The Drorne station was about 100 clicks from us. Though slow going over the increasingly rocky terrain.
About half way through our trip the land wagon emergency alarm went off and its protective shields came up to maximum automatically.
“The only thing I can detect,” said Janelle “is a large silver grey cloud formation almost on the horizon.”
The cloud wasn’t moving at all but then it broke up into vast numbers of small metallic slivers that sped at frightening speed across the horizon before reforming.
We took it all in. Grateful that whatever it was, it hadn’t come our way. Susan being on board meant one more manned weapons system but we were still under strength. The weapons systems that we could man or place on automatic were trained on the cloud as it disappeared over the horizon in a frightening burst of speed.
Even before we’d had time to discuss the nature of the cloud the land wagon alarm went off again. Moving towards us from the horizon and at some considerable speed were the most formidable looking creatures. They looked a bit like an alien version of a velociraptor. Larger, faster, I’d guess them to be stronger, and with a distasteful hint of something vaguely insectoid about them.
Our laser canon started firing on automatic Sometimes missing it took two or more laser hits to stop any of these speedy and evasive creatures.
Then as I backed the land wagon away from their advance and Janelle and Susan took up manned weapons systems the creatures started to slow.
“As if they were on a huge elastic lease which is just now reaching its upper limit,” volunteered Janelle.
“They’re starting to look less substantial too,” I added as the velociraptor things were still just gaining on us and were almost upon us.
“They must be from that second closest anomaly,” offered Janelle. “The one that looked like something out of Earth’s dinosaur period.”
“That anomaly was too far away,” I said.
“It has moved a little closer to us,” responded Janelle “at a greater speed than we might have imagined and these super velociraptors apparently have a lot more range than the android soldiers we encountered earlier.”
The principle appeared to be the same though I thought anything leaving the anomalies could only move so far away from them before being drawn back. As if they represented a sample of a different reality or at least a different dimension or world that simply couldn’t exist to far away from their base.
“Could the Drorne have made these anomalies,” asked Janelle.
“I don’t think so,” I replied “just not their style plus our instrumentation suggests the anomalies are much newer than anything we’ve ever seen that was made by the Drorne. No some other major player appears to have been at work here.”
“If that’s a velociraptor imitation then I’d hate to see a T Rex imitation,” shuddered Susan. I shuddered a little bit too.
“Let’s get on to the Drorne station,” I urged. “We’re nearly there now.”
I didn’t want to admit it to anyone but my confidence had been shaken slightly by recent events. Something about the cloud entity had unnerved me and the velociraptor imitations hadn’t helped. Quietly I was hoping their might be some technology at the Drorne station to give us an edge. Or something more than just an edge.
The Drorne station was set into the side of a small mountain looking over a relatively flat area among the otherwise very rocky terrain. With a vaguely concrete looking exterior it was at first glance far from impressive. Yet first impressions can be misleading. It didn’t look like any other Drorne station I’d seen. Still I was beginning to realise that they were all different. Each built in a form suitable to the world they were located on.
As with the several other Drorne stations I’d come across in my rescue service duties – you couldn’t just walk into it. We stood around at the entrance waiting for an incredibly ancient but still operating scanning process to judge us worthy to enter. Or perhaps unworthy.
Then an area at ground level about the size of a set of small aircraft hanger doors opened up instantly and closed just as quickly after we moved into it. “I hope we can get out again,” said Susan not entirely joking.
We walked in to an area that was vaguely reminiscent of a small aircraft hanger. Too large it seemed for the modest few vehicles and assorted equipment lying about. There was the suggestion that this area might once have housed much more equipment than it now did.
A crude but still working teleshunt lift was our only means of accessing other levels in the Drorne complex. I wondered what would happen if the teleshunt failed.
The second level was still large but no longer aircraft hanger size. It appeared to be a crude living area catering for entities of various shapes and sizes. With furnishings that reduced or increased in size depending on the current occupants and also shape changed and moulded to the peculiarities of the current occupants. It was hard to tell how long it had been since anyone else had come this way. Many Earth years I would have thought.
“Let’s move on up again,” I said as we used the teleshunt lift for a second time.
“Offices?” suggested Susan almost apologetically as we entered an area smaller than the level below. I was getting the sense of a pyramid structure.
“A command centre I would think,” I decided before I was interrupted.
“Welcome to this Drorne facility, it has been a long time since anything has been inside here,” the voice came from a hologram. “How may I assist you?”
We had a long, long conversation with the hologram. All the while looking for its not at all obvious source. On the downside it could not advise us on the current existence of any gateways. Temporary or permanent. On the upside it knew a great deal more about this world than we did. Which was to be expected.
For completeness sake we went up to the fourth and final level of the Drorne complex. The hologram described the small area as a recreation/observation area. There was nothing of significance for us there though and we spent no time there.
“Take me with you, please,” said the hologram “when you leave here.” Was it just my imagination or had the voice tone altered slightly. Taking on a pleading tone.
“How?” Janelle asked. The holographic image pointed to a metallic object the size of perhaps a small tool box that hadn’t seemed to be there a few minutes ago.
“I’m lonely,” it continued “my job here is long past done and I don’t care to wait another thousand years for intelligent company.”
“Who are we to look a gift horse in the mouth,” Janelle said as she looked at me. I nodded.
On the way out the hologram advised us on all of the vehicles and equipment. We opted for what the hologram described as a medium sized various energy source flyer.
Then we all departed the Drorne facility feeling quite optimistic. .
I put the flyer in electro-magnetic mode and we started off flying level at a modest speed and low altitude. According to the hologram there was equipment on board that should be able to detect a gateway. We assembled it and operated it as we were instructed. The intent being to fly across as much of the planetary surface as was necessary in order to detect a gateway or gateways.
“You know,” said Susan “you guys could use something like this flyer in your rescue service.”
A thought both Janelle and I had already entertained. I didn’t say anything to Susan but the rescue service had over the years acquired quite a collection of alien equipment from various rescue efforts. There was still some equipment that we hadn’t quite figured out yet.
Beyond sight of the Drorne complex the sentient cloud entity appeared again. This time much closer to us. I found the experience even more unnerving this time around because of the cloud’s menacing proximity. We knew first hand just how fast it could move.
“Best not to provoke it,” offered the hologram enigmatically. Needless to say we didn’t.
Again the entity broke into vast numbers of tiny metallic s
livers that moved menacingly towards us before rejoining to form the cloud. Then it let go of something that crashed to the ground. It was our mini satellite that had stopped transmitting some time back. A very menacing, very provocative act. Also leaving us in no doubt as to its sentience. Indeed, as far as we were concerned, its malevolence. .
I increased the flyer’s speed several times in an effort to lose the cloud and each time it matched our increased speed precisely. Then finally, as if bored, it left us. Moving away at a speed that I was not even sure the Drorne flyer could match.
During this confrontation we had over flown part of one of the sand oceans and were coming up on yet another of the anomalies.
I altered course sharply.
“Is that why the cloud left us,” asked Janelle astutely “on account of proximity to the anomaly?”
“Yes,” responded the hologram.
“The clouds, yes there’s many more than one of them,” Susan shuddered as the hologram said this. “The clouds tend to avoid flying near the anomalies.”
Thankfully the anomaly did not respond to our proximity. Like the other two anomalies we had seen close up it was about small city size, it moved slowly, and appeared to shimmer with the suggestion of a mystical barrier about it. Whether that was to keep things out or keep things in we still didn’t know. Probably both I thought. This anomaly was a place on a constant war footing. A forever war between hybrid repto-insectoids and boosted high technology humanoids. A roughly even fight so the hologram said.
“Let’s get about our business,” I said and we increased altitude and at formidable speed “mapped” the planetary surface looking for any sign of gateway energies.
It was both exhilarating and frustrating at the same time. The sometimes breathtaking views tempered by not even the slightest energy trace of a gateway.
As to the hologram. We had decided it was male and started to call it Fred. Don’t ask me how we arrived at this conclusion. It had a personality of a certain type which definitely seemed male. We kept the metallic toolbox shape source of its program close at all times. Somehow it seemed very honoured by this humble recognition. “I’ve never seen a holographic program anywhere near as sophisticated as this one,” whispered Janelle.
“You will eventually find a gateway on this world,” offered the hologram “if a gateway disappears on a world another appears somewhere else on the same world to compensate. The Drorne built things that way. However it is just possible that something is suppressing the existence of the principal gateway.”
It was on our second “mapping” of the planetary surface that we got our much needed break. “Something,” said Janelle “something so faint that even this flyer’s sophisticated Drorne instruments can barely detect it. Here’s the coordinates. The gateway appears to be inside one of the anomalies. That’s why it was so faint.”
“Which one?” I enquired.
“The first one we saw, the ruinous city with the android soldiers,” replied Janelle.
We took the flyer down well outside the anomaly. It was no longer moving, as if somehow it was waiting for us to give it our best shot.
Fred told us what was contained in his program about this particular anomaly and we supplemented that with some analysis from the magnificent Drorne technology on the flyer. “Something you need to know about all of these anomalies,” said Fred ”if you can thrust through the mystical barrier that surrounds them you can be pretty sure that everything and everyone inside the anomaly will turn against you instantly and automatically. Even if they are presently fighting each other.”
“Thanks!” I said “Very re-assuring!” Of course sarcasm was totally lost on our alien “male” holographic computer program.
We waited for a while. Discussing tactics.
“We’ll have to go in the flyer.” I said “without it I think we would be toast very quickly. Even with our exo-skeleton assisted light armour. I think these weapons on the flyer and other weapons systems we acquired from the Drorne facility will be better at blasting through any mystical barriers than anything of ours. We know exactly, more or less exactly, where the gateway is inside the anomaly and we’ll make straight for it. Take the flyer right through the anomaly’s barrier and directly to the gateway location.” If I sounded confident to Susan and Janelle, well I wasn’t.
“Me too?” enquired Fred almost plaintively.
“You bet,” said Janelle “we’ve got nothing quite like you where we come from.”
Not for the first time I wondered if Fred might be capable of some sort of offensive action. He was only a hologram but he was after all a Drorne hologram.
“You know,” said Janelle “not to change the subject but we are actually not that far from the edge of one of the sand oceans. Our land sonar (we had taken it from the land wagon) suggests the ground below is slightly fluid.”
Our land sonar showed a range of creatures headed not towards us but towards the anomaly. I recognised some of them or their ilk as past protagonists from our past journey across the sand ocean.
Then the silver grey clouds appeared again and I did say clouds. Six of the huge entities. I wondered if these things mixed and matched with individual slivers darting from one cloud to another. Fred advised me that it wasn’t so. Each individual sliver component belonged to a particular cloud. Uncharacteristically the clouds headed towards rather than away from the anomaly. Breaking up into their millions upon millions of sliver components. They raced to the anomaly glowing incandescantly in what we registered as a super heated form
“What’s going on here Fred?” I asked somewhat bewildered by the turn of events.
“There have basically been three influences on this world,” Fred replied. The indigenous powers (the sliver clouds and sand ocean creatures among them), the ancient Drorne intrusion and the anomalies. Now with the Drorne long gone it looks as though the indigenous powers and the imported anomalies have finally decided to have it out for dominance of this world.”
“The far over the horizon radars of this flyer indicate another indigenous attack on the next nearest anomaly. The dinosaur anomaly,” yelled Janelle.
We watched on transfixed as the super heated slivers smashed time and again against the mystical barriers of the anomaly gradually degrading the effectiveness of the barriers. Following them were dozens of the towering vaguely humanoid shape sand ocean creatures we had encountered earlier while other sand ocean creatures sought to burrow under the anomaly. Since it was now positioned relatively close to the edges of the sand ocean.
“The clouds and the sand ocean creatures, the dominant indigenous species are coordinating their attack on the anomaly,” I yelled.
From inside the anomaly a multitude of very well armed and equipped android soldiers came forth to meet the threat. Like angry bees reacting to an invasion of their hive. We detected anti-matter participle beams, molecular disruptors, and nuclear rip saws among other things. It seemed like a scene from Dante’s Inferno. Or perhaps the Norse Gods Ragnorak.
We held back for a while before realising that this was our opportunity.
“They are doing our work for us,” I said “too busy with each other we might be able to burst through to the gateway inside the anomaly unopposed.”
We hurtled forward in the flyer trying to avoid the densest of the fighting. Hoping our Drorne shields and speed would brush all aside. The slivers and the sand ocean creatures largely ignored us though not so the android soldiers. We took heavy fire that rocked even the Drorne flyer. With the android soldiers were some sort of animals. Much like Earth police or soldiers might use dogs. Yet these vicious reptilians bore no resemblance to mans best friend or anything else of Earth. I doubted whether these animals were anybody’s friend. Even their android masters.
Somehow the android soldiers succeeded in bringing the flyer to the ground and to a halt. By sheer weight of firepower they overcame a Drorne flyer. They and their reptilian “pets” surrounded the flyer. Looking for a way in
.
“Can we make it out on foot?” asked Susan.
“I don’t see how we can,” I responded “those reptilian things would probably tear us apart if the soldiers don’t fry us first.”
“We have the Drorne energy weapons,” said Janelle ‘they have to be superior.”
“One on one or one on three certainly but there are so many of them,” I replied.
“What choice to we have?” asked Susan.
“None,” I agreed.
We got ready to bust out of the flyer.
For the first time since we had entered the anomaly I looked backward. Perhaps searching for ideas. I took in the view of the outside world looking out from the anomaly. It seemed to be different. Not quite what we knew to actually be there. Colored, tinted, distorted somewhat.
Then suddenly it looked very different indeed. As two rather large shapes were very visible outside the anomaly. One appeared to be in low orbit while the other had landed at some distance from the anomaly. It was difficult to assess their relative sizes but the two star ships appeared as different as chalk and cheese. I had no idea whose ships they might be.
Fred came to our aid. In the heat of the moment I had completely forgotten about our favourite hologram.
“The star ship in orbit is of Drorne origin,” he said “and that on the ground is of the Fleme, the creators and transporters of the anomalies. Neither of these mighty races need star ships any more. They haven’t needed them for a long time so I’ve no idea why they would use such a crude form of transportation now.”
“I thought the Drorne were long gone,” I said “I mean that the race had passed into history. With only the Drorne stations left.”
“I never said that,” replied Fred “you assumed it because of the great age of all of their facilities.”
The new arrivals had a clear impact on the fighting in the anomaly. It ceased abruptly.
“This is it now, our only opportunity,” I yelled “there’s the gateway lit up like a Christmas tree. Run for it.”
A Collection of Science Fiction Gems Page 5
