The Accidental Astronaut

by Matthew K Wyers

  The presentation continued. “After many millennia of conquering, enslaving peoples, and committing genocide; they invented their greatest weapon of all…the World Killers. These weapons were used to fire large asteroid-like energy pulses at any target. Enough strikes with this weapon and an entire world would disintegrate. Each ship possessed the World Killer technology and there were millions upon millions of ships. The Tammeder would try to pound a planet into submission and if the people did not relent and give into being slaves, then destruction would follow. Many people were erased from history by the Tammeder Clan.”

  The children looked at each other and almost cried.

  “With this growing threat, the wisest civilizations came together to devise a plan to defeat these forces of evil. This was the First Council of Planets. The Armankouri, the Caladi, the Araces, the Quinpalian, the Envaygius, the Finshalu, and the Nexarum, or the Star Chasers, met for a historic event. Together, they planned to defeat the enemies of all free peoples. They all offered their finest warriors and their most brilliant technologies and they created the Wardein, a corps of warriors dedicated to peace in the universe. As the ranks of the Wardein grew, they engaged the Tammeder ever more frequently. While there were early losses, the cause of justice marched on and they defeated the Tammeder Clan. In fact, the only Tammeder ship that was not destroyed was the mother ship…it disappeared during the final battle and it was never to be seen again.”

  “Gregorical, stop the recording,” Micah said. “Tell me, did they ever find the Tammeder mother ship?”

  “No, all traces of the Tammeder Clan disappeared with the mother ship. No one ever heard from them again,” Gregorical said.

  “That’s strange. It doesn’t make sense that they would give up like that.” Micah looked at Hannelore to see if she agreed.

  “I suppose it is strange. Gregorical, could the Tammeder Clan time travel?” Hannelore spoke into the air.

  “No. Time travel was invented by the Armankouri people roughly two million years ago.” Gregorical said. “You should finish watching the recording as the next section is important.”

  “Okay then,” Micah said.

  The presentation continued. “The known universe was divided into districts and they assigned each district to a group of Wardein. Each group was charged with guarding the peoples of their district from any evil. Anyone who would become a Warden was first required to pass vigorous training on the lifeless planet of Morolith. There they would hone their skills, relying on nothing more than their own wits, their own strength, and each other.”

  The presentation showed images of Wardein training on this hostile world as they faced life-threatening tests and battles. “Since then, the Wardein protected the people of the universe from the villains of the cosmos. In fact, after the defeat of the Tammeder, the Wardein went on the hunt for the Firebreathers. These people possessed the ability to project fire and ash from their mouths and devour people and sometimes whole towns.”

  “They sound like dragons,” quipped Hannelore.

  Images of the Wiskolo or the Firebreathers appeared on the screen and they looked much like what humans would call dragons. “The Firebreathers were a lizard-based life form from the planet Wiskol. They migrated away from the planet when it was destroyed by solar flares and for many millennia roamed the universe in search of a new home world. They often destroyed the native populations hoping to recreate the planet in the image of their beloved Wiskol.

  “That’s heart-breaking,” said Hannelore. “I’m glad they don’t exist anymore.”

  The recording continued. “The Firebreathers were engaged by the Wardein. Instead of destroying the Wiskolo, the Wardein found a new planet for them at the far reaches of the universe. This planet suited the needs of the Firebreathers well and they promised never to enter the realm of the peoples of the universe ever again.”

  “But we’ve seen dragons on Earth. Haven’t we?” Hannelore looked away from the screen and held a finger up to her lips.

  Micah piped up. “No Hannelore, they’re a myth. It’s a coincidence that the Firebreathers look like dragons.” He rolled his eyes.

  “No, it’s entirely possible that a group of Firebreathers came to your world millions of years ago. Perhaps that’s the source of your planet’s legend. You must always be careful when dismissing something as impossible or as a myth. The universe is an enormous place, and no one knows all its secrets.” Gregorical said.

  “That’s good advice, Micah. You should listen to it,” said Hannelore as she glared at Micah.

  Micah kept his mouth shut, but turned away to hide an eye roll.

  Darbian and Taurean debated what to do and how to deal with Vinitor once they reached the Belt of Orion.

  “I’ve got an idea,” said Darbian. “If we deploy the Chrono drive, then we could freeze them in their tracks. That would buy us some much needed time, a lot of time.”

  Taurean perked up with excitement. “I think it would work. Create a time dilation field that would surround the whole ship and everyone in it. The people aboard would never be the wiser and we would have ample time to come up with a way to get the people off the ship. The only problem is that a Chrono drive can’t be set to a timer. Someone would have to be in Vinitor’s presence to activate it.”

  “That would be a problem,” responded Darbian. “Perhaps we could create a remote device to activate it. I think I already have such an invention just about ready to go.

  “But how will we fool him? He must know what a Chrono drive looks like.” Taurean looked to Darbian for an answer as he had experience dealing with treacherous characters such as Vinitor.

  “If we’re quick about it, then we could pull it off. Maybe we could add a few parts to it to make it look like something it isn’t. Vinitor isn’t stupid, but he isn’t the brightest star in the sky either. That might buy us enough time to activate it.” Darbian thrust his hands together and rubbed them back and forth. His eyes grew wide and his voice hit a higher octave. The plan sounded like the perfect option to him.

  Gregorical interrupted. “Gentlemen, if we disconnect the Chrono drive, then how will we reach the other Wardein for help? We won’t be able to create wormholes or time travel in the slightest.”

  “I should have thought of that,” said Darbian. He paced across the bridge once again.

  Taurean whirled around in his chair. “We can get another Chrono drive at your base, can we not Darbian? All we have to do is travel that far. Will we have enough time?”

  “We’re quite far away. Gregorical, can you do the calculations for us?” Darbian put his hand over his chin.

  Gregorical’s navigation device beeped, squeaked, and then provided an answer. “We would have to increase the power on the Galacto drive to break the light speed barrier. It's 42 million light years from our current position.”

  “42 million light years!” Micah interrupted as he reentered the bridge.

  Gregorical paused and then continued. “Ah yes, you’ve finished watching the presentation.”

  “How is it even possible to go so far?” Micah’s mouth hung open.

  Hannelore walked in behind him. “Darbian, I didn’t thank you before for saving us.”

  “You’re welcome, but there’s no need to thank me.” Darbian glanced back at the ceiling. “Gregorical, yes, 42 million light years. We’ll be lucky not to burn out the Galacto drive.”

  “Sir, we must burn out the Galacto drive to travel that far with any brevity,” Gregorical said.

  “Thank you,” Micah said in a very soft tone.

  “What’s that?” Darbian asked.

  “I didn’t thank you either. You and the other Wardein are heroes. I’m sorry for being angry with you earlier.” Micah put his hands in his pockets and meandered up to Darbian.

  “Don’t worry about that. If I had just been snatched up from my planet with a bunch of strangers, I’d be angry too.” Darbian patted Micah on the shoulder. “What we have to worry about are the p
eople that Vinitor has captured.

  “What people?” Micah asked with a wrinkled brow.

  “Yes, you weren’t here for that part were you?” Darbian said. “Vinitor sent us a message that he’s captured hundreds of your people. He’s keeping them hostage aboard his ship in another sector not too far from here. It’s time for us to be heroes again, Micah. I’ll need your help and yours too, Hannelore. And I need you to have faith in me.”

  “Absolutely!” remarked Hannelore.

  Micah nodded.

  “With any luck, we won’t be stranded in the recesses of space,” Darbian said with a smile.

  “Wait, what?” Micah blinked his eyes.

  “To the Belt of Orion, Gregorical. If you’re going to face danger, then you might as well do it headlong and with no help,” Darbian spouted as he sat down.

  “That doesn’t make a lot of sense,” Hannelore said as she plopped down right beside Darbian.

  Darbian looked at her and put his hand on top of her head. “It’s not supposed to.”

  Chapter 6

  Gregorical and his passengers arrived shortly thereafter at their destination.

  The Belt of Orion an asteroid cluster that surrounded an entire star system. It was located in the heart of the Orion constellation and thus the name was given.

  Hidden in the midst of the asteroid belt was Vinitor’s command ship.

  A crew member for the bounty hunter spoke. “Sir, the Warden’s ship has shown up on our scanners. Shall I alert them to our presence?”

  “No, let them think we're not here yet. I want to monitor them for a while and see if they have any tricks planned for us. It’s imperative we acquire the Convergence this time. We don’t have long before the device must be delivered,” Vinitor said.

  “Taurean, you finished altering the Chrono drive?” Darbian asked as he operated the ship’s scanners to search for Vinitor’s ship.

  “One more modification to make. The remote mechanism hasn’t been cooperating. I would prefer more time to work on it, but we don’t have that option.” Taurean fiddled with the circuitry of the Chrono drive as he sat on the floor of the bridge.

  “I don’t understand,” said Micah. “Why can’t Gregorical grow another Chrono drive? Why do we have to go off without one?”

  “It doesn’t work like that, my friend,” Darbian responded.

  Gregorical spoke. “My ability to regenerate myself is limited to the basic ship parts and functions. The Chrono drive is a separate piece of technology. It was an addition to my body.”

  “Who made the Chrono drive?” Micah looked back at Darbian.

  “My people invented the Chrono drive,” said Taurean. “We gave the technology to the Wardein to assist their efforts.”

  “You’ll find that a lot of the most impressive inventions in our universe came from the Armankouri. To say their scientists are geniuses is an understatement.” Darbian went back to scanning.

  “How are we going to rescue those people?” Hannelore asked while she looked out into the asteroid belt beyond.

  “Haven’t figured that one out yet, but the first thing we will do is find more Wardein. I think if we can surround Vinitor then we can force him to surrender,” Darbian said. “I’m not sure that he’s here yet. His ship does not appear on the sensors, but it’s possible he’s hiding behind an asteroid.”

  “One of us must meet him face to face to deploy the device,” Taurean put his hand over his wrist. “Oh dear, my heart is racing. It’s up to 350 beats a minute and it should only be 270.”

  “Calm down, my friend. This plan will work. It has to.” Darbian turned around to comfort Taurean.

  “The Chrono drive is ready, Master Darbian.” Taurean paused. “I think it should be me to meet Vinitor.” He stood and put his hands together.

  “Why do you say that?” Darbian walked over to Taurean. “You’re not trained to defend yourself, Taurean. If something goes wrong, then you won’t be able to fight your way out.”

  “I’m not concerned about that, Master Darbian. It’s my fault that the rest of you are in this mess. It’s my fault that those people are being held hostage on that ship. Besides, if something goes wrong, I can activate the Chrono drive manually while you and the children will be safe to proceed and find the Wardein.” Taurean picked up the remote control.

  “Taurean, whatever happens, be back aboard this ship before you activate the Chrono drive.” Darbian’s voice quickened.

  “I’ll be fine, Master Darbian.” Taurean placed the remote control in his pocket. “If I’m still aboard Vinitor's ship when the device is activated, then no one will be the wiser. I’ll be frozen in time along with the rest. Vinitor won’t have time to attack me before you bring back the rest of the Wardein.”

  “I don’t want to rescue you for a second time today. You better know what you’re doing or I might leave you there,” Darbian said with a wry smile.

  “I must say that your confidence is inspiring, Master Darbian.” Taurean took a deep breath. “Let’s contact Vinitor and tell him we’re ready.”

  “Fine then. Gregorical, send a message and tell him we’ve arrived.” Darbian walked over to the Chrono drive and placed his hand on it. “I sure hope you have it in you.”

  Gregorical contacted Vinitor and relayed their coordinates.

  A few moments later, Vinitor’s ship emerged from the asteroid belt, but something was amiss. The command ship had split into two pieces. They were flying side by side at first, but one section stopped as the other approached Gregorical.

  “What is going on here?” Darbian looked back at Taurean. “I’ll bet that the hostages were split up. Some in one part of the ship while the others and Vinitor himself are on the other. I didn’t even know his ship could do that.”

  The bay door on the forward ship opened. The lights flashed inside inviting Darbian to bring his ship into the cargo bay for a meeting.

  “Don’t go inside Master Darbian. Send me inside an escape pod. Fire me and the Chrono drive right into the heart of the ship.” Taurean grabbed Darbian’s forearm. “I implore you sir.”

  Darbian shook his head. “That will not work, Taurean. For one, the ship has separated and the time dilation field won’t be big enough to capture both ships inside. Second, if you go over there in a pod, how in Andromeda are you going to get back?”

  “If you go inside the ship, then we’ll be trapped. Vinitor will have no incentive to let us out again. We’d be forced to fight our way out, and we won’t have time to activate the Chrono drive.” Taurean turned his back and waved his hands about.

  “Wait, I’ve got a plan. I’m not sure it’s a good plan, but a bad plan is better than no plan,” Darbian quipped.

  “You have an odd way of looking at things,” Micah piped up.

  “Gregorical, fly us into the space between the two ships. Be quick about it,” Darbian snapped.

  Gregorical flew quickly to a point precisely between the two ships.

  “Activate the tractor beam on the second ship. Pull it toward the first ship as fast as you can!” Darbian shouted.

  “Sir, I doubt that our tractor beam is strong enough to pull the second ship very much at all,” the artificial intelligence stated as if Darbian should know better.

  “Yes, but it doesn’t have to move very much. It just has to happen before we crash into the other ship.” Darbian lowered his chin. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up straight. He gritted his teeth.

  “Why would we crash into the other ship?” Micah leaped from sitting.

  “Because we're going to hit the thrusters.” Darbian cracked his knuckles.

  “This doesn’t sound like a bad plan. I’m demoting it to a horrible plan,” Taurean said.

  “Taurean, take the Chrono drive and get into one of the escape pods. Prepare to fire it,” Darbian said.

  “Working with the Wardein is not like a day in the lab.” Taurean grabbed the Chrono drive, ran to the back of the ship, and entered one of the es
cape pods.

  “Well, they didn’t train me to be a scientist,” Darbian said. “And I was never good at math.”

  “I hope Gregorical is good at math,” Hannelore said.

  Darbian whipped his head upward. “Gregorical, this part is tricky. Fire the escape pod at the first ship and into the open bay!”

  Gregorical did as he was told.

  The pod fired, sputtered out of his bay, and entered Vinitor’s ship. It bounced around the cargo hold, rolled over a few times, and came to rest amid several freight containers.

  Darbian nodded. “Gregorical, fire the thrusters and prepare to take evasive maneuvers. On my mark!”

  Gregorical engaged his thrusters and the force of both the engines and the tractor beam moved the other half of the command ship.

  “We’ve got a few seconds before we’re crushed between the two sections of that ship.” Darbian tapped his fingers against the control panel.

  “I don’t make a habit of questioning you sir, but what next?” Gregorical said.

  “Let Taurean do the work. He said he was willing to leave himself behind. He will have to do just that.” Darbian spun on his feet and jogged to the central control panel. He pressed down on the communicator, closed his eyes, and spoke slowly. “Taurean, we’re going to have to leave you behind.”

  Taurean paused as he was about to exit the pod. “Yes, I understand.”

  Micah ran up next to Darbian. “This is not a good idea!”

  “Steady now, Micah,” said Taurean. “There’s always someone looking out for us even when we don’t know it.”