by Mara Amberly
Even with the crackle of static, Eric could hear his concern.
Viktor arrived a minute later, with the others in tow.
“Bring it up large on the viewscreen,” he ordered.
Eric did just that, zooming in on the mysterious blip behind them.
“It looks like a shuttle, or maybe an interceptor,” Rich commented.
Rich was right. It did.
“Opal, is there any chance the Syndicate learned you knew about the coordinates?” Eric asked.
“I suppose,” she said, her expression uneasy.
She obviously didn’t want to get the blame if she’d misread the situation.
“I’m sure the coordinates were genuine and not planted for me to find. But it’s possible they learned I discovered them and followed us.”
“They could have an ambush waiting for us,” Viktor replied. “They’ll know where we intend to go, but probably won’t know we can travel in time.”
“Then we need to get into fifth-dimensional space as quickly as possible,” Eric exclaimed.
“Take her in, Eric,” Viktor said.
“What about that ship though?” Opal asked.
“It will appear that we’ve dropped off their sensors,” Viktor replied. “They shouldn’t have any way of knowing where we’ve gone, and if we change events, it won’t matter one bit.”
“Dad, there are more ships showing up on sensors. Two… three more!”
Eric engaged the drive and cringed slightly as there was a bright flash outside the window. Was someone firing on them?
Lightning danced off the hull of their ship. As the Equinox moved into fifth-space, the noise of its engines diminished.
“They can’t follow us in, can they?” Opal asked.
“They can, but they won’t get here in time,” Eric replied. “We should be safe. Where do you want to exit?” he asked Viktor.
“Show me the map,” the older man replied.
There was no point zooming out the map on the screen; the distances were so large. Instead, Eric changed to the map of Draylach Space.
“We’ll be approaching from this direction,” Eric said, gesturing to the lower left side of the map. The map was still overlaid with the X that Viktor had indicated earlier, marking the location of the coordinates Opal had provided.
“What’s that, an asteroid field?” Eric asked, magnifying the image. He couldn’t be sure.
“Take us out about a hundred thousand miles from it,” Viktor said. “I’d rather not drop out beside it in case there’s trouble waiting for us. Let’s go with a year ago, to be safe.”
Eric entered the rift exit coordinates in the navigational computer.
“So fifth-dimension?” Rich asked with some confusion.
It surprised Eric that he didn’t ask about time.
“You ordinarily have three dimensions to the universe—length, width, and height. Time is the fourth dimension, and it’s a regular part of our progress through the universe. The fifth dimension adds some flexibility to that. It allows the universe and time to flex, and using it we can connect two points in time and space, and bring places closer together. Do you understand?”
Rich nodded, his eyes wide with surprise. He looked as though he wasn’t sure if he could believe it.
“By entering fifth-space here, we don’t have to fly the entire distance to Draylach Space that we ordinarily would. We can fly a lesser distance as space is bent to make the distance smaller. Because of the technology, we’ll be there in about six and a half hours,” Eric said. “If it wasn’t for the temporal drive, it would probably take us weeks at maximum speed.”
“That means the Rizian Syndicate should be well behind us now, unless they have the same technology or they already have a presence there,” Opal added.
“They shouldn’t,” Eric said, matter-of-factly. “Temporal technology is one of the most closely guarded secrets among those who possess it. Even with its enormous reach, I have my doubts that the Rizian Syndicate could get it.”
“It might seem that way now, but it’s only a matter of time, lad,” Viktor replied.
“If they will in the future, does that mean they can travel back in time and change things now?” Opal asked.
“It doesn’t work that way on the first time through the natural course of events,” Eric said. “If, in the future, they travel back in time and they change the past, it’s applied to the timeline in all unshielded areas. The first time we experience events, it should be free of future alterations. Once we reach the future, things can change in the past and it will be as though it’s always been different unless you’re protected against alterations to the timeline.”
“That makes no sense to me,” Rich said. “Unless… no. At least we know none of this has happened before?”
“We know no such thing,” Eric admitted. “It could’ve been changed and we wouldn’t even know about it. Even if they haven’t changed events, they could still alter the past; we mightn’t be able to stop them. We can’t monitor everywhere or every time frame, and time can be a tricky beast. Maybe take the ship back another fifty years?” he suggested to Viktor.
“Go ahead,” the former admiral replied. He waited while Eric made the changes.
“If we bring the treasure aboard the Equinox, they’ll be safe here regardless of whether the timeline is changed or not, as will we. Perhaps we can extend that protection beyond the time when we’ll take the goods off the ship?” Eric asked Viktor.
“I believe so,” he said, “depending on what we get out of the vault. It could be a right pain in the ass, but let’s see what’s in there first. We have a plan and we know what we’re doing, and what each of us will be responsible for. That might mean you have little to do unless trouble comes our way, in which case count yourselves lucky. I’d suggest we all rest up for now, get a meal, and prepare ourselves for what might lie ahead. I’ll keep an eye on the controls for a while,” he said, with a nod to Eric.
The group on the bridge disbanded, and Opal caught up with Eric on his way to the mess hall. She had a glint in her eyes, and he wondered what she was up to.
“How is it you know so much about time travel?” she asked him with curiosity.
It was one of those things he wasn’t supposed to talk about. Much of the population didn’t even know the Valteran military and leadership possessed the technology. It seemed Opal had already known about it even before she came aboard—probably because her father had told her—but her knowledge was obviously limited. Viktor had said she was… or might be going to serve on board, and Eric saw little reason to hide minimal details from her.
“I’ve served with your father aboard the Equinox before, when we were both in the military. I was his Chief Engineer for a time, and that gave me more insight into the systems.”
“So you know more about it than anyone else here?” she asked.
Eric was going to point out the obvious, that her father knew, but it wasn’t his place to speak for the former admiral. He wondered if Opal was only interested in talking to him because she wanted to know what he did, but perhaps he wasn’t giving her enough of a chance. He didn’t know her well yet, though their first meeting had been unconventional.
“Would you like to join me for a meal? I’ll answer what questions I can,” he offered.
Eric knew full well he wouldn’t divulge any classified secrets she didn’t already know about, but there were details he felt comfortable talking about with her. Besides, he wanted to know more about her and her ability to help them during the upcoming mission.
“I would love to,” she exclaimed, linking her arm with his.
What had started as a meal in the mess hall turned slightly awkward, as Opal followed Eric to his quarters. He could tell he had Opal’s interest, and yet he had to wonder if she was playing one of her games.
Her father was on the ship, and Eric knew that if he laid one hand on his daughter, Viktor just might put him out an airlock. Eric wasn’t even
sure what that would do to him in fifth-dimensional space, but it was safe to say it wouldn’t be pleasant.
“Can I get you a drink?” she offered while sitting on his bunk.
“You won’t find any alcohol in here,” Eric said, watching her from where he sat on the edge of his desk. “As far as I know, the only one who has any is your father.”
“I don’t want to talk about him,” she said. “I don’t want to talk at all.”
Eric could tell. He knew what Opal had in mind, because if the circumstances were different he’d have been thinking the same thing, but Viktor was his friend and he had no intention of crossing him. They were on a precarious mission and now just wasn’t the time, if there was a time at all.
“I know you don’t,” Eric eventually replied, “but your father was my mentor and he’s my friend. It means I have to do right by him, even if it means disappointing you.”
This gave Eric reason to wonder if this was some kind of twisted loyalty test. From the upset and embarrassment in Opal’s eyes, he was going to have to go with ‘no’. She was one complicated person. Frustrating, gorgeous, difficult and sexy.
She got up and hurried toward the door, obviously upset, though no tears fell. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s alright,” he told her, but before he had the chance to properly explain, she was gone. He didn’t know what he would’ve said, but he let out a groan and sat down on his bunk. Why did life have to be so complicated? Why did she?
He found himself thinking about it… and thinking about her, and then he sighed. “Don’t you dare,” he whispered to himself.
Chapter 5
May 2080, Aboard the Equinox, Draylach Space
The ship dropped out of fifth-dimensional space, among unfamiliar stars. The Equinox had moved back in time fifty years, and Eric wasn’t entirely sure about the state of the universe. It was an afterthought that he should’ve done some research before settling on the date. He quickly checked the sensors.
“I’m not detecting any ships within sensor range, but there is something in the distance. I think it could be the vault,” he said.
“Show me,” Viktor replied.
He wasn’t the only one interested. Rich had returned to his quarters, but Opal was on the bridge, and she studied the viewscreen when Eric brought up a visual of the sensor readings.
“Is that an asteroid field?” she asked, studying the cloudy grey debris on the map.
“Maybe,” Eric replied, glancing her way. “It’s debris of some kind, but I think it’s consistent with an asteroid field. What do you make of it, Viktor?”
“It’s hard to make out the details, but that sounds about right to me. Bring us in closer, carefully, so we can have a better look at it.”
Eric did as he was asked, moving the ship in closer. He took it slowly, not because there was any rubble between their location and what was likely an asteroid field, but because he wasn’t sure what else to expect.
An alarm sounded as they came close to the field.
“The engines’ output is falling,” Eric said. “It looks like the thrusters are failing.”
Viktor scratched his chin. “Back us up, Eric. Get us out of here.”
The reason for it wasn’t as important as the fact they were getting mired.
Eric turned the ship around and gradually got them out of it as he increased their speed. Lights flashed on the console as the thruster assembly overheated and the Equinox drifted on momentum alone.
“I need to go to engineering,” he said, handing the controls over to Opal.
When he got there, engineering was filled with steam, and the thrusters had gone offline. It looked like the safeties had activated in time, and they weren’t burnt out. Eric would need to vent them and they’d have to cool before the Equinox could go anywhere. There might not have been any Draylach ships around, but it still wasn’t friendly space or a good place to be stuck waiting around.
Eric tapped the comms button. “Viktor, it looks like the ship’s going to be out of commission for a while. It’s going to take an hour or two to get this sorted.”
Viktor exhaled in frustration. It was a testament to the volume of it that Eric heard it over the comms.
“Do what you can, and get us up and running as quickly as possible.”
It took Eric around five minutes to vent the thruster assembly, then it was a matter of waiting until the whole thing cooled down. He returned to the bridge, where Viktor and Opal were monitoring the sensors.
“What have we got?” Eric asked with concern.
“It’s not a ship. We’ve sent a probe into the space where we were mired to take some readings. It looks like some kind of anomaly,” Viktor said.
“It isn’t temporal or chemical. It looks like space has a different make-up there,” Opal replied.
“How is that?” Eric asked. “It doesn’t seem to be affecting the probe the same way it mired the ship.”
“I’m not really sure what to make of these readings,” Opal said. “Have a look for yourselves.”
“That is strange,” Viktor replied, examining the readouts.
“The engines produce a gravitational field; it could interfere with them,” Eric surmised.
Opal turned to Eric. “We have the time drive. Couldn’t we jump past it?”
“Once we have the thrusters firing, we can try. First we have to identify a clear area to jump to. If it affects an area as far as the vault, we could have a problem—a bigger one,” Eric said.
“Not a problem, Eric—a challenge,” Viktor disagreed.
It might sound like a challenge, but Eric knew it would be a big problem if they weren’t careful, and if they were stuck there and couldn’t leave. Even with the temporal drive, they had to enter the rift successfully, and they needed thrusters or sufficient momentum for that.
Eric shrugged. “So we map the area and find out where normal space resumes, if it does?”
“We should have enough probes to get a fair idea,” Viktor said. “In the meantime, have a closer look at the visuals of the largest asteroid.”
Following Viktor’s suggestion, Eric brought it up on the screen. There were caves or tunnels cut through the surface of the asteroid.
“That’s interesting,” Eric replied.
It confirmed for him they probably had the right place.
“How wide do you think those tunnels are in the asteroid?”
He wondered if they might be wide enough to take the ship in.
“It’s hard to be sure without getting closer. They might not be as wide or as long as they seem,” Opal said with a hint of a smile.
Eric took one look at Opal’s expression and glanced away. The last thing he wanted was her father drawing any conclusions—especially the wrong ones! Yet he still felt her charm affecting her. Maybe charm wasn’t the right word, but she was tempting and she was influencing him, and he was trying very hard not to let that happen!
“Look! The probe’s diverted from its course,” Viktor said.
“What, do you think it struck something?” Eric asked him. He’d only taken his eyes off it for a moment.
The former admiral shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine. I can’t see it now,” he said, speaking of the probe.
Perhaps there was more going on in the field around the vault than Eric had suspected.
“I have another probe lined up above the asteroid,” Opal said.
“Go ahead,” Viktor said. “If the other one was deflected by some debris, this one ought to stay on course.”
Opal fired the probe, and there was momentary silence on the bridge as they watched its progress. The ship had ejected the probe at speed, but only its momentum was carrying it toward a point just above the asteroid. Suddenly, it veered to the left and disappeared from sensors.
“I think something got it,” Eric exclaimed, wondering what technologies might be at work. “The question was whether it was deflected as well or drawn toward something?”
“A trap,” Eric surmised. “Maybe it’s cloaked.”
Opal was aboard to find and disarm any traps they might encounter, but Eric didn’t need to say it. He saw awareness dawn in her eyes.
“They’re not gone. We’re still receiving readings from the probes, but the last one’s slowing down and the other one’s almost stopped dead,” Opal said. “I don’t know why they’re not showing on the sensors now. I’m reading metallic compounds, but they’re small particles. It’s possible they’re littered throughout the field.”
“So, the gravitational field produced by the ship’s engines attracts them, and they somehow exert force on the ship? I’m not sure that makes sense, but I’m thinking aloud. When a metallic projectile is fired, that doesn’t create a gravitational field, but it’s drawn off course to certain key areas perhaps,” Eric said.
“If that’s what’s happening here, what would you suggest?” Viktor asked.
Eric shrugged, grinning slightly. “I’d fire a missile or two into that field—we could set them to cut the propulsion before they enter the field so they don’t get mired, and then they would continue on momentum alone. Maybe they would blow up what’s drawing those probes away. A missile ought to explode on impact. The thing is, we don’t know who or what we’re dealing with, so it might be a terrible idea.”
“No, I like it,” Viktor said. “It’s far better than sitting around on our asses, waiting for the Draylach to find us.”
“The weapons could attract them,” Eric said.
“Even if they did, we’d likely be gone long before they get here,” Viktor replied. “Get the thrusters online first. We might need to get out of here in a hurry if your idea goes wrong.”
Eric had a feeling at least some blame would fall squarely on his shoulders if it did.
He returned to engineering to check on the status of the engines and thrusters. They’d cooled enough that he brought them back online. He shut off auxiliary power, and the Equinox was back running as it should be. Hopefully, they wouldn’t jump into the field and have to do this all over again.