»It seems as if we have mutual friends! Is it possible for you to transmit a message from me to the other pyramid spaceships, to shorten this matter? It seems that your communication equipment can compensate for the interference by the beacon.«
»We Klorians have always helped other beings when they were in distress!« Klori’Tar declared stoutly.
Scorge chuckled.
»What a pity that we have not met earlier in life. I like your direct way.«
Less than ten minutes after Klori’Tar had forwarded Scorge’s message to the other Shwakan captains, 76 pyramid ships started from Triton, heading for Mercury.
Nok drew a heavy sigh and asked Scorge to fly directly to Earth as a special envoy. It was important to inform Admiral Friedberg and the Union Government about the latest developments.
»Friedberg is to prepare Humanity for the worst. I dare not imagine what happened on Earth in the meantime since the activation of the beacon. I trust you, Scorge!«
Scorge went to his ship and left behind an apprehensive commander. Hassan’s last remarks still dominated her mind.
You lead the way
The impact channel is deeper than I expected,« Bruno commented through his clenched teeth. He looked tensely at the top of the edge of the circular hole. Fitz looked down at him, framed by the flowing aura of the solar protection field and brightly lit by the light source in the sky.
He waves at me, as this is a stroll through a park, Bruno thought and cleared his throat before saying, »It’s still about ten meters down. I hope the plastic rope holds.«
»Don’t worry,« Fitz commented convinced. »And if not, then you’re the one who’ll find out first.«
After a few seconds of silence Fitz chuckled. The Professor was greatly amused.
»Really, don’t worry. The rope is part of our special climbing equipment. You can use it to lower an elephant at this low gravity.«
»Very assuring, indeed,« Bruno commented dryly.
Why did I follow his request? I must have been crazy, thought Bruno and pushed both legs against the smooth tunnel wall. He tried to keep his torso in a horizontal position. With small steps, he worked his way down along the tunnel walls. He felt anything else but comfortable.
»I can see a slight flicker, directly below me. That could be a weak energy field,« Bruno exclaimed surprised. »How did that come here?«
»Don’t get excited. I expected it,« said Fitz, not sounding surprised at all. »As long as it doesn’t look dark red, you can get through it without problems. Ignore it and continue the descent. "
»I’m …,« Bruno was searching for words and swallowed hard. He clutched the rope and stopped at his current position. »Is that why you sent me into this hole first? I’m your guinea pig?«
»Don’t talk nonsense, Bruno,« Fitz replied slightly angered. »You’re the younger and stronger of the two of us, and you can handle a gun, I don’t. I’m sure there’re no Globusters down there, but if so then you have much better chances than me.«
»Globusters?« Bruno shouted scared. In a sudden panic, he began to pull himself up, but his feet kept slipping on the smooth walls.
With a loud cry, he clutched the rope and tried in vain to loop his leg around it. His hanging legs were no longer supporting him and the line slipped through his gloves. Bruno lost his grip and began to fall.
»I’m falling!« he screamed and then felt a short tickling sensation as he penetrated the energy field below him.
He fell with both legs forward. It was not slow like hovering, but not real fast either. He would survive the impact; he knew that. Nevertheless, Bruno was horrified. Even before he reached the bottom of the shaft, a much larger, horizontally extending tunnel opened, leading directly into this subterranean structure. He landed at about the speed of a skydiver. On impact, he bounced as best he could by angling his legs and then rolled to the side. Motionless, he laid there and listened.
If my suit is damaged, then I’d hear a hiss just before my death and then my lungs implode, he thought frightened.
But nothing happened. He only heard Fitz’s excited voice, »Bruno, are you okay? Bruuuno!«
That serves you right! Bruno thought defiantly and slowly turned his head.
The tunnel extended to both sides. The sections were dark. Directly above him a circular hole gaped in the ceiling whose light flooded the scene where he had landed. Bruno felt as if a spotlight was shining on him.
Whoever lit this fire in Haumea’s sky, I am grateful! he thought.
»Damnit, Bruno, answer me!« Fitz urged.
He ignored Fitz’s calls and sat up. Bruno looked around and checked the vicinity. The material that covered the tunnel wall was not mineral based. The area around the ceiling opening showed significant signs of melted rock. The energy field he had breached earlier was right above the opening and looked like a new thin skin, covering an open wound which was about to heal.
Bruno touched the wall beside him. Because of the thick gloves, he could only determine that the material was pliable.
I crashed into a Globuster cave! he thought.
»Bruno! If you don’t answer me at once then …«
»… you’ll come down here … right?« Bruno finished the professor’s sentence sarcastically.
Fitz held his breath.
His joy to hear my voice and know me alive seems to have made him speechless, thought Bruno with a hint of disappointment. I bet he’s going to reprimand me, next.
»You’re wasting our valuable time, Bruno! You should rather tell me what you see down there!« Fitz yelled.
»Nothing, nada, zilch!« he replied quickly
Bruno grinned, but two seconds later his cynicism faded and was replaced with rising anxiety.
»It’s pitch black down here, but I can say with certainty that this is a Globuster cave. My field of vision is limited, only about five meters in any direction. It’s worse than in a haunted house! The black material absorbs every photon.«
»Jeee … Bruno! Haven’t you used your infrared filter yet?« Fitz asked.
Damned, Bruno thought angrily because he had missed switching to infrared vision. Globusters can see within the infrared spectrum. I have to concentrate and remember all the stuff they told me during the preparation phase of this mission even though we didn’t exactly venture out to find a Glob cave.
Bruno’s pulse rate increased as he blinked at the visual interface on the inside of his helmet visor, which responded immediately to his pupil movements. He tried to control a pointer to select one the various vision modes of his helmet. During the training sessions, it had always worked without problems, but he was too nervous at this moment. Twice, he lost the virtual pointer and had to start over, accompanied by loud curses.
»Remain calm,« Fitz tried to assist his assistant, which, however, only increased Bruno’s anxiety.
Finally, he was successful and a different helmet visor flipped forward, covering his field of vision.
»Oh my goodness!« That’s all Bruno could say for a couple of seconds. The entire tunnel was suddenly bathed in bright light. Pulsating currents that looked like energy lines snaked along the walls and ceiling. Some of them looked like broad streams; others branched and meandered into smaller and thinner lines.
This is like a system of veins through which energy flows instead of blood, thought Bruno fascinated. He also noticed that the energy flowing toward and around the hole in the ceiling became stronger.
»Is there any activity down there?« Fitz asked which provoked a dry laugh in response.
»This Glob cave gives the word activity a new meaning!« said Bruno pressed. »I think it would be an excellent idea to get me out of here. This is far beyond our mission parameters. You recruited me to search for artifacts on Haumea, not to fight extraterrestrials. I’m not a soldier and don’t want to be one. Let’s call a specialist team, rather than involving ourselves in an incalculable adventure. We can still examine what’s left of the cave after the space sold
iers are done here.«
»Wait, I’m coming down!« Fitz announced.
He always has to get his way, Bruno thought. I hope he knows what he’s doing.
Bruno heard weak scraping noises and hectic, jerky breathing in his helmet speakers as the professor slid down, making the occasional contact with the walls. Since there was no sound carrying atmosphere, the noises came from inside Fitz’s suit. Suddenly, the professor’s legs dangled from the ceiling opening. Then Fitz jumped down to the tunnel floor. His landing was, however, much more elegant than what Bruno had produced a couple of minutes ago. Fitz dampened the impact by bending his knees and reaching forward with his arms to prevent a fall. Slowly, he straightened up and checked the communication cable, which had spooled back by itself, just leaving enough slack. A moment later, he looked around with interest.
»Did you feel that too?« Fitz asked.
Bruno was upset that Fitz had ignored his worries. Angry, he replied, »What? Did I feel what?«
Fitz drew a deep breath
»The tingling, generated by the energy field,« Fitz replied. »Look, I can understand your nervousness. We are on to something big, which we need to pursue. It may already be too late for us until a rescue team arrives. We can wait on the surface,« Fitz pointed at the tunnel ceiling, »drumming against the Hawk’s sealed airlock and probably suffocate, or we try to contact the Techno-Cleric who has entered this cave system.«
»You seem to have forgotten that he’s responsible for the death of our pilot,« Bruno growled angrily. »We have two options. Either we go to the left or we follow the tunnel into the cave on the right side.«
Fitz laughed mutedly and followed the flow of the energy lines with his eyes.
»Let’s try to apply some scientific considerations. What do you think? Does this energy flow away from the center of the Globuster cave or toward it?«
Bruno pondered for a moment until he had to admit, »I have no idea. How could I? This cave is an extraterrestrial installation!«
»We could split up,« Fitz suggested. »You go this way, I take the other way.«
»Forget it, Professor. This sounds like a scene from a low-budget movie in which a group splits up and one-half gets eaten by the monsters. Also remember, we’re kind of tied together.« He pointed to the cable.
»The communication cable is at least fifty meters long,« Fitz replied chuckling. »Okay then, you lead the way!«
»We are searching against the energy flow first,« Bruno decided, pulling his handgun.
»I’d suggest the same,« replied Fitz, laughing. »Okay, let’s go then … and be careful with your trigger finger. I know, you get scared easily.«
Bruno gnashed his teeth and thought, Sometimes, I could kick him in the butt!
I bring you home
Arkroid opened his eyes and looked directly into Vasina’s grave face. She had just opened her emergency medical kit and wanted to dry Arkroid’s sweat-soaked forehead.
»What ...?« cried Arkroid with a suffocating voice.
Vasina pulled her hand back, relieved.
»Welcome back to the living. Without you, we wouldn’t have known how to fly this ship.«
Arkroid seemed irritated. He rolled his eyes nervously. He moaned softly, not in pain but in emerging awareness where he was. It was difficult for him to adjust after the outer-body experience. Arkroid’s eyes searched for a familiar fixture, something peaceful to give him the necessary time him to adapt again.
This golden glow. She has unbelievable, beautiful eyes, he thought.
»Why are you looking at me like that?« Vasina asked bewildered and touched his forehead. »Are you okay?«
Lai Pi, who had sighed relieved over Arkroid’s awakening, said concerned, »You were gone for more than and unapproachable. I don’t know how to best describe your state ...«
»As a vegetative state,« Maya Ivanova explained briefly, nodding at Arkroid. »We already thought we’d lost you.«
Arkroid tried to produce a weak smile but failed. He coughed harshly and sat up slowly.
»I’m sorry. I’m all right and didn’t want to scare you.«
He closed his eyes and listened via the mental bridge, but couldn’t hear Nautilus’ mental voice.
What happened to you? Where are you?
Arkroid squinted at the central display, where a planetary nebula was forming. He thought to recognize a familiar formation; however, he wasn’t absolutely sure. There were thousands of nebulae like this in the galaxy.
»I see that we’ve left the tachyon space again. Where are we?«
»We’re almost home,« Pi replied thoughtfully, »provided that pulsar, about one light-year away, really is the center of the Crab Nebula. Had the Techno-Ferry dropped out of tachyon space just a bit closer to this neutron star then the best protection fields would no longer have saved us. This monster’s radiation would’ve evaporated us.«
»Most parts of the universe are hostile and dangerous. After all, we can use the pulsar as a reliable navigational aid, to correct our course,« Herimos softened Pi’s comment.
»Zoscoor!« Arkroid hissed.
»That’s how the Shwakans call this planetary nebula,« confirmed Vasina. »Fortunately, Nautilus jumped in the right direction at least. We could’ve ended up in Scutum-Crux, or in one of the unexplored spiral arms. This way, we won’t lose much time. A short orientation maneuver and we can continue our flight.«
»Nautilus was not responsible for the emergency transfer or jump as you called it,« whispered Arkroid. »I did it. It was necessary because Nautilus was no longer able to fly this ship in this situation. However, I didn’t consciously imagine this target area.«
»Imagined?« Herimos grumbled surprised. »Can one fly the Techno-Ferry with the power of imagination?«
»I can’t explain it any other way,« Arkroid said, who was feeling better by the minute. »In a way, yes. I didn’t just fly the ship. At the moment of the transfer, my mind merged with the ferry to become one. I was the ship ... you know what I mean?«
Pi gave Arkroid a scrutinizing look.
»You’re obviously still a little confused. What you’re telling us is just impossible.«
»I mean it, Pi,« Arkroid replied quickly and firmly. He wanted to leave no doubts.
»Something like a spiritual fusion doesn’t exist,« Pi insisted and shook his head. He was a technically oriented person. Only with difficulty, he accepted things that he couldn’t identify by scientific and technical data.
»Think of the Conceptors. There, too, this kind of fusion has taken place. It must be related to the mental bridge. We’ve just never explored it far enough. I’ve always let Nautilus lead, but this time the ship was paralyzed and incapable of almost anything. I was forced to do something! My consciousness had left my body and took over the ship.«
While Pi still didn’t believe Arkroid, Paafnas did, however.
»That must have been an unbelievable experience,« Paafnas said excitedly. »How does it feel when body and mind separate from each other?«
»Arkroid looked at the petite Pleunatan and smiled faintly. The question was interesting, but not so easy to answer.
»Fascinating and frightening at the same time. Strange ... now that I’ve returned to my body, I lack the right words to describe this condition adequately. When I was separated, it all seemed so clear and simple.« Arkroid took a deep breath before he continued, »My senses reached as far as the technical possibilities of the ferry. I felt an incredible force, flowing to me directly from the cosmos. I was able to change the ship’s shape just by one single thought. I felt a freedom of mind which inspired me. I had a million eyes, countless ears and other, previously unknown senses, which I cannot describe. It saw an incredible picture of the cosmos.«
»I believe, we should apply this mind-melting phenomenon only in an emergency and leave it at that,« Pi interrupted his friend. He remained skeptical and had noticed that Arkroid literally longed for this state of mind. »We’re Humans an
d shouldn’t play with things that go against our nature. This kind of perspective is beyond our path of evolution.«
»My friend, you have to be very careful. This experience could become an addiction,« warned Herimos.
»I don’t want to interrupt your discussion, but must point out that my protective fields are utilized to 85 percent,« suddenly Nautilus’ voice sounded. »We should leave this sector. However, I still need to check an observation, I made.«
Arkroid sighed relieved.
You’re back! he thought.
Without giving Arkroid a direct mental reply, Nautilus addressed the crew verbally, »I’m registering a deviation of the rotational period of the pulsar.«
Maya looked surprised.
»Very interesting. Why is that so surprising?« she asked.
»According to my reference data bank, the period of the neutron star differs by 0.0054 microseconds. It rotates a bit too fast.«
Maya Ivanova shook her head.
»How are we to understand this? Is it perhaps due to a measurement error? To me, the difference doesn’t appear very big. Is that even important?«
»It’s crucial,« insisted Nautilus and generated a holographic display, which showed the entire space sector of the Crab Nebula. The holo was divided into a grid and listed the cycles of the neutron star.
»Pulsars are extremely stable objects, at least for the duration of their lives. Since the pulse momentum is subject to the laws of conservation, there’s only one explanation for the phenomenon ...«
»… the star shrank!« Pi interrupted starkly. »How’s that possible? The pulsar is still young and in a stable equilibrium.«
»Only the neutron star’s high density prevents a gravitational collapse,« Herimos recapitulated his knowledge of these particular stellar objects. »Atomic structures are destroyed by high gravitation, where electrons and protons are squashed into neutrons. The only atmosphere this rapidly spinning stellar corpse possesses is a thin layer of electron gas.«
»My analysis shows the reason for the deviation, a local variation of the gravitational constant,« Nautilus announced.
NEBULAR Collection 6 - The Great Tremor: Episodes 27 - 30 Page 37