Moments later a robot appeared and picked up the bomb with its tool arms. The robot transported the deadly cargo quickly further into space.
Lasslo sighed. He had saved the shipyard. He remained at the gates, following the robot and the bomb with his eyes. A warning message, transmitted from control central, cleared vehicular traffic from the vicinity.
It took twenty minutes until a sun-bright flash illuminated his field of vision. Blinded, Lasslo closed his eyes. The explosion had been stronger than he had expected.
»Inform all the other shipyards, and transmit a priority message to the Union Government!« he instructed the technician inside the control central. »We need to step up the security levels in all the docks and research centers. Be prepared for further sneak attacks. Somebody doesn’t like what we’re doing up here. This won’t be the last attempt on our shipyards!«
Screw you, you bastard! You don’t play this with Froton M. Lasslo!
I decide your fate, nobody else
Maya Ivanova awoke and found herself inside a luxuriously furnished room. She was lying on a soft bed, covered with scented sheets. She felt relaxed and rested.
Was all that just a bad dream? she thought for an instant.
She yelled and straightened as her memory returned. No – this wasn’t her quarters on Triton! She was still inside the Lord’s abode. The walls of this room were also covered with fine crystal dust; a reddish glowing energy field blocked the entrance. Maya was still naked, but some clothes were laid out neatly on a seat close to the bed.
Her heart pounded.
What happened in the meantime? Where’s Paafnas?
Maya prayed that nothing had happened to Paafnas and that he was still alive.
She jumped out of the bed and looked around. She was certain that she was being observed. Her situation seemed to have changed for the better, but she was still a prisoner. Maya found a wet cell in an adjacent room. A fine mist of water activated automatically as she entered. Cautiously, not losing sight of the bedroom’s entrance, she took a long shower. After she had dried herself, she inspected the clothing beside the bed.
The garment was soft, flowing and fit perfectly well. Maya felt fresh and clean again but that didn’t change her mood. She was worried about Paafnas, doubting that the Pleunatan had received the same courtesy.
A bowl with exotic looking fruits was standing beside the bed on a small table. She felt a strong hunger and carefully picked one of the fruits. The blue fruit reminded her of a very large strawberry. She broke open the fruit and put a small piece into her mouth. It was juicy and sweet tasting. She was cautious, but she didn’t believe that the Lord would serve her poisoned food, and began to eat more. She kept eating until she finished the bowl.
Maya sat on the bed and looked around intently. After a couple of minutes, she started talking to any hidden listening devices.
»Now what? Do you want to look at me all day?«
Moments later, the energy shield at the entrance collapsed and the stranger entered the room with his disguise field. Apparently, he didn’t want to reveal his identity yet.
»Is this more like how I should treat a woman?« he asked mutedly.
She ignored that and asked, »Where’s Paafnas? Did you hurt him? I hope not – for your sake!«
The Lord laughed silently.
»Your friend is still alive and unharmed – so far, although he doesn’t deserve to live. His well-being depends on your behavior. I’ll kill him if I have to.«
»What kind of game are you playing with us?« Maya demanded.
»I …? You started the game! You came here to the Crystal Base to take me prisoner and to make me open the portal for you. You came without weapons, not knowing what to expect and totally exhausted. Did you really believe you could fight me with your bare hands? I am the Lord of over a hundred worlds, including yours. If you say yes, then I have overestimated your intelligence and that of your people.«
Maya swallowed hard.
»No, that wasn’t the reason at all. Better to be locked up in this room than the Treugolan fortress.«
»What makes you think that?« he asked with a threatening tone. »Don’t be deceived by first impressions.«
Maya threw a defiant glance at the energy field.
»I know exactly who I’m dealing with. The Treugolans are maltreating intelligent beings and you are letting them get away with it. Your prisoners came here against their will, they have to sift the crystals out of the sand for you, just so you can decorate your walls with the dust. You’re sending them into the desert, to certain death! They’ll all die out there. The Treugolans are ruthless, but they’re following your orders. You try to act civilized, but you’re behaving like a barbarian.«
»You want to know why I came here? I came here for one reason – to find answers. Waiting to die at the mercy of the Treugolans is senseless and humiliating. I may not be able to return to my home-world, but I’m not going to flee into the desert to die either. I simply wanted to know who this so-called Lord is, what’s his objective and why he lets, these things happen.«
Loud laughter was her answer.
»You understand only a small, unimportant part of the truth. Nevertheless, your quest for knowledge impresses me. If all of your people are like you then my decision was correct to fortify the portal’s defenses in your solar system.«
Maya shuddered.
»Then it was you who sent the Shwakans through the portal to our solar system!«
The Lord stopped laughing.
»Shwakans?«
Maya seemed to hear amazement in the Lord’s voice.
»I am the Lord of this portal and in control of many peoples … some of them are great civilizations – much more important than your people. You’ll find out soon enough how powerful I am. I am allowing you to call me Morgotradon, but let us be clear – you’re here because I want you to be. I’ve selected you!«
Maya squinted.
»Selected? What for … to end up like Sati or my other companions?«
Morgotradon wasn’t interested in Maya’s ranting.
»I’m several thousand years old. You can’t even remotely understand my mission, at your puny level of intelligence.«
Maya didn’t dare to finish her thoughts.
»I am very happy with my work, but I’m missing something … something that was once very important to me. I need a female companion! I want to have a woman like you by my side, a servant who looks like me, for the next few thousand years. So far, I haven’t found one, but when I saw you coming through the tachyon portal, I decided to give you a chance. It will be easier for you once you submit yourself freely to me. You can even keep the Pleunatan as your personal pet while you’re living with me in the Crystal Base.«
Maya gasped for air. She took a couple of minutes to mentally digest Morgotradon’s words.
»You want … you want what?«
Hotly, she looked at the energy field.
»You don’t know me or my people at all!« she threw at him in a harsh tone. »I’m not a woman who’ll say yes to anything just to improve my lot. I’m here because Paafnas told me that you’re Human-like. I’d hoped to be able to find common grounds, come to an agreement to return me to my home, but Paaf was wrong. You aren’t the least bit Human!«
Morgotradon laughed softly. He seemed amused; and he sent Maya’s hopes crashing with the following sentence.
»I’ve already told you that you wouldn’t return to your home-world, because I’ve selected you! You will become my devout servant and lover, voluntarily or not. There’s no alternative for you, except death!«
Maya shuddered, but threw her head back defiantly.
»Touch me and I’ll kill you!« she hissed at him. »I am a commander of the Solar Union Fleet and expect to be treated accordingly. Before I’d join you, I’d voluntarily return to the Treugolans.«
»Voluntary … free will … concepts, which do not exist in reality. The only will on this world is min
e! I decide your fate, nobody else! Your people will learn that soon enough.«
»Never!« Maya yelled at the top of her lungs. »We’ll destroy the portal and reveal your doings. It’s just a matter of time ‘till my people arrive and rescue me. Then your reign will be cut short!«
»Strong words, Human woman, but you don’t know what you’re talking about. The reality is different. I’ve already begun to shape the future of your people. You are ignorant and weak. Divest yourself of your silly thought of defeating me.«
»Show yourself,« she invited Morgotradon harshly. »I want to know and see who I’m dealing with – or are you so damn ugly that you have to hide behind that field? Is that why you can’t get a lover?«
Morgotradon seemed to hesitate.
»I’ve selected you, I’ll show myself to you,« he answered after a moment.
Maya Ivanova held her breath. Moments later, the energy field collapsed. A well-built Human-like person was standing before her, dressed in a lily-white cloak. His skin was velvety-brown, his hair black and shoulder length. Morgotradon was a male being with undoubtedly great physical strength. Maya estimated his height to be about two meters. She shuddered hard as she returned his glance for the first time. Two glowing, ice-cold eyes looked at her. At this moment, Maya knew who was standing before her.
»You are …!« she said surprised, but was rudely interrupted.
»… not so fast! You’re wrong again, Human woman. I am Morgotradon! The one you think you recognize is long dead! You will understand after your rebirth.«
Maya felt like a cold hand was reaching for her soul. Rebirth meant to die first!
Crypto Lockdown
The Hawk left the Blue Moon’s hangar and fell like a stone toward Neptune’s atmosphere. From a distance it appeared that, the pilot had a death wish. A reaction to this daring maneuver came promptly. Nok Daralamai, the new Triton Base commander, called the Blue Moon via a special comm-link. Anatoli Nemov took the call and looked at her with a friendly gaze.
»I just received confirmation that one of your Hawks has entered Neptune’s atmosphere. I hope that Commander Petrow didn’t misinterpret my orders,« she opened the conversation harshly.
The Blue Moon’s first officer remained calm. Daralamai’s eyes sparkled angrily, but she managed to maintain her self-control.
»I assure you, Commander, that we followed your orders to the letter,« he replied strongly.
»Nemov, don’t bullshit me! Call the Hawk and Petrow back. He can explain his actions in court. I will not let him get away disobeying my direct orders!«
»It is too late to call the Hawk back. Anyway, I’m right here Commander.«
After his last words, Petrow stepped into the camera range and stood beside Nemov.
»What is this?« Daralamai wanted to know. »Who’s flying the Hawk? I just hope for your sake that you didn’t jeopardize the life of one of your crew.«
»The Hawk is unmanned,« Petrow announced calmly. »Our technicians refitted it with enough power and a return program. The ship will land, take measurements and photos and then return, if everything goes as planned.«
Daralamai squinted.
»That was your plan all along, you just modified it a bit!« she hissed at him.
»Exactly, Commander. You allowed me to further investigate the object. I’m certain we can obtain some valuable data this way.«
Daralamai’s lips trembled slightly.
»I admit, I underestimated your creativity, Commander Petrow. I’m curious about what you’re going to find out. In the event that you do obtain useful data, it will be classified as crypto-secret and forwarded to me immediately. Is that clear?«
»Clear as chicken soup, Commander,« Petrow answered quickly.
»Before I forget …«
Petrow straightened.
»… in case your mission fails … I’ll have the Hawk deducted from your paychecks for the rest of your days!«
Petrow starred at her in disbelief. Didn’t she just wink at him?
As soon as she disconnected the comm-link, Petrow walked swiftly to his command console.
»I want to know how our Hawk is doing! Do we have any data yet?«
»Only the ionization trail of the ship, Sir, right now it’s glowing like a meteor. We won’t be able to receive anything until conditions stabilize,« Nemov commented.
»Is the Hawk still on course?«
»As far as we know, yes. We replicated the exact approach vector and speed. All we can do now is wait,« Wan Mui explained.
»How long will the Hawk remain on the object?« Petrow wanted to know.
»The craft will land for five minutes and deploy all types of sensors,« Nemov told him, »and attempt to transmit visual data. Then Wan Mui’s program will bring the craft back to us, but the propulsion system will be useless after that. We’ve calculated that the Hawk won’t be able to reach orbit, but that’s okay as long as we receive the data before it plunges back into the atmosphere.«
Petrow paled, remembering Daralamai’s threat to deduct the Hawk from his future income.
»The Hawk should arrive over the object at any moment,« Wan Mui reported excitedly. »We won’t be able to confirm visually, but our calculations were exact.«
Tense anticipation prevailed in the Blue Moon’s command central. Everyone wondered if this mission would finally lift the veil of mystery that shrouded the object?
»Nemov … talk to me!« Petrow pushed.
»It’s still too early, Commander!«
Petrow got up slowly and walked along the row of command consoles. He couldn’t sit down now.
»You know Nemov, the reason I’m so interested in this object is that I have a very strong feeling that Maya Ivanova is still alive, waiting for our help. I’ve no logical reason to believe that, but since McCord returned with his Eagle almost unharmed, I’ve been convinced that our commander is still down there.«
Nemov and Wan Mui glanced up briefly, then looked at their displays again. The time for the Hawk’s return would come soon.
»Still nothing?« Petrow inquired anew.
»We should receive the Hawk’s signature any second, Sir,« Wan Mui stated gently, trying to calm his commander. Time was running like molasses in the command central. Nemov’s eyes were glued to the screen.
»Have we made a mistake?« Petrow asked. The five minutes had long passed.
»I don’t know, Sir,« Wan Mui answered truthfully, »the Hawk should be on the screen any second …«
»Target! Detected and verified!« the scanner officer interrupted loudly. »Target video is falling apart into small fragments!«
»What happened? Is the Hawk falling apart?« Wan Mui asked surprised.
»Correction! The Hawk is climbing steadily! The other target videos have plasma charge characteristics! The Hawk is under fire!«
»What?« Petrow spun around and hastened to his commander’s seat.
»Attention everybody … BATTLE STATIONS!« he announced via intercom and hit the alert button. »Be prepared for an attack from inside Neptune’s atmosphere!«
The first plasma charges left Neptune’s atmosphere and passed the Blue Moon at a far distance.
»They missed!« reported the gunner officer. »The shots were not directed at us, but at the Hawk. Somebody down there is trying to prevent the ship from breaking through. Somebody … on the object!«
»Check the scanner data and retrieve the collected information before the Hawk is destroyed. We lose that, we lose everything!« Petrow commanded, fixing his eyes on the tactical displays.
»More plasma charges approaching! Directly on the Hawk’s flight path!«
Petrow began to perspire heavily.
»Wan Mui, report! The data?« he inquired loudly.
»Data is being transferred from the Hawk as we speak, Sir!«
Moments later the Hawk disappeared from the screens.
»The Hawk was hit, Commander!« reported the scanner officer.
Silent,
Petrow looked over to Wan Mui, who was busy collating the received data. He raised his right thumb, and Petrow breathed a sigh of relief and wiped his brow. Then Petrow’s commands came in quick succession.
»Depart Neptune’s night side immediately! Get the ship out of plasma weapon range. Crypto-code the received data and establish a secure link to Triton Base! Execute!«
»Commander, priority call from Nok Daralamai, she’s on the way with a Hawk and has ordered absolute radio silence!«
»What’s that supposed to mean?« Nemov asked, irritated.
The Hawk flew into an empty hangar without sending another message. Commander Nok Daralamai landed and went directly to the Blue Moon’s command central, where she was greeted by Petrow and his first officer, very perplexed.
Nok Daralamai quickly looked around, then said, »The entire crew is under Crypto Lockdown! There will be no shore leave until further notice. Radio communication only under the strictest security measures and only with me. Repeat my orders, Commander!«
Igor Petrow assumed attention and repeated her orders to the letter.
»May I ask the reasons, Commander?«
Nok Daralamai smiled.
»Yes, you may, but not here. Have the data transferred to your cabin and access blocked except you, Nemov and myself.«
She quickly turned around and invited Nemov and Petrow to follow her. Both men were visibly shaken and pale as they returned to the command central about an hour later. They didn’t say anything about their meeting with Nok Daralamai, nor did they reveal anything obtained from the received data.
The Agitator
The agitator went over the latest news and was so far satisfied with what he had achieved. The fleet re-armament program had been stopped and the boggled act of sabotage had slowed work at the shipyards with higher security levels and increasingly difficult working conditions.
They’ll make it harder for themselves, and give me more time to spread my network over the planet. Morgotradon planned wisely … nobody suspects me.
The agitator observed how his plans came together, piece by piece, while Humanity’s projects were falling behind day by day. Fosset Enterprises played a key role in the agitator’s plans, even knowing that eventually they would suspect Samuel McCord – exactly as Morgotradon had predicted. By then, however, his agents in political and economic circles will have brought enough pressure on the Solar Union that it will lose so much ground it would have to cease its expansion. By then, of course, McCord would have played his role and outlived his usefulness.
NEBULAR Collection 2 - The Expedition: NEBULAR Episodes 6 - 11 Page 32
