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

by Thomas Rabenstein

  »There’re five radiation bands that show different energy levels, but are separated from each other by divergent segments of the tachyon spectrum,« said Nautilus. »Their real function now becomes apparent. The Jamal-Combs work in unity. Their various emissions act like a key that fits only one, unknown lock, so-to-speak.«

  »An energy key that reaches into the tachyon continuum?« Maya asked surprised. She didn’t have a clue how this worked, but she came to the correct conclusion.

  »I’m more interested in our next objective,« Pi wanted to know. He briefly glinted at Arkroid. »I thought at first that we should return to Boiltos and the Library. We have also left Klori’Tar behind. Although our friend has acted stubbornly, we owe him our lives.«

  Arkroid understood.

  »Unfortunately, we have no more time. This has to wait. An urgent voice tells me to return immediately to the Solar System. This desire is so powerful that I have difficulties forming a clear thought. I’m restless!«

  Pi looked at Arkroid worried.

  »What did the Kokradian do to you? Did he mess up your mind?«

  Arkroid’s face twitched nervously.

  »I cannot describe exactly what is going on inside me, but I feel an urge to fly back immediately. We must bring the Jamal-Combs to the Solar System.«

  While Pi looked at him considering, Vasina deposited the combs gently into the small container. Then Nautilus sealed the tachyon safe. Now the box seemed like a smooth and robust block of metal.

  »The shield works. Once Toiber gives the order, we can leave here.«

  Vasina and Tranos looked sadly at the main holographic display. The former Progonaut central world was beyond their reach. The Progonauts of India didn’t know that the entire planet, with all its inhabitants, was collectively infected by degenerated technology. There was no free life on the planet India. Although, the infected Progonauts believed to live in a perfect world while the everywhere visible decay continued. It was only a matter of time until this degenerative system collapsed.

  »Now we have to concentrate on preventing this fate to the rest of the galaxy,« Tranos said firmly. »If the parasite galaxy appears, then all civilized nations are threatened in the same way.«

  Toiber Arkroid insured by brief glances that his team was ready for the flight back, then he sent a thought impulse to Nautilus.

  Set the fastest course for the Solar System!

  Instead of entering the tachyon continuum, the crew experienced a new delay. Even after several minutes, the dirty green planet India remained on the central display.

  »What happened?« Arkroid asked Nautilus aloud. »Why aren’t we on our way yet?«

  »I delayed the tachyon transfer field because I just received a powerful tachyon radio message,« said Nautilus.

  »A message? What does it say?« Pi wanted to know. »Is it for us?«

  »This message is intended for the entire Milky Way,« Nautilus replied calmly. »It's a countdown broadcast with such a power which even surprises me.«

  This means a lot, Pi thought.

  »It's a cosmic beacon employed by the Caravan Scouts. This message is, however, much more powerful and worrying.«

  »We know these beacons already,« Arkroid said. »They’re used all over Scutum-Crux. That’s nothing new. Why are you not starting?«

  »There’s a difference,« Nautilus replied. »This one doesn’t warn about an imminent catastrophe, it warns us about the Great Tremor! This is the last message by the Caravan Scouts. It states there are only 110 hours left until the event.«

  Maya and Vasina quickly looked at one another. Their eyes revealed that they were shocked by this announcement. Although, everyone expected the disaster, this particular message made them speechlessness.

  »Where exactly is this beacon?« Pi asked.

  »One moment, please, I’m trying to find it,« Nautilus replied.

  While the others were waiting for the answer, Maya saw some concerned glances between Arkroid and Lai Pi.

  »The coordinates of the transmitter are identical with the target coordinates of the Solar System,« Nautilus said emotionless. »The beacon is inside the system.«

  Fly us home immediately, thought Arkroid and closed his eyes in horror.

  Humans can’t understand

  Nok Daralamai sat in silence opposite to the Techno-Cleric for several minutes. They were inside a sealed conference room. Slightly pulsating, 40028 was floating in front of her. She tried to provoke a reaction by sternly looking at the robot, but could only see her reflection on the polished surface of the perfectly round sphere.

  What am I doing here? she thought and watched herself pulling up an eyebrow on the mirrored surface. That’s a robot and won’t show any emotions. I have to ask the right questions, but how do I do this with this logical and perfect machine?

  She leaned back and rubbed her index fingers over the back of her nose before she said, »Why did you do that?«

  The robot pulsated a bit faster. The pulsation caused slight variations in its diameter. It appeared that this perfect sphere seemed alive with emotions.

  »I would be grateful if you could express your questions a little more precise,« replied 40028. »There are too many possible answers and I can’t, even with the greatest likelihood ...«

  »You know exactly what I want to know,« Nok interrupted the robot impatiently. »Now that we managed that our extraterrestrial visitors didn’t kill one another or slit their throats, you come with your assertions and almost cause a disaster.«

  »Your words are illogical,« 40028 rebutted, »some of the extraterrestrials don’t even have throats.«

  »That was a metaphor!« she shouted angrily and slapped her hand on the table. »What I would like to hear from you is at least an apology. Your behavior could have led to a renewed outbreak of hostilities! I do not like it when things get out of control.«

  »You’re talking about correcting your false conclusion that the dimensional shield would save you from the Great Tremor,« said the Techno-Cleric. »I don’t understand why you want me to apologize because I said the truth.«

  Nok looked at a holo display, which provided information about the situation in the Star Hall. Nuri Jawa and Hassan Khalil were still trying to calm the excited delegates. Nexus Tor also seemed to be concentrating. He had a mysterious ability, which gave her a headache.

  »Sometimes it's better if you’re not telling the whole truth. You should’ve come to me first,« she said and reached for a cup, which an aide had brought her earlier.

  »To suppress the truth or to pass on information that doesn’t agree with the facts, is a Human characteristic. My moral code does not allow me to distort the truth. If you expect that from me, then this conversation leads to nothing,« 40028 said quietly, but firmly. »I wouldn’t drink that if I had an organic body.«

  Nok looked up surprised and suspiciously watched the steaming cup.

  »What?«

  »The hot liquid contains an ingredient that may be addictive and have an effect on your blood pressure,« 40028 warned quietly. »I can analyze this liquid with my sensors.«

  Nok nodded and cautiously took a small sip.

  »Coffee! We call it coffee. That’s exactly what I need right now.«

  Nok grinned at the robot.

  »I don’t want you to do what you can’t do. Forget about it. We need to fix that somehow.«

  »Forgetting is a Human characteristic. For nearly a million years, I recorded everything my sensors detected. My inner self cannot delete or manipulate the information,« said the robot.

  »Okay, okay, already,« she replied slightly angered. »Then record this conversation to eternity. I don’t care. I want to know the truth. What role do your people play in the long-term plan of the Galactic Brotherhood?«

  »Everything I know, I said already. The dimensional shield cannot offer protection against tremors of time and space. If the parasite galaxy materializes, then the Solar System would be just as affected as any othe
r star system in the galaxy. My brothers deployed according to a predetermined plan to occupy the matrix anchors of the dimensional field to readjust it. The Creators wanted it this way.« The robot paused and hummed slightly, then he continued, »We don’t know what happens after the adjustments.«

  »But how can you manipulate this vast field and its stations, if you don’t know which function is has afterward?« Nok tried to detect a logical error in 40028’s statement, but the machine didn’t fall for it.

  »Our mission has always been defined from within us. The information wasn’t available until recently. My brothers and I now know our job and know exactly what the Creators expect from us, but we do not know what’ll come of it. If our makers could glimpse into the future, then they created us for just one purpose to have a significant and critical role in the present.«

  »Is this statement based on your knowledge or is it a guess?« Nok asked seriously.

  »It's based on a probability calculation,« replied 40028.

  Nok seemed pondering, then she looked up suddenly. In a soft voice she said, »I heard you whispering to Hassan Khalil. Tell me now … what is Nebular?«

  40028 seemed surprised and hovered back a couple of meters

  Look at that, Nok thought. A reaction at last!

  »I cannot answer this question. My capacity is not sufficient to describe this phenomenon suitably.«

  »Then simplify,« Nok insisted. »I want to understand what you and Hassan were talking about. You said: Nebular won’t let this happen. You meant the Great Tremor, right? Is this Nebular a galactic nation, a being or an organization?«

  40028 hummed and pulsated much stronger than before. The sphere’s surface began to move; soft waves ran across the entire ball.

  »Humans can’t understand this. Nebular is a universal entity, a fixture of the real and only existing cosmology,« said 40028. »The Creators didn’t tell us anything about Nebular, but we have found clear evidence that Nebular exists, during our long travels through the Milky Way.«

  »Hmm …« Nok looked at the robot. »I’m already in a state that nothing can surprise or impress me anymore. I even believe the Caravan Scout’s testimony. Techno-Clerics are known for their logical thinking. If you can’t explain Nebular, and the name seemingly only occurs in the myths of some galactic peoples, then why are you so convinced that it exists at all?«

  40028 hesitated with an answer for a moment.

  »Because Nebular has brought the cosmic morals to the Creators, the only code of conduct by which we can exist!«

  A disturbing anomaly

  The transition to the tachyon continuum took place without delay, but with clearly noticeable side effects. Unlike previous smooth transitions, the faster-than-light flight occurred under different circumstances. Toiber Arkroid had ordered Nautilus to make use of the highest tachyon track, which the ship employed only when flying over long distances, for example between two neighboring galaxies. Arkroid didn’t want to waste any time and overruled Nautilus’ concerns. The ship followed his orders because Arkroid had emphatically insisted on his commander status. Now all crew members felt the results of Arkroid’s bold action.

  Vigorous shaking went through the ship, effecting all sections. The integrity of the passenger section began to become unstable for a couple of seconds until Nautilus could stabilize it. The walls of the command central stretched like a rubber band and the slightly vaulted ceiling suddenly slumped down, stopping barely above the heads of the team. The solid walls of the inner structure fluttered like fragments of fabric in the wind. Wave-like effects went through the room. The entire command central seemed like the reflection of a distorting mirror.

  The unpleasant vibrations became stronger. All members of the solar expedition felt instantly nauseated. The bone marrow penetrating tremors made Herimos shout in horror.

  It feels as if the whole body, each cell, is vibrating, Arkroid thought alarmed. Something went wrong.

  While Paafnas quietly whimpered, Vasina massaged her temples with trembling hands. Her frightened-looking eyes turned to Pi, who had collapsed with a groan in his pilot seat, rolling his eyes. Maya struggled with their rising nausea. Seconds later, she vomited and coughed. With flapping ears, the Chiropter let out some infrasonic sounds which tormented the rest of the crew, making them groan in pain.

  Toiber Arkroid wanted to resist the molecular movement and clenched his teeth to concentrate, but the attempt failed, only making it worse for him. His teeth were chattering and his jaw cracked.

  »Don’t fight it!« Tranos shouted in a trembling voice. »Try to swim with the vibration! It captured the entire ship with every molecule on board!«

  Arkroid attempted to speak out a command to the ship with great pain and effort, »... stop … the … flight …«

  No sooner had Arkroid pronounced his command; the ship fell back into normal space. This was accompanied by an infernal buzzing and screeching sound, followed by an explosion of light which shone through the thinned walls.

  Everything was misplaced. The displays and virtual consoles had collapsed, even the pilot seats had shifted.

  The spatial geometry has changed, Arkroid thought horrified and looked around. How is that possible?

  »A severe disruption of the tachyon continuum,« Nautilus announced with a worried voice.

  »Activate the central display immediately!« Arkroid commanded. »Status Report! I want to know why we were shaken so badly!«

  »One moment, please,« Nautilus replied. It almost sounded like an announcement of an overcrowded communication channel.

  Maya propped up her face with her hands and looked at the puddle on the floor. Small robotic units fanned out, circled the pool and cleaned it up. The former commander of the Blue Moon groaned.

  »This never happened to me before … I’m embarrassed,« she uttered.

  »It’s okay, Maya. Don’t worry about it,« Pi whispered. He had problems speaking. »One more minute and I …«

  »Nautilus, we’re waiting for an explanation!« Arkroid interrupted Pi while entering some commands into the scanner console.

  There was no stellar object of significant size within two lightyears.

  »We’re stranded in the middle of nowhere, somewhere inside the Milky Way halo,« Arkroid announced perplexed. »We need to find our current position and plot a new course immediately.«

  »We left the galactic plane at an angle of 45 degrees,« Nautilus suddenly reported. The ship sounded surprised. »I’m not responsible. I advise against another flight maneuver like this. This was extremely strenuous to my body. I feared that my energetic bonding could be lost.«

  Arkroid coughed faintly.

  »What do you mean?«

  »I think that Nautilus means that we almost flew without a chassis through tachyon space,« Pi tried to find a comparison.

  »Well, that doesn’t really cut it, but it serves as an explanation,« Nautilus responded. »However, these disturbances cannot be directly associated with the approaching catastrophe.«

  »But?« asked Vasina amazed with shining eyes. She seemed exhausted. »This is not a dimensional overlap, as we have viewed in Scutum-Crux?«

  »My course vector was diverted by an unknown attractor. We must have passed this phenomenon in relative proximity, which, in the higher continuum, is not the same as spatial proximity. This push-pull phenomenon was our luck because we wouldn’t have survived a collision with the unknown object.«

  »Uhh … one moment, please,« Herimos shouted excitedly. »You’re talking about an attractor that is located in tachyon space? How is that possible? How can there be anything?«

  »We also exist when we pass through the continuum with faster-than-light speed, or not?« asked Pi, receiving approving nods from the others.

  »Mass protected by a compensation field against energetic dilution is not meant,« Nautilus corrected. »My analysis indicates a flow phenomenon, a vortex or whirlpool that was strong enough to force my course into a narrow spiral w
hich could have resulted in inevitable termination.«

  Kuster~Laap looked surprised. His blue skin had turned a shade darker. Without changing the position of his torso, his head turned by ninety degrees. His eyes searched for the two ZyClonians. As alarming as this news was, it didn’t seem to affect Nood and Naad at all.

  »We’ve never heard of such an attractor,« Kuster~Laap said aloud. »Our research shows that the tachyon space is indeed divided into three energy planes, but it is homogeneous in itself and purely energetic in nature.«

  »Well … this … uhh … research result just went down the drain,« Pi interjected with slight sarcasm. »Whatever this attractor is, it’s dangerous for space travel.«

  »If this phenomenon is not known to the Chiropters or Nautilus then it’s something new,« Arkroid said mutedly. »It must be connected with the Great Tremor!«

  »It’s a disturbing anomaly,« Nautilus confirmed. »However, it’s not related to the parasite galaxy. This is a kind of balancing current, a violent flow of energy that sweeps everything away in its path.«

  »Is it possible to avoid such a tachyon weather system?« Arkroid asked while looking at his old wrist watch.

  »Since we now know the signature and what we’re dealing with, I can avoid it, provided we use the tachyon center track.«

  Arkroid briefly closed his eyes and then nodded.

  »Okay, determine the fastest and safest passage to Earth. Save all recorded data about this phenomenon for later analysis. Let’s go already!«

  The burning ship

  »Triton, the other moons, and the entire Neptune space sector, have turned into a single fleet staging area,« said Nok, exhausted resting her hands on the arms of her command seat.

  For hours, the command crew tried their best to coordinate the approaching ships. Many of them had landed on Triton and the other moons in the meantime; others circled Triton or had taken and orbit around the ice giant. Communication with the units was only possible via standard radio, which made the situation even more difficult. It was challenging to keep track of the flight movements of individual groups.