by Rinelle Grey
“This doesn’t make any sense,” the astronomer muttered.
“Maybe we should shut the wormhole down and try again?” Tyris suggested.
“You can’t shut it down if the other end is in a star, we already discovered that, remember,” Glesin said distractedly. Then he stopped, and stared at Tyris. “That’s it!” he exclaimed.
Kugah had no idea what he was talking about, and a quick glance around the room showed no one else did either.
“What’s it?” Tyris asked.
Glesin looked up from his console, as though he’d forgotten they were all there. Then his expression cleared. “We were too close to the other wormhole,” he explained. “Instead of creating a wormhole to the coordinates I’d set, it joined with the first wormhole.”
Kugah’s stomach turned. The one going directly to into the middle of a star. Surely that wasn’t going to be good?
“We’ll have to move and try again,” Tyris said, focused on their goal. “How far away do you think we’ll have to be?”
Glesin didn’t answer. He was staring at his console, his face pale.
“How far…” Tyris began to repeat his question, but the ship gave a shudder.
Amelie clutched at Kugah to avoid falling over, and stared up at him in panic.
Kugah’s arms went around her, his heart sinking at the realisation that he couldn’t help her with this one. He didn’t even know what was going on.
“The extra force from the second wormhole pushed the star over the edge,” Glesin said, his soft voice loud in the silent room. “It’s going supernova.”
Adrenaline surged through Kugah. It urged him to run, or fight, or do something, but he didn’t even know where to start.
“How long until the blast wave hits us?” Tyris said immediately.
“I’d say an hour, tops.”
For a minute, no one moved. Everyone seemed as stunned and helpless as Kugah felt.
Tyris pulled himself together first. “We need to get far enough away to open a wormhole and get out of here.”
Glesin was already shaking his head. “That’s not possible. I haven’t done the calculations, I’m not even sure how one does the calculations, but…”
His words were cut off by the ship giving another shudder. It began to move.
Tyris grabbed the back of the seat in front of him to prevent him falling over. Then when the movement didn’t stop, he twisted into the seat and reached for the control column. He turned the engines up to full and the ship moved forwards, but as soon as he cut them, it began to slide back again. Tyris increased them again, holding the ship steady. “What’s going on?” he demanded.
“The wormhole is trying to pull us in,” Glesin said quietly. “The supernova is turning it into a black hole, and even our anysogen engine isn’t going to have enough power to keep us out of it.”
Amelie’s face was pale. “It’s all my fault,” she whispered.
Kugah wanted to deny her comment, but he was pretty sure she wouldn’t believe him. She was the one who had opened the wormhole into the sun in the first place, he could see why she was blaming herself.
But she’d also saved them from the Gokak.
It was always a trade-off, exchanging one danger for another.
This one was looking pretty bad though, he had to admit.
“The engines seem to be doing an okay job of pulling us out already,” Tyris said determinedly, increasing the throttle until they were moving again.
“It’s not going to be enough,” Glesin said sadly. “The pull from the wormhole has slowed us down considerably. We won’t make it far enough before the blast wave hits us.”
Everyone was silent for a moment, then Kerit pumped the air. “A wave,” he said excitedly.
Everyone stared at him.
Only Glesin’s eyes widened in understanding. “You’re not thinking we could…”
“Ride the wave!” Kerit exclaimed, interrupting him. “That would be awesome.” His eyes shone.
“That just might work,” Glesin exclaimed.
“We’d need to be moving pretty fast already,” Nerris frowned, his expression thoughtful.
“We’re still moving forwards,” Tyris said. “Will that give us the necessary speed?”
“Possibly,” Nerris agreed.
Glesin nodded as well. “It’s worth a try.”
It seemed like a crazy plan to Kugah, but he looked at the determined faces of the crew around them, and realised this was what the humans did. Took an impossible situation, and somehow, through shear single mindedness, made it work.
He wanted to be like that too. He wanted to learn to take chances and risks, and just as importantly, how to make them work.
“How can I help?” he typed.
*****
Kugah held down full throttle, fighting the pull of the wormhole to keep his ship close behind the Resolution as she positioned herself to ride the shock wave of the supernova explosion
Tyris had asked Kugah to observe from the outside, so he could give them warning if anything was breaking up.
Not that there’d be anything he could do if it did.
It had been hard to leave Amelie inside the Resolution, with the blast wave from the supernova approaching, but she’d insisted that she needed to stay on the ship in case there were any injuries during the maneuver.
Hopefully there wouldn’t be. Everyone had been warned to strap in and hang on. Even if this succeeded, it was going to be one crazy, bumpy ride.
The blast from the supernova, approaching fast, lit up the shiny Resolution like a light bulb silhouetted against the blackness of space. It was hard to even see the glow from the shield Nerris had created. It wouldn’t be enough to protect them from the blast completely, but hopefully it would form a cushion around them and shelter them a little.
It had better, because Kugah had no wish to be the only survivor. He didn’t think he could bear that.
Suddenly, the Resolution’s steady path jerked sideways, sliding towards the rapidly growing wormhole. A second later, Kugah’s own ship did the same thing, registering the huge gravitational waves that the wormhole turning black hole was emitting.
Kugah adjusted his engine’s power, returning to his position watching over the Resolution.
The larger ship corrected too, but not quite enough.
Kugah typed on the tablet, the direct connection sending his message to Tyris. “A little more to the left. You need to be facing directly away from the supernova, or you have no chance of catching the wave.”
“I’m trying.” Tyris’s voice was terse. “That black hole has some pull.”
“It’s only going to get stronger,” Kugah reminded him. “As the supernova collapses in, it will attempt to draw all matter into it.”
“I know that.”
Kugah stopped typing. His comments weren’t helping. Tyris was right, they’d already been through all this. They all knew what they had to do.
Glancing behind him, Kugah could see the edge of the blast moving towards them at speed. The golden arc would have been beautiful, if it wasn’t threatening to destroy everything Kugah had come to care about.
In front of him, the Resolution slipped again. It juttered to the right a little more, stopped, then started a slow slide towards the event horizon.
Every simulation Glesin and Nerris had run said that the blast from the supernova would push them out of its reach before it could drag them in.
What they hadn’t counted on was the supernova pulling them off course. The black hole was growing so rapidly, it was hard to predict. If the wave didn’t hit them straight on, the blast wave would blow the ship apart.
There wasn’t even time to warn Tyris. The blast was approaching at near light speed, and Kugah certainly couldn’t type that fast.
And if Tyris could correct his trajectory, he’d already be doing it.
Kugah hit the controls, giving his ship everything it had.
For a moment, it did
n’t move. Then it began to creep forwards. His lighter mass and stronger engine meant he could still win over the gravitational pull of the black hole.
With the light from the supernova spilling a blinding white light around everything, Kugah’s bow touched the side of the Resolution.
He could barely see, certainly not enough to be sure he had the ship lined up correctly. The radiation was already playing havoc with his instruments. He just had to push the Resolution, to add his own small force to her engines, trying to straighten her up. It was all he could do.
In reality, he might not have moved it at all.
Either way, he’d done all he could. He used every last bit of his ship’s control to pull it away from the Resolution and line it up before the blast hit.
He braced himself for the impact.
Kugah’s heart thumped, and adrenaline flooded his body as the blast wave from the supernova hit. His ship flew forwards, the back end lifting up, almost pushing it end over nose. Kugah struggled to keep the ship straight for a few moments, before giving up. He couldn’t even tell which way was up anymore.
Hopefully the Resolution’s larger mass would keep it more or less level.
Hopefully that would keep it together.
Either way, there was nothing Kugah could do now but wait it out.
As chaos reigned around him, that knowledge was strangely comforting. Whatever happened, happened. And he’d find a way to deal with it. For once in his life, he knew he’d done all he could. Oh, he’d probably think of more he could have done after the fact, but right now, he knew he’d given it all he had. That would either be enough, or it wouldn’t.
Losing Amelie would tear him to pieces, but even then, even with that loss, he’d be more whole than he had been his whole life before meeting her.
The wave of the supernova passed far more quickly than they had spent waiting for it. When Kugah’s ship stopped shaking, he checked to see if it still responded to his input. It did, so he turned it around, looking for the Resolution.
Its larger size had meant the blast wave had carried it further than his ship. Kugah checked his radar, calculating quickly. Both of them had made it far enough to be well clear of the black hole’s event horizon. That much, at least, had been achieved.
His heart in his mouth, he flew towards the ship. Had it worked? Had the fragile humans on board survived? The ship didn’t move. It looked dead in the water.
His radio crackled, then Amelie’s voice said the words he wanted to hear. “We made it. Come home, Kugah.”
For a moment, Kugah was too choked up to reply. Then he found his voice. “Kugah garoom, KaGeeGee.”
Chapter 41
Amelie’s legs trembled as she waited in the shuttle bay for Kugah’s ship to dock. That had been the most terrifying experience of her life so far, and in the last few months, she’d had several experiences that qualified.
Tyris had been full of praise for Kugah’s actions in helping them correct their course enough to catch the blast wave from the supernova. He’d announced to the whole ship that Kugah had saved them, yet again.
Amelie was just glad he was still alive.
When he stepped out of his sleek black ship, she was the first to reach him. She threw her arms around him, unable to help herself. “I’m glad you’re safe,” she whispered.
Tyris stepped in after giving them a few moments, and thumped Kugah on the shoulder, just as he would do for his brother. “Thanks, Kugah. We couldn’t have done it without you.”
“It was nothing,” Kugah typed.
Tyris thumped him again. A smile stretched across his face. “Looks like we survived again,” he said. “Which means now we can create a wormhole to find our new home.”
“We still need to do a test jump to check for radiation,” Amelie reminded him firmly. And then I still recommend we stay here for a couple of days, and perform regular check-ups on everyone.”
Kerit grinned. “You don’t need an excuse, Amelie. We’re all happy to wait until Kugah’s transformation is complete. We owe it to him. To both of you. We all want to start this next part of the adventure together.”
“I agree,” Tyris said immediately. “After all Kugah has done for us, we owe him. There’s no need to wait, you can get started on Kugah’s treatment immediately. I don’t anticipate any problems from the wormhole jump.”
Amelie’s eyes filled with tears at the assertion from both of them. Even though she knew they supported her, it still surprised her every time.
“We’d better get right on it then.” She turned her smile on Kugah.
*****
Amelie’s smile caused Kugah’s heart to do a flip flop.
He couldn’t refuse her anything. Even if the last thing he felt like right now was being away from her for the two days the metamorphosis would take.
Last night, sleeping in her quarters, being there when Camali woke up for her night time feeds, and getting to cuddle with Amelie between times, had been the most amazing time of his life. He was half afraid that if he went to sleep for two days, then woke someone completely different, that she might change her mind.
Which was silly. Amelie wasn’t so fickle. He could trust her.
After all they’d been through together, he was certain of that.
So he made himself nod. Luckily she didn’t expect him to say anything. He could just follow her back down to the med bay, where the Metamorphosis Device was set up.
It’s shiny black exterior looked menacing today. Kugah was glad he and Amelie had discussed what changes he was going to make last night. He didn’t feel up to it this morning.
Amelie fiddled with the controls, biting her bottom lip in concentration, making sure she got everything right.
Kugah just stood there watching her, his heart thudding.
This was it. This was what he had dreamed of and wanted for so long. Now he was about to get it, he had cold feet.
But he needed this. If he and Amelie were ever going to have a real relationship, he needed to be able to be a true partner to her. That meant not being covered in armour from head to toe.
It meant being whole again.
So when Amelie nodded that she was done and waved to the edge of the capsule, Kugah stepped forwards and sat down without hesitation.
It was Amelie who hesitated, putting her hand on his arm. “Are you sure you’re ready?” she asked, as though reading his mind.
Kugah looked into her eyes, and all his doubts melted away under her loving expression. He nodded his head. “Kugah geggy.”
One thing he was definitely looking forward to was having his full range of vocal sounds back.
Amelie nodded. She leaned forwards, and pressed her lips up against his cheek for a moment. They left a warm imprint on his armour that stayed with him as he lay back, staring up at the ceiling.
This experience was so different to the last time he’d been here. Then he had faced this change with trepidation and fear, and no knowledge of what he would find when he woke.
This time he had helped make all those decisions himself, and though he still felt nervous, it was vastly better.
This time, he was looking forward to waking up.
Amelie bent over him, a smile on her face. “See you soon, my love.”
Her face was the last thing he was aware of before drifting off to sleep.
*****
Amelie leaned back in her chair, raising her arms above her head to stretch the tired muscles. It was a good tired though.
All the results from testing a random selection of the occupants of the Resolution had come up clear. She had no reservations at all in telling Tyris that tomorrow’s jump could go ahead as planned.
She glanced over at the Metamorphosis Device, where Kugah slept. He would wake tomorrow morning. A tingle ran up her spine. She couldn’t wait.
She padded across to the capsule to peer in. His body was changing. The hard, black armour had melted away, leaving soft, green skin. Light yellow
swirls covered the sides of his face, and ran down his neck and arms. The alien she’d seen back at the base must have been one of his people, just as she’d suspected.
His sleeping face was peaceful and serene, and the transformation looked almost complete. If only she could wake him now. She was dying to talk to him, to see him smiling at her, his face animated and full of expression.
She couldn’t wait to hold him.
But she’d have to. She couldn’t interrupt the procedure half way through. Who knew what would happen.
She heaved a sign. Tomorrow couldn’t come fast enough.
*****
Amelie was back down at the Metamorphosis Device early the next morning after a restless, sleepless night. She had been kept awake by wondering what it would be like to see Kugah as the man he really was.
Then when she’d managed to fall asleep briefly, she’d been woken by rather colourful dreams. She blushed now just remembering them, glad she was the only one in the room. Tyris and Kerit had offered to accompany her, their faces brimming with curiosity, but Amelie had declined. She wanted this moment for herself.
She checked in on Kugah, but he looked just as he had last night, so she checked he machine’s stats.
Everything looked like it was working properly. All she had to do was wait.
That was harder than anything.
Amelie passed the time packing a backpack for the trip down to the planet’s surface later in the day. Today would be a big day, Kugah’s awakening was just the beginning. Once he was up and about, and they were sure he was fine, the Resolution would take a jump to the planet Glesin told them just might be their new home.
Kugah and Amelie would be on the first shuttle down to the surface, helping to determine if the planet was habitable and, more importantly, safe.
Excitement welled up in Amelie, and she found it almost impossible to sit still. She paced back and forth in the room, even the required task of packing her backpack only occupying half her mind.
When the clock started counting down the last few minutes, she gave up the pretence of distracting herself and hovered next to the Metamorphosis Device, watching.
