»It was the right decision by the sub-rou … uh … main control unit to reinstate my honor. I have to tell you something important,« Mokhoorn announced while his holo became a bit larger.
Addressing Kuster~Laap, he continued, »I noticed that our brothers the Chiropters still have a problem with sharing information. You didn’t tell them everything about the Crux Heart yet, for example that the Crux Heart doesn’t possess any defensive abilities and is vulnerable to attacks.«
Kuster~Laap said, »The Crux Heart was never designed to function as a combat platform! The Protectors were supposed to protect it …«
»… and the Protectors are nowhere to be found!« Conceptor Mokhoorn interrupted. »Instead, this crew of individuals on board this ship, is the only contingent your Brotherhood can throw at the enemy. The Dimensional Mirror station was not designed by you. Regardless, these beings had left the scene a million years ago and ran away, right? Admit it my brother. Your plan isn’t worth the holo it was concocted in. You live in a dream that will soon turn into a nightmare!«
»I know the Goovans position,« Kuster~Laap said with a higher pitch than his usually deep voice. »We will prove to you that we can successfully prevent the parasite galaxy from penetrating ours. «
Conceptor Mokhoorn almost looked as if he wanted to cry, »The Dimensional Mirror won’t work; too many components are still missing. You won’t be able to finish the task. The Dark Brotherhood attack will come too early!«
Kuster~Laap jumped from his seat, his ears whirling and his arms rotating. Nood and Naad jumped to his side and tried to calm him down. His voice was out of control, shifting in pitch up and down as he roared at the holo, »You are insulting the will for living and survival of all galactic beings! To follow the Genorantan example and run away was never a solution. We would never accept this!«
Kuster~Laap was breathing heavily and closed his eyes. His head sank on his chest.
»Brother … I have been waiting a long time for these words from you Chiropters. My people always wanted to know the truth, that’s all. We have known for generations that these self-proclaimed security powers have left the galaxy for good,« Mokhoorn said.
Kuster~Laap slumped into his seat, he seemed helpless, almost lethargic.
Arkroid looked around and saw surprised faces.
»Now it’s out,« Pi said dryly. »We have to fend for ourselves.«
»We’re acting on behalf of the galactic powers! That’s our fate,« Kuster~Laap said. »We owe it to all the other galactic people to do our best …«
Arkroid paled.
»I need your advice,« he addressed the other crewmembers. »Our mission was established under a bad star from the very beginning. The new information is so depressing that I have no clue how we want to proceed.«
Maya Ivanova straightened in her seat.
»We have no other options left. Maybe we should try to gather as many people as possible behind the Dimensional Shield in the Solar System. I’m referring especially to the Shwakans and the Neo-Sapiens. As a matter of fact, we might be able to ask the Shwakans for transportation capacities to evacuate the Neo-Sapiens. «
»What about all the other civilizations?« Vasina asked.
»See it realistically,« Conceptor Mokhoorn said softly. »There is no concept against such a threat. Save yourselves and fly away. The ones who can’t save themselves will perish during or shortly after the Great Tremor.«
»… but … we … can help the Chiropters!« Paafnas shouted.
Arkroid looked at Paafnas with sadness in his eyes. He was painfully aware that the Pleunatans would also be doomed. Maya Ivanova regretted her suggestion and looked at the floor. She had spoken from her a gut and forgotten her friend.
Arkroid’s eyes looked into the distance. Nobody in the command central could tell if he was mentally talking to Nautilus or just trying to find a way out.
He straightened his shoulders and turned to face the crew. He cleared his throat and said, »Conceptor Mokhoorn has said it well. Many civilizations are doomed if we don’t do anything. We won’t pull back and run away, abandoning the galactic people and our friends … all of our friends and families.«
Pi smiled and nodded at Arkroid. He already knew what was coming next thanks to the mental bridge.
»Kuster~Laap!« he said interrupting the prophet’s sulking. »On behalf of myself and my crew, I’m declaring us to be Protectors of the galaxy! We will do everything in our powers to prevent this danger from destroying the people of the Milky Way!«
Arkroid looked around searching his team’s surprised faces until he landed on Vasina’s smile. She nodded her head, slightly egging him on.
»All Progonauts under my command declare to be Protectors! We were Protectors in the past and will do whatever it takes to live up to the promises we gave a million years ago!« she declared.
Arkroid nodded gratefully. He was certain that the Atlantika crew would follow Vasina. Paafnas got up and declared himself a Protector on behalf of his people. As Maya Ivanova saw Paafnas standing in front of the crew pledging allegiance to the cause, she got up with tears in her eyes and hugged the extra-terrestrial from Pleunat.
After he had slammed his fist against his chest Herimos cleared his throat and thundered, »You can count on me, Toiber!«
Arkroid looked at Maya Ivanova who wiped her tears away. She just nodded, while Voit Masgur silently leaned forward in agreement.
Conceptor Mokhoorn remained quiet. He seemed impressed by this display of unison.
»Protector Arkroid, what are your orders?« Nautilus said.
Arkroid smiled, suppressing a chuckle.
»Set course for the Crux Heart, as soon as possible!«
With that the ship transferred into tachyon space.
Stupid!
Maya Ivanova followed the indications on her scanner and closed in on the Jamal-Comb. The voice in her head was silent.
Conceptor Crux roared in the background, trying to intimidate her. His psychological warfare was starting to drive her crazy.
Keep on talking, you fool.
»How do you think, you’ll leave this station? Are you expecting me to provide you with transportation, eh? Even if you should manage to escape with the Jamal-Comb, I can still deactivate the tachyon portal! The transportation procedures are under my control!«
Ivanova’s face twisted into a crooked smile.
How was it possible then for me to get here? Crux, you overestimate your abilities. The truth is that there’re no defense mechanisms on this station, no combat robots or even other Chiropters. Nobody can help you! You’re a powerless projection – you’re not the master over your own abode!
»What do you want to do with the Jamal-Comb? One key is not enough! You need no less than five of them!«
Maya Ivanova stopped and gnawed on her lower lip.
She came through a large hall with house-high computer servers and shielded energy transformers, then she entered a sector which was entirely different in design. The section before her could only be entered via an arched, tunnel-like corridor. The corridor ended at an archaic looking, ten meters tall gate, almost reaching toward the ceiling.
The gate is covered with a gold-like substance!
Strange symbols were written on the gate, in a language, she couldn’t read. She didn’t waste her time in trying to decipher the symbols. Her scanner indicated the comb was behind the gate.
I’ve seen these symbols before on the Lord’s Jamal-Comb.
Suddenly, a large projection of Conceptor Crux established just before the gate, blocking the way.
He can’t know that I’m here already, my disguise field is perfect! I can’t stand his stupid face anymore!
She tried to find the holo projector, but there were hundreds of these projectors in the station, he would just use a different outlet; she didn’t even have a weapon powerful enough to destroy one if she wanted.
»I know exactly where you are!« Crux’s voice bellowed through
the station. His words were painful. »Your scanner tells me where you are. It wasn’t difficult to analyze how this device works. I knew already what was wrong with you as soon as the transport sphere picked you up from the portal!«
Maya Ivanova cursed silently and threw the scanner against a wall. The scanner broke into hundreds of small fragments
You’re lying, Crux! If you would’ve known from the beginning who I was then you could’ve easily deactivated the sphere and let me plunge into the sun. You missed your chance, you idiot!
The Conceptor’s face in the holo-projection seemed nervous as he shouted, »You won’t get past me! Your mission has failed!«
Huh … you want to play mind games? Let’s play then!
Maya Ivanova deactivated her disguise field about ten meters before the projection. His eyes stared at her. Crux didn’t seem surprised at all.
»You’re not worthy to receive the key!«
Maya Ivanova smiled her crooked smile.
»Empty words, Crux! You can’t do anything. Nobody is here to help you. The Crux Heart was built by the Genorantans. They were as pathetic as the Chiropters! They were so stupid that they couldn’t even imagine that their enemies would enter this station. Give it up and stop yelling at me, it won’t work!«
Crux’s ears whirled hectically.
»A single key is useless to you!«
»Don’t worry, we’ll find the other ones too!«
»You need to get past me first!«
»Why past you … huh … I’ll just walk right through you!«
She threw her hair backward.
She noticed that the Conceptor’s eyes blinked. He seemed to have lost interest in her from one second to the next.
Look at me you bastard! she thought angrily. She wanted to see his face in the moment of her triumph. Instead, the projection disappeared.
Stunned, she stared at the gate. The way was free.
Finally!
Trust me
Nautilus had announced the arrival at the Crux Heart sector a couple of minutes earlier. The Goovan Conceptor had remained silent but observant. His holo was turning around its axis, so he could look at all the crew members. This time, he stared at Arkroid who raised his eyebrows.
»What? Something wrong?«
Mokhoorn tried to increase the size of his holo projection but failed because Nautilus prevented it.
»You need to make a scan immediately and check out the Crux Heart sector. The Caravan Scouts are reliable scientists. If they send out a warning then you better believe it,« he advised.
»We’ll do that Conceptor Mokhoorn.«
»We have arrived at our target area, with maximum disguise, defensive systems are activated and my sensors are ready for action,« Nautilus announced.
»Let’s go then!« Pi shouted and checked his terminal.
»I’m scanning the sector too,« Vasina said. After a couple of seconds, she continued, »There’s only one red dwarf in the neighborhood. Distance: two astronomical units, no planets. The next fix star is three parsecs away.«
»Correct, Vasina,« Herimos said while cross-checking her findings. »Where is the Crux Heart and the saga inspiring Dimensional Mirror, which is supposed to save us all?«
Kuster~Laap’s face was twitching.
»The Crux Heart is right before your eyes. I can see that the dimensional tunnel is in the process of being established!«
» Mokhoorn is right! I detect something, which I’ve seen before!« Tranos said.
»Just before the Progonaut fleet was defeated,« Vasina added, »about a million years ago.«
Nautilus converted the data and distributed the findings to the team’s terminals. A holo appeared above the main holo, showing an oversized lens which displayed the surrounding stars in a warped state with strange colors at the edges.
»This looks like a gravitational lens,« Voit Masgur said. »Sorry, I can’t offer a better comparison.«
Conceptor Mokhoorn opened his eyes wide. A long deep moaning sound came from the holo.
»The inter-dimensional wormhole has almost penetrated our continuum! It’s no longer a question of weeks or days, but hours maybe even minutes. It won’t take much longer until the enemy will be here! The fact that the Dark Brotherhood is capable of creating a wormhole to bridge into our universe shows their superiority!«
»What’s next?« Maya Ivanova said. »Are they invading us?«
»They’re attempt to infiltrate our universe is directed specifically at the Crux Heart. They want to destroy the Dimensional Mirror. They need to do this before the Great Tremor occurs. Fortunately, these wormholes do not have a long consistency and the connection to the other continuum will be interrupted again. «
»The Dimensional Mirror consists of thousands of Original Sparks, shouldn’t we be able to detect the emissions by now?« Pi wondered. »I can’t find anything on the scanner ...«
»… and where is the Crux Heart?« Maya Ivanova added quickly.
»I’m receiving a distress call from the direction of the red dwarf,« Nautilus announced.
Arkroid sat up straight.
»Who’s sending the signal?«
» It’s Conceptor Crux!« Mokhoorn said.
»Fly to the Crux Heart immediately!« Kuster~Laap shouted. »If Conceptor Crux calls for help then the situation is serious.«
»… but the attackers are not here yet, the hole isn’t fully established,« Tranos said.
»They probably already know that at the Crux Heart,« Vasina assumed.
»Play the message, Nautilus!« Arkroid commanded and watched Mokhoorn’s projection change. His rounded ears became suddenly pointy and his expression became harder, his face color changed from yellow to blue.
The Crux Heart and its most valuable possession are in danger! A female agent of the Dark Brotherhood has entered the station and wants to steal the Jamal-Comb! She knows what she’s doing and I don’t know how long I can prevent her from executing her task. There might even be a ship waiting to pick her up! I’m calling the ship of the Creators, please, help me!
Arkroid paled.
»Somebody is trying to beat us to the key!« he said.
»A female Dark Brotherhood agent?« Maya said. »What’s that supposed to mean and who are we dealing with? If it’s just one person then why is the Conceptor calling us for assistance? How can a single person endanger the Crux Heart? Could this be a trap?«
»No!« Kuster~Laap whined. »The message is authentic and real. The Crux Heart does not possess defensive technology. The only person on board the station is Conceptor Crux. We need to act immediately! Fly directly toward the sun. The Crux Heart is a big orbital station, located in the sun’s chromosphere. Nautilus can detect the station as soon as we get close enough.«
Arkroid issued the necessary mental commands.
The red dwarf literally jumped forward as Nautilus accelerated.
I detect the first energy eddy currents around the worm hole, Toiber. Soon the inter-dimensional connection will be established. Nautilus spoke in Arkroid’s mind.
Arkroid clenched his teeth.
What’s going to happen then? What will come through the worm hole?
I can’t tell you. I assume an enemy fleet, maybe the same carriers, responsible for the defeat of the Progonaut fleet. Nautilus said.
We continue! I hope Conceptor Mokhoorn sticks to our agreement.
I’ve fulfilled my part already, Mokhoorn replied through Nautilus.
It’s all a matter of perspectives, Arkroid said mentally.
»Attention!« Nautilus said loudly. »I’m detecting a large space station, close to the sun. It possesses extremely strong protection shields. There is also a tachyon portal close to the station. So close that it is inside the station’s fields.«
»That is the Crux portal,« Kuster~Laap said with excitement.
»Can you fly to the Crux Heart?« Arkroid asked Nautilus, while observing the star’s large, hot protuberances.
»My shi
elds are adequate. I can neutralize the sun’s gravitational field, calculate the protuberances and dodge them in time. As soon as we arrive at the station, we’ll find additional protection.«
»Are there any defensive measures other than the non-existing plasma guns, we should know about before we dock at the station?« Herimos grumbled, addressing Kuster~Laap.
»The Crux Heart isn’t armed! It would go contrary to the designers’ beliefs. The only safety the station possesses is the tight orbit around the sun. This has proven successful so far,« Kuster~Laap said.
Arkroid and Maya Ivanova exchanged glances.
»This won’t impress the attackers from the other dimension,« she said sarcastically. »How can we defend the station against such overwhelming odds? Nautilus would not want to participate in the fight, I assume …«
»… first things first, people,« Arkroid cut in. »We’ll take care of the intruder then we’ll see what’s next. We cannot allow a Dark Brotherhood agent to steal the Jamal-Comb. It would be lost forever.«
Vasina opened her uniform and pulled out the two Jamal-Combs in her possession. The proximity toward each other made them glow with a blue hue.
»Nautilus, please take these combs for safe keeping. I won’t take them with me when we enter the station. If anything happens to us see to it that the combs do not fall in the wrong hands.«
Conceptor Mokhoorn stared in awe at the Jamal-Combs.
»You truly are Galactic Protectors!« he said.
Both keys rose from Vasina’s hand and slowly moved through the air, only to be enveloped by an energy field a moment later.
»I promise to keep them in a safe place, Protector Vasina of Atlantika,« Nautilus announced. »I just received a beacon from the station. Conceptor Crux has given clearance for the landing inside the great hangar. Once aboard you can move about freely, the atmosphere on the station is suitable for Humans.«
Arkroid held his breath. The main holo displayed a huge space station, which seemed to ride on the sun’s hot plasma.
The thought alone to construct such a space station can drive a Human insane; let alone positioning it that close to a sun! The Genorantans must have had unbelievable technological knowledge.
NEBULAR Collection 5 - Panic in the Galaxy: Episodes 22 - 26 Page 10
