by Adair Hart
“You?” she asked after jerking her head back.
He waved a hand in the air. “I know I can be stubborn, and I’m not even sure I can convince myself. It took draug falling from the ceiling and attacking us to snap me into reality.”
She shrugged. “Then maybe that’s what you need to do.”
He chuckled. “Drop from the ceiling and attack myself?”
“You know what I mean,” she said, drawing her lips to the right.
“What about you? Have you figured out what you’re going to say?”
She nodded. “I have, actually. I’m just gonna lay it all out, describe some of the things I’ve been through and the decisions I’ve made, and it should be all good.”
“What if the other you is wild or something?” he asked, taking another sip of his coffee.
“Then she will see what constrained wild can look like,” she said with a twinkle in her eyes.
He grinned. After some more light discussion and finishing his coffee, he stood. “We may not even have to do any of this if it’s someone else. Anyways, command center time.” He exited the room, with Emily in tow.
Once he got to the command area, he noticed that Evaran was in his command chair like he always was. V was showing Edev how to operate the front console, and Levaran was in her seat next to Dr. Snowden’s usual spot.
Levaran waved at them. “Hey, you two. Ready to head out?”
Dr. Snowden took his seat. “Ready as I’ll ever be. What’s our first stop?”
Evaran tapped at his chair console. “We are going to the Krotovore ship in the Andromeda galaxy at the moment when I would have appeared out there.”
“Oh … fun times ahead. This is going to be interesting to see everything from your perspective,” said Dr. Snowden. He smiled at Levaran. “I guess you’ve already seen it.”
Levaran nodded. “I have, and it was an interesting experience.”
“I bet,” said Dr. Snowden with a chuckle.
Evaran interacted with his chair console. “V, take us there.”
“Acknowledged.”
A white beam shot out from the Torvatta. After a few minutes, a blue-bordered portal with a dark-gray rippling surface appeared. The Torvatta flew through it.
Dr. Snowden thought that they would enter into space, but based on what he knew, they were now in the timeline void. Since they were in the universal cell with Levaran’s Torvatta, it seemed the progression was to go to the timeline void inside the universe, then into the timeline.
The Torvatta shot out a silver beam, and after the green bordered portal with a red rippling surface appeared, it flew through.
The familiar feeling of deep space comforted Dr. Snowden. Although he was glad to have seen what was outside the timeline, universe, and beyond, it was the stars that he felt most at home with. A planet loomed under the Torvatta, with a small moon in the distance. He swung his head around as he surveyed the screen. “So … there should be a Krotovore ship here, right?”
Evaran nodded. “V, perform long-range scans.”
“Acknowledged.”
An overhead view of the solar system and surrounding ones appeared to hover on the front screen. A wave pulsed from a dot outward in concentric circles. Items popped up as they were detected.
Dr. Snowden had seen it before and recognized some of the objects. The swirly spiral object he knew was a rift, probably the one the Krotovore ship was supposed to come through. It was the gray icon near the rift that caught his eye. “What’s … that?”
Evaran drew his lips taut. “A Time Warden anchor station.”
“Were they there before in our universe?”
“They were not,” said Evaran. “It would seem they are more active in this universe. This could imply that things are very different here. V, take us to Jupiter and to February 5, 2012, at three p.m. Engage stealth mode prior to flying through.”
“Acknowledged,” said V as his segmented arms flew around the front console.
“I thought we were abducted on the fourth?” asked Dr. Snowden.
“You were. However, it took them a day to get to Jupiter.”
“Oh, I guess that makes sense,” said Dr. Snowden, nodding.
The outside of the Torvatta shimmered from view, then eased back in. The Torvatta then shot out a portal.
“Torvatta stealth mode engaged,” said V.
Dr. Snowden noted that in the past, he could never tell if the Torvatta was in stealth mode, but with the new screens, he could see the outline of it on the Torvatta layout display. The outline was light blue and the text “Stealth” sat under the display. It occurred to him that he would now be able to see a lot more of what the Torvatta actually did. One of the actions he remembered was that the Torvatta extended utility rods. His understanding of it was that they extended from the sides and past the shields and allowed interaction for things like communication or scanning. Looking at the display, he could see that the rods were extended.
The Torvatta flew through the portal and exited outside Jupiter.
Dr. Snowden’s eyes widened. It never got old to him to see the planets up close. From where they were, Jupiter covered up a significant part of the view.
“V, perform long-range scans,” said Evaran.
“Acknowledged.”
Emily narrowed her eyes. “Are you looking for the ship that took us?”
“I am,” said Evaran. “We will know momentarily if the Krotovore ship even came here.”
“Cool.”
“Analysis. Krotovore main ship detected. Two Krotovore scout ships en route to the main ship.”
Evaran gestured forward. “Track and follow them.”
“Acknowledged.”
“Two of them? It was one in our abduction,” said Dr. Snowden.
Evaran nodded. “I suspect then that whoever or whatever was abducted will be different.”
Dr. Snowden gulped. “Seems like everything is … slightly off over here.”
“I concur,” said Evaran.
Levaran laid a hand on Dr. Snowden’s shoulder. “Whatever the situation is, we’ll handle it.”
A warm glow washed over him. Levaran, like Evaran, was a calming presence. He wondered if she could detect his uneasiness. Part of it was seeing or doing anything in relation to the Krotovore; the other was now knowing that the situation was not happening as expected. His experiences so far had led him to believe that when things were not as they should be, then something bad was happening.
For the next several hours, the Torvatta followed the Krotovore scout ships.
He knew that the Krotovore would not be able to detect the Torvatta. The outline of the ships on the screen with various details showed that they were hauling it out of the solar system. The Torvatta was able to match the speed of the ships with ease. The speed at which the ships could move still astounded him. The Oort cloud was not a trivial distance away.
When the Krotovore ship appeared, his skin crawled. He had never seen it fully from the outside, but the insect-like appendages on the slim body seemed Krotovore in design. The immense size surprised him, and the scout ships were but tiny dots as they approached the main ship.
“V, perform standard scans,” said Evaran.
“Acknowledged.”
The Torvatta scanned as it flew around the Krotovore ship.
Dr. Snowden sat mesmerized by the detail labels popping all around the outline. It had everything from shield type and strength to engine type and hull material.
After twenty minutes, Evaran interacted with his chair console. “V, move us away a bit, then open a portal to where the Krotovore ship will leave this galaxy. After that, take us to February 25 at twelve oh five in the afternoon and engage stealth mode.”
“Acknowledged.”
Dr. Snowden remembered that the Krotovore ship would fly for three more weeks, run into a Kreagan Star Empire fleet, get damaged, and then escape through a space-time rift. At least that is how Evaran described it when he had r
escued them from the Krotovore ship long ago.
The Torvatta moved away until the Krotovore ship was but a blip in the distance. After opening a portal, it flew through.
Emily fidgeted in her seat. The sight of the Krotovore ship caused her nanobots to pulse a bit. Memories flooded her mind, from the death of Sanjay, another human whom Evaran tried to save, to the krall that defended them at the expense of its own health.
This situation appeared to be slightly different, and she was unsure of how that would impact things, but going back into the Krotovore ship would be therapeutic for her in a way. This time, instead of being unprepared and scared, she had a suit, weapons, appropriate training, and experience.
She watched as the Torvatta exited the portal. The outside of the Torvatta shimmered away, then eased back in. A quick survey showed that there was nothing but deep space.
“Torvatta stealth mode engaged.”
“V, perform long-range scans,” said Evaran.
“Acknowledged.”
Emily scanned the screen as the familiar overhead view of various star systems appeared. She had studied the icons with Dr. Snowden and had become familiar with them from other systems. The orange swirly icon of a rift appeared, with a massing of other dots. “Well, at least the rift is there.”
“Indeed,” said Evaran. “V, take us there.”
“Acknowledged.”
The Torvatta opened a portal and flew through. It exited it into a firefight.
Emily’s eyes widened as she saw the Krotovore ship being hammered by a fleet of other ships. The space-time rift also had a structure hovering out in front of it, firing at both the fleet of ships and the Krotovore ship.
Evaran narrowed his eyes. “V, place us between the Krotovore ship and the Time Warden rift anchor station.”
“Acknowledged.”
As the Torvatta moved to place itself, Emily eased back into her chair while clasping her hands. “You think the reason there was no Krotovore ship is because it was destroyed before making it to the rift?”
Evaran nodded. “It would appear that way. The Torvatta should be able to disable the Time Warden anchor station. From past experience, we know that the Krotovore ship can handle the sustained Kreagan fleet assault.”
“So we’re going to cause a timeline change then, right?” she asked.
“We are.”
“Umm … ,” said Dr. Snowden, raising a finger. “How is the Torvatta going to disable the Time Warden station?”
Evaran gestured at Levaran.
Levaran grinned. “We’re going to ram it.”
Dr. Snowden raised his eyebrows as he scanned the screen. “Well, I guess that would do it.”
“It should. Without the station’s support, the Time Wardens on board will be flushed out to space and torn apart by the rift,” said Levaran.
“What if it has shields?” asked Dr. Snowden. “The facility had shields, and it required the planar beam generator. I would guess they would have shielding on anything near a rift.”
Evaran clenched his jaw for a moment, then unclenched it. “The anchor station has a different type of shield. It is more of a kinetic shield meant to deflect, mixed with a timeline energy shield meant to protect from the rift. It is much weaker than the facility’s shields, but it allows them to use stealth without being detected. If they had the same shielding as the facility, it would light up on every sensor around. The Torvatta is capable of penetrating the station’s shields.” He raised a finger. “However, the connection between both anchor stations must be disrupted first. Once it is destroyed, we will head through the rift and destroy the station on the other end.”
“Then everything should be normal, relatively speaking,” said Dr. Snowden.
Evaran nodded. “In our universe, it was a bit less complicated. I suspect, like this encounter, that when we board the Krotovore ship, what we encounter will be very different. I expect Jerzan will appear as expected. However, he most likely will not be the only mercenary group that arrives.”
“Hopefully they’re as incompetent as Jerzan,” said Emily.
“If it is the groups I am thinking of, we will need to be extra cautious. I took care of those groups in our universe. That is not the case here.”
Dr. Snowden nodded. “I’m sure we can handle it. I mean … c’mon … two Evarans … V … Edev …” He pointed at Emily. “And if that’s not enough, we have her.”
Emily snorted.
“We will deal with it when we get there. However, first, we need to get the Krotovore ship through the space-time rift,” said Evaran.
Dr. Snowden nodded.
After ten minutes, the Torvatta had flown around the Krotovore ship and was angling in toward the Time Warden anchor station.
Emily noted that there was a visible beam emitting from the station into the rift. She gestured at it. “The anchor line that keeps the rift open.”
“You are correct,” said Evaran. “It tethers the two stations together and is partially made of pure timeline energy, which keeps the rift open. The Torvatta’s shields can disrupt it. Once down, there is a small window of time before the rift collapses.”
“Gotcha,” said Emily, bobbing her head. She remembered that the Torvatta had used its shields to disrupt space-time rifts before to deal with a troublesome time traveler. “Like the space-time rifts with Billozein.”
Evaran nodded. “It is similar in concept.” He gestured at V. “Disrupt that beam.”
“Acknowledged.”
The Torvatta moved between the Time Warden anchor station and the rift. After some positioning, it intercepted the beam. The Torvatta’s shields pulsed for a moment, expanding out for a bit in a spherical fashion, causing the beam to dissipate as it washed over the Torvatta’s shields.
The unwavering antagonism shown by both Evaran and Levaran toward the Time Wardens intrigued Emily. She understood Levaran’s issue with them, but even Evaran was irritated by them. They crossed his line long ago.
Evaran interacted with his chair console. “I have modulated the shields to the Time Warden shield frequency. V, take us full speed into the Time Warden anchor station.”
“Acknowledged.”
Emily gripped her chair’s arms. One of the more interesting aspects she had noticed about the Torvatta was that even if it was shaken, hit, or held, it always seemed to be calm inside. She had asked Dr. Snowden about it, and he had said something about inertia dampeners, but he was not sure. Now that the Torvatta schematics were available, she was looking forward to finding that out. She chuckled as she realized this was how Dr. Snowden must think.
Dr. Snowden raised his eyebrows at Emily.
“I was just remembering our discussion on the dampeners,” said Emily.
“Oh,” said Dr. Snowden. He circled a finger in the air. “I guess even if we hit the station at full speed, we won’t feel the effects in here.”
“The Torvatta is stabilized inside the shield,” said Evaran. “Forces outside the Torvatta do not carry through the shields unless the force is crafted to do so. That is extremely rare, and I have only encountered it a few times.”
Dr. Snowden chuckled. “I would say buckle up, but no need to, it seems.”
The Torvatta flew in a straight line toward the Time Warden anchor station. When it reached the shielding, the Torvatta punched through it, leaving behind a display of bright lights around the edges of the hole. As the Torvatta accelerated, Time Warden ships began to launch from the station. Station turrets and defense systems locked on to the Torvatta and began to fire. The Torvatta closed the distance quickly, and hit the station on its side.
Emily studied the interior of the station as it zoomed by. It reminded her of looking at a cutout of a building, except up close and personal.
The Torvatta exited the station, which began to fall apart. The screen showed a rearview shot of Time Wardens being sucked out into space as parts of the station began to crumple. When the Torvatta was a bit away, the station explode
d.
“The Krotovore ship is more damaged than expected due to taking fire from two sources. We need to distract the Kreagan fleet until it flies through the rift. V, provide cover for the Krotovore ship from the Kreagan fleet until it reaches the rift, then head in,” said Evaran.
“Acknowledged.”
The Torvatta spent the next twenty minutes intercepting the large Kreagan beams that were focused on the Krotovore ship’s shielding.
Emily observed the beams hitting the Torvatta and pushing it back a bit, but then reflecting off at an angle. The Torvatta’s presence seemed to draw additional fire from other ships. She recognized the Kreagan Dreadnoughts. They were massive, with huge swarms of smaller ships around them. She knew the Kreagans referred to this as the Durnass incident.
Dr. Snowden gulped. “That’s a lot of firepower.”
Evaran nodded. “At least we know the Kreagan Star Empire is where it should be.”
“Good point,” said Dr. Snowden.
“The Krotovore ship is entering the rift,” said V.
“Follow it in and head to the other Time Warden anchor station,” said Evaran.
“Acknowledged.”
The Torvatta broke off from the Kreagan ships and headed into the rift behind the Krotovore ship. It overtook the Krotovore ship and exited the rift, barreling toward the other Time Warden anchor station. After a few minutes, it had a hole in it and exploded shortly thereafter. The Krotovore ship had exited the rift as well and drifted toward the nearby planet.
Dr. Snowden exhaled sharply. “That was intense.”
“Your first station ramming?” asked Levaran with a half smile.
“Well, it’s my first time seeing the Torvatta being used as a battering ram anyways.”
“Understandable. I suspect now that you have the schematics, there will be other ways to utilize the Torvatta.”
Dr. Snowden rubbed his chin. “Okay, now you got me curious. What ways are we talking?”
Levaran shot a look at Evaran for a moment, then back at Dr. Snowden. “There’s a tractor beam, a repulsing beam, and even shield enhancements that allow the Torvatta to control its temperature.”
