NEBULAR Collection 1 - The Triton Base: Episodes 1 - 5

by Thomas Rabenstein

  »Good God, Modrov! We almost crashed. Were you trying to roast us or just smash us into the ground?« Arkroid asked dryly.

  »Actually we’re at ten thousand meters. I thought we had agreed not to be any more of a target for the enemy’s plasma weapon than absolutely necessary?« the pilot answered in a raspy voice.

  »Never mind,« Arkroid replied with a cough. »Where exactly are we going to land? I’m a little disoriented … which continent are we flying over right now. ?«

  »The data from Admiral Hayes says Australia. The neuronal has taken over. All I can do is lean back and enjoy the beautiful scenery. This box is flying itself.«

  His tone belied his casual words; it was obvious that Modrov didn’t like this one bit.

  Arkroid smiled and adjusted the virtual display to eye level, then directed the outboard cameras toward the Earth’s surface.

  I’m looking forward to it, Arkroid thought, trying to hide his anxiety with sarcasm. Everything that had made Australia so charming in the past had been burned up decades ago by unfiltered ultraviolet radiation.

  Arkroid glanced at the dried out land, dirty brown rivers grooved into the barren landscape, and giant wandering dunes of red sand rolled over once inhabited agricultural regions. It reminded him of the original Martian surface. All living things, people, animals or plants, seemed to have no chance of survival south of the thirtieth. What animals were found there were only of the heartiest species. Spiders, cockroaches, insects and scorpions were the present day rulers of the continent. Large mammals had either died out during the last hundred years or migrated north. The cities and settlements of this region, including some large cities, presented a chilling picture. Deserted and abandoned, they were only ghost towns. The Australians had either retreated to the underwater habitats, Canada or to the islands and continents to the north.

  The dreary and dry landscape was repulsive to Arkroid. A cold shiver ran down his spine as he considered that the landscape below had once been fertile land.

  It was us Humans, our past generations at least, who destroyed the continent, he thought, depressed.

  Yet there was hope, perhaps, in the recently discovered new plants along the edge of Antarctica. There were two types of trees that showed a definite resistance to the hard ultraviolet radiation from the sun. Seeds of these ancient plants had apparently been conserved by the eternal ice and biologically reactivated when the ice in the coastal areas began to melt.

  Bemused researchers observed the greening of the desolate borders of the Antarctic continent and wondered if they could be used to restore life in the irradiated areas of Australia.

  »Almost there!« the pilot reported. »Switch to frontal view, if you want to see something interesting.«

  Arkroid followed the pilot’s recommendation and immediately saw a striking geological formation ahead.

  »That’s our destination?« Arkroid asked, astonished.

  »It sure looks like it. The Hawk is slowing down. I’ll be able to switch off the autopilot soon. Are you familiar with this region?« Modrov wanted to know.

  »I was never here personally, but every child knows about this object. It’s Ayer’s Rock, the largest monolith on Earth, also a holy place to the Aborigines of this continent.«

  The pilot didn’t comment; he was busy taking over the controls again. He flew a wide turn to approach the monolith from the south.

  »We’re supposed to land in the shadow of the mountain,« he briefly explained and hovered above their landing spot.

  »What’s down there?« Arkroid asked. »Can you see anything?«

  »Well, yes, clouds of dust, burned grass and rocks. I wonder what we’re supposed to do here, but the coordinates are correct. This is our destination!«

  Suddenly the wasteland at the foot of the sandstone mountain was flooded with bright light and a flashing cross appeared in the distance to guide the pilot.

  »Look at that,« Arkroid said, grinning. »A hidden landing field in the middle of the desert! Do the instruments show anything else?«

  »Strange,« the pilot muttered. »I scan a small underground power plant that must supply the energy for the landing strip as well as the beacon transmitter. Apart from that, only a few rundown huts at the foot of the mountain, which appear to be abandoned. Where’s our reception committee? This doesn’t make any sense to me.«

  As the Hawk landed, the navigation aids immediately extinguished and the vicinity looked as it had before – wasteland!

  The pilot shut down the propulsion system.

  »What’s this, am I dreaming? I can’t detect any energy source now. The beacon is silent.«

  Arkroid shrugged.

  »We’ve landed, haven’t we? That’s all we were instructed to do. Obviously, this place is meant to be strictly secret.«

  »Obviously,« Modrov replied with little confidence. »What’s next?«

  Arkroid shrugged again.

  »We wait and see or do you have a better proposal, Modrov?«

  »We could step outside and stretch our legs. Maybe even find a clue, if we search the area.«

  »I wouldn’t do that if I were you. The sunlight is extremely dangerous. Without suitable protective clothing, we shouldn’t leave the craft,« Arkroid warned.

  »But what about you?« The pilot wanted to know. »Can’t you withstand it?«

  »What are you talking about?« Arkroid asked, astonished.

  The pilot was unsure of himself.

  »Well, I’ve heard some rumors about underwater settlers. They say that you can get by all day without any drinking water and that you never get a sunburn even from the strongest sunlight. Your skin is supposedly protected by a microscopically thin layer of scales that makes you resistant to all types of sunshine.« Modrov paused as if realizing what he was saying. »That isn’t true?«

  Arkroid was silent and perplexed for a second. Then he couldn’t help himself any longer and laughed out loud.

  »That’s bullshit! I’ve never heard that one before, but believe me, Peter, I would die of thirst long before you. And the UV radiation would seal my fate. Living for so many years at the bottom of the ocean and seldom seeing the sun makes us very sensitive to UV radiation.«

  Arkroid gave the pilot a quick blink over the comm-screen.

  The discussion was apparently becoming embarrassing for Modrov. He changed the subject.

  »I’ll scan the red mountain itself with the short range radar and see if there’s anything of interest.«

  The pilot adjusted the sensors and transferred the results to Arkroid’s display.

  »A natural geologic formation of red sandstone. Supposed to be the remains of a former mountain that in ancient times broke off and tipped over. Most of the monolith is beneath the surface. The fragment rises above a wasteland area of two and a half kilometers by four and a half kilometers. Height: 348 meters. Apart from that, I can’t find anything special.«

  Before Arkroid could reply, a sudden jolt shook the machine.

  »What was that?« Arkroid asked, startled.

  The pilot looked around nervously, but there was nothing apparent.

  »The sand! It’s going upward!« the pilot exclaimed with surprise. »We’re sinking into the ground!«

  »Are you sure?« Arkroid asked unbelievingly, and the pilot immediately corrected his statement.

  »I think we’ve landed on some kind of a lift platform!«

  The deeper the Hawk sank into the ground, the darker it became in the cockpit and passenger compartment.

  »We’re really on the way down. And there’s a steel cover closing above us. Unbelievable!«

  Arkroid could see for himself now that the Hawk, slowly at first, and then with increasing speed, was sinking toward the depths. They could see illuminated corridors passing by on their way down. Arkroid had counted twenty levels before their descent began slowing.

  »This is really fascinating. I’ll have to speak to Hayes about this. A secret station inside Ayer’s Rock! As the h
ead of the Department of Extraterrestrial Affairs, I should have been familiar with this installation.«

  The platform stopped with a final shudder after a descent of about five minutes, and they stood precisely in the middle of a large hall.

  »End of the line,« Arkroid announced dryly.

  Silently, both men prepared to leave the ship.

  A strange object

  Donald Day followed the disturbing news from Earth with mixed feelings. The Triton Base commander had just recently avoided the destruction of his base. Who knew what the enemy would do now with the awakening of the Globuster Lord? Scouts and sensors had detected renewed Globuster activity in the Kuiper Belt, and for several days the command staff had been deliberating about how to meet a possible attack.

  Maya Ivanova’s Globusterfist was quickly accepted and a few improvements had already been made to the improvised weapon. DEA commandos were transferred from the Shenzhou to Triton Base and were prepping for a possible ground defense.

  The Ryan made many trips to follow the constantly shifting radio hole in the previously impervious Globuster Matrix. Her scientists located numerous signal sources and intercepted further messages. The quantities of recorded data far exceeded the IRS’ neuronal computer capacity and had been sent to Mars and Earth for further evaluation.

  The Star Hall at Triton Base, previously a favorite meeting place of the crew, was permanently designated as a backup conference center once the command control room had proven to be too small and inadequate. Neptune’s blue planetary disk, clearly visible through the transparent dome, presented an impressive backdrop.

  »It still doesn’t look good for us and there’s no way we can feel secure,« Day opened the meeting formally, if a bit edgily. The Ryan and Shenzhou cannot defend the station in an all out attack. Our cruisers are unarmed and inferior to the Globusterships in every respect.« The commander only recapitulated what everyone in the hall already knew.

  »Why don’t we request the Blue Moon?« Maya Ivanova remarked enthusiastically. »The battleship could support us –and deliver two of the inertial dampers for the Shenzhou and the Ryan.«

  It was evident that the Russian-born commander was bored. She wanted to take the offensive. She had proposed several times to fly to Sedna, but Day had strenuously vetoed her every time the subject came up. There was another enemy outpost on Sedna, according to their reconnaissance data.

  Day was convinced that the Globusters would immediately attack the cruiser and destroy it as it approached Sedna. He had good reason; that was exactly what had happened to all the reconnaissance probes that had been sent to the planetoid.

  The Triton Base commander faintly shook his head.

  »No, the Blue Moon is needed in the vicinity of Earth in the battle against the Soulwalker. The inertial dampers have already been brought to a safe place on the Moon. Our scientists are examining them. So far it’s doubtful that we can discover their functional principles, let alone build more, so those are all we’ve got.«

  Lai Pi, the reverse engineering specialist, unconditionally agreed with the commander.

  »The technicians at Moon Base are groping in the dark. They can’t even duplicate the energy source,« he said. »If we can’t get a technical hand from that Shwakan, then we’re fighting a losing battle. If some day the inertial dampers fail, then we can neither replace nor repair them.«

  David Morgenstern cleared his throat and took the floor.

  »We’ve secured Triton Base as well as we possibly can. Emergency evacuation plans are in place and we have at least an improvised space defense. We can use the meteorite defense system although we’ve had to completely reprogram the target acquisition systems. I personally question the effectiveness of the high energy lasers. I just want to remind you of the DEA report on Quaoar. The Globustership didn’t react at all to a direct strike, but a single hit from their plasma weapon was all it took to literally melt a Hawk.«

  »We know all that!« Ivanova interrupted and energetically tossed her long hair back. »Nevertheless, we were able to kill a Globuster. I’d strongly suggest we adapt the acquired experience to battle the enemy ships. I assume that the defense shields of their lens-ships work like the Globuster’s body shields. They must be based on the same principle.«

  »You’re suggesting using slower weapon technology, something similar to your Globusterfist?« Morgenstern asked, disbelieving. »The enemy spaceships are way too fast and maneuverable.«

  Bill Davis, the leader of the Triton-Hawks, listened with interest. He had learned to respect Maya Ivanova as a gifted fighter.

  »Knowing you, I’m really curious to hear your proposal, Commander,« he said dryly.

  She looked at Davis with an indefinable expression.

  »I’m thinking of stationary weapons – weapons which don’t need to be fired. What do you think about mines deployed in space around Triton?«

  »Are you serious? You want to place bombs in space?« Morgenstern asked, perplexed. »Even if we had enough mines stockpiled, it would be hazardous."«

  »Riskier than waiting here like sitting ducks?« Ivanova burst out.

  Day interrupted the dispute.

  »I’ll send the idea in a note to Earth. Thank you for your proposal, Commander. It may be useful at a later date. The priority right now is to establish a solid ground defense. If the Globusters attack Triton Base, I want to be prepared. Ivanova and Davis, deal with the tactical questions. Morgenstern, you will organize the space reconnaissance and defense. IRS scientists will continue gathering information and forward them to Earth. I will personally handle the emergency evacuation plan. That’s all we can do for now.«

  »We still have to discuss the strange target echo we detected when the Quaoar fragments struck Neptune’s atmosphere,« Karl Jörgmundson, leader of the SETI project, insisted.

  Bill Davis listened up.

  »What echo, Karl?«

  The scientist cleared his throat.

  »As you all know, our ships were safely deployed to Neptune’s opposite side when Quaoar’s fragments approached. As the remains of the planetoid collided with the gas planet, a powerful shockwave spread through the atmosphere. Nothing similar to this has ever occurred before. We re-directed our instruments and sensors to document the event and in the process discovered some noteworthy atmospheric current anomalies in the deeper gas layers.«

  »Can you give us a better description of these anomalies than ‘noteworthy’?« Maya Ivanova asked snipping, visibly surprised.

  »The shockwaves, produced by the impact on the opposite side of the planet, traveled around the entire world several times but were always reflected from the same place. It seems that a massive body is deeply concealed in the lower cloud levels as if it’s swimming in Neptune’s atmosphere.«

  »What could it be, in your opinion?« Day asked, excited.

  »No idea,« Jörgmundson openly confessed. »We have, however, kept an eye on the object. It could be a natural phenomenon. Much is possible in a gas giant’s atmosphere. I want to send some reconnaissance probes to examine it closer.«

  »Okay, we’ll do that, Karl,« Day said and ended the short meeting. »Let’s get to work. We’ll meet again in eight hours. Let’s hope everything remains quiet.«

  Uluru

  Toiber Arkroid was fascinated by the underground installation. The platform had taken the Hawk deep underneath the earth. Each of the twenty floors was about ten meters high so that the underground facility must extend at least two hundred meters into the ground.

  As Arkroid and Modrov left the Hawk through the airlock and stepped outside, they were quickly covered by a group of armed guards, aiming their heavy guns directly at the visitors.

  »Yo, yo, careful, careful …,« Arkroid sought to calm the men, but the group leader, a Space Fleet Lieutenant, only hissed, »Hands up! Quiet, not a sound, and don’t move!«

  Arkroid felt the men’s tension and quietly asked, »What’s going on here?«

  His question was
ignored. Modrov became visibly nervous and looked around several times, irritated. He was beginning to consider how he could escape from here.

  Arkroid gave the pilot a warning look.

  »Be quiet and don’t move. We’ll find out soon enough what’s going on here.«

  »What kind of weird-ass guns do they have and why are we being treated like unfriendlies?«

  Arkroid studied the weapons and saw a shimmering around the muzzles. The barrel was thicker and more heavily embossed than a conventional projectile weapon.

  »I don’t know,« Arkroid answered truthfully, »I don’t need to be convinced that they work.«

  »I said to be quiet!« The lieutenant said in a sharper tone than before and Arkroid obeyed. They stood without moving for about five minutes in total silence. Then a man in a white lab coat suddenly pushed his way through the ring of soldiers. He wore the unmistakable emblem of a Solar Union Researcher on his arm. He carried an old fashioned injection pistol. Arkroid didn’t recognize the man and became increasingly uneasy. What did he intend to do?

  The scientist, apparently a local Aborigine with very dark, almost black skin, looked penetratingly at the visitors for a moment, then slowly approached Arkroid.

  »Remove your shirts and uncover your shoulders, both of you, please.« The instruction was clear and allowed no other interpretation. Arkroid signaled the pilot and both men followed the order. While standing there in their short sleeved, Government Issue undershirts, each of the visitors received an injection into the shoulder, then the scientist stood back a few steps, visibly satisfied. Arkroid’s arm and shoulder hurt a bit; he asked with a trace of anger in his voice, »And? Are we finished with our flu shots?« Arkroid’s sarcasm was either not heard or not understood.

  Arkroid didn’t fail to notice the way the researcher continuously monitored a small device on his left wrist. After additional, seemingly endless minutes had passed, the scientist nodded with satisfaction and told the soldiers to lower their weapons. The muzzle shimmerings died out.