HADRON Resurgent

by Stephen Arseneault

  The alien on the video looked around at the maintenance room where he lay.

  I’m too weak to move from this bed. Death will come soon. Vilamee and Curlee, take care of the horde. I love each of you equally. I will see each of you in Tomolai, when you join with the rest of us.

  The emaciated image lay back on his bunk, closing his eight, laser-green, catlike eyes. The video log ran for several additional minutes before shutting down.

  Mace said, “Just miners out looking for the mother lode. Looks like diamond is popular just about everywhere.”

  Jeff replied, “It’s a unique element, and generally rare. You have to admit, a find such as this would have made us all very wealthy back on Earth.”

  “It paid for all those microwave cannons we have protecting us. If Mr. Knuttin recovers, I’m sure we can use it to trade for more.”

  Jeff looked up from a console. “The gatrellium ship in the bay… it’s a rescue vessel of sorts. It will carry one passenger in stasis into a micro-wormhole like the ones we use for comms. The gatrellium coating lets it slip into that tiny hole and through to the other side. It seems our wormhole generators are more advanced. Still, an interesting discovery. And the gatrellium is not destroyed in the process.”

  Gnaga said, “Interesting indeed. I could envision a transport system where the small ships are sent through in a constant stream, thereby allowing inexpensive travel across vast distances.”

  Jeff tilted his head. “Yes and no. The wormhole, even though tiny, does consume a small portion of gatrellium. That’s what keeps the portal open. Mass transit would never cover the use of such a finite resource.”

  Jeff turned back to face the console. “Let’s see if we can find out where our visitors are from.”

  Several images popped onto a display before a starmap appeared. Jeff snapped an image and passed it back to the nav system on the Revelation. No match was returned.

  Mace said, “Does that mean it’s not in this area, or not in the galaxy?”

  Jeff replied, “Only means it’s not in their current dataset. I believe their starmaps cover about 15 percent of the galaxy. And I would imagine opening a comm wormhole to another galaxy would be an expensive proposition. Those distances are millions of light years, not tens or hundreds.”

  Mace said, “They did say there was a rift nearby. Might be worth exploring.”

  Jeff nodded. “Two light years. We could jump right to it. We’ll have to look into that once we’re done here.”

  Jeff continued typing away at the console. Seconds later, his manner changed. Several screens of data were pulled up and evaluated.

  Jeff stood from the perch he sat on. “This can’t be possible.”

  “What?”

  Jeff gestured toward the door. “It says a body is still in stasis in that emergency ship out there. And it says here it’s still viable.”

  Mace moved toward the door. “Let’s go. This we have to check out.”

  The foursome moved back down to the docking bay. Jeff again took up residence at a console where the design of the emergency ship was looked over.

  Jasper said, “Open her up. Let’s see what we’ve got.”

  Jeff replied, “We need to study this first, I think. If we bring them out, will they be hostile? Will they be hungry? And if so, what do they eat? I’ll need some time to look this over.”

  Mace said, “Take what time you need. We aren’t in a rush.”

  Jeff gestured toward a console. “Mr. Collins, you should connect and explore the options on this ship. Does it have weapons? Shields? What atmosphere did the aliens normally breathe? How many were aboard this ship?”

  Jasper moved to the console in question. “I’ll surf through their systems to see what I can find.”

  Gnaga moved to a third console, while Mace decided to explore. A trip back up to the bridge saw all consoles lit and functional. Six massive displays lit the walls above the duty stations. Colored bars flashed and moved around the display. English translations seemingly hovered above them on Mace’s helmet display.

  Mace sat on a perch and began to type as he spoke to himself. “OK, mystery ship, tell me where this planet is in relation to your home system.”

  The display above him swirled and zoomed out, revealing a system eight thousand light years away. On the starmap, the rift linking the two sections of the galaxy was highlighted in flashing yellow. Mace turned to his arm pad, working the sensors within to scan for possible links to the ship’s systems. Two such links were identified. The first connected to the ship’s comms, the second to its sensors. The second link icon was selected and enabled. Status showed a waiting connection.

  Mace mumbled to himself. “OK, Hardy, there must be an enable on the other end.”

  A visual scan of the console in front of him showed a small flashing symbol. The English translation floating above it read: Accept.

  The icon was selected, and seconds later a file system began to appear on the holo-display just above Mace’s arm pad.

  Mace said, “Select Menu, select Nav, select Starmaps. Copy.”

  The transfer lasted fifteen seconds. A flashing indicator on the holo-display indicated the arm pad memory was now 75 percent full. Mace stood and walked back to the docking bay.

  “I have the starmaps. Their home world is just over eight thousand light years away. The rift they came through covers most of that. They call themselves the Hoorka. This ship belonged to a private group of miners.”

  Gnaga replied, “The rift was newly discovered at the time. I found notes from the captain talking about possibly being the first ship through it.”

  Jasper said, “That little armory we found was the extent of their weapons. This barge has no armaments and the drives only reach a quarter light-speed. Took them eight years to reach this planet from the rift. And another three years on the other side of the rift. That’s a twenty-two year round trip. Sounds like a do or die type of mission. There was also an entire bottom section below this deck that was a cargo hold. It was crushed flat in the crash.”

  Gnaga opened a connection to the medical database. “Interesting. I dare say in a few hours we may know all about the Hoorka and their anatomy. The average Hoorka was one-point-four meters tall and weighed in at a hundred sixty kilograms. They may have not been as emaciated as we thought.”

  Jasper replied, “So they were skinny runts. Bet they folded up like a pretzel when hit by a pulse from one of their weapons.”

  Gnaga said, “Mr. Moskowitz, I believe I found the procedure for awakening our friend in that emergency pod. The bio here says it was a young female of their species.”

  Jeff nodded. “That’s what I found as well. The logs say she was selected because at the time she was in the best health. They put her in stasis while hoping to find a way to send her home. She was the equivalent of sixteen Earth-years old.”

  Gnaga added, “That is out of a sixty year average lifespan. A twenty-two year journey would have been a significant part of their lives.”

  Jeff said, “Since you’re in the medical records, see what it is they can eat. If we wake this one, we don’t want it to be so she can starve to death.”

  Jasper remarked, “Bah, it looks like most of their technology is behind ours. The drives, their onboard systems, even their computers. Other than that little concussion rifle, I’d say this ship is a bust.”

  Jeff turned. “I would hardly call it that. We’ve discovered a new species. We identified a new rift. And we found it may be possible to send a small ship through a wormhole the size of a comm aperture. I’d say we hit a gold mine.”

  Jasper sarcastically replied, “Doc, that’s because you’re a scientist and those nerdy things seem somehow important to you.”

  Jeff laughed. “I bow to the king.”

  Gnaga said, “I entered the nutritional information from our nutrient bars. They are compatible with the Hoorka digestive system, although not ideal. Their diets require a much higher intake of cholecalciferol
, or your vitamin D3. I believe we can supplement the nutrient bars without issue.”

  Mace replied, “So you’re saying we can feed her if she’s revived?”

  Gnaga nodded. “It would appear so.”

  Mace turned. “Doc, think you can follow the procedure for reanimation?”

  Jeff pulled up the medical screen displaying the instructions. “I believe so. They appear to be straightforward.”

  Mace crossed his arms. “I say we revive a fourteen thousand year old alien.”

  Jasper replied, “Might as well. Low-tech’ers would hardly offer a challenge.”

  Jeff shook his head. “You have to remember, they were low tech fourteen thousand years ago. We were living in caves and foraging back then.”

  Mace laughed. “Heck, we’re still living in caves today.”

  Jasper scowled. “OK, then. We don’t have to worry about this low-tech’er. And since she don’t seem to have any friends around, I think we can safely bring her back.”

  Gnaga said, “We will have to restrain her for our own safety. Those hooks on the back of her hoofs and the smaller ones on her wrists are used for ripping. And our flesh would be categorized as something she might rip.”

  Mace nodded. “You bring her out. The king and I will restrain her.”

  Jeff replied, “The full process takes fifteen minutes. If you are certain we want to do this, I’ll initiate the procedure.”

  Mace turned toward the emergency pod. “I’m sure. Jasper, wanna give me a hand?”

  Jasper shook his head. “Not now. But I will in about fifteen. Don’t want to just stand there looking like a dork while we’re waiting.”

  Mace smiled and nodded. “You always have such a way with words.”

  Jasper smiled. “That’s what my people say.”

  The team returned to their consoles as the process ran. They watched on a video feed as the chamber that housed the body slowly turned from a solid to a liquid. The fluid was then pumped out. The exterior of the ship, which before had no visible seams, opened like a clam shell, showing a translucent chamber within. When the chamber had drained, a low hum could be heard coming from the base. In succession, bright flashes from tiny lightning bolts illuminated the entire bay. At twelve minutes the flashes stopped and the chamber raised itself upright. A final shock saw two red lights activate on the left side of the chamber. As one of the lights flashed upward into a yellow color, the other slowly began to rise.

  Jeff said, “The near one is overall health and the other a heartbeat.”

  As the final minute ticked off, the yellow bar on the right flashed higher, showing spikes of green. The bar on the left continued to rise. Red had turned to yellow and was now tipping into green. As the left health bar showed full green, the bar on the right flashed the signal of a solid, healthy heartbeat. The chamber door unsealed and slowly opened upward. Mace and Jasper each took hold of an arm and a leg.

  The Hoorka’s eyes opened as it took in a strong breath of air. Its facial expression turned to one of panic that would be recognized by any living being.

  Mace yelled, “Seal off this bay! She can’t breathe! This is the toxic air from outside!”

  Gnaga and Jeff scrambled to right the situation as the Hoorka closed its eyes and began to jerk violently. The bay door to the hall was closed and the environment enabled. Huge blowers vacuumed out the toxins, replacing it with what a Hoorka would normally breathe. Again, the Hoorka drew in a long breath, followed by another, this time settling into a more relaxed state.

  As she opened her eyes, she looked at the two Humans holding her in place. Her attempts at winning her freedom were ineffective.

  Mace said, “We aren’t here to hurt you. We just found your ship.”

  Jasper chuckled. “What, you think she suddenly speaks English?”

  Mace looked at his arm pad, using his voice to command it. “Display, on. Translate my words to those of the Hoorka.”

  The holo-display above his arm flashed on.

  Mace repeated, “We aren’t here to hurt you. We just found your ship.”

  The series of colored patterns displayed the message.

  Mace asked, “If you understand this, look down and then up.”

  Several seconds passed before the Hoorka followed his direction.

  Mace said, “We’re here to help you.”

  The Hoorka looked down at her arms, followed by making a series of guttural sounds and clicks.

  The translation algorithm logged the sounds but had no translation.

  Mace said, “We’re going to release you. Please be calm.”

  Jasper scowled. “What? Are you nuts? She could tear into us with those claws.”

  Mace replied, “She’s scared. And we have our battlesuits. She’s not gonna hurt us.”

  Mace spoke into his arm pad. “We’re releasing you. Don’t be scared. We aren’t here to harm you.”

  Mace looked at Jasper and said, “Let her go and step back on three… two… one.”

  Jasper and Mace pulled back their hands. The Hoorka bounded out of the chamber, fleeing to a far corner, where she covered over her privates.

  Jasper chuckled. “OK. So she’s naked and she knows it.”

  Gnaga said, “Over here on this wall. There is clothing.”

  Mace calmly walked over to the rack of hanging clothes, pulling a jumpsuit from a hook. He walked over, holding out the suit as he looked away. The Hoorka snatched it from his hand, turning quickly to pull it on. When complete, she looked back with slitted, laser-green eyes.

  Jasper said, “You should back away. That’s a hostile gaze if I’ve ever seen on.”

  Mace talked into his arm pad. “We are humans. You are Hoorka. We found your ship, buried on this planet. You have been in stasis for a very long time.”

  The Hoorka again returned a series of guttural sounds.

  Mace looked at his display. “I’ve got nothing.”

  Jeff said, “Give me a moment. I’ll run the video logs through the translator. Not sure why we didn’t do this before.”

  Only a few seconds passed before the translations took hold.

  Jeff nodded. “We have a lock. You can speak now and your helmet audio will come out in her language.”

  Mace smiled. “Can you understand me now? If so, tell me.”

  The Hoorka girl replied, “Who are you and where are my family?”

  Mace sighed. “I’m afraid we have bad news for you. You are the only one left alive. We just uncovered this ship from under a half kilometer of sediment. The time that you knew happened fourteen thousand years ago. You’ve been in stasis ever since.”

  The girl returned a distraught look before turning combative. “That can’t be. I just went in there. You’re lying!”

  Mace took a step back. “I’m sorry. I wish we were. This ship crashed on this planet. Do you remember that?”

  The girl replied, “There was an explosion. And the shuttle was stolen by the Rifrads.”

  Mace asked, “The Rifrads?”

  The girl nodded. “They were late hires to the expedition. Mostly kept to themselves. When the planet scans returned… er…”

  Mace held up a hand. “We know. This planet is rich in diamond. We’ve been mining it, which is how we came across your ship. My name is Mace. Mace Hardy.”

  The girl said, “My people. Where are you holding them? Let me see my parents!”

  Mace pursed his lips. “As I said, I’m sorry, the others on this ship all died long ago.”

  The girl dove forward in a rage, knocking Mace to the deck before he could react. She flailed her arms, repeatedly striking his battlesuit as he tried to regain control. She was soon met with a punch to the side of her head by Jasper. Her unconscious body slumped to the floor.

  Mace looked up with a scowl. “What’d you do that for! She wasn’t hurting me!”

  Jasper replied, “I just saved your life! She was tearing you apart!”

  Jasper pointed at Mace’s suit. A series of
gashes had penetrated the chest area.

  Mace frowned. “I never even felt those.”

  Jasper said, “Well, you were about to. That little chiquita done gone crazy on ya.”

  Mace sat up, looking over at the unconscious teen beside him. “Don’t just stand there, find us some rope. We’ll have to tie her up until she’s calmed down.”

  Jasper nodded. “Now you’re talking like a sane person.”

  A second jumpsuit was shredded and used as a restraint. The young Hoorka was moved over to the consoles and laid against a wall. She would be no further threat.

  Chapter 10

  *

  Twenty minutes passed before she regained consciousness.

  Jasper said, “She’s up.”

  Mace turned around on his perch. “Sorry my friend had to hit you. And I’m sorry about your crew. Some of them were family?”

  The girl looked on with hatred in her eyes. “Where are they? What have you done with them? Who are you?”

  Mace pulled up an image of the dead maintenance worker. “The ships logs show this guy was the last one alive.”

  The Hoorka’s eyes began to tear up. “Uncle Xavien? What did you do to him?”

  Mace sighed. “As I said, the crew is all dead. They died over fourteen thousand years ago. You were kept alive in stasis. We found the ship and revived you. From what we know, the Rifrads decided they wanted the diamond discovery for themselves. They sabotaged this ship, including the wormhole generator, and then took off in the shuttle. But not before they spaced most of the food and the fuel.

  “From what we can tell, your people put forth a valiant effort to get this ship down here to the surface, but they didn’t have enough food to sustain them for more than a couple months. And the grow labs on decks three and four were in shambles.”

  The girl looked down at the deck.

  Mace asked, “What’s your name? I’m Mace. This is Jasper, the one who punched you. And these two are our scientists, Jeff Moskowitz and Gnaga Klept.”