‘We are, Dan. Liber8tor is caught in the world’s gravitational pull.’ He paused. ‘Seventy percent of all Liber8tor systems are now offline.’
Dan brought the ship around. He activated the engines. They whined for a moment before coming back to life. He aimed the ship away from the planet. He had to put as much distance between himself and the world as possible.
Finally, when he knew it was safe, he hit the reset button for Liber8tor’s systems. The ship was still moving away from the planet, but it was now as quiet as a tomb. All the power turned off, and the only light was that of faraway stars.
‘Boy,’ Dan said. ‘It’s quiet in here.’
Ferdy didn’t reply. He was offline, as was every single system on the ship.
‘Anyone ever tell you that you’re a great conversationalist?’ Dan said.
Nothing.
Dan breathed out. The silence on board Liber8tor was complete. It seemed the only sound he could hear was the rush of blood in his head. A shaft of light angled into the bridge from the system’s distant sun. The beam of alien sunlight cut across the interior of the ship like the glare of a torch.
I’m a long way from home, Dan thought. And alone.
The enormity of it hit him. He was stuck in a dark, silent ship, floating around an alien world. If the ship's systems didn’t automatically restart, he would remain here for the rest of eternity.
Don’t even think about it.
His eyes strayed to the other bridge seats. He missed the others, all of them, even Chad.
Right now, I feel like the loneliest person in the universe, he thought. When we get back to Earth I’m going to—
To what?
He wasn’t sure. His favorite past time was playing computer games, but they seemed kind of pointless right now. He’d traveled across the galaxy, seen other worlds, and met alien races. Playing a game on a console just couldn’t compare.
A blinking light flashed on the piloting console. A screen came to life. A buzzing sounded in the cabin.
‘Ferdy?’ Dan said.
‘Ferdy is here—and oxygen is the eighth element on the periodic table.’
Dan let out a sigh of relief. ‘Ferdy?’
‘Yes?’
‘I’m glad you’re back.’
‘Ferdy is glad too.’
It took a few more minutes, but Liber8tor’s systems were soon fully functional. Dan checked the navigation charts.
‘You know,’ he said, ‘we’re not very far away from Magarath.’ He stroked his chin. ‘That’s the star that’s supposed to fade from the sky, but I have no idea how we’re supposed to make that happen.’
‘Ferdy has an idea.’
‘Let me make a guess. It means facing almost certain death.’
‘How did Dan know?’
‘Are you joking?’
‘Ferdy is not joking. The plan means facing almost certain death.’
‘Fantastic,’ Dan said. ‘Okay, what do we need to do?’
‘One of the planets of this system is rich in an element known as tenetron,’ Ferdy said. ‘It is a substance known only to the Tagaar.’
‘What’s so special about it?’
‘It is highly explosive. A portion the size of a football can destroy a sun.’
‘What?’ Dan said, amazed. He couldn’t imagine anything so powerful. ‘If it’s that powerful, why aren’t the Tagaar using it?’
‘It is extremely unstable. The Tagaar once intended to make it a part of their arsenal, but discontinued their plans when they accidentally destroyed one of their solar systems.’
‘Destroyed one of their...’ Dan stopped. ‘Did you say solar systems?’
‘Ferdy did.’
‘And you’re saying...you think...’
‘Ferdy thinks we should retrieve some tenetron and fire it into Magarath’s star,’ Ferdy said. ‘That will cause it to disappear from the sky.’
Chapter Twenty-Two
‘But...but...’ Dan was speechless. ‘We can’t just destroy a solar system!’
‘Why not, friend Dan?’
‘Because...well...it’s the star and all the planets surrounding it. What about those worlds? Everything on them will be destroyed too.’
‘They will be destroyed too,’ Ferdy agreed. ‘But there is no life on those planets.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Absolutely. Three of the planets are too close to Magarath to support life, and the remaining two are gas giants. Nothing can exist on them.’
‘Still...’ Destroying a solar system seemed extreme, to say the least. ‘Isn’t there another way?’
‘Ferdy can’t think of another method. Can Dan?’
No, Dan thought. I can’t.
‘It will bring the ancient Tagaar prophecy to life,’ Ferdy pointed out.
Dan nodded. What had Mister Okada said?
Magarath will fade from the sky...
There seemed to be no other way. ‘You’re sure there’s no life on those other planets?’ he asked.
‘They are uninhabited.’
‘Okay,’ he said reluctantly. ‘We’ll do it. Where can we find this tenetron?’
Ferdy gave him the planet’s coordinates, and Dan started the engines. For the first time in what seemed days, everything seemed to be working. A few minutes later, he had fed the directions into Liter8tor’s onboard computer and was traveling in FTL mode.
Dan slumped back in the seat and watched the stars slide past the window. It was hard to believe he was doing this—flying off to some distant solar system to blow up its sun.
How do I get into these things?
He wearily retrieved some health food bars from the galley and ate them. Closing his eyes, he told himself he would take a short nap. Just a minute or two...nothing more than...
‘Dan?’
He jumped. ‘Ferdy?’ he said. He had fallen sound asleep. The ship had come to a halt. ‘What is it?
‘We have arrived at the planet containing the tenetron.’
Dan studied the world in the view screen. ‘What is that?’ he asked. ‘Are they clouds?’
‘They are,’ Ferdy said.
‘So it’s cold on...whatever it’s called.’
‘The Tagaar have designated it as 221B.’
‘221B,’ Dan repeated. ‘That’s got a catchy ring to it.’
‘The average outside temperature is minus two hundred degrees Fahrenheit.’
‘So, sunbathing is out of the question?’
‘Why would Dan want to sunbath—’
‘It’s a joke. Let’s land and get this done.’
‘It will not be that easy,’ Ferdy said. ‘The proximity of a binary star causes the planet to wobble, making landing impossible. Also, it is surrounded by a Tagaar minefield.’
‘So how do we land?’
‘We cannot. The ship will need to land on the space station tethered to the planet. Dan can descend to the surface from there.’
‘Did you say tethered?’
‘It is attached to the world via a space elevator.’
Dan had read about space elevators. An elevator ran all the way from the surface of a planet to a satellite in orbit. It meant loads could be taken into space without using spaceships. The technology behind it was very advanced. The line running from the planet to the satellite had to be super light, flexible, and powerful. A single breakage would spell disaster.
‘How will we get past the Tagaar?’ he asked.
‘There are no Tagaar in the system. They abandoned the facility after the incident involving the destruction of their solar system.’
Dan located the space station. It was an unimpressive jar-shaped satellite. A silver line arrowed from it into the dense cloud cover surrounding the world. The automated space station accepted the security code from Liber8tor, and he angled the ship through a force field into a holding bay.
Peering through the window, Dan skeptically eyed the interior. ‘Are you sure this is safe, Ferdy?’ he asked.
‘Actually, friend Dan, it is extremely hazardous.’
‘What?’
‘Ferdy did not say it was safe. Just that it was a possible course of action.’
Grumbling, Dan made his way to the airlock. ‘I’ll stay in contact using my comm bracelet,’ he said. ‘Is there anything I need to watch out for?’
‘Friend Dan,’ Ferdy said. ‘You must watch out for everything.’
Dan stepped into the flight hanger. The area looked new except for a few tools and pieces of machinery that lay about the floor. They looked like they’d been quickly abandoned. Obviously, the Tagaar had left in a hurry.
He checked his comm bracelet and was relieved to hear Ferdy respond.
‘There may be problems in communication once you reach the surface,’ Ferdy warned.
A horrible thought occurred to Dan. ‘What if I can’t get back?’ he asked. ‘Does that mean we’ll be stuck here forever?’
Ferdy seemed to take a moment longer than usual to respond. ‘There is another possibility,’ he said. ‘But Ferdy would need to be given complete command controls over Liber8tor.’
‘Don’t you have that already?’
‘No, Dan.’
Dan paused. It had never occurred to him before, but Ferdy was never allowed to make independent decisions about the ship. It was always left to the others.
‘Consider this a promotion,’ Dan said. ‘You’re in charge.’
‘Thank you, Dan.’
Dan crept through the station. As with everything the Tagaar designed, the architecture was reptilian. Surrounding the walls were rib-like protrusions, and the lighting was muted. Reaching the middle of the station, he found the elevator. It was similar to one that might be found on Earth, except it was the size of a small truck. The door slid shut behind him.
Examining the control panel, he pushed a button and immediately heard the grind of a motor. The cabin started to descend, leaving the space station behind. Dan peered out into space. It was scary thinking that all that kept him safe was the single line running from the world to the space station.
‘Can you hear me, Ferdy?’ Dan asked.
‘Ferdy can hear you.’
Dan shivered. A million things could go wrong, and he might not survive this.
‘I’m afraid,’ he said.
‘Ferdy is afraid too.’
Chapter Twenty-three
Chad stared gloomily out the window. ‘We shouldn’t have left him,’ he said. ‘Dan’s just a kid.’
They had been traveling in silence for over an hour.
Ebony gripped his arm. ‘Dan told us to go,’ she said. ‘And there was nothing we could have done anyway. Getting ourselves killed wasn’t going to help him.’
‘That’s true, I suppose,’ Chad said. ‘But it doesn’t make it any easier.’
‘We need to focus on achieving our goal,’ Mister Okada said. ‘The burning of the temple at Branada.’
Chad wanted to snap at the older man, but the words would not come as he saw the look of compassion in his eyes. ‘The Bakari live for thousands of years,’ Chad said. ‘How can you possibly care about people like us?’
‘All life is rare—and short-lived. That is what makes it so precious.’
Garan spoke over his shoulder. ‘Still the poet,’ he said to Mister Okada.
‘Truths don’t change. Even when you’re as old as me.’
Garan scanned the instrument panel. ‘It looks like one of our engines is overheating,’ he said. ‘We must have been damaged in the asteroid field. I’ll have to take us out of FTL drive.’
The lines of stars disappeared and were replaced by a gray planet floating in a sea of white stars. Chad continued to stare gloomily out the window as Garan went to the rear of the vessel to check the engines.
We must be crazy, Chad thought. We never should have left Dan and Ferdy on that planet.
Ebony was staring at him. ‘Don’t be upset,’ she said. ‘Dan and Ferdy are clever.’
‘I know,’ Chad said. ‘But being clever isn’t always enough.’
Garan returned. ‘We have a problem,’ he said. ‘One of the interlocking inducers has burnt out. We can’t continue without it.’
‘So what will we do?’ Chad asked.
‘There’s an abandoned space station in this system. We may be able to salvage one from it.’
The alien made a loop around the planet towards a silver dot on the horizon. It grew larger as they approached, and Chad saw it was a saucer-shaped complex, blue in color without windows.
‘Not the most inviting of places,’ Quinn said.
‘It was used as a research station by the Mosans—the people who inhabited this system.’
He brought the ship into an airlock that was exposed to space. Flicking a few switches, he was able to close the external doors. Air flooded the chamber, and they left the ship.
Chad eyed a few other vessels. ‘It looks like we’re not the first,’ he said. ‘What happened to them?’
‘Who knows?’ Garan said. He described the piece of equipment they were seeking: a gold, bell-shaped device. ‘We’ll need to spread out to search.’
As they started to leave the docking bay, Chad stopped and pointed to the other ships. ‘What about those?’ he asked. ‘Wouldn’t they have the...inducer...thing?’
‘Possibly,’ Mister Okada said.
Ebony frowned. ‘Are we allowed to salvage gear from those ships?’ she asked. ‘What if these people come back?’
‘They won’t be back. These ships haven’t moved for years.’
They split up and searched the ships, agreeing to meet back in fifteen minutes. When they reassembled, Garan had a bell-shaped device in his hands.
‘Is that what I think it is?’ Chad asked.
‘It is. And it’s in good condition. Better than the one on board my ship.’
As they returned to the Sorcerer, Mister Okada glanced around the docking bay. ‘Where’s Quinn?’ he asked.
‘Did she board one of the ships?’ Chad asked.
‘I don’t think so,’ Ebony said. ‘She mustn’t have known we were checking the ships first.’
Mister Okada looked worried. ‘She should be here,’ he said. ‘Something must be wrong.’
‘Then we’ll search the base,’ Ebony said.
‘It’ll be faster if we split up,’ Chad said.
Garan and Mister Okada headed down a corridor one way while Ebony and Chad went in the opposite direction. The corridor was curved with doors leading off both sides. The lighting was at half-power, but it amazed Chad that anything was working at all.
They called out Quinn’s name but received no answer. Finally, they reached a junction, and Ebony kept to the main corridor while Chad headed towards the middle of the base.
Most of the rooms that lead off the corridor were labs. Chad remembered Garan saying it was once used as a research station. Most of the research seemed to be biological in nature. Many of the rooms contained empty cages.
The corridor opened to a central living area. Chad began to have doubts he would ever find Quinn.
Where has she gone?
He hit his comm bracelet. ‘Ebony?’ he said. ‘Any luck?’
No answer.
Frowning, he started back up to the main corridor where they had separated and started calling Ebony’s name. When he got no answer, he started to get worried.
‘Ebony?’ he called. ‘Quinn?’
Some sort of mossy plant was growing on the floor in this area. It seemed to come from a large room with its doors open. Grey-green in color, it was covering both the floor and walls. The room beyond was in complete darkness, but he could see the moss was all over the benches and equipment.
The smell was awful. Chad recalled a day when he had gone on a long walk from Asgard base. He had come across a dead raccoon on the path. Its body had decomposed and had vegetation growing over it.
A sound came from the room.
It had sounded like a squeak
, almost as if from a mouse. Chad created a fire in mid-air and was astonished to see the moss was thickly covering the ceiling. As he peered upwards, he saw it had invaded the light fitting, the air conditioning vents, and even—
Chad yelled.
Chapter Twenty-Four
The elevator continued downwards. There were tiny porthole windows on the side. Dan peered out them. He watched the cloud cover draw closer before the elevator was swallowed up by it. White haze drowned out the view. The elevator shuddered ominously and kept shaking as he descended.
‘Ferdy?’ he said. ‘Do you read me?’
‘Ferdy can hear you,’ the reply came back, but there was crackling in the background. ‘How are you, Dan?’
‘Great.’
He didn’t feel great, though. The elevator may have been descending, but it didn’t feel like it. The clouds gave him no point of reference.
Dan forced himself to think good thoughts.
I’ll make it, he told himself. I’ll get to the surface, retrieve the tenetron, and be out of here within the hour.
He closed his eyes. Breathing deeply, he focused on saying the alphabet. After he got tired of that, he went through it backward—anything to pass the time.
A grinding sound came from beneath the elevator, and it shuddered. He opened his eyes to see a starkly white landscape through the portholes. Then the edge of a building passed by, and there was more shuddering. A final clang made the entire chamber shake.
He had landed.
Dan wiped sweat from his face, and he swallowed hard. Step one was completed. Now all he had to do was find the tenetron. He crossed to the exit, and the door slid open.
Brrr!
It was freezing outside!
The room beyond was a single, circular chamber with another elevator at the far end.
‘Ferdy?’ Dan said.
‘Yes, friend Dan,’ Ferdy said, his voice almost drowned by static. ‘Is Dan all right?’
‘I’m fine, although it’s freezing in here.’
‘The interior should be heated. Possibly there’s been a breach in the complex.’
‘What does that mean?’
‘The planet is subject to earthquakes. My scans show that the east wing may have been compromised.’
Teen Superheroes Box Set | Books 1-7 Page 89