“What’s the problem, Captain?” Kel asked.
“Ling translated the writing you gave us.”
“Already?” Professor Ricter asked. “She has more skill that I thought.”
“Well, it’s easy when it’s a language we know. Well, part of a language we know. I can’t talk about this over the radio.”
“Come on, Captain, it can’t be that bad, can it?” There was a long pause, and Professor Ricter knew she was losing her patience. But there was no way she was going to get him off the ship unless it was really necessary.
“It’s worse than you think. The sign outside that room translates to hibernation chamber.”
Chapter Nine
Ling hated to be the center of attention. All the officers and scientists sat in their chairs, looking at her as she formulated her thoughts. Taking a deep breath, she started the briefing. “It wasn’t hard to determine the language as Ulliam. If it were a coincidence, then what I translated wouldn’t have made any sense. The buttons on the generator were clearly marked off, on, and standby. The power readings were low, high, and medium. There was no mistaking them.”
“I still don’t believe it,” Thomas said. “How can a ship be in space that long from a planet that wasn’t that advanced to begin with?”
She had read up on Ulliam legends and thought she had good theory. “The Ulliam have a legend of a warrior named Meriam. He smote the evil creators who fled to the heavens.”
“How close of a translation is that?” Captain Cook asked.
“This came from the university which, along with the Ulliam, translated it. I’d say it’s about as accurate as it’s going to get.”
Professor Ricter, a man who intimidated the hell out of her, spoke next. “Are you telling me this 500,000-year-old ship holds the evil creators? What does that mean, evil creators?”
“I can’t say if this ship is 500,000 years old,” Ling said. “The Ulliam’s history only goes back about three thousand years.”
Thomas spoke up for the first time. “So it can’t be them.”
“I don’t know,” Ling said. “I just know what the text tells me.”
“Give me the facts,” Captain Cook said.
“The facts are: the language is without a doubt Ulliam, and the room on that ship is labeled hibernation chamber.”
“That would explain why it was so cold,” Fran said. “If those containers hold some sort of alien life form, they could have been frozen.”
“Freezing someone has never been practical,” Ricter replied. “We’ve done experiments on it and so far have only had very limited success. The success we did have was more because of chemical enhancements, not regenerating frozen bodies.”
“It could be combination of both,” Fran said, looking at the professor. “We won’t know until we crack one open.”
“No,” Captain Cook said emphatically, “not until we’re sure of what we’re dealing with. Kel, how are the engineers progressing with the computers?”
“Last time I checked, they were still working on it.”
“Okay, go over there and assist them. Ling, please go with them. I’m sure your skills will be very helpful over there. Professor, I want you to do whatever you can to figure out how those hibernation chambers work. But I don’t want you to try and open one.”
“Not even if I figure out how?” he asked.
“Especially if you figure out how. The last thing we need is for you to make first contact.”
Ricter smirked and gave a halfhearted effort to look annoyed.
“Thomas, go with Ling and Kel. See if you can help them get the computer running.”
Captain Cook took a deep breath before she spoke again. “I don’t need to tell you how important it is to get this taken care of as quickly as possible. I’m hoping those hibernation chambers are empty, because if they aren’t then we have a major problem on our hands. We only have twenty hours left. It might seem like a long time, but with all that’s going on, it isn’t. I want constant communication, and I want as much information as we can get. All right then, carry on.”
~*~
“It’s funny,” Ling said, “there are a lot of races that have doomsday prophecies like the Plick.” She and Thomas were working on the main computer. Thomas, an expert in programming and computer science, needed Ling around to help him translate all the messages which appeared on the large computer screen.
“Really?” Thomas replied, not taking his eyes off the giant, twenty-foot screen which dominated the room.
“Yeah, it seems most races have some sort of idea of what they think will destroy them. Some think a divine entity will pass judgment. Those that haven’t formed religion believe a natural catastrophe, like a super volcano or large asteroid impact, might destroy them.”
“Do the Ulliam have any legends like that?”
She had hoped he would ask. She had been doing so much research that the knowledge was burning a hole in her head. “Some of them believe a great fireball from the sky will destroy them at the time of reckoning.”
Thomas looked up. “Don’t you find it odd the comet came from there and they have a legend about being destroyed by a ball of fire from the sky?”
“Maybe . . . why? What are you thinking?”
“What if this comet wasn’t supposed to travel beyond the orbit of its own sun? What if it thinks the Regal is Ulliam? What if they just went into space thinking they would only be gone a few generations?”
“Then how did it get out here?”
He looked around to see if anyone else was in earshot. Three other engineers hovered over another terminal, not paying any attention to Ling or Thomas. Confident no one could hear him, he whispered, “I’ve been thinking about it ever since you told us they came from Ulliam. There is a system about two thousands light years from here that went nova around the time we think the comet left the Ulliam system.”
“I remember you telling us about that. You originally thought it came from there.”
“Right, because it’s the only system that fit the time frame.”
“Makes sense.”
“One of the weaknesses of wormhole travel is that we can’t get too close to a star in real space. The gravity from a star warps both outer space and wormhole space. If there is enough of a distortion then gravity will open a rift in wormhole space.”
Ling tried to follow, but science wasn’t her strong point. She felt stupid to have to ask questions that she was sure she should know. “Why can’t the ship just travel past that hole?”
“Well, it’s a bit complex, but . . .” He thought for a moment. “Okay, I’ll explain it the way my science teacher explained it to me. Imagine wormhole space is water in a bathtub and you’re a tiny little particle moving around in the water. Now, imagine someone pulling the plug and the water starts to go down the drain.”
“Oh, I get it now.” Ling said, “The hole that the gravity creates forces any real matter in wormhole space through no matter how hard it tries to get by it.”
“Right.”
“Would a star going nova cause a rip in space?”
“It’s never been observed, but in theory, yes. I think they entered wormhole space, got caught in the gravity wave of the exploding star, fell out of space, and have been traveling along ever since.”
“Well, we won’t know until we get this computer running, will we?”
“I suppose not.” Thomas looked over a very large keyboard with symbols he didn’t understand on it. “Ling, what do all these symbols mean?”
She looked over the array of symbols on the computer. Some of the markings she understood; most she didn’t and struggled to figure out what they could mean in relation to the Ulliam’s language. “They seem to represent actions that the computer can take. This symbol looks like some sort of alert. This one could be a communication symbol.”
“Anything on here that says ‘on’?”
She looked over it very carefully. Then, like a switch in her
brain turning on, she suddenly understood what the symbols meant. Language was not difficult for her; it was one of the few things in her life that came as naturally as breathing. “That one. Press that button.”
Thomas leaned over and pressed the button.
The large computer slowly came to life. Cooling fans, dormant for thousands of years, started turning. Electronic pulses flowed through the ancient machine and on the large, wall-sized monitor, strange characters scrolled across.
Ling watched the strange language as it flew across the screen. “Status codes,” she said. “The computer is running a diagnostic on the ship.”
“I wonder if it’ll figure out that it’s heading for a planet and move?” Thomas asked. “This could be the reason why it didn’t move right away.”
“Right now it looks like it’s running through a series of tests on the hibernation chambers. That could take a few minutes, so we’ll just have to see what happens next.”
~*~
Professor Ricter stood next to one of the crates, looking at the symbols on the side. Without warning the lights and buttons came to life. He jumped back, startled, as the other boxes exhibited the same behavior.
Kel and Fran ran over to him. “What did you do?” Kel asked.
“Nothing! I was just looking for a way to view inside the chamber.”
Kel’s communicator beeped. “Commander, this is Ling. We got the computer turned on. Is anything happening down there?”
“All the chambers are activating. What did you do?”
“I managed to get the computer running. We think it’s running a diagnostic program.”
“Ling, this is Professor Ricter. Is there any indication that something might be wrong?”
“Not at this time. But it might not give us the status until after the check is finished. I’ll let you know.”
Ricter walked over to one of the chambers and looked carefully at the display. A series of amber lights flashed off and on repeatedly. Is that good? He wondered, I would really hate to find everyone in this room died thousands of years ago. “Ambassador,” Ricter said, “can you please come down here to help me out for a few moments?”
“I don’t think they’ll need me up here until the diagnostic is finished. I’ll be right down.”
He ran his fingers on a series of smooth buttons and got a surprise that made him jump back away from the chamber. A small panel slid open, revealing the inside. Kel, Fran, and Ricter walked over and looked, amazed at what they were seeing.
The thing was not Ulliam, at least not any they had seen before. The Ulliam was a small race with large, all white eyes. They were exceptionally strong and could take punishment unlike most races Earth had encountered. They were a tough, strong, short race of aliens.
The alien inside the chamber was a fragile looking creature. Ricter observed white skin which was pulled taut. An almost clear membrane covering the alien’s face pulsed up and down. The alien looked alive but in a deep slumber.
Why would this race go through so much trouble if they planned on crashing into a planet? Ricter thought. Surely they had some back up plans should they be in danger.
“Professor,” Fran said, “this is amazing.”
“It is, Fran, and it makes me wonder a few things. Commander, would you mind if I run an idea by you and the captain?”
Kel nodded. He pulled out his a small radio and said, “Captain Cook, this is Kel. Professor Ricter would like to talk to you.”
“Go ahead,” Cook replied.
“Captain, I can confirm that these are indeed hibernation chambers. I’m looking at one of the aliens right now. I can’t help but wonder why a comet filled with a race, perhaps the last people of this culture, is heading for a planet. It doesn’t make sense that it would collide with Regal.”
“Unless it was a mistake,” Marjorie said. “We can’t assume anything, Professor. Not when the lives of billions depend on us making the right choice.”
“I understand that. But what if this comet was either designed to land on Regal, not destroy it, or what if it is programmed to just move out of the way?”
“Are you saying we do nothing and see what happens? I can’t do that.”
“No, I don’t suspect that’s a good idea, at least not until we get more information. I would like to know if you’ve come up with an alternative plan besides destroying the comet?”
The long pause told him what he needed to know: they hadn’t thought about anything but destroying the comet. “Captain, we need to figure out what else we can do. I believe that it will not allow itself to be destroyed.”
“Professor, give me proof, and I’ll go with your theory. Cook out.” She snapped the communication closed without giving Ricter a chance to respond.
He was going to say something when Ling walked up to him. “Professor, I’m here to help out any way I can.”
“Good, come over here, my dear. I want you to tell me what you think these symbols mean.” He placed his hands on her shoulders and walked her over to the chamber. She gasped at the sight.
“Don’t worry; I don’t think they’ll hurt us.”
“No, it’s not that, sir. I recognize them. Well, sort of.”
Kel and Fran walked over. “What do you mean?”
“Here, let me show you.” She pulled out a small computer and pressed a few buttons on the screen. Within moments a picture appeared in front of Ricter and the others. The image was of a monster, not unlike the alien inside the chamber, being eaten by another creature. “I found this picture while doing research. It’s an enhancement of a drawing found in caves on Ulliam. They dated it back around two thousand or so years ago.”
“What is it supposed to mean?” Ricter asked.
“I think it might tie in with the Meriam story. Maybe that thing eating our alien here is Meriam, or a representation of him.”
“Are you telling me this Meriam is some sort of monster?” Fran asked.
“Well, no, I think he probably looked just like a normal Ulliam. This was painted a thousand or so years after the fact so the story might be exaggerated.”
“That still doesn’t explain who they are,” Ricter said, pointing to the chamber.
“No, but it does confirm that they’re from Ulliam, which Thomas still insists isn’t possible.”
“Hey, I heard that!” Thomas yelled from his radio.
Professor Ricter actually smiled. “Well, since you’ve been eavesdropping, what do you think?”
“I still can’t see how they’re from there. All those legends go back three thousand years. For this ship to be where it’s at, it’ll have to have been drifting for five hundred thousand years, unless it had some sort of wormhole drive like we do.”
“Just like you were telling me?” Ling said.
As Thomas paused, Ling realized that he might not have wanted anyone to know what he was thinking. She knew from observation he was shy, but now it seemed he didn’t trust his own ideas. Finally, he replied in a small, weak voice. “Yeah, like we were talking about.”
Ricter paused for a moment, and then pulled out his computer. “Let me pull up the map Thomas made.” Professor Ricter carefully studied the map. “I think I see a place, well, several places, where we might find something that big. Fran, could you and the commander take a look here,” he marked the map on his computer, “and see what you can find?”
~*~
“Did you know that Ricter wants to name this the Ricter Comet?” Fran asked Kel as the two walked down the long, empty hallway.
Kel laughed. “Where did you hear that?”
“I read one of his reports. First draft, of course. He asked that it be named after him, because he’s doing the most work studying it.”
“Really?” Kel replied. “I don’t see him trudging through hallways looking for something that might not exist.”
“I don’t think they’ll do it, but you never know. We should write up reports to make sure that our contributions are added.”
<
br /> “Why? Do you want this be called the Lipton/Mercury/Ricter Comet?”
“We can’t forget Thomas. He’ll need to have his name added to it, too.”
“Might as well add the captain too, right? ”
The hallway eventually led to an area with dozens of doors on both sides. Kel walked up to one of the doors and flipped the switch to open it. He and Fran walked in. The room, small and dusty, had a bed bolted to the wall. A tall, slender metal chair, nearly rusted through, lay upside down on the bed. The walls had small slots which, when Kel pressed in on them, popped open to reveal a drawer. No clothes were found. “Looks like we found a bedroom of some sort.”
Fran walked over to the bed and placed her hand on the top. “I wish we could find some sort of artifact here to tell us what’s going on.”
“Come on; let’s see if we can find any more bedrooms. Maybe this one never had anyone in it to begin with.”
The two continued through the halls, each lined with empty rooms filled with decaying furniture. Reaching the end of the hallway, they stood in front of a large double door. The corridor branched off to the right and to the left of the door and disappeared beyond a large curve. Fran looked at her computer. “This room isn’t supposed to be here.”
“Well, it is,” Kel said. “Let’s see what’s inside.”
He flipped a switched on the wall, and the doors swung open. They walked in and lights from an unseen source turned on.
The room was a dome of enormous size. Even larger than the hibernation chamber, it could hold thousands of Ulliam. White walls supported the large dome which illuminated the room. Fran was unable to see the source of the light but assumed it was hidden behind the cloth-like covering of the auditorium.
“Wow, this is one huge room.” Kel’s voice echoed into the emptiness.
“Hey, check this out!” Fran yelled from clear across the room. The acoustics of the dome allowed Kel to hear her clearly.
Kel jogged over to the panel. She looked down at a complex series of different colored lights. “In the hibernation chamber, I noticed lights like this one the side panels,” Fran said. “I wonder if they’re buttons or switches.”
The Arwen Book one: Defender Page 8
