“Isn’t that a bit of a breach in your security?” he asked, indicating the Nilfrits’ holes.
“Nah, they’re the only ones that can make it down here, and they won’t be telling anyone,” he said, “They’re curious about you. We haven’t had this much excitement… well, ever.” Dr. Darwyth loaded the computer tile into a small slot in the wall below the large monitor and the screen came to life with Renix’s image.
“Hello, Dr. Darwyth. This transmission is confidential. The Senate and Master Darrignar have a mission for you. Unless you are able to complete the mission, do not share any of the information contained in this file or relating to your project with Neutrino and his navigator,” Lylia rolled her eyes and sighed sharply at only being referred to as ‘Neutrino’s navigator’.
“Don’t worry,” Dr. Darwyth said with a knowing glance at Neutrino and Lylia, “I don’t care if you hear what that old blowfish has to say.”
“…from an unknown entity near the borderlands. It has blown holes in almost every part of the Slipstream with some kind of unknown weapon, and is slowly making its way towards the Central Worlds, eradicating all life from the planets it passes on its way here. The Sun-entity, (as it’s being called), has cleaned at least three worlds so far,” Renix continued. His image disappeared and a picture of what looked like a massive white-yellow sun appeared.
“This image was taken with long range sensors and relayed ship to ship back to Central just before the battleship Protector was ordered to engage the Sun-entity. They entered the area over twelve hours ago. They were sent to communicate with the Sun-entity if possible. If the Sun-entity did not respond or continued advancing, they were ordered to attack. We received a relayed transmission just over an hour ago and it appears they tried all methods of communicating and were going to open fire. We’ve had no further messages since then and it is believed that the ship has been destroyed.
“The Protector was sent before Neutrino returned from Arnasi with information regarding the attack on their planet. It was a rather fortunate turn of events that he was diverted there, because their information has been invaluable. Unfortunately it was too late to order the Protector to abort. We did not know what the Sun-entity was capable of doing to life on planets exactly, and it probably would have been better not to attack it immediately given the situation. We also received this image which the Arnasians took as the Sun-entity approached their planet.”
A second image appeared which revealed the Sun-entity to actually be made up of thousands of much smaller entities, each one burning brightly as though it were a collection of stars navigating the galaxy together. It was an incredible and frightening sight. As Renix continued talking, Neutrino stared at the picture of the Sun-entity with a sense of dread and a rather unwelcome sense of relief that he had arrived on Arnasi after it had attacked. His hair twitched just looking at it.
Where is it now? How many more worlds has it destroyed? With the Stream being so torn up, messages took forever to transmit.
“Our last intelligence is that the Sun-entity is continuing its journey here,” Renix’s face reappeared on the monitor, “However it is moving very slowly, giving us time to try and figure out a way to deal with it. I have been meeting with the Senate and several of the scientists at the base. We believe we have a plan.
“It would appear that it cannot be destroyed with any conventional weapons. The Protector was one of the most advanced ships in the fleet; if it couldn’t destroy the Sun-entity, we doubt any of the other ships will be able to. So we think our best course of action is to further our efforts to communicate with it. Its actions indicate that it is sentient. If we can talk to it, maybe we can bargain with it. Find out what it wants and then convince it to leave our space without doing any further harm.
“This is where you come in, Dr. Darwyth. If your project is complete, you must show Neutrino and his navigator how to use it. We would have tried to send Lightspeed with them, but unfortunately, he is one of the many who has either been lost or is stranded somewhere. Once they have been trained, go with them to Oolia 6 where you will pick up a passenger and take him to the Sun-entity. He may be able to communicate with these things where conventional methods have failed. I hope your project is complete and I wish you well.”
He wants me to do what?
The screen went dark and everyone, except for the Nilfrits that were still rolling around, stood silent for a moment. Neutrino was having a hard time digesting the idea that he would be traveling right under the nose of this powerful and malicious enemy, apparently with not one but three passengers.
How is that even possible? Presumably, Dr. Darwyth’s invention made it possible. He started to feel a little short of breath and briefly hoped that Dr. Darwyth’s project, whatever it was, would not yet be completed.
“Well, that’s… interesting,” Dr. Darwyth finally said. It seemed like kind of a strange comment to Neutrino at first, but he figured it wasn’t really that odd. After all, what could you say after finding out the fate of the entire system depends on you?
“Interesting? How about ridiculous?” Lylia complained. “They want us to talk to it? That’s their big plan? We’ll be slaughtered!” All three of them just stood there and digested that thought.
“You’ve been to Arnasi? You were there after it attacked?” Dr. Darwyth asked Neutrino.
“Yes, more than half the population was lost and all of the plants and trees disappeared too. Only the ones that could get below ground before the attack survived, like Lylia.”
“What happened?” Dr. Darwyth asked her with a look of concern and sympathy.
“It happened so quickly, I didn’t even really see anything,” she said snappily. She shrugged, “I was inside the Port when someone ran in and yelled for us to all go to the Under City,” Lylia paused. She looked briefly sad, as though a tide of emotion was being tied down behind those dark eyes. Perhaps more because she wanted to change the subject than any real interest, she asked, “What is this project you’re working on? Is that it? Under the tarp?”
“It sure is,” Dr. Darwyth said, his face losing some of its somberness as he looked towards the enormous object concealed by the white tarp. “You want to see it?”
Neutrino and Lylia nodded and Dr. Darwyth walked over to the main computer station just outside the work area. Neutrino had to admit that he was curious to know what it was, even though he hoped it wasn’t ready yet. Dr. Darwyth pushed a few buttons and the white tarp began to lift slowly. Neutrino looked up and saw that there were nine thick cords attached to the tarp being pulled by a large mechanical arm extending from the rock wall several meters above them. He looked back down and saw a ship emerging from beneath its cover.
20. Realizing a Dream
It was not very large for a starship, but next to the three of them it was enormous. It looked much like any other ship Neutrino had ever seen, with a small cabin and two short, aerodynamic wings on either side, but there were other things about it that were entirely foreign. The most noticeable was an extremely long fin that extended well below the main cabin. It was easily twice the length of the entire ship and at the end was a very wide foot that looked something like the head of a hammer turned sideways. Also extending from the bottom cabin were four thin legs that kept the ship standing. A second fin, which was much shorter even than the wings, stuck straight out of the top of the ship, and the whole thing almost seemed to sparkle blue.
“Is that…? Is that almatium in the hull?” Lylia asked as she began walking around the ship.
“Of course you would notice that, being from Arnasi,” Dr. Darwyth smiled.
“But, I’ve never seen a hull so saturated with it before.”
“Of course not. Normal ships don’t need so much protection. But this… This is a streamship.”
“A streamship? I thought that was impossible,” Neutrino said, “Ships can’t fly in the Slipstream.”
“This one doesn’t fly in the Slipstream; it sails on top
of it.” No one said anything for a moment. Neutrino and Lylia just stared, awestruck.
“That’s incredible,” said Lylia. “Does it work?”
“Yes,” Dr. Darwyth said tentatively, “More or less.”
More or less?
“What does that mean?” Neutrino asked. If he was going to have to fly in it he would have preferred a more convincing endorsement.
“Well, most of the time it does quite well in the Stream, but occasionally it gets thrown out. I’ve been tweaking the design for the last fifteen years, two or three more years and I think we would have it.”
“I thought you’d been here for nineteen years?” Neutrino asked.
“I have, but I’ve had other projects that I’ve worked on, mostly on regular starships. I designed the almatium plating that all ships are now outfitted with. And I had a big hand in designing the class three propulsion system,” he paused with a far-away look in his eyes. “But I’d always dreamed of creating a streamship, ever since I saw my first Messenger Competition as a kid. I spent countless hours looking up at that orange ribbon and imagining ways to make it work. When I finally had a plausible idea I convinced the Senate to let me work on it. Unfortunately, it’s taken a lot longer than I thought it would.”
“Why has it taken so long?” Lylia inquired.
“Well, making a streamship is more difficult than you would think. You see, a Messenger moves with the Stream. A big, bulky ship has trouble making the appropriate adjustments at the speeds that the Slipstream travels. By the time instructions get from the pilot to the ship, it’s too late. That’s why I had the idea to stick a rudder down into the Slipstream and have the ship float on top like a boat on a river. The streamship pilot connects directly to the propulsion systems and response time is practically nothing. But there are still problems with it around sharp curves and with exits.” Neutrino laughed inwardly at the irony. The streamship, the hope of billions, was a lot like him.
“Is it usable?” Lylia asked, “I mean, will it work to get to Oolia 6 and complete the mission?” Neutrino held his breath.
Please say no, please say no.
“I think so. I’ll need to complete some of the modifications that I’ve been working on and close up the various exposed panels. I was trying to improve the gravity system, but we’ll have to do with what we’ve got.”
“How long?”
“About ten hours I think, give or take,” Dr. Darwyth said after a moment’s consideration. Neutrino let out a disappointed sigh. He knew it was for the best, but he still felt terrified. “Then I’ll have to train Neutrino on how to fly it and get you set with the navigation system. So, maybe twelve hours at most.”
“Very well. Do you have a communication station here? I’ll send a message to Central. They won’t receive it for several hours without a ship relay, but I don’t think we should make any unnecessary trips through the Slipstream.” At least that was one thing Neutrino could be happy about. Dr. Darwyth directed her to a nearby computer station where she set to work creating a coded message.
“Excuse me, Dr. Darwyth--” Neutrino began.
“Just Darwyth will do.”
“Okay, Darwyth, why do I have to pilot the streamship? Wouldn’t you be better at it?”
“No, I know how it works technically, but only an experienced Messenger knows how the Slipstream works. Don’t worry, it’s very intuitive. I designed it specifically for Messengers with their help. That’s why I always have Messengers coming here every few months. They drop off any news or instructions, supplies, check my progress, and give me feedback on the prototype. It’s too bad Lightspeed couldn’t be here, he’s been coming here the last few years and he was getting pretty good at using the streamship.”
“You might be better off with Neutrino anyway, no one else has been able to navigate the Stream as damaged as it is,” Lylia interjected.
“Is that so? You must be a pretty amazing Messenger.”
“Not really, no. I’m just a cadet. This is my fourth round of training. The only reason I can do it is because I fall out of the Stream so often that maneuvering back into it at the breaks is…Well, let’s just say I have a lot of practice.” Neutrino was getting accustomed to sharing his personal embarrassment. He’d never told so many people about his wretched capabilities. It was strange to now think of it as a point of pride. The little Nilfrit at his neck burrowed in closer and began the purr-chirping sound again. Neutrino had been so distracted by the streamship and the mission details; he had nearly forgotten it was there. The little consolation it offered now was well appreciated.
“Scientists usually learn more from their failures than they do from their successes,” Darwyth said reassuringly. Neutrino was beginning to like him too.
“Done,” Lylia said with a final tap on the keyboard, “Can we help you with your work, Dr. Darwyth?”
“It’s just Darwyth. And no, I don’t think you can. I pretty much have to do it myself and the Nilfrits usually assist me, handing me tools and such. They’re pretty quick at it. Why don’t you two go get some rest or a bite to eat? If you’re bored you could always go wandering up top. Just let the Nilfrits know when you want to come back down and I’ll let you in.”
“Thank you, Darwyth,” said Lylia, “If we can do anything…”
“Yeah, yeah, get out of here,” he said as he turned and walked towards the streamship with several Nilfrits rolling around his feet.
Neutrino looked over at Lylia. It had been such a strange and hurried few days; finally having a break was odd. Neither of them seemed to know what to do with it.
“So, do you want to get something to eat?” he asked.
“Do you think he has something besides moldy cheese down here?”
“I hope so,” he smiled. Neutrino looked into her beautiful face smiling back at him and for a moment he didn’t mind so much, being on the edge of disaster. Then she turned, and walked away.
21. Moonlight and Nilfrits
Neutrino rolled over again in the lumpy old bed and tried to get comfortable. The bed in Darwyth’s personal quarters below ground was much better, but there was only one, so Neutrino did the gentlemanly thing and let Lylia have it. He was almost beginning to regret that decision. Between his anxiety, the sunlight still streaming into the cabin, and the horrible bed that smelled of mildew, he was finding it very difficult to sleep. He had dozed off a few times, but was awoken by nightmares of falling off a cliff. They were the kind of dreams that made your heart skip a beat.
Neutrino sat up and looked around. The Nilfrits that were nesting on top of him stirred from their rest and rolled away. The little one, which had been jostled away from his face, reattached itself to his neck. Neutrino reached up and idly gave the thing a pat. Through the window he saw the late afternoon sunlight beaming through the trees.
“Well, I suppose sleep will be impossible, at least until the sun sets. What do you think little guy?” Neutrino looked down at the little Nilfrit and rubbed his not fur. He checked the time and figured he still had about six hours to kill before Darwyth would have the ship ready.
“How about a walk? What do you think Fuzzball?” The little Nilfrit chirped angrily. “What, you don’t want to take a walk? Or you don’t like being called Fuzzball?” Neutrino could swear the little guy understood him and was put off by the nickname.
“Well, I have to call you something.” Putting on his boots, Neutrino started making suggestions. “How about just Fuzzy? Fuzz? Fizz?” The Nilfrit made a happy little sound at the last one.
“So, you don’t like Fuzzball, Fuzzy or Fuzz, but Fizz is good?” he asked skeptically, they weren’t that different. When the Nilfrit chirped happily again Neutrino conceded. “Fine then, Fizz it is.” He smirked at the little rhyme and patted Fizz again on his way out the door.
Deep in thought, Neutrino wandered aimlessly through the forest with Fizz on his shoulder. He saw his life as it had been, and looked forward to the future. He tried to ignore the idea th
at his future might be extremely short, and instead looked beyond his current mission. Assuming it was a success, what would happen afterwards?
A celebration I suppose, maybe even a parade. It seemed foolish to fantasize about such things. It was almost certainly a jinx on the whole mission. But still… he couldn’t stop himself from imagining it. He saw himself receiving praise and awards, preferably with Lylia at his side. He saw her smiling face again and couldn’t help smiling a little to himself. Neutrino was so preoccupied by his own thoughts that he had absentmindedly begun following the other Nilfrits which seemed to be herding him down a narrow path.
“Where are we going, guys?” he asked. They chirped happily and continued leading him forward. The forest became so thick he could hardly squeeze between the trees and bushes, but still the Nilfrits led him on. He was about to turn back when they suddenly broke through the tree line to the edge of a small lake. The water was clear blue tinted orange by the slowly setting sun. About ten meters out, someone was swimming laps rapidly back and forth. It was Lylia.
“Way to go, guys,” he whispered to the Nilfrits. He watched Lylia as she cut her way through the water, and realized for the first time just how long her arms and legs really were. Not quite enough to be abnormal, but certainly more than average, giving a graceful, almost bird-like quality to her movements.
“How’s the water?” Neutrino called to Lylia when she paused long enough for him to get her attention. He was starting to feel a bit like a creep just watching her.
“Better than the Herrian Ocean,” she called back. He walked over to where Lylia had left her uniform and took off his own, revealing the same standard issue sleeveless black shirt and shorts that she was wearing. He carefully placed the yellow handkerchief within the folds of his shirt and walked down to the water’s edge. Fizz, apparently not interested in getting into the lake, jumped off his shoulder and joined his kin on the shore. Neutrino dove into the smooth warm waves and swam over to where Lylia was. The water felt magnificent, and it had a strange, wonderful scent to it, almost like a perfume.
Slipstream Messenger (Neutrino Book 1) Page 12
