NEBULAR Collection 5 - Panic in the Galaxy: Episodes 22 - 26

by Thomas Rabenstein

Sawyer Main’s face seemed set in stone before he said, »The commanding sector commander has received very clear orders. He will act according to a special schedule and issue attack orders to his troops. In case we fail, our troops will act. This might lead to a global catastrophe. I cannot rule out the use of nuclear warheads against the Frigonans!«

  »Huh … what can be worth than this shit weather out there?« Bondifar mocked, although he understood very well what Main was saying.

  »Let me say it with my own words: It won’t take much longer and the shit will hit the fan in the North Pole region. Worse: We’re in the middle of it!«

  »By the way, did we bring enough toilet paper?« Hosch asked with a sour face.«

  »… let me finish … If we goof then all Hell breaks loose and the world is going tits up, got it, Hosch? No more need for toilet paper!«

  Hosch swallowed and concentrated on controlling the groomer.

  We need this mission like a hole in the head. Hosch is loyal and would not abandon us or the mission, despite his sarcasm.

  »I haven’t seen anything out there for quite some time and don’t trust autopilots. So, if there are any obstacles or hidden folds on the way to these pricklish penguins, then it would be high time to let me know about it!« Hosch said dryly.

  Bondifar’s eyebrows were twitching nervously.

  »Just look at the ground radar and follow the indicators. The scanners should be able to get through the snow storm. If you have a problem with driving blindly then I can take over.«

  »Fat chance!« Hosch grinned. »This groomer is for grown up boys only. By the way: the ground radar has been dead for a couple of hours already, I forgot to mention it. Nothing works in this region, but no worries, I drive by my gut. My instincts never let me down!«

  Main looked at the cabin ceiling and rolled his eyes.

  »We’ll use the map and Galileo. It’s a bit antiquated, but it should work.«

  »What? I didn’t know that this obsolete positioning system still works?«

  »Yepp, they’re still using it for harvesting robots and unmanned vehicles. If it can lead old tractors then it’ll also work for us. Bondi, link up to the satellite and feed the info to the autopilot. Hosch has probably been driving in circles for hours!«

  »I can remember each and every snowflake that passed by,« Hosch defended himself and his driving skills.

  Bondifar tried to link up to the satellite, aided by the groomer’s computer.

  »None of the invaders have taken any defensive actions so far,« he said. »Open war-fare will have dire consequences on both sides. The Circle Generals will definitely attack Earth and the colonies. You can imagine what will happen then.«

  Main nodded.

  »Admiral Friedberg has certainly considered it. If we don’t do anything then we won’t be able to recognize our planet after a week or two. We’ll all become deep frozen hosts to these aliens,« Main said.

  Suddenly, the groomer stopped with a heavy jolt. The men were thrown into their seatbelts and tossed around in their seats.

  Main had bit his tongue, which became swollen almost instantly.

  »What the fu …, Hosch! What was that?« Bondifar asked surprised.

  Tiller Hosch shrugged and tried to see the obstacle outside, but he couldn’t even see for one meter. He tried to drive forward again, but wasn’t successful.

  »I better reverse and try to circumnavigate the obstacle, we probably hit a rock.«

  »… or a tree stump!« Bondifar mocked.

  Main turned his head around and took a quick look at the silverish security container, located at the back seat and held in place by safety straps.

  »We need to be more careful. We should not subject our cargo to jolts, it’s kind of fragile, you know guys?« Main said, looking to Hosch.

  »Uhuh … the mystery container,« Hosch remarked, while he backed up the groomer. »Why don’t you say it, Boss? Montas and I know that we’re transporting a bomb through this lovely terrain. We can handle the truth.«

  Main looked up and shrugged.

  »To be honest, I don’t know what’s in the container. I don’t think it’s a bomb at all, at least I hope not. We’re supposed to deliver the container as close as possible to the Circle Fortress and open it.«

  Bondifar looked up from his terminal.

  »That’s it? They didn’t suggest that we should get some distance before we open the container?«

  Main shook his head.

  »No, nobody mentioned anything about an explosion. I don’t get it, why are you two always thinking about bombs and explosions?«

  »If they’re trying another nanobot attack then I know already that this won’t work!« Hosch hissed. »Our last try didn’t go that well, remember?«

  »If that’s the case they would have given us a pressurized cylinder and not a container like this. I don’t think they want to use nanobots this time. I had informed the admiralty about our fruitless attempt. The antibots disable and counteract our nanobots immediately.«

  Main looked through the side window. He still couldn’t see far.

  »Hosch, I believe that we collided with an obstacle that was anchored into the ground.«

  »Well … according to Galileo, there should only be ice around here. We’re driving across a glacier,« Bondifar announced he had successfully up-linked to the satellite.

  »It’s a bomb!« Hosch nodded. »We are to be sacrificed for Humanity, like the Japanese Kamasutra Warriors.«

  Main looked at him with a grin.

  »Hosch, your knowledge in history is scary,« Main said.

  Hosch nodded.

  »I read too from time to time, you know? I’m very interested in our forefather’s history.«

  Bondifar sighed, »These Japanese soldiers who sacrificed themselves were called Kamikaze! That happened a long time ago. So, don’t bullshit us, the Union is not sacrificing us!«

  The wind direction changed for a moment, tearing the curtain of snow open, suddenly a dark shadow was visible in front of the groomer. The three men were holding their breaths, while seconds later the shadow disappeared again in the wall of snow.

  »Did you see that too?« Bondifar said with a squeaking voice.

  »I certainly did!« Hosch replied. »Why here? We’re still fifty kilometers away from the landing zone. We didn’t even reach the eye of the storm yet!«

  »Exactly, but there’s a spindle stuck in the ice, right before us!« Bondifar made clear.

  »Maybe it got off course,« Main speculated. »The spindle landed very far away from the Circle Fortress.«

  »… or the penguins made an error in their calculations. You know, these Frigonans are also beings of flesh and blood,« Hosch added.

  »I don’t get it. There’s a desert of ice and glaciers out there as far as the snow bird flies, and Hosch has to collide with the only object out here!« Bondifar threw his hands into the air. »To make matters worse, he slammed into a spindle. What a lucky strike!«

  Hosch shrugged.

  »As I said before, I don’t trust the autopilot anymore and I certainly don’t make it a sport to ram extra-terrestrial objects. I don’t believe in an accident either. Our vehicle’s navigation system was jammed by this spindle and drawn toward it. That seems the most plausible explanation to me.«

  Bondifar seemed tense.

  »Well we’re here with a spindle in front of us. Did anybody think about the extra-terrestrial robots or Frigonans who could be here too?«

  »Just my thought, Bondi,« Hosch replied and looked outside through the windshield. However, he couldn’t see a thing through the whirling snow. »I don’t think that there’re any Frigonans out there. They won’t have the guts, I’m too hot-blooded! I’d feel much better if our groomer had a cannon, just in case they’re coming.«

  »Our best weapon is the groomer’s white camouflage,« Main said sourly.

  Suddenly, they twitched as they heard scratching noises on the groomer’s roof from the outside.

/>   They’re working on it

  Nok Daralamai was flanked by two heavily armed soldiers as she entered the command central. She had armed herself and exchanged the standard Government Issue with her combat suit. Everybody inside the control central felt that something important was about to take place, a slight tension prevailed.

  About two hours earlier, a radio message via tachyon link had been received from Earth. The message was heavily coded and only contained one small sentence in clear text: Save Humanity!

  Since only Nok Daralamai knew what the message contained, the crew was waiting impatiently.

  Nok sat down in her commander’s seat.

  »Listen up, everybody! I decoded the message from the admiralty.«

  Nok nodded faintly at Nuri Jawa, who was interrupted by Hassan Khalil as she began to open her mouth.

  »Earth is going through hard times,« he whispered to her.

  Nok had overheard Khalil’s whisper and looked at him, pondering for a moment before she whispered back at him, »I agree with you, although reluctantly, but you seemed to have guessed correctly.« She turned her head around and addressed the command central crew, »Admiral Friedberg sent us a report about the current situation on Earth. The Frigonans are changing the climate on Earth to suit their needs. This is a fast occurring process, very fast! This means that we’re no longer sitting and waiting until some sort of communication or relationship can be established. Friedberg gave orders to resist the Circle people with all available means!«

  Nuri Jawa seemed insecure.

  »Pardon me? What does the Union Government have in mind? We have no chance against the Moxantans and their weapons!«

  Nuri received a scornful look from Nok, warning not to interrupt her speech again.

  »The Union Government and I have a different opinion!« Nok said loudly, but picked up Nuri’s thread, nevertheless. »We have a secret weapon which we will use against the invaders – YOU!«

  Nok pointed her right index finger at Nuri and waited a couple of seconds.

  Nuri paled.

  »You and your abilities are on our side!« she continued, disregarding Nuri’s shivers. »Mr. Khalil will also help and assist us. Friedberg’s orders are very clear. We will bind some of the invaders in the Neptune system and keep them busy. Similar orders were issued to all outposts and Fleet crews throughout the solar system! That’s it for now, folks. Go back to your stations, I’ll inform you as per to know basis!«

  »This is very risky. Did you already forget what happened to Despina? The Reusus possesses a weapon that can cut Triton in half,« Hassan Khalil said calmly. Nothing seemed to excite the former system analyst.

  Nok turned around to Khalil.

  »How could I forget the destruction of an entire moon? There’s more at stake now! We’re running the risk of losing our home-planet to the invaders – everything we built for generations! Besides, I have another trump up my sleeve. You’ll find out in a couple of hours. Until then, I need to be certain that I can count on you two!«

  »Then you better have a really good trump to play, because not only Earth is at stake … all of Humanity is,« Hassan said and then seemed absentminded for a couple of seconds. »I’ll assist you as much as I can, but blind actionism will only lead to the demise of this base and the death of many people. You’ll need a damn good plan! I’d suggest, again, analyzing the octahedron knowledge base.«

  The edges of Nok’s mouth twitched or was she feigning a smile?

  »This is already on the way as we speak, don’t worry about this part,« said and walked over to the main holo.

  Frowning, she looked at the pyramid-like Circle battle ship.

  It seems to me that Circle General Exterminator wants to protect the fortress. That’s why he probably didn’t land on Triton! Is the Fortress, at this stage of construction, very vulnerable or is there another reason?

  »Hassan, is it possible for you to enter the Fortress? I think the Moxantans care very much about it.«

  »It might be possible, but not very wise. Circle General Exterminator won’t just stand by and let us destroy his fortress with a bomb.«

  »I didn’t say anything about a bomb.«

  »Let me try to explain why I think that,« Hassan Khalil raised his hands appeasingly. »The Fortress is more than just a base, it will also serve as a habitat for the Moxantans.«

  »Habitat? What do you mean by that?«

  »I was able to test and examine the Moxantans several times. These beings are more different than it seems. They’re very uncomfortable in space. This environment doesn’t suit them. Travelling through space with spaceships is a necessary evil for them. The Moxantans rather live on planets. The Circle Fortress will be designed especially for their needs. It seems that the Kresolytes want to appease the Moxantans by creating the perfect habitat for them. What we assessed as Moxantan specie-specific behavior is a reaction to the lack of a fitting habitat. In other words: if we destroy the fortress then they would react as uncompromisingly as if I would destroy your house on Earth. Circle General Exterminator would live up to his title and destroy Triton with his ultimate weapon! After that, the Moxantans would start over again and even use the building material left from Triton. A destruction of this fortress would serve nobody, especially the people on Triton.«

  Nok looked at Khalil irritated.

  »How do you know all this?« she said with a muted and dangerous sounding voice.

  »As I told you before, I sensed it and read between the lines.«

  »You two scare me,« she whispered at him and Nuri. »How can I be certain that you won’t use your abilities against us?«

  »Just trust me!« he responded with a slight nod.

  Nok looked at the main holo and seemed contemplative, then she addressed Hassan Khalil again.

  »Friedberg forwarded some observations. One of them states that the Frigonans are also using Moxantans, Kresolytes and Quadranans as host bodies. The effected extra-terrestrials look as if they’re controlled and void of their own will. Does this information help you?«

  Khalil’s eyes widened.

  »The relationships between the Circle people are of a very complex nature. It is more or less a symbiotic relationship. This fits into the picture, I’ve made of the Kresolytes. They’re building this habitat for the Moxantans to satisfy their needs, whereas the Moxantans follow their instincts and have no other choice than to accept the Fortress. The situation is almost like with termites which don’t like to live outside their mount. I predict that the Moxantans will move into the fortress!«

  Nok knit her eyebrows.

  »I don’t understand this symbiotic relationship yet, Hassan. Can you elaborate further?«

  »Maybe we can also call it a purpose relationship, but this is still a vague explanation. This society of Circle people does not exist because of possible advantages and mutual services. It’s more like a fine balancing act to keep everybody at bay. As much as we know about them so far, it actually surprises me that they don’t fight each other at the slighted difference in opinion. These Circle people are incompatible; they’re too different from each other. If I’m right, then we might have found a hint how we can defeat them. We probably find the key to success hidden somewhere inside the octahedron data – we just need to dig deep!«

  The way he presented his arguments, in a calm and controlled voice, made Nok shiver.

  »Well … they’re already working on it …«

  That’s a good idea

  Digamber Chopra had been working like mad. In the fastest time possible, he had developed a routine which enabled him to search the enormous octahedron data fast and efficiently according to pre-determined criteria.

  The Paradise Bird’s first officer was standing with glaring eyes before the virtual terminal, looking at the flood of data, while his commander was watching the scanner displays. Delighted he noticed that up to ten subholos established, displaying additional data, while his routine scanned the data banks’ address r
anges.

  »This is amazing! Humanity will leap over decades, if not centuries of technological evolution. If anything in our solar system deserves to be called a treasure, then this is it!«

  Digamber touched one of the subholos and stopped it briefly; the data was then displayed on a different display.

  »If I interpret this chapter correctly, then anti-gravitation technology is no longer an insurmountable problem.«

  Jonathan Friese twisted the end of his goatee.

  »That’s all nice and dandy, our scientists will, nevertheless, need a lot of time to sift through the data. We are just looking for some special information. Did you find anything yet?«

  Chopra shook his head.

  »I’m applying different sets of subroutines and searches for connections and cross-references regarding the Circle people. So far … nothing! By the way: our guests haven’t been successful either. I can see exactly what they’re doing. If they continue like that then they’ll never find anything relevant.«

  Suddenly a high pitched signal came from the virtual console and the stream of data stopped. The display changed from yellow to green.

  »We have a hit!« Digamber Chopra shouted and transferred the data to another terminal. The information was clearly intelligible.

  Friese pushed the air out of his lungs as he read the text passages.

  The law of war produces a victor who is superior to his opponent, subjecting him to his mercy. What if there is no victor because there cannot be one?

  Then fear rules!

  »What does this mean?« Chopra asked Friese who just shrugged, then he pointed at the text. »Here, look at this sequence after the paragraph.«

  »I’ve noticed these fragments already. Is this an erroneous or truncated chunk of data? These symbols don’t make sense.«

  A second holo established, making Chopra jump from his seat.

  The Circle is mighty and knows no mercy! Whoever breaks out of the Circle is destined for death; whoever remains inside the Circle is destined for death also.

  Friese squinted.

  »That sounds strange. Do you understand this?«

  »I’m not an expert for extra-terrestrial messages. Maybe these lines don’t mean anything, because they appear randomly throughout the entire data. The only thing in common is these fragmented symbol groups at the end of each passage.«