-Clerics flew out to align or fine-tune the Globuster Matrix. So, what’s the real purpose of this shield?« she yelled into the Star Hall.

  All individuals who were gathered in the Star Hall fell silent. Beings from more than hundred worlds looked at the Techno-Cleric and waited. The artificial intelligence hidden inside the perfectly polished sphere hesitated a moment, then he said, »The Galactic Brotherhood, made up of the three most advanced civilizations, never intended to only save a few and let the rest of the galaxy sink into demise. They never devised a plan to form a Protector fleet with millions of ships to fight a never before seen battle, only to be defeated at the end. Such thoughts you have to banish, because they do not correspond to the Cosmic Morals!«

  The last words of the Techno-Cleric sounded reproachfully. Everybody in the hall could feel the inner rejection felt by the robot.

  Hassan closed his eyes. He seemed as if in a trance. Nok wasn’t able to explain what he was doing.

  Is he listening to something or does he let his senses wonder through the universe? What’s he looking for? she thought.

  Suddenly, he opened his eyes and smiled. He ran his hand through his hair and nodded at the robot.

  »I understand you now. Whatever the Creators saw in the future, they had never worked on a scenario which at the end would see the demise of the Milky Way. Failure was not an option; therefore, things had already been set in motion at that time, which will avert the catastrophe. «

  »I cannot say anything due to the lack of data,« stated the Techno-Cleric. »The only certainty is that the Creators were returning to Techno-Center after looking into the future. They created us and implanted the moral code in us and entrusted us with this mission, of which we only found out now. Then they left us and their world forever. We do not know where they went, but we will fulfill our task.«

  Nok became restless and harshly said, »Tell us now what the purpose of the dimensional shield is! After what we heard, we have a right to an answer! I demand clarification!«

  I don’t have a choice

  »You owe me an explanation!« Ramir shouted at Herimos.

  »I can’t give it to you just yet, but I promise, you’ll understand in the end,« Herimos assured him.

  Ramir buried his face in his hands. He gave the impression as if he’d closed his eyes to reality.

  »Help me,« Herimos asked again and offered his hand to Ramir. Ramir took Herimos’ hand and was pulled up with a firm tug.

  He looked around with burning eyes.

  »What dark place are you showing me?«

  »We’re still at the same location,« Herimos told him and pointed into the hall. »This is the Temple of Synthia. I’m certain that your ruler really chose this temple to hide the Jamal-Comb. He didn’t want to take it along to his flagship, even his palace wasn’t secure enough. Maybe he knew already then that he would not return from the battle. I think he was taking no chances.«

  »That’s insane,« Ramir swallowed hard. »Shanthier was always present on India. You must have snatched me into an alternate time level! Yes, that’s it! A parallel universe in which my world went under.«

  Herimos smiled and ended the discussion with a movement of his hand.

  »Tell me, my young Progonaut, where you would have hidden the comb, if you were in Shanthier’s place? Put yourself mentally in his situation. Your world is under attack and the flagship will be waiting ready to start. You have little time ...«

  »You’re asking me?« Ramir asked with slumped shoulders. »I thought you have powerful allies who brought you here. Can they not help you?«

  »There is a way, of course, to locate the comb. The other Jama
l-Combs react with a glow when the last one is in their vicinity. They could indicate where to look.«

  »Of course, you don’t have the other combs with you, right?« Ramir mocked.

  »Unfortunately, that’s not possible,« Herimos explained. »The combs won’t leave Vasina’s hands anymore. She keeps a keen eye on them. I didn’t know what to expect when I arrived here. To have just one of these invaluable combs on me would have been irresponsible and too risky.«

  »You said before, that you already searched through the palace. If we were there now, would my eyes see the same destruction and decay as here inside the temple?«

  Herimos growled approvingly.

  »In contrast to the palace, this temple is a clean and tidy place. Shanthier’s residence lies in ruins. The invaders did their job thoroughly.«

  Ramir clenched his teeth. He was lost. He wiped over his eyes and pointed at the goddess statue.

  »Whoever did this, wanted to scoff at our faith and cosmology. Synthia was never chained! She was free! She floated gracefully in the center of the galaxy and was no prisoner!« he shouted into the room.

  »When we entered the temple, this space corresponded with your ideas?« Herimos quietly asked.

  Ramir nodded.

  »Then Progonauts didn’t do this. The invading forces devastated and dishonored the temple. I suspect the Rexas, it’s their signature, indeed,« Herimos summarized.

  »Rexas? Here … on … India?« Ramir stuttered. »These bastards would never even come closer to India than a lightyear, let alone land on our planet!«

  Herimos shrugged. He tried not to refute Ramir. He was not ready to believe him.

  Herimos looked up and squinted. He nodded at the statue.

  »Maybe we need to start at exactly this point. Could the Jamal-Comb be hidden inside the goddess?«

  »What do you want to do?« Ramir asked breathlessly.