When they arrived at Zebula, the beautiful tropical planet was a sight for sore eyes. Months passed since they last saw Ventros, and although they knew they must leave again, it was a nice, brief respite. The craft approached the Talokian city of Tarmos, where Jeff originally met the race. They glided into the canyon, and the landing bay of the large complex opened. They descended into it, and landed vertically in the bay.
"Perfect landing," Jeff commended Wilson and Vanarti, the Zacharian helmsman. "Dormiton, before we meet with Barva, I'd like to talk with you about this mission."
"What do you want to talk about?" the slender, green, amphibious being asked.
"I think you and Milgic should stay here until we correct the situation. The Talokians are your reptilian cousins, and they will take good care of you while we're gone."
"What are you talking about?" Milgic asked. "I thought we were all a team?"
"We are," Jeff said. "And I appreciate everything you both have done to help me. But as I've said many times before, where we're going is a
dangerous place, especially for frogs that talk."
"We are not frogs, and you know that, Jeff," Dormiton said.
"I'm sorry, Dorm," Jeff said. "I didn't mean to be insulting. All I mean is that they're hostile toward any alien life forms, even peaceful ones. This is a job only for a human, and that human is me. Lori knows even she can't go on me with this one. I'll be totally alone."
"That's why we need to be with you. What if we were to stay on the ship?" Dormiton asked.
"You're both unhappy in space," Jeff told them. "It's obvious. Wouldn't you rather be in 80°weather, and swimming in a river or lake than being bombarded by endless miles of darkness, and a poisonous world?"
"He's got a point," Lori said. "It's almost like your own home here."
"We know that," Milgic said. "But it's not the same without you, Jeff. We've become like family."
"We are family," Jeff said, as he put his hand on the shoulder of the four feet tall amphibian. "And as I feel I'm like your father, I'm telling you like a son, Earth isn't the place for either one of you. I'm doing this for your own good."
"How long will you be gone?" Dormiton asked.
"I don't know. As long as it takes; could be weeks, could be months, or even years. We may not even come back at all; that is- if we can even get there in the first place."
"You speak in riddles," Milgic said. "Like you're not certain of anything."
"We aren't," Batar said. "That's why we're requesting the Talokians' help."
"After we leave here, we are going back to Masgria, aren't we?"
"Yes, I promise we'll return to Masgria- I mean Ventros."
"I'm looking forward to wading in that river again," Milgic said.
"Just as long as you don't get swept down it like the last time!" Dormiton joked, as they both laughed.
"Good," Jeff said. "Then it's settled. You two will stay here until we're finished. Now, shall we get going, Jalok and Barva are expecting us."
Jeff, Lori, Batar, and the two lingworts walked toward the exit doors in the landing bay area. Lt. Wilson was left in command, with the rest of the thirty being crew remaining on board until they were given further instructions. Jeff knew this was one of the safest zones in either universe; there was no war here, or valuable resources that would cause one. The
Talokians learned to live in peace and harmony, and spread their word throughout the galaxy. Next to Ventros, Jeff felt at home here, and among friends.
They saw the large reptilian creatures walk through the hallways, as they entered the council chambers. Batar never met this race before, and felt small compared to these beings, who were over twice his size. If it weren't for the fact Jeff said they were peaceful, he would have been
scared of them.
They too were telepathic beings capable of controlling minds, but didn't use it for their own personal gain, like Balta's subordinates, Riona, or Varloo. They used the power of their minds to build and construct things, and were masters of physics, quantum theory, and fluid dynamics.
If anyone knew the secret to time travel, it would be them. The Andronians, Zacharians, or the Republic itself didn't know the scope or understanding of these theories, even though they already developed wormhole generators and warp drives. There was speculation traveling faster than the speed of light wouldn't age people as quickly, which proved to be right, but no one had a proven formula for time travel-until now.
They walked into the council chamber, and Jalok and Barva sat at their respective chairs around a large table. Barva rose, reached out his long, slender green hand to Jeff, who shook it accordingly. "Hello, old friend," Jeff said to him.
"Major Jeff Walker!" Jalok said.
"I afraid it's Capt. Jeff Walker now. My friend, John Carver, used to be our captain, until he was killed."
"Yes, Mr. Carver," Barva said, with his humanoid-reptilian eyelid raised. "I do remember him; a nice man. It was a pity I didn't get to know him better. Everything with the Tolarions happened so fast. Well, I did tell you you'd be a captain of your own starship someday."
"Yes, you did, although I wasn't exactly overjoyed about it," Jeff relayed. "It was a Tolarion that killed him. You did know about Balta's attempted uprising, didn't you?"
"Of course we did, Capt. Walker," Jalok said. "But we figured between you and Avery's daughter you had it covered."
"You know about Angelica Avery?"
"Of course we do," Barva added. "We have resources in both
universes, but we tend to stay out of other affairs. In the Republic's universe, they are in charge, we are just observers."
"Well, then you know about Varloo as well?"
"Yes," Barva said. "He's a menace to the space-time continuum. It's because of him the Tolarions were created in the first place."
"You also probably know why we're here, then, as well?"
"You want to find a way to go back in the past, and stop him somehow?"
"Exactly."
"Well, as far as stopping him, that's impossible," Jalok said. "He has a huge head start on you, and probably already started a chain of events that could be disastrous. You're only hope is to somehow stop Avery from completing his plans."
"That's what I told them," Batar stated. "Varloo is extremely clever, and deceitful."
"As is most of the Andronian race," Jalok stated. "This is their Achilles'' heal."
"I see you're quite familiar with Earth mythology," Lori said.
"Young lady," Jalok answered. "It is most likely you are descendants of our race, or descendants of our human brothers and sisters."
"How old are you?" Lori remarked.
"I am 357 years old."
Jeff became annoyed with Lori for getting off the subject.
"You were about to tell us how to get back to the past?"
"Yes," Jalok said. "You cannot get there using the current ship you have, you will need the Varcon again. The process involves taking the ship near the center of a super-massive black hole. Since traveling at the speed of light will only take you forward in time, or stop time all together, you will have to reverse the direction of the black hole using a strong gravitational device and exotic energy to stabilize the wormhole at the other end of the Einstein-Rosen bridge. Because you have to travel out of the same wormhole Varloo used, you'll have to find the precise point he went through it."
"But won't that mean we'll come out the same time he did?" Jeff asked.
"No, because the speed of the wormhole may propel you so fast through the time warp that you could surpass the year he came. Who knows what year you'll get there."
"Sounds very, very risky," Lori said.
"I'm not going to lie to you," Jalok said. "It could be extremely dangerous for you and the ship itself. We've never done it ourselves. It's only a theory."
"My question is," Jeff surmised. "Is how he was able to achieve such knowledge to do it in the first place?"
"That's a very good
question," Barva stated. "We're the only beings even aware such a theory would work, and it's never been tested."
"As usual, more questions than answers," Lori said.
"How bad could it be?" Dormiton asked. "Balta's no longer a threat?"
"You don't understand, my little friend," Jalok laughed. "He may have created an even deadlier threat. We don't know what's going on in the other universe. My associates on other
worlds there haven't reported in yet, and that's definitely not a good sign."
"Then we haven't got a second to lose," Jeff stated. "Barva, could you prepare the Varcon for liftoff? I'll advise my crew to transfer to the new vessel."
"Yes," he said. "I'll initiate the flight control systems myself. We'll embark in about a half hour."
"Barva, I can't ask you to risk your life again for me."
"Nonsense," he said. "Besides, you'll need my help to get through the bridge."
"I have another favor to ask," Jeff said. "Is it possible the two lingworts could stay here until we complete our mission?"
"Of course," Jalok remarked. "It will be our honor to have our amphibian cousins as guests!" Jeff smiled at his two friends, who were a little nervous about the whole situation.
"Relax," Jeff told him. "If I'm not back by the Calotu time, start without me!" They both smiled at his statement, which referred to the mid-summer celebration of when the two moons of Ventros switched positions. It was a time of thanksgiving to the Gods.
"Jalok?" Lori inquired. "Just exactly where are we going to find this black hole?"
"At the center of the galaxy, just like any other galaxy, of course," Jalok responded. "But make no mistake about it-there are many dangers before you even get there. You'll have to pass through hot gas and dust from the enormous star clusters, and you'll be traveling many times the speed of light. We relaxed our discretion by allowing the Republic to develop warp drives, but this type of technology is best left to the professionals. And there's the stress you'll go through. Even when you get
there, it will require a day of rest. You'll have to stay far enough out of the solar system where the Earthlings won't notice you until you can come up with a plan."
"This isn't going to easy," Lori sighed.
"Nothing worth fighting for ever is," Jeff answered. "Is there anything else we need to know?"
"Our process will include kind of skipping effect we create with a wormhole generator that will propel us across the 25,000 light years it will
take to reach the black hole, and then the anti-gravitational device kicks in."
"How do you compensate for the inertia to mass ratio?" Batar asked.
"Through the bending of space time using dark matter."
"Sounds extremely complicated," Jeff said. "But I'll leave that to my old science officer, Barva."
"That's what I'm here for," he answered, and placed his hand on Jeff's shoulder. "We'll get through this. Have faith, my brother."
Jeff smiled, and turned toward Batar. "What's wrong, cat got your tongue?"
"No," he said. "I'm just not used to someone who knows more than I do about quantum physics. It makes me uncomfortable, and it worries me that Varloo is in possession of such knowledge."
"Yea, I know," Jeff said. "It worries me too. It also worried my friend Zarcon as well when he was alive, and Balta was traveling through universes."
"Well," Barva said. "We better transfer your crew, and get down to where the Varcon is docked."
"Goodbye, Jalok," Jeff said. "Thanks again for your help."
"Goodbye, Captain Walker, and good luck. Our survival may also depend on your success."
"Thanks for making me feel even better," he joked. He then turned to the two lingworts. "Take care, little buddies. And stay out of trouble, I won't be there to help you out this time."
"My question is, who's gonna help you out?" Milgic asked.
"I will!" Lori answered. "You two just be careful, and do what Jalok says, okay?" They both nodded, as she hugged them both.
"They'll be fine!" Jalok said, smiling. "They are in safe hands here."
"Goodbye, Jeff," Dormiton said.
"Goodbye," he responded. "And please don't worry. We'll be back."
With that thought in mind, the four of them left the council chamber, and down to the landing bay. When Jeff left, he could see the lingworts
were worried they may never see their friends again. Even though it was safe here, they still couldn't help but feel that Jeff again bit off more than he could chew by chasing this being named 'Varloo.'
CHAPTER FOUR
The four of them walked down to the landing bay to where the Varcon was. Jeff gazed at the vessel that took him off this world once before, and marveled at the intelligence that built it, which surpassed any beings they ever met. The gravitational control device and stabilizer for entry into the black hole were a new addition to the craft, amazingly built in just a half hour. Jeff still didn't know the secret to their speedy construction, and it was the one thing the Talokians kept secret from all outsiders.
The landing bay of the three hundred feet craft opened, and they stepped inside.
"Are you sure you're okay with this?" Jeff asked Lori, as he placed his arm on her shoulder. "You could stay here with the lingworts, and let me handle this one."
"And let you have all the fun?" Lori laughed. "I don't think so. Besides, this will give me the chance to see one of the universe's great wonders up close-a black hole."
"You won't have long," Barva told her. "The whole process takes less than a minute. And we probably will be momentarily unconscious if we even survive through it."
"If we survive through it?" Batar asked.
"Even if we do, there's no guarantee we'll get back. Like I've said before, this is something new for us. We've speculated for years, but they're still only theories."
"Well, I guess it's time to put it to the test," Batar said. "Let's hope your theories are right."
They walked through the hallways of the Varcon, and towards the
bridge. Jeff contemplated a time on Mars when the experts prophesized that 'fusion power would send humans beyond the boundaries of our solar system, and into the world of interstellar space.' This, of course, never happened due to the calamity, but they had achieved fusion power as an alternative to rocket propulsion, which was slow and inefficient. Fusion power got them to Mars in less than 4 months, as opposed to five hundred days.
When they entered the bridge, Wilson, the two Zacharians, and the rest of the crew already were situated at their respective stations. Barva gestured for them to do the same, and Barva addressed all who were present.
"May I have everyone's attention?" he asked. "This ship is thought controlled. There are electrodes at each of your station. Each one of you can control your station without touching any controls. They are linked by bio-transmitters to a central quantum computer device. There is no need for anyone to speak or answer commands other than Jeff or I who controls it."
"Is he trying to say we talk too much?" joked Wilson, but didn't get much of a response from her audience.
"It's similar to some of our vessels, which contained thought controlled systems," Batar stated.
"Although ours are much more advanced," Barva bragged.
"Whatever you say," Batar answered, still afraid of his size.
"Anyway, until we reach space warp, Captain Walker will command the ship. After we reach Faster Than light Speed 2, I will carry us through the black hole. After we're safely through, I'll turn command back over to Captain Walker. I will have total control of all systems during this time; there will be no need to do anything but relax and enjoy the ride."
Jeff turned toward Lori, as he strapped himself in the command chair. "Did you check the storage compartments before we left?" he quipped, and she smiled.
"No need to worry," Barva reminded him. "Your friends are safe with Jalok."
"Thank God for that," Jeff replied.
"When are
you humans going to stop believing in a god that doesn't exist?" Batar asked.
"When you can show me otherwise," Jeff said. "Science doesn't
explain everything, especially fate."
"Fate is just another way of the quantum world correcting itself."
"Well, enough debate," the captain said. "Take us up and out, Batar."
"Yes, Sir," he said, and shook his head.
The bay doors opened, and the large, gray jet-like craft rose through the ceiling of the enormous structure within the ravine. Jeff looked to the left at the remnants of the cave where Varmoth once was, and where the
primitive Talokians held him captive two years ago. To his right was the debris of the ship that crashed eons ago, laid about a clearing in the thick jungle surrounding the lake.
It became just a tiny dot when they progressed into the ionosphere, and into dark, open space. Jeff became nervous and excited at the same time; but didn't want the crew to know his disposition. It was almost as if he was unlocking the secret of the universe, and time itself. It reminded him of an old science fiction novel about a man who built a time machine. The author, of course, never went back in time, but he didn't have the power of a black hole helping him either. "Take us to faster than light warp 2," Jeff told Batar.
They passed through the Ort cloud, and Jeff gave the command to his reptilian-humanoid friend. Barva instructed them to remove their electrodes before all systems were turned over to him.
"Relax everyone," he told them. "By the time you wake up, if you wake up, we'll be on the other side, wherever that is."
Lori and Jeff looked at each other with doubt in their minds as to whether they would ever walk on the beaches of Ventros ever again. While the stars began to blend together from the speed of the craft, they were mesmerized by tunnel vision, and they began to see the rest of the crew glow a bright red, almost as if they began to turn into energy themselves.
Dimension Lapse III: Dimensional Breakdown (Dimension Lapse Series Book 3) Page 4
