»I want to free your goddess from her ties,« Herimos replied, aimed his weapon and shot at the chains. His shots were precise and melted the chains.
With wide open eyes, Ramir saw the heavy sculpture hit the ground with a thud, and broke apart into several pieces.
»Sorry about that,« Herimos apologized. »There’s no other way to examine the statue otherwise.«
The melodic hum and buzz in the temple hall suddenly increased in volume dramatically. Whether the hard impact of the sculpture had caused the hall to vibrate harder, or the shot from Herimos’ weapon had produced this effect was hard to tell.
Ramir covered his ears.
»That’s so eerie,« he whispered to himself.
»Presumably, the suspension of the heavy-portrait had weakened or blocked the vibrations of the temple hall structure with its weight. We have freed the dome of its load,« Herimos grinned. »Now we can hear the Nebular chants much clearer, don’t you agree?«
Herimos walked over to the destroyed statue and examined it. After a couple of minutes he gave up.
»The comb is not inside the goddess,« he declared. »This hiding place was probably too obvious.«
A new sound made Herimos suddenly listen up. It was very different from the space sounds of the temple, it grew louder. It sounded like bursting reinforced concrete. The temple seemed to be unstable and the pillars of the planetary dome were creaking under the sudden weight.
»What …,« Ramir began. »The temple is collapsing! What did you do?«
Herimos displayed his yellow teeth and looked around. He grimaced.
»No. I think that applies to me. I have already asked myself how long it would take for your mentors to do something about me.«
»The mentors?« Ramir said horrified and looked up.
Directly above the broken fragments of the goddess, suddenly a black fog appeared. The fog was moving, becoming more dense every second and spun like a spiral in itself.
A silhouette peeled out of the fog, accompanied by frightening, screeching noises. Herimos reached for his weapon. The old temple dome suddenly resounded as if a heavy bell was being struck.
Ramir just stood there as if wouldn’t concern them. His eyes were empty. Although, he was still standing beside Herimos, he didn’t seem to notice him.
»Where are you?« Ramir asked irritated and looked through Herimos. His voice sounded like a faint whisper.
With a loud bang, a gnome-like creature appeared, which, floated on a cushion, manifesting itself directly in front of Herimos.
Herimos held his breath.
A heavily obese extra-terrestrial stared at him with glowing, evil eyes. The sharp and pointed predator teeth sparkled dangerously. Herimos could clearly see how degenerate technology oozed from every pore of its ugly Buddha-like body.
Herimos pulled his weapon, but an invisible force jerked his heavy carbine out of his hands, making it playfully sail through the air toward the ceiling of the temple dome.
Ramir didn’t see the emerged enemy, otherwise he would have reacted to its appearance, but the Progonaut listened.
He whispered, »I hear your voice, Mentor!«
»Ramir!« Herimos shouted alarmed. »He’s not a mentor! He is the enemy! Don’t listen to him!«
Ramir moved like a puppet. His eyes suddenly focused again – they looked at Herimos.
»You came to my world to destroy it. You can no longer hide before my eyes by means of your technical tricks! You’re not my friend! I heard the voice of a mentor. He whispered the truth to me!«
Herimos tore one of the seat frames from the rotten mounting brackets and hurled it with all his might against the floating beings, but the frame easily bounced off an invisible barrier at a shallow angle.
Angrily, Herimos showed the gnome his teeth who returned the gesture by displaying his predator’s teeth.
»Herimos, my hairy friend,« Ramir whispered sadly. »I’m sorry but I have to kill you.«
At this moment a flash went over the infected Kokradian. Directly overhead the temple dome, where the old Progonaut ancient star map used to be, Herimos saw the glowing aura of a Jamal- Comb.
»The comb is here!« he yelled at Ramir and pointed upward. »The comb got excited by the gnome’s mental powers and established an aura! The comb is incorporated into the dome’s star map. Look up!«
Ramir ignored Herimos’ words.
Herimos was suddenly grabbed and pulled upward. The much weaker Progonaut held the heavier Herimos effortlessly in the air with his outstretched right arm, looked him briefly in the eye and said regretfully, »I hear his voice in my head. He told me that you’re an enemy of all Progonauts. You possess the powers to confuse my senses. This will, however, no longer work! The mentor helped me to see my world the way it’s supposed to be. A world without destruction and decay.«
Then he hurled Herimos through the temple hall, who flew with a furious battle cry through the air and crashed into the wall of a pilaster.
Herimos got up dazed, brushing dust and dirt from his chest armor. With a menacing voice he growled, »That hurt, my friend, nevertheless, you fight like a girl!«
The infected and disfigured Kokradian let out an evil and griping laugh. The real enemy in this battle was amused and enjoyed watching the two from his lofty position.
Herimos kept an eye on the Kokradian and almost didn’t notice the fast approaching Progonaut. Herimos dodged a sudden hit toward his head, which instead, slammed into a support column and blew out a piece of the marble-like stone. Ramir only stared at his uninjured hand, then the hole in the column.
Ramir couldn’t believe his powers. He moved his fingers as if he wanted to check that his hand was still intact. He turned toward Herimos again.
»I don’t have a choice,« he just said.
The cosmic sounds, which were generated by the oscillating dome, increased to an infernal buzzing. Herimos had eyes only for the comb, but he had no chance to get to the valuable key.
Nebular will never let this happen
The Techno-Cleric remained silent. He no longer reacted to Nok’s nagging questions and withdrew himself. Nok didn’t know if the robot did no longer want to talk or couldn’t because he didn’t know.
»We’ll talk about it again later,« she called after the cleric.
Scorge had slumped.
He fears that many who had followed his ship, would make him responsible for the failed rescue, Nok thought. That could cause more tensions. What is this Techno-Cleric thinking?
Some extraterrestrials demonstrated or expressed their disappointment in their own way. Since Scorge had declared himself the fleet leader, he now drew their ire.
»I still suggest that we should stick to our original plan and form an alliance,« exclaimed Nexus Tor with a powerful voice. »The Solar System plays a central role in the defense against the unknown invaders. I recommend to all, still seeking protection for the time being, remaining in the Neptune System. You’re welcome.«
»You’ve heard it!« squeaked a delicately built and feather-bearing extra-terrestrial nervously in Nexus Tor’s direction. The being was stilting from one of its thin legs to the other. It was hiding its head under two underdeveloped wings and looked around frightened. »This sector was declared a vulnerable zone! It is you who should better run away.«
»We don’t know the Caravan Scouts,« Nok replied and tried to calm down the delegates. »There’s no guarantee that their predictions will come true. Even the Techno-Clerics don’t know all the answers. If it were so, then their cosmic morality would oblige them to warn us. There’s no doubt that our solar system was chosen for a particular purpose.«
»Yes, you’re probably right, Human woman … as a victims!« growled one of the delegates and beat its three long trunks on ground. It sounded like the cracking of whips.
»There is no question that the energy matrix surrounding this solar system, has a higher order,« snarled another emissary, who noticeably was a hybrid being. The bizar
re body shape consisted of organic and inorganic components.
»My name is Xerx,« the fist-size big extraterrestrial said mechanically. The creature sat in the center of a four-legged electromotive chair, which he controlled with his little octopus-like tentacles and numerous levers. »We Maklurens have thoroughly examined the dimension shield upon entering into this system. This shield extends into the tachyon continuum and is of a higher potency than the normal track on which we are accustomed to traveling. We decided to stay here, if only to solve this mystery.«
»Maklurens and their penchant for riddles!« thundered a Cyclopes-like being who towered over everyone else. »We Zirpans have always relied on our intuitions and have been well advised by following them. We were freed from Morgotradon’s torture world by one of these bipeds. My crew and I trust these people. We stay here! If the galaxy goes down, then it does not matter where we enter the Kingdom of Eternal Peace, here or at any other place!«
Scorge seemed to become more confident, for he raised his tentacles and shouted enthusiastically, »All Shwakans who have flown to this system under my leadership are for now …«
A bright, white flash of light, like a nuclear explosion, suddenly illuminated the Star Hall and startled the audience.
»What is that?« Scorge screeched horrified.
»We’re under attack!« another being screamed panic struck.
Blinded, Nok, covered her eyes and looked up through the dome’s bulletproof glass. The bright light eruption didn’t originate in the Neptune System. The source had to be much further away despite its brightness.
»Commander,« the central communication center reported. »The tachyon radio link with the Earth was severed. Instead, we receive a strong superimposed interference!«
Scorge pulled out small device from between his skin folds and held it into the air. The device emitted some faint blue rays, which projected some dancing patterns onto his sight organ.
»I see a spot-like energy source, located outside the dimensional shield. Most of the energy radiated by the object is absorbed by the solar protection field. However, there’re still enough emissions to disrupt the tachyon radio communications. What is that?«
No one had paid attention to Hassan Khalil, who suddenly squirmed with agonizing groans. With a few steps, Nuri came over to support him.
»It’s a Caravan Scout beacon!« Hassan gasped. »It’s transmitting high energy impulses by tapping into the tachyon continuum. Even my body’s internal systems are being affected.«
»What are these impulses?« Nok asked excited and looked again into the harsh light. It looked as if, at a great distance, a second sun had arisen.
Hassan gasped, breathing intermittently and then slowly straightened up. Suddenly, his body was enveloped by a fine outline. The techno-hybrid had activated his body shield.
»I have to protect myself against these emissions,« said Hassan apologetically with a distorted voice. The body shield distorted his words.
»What is this beacon doing?« Nok asked again. »What is the nature of the impulses and why does it shine so brightly?«
Hassan grimaced and could not prevent the occasional sensor threads extended from his hair. Presumably, this was an involuntary reaction to the strange stimulation by these high-energy radio signals.
»It’s a simple pattern, but so intense that it shattered my techno-biological equilibrium. These impulses are certainly reaching for several thousands of lightyears,« he explained.
»I’ve heard of these cosmic beacons,« Scorge suddenly exclaimed and received sporadic consent from some audience members. »But, they never had such an energy potential. The signals from this beacon almost reach beyond the edges of the Milky Way.«
»What’s the message?« Nuri asked who was still attending Hassan.
»It’s a down counter, interrupted by each cycle in which it transmits a multilingual warning,« Hassan said in a tight voice.
»What’s that good for?« Scorge shrieked excitedly. He seemed to react to the bright light and had turned light-blue.
»It’s a countdown ...,« moaned Hassan, »... perhaps the last warning, which the Caravan Scouts broadcast throughout the galaxy. According to the beacon’s counter we have 152 hours and 23 minutes left.«
»And what then?« Nok asked with a fluctuating voice.
Hassan’s eyes expressed regret and pity.
»If the stranger, called Gloon, is right, then this is the time the catastrophe will occur and the galaxy is lost.«
»The Great Tremor!« Scorge screeched in panic. »The time has come!«
»Be brave and trust the great plan!« The words of the techno-cleric drowned the excited calls and vocalizations of the assembled extra-terrestrials. »Have faith in the time line! When it is manifested and becomes absolute reality, no one has to suffer in this galaxy!«
Nok contacted the command central.
»Send an immediate warning to all outer bases of the Solar Union, including Earth, Mars and the Moon! Use normal radio communication, because the tachyon radio link is useless at this point in time. We must prepare for the worst.«
»If it really happens, is there still any hope for us?« Nuri asked Hassan who smiled softly back at her.
»You’ve just heard it, Nuri. We should firmly believe in the arrival of the correct time line. For me, it almost sounds like ... pray and wait.«
»Nebular will not allow our galaxy to go under,« the Techno-Cleric hummed softly, making Hassan wince.
He stared at the robot and then asked surprised, »What did you just say?«
»I said Nebular will not allow it,« 40028 repeated while Hassan nodded slightly. Then the former systems analyst smiled. It was as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders at this moment.
That’s not possible
Ramir suddenly developed powers, which couldn’t be raised by his body alone. The infected Kokradian was responsible for it. Before Herimos could recover from the last blow, Ramir was already over him and grabbed him.
Herimos showed his teeth and roared, »Ramir, get a hold of yourself! You don’t want to kill me!«
Ramir looked past him and listened, but it was not the words of Herimos he heard, but the mental commands of the mentor, Kill him now!
Herimos was brutally pulled up and thrown across the room again. The Equinox scientist landed on his back and had to catch his breath. He groped his aching chest; unquestionably had suffered some bruises on his arms and legs. He was resting in a cloud of dust, moaning. He briefly looked up to the star map. The Jamal-Comb was still there and glowed much brighter than before.
Ramir jumped nimbly over the destroyed rows of seats and grabbed Herimos again. The already clearly weakened scientists looked into cold eyes, which showed a strange emptiness.
He’s not responsible for his actions, Herimos thought. So far, he hadn’t offered any fierce resistance, because he didn’t want to hurt Ramir.
Although, Ramir had the powers to end this fight quickly, he stopped suddenly.
Herimos understood why. From the corner of his eye, he could see the Kokradian looking up, noticing the glow of the Jamal-Comb.
The gnome made some excited sounds and steered his seat through the air, directly toward the glowing object.
Herimos had problems breathing under Ramir’s merciless grip and began to lash out, but his hard defense did not impress his opponent.
»Ramir … free yourself from the alien influence,« he croaked. »I’m suffocating!«
The former Kokradian had almost reached the zenith of the temple dome and now floated just below the bright glowing comb. He looked at it with his big eyes. The closer the Kokradian came to the comb, the brighter it shone. This seemed to fascinate the gnome. The death struggle between Ramir and Herimos, which took place directly underneath him, suddenly degenerated into a trivial matter.
»Ramir …,« Herimos moaned, »let … go … of me.«
Ramir seemed confused. His fist, already raised to deal the deadl
y blow, paused in the air. Ramir swayed and his eyelids flickered. Life returned to his eyes.
»Herimos?« he asked surprised and looked at his partner horrified. »What are you doing here on the ground?«
As he realized that his hand was still grabbing Herimos’ throat, he quickly pulled it away. Now, Ramir noticed the strange noises coming from the Kokradian who couldn’t take his eyes from the comb. Ramir shuddered with disgust.
»What … what kind of being is that? How did it get here?« he stammered.
Herimos got up, grabbed Ramir by the shoulders and pulled him along. He wanted to take the chance and escape the mental influence of this horrific being.
»Is this … a mentor?« Ramir asked while pointing upward.
Herimos just shook his head.
»No, not a mentor, Ramir. I’m afraid that is your scourge!«
A couple of meters away from their position, Herimos’ heavy weapon fell to the ground, released from the Kokradian’s grip, who was mesmerized by the comb.
»What’s happening up there?« Ramir asked frightened. »Do you know beings like that?«
Ramir seemed tired and exhausted.
»Pull yourself together my friend,« Herimos growled. »The true enemy is hovering up there and he wants the Jamal-Comb.«
Herimos moved away from Ramir, rummaged through the rubble and found his weapon amongst the rows of decayed seats. He signaled Ramir to retreat to the wall of the temple hall. Herimos raised his gun, but didn’t dare to shoot. He feared to damage the Jamal-Comb with his plasma charges.
»Why are you hesitating?« Ramir pushed. »If this is our enemy then take the shot!«
Herimos didn’t need to shoot anymore.
The Kokradian reached out with his short arms to touch the comb. Seconds later, an animalistic scream followed which made Herimos shiver. The infected being was moaning as if in great pain, while the modules of degenerated technology, embedded in his body, gleamed like hot metal.
Panic struck, the Kokradian pulled back and steered his seat below the comb, but it was too late. The brief touch of the Jamal-Comb had sealed his fate, triggering a devastating chain reaction. The disfigured creature lost control of his floating seat and crashed to the ground after a few seconds. The gnome fell hard and shook the ground. Herimos was just able to jump to the side, observing how the degenerated technology literally burned through the Kokradians’ body.
NEBULAR Collection 6 - The Great Tremor: Episodes 27 - 30 Page 30