»Think about it, Arkroid!« Vasina replied hotly. »Why would the Dark Brotherhood establish a reserve, transport Progonauts to this system, guard it with a Soulwalker and then, at the end, simply forget about it? You don’t need me to answer these questions!«
Arkroid was shaken. She had logic on her side.
»You Humans have been unmolested merely because the Dark Brotherhood’s long term plan hasn’t matured yet. Whatever that gruesome power intended with the establishment of this reserve, it doesn’t mean any good for your people!«
Arkroid ran his hand through his hair and looked at Vasina, feeling unsure of himself by the moment.
»This Dark Brotherhood; what do they want, what are their goals?«
Vasina came a few steps closer.
»We never learned who was behind their power, only that the goal is domination over the peoples of this galaxy. The Progonauts are important in their long term plan. You’re the descendants of an unfortunate people who were deported against their will a million years ago, and you’ll face whatever the Dark Brotherhood intends for you.«
Scorge emerged from behind Arkroid and slowly approached Vasina. Some of his tentacles shook and moved in her direction.
»I’ve never met your people before, and I’ve lived long and traveled far. Still, the universe is very large and there’re still many millions of planets to discover.«
Vasina didn’t retreat a single step, even though some of Scorge’s tentacles touched her legs.
»On my trading routes I’ve heard remarkable things, told to me by different folks. The Solitar possess a collective memory and could tell many stories about the past, if one only knew how to listen to them. Also other races speak about an imminent threat, lurking somewhere in the star oceans of the Milky Way. Perhaps it’s a good idea for you to come with us.«
Vasina glanced quickly at Arkroid, who gave a thoughtful nod.
»It’ll work! Lai Pi, Vasina and I will go. We can use the time between stops to learn more about the Progonauts and the history of Earth. Do you agree?«
Vasina tossed her long hair in agreement.
Scorge, regaining some of his former bluster, cut in, »Just a moment! I have one condition: I determine how long a visit lasts in every system. When there’s an opportunity for a transaction, then I’ll take the time to work the deal. I am a trader by birth.«
Arkroid frowned briefly but he didn’t object.
»I think we can live with that. It’s your ship after all!«
Thoughts about the Past
The work on the pyramid ship was completed and Scorge’s diligent helpers – as he called the small robots – had successfully installed the disguise module. The Shwakan was completely satisfied after a test run, and Arkroid sensed that the time of departure was imminent. In the preceding weeks, he had often met with Vasina and learned all he could about the Progonaut era in hours-long conversations.
Vasina’s story sounded both depressing and fascinating at the same time. A long time ago, five branches of a Human-like culture had built a star empire, which was completely defeated and destroyed by an unknown power. Completely? Arkroid remembered Vasina’s report about the end of her home-system. She had permanently sealed off Atlantika behind an amazing bulwark controlled by the Achmedorian Key. Arkroid found it hard to understand the dilemma which had driven Vasina to that decision. Obviously, she had to choose between isolation and destruction.
A few secrets had been explained: how the Progonauts had arrived on Earth transported by agents of the Dark Brotherhood, the role of the Globusters or Soul Catchers, controlled by the Soulwalker, who was in turn only a pawn of the unknown power.
The more Arkroid learned about the unrecorded history of Humanity, the more he felt the threat that hovered over his people.
Vasina had urged extreme caution, now that the Soulwalker had been defeated and destroyed.
She suspected that further security measures would have been activated once the Globusters failed. The former queen developed an ominous theory concerning the so-called agitators, who seemed to be personalities with special capabilities the Dark Brotherhood employed to bend entire nations to their will.
Vasina questioned Arkroid about significant defeats in Humanity’s past. His knowledge of history seemed to confirm her thoughts. Even before the ecological crisis, there had been wars, often initiated by charismatic but insane leaders and generals. It all supported her theory that the Progonaut descendants were deliberately kept at a low level of development. Vasina insisted that at indefinite intervals, agitators had visited Earth. Impossible to tell form normal Humans, they made sure that chaos recurred to set back every era of development and progress. What she could not answer was how – and why?
Arkroid recalled statements by the Soulwalker that he would strip Humanity of its technology and hurl them back into the past – he too wanted to initiate a massive developmental step backwards.
Humanity owed Vasina for a million year period of development without massive interventions. The Globusters had been present all this time and visited Earth at irregular intervals, but the Globuster Lord had been rendered inert by Vasina’s bodyguards. Her crew, including her shield bearer Herkales, had sacrificed their lives to sink the Stinger beneath Antarctica’s surface for a long time. Only now had the system succeeded in regenerating itself, possibly keyed by Humanity’s discovery of the Globuster Matrix, and reappeared again.
Scorge’s first visit, during the Mayan era, had not activated the Globuster Matrix, or the Shwakan would surely have noticed it. Back then it hadn’t been necessary; Humanity hadn’t yet reached a level of development that warranted such a move. The Globusters then merely lurked at the edges of the solar system, sleeping on their cold planetoids.
Vasina shared all her knowledge freely. She indicated to Arkroid the space sector where the Progonauts had once lived. Arkroid had deliberately failed to mention one fact, though, possibly casting doubt on her entire story. He had instructed Lai Pi covertly to investigate a clue which had originated in the medical section.
After Vasina had collapsed in shock, the doctors had performed a routine DNA scan. The greatest surprise was that there were virtually no deviations from Human DNA. At first, this seemed logical, if Vasina’s story that Humanity had descended from the Progonauts was true. Yet, this result led to another riddle. Every living thing on Earth, from mammal to bacteria, showed similarities to the Human DNA, indicating that all living things were descendants of one particular cell in the primeval soup. How could the Progonauts, who lived in the Sagittarius space sector 24,000 lightyears away, have almost identical DNA to that found on Earth?
Arkroid had no answer, no more than could he explain that there were Human skulls dating from an earlier era than the Progonaut arrival on Earth. All the biologists he consulted had agreed that reproduction between members of an extraterrestrial civilization like the Progonauts and early Homo Sapiens could be ruled out. This was not only culturally unthinkable, but biologically impossible. Arkroid suspected that the past wasn’t as clear as many, including Vasina, would have preferred. Some questions had answers that only generated new riddles. Arkroid knew that he would have to understand these mysteries, sooner or later.
Morptukel
The departure date had been determined a week earlier. Today, November 18, 2113, Humanity’s first interstellar expedition began. It hadn’t taken much to convince Lai Pi to sign on. The DEA specialist wasn’t about to let the ship leave without him.
Vasina, Arkroid, Lai Pi and Scorge had come together as a team surprisingly fast. They were able to work together easily and with virtually no tension. Arkroid had decided to keep the mission classified a secret at least for now, until he knew what to expect.
Scorge had scurried back to the Yax K’uk’Mo’ in his auxiliary to prepare for the departure. Vasina had politely turned down the official Solar Union Fleet fatigue and wore her white uniform as well as the Jamal-Comb. Arkroid wondered what secrets the alien
jewelry held. On her back, she wore the shield of her former shield bearer. Arkroid couldn’t tell if she wore it to honor Herkales’ memory or simply because it was an effective defensive weapon – probably both. Arkroid and Lai Pi had specially designed light Union Fleet spacesuits, similar in fit to Vasina’s light outfit. Both men brought several equipment cases and provisions along. Vasina stood facing the strange-looking spacecraft and seemed untroubled.
»A Morptukel,« was all she said as she looked upward at the narrow opening and the ramp unfolding from it. Vasina shot Arkroid a quick look as the seemingly organic object stopped before her feet.
»What is it, Arkroid? Haven’t you ever flown in a Morptukel before?«
Arkroid glanced at Lai Pi fleetingly and shook his head.
»Well, none of us has had the pleasure of this experience before. Why do I have the feeling that I’m about to step onto an extended tongue and walk into the mouth of a monster?«
Vasina bent backwards slightly and laughed cheerfully.
»You Humans are used to thinking in purely mechanical terms, at least as far as space travel is concerned. But your designers use likenesses from the animal world, do they not?«
Lai Pi grinned.
»Your Majesty means the builders of the first airplane were inspired by birds, and that we’ve used domesticated animals for a very long time.«
Vasina bowed her head lightly in Lai Pi’s direction, »Thank you for recognizing my title. You’re right, Lai Pi, but your imagination seems to stop with your first step into outer space! Morptukels are organic and technical hybrids. They originated as primitive lifeforms which had left their planet to live in space and slowly mutated to become what they are now. Just as the first lifeforms on your world left the primeval soup to move onto land, the Morptukels found their niche in space. Their enemies couldn’t follow them and they found peace and safety.«
Arkroid looked uncomfortably at the unusual ramp.
»Then it really is a tongue!« he said.
Vasina ignored Arkroid’s comment and took a determined step forward. Her feet had barely touched the ramp when her body was lifted by a carpet of thick fur composed of thousands of fine hairs. The fur, obviously quite powerful, began to carry her to the opening with wavelike motions. Both men stared at the phenomenon with their mouths open.
Lai Pi placed one of his equipment cases on the tongue. It immediately began moving and soon disappeared inside the Morptukel.
»Like a hairy escalator, Boss,« Lai Pi whispered.
»Nothing spectacular,« Arkroid joked as he stepped onto the ramp. It felt soft beneath his feet.
Lai Pi followed directly behind him, wildly waving his arms in the air as he fought to keep his balance. It took him a moment to learn that if he didn’t resist, he was perfectly comfortable. As they glided through the narrow opening, Arkroid saw his worst fears confirmed. Scorge and Vasina watched them intently. Arkroid’s full attention was on the strange room. The Morptukel’s interior reminded him of the throat of a huge animal. The inner walls appeared meaty red and were partly covered with rough pores. It smelled terrible!
»It is time to return to the ship. The Morptukel yearns for outer space and is slowly becoming impatient,« Scorge said, greeting the men.
»Are you saying that the Morptukel is an intelligent being with feelings?« Lai Pi asked uncomfortably.
»Organic – yes, intelligent – no. The Morptukel possesses certain basic instincts but otherwise only serves as a shell. It is happy to be in space, in its habitat.«
Arkroid looked around confused.
»How … can this creature … fly, let alone travel in space?«
Scorge gurgled, »The typical reaction of people who believe that technology is the only answer to all problems. The Morptukel was genetically engineered and domesticated to serve as a means of transportation. Its wild ancestors, who still live in outer space, would already have digested us. Like the free living Morptukel, ours has a special organ that produces antigravitons which it transmits into any direction. As do the antenna-like hairs that grow from the leathery skin where the antigravitons shield us perfectly from the cold and radiation of outer space.«
As if the Morptukel wanted to prove Scorge’s words, a shiver went through its body.
Lai Pi paled.
»That’s beyond my grasp,« he openly confessed.
»Don’t worry about it. Prepare yourself for the flight. The organic elevator is bringing us to the upper level. Do you want to be Earth’s first great space explorers or not?« Vasina joked.
Scorge became increasingly agitated.
»We’re about to lift off. Please lie down in the pocket-like folds. I’ll control the Morptukel from my position.«
Arkroid examined the openings with suspicion. They did resemble pockets, except for the gleaming moisture. He carefully lay down on the top side of the alien bed and immediately felt its fine hairs touching him and pulling him softly into the fold. Only his head remained free and was able to look around.
Next to him, Lai Pi choked, »Oh my God, now what?«
Arkroid felt a jellylike substance oozing into his fold, filling it, sealing him inside.
»I don’t know but it stinks like Hell.«
He willed himself not to vomit.
»Acceleration cushion, Arkroid,« Vasina smirked, as she slid into her organic fold alongside Lai Pi. »It’s also a heat source in the improbable case of injury to the Morptukel. If the air in this room escaped, we’d survive: the folds’ reflexes would close them and protect us from the cold and vacuum. You have such measures on your ships, don’t you?«
»Not like this!« Arkroid wailed. »How do you know so much about this anyway? You said the Progonaut ships were technology based.« Arkroid gave an uncomfortable glance to the side where a shaking polyp was hanging from the ceiling.
»Morptukels were around then. This differs only marginally from the ones used in my time,« she replied.
Lai Pi studied the polyp with interest.
»I hope you people realize that if this thing sneezes, we’ll be flying out into space.«
»Your sense of humor has deserted you, Pi,« Arkroid replied annoyed.
»What does the Morptukel eat?« Lai Pi asked. »It must need energy, right?«
Scorge gurgled, »I’m busy programming the launch! Vasina, you’re up to speed. Tell them!«
Vasina frowned.
»The Morptukel absorbs cosmic radiation, as did its ancestors who lived in space. Morptukels used as transport vehicles are normally kept in open hangars. They feel most comfortable exposed to space. They absorb trace elements through their skin; they can digest single atoms or long chains of molecules. When the host ship approaches a nebula, they are released to feed as much as they desire.«
»Swell!« Arkroid answered, impressed. Then he felt a light pressure on his body. It gradually increased, and he could feel for himself the advantage of the body protection gel. Scorge steered their course from a panel directly connected to the Morptukel’s nervous system.
»We’re now leaving Earth’s atmosphere, entering into space,« Scorge explained.
»This thing didn’t accidentally swallow an inertial damper, did it?« Lai Pi panted with visible difficulty. The Morptukel’s acceleration was enormous.
»No, inertial dampers would interfere with the antigraviton organs. If you shut those down we’d crash!« Scorge answered quickly.
I’ll be back soon, I hope, Arkroid thought. Then he closed his eyes and tried to calm himself down.
Aboard the pyramid ship
The Morptukel settled softly in a hangar, where two more like it rested. Scorge, Vasina and the two men left their transport in spacesuits since the hangar wasn’t filled with air. After its long stay on Earth, under harsh atmospheric conditions, Scorge wanted to put his Morptukel at ease, even if the spacesuits were a bit uncomfortable for Arkroid and Lai Pi. Scorge and Vasina didn’t have as much trouble: they wore body shields that sealed them perfectly and s
upplied air without limiting their movements at all.
As the hangar gate closed behind them, Arkroid was comforted by more familiar surroundings. He was the only one of the guests who had ever been on board the Yax K’uk’Mo’ before.
Arkroid’s forehead shone with a fine film of sweat as he folded his helmet back. Lai Pi and Vasina looked around uncomfortably at first. Arkroid clearly had an advantage as his Merinian eyes, which gave him excellent vision even in twilight, quickly became accustomed to the interior illumination.
»Not too much has changed since my last visit, Scorge. Your air conditioning still doesn’t work properly,« Arkroid joked. Scorge didn’t seem to get it.
Lai Pi took off his spacesuit, revealing a tight, sleeveless shirt. The shirt’s tight cut emphasized his muscular arms.
»I’ve no idea what you’re talking about, Toiber. This is a wonderful climate. Almost as good as home!«
Lai Pi grinned mischievously and winked at Vasina. She gave the specialist a questioning look.
»Do all of you run around so scantily dressed?«
»Not all of us, Your Majesty,« Lai Pi grinned.
»I’ll show you your quarters,« Scorge interrupted. »Air-conditioned – if you prefer freezing cold.«
Scorge moved with astonishing speed in his own environment, as he had during the previous visit. His three guests had trouble keeping up with him. The floor’s surface was designed for his creeping feet. Arkroid felt again the alien between the Yax K’uk’Mo’ and the Solar Union ships. The corridors, walls, ceilings and doors weren’t as alive as the Morptukel, but they still seemed to be made of organic material, glimmering in all the colors of the rainbow. Metal struts and supports and even consoles were few and far between. Still Arkroid was sure that Scorge had equipped his pyramid ship with technology which he’d bartered from numerous civilizations. To call the Yax K’uk’Mo’ a mere scrap collector didn’t do justice to the spirit and purpose of the ship. It was more an Encyclopedia of Technology of different alien species and cultures, some of which had perhaps disappeared in cosmic struggles.
NEBULAR Collection 2 - The Expedition: NEBULAR Episodes 6 - 11 Page 5
